1
A TO Z OF NEWS “If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation.” Haruki Murakami 03 News...To The Today, in order to comment, debate or even opinionate, one needs to dig deep and know the A TO Z of news. Starting with letter A, TIMES NIE takes you on a news-ical journey, explaining every name, place and context associated with it Photo: Getty images Photo: Getty images 1 According to the history of Jammu & Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state. 2 Kashmir’s cultural heritage flourished with the contribu- tion of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. 3 The official state animal and state bird of Jammu & Kashmir are the Hangul and Black-necked Crane respectively. 4 The Pir Panjal railway tunnel, or Banihal railway tunnel, is India’s longest railway tunnel. It is 11,215 km long, 8.4 m wide and 7.39 m tall. 5 The traditional Kashmiri dress, pheran, the unique copper ket- tle, samovar, earthen fire pots wrapped in woven wicker called kangiri, handcrafted walnut furni- ture and souvenirs, etc. are some things to check out. 6 Jhelum river is the only major Himalayan river that flows through the Kashmir valley. 7 In Jammu and Kashmir, the principal spoken languages are Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri, Pahari, Balti, Ladakhi, Gojri, Shina and Pashto. 8 Kawa, traditional green tea with spices and almonds, is consumed right through the day in Kashmir. Apart from kawa — or kehwa — sheer chai or gulabi chai is the traditional beverage in Kashmir. It is pink in colour and salty in taste. 9 Kashmir is the largest produc- er of saffron in India and the third largest producer in the world. 10 Dras is the coldest inhabit- ed place in India with tem- peratures reaching as low as -45°C. 11 India’s first floating post office was built on a houseboat at the western edge of Dal Lake in Srinagar. 12 Houseboats were first introduced in the 1800s in Dal Lake by Pandit Naraindas to house English visitors. 13 Wazwan is one of the tradi- tional dishes in Kashmir. It comprises a 36-course meal. 14 The famous pashmina shawl is derived from under the belly of the domestic Himalayan goat, changthangi. 15 Betaab Valley, located about 15 km from Pahalgam, is named after a Bollywood film of the same name which was shot here. 16 Zoji la is an important pass between Ladakh and Kashmir. 17 The Floating Market in Srinagar is a tourist attrac- tion and the only one of its kind in India. INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT KASHMIR IN THE NEWS FOR: After nearly five months, internet restored in Kashmir I nternet has been restored at 80 govern- ment hospitals, health centres and offices linked to the Health Department in Kashmir. Internet was snapped in the Val- ley after the government on August 5 scrapped special status to Jammu and Kash- mir and made it to two Union Territories. KASHMIR Kuhad ➤ Kuhad is a singer-songwriter who makes inde- pendent music. ➤ He has gained international notice since his 2015 debut album, In Tokens and Charms. ➤ Kuhad grew up in Jaipur before relocating to the US for college. After graduation, he returned to India, and released his debut album. ➤ The album earned him the MTV Europe Music Award, Indie Album of the Year hon- ours from iTunes, Best Pop Artist at the Radio City Freedom Awards, and first place in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition. ➤ Kuhad learnt to play the guitar at the age of 16 and started songwrit- ing in his late teens. He finished his high school from Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur. IN THE NEWS FOR: Kuhad part of Obama’s fave music S inger Prateek Kuhad’s song “cold/mess” has made it to former US President Barack Obama’s favourite music of the 2019 line-up. Featuring actors Zoya Hussain and Jim Sarbh, Kuhad's 'cold/mess' appeared at number 22, with the Delhi-based singer saying he was honoured by the gesture. IN THE NEWS FOR: Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei vows revenge for Soleimani’s killing I ran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed “severe re- venge” for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, calling him a martyr. Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad Interna- tional Airport on the orders of US President Donald Trump. The US Defence Department said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”. KUHAD KHAMENEI Khamenei ➤Khamenei is the second and current supreme leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. ➤As Supreme Leader, Khamenei is the head of the state of Iran and the com- mander-in-chief of its armed forces. For this reason, he is considered the most powerful political authority in the country. ➤Khamenei can issue decrees and make the final decisions on the policies of the govern- ment in many fields such as economy, the environment, foreign policy, and national planning in Iran. ➤Khamenei is said to have either direct or indirect control over the executive, leg- islative and judicial branches of govern- ment, as well as the military and media. Soleimani was believed to be close to Khamenei and seen as a potential future leader K-Pop ➤ K-pop is a genre of popular music originating in South Korea. While the modern form of K- pop can be traced back to the early 90s, the term itself has been popularised since the 2000s, replacing the term Gayo, which also refers to domestic pop music in South Korea. ➤ Although, it typically indicates “popular music” within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop that is influenced by styles and genres from around the world, such as experimental, rock, jazz, gospel, hip hop, R&B, reggae, electronic dance, folk, country, and classical atop its traditional Korean music roots. ➤ The more modern form of the genre emerged with the formation of one of the earliest K-pop groups, Seo Taiji and Boys, in 1992. ➤ Modern K-pop “idol” culture took off with the boy band H.O.T. in 1996, as K- pop grew into a subculture that amassed enormous fandoms of teenagers and young adults. ➤ Since ‘Gangnam Style’ went viral in 2012, numerous K- pop bands have taken the world by storm. BTS, EXO, Big Bang, Red Velvet, Girls Generation are some of the famous bands. ➤ It is popular in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Latin America, North Africa, Southern Africa and Japan. IN THE NEWS FOR: K-Pop stars talk about cut-throat industry demands K -pop stars are speaking out about how they are expected to be perfect as they lift the lid on the cutthroat industry. The culture of K-pop is one of South Korea’s most lucrative soft power exports and has drawn a massive audience of young people internationally. In an interview with CBS, K- pop artiste Amber Liu said there was an in- dustry expectation to be perfect in looks, per- formance and discipline. Alexaundra Chris- tine Schneiderman, who goes by the stage name Alexa, said stars are often put on a pedestal and this builds the pressure. K-POP Virat Kohli ➤ The captain ended the last decade as the highest run- scorer in international cricket, becoming the only player to cross the 20,000-run mark across all the three formats. ➤ Kohli is a right-handed top-order batsman, He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and has been the team’s captain since 2013. Since October 2017, he has been the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world and is currently 1st in Test rankings with 928 points. Among Indian batsmen, Kohli has the best-ever Test rating (937 points), ODI rating (911 points) and T20I rating (897 points). ➤ Kohli has been the recipient of many awards such as the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2017 and 2018; ICC Test Player of the Year 2018; ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2012, 2017 and 2018 and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He was given the Arjuna Award in 2013, Padma Shri under the sports category in 2017 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sport- ing honour in India, in 2018. IN THE NEWS FOR: New year, new look for Captain Kohli C aptain Virat Kohli flaunted a new hair- style as the side gears up for return to action on the cricket field. The 31- year-old took to Instagram to show-off his new haircut. Virat posted a series of sto- ries with celebrity hair- stylist Aalim Hakim. KOHLI
![Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center · reference was to Ahmadinejad or Khamenei], this is your last warning – the Green people of Iran are ready for a revolt.”9 Threats](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/5ebd7b0672a41c310c512f46/intelligence-and-terrorism-information-center-reference-was-to-ahmadinejad-or-khamenei.jpg)
