Karthik heroics help India beat Bangladesh to win Nidahas Trophy

March 19, 2018

NEW DELHI: Dinesh Karthik smacked a six off the last ball to help India register a thrilling four-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the final of the Nidahas Trophy T20 Tri-Series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. It was a dramatic end to the chase as Karthik hit a flat six over extra cover with India needing five to win with one ball left.

India were in control as they reached 132/4 after 17 overs in pursuit of Bangladesh’s 166/8, but Mustafizur Rahman had a different plan as he bowled a terrific wicket-maiden 18th over, conceding just a leg bye to the under-pressure rookie Vijay Shankar and dismissing Manish Pandey off the last ball. The equation changed to 34 off two overs when Karthik came in to bat, but the experienced finisher – he was Man of the Match in India’s very first T20I back in 2006 – displayed immense calmness to smash Rubel Hossain for a couple of sixes and fours to score 22 runs in the penultimate over.

The match was still not over with India needing 12 in the final over and with Shankar was on strike in his first International innings. The all-important final over started with a wide and a dot ball, before Shankar took a single. Karthik could manage just one in the next ball to leave the equation at nine from three balls. Shankar hit a four before falling off the penultimate delivery – mistiming a lofted shot down the ground – and Karthik took India home in style with a shot heard around the world.

The skipper Rohit Sharma had given India a flying start (24/0 in two overs) but they lost Shikhar Dhawan (10) and Suresh Raina (0) in six balls to slip to 32/2 in 3.3 overs. Rohit kept the scoring rate high and along with KL Rahul resurrected the chase. The duo put on 51 runs for the third wicket in six overs to keep India in the hunt, a stand that ended when Rahul top-edged Rubel Hossain in the tenth over. Rahul scored 24 off 14 balls, which included a six and two fours. The wicket put a break on India’s run rate.

Rohit completed his 14th T20I fifty off 35 balls in the 12th over, but the runs almost dried up as the skipper and Pandey managed just 15 runs in the next 3.5 overs. Rohit fell for 56 to Nazmul Islam in the 14th over with India needing 69 in 40 balls. Thankfully for them, they had Karthik to follow.

Earlier, Sabbir Rahman (77 off 50 balls) helped Bangladesh post 166/8. Yuzvendra Chahal (3/18) and Jaydev Unadkat (2/33) took wickets at regular intervals, but Sabbir kept the scoreboard ticking from one end.

Bangladesh’s innings was also dented by two run-outs but Mehidy Hasan (19 not out off seven balls) compensated by scoring 18 runs off Shardul Thakur’s final over. For India, Washington Sundar (1/20) also had a good outing but Shankar (0/48) and Thakur (0/45) gave away 93 runs in eight overs.

Sent in to bat, Bangladesh had a good start but lost three wickets in ten balls to be reduced to 33/3 after five overs. Sundar gave India an early breakthrough when he dismissed Liton Das (11) in the fourth over and then Chahal rattled the innings with a double strike in the fifth. First, Tamim Iqbal was caught at the long-on boundary line where Thakur took an excellently judged catch and four balls later, Soumya Sarkar, while trying to sweep, hit straight to Dhawan at backward square.

Rahman, along with Mushfiqur Rahim, stabilised the innings with a 35-run stand for the fourth wicket in 5.1 overs. Rahman targeted all-rounder Shankar to increase the scoring rate as he hit a six and a four in consecutive balls to take the team over 50-mark. Chahal broke the partnership in the 11th over by dismissing the in-form Rahim (9).

Bangladesh lost skipper Shakib Al Hasan (7) in the 17th over through another run out. Unadkat then ended Rahman’s innings in the penultimate over before dismissing Rubel Hossain for his second.

Also read : Mohammed Shami may still play for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

Mohammed Shami may still play for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

March 17, 2018

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami who has found himself amid controversy After the serious allegations levelled by his wife Hasin Jahan in the last few years, may still represent Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, hinted BCCI.

The board said that Shami will also get his annual contract back if the report filed by the BCCI’s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) head Neeraj Kumar absolves him from any wrongdoing as per the Board’s Code of Ethics.

The Board feels that allegations of domestic violence levelled by Shami’s wife Hasin Jahan are completely under police jurisdiction and they have nothing to do with it. “The brief is pretty clear. The BCCI’s handbook has an ‘Ethics Code’ for cricketers with a specific clause regarding financial transactions. The ACU is only investigating Shami’s dealings with Mohammed Bhai and Alishba and the alleged monetary exchange his wife is talking about. If Kumar’s report absolves Shami of any wrongdoing, he will be immediately handed back his Central Contract,” a senior BCCI official said on Friday.

About Shami’s participation in the Indian Premier League, BCCI said that the onus will be on Delhi Daredevils to take the final call. Since IPL is an inter-club tournament, the franchise has to decide whether they want to play Shami.

“We have decided that we will go by the report submitted by ACU chief Neeraj Kumar. Based on recommendations, a final decision will be taken. We have nothing to do with anybody’s private life. If he gets a clean chit, then he can play. If he doesn’t, then he won’t. This is what we have decided. The report will come in next four-five days, till then we will wait for the report,” IPL Governing Council Chairman Rajiv Shukla said.

Meanwhile, the former Indian skipper and current CAB president Sourav Ganguly said that he is sure that the matter will be solved. “It’s a personal thing (of Shami) and I don’t wish to comment,” Ganguly said. Mohammed Shami plays for Bengal in domestic cricket.

Also read : MS Dhoni can help CSK players reach the next level, says S Badrinath

Nagpur : Portable traffic signals in 25 squares

March 17, 2018

Portable traffic signals in 25 squares

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started installing portable traffic signals for temporary purpose on squares where permanent traffic signals not functioning due to execution of various types of developmental projects. Traffic signals on 11 more squares required to be removed.

The Nagpur Municipal Corpoation traffic department in a press release issued here said portable traffic signals were installed at 15 squares in last few days.

“NMC had installed traffic signals in 155 squares. Various types of developmental projects- Metro Rail, cement concrete road on Ring Road and IRDP roads, flyovers at Sadar, Pardi etc- are under construction. Traffic signals are 36 squares stopped functioning due to various reasons including damage to cables etc,” the Nagpur Municipal Corpoation said.

The civic body added portable traffic signals will be installed in more 10 squares in coming days. “Traffic signals in 11 squares turned out to be of no use so require to be removed. Either the squares not remained as junctions or no scope for monitoring of works through signals.”

Nagpur Municipal Corpoation official said initiatives have been taken as to ensure smooth flow of traffic and prevention from mishaps.

Traffic signals in few squares where no works being carried out are also not working properly.

Also read : Maharashtra cabinet decides to ban plastic from March 18

North-East to be ‘New Engine’ of India’s growth: PM Modi

March 16, 2018

Imphal : Terming North East of India as the New Engine of growth, PM Modi on Friday said that India’s develpoment story is proportional to the progress of the eastern part of our country.

Speaking at inauguration of the 105th session of Indian Science Congress in Manipur University, Prime Minster Modi said, “I have always maintained that India’s growth story shall never be complete until the eastern part of our country progresses at par with the western part. The North-East can be the ‘New Engine’ of India’s growth.”

The Prime Minister meanwhile also laid the foundation stone of 1000 Anganwadi Centres.

“These centers will work as a medium for improving the health of thousands of Mothers and their babies. They will also benefit from the recently launched National Nutrition Mission,” he said.

Speaking on the lines of women empowerment, the Prime Minister said that the Manipur state government has undertaken construction of a new hostel for girls in the tribal area.

“I am happy that the State government is working to reduce the problems faced by girls in Hill and Tribal areas for their education. The state government has undertaken construction of a new hostel for girls in the tribal area. I am fortunate to inaugurate 1 such hostel today,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Speaking here, the PM Modi also remembered political leader Rani Gaidinliu, who led a revolt against British rule in India and inaugurated a park dedicated to her name.

“Woman power in this state has always been a source of inspiration for the country. Today, on this occasion, I salute the great revolutionary and daughter of the nation Rani Gaidinliu,” he said.

PM Modi further informed that the Government of India has sanctioned ten India Reserve Battalions for the North Eastern States, which include two battalions for Manipur.

“These two battalions will directly provide job opportunities to about 2,000 youth in the State,” he opined.

Also read : Krishi Unnati Mela 2018 : Prime Minister Modi to address farmers

Daler Mehndi convicted of human trafficking, gets two years jail time

March 16, 2018

Daler Mehndi convicted of human trafficking, gets two years jail time:

Popular Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Delhi court after being convicted in the 2003 human trafficking case.

The singer, who is known for making bhangra look cool, has been charged for sending people abroad illegally under the guise of his dancing troupes and charging hefty passage fees in return.

As per a report, Daler and his brother, Shamsher Singh, had illegally sent people abroad by disguising them as members of his troupe. In return, they charged a hefty “passage money.” The report further suggested that the Mehndi brothers had taken two troupes in 1998 and 1999 to the US and illegally “dropped off” 10 persons there.

However, he was granted bail by the Patiala Court.

Daler and his brother were accused by a man identified as Jaswinder Singh. According to Singh’s complaint, Daler Mehndi, his brother Shamsher and others had taken money from them to the tune of Rs 1 crore on the pretext of taking them abroad. The complainants, however, alleged that the deal never matured and the accused even failed to return the money.

The police had registered a case against Daler and others after it was alleged that the accused took money from people to the tune of Rs 1 crore on the pretext of taking them abroad.

According to reports, Daler Mehndi, his brother Shamsher was reportedly found guilty of dropping off 3 girls in San Francisco.

Later they took another troupe to the USA in October 1999 in the company during which three boys were dropped off at New Jersey.

Also read : Bhagwant Mann resigned as a Punjab chief of Aam Aadmi Party

Bhagwant Mann resigned as a Punjab chief of Aam Aadmi Party

March 16, 2018

A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised to former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia over drugs charge, party’s Punjab unite president Bhagwant Mann has resigned from the post.

Mann, who is Lok Sabha MP Sangrur seat in Punjab, tweeted that he is quitting the party post and that his fight against drug mafia will continue.

“I m resigning as a president of AAP Punjab …but my fight against drug mafia and all kind of corruption in Punjab will continue as an “Aam Aadmi “ of Punjab,” his tweet reads.

ਮੈਂ ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨਗੀ ਦੇ ਅਹੁਦੇ ਤੋਂ ਅਸਤੀਫ਼ਾ ਦੇ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ ..
I m resigning as a president of AAP Punjab …but my fight against drug mafia and all kind of corruption in Punjab will continue as an “Aam Aadmi “ of Punjab

— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) March 16, 2018

Yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal had apologised to Majithia for alleging that he was involved in the “drug trade” during assembly elections last year.

Majithia had filed a defamation case against the Aam Aadmi Party chief and others following the allegation made during campaigning in the Punjab assembly elections.

“I hereby withdraw all my statements and allegations made against you and apologize for the same,” Kejriwal said in a letter, adding that he has now learnt that the allegations were “unfounded” and the damage caused to Majithia’s esteem and the loss caused to him was regretted.

The AAP’s Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu also reacted sharply to the apology, tweeting , “Arvind kejriwal’ apology to Bikram majithia in the defamation case on drugs is a let down to the people, especially the youth of Punjab. We in punjab have not been taken into the loop. Our fight for Punjab continues.”

“Shocked & disappointed 2 know abt the apology tendered by Arvind Kejriwal 2 Majithia. I still believe drugs wud not have taken so much young lives had the previous Govt not patronised drug mafia. Our fight against drugs continues,” the party’s Punjab unit co-president Aman Arora tweeted.

Lok Insaf Party (LIP) leader Simarjeet Singh Bains was also miffed at the apology by Kejriwal to Majithia. The LIP is AAP’s ally in Punjab.

Also read : Krishi Unnati Mela 2018: Indian Agriculture Fair; all you need to know

NASA May Build ‘HAMMER’ Spacecraft To Blow Up Earth-Bound Asteroid

March 16, 2018

LONDON: Preparing itself to deal with a potential asteroid impact, NASA has drawn up plans to build a huge nuclear spacecraft that is capable of shunting or blowing up dangerous space rocks and safeguarding life on Earth.

The spacecraft named Hammer (Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response) is an eight tonne spaceship which could deflect a giant space rock, if it happens to hit Earth, The Telegraph reported late Thursday.

The 1,600-foot-wide asteroid Bennu is circling the sun at 63,000 mph. It is now at a comfortable 54 million miles from Earth.

While NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission is en route to Bennu to take samples, in a new paper detailed in the journal Acta Astronautica, experts calculated the time and payload it would take to move or destroy asteroid Bennu, that is been monitored since its discovery in 1999.

Although there is little risk it could hit the Earth, it is still considered as an NEO, or Near Earth Object, which would hit the planet with 1,450 megatons of TNT, the report said.

Bennu’s impact would release “three times more energy than all nuclear weapons detonated throughout history”, said Dante Lauretta, professor at the University of Arizona.

“The impact would release energy equivalent to 1,450 megatons of TNT,” Lauretta said.

However the study showed that Earth would need years of warning to be able to put a deterrent plan in action.

The experts calculate that 7.4 years would be needed from building Hammer, to the craft hitting the asteroid.

Earth is hit by asteroids with surprising regularity but most are too small to do much damage or fall in unpopulated areas.

NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies now lists 73 asteroids which have a one in 1,600 chance of hitting the Earth, the Telegraph said.

Also read : SpaceX launches its largest satellite ever which is nearly the size of a bus

Google Assistant Now Available in Hindi

March 16, 2018

Google Assistant has now officially received Hindi support. The new support is rolling out to devices with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above and will soon debut on Android 5.0 Lollipop, iPhones (iOS 9.1 and above) and Android Oreo (Go edition) devices. It comes days after Actions on Google received support for Hindi and 15 other international languages. Signs of Google Assistant supporting the Hindi language had emerged in late January when the voice-based personal assistant started giving results for few Hindi queries.

In December 2016, Google Allo received a native Hindi Assistant and Google launched a special Google Assistant version for Jio Phone with support for Hindi and English languages.

To access Google Assistant in Hindi, set your device language to Hindi and then touch and hold the Home button or say “OK Google” command. You need to download the latest Google Search app to receive the new experience. Further, Google has built a dedicated site to highlight what Hindi commands you can use in the Google Assistant app. It is worth noting here that since Hindi support is rolling out for compatible devices through a server-side update, it may take some time to reach your device.

With the latest development, Google Assistant has once again made the competition difficult for Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri that both are yet to add Hindi support. The arrival of Hindi Google Assistant also make the space for the launch of Google Home smart speaker range. Moreover, it ultimately opens an avenue to let non-English speaking users experience Google Assistant right by passing commands in Hindi. Users can access the new support to send text messages, set reminders, or get directions directly through Google Assistant.

For instance, you can instruct Google Assistant “Kal subah mujhe saat baje jagaao” to set an alarm for 7am. You can also similarly ask “Cricket ka score kya hain?” to get cricket score updates.

Machine learning-backed Google Assistant uses a mix of natural language understanding, computer vision, and understanding user context to give appropriate results for Hindi queries right in Hindi. The personal assistant also learns user preferences, likes, and dislikes to give a personalised experience.

Last month, Google expanded Actions on Google in 16 languages, including Hindi, Thai, Indonesia, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Dutch. That move was aimed to help developers create deep link actions within the Google Assistant app for languages other than English. Strategically, the Actions on Google set the pitch for the Hindi Google Assistant that is now rolling out for the masses.

Also Read : Redmi 5A Lake Blue Colour Variant Launched in India

Notably, Google silently added Hindi support to the Assistant app in the past, as we reported in late January, that was limited to few Hindi queries and was mainly designed for voice commands in Hindi. The previous development did include the ability to respond users in Hindi though it was transcribing Hindi commands to English and accepting Hindi queries via transliteration.

“The Google Assistant is truly Indian, it’s your helpful dost that speaks our language and understands the things you care about, from finding biryani recipes, to pulling up the latest cricket score, or finding directions to the nearest ATM. In order to make it even more useful to Indians over time, developers and businesses can now build Actions for the Hindi Assistant through the developer platform Actions on Google. Once an action is built, you can just say ‘Ok Google, talk to’ and access the service or content straight through your Google-Assistant,” said Purvi Shah, Technical Program Manager, Assistant.

Krishi Unnati Mela 2018: Indian Agriculture Fair; all you need to know

March 16, 2018

Krishi Unnati Mela 2018: Indian Agriculture Fair

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh will inaugurate the Krishi Unnati Mela to be held from March 16 to 18 at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi. The main objective of the event is to introduce digital technology in agriculture, precision farming, organic farming and agri-business models.

The event includes live demonstration and display of integrated farming system, production technologies of crops, and protected cultivation.

Farmers can visit the experimental fields of Indian Agricultural Research Institute and learn about micro-irrigation, water use technology, irrigation system, new farm equipment’s, recycling of waste water for agriculture, bio fertilizers, agro-chemicals and on spot soil and water testing.

Farmers can also interact with field experts and scientists along with innovative farmers from the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing farmers on Saturday and will inaugurate the Jaivik Kheti Portal, 25 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) and Biennial National Conference on KVK. Prime Minister Modi will confer National Level Krishi Karman Awards and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Krishi Vigyan protsahan awards to progressing farmers and best performing states.

More than 600 stalls will be installed to provide and display direct access to the latest technologies along with exclusive seed selling counters for farmers in order to purchase quality seeds.

Event also carries cultural films and shows on various aspect of agriculture. The main aim behind Krishi Unnati Mela is to double the income of farmers by 2022, as per Radha Mohan Singh.

Also read : Krishi Unnati Mela 2018 : PM Modi to address farmers

MS Dhoni can help CSK players reach the next level, says S Badrinath

March 16, 2018

MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of India’s finest cricket captains in history. The Ranchi-born wicket-keeper batsman has given the country two World Cups – World T20 in 2007 and 50-over World Cup in 2011 – and has taken the team to new heights with his leadership. Taking over the reigns from Sourav Ganguly, Dhoni has had his style of captaincy and former Indian speedster Laxmipath Balaji gave his insights as to how Mahi has his own way of helping a bowler develop. Citing the examples of previous seasons, Subramaniam Badrinath said that he won’t be surprised if the current crop of young bowlers at Chennai Super Kings go on to take the next step in their development under MSD’s leadership in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

On the sidelines of a promotional event at Don Bosco school in Chennai, Balaji was accompanied by Ambati Rayudu and S Badrinath. The trio gave insights into their understanding of Dhoni’s captaincy style and Badrinath even said that it won’t be a surprise if Dhoni goes on to hone more talented young pacers at CSK this season.

“MS Dhoni has the capabilities to produce (talented) cricketers. Someone like a Gony or Mohit, they went on to become the cricketers they were and it was MS who produced such cricketers. I wouldn’t be surprised if MS produces such cricketers again. He analyses and assigns them specific roles and that is what makes MS standout as a leader. He identifies these cricketers, persists with them and ends up producing them,” Badrinath was quoted as saying by TOI.

CSK have some very fine pace bowlers in the form of Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi and Mark Wood, with Badrinath of the opinion that they can develop like former CSK players Manpreet Goni and Mohit Sharma.

Almost every single captain is seen in constant conversation whenever a rookie bowler comes up, but that isn’t the style of Dhoni, who lets them be their own in charge. Balaji – the newly appointed CSK bowling coach, who has played for the franchise under Dhoni himself, compared his leadership with the art of swimming by self-learning after being pushed into the water by the teacher.

“MS Dhoni doesn’t involve much and only when a bowler is really thrown into a corner he takes over. He will give you challenges and let you be in your space to understand them. He will not compel a bowler to do something which is not the bowler’s style. That I have experienced as a player. On the field, you will be handled by one of the greatest captains. Dhoni will give you the freedom. Apart from that, you will learn to swim on your own under Dhoni’s leadership,” Balaji said.

Also read : Wasim Jaffer scores century in Irani Cup, breaks several records

Maharashtra cabinet decides to ban plastic from March 18

March 16, 2018

The Maharashtra government has taken the decision to ban the use of plastic in two phases, a notification for which will be issued soon. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday night. The government cited environmental and public health concerns for taking the significant step which would be strictly enforced in a time-bound manner.

Earlier, State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam had said the ban would be enforced on March 18. A senior cabinet minister requesting anonymity said: “The government has taken the decision to get rid of use of plastic in two phases. A short-term and a long-term policy have been drafted to tackle the plastic menace.

All the small and medium-scale industries and big industries which are involved in plastic businesses would be provided an adequate time frame to switch over to alternative modes of businesses. Various business models have been recommended by the government along with employment to the people engaged in the plastic industries.”

The state environment department has conveyed that the ban would be for all polythene bags, specified type of plastic sheets, flags, flexes and banners, plastic and thermocol items such as plates, cups, glasses, forks, bowls and spoons.

The supply of milk in plastic bags will have to be replaced with environmental friendly containers or bottles. Gradually, all types of food supply which is packaged in plastic will have to be replaced with environment friendly containers and boxes. Cloth bags, bio-degradable containers, bottles, plates, cups and others items would be promoted to help plastic industry to explore alternative business.

The decision will be enforced across rural and urban Maharashtra. All municipal corporations, municipal councils, district collectors and chief executive officers of the zilla parishads have been sensitised to ensure its implementation in their respective regions.

The government also intends to provide some incentives to those who strictly adhere to the ban decision. There is also a proposal to slap a penalty such as non-renewing of licences for shops and industries which violate the decision.

Ravi Jashnani, president of the Maharashtra Plastic Manufacturing Association, said, “Merely banning plastic is not the solution. Even in the past, the government had banned plastic bags below 50 microns. However, it is available in the illegal market. Even this time around, banning plastic will only create a second market for illegal bags, causing losses to the government.”

Also read : Krishi Unnati Mela 2018 : PM Modi to address farmers

Wasim Jaffer scores century in Irani Cup, breaks several records

March 15, 2018

Veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer scored yet another century in domestic cricket in the ongoing Irani Cup match between Vidarbha and Rest of India. During this knock, Jaffer became the sixth Indian batsman to go past 18,000-run mark in domestic cricket. Jaffer also became the first Indian and oldest Asian to register a 250 plus score at the age of 40 in a first-class inning. He became the fifth Indian batsman to score a double century at the age of 40.

The record for most first-class runs for India still remains with Sunil Gavaskar. The former Indian skipper had scored 25834 runs in his career. Jaffer, who had made his first-class debut in 1996-97, went past Dilip Vengsarkar (17868) and GR Viswanath (17970) during his knock. The 40-year-old player is now the second cricketer behind GR Viswanath to score six consecutive half-centuries in Irani Cup.

He is now only behind Sunil Gavaskar (25,834), Sachin Tendulkar (25,396), Rahul Dravid (23,794), VVS Laxman (19,730) and Vijay Hazare (18,740). Wasim Jaffer broke records with every single run he took. The former Mumbai opener registered the highest individual score in Irani Cup history, going past Murali Vijay’s 266.

At stumps on day 2, Wasim Jaffer was not out on 285 runs. His knock included 34 boundaries and one six. He also took his tally of first-class hundreds to 53. Jaffer is on the 8th spot on that list led by Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar with 81 centuries.

“Really good to see Wasim Jaffer score another 100 with so much ease. Its also great to see him so committed even at this stage of his career. #inspiration,” former Indian batsman VVS Laxman wrote on Twitter.

Really good to see Wasim Jaffer score another ???? with so much ease. Its also great to see him so committed even at this stage of his career. #inspiration

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) March 14, 2018

Jaffer who is playing his 242nd first-class matches, has now played in as many as 12 Irani Cup games (mostly for Mumbai, a few for Rest of India and now for Vidarbha) with over 1000 runs to his name. He was the top-scorer for Vidarbha this season scoring 595 runs in nine matches and helping the side to a Ranji Trophy title.

Also read : IPL 2018: This is the best squad we have now, says Virender Sehwag

Indian restaurant in Dubai turns 50

March 15, 2018

Indian restaurant in Dubai turns 50

Dubai: Joshi Restaurant and Café, an Indian eatery in Meena Bazaar, has just completed 50 years. Established in 1968, the vegetarian restaurant is renowned for its thalis (traditional Indian platters) and snacks.

“It all began in 1962 when my eldest brother came to Dubai to work as a chef,” says Kaku Maharaj, 60, co-owner of the restaurant.

“A year later, he brought me and my other siblings. As time went by my brother’s culinary skills became well known among the Bhatia community here. So much so that community members suggested he open a restaurant. So in 1968, my brothers and I started Joshi Restaurant and Café in Bur Dubai. It was the only Indian restaurant that served Indian vegetarian food in Dubai back then.”

The restaurant was initially located in a villa opposite Al Fahidi Plaza. “We targeted only about 50 customers, mainly officegoers. Some would come all the way from Deira to eat the meals we served. As the Indian community started to grow and more people came to live in Dubai our menu expanded and so did our business,” says Maharaj.

All about the thali

Back in the 60s and 70s, the restaurant only served the thali, a platter of food consisting of items like vegetable curries, lentil gravy, rice, bread and yoghurt.

“Back then the dirham was not yet in operation and we charged 100 Indian rupees for a thali. Our regular thali today is priced Dh20 while a Bhatia Thali which is a more elaborate serving is priced Dh40.
Through the years we have changed our menu to suit the tastebuds of our customers. We used to prepare only thalis and samosas, but today we have a chaat counter and introduced a number of Indian snacks, savouries and sweets.”

Redmi 5A Lake Blue Colour Variant Launched in India

March 15, 2018

Redmi 5A Lake Blue Colour Variant Launched in India

Xiaomi on Thursday announced the launch of a Lake Blue variant of the Redmi 5A in India. It will be made available alongside the other Rose Gold, Gold, and Dark Grey colour variants.

First sale of the new Lake Blue model was held at 12pm on Thursday on Mi.com and Flipkart. In the same announcement, Xiaomi India also revealed that it had sold five -million units of the Redmi 5A since launch; something which was hinted when the price of the phone’s 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant was hiked to its original Rs. 5,999 last week.

Launched initially in Dark Grey and Gold colour options, the Redmi 5A recently got a new Rose Gold variant last month. With the addition of Lake Blue, the Redmi 5A now matches the lineup of phones like the Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5, and Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Xiaomi Redmi 5A specifications:

Except for a refreshed paint job, the Lake Blue variant is identical to other Redmi-5A variants. The phone sports a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display and runs MIUI 9 on top of Android Nougat. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC, coupled with 2GB/ 3GB of RAM and 16GB/ 32GB inbuilt storage options.

In the camera department, the Redmi-5A bears a 13-megapixel rear sensor with features like f/2.2 aperture, LED flash, and PDAF. On the front is a 5-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture. There is a 3000mAh battery, with a claimed 8-day battery life, under the hood.

Connectivity options on the handset include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, Infrared, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Redmi 5A also has proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and an accelerometer.

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Race 3 : Salman Khan shares first teaser motion poster

March 15, 2018

Race 3 : Salman Khan shares first teaser motion poster

On your marks…get set…ready…go! That is what Superstar Salman Khan’s upcoming film Race 3 is all about. A ‘Race’ to the finish.

On Thursday morning Salman shared the first motion poster of Race 3 on his Twitter and Instagram account, which will be directed by Remo D’Souza.

3 months to go … #Race3 #Race3ThisEid @SKFilmsOfficial @tipsofficial @RameshTaurani @remodsouza @Asli_Jacqueline @thedeol @AnilKapoor @Saqibsaleem @ShahDaisy25 pic.twitter.com/2kB2FYwjbY

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) March 15, 2018

The 13 second teaser poster shared by the actor has grabbed all eyeballs and fans can’t help but to control their excitement for the action thriller film.

Ever since the announcement, Race 3 has raised all eyebrows for all the right reasons. Be it Salman as the lead actor replacing Saif Ali Khan or the rumours of Salman driving the fastest car in the world in Dubai.

The film has become one of the most anticipated films of 2018 and will feature an all new cast except Jacqueline Fernandez and Anil Kapoor, who have previously worked in the prequels.

Also, the film’s first look will be shared in the first week of April followed by the trailer of the film, which will also release in the same month.

Presented by Tips and Salman Khan Films, the film featuring Salman, Jacqueline and Anil also has Saqib Saleem, Bobby Deol and Daisy Shah in pivotal roles.

Directed by Remo D’Souza. Race 3 is all set to release on the occasion of Eid, June 15.

Also read : Omerta Trailer: Rajkummar Rao Reels You Into the World of Terror

Krishi Unnati Mela 2018 : PM Modi to address farmers

March 15, 2018

जर तुम्हालाही नरेंद्र मोदींशी संपर्क साधायचा असेल तर जाणून घ्या ही माहिती — Narendra Modi

Krishi Unnati Mela 2018 : PM Modi to address farmers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address farmers on Saturday 17.03.2018 at the annual Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, “The objective of the 3-day mela is to create awareness to farmers about the latest agriculture related technological developments”.

The main theme pavilion of the Krishi Unnati Mela will be based on Doubling of farmers’ income by 2022.

The three-day Annual Krishi Unnati Mela is being organized between March 16 -18, 2018 at Mela ground, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi.

“Hon’ble Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Jaivik Kheti portal and lay the foundation stone of 25 KVKs(Krishi Vikas Kendra) on March 17, 2018 “ said Press release.

The Union Agriculture Minister said that PM Modi will also inaugurate the Jaivik Kheti Portal and confer Krishi Karman Award and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Krishi Vigyan protsahan awards. The Minister said, lakhs of farmers and agriculture scientists will participate in the mela.

The Minister also informed that during the mela latest agriculture and allied sector technologies will be displayed at more than 600 stalls.

The theme area will display different kinds of organic farming techniques like natural farming and eco-farming.

The objective of the mela is to create awareness about the latest agricultural technological developments and receive feedback from the agricultural community, which helps in designing the Institute’s future research strategy.

Apple music in a race for most popular music streaming service

March 15, 2018

In the race for global music streaming supremacy, the gap between Spotify and Apple Music is getting smaller.

Apple Music is growing its American subscriber base at a faster rate than Sweden-based Spotify and may usurp Spotify as the most popular music streaming service as soon as this summer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

But globally, Apple Music still has a long way to go. Spotify has more than 70 million global subscribers, whereas Apple Music told the Wall Street Journal it now has 36 million subscribers — up from 30 million in September.

Apple Music — which comes preloaded on all Apple devices — has been growing at 5 percent in subscribers in the United States every month. Spotify, in contrast, has a 2 percent monthly subscriber growth rate, according to the Wall Street Journal.

When accounting for users who listen to either service for free during a trial period, Apple Music already has a slight lead over Spotify, reports the Journal. Both Apple Music and Spotify offer a trial period before their regular individual subscription models, priced at $9.99 a month. Apple Music’s trial period lasts three months, while Spotify’s is 30 days.

Apple Music has three to four times more users in the trial period than Spotify, boosting its overall listenership numbers in the United States past Spotify.

Music streaming services have soared in the past five years as the largest revenue generator for the music industry, as CD sales and album and song downloads declined. In 2011, music streaming services accounted for $650 million in revenue; five years later, music streaming generated $3.93 billion, larger than CD sales and downloads combined.

However, music streaming services have struggled to turn the popularity into profit. Spotify, which is expected to have its long-waited IPO this spring, has never reported a profit. Pandora, an Oakland-based service that predates Spotify, has severely struggled; its founder and CEO Tim Westergren stepped down from the company last June but a new regime has yet to overturn its depressing share prices. Last month, Pandora announced a “broad restructuring” that involves layoffs and expanding in Atlanta as a way to “add instrumental talent in a region with lower costs than the company’s headquarters in Oakland.”

It is unclear if Apple is making a profit from Apple Music, but the Cupertino tech giant regularly touts its “services” — an umbrella term to describe all Apple-owned software platforms such as iCloud, App Store, Apple Pay and Apple Music — and their consistently high growth year over year. In its last earnings report released recently, Apple reported its services sector grew 18 percent from a year ago to $8.47 billion.

Apple Music also will have a hardware companion to help boost its numbers: the HomePod. Apple’s new smart home speaker, has been advertised as the home speaker with superior sound quality than its competitors, which include Amazon Echo and Google Home.

With the $349 HomePod, Apple Music can be played directly through the device by voice command. Spotify and other streaming services, however, can be played via HomePod by controlling the music from an iPhone or iPad using the AirPlay feature.

Also Read: Vivo V9 India Launch Now Expected on March 23

Nagpur Municipal action against illegal rooftop hookah parlour

March 15, 2018

NAGPUR: In a first, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) anti-encroachment squad took action against two restaurants including a rooftop illegal hookah parlour in tony Abhyankar Nagar and another restaurant on Hingna road on Wednesday.

The action was jointly conducted by Laxmi Nagar zone and NMC’s fire and emergency services department, said assistant municipal commissioner Suwarna Dakhane.

The first action was taken at G+3 storey Pooja Arcade where SR Cafe Restaurant and Smoking Zone had come up on the rooftop of the building. The restaurant was constructed illegally without any permission from Nagpur Municipal Corporation, even though it is completely a residential building. The owner Mohammed Shakil Khan had not obtained any permission to run the restaurant from the fire department, said chief fire officer Rajendra Uchake.

“We found the rooftop restaurant was constructed with bamboos and even the kitchen was set up near the tarpaulin posing fire threat,” he said.
Dakhane said the owner had also encroached upon the building’s basement and converted it for playing snooker.

The assistant commissioner said the owner tried to prevent the action by claiming of a stay order which he had procured from the high court. Initially, the team stopped the action midway but upon verification, we learnt that there was no such stay order against Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s zone and fire department to take action, she said.

“Today, we have demolished half of the rooftop structure and remaining illegal construction will be razed within a couple of days,” she said.
Later, the squad moved towards Hingna road to take action against a terrace restaurant which too was illegal. Dakhane said the hotel being run by Hemant Darvekar did not obtain no-objection certificate from the fire department.

She, however, claimed that only part of the hotel structure was demolished as the owner has assured to remove the construction on his own.

According to fire department official, it has served notices to 169 bars (out of 293) for violating fire safety compliance. Similar action was initiated against five hookah parlours and four rooftop restaurants.

Also read : 24×7 water supply scheme to cover 60% homes by Dec 2018: CM Devendra Fadnavis

Maruti Suzuki may return with six-speed gearbox this year, starting with new Swift

March 14, 2018

Maruti Suzuki might have a crack at six-speed transmission once again this year. Deviating from its budget-friendly family car image, the Indian car market leader is reportedly planning to launch cars with six-speed gearbox to make them more driver-centric.

Maruti Suzuki is planning to take up the new Swift as the first car to get a six-speed transmission under this project, Moneycontrol reported . The third generation Maruti Suzuki Swift was launched in India last month at the Auto Expo 2018.

“Maruti is looking to shore up the use of six-speed transmissions in a gradual way. Starting with 50,000 units in the first year the demand is projected to go to 400,000 units per year by 2020,” the report quoted an industry source.

A six-speed transmission enhances the fuel efficiency of the vehicle with its better spaced gears, one of the desirable attributes of Maruti Suzuki cars even now. An extra gear helps the car run at high speeds at lower RPMs. The cabin noise is also reduced with six-speed gearbox, as compared to a five-speed one.

As of now, the entire Maruti Suzuki portfolio uses five-speed gearbox, even company’s flagship sedan in India, Ciaz. The auto giant had employed a six-speed gearbox for the first time in its first generation S-Cross, a premium hatchback crossover that met with limited success. The last generation was phased out, along with the 1.6-litre engine and the six-speed gearbox. The existing generation of S-Cross runs a 1.3-litre diesel engine coupled with a five-speed gearbox.

Maruti Suzuki needed to move to six-speed transmissions since the competition already has the feature. Hyundai, the second place holder in the Indian car market, is using six-speed transmissions in Elite i20, Verna, Elantra, Creta and Tucson. Tata Motors had launched Nexon, a compact SUV competing against Maruti Suzuki Brezza, with six-speed manual gearbox, and a six-speed automatic variant in the cards.

Premium SUVs from Mahindra & Mahindra, like XUV500 and Scorpio, and Tata Motors’ Safari and Hexa, also have six-speed transmission. Renault sells three cars with six-speed gearboxes, namely – Duster, Captur and Lodgy.

Also read : Ola’s Nagpur experiment facing significant problems

Omerta Trailer: Rajkummar Rao Reels You Into the World of Terror

March 14, 2018

Omerta is a gruesome true tale of criminal mastermind, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh played by Rajkummar Rao. Directed by Hansal Mehta, the trailer of the film shows the journey of a radical and hardened criminal committing atrocities in the name of religion.

Rajkummar, who has already proven his mettle with his previous performances, has described this as “the toughest character I’ve played till date”.

Omerta exposes the real life story of the British criminal as well as state-sponsored terrorism.

Speaking at the trailer launch, director Hansal said, “Omertà takes a look at this complex paradox of a man called Omar Saeed Sheikh. It was a difficult subject to choose and a challenge to make. However, with an actor like Rajkummar, no challenge seems insurmountable and this was the ideal film to hurtle us out of our comfort zone to make something that is uncomfortable. But that is the burden of truth – it is uncomfortable and it must be faced. The film looks at what it means to be a fundamentalist and for someone to pick up a gun with the intent of killing in return for an afterlife in Paradise. I want to leave the viewer with a sense of awe, disgust, hate, surprise and let them examine the ramifications of these events on their lives today.”

“Omertà is among the most researched films that I have worked on till date. We actually visited some of the places frequented by Omar in London during his transformation from an LSE graduation student to becoming this deadly terrorist. I needed to feel and touch this man’s past – to ingest him. It was not an easy journey for me to take. With Omertà and Hansal Sir, we have a combination that will probably leave you stunned. There will be this moment of shock and silence as the end credits roll,” Rajkummar said at the launch.

This is one film to watch out for!

Also read : Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol are reuniting after seven years with Housefull 4

Vivo V9 India Launch Now Expected on March 23

March 14, 2018

Vivo V9 launch event in India has been rescheduled

Vivo V9’s India launch has been rescheduled to March 23. The smartphone was previously expected to launch in the country on March 27, however, Vivo on Wednesday sent out a revised invite to the media that confirms the new schedule.

This aligns with the global launch of the Vivo V9 that is planned in Thailand for March 22, just a day ahead of the advanced India launch. The smartphone is already teased with a vertically-placed dual rear camera setup and a near-bezel-less display panel with a notch – both matching the design language of the iPhone X.

The revised invite circulated by Vivo doesn’t reveal any further details about the Vivo V9. It does give a glimpse of the vertical dual rear camera setup, as before. The handset also recently got listed on an e-commerce website in Indonesia that revealed its price of IDR 4,999,000 (approximately Rs. 23,700).

Specifications:

The online listing additionally mentioned some specifications, including a 6-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixels) AMOLED display, Snapdragon 660 SoC, 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage, and the dual rear camera with 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel image sensors. Further, the handset is rumoured to run Android 8.0 Oreo-based FunTouch OS 4.0.

For capturing selfies, the Vivo V9 is claimed to have a 24-megapixel wide-angle camera sensor on the front. It is also said to have features such as facial unlock, fingerprint sensor, and fast charging support.

As per retail box of the Vivo V9, which has lately been spotted on Twitter, the smartphone will come with FIFA World Cup 2018 branding. Also, the box appears quite similar to iPhone packaging.

Also read : Google to ban all cryptocurrency related advertising

Now, app-based cabs to operate from Nagpur Railway Station hassle free

March 14, 2018

Now, app-based cabs to operate from Nagpur Railway Station hassle free

Nagpur : In a great relief to passengers, 10 App-based cabs are being run from Nagpur Railway Station officially. Now passengers alighting at Nagpur Station can go to their destinations in city hassle free as they will be able to hire app-based tax service on both sides of Station.

The running of App-based taxis will spare the passengers of arrogant auto drivers and hefty hire charges as well.

Auto drivers shooed away cabs:

City is now-a-days is witnessing run of App-based taxis. Everyone is booking the easy-to-get and km based taxis. Most needed at Nagpur Railway Station but the arrogant auto drivers used to disallow entry of these taxis for absurd reasons. In this tricky situation, passengers had to come out of station premises, sometimes up to Kasturchand Park, to hire the taxis.

But now the situation has changed. After the fruitful talks between the App-based taxi companies and Railway authorities, permission was granted to operate app-based taxis from Nagpur Railway Station. Now, 10 taxis can be parked at drop-&-go lane. A space has been allotted to the concerned taxi company. Things would be easier with the change.

Making cab services available was a long-pending demand of passengers. Cab drivers’ attempts to enter railway station premises were foiled by auto drivers who often damaged cabs and even attacked the drivers.

Also read : 24×7 water supply scheme to cover 60% homes by Dec 2018: CM Devendra Fadnavis

Google to ban all cryptocurrency related advertising

March 14, 2018

Google to ban all cryptocurrency related advertising

Google is banning advertisements for cryptocurrency related content. The ban includes trading advice on cryptocurrencies and also initial coin offerings.

According to the notice made by the company, the changes will come into effect in June this year.

Google say that the policy will apply globally.

Google’s director of sustainable ads, Scott Spencer said: “We don’t have a crystal ball to know where the future is going to go with cryptocurrencies, but we’ve seen enough consumer harm or potential for customer harm that it’s an area we want to approach.

It comes after Facebook decided to ban cryptocurrency ads on its platform in January.

On its business page, a post from the social network said: “We’ve created a new policy that prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency.”

It added that there are many companies advertising cryptocurrencies that are currently not operating in good faith. Facebook said its policy would be reassessed in the future “as our signals improve.”

In January, the Financial Conduct authority waned that investors are being targeted by fraudsters on social media and persuading them to sign up to invest in cryptocurrencies. It found that young people were the most at risk from online scams.

In the recent Trust and Ad report, Google revealed that it removed on average 100 bad ads per second in 2017.

Also read : WhatsApp adds ‘Block revoke request’ feature to prevent misuse of the ‘Delete for Everyone’ feature.

24×7 water supply scheme to cover 60% homes by Dec 2018: CM Devendra Fadnavis

March 14, 2018

24×7 water supply scheme to cover 60% homes by Dec 2018: CM

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has praised uninterrupted water supply scheme of orange city in Maharashtra Legislative assembly on Tuesday.
He said 24 x 7 water supply scheme is running successfully in Nagpur. Presently, 81,801 families are receiving drinking water supply round the clock under this scheme. The civic body aims to supply uninterrupted water to about 60 per cent household by December 2018.

Fadnavis was replying to a question asked by Saoner MLA Sunil Kedar regarding 24 x 7 water supply scheme. He said, the Central and State Governments had given 50 percent and 20 percent funds for the scheme while Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had shared 30 percent funds for the project. The scheme was delayed by two years since the Central and State Governments stopped their contribution. Now, State Government has decided to provide entire fund for completion of the scheme, he announced.

The Orange City Water (OCW) has expedited the work of construction of water tanks to provide uninterrupted water to the citizens. The installation of water meter and laying of water line is over. At the time of inception of the scheme, area on city outskirts were not included in the scheme. Therefore, more than 1970 water tankers were pressed into service.
The government has prepared a project under AMRUT scheme to provide water to outskirts. The proposal of Rs 287 crore is ready for the scheme. MLAs Sudhakar Kohle and Shashikant Shinde also participated in the discussion.

Also read : NMC asks Empress Mall to shut 39 shops declared unauthorized & unsafe

IPL 2018: This is the best squad we have now, says Virender Sehwag

March 14, 2018

IPL 2018: This is the best squad we have now, says Virender Sehwag

Kings XI Punjab mentor Virender Sehwag on Tuesday rated the new-look Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise as the best of all seasons.

Punjab included several new players in their squad and also retained left-arm spinner . In the auctions, Punjab also retained the services of batsman David Miller and pacer Mohit Sharma.

“In the past, we didn’t have that strong a team and the Indian players were also not that good except Axar and Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper). But this time, we have players who are playing regularly for the national team. I think that we have so far the best team and that is why we feel that we could win this edition,” Sehwag told reporters.

The former India opener also praised all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and West Indian batsman Chris Gayle. The experienced duo were bought at their base price.

“I am happy that both players were bought at their base price because other teams could spent crores on them. So if they could win us 3-4 matches, it’s good for us,” Sehwag said.

During the interaction at the jersey launch here, Sehwag said a bowler could become a good captain because of his ability to read the situations quicker.

Earlier, the franchise appointed off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as their skipper for the edition.

Also read : Indian Premier League 2018: ‘Best Vs Best’ Anthem Launched In Five Languages

NMC asks Empress Mall to shut 39 shops declared unauthorized & unsafe

March 14, 2018

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has declared 39 shops situated on the ground, first, second and third floors of Empress Mall as unauthorized and unsafe. The civic body had also directed developer KSL and Industries Limited to shut the shops, but since the order was not complied with, directives have been given to NMC water works department and MSEDCL/SNDL to snap water and power connections to these parts of the mall immediately.

A team of NMC Dhantoli zone, fire and emergency services department, and town planning department inspected the entire mall on February 28. On March 5, NMC Dhantoli Zone declared parts of the mall’s basement, ground plus fours floors as unauthorized, and issued notice under section 53 of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act to KSL. It also directed it to stop using these parts and demolish the structures.

Also, the fire department issued notice dated March 6 to KSL under section 8(1) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Act declaring these parts unsafe and also directed vacating these areas due to lack of fire preventive and safety systems. Then, the department also issued letters to MSEDCL/SNDL and water works department to snap power and water supply, respectively, on March 6.

Copies of the notices were submitted with advocates Vivek Bharadwaj and Anirudha Deo, who represent petitioners Chandu Lade and others in the PIL being heard in Nagpur bench of Bombay high court.

The NMC departments have pointed out violations on a large scale in the mall. All these violations are in addition to the series of violations that came to fore in the mall since 2013. “All these unauthorized constructions cropped up in these parts of the mall after issuance of part occupancy certificate dated January 20, 2011. Total unauthorized construction is 1,58,105.07 sq ft (14,693.78 sq m),” NMC said.

Earlier, NMC had pointed out unauthorized constructions in mall and other structures in Empress City, excluding residential towers, at 4,71,247.21 sq ft. Now, the total unauthorized constructions have increased to 6,29,352.28 sq ft, which is equal to 630 residential flats measuring 1,000 sq ft each.

The NMC departments were sitting pretty citing stay from HC and not taking action against the mall for the last one-and-a-half years.
Hearing the PIL, judges BP Dharmadhikari and Swapna Joshi, on January 24, had slammed NMC for negligence. Also, MLC Anil Sole submitted LAQ for discussion in state legislative council, where discussion was held on March 7. A day before, NMC departments had issued the latest notices.
One of the directors of KSL, Gaurav Tayal, told it was not appropriate on NMC’s part to initiate such action during pendency of PIL and writ petitions in the HC. “We also filed an objection against the fire department’s latest notice with director of Maharashtra Fire Services. Our aim is to give the best to the city. We are regularizing all unauthorized constructions. Various applications, including revised layout plan, are under consideration in NMC,” he said.

Sole said NMC’s latest notices prove negligence of officials in taking action against Empress mall and city. “CM Devendra Fadnavis had ordered an inquiry into negligence of NMC. The civic body should regularize whatever is compoundable and demolish remaining structures immediately. Open spaces should be taken over as per the agreement and basic amenities should be ensured. Necessary action should be taken against KSL,” he said.

Also read : Nagpur Municipal Corporation to start bicycle sharing project

Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol are reuniting after seven years with Housefull 4

March 13, 2018

Actor Bobby Deol is elated to come on board for the fourth installment of the Housefull franchise due to his Ajnabee co-star Akshay Kumar’s presence. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Housefull 4 will also mark the return of Sajid Khan as the director for the franchise.

“I am really looking forward to collaborating with both the Sajids. I’ve always wanted to work with Sajid Nadiadwala and finally it’s happening,” Bobby said in a statement.

“Akshay and I share a great rapport and it will be fun working with him again. Housefull 4 is a big franchise and I can’t wait for the film to start,” added the actor, who is busy shooting for Race 3 in Abu Dhabi.

Bobby has worked with Akshay in four films: Ajnabee, Dosti: Friends Forever, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo and Thank You.

Housefull 4 also stars Riteish Deshmukh and is set for a Diwali 2019 release.

On the other hand, actress Sonakshi Sinha’s spokesperson has refuted all reports claiming that the actress was in talks for the project.

The statement, issued on Tuesday, read: “Sonakshi Sinha surely has many films in the pipeline and every now and then we keep hearing speculations about her signing some film. And one such recent rumour is that the actress is doing Housefull 4. However, none of this is true.

“Sonakshi will be shooting for Dabangg 3 around the same time as Housefull 4 goes on the floors.”

Similarly, Parineeti Chopra has also put an end to the speculations doing rounds that she will be a part of Housefull 4.

In a tweet, Chopra rebuked the tabloid which released the story speculating her involvement in the movie writing, “Today’s story in the DNA is ABSOLUTELY FALSE!!! I have not been approached for the film. Please don’t make up stories @dnaAfterHrs !!!

Today’s story in the DNA is ABSOLUTELY FALSE!!! I have not been approached for the film. Please dont make up stories @dnaAfterHrs !!!

— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) March 12, 2018

The actress’ official spokesperson also negated the claims, “Parineeti hasn’t been approached for Housefull 4. So the rumours doing the rounds are absolutely untrue”.

Parineeti currently has a line of films coming up including Namaste England, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, and Kesari in the near future.

Also read : Hate Story IV becomes the 5th highest opening weekend grosser of 2018

Nagpur Municipal Corporation to start bicycle sharing project

March 13, 2018

Nagpur Municipal Corporation to start bicycle sharing project

NAGPUR: With a view to promote non-motorized transport, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is all set to start bicycle sharing project.
The NMC’s traffic department has submitted a proposal before the general body meeting, to held on March 20, for its nod to invite expression of interest for appointing an operator to run the project. The operator will be responsible for purchase of the bicycles and its maintenance. The bicycles will be used under self-start dockless cycle transport scheme.

As per the proposal, the operator will solely be liable for all the expenses, repairs and its usage. Nagpur Municipal Corporation can appoint more than one operator for the scheme. Operators will also be responsible for insuring the cycles. The safety and protection issues will handled by the city police, the proposal stated.

Another proposal has been submitted by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s public works department over National Highways Authority of India proposal to handover four patches for repair and maintenance after cement concretization of these patches including Zero Mile to Automotive Square, Zero Mile to Khapri ROB, Hotel Pride to Ajni Chowk and Kadbi Chowk to Automotive Chowk get completed.

After nod from the standing committee, malaria and filaria department has submitted the proposal to allow it to levy fine on the citizens if it finds stagnant water in the surroundings and mosquitoes breeding there. The proposal to impose between Rs100 and Rs500 fine will also be tabled before the general body. With a view to control larva breeding, the department has prepared a by-law to penalize repeat offenders.

Also read : Maharashtra Government To Make Adulteration Of Milk A Non-Bailable Offence

Commonwealth Games 2018 : Manpreet Singh to lead hockey team

March 13, 2018

New Delhi: Hockey India on Tuesday named the 18-member Indian Men’s Hockey Team which will represent the country at the prestigious Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games to begin on April 4. The Indian team is grouped in Pool B along with Pakistan, Malaysia, Wales, England and will begin their campaign on April 7 against Pakistan.

The 18-member team will be captained by midfielder Manpreet Singh while the responsibilities of vice-captain will be shouldered by Chinglensana Singh Kangujam. It was under Manpreet’s leadership the Indian team lifted the coveted Asia Cup 2017 followed by a bronze medal feat at the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017.

Freeman and drag-flick expert Rupinder Pal Singh will form India’s wall of defense along with Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Kothajit Singh, Gurinder Singh and Amit Rohidas, while the goalpost will be guarded by India’s experienced goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who made a strong comeback into the team during the New Zealand Tour where he displayed some exceptional goalkeeping abilities. He will be backed by the 22-year-old talent Suraj Karkera who played a crucial part in the team’s good show in Bhubaneswar last year in his senior counterpart’s absence.

India’s midfield will see skipper Manpreet Singh in the lead role, ably supported by the experience of Chinglensana along with young blood in Sumit and Vivek Sagar Prasad. The Indian attack will feature a lethal combination between experience and youth as SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Dilpreet Singh are all in the team.

Dilpreet Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad who made their international debut during the New Zealand tour have been rewarded with this opportunity for a good show where the duo scored in important games.

“This team has been picked keeping in mind the team’s performance in the previous tournaments since the Asia Cup 2017. We have tried out different combinations in the past events and we believe this will be the most effective combination for the Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games,” asserted Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

He further stated that the team has a winning mindset and will look to aim for the best in the quadrennial event. “This team has been improving with every match and while we could not produce a podium finish at the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2018, it will have no influence on how we are going to play in Australia and we will be going there with a mindset to win,” said the 43-year-old Dutch Coach.

In the previous two outings at the Commonwealth Games, India has finished second behind Australia. Skipper Manpreet Singh, however, is confident of turning the tables this time. “Our first aim is to do well in the group stage because we have some strong teams in our Pool. It’s extremely crucial to top our table and make the Semis but if we do meet Australia in the knockouts, I believe we will be up for a strong challenge.” said the 25-year-old Manpreet Singh.

Also read : Indian Premier League 2018: ‘Best Vs Best’ Anthem Launched In Five Languages

Maharashtra Government To Make Adulteration Of Milk A Non-Bailable Offence

March 13, 2018

Mumbai : The Maharashtra government may bring in a law to make the adulteration of milk a non-bailable offence, with a punishment of up to three years in jail.

State food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat said in the Legislative Assembly that if the punishment for milk adulteration was increased to three years, there will be no scope for the accused to get bail.

He was speaking in the Lower House after Ameet Satam (of the BJP) and others raised the issue through a Calling Attention notice.

Mr Bapat said at present, the adulteration of milk is a bailable offence having a provision of punishment for six months.

“If the imprisonment period is increased to three years, there will be no scope of bail for the accused,” he said, adding that the Maharashtra government will soon enact a law to this effect.

Many members in the House demanded life imprisonment for the accused in such offences. But, the minister cited difficulties in enacting a law with the provision of life sentence.

Mr Bapat said currently there are four mobile vans in the state for testing the adulteration of milk, and admitted that the tests was not conducted regularly.

He, however, assured that the authorities concerned would be asked to carry out regular tests.

“The mobile vans would conduct tests more frequently on the milk carried in vans entering Mumbai and some other parts of the state,” the minister said.

Earlier, Mr Satam claimed that about 30 per cent of the milk brought into Mumbai was adulterated.

He said surprise checks were not being conducted because of the shortage of mobile vans and the staff.

The BJP member demanded amendments to the existing laws to check the adulteration of milk, medicines, and food in hotels.

Also read: Primary education should only be in Indian languages: RSS

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