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<ul><li>The abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of constitution which gave Kashmir a special status severely hit tourism in the valley. </li><li>As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the <keyword id="1002837" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kashmir-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Industry">Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry</keyword> (KCCI). </li><li>Tourism accounts for almost 7% of the state’s <keyword id="6354971" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="gross-domestic-product">gross domestic product</keyword> (GDP). </li><li>Yet another challenge is the internet blockage. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for any promotional campaigns, <keyword id="8667284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="manzoor-ahmad-pakhtoon">Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon</keyword>, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance told Forbes. </li></ul>The Narendra Modi government in New Delhi has repeatedly insisted that the situation in Kashmir has been ‘normal’ despite the suspension Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, which gave the state a special status. But data shows that the bundhs and the internet blackout has brought the economy to a grinding halt leading, and half a million people lost their jobs in the process. As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the<a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/"> Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)</a>. While the overall job loss in the commercial space stood at 496,000. Much of the damage is in the tourism sector, which makes up for almost 7% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP). “The back of Kashmir’s tourism sector has been broken because of the situation emerging after August 5, 2019: Tourism is in a shambles while artisans and weavers are jobless,” IndiaSpend <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/">reported</a> citing <keyword id="159634" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abdul-Majeed">Abdul Majeed</keyword>, vice president of KCCI. 2018 vs 2019 In fact, the number of travellers in Kashmir — including those on an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-india-pakistan-border-in-kashmir-is-simmering-again-thousands-of-amarnath-pilgrims-have-been-sent-back/articleshow/70500904.cms">Amarnath Yatra</a> — plunged to a decade low in 2019. Almost 500,000 tourists visited the valley last year — including 32,985 foreigners. And most of them left before the government revoked its autonomous status. The August to December period witnessed a slump of 86%, as per the tourism department. Yet another challenge to it is the internet blockage, which has impacted communication in the area. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for promotional campaigns, Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance<a href="http://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/kashmir039s-tourism-sector-faces-losses-over-rs-9000-cr-14-lakh-people-lose-jobs/57275/1"> told </a>Forbes. “The campaigns begin in November for the winter and spring season. Even now, when winter is at its peak, adventure sports in <keyword id="108228" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gulmarg">Gulmarg</keyword> have no takers,” he had said. “Doing trade without favourable conditions and the internet is unimaginable in the present-day world. In one fell swoop, irreversible damage has been caused to the state’s economy; not a single sector has been spared,” Majeed added. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/kashmirs-5-month-internet-blackout-is-the-longest-ever-imposed-in-a-democracy-and-its-stifling-local-workers/articleshow/73197027.cms">Kashmir's 5-month internet blackout is the longest ever imposed in a democracy - and it's stifling local workers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-top-court-has-declared-the-record-breaking-159-day-long-kashmir-internet-blackout-illegal/articleshow/73188504.cms">India's top court has declared the record-breaking 159-day-long Kashmir internet blackout illegal</a>

The new ‘normal’ in Kashmir has cost nearly half a million jobs — bundhs and internet blackout are breaking businesses

Adnan Abidi / REUTERS <keyword id="6354495" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir" source="Orion">Kashmir</keyword>i men shout slogans during clashes with Indian security forces, after scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Srinagar, August 23, 2019. <ul class="summary-list"><li>An extreme crackdown in the Indian territory of Kashmir has kept Kashmiri citizens under virtual house arrest and without a lifeline to the outside world for nearly a month.</li><li>Extreme military and police brutality could lead to major uprisings, including violence and bloodshed, experts warn.</li><li>While the Indian government and military forces have engaged in mass arrests, forced "disappearances," and other human rights violations before in Kashmir, the scale of militarization and civilian suppression is unprecedented, making it ripe for a full-scale insurgency.</li><li>"Never before have Kashmiri Muslims felt so threatened by Hindu Nationalists' attempts to forcibly assimilate them with the Indian Union," a Kashmir expert told Insider.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>The Indian government staged a takeover of the territories of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month. A total information blockade followed, as well as reports of house arrests, and the Indian government's decision to completely negate Kashmir's special autonomous status. The Indian government and military forces have for decades engaged in mass arrests, forced "disappearances," and other human rights violations in Kashmir, but the scale of militarization and civilian suppression is unprecedented, making it ripe for a full-scale insurgency. "Kashmir has turned into an internment camp," Angana Chatterji, the co-chair of the Political Conflict, Gender, &amp; People's Rights Initiative at the University of California at Berkeley and an expert on human rights in Kashmir, told Insider. "It's virtually impossible [for people] <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/world/asia/kashmir-arrests-india.html">to step outside their homes</a>," she said, as 55,000 Indian military personnel patrol the streets of Kashmir. Kashmir and Jammu have a population of 10 million that's majority Muslim, and these citizens have been without internet since August 4, making it impossible to communicate with the outside world, much less each other. "They want to make sure that people stay indoors, that people don't mobilize and protest," Hafsa Kanjwal, a professor at Lafayette University and an expert on Kashmir, told Insider. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-negotiate-in-kashmir-pakistan-india-2019-7">Trump's casual offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute reveals a disastrous misunderstanding of the powder-keg region</a> India's government formally abrogated Article 370 of its constitution, which gave Kashmir its special status as an autonomous state, earlier this month. The unprecedented move by the Hindu nationalist BJP government revokes Muslim-majority Kashmir's ability to make its own laws and determinations under the guise of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708">integrating the state into India and increasing development there.</a> <h2>No voice for Kashmiris</h2>But India's actions - arresting thousands of Kashmiris, putting political leaders under lockdown, and disarming the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/b791a83976704e71a440ea43934a5be4">Kashmir police force</a> - reaveal different motivations. Decisions about Kashmir's future - and any negotiation thereof - have always been between Pakistan, which controls some parts of the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and India, according to the 1972 Simla agreement. Now, with the Indian government seizing power, Kashmiris are out of options. "Kashmiris are being forced to take a stand in a bilateral political situation," Chatterji said. "They, as the primary stakeholders, must argue for themselves." "Potential for a full-blown insurgency remains strong," Ahmad, a Kashmiri researcher who asked to use a pseudonym to prevent retaliation by the Indian government, told Insider. "With no room for dissent," he said, the people of Kashmir have "no choice but to engage in armed struggle." There is precedent for armed insurrection - in the late 1980s, for example, militant Kashmiri groups headed to Pakistan for arms training and led an insurrection against the Indian administration in Kashmir in 1990. <a href="https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kashmir/back.htm">According to Human Rights Watch</a>, the Indian National Congress party had rigged elections in Kashmir to benefit Indian rule and arrested opposition leaders. That conflict led to around 100,000 Hindus leaving Kashmir, and countless human rights abuses by Indian forces there. Uprisings in 2009, 2011, and 2016 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/08/india-crackdown-in-kashmir-is-this-worlds-first-mass-blinding">resulted in injuries, restrictions, and human rights abuses against Kashmiris, as well.</a> Associated Press An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard near a temporary checkpoint during lockdown in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. The latest crackdown began just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-led government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomy and its statehood, creating two federal territories. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) <h2>'Only one solution'</h2>The current situation seems to be different. For one, there wasn't really a precipitating event that brought on India's state-wide blackout and blatant political power grab. "The blackout is a form of collective punishment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, without even a pretext of a precipitating offense," <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24909&amp;LangID=E">according to a United Nations Human Rights Council statement on Kashmir</a>. "The information blackout is clearly unprecedented," Ahmad said. "So is the increase in military deployment at a time when insurgency in Kashmir is residual." 2019 is a watershed moment in Kashmir, Chatterji told Insider. "There's no going back, they've destroyed a tenet of the constitution." "Never before have Kashmiri Muslims felt so threatened by Hindu Nationalists' attempts to forcibly assimilate them with the Indian Union," Ahmad said. "So there is an overarching consensus in the Kashmiri society that they need to right for the protection of their identity. And surely it will generate massive resistance." Even with limited communication and highly militarized streets, Kashmiris are still protesting, The New York Times reports. While some are peaceful, others proceed with chants advocating for armed struggle. "Only one solution," protesters shout. "Gun solution!"

India's blackout and extreme crackdown in Kashmir could ignite a violent uprising

A special court here on Thursday dismissed the interim bail application of <keyword id="155796" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="avantha-group" source="Orion">Avantha Group</keyword> promoter <keyword id="3910012" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gautam-thapar" source="Orion">Gautam Thapar</keyword>, who was arrested in connection with the alleged misappropriation of a Rs 515 crore loan from Yes Bank. The Special Judge, Rouse Avenue Court Complex has dismissed the interim bail application of <keyword id="174" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="thapar" source="Orion">Thapar</keyword>, which was filed on medical grounds, citing his deteriorating health. During the course of proceedings, the judge requisitioned the medical status report of Thapar from the Chief Medical Officer, <keyword id="56350" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tihar-jail" source="Orion">Tihar Jail</keyword>, where he is currently lodged in. The medical officer-in-charge of the Central Jail opined that Thapar continues to have persistent left-sided chest pain, palpitations, vertigo, blackouts, severe lumbar pain, and his previous records show severe co-morbidities. The report further stated that any delay in investigation and intervention may lead to irreversible damage. Counsel for Directorate of Enforcement, N.K. Matta, strongly objected to bail, stating that the jail authorities are well equipped to provide necessary treatment. Thapar was represented by counsel Sandeep Kapur, Senior Partner, Karanjawala &amp; Co., and his team comprising Vir Sandhu, Rajat Soni, <keyword id="13977064" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vivek-suri" source="Orion">Vivek Suri</keyword>, Mridul Yadav, Abhimanshu Dhyani, and <keyword id="13977065" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sahil-modi" source="Orion">Sahil Modi</keyword>. The team had briefed senior advocate N. Hariharan to appear on behalf of Thapar. SEE WORK: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/goa-has-the-highest-car-ownership-in-india-check-out-the-states-with-highest-and-lowest-car-ownership/slidelist/91664118.cms">Goa has the highest car ownership in India, check out the states with highest and lowest car ownership</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/navjot-singh-sidhu-gets-one-year-in-jail-in-the-1988-road-rage-case/articleshow/91662761.cms">Navjot Singh Sidhu gets one year in jail in the 1988 road rage case</a>

Avantha Group promoter denied interim bail on his arrest for alleged misuse of ₹515 crore loan

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersA Kashmiri woman walks through an empty street during restrictions in Srinagar, Kashmir, on September 20, 2019.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>India announced plans to separate Jammu and Kashmir state and downgrade them to two territories directly controlled by New Delhi back in August, prompting widespread protests.</li><li>India also imposed a huge internet and phone blackout on the region. There are also multiple reports of violent protests and midnight raids, which the Indian government has denied.</li><li>Critics fear that Indian Hindus will now move into the mostly-Muslim region and alter its religious and ethnic makeup.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>India has officially eliminated the flag and constitution of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir as the total internet blackout on Kashmir goes into its 13th week.The Indian government formally passed legislation on Thursday to remove the region's semi-autonomous status, which involves eliminating its own flag and constitution.The legislation also divided Jammu and Kashmir state and downgraded them into two federally-governed territories under New Delhi's direct control. India said earlier this year that the states would eventually be able to hold their own elections.Indian authorities on Thursday changed the name of the state-run radio station, Radio Kashmir Srinagar, to All India Radio Srinagar, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-kashmiri-flag-constitution-under-indian-imposed-changes-2019-10">the Associated Press (AP) reported</a>. Srinagar is the largest city in Kashmir.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Dar Yasin/APThe Indian national flag flying next to a Jammu and Kashmir state flag on a government building in Srinagar on August 9, 2019.</div></div></div>India announced the removal of Jammu and Kashmir's semi-autonomous status, which was enshrined in the country's 72-year-old constitution, in early August.The announcement was coupled with a total communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir, with internet and phone lines cut off, as well as a massive troop increase, severe curfews, and detentions. The region was already the most highly-militarized area in the world.Since then, thousands of Kashmiris have protested and violently clashed with Indian security forces, with journalists and researchers reporting citizens being <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-villagers-allege-beatings-abuse-electric-shock-india-denies-2019-8">tortured</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-man-blinded-pellets-police-insist-no-major-injuries-2019-8">shot by police pellets</a>, and even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-forces-detaining-kids-molesting-girls-amid-blackout-report-2019-8">molested in midnight raids</a>.The Indian government has denied all these reports. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-crisis-india-accuses-media-fake-news-using-trump-playbook-2019-9">It has also accused the media of fabricating news in Kashmir.</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-49481180">BBC</a>Stills from a BBC video, published in August, of two Kashmiri brothers showing injuries from what they said were beatings by Indian army officers.</div></div></div>Authorities have lifted some roadblocks and restored some phone lines in the region since August, the AP reported. Internet in Jammu has also returned, but the 12.5 million people living in Kashmir remain totally offline.The Indian government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-internet-shutdown-statistics-2019-6">cut off Kashmir's internet 134 times last year</a> in an attempt to prevent anti-government protests.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Dar Yasin/APA protest on the outskirts of Srinagar on August 23, 2019. The sign says: "We dream of an independent Kashmir."</div></div></div>Before India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's semi-autonomous status, people in the mostly-Muslim state lived politically insular lives.Under that special status, people from outside Jammu and Kashmir were not allowed to run for political office or buy property in the region, and daughters lost their land inheritance if they married people from outside the state.Critics now fear that Indian Hindus will be able to move into Kashmir and alter its ethnic and religious makeup. Most people in the region either want independence or to be ruled by Pakistan.India's Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearings in early November on challenges to the constitutional change, the AP said. A decision will likely to take months.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Google MapsA map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it.</div></div></div>India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states, both claim Kashmir in its entirety but rule other parts of the region.Pakistan, which has previously funded insurgencies in the region, cut off all trade with India over the current crisis. He has also likened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actions in Kashmir to Nazi ideology.China, which also rules part of the region, has opposed India's move.<a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjdt_674879/fyrbt_674889/t1712346.shtml">In a Wednesday press conference</a>, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang called the demotion of Jammu and Kashmir state to India-controlled territories "illegal and ineffective."India's Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday told China to stay out of its internal affairs, saying that it should "respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/government-hits-back-at-china-for-calling-jammu-and-kashmir-move-unlawful-says-it-shouldnt-comment-o-2125263?pfrom=home-topscroll">NDTV reported</a>.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-crisis-india-accuses-media-fake-news-using-trump-playbook-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">India is replaying Trump's favorite strategy by accusing the media of fake news in Kashmir, where it cut off the internet and tried to silence journalists</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pakistan-india-threat-war-kashmir-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Pakistan issued its most explicit threat of war against India yet as the 2 nuclear powers clash over Kashmir</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-pakistan-nuclear-war-death-famine-2019-10" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">If India and Pakistan have a nuclear war, scientists say it could trigger Ice-Age temperatures, cause global famine, and kill 125 million people</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-man-blinded-pellets-police-insist-no-major-injuries-2019-8" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">A man in Kashmir says he was blinded in one eye after being shot by police pellets. Police insist there have been 'no major injuries.'</a></li></ul> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marine-corps-boot-camp-military-basic-training-parris-island-2019-10">We went inside the US Marine Corps' 13-week boot camp where recruits endure extreme physical and psychological tests</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

India officially eliminated Kashmir's flag and constitution as its internet blackout goes into 13th week

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir has been on lockdown since August - making it the longest lockdown to ever take place in a democratic state. </li><li>India has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-territory-downgrade-flag-constitution-internet-blackout-2019-10">imposed</a> curfews and internet blackouts across the region, stifling local business like the saffron and apple trades.</li><li>India's supreme court has since ruled the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-top-court-proclaims-kashmir-internet-blackout-unconstitutional-2020-1">indefinite internet blackout unlawful</a>, and ordered the government to review the restrictions.</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/BusinessInsiderToday/470155010549573/">Business Insider Weekly</a> visited Kashmir to learn how a government lockdown is affecting local farmers and traders. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>PAMPORE, Kashmir - Ashiq Rashid's family has been farming saffron for more than 80 years - since before their homeland, Kashmir, was a disputed territory between India and Pakistan."We've been farming saffron for generations - from my great-grandfather, grandfather, my father. Now it's me. I'm farming," Rashid told <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/BusinessInsiderToday/470155010549573/">Business Insider Weekly</a>.About 7% of the world's saffron is harvested in the Indian-controlled union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, making India one of the top exporters since it gained control of part of the region in 1947. But saffron farmers like Rashid have struggled ever since India's government has put Kashmir on lockdown, imposing an internet blackout and region-wide curfews as well as stepping up its military presence. It's been more than five months since the lockdown begain in August, making it the <a href="https://www.insider.com/kashmir-internet-shut-down-imposed-india-longest-ever-by-democracy-2019-12">longest ever imposed in a democratic state</a>."During conflicts, a farmer cannot go to work. He cannot tend to his land, so that affects productivity," Rashid said.This year, life in Indian-administered Kashmir became even more unbearable.On August 5, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/06/this-is-modi-governments-darkest-moment/">revoked Article 370</a> of India's constitution, ending decades of semi-autonomous rule for the Muslim-majority Kashmir.The Indian government sent in <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/28-000-more-troops-deployed-in-kashmir-valley-1576280-2019-08-02">38,000 extra troops</a> to smother any signs of dissent, critics say. Modi also imposed a curfew, blocked roads, and shut off most forms of communication, including the internet.India's supreme court ruled on Friday that the indefinite internet shutdown is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-top-court-proclaims-kashmir-internet-blackout-unconstitutional-2020-1">unlawful</a>, ordering the government to review the restrictions on the region. Additionally, the court ordered India's government to make public its orders on internet shutdowns, which the government deploys often. India has experienced <a href="https://internetshutdowns.in/">353 internet shutdowns</a> since 2016. The lockdown has enraged Kashmiris, and stifled businesses that rely on the internet."Many farmers, many product sellers in Kashmir used to sell their products on online websites like Amazon, Flipkart and other online websites," Sajad Rafeeq, a former saffron farmer, told Business Insider Weekly. "So when there's, you know, any kind of shutdown or when there's, you know, conflict and the communication is not good, so all of the industry gets affected."Recently, the Indian government has slowly begun restoring communications. Cellphone service returned in October, and on the first day of 2020, internet access was granted to government schools and hospitals, albeit with heavy restrictions. Most residents are still living without it. Experts are already noticing early consequences of the lockdown."The Kashmiris have always felt that they have a distinctive identity, especially the Muslims in the Valley and that had actually been written into the constitution," Sumit Ganguly, a political science professor at Indiana University, told Business Insider Weekly. "Now they feel that that special status, which had been eroded over time, has now been completely abrogated."<h2>Turmoil in the region dates back to more than 70 years ago.</h2>Turmoil in Kashmir started more than 70 years ago, when India and Pakistan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/08/asia/india-pakistan-independence-timeline/index.html">gained their independence from the British</a> in 1947. The dispute over who controlled the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir gave rise to three wars and other armed conflicts over the region.To this day, India blames Pakistan for stirring the unrest by backing separatist militants - a charge its neighbor denies.At least 4,000 people have died in violent clashes in Kashmir over the past decade or so - including 1000 Indian security forces, <a href="http://jkccs.net/">according to a nonprofit</a> based in the city of Srinagar. Still, in the past five months, it's gotten even harder to sustain commerce at every level.In October, unidentified gunmen <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-apples/suspected-militants-kill-two-in-indian-kashmir-set-apple-trucks-ablaze-idUSKBN1X328R">set fire to three apple trucks</a> in Indian Kashmir's Shopian district, killing two drivers and stoking more fear. Apple farming is the pillar of the region's economy, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-apples/kashmir-apple-trade-picks-up-again-under-shadow-of-militant-attacks-idUSKBN1WX1LY">employing half of the population</a>, about 3.5 million people. In fact, 70% of India's apples came from Kashmir last year, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-10-28/india-kashmir-economy-crackdown">contributing $1.5 billion</a> to the Indian economy.But now, Kashmiri fruit traders like Maqbool Hussain say they're having trouble getting their produce to market."If nobody comes to buy apples from outside, then how will Kashmiri apples sell?" Hussain said. "We can't find anyone to work in the markets. Almonds are spoiling. Walnut sales have gone down by 60%."<h2>The fallout can be felt hundreds of miles away in neighboring Ladakh.</h2>The fallout from the conflict can also be felt hundreds of miles away from the violence, in the serene mountains of Ladakh, a neighboring region that's also administered by India. There, herders like Karma Takgol still <a href="https://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/pashmina/">gather raw wool from Tibetan goats</a> the way they have since the 15th century."Old people say that the villages with the coldest weather have the best pashmina," Takgol told Business Insider Weekly.India officially split Ladakh from the rest of Jammu and Kashmir in October, creating a separate territory that is mostly Buddhist. The army maintains the only road connecting Ladakh to the rest of India.But no matter where the government draws its lines around Kashmir, what happens across the mountains can still be felt in the birthplace of the material that carries its name - cashmere - known locally as pashmina.As traditional industries have suffered because of the conflict, the Indian government has at times tried to support the local economy. A federal agency offered to buy up Kashmir's apple crop in October, but farmers said the rates were too low and many didn't take up the offer. The country's leaders also devised a plan a decade ago to help saffron growers combat drought, with a $57 million proposal to irrigate the land.But several farmers, including Gulam Rasool Bhat, told us the scheme has failed."The government promised proper irrigation. Funds were sanctioned and infrastructure built, but no actual assistance was provided," Bhat said. "They even charged us 5,000 rupees per acre for providing irrigation - still nothing was done."Now, Kashmiris say the Indian government's help cannot make up for the way that the heavy military presence, internet blackout, and curfews have upended the economy. Saffron farmers like Rashid said that "because of the conflict here, the curfew here, our ambitions remain unfulfilled.""Younger people feel angry that I want to increase the productivity of my land," he said. "We hope our desires will be fulfilled but the conflict and curfew here don't allow us to prosper."

Kashmir's 5-month internet blackout is the longest ever imposed in a democracy - and it's stifling local workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Indian government placed an internet shutdown on the disputed state of Kashmir in August last year, cutting Kashmiris off from the outside world.</li><li>India's supreme court ruled the indefinite shutdown unlawful on Friday, and ordered the government to review the restrictions on Kashmir within the next week.</li><li>Significantly the court also ordered the government to make public all orders on internet shutdown, which India frequently deploys.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>After more than 150 days without internet, the Indian state of Kashmir might have just got a reprieve.India's supreme court ruled on Friday that the indefinite government-imposed internet shutdown in the state is unconstitutional."Freedom of Internet access is a fundamental right," said Supreme Court justice N. V. Ramana. The court has given the Indian government one week to review the restrictions imposed on Kashmir.The state of Jammu and Kashmir has long been a disputed territory between India and neighbouring Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration implemented the internet shutdown in August last year, justifying it by saying it was to calm unrest in the region.At 159 days, it is the longest internet blackout ever imposed in a democracy. While the blackout was in force <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-blackout-locals-dont-know-india-revoked-autonomy-report-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">India also stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status</a>.The court also ordered the Indian government to make public all orders on internet shutdowns, which it frequently deploys. Since 2016 India has experienced 353 internet shutdowns, <a href="https://internetshutdowns.in/">according to Internet Shutdowns</a>, a site run by India-based advocacy group the Software Law and Freedom Centre.Human Rights Watch's South Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly told Business Insider this sets an important precedent."Indian authorities often shut down internet access, but the Supreme Court has now said that any restrictions brought in to maintain public order should not become a tool to repress legitimate right to speech and expression."The Supreme Court has upheld international standards that any restrictions of rights must be proportional and based on material facts," said Ganguly.Ganguly pointed out that the court order doesn't immediately lift the shutdown, and said the government may try to delay it using "security justifications," but she still expects it will lead to the end of the shutdown.

India's top court has declared the record-breaking 159-day-long Kashmir internet blackout illegal

<ul><li>On Wednesday, the power minister of <keyword id="66" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword> wrote a letter to the Union power minister regarding the acute shortage of coal in the Capital. </li><li>The current stock at the stations is sufficient only for 1.5 days of power generation. </li><li>The <keyword id="608210" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-power">Delhi power</keyword> minister termed the matter as “critical” and warned Delhi of blackouts if the situation persists. </li></ul>On <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/just-1-5-days-of-coal-stock-left-jain-warns-of-power-crisis/articleshow/64770043.cms">Wednesday</a>, the Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain wrote a letter to the Union Power Minister, RK Singh, regarding the acute shortage of coal in the Capital’s thermal power stations. The thermal generating stations in Dadri I and II, Jhajjar and Badarpur are facing <keyword id="487736" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Coal-shortage">coal shortage</keyword> due to the non-availability of wagons required for the transportation of coal. The supply has been on the down slope for almost 10 days now, since 19 June. The thermal stations generally keep a 15 day stock of coal with themselves, however, the current stock at the stations is sufficient only for 1.5 days of power generation. At least 56,000 metric tonnes (MT) of coal to required to generate power for a day in Delhi and the thermal stations have only about 90,000 MT of coal stock left. Considering the high power demands of the season, even this little stock is depleting fast. But, this is not a <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-national-capital-glaring-at-blackout-as-coal-reserves-to-end-2630253">sudden </a>crisis as Delhi has been facing power shortage for weeks now. On 26 May, the city’s coal stock had come down to just 35,100 MT which is sufficient only for half a days’ supply. The government had then taken the matter to the Union Railway minister, Piyush Goyal after which it got better. However, the situation has now worsened agained, partially due to the current weather conditions that has pushed power demands through the roof. The city’s power demand reached an all time high of 6,934 MW on 8 June and is expected to even touch 7,000 MW in the subsequent weeks. Jain termed the matter as “critical” and warned Delhi of blackouts if the situation persists. He has requested Singh to “personally intervene” with the <keyword id="6355455" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-railways">Indian Railways</keyword> so that wagons are urgently provided as a priority to transport coal to the Capital. Worried over the <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/coal-supply-in-power-plants-low-crisis-looms/article24274603.ece">power shortage</a>, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal seeking their intervention.

Delhi’s power crisis might lead to a blackout

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Mukesh Gupta/ReutersIndian security personnel stand guard along a deserted street during restrictions in Jammu, on August 7, 2019.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>India has shut off internet and phone services in the disputed region of Kashmir since the start of the week, and imposed severe travel restrictions.</li><li>The blackout came as India changes its constitution to revoke the Kashmir region's substantial autonomy from India's central government.</li><li>While blackouts are common in Kashmir, reports say this is the most crippling yet.</li><li>Local journalists are unable to report, and many residents are so shut off that they don't know about the constitutional changes behind the blackout, local journalist Fahad Shah <a href="https://time.com/5646005/inside-kashmir-communication-shutdown/">wrote in TIME</a>.</li><li>Sick people are also struggling to call ambulances, which are in turn having trouble traveling to hospitals, Shah said.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The communications blackout in Kashmir is so total that some people there don't even know that India rewrote its constitution to strip the region of its political autonomy, local reporters said.Indian authorities shut off the internet, cellphone, and landline services in the disputed region on Monday, and have yet to restore them.Security services have also blocked off many parts of the region and banned public gatherings.Authorities have also detained at least 300 local politicians and pro-independence activists to prevent protests, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/at-least-300-kashmiri-politicians-detained-to-quell-protests-over-status">Reuters reported</a>, citing local police, and media.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Channi Anand/APIndian migrant laborers at a railway station in Jammu, preparing to leave the region amid government warnings, on August 7, 2019.</div></div></div>The blackout was imposed as India's parliament annulled the two articles in its 72-year-old constitution allowing the state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws and prevent outsiders from living and working freely in the region.Critics believe that by allowing Indians to buy property in the mostly-Muslim region, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is altering the state's demographic makeup to bolster Indian influence.In Kashmir many residents yearn for independence, or rule by neighboring Pakistan, which is Muslim-majority.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-revoke-article-370-quasi-independence-internet-tourists-2019-8">India shut off the internet and ordered tourists to leave the hotly contested Kashmir region, in a risky bid to end its quasi-independence</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Caren Firouz/Reuters; Altaf Hussain/ReutersA composite image of Imran Khan, current Prime Minister of Pakistan, in Bani Gala, Pakistan, in July 2017; and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the presidential palace in New Delhi, India, in May 2019.</div></div></div>Blackouts are relatively common in Kashmir - India cut off the state's internet <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-internet-shutdown-statistics-2019-6">134 times last year</a>. The blackouts are a tool to stop people from organizing protests, and to control the spread of information that Indian authorities deem unsavory.Some have been able to bypass the internet ban: India's state-owned BSNL telcom provider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/journalists-in-kashmir-get-satellite-phones-after-internet-and-mobile-are-shut-down/articleshow/70530054.cms">sold satellite phones to journalists</a> on the ground for 100,000 rupees (around $1,400) so they could continue reporting. However, most people remain unable to communicate with the outside word.Security services have placed checkpoints all around the region, and there is no way to get past them, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/audio/3-things/lockdown-in-jammu-and-kashmir-china-and-pakistans-response-sushma-swaraj/5883822/">said Muzamil Jaleel</a>, an Indian Express editor who was in Kashmir at the time of the blackout.But according to local journalists, the blackout this time is the most severe they have known.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Danish Ismail/ReutersIndian security forces patrol a deserted road amid widespread roadblocks and curfews in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir's largest city, on August 7, 2019.</div></div></div>Because most Kashmiris can't access the internet or their phones, and therefore the news, many do not know about the changes to their constitution which are behind the blackout, Kashmiri journalist Fahad Shah wrote in <a href="https://time.com/5646005/inside-kashmir-communication-shutdown/">a dispatch for TIME</a>.Many local outlets don't have the means to report the news, and some news sites are either not updated or completely blank.Police are also restricting journalists' movements in the region by occupying their offices and blocking key roads, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/kashmir-journalists-struggle-stories-clampdown-190806094953316.html">Al Jazeera reported</a>.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Greater KashmirThe online front page of the Greater Kashmir newspaper - one of the most widely-read English daily in Jammu and Kashmir - on August 8, 2019, amid the state's widespread internet blackout.</div></div></div>Because phones don't work, locals are also unable to call ambulances when they're sick, Shah said.Those who are able to find ambulances have also had their journeys to the hospital disrupted due to the roadblocks, he said."Kashmir has been turned invisible even inside Kashmir," Muzamil Jaleel, an Indian Express editor who was in Kashmir at the time of the blackout, <a href="https://twitter.com/ananthkrishnan/status/1158972132795265024">wrote on Tuesday</a>.Sagarika Ghose, a consulting editor with The Times of India, said: "Other than blocking journalists' access, the government has humiliated the people of Kashmir by shutting down their entire state."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Danish Ismail/ReutersA woman removes pieces of stones and bricks from a road in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on August 7, 2019.</div></div></div>Some residents have defied the informal curfews to stage protests against India, with many of them erupting into violence.Reuters, citing an anonymous police source, reported Tuesday that at least 30 protests involved stones or bricks being thrown, though details were scarce.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">KM Chaudary/APPakistani students burn a poster of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a protest over Kashmir in Lahore, Pakistan, on August 7, 2019.</div></div></div>Pakistan on Wednesday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-pakistan-suspend-trade-downgrade-bilateral-relations-india-2019-8">cut off all trade and downgraded bilateral ties</a> in response to its actions in Kashmir, and has turned to US President Donald Trump and the United Nations for help.However, India insists that the Kashmir issue is between India and Pakistan only, and refuses to resolve the crisis with third-party members.On Wednesday, Indian diplomats accused Pakistan of trying to "present an alarming picture to the world" of the situation in Kashmir.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-trump-offer-mediate-state-dept-now-backpedal-2019-8">2 weeks ago Trump casually offered to mediate the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Now the situation is blowing up, he's nowhere to be seen.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-border-patrol-boot-camp-2019-7">We went inside Border Patrol boot camp and found the Academy isn't training agents for the job the White House is asking them to do</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

The phone and internet blackout in Kashmir is so total that locals reportedly don't know India rewrote their constitution

<ul><li>Some of the top brands in week 13 (starting from March 28) are Dettol, Lifebuoy soap, Harpic, Lizol, Hotstar VIP. </li><li><keyword id="1736818" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-Advertising">Social advertising</keyword> from the Government and NGOs on television grew by 244% and 628% respectively. </li><li>Apart from that, non-essentials such as cement, paints, fairness creams, hair removers, and digestives continue to advertise on television. </li><li>Toiletries (190X), Social organisations (66X), ice cream (11X) were the highest contributors. </li></ul>In the 13th week of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> disruption starting from March 28, a report by BARC India and Nielsen called 'Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones' revealed that advertising Free Commercial Times (FCT) increased by 9%. Sports, social advertisements, toiletries, ice cream were the highest contributors. Social advertising from the Government and NGOs on television grew by 244% and 628% respectively. Some of the top brands that contributed to FCT in week 13 were Dettol, Lifebuoy soap, Harpic, Lizol, Hotstar VIP. Apart from that, non-essentials such as cement, paints, fairness creams, hair removers, and digestives also continued to advertise on television. The same trend of social messaging followed on digital platforms. Creatives specifically designed referencing COVID-19 are seeing a rise across multiple sectors. Top brands like Amul, Godrej, Audi, Zomato, Lifebuoy played their part to reinforce and support social distancing. They changed their logos and spread awareness around the precautions that need to be taken to stay away from Coronavirus. BARC’s data also revealed that the return of classics on Doordarshan made it the most watched channel across India. PM Narendra Modi’s video message on #9PM9Min, released on April 3, was the biggest news event ever as it garnered 1 million viewing minutes. During the nine minutes blackout period, TV viewership recorded was the lowest since 2015 as it dropped by 60%. The decline started by 08:53 PM and came back to current trends only after 9:30 pm. <div type="image" title="9 mins impact" msid="75060694" hostid="261"></div> Some of the Key Highlights of TV and Smartphone consumption during the third week of Lockdown are as follows: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BARC </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nielsen Smartphone Panel </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coverage </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban + Rural) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban 1 Lakh plus) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TG </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ALL NCCS 2+ years </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><ol><li>NCCS ABC 15-44 years </li><li>Android Smartphone Users </li></ol></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Time Period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 11th Jan 2020- 31st Jan 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 13th Jan 2020 - 2nd Feb 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION Week 2 - 21st March 2020 to 27th March 2020 Week 3 – 28thMarch 2020 to 3rd April 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION Week 2 - 21st March 2020 to 27th March 2020 Week 3 - 28thMarch 2020 to 3rd April 2020 </td></tr></tbody></table> <ol><li>India divided on various emotions of feeling Happy, Anxious, Frustrated, Scared and Peaceful – missing out on me-time indulgences and office time </li><li>The Prime Minister’s request on #9PM9MINS garnered the lowest ever Total TV viewership for those 9 mins since 2015 </li><li>India follows the global trend in showing continued increase in TV (43%) and Smartphone consumption(13%) this week vis-à-vis the Pre COVID period </li><li>The growth in TV consumption this week driven by the Movies Genre(77% growth). Significant increase in Time spent on watching Movies (52% growth) on the Smartphone </li><li>Return of the Classics makes DD National the most watched channel this week across India. </li><li>While the return of the Old Classics improves viewership on DD National and Pay GEC Channels, Smartphone viewers increase consumptions on Original Series with 32% growth over the Pre COVID period </li><li>Non-Primetime continues to be the growth driver for TV (81% over the Pre COVID period) with early morning and late night slots also showing a growth </li><li>Social Connectivity stabilizing as people get used to the new normal while the surge in time spent on Digital News consumption stays </li><li>Gaming continues to show growth (44% over the Pre COVID period) - categories like Virtual Education and Virtual Drives increased consumption </li><li>Free Commercial Time (FCT) on TV advertising grows by 9% on the back of social advertising </li><li>On Digital Advertising, no drop in the count of creatives for 11 out of 19 categories – drop seen in Retail, Travel and Auto</li></ol>

Advertising FCT grew by 9% in week 13 of COVID-19 disruption on the back of social advertisements: BARC-Neilsen

<ul><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation late last evening on the Kashmir issue, but didn’t mention when the curfew would be uplifted. </li><li>Kashmiris continue to live in curfew, with no internet, no calls. </li><li>The UN Secretary General too has expressed his concern about the worsening of human rights in <keyword id="23412" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-Kashmir">Jammu &amp; Kashmir</keyword>.</li></ul>For the last five days, Indians have been arguing, joking and debating the abrogation of Article 370, resulting in endless calls, and social media messages. But those who should have had a say in the matter, Kashmiris, are silent. Because, they have been silenced. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha that Article 370 is scrapped. And Kashmir has been on lockdown a day before the announcement, which is August 4. Since Sunday night, internet services have been suspended in Jammu &amp; Kashmir, with a curfew in place since Monday morning (August 5). And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made no announcement on lifting it in an address to the nation <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/narendra-modi-address-to-the-nation-live-updates-and-speech-highlights-on-kashmir-news/articleshow/70589852.cms">yesterday</a>, even as he doled out infrastructure and industry benefits. Modi however did promise that he would facilitate Eid celebration. But he did not say how, as the status quo remains in the valley. He did not speak about the communications blackout and transportation issues in the newly formed union territories. This is the case even as Muslims across the country are gearing up to celebrate Eid on August 12. Kashmiris are still not sure about their fate. Social media is filled with messages and pleas from Kashmiris living outside of Jammu &amp; Kashmir hoping for the safety of their family back home. Screenshots of messages are doing the rounds of students and professionals trying to reach out to their parents, but have no response. But the new found constitutional status is not on top of the minds of Kashmiris. A <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/kashmir-article-370-revoked-valley-faces-shortage-essential-items-due-curfew-1578458-2019-08-08">shortage of food</a> and other necessities is beginning to worry them as the curfew prevails. Reports say that people are unable to communicate with their neighbours as well. Over a 100 people have been arrested so far. That includes former chief ministers like Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah as well as Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leaders Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari. There is no word from the government on when they would be released, either. António Guterres, the UN Secretary General expressed his concerns over the plight of Kashmiris. A statement released on Thursday by the UN said, “The Secretary-General is also concerned overreports of restrictions on the Indian-side of Kashmir, which could exacerbate the human rights situation in the region.”

It’s been 5 days since Article 370 was scrapped but Kashmiris continue to live in the dark

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFBQ0PH5rM4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Happy Mondays</a>. I'm Insider's global tech editor <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/alistair-barr">Alistair Barr</a>, and I've been missing people a lot lately.A family emergency earlier in June took me away from the newsroom for many days. When I returned, I realized what I'd missed. The list is long but here's a sample:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/kali-hays">Kali Hays</a> holding <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-private-texts-jack-dorsey-larry-ellison-rogan-2022-9">Elon Musk's Twitter to account</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-facebook-memo-details-hiring-freeze-negative-business-impacts-2022-5">covering the social media industry</a> with passion and wit. I love calling up Kali for a fun chat about what she's learned and how we can tell readers what she knows with certainty. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/eugene-kim">Eugene Kim</a> uncovering the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-at-amazon-jobs-performance-reviews-hiring-firing-interviews-warehouses-delivery-drivers">inner workings of Amazon</a>. Yes, he has amazing e-commerce and cloud contacts, but he goes that extra 1,000 miles to gather internal documents that give his stories an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-ftc-probe-customer-complaints-sign-ups-internal-documents-2022-3">unshakeable foundation of verified facts</a>. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/ashley-stewart">Ashley Stewart</a> getting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-toxic-culture-ceo-satya-nadella-sexual-harassment-pay-disparity-2022-5">inside Microsoft</a> and other software giants. It's easy to blog announcements, but what's really happening? I love to hear <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-chief-people-officer-offends-some-staff-during-pride-kickoff-2023-6">what Ashley digs up</a> and how she works tirelessly to check everything is true. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/meghan-morris">Meghan Morris</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/rob-price">Rob Price</a> investigating the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dave-bateman-entrata-antisematic-email-conspiracy-theory-controversy-2022-6">troubling activities</a> of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-sergey-brin-post-google-investments-businesses-wealth-2022-12">industry power players</a>. They instinctively know how to tap sources, documents, and other resources to get the facts nailed down. </li></ul>These independent journalists are paid to find and check facts. They have no ax to grind. No sale to complete. No fund to raise. No votes to win. Without this, we're left with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-pr-professionals-public-relations-creators-influencers-businesses-publicist-income-2023-4">PR reps</a> spinning news, tech bloggers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-crazy-things-apple-fanboys-believe-that-arent-actually-true-2011-11">kissing up to Apple</a>, industry newsletters shilling product, and social media influencers regurgitating rumors with no filter. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/media-layoffs-rattle-netflix-nbcu-roku-vice-buzzfeed-wbd-disney-2022-12">media industry</a> has <a href="https://www.challengergray.com/blog/may-2023-layoffs-jump-on-tech-retail-auto-ytd-hiring-lowest-since-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut 17,436 jobs</a> so far in 2023, the highest year-to-date on record. Maybe one day you'll miss journalists, too. OK, let's get into it.If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-in-tech">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://link.insider.com/click/27645591.160803/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zaWRlci5jb20vYXBwP25yX2VtYWlsX3JlZmVyZXI9MSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9T3BlbmluZ19iZWxs/62667762063d6b9bef0cffb3Bf9c9aa56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-vrbo-short-term-rentals-bozeman-montana-regulations-bans-2023-6"></a>1. Airbnb Montana smackdown: Life in the town of Bozeman is harder thanks to short-term rentals. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-to-bozeman-montana-pros-cons-culture-nature-wildfires-2021-12">Bozeman</a> has become a popular <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-city-chefchaouen-morocco-instagram-social-media-2019-1">Instagram-ready</a> gateway to the Mountain West. That sparked a boom in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnbust-airbnb-short-term-vacation-rentals-investors-real-estate-reckoning-2023-3">Airbnb</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/travel/what-is-vrbo">Vrbo</a> properties in the town, causing rents and property prices to surge. <ul><li>Some residents told Insider that they've lost neighbors and that the cost of living has risen to unsustainable levels. Others welcome the economic boost from more tourists and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-strategy-invest-in-airbnb-rentals-and-affordable-housing-2023-6">investment</a> in the area. </li><li>A group called Bozeman Tenants United is trying to ban whole-home rentals, like those on Airbnb and Vrbo, with an exception for renting out individual rooms.</li><li>My colleague <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-latu">Dan Latu</a> talked with four Bozeman-area residents about their experiences with the short-term rental boom, how it's impacted their homes and livelihoods, and what they see as a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-fighting-airbnbs-with-regulations-for-short-term-rentals-2022-5?">path forward</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-vrbo-short-term-rentals-bozeman-montana-regulations-bans-2023-6">Check in to the full story here.</a>In other news:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-poll-shows-falling-confidence-in-leadership-pay-woes-2023-6"></a><div type="image" title="Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with the word &quot;Microsoft&quot; and the Microsoft logo displayed behind him" height="1382" width="1842" msid="101279043" hostid="261"></div>2. Microsoft whining. Employees of the world's largest software company are not content with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-engineer-developer-salary-google-amazon-microsoft-ibm-apple-intel-2021-6">juicy tech salaries</a>, living near <a href="https://www.insider.com/things-to-do-in-seattle-washington">beautiful Seattle</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/states-with-no-income-tax-map">not paying state income tax</a> in Washington. Instead, some of them are upset with their compensation and Microsoft's leadership. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-poll-shows-falling-confidence-in-leadership-pay-woes-2023-6">Read about their frustrations here</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-poll-shows-falling-confidence-in-leadership-pay-woes-2023-6"></a>.3. Salesforce staff are a bit worried. The cloud software provider recently polled employees and found they feel generally good about the company's ethics. They are concerned about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-shakes-up-salesforce-top-ranks-2023-6">retaining talented colleagues</a>, their future at Salesforce, and how leadership decisions adhere to the company's core values. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-salesforce-survey-shows-how-57000-employees-feel-2023-6">Get the details here.</a>4. Mixing work and love. Social media influencers in relationships often have to work together. Here's how famous TikTok couples and other creators navigate dating and content creation. One talent agent won't work with certain couples. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-influencer-couples-reach-new-followers-talent-manager-2023-6">Find out who here.</a> 5. More bad news for startups. Many are already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-mass-extinction-event-has-begun-venture-capital-2023-6">struggling to raise money</a>. Now, Congress is debating who should be allowed to invest in startups. One bill would have investors take a test to become accredited. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/accredited-investor-rules-change-sec-congress-2023-6">The testing times are explained here.</a> 6. Is the AI hype cycle peaking? A lot of money flowed out of AI-related tech stocks this week. That could be a sign the recent ChatGPT-inspired market jump is running out of steam. "Black Swan" author Nassim Taleb <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/black-swan-author-nassim-taleb-warns-ai-bubble-stock-market-2023-6">just warned about this</a>. When <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-masayoshi-son-ai-investor-presentation-2023-6">SoftBank says it's all-in</a>, that's often a bad sign, too. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/ai-stock-market-bubble-artificial-intelligence-investing-tech-bull-market-2023-6">Check out the data here.</a>7. Reddit rage. The popular online forum is returning to normal after a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-users-plan-blackout-protest-new-pricing-policy-2023-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">sitewide blackout</a> to protest<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-people-are-starting-to-place-bets-on-civil-war-2023-6"> changes to its API pricing policy.</a> But there's still "simmering rage," especially among the site's moderators. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-moderator-simmering-rage-as-users-return-nyt-2023-6">Log on to see the aftermath.</a>8. Bowties not hoodies. Silicon Valley titans attended the White House late last week to dine with Prime Minister of India <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/modi-heads-to-washington-to-talk-oil-arms-and-indias-sovereignty-1032402748">Narendra Modi</a>. That country recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-people-dont-care-india-world-most-populous-2023-4">passed China as the most populous nation</a>. And it has yet to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/major-us-tech-companies-blocked-from-operating-in-china-2019-5">ban big US tech platforms</a>, unlike China. So, tech execs dressed up for the occasion. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceos-tim-cook-sundar-pichai-sam-altman-white-house-dinner-2023-6">See who was there, and who wasn't.</a>Odds and ends:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ufc-dana-white-musk-and-zuckerberg-dead-serious-about-fight-2023-6"></a><div type="image" title="Elon Musk has been critical of Mark Zuckerberg before, but this time accused the Meta CEO of seeming &quot;extremely partisan.&quot;" height="1440" width="1920" msid="101279045" hostid="261"></div>9. The ultimate fight? UFC President Dana White <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ufc-dana-white-musk-and-zuckerberg-dead-serious-about-fight-2023-6">would love to host</a> a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maye-musk-dont-encourage-musk-zuckerberg-cage-fight-2023-6">Elon's mom is trying to stop it.</a>10. Fresh CMOs. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-cmos-to-watch-in-2023">Submit your nomination</a> for Insider's 5th annual list recognizing first-time and newly named top marketers at consumer brands. <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BbGiAiHwhKN1ZMxImqxpQbhDi_QXotQA5_OeI5uoLMc/viewform?edit_requested=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here's the form to fill out.</a> What we're watching today:<ul><li>The <a href="https://collisionconf.com/schedule?q=eyJtZW51Ijp7ImRhdGUiOiIyMDIzLTA2LTI3In0sInBhZ2UiOjEsImNvbmZpZ3VyZSI6eyJoaXRzUGVyUGFnZSI6MjB9fQ==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Collision tech conference</a> starts today in Toronto and runs through June 29. Speakers include AWS CEO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aws-ceo-adam-selipsky-pitches-cloud-cost-savor-spending-concerns-2022-12">Adam Selipsky</a>, AI godfather <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/godfather-geoffrey-hinton-ai-more-urgent-threat-than-climate-change-2023-5">Geoff Hinton</a>, and tech review legend <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-marques-brownlees-youtube-business-how-he-makes-money-2021-1">Marques Brownlee</a>. </li><li>If you want to learn more about generative AI, head over to the <a href="https://www.databricks.com/dataaisummit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Databricks Data &amp; AI Summit</a> at San Francisco's Moscone Center. It starts June 26. </li><li>Snowflake kicks off its own conference on Monday, too. <a href="https://www.snowflake.com/summit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This one is in Las Vegas</a>. </li></ul>Curated by Alistair Barr in Silicon Valley. (Feedback or tips? Email <a href="mailto:abarr@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abarr@insider.com</a> or tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/alistairmbarr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@alistairmbarr</a>) Edited by <a href="https://www.insider.com/author/lisa-ryan">Lisa Ryan</a> in New York and Jack Sommers (tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/jack_sommers?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@jack_sommers</a>) in London.

10 Things in Tech: Airbnb's Montana smackdown, Microsoft whining, Salesforce worrying, and Reddit rage

Lucknow, Apr 4 () Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma on Saturday said few people on social media are trying to spread rumours that power grid will fail following the Prime Minister's blackout appeal and the central government has drawn a plan to manage it.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles and torches to "challenge the darkness" of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown."There are people, who on social media are trying to spread rumour that the power grid will fail, and then there will be problems. The Centre is ensuring that no grid in any state faces any problem. Our engineers are ensuring that there is no problem, and the roadmap has been prepared."On the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at 9.00 pm on April 5 for 9 minutes, we will switch off the tube-lights and bulbs in our homes. Other equipments should however continue to function. We will throw a challenge to the darkness of Corona through light. We will defeat Corona. At 9.00 pm, we will light a candle, lamp, torch or mobile phone flashlight, defeat the darkness of Corona," Sharma said in a video.The minister also said that poor people are the most affected by the lockdown, and there is a need to eradicate sadness from their mind. NAV BALBAL

You Searched For "modi blackout" and got 12 results

The new ‘normal’ in Kashmir has cost nearly half a million jobs — bundhs and internet blackout are breaking businesses

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India's blackout and extreme crackdown in Kashmir could ignite a violent uprising

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India officially eliminated Kashmir's flag and constitution as its internet blackout goes into 13th week

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Kashmir's 5-month internet blackout is the longest ever imposed in a democracy - and it's stifling local workers

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India's top court has declared the record-breaking 159-day-long Kashmir internet blackout illegal

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Delhi’s power crisis might lead to a blackout

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The phone and internet blackout in Kashmir is so total that locals reportedly don't know India rewrote their constitution

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Advertising FCT grew by 9% in week 13 of COVID-19 disruption on the back of social advertisements: BARC-Neilsen

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Plan in place to ensure no grid faces any problem: Sharma on lights-out

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