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Chhavi Tyagi

01 May 2017,Monday

Jawan's family abducted by liquor mafia in Haryana

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/haryana-jawan-family-abducted-liquor-mafia-army-orders-probe/1/942643.html

The family of Army jawan Jogendra Giri in Haryana's Sonepat area has reportedly been abducted by liquor mafia for allegedly opposing a liquor vendor in their village. Giri, who is currently posted at Jammu border, said, "If soldiers are serving the nation, who is responsible for the safety of their family members? The administration needs to answer this."

In yet another incident of brazen lawlessness in Haryana, liquor mafia reportedly threatened and abducted the family of an Army jawan in Sonepat. The incident came to light after a video showing the altercation between the two parties went viral.Family of Jogendra Giri, who is posted at Jammu border, was threatened after they opposed a liquor vendor in the village. The family have been protesting against the liquor sellers in the village. Sources said that along with Giri's mother, women from their entire village had joined the protests."If soldiers are serving the nation, who is responsible for the safety of their family members? the administration needs to answer this," said Giri.The soldier said that since the protests his mother and brother are missing. He added that he lived under fear of being ill-treated. He said that his wife too was abused by the men from the liquor mafia."Some people barged into our residence and threatened us. They threatened me of dire consequences if we did not withdraw the complaint," said Giri's wife.She added there is no help from the authorities and that both her mother-in-law and brother-in-law have been missing for days. "We have absolutely no knowledge where they took our mother and brother. We have been repeatedly inquiring about them," she said.NO PROBE BY WOMEN'S COMMISSIONFollowing the incident, the jawan's wife approached the women's commission. However, no probe has been ordered by the women's commission.The soldier also approached the Sonepat Police, SP and MP. Distraught with the apathy of the authorities, the jawan has said that there was no assistance from both the police and the Haryana government."He didn't approach the government, he shared the issue on social media. There is no formal complaint yet. He is yet to name the accused who harassed his family. Our government ensures justice for them," said Krishan Dhal from the Haryana government.When asked about the police negligence, Dhal said that he will speak once a formal complaint is lodged and added that the government will look into it. "I don't know which police station he approached. It is time for online FIR registration. This video is very old. However, we assure that if proven we will suspend the police personnel who refused to take the jawan's complaint," said Dhal.He added that the government will take stern action against encroachments and violations by liquor mafia.After the jawan's video went viral, Army ordered an inquiry into the case."We protect motherland, but are unable to protect our own mother," soldier reportedly told army sources.Also Read:Jaipur: Angered over sale of illicit liquor, locals hurl alcohol bottles on streets Madhya Pradesh: 70 villages impose self prohibition against sale of liquor in state

Ankush Verma

12 May 2017,Friday

North Korea vows to 'ruthlessly punish' detained US citizens

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/americans-in-north-korea-kcna-news-agency/1/951736.html

North Korea on Thursday reserved its sovereign right to "ruthlessly punish" US citizens which it has detained for crimes against the country's government. This comes after North Korea detained two US citizens in the last month. North Korea also slammed US media reports that said the arrests were a bargaining ploy as "pure ignorance".

North Korea said on Thursday it is its sovereign right to "ruthlessly punish" American citizens it has detained for crimes against its government system, saying US media's description of such arrests as a bargaining ploy was "pure ignorance."

Prashanti Moktan

22 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Robert Downey Jr to star as 'Doctor Dolittle' in new film

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/robert-downey-jr-to-star-as-doctor-dolittle-in-new-movie/1/908887.html

Actor Robert Downey Jr will portray the character 'Doctor Dolittle' in the upcoming film 'The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle', which is being directed by Stephen Gaghan. The character was created by British author Hugh Lofting in the 1920s series of children's books as a doctor who opts to treat animals instead of human beings because he can speak with them.

Los Angeles, Mar 21 (PTI) Actor Robert Downey Jr is set to play the lead role in the new "Doctor Dolittle" movie. The film titled "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle" is based on the classic character who can talk to animals, reported Variety.

Chhavi Tyagi

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Nothing wrong in not reciting Vande Mataram: Athawale

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nothing-wrong-if-somebody-doesn-t-recite-vande-mataram-ramdas-athawale/story-AIt0GUXW8wnsxsjQy9Mj0N.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has said that there was nothing wrong if one didn?t recite the national song ?Vande Mataram.? Athawale added that the issue of the national song was being brought out to cause feud among communities. The Madras High Court recently made singing ?Vande Mataram? compulsory once a week in government schools, colleges and universities in Tamil Nadu.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale has said there was nothing wrong if one didn?t recite the national song ?Vande Mataram.?Athawale, the leader of Republican Party of India (A), said the issue of the national song was being brought out deliberately to cause feud among communities.?Everybody should recite Vande Mataram, but if it is not recited what will go wrong?? he asked, while addressing the Maharashtra Gramin Patrakar Sangh?s 11th anniversary at Kalyan near Thane on Monday.?If one does not recite Vande Mataram nothing is wrong in that,? said the minister of state for social justice and empowerment.The Madras high court recently made singing ?Vande Mataram? compulsory in all government schools, colleges and universities in Tamil Nadu at least once a week.A BJP MLA in Maharashtra recently demanded the implementation of the ruling in schools and colleges of the state, sparking a political slugfest with legislators of some other parties opposing any such move.

Ankur Vyas

29 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Militants ransack police superintendent's house in J&K

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kashmir-militants-attack-house-police-superintendent-kulgam-bandipora/1/915187.html

At least two militants ransacked the house of a Superintendent of Police in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. The militants tried to scare his family members by firing in the air, but there were no reports of any injury. Notably, this comes after three civilians were killed in an incident where stone pelters clashed with the police in Budgam.

Two militants ransacked the house of an SP in Kulgam this evening. The militants barged into the house of  Mohd Ayub Mattoo, father of SP (Operations), Bandipora, Dawood Mattoo, under Khudwani area in Kulgam.They tried to scare his family members by firing two to three rounds in air.  No one was however injured.This report comes after a militant was shot dead at Chadoora in Budgam district during an encounter. After the incident stone pelters clashed with police and three civilians were killed.This comes just days after two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.Also read:

Shubhodeep Datta

16 Apr 2017,Sunday

A must watch: Kejriwal on Vishwas' video slamming AAP

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-cm-kejriwal-on-defensive-as-kumar-vishwas-video-raps-aap-govt-on-corruption/story-1CRDZTImTMOtOK8lPPMYPK.html

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has reacted to his party colleague Kumar Vishwas' video, which had slammed the AAP government, saying that it is a must watch. In the video, Vishwas said, "If you form government in Delhi on an anti-corruption plank and fall silent when some of your own come under scanner, people have the right to question you."

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has described as a must-watch and something that ?shakes one deeply? a video put out by Aam Aadmi Party colleague Kumar Vishwas, who takes a swipe at the his own government over the issue of corruption.Still recovering from the humiliating defeat in the Rajouri Garden bypoll where the ruling party lost to the BJP and was pushed to a distant third, Kejriwal stepped in quickly to contain the damage the video could do in the run-up to the April 23 municipal elections, billed as a test of AAP?s popularity.Reflecting on the state of the nation, Vishwas talks about a host of issues -- from Pakistan, Kashmir to corruption. The video that was put on YouTube two days ago has since been shared widely on social media.All political parties and their leader should keep India first, says 47-year-old Vishwas, who is also a poet.?If you form government in Delhi on an anti-corruption plank and fall silent when some of your own come under scanner, people have the right to question you,? he says.Recently, some AAP leaders have been accused of corruption and nepotism by a panel that looked into a string of decisions taken by the Kejriwal government.The CBI is examining accusations of money laundering against Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain.In his ?India first? message, Vishwas also questions the ?personality cult? and goes on to draw a parallel between Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Yogi Adityanath.?Whether it is Modi, Rahul, Yogi or Kejriwal...it is about five years, 10 years or 25 years. But India is beyond this and will be there for thousands of years,? Vishwas says, triggering talk of infighting in AAP.Kejriwal tweeted the video on Saturday, saying the video was wonderful and everyone should watch it.???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?????? https://t.co/0pIOm401T9? Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 15, 2017The chief minister then went on to retweet messages of party leaders and volunteers who had shared the video and their interpretation of it.In an interview to a TV news channel, Kejriwal said Vishwas was family and the controversy over the video message was media propaganda.?He is not only a party member. He is family...its (talks of Kumar being unhappy) media creation. Tomorrow media will say my wife has targeted me,? Kejriwal said in an interview to CNN News 18, a clip of which was also retweeted by the CM.Defending his government?s record on corruption, the chief minister said he had been ruthless and had sacked ministers, whenever credible evidence was put forward.Vishwas is one of the popular faces of AAP and is also on the list of the so-called star campaigners for the municipal elections but has so far stayed away from electioneering.

Sumedha Sehra

12 May 2017,Friday

Sex education classes to be held in Haryana govt schools

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sex-education-to-enter-harayna-state-run-schools/1/951865.html

The Haryana government will be conducting sex education classes in state-run schools, for students of classes 8th to 12th. Topics like nutritional demands of the body during adolescence, attraction towards the opposite sex, substance violence and contraceptives will be taught. The classes will start from the state's Yamunanagar district, and will be extended to other areas.

Sex education has finally entered the hinterlands of Haryana as a think-tank from ministries of human resource development, women and child development and health is set to start educating students on sex, contraceptives and natural urge in the state's government schools under Centre's National Health Mission Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram.The aim of classes on sex education in Haryana's Yamunanagar is to end the stigma around sex and prevent teenage pregnancy culture from picking momentum.The lessons will include treating sex as a natural desire and not an equivalent of a disorder. The educational module has a target audience of class 8th to 12th and is also expected to expand to anganwadis in Haryana.The module will include educating students on sex education, nutrition demands of a body during adolescence, sex and reproductive health, gender violence, substance abuse.The team members constituting representatives of state health department, WCD department and education department highlight that in some schools in Haryana, female students are attended only by male teachers, which adds to hesitation around the conversation on sex education.FOCUS ON ABOLISHING STIGMA AROUND SEXAiming to establish a progressive discourse, team members and teachers are being trained to sensitise students on how the attraction to opposite sex is a very natural phenomenon. The focus will be on ensuring that sex is treated as a need without any disgust. "We cannot emphasise enough on how there is a dire need to abolish the stigma around sex," Dr Dharamveer Singh, assistant project coordinator and member of the committee told Mail Today.The lessons, to be delivered in the government schools and anganwadis, will highlight that indulging in sex entails social and health consequences. This will precisely solve the naive conundrums in a teenagers head, said Dharamveer."It is currently targeting every block of Yamunanagar with a sole aim to make the teens understand that sex is acceptable but pregnancy before maturity is not," Dr Sunil Kumar, deputy civil surgeon and a member of the project from State Health Department said.

Vani Vivek

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Govt has scrapped 1,200 laws for startups: NITI Aayog CEO

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/over-1000-laws-nixed-to-facilitate-startups-kant/1/1004718.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has said the government has scrapped around 1,200 complex laws for easy registration of startups to encourage entrepreneurs. "Today one can register a company in a day and for an MSME, it takes around five minutes to register," he added. Kant also explained that entrepreneurship has to be promoted to create wealth in India.

New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The government has scrapped around 1,200 complex laws and procedures for easy registration of startups to encourage entrepreneurs in the country, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant today said. To create wealth in the country, entrepreneurship has to be promoted, Kant said adding the government has taken lot of steps especially for MSMEs. "In the last two years, we have tried to dismantle lot of rules and laws, procedures and paperwork. We have scrapped about 1,200 laws which has never happened before," Kant told reporters here at an event. He was speaking at the entrepreneur India 2017 conference, where business investors, startups, SMEs and professionals met for networking and to discuss possible business ideas, among others. "Today one can register a company in a day and for an MSME, it takes around five minutes to register," Kant said.

Arshiya Chopra

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

18-year-old ragpicker to be Srinagar's civic ambassador

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/he-s-an-inspiration-18-year-old-ragpicker-to-be-srinagar-municipality-s-ambassador/story-OGlPIpSV7llHlQeK7gJtNI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An 18-year-old ragpicker Bilal Dar has been appointed as Srinagar's civic ambassador. The SMC commissioner said Bilal, who earned his living by picking up waste from Wular Lake for almost five years, is an inspiration for everybody. Dar will get a special uniform and vehicle to go and meet people and sensitise them about environmental issues, cleanliness and garbage disposal.

Bilal Dar, an 18-year-old ragpicker who earned his living by picking up waste from the Wular Lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir, has been appointed brand ambassador of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). ?He will be our brand ambassador. He is an inspiration for everybody. He has been earning his livelihood by cleaning the Wular Lake and removing garbage, used bottles and shoes among other things for many years now,? said Dr Shafqat Khan, SMC commissioner.For almost five years now, Dar, a resident of Laharwarpora of Bandipora district, has been removing plastic trash from the lake and selling it for around Rs 150-200 per day, which helps him support his mother Mughali and two sisters. Dar?s father Mohammad Ramzan Dar, a ragpicker on the Wular himself, died of cancer in 2003. Media reports have estimated that Dar collected over 12,000 kg trash annually.As a brand ambassador of the SMC, Dar will be given a special uniform and a vehicle to go and meet people in commercial and residential areas. ?He will tell them the story of his life, his work in Wular and his commitment to environmental causes. Most importantly, he will talk to people and sensitise them about environmental issues, cleanliness and garbage disposal,? Dr Khan said.Talking about his new post, Dar said, ?I am very happy. I will go around as the brand ambassador and tell people that if we keep our surroundings clean and follow garbage disposal mechanism, it will benefit all.?

Chhavi Tyagi

05 May 2017,Friday

Nirbhaya rape convicts on 'suicide watch' after SC verdict

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/2012-delhi-gang-rape-convicts-on-suicide-watch-in-tihar-jail-after-verdict/story-z7P43VvFCxp1YNcUnZNwgL.html

After the SC on Friday upheld four Nirbhaya gangrape convicts' death penalty, they have been put under 'suicide watch' at Delhi's Tihar jail. Notably, one of the convicts in the case had committed suicide in March 2013, while another one attempted suicide in 2016. The four convicts will now file a review petition in the apex court against the verdict.

Presently lodged in Tihar jail, the four men sentenced to death in the December 16 gang rape and murder case, will be kept under strict suicide watch again. One of the accused, Ram Singh, hanged himself in prison on March 11, 2013, within three months of his arrest. Jail officials said that the wardens in the respective jails where they are lodged have been told to stay vigilant and report any abnormality in the behaviour of the four. Though the Supreme Court ordered death for the four convicts, the mother of the 23-year-old paramedic had told Hindustan Times that it is difficult for her to accept that one of the convicts (juvenile) is a free man. ?He was released because he was a child but what that boy did to my girl is not a child?s act. I can never forgive him,? she told HT on Thursday.The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that all four convicts in the gang-rape and murder case of a 23-year-old paramedic student be sent to the gallows.While pronouncing the verdict the court observed that the incident ?is a tsunami of shock in the minds of the collective destroyed humanity?.?The devilish manner in which the accused played with the victim is diabolical,? the court said.The convicts had been awarded death by a fast-track court on September 13, 2013, which was later upheld by the Delhi high court.Speaking to the Hindustan Times on Friday, the victim?s mother had demanded that her daughter?s rapists and killers be hanged to death. ??The court must sentence them to death. We won?t settle for life imprisonment. I am alive and kept myself strong only to see this day,? the mother told HT over the phone..

Chhavi Tyagi

27 Jan 2017,Friday

Present Union Budget after Assembly polls: Akhilesh to PM

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/akhilesh-yadav-narendra-modi-union-budget/1/867604.html

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to present the Union Budget 2017-2018 after the Assembly elections in five states. In a letter to Modi, the Samajwadi Party chief has asked the government to present the Budget after March 8, fearing that if it is not done, poll-bound states might miss out on central schemes.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the Union Budget for 2017-18 is presented after the Assembly elections in five states.In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Samajwadi Party chief has asked the government to present the Budget after March 8, fearing that if it is not done, poll-bound states including Uttar Pradesh might be left out.The Supreme Court had earlier this week ruled that the Centre needn't postpone the Union Budget from February 1. This ruling came as a response to some parties demanding to move the Budget after Assembly elections, alleging that the BJP may have an unfair advantage over others if sops for the poll-bound states are announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.The Election Commission has ordered that the Budget cannot include any announcements that would influence the votes in five states - Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.The poll panel has ordered that the Budget cannot include any announcements that would could influence voters in the five states that begin voting just days after February 1.While Punjab and Goa will vote on February 4, the crucial seven-phase Uttar Pradesh election will begin on February 11.

Sanira Mediratta

16 May 2017,Tuesday

Sara made dad Saif, Kareena break no-kissing policy: Reports

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sara-ali-khan-saif-kareena-no-kissing-clasue/1/954843.html

According to reports, Saif Ali Khan's daughter Sara made Saif and Kareena drop their no-kissing clause from film contracts. Sara reportedly said that with the kind of films and characters Bollywood is venturing into, kissing is like any other scene. While Saif had an on-screen kiss in Rangoon, Kareena had a kissing scene in Ki & Ka.

When Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor tied the knot in 2012, the couple decided to stay away from kissing on screen. In fact, the royal couple made it a point to keep a no-kissing clause in their film contracts.But their recent releases, Ki and Ka as well as Rangoon saw the two locking lips with their co-actors. So what made the couple change their decision?According to a report in Filmfare, it was Saif and ex-wife Amrita Singh's daughter Sara Ali Khan who made the two drop no-kissing clause from their contracts. The report suggests that Sara advised the couple that they should keep the no-kissing anyone else deal off screen and with the kind of film's and characters Bollywood is venturing into, kissing is just like any other scene. Sara, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut soon, seems to have learnt the nuances of the trade even before venturing into the film industry.

Abhishek Bansal

19 Jun 2017,Monday

Cross the border for better fireworks: Gambhir to Separatist

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gautam-gambhir-all-party-hurriyat-conference-mirwaiz-umar-farooq-pakistan/1/981956.html

Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Sunday suggested Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to cross the border to "get better fireworks" after the Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan. Congratulating the Pakistan team for its win, the Hurriyat leader had said there were fireworks all around after the match. Gambhir even sarcastically offered to help Farooq pack his bags.

Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Sunday offered to help All Party Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq pack his bags for a trip to Pakistan. That unusual proposal came in response to a gleeful message the separatist leader tweeted after Sarfraz Ahmed's team thrashed Virat Kohli's Men in Blue to win the Chmapions Trophy final."Fireworks all around, feels like an early Eid here. Better team took the day. Congratulations team," Mirwaiz wrote late last evening.Gambhir's sarcastic reply came a couple of hours later: "A suggestion @MirwaizKashmir why don't u cross the border? U will get better fireworks (Chinese?), Eid celebs there. I can help u wid packing"Pakistan on Sunday scored 338 runs, and bowled India out for a paltry 158. Virat Kohli admitted his team had been outplayed, but maintained he was proud of the way they'd performed in the tournament.A Twitter user, Harsh Goenka, summed up the Indians' dismal performance with this tweet: "11 Indians stranded in Oval, London. Madam Sushma Swaraj, please rescue them."ALSO READ | Crackdown on Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq ahead of separatists' meet

Prashanti Moktan

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Jolly LLB 2 actor suffering from cancer seeks financial help

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/paan-singh-tomar-actor-sitaram-panchal-is-fighting-lung-and-kidney-cancer-seeks-help-on-fb/story-GUeEOziusIBam9OU4QeSbK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Sitaram Panchal, known for films like Jolly LLB 2 and Paan Singh Tomar, has sought financial help on Facebook as he is suffering from cancer. He has been bed-ridden for the past ten months. "Initially, he used to work and we could make ends meet. But now, he does not even have the strength to stand up," said Panchal's wife.

Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal, who has worked with Akshay Kumar (Jolly LLB 2), Irrfan Khan (Paan Singh Tomar) and several other A-listers of the industry, is facing the worst crisis of his life. A photo of Sitaram Panchal at his Mumbai residence. This was posted by Rajeev Bhatia - a Hisar resident who is also Sitaram?s junior from their theatre days. (Facebook/Rajeev Bhatia) Sitaram has been fighting cancer for the past three years, and now his condition has worsened. Speaking to HT, the actor?s wife confirmed his condition and said he?s been bed-ridden for the past 10 months. ?Initially, he used to work and we could make ends meet. But now, he does not even have the strength to stand up. He has lost a lot of weight. Ever since the cancer was detected in January 2014, he has taken Ayurvedic treatment. It was only recently that he started a new Homeopathic medicine, following which, his condition worsened and we discontinued the medicines,? she said. Sitaram has written a Facebook post seeking help from fans and well-wishers. ?Bhaio meri help karo meri cancer se halat kharab hoti ja rahi hai apka kalakar bhai sitaram panchal,? he wrote on Monday.The Facebook page for Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) also posted late Sunday about Sitaram?s condition, seeking help from well wishers. Panchal is suffering from kidney and lung cancer and is also facing financial crisis.Several actors have come forward seeking help on Facebook for the actor. Asked if CINTAA and Sitaram?s fellow actors have been helpful, Uma said that friends have been helping over the years but not many knew about his cancer. With the recent Facebook post by Sitaram and CINTAA, several people have contributed, she added.?We hope some big filmmaker will come forward and help us,? she concluded.A fund raiser has also been created for the cause.Sitaram has also worked in Bandit Queen, Slumdog Millionnaire, Peepli Live and The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Follow @htshowbiz for more

Mansha Mahajan

21 Mar 2017,Tuesday

SBI to shut down 47% of associate banks' offices post merger

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/state-bank-of-india-sbi-managing-director-dinesh-kumar-khara-merger-associate-banks-vrs/1/908967.html

State Bank of India, which is going to merge with its five associate banks, has decided to shut down 47% of these banks' offices, including the head offices of three of them. This process will start from April 24. Notably, the five associate banks will cease to exist as legal entities and become a part of SBI from April 1.

State Bank of India (SBI), which will see five associate banks merge into it on April 1, has decided to shut down almost half the offices of these banks, including the head offices of three of them. This process will start from April 24."Out of the five head offices of the associate banks, we will retain only two. Three head offices of the associate banks will be unbound along with 27 zonal offices, 81 regional offices and 11 network offices of the associate banks," SBI Managing Director Dinesh Kumar Khara told IANS in an interview."We will keep their structure in place till April 24 and, post that, we will start dismantling the associate banks' controlling offices, which includes head offices, regional offices, zonal offices and network offices," Khara said.LIST OF ASSOCIATE BANKSThe five associate banks that will merge with SBI are: SBBJ (State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur), SBM (State Bank of Mysore), SBT (State Bank of Travancore), SBP (State Bank of Patiala) and SBH (State Bank of Hyderabad).SBI is India's largest bank with assets of Rs 30.72 lakh crore and figures at No. 64 in the global ranking of banks (as of December 2015; December 2016 ranking is still awaited). Post-merger, with assets of approximately Rs 40 lakh crore, it will be among the top 50 banks in the world. SBI Chief Economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh told IANS that, post-merger, the bank will be at No. 45.The shut-down move is to avoid overlapping offices in the same area and "we intend to remove any kind of duplicacy in the controlling structure", Khara said.The five associate banks will cease to exist as legal entities and become a part of SBI from April 1, but the various merger processes will start only after April 24, once the balance sheets of the five entities are audited and added.MANAGING DIRECTOR's VIEW"We will have to get the balance sheets of the associate banks audited a day prior to the merger, that is, on March 31. The balance sheets of the banks will be drawn up and added; it takes 15-20 days. Soon after the audit is done, the branches will be completely merged with SBI," Khara told IANS.There are currently 550 SBI offices while its associate banks have 259. The target for the number of controlling offices after the merger is 687 -- a reduction of 122 offices.Employees directly affected by these shutdowns -- estimated at 1,107 -- will be redeployed, mostly in customer-interface operations, Khara said."The net result is that people in controlling functions will be available for deployment on the ground for improving reach to the consumer," he said."There are about 5-7 people in every regional office and 20-odd people in each zonal office. One regional office controls 30-40 branches, while 4-5 regional offices are controlled by one zonal office," he told IANS.The associate banks have also offered a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to employees who do not wish to relocate. "VRS is only an option, else they will be relocated. They will have a different role," he said.OTHER MERGER PROCESSES TO SOON COME INTO EFFECT TOOAlong with the winding-up of these offices, a number of merger processes will come into effect simultaneously, including the data merger of the five entities."Data merger will also start from April 24 and we will finish it by May end. That is the plan of action," he said, adding that the bank had given itself six months to complete all merger-related processes."I would rather say that within a quarter all the things should be in order. Ideally, we would like to have it in one quarter, but it will not spill over beyond the second quarter," Khara said.

Rini Sinha

25 Mar 2017,Saturday

Rajinikanth cancels Sri Lanka trip amid Tamil group protests

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rajinikanth-jaffna-event-protest-sri-lanka-eelam-issue/1/912637.html

Rajinikanth has cancelled his trip to Sri Lanka for a housing scheme launch, following protests by some pro-Tamil groups. The groups alleged that the event is an attempt to involve Rajinikanth in an "ethnic issue". In a letter, Rajinikanth has urged people to not politicise his visit if he gets a chance to meet Sri Lankan Tamils in the future.

Following protest from the pro-Tamil groups like Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), superstar Rajinikanth has decided not to participate in the Jaffna event, which is scheduled on April 9.Trade analyst Ramesh Bala shared Rajinikanth's letter on Twitter. In the letter, Rajini says, "I will not participate in the event, although I disagree with the reasons stated by Thirumavalavan and Vaiko.". @superstarrajini decides not to go to Sri Lanka.. pic.twitter.com/BsM6gFUGnBRajinikanth says that the reason he wanted to visit Lanka was to see the places where Tamils lived. He also mentions that he wanted to meet Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, to find a solution for the pertaining fishermen problem. Taking a dig at politics, Rajinikanth says he's not a politician, but a mere artist. As per a statement released by Lyca Productions, Rajinikanth was supposed to visit Jaffna to hand over keys built for Tamils by Gnanam Foundation.However, the fringe groups alleged that Lyca Productions is based in Lanka, and protested against Rajinikanth for the same.Over the years, Eelam is one issue that has spawned several heated debates across Tamil Nadu. In fact, some of the pro-Tamil groups protested against Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Kaththi (2014) and called for a ban on the film, which was also produced by Lyca Productions. 2.0, directed by Shankar, also stars Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson and Sudhanshu Pandey, and will hit the screens on Diwali this year.ALSO READ: Katamarayudu Review

Deepali Aggarwal

03 Aug 2017,Thursday

US tests unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-launches-unarmed-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-from-california-in-test/story-uhugKPYI4z0PvO3kNBKcMN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The US Air Force on Wednesday successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from California, the fourth such test this year. The test will show the readiness and effectiveness of the weapon system, officials said. The launch comes amid concerns over North Korea which recently tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles which it claims has the range to reach the US.

The US Air Force successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from California, the fourth such test this year.The 30th Space Wing says the Minuteman 3 missile launched at 2:10 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.An Air Force statement said the test would show the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.Minuteman missiles are regularly tested with launches from Vandenberg that send unarmed re-entry vehicles 4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers) across the Pacific to a target area at Kwajalein Atoll.However, the latest U.S. launches come amid tensions with North Korea as that nation develops its own ICBMs.Flight data on North Korea?s most recent test, conducted Friday, showed that a broad part of the mainland United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of Pyongyang?s weapons, according to analysts.In response, the U.S. Air Force flew two B-1 bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Sunday in a show of force. The U.S. also said it conducted a successful test of a missile defense system located in Alaska.Previous Minuteman ICBM launches this year were conducted in February, April and May. That month, the Air Force also conducted a test of a missile interceptor launched from Vandenberg. The interceptor destroyed a mock warhead over the Pacific.

Tanya Dhingra

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Alia is brilliant, loved her in Udta Punjab: Manisha Koirala

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/alia-bhatt-is-brilliant-i-loved-her-in-udta-punjab-and-dear-zindagi-manisha-koirala/story-Tz7iAWKVYQ0Hsx3vIJlImO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actress Manisha Koirala has said that Alia Bhatt is brilliant and super-talented and she loved her in films like 'Udta Punjab' and 'Dear Zindagi'. She added, "I thought she was flawless and I'd love to work with her someday." Meanwhile, Manisha further said that Ranbir Kapoor is one of the finest talents in the film industry.

Actor Manisha Koirala?s comeback film, Dear Maya, which she did after a hiatus of five years, fizzled out without much noise, but that certainly hasn?t deterred her spirit. Manisha is all set to work with actor Ranbir Kapoor in an upcoming biopic based on actor Sanjay Dutt?s life.For someone who has worked with almost all the leading names from the fraternity during the ?90s, including the likes of Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor among others, it must have been a different experience teaming up with the current breed of actors. ?I find these young actors hard working and focused. Ranbir is one of the finest talents we have in our [film] industry. And I believe it?s not about senior or younger co-stars; for me, it?s always great to share screen space with good actors,? says Manisha, who worked with newcomer Shreya Chaudhary in Dear Maya. Thank you @chola_the_label and @tanyareigns ?? A post shared by Manisha Koirala (@m_koirala) on Jul 20, 2017 at 1:12pm PDT Manisha adds that she doesn?t believe in giving too much of a thought to who her co-actors are in a film, as each one turns out to be different. ?I don?t really care much about the celebrity status (of her co-actors) because honestly, it?s the by-product of the original thing, which is talent and the capacity of the actor,? she says, pointing out that she admires Alia Bhatt from the younger generation of stars.?She?s [Alia] just so brilliant and super-talented. I loved her in Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi. I thought she was flawless and I?d love to work with her someday.?Manisha doesn?t shy away from confessing that she had to pace up to be at par with the changing times and her presence on social media is an outcome of that. ?I am still struggling with it. I have a young team of people managing my social media and it?s their show ... they know what to do and they guide me on what will work best for me,? she addsFollow @htshowbiz for more

Dishant Sharma

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

BCCI cuts short Kohli's 1st interview post coach appointment

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/bcci-cuts-media-interaction-to-shield-virat-kohli-from-facing-questions-on-kumble/story-Csfe4c6rdsasaBu8PscJhJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

BCCI intervened and cut short Indian captain Virat Kohli's first official media interaction after the appointment of Ravi Shastri as the team's head coach. The media interaction, which was the last before the team left for the Sri Lanka tour on Wednesday, was supposed to be 15 minutes long but was cut short to 10 minutes.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it clear on Wednesday that it wants to quickly get over the Anil Kumble controversy.It was the first official media interaction of skipper Virat Kohli and new coach Ravi Shastri together, before the team left for the Sri Lanka tour on Wednesday. The interaction was supposed to be for 15 minutes, but was reduced to just 10 minutes for no apparent reason.Many hands went up to get a chance to ask questions, but the opportunity never arrived for most. The haphazard and abrupt manner in which the press conference ended gave one the feeling that BCCI wanted to avoid Kohli having to field any question on Kumble?s unceremonious departure as coach despite emphatic performances by the team.READ?|?Ravi Shastri takes subtle dig at Sourav Ganguly-led Cricket Advisory CommitteeKohli had initially rubbished reports of a rift between Kumble and the Indian team, saying during the ICC Champions Trophy that there were ?no problems? between him and Kumble, and the reports were just ?rumours? created by the media.That the captain and coach were not on talking terms and were not seeing eye-to-eye was evident even during the training sessions at the Champions Trophy.While the Indian team left for the West Indies from London, Kumble stayed back for an ICC meeting and then announced he was not seeking an extension to his one-year term. Following that Kohli even deleted a year-old tweet welcoming Kumble.Kohli has avoided publicly discussing Kumble?s departure and has insisted that would mean violating the sanctity of dressing room discussions not coming out.READ?|?Ravi Shastri insists players more important to India than coachWhen Kohli was asked about getting his choice of coach and support staff, he said: ?I think understanding and communication is something that works in every walk of life and the dressing room environment is nothing different.?When Shastri was asked the same question, he said: ?I will answer that same question wearing two hats and I promise you there is no conflict of interest here. One as a player and as a former captain, when you play the game you want your mind to be clear. You want to be able to focus inwards without a care in the world for anything on the outside and that happens with good communication with the support staff.?Now, I will go on the other side as the head coach. My job is to do exactly that for every player, to put him in a frame of mind only about his role; he is thinking about the team that he is playing for and of course the opposition, which we always respect. That is his job, period.?

Sumedha Sehra

17 Jul 2017,Monday

Shri Amarnath Board announces ?3 lakh for accident victims

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shri-amarnath-shrine-board-to-give-rs-3-lakh-compensation-to-accident-victims-kin/story-KsVB00Hn2nrVem654J49NL.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has announced ?3 lakh for the kin of the 17 pilgrims killed after their bus fell into a gorge. It further announced a compensation of ?1 lakh for those injured. The bus carrying the pilgrims skidded off and fell into a gorge after its front tyre burst, according to initial reports.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) announced on Sunday a compensation of Rs three lakh to the next of kin of Amarnath pilgrims killed in the bus accident in Jammu and Kashmir and Rs one lakh each to the injured.Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, who is also chairman of SASB, expressed his deep grief over the incident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families of those killed, an official spokesman said here.He said on behalf of the shrine board, Vohra announced relief of Rs three lakh to the next of kin of those killed and Rs one lakh each to those who were injured.Sixteen Amarnath pilgrims were killed and around 27 injured, 19 of them critically, when their bus skidded off the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and rolled into a deep nullah in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir Sunday afternoon.The spokesman said that on learning about the accident, Vohra immediately flew to Banihal along with Chief Secretary B B Vyas, DGP S P Vaid and Chief Executive Officer, SASB, Umang Narula to oversee the rescue operations being carried out by the district administration with the help of the Air Force.As per the governor?s earlier directions to the chief secretary, the seriously injured pilgrims were evacuated to Jammu through IAF helicopters, the spokesman said.He said the governor met the critically injured ?yatris? who were airlifted in a M17 helicopter after he arrived at Banihal.He met the doctors and enquired about the medical treatment given to the yatris before they were airlifted in his presence.The governor also visited the Banihal sub-district where, after discussion with the chief secretary and the attending doctors, he directed that the bodies of the 16 dead pilgrims be transported to Jammu from where after embalming and other formalities, the bodies would be sent by air to the their hometowns, the spokesman said.He also appreciated the prompt relief provided by a local NGO who rescued the injured pilgrims, in coordination with the district administration, and sanctioned an amount of Rs five lakh to them for strengthening their humanitarian endeavours, the spokesman said.

Daisy Mowke

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

Tom Hiddleston to star in play on Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/aug/01/tom-hiddleston-to-star-in-branaghs-hamlet-for-three-weeks-only?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actor Tom Hiddleston will star in a play on William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', which will be directed by Kenneth Branagh. The production aims to raise money for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the drama school attended by Hiddleston. Tickets will be available through a lottery and winners will be able to collect them only on the day of the performance.

Tom Hiddleston is to star in a Kenneth Branagh-directed production of Hamlet ? but for only three weeks in a theatre with 160 seats.The production will raise money for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and promises to be one of the hottest theatrical tickets of recent years. The ballot opens at noon on Tuesday 1 August and tickets will be difficult for people to get their hands on.Hiddleston, a Rada graduate, said Hamlet presented ?almost limitless possibilities for interpretation?.He added: ?Kenneth Branagh and I have long talked about working on the play together, and now felt like the right time, at the right place.?The performing arts exist to bring people together, not to break or keep them apart. I hope the funds raised by the production will help Rada continue to provide a wider field of equal opportunity to train actors, stage managers and technical theatre artists, from every background, to a standard of excellence and professionalism. We need to keep the doors open for everyone.?The production is a collaboration between Rada and Branagh?s theatre company, which recently had a year?s residency at the Garrick in the West End.It will run in Rada?s 160-seat Jerwood Vanbrugh theatre in central London from 1-23 September. The ballot for tickets is open online until 6pm on 6 August ? or by phone until 5pm on 5 August.Ticket winners will be selected at random with successful entrants able to purchase a maximum of two. Twenty per cent of the tickets will be priced £15 and available only to under-25s. A further 20% will be £45 and the remainder £95.In something of a first, there will be no guaranteed tickets for critics, with journalists welcome to take their chances in the ballot.To prevent the risk of a black market, people will only be able to collect their tickets up to an hour before the show with documentation to prove who they are.The money raised from the production will support the Rada Attenborough project, which aims to raise £20m for the regeneration of the academy?s premises on Chenies Street including, for the first time, the provision of on-site accommodation.Branagh said the production would be a celebration of both Shakespeare and Rada. ?The play speaks as loudly as ever to our volatile world and we are proud to have Tom Hiddleston lead an exciting group of actors, as he plays the title role for the first time. This work has been in discussion and planning over a period of years. To find its expression at, with, and for Rada, is a privilege,? he said.

Parmeet Kaur

14 Jul 2017,Friday

Hotel room where Sunanda Pushkar died not opened in 3 years

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/can-t-de-seal-hotel-room-where-sunanda-pushkar-was-found-dead-says-delhi-police/story-6m8NgdDRbwFMftw78kB43L.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Delhi Police on Friday told a city court that they cannot de-seal the five-star hotel room where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014. More than three years after the incident, police said they still need time to investigate the case. The hotel claimed a loss of ?50 lakh because the room remained sealed.

The Delhi police on Friday told a city court that they could not de-seal the room at a five star hotel, where former Congress minister Shashi Throor? wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead. More than three years after the incident, police have not been able to reach a conclusion and said they will take more time to investigate. Replying to a court order, police said that despite two visits by Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) experts and five different reports from medical boards, they are yet to find out how she was murdered. The police said they will need more time to inspect the room, thereby delaying the case. Read: A timeline of Sunanda Pushkar murder caseThe room has been sealed by Delhi police since January 2014. The police had come under heavy criticism for its handling of the case. A murder case was registered more than a year after she was found dead in suite 345 of the Hotel Leela Palace in New Delhi. In a plea, the hotel had earlier told court that closing the room for the last three years had caused them losses. Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma on Friday directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sarojini Nagar police station to file a report by coordinating with the forensic team on the time and the number of visits they would need to inspect the room one last time before concluding their investigation.The court has fixed the next date of hearing on July 14, 2017.The hotel said in its plea that it has on previous occasions approached the Delhi Police for their assistance in unsealing the suite. ?The investigating agencies have visited the suite and collected requisite samples on numerous occasions. But, since a year, no investigating agency has visited the suite and therefore the it is not required to be kept sealed any longer,? the hotel had said in its application.According to the hotel?s plea, there are 17 suites in the hotel and the cost for a night?s stay ranges from Rs 55,000 - 61,000, depending on the season. But, the hotel?s inability to offer suite number 345 to its patrons in the last three years has reportedly resulted in a loss of approximately Rs 50 lakh.Pushkar was found dead at the five-star hotel in south Delhi?s Chanakyapuri on January 17, 2014, after which the suite was sealed. Pushkar?s viscera samples were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lab in Washington DC to determine the type of poison that killed her after an AIIMS medical board identified poisoning as the reason behind her death. The board did not specify the type of poison and asked police to send the samples to a lab outside India.

Daisy Mowke

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Blogger slams people for abusive comments on bikini pic

http://www.hindustantimes.com/fashion-and-trends/plus-size-blogger-who-got-abusive-comments-for-posting-bikini-picture-slams-haters/story-NDX2vUeNGHWtejf83YRUHK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Plus-size blogger Callie Thorpe has slammed people for posting abusive comments on a picture which showed her wearing a bikini. She posted a video titled 'Dealing with abuse', in which she has spoken about how she felt after reading those comments. "You don't know how much these things hurt people... and it's not acceptable," she said in the video.

While social media allows each and every user to make their voice heard, it also has a flip side. People get away with making abusive remarks under the guise of ?trolling?. Recently, a popular UK-based fashion blogger, Callie Thorpe (149k followers) received over 900 vile comments. Her crime? Posting a happy poolside picture of her sporting a black two-piece bikini. A post shared by Callie Thorpe (@calliethorpe) on Jul 18, 2017 at 4:53am PDTThe picture was featured on iconic fashion magazine Vogue?s website, alongside pictures of models such as Karlie Kloss, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Thorpe then did an interview with Yahoo about it. As it picked up traction, the comments came pouring in. One of them read: ?Realistically models are meant to be appealing not to make me puke.? Yahoo has since removed the comments section on that article. Thorpe has been a promoter of a healthy, body positive image and self-love on her Instagram page. Though hurt, she is undeterred. She posted a video, titled Dealing with abuse, about how she felt when she read those comments. At one point in the video, she breaks down. ?I couldn?t get it out of my brain. I couldn?t sleep because of some of the things I read about myself,? she said. But she is not ready to give up. She continues to remain proud of herself, and is determined to keep doing what she loves. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more

Dishant Sharma

27 Apr 2017,Thursday

12-yr-old to represent India at football programme in Russia

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sujal-to-represent-india-at-football-for-friendship-programme/1/938856.html

Sujal Kahar, a 12-year-old football enthusiast and goalkeeper from Mumbai, has been shortlisted to represent India at the global Football For Friendship (F4F) social programme. It will be held in Russia's St Petersburg in July. India will join the F4F programme for the first time and will participate alongside over 60 other countries.

Saloni Tandon

07 Jul 2017,Friday

Sania, Bopanna register wins at their Wimbledon openers

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/wimbledon-2017-sania-mirza-rohan-bopanna-womens-doubles-mens-doubles/1/996234.html

Sania Mirza and her women's doubles partner, Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens, beat their Japanese-Chinese rivals Naomi Osaka and Shuai Zhang in straight sets to reach the Wimbledon second round. Meanwhile, French Open mixed doubles winner Rohan Bopanna and his partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin also advanced to the men's doubles second round. Leander Paes failed to advance, crashing out in the first round.

It was a good day for India at Wimbledon as tennis ace Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna and Purav Raja defeated their opponents in their respective categories to advance to the second round here.Tennis star Sania Mirza and her women's doubles partner Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium defeated Naomi Osaka and Shuai Zhang in straight sets to advance on Wednesday. Bopanna along with French player Edouard Roger-Vasselin edged past German pair of Dustin Brown and Mischa Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 in men's doubles category a day later.

Tanya Dhingra

09 Jul 2017,Sunday

I'm confident Kajol will be there in VIP 3: Dhanush

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/after-vip-2-dhanush-and-kajol-to-work-together-in-vip-3/1/997713.html

Actor Dhanush, during a press meet of his upcoming film VIP 2 with Kajol, has said that he is confident that Kajol will be a part of VIP 3. He further said, "It was really fascinating to share screen space with her. My performance went a notch up." Kajol is returning to Tamil cinema after 20 years with VIP 2.

The theatres in Tamil Nadu have finally opened after a four-day strike against the state government for imposing a 30 per cent local body tax. Now, Dhanush-Kajol's much-hyped Velai Illa Pattadhaari 2 is all set for a release on July 28. At the press meet of VIP 2, Dhanush, who has written the script and dialogues of the film, confirmed that the franchise would continue and that Kajol would be part of VIP 3.Speaking about the sequel to VIP 2, Dhanush said, "I'm confident Kajol will be there in VIP 3, but I'm not sure if she will be there in VIP 4." There will be #VIP3 and #VIP4.. @KajolAtUN will be there in the sequel.. : @dhanushkraja#VIP2PressMeetpic.twitter.com/qmMY5SkTXLKajol, who won the hearts of the Tamil audience with Minsara Kanavu, is making a comeback nearly after two decades. Dhanush had good things to say about co-star Kajol. "She (Kajol) is returning to Tamil cinema after a gap of 20 years with VIP and we are very proud of it. She is a legend. I was in my 10th standard when she did Minsara Kanavu. I was stunned after watching her on the big screen. We can't forget her performance in Vennilave Vennilave song. It was really fascinating to share screen space with her. My performance went a notch up while performing with her," said Dhanush.. @KajolAtUN says she had an amazing experience working in #VIP2#VIP2PressMeetpic.twitter.com/92Aj0oGdiWOn the other hand, when Kajol was asked to share her experience working with Dhanush and Shah Rukh Khan, she said, "They both are very very fine actors. It has been a very good journey with Dhanush."Soundarya Rajinikanth is helming this instalment, which has music by Sean Roldan."Nobody else could give us Vasundhara Parameshwar. The character is an independent, self-made and stylish women. Kajol didn't have to try hard to pull off that role. She just had to come before the camera," said Soundarya.Produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu, the trailer of Velai Illa Pattadhaari 2 got outstanding response and clocked more than 8 million views.ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli regrets talking about Sridevi's salary, says he made a mistake

Vaibhav Gupta

25 Dec 2016,Sunday

6,117 Kuchipudi dancers set new Guinness World Record

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kuchipudi-performers-dance-they-way-into-guinness-book/1/842758.html

As many as 6,117 Kuchipudi dancers performed together in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada on Sunday evening to set a new Guinness World Record. The Guinness adjudicator declared that the 12-minute "Jayamu Jayamu" item was the 'Largest Kuchipudi dance' performance. Dancers from across the world, including those from the US, UAE, UK, Russia, Hong Kong and Mauritius took part in the performance.

Vijayawada, Dec 25 (PTI) Andhra Pradeshs own classical dance Kuchipudi found a place in the Guinness World Records yet again when a record 6,117 dancers came together to present a show at the IGMC Stadium here this evening. Guinness adjudicator Rishinath declared that "Jayamu Jayamu" item presented in unison by the participants created a new record and handed over a certificate to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The "Maha Brunda Natyam" (grand group dance) was organised as part of the 5th International Kuchipudi Dance Convention organised by the state Department of Language and Culture. "Jayamu Jayamu" is one of the glorious items of Kuchipudi dance choreographed by the legend Vempati China Satyam. This 12-minute item was chosen for this years group dance at the event. Dancers from across the country as also from countries like US, UAE, UK, Russia, Hong Kong and Mauritius took part in it.

Rini Sinha

17 Apr 2017,Monday

Amol Palekar moves SC seeking relaxation in film censorship

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amol-palekar-censorship-cbfc-supreme-court/1/930862.html

Veteran actor Amol Palekar has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking relaxation in the censorship of films. In his petition, Palekar has claimed that the Board repeatedly violates a filmmakers' fundamental right to speech and expression as nthere's no member with a legal background on the Board. Further, he called "pre-censorship" of films irrelevant in the internet era.nn

Veteran actor Amol Palekar filed a PIL with Supreme Court questioning the censorship laws that have not been contested for over 47 years now. The 72-year-old actor has sought relaxation in the censorship of films by means of removal of pre-censorship of movies. According to a report in Scroll, Palekar in the petition has pointed out the absence of a member with a legal background in CBFC which often leads the board to repeatedly violate filmmakers' fundamental right to speech and expression. Palekar has further challenged the provisions of the Cinematography Act, calling the pre-censorship of films irrelevant in the internet era. The Supreme Court has now issued a notice to the censor board asking them to file a reply to Palekar's plea.Palekar has been missing from silver screen for quite some time now. He was recently in the news for his documentary Bhinna Shadja, on late singer Kishori Amonkar, when she passed away earlier this month.

Aarushi Maheshwari

16 Jun 2017,Friday

Will make omelettes out of eggs hurled at me: BJP leader

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/babul-supriyo-omelettes-out-of-eggs-hurled-at-me/1/979571.html

After being asked about BJD workers throwing eggs at Union Minister Jual Oram's vehicle, MoS for Heavy Industries Babul Supriyo on Wednesday said, "If BJD and Congress workers hurl eggs at me, I'll make omelette with it and eat that." Supriyo added, "I am a non-vegetarian... There is not an iota of fear in me."

"There is not an iota of fear in me. I heard some people hurled eggs. I am a non-vegetarian. If BJD and Congress workers hurl eggs at me, I'll make omelette with it and eat that."These were the words of Minister of State for Heavy Industries Babul Supriyo after he was asked to respond to the incident of eggs being thrown at Union Minister Jual Oram on the latter's visit to Odisha's Kendrapara.On 13 June, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram was on a visit to Aul Bazaar in Kendrapara district, where both Congress and BJD workers protested over his presence. Oram went to review the situation on the Mahanadi water dispute. The Biju Janta Dal workers hurled eggs at his vehicle, and on the other hand the Congress activists showed black flags targeting him for the farmers' killing in Mandsaur.Meanwhile, Supriyo targetted both the BJD and the Congress in Odisha. The singer-turned-politician said that he is not scared of anyone in the state, as he belongs to West Bengal where the "political situation is worse"."The BJD and Congress are creating hindrances for the welfare schemes of the Centre to reach the people," Supriyo added.

Aarushi Maheshwari

16 Jul 2017,Sunday

Airport reopens after three-year closure during Libyan war

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/benghazi-airport-reopens-after-three-year-closure-during-war/story-WU4Comimp4YJ8c7LDGVIBK.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Benina International Airport reopened on Saturday, three years after it was forced to close during the ongoing Libyan Civil War. Located near Benghazi, its first outward-bound flights were to the capital Tripoli and Amman, Jordan. Notably, the fights had escalated in Benghazi in 2014 when forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar launched a military campaign against Islamists and other opponents.

Benghazi?s international airport officially reopened for commercial flights amid a heavy security presence on Saturday after a three-year closure due to fighting in the city.The first outward bound flights from Benina Airport were to the capital, Tripoli, to Amman, Jordan, and to the south-eastern Libyan city of Kufra. Flights are also scheduled to and from Tunis, Istanbul, Alexandria, and the western Libyan city of Zintan. The flights are operated by two state-owned companies, Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways. Benina is just east of Benghazi, Libya?s second city, where fighting escalated in the summer of 2014 when forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar launched a military campaign against Islamists and other opponents.Earlier this month, Haftar declared victory in the campaign as his forces battled rivals in their last downtown holdouts. Travellers and airport staff expressed relief at no longer having to travel to Labraq airport, a four-hour drive east of Benghazi, which had replaced Benina as the main airport for the eastern part of the country. In recent months, some official and cargo flights had already been flying from Benina. There is also a military airport at Benina, which continued operating throughout the conflict as Haftar?s forces targeted their rivals with air strikes. Tripoli?s international airport was badly damaged by fighting in 2014, and flights have since operated out of the smaller Mitiga airport near the centre of the capital. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; Writing by Aidan Lewis)

Aarushi Maheshwari

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

German man swims to work instead of driving to avoid traffic

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/fed-up-with-traffic-german-man-swims-to-reach-work-rather-than-drive/story-EGHXnmrAKJpVVcDrGzjWGP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A German man swims 2 km to work every day to avoid traffic, packing his laptop and suit into a waterproof bag. Benjamin David, who swims along the Isar river in Munich, said his commute is faster than driving in traffic. He added, "the traffic on the road next to the Isar is so wild that it is no fun."

A German man fed up with the stress of commuting on busy city roads now swims two km to work along the Isar river in Munich, Germany, the media reported.Benjamin David packs his laptop, suit and shoes into a waterproof bag, straps it to his back and swims, reports the BBC.Depending on the season, he wears swimming trunks or a long wetsuit as well as rubber sandals to protect his feet from glass or the occasional bicycle laying in the river.His commute sometimes invites laughs from bystanders on the bridges above, but he says it is faster and more relaxing than sitting in traffic.

Sonu Kumari

13 Jul 2017,Thursday

Housing society bans Bangladeshi maids after mob violence

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/noida-society-bans-bangladeshi-maids-after-mob-violence/story-ELWkY6qKRDXHPJQc2S9D6L.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

After a mob pelted stones at Mahagun Moderne Society in Noida Sector 78 for alleged beating of a maid, the residents have decided not to allow Bangladeshi maids in the premises. "Every individual in the society is scared after Wednesday?s incident. There is no way they can trust the Bangladeshi domestic helps anymore," said a resident.

In the backdrop of the mob violence on Wednesday morning, the residents of the Mahagun Moderne in Sector 78 have decided not to allow ?Bangladeshi? domestic helps in the society.As the society has no residents? welfare association (RWA), the decision of debarring the maids was taken by the ?active residents? of the society. Facility management was informed about the decision which in turn issued a notice. Read | Mayhem in Noida?s Mahagun Moderne society after maid is ?beaten up?Residents said that the society has 2,750 flats in its 16 high-rise and four low-rise buildings. Ninety percent of them are occupied. Many houses have Bangladeshi domestic helps. ?Every individual in the society is scared after Wednesday?s incident. There is no way they can trust the Bangladeshi domestic helps anymore. We will clear their dues and take the help of an agency that provides domestic helps. Children were frightened to see the ugly situation,? said Dr Amit Sachdeva. Noida mayhem: Everybody had a free run in the upscale gated society. Only the cops looked like mute spectators. Watch video! pic.twitter.com/IrZzHrAPbv? Anupam Thapa (@anupamthapa) July 13, 2017Residents also said most of the inhabitants used to get domestic helps through the security guards, who knew the maids. ?As a standard practice, we used to give forms to the maids and tell them to get them verified from the police. After verification, entry passes were issued. There is record of the entry and exit of society visitors and the helps. None of us knew such a situation would arise. Those who pelted stones work only in this society and it shows none of us are safe. It can happen to us also,? said Brijesh Singh, a resident. However, after the situation was brought under control, some residents tried to give entry to the maids, but were stopped. Residents said they will contact an agency that can assure safety. Noida: Security guards of Mahagun Mordene society in Sector 78 fighting pitched battle with villagers.@HTNoidaGzb @htTweets pic.twitter.com/8Mndg4f3y7? Sohil Sehran (@SohilSehran) July 12, 2017?We want the police and administration should intervene into the matter. In future, this will become a culture in Noida and residents will have no say. From rape to assault, every allegation was levelled against the residents of our housing society. Every person on the side of the maid has their own version. This can turn dangerous,? said Vibhuti Chaudhary, a resident. Meanwhile, Abdul Sattar, husband of Zora Bibi, who was allegedly beaten up and held at the employer?s house, said people in his community were perturbed as his wife was missing. They had only gone to enquire about Zora?s whereabouts, he said. ?When we asked the security guards of the society, they used batons on us. Everyone was injured and we resorted to stone-pelting in self defence. We were threatened by them that they would kill us. We know the chaos would make the women jobless, but oppression cannot be tolerated by anyone in the society,? said Sattar.

Chhavi Tyagi

13 Jan 2017,Friday

MHA report to PMO refutes BSF jawan's complaint on food

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mha-report-to-pmo-refutes-bsf-jawans-complaint-on-food/1/856919.html

The Ministry of Home Affairs report to the Prime Minister's Office has refuted BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav's claims made in a video on quality and quantity of food provided to them. In the report, the MHA conveyed to the PMO that there is no shortage of rations at any post in paramilitary forces and quality check is conducted regularly.

The Home Ministry has in a report to the Prime Minister's Office today said it has found no substance in a complaint by a BSF jawan that poor quality rations were given to security personnel posted along the border, asserting "there was no widespread discontent" in constabulary over food. In the report, the Home Ministry conveyed to the PMO that there was no shortage of rations at any post in paramilitary forces and quality check is being conducted regularly. A video by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav complaining about the quality of food had gone viral, triggerred a flurry of reactions with the PMO also seeking a detailed factual report on the incident. The PMO has been told that "there is no widespread discontent in constabulary over food in any paramilitary force", official sources said. The PMO has been told that BSF has maintained that there was no shortage of rations at any post and security personnel deployed along the border never complained about food. The border guarding force also came out with fresh guidelines for maintaining high quality of food for its personnel. The PMO has been conveyed that the Home Ministry has directed the paramilitary forces to take all complaints of jawans seriously and corrective steps should be taken to improve their working conditions and food, the sources said. Yadav, wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a rifle in the video, claimed that while government procures essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers "sell it off" in an "illegal" manner in the market and the personnel have to suffer. He also posted other videos in which he claimed that the quality of food served was not good.

Nandini Sinha

26 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Polish man killed by 'superman punch' from teen, court hears

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/25/polish-man-arkadiusz-jozwik-killed-superman-punch-court-hears?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A Polish man was killed after a teenage boy hit him with a "superman punch" that caused him to fall and hit his head on the ground, a court has heard. The accused reportedly punched the deceased for mocking his English accent. The victim was knocked unconscious and later died in hospital from head injuries.

A boy killed an eastern European man with a ?superman punch? that caused him to fall and hit his head on the ground, a court has heard. The boy, now 16, who was 15 at the time of the alleged attack and cannot be named for legal reasons, denies the manslaughter of Arkadiusz Jó?wik, 40, from Poland.Jó?wik was knocked unconscious outside a row of takeaway shops in Harlow, Essex, in August last year, and later died in hospital from head injuries. He had been drinking with two friends and had just bought a pizza when he was set upon. On Tuesday, Rosina Cottage QC, prosecuting, told Chelmsford crown court: ?The prosecution does not say that [the boy] thought for a moment that what he did would result in the death of a man. ?However, we say he moved deliberately around the back of Mr Jó?wik to take him by surprise and to hit him from behind. ?[He] jumped up from the ground, using the whole force of his body to hit Mr Jó?wik to his head. From what looks to be like a ?superman punch? that he threw, he must have intended to send the man to the ground.? The defendant sat with his parents at the back of the courtroom, and the judge, Patricia Lynch, and barristers sat without their wigs and robes due to his age. Cottage said Jó?wik had been drinking vodka with his friend Radek Koscelski and they were both ?speaking loudly and appeared to be drunk and smelled of alcohol?. She said a third friend, Jakub Lusiecki, drank beer and ?appeared to be sober?. The three men sat on a bench near a group of teenagers with bikes, including the defendant, who had been there for most of the day, Cottage said. The attention of the Polish men was drawn to the group of teenagers, she continued, as ?something was kicked or thrown close to them? in the Stow shopping precinct. ?There was some laughter about their English and one of the teenagers was cycling around the group,? Cottage said, adding that Koscelski ?was swaying and drunk and may have been argumentative, offering to fight?, but made no physical contact. Cottage said two boys cycled close to Koscelski and Jó?wik, which ?seemed to spark a disagreement? between the two groups. Showing CCTV footage to jurors, she said it appeared that Koscelski tripped over his own feet, then the defendant ?appears to jump in the air and swing his arm with force to the head of Mr Jó?wik?. Some members of Jó?wik?s family, who were in court, left the room as the CCTV footage was shown. Blood alcohol tests on Jó?wik showed he was around ?twice over the legal limit to drive?, Cottage said. ?Mr Koscelski was clearly very drunk and the deceased Mr Jó?wik was also drunk, but the prosecution says there was no need for violence to be offered to either man. We say he was not aggressive to the group and certainly not [the defendant].?For whatever reason, maybe even just immature bravado, the prosecution say [he] took a deliberate decision to use unlawful violence when he went around the back of the group to punch Mr Jó?wik.?In a police video interview shown to the jury, a teenage boy who was in the group with the defendant on the night said two Polish men approached them. ?Both of them were saying ?Fight me?,? he said. Asked by the detective how he felt when they came over, the boy replied: ?I felt scared because they were quite big and tall. I didn?t know why they came over asking for a fight.? Asked if he heard any comments made about the Polish language, he replied: ?No.? Further asked if he had heard any derogatory comments about the men based on them being Polish, he said he was not aware of any. The trial continues.

Chhavi Tyagi

13 Jun 2017,Tuesday

Scindia arrested on his way to MP's violence-hit Mandsaur

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jyotiraditya-scindia-mandsaur-violence-madhya-pradesh-farmer-protest/1/977625.html

Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia was arrested on Tuesday in Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh when he was on his way to visit Mandsaur, where several farmers were killed in police firing during protests. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was also arrested last week for making attempts to enter the area without permission and meet farmers and their families.

Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia was today arrested from near Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh. Scindia was arrested by the police when he was on his way to meet the relatives of the farmers who were killed in police firing during the Mandsaur violence.Scindia and his aides were adamant on meeting the farmers' relatives. The Congress MP's convoy was stopped near Dhodhar toll in Ratlam district. "I wanted to go alone to Mandsaur. I wasn't allowed. Rather they arrested me. Tomorrow they will come, roll out red carpet for Shivraj Singh. Section 144 will be removed from Mandsaur," Jyotiraditya Scindia told India Today.He alleged that the rule of law has not been followed in the state. Scindia is accompanied by Ratlam MP Kantilal Bhuriya and former Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan. Immediately after the arrest of Scindia and his aides, Congress workers present at the spot turned hostile.Police have been deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward event. Rapid Action Force has been kept on standby.Earlier today, Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel was arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district when he was on his way to Mandsaur to express his solidarity with the agitating farmers, six of whom were killed in police firing last week. Patel was accompanied by Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha General Secretary Hannan Mollah. "The farmers gave their lives for their rights. It will not go waste. Hardik will meet farmers and will ask them to continue their protest," said Patidar Navnirman Sena General Secretary Akhilesh Katiyar. Also read:Madhya Pradesh farmers protest LIVE: Rahul Gandhi arrested outside Mandsaur, confirms Neemuch top cop

Aarushi Maheshwari

11 Apr 2017,Tuesday

Delhi Metro to launch housing scheme with 2BHK, 3BHK flats

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/buy-2bhk-3bhk-flats-from-delhi-metro-applications-open-in-may/story-l86zjtmAbqsmdk98CwnSPM.html

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will launch a housing scheme in May with 2BHK and 3BHK flats in Janakpuri and Okhla, Delhi. The flats, set to cost between ?60 lakh and ?1.20 crore, will be delivered within two years, a senior official said. The DMRC will also build a commercial complex near Jantar Mantar to rent out space for offices.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is set to launch its housing scheme in May this year. DMRC is building 2BHK and 3BHK flats in the city?s Janakpuri and Okhla areas in Delhi that will cost between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1.20 crore. Brochures will be released next month with an application form to book a flat, which DMRC promises to deliver by 2019. ?We have identified two plots near Okhla and Janakpuri (west) metro stations. We will construct 460 flats in Janakpuri and 90 in Okhla. The flats will be allotted on the basis of a draw and people can apply as soon as we open the scheme. The flats will be delivered within two years,? said a senior DMRC official. He further said that 15% of the total flats will be reserved for the economically weaker section. This is the first time that DMRC is constructing flats for public. Until now, it had constructed residential apartments only for its staff in Shastri Park, Yamuna Bank and Pushp Vihar. DMRC hopes to earn at least Rs 500 crore from the new housing scheme.?The price of the flats will not be altered. The applicant will need to pay a booking amount and if his/her name does not appear in the final list, the money will be refunded. We will publicise the scheme once the brochure is ready,? he added.DMRC has also decided to come up with a commercial complex in the heart of the city near Jantar Mantar where they will rent out space for offices. DMRC official said that notification of Ministry of Urban Development on changes in Transit Oriented Development Policy (TOD) policy has also paved way for vertical growth along the Delhi Metro corridor, which will eventually help them to use more space for commercial purpose.Under the TOD policy, a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 400 has been approved. This will enable high rises to come up in these areas and make for denser colonies. TOD colonies can come up in the ?influence zone? of the Metro which extends to 500 meters on both sides of the corridor.

Parmeet Kaur

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

70 Mumbai buildings ordered to reduce height in 60 days

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/dgca-order-sparks-fear-and-loathing-among-residents-of-70-buildings-in-flight-path-in-mumbai/story-wV6R1Iz1sK4nlAt2mkErFN.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered 70 buildings in Mumbai to reduce their height within 60 days. This comes after the buildings in Vile Parle, Santacruz and Ghatkopar were classified as 'obstacles' in flight paths. The DGCA initiated action after a Bombay High Court order took serious note of violations of height norms by private developers.

Flat buyers who will lose their homes following the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order to reduce the height of 70 buildings in the flight path of aircraft said they were being made scapegoats by the authorities. They said on Monday that they had bought the apartments legally and blamed officials for not checking the rules while approving construction plans. Some of these structures were built around 50 years ago. Jagdish Desai, secretary, Forum for Improving the Quality of Life in Suburbs, said the move was ill-advised. ?These people have used their life savings to buy these apartments and now they are being told that their houses are illegal. Residents are bearing the brunt of the mistakes authorities committed,? said Desai.The 70 buildings are located in Vile Parle, Ghatkopar and Santacruz. A survey conducted by the Mumbai International Airport Ltd and the Airport Authority of India between 2010 and 2011 identified 137 structures and classified them as obstacles.A resident of one of the affected buildings at Santacruz said most of the residents in these buildings are senior citizens. ?We bought the apartment in 1977 and after 40 years, we are being told that our house will be demolished. Imagine our shock on realising that we soon might not have a roof over our heads,? said the resident, who requested not to be named. Even those who live on lower floors are worried. ?Our entire building will be damaged if we demolish even one floor,? said a ground-floor resident of a Ghatkopar building affected by the order. The DGCA initiated action based on a Bombay high court order which took serious note of the violations. The court said after finding rampant violations of height norms by private developers, the authorities could not sit back ?waiting for an accident to take place?. The bench was hearing a petition filed by activist Yashwant Shenoy seeking action against all such structures around the airport that are in violation of the height norms.

Rini Sinha

23 Jul 2017,Sunday

Was intimidating to meet stars like Big B, Salman: Taapsee

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/essential-to-work-with-actors-having-higher-market-value-taapsee-pannu/story-y0vfWJwPZDYaula6kDKrfI.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actress Taapsee Pannu has said that it was intimidating to meet big stars like actors Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan at social events for the first time. She added, "We have grown up watching Salman so we have this wow image about him." Notably, Taapsee and Amitabh were seen together in the 2016 courtroom drama 'Pink'.

Taapsee Pannu, who will be seen alongside superstar Salman Khan in a song in Judwaa 2, says it is important to work with top actors as they have higher market value. The second instalment of 1997 hit film Judwaa has cameo of Salman and he recently shot for a song with Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee. ?It is essential to work with actors or actress including Khans or not Khans as they have a higher market value. They have certain appeal with the masses and we will be able to get that attention from people, we gain from that,? said Taapsee.The actor said she met Salman, 51, for the first time while shooting the song and the actor was sweet to her. ?I got to meet him for the first time (while shooting for the song). He was leaving from his shot and I was going to enter. I just saw him walking pass by me I went up to him and told him ?Hi Salman sir I am Taapsee Pannu? and he said ?Hi?. I met him again at the IIFA event and greeted him, he was sweet to me,? she said.Taapsee, 29, said she gets intimidated when she has to meet top stars as she has grown up watching them. ?I don?t go to social do?s so I had not met him. It was a very intimidating feeling be it when you meet Mr Amitabh Bachchan or Salman Khan or any of the big stars. It may sound wrong but we have grown up watching Salman so we have this wow image about him,? she added.The Pink actor said she now wants to do a full fledged film with Salman. Off camera, Taapsee revealed the Sultan star often cracked jokes and shared anecdotes of his Judwaa days. ?When we were in the room Salman had some really funny moments to share about his experience of Judwaa. We three including me, Jacqueline and Varun were just listening. With the life and career that he has, he has some interesting anecdotes to share I hope I get to hear more of that.?After intense drama films like Pink, Naam Shabana, Judwaa 2 is a welcome change for Taapsee. ?For the last six months I am dancing, getting ready, having fun, big sets, big director, producer, feeling like a Bollywood heroine. I am in Bollywood diva zone. I was enjoying the fruits of my hardwork for these six months. After this I get back to some serious stuff,? she said.Presented by Fox Star Studios and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the film is set to release on September 29. It is directed by David Dhawan.

Aarushi Maheshwari

23 Dec 2016,Friday

Delhi Airport reintroduces security stamps for handbags

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/delhi-airport-to-stamp-cabin-bag-tags-again-as-trial-run-fails-to-save-time/story-vI2vodVSAa491Q66RAzWyH.html

The IGI Airport in Delhi on Friday reintroduced security stamps for hand luggage, after a week-long trial run failed to save time due to congestion at terminals. CISF Director General OP Singh said, "In Delhi...in some cases, during random check at boarding gates, few suspicious items were caught." However, the trial run is expected to return after Republic Day.

With Republic Day approaching and no time being saved for commuters even after doing away with stamping of baggage tags, the CISF has ended the one-week trial run at Indira Gandhi International Airport and passengers will have to get the tags stamped again from Friday. However, the move is likely to return post January 26.Meanwhile, from December 26, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will start the one-week trial run again at seven different airports, which will be followed by similar trials at other airports. ?We provide security to 59 airports and have covered seven in the first phase. Before January 26, we want to finish the trial run and after that a complete review will be conducted. We aim to introduce it at all the airports to save passenger?s time,? the director general of CISF, OP Singh, said.The next trial run will be conducted at Guwahati, Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Trivandrum and Kochi airport. CISF conducted a review on Thursday and while other airports said that passenger?s time was said, at Delhi airport due to the congestion at terminals, no time could be saved.The trial run at Delhi airport ends this week, and will likely be implemented again after January 26, 2017. In the meantime, the Central Industrial Security Force -- the government agency that provides security to airports -- will start a one-week trial run at seven other airports from December 26, 2016.The trial run was conducted at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad and Bengaluru airports during which domestic travellers were allowed to fly without putting tags on their cabin bags.Read | Cabin baggage loses tag but last-minute checks add to wait time?In Bengaluru, 89% of the passengers appreciated the move, while 11% said that stamp on tag is a sense of security for them. In Delhi, over 2,400 flights were covered and in some cases, during random check at boarding gates, few suspicious items were caught. We need to fill the gap before reintroducing it,? Singh added.During the trial run from December 15-22, security check areas were monitored through CCTV cameras to ensure no passenger skips the mandatory check. CISF staff at the boarding gates has been asked not to check for a baggage tag. The decision was taken after the D-G met representatives of all the airlines last week. ?As per the feedback, stamping causes inconvenience to passengers. Many a times, a passenger is turned away from the boarding gate if the tag gets misplaced,? said Singh. ?We are confident that no passenger can escape security check and thus there is no need of stamping. The trial run is for domestic travellers but it will be extended to international travellers also,? he said.Often if a traveller is asked to open a bag after it goes through a scan, others in the queue have to wait till their tags can be stamped. ?Now, if one passenger is stopped, others in the queue can move on to the boarding gate after security check. This will benefit the passenger and at no point, security will be compromised,? said Singh.Also read | Not fog, but pilots, airlines to blame for delays, Delhi airport tells DGCA

Daisy Mowke

01 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Rihanna receives Humanitarian award from Harvard University

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rihanna-receives-humanitarian-award-from-harvard-university/1/894092.html

Singer Rihanna has been honoured with the 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award. She received the award for her work in her native island of Barbados and the charities she has founded over the years. "All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return. To me, that is humanitarian," she said during her speech.

Los Angeles, Mar 1 (PTI) Singer Rihanna has been honoured with the 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award. The 29-year-old singer was honoured by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations for her work in her native island of Barbados and the charities she has founded over the years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a ceremony held on Tuesday, Rihanna thanked the university for the honour and delivered an inspiring speech. "So I made it to Harvard. Never thought Id be able to say that in my life, but it feels good," Rihanna said as she jokingly flipped her hair. "I wonder how many 25 cents I could save up to save all the kids in Africa. And I would say to myself, When I grow up and I get rich, Im gonna save kids all over the world. I just didnt know I would be in a position to do that by the time I was a teenager," she added explaining that she has had a passion for helping people since she was a young girl watching commercials about how a quarter could help save a childs life.

Nandini Sinha

25 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Maldivian Opposition blocked from entering Parliament

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/maldives-opposition-says-government-locks-down-parliament/story-ORYgWROCairB8H8oFIT2fL.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Maldivian Opposition has alleged that it was blocked from entering the Parliament on Monday to take part in an impeachment vote against the Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, after the military locked it down on the orders of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom. The Opposition is trying to oust the Speaker for blocking requests to summon government officials accused of corruption.n

The Maldivian opposition said that the military locked down parliament on Monday on the orders of the country?s president in a bid to prevent lawmakers from taking part in a vote to impeach the parliamentary speaker.The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party said that on the orders of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, the gates of the parliament were padlocked by members of the armed forces on Monday morning and lawmakers ?were forcibly prevented from entering the parliamentary compound.?In a statement, the opposition party called Yameen?s action ?desperate, illegal and unconstitutional.?There was no immediate comment from the government. The government spokesmen could not be reached by telephone.A no-confidence motion against Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed was scheduled to be taken up on Monday. The opposition says the motion has gained the support of 45 lawmakers in the 85-member house. However, an uncertainty arose when the election commission announced last week that the four members who supported the motion had lost their seats because they left the ruling party.The motion was considered a severe blow to Yameen, whose control over parliament was threatened by a new understanding between the Maldives? former strongman and its first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed. The Maldivian Democratic Party routed Yameen?s party in local council elections earlier this year.A similar opposition bid to oust the speaker was thwarted in March when the government defeated it by 48 votes, with none opposing. At the time, opposition lawmakers were either evicted or walked out from a vote on ousting the speaker following a dispute over problems with the electronic voting system.The coalition?s plan to wrest the parliamentary majority was aimed at reforming the judiciary, elections commission and other bodies perceived as being partial toward Yameen.In March, Nasheed and former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and two other parties signed an agreement to form an opposition alliance.Maumoon runs a rival faction within the Progressive Party of Maldives, which is led by the current president, his half-brother.Nasheed was jailed in 2015 for 13 years for ordering the arrest of a senior judge when he was president in 2012.However, he traveled to Britain last year on medical leave and received asylum there. Three other leading politicians have also been jailed after trials criticized internationally for a lack of due process. Yameen is accused of rolling back many of the democratic gains since the Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

12 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Bihar court makes first conviction under anti-liquor law

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/for-consuming-liquor-bihar-jails-two-brothers-to-5-yrs-each/1/998912.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A Bihar district court has sentenced two brothers to a five-year jail term and imposed a fine of ?1 lakh each for drinking, reportedly in the first conviction under the state's anti-liquor law. The brothers, both daily wagers, were arrested on May 29 this year. More than 25,000 people have been charged with violating the prohibition law in Bihar.

Jehanabad (Bihar), Jul 10 (PTI) Consuming liquor in this central district of the dry state of Bihar has proved costly for two brothers with a court sentencing them to five years in jail and slapping a fine of Rs one lakh each. Additional District and Sessions Judge T N Tripathi held the duo guilty under the Bihar Prohibition And Excise Act, 2016. Besides sentencing the two brothers, Mastan Manjhi and Senter Manjhi, both residents of Oota locality under town police station of the district, to five years in jail, the court also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh each on them.

Radhika Chugh

22 Jul 2017,Saturday

DDA to submit action plan for restoring Yamuna floodplains

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/restoration-of-yamuna-floodplains-may-begin-soon-ngt-seeks-action-plan/story-G0iLOjgkKvSjIj8FwT5MWO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to submit an action plan for the restoration of Yamuna floodplains. This comes after an expert committee appointed by the NGT claimed that the ecology of over 420 acres of floodplains was adversely affected by the World Culture Festival organised in 2016 by the Art of Living.

The restoration of Yamuna floodplains could start soon with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday directing the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and irrigation department of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to submit an action plan within a week.A bench headed by NGT chairperson justice Swatanter Kumar formed a three-member committee comprising a senior official of the DDA and chief engineers of the irrigation department of Delhi and UP to prepare the plan. ?The committee shall submit an action plan with reference to floodplains of Yamuna where Art of Living?s event was held last year,? the bench said.The tribunal also directed the committee to consult and refer to the findings and suggestions of the expert panel, appointed by NGT earlier, before submitting the restoration action plan. A three-day Word Culture Festival was organised on the river?s floodplains by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?s Art of Living in March 2016. An expert committee appointed by the green body had claimed that the ecology of over 420 acres of floodplains was adversely affected by the event. The panel suggested that it would require over Rs 42 crore to execute the plan. Art of Living, however, had challenged the findings on multiple grounds and even appointed its own panel of experts to prepare a parallel report to substantiate their claims. ?Let the restoration work begin. The cost can be debited to the account of whoever is responsible for the damage. We can?t ask the DDA to sit on the report submitted by the expert committee,? the bench observed. The matter would be heard again on a day-to-day basis from July 28 onwards. The action plan would have to be submitted by July 28. The expert committee earlier appointed by the tribunal suggested they would need the help of aquatic plants and animals that once used to inhabit the river?s floodplains to fix the ecological damage. The report had stated that huge de-siltation and dredging would be required to ?physically? rehabilitate the network of wetlands and channels that were damaged and destroyed. The biological rehabilitation ? the process to make the wetlands and channels ecologically functional once again ? would have to be started simultaneously, experts had suggested.This process would take around 10 years at least.

Aarushi Maheshwari

28 Jan 2017,Saturday

Bana, who tweets about Syrian war, writes letter to Trump

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/donald-trump-open-letter-bana-alabed-aleppo-syria-refugee-ban/1/868416.html

Bana Alabed, the seven-year-old girl who tweets about the war in Syria, has written an open letter to United States President Donald Trump. The letter says, "You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you." Alabed, who was recently evacuated to Turkey, has termed Aleppo the "city of death."

This seven-year-old Syrian developed a worldwide following after tweeting about the life of horror in Aleppo and now has written an open letter to US President Donald Trump. Writing to the new president, Bana Alabed asked if he can do something for the children of Syria. "If you can, I will be your new friend", the letter read. She asked him not to forget the other children caught up in the Syrian civil war."You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you".My letter to @realdonaldtrump: I beg you, can you do something for the children of Syria? If you can, I will be your best friend. Thank you pic.twitter.com/rWmgDuBf6PBana along with her family escaped Aleppo during the mass evacuation and is currently living in Turkey. She tweets about her peaceful life in her 'new home'. Fatemah, Bana's mother, teaches her children English and helps run the social media account. Also read: Donald Trump's refugee order dashes hopes of Iraqis who helped the USBana shared the handwritten letter on Twitter which has gone viral with nearly 4,000 retweets and 9,000 likes. "I couldn't play in Aleppo, it was the city of death. Right now in Turkey, I can go out and enjoy. I can go to school although I didn't yet. That is why peace is important for everyone including you. However, millions of Syrian children are not like me right now and suffering in different parts of Syria. They are suffering because of adult people", she wrote to the newly inaugurated president. However, Trump, on Friday, temporarily suspended the entire US refugee program which applies indefinitely to the resettlement of refugees from war-torn Syria. Addressing this, Bana tweeted to Donald Trump saying "Dear Trump, banning refugees is very bad. Ok, if it's good, I have an idea for you. Make other countries peaceful".

Tarun Khanna

18 Mar 2017,Saturday

EC must call all-party meet on EVMs tampering issue: Mamata

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/evm-tampering-election-commission-mamata-banerjee-uttar-pradesh-election-all-party-meeting/1/906894.html

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said that the Election Commission should convene all-party meeting to discuss the matter of EVMs tampering. "I have seen the Election Commissioner's version that there is nothing. But I have also gone through a video tape of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in which he says these EVMs can be tampered with," she added.

In the wake of allegations of rigging of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh assembly election, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the Election Commission should convene an all-party meeting to discuss the matter."Whether one would accept or not is absolutely their choice. But the Election Commission may call an all-party meeting. Let the issue be discussed", Mamata said.When asked whether she was in favour of an investigation into the charges of tampering of EVMs, she said, "I have seen the Election Commissioner's version that there is nothing. But I have also gone through a video tape of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in which he says these EVMs can be tampered with."Banerjee showed journalists footages of Swamy's video in which he talked about the possibility of voting machines being manipulated.SWAMY'S VIEW BASIS FOR MAMATA's DEMAND FOR PROBEIn the video clips, Swamy is seen saying that the EVMs were made in Japan, but ballot papers were used even there during elections because the machines could be rigged to favour a certain outcome.Even countries like the United States and Germany are using ballot papers instead of EVMs, the BJP leader was heard saying in the footage.Describing Swamy as "very strong legally", the Trinamool Congress supremo said, "What he (Swamy) has said is not wrong. He has not said anything bad. I have not said anything, but I think there can be an investigation into this issue."Incidentally, Mayawati had accused the BJP of murdering democracy following her party's drubbing in the Uttar Pradesh election, saying that the EVMs were tampered in such a way that only votes cast for the BJP were accepted. The Bahujan Samaj Party chief had even alleged that had it not been for the rigging of voting machines, BJP wouldn't have won from Muslim bastions in the state.Even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has raised concerns of tampering of EVMs. Stating that the poll outcome in Punjab was completely unexpected for the Aam Aadmi Party, Kejriwal has also asked the poll panel to probe the possibility of EVMs being rigged.Also read | EVMs cannot be tampered with, integrity of electoral process intact: Election CommissionAlso read | AAP was sweeping Punjab, even BJP's Advani doubted EVMs: Kejriwal asks EC to probe alleged tampering

Rini Sinha

21 May 2017,Sunday

Thugs Of Hindostan not based on Pirates of Caribbean: Aamir

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aamir-khan-thugs-of-hindostan-pirates-of-the-caribbean/1/959118.html

Actor Aamir Khan has said that his upcoming film 'Thugs Of Hindostan', is not inspired by 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film series or any other action adventure films. He added, "Even my character in the film is not similar to any other character." The film will also star 'Dangal' actress Fatima Sana Shaikh.

Aamir Khan's action-adventure film, Thugs Of Hindostan, is said to be based on the thug culture in 19th century India. The subject, many felt, was similar to Hollywood's Pirates Of The Caribbean series. At a recent media interaction, Aamir rubbished the rumours of his film being inspired by the Johnny Depp-starrer."The film is not inspired from any other film. It is an action adventure film but the story is not similar. There are some hundreds of action adventure films. There is Pirates Of The Caribbean, there is Indiana Jones and many others. The genre of our film is action adventure but the story is different. Even my character in the film is not similar to any other character," he said.Talking about his leading lady in Thugs Of Hindostan and onscreen daughter in Dangal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aamir said, "Fatima is the heroine of the film. I am very happy as she is a very good artist, she suits the role."Thugs of Hindostan, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, will also feature Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif in leading roles. The film is reportedly scheduled to release in 2018. (With inputs from IANS)

Dishant Sharma

12 Jul 2017,Wednesday

Mayweather, McGregor come face to face for the 1st time

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jul/11/mayweather-mcgregor-press-conference-fight?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Ahead of their boxing match, Floyd Mayweather and UFC Champion Conor McGregor came face to face publicly for the first time on Tuesday. Addressing the crowd, McGregor said, "I'm going to knock him out inside of four rounds." Later, Mayweather pointed out McGregor's three career losses by tapping out, saying, "We know Mr Tapout like to quit and you will."

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor met face to face on Tuesday for the first time, at least publicly, as they kicked off a four-city, three-country international press tour to drum up interest in their 12-round super welterweight matchup on 26 August at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Both men lived up ? or down, depending on your perspective ? to their reputations as two of the most profane, outspoken trash-talkers in all of sports. Yet their collective showmanship, a side course in most contexts, is as essential an ingredient as ever as they promote an event that?s not expected to offer much in the way of authentic competition. It is, after all, a boxer widely considered the greatest of his generation against an opponent with no professional boxing experience. Regardless, the circus-like event is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. The price point for the pay-per-view telecast was announced on Monday: $89.95 for the standard-definition telecast, $99.95 for HD.McGregor, the two-division UFC champion from Dublin, was first on to the stage at the 21,000-seat home of the city?s pro basketball and hockey teams. He was dressed smartly in a pinstripe suit with a pink tie but he stood alone and exposed, as if he missed a cue. Surely, that was no accident. If the complete lack of UFC branding on the building wasn?t a clear enough signal: this was a Mayweather production.Moments later, Mayweather entered from the back of the room surrounded by his linebacker-sized bodyguards and entourage. He took the stage in a star-spangled The Money Team jumper, one that McGregor was quick to zero in on when he finally had his turn with the microphone after a brief introduction from Dana White, who never appeared more like a fifth wheel given how the UFC has been marginalized from the promotion.?He?s in a fucking track suit,? McGregor said to the delight of the crowd, before taking shots at Mayweather?s reported tax troubles. ?He can?t even afford a suit anymore! The Rolls is a 2012 outside. He is fooked!?Added McGregor: ?There?s no other way about it. His little legs, his little core, his little head. I?m going to knock him out inside of four rounds, mark my words.?The movement, the power, the ferociousness. He?s not experienced this. He?s fought people who have shied away from him. I don?t fear this limited set of fighting. This is a limited set of rules that makes this half a fight, a quarter of a fight. If this was a true fight, it wouldn?t even take one round. ... What can I say, I?m a young confident happy man that has worked extremely hard for this.?Mayweather absorbed McGregor?s verbal jabs from his chair, arms crossed, looking almost bored and disinterested. It?s a disposition many expect he?ll reprise in the later rounds of their 26 August meeting in which he?s been installed as a better than 10-1 favorite, but he came alive when the microphone came his way.After leading the crowd in his ?hard work, dedication? mantra, Mayweather?s unleashed a profane tirade as he stalked back and forth across the stage with the energy of a revivalist preacher.?You line ?em up and I knock ?em down like bowling pins,? he said. ?On August 26th, I?m gonna knock this bitch out too.?McGregor fired back from the side ? ?You haven?t knocked anyone out in about 20 years!? ? but only those watching from close range could hear it. Of course, his microphone had been switched off, undercutting the chances of the back-and-forth dialogue many had turned out for.?Dance for me, boy!? cried McGregor at one point. ?Dance for me, son!?Mayweather ignored the thinly veiled race-baiting, calling for an assistant to bring over a backpack from which he pulled out a $100m check ? ostensibly his payday from his 2015 blockbuster fight with Manny Pacquiao.?Give me that backpack!? Floyd shouts to an assistant, before pulling out a $100m check from his last fight.?He look good for for a seven-figure fighter, he look good for an eight-figure fighter,? Mayweather yelled to the crowd. ?But motherfucker, I?m a nine figure fighter. This bitch made three million dollars his last fight. But we know that?s training camp money for me.?McGregor fired back from his chair, saying that Mayweather should give the money to the US government.?You right, I?m the IRS,? Mayweather said, prepared for the line of attack. ?I?m gonna tax your ass.?He continued: ?I?m an old man. I?m not the same fighter I was 20 years ago, I?m not the same fighter I was 10 years ago, I?m not the same fighter I was five years ago, heck, I?m not the same fighter I was two years ago, but I can beat you.??We knew I was the A-side,? Mayweather said. ?That?s why it says Mayweather first. That?s why this bitch had to come to the boxing ring.?The American then took aim at McGregor?s three career losses by submission.?We know Mr Tapout like to quit and you will,? Mayweather said. ?You going out on your face or you going out on your back. Which way you want to go? Which way do you wanna go?McGregor paused for a beat, saying nothing. A tactical mistake.?That?s right, be quiet you little bitch.?Eventually, the fighters came together for the traditional staredown. Dana White was forced, it seemed, to separate them.Mayweather?s manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said attendance for the press conference was 11,000. The same routine will be repeated as the world promotional tour chugs on: Toronto on Wednesday, New York City on Thursday, London on Friday.

Abhishek Bansal

30 May 2017,Tuesday

Hizbul militant Bhat hid for 10 hrs during encounter: Report

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sabzar-ahmad-bhat-burhan-wani-hizbul-mujahideen/1/966097.html

Slain Hizbul commander Sabzar Ahmad Bhat remained in hiding for nearly 10 hours without firing a single bullet at the troops during the encounter, Army sources said. Bhat, who succeeded Burhan Wani, also sent text messages from his handset to gather a crowd of stone-pelters at the encounter site to provide him cover, the sources added.

Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, the slain Hizbul commander who routinely released his photographs in combat gear for social media, was no braveheart. Details emerging about the terrorist's last moments point at his being more adept at shooting from a smartphone than the Kalashnikov on his shoulder.Senior Army sources, privy to the operation in which Bhat was cornered and neutralised in Tral area of Kashmir's Pulwama district last Saturday, told Mail Today that the 27-year-old terrorist remained in hiding for nearly 10 hours, without firing a single bullet at the troops.Bhat also frantically sent text messages from his handset to gather a crowd of stone-pelters at the encounter site to provide him cover, the sources said.HOW DID ARMY TRACK SABZARSecurity forces had tracked down Bhat's location using technical intelligence provided to the troops on ground by the Jammu and Kashmir police cells. These units have been successful in nailing a large number of terrorists in recent years."The intelligence provided by the police confirmed that Sabzar and Faizan were in a cluster of houses in Saimoo village in Tral area and we laid a cordon on Friday evening around his house," senior Army sources said. The raiding party included Army, Special Operations Groups and state police troops.After laying the cordon, the troops tried to establish contact with Sabzar and his category A accomplice Faizan. There was no retaliation or firing from the terrorists in hiding as forces suspect the two did not want to give away their positions.A large number of weapons including an AK-47 and INSAS assault rifles along with a huge cache of ammunition and other warlike stores, were recovered from the hideout after the operation was over.After failing to establish contact with terrorists, the raiding team decided to "smoke out the rats" and called for fire tenders filled with petrol instead of water.STONE PELTERS TO RESCUE?Meanwhile, Bhat and his accomplice were trying to gather a crowd of stonepelters to be able to escape from the encounter location but the late hours did not get them much help. Sources said their messages betrayed desperation and fear."Petrol was poured inside the first house using hose pipes and it was set on fire but the two did not react. The result in the second house was also the same. But when the troops poured in petrol in the third house around 8:15 am, the two ran out of the house and tried to breach the cordon," the sources said. Before Bhat could open fire, the troops fired a hail of bullets. Within a few seconds, the two "propagandist terrorists" were lying dead on the ground.Army sources said Sabzar, a Class 7 dropout, was a known womaniser and drug addict at the time of his joining the Hizbul Mujahidden two years back. He replaced Burhan Wani who had been killed last year by the Army in South Kashmir.Both the terrorists were tracked by technical intelligence sleuths and killed in similar brief encounters. Sources said in Burhan's case too, the terrorist was trapped when the technical cells of Jammu and Kashmir police had followed a terrorist named Sartaj and did not know about Burhan's presence there.However, in Sabzar's case, they were tracking him directly and were sure about his presence in the Tral area.Sources said the recent crop of local terrorists is high on propaganda and try to conjure up a hero-like status by spreading their pictures on social media in full combat gear. "Little do they know that this act of theirs is of big help for security forces in identifying them and locating them," the sources said.As part of Pakistan's strategy, local terrorists, who are not even trained formally into firing and combat tactics, are being used as cannon fodder to keep the militancy in J&K alive.Also Read

Ankush Verma

19 Jul 2017,Wednesday

UK unveils new banknote featuring novelist Jane Austen

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/18/jane-austen-banknote-unveiled-with-strange-choice-of-quotation?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Bank of England on Tuesday unveiled a new polymer £10 note featuring 19th century novelist Jane Austen, in a move to replace paper £5, £10 and £20 with secure plastic notes. This makes Austen the only woman other than Queen Elizabeth to be featured on a polymer British banknote. The note's introduction marks the 200th anniversary of Austen's death.

The new £10 note featuring Jane Austen has been unveiled on the 200th anniversary of the author?s death, complete with a quote about reading ? said by one of her characters who has no interest in books. Austen becomes the first female writer (following in the footsteps of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens) to feature on a banknote.The note, launched by the Bank of England at Austen?s resting place, Winchester Cathedral, includes an image of the writer and one of her most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet. There are also illustrations of her writing table and her brother Edward Austen Knight?s home, Godmersham Park in Kent, thought to be a source of inspiration. But it is the quote that will raise eyebrows among Austen enthusiasts. At first glance the line from Pride and Prejudice ? ?I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!? ? seems a good choice. However, the words were spoken by one of Austen?s most deceitful characters, Caroline Bingley, who has no interest in books. She is sidling up to Mr Darcy, whom she would like as a husband. He is reading a book, so she sits next to him and pretends to read alongside him. Speaking at Winchester Cathedral, the Bank of England?s governor, Mark Carney, explained why Austen was chosen ? and the technical aspects of the notes. He said: ?Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country?s collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom?s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens. ?Austen?s novels have a universal appeal and speak as powerfully today as they did when they were first published.? Turning to practical matters, he said: ?The new £10 will be printed on polymer, making it safer, stronger and cleaner. The note will also include a new tactile feature on the £10 to help the visually impaired, ensuring the nation?s money is as inclusive as possible.? It joins the Churchill £5 in the first family of polymer UK banknotes; a £20 note featuring JMW Turner will follow in 2020. The £10 note has security features that the Bank says make it very difficult to counterfeit. It is expected to last at least two-and-a-half times longer than paper £10 notes ? about five years in total. The new tactile feature is a series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner, developed in conjunction with the RNIB, the charity that supports people with sight loss. This is in addition to the elements already incorporated in UK banknotes for visually impaired people: the tiered sizing, bold numerals, raised print and differing colour palettes.Austen fans will have to wait until later this year before they can begin to use the notes. They will be issued on 14 September and the public will begin to see them in the following days and weeks. The Bank hopes featuring Austen will help it counter accusations of sexism for not featuring more women on notes. The author follows Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry in featuring on notes.Tuesday?s banknote launch is one of a series of events taking place to mark the 200th anniversary of Austen?s death, including the unveiling of a statue in Basingstoke, near her birthplace. Austen, who wrote keenly about money, might have been interested in research from Aviva claiming that the £10 pound note has a relative purchasing power of only 13p compared with what it could buy in 1817.

Chhavi Tyagi

14 Jun 2017,Wednesday

Sleep with me if you want your husband freed: Cop to woman

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rajasthan-policeman-indecent-proposal-jodhpur-opium-drug-trafficking/1/978452.html

A Rajasthan policeman asked a woman, whose husband was arrested with 1 kg opium last week, to sleep with him to get her husband out of the jail. The cop initially demanded ?2 lakh and when she expressed her inability to meet it, he asked her to 'compromise'. He was later arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for taking some money.

The Jodhpur police arrested a man with 1kg opium last week. The man's wife has been running pillar to post to get her husband out of the jail. She was offered help by a cop but he wanted a deal.Sitting behind bars, Rajiv Gandhi police station incharge Kamaldan Charan must be cursing himself for his depraved behavior. The cop was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for taking money from a woman whose husband was held in connection with drug trafficking. Kamaldan Charan had far more sinister plans other than just making some quick money. INDECENT PROPOSALCharan arrested a man in possession of 1kg opium last week. The wife of the accused approached the cop asking him for help to get her husband out of jail.The pervert cop agreed to help her but for that she would have to agree for a deal. The woman was shocked to hear what Charan wanted in return of release of her husband.Apart from Rs 2 lakh, the policeman wanted the woman to sleep with him. The woman somehow managed Rs 1 lakh and gave it to Kamaldan Charan. She also gave him a cheque of Rs 1 lakh as guarantee. But the Charan insisted on cash. When the woman expressed her inability in providing him with the money, the 'predator' cop asked her to 'compromise' if she wanted her man to be free.Charan told the woman that he will come at her house in night to 'enjoy' and spend some time with her. Stunned by what she heard, the woman immediately approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). After verifying the facts, ACB sleuths laid a trap to nab Kamaldan Charan red handed. HOW THE PERVERT COP WAS ARRESTEDCharan told the woman he would visit her on Tuesday night when is out on patrolling duty. The ACB was informed about this. He reached the woman's house on time and bolted the doors from inside. Before he could proceed according to his plan, the door bell rang. Charan's game was over. The ACB arrested him red handed with the Rs 1 lakh cheque that the woman had given him. ALSO READ:Bhopal: Cops beat 80-year-old woman with sticks, break her bones for 'ordering ruckus'

Mansha Mahajan

30 Mar 2017,Thursday

Govt to seek info on deposits during note ban in I-T returns

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/taxman-to-seek-info-on-deposits-made-during-demo-in-new-itrs/1/916606.html

The government will seek data on deposits made by an individual during the demonetisation period as part of the Income Tax Returns for the assessment year 2017-18. According to reports, the government has introduced a new column for obtaining details of such deposits. "This is... an effort to ascertain what deposits were made during the demonetisation period," an official said.

The taxman will seek data on deposits made by an assessee during the demonetisation period as part of the new Income Tax Returns (ITRs) that would be notified soon for assessment year 2017-18. Officials said the tax department is understood to have introduced a new column for obtaining details of all deposits made by an individual or entity during the demonetisation period between November 8 and December 30 last year. Sources indicated that the new column will also be introduced in the simplest form for individuals having salary income, called the ITR-1 or Sahaj. They said while the I-T department has given a number of opportunities to taxpayers o explain any unaccounted deposits made during the notes ban period like under the Operation Clean Money and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY), the move to introduce the new column is to ascertain all deposits made by a person or entity irrespective of the threshold. "This is just an effort to ascertain what deposits were made during the demonetisation period. The department has not issued notices in cases where the deposit amounts were small," a senior officer said. They said the new ITR forms will continue having a column asking taxpayers to mention their Aadhaar number but, they said, this time it would be mandatory and not optional like it was last time. The e-verification of ITRs using the Aadhaar will continue, they said. The new ITR-1 or Sahaj, the officials said, has also been made simpler by bringing together the columns for all deductions and details about assets and liabilities. They said all the ITRs are expected to be launched by April 1 keeping in mind the thrust of the department and its policy-making body, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), that timely filing of ITRs is important to enhance the "non-intrusive information-driven approach for improving tax compliance and effective utilisation of information in tax administration. "It is expected that all the nine different ITRs will be launched in one go by the department with the start of the new financial year 2017-18 from April 1 and taxpayers can file their ITRs till the stipulated deadline of July 31," they added.

Chhavi Tyagi

10 May 2017,Wednesday

Mumbai dabbawalas celebrate ICJ order on Kulbhushan sentence

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dabbawalas-in-mumbai-kulbhushan-sudhir-jadhav-international-court-of-justice/1/950422.html

The Mumbai dabbawalas today celebrated the International Court of Justice's stay order on Pakistan court's verdict to execute former Indian Navy man Kulbhushan Jadhav over charges of spying. Celebrating the event by distributing sweets near Lower Parel station, the dabbawalas also urged the Indian government to get Jadhav back from Pakistan as early as possible.

Today Mumbai's dabbawalas were seen distributing sweets near lower Parel station, and the reason behind it was that the Indian government managed to get a stay order on Pakistan court's order of execution against Kulbhushan Jadhav from the International Court of Justice.Dabbawalas have been praying for Kulbhushan's release after he was arrested by Pakistani authorities on charges of being an Indian spy."We are firmly behind the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav. He is being falsely implicated by Pakistan in wrong case. We want Indian government to get him back as early as possible," said Subhash Talekar, spokesperson of Dabbawala.The next date of hearing has been fixed for May 15 when the International Court of Justice will hear the matter again.Harish Salve will be representing India in this matter.Kulbhushan Jadhav is an Indian national who took retirement from Indian Navy as an officer. He was convicted of conducting "subversive activities" for the Indian government in Pakistan and has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.Pakistani authorities had arrested Jadhav in a counter intelligence operation in Mashkal, Balochistan on March 3, 2016.Watch Video: International Court of Justice stays death sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav

Shubhodeep Datta

10 Mar 2017,Friday

Only 2 Uttar Pradesh CMs have completed full terms in 65 yrs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/up-election-result-poll-performance-bjp-mayawati-akhilesh/1/901478.html

Only two Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers have completed their full five-year terms since 1951-52, when the state's first election was held. BSP's Mayawati was the first Chief Minister to complete a full term during her tenure from 2007 to 2012. Current Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav became the second one to do so with the completion of his term in 2017.

BSP chief Mayawati holds the distinction of being the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh who completed her full term. Before 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, no Chief Minister had completed his/her full term in office in Uttar Pradesh.The first Uttar Pradesh Assembly election was held in 1951-52, when the Congress won 388 seats. READ| UP Assembly election 2017: Exit polls predict massive BJP win. Who could be the CM?1952-1967: 5 CHIEF MINISTERSThe first Assembly was unique in the sense that the total number of seats was 346 with 83 constituencies having two representatives- called double-member seats those days.Govind Ballabh Pant was sworn in as the Chief Minister. But, in less than three years, Pant was incorporated into the Union cabinet. Sampurnand became the next CM. He continued in office for over five years but interrupted by Assembly election in 1957.The Congress kept changing Chief Ministers. In all Uttar Pradesh saw five CMs in 15 years including the first woman Chief Minister in Sucheta Kriplani.1967: FIRST NON-CONGRESS CMA series of change in Chief Minister's Office in Uttar Pradesh saw Congress tally plummet to 199 falling short of majority in the 425-seat Assembly for the first time. An alliance was stitched among Bharatiya Kranti Dal of Jat leader Charan Singh, Jana Sangh, CPI(M), Republican Party of India, Swatantra Party and Praja Socialist Party. As many as 22 Independents MLAs extended support to the alliance, which put Charan Singh on the chair of Chief Minister. Charan Singh government lasted less than one year and the Assembly was dissolved after one year of President's Rule.ALSO WATCH:1970-77: PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTYFresh election was called in 1969. The Congress still remained short of majority by 2 seats. It won 211 in 425-seat Assembly. Charan Singh's BKD won 98 and Jana Sangh secured 49 seats.In next eight years, Uttar Pradesh saw four stints of President's Rule and six Chief Ministers including Charan Singh, who stayed in the office for little over nine months.1977-80: JANATA EXPERIMENTRiding on anti-Indira Gandhi wave, Janata Party swept the parliamentary polls held after national emergency was withdrawn in 1977. Janata Party won thunderous majority in the Lok Sabha. It responded by dissolving all the state Assemblies where Congress had majority.Fresh election was held in Uttar Pradesh. The Janata Party won 352 of 425 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh but infighting set in the party over the choice of CM candidate with Chandra Shekhar and Charan Singh factions shooting down names proposed by either camps.READ| AajTak exit poll results: Why Akhilesh, Rahul failed in Uttar PradeshFinally Ram Naresh Yadav was made the CM. Janata Party had to find another candidate in Banarasi Das in less than two years. Janata experiment, anyway, failed in three years. Elections were held in 1980 for the Lok Sabha. Indira Gandhi stormed back to power. It was now her turn to dismiss Janata Party governments in states.1980-88: CONGRESS CULTURE OF REPLACING CMsAssembly election was held in 1980 and the Congress won 309 of 425 seats. Raja of Manda Vishwanath Pratap Singh was made the Chief Minister. But, the Congress reverted to its practice of replacing Chief Ministers.The eight years gave six CMs to Uttar Pradesh before VP Singh revolted against the Congress leadership in the wake of Bofors scandal. 1989-2007: MANDAL, AYODHYA AND A CM OF 48 HOURSWhen elections were held in 1989 VP Singh's Janata Dal emerged as the single largest party and formed the government with the outside help from the BJP.Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had been a minister in Janata government in Uttar Pradesh, was sworn in as the Chief Minister. Soon, Mandal and Ayodhya took centrestage in Uttar Pradesh's politics in general and elections in particular. Caste lines became sharper. OBCs, Dalits and Muslims were identified as en bloc voting communities.READ| Uttar Pradesh exit poll results: How Modi-powered BJP bettered its strike rate as election progressedIn 1993, the political alliance of Dalit-OBC was formed as BSP's Mayawati and SP's Mulayam Singh Yadav joined hands against the upper caste dominance in Uttar Pradesh. The tie-up did not last long and in 1995 Mayawati became the first Dalit Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh with support from the BJP.The period was full of instability witnessing 10 Chief Ministers and three President's Rule. One of the Chief Ministers, Jagdambika Pal of the Congress (he is now a BJP MP in the Lok Sabha) lasted only 48 hours.2007: PATH-BREAKING ELECTIONThe Uttar Pradesh Assembly election of 2007 proved to be a path-breaking election as it elected a government and a Chief Minister, who completed her tenure for the first time in Uttar Pradesh.In 2012, Mayawati became the first CM to go to the polls after completing her full-term. But, the people of Uttar Pradesh, having not seen such a thing in the past, voted her out.

Saloni Tandon

15 Jun 2017,Thursday

After fuel, govt planning daily CNG price revision: Reports

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cng-daily-price-revision-diesel-petrol-ioc-hpcl/1/979108.html

The government is reportedly contemplating daily revision of CNG prices similar to daily fuel price revision, which is going to be implemented across the country from June 16. Currently, oil marketing firms fix the prices of diesel, petrol and CNG on a fortnightly basis. State-owned oil retailers had implemented a dynamic fuel pricing pilot project in five cities in May.

The government is planning to roll out daily price revision of CNG similar to what the oil companies have been doing to decide on the prices of petrol, diesel. Currently, price of CNG is revised monthly.India Oil Corporation (IOC) CMD Sanjay Singh confirmed the news to India Today that petroleum companies are in the process of revising CNG price on a daily basis. Petroleum companies had last month decided that petrol and diesel prices would be revised on a daily basis in select towns in sync with international rates similar to what happens in most advanced markets. State-owned fuel retailers Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL), which own more than 95 per cent of the nearly 58,000 petrol pumps in the country, launched a pilot for daily price revision in five select cities last and plan to gradually extend it to other parts of the country.While petrol price was freed from the control of the government in June 2010, diesel rates were deregulated in October 2014.Technically, oil companies have freedom to revise rates but often they have been guided by political considerations. Rates differ by only a few paise between pumps of the three state fuel retailers. With daily changes, which are unlikely to be more than a few paise per litre, the political pressures for not revising rates particularly when they are to be hiked will go, people in know of the matter said.ALSO READ:

Shubhodeep Datta

15 Apr 2017,Saturday

AAP releases 'MCD: Most Corrupt Dept' booklet before polls

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mcd-elections-2017-aam-admi-party-bjp/1/929873.html

Ahead of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, the AAP has released a booklet titled 'MCD: Most Corrupt Department' to slam the BJP's work. The booklet accuses the BJP-ruled MCD of corruption, having ghost employees, pension scam, misgovernance, and having a dearth of funds. Delhi's civic body polls are scheduled to be held on April 23.

With less than 10 days to go for the MCD polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released a booklet criticising the BJP's work. Titled 'MCD: Most Corrupt Department', the booklet accuses the BJP-ruled MCD of corruption, having ghost employees, pension scam, misgovernance and of having dearth of funds.

Tarun Khanna

18 Mar 2017,Saturday

Modi govt to build toilets in 1L madrassas by 2018: Minister

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/newsalert-madrassas/1/906991.html

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that the Modi government will build toilets in one lakh madrassas in the country by the end of the next financial year. The project will be carried out under Swachh Bharat Mission. Furthermore, three states ? Sikkim, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh ? have been declared open defecation free.

Parmeet Kaur

20 Jul 2017,Thursday

Man wears 14 kg gold, travels with 16 cars on Kanwar Yatra

http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/kanwar-yatra-s-golden-baba-wears-2kg-more-gold-this-time/story-gVkuUxp1SG5L4sW1pI1VeM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Sudhir Makkar, popularly known as 'Golden Baba', wears over 14 kg of gold, including 21 gold chains, 21 lockets of deities, armlets and sometimes a gold jacket, on the Kanwar Yatra. He also wears a ?27-lakh Rolex watch and is accompanied by 18 bouncers and eight security officers in his 16-car caravan during the yatra.

Golden Baba, who is famous for participating in Kanwar Yatra wearing gold ornaments, has added a gold chain weighing two kilograms to his collection. Baba aka Sudhir Makkar is well known throughout the 200km yatra route from Hardwar to Delhi.The addition of the chain has taken Baba?s gold ornaments to about 14.5kgs which include a collection of 21 gold chains, 21 lockets of deities, armlets and even a gold jacket which he wears sometimes during the yatra sitting atop his SUV which is one among the cavalcade of 16 vehicles that accompany him.?The new chain weighs two kgs and has a locket of Shiva. I am not wearing much gold on this journey as its weight has affected my nerves at the neck and also affected vision of one eye. This is my penultimate Kanwar Yatra and 2018 will be last ending with a silver jubilee,? Baba said.Apart from his fetish for gold, Baba also wears a Rolex watch worth Rs 27 lakh and owns a BMW, three Fortuners, two Audi and two Innova vehicles which are part of his cavalcade. On several occasions, he has taken cars such as Hummer, Jaguar and Land Rover on rent for his trip to Haridwar.?The love for gold and cars will not die. I remember it was in 1972-73 when gold price was Rs 200 per tola (10 grams). I started wearing gold items and had nearly four tolas that time. Gradually, the gold increased. I will keep the gold with me till I die. It will be handed over to my favourite disciple when I leave the world,? said the 55-year-old.Before moving to spiritualism, Makkar ran a successful cloth and property business from the Gandhi Nagar market in Delhi. He now has a luxurious flat at a high-rise in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.The initial years of life were, however, difficult for him. He went to a gurukul at the age of six and went to Haridwar in search of livelihood. He sold rosary beads and cloth on pavements.?Later, my business flourished with the grace of lord Shiva. I sold jeans, shirts and jackets with the brand name Bittu. Even the property business flourished as I got completely devoted to Shiva,? he said.These days Baba travels along with a team of 18 bouncers and eight security officers who keep an eye on his gold while he is on the move. Popular also as Shri Mahant Ji Golden Puri Babaji, Makkar said that he still has a lot of property in Delhi. His disciples estimate that Baba, who has no children, owns property worth over Rs 150 crore.Baba is a popular figure in the annual pilgrimage. Children, women and youngster wait eagerly for his cavalcade to arrive on erstwhile NH-58. They make his videos, click selfies with him and even touch his feet for blessings.?It is out of affection that everyone loves me, more so as I wear gold. Throughout the route, people from all communities, including Muslims, shower love on me and cheer me up,? he said.His participation, however, keeps the local police officers on toes.?He often stops midway and we have to rush to make arrangements for his security. It is tough as he has a large number of cars and other vehicles in his cavalcade. Our arrangements are in place and we hope that his last yatra will also be successful and without hindrance,? said Atul Kumar, sub divisional magistrate, Modi Nagar.

Chhavi Tyagi

15 Dec 2016,Thursday

Corruption evidence against Modi bullet-proof: Rahul Gandhi

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-rahul-gandhi-bulletproof-evidence/1/835160.html

As per reports, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said to his party MPs at a special briefing that the corruption evidence he has against PM Narendra Modi is 'bullet-proof' and 'solid'. Claiming that he has gone through the evidence thoroughly and it is unimpeachable, Gandhi added, "Whenever it becomes public, it will have the effect of a political earthquake."

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi could not deliver on his promise of causing "an earthquake" in Parliament by revealing the damaging information relating to "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal involvement in corruption", but he has assured his party MPs that he has "solid proof"."Read my lips. The Prime Minister is personally terrified with the information that I have. I have information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister," Rahul told reporters on Wednesday.Rahul is reported to have told his MPs at a special briefing held in New Delhi last evening that he had done due diligence and the evidence available with him was unimpeachable.ALSO WATCH  To substantiate his claim of having the proof, the 46-year-old leader is reported to have used words like "bullet-proof" and "solid". He also told the MPs that the revelations will indeed cause an "earthquake".ALSO READ: Modi personally involved in corruption, terrified with information I have: Rahul RAHUL RAISES STAKESThough the Congress vice-president did not share the details of the information he had in his possession, he assured them that he had verified the information. "Whenever it becomes public, it will have the affect of a political earthquake," he is reported to have told his partymen.Rahul was interacting informally with his party MPs after an extensive two-hour briefing and question-and-answer session on demonetisation. He urged the MPs to fan out in their respective areas and highlight the problems being faced by the people following the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes last month.ALSO READ: Why isn't Rahul Gandhi revealing what info he has on PM Modi: BJP, Kejriwal In his battle with Modi over demonetisation, Rahul has considerably raised the stakes by accusing him of corruption. Unless he comes out with credible proof, he could end up damaging his own credibility. He also runs the risk of people not taking him seriously.With Parliament now adjourned till Friday - the last day of the winter session - it's unlikely that Rahul will get a chance to speak on Friday. In the days ahead, the pressure is likely to mount on him to reveal to the public the evidence he has against Modi.

Parmeet Kaur

01 Aug 2017,Tuesday

Teen carrying live bullets detained at Delhi metro station

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/man-held-for-carrying-live-bullets-at-delhi-metro-station/story-9PtsbkK6fo0f2aaFyiyoFO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

An 18-year-old from Bareilly was detained on Sunday for carrying three live bullets in his bag at Delhi's Kailash Colony Metro station. The bullets were detected by a CISF personnel when his bag was being screened in the X-ray machine. He was handed over to the police for not having a government-issued document for possessing arms and ammunitions.

An 18-year-old man was apprehended on Sunday for allegedly carrying three live bullets in his bag while entering a Delhi metro station, a senior officer said.The officer involved in metro security said that the incident was reported around noon at the Kailash colony metro station when a CISF personnel detected bullet-like objects in a bag being screened at the X-ray machine.The bag belonged to a man identified as Jitendra Kumar (18), a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.Three live bullets of 7.62 calibre were recovered from the bag, the officer said.Kumar was handed over to police after he failed to furnish any government issued document for possessing arms and ammunition, he said, adding that carrying arms and ammunition in the Delhi metro is banned under the law.

Anmol Sharma

25 Feb 2017,Saturday

WBO Oriental champion refuses to fight Vijender Singh

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vijender-singh-zulpikar-maimaitiali-wbo-oriental-champion-refuses-to-fight/1/890727.html

WBO Oriental Champion China's Zulpikar Maimaitiali, who was set to fight Asia Pacific title holder Vijender Singh, has backed out from the bout as the talks between the boxers' promoters did not materialise. Reportedly, Vijender, who has an 8-0 record in pro-boxing so far, will still fight on the scheduled date, April 1, in Mumbai but against a different opponent.

WBO Oriental Champion Zulpikar Maimaitiali of China has refused to fight against Asia Pacific Champion Vijender Singh as talks between the promoters of both boxers have fallen flat. The bout was supposed to take place in Mumbai on April 1.Vijender however, will be fighting on the given date and in Mumbai albeit against a different opponent. Vijender's promoters, IOS Boxing promotions, are now talking to other international boxing champions in the same weight category and will soon announce the opponent.   "Zulpikar has refused to fight Vijender Singh, but that does not mean that the fight will not take place, it is likely to happen later in the year. However, the bout set to happen on 1st April in Mumbai has not changed. We are talking to other boxers in the same category as Vijender Singh and we will announce the opponent soon. Later in summer," said Neerav Tomar, promoter, IOS Boxing Promotions.

Vani Vivek

11 May 2017,Thursday

Russian man convicted for playing Pokémon Go in church

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/11/pokemon-go-russian-youtuber-convicted-playing-church-ruslan-sokolovsky?CMP=twt_a-technology_b-gdntech

A Russian YouTuber who filmed himself playing Pokémon Go in a church has been convicted for "inciting religious hatred." The man was handed a suspended sentence of three-and-a-half years. The court agreed that a number of videos on his channel hurt the feelings of religious people by comparing Jesus Christ to a zombie and saying that God does not exist.

A Russian YouTuber who filmed himself playing Pokémon Go in a church has been convicted for ?inciting religious hatred?.Ruslan Sokolovsky posted his video at the height of the game?s popularity in August 2016. On Thursday he was convicted by a court in Yekaterinburg and given a three-and-a-half year suspended sentence. The same offence saw two women from the Pussy Riot punk collective sent to prison for two years in 2012. Sokolovsky has been detained since October, facing up to five years in prison, and was relieved to not be facing jail time. He said: ?Without the support from reporters, I would possibly have been given a real prison sentence.?Judge Yekaterina Shoponyak said Sokolovsky?s videos manifested his ?disrespect for society? and that he ?intended to offend religious sentiments?.The video shows Sokolovsky playing the game in the Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg and referring to local news reports that warned people from playing it in Russia?s churches. It has since been watched more than a million times.He said: ?How can one offend by entering a church with a smartphone??I decided to just catch some Pokémon in church because, why not??I believe it?s both safe and not prohibited by law. Let?s go.?Sokolovsky?s arrest last year was criticised on social media, where his supporters rallied under the hashtag #FreeSokolovsky. Among them was Pussy Riot, who responded to his suspended sentence on Thursday:Ruslan Sokolovsky who caught a pokemon in a church got 3.5 years of probation.not prison though - and it's already great news.

Sumedha Sehra

19 May 2017,Friday

Pak to get new team of lawyers after ICJ ruling

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistan-to-change-legal-team-in-kulbhushan-jadhav-case/1/957618.html

Pakistan will get a new team of lawyers to represent it at the ICJ in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Adviser to Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said, according to Pakistan's state-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan. However, he also added that the current counsel had presented Pakistan's stance 'courageously' at the UN Court.

After suffering a major setback at the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav death penalty case, Pakistan is set to replace the lawyers that represented the country at the World Court, Pakistani media reports said. Sartaj Aziz, the foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was quoted by The Nation as saying that Islamabad will appoint a new team of lawyers to defend Pakistan's position at the The Hague, Netherlands-based International Court of Justice. The Pakistani legal team was led by Khawar Qureshi who faced off against Harish Salve on Monday when both argued their respective countries' position on the Jadhav death penalty matter.State-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan further reported Aziz saying that Qureshi had courageously represented Pakistan at the International Court of Justice. The ICJ on Thursday allowed India's petition that Pakistan be directed not to execute Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was handed a death sentence by a Pakistani military court in April this year. The ICJ, accepting India's plea, said Pakistan must not hang Jadhav until the court hears the matter in full and that Islamabad must inform the World Court of the steps it has taken to ensure that the Indian national is not executed.Responding to the ICJ order, Aziz, Pakistan's de facto foreign minister, was reported to have said, "Pakistan's security is so important and we have to maintain our fundamental sovereign right."PAK ARGUMENT REJECTEDPresident Judge Ronny Abraham, while delivering ICJ's interim verdict on the Jadhav death penalty case, rejected Pakistan's contention that the World Court has no jurisdiction on the matter. Prima facie, the ICJ has jurisdiction on the Jadhav case, Abraham said, rejecting one of the Islamabad's main arguments against the Indian case. Invoking the Optional Protocol of the Vienna Convention, India had contended that the International Court of Justice has the jurisdiction to take up the Jadhav death penalty case. Notably, the ICJ did not rule on India's main argument that Kulbhushan Jadhav's trial in Pakistan was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Access.Since Jadhav's arrest in 2016, Pakistan has rejected 16 Indian requests for consular access. Islamabad has claimed that since Jadhav is charged under the country's espionage laws, it does not need to provide New Delhi with consular access. Having ordered Pakistan not to execute Jadhav, the ICJ will now seek comprehensive submissions from both New Delhi and Islamabad on their respective cases. The dates or the schedule of upcoming hearings at The Hague have not yet been announced, but it is likely that the process will take years.THE KULBHUSHAN JADHAV CASEIn April this year, the Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan military wing, announced that Jadhav, whom Islamabad accuses of being a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent and of fomenting unrest in Balochistan, was sentenced to die by a Pakistani army court. Jadhav's death sentence was confirmed by Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. India, who said Jadhav is a retired Indian Navy officer-turned businessman, slammed Pakistan for carrying out a secretive, "farcical" trial. New Delhi then dragged Islamabad to the International Court of Justice. Pakistan has said that Jadhav has until August to seek mercy. ICJ President judge Ronny Abraham noted that this could mean that Jadhav could be executed soon after August (if a mercy plea is rejected), by when the ICJ may not be able to completely hear the matter and deliver its final verdict.ALSO READ: Nawaz Sharif feels the heat as Opposition slams government for mishandling Kulbhushan Jadhav's case at ICJICJ verdict is fine but can Kulbhushan Jadhav be saved? What lies ahead

Sumedha Sehra

20 Apr 2017,Thursday

MCD poll booths declared tobacco-free for the first time

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/in-a-first-mcd-poll-booths-to-be-tobacco-free-zones/1/934006.html

All polling booths for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections have been declared tobacco-free by the Delhi State Election Commission, in a first in the country. Additionally, banners having content related to the ill effects of tobacco will be displayed at entry gates of all booths. However, a no-smoke policy was implemented at poll booths in 2014 general elections.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) In a first in the country, the Delhi State Election Commission has declared all the 13,234 polling booths tobacco free ahead of the MCD polls, to be held this Sunday. The move comes after Delhi governments Health Department approached the State Election Commissioner urging him to declare all the polling stations as tobacco free zones rather than just declaring them as smoke-free as it used to be in earlier elections. In a letter to Commissioner S K Srivastava, Additional Director (Health) Dr S K Arora noted that since chew-able tobacco, a leading cause of oral cancer, is already banned in Delhi, the polling booths should be declared tobacco free. The decision should be taken in larger public health interest, he stressed. The Commission has now sought cooperation of the Commissioners of all three civic bodies - South, North and East municipal corporation -- to create tobacco free poll booths for the MCD polls and display multi-colour banners at each location indicating the same. "It is an excellent opportunity to sensitise nearly 1.33 crore adults on a single day as they will come to cast their vote at the polling booths," Dr Arora said. He said 90 per cent of oral cancers, 40 per cent of all cancers and 30 per cent of tuberculosis cases occur because of tobacco habits. Also, 20 per cent cases of diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and brain stroke are also linked to tobacco consumption, he added. The Health department will also provide signages/banners to be displayed at the entry gate of each polling booth. The banners will have content to educate people about the ill effects of tobacco consumption including smoking.

Abhishek Bansal

03 Mar 2017,Friday

Tirupati temple gets ?4cr in scrapped notes after note ban

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lord-balaji-shrine-has-over-rs-4-crore-in-junked-notes/1/895609.html

Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh has received over ?4 crore in demonetised ?500 and ?1000 rupee notes from devotees as donations after the note exchange deadline had expired, a shrine administrator said. The temple administration has written to the government and the Reserve Bank of India on the issue and is awaiting a reply, the official added.

The famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala is caught in a piquant situation as it has received over Rs 4 crore in demonetised 500 and 1,000 rupee notes from devotees in its hundi in the last two months, past the deadline for their exchange. The temple administration has written to the government and the Reserve Bank of India on the fate of the accumulated notes and was awaiting a response, a top official said today. Thousands of devotees thronging the cash-rich temple from various parts of the country continued to offer the junked currency in the hundi along with valid notes even after the deadline for exchange of demonetised notes expired on December 30. More than Rs four crore in demonetised currency had been offered in the hundi, Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the ancient shrine, D Sambasiva Rao said. "We have already written to the RBI and Government of India about the demonetised notes offered by devotees as fulfillment of their vows and are awaiting a reply," he said. It is common practice for devotees of Lord Venkateswara to keep depositing cash in tiny boxes or mud pots kept in pooja rooms in their houses over a period, and then deposit it in the temple hundi whenever they undertake the pilgrimage to Tirumala.

Vani Vivek

15 Apr 2017,Saturday

Android update bricks some Pixel phones' fingerprint sensor

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/android-7-1-2-rolls-out-to-all-pixel-users-breaks-fingerprint-scanner-for-some/1/929677.html

Users of Google's Pixel smartphones have complained that the latest Android Nougat update has caused the fingerprint sensors on some devices to 'brick' or stop working. Some Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X owners have also reported the same issue. The 7.1.2 update was meant to fix bugs such as early shutdown, audio cracking and pink bands on the camera screen.

Google has started rolling out the Android Nougat 7.1.2 update to all Pixel and Pixel XL users across the globe. The Android Nougat 7.1.2 update brings with a number of bug fixes and improvements targeted at the two Pixel smartphones in particular. A number of problems such as the early shutdown issue, audio cracking issue and the issue of pink banding seen on the camera have been resolved.However, the 7.1.2 update has brought with it an altogether new problem for Pixel owners. The update is reportedly disabling the fingerprint scanner in some Pixel and Pixel XL devices. Many users have taken to the Google Product forums to complain about the same. It has to be kept in mind that not all users are experiencing the problem. If you have a Pixel smartphone, there is a chance you might not experience this issue at all after updating. Additionally, some Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X owners are also experiencing the same issue after installing the update. They are getting an error message stating "fingerprint hardware not available" when trying to unlock the device with via the fingerprint sensor.Also Read: HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel: Is HTC finally back in the game?According to posts on the forum, rebooting the device or clearing the cache does not seem to solve the problem. Even deleting your configured fingerprints does not work as then the device does not allow you to add any new fingerprints.If you are facing the issue, the only option at this time seems to be to wait for Google to issue an update or try to revert back to Android 7.1.1 Nougat if you can. It seems some Pixel and Nexus owners will have to make do with traditional means of unlocking the smartphone till a fix is issued.The latest iteration of Android Nougat is now also rolling out to Nexus 6P users enrolled in Google's Android Beta program. Rather strangely, Nexus 6P users of the Beta program were stuck on the 7.1.2 Beta release while regular Nexus 6P owners had already got the stable update. Now Google has rectified the situation and the stable release is being rolled out to users enrolled in the Beta program.

Tarun Khanna

22 Apr 2017,Saturday

Over 7K women died in 2015 due to dowry harassment: NCRB

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dowry-deaths-national-crime-records-bureau-conviction-rate/1/935341.html

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has stated as many as 7,634 women died in the country in 2015 due to dowry harassment. Furthermore, after registration of dowry deaths, police have chargesheeted around 93.7% of the accused, of which only 34.7% have been convicted. As per the Delhi Police, 31 women died due to dowry harassment till March 15, 2017.

Twenty-one dowry deaths are reported across the country every day, but the conviction rate is only 34.7 per cent.The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) states that in 2015, as many as 7,634 women died in the country due to dowry harassment. Either they were burnt alive or forced to commit suicide over dowry demand.Data further reveals that after registration of dowry deaths, police have chargesheeted around 93.7 per cent of the accused, of which only 34.7 per cent have been convicted. The remaining cases are still pending in various courts.According to Delhi Police, till March 15 this year, 31 women died due to dowry harassment.In the last five years, as many as 715 cases of dowry deaths have been reported in the national Capital and the crime rate have been increasing with every passing year.Moreover, in Delhi, around 3,877 cases of cruelty by in-laws and husbands have been registered in 2016. Till March 15 this year, as many as 506 such cases have been reported in the city. The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, prohibits the request, payment or acceptance of a dowry 'as consideration for marriage', and dowry here is defined as a gift demanded or given as a precondition for marriage.'EXISTING LAW HAS CERTAIN LOOPHOLES'Experts say that the existing law has certain loopholes and needs to be made stricter. Despite amendments made to the Dowry Act in 1983, the desired results are yet desired to be achieved. Improper investigations at the initial stage of a case slow down the process of judicial proceedings, experts rue.Items such as jewellery, clothes, cars and money are traditionally given by the bride's family to the groom and his parents under the outlawed custom to ensure that she is taken care of in her new home.

Aarushi Maheshwari

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

SpiceJet passengers, crew face-off over delay

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/spicejet-flight-delay-bengaluru/1/1016634.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Passengers and cabin crew got into an argument on Tuesday after a Delhi-Bengaluru SpiceJet flight was repeatedly delayed. Passengers, including children, reportedly sat inside the aircraft for hours while no reason was given for the delay. The flight was scheduled to depart at 8:55 pm, while passengers were reportedly accommodated on a different aircraft that departed at 12:25 am.

Inordinate delay of a SpiceJet flight SG 143 resulted in a face-off between passengers and the airline crew on Tuesday. Scores of passengers including children and elderly were made to sit inside the flight for hours, claims passengers.The crew allegedly could not provide any reason for the delay. The flight was scheduled to take off at 8.55 pm but got delayed to 9.15 pm and then by another 15 minutes. The face-off between the passengers and the crew ensued after the flight failed to depart even after the said timing. The flight finally took off at 12.25 am.According to sources, a different aircraft flew the passengers to Bengaluru. SpiceJet, however, has not responded so far.

Parmeet Kaur

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Former Int'l athlete critical after being beaten up by thugs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anil-sharma-beaten-by-thugs-paharganj-delhi/1/1013021.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Former international athlete Anil Sharma has been admitted to a city hospital after he was beaten up with bricks and rods following an argument with a group of men in Delhi last week. Sharma is said to be in critical condition and his kidney, pancreas and part of his intestine were reportedly removed.

Former international athlete Anil Sharma, 43, who has won several medals for the country, is battling for his life in a city hospital after a group of seven to eight men thrashed him with bricks and rods in Central Delhi's Paharganj area on Friday evening.Sharma participated in several power lifting championships under physically challenged category in the 1990s.The incident took place when Sharma, along with two friends, went to Hotel Heritage Inn in Paharganj area. After coming out of the hotel, the three sat down in their car for a conversation. A while later, Sharma received a phone call and got out of the car to talk.Chandra Mohan, the eye-witness of the incident, told Mail Today: "I saw a group of men approach Sharma who was sitting on a scooter and talking on phone. They had a heated argument and the men started beating him up. They attacked him with bricks and rods. One of them threw a brick towards us. It hit me on my head and I became unconscious. The other friend managed to escape."A call was made to the police control room and the duo was rushed to RML hospital.FACE SMASHED, EYE DAMAGED, NOSE BROKENWhile Mohan was discharged after medical aid, Sharma's family transferred him to BL Kapoor hospital. Sharma's face was smashed, leaving a damaged eye and broken nose.The impact of the attack was so severe that the doctors had to remove his kidney, pancreas and part of the intestine. He is currently admitted in the ICU at BL Kapoor hospital and is in critical condition."A major surgery was conducted at BL Kapoor hospital, in which one kidney, which was smashed with a brick, had to be removed. The impact of the attack was such that the pancreas also got damaged. His nose and one eye also got damaged," said Pooja, Sharma's wife.Mohan, a businessman, identified one of the accused as Sharma's friend, Ashu. He also claimed that Ashu has a criminal background and had served punishment in Tihar Jail too.Sharma, who owns a food joint near Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place, had represented India in an international power lifting championship in the 90s and even won a gold medal. He later left the sport and joined the family business. He has three children, including two daughters.A case has been registered at the Paharganj police station and the investigation is underway. The police said the accused are yet to be nabbed, and added that the CCTV footage from the area is being looked at for clues.

Gaurav Shroff

31 May 2017,Wednesday

First wind farm powered by giant kites to be built in UK

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/first-wind-farm-powered-by-giant-kites-to-be-built-in-uk/1/965465.html

Scientists are building the world's first wind farm powered by giant kites in the UK. The kites would fly at 300 metres high in loops generating power via a tether connected to a generator. Scotland-based company Kite Power Systems has successfully tested a 40-kilowatt version. The company plans to build ten 500-kilowatt systems by 2020 that would power 5,500 homes.

London, May 29 (PTI) Scientists are building the worlds first wind farm powered by giant kites in Britain that could generate enough electricity to run 5,500 homes. As many as twenty kites flying higher than Britains tallest building will work in pairs to generate electricity. They will fly in loops at more than 160 kilometres per hour. Their movement will pull on a tether wrapped around a rotating drum on the ground linked to a generator. The kites take turns to fly out and back, ensuring that the power supply is constant. Scotland-based company Kite Power Systems (KPS) has successfully tested a 40 kilowatt version. The company plans to build ten 500kW systems about 600 metres apart at a site by the year 2020. "The kite farm would preferably be in Scotland and would generate enough power for 5,500 homes," said David Ainsworth, KPSs business development director. The kites are much cheaper than wind turbines as they use a lot less steel and are easier to transport and maintain, Ainsworth told The Times.

Chhavi Tyagi

01 Mar 2017,Wednesday

Padma Shri awardee Taarak Mehta passes away at 87

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/taarak-mehta-columnist-passes-away-gujarati-humorist-lifetv/1/894003.html

Gujarati writer Taarak Mehta, best known for his columns which were adapted for TV sitcom 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', died on Wednesday in Ahmedabad at the age of 87 after a prolonged illness. Born in 1929, Mehta has written over 80 books, six popular Gujarati plays and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2015.

Taarak Mehta, the popular Gujarati columnist, humorist and playwright, passed away at the age of 87 today. The columnist's most popular work, Duniya Ne Undha Chashma, was adapted to the small screen as Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah on SAB TV. The show became a household favourite because of its witty take on everyday, ordinary issues.

Chhavi Tyagi

09 Dec 2016,Friday

Mamata offers job to kin of man who died in bank queue

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kolkata-mamata-banerjee-offers-job-to-bereaved-family/1/831240.html

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced a government job for one of the family members of a man, Kallol Roychoudhury, who died of a stroke while standing in a bank queue post demonetisation. The Trinamool Congress also carried to Parliament a banner with details of 90 people who have died allegedly in the wake of the demonetisation decision.

Demonetisation politics seem to have gone one notch higher, at least in West Bengal.Moving one step ahead in voicing her protest, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal had sent a list of around 90 people who have lost their lives in the virtual struggle against demonetisation.In another attempt to register her protest against the demonetisation drive and to stand by the families of the people who have lost their lives in the ripple effect of demonetisation, she announced a government job for the bereaved family of one of them.Mamata Banerjee, announced compensation for the family of Kallol Roychoudhury, the 45-year-old who died of a stroke in Bandel, while queuing up to withdraw money from an ATM.A representative of the government was sent to inform the family at their Behala residence, that the post held by late Kallol Roychoudhury, state government employee would now be held by his wife, Seema Roychoudhury.Also read:Demonetisation a mammoth tragedy: Manmohan Singh"After Kallol's death due to stroke, I visited the family of the victim and told them that the post held by the late Kallol Roychoudhury will now be held by his wife, Seema Roychoudhury. We have all come to convey the message to his wife. They are very happy with the news," said Partha Sarkar, the personal assistant to the Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee.The family, especially Seema Roychoudhury, was very relieved with the decision."After the CM's announcement, Partha Sarkar came and said that my job has been approved and I am very happy about it. The CM was standing with me and supported me all the way, and that is what makes me happy. What she has done for us, is of utmost importance. I have to start another chapter of my life and fight this battle all on my own. I have to nurture my child all by myself which is a huge responsibility. My husband has left our side with so much responsibility on me," said Seema, with a lump in her throat.Also read:Supreme Court asks 9 questions from government over demonetisation The family was relaxed after hearing the announcement and expressed their gratitude for the Chief Minister.Swapan Roychoudhury, the elder brother of Kallol Roychoudhury, said that he is happy and grieved, all at once."I am very much grateful the government which has stood by our side and helped us in such unfavourable times, sped up the process. We hope we will be able to survive on what has been provided. I am ever thankful for having a CM like Mamata Banerjee. We can't thank her enough. Her kindness is exemplified by her actions. Not even one week has passed, but all arrangements for the future of the family has been made. From the local councillor to Mr Partha Chatterjee, the government in the form of Mamata Banerjee has been very supportive," said Swapan.The decision was promptly welcomed by the family and they are now trying to bring normalcy back into their lives, while the politics behind the drive intensifies to a new level.

Tarun Khanna

10 Feb 2017,Friday

Sasikala sacks AIADMK Presidium Chairman for backing OPS

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/panneerselvam-vs-sasikala-tamil-nadu-crisis-aiadmk/1/879447.html

AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala on Friday removed party's Presidium Chairman E Madhusudhanan for supporting Tamil Nadu Interim CM O Panneerselvam. She has appointed KA Sengottaiyan as the new Presidium Chairman. Madhusudhanan had earlier alleged that every member of Sasikala's extended family is in control of the party, adding he always opposed the family rule of the DMK.

It's Day 4 of Panneerselvam vs Sasikala duel in Tamil Nadu. Both the AIADMK leaders met Governor C Vidyasagar Rao Thursday evening claiming support of majority of MLAs. While both the leaders appeared confident of claiming the chief minister's chair, the governor is yet to formally take a call. A note surfaced late Friday night indicating that the Tamil Nadu governor is not inclined to invite Sasikala to form the government. Sasikala, accompanied by 10 ministers, met the governor and presented him a list of 134 MLAs supporting her. However, in a major blow to her, the Congress today said it will not back the AIADMK general secretary in the power struggle. O Panneerselvam or VK Sasikala  - who will win the battle for Tamil Nadu's throne?HERE ARE THE DAY'S DEVELOPMENTS: Horse trading in any form has to b prevented&efforts to protect sanctity of Antidefection law has to b undertaken-MK Stalin in letter to Guv pic.twitter.com/Zw1tapI6ssGovernor can call us anytime that is why we all have assembled at one place: Ratnaswami, Ex AIADMK MLA lodged at resort pic.twitter.com/5OZkcKzGQ7Wait and see: E.Madusudhanan after being removed as presidium chairman and from primary membership of AIADMK. pic.twitter.com/DgJdiAthvhChennai: O Panneerselvam felicitated by his supporters. #TamilNadupic.twitter.com/pImGIgP4GHMeet between DGP T K Rajendran and Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao underway in Chennai pic.twitter.com/OW4XziU6Uh#Sasikala gave list of MLAs, #Paneerselvam did not. She has majority. What is the Governor waiting for?: Subramanian Swamy,BJP pic.twitter.com/ZPXwTHsK35

Sonu Kumari

02 Aug 2017,Wednesday

DU college to start child care facilities for staff kids

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/in-a-first-in-du-lakshmibai-college-to-set-up-creche-for-staff/story-uCRkEnlbnXsHy6EgOkoNMJ.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Lakshmibai College will be the first college in the University of Delhi to start a crèche facility for the children of its teaching and non-teaching staff in August. College principal said the teachers would be able to focus more on their work without worrying about the children. The crèche will consist of two rooms, a pantry, and a play area.

In a first, a Delhi University college is starting a crèche for its teaching and non-teaching staff, who have to juggle between work and taking care of their young children.Lakshmibai College in Ashok Vihar will start the crèche in August. Teachers can bring their children to the crèche, which will be functional between 9am to 5pm.College principal Pratyush Vatsala said the move will help teachers focus on their work without constantly worrying about their children.?As a young teacher, I was constantly worried about my kids. If I had a crèche at my work place then it would have made my life so much easier. A young child needs constant care,? she said.The crèche will have a working pantry and at least two support staff to take care of the children.?There will be two rooms, one play area and a pantry. We are also planning to renovate an empty garage to be used for older kids where they can do their homework and other things,? she said.Permanent teachers get a maternity leave of six months and child care leave of two years, which they can take in breaks or one go.Sonica Sihngvi, a teacher of Economics at the college who is currently on childcare leave, said the crèche will be of great help to her and other parents with toddlers.?I was really worried about leaving my child in the care of a nanny. Now I can take my classes without having to worry about my child as I can check on him in the crèche in between classes and breastfeed him,? she said.Vatsala said work places need to have such facilities for their employees as it will lead to better results. ?If the employee is free of tension then he or she can focus on work better. It is good for the individual as well as the institution,? she said.Teachers will have to pay Rs4,000 per month for availing the facility. ?The initial building cost is being borne by the college but the recurring expenditure will be borne by the teachers availing the facility,? she said.

Abhishek Bansal

19 Mar 2017,Sunday

IAF officer gets court-martialled for stealing ?531 wallet

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indian-air-force-officer-petty-theft-stealing-wallet-court-martial/1/907416.html

A flight lieutenant has been court-martialled by the Indian Air Force after he was caught stealing a wallet on CCTV cameras. The incident had happened in a CSD canteen in Mumbai in 2013. The General Court Martial found the officer guilty and instructed him to pay back ?531 as the cost of the wallet.

A flight lieutenant was caught stealing a wallet from a CSD canteen in Mumbai on CCTV cameras and has been court-martialled by the Indian Air Force for the petty theft worth Rs 531.The incident had happened when the officer (name withheld) - who gets a salary of around Rs 65,000-70,000 per month - visited the CSD canteen in the Madh Island air force base in Mumbai in February 2013 to buy something and stole one of the two black wallets kept there, an IAF officerl told Mail Today.The theft of the wallet could not be detected by the canteen officers for two days and an investigation into the matter had started when one of the wallet covers was found lying empty, they said."When the CCTV footage was checked, it was observed that the officer of the rank of Flt Lt had picked up the wallet and put it in his rear trouser pocket for concealing it from canteen staff, and after that, he was attached for trial by the authorities concerned," said the officer.The General Court Martial also found him guilty and recommended him to be severely reprimanded, pay back Rs 531 as the cost of the wallet stolen by him to the unit and also forfeit one-year service for the purpose of promotion.However, the then Air Force chief took a lenient view of the case and removed the loss of seniority from his punishment but the officer decided to approach the Armed Forces Tribunal to get the proceedings against him to be quashed completely.

Chhavi Tyagi

03 Feb 2017,Friday

Vadra slams BJP for naming Katiyar as UP star campaigner

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/robert-vadra-slams-bjp-for-naming-vinay-katiyar-a-star-up-campaigner/1/873758.html

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra has slammed the BJP for listing Vinay Katiyar, who made sexist remarks against Priyanka Gandhi, in the star campaigners for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Vadra said, "Really shocks me to see a name in star campaigner list with tainted past and who completely disrespects women with his comments. God save us."

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Friday slammed the BJP after party leader Vinay Katiyar was included in its list of star campaigners for Uttar Pradesh."Really shocks me to see a name in star campaigner list with tainted past and who completely disrespects women with his comments. God save us!" Vadra said in a tweet.He also clubbed a photograph of a newspaper cutting mentioning the name of Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member Katiyar, along with veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi and Varun Gandhi.Katiyar courted controversy on January 25, after he said that there were "prettier star campaigners" in his party when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was named the star campaigner for the Congress party in the same state.Commenting on Priyanka, the BJP leader told the media: "It doesn't make any difference. We have far more prettier women, heroines as star campaigners."

Mansha Mahajan

12 Apr 2017,Wednesday

Mallya issued non-bailable warrant in brand promotion case

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vijay-mallya-delhi-court-non-bailable-warrant-fera-violation/1/926912.html

A Delhi court has issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Vijay Mallya in connection with a 1995 FERA violation case. The ED alleged Mallya violated provisions of FERA in arranging funds to advertise his liquor products abroad. Mallya had reportedly paid ?1.3 crore to a UK firm for displaying the Kingfisher logo in Formula One World Championships without RBI approval.

A Delhi court has issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Vijay Mallya in connection with the the 1995 FERA violation case, reported news agency ANI. An open-ended non-bailable warrant does not carry a time limit for execution. The Enforcement Directorate had alleged that Vijay Mallya had violated the provisions of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) in arranging funds to advertise his liquor products abroad over a decade ago.THE CASEThe ED wanted to question Vijay Mallya in connection with a contract signed in December 1995 with London-based firm Benetton Formula Ltd for promotion of the Kingfisher brand abroad.Vijay Mallya had allegedly paid 200,000 dollars to the British firm for displaying the Kingfisher logo in Formula One World Championships in London and some European countries in 1996, 1997 and 1998.The money was allegedly paid without prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India in violation of FERA norms.INDIA SEEKING MALLYA's EXTRADITIONVijay Mallya left India on March 2, 2016 for London, days after a consortium of 17 banks moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal to hear a July 2013 petition to recover dues of Rs 9,081 crore, including interest, that was loaned to his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. India has handed over a formal request to the British High Commission for his extradition. (with inputs from PTI)ALSO READ:

Sonu Kumari

15 Jul 2017,Saturday

3 new hospitals in Delhi to add 3,200 beds by 2018: Jain

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/three-new-hospitals-in-delhi-to-add-3-200-beds-by-next-year-jain/story-gpIXyQm94m4CqKHZMT3eCP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the government is in the process of constructing three new hospitals, which will increase the number of total government hospital beds by 3,200 by next year. He added that latest technology including solar panels and natural sewage treatment plants would be used to make the hospitals among the best.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday visited an under-construction hospital in Dwarka, which will add another 1,225 beds to existing 10,329 in Delhi government hospitals.The construction of the hospital will be completed next year, along with two other upcoming hospitals in Ambedkar Nagar and Burari, the minister said. The three hospitals will together ramp up the bed strength by 3,200.?This hospital was initially designed to have 700 beds, we increased it to 1,225 without stopping the work and delaying the project,? Satyendar Jain said.In its manifesto for 2015 assembly elections, the AAP had promised to increase the total bed strength in Delhi to 40,000, and after taking office the health minister had said that the bed strength would be doubled in the first two years. Apart from the three hospitals, the government will also remodel 11 of its biggest hospitals to add these 10,000 beds.The minister also said that latest technology would be used to make the new three hospitals among the best. ?The hospital in Dwarka will be state-of-the-art with solar panels and natural sewage treatment plant,? the minister said.The Dwarka hospital building has also used a base isolation system to protect it from earthquakes. In this kind of structures, there is a fixed base on the ground and the building is separated from it using flexible bearings.?So, in case of an earthquake, the tremors are absorbed by the bearings and the main building does not move much. This is a good thing because it is extremely difficult to evacuate patients from a hospital in the incident of earthquakes,? said an official working on the project.?The patients will likely not even feel anything if there is an earthquake. This is maybe the first government hospital in India to use such a technology,? Jain said.

Rini Sinha

19 Feb 2017,Sunday

Amitabh Bachchan to star in Kabir Khan's next film: Reports

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amitabh-bachchan-kabir-khan-tubelight-hrithik-roshan-ranveer-singh/1/885819.html

As per reports, actor Amitabh Bachchan will feature in filmmaker Kabir Khan's next project. According to a source, the details of the project are currently being worked out and an announcement will be made once everything is finalised. Khan is currently working on the Salman Khan starrer film 'Tubelight'.

Kabir Khan has wrapped up the shooting of Salman Khan's next film Tubelight and Tinsel Town is abuzz with the news of Amitabh Bachchan being a part of Kabir Khan's next.Kabir Khan who has delivered multiple hits, including the Salman Khan blockbusters Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, is one of Bollywood's most sought-after directors. The filmmaker has reportedly had a couple of meetings with Amitabh Bachchan. The pre-production team, according to reports, have begun working on the project already."Modalities are being worked out. An announcement will be made once everything is finalised," says a source close to the development. The film is scheduled to go on floors later this year," a source told Times of India.Now, reportedly Kabir Khan was also planning a project with Hrithik Roshan at some point. Hrithik had confirmed this and was quoted by HT City as saying, "Working with Kabir is going to be fantastic. And I feel very assured (working) with Sajid (Nadiadwala)."Kabir Khan had also confirmed this to the media saying, "Hrithik, Sajid bhai and I have been very eager to work together for a while now. So it's happening, for sure."But Kabir Khan is also reportedly working on a film based on the 1983 Cricket World Cup win by India. The project, backed by Phantom Films, will be helmed by Kabir Khan and Kabir had reportedly approached Ranveer Singh earlier."Ranveer has been approached for Kabir's cricket film and if all goes well after completing Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati the actor might start working on this project," as source was quoted as saying by Bollywoodlife.com.So, which Kabir Khan project will Amitabh Bachchan eventually be a part of? The one with Ranveer Singh or the one with Hrithik Roshan?

Mansha Mahajan

14 Jan 2017,Saturday

97% of old ?500, ?1,000 notes back in banking system: Report

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bi-demonetisation-data-black-money-old-notes-urjit-patel-narendra-modi/1/857268.html

The RBI's latest data indicates that ?14.90 lakh crore or around 97% of the ?15.44 lakh crore worth of demonetised currency is back into the banking system, according to reports. This suggests around ?54,000 crore of banned notes didn't return. This figure is against the government's estimate that around ?3.44 lakh crore of the old notes would not return.

Despite the Reserve Bank of India dismissing reports that suggested 97 per cent of the demonetised currency had returned to the bank's coffers by December 30, its own weekly figures on "currency in circulation" indicate that this number is correct.These figures, in fact, suggest that only Rs 54,000 crore of the notes banned on November 8 last year failed to make it back.More worryingly, this figure has been arrived at on the assumption that no new notes were issued after December 19, which is a near impossibility. This could well open up the intriguing possibility that more banned notes may have returned than were said to be in circulation.  

Saloni Tandon

22 Dec 2016,Thursday

South Africa's Marais Erasmus named ICC Umpire of the Year

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/marais-erasmus-icc-awards-misbah-ul-haq/1/840447.html

South Africa's Marais Erasmus has been named the ICC Umpire of the Year and the recipient of the David Shepherd Trophy at the ICC Awards on Thursday. Erasmus was selected after a vote by the ICC's elite panel of match referees and Test-playing captains. Erasmus, who officiated in the recent India-England Test series, is the fifth recipient of the trophy.

Marais Erasmus on Thursday won the David Shepherd Trophy for the Umpire of the Year for 2016 while Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the Spirit of Cricket Award.Erasmus was voted by the International Cricket Council's (ICC) elite panel match referees as well as the Test playing captains, and he beats off strong competition for this award from his colleagues Richard Illingworth, Bruce Oxenford and Richard Kettleborough. (Latest Cricket stories)Erasmus is the fifth umpire to win this prestigious award after Simon Taufel (2004 to 2008), Aleem Dar (2009-2011), Kumar Dharmasena (2012) and Richard Kettleborough (2013-2015).Erasmus, 52, made his international debut in October 2007 in a One-Day International (ODI) between Kenya and Canada at the Nairobi Gymkhana and was promoted to the elite panel in 2010.Reacting to the news, Erasmus said, in an ICC release: "David Shepherd has been one of the role models for many aspiring umpires and to win the trophy named after him is something to be really proud of. It has been an excellent period of international cricket and I consider myself extremely fortunate to be part of it."I thank the match referees and the Test captains for voting me as the ICC Umpire of the Year 2016, but the fact is without the support, help and encouragement of my Playing Control Teams, this would not have been possible. As such, it is appropriate that I win this on behalf of all my fellow match officials."I would like to thank my wife Adele and my sons Chris and Geo for their support and sacrifices so that I can live the dream of umpiring at the world stage, as well as my ICC coach, Denis Burns, who during the past three years guided me to become the best possible umpire that I can be."ICC General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice, congratulated Erasmus, saying: "The ICC is very fortunate to have such a strong team of umpires, and Marais has been deservedly rewarded for the steady improvement in his umpiring over the past few years. This recognition, voted by the match referees and the Test captains, shows the high regard in which Marais is held by those closely involved with the game."The 42-year-old Misbah was adjudged the winner for inspiring his side to play the game in its true spirit, at the same time lifting the Pakistan cricket team from number four to number one on the Test team rankings. It was achieved without playing any Test matches in his home country.

Ayushi Ahluwalia

24 Jul 2017,Monday

Fire breaks out in Delhi's Lok Nayak Bhawan

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lok-nayak-bhawan-fire-delhi/1/1009596.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

A major fire broke out on Monday in Delhi's Lok Nayak Bhawan complex, which houses several government offices including those of the CBI and Income-Tax Department. Around 25 fire engines were rushed into service at the complex. The fire was allegedly sparked by a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit on the fourth floor of the building.

A fire today caused scare in Delhi's Lok Nayak Bhawan complex which houses many government offices.28 fire tenders were rushed to the building located in Khan Market area where the blaze was reported from the fourth floor.Since the incident happened during peak office hours, several people were trapped inside their offices and later on rescued. After few hours, the flames were brought under control. No casualties were however reported.Efforts to douse fire at Delhi's Lok Nayak Bhawan still underway; all people rescued safely. pic.twitter.com/nMw2ENIAD5Lok Nayak Bhawan houses offices of Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Income-Tax department, etc. #WATCH: Fire fighting ops underway at Delhi's Lok Nayak Bhawan. pic.twitter.com/wnHXBbX3tf ALSO WATCH: Delhi: Fire breaks out in Lok Nayak Bhawan office complex, 25 fire tenders rushed

Aarushi Maheshwari

24 May 2017,Wednesday

Video: Cows enter shopping mall in Russia

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cows-russian-mall-window-shopping/1/961656.html

A video of cows strolling through a shopping mall in the Russian city of Surgut has emerged online. The cows can be seen entering the mall from the parking lot via automatic glass doors while customers laugh in the background. According to reports, the shopkeepers were unhappy with the incident.

It was a bizarre scenario when a few Russian cows decided to go for their daily stroll in a mall instead of a park. The customers at a shopping centre in Surgut, Russia were left baffled when they saw a cow-brigade crashing a mall through the parking area.The four cows were seen strolling and entering inside the mall through the automatic glass doors. Also read: Meet Thailand's Uncle Fat: Obese monkey kept on diet after gorging on junk foodThe onlookers were shocked to see such a rare scenario as the cows made their way into the shopping complex.

Daisy Mowke

13 Apr 2017,Thursday

Show that lets men guess if woman is fat or pregnant slammed

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/fat-or-pregnant-game-show-woman-men-lifest/1/928003.html

A Dutch game show was slammed by people for an episode which had an all-male panel 'guess' whether a woman was pregnant or fat. "For everyone thinking The Netherlands is great. We reached a new low yesterday night," tweeted a user. Reportedly, one of its episodes had a segment where contestants guessed if a man was Chinese or Japanese.n

There's strange, there's unfathomable, then there's downright disturbing. What recently happened on a Dutch game show was an unfortunate mix of all three. In what is being referred to as 'a new low' for The Netherlands as a nation, the first episode of game show, Neem Je Zwemspullen Mee (Bring Your Bathing Suit) had an all-male panel 'guess' whether a woman was pregnant or fat. Yes, we're not kidding. A game show aired on popular  Dutch public broadcasting channel, NPO 3, had men take shots at scrutinising a woman's body and gauging whether or not she's overweight.Also Read: How social media has been body shaming you all this whileThe show's 'humour' has obviously not gone down well with many, who took turns at ripping it apart on Twitter.

Saloni Tandon

06 Jun 2017,Tuesday

NIT Srinagar site hacked, hackers demand 'Free Kashmir'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nit-site-hacked-with-anti-india-posts-pakistan-free-kashmir/1/971678.html

The website of National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, was hacked on Monday, with hackers posting "Free Kashmir" and anti-Indian Army messages. The portal was hacked by a group named Team Pak Cyber Skullz, who also posted messages demanding the removal of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. "Freedom from the evil of the Indian Military," one of the posts read.

In an unfortunate series of events that unfolded in the Kashmir Valley in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan tie in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at Edgbaston that left the neighbours' nose bloodied, pro-Kashmir elements hacked the official website of the premier National Institute of Technology (NIT) based in Srinagar on Monday, calling for an Azaad Kashmir.NIT Srinagar became a target perhaps for the fact that it had hit headlines after a clash between Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri students last year when the latter cheered India's defeat in the T20 World Cup match against West Indies. The servers were downed after the attack.While the nation was busy grappling with an early-morning terrorist attack on a CRPF station at Sumbal in Bandipora district of Kashmir, which was foiled by jawans and left four terrorists dead, pro-Kashmir freedom elements, most probably from across the border, hacked the website of the premier institute and posted, "Ask for milk, we shall give you sweets. Ask for Kashmir we shall kill you." This, ironically, has been the clarion call of the Right wing, which it employs towards those asking for Kashmir's freedom."We saw that the website had been hacked when some students tried to access it to see a few articles of the syllabus. We were shocked to see that the website bore anti-India literature, anti-Indian Armed Forces propaganda and a call to leave Kashmir and give it freedom," one of the students told Mail Today.WHAT THE POSTERS SAID The posters, uploaded in the name of one 'All Pak Cyber Skullz Members', said. "We shall fight till the last breath. What shall a man not pay for living? Everyday 100s of innocent people are abused, raped and even killed in Kashmir by Indian army, a third of the deaths are children. We don't want war. Take back your guns and go back to where you came from.""All we ask is for freedom, you can kill us, you can't kill us all, we shall not give up." The poster went on to say: "Giving up is not an option." In yet another poster the hackers declared their identity as 'Hacked by SH11: Team Pak Cyber Skullz'.The poster also said, "Go Modi Go." To a rhetorical question - "You know why you got hacked - which the hackers obviously wanted to answer, the poster said, "Free Kashmir. Freedom is our goal. Kashmir does not want militarised governance. Stop killing children, raping women and imprisoning the men! They just want freedom! Freedom from the evil of the Indian Military!"

Rini Sinha

20 Jan 2017,Friday

Got kicked out of CBFC chief's office, claims journalist

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pahlaj-nihalani-cbfc-censor-board-journalist-anurag-kashyap/1/862308.html

Journalist Siddhant Adlakha has claimed that he "got kicked out" of Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani's office, when he questioned him on the film certification process during an interview. "You (media) are interfering without any reason in our business," said Nihalani. When Adlakha asked him if the Board curtails the rights of producers as artistes, Nihalani asked him to leave.

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Pahlaj Nihalani thinks that press is the "middlemen" between "two parties" - one being a film's producers and the other being the certification board - since it questions a film's certification process.This is what was revealed when a journalist went and met Pahlaj Nihalani for an interview. When he questioned the certification process behind the recently released Hollywood film La La Land, Nihalani said, "You (press) are middlemen. You are interfering without any reason in our business."ALSO READ: Yes, I am a Modi bhakt, says CBFC chief Pahlaj NihalaniALSO READ: Pahlaj Nihalani halts Haraamkhor release, Twitter reactsALSO WATCH: Government should stop giving work permits to Pak artists, says Pahlaj NihalaniThe context was that La La Land, which was released in India with an A certificate and no cuts, was given the U/A certificate with a few cuts. The producers urged the board to revise the rating to U/A with no cuts since making the requisite cuts would require a budget that they had not been allocated. When that did not happen, the film's producers went ahead with an A certificate."ToCBFC ChairmanSub: LA LA LAND CENSOR RATINGDear Sir,We have received a censor rating of UA along with cuts for our upcoming title "La La Land" releasing in English (2D) on 16th December 2016. Although the film is expected to win several of the top awards we have a small budget allocated for this title. We will need to make the necessary cuts in Hollywood, the cost of which is very high and not possible to bear for this title. Therefore we would appreciate if the rating could be revised to "UA" with no cuts. If that is not possible we are willing to accept a clear "A" rating.Looking forward to your positive response."When Nihalani was asked whether the 'censor board', as it is popularly called in India, creates undue pressure on producers "to curtail their rights as artists", Nihalani asked the journalist to promptly leave the room.Feel like @anuragkashyap72@karanjohar@mehtahansal might enjoy this CBFC interview that got me kicked out of Pahlaj Nihalani's office https://t.co/5ZYxd3r4WGIn the same interview, which slowly turned into an argument between the journalist and Nihalani, the CBFC chief blamed producers for the repeated controversies (Udta Punjab, Haraamkhor, Spectre) that the CBFC has found itself embroiled in during his reign."The only problem is with the producers. They are making such movies. They require a controversy, so they are cashing in on it," Nihalani said.WATCH Khada Hai from Andaz (1994), produced by Pahlaj NihalaniNihalani also compared Indian culture to "heritage property" like the Red Fort and since, the government protects heritage property, it also has the right to protect Indian culture through bodies like the CBFC.When asked who defines Indian culture, Nihalani said, "The government."Couldn't stop myself from laughing at this exchange with Pahlaj Nihalani aka Keeper of Indian Culture in Films. https://t.co/VCJbhHTFjDpic.twitter.com/cZFLXeZF15Prior to becoming the official chairperson of the CBFC, Pahlaj Nihalani was a director-producer, best known for directing films like Haathkadi and producing hits like Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen.WATCH Mera Desh Hai Mahaan, Pahlaj Nihalani's tribute to Prime Minister Narendra ModiIronically, Nihalani, during his time as a filmmaker had expressed his discontent with the CBFC's guidelines.When the CBFC suggested cuts on certain portions of the 1996 film Dil Tera Diwana, which Nihalani had produced, because of "pelvic thrusts and (vulgar) dance movements", Nihalani complained about the "senseless" objection, which made newspaper headlines.

Ankur Vyas

11 Feb 2017,Saturday

Upset over frivolous petitions in SC, CJI imposes fines

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/supreme-court-frivolous-petitions-cji-imposes-fines/1/880184.html

Upset over frivolous petitions being filed in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice JS Khehar on Friday imposed a fine of ?10 lakh on a Bihar MLA and ?1 lakh on a Maharashtra professor. "Look at my white beard. After reading all this I feel tired also. So please," he said. Notably, SC has a backlog of over 61,000 cases.

"Whatever the case, we have to read all these pages. My brother judges are young (looking at justices DY Chandrachud and NV Ramana seated with him). They have no problem going through the entire records but I am old. Look at my white beard. After reading all this I feel tired also. So please," 65-year-old Chief Justice of India JS Khehar said in the Supreme Court on Friday. The CJI was both upset and angry about the number of frivolous petitions piling up in the apex court, which is already reeling under a backlog of nearly 61,000 cases.Pointing out that he has started imposing heavy costs on such petitioners, he slapped fines of Rs 10 lakh on a Bihar MLA and Rs 1 lakh on a Maharashtra professor in two separate cases.The CJI's remarks came just before the lawyer for the professor said she wanted to withdraw the case, which was filed challenging a circular issued by the Gujarat government. An angry Khehar rebuked the lawyer and allowed her to withdraw the plea but after imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine.BACKLOG"Why do you now want to go back to Gujarat? Why did not this occur to you when you were preparing the petition?" he said.When the lawyer pleaded for cancelling the cost, CJI Khehar shot back: "No. This has to stop and only this way it can stop. For years we have not done it. See if you have a good cause we are with you but not for such petitions which take away judicial time."Millions of cases are pending in India's courts, draining litigants of resources and pointing towards an urgent need for more judges and judicial reforms. Khehar's predecessor, TS Thakur, said last year that the country needs to double the number of judges.The CJI imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on Bihar MLA Ravindra Singh for indulging in frivolous litigation. The legislator from the state's ruling RJD had challenged in the SC a high court order dismissing his petition, which questioned the veracity of a 23-year old newspaper article. SC said the cost needs to be higher as the representative of the people was found indulging in "unpardonable" activity of wasting judicial time. When the MLA's lawyer pleaded that the cost be reduced, the CJI said after hearing the plea for leniency what came to his mind was the story of a hostel mate while he was a college student.ADJOURNMENTSRecounting the incident, the CJI said, "When a fine of Rs 25 was imposed on him in a case of indiscipline, he had said, 'I belong to a rich family. At least impose a fine of Rs 250.' Likewise you also please say I am an MLA, please impose a fine of Rs 1 crore on me and not mere Rs 10 lakh. Come on," the CJI told the MLA's lawyer, raising peals of laughter in the packed courtroom.What apparently set the tone for the CJI's angry mood in the morning hours itself was a petition filed by a car mechanic from Madurai. He was challenging "illegal additional floors" in a hospital in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu."Can a car mechanic complain about a hospital? What has he got to do with it? All these are vested interests. If anybody has a good cause we are there to hear it. We are adjourning this matter and in the next hearing if you are not able to prove your bonafides, we will impose costs on you," he said."How many cases we are going to hear which are nonsense and trash? Daily we are seeing such petitions increasing. This is Supreme Court. Do have some respect for us?," Khehar questioned.Within hours after taking charge on January 4, CJI Khehar had made his determination to bring down the backlog in the apex court clear by summarily dismissing long-pending frivolous petitions and refusing adjournments in cases. He had begun the practice of disposing of old petitions in a single sitting without granting any adjournments.

Tanya Dhingra

28 Jul 2017,Friday

Arjun, Anil Kapoor's 'Mubarakan' hits the theatres

http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/mubarakan-movie-review-anil-kapoor-outshines-arjun-kapoor-in-this-partly-funny-film/story-D7BVsvyBQ8HOlf2TKbppRO.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

The Arjun Kapoor and Anil Kapoor starrer 'Mubarakan' which released on Friday "shows some witty character sketches before losing its charm", wrote Hindustan Times. NDTV wrote, "The film goes overboard with its excessive cheeriness...into the realms of inanity", while Times of India called the film's three actresses "decorative set-pieces". It was rated 2.5/5 (HT), 2/5 (NDTV) and 3/5 (TOI).

MubarakanCast: Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana D?Cruz, Athiya ShettyDirector: Anees BazmeeRating: 2.5/5{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Review","author": {"@type":"Person","name":"Rohit Vats","sameAs":"http://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/rohit-vats"},"datePublished":"2017-07-27","description":"Mubarakan is designed as a family film where comedy is generated through quarrelling relatives.","inLanguage":"en","itemReviewed": {"@type":"Movie","name":"Mubarakan","image":"http://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2017/07/27/Pictures/_1fe6bd28-72f4-11e7-a1e4-b67c25a49489.jpg","sameAs":"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6272828/","datePublished":"2017-07-27","director": {"@type":"Person","name":"Anees Bazmee"},"actor": [{"@type": "Person","name": "Arjun Kapoor","sameAs": ""},{"@type": "Person","name": "Anil Kapoor","sameAs": ""}]},"publisher": {"@type":"Organization","name":"Hindustan Times","sameAs":"http://www.hindustantimes.com/"},"reviewRating": {"@type":"Rating","worstRating":0.0,"bestRating":5,"ratingValue":"2.5"}}Anees Bazmee?s Welcome is one of the most underrated comedies of recent times. However, over the years, it has become one of the most watched films on TV.In fact, its situational comedy is a lesson in comic timing and how to carry off a slapstick humour. This amazingly funny film revolves around an eligible bachelor who falls in love with a gangster?s sister, and how he creates confusion to have his way. Since then, Bazmee has directed Singh Is Kinng, No Problem, Thank You, Ready and Welcome Back. All these films had the theme of marriage at the centre.Watch: Our Facebook Live discussion on Mubarakan, Indu Sarkar and Raag DeshBazmee?s latest Mubarakan follows a similar trajectory, with a double-role angle. Separated in childhood, twins, Karan and Charan (both played by Arjun Kapoor) are expected to marry as per their guardians? wishes, but they are already in love with Sweety (Ileana D?Cruz) and Nafisa (Neha Sharma).Things get complicated when Charan gets engaged to a another girl, Binkal (Athiya Shetty) in London. The shy guy couldn?t gather the courage to tell his parents about his love life and that leads to a big-intra family feud that ends when Charan?s uncle swears to marry him off in exactly one month.However, Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor) is yet to arrive and add more confusion to the already-messed up affair.Mubarakan is a typical Bazmee film which starts with loud background music and solid bass. The hero walks in slow motion and dances to peppy tunes, but shows a docile attitude in front of the heroine. Arjun Kapoor takes a cue from Akshay Kumar in Welcome and jumps into this mad-caper wholeheartedly. It?s just that Anil Kapoor is a pro at it and steals all the limelight from him.His character drives a vehicle that has slogans like ?Buri nazar wale tera muh gora? and ?You are chasing a Punjabi? written all over it. He then employs an English man who mouths dialogues like ?Baadshaho tussi lassi pio? and ?Meri pagar padhao.? Most of us don?t expect any sort of explanations from such a film, so it keeps moving from Chandigarh to London in a jiffy with songs thrown in occasionally. They?re anyway needed to hold attention in this 156-minute film.You also find dialogues like, ?Ye zaroor druggie hai? Ye Punjab se aaya hai.? Then somebody casually mentions, ?Udta Punjab,? and everybody starts laughing.Anil Kapoor, however, tries his best to hold the family and the story together. As someone who unknowingly keeps creating chaos, he has been rightly given a good screen time. The only actor who outperforms in a couple of scenes is Pavan Malhotra. As an always angry hotelier who hates to be seen down upon, he is hilarious.Mubarakan shows some witty character sketches before losing its charm in the later half. The indecisive Arjun Kapoor and self-musing Anil Kapoor successfully establish a mood where you don?t mind dialogues like, ?Iss baar Christmas 25 ko hai?? or, ?Ye mooli, maamooli nahi hai.? In fact, you laugh when somebody falls off a window while trying to find the mobile network. Well, I did.Unfortunately, such moments keep getting fewer in number in the second half as the film gets totally centred on Anil Kapoor and his antics. Unlike Welcome, he doesn?t get much support from his co-actors and gigs become repetitive in nature.Some of Priyadarshan?s most likeable comedies also deal with an army of actors and a confusing thread in the climax, but he doesn?t waste much time in clearing the confusion. Bazmee takes time here as some of his characters go for long monologues. This slows down the pace and gives the audience a chance to realise the loopholes in the otherwise over-simplified story.Mubarakan is designed as a family film where comedy is generated through quarrelling relatives. This works initially but goes out of control later.But that doesn?t mean you won?t be entertained. You?ll be occasionally laughing, but probably won?t be leaving the theatre with a big smile on your face.Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha

Abhishek Bansal

11 Jan 2017,Wednesday

Saudi increases India's Haj quota by biggest margin in 29yrs

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/saudi-arabia-increases-indias-annual-haj-quota-to-1.70-lakh/1/855106.html

Saudi Arabia has increased India's annual Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh, biggest such expansion in last 29 years, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Wednesday. The NDA government has started issuing Haj applications from January 2 and also launched the Haj Committee of India mobile application to help pilgrims apply online.

Saudi Arabia has increased India's annual Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh, biggest such expansion in last 29 years, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today. An agreement to this regard was inked by Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Naqvi with Saudi Arabias Haj and Umrah Minister Dr Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten at Jeddah today, making the expansion effective from the current year. The Saudi authorities had five years ago slashed quotas for foreign pilgrims coming from each country by 20 per cent in view of safety of the devotees as they undertook expansion of Grand Mosque there. Accordingly, India's quota was brought down to 1.36 lakh from nearly 1.70 lakh in 2012. Expressing pleasure at signing of the agreement, Naqvi said his meeting with Benten was "very fruitful" as constructive discussion was held on the whole gamut of issues related to the pilgrimage, transport and accommodation facilities for pilgrims and their safety. "On behalf of the people and Government of India, we also extend gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Excellency Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, for his keen personal interest and initiative in organising a successful Haj 2016," Naqvi said in a statement. SAUDI ARABIAN LEADERSHIP Naqvi exuded confidence that under the visionary leadership of Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the "excellent" relationship between India and Saudi Arabia will be further strengthened. Stating India and Saudi Arabia share ideals of global peace, progress and prosperity, Naqvi said the two countries are tied together with strong civilisational, cultural, economic and political links. "The regular visits by the leaders and senior-level officials of the two nations have further strengthened the relationship between the two nations. The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia during April last year added new dimensions to our vibrant relationship," he said. The Minister also expressed satisfaction over the improvements in services offered to pilgrims which indicates Saudi Arabias firm commitment towards welfare and betterment of pilgrims. The NDA government has started issuing Haj applications from January 2. The last date for submission of applications is January 24. As part of its efforts to streamline the process, the government has urged pilgrims to submit their applications online. In December last year, a new Haj website was launched which provides all necessary information to Haj pilgrims, the statement said.

Daisy Mowke

23 Jul 2017,Sunday

Haryana girl Shweta Mehta wins MTV Roadies Rising

http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/mtv-roadies-rising-haryana-girl-shweta-mehta-wins-the-show/story-4BunWBo8zE8fWCDzAt9jUP.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Haryana-based Shweta Mehta, from Neha Dhupia's gang, was on Saturday announced the winner of stunt-based reality show MTV Roadies Rising. She emerged as the winner after beating Baseer Ali from Prince Narula's team. "I had auditioned for Roadies thrice in the past, but did not make it to the show. But failing thrice did not dampen my spirits," said Shweta.

Haryana-based Shweta Mehta was on Saturday announced the winner of popular stunt based reality show MTV Roadies Rising. Featuring Rannvijay Singha, Neha Dhupia, Prince Narula and Nikhil Chinappa as gang leaders, the fourteenth season of the show started its journey from Jhansi and moved to Gwalior, Agra, Amroha and Panipat, while ending in Kurukshetra. We salute Shweta?s true warrior spirit! Congratulations on winning @RenaultIndia MTV #RoadiesRising ???@NehaDhupia pic.twitter.com/wZvbejRVTk? MTV India (@MTVIndia) July 22, 2017?I had auditioned for Roadies thrice in the past, but did not make it to the show. But failing thrice did not dampen my spirits. I took the challenge head-on and auditioned again, only with the intention of winning the show. And I did win it,? Shweta said in a statement.?This definitely feels amazing. Roadies is a cult show and being associated with such a show and winning it feels out of the world. Neha ma?am wanted a girl to win this season and I feel proud that I didn?t disappoint her,? she added.

Vani Vivek

01 Jun 2017,Thursday

Tesla fires female engineer who alleged sexual harassment

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/01/tesla-fires-aj-vandermeyden-lawsuit-sexual-harrassment?CMP=twt_a-technology_b-gdntech

Tesla has fired engineer AJ Vandermeyden who accused the automaker of ignoring her complaints of sexual harassment and paying her less than her male counterparts. Vandermeyden had claimed she was taunted and catcalled by male employees. The company argued that she received special treatment at the expense of others, yet chose to "pursue a miscarriage of justice by suing Tesla."

A female engineer at Tesla who accused the car manufacturer of ignoring her complaints of sexual harassment and paying her less than her male counterparts has been fired in what her lawyer alleges was an act of retaliation.AJ Vandermeyden, who went public with her discrimination lawsuit against Elon Musk?s car company in an interview with the Guardian in February, was dismissed from the company this week.Vandermeyden had claimed she was taunted and catcalled by male employees and that Tesla failed to address her complaints about the harassment, unequal pay and discrimination. ?It?s shocking in this day and age that this is still a fight we have to have,? she said at the time.In a statement to the Guardian, Tesla confirmed the company had fired Vandermeyden, saying it had thoroughly investigated the employee?s allegations with the help of a ?a neutral, third-party expert? and concluded her complaints were unmerited.?Despite repeatedly receiving special treatment at the expense of others, Ms Vandermeyden nonetheless chose to pursue a miscarriage of justice by suing Tesla and falsely attacking our company in the press,? a Tesla spokesperson said. ?After we carefully considered the facts on multiple occasions and were absolutely convinced that Ms Vandermeyden?s claims were illegitimate, we had no choice but to end her employment at Tesla.??This was absolutely shocking for AJ. She is devastated,? Therese Lawless, Vandermeyden?s attorney, said by phone. ?She brought the lawsuit in an attempt to make the workplace at Tesla more equitable and fair and to have Tesla comply with the law.?Asked about Tesla?s justification for the firing, Lawless said: ?They?ve just proven our case. It?s clear retaliation.? She added: ?Somebody is trying to instill in employees that when they speak out about matters they are legally allowed to speak out about, they too will be fired.? Vandermeyden?s firing is likely to reignite debate over employment standards in Silicon Valley, where startups and major tech corporations are grappling with complaints of systemic wage disparities, gender discrimination and sexual misconduct.An account of alleged sexism at Uber went viral earlier this year, fueling debate about harassment in the industry, while a recent federal lawsuit against Google has placed a spotlight on concerns about tech firms underpaying women. Lawless, who represented the former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao in her high-profile discrimination lawsuit, against the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said she intended to file a formal retaliation complaint on behalf of Vandermeyden. ?It is illegal in the state of California for an employer to retaliate against an employee who asserts her rights, including her rights to receive equal pay as her male colleagues.?Vandermeyden, who started working at Tesla in 2013, claims in her lawsuit that she was paid less than male engineers whose work she directly took over as a manufacturing engineer in the general assembly department.Her complaint further alleged that she raised issues about flaws in the quality testing of cars that her supervisors and male engineers had missed. Although she came up with a solution, men were granted positions over her, she alleged. The complaint said that she and other female engineers were denied promotions despite the fact that they were ?equally or more qualified? than the men.Vandermeyden also alleged that she experienced ?unwelcome and pervasive harassment by men on the factory floor including but not limited to inappropriate language, whistling, and catcalls?.Further, the lawsuit accused Tesla of retaliating against her for speaking up. Management allegedly told her that in order to advance her position, she would need to achieve a performance standard in the factory that was not expected of male engineers and was unattainable. Although she had positive performance evaluations, she felt she had to transfer out of general assembly to the purchasing department, according to the lawsuit, which also said that Tesla retaliated against her for being a ?whistleblower?. Tesla has continued to strongly reject Vandermeyden?s claims. A spokesperson said the company had ?conducted a thorough internal investigation? and ?extensively re-reviewed all the facts?, repeatedly concluding that her allegations were false. Tesla added that Vandermeyden had been granted numerous positions ?over other more qualified candidates? and was ?given special treatment and opportunities for advancement that were unwarranted based on her qualifications?.?The termination was based on Ms Vandermeyden behaving in what the evidence indicates is a fundamentally false and misleading manner, not as a result of retaliation for the lawsuit,? the spokesperson added. ?It is impossible to trust anyone after they have behaved in such a manner and therefore continued employment is also impossible.?The Vandermeyden case is one of several labor issues that have dogged Tesla, which is facing growing scrutiny over its practices in California. Earlier this month, the Guardian published an investigation into working conditions at Tesla?s ?factory of the future? in Fremont, California, where several factory workers complained about their treatment at the plant.Incident reports revealed that ambulances have been called more than 100 times since 2014 for workers experiencing fainting spells, seizures, dizziness, abnormal breathing and chest pains. A recent report from a worker safety organization found that Tesla workers were injured at a rate 31% higher than the industry average in 2015.The company has said it has significantly improved safety standards in recent months at the factory, and Musk told the Guardian he cared deeply about the health and wellbeing of his employees. Vandermeyden, in her interview with the Guardian in February, emphasized that she believed Tesla was a ?revolutionary and innovative company? and said she took out a hefty loan to buy the cheapest version of the Model S car.?Until somebody stands up, nothing is going to change,? she added. ?I?m an advocate of Tesla. I really do believe they are doing great things. That said, I can?t turn a blind eye if there?s something fundamentally wrong going on.?At the time, Vandermeyden said she was hopeful her lawsuit and public comments would not end her career at the company. But she expressed some concern that her decision to speak out could result in retaliation. ?Half the time when I walk into work,? she said, ?I wonder if my badge is going to work.?Contact the author: [email protected]

Shubhodeep Datta

20 Dec 2016,Tuesday

Fraud worth ?150 cr unearthed in Noida gold jewellery unit

http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/rs-150-cr-fraud-by-jewellery-unit-in-noida-unearthed-says-dri/story-OKLKUfbC0zWa8LUP6LiAHP.html

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) unearthed an alleged fraud worth ?150 crore on Monday in a gold jewellery manufacturing unit in Noida, Delhi NCR and arrested its owner. The purpose of the alleged fraud was to divert or smuggle high priority gold imported from Dubai into the domestic market by evading 10% basic customs duty, reports said.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) unearthed an alleged fraud worth Rs150 crore on Monday and arrested the owner of a Noida-based unit manufacturing gold jewellery. The unit is in Noida Special Economic Zone (NSEZ). Smuggled gold has been in high demand in India post demonetisation since it is being considered a safe commodity to launder black money that is mostly available in India in old high denomination notes. In the wake of demonetisation, DRI is probing the misuse of duty free gold imports into the country, says a DRI release.The purpose of the fraud allegedly committed by Mahalakshmi jewellers was to ?smuggle/divert? high priority gold imported from Dubai into the domestic Indian market by evading 10% basic customs duty.It is estimated that more than Rs150 crore worth of imported duty free bullion has been diverted into the domestic market. The mastermind is also believed to have diverted imported gold bars procured under bond from banks/nominated agencies for manufacturing jewellery, the handout read.In multiple searches conducted by DRI on the business and residential premises of the mastermind, a total of 40 kg gold valued Rs12 crore has been seized and the mastermind, who reportedly owned the unit in NSEZ, has been arrested and remanded in judicial custody. DRI, the apex customs enforcement arm of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), intercepted a live export consignment declared as gold jewellery (22 carat) exported from NSEZ at Delhi Cargo terminal. On examination, the consignment was found to contain mostly ?copper chains? with zero gold content. Another consignment of the exporter was intercepted at NSEZ factory premises ready for export to UAE. In all, out of 35 kg declared gold jewellery, about 85-90% was found to be copper alloy and other low-value metal alloys. The actual imported high purity gold was diverted to the local market, the DRI statement said.Follow up searches are being conducted by DRI officers.

Aarushi Maheshwari

03 Aug 2017,Thursday

Hotel staff to get training to spot signs of sex trafficking

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sex-trafficking-mumbai-rescue-me-maharashtra-international-labour-organization-forced-labour-trafficking-traning-hotel-staff/1/1017210.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Hotels in Maharashtra will train their staff to spot signs of sex trafficking, including frequent requests for bed linen changes and 'Do not disturb' signs left on room doors for days. A mobile phone app called Rescue Me, which will allow staff to alert police of suspicious behaviour, will be developed. The initiative has been backed by the Maharashtra government.

Hotels in Mumbai and other Indian cities are to train their staff to spot signs of sex trafficking such as frequent requests for bed linen changes or a "Do not disturb" sign left on the door for days on end. The group behind the initiative is also developing a mobile phone app - Rescue Me - which hotel staff can use to alert local police and senior anti-trafficking officers if they see suspicious behavior. "Hotels are breeding grounds for human trade," said Sanee Awsarmmel, chairman of the alumni group of Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. "(We) have hospitality professionals working in hotels across the country. We are committed to this cause."The initiative, spearheaded by the alumni group and backed by the Maharashtra state government, comes amid growing international recognition that hotels have a key role to play in fighting modern day slavery. MAHARASHTRA MAJOR DESTINATION FOR TRAFFICKED GIRLS Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, is a major destination for trafficked girls who are lured from poor states and nearby countries on the promise of jobs, but then sold into the sex trade or domestic servitude. With rising property prices, some traditional red light districts like those in Mumbai have started to disappear pushing the sex trade underground into private lodges and hotels, which makes it hard for police to monitor.Awsarmmel said hotels would be told about 50 signs that staff needed to watch out for.These include requests for rooms with a view of the car park which are favored by traffickers as they allow them to vet clients for signs of trouble and check out their cars to gauge how much to charge.Awsarmmel said hotel staff often noticed strange behavior such as a girl's reticence during the check-in process or her dependence on the person accompanying her to answer questions and provide her proof of identity.But in most cases, staff ignore these signs or have no idea what to do, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.RESCUE ME APP The Rescue Me app - to be launched in a couple of months - will have a text feature where hotel staff can fill in details including room numbers to send an alert to police.Human trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise worth an estimated $150 billion a year, according to the International Labor Organization, which says nearly 21 million people globally are victims of forced labor and trafficking.Last year, major hotel groups, including the Hilton and Shiva Hotels, pledged to examine their supply chains for forced labor, and train staff how to spot and report signs of trafficking.Earlier this year, Mexico City also launched an initiative to train hotel staff about trafficking.Vijaya Rahatkar, chairwoman of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission, said the initiative would have an impact beyond the state as the alumni group had contact with about a million small hotels across India.The group is also developing a training module on trafficking for hotel staff and hospitality students which could be used across the country.ALSO READFYI | Legal revenge: Child sex trafficking survivors get 'School of Justice' to fight their own battlesMumbai: Woman DJ arrested in high-profile sex racket case

Ankur Vyas

16 Jan 2017,Monday

50% police posts lying vacant in Uttar Pradesh

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/5-lakh-posts-vacant-in-police-forces/1/857831.html

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of vacant police posts among all Indian states with around 50% vacancies, Home Ministry statistics have revealed. It is followed by West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka, it added. Cumulatively, around 5 lakh police posts are lying vacant across the nation, which is around 22% of the 22.63 lakh sanctioned posts.

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) A whopping five lakh police posts of the sanctioned strength of 22.63 lakh are lying vacant across the country. According to Home Ministry statistics, there are 22,63,222 sanctioned posts in police forces of all states in the country, of which 17,61,200 are occupied while 5,02,022 posts are lying vacant. The highest 1.80 lakh posts are lying vacant in Uttar Pradesh where the sanctioned strength of police force is 3,64,200 personnel. In West Bengal, which has a total strength of 1,11,176 sanctioned posts, around 35,000 posts are lying vacant. There are 1,12,554 sanctioned posts in Bihar Police, of which around 30,300 are lying vacant. In Karnataka, out of the sanctioned strength of 1,07,053 posts in its police force, around 25,500 are lying vacant. In Gujarat, which has a sanctioned strength of 99,423 posts in its police force, around 17,200 are lying vacant. Similarly, In Tamil Nadu, which has a sanctioned strength of 1,35,830 posts in its police force, around 16,700 are vacant. Jharkhand has a sanctioned strength of 73,713 posts in its police force, of which 15,400 are lying vacant. Chhattisgarh, which has a sanctioned strength of 68,099 posts, more than 8,500 posts are lying vacant. Meanwhile, according to a report of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, there are 188 police stations in the country which have no vehicle, 402 police stations have no telephone connections, 134 police stations dont have wireless sets and 65 have neither a telephone nor a wireless set.

Shubhodeep Datta

20 May 2017,Saturday

ICSE, ISC students to get digital marksheets from this year

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/icse-isc-candidates-can-now-have-digital-marksheets/1/958675.html

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations has decided to make digital copies of the marksheets available to ICSE and ISC candidates along with the traditional hard copies from this year. The students can now access the marksheets digitally anywhere from their DigiLocker, which is a service providing dedicated personal electronic space in a government-owned public cloud storage.

Kolkata, May 20 (PTI) ICSE and ISC candidates will now be able to have digital versions of their marksheets and certificates for accessing them anytime and anywhere. "Unlike the old practice when the candidates had to download the scanned image of the hard copy of marksheet, all they have to do now is to open an account with http://digilocker.gov.in and give their mobile number and follow the steps thereafter," Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) Chief Executive and Secretary Gerry Arathoon told PTI today. From this year, the council will also make digitally signed copies of the statement of marks and the pass certificates available to candidates via digilocker in addition to the traditional hard copies, Arathoon explained. In addition digitally signed migration certificates will also be made available to ISC candidates. "The signed documents can be mailed in the same way the hard documents are presented for professional/career reasons. "The documents will be stored in Digital locker (digilocker) of each candidate. Digital Locker is a service that provides dedicated personal electronic space in a government-owned public cloud storage where a candidate keep his/her documents for ever," he explained. CISCE has partnered with the department of electronics and information technology to extend the digilocker facility to Class 10(ICSE) and 12(ISC) examinations candidates in affiliated schools.

Vani Vivek

04 May 2017,Thursday

Sennheiser launches headphones priced at ?45 lakh in India

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/sennheiser-he-1-is-probably-worlds-best-headphone-and-it-costs-just-rs-45-lakh/1/945645.html

German audio company Sennheiser on Thursday launched its HE 1 headphones in India priced at ?45 lakh. The company claims the headphones took nearly a decade to develop and the production is limited to one unit a day. The headphones have gold-vapourised ceramic electrodes, while an accompanying amplifier is made using marble from Italy.

Successor to the legendary Orpheus, audio giant Senheiser's new HE 1 headphones are now available in India. And just like the legendary Orpheus, the new HE 1 will cost you a bomb to own. Senheiser has launched the premium, high-end headphones in India at an alarmingly high price tag of Rs 45,00,000. But, if the HE 1 are anywhere near as close as the headphones they will replace, well, they ought to be expensive.  "For a decade now in the Indian market, Sennheiser has shaped the industry and has been at the cutting edge of audio by continuously re-defining the gold standard of what is technically possible," said Sennheiser CEO Daniel Sennheiser. "With the HE 1, we are once again pushing the boundaries and are showing that we can repeatedly set new benchmarks in excellence and reshape the future of the high-end audio world."The new HE1 use a completely new amplifier concept that combines the superior impulse processing of a tube amplifier with the low distortion of a transistor amplifier "to perfection" according to the company. There are a total of eight vacuum tubes that process the incoming signal. The advantage of tube amplifiers is their superior impulse processing. However, one challenge is their sensitivity to air-borne-noise. For this reason, the amplifier housing is crafted from granular, in homogeneous Carrara marble and is freely suspended with the amplifier. The decoupling of the tubes in combination with the damping properties of the marble has the effect of reducing structure-borne noise to an absolute minimum. The tube amplifier stage is followed by a patented ultra-high impulse amplifier stage that is directly integrated into the cups of the headphones.Senheiser has used gold-vaporised ceramic electrodes in the headphones. The advantage of this design, it says, is the extremely short distance between the amplifier and the diaphragm which is less than one centimetre in the new HE1. Thus, the headphone system requires far less power for charge reversal. At a voltage of only around 5 Volt, the music signal is transmitted balanced to the high-voltage amplifier integrated into the headphones and is amplified there. This ensures extremely high impulse fidelity with relatively low power requirements. Just like the tubes of the tube amplifier, the system's MOS-FET transistors have a square characteristic curve to prevent the hard distortion that occurs in amplifiers with bi-polar transistors.Sennheiser uses a new amplifier concept in a class that the audio specialist calls Cool Class A. In the low-frequency range, Cool Class A provides Class A power at any volume. In the high- and ultrahigh-frequency range, the amplifier switches from Class A to the usual Class AB operation. That will, however, only be the case when listening to a very unusual frequency spectrum.

Dishant Sharma

30 Apr 2017,Sunday

Joshua defeats Klitschko to be crowned triple world champ

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anthony-joshua-vs-wladimir-klitschko-boxing-world-champion-ibf-wba/1/941894.html

British boxer Anthony Joshua defeated his Ukrainian rival Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round to be crowned the IBF, WBA and IBO world heavyweight champion in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Joshua, who extended his unbeaten record in professional boxing to 19-0, knocked down the 41-year-old former champion twice in the title bout.

Anthony Joshua delivered one of the great nights in British boxing annals by stopping Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round to be crowned IBF, WBA and IBO world heavyweight champion in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.Britain's unbeaten IBF title holder earned a sensational victory by knocking down the 41-year-old former champion twice in the 11th and penultimate round before the referee stepped in to save Klitschko from any more punishment.What was hailed as the biggest fight night ever staged in a British ring, watched by the largest crowd for a boxing show in Britain for 78 years, lived up to its billing.It was a thrilling contest which saw both combatants clamber off the canvas seemingly on the verge of defeat and looks destined to be recalled as one of the great heavyweight title fights.Joshua survived a knockdown for the first time in his professional career in the sixth round and looked close to surrendering his unbeaten record until his late bombardment forced the stoppage.In a sensational fifth round, Joshua knocked down Klitschko only to end up hanging on desperately at the end of the round as the Ukrainian launched a remarkable comeback.The veteran had even looked the more likely winner as he defied a 14-year age gap and was outboxing Joshua in the latter stages until the Briton produced a blistering finish to take his unbeaten record to 19 straight stoppage wins.Both men had to dig deep and both looked close to exhaustion before the 27-year-old Joshua's youth, fitness and sheer power took over in a penultimate round that sent the huge crowd into ecstasy as two barrages sent Klitschko down."What can I say? 19-0, three-and-a-half years in the game. As I said, I'm not perfect but I'm trying," Joshua told the cheering crowd from the ring."As boxing states, you leave your ego at the door and you respect your opponent. So a massive shout out to Wladimir Klitschko.""The best man won tonight and it's a massive event for boxing," responded Klitschko after his second defeat in succession at the hands of a British heavyweight following the loss of his titles to Tyson Fury 17 months ago after an 11-year reign."Two gentleman fought each other. Anthony was better today. It's really sad I didn't make it."The fight attracted a gate that had not been matched for a British show since Len Harvey fought Jock McAvoy for the British light-heavyweight title at another London venue, White City, in 1939.The mutual praise between Joshua and Klitschko echoed the civilised and respectful way the two former Olympic champions had behaved in the build-up to the contest but there was nothing civil about the brutal punishment they dished out to each other.After four rounds of feeling each other out, with Klitschko's movement and Joshua's power quite apparent, the crowd were not prepared for an astonishing fifth round.First, Joshua launched a blistering left hook and followed up with a flurry of punches that saw the Ukrainian drop to his knees and, when he rose groggily, take a standing count.Klitschko suddenly looked old and the end seemed nigh as Joshua roared in to finish the job but that was when he found his champion's spirit in his desperation, landing a big left of his own to leave Joshua in real peril.

Tanya Dhingra

18 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Got my debut film on my 25th birthday: Bhumi Pednekar

http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/bhumi-pednekar-didn-t-know-how-to-react-when-i-got-my-debut-film-on-my-birthday/story-El9lWinicjY6vaLukfMkHM.html?utm_source=inshorts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=fullarticle

Actress Bhumi Pednekar, who turned 28 on Tuesday, has said that she got a confirmation call for her debut film Dum Laga Ke Haisha on her 25th birthday. Bhumi added, "I didn't know how to react because I remember going back to sleep again. I was in shock I guess." Dum Laga Ke Haisha also starred Ayushmann Khurrana.

Birthdays have always been special for Bhumi Pednekar, but the most memorable one was in 2014. That year, on July 18, she got the call for her maiden Bollywood film, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which released in 2015. And the actor shares that she had taken leave from work that day, and was sleeping when her phone rang. ?I didn?t know how to react because I remember going back to sleep again. I?was in shock I guess (laughs). It was my mom and sister, who came from the other room and were very excited to tell me that I have bagged the role. They hugged me and got emotional,? recalls Bhumi. The film brought into spotlight and since then there has been no looking back.This year, Bhumi is looking forward to the release of two films, one with Akshay Kumar ?Toilet: Ek Prem Kath?and the other with Ayushmann Khurrana?Shubh Mangal Savdhan. Currently promoting the film with Akshay and dubbing for the other one, Bhumi says it will be a working birthday for her. However, she is expecting a surprise party from her friends. Boss Girl ?? Throw back to the days of chokers and sari's ?? #toiletekpremkatha #tepk #tbt #BhumiXjaya A post shared by Bhumi Pednekar (@psbhumi) on Jul 5, 2017 at 11:16pm PDT?I feel like princess on my birthdays, thanks to my family and friends. They have always showered love on me and made each of my birthdays a memorable experience. This year too, I guess won?t be different. Also, like always I visit a temple to offer prayers, and celebrate the occasion with Rashid kaka (her close family friend) and his family,? says Bhumi, as she recalls one of her most cherished birthday gift. The best love stories have known the greatest pain. Here's #LatthMaar for you ? @akshaykumar Link in bio A post shared by Bhumi Pednekar (@psbhumi) on Jul 11, 2017 at 7:41pm PDT?A few years ago, my parents gifted me a special heirloom piece of jewellery that belonged to my naani. They felt that I was responsible enough to own it now,? recalls Bhumi, who turns 28 this year. Ask her if turning old gives her any jitters, she adds, ?The day I turned 18, I was very upset. But I then I have just moved on and now, I have realised that age is just a number.?Follow @htshowbiz for more

Vani Vivek

09 Feb 2017,Thursday

Delhi to launch WhatsApp number to report public drinking

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/delhi-govt-to-soon-have-a-whatsapp-number-to-report-open-drinking/1/878513.html

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said that the government will soon launch a WhatsApp number to let people complain against those consuming alcohol in public places. Sisodia added that over 1,500 people have been caught as part of an ongoing awareness campaign against drinking in public in the national capital since November 7.

In order to rope in people in its ongoing drive against open drinking, Delhi government today decided to issue a WhatsApp number through which people could make complaint against those consuming liquor in public places in the national capital.Noting that 1,500 violators have been caught since the launch of drive last November, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia termed the move a "success". The decision to issue WhatsApp number was taken at a review meeting, chaired by Sisodia, where senior officers of Excise Department briefed him about the action taken during the ongoing drive. Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio, had launched the drive on November 7 last year, contending that consumption of alcohol in the open, particularly near liquor vends and in vehicles, was not merely a safety hazard but a major problem for women security.Also Read: WhatsApp working on status update replies and mute featuresIn another tweet, he said, "We want to rope in people in the drive so that they could give inputs (about violators)... for which Delhi government will soon issue a WhatsApp number where people can complain against people consuming liquor in public area."

Prashanti Moktan

08 Feb 2017,Wednesday

'Sasikala's proximity to Jaya doesn't qualify her to be CM'

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kamal-haasan-tamil-nadu-crisis-sasikala-panneerselvam/1/878296.html

Actor Kamal Haasan, while speaking about the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, said that Sasikala's proximity to late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa does not make her qualified for the CM post. He added, "I don't know the qualifications of Sasikala, neither do the people of Tamil Nadu." Haasan further said that the interim CM O Panneerselvam is competent.

Actor Kamal Haasan has been tweeting in mysterious language as to what's unravelling in Tamil Nadu, especially the battle between VK Sasikala and O Panneerselvam. In an exclusive interview to India Today, Haasan explained the mystery behind his tweets and his real message.Don't breakTN in2 a country. I promise, All India will fight 4TN in a civil war of Ahinsa.None might die but the ignorant will come aliveWe've wasted our freedom years gambling our fanchise on wrong& corrupt politicians. Let's stop blaming them Lets become incorruptable.He spoke about the anger of the people of Tamil Nadu, especially the sense of betrayal and how they must come to the streets if their politicians don't get their act together. The actor said that O Panneerselvam is competent enough to lead Tamil Nadu and Sasikala, in a sense, should back off from confrontation.In his interview, Haasan agreed that Sasikala's proximity to Jayalalithaa is no reason for her to become the chief minister and she should back off and let the people decide. "Time of dice playing was done with in Mahabharat. We can't be playing dice and hawking our family wives and lives, in favour of some numbers [Sasikala's MLA support]. We don't trade. We are the people," said Haasan. On Sasikala imposing her will - "Even I cannot impose my will. I can speak what I think, but can't impose. I may be proven wrong, but I must speak. Tamil Nadu has not had the best of service from politicians for more than 60 years. The first 10 years were glorious, but Congress..Kamraj-ji, Raja-ji.. they all became complacent. Then came Dravidian parties. Those promises were also not kept," said Haasan.10 statements from his interview1. "I am being careful in what I am going to say so that it does not get embroiled with the violent forces that have now been in politics for quite some time. I am trying to be equi-poised and I am not going to show any of my anger which may lead to violence. That's why the mystery."2. "My anger has to come to a point of exasperation after years. I remember these broken promises for more than 40 years now. I am not blaming one party. It's high time people (of Tamil Nadu) realise their responsibilities and come forward and say - 'You told us what democracy means, but we get to call the shots. We are not getting it. We don't need leaders. We are not sheep. We don't need to be led. We want people who work for the nation just like who we are'."3. "I am not going to jump into the so-called bandwagon of Panneerselvam. The last conversation I had with him was during the jallikattu [row], where I told him he should go to the people. We'll have to realise how the state can be run." 4. On his political aspirations - "I stain my finger with a dot when I vote. That's how far am willing for the stain to spread, not anymore. I am political. I make my statement. I have political ideologies. I settle for what could be good for the people because they have the mandate to choose their leader. I am one of them. I don't want my way all the way."5. On Sasikala being an interloper in corruption case: "They are all there...It's a conglomeration of corruption. Let's not pinppoint a lady." 6. "Right now, we have a choice. A CM has been sworn in and he has not shown any signs of damage or incompetency. He has been good so far. We don't know what's coming to us. And you (political leaders) can't keep dumping us with your indecisions.This is party's indecision."7. "Mr Panneerselvam is not a friend or a foe. He's a tool to execute my democratic will. It doesn't matter, we'll find another tool much sharper than him, if need be. That's the direction we should take. In the name of equipoise, we can't get blunter and blunter tools so that we go back to Stone Age."8. "I have reservations about both of them [Panneerselvam and Sasikala]. But right now this guy has proven his mettle and is OK, and we'll throw him out of his office if we feel he is incompetent again. That's the will of people."9. On Sasikala imposing her will - "Even I cannot impose my will. I can speak what I think, but can't impose. I may be proven wrong, but I must speak. Tamil Nadu has not had the best of service from politicians for more than 60 years. The first 10 years were glorious, but Congress..Kamraj-ji, Raja-ji.. they all became complacent. Then came Dravidian parties. Those promises were also not kept."

Rini Sinha

04 Jul 2017,Tuesday

Priyanka slammed for alleged lip job in Instagram picture

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/priyanka-chopra-get-a-lip-job-instagrammers-seem-to-think-so/1/993686.html

Actress Priyanka Chopra was slammed for allegedly getting a lip job, after she shared a picture on Instagram recently. Users claimed that her lips looked fuller than before. A user commented, "Priyanka Chopra is a plastic beauty", while another user wrote, "Why do they even get their lips done. They look so weird."nn

A lot has been written over the years about Priyanka Chopra's alleged lip job. It is believed by many that the actor's enviable pout is not natural. Priyanka has repeatedly denied getting any cosmetic procedures done, but that hasn't stopped Instagrammers from trolling her for the recent selfie she posted on the photoblogging site.Summer lovin... ð???ð?¥?ð???ð??¼ð??? #carfiesundayA post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Jul 2, 2017 at 7:49am PDTPee Cee's recent "carfie" has sparked rumours of another lip job, with many claiming that her lips look fuller than before.Priyanka had earlier told The Times Of India, "I have never felt the need for any enhancement surgery. What I have is what I have been blessed with." Adding that she was not against plastic surgery, she had said that her different looks over the years were because of make-up, not plastic surgery."It hurts when people judge or crucify me on imaginary counts. I have looked different at different ages because I have worked on my look. I love myself the way I am," Priyanka had said.On the work front, Priyanka is currently shooting for her second Hollywood venture, A Kid Like Jake. She is yet to announce any Bollywood projects that she will act in.ALSO READ: Priyanka Chopra says that the option to get married is always open