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Aamir keen to cast Deepika as Draupadi in Mahabharata, but will the actress agree?
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IPL 2018: Virat Kohli becomes third Indian to captain 100 T20 matches
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ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD EDITION Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News 'Threatened' to falsify girl's age: School principal on Asaram rape case Jodhpur: Threats and attacks were not just extended to the witnesses of the Asaram rape case, revealed victim's school principal, who said that he was also threatened mentally and physically and pressured to prove that the girl was 18 years old. In a historic verdict, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday held guilty Asaram Bapu and two others in the rape of a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in 2013. 77-yearold Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment while the other two accused were awarded a 20-year jail term each by the court.
K'taka victory stepping stone for Cong in 2019 LS polls: Siddaramaiah Bengaluru: Amid conflicting reports about his victory prospects, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah exuded confidence in his party ahead of the May 12 Karnataka elections, stating that the Congress party is a "game-changer". "Not me, our programs are the game-changer, I am just a symbolic head of the Govt. People are happy with us, we have fulfilled promises," the chief minister said. Victory in Karnataka will be a stepping stone for Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he said.
Fadnavis-led Maharashtra govt good for nothing: Uddhav Thackeray Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday lashed out at the Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying it was "good for nothing", and demanded a separate home minister for the state. At present, Fadnavis holds the Home portfolio. Thackeray's comments came after a local Sena leader, Sachin Sawant,wasshotdeadonApril 22. Prior to it, two Shiv Sena leaders were shot dead earlier this month in Ahmednagar district after the result of a civic bypoll there was announced. "The Fadnavis government is good for nothing.
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The other two accused Shilpi and Sharad have been sentenced to 20 years each in jail.
Asaram Bapu gets life term in prison forrape of minorschoolgirl Jodhpur: The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday sentenced selfstyled godman Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment for the rape of a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in 2013. Earlier on Wednesday, the court had held Asaram and two others guilty of the crime. The other two convicted accused, Shilpi and Sharad, have been sentenced to 20 years each in jail. The verdict was pronounced by Judge Madhusudan Sharma inside the Jodhpur Jail due to security reasons. Two other attendants of Asaram Bapu were acquitted by the Jodhpur court in the case. In the case registered in Rajasthan, a 16-year-old girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013. The girl was brought to the ashram by her parents. Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought
to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He has been under judicial custody since September 2, 2013. After the conviction, Asaram's spokesperson Neelam Dubey said after discussion with their legal team, a future course of action would be decided. Hailing the verdict, the victim's father said the family had finally got justice. "I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment. I also hope the witnesses who
were murdered or kidnapped get justice," he said. Asaram was taken into police custody in August 2013, following which he was taken to Jodhpur Central jail. A month later, a potency test was conducted on him and was produced before a Jodhpur court. In November the same year, the chargesheet filed against Asaram and four others -Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash -- had indicated blackmail in exchange of sexual favours, after
which the former was booked under Sections 342, 376, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). In the years that followed, a number of key witnesses in the case were attacked or went missing. In 2014, Asaram's personal aide was shot dead, while another associate was killed in 2015 in Muzaffarnagar. In the same year, two more witnesses were attacked by unidentified individuals, while another witness went missing from Lucknow. While the selfstyled godman has filed a number of bail petitions, a total of 12 applications were rejected by the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court. Asaram is also facing a rape case in Surat in which the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks time to the prosecution to complete the trial.
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This comes days after 7 opposition parties moved an impeachment notice against the Chief Justice of India.
Top 2 judges ask CJI Dipak Misra to call full court to discuss SC 'future'
New Delhi: Days after seven Opposition parties led by the Congress met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and handed over a notice seeking the impeachment of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, two top court judges have asked the CJI to call a "full court" to discuss the "future" of the Supreme Court. The opposition parties, led by the Congress, initiated the unprecedented step to impeach the CJI by moving the notice levelling charges against him. In a brief two-sentence letter, Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Madan Lokur demanded that the CJI call a “full court” to discuss “institutional issues” and the “future” of the court, according to news agancy report.Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah
Naidu had earlier on Monday rejected the notice to impeach the CJI citing lack of substantial merit in it. Naidu said in an order on Sunday that he had detailed personal conversation on all the aspects arising from the notice and had considered each of the allegations made in it individually as well as collectively. The Rajya Sabha chairman said that after having perused annexures to the motion, detailed consultations and studied opinions of constitutional experts, he was "satisfied that admission of this Notice of Motion is neither desirable nor proper".
Remove laws discriminating against leprosy patients: SC tells government New Delhi : Holding that leprosy was curable, the Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Centre and states to do the needful to delete from statute books all laws that discriminated against people suffering from the same. “Delete from statute books all such laws…We
are sure centre and states will rise to the occasion to remove the provision relating to disability. We are conscious that leprosy is absolutely curable,” a bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said. The
court also took objection to the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) requirement that passengers that passengers travelling in its trains must carry a certificate stating that the disease is not contagious. The bench said it does not approve of this. The bench
yold Advocate A D N Rao appearing for DMRC that Tuberculosis was once considered incurable and contagious but there was no such stigma associated with now. Leprosy too was curable, the bench observed. The directions came on a PIL by NGO Vidhi Centre for
PM's advice on deaf A win in Karnataka, ahead of 2019 general polls, would give BJP huge foothold in south and bolster PM Modi's chances of second term. ears: BJP MLA calls Mamata Banerjee 'Surpanakha'
PM Modi may need alliance to end Congress’ rule in Karnataka: Opinion polls New Delhi: Gains by the BJP in the Karnataka assembly election next month will fall short of a majority, an opinion poll showed, potentially forcing it to seek an alliance to end the rule of the Congress party in its last big state. A win in Karnataka, the first of three key states to vote this year ahead of a 2019 general election, would give Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party a huge foothold in the south and bolster his chances of a second term. The BJP could more than double its tally to 89 seats in the 224-seat assembly in the state election, but fall two seats short of the Congress tally, according to the opinion poll by television station Times Now and VotersMood Research aired late on Monday. Regional party Janata Dal (Secular), of former Prime Minister Deve
Gowda, together with smaller ally the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), is likely to win 40 seats and emerge as the kingmaker in an assembly that needs 113 seats for a majority, the poll showed. Another opinion poll conducted for the India Today news channel this month also predicted that both the Congress and BJP, on their own, would fall short of a majority. The Janata Dal is confident of forming its own government with the BSP and would not support the BJP or Congress, its spokesman,
Ramesh Babu, said. He denied that the party had a "secret pact" with the BJP, as some Congress leadersinthestatehavesuggested. Top BJP and Congress leaders have campaigned extensively ahead of the election in Karnataka.Electionresultswillbe declared on May 15. "Karnataka is significant for the BJP because it needs to outperform in the south and the east of the country to make up for expected losses in the north," said Amitabh Dubey, a political analyst with consultancy TS Lombard.
Lucknow: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned the BJP motormouths to keep quiet and not get carried away while making statements on "relevant issues", Surendra Singh, a lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia on Tuesday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was playing role of "Surpanakha". He said Mamata being the CM was not doing anything even when people were getting killed on streets. "Mamata Banerjee is playing role of Surpanakha. People are getting killed on streets and she being CM isn't doing anything about it, such leader isn't a good one," he said. Singh went on to say that Hindus were unsafe in Bengal and if nothing was done to change the situation.
Legal Policy which sought elimination of all forms of discrimination against persons suffering from leprosy. It sought repeal of at least 119 laws and rules which it said are discriminatory against those affected by leprosy. The petition pointed out that with the advancement
of medical science, leprosy is no longer an incurable disease. Continued discrimination meted out to those who had been cured of the diseased violated their fundamental rights of equality, freedom of speech and expression and life and personal liberty, it submitted.
India, Mongolia to enhance bilateral trade, investments Swaraj will participate in a special event to commemorate the birth centenary of the Venerable 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, who was not only an eminent Buddhist leader, but also the longest serving Ambassador of India to Mongolia.
U l a a n b a a t a r : India and Mongolia on Wednesday discussed economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, energy, services and IT and agreed to explore possibility of launching direct air connectivity between New Delhi and the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a joint media briefing with Mongolian Foreign Minister D Tsogtbaatar after
the 6th Session of the IndianMongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation here said the two countries agreed to explore ways to identify new areas of cooperation in all sectors of mutual interest and to enhance bilateral trade and investments. Swaraj, the first Indian foreign minister to visit the resource-rich country in 42 years, said India sees Mongolia as a factor of stability in East Asia and believes that Mongolia’s social and economic
development is important for peace and prosperity in the region. During the IndianMongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation, the two sides discussed pressing global challenges, particularly the scourge of terrorism and agreed to collaborate bilaterally and in international arena to thwart the designs of those who extend support to terrorist outfits. The two sides also reviewed the progress in the ongoing collaborative projects, including the refinery project selected by the Government of Mongolia for implementation with the support of USD one billion Indian Line of Credit. “We directed our officials to coordinate follow up action on each side for the expeditious implementation of these projects.
2 / Dt. 26/04/2018, thursday, Ahmedabad Edition Editors’ Picks thursday, 26 april, 2018
Asaram conviction: Justice is delivered
T he conviction of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu for the rape of a teenage girl, criminal intimidation and sexual harassment comes at a time when there has been nationwide outrage against crimes against minor girls. Few will, therefore, sympathise with the baba, except his socalled 'hardened' devotees who refuse to see reality and believe their guru has been framed. Some of them have been rounded up as a precautionary measure. With the experience of the Panchkula violence following the conviction of fellow godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim for similar crimes behind it, the Union home ministry asked the Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana governments to tighten security and deploy additional forces as the three states have a large number of Asaram followers. The septuagenarian godman had given away his mindset when, in 2012, he held the victim responsible in the rape of Nirbhaya. He suggested that Nirbhaya should have addressed her rapists as brothers, which would have dissuaded them. One year later, he, himself, raped a 16-year-old girl on the pretext of giving her blessings at his ashram in Jodhpur. Did he mean that the logic of the brother-sister relationship did not apply between the guru and the disciple? Anyway, the 'miracle healer' can now heal himself for the rest of his life in Jodhpur Central Jail, where he has already spent time since 2013. We have no dearth of godmen who preach love, but practise hatred. Asaram had been accused of conducting tantrik rituals inside his ashram. Suspicion over his activities there arose when the decomposed bodies of two boys were found near the ashram in 2008. He is also embroiled in a rape case in Gujarat, where two sisters have lodged separate complaints against him and his son, Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement. At least 10 attacks, including a couple of deaths, are attributed to Asaram and his cronies. Babas like Ram Rahim and Asaram Bapu have used a proven template of success to build one of the most lucrative businesses. They start modestly and spread wings gradually until they set up their own kingdoms and take full command. Intoxicated with a concoction of luxury, wealth and clout, they become ruthless in defending their territory. They use their large army of followers as vote banks and bargain with political parties to secure their patronage so that they can be above the law. And they command loyalty cutting across party affiliations, which was visible from the muted response to the verdict against Asaram. There have been tit-for-tat postings on social media, with the Congress tweeting a photo of Narendra Modi with Asaram, only to be followed by one showing Digvijaya Singh bowing down before the rapist baba. But, for the people of India, it is justice delivered.
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
Bollywood - Hollywood Kangana Ranaut to walk Cannes red carpet and represent India there?
Cannes Film Festival has been incomplete without appearances by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and then Sonam Kapoor. Katrina Kaif joined them in 2016, followed by Deepika Padukone in 2017, and the latest we hear, Kangana Ranaut will be part of Cannes this year. A source told Pinkvilla that the actress is all set to be part of Cannes red carpet and will even go on to represent India there. Sonam Kapoor, on the other hand, has been in the news for her reported marriage and all the Cannes outfits are kept under wraps.
Anushka in - Kapilkumar M. Hirpara no mood to Editor Aamir keen to cast Deepika entertain media as Draupadi in Mahabharata, with questions but will the actress agree? on Virat Kohli
Praising Sanjay, Rajkumar says, “Sanjay is a very brave man, very courageous.
Ranbir Kapoor thinks his life isn't enough exciting to be made into a biopic The teaser of actor Ranbir Kapoor’s much-awaited biopic on Sanjay Dutt was released on Tuesday afternoon, and the actor looks stunning in every frame. Ranbir, who seemed confident on screen, says the hardest thing for him was maintaining his self-confidence. “I was always a Sanjay Dutt fan, for me it was like a fan trying to play his icon on screen. So, I think the hardest thing for me was to maintain the confidence that I could do this. Through this film, I could be part of the life of someone I have observed all my life.” The biopic features Ranbir Kapoor in the main lead, with Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Karishma Tanna, Vicky Kaushal and Jim Sarbh as part of the cast. The film, written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, will be opening up facets of Sanjay’s personal as well as public life on the big screen. Ask Ranbir if he would be okay if someone wanted to make a biopic on his life and he says, “I am okay with it, but my life isn’t that exciting. I am boring, so I don’t think it will work.” Hirani, who has worked on fictional stories in the past, is working on a biopic for the first time and says it’s a different craft altogether. “Biopics are different monsters, because you don’t have complete hold. There’s far more control while writing a fictional script. With biopics you have to be true to what happened in a person’s life. So, it was a different kind of craft that we discovered. Sanjay gave us all the anecdotes,” Rajkumar says. Praising Sanjay, Rajkumar says, “Sanjay is a very brave man, very courageous. We asked him if he would be okay with us showing things as they happened. His life is an open book and he said go ahead and make it. He has not even seen the film yet.” Ranbir says playing Sanjay’s young version was the most difficult. “That’s because there are a lot of facets about his life that we have shown, his drugs, his mother’s death and all of that. The most fun was the Munnabhai part,” he says.
Anushka Sharma was her usual cool as a cucumber self at her first media appearance post her wedding, when she came to endorse a bank. The actress skillfully avoided any questions about her marriage to India cricket captain Virat Kohli and other personal questions. To congratulations offered on her wedding, the actress replied with a “thanks,” and proceeded to talk about her association with the bank she had come to endorse. She pointedly avoided a trick query on the IPL and her favourite IPL team, even though she was spotted cheering her husband and RCB captain Virat a few days ago during a match. Interestingly, in the commercial that the actress has shot for the bank, she plays an old woman. “I am thankful for the ad because now I know how I will look when I grow old,” was her only quip at the event.
film will be releasing next month, and I am really looking Varun Dhawan to make girlfriend Natasha The forward to it as it has been delayed a lot, says Diana Penty. Dalal official and get married this year? Diana Penty is happy about the
trouble around her next release Parmanu alongside John
Aamir Khan, the perfectionist, is very clear that no one but Deepika Padukone will suit the part of Draupadi in his big-screen version of the Mahabharata. At least, that’s what he has been telling close friends and associates. But, the question really is, will Deepika agree to be part of another epic story after what Padmaavat was put through. A well-informed source says, “Aamir’s Mahabharata will be the most expensive mythological film ever made in this country. It’s Aamir’s dream project and only A-listers will be cast. Deepika is the natural choice for Draupadi as she has that grace and grit. But, after Padmaavat, Deepika is bound to be wary of doing another film that could easily snowball into a controversy.” It remains to be seen whether Deepika succumbs to the temptation of co-starring with Aamir for the first time, and that, too, in his most ambitious project to date, or whether the Padmaavat experience will scare her off all epic experiences for some time.
Could it be the October effect? Sources close to Varun Dhawan say that the actor finally plans to make his relationship with long-term girlfriend Natasha Dalal official by the end of this year. “I think Varun has become more conscious of the commitment required in a relationship after working on Shoojit Sircar’s October. He is ready to acknowledge his relationship and take it to the next level,” says a friend of the young actor. So far, Varun has shied away from any public acknowledgment of his relationship. He had once even quipped that the man with Natasha was his twin brother. Varun’s parents will support their son’s decision whenever he plans to settle down. But, the couple will not be living with Varun’s parents after marriage. Varun had bought his own place last year and Natasha has been doing it up at her own pace. “They are in no hurry to make it official, but, Varun feels it is high time he acknowledged his relationship,” says the friend.
Diana Penty, the heroine of John Abraham’s upcoming film Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, is hoping the long-drawn-out controversy surrounding the film has garnered it some positive publicity. The film has been caught in a tussle between its producers JA Entertainmentand KriArj Entertainment, the film, which was supposed to hit theatres in February, has been postponed for release in May; the film will hit screens on May 4. “The film will be releasing next month, and I am really looking forward to it as it has been delayed a lot. Sometimes I feel there’s a build up of curiosity whenever a film gets into any sort of trouble, so maybe there is a silver lining somewhere.”Parmanu was scheduled to release on December 8, 2017, but was later rescheduled for February 23, 2018.
3 / Dt. 26/04/2018, thursday, Ahmedabad Edition
IPL 2018: Virat Kohli becomes third Indian to captain 100 T20 matches
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
SPORTS ROUNDUP
Novak Djokovic crashes out in Barcelona, Rafa Nadal wins, Kei Nishikori retires
Gautam Gambhir’s form a factor in stepping down as Delhi Daredevils captain
Barcelona : Virat Kohli became the eighth player overall and the third Indian captain after MS Dhoni (244) and Gautam Gambhir (170) to complete 100 matches as a captain in T20 cricket on Wednesday. This was after he led the Royal Challengers Bangalore side on the field against Chennai Super Kings in match 24 of the Indian Premier League at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. However, Kohli will hope that he celebrates this milestone with a much-needed win for RCB as they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table with two wins from five matches. What augurs well for Kohli and his red army is the result
of the previous match where they achieved a resounding victory over Delhi Daredevils. Acknowledging the need to focus on one game at a time, Kohli said, ” We just need to focus on one game at a time. CSK have played some good cricket. Two teams play well and stay at the top and four others are fighting for two spots. We are in the group of four. We need to keep playing the kind of cricket we played in the last game.” Virat Kohli is RCB’s highest run-getter in season 11 of the IPL and against CSK he will also have the chance of eclipsing Suresh Raina as the highest run scorer in IPL, whom he trails by 9 runs.
Business
Barcelona : Gautam Gambhir’s homecoming with the Delhi Daredevils (DD) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 did not quite pan out as the southpaw would have intended it to be. While on one hand, his team lies at the very end of the points table with one win in six matches they have played so far in this year’s edition. On the other hand, the 36-year-old is also struggling to get runs due to a consistently poor run of form with the willow. Ultimately, Gambhir, who is not the one to shy away from taking responsibility, had to take the call of stepping down as the skipper of DD on Wednesday. After a seven-year tenure with the Kolkata Knight Riders where he won two IPL titles, it was expected that Gambhir would change the fortunes of a team that is yet to make it to the finals of the IPL even once. The left-hander, who was bought for Rs 2.8 crore in the IPL auction this year, started the season on a positive note, scoring 55 runs in the first encounter against Kings XI Punjab. But from thereon began his slide in form as he could only manage to score only 30 runs in next four innings, posting scores of 15, 8, 3 and 4. The sudden dip in form is a bit difficult to comprehend because he was quite impressive in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season. Even with KKR in IPL 2017, Gambhir was the second highest run-scorer. In the list of players with most runs in IPL – Gambhir is also at the fourth spot with 4,132 runs.
Crude oil futures fall 0.22 per cent on weak global cues
Largely on account of sharp increase in crude oil prices over the last few months.
Reserve Bank of India to hike rates in June policy: report New Delhi: Reserve Bank of India is expected to hike key policy rates by 25 basis points in June, largely on account of sharp increase in crude oil prices over the last few months, says a Deutsche Bank Research report. The global brokerage had said earlier that it expected RBI to maintain an extended pause and start the rate hike cycle only from the beginning of next year. Following
the surge in global crude oil prices in recent weeks, the RBI may now prefer to opt for a rate hike sooner than later, the report said. "We now see RBI hiking the repo rate by 25 bps in June itself (to 6.25 per cent), reversing the 25 bps rate cut of August last year, and likely hiking another 25 bps by the end of this calendar year or early next year," it said. Brent crude prices are currently hovering around
USD 75/barrel, which is up 12 per cent from end December 2017 levels. "Higher global crude oil prices are net negative for the Indian economy in almost all aspects – inflation, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, rupee etc. – and may need a pre-emptive response from the central bank to reduce pipeline risks and strengthen domestic and external macro stability," the report said.
New Delhi: Crude oil futures fell 0.22 per cent to Rs 4,520 per barrel on Wednesday, in line with a weak trend overseas where it fell back from over three-year highs as speculators cut down their bets. Crude oil for delivery in May was trading lower by Rs 10, or 0.22 per cent, at Rs 4,520 per barrel with a business volume of 3,709 lots at the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX). Also, oil prices for June delivery was trading lower by Rs 8, or 0.18 per cent, at Rs 4,526 per barrel with a business
volume of 126 lots. Analysts said fall in crude oil futures is mostly in tune with a weak trend in global market where it fell back from more than three-year highs reached in the previous session as rising US fuel inventories and production weighed on an otherwise bullish market and profitbooking by speculators. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate was down 7 cents at USD 67.63 while global benchmark Brent was down 12 cents at USD 73.74 a barrel.
Barcelona : Former world number one Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise second-round exit at the Barcelona Open when the Serb was beaten 6-2 1-6 6-3 by world number 140 Martin Klizan on Wednesday. But favourite and 10-times champion Rafael Nadal eased past fellow Spaniard Roberto Carballes-Baena 6-4, 6-4 in his first appearance at this year’s tournament to reach the third round and set a record by winning 38 consecutive sets on clay. Second seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria also moved smoothly past Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2 6-1 to reach the last 16. Djokovic, who received a bye in the opening round, has not made the last eight of a tournament since last year’s Wimbledon and has struggled with a long-term elbow injury. The 30-year-old lost to Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters last week and looked far from his best in what was his second career appearance in Barcelona. Klizan claimed the first set in just 32 minutes before Djokovic broke the Slovakian’s serve twice to take the second. Klizan snatched a crucial break in the eighth game of a tense final set and went on to claim his first career victory over Djokovic in five meetings. “I feel I haven’t lived up to your expectations, not even my own,” Djokovic told a news conference. “It’s hard to deal with these types of games and defeats, I wasn’t playing at my best, only during the second set. I will try to continue and see where it takes me.”
Sensex fell over 115 points while the Nifty closed below 10,600 on Wednesday.
Sensex sheds 115 points on weak global cues, profit-booking Mumbai: Benchmark Sensex fell over 115 points while the Nifty closed below 10,600 on Wednesday amid weak global cues and unabated foreign fund outflows. Asian markets fell and European shares opened lower, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, led by sell-off in industrials, materials and technology stocks after the 10-year Treasury yield briefly touched the psychologically important 3 per cent level for the first time in four years. Tomorrow's April month expiry in the derivatives segment
added to the volatility in the domestic market, brokers said The 30-share Sensex, after a lower opening, stayed in the negative zone for most part of the session and hit a low of 34,400.56, before settling at 34,501.27, down 115.37 points, or 0.33 per cent. Intra-
day, it turned briefly positive to hit a high of 34,631.27 It had gained 201.06 points in the previous two sessions. Likewise, the 50-scrip NSE barometer Nifty declined 43.80 points, or 0.41 per cent, to close at 10,570.55 after shuttling between 10,536.45 and 10,612.60.
4 / Dt. 26/04/2018, thursday, Ahmedabad Edition
Sunvilla Samachar (English Daily)
"In the FIR lodged by the victim or in the chargesheet filed, nowhere does it say that she was raped. What it says is that he tried to touch her improperly," said Vanzara.
Asaram not a rapist, he is protector of Sanatan Hindu dharma, says former Gujarat top cop Vanzara Ahmedabad : Former Gujarat IPS officer DG Vanzara, a key accused in the alleged fake encounters of Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin Sheikh, on Wednesday came out in defence of Asaram Bapu, saying the survivor never said in the FIR that she was raped. Asserting that it was improper to dub Asaram a “rapist” for being convicted in the 2012 “sexual assault case”, Vanzara said the chargesheet mentioned that the godman tried to touch the victim improperly. “We respect the decision of the
Jodhpur court. However, it is improper to dub Asaram as a rapist for being convicted in the sexual assault case,” the former Gujarat top cop, who arrived at the Ahmedabad ashram of Asaram and met with officials on Wednesday, said. Vanzara, who said he was a follower of the self-styled godman, later addressed the media and waved a copy of the FIR to substantiate his claims. “In the FIR lodged by the victim or in the chargesheet filed, nowhere does it say that she was raped.
Debt-ridden Gujarat PSU posts record Hardik Patel’s profit, prepays long-term debt security cover withdrawn by Centre We have risen from that level,” said Gupta, an IAS officer from the Gujarat-cadre, about the company that was set up by the state government in Bharuch in 1976.
Ahmedabad : The central government is learnt to have withdrawn the security cover of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel based on a security assessment. Hardik had been given a Y+ category security by the Intelligence Bureau in November 2017. A contingent of eight armed Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandos was guarding the PAAS leader who has been campaigning against the BJP since the Gujarat assembly election held last year. Sources said the order of withdrawal of security was passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday and the same has been communicated to the CISF officials. An MHA official told this paper that “the decision was taken following a review of Hardik Patel’s security by the Intelligence Bureau, which said in a report that there was no threat to Hardik. Based on this report, an order was passed for withdrawing the security.” When contacted, Hardik Patel said he was not aware of any such decision.
Ahmedabad : Despite being weighed down by over Rs 4,000 crore of debt, Gujarat government-run Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) has made an impressive turnaround by prepaying all long-term debts and posting the best ever results in its 42-year-long history. On Tuesday, the GNFC announced its annual results that showed the company posting 51 per cent growth in profit After tax (PAT) for 2017-18 financial year. The company clocked PAT of Rs 790 crore, more than Rs 521 crore of 2016-17. Rajiv Kumar Gupta, managing director of the firm told The Indian Express, “The performance of the GNFC is the best ever in its 42-yearlong history during which it has become long-term debt free by making a prepayment of Rs 534 crore. “This is an all-round performance. Four years ago, this company was down with huge liabilities. We had Rs 2,500 crore worth of
Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital Brings back perfect Vision to a Retired Teacher by Performing Unique Glued IoL Surgery Ahmedabad : Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, a comprehensive eye hospital offering a complete solution for eye ailments successfully performed a first of its kind procedure called Glued IOL and other Surgeries in Ahmedabad. Glued IOL is a special technique for fixing the lenses inside the eye. The Glued IOL surgery was invented by Dr. Amar Agarwal. Mr. Yusuf age 65, a retired teacher walked into Dr. Agarwal eye hospital to get treated for lost vision due to past history of complicated cataract surgery. The doctor’s primary observation was, Corneal decompensation due to aphakic bullous keratopathy. (Cornea became cloudy due to old complicated surgery), there was no lens implanted after surgery. The vision was HM (perception of hand movement). In technical/medical terms his problem was Aphakic bullous keratopathy with distorted
pupil. Dr. Neera Kanjani, joint medical director, Dr. Agarwal’s eye hospital treated the patient, Yusuf with Penetrating keratoplasty with glued IOL with pupilloplasty. Dr. Kanjani said, “There we quite a few challenges while performing this treatment on the patient as there were risks of Long-standing aphakic (absence of lens) bullous keratopathy with distorted pupil and operative risk and risk of corneal tissue acceptance.” She further added, “the patient is now
recovered well. Visual acuity became 6/24. Corneal tissue got accepted and healed well. He has started seeing again with help of clear Cornea and lens (implanted with glued IOL technique).”The patient is happy to get back his vision and is able to see well and his corneal graft is clear with IOL present in the eye. Yusuf said “, I'm able to see now and have a clear vision. It was getting very difficult after the complete loss of vision in one eye. I was not able to do things on my own.
international H1B approvals for Indian IT companies drop by 43% between 2015-17: Report
Washington : Top seven Indian IT companies experienced a whopping 43 per cent drop in their H-1B visa approvals between 2015 and 2017, a US think-tank has said. The National Foundation for American Policy in a report said that the 8,468 new H-1B visas for Indian-based companies in the finanacial year 2017 equaled only 0.006 per cent of the 160 million in the US labour force. The top seven Indianbased companies received only 8,468 approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2017, a decline of 43 per cent for these companies since
FY 2015, when it received 14,792 H-1B visas. Given that 199,000 applications were filed in FY 2017 for the FY 2018 cap year – 105,000 in excess of the FY 2018 H-1B annual limit – even if none of these companies received new H-1B visas the annual limit still would have been reached on the first day of the April filing period, it said. “The data indicate the problem is not which companies are receiving H-1B visas, which some contend, but that the 85,000-annual limit is too low for an economy the size of the United States,” it argued.
Prices of energy commodities set to rise by 20 per cent this year, says World Bank assets lying non-operational and unproductive at TDI plant at Dahej. We had Rs 4,000 crore of loan liabilities exposure and we had Rs 600 crore of EPCG obligations. So, in all, we had Rs 6,900 crore worth of liabilities. As a result of that there were huge interest liabilities of Rs 1-1.25 crore per day and the company suffered a net loss of Rs 452 crore in 201415. We have risen from that level,” said Gupta, an IAS
officer from the Gujaratcadre, about the company that was set up by the state government in Bharuch in 1976. “From Rs 4,000 crore of debt, we have become a debt-free company. From a net loss of Rs 452 crore, we have earned the highest ever PBT (profit before tax) of Rs 1,162 crore and highest ever PAT of Rs 790 crore. From an EPS (earning per share) of -29, we have achieved an EPS of 50.80.
Naaptol to set foot in Ahmedabad; opens its third offline store after the launch in Thrissur and Indore Ahmedabad : In its ambitious plan to expand its offline footprint across the country, Naaptol, India’s #1 home shopping company has set up its third offline store in Ahmedabad post its launch in Thrissur and Indore. The store located at Third Eye Complex, Panchvati Cross Road, CG Road, Ahmedabad will be inaugurated on the 22nd April, 2018. This move will enable Naaptol to expand its offline distribution network further and also grow its presence in tier 2 cities. Naaptol customers in Ahmedabad can now purchase a variety of products such as clothing, footwear, accessories, electronics, mobiles, home and kitchen appliances, health and fitness products and a range of other product categories from the offline store of Naaptol. Furthermore, people can avail attractive combos,
deals and discounts that will be in sync with the product pricing offers as shown on television. Commenting on the announcement, Manu Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Naaptol said, “We had drawn up a road map
to set up brick-and- mortar stores in several cities of India and garner an additional 10 million customers by the end of 2018. Our offline foray into Ahmedabad city will enable the steadily growing urban and young population to shop to their heart’s content and avail exciting offers and discounts. Additionally, our customers will enjoy the excellent customer support and home delivery services that are a hallmark of the Naaptol brand.”
Washington : Prices for energy commodities like oil, natural gas and coal are expected to jump by a whopping 20 per cent this year, the World Bank has said in a report. The increase in energy prices is expected to have adverse impact on India, given that the country is heavily dependent on import of major energy commodities. The latest World Bank forecast is a 16-percentage point upward revision from October’s outlook, the World Bank said in its April Commodity Markets Outlook released on Tuesday. Oil prices are forecast to average USD 65 a barrel over 2018, up from an average of USD 53 a barrel in 2017, on strong demand from consumers and restraint by oil producers, while metals prices are expected to rise nine per cent this year, also on a pickup in demand and supply constraints, the World Bank said. Agricultural commodities, including food commodities and
raw materials, are anticipated to see a price rise of over two per cent this year on diminished planting prospects. Weather disruptions are expected to be minimal, the report said. “Accelerating global growth and rising demand are important factors behind broad-based price increases for most commodities and the forecast of higher commodities prices ahead,” said Shantayanan Devarajan, World Bank Senior Director for Development Economics and acting Chief Economist. “At the same time, policy actions currently under discussion add uncertainty to the outlook,” he added. The World Bank said oil prices are expected to average USD 65 a barrel over 2019 as well. Although prices are projected to decline from April 2018 levels, they should be supported by continued production restraint by OPEC and nonOPEC producers and strong demand, the bank said.
Indonesia oil well fire kills 11 people, injures dozens Indonesia : A newly drilled, unregulated oil well caught fire as people were trying to collect the oil early Wednesday, burning to death at least 11 people and injuring dozens of others. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the well in Pasi Putih village in eastern Aceh province ignited about 1.30 a.m. and is still burning. Five nearby houses were burned in the inferno. He said the well, drilled to a depth of about 250 meters (820 feet), was gushing when it ignited and many people were around it trying to collect the oil. The local arm of the disaster agency said 11 people had died and about 40 people were hurt. “I woke up when
a very loud explosion shook our house like an earthquake,” said 16-year-old resident Riska Sri Maulidyawati. “All our neighbors ran out to see what happened, but another loud explosion made everyone run away in panic,” she said. “Everyone was shouting ‘Fire! Fire!’ I also heard people screaming in pain and asking for help,”
Maulidyawati said. “Children crying and women shouting in panic. It was really scary for me,” she said. Edi Gunawan, director of a local hospital, told Indonesian television that those hospitalized have burns over b etween 20 and 60 per cent of their bodies. Several victims in serious condition have been transferred to a larger hospital, he said.
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