Jacqueline: Don’t take comparisons too seriously
27/12/2017, wednesday Edition: Ahmedabad
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Royal Challengers Bangalore undecided over Virat Kohli retention? page no. 03
ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News 107-yr-old wishes to meet ‘handsome’ Rahul on birthday; Cong chief calls her
New Delhi: The 107-year-old woman had a wish to meet 47-year-old young Gandhi family member and Congress president Rahul Gandhi on her birthday on Monday. Her granddaughter, who tweeted the reason why her grandmother wished to meet Rahul, the birthday girl quipped and whispered that she finds him ‘handsome’. The tweet was accompanied by a photograph of the birthday girl, and was tagged to the twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi . The newly-elected Congress chief responded to the tweet after a few hours. Rahul had signed the little message, conveying his wishes and a “big hug” and this time the tweet was by the Congress president himself and not by his pet dog Pidi.
BJP
In retaliation to ceasefire, Army crosses LoC, kills 3 Pak troops: Sources
Jammu and Kashmir: In retaliation to an earlier ceasefire violation, the Indian Army soldiers crossed over the Line of Control (LoC) to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Tuesday and killed three Pakistani troops, as per Intelligence sources. One Pakistani soldier was also injured. This was in retaliation to the ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC on Saturday. Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling and firing in the Keri sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The Army strongly retaliated, but three jawans and one Major lost their lives in the firing that took place.
Year ender 2017: Joys and sorrows; judgements that left a mark this year
Mumbai: From Right to Privacy to the 2G scam case verdict, the year 2017 has made its place in the Indian judicial history as a year of judicial highs and lows. Though some judgements surprised people for good reasons, a few were beyond expectations as they were not welcomes or appreciated by the citizens. Remarkable verdicts that were welcomed heartily by people included making privacy a fundamental right, upholding death sentences of Nirbhaya rapists, special court convicting six accused in Mumbai bomb blast case to pronouncing Gurmeet Ram Rahim to be guilty of rape while decisions like releasing Rajesh and Nupur Talwar in Aarushi murder case.
Modi ‘Bad Santa’, takes away money from poor people, Cong mocks PM
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday indirectly referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “Bad Santa” for implementing problematic schemes like the unified Goods and Services Tax (GST) and note ban. In a tweet a day after Christmas, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said that in the rest of the world “an old man with a white beard” distributed gifts to people, while in India, a similar looking man did quite the opposite – took away public’s money and left them only with the socks. Instead of coming down the chimney, this notorious Indian Santa entered people’s houses through their television sets, Tewari said in the tweet. It was obvious that Tewari’s jibe was indicated at Modi, whose Government still holds the GST and demonetisation as pillars of success.
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December 27, 2017, wednesday
‘I am not new to politics. I got delayed. Entering is equal to victory. I will announce a decision on December 31,’ the actor said.
Will take decision on political debut on Dec 31, says superstar Rajinikanth Chennai: On the first day of his six-days-meeting with fans, actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday said that he would join politics in “God wills”. He further added he would take a decision on his political debut on December 31. “I am not saying I will join politics...I will announce my stand on December 31,” the actor said. “I am not new to politics. I got delayed. Entering is equal to victory,” Rajinikanth added. He said he is “hesitant” to enter politics since he know its dynamics. Talking further about making his debut in politics Rajinikanth elaborated,
“We need to be prepared well when we go to a battle. We need to fight to win or there’s no use of going to a battle.”
was seen as an indication that he might enter politics. Referring to the statement made months ago, Rajinikanth on Tuesday said, “War means only election. Has it come now?”. Rajinikanth also paid tribute to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, whose death in December 2016 is seen to have left a vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics, especially the ruling AIADMK. “I was humbled when Jayalalithaa met me at my house,” the actor said whose ties with the former chief minister were patchy but cordial towards the end.
Addressing fans in May for a similar photo-op, the 67-yearold actor had said, “Let us face the war when it comes” which
Odisha: Govt to split tourism, culture dept to promote Odia language
Bhubaneswar : The Odisha government on Tuesday decided to split the tourism and culture department and take a slew of measures including setting up of an Odia Language Commission to spread and popularise the state language. The decision was taken at the meeting of the state Cabinet, which was held for the first time at Puri, instead of the secretariat in Bhubaneswar. The government also decided to set up a ‘Heritage Cabinet’
to protect the monuments, ancient temples and take steps to preserve the state’s culture, language and literature, Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. After bifurcating the tourism and culture department, the government decided to rename the cultural wing as Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Panda said. Stating that the government
has taken several decisions to enrich the Odia language, the minister said the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954 will soon be amended and provisions will be made for punishment for violation of rules. All shops and business establishments in the state will have to display signboards in Odia language within a stipulated timeframe for which Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishment rules, 1956 would be
Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders and CMs of NDA-ruled states were present at the ceremony.
Vijay Rupani takes oath as Gujarat chief minister, Nitin Patel his deputy Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Rupani took oath as the chief minister of Gujarat for the second consecutive term on Tuesday. The new government led by Rupani took the oath of office and secrecy at a grand ceremony in Gandhinagar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and a galaxy of senior BJP leaders and chief ministers of NDAruled states. JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was also present at the oath taking ceremony of the new government in Gujarat. Along with Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel, several others were also sworn-in by Governor OP Kohli. Saurabh Patel, Ganpatsinh Vestabhai Vasava, Jayeshbhai
Vitthalbhai Radadiya, RC Faldu, Bhupindrasinh Chudasama, Kaushik Patel, Dilipkumar Viraji Thakor, Ishwarbhai Ramanbhai Parmar, Pradipsinh Jadeja also took oath as ministers in Gujarat government. The BJP won the Gujarat Assembly elections retaining the state for the sixth consecutive time. With 99 MLAs, the BJP has a simple majority in
the 182-member Assembly, 16 less than its 2012 tally of 115. Opposition Congress, which had won 61 seats in 2012, managed to increase its tally to 77. The strength of the Congress and its allies in the new House is 80. Rupani and Patel were elected as the leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the BJP legislature party at its meeting on December 22.
amended. There would be provision for punishment in case of violation of this rule. Panda said a World Odia Language Conference would be organised every five years and the fees would be waived for students pursuing Odia course at the graduation and post-graduation levels. Scholarships and stipends would be provided to those securing high marks at the intermediate and graduation levels, he said.
China, Pakistan consider including Afghanistan in USD 57 billion CPEC
Beijing: China and Pakistan will look at extending the USD 57 billion ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday. The CPEC, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), is part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road plan to link China with Asia, Europe and beyond. China has tried to position itself as a helpful party to promote talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both uneasy neighbours ever since Pakistan’s independence in 1947.
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Rahul Gandhi’s gain is Arvind Kejriwal’s loss, says rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra New Delhi : They are roughly the same age, both have been lampooned mercilessly on social media and are hoping to oust the BJP from power. But the similarities, perhaps, are not the link between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, 49, and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, 47. What threads their fates together is that one man’s success could spell the other’s failure. “Rahul Gandhi’s gain is Kejriwal’s loss,” said rebel AAP MLA Kapil Mishra. “Both parties vie for the same vote base.” Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal’s attempts to establish himself as an alternative to the Congress seem to be running into rough waters with the party’s improved performance in the recent Gujarat polls under the leadership of its president. The two parties are vastly different, of course. The Congress is 132 years old; AAP has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. The former has a pan-Indian presence, while AAP rules Delhi and is present only in patches in the north. But when AAP came to power in Delhi, it did so by engulfing Congress votes. In 2015, the Congress couldn’t win a single seat. Its vote share dipped to 9 per cent, whereas the BJP’s remained more or less the same. Now a string of ignominious defeats has battered AAP’s image, posing a threat to the image of its leader, Kejriwal.
Jadhav’s family was disregarded which included removal of mangal sutra, bangles, bindi and a change in attire.
Jadhav spoke to kin in atmosphere of coercion, his replies were tutored: MEA New Delhi: A day after meeting Kulbhushan Jadhav in Islamabad, the former Indian Navy official’s wife and mother told the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday he spoke to them in “an atmosphere of coercion” and his responses were also tutored. Jadhav’s mother Avanti and wife Chetankul on Tuesday met Union minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence for a debrief before meeting the officials at the MEA. The MEA released a statement after meeting Jadhav’s family, revealing the details of Avanti and Chetankul’s visit to Islamabad. Pakistan “conducted the meeting in a manner that violated the letter and spirit of our understandings,” the MEA said.
Day after visiting Kulbhushan in Pak jail, mother, wife meet Sushma Swaraj
New Delhi: A day after they met Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan, his mother and wife on Tuesday met External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at her residence for a complete debrief before leaving for the External Affairs Ministry (MEA). Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar were also in attendance at the meeting where Jadhav’s mother Avanti and wife Chetankul met Swaraj.
‘I respect doctors; my anger was against 1 surgeon,’ clarifies MoS Ahir New Delhi: Clarifying his earlier statement on a few doctors, whom he advised to join Naxals, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Tuesday said that he respects doctors. Ahir, who made the remark on Monday at a function at a government hospital in Maharashtra, said his anger was against one doctor who was absent from the event. “The organiser was himself absent. I have not spoken against
the profession but a particular doctor. Whatever I said was for the civil surgeon and no one else. I respect doctors from the bottom of my heart. I just showed my anger on absence of some doctors from the event,” he told news agancy. Ahir got angry with a civil surgeon who didn’t attend a hospital inauguration ceremony. He lost his temper on learning that the surgeon was on leave. “I am a minister chosen by democracy. Why
did they go on leave despite knowing about my arrival?” asked Ahir. An angry Ahir also advised the absent doctor to join the Naxals. “If there is no faith in democracy, then join the Naxalite movement; we will shoot you. There is no need to distribute tablets here. Naxalism does not like democracy,” Ahir said. Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Gondia districts are the Naxal-affected areas of Maharashtra.
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wednesday, 27 December, 2017
What Gujarat election results mean for business, economy, reforms and markets
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) victory in Gujarat is being seen as a vindication of the centre’s policies such as the invalidation of highvalue notes last December and the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST), which has disrupted business.Analysts see the party’s victory as a sign of continued political stability and hopes the government will continue its reform agenda. However, a closer-than-expected race in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, has also prompted concerns that the government might abandon the path of fiscal prudence and be tempted to pursue populist policies in a bid to retain power in the 2019 elections. As the dust starts to settle, political reactions become clearer, and statistical details recede into the background, it is time to concentrate on the big picture that the recent Gujarat elections present. Something of substantial significance has happened, with likely national ramifications. It is important, first, to put Gujarat in a larger perspective. In modern times, Gujarat’s political significance has always exceeded its demographic weight. It is the land that gave birth to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. It is the only state outside the Hindi heartland which has produced two prime ministers, Morarji Desai and Narendra Modi. It is also the state where the JP movement acquired considerable punch in the 1970s, where the Ayodhya movement formally began in the 1980s, and where Hindu nationalists first established their hegemony, starting in the late 1990s. Gujarat tends to emanate national significance. The journey from a Gandhian hegemony to a Hindu nationalist one, of course, has been tortuous. It is a radical inversion of meanings. If Gandhi believed that “the Hindus, the Muslims, the Parsis and the Christians who have made India their country are fellow countrymen”, Hindu nationalists never abandoned the idea of a Hindu ownership of the nation. According to M.S. Golwalkar, a central figure of Hindu nationalist discourse, “the foreign races in India must adopt the Hindu culture and language, … must entertain no ideas but those of the glorification of the Hindu race and culture.. (and) may (only) stay in the country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, not even citizen’s rights”. Muslims, for Golwalkar, were a “foreign race”. Hindu nationalists have never disowned his words. Where do we stand now? Do these elections signify something new? In, and of themselves, data alone cannot fully answer this question. The key issue is how to interpret the data. Consider the various ways in which BJP’s performance in Gujarat can be presented. If we go by vote percentages, what should be the yardstick — a comparison with the 2012 elections or the 2014 parliamentary elections? If 2012, is it more pertinent to say the BJP increased its vote share by 1.25 per cent this time, or that the opposition Congress party gained 2.5 per cent? If 2014, have commentators emphasised enough that the BJP’s vote share plummeted by a whopping 10 per cent? One can, of course, say that parliamentary elections are very different from state elections, and there is some truth in that position.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Editor
Karen Gillan: Avengers Infinity War will be a ‘cinematic event’
Actor Karen Gillan has said the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War is not just another movie and will be a huge “cinematic event”. The 30-yearold actor, who essayed the character of Nebula in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, will reprise her role for the Avengers: Infinity War. “I mean, this is so vague but genuinely this is going to be more than a movie, it’s going to be like a cinematic event. Anyone who is a Marvel fan and knows stuff from 10 years ago will see it become relevant in this. It’s like everything that you’ve known about Marvel is building to this movie,” Gillan said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Avengers: Infinity War will also star Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Pom Klementieff, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Sean Gunn, Tom Holland and Paul Rudd.
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Hollywood - Bollywood Tiger Zinda Hai box office collection day 5 Salman Khan’s film storms past Rs 150 crore mark After Tubelight’s lukewarm performance at the box office (for a Salman Khan film, that is), Bhai is back with Tiger Zinda Hai, that is expected to cross the Rs 200 crore mark by the end of its first week. Tiger Zinda Hai had an explosive opening with Rs 34.10 crore on Friday. The film released on 5700 screens, out of which 4600 screens are in India and the rest are overseas.Tiger Zinda Hai is the sequel to Kabir Khan directed 2012 film Ek Tha Tiger that too went on to earn over Rs 300 crore. Ali Abbas Zafar has directed the sequel. Both Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif return to reprise their roles as RAW agent Avinash Rathore and Pakistani spy Zoya, respectively. With such a start, we can expect to see this film running in theaters for weeks especially when it has demolished whatever competition was there and there are not any big releases until January 26 when Akshay Kumar’s Padman and Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee’s Aiyaary will hit the screens. In her review of Tiger Zinda Hai, news agancy film critic Shubhra Gupta had said, “I’d enjoyed the first one while it lasted.
Rani draws inspiration from her school teachers for Hichki, shares a throwback pic
Rani Mukerji, who plays a school teacher in upcoming movie ‘Hichki’, revealed that she drew inspiration from her real-life school teachers, who impacted her life and thoughts in her growing-up years. ‘Hichki’ is about the positive attitude of turning one’s weakness into a strength, and taking on challenges head on. “Rani plays a common girl who has an extraordinary situation and she stares down at the challenge and never backs off when others would mostly crumble. She plays a teacher who practices what she preaches. She tries to bring out the best in her students. Rani drew upon memories of her schooldays and the friendly, supportive atmosphere that some teachers would build for students in her school to play the part. It was very nostalgic for her as she thanks her students for shaping her up the way she has in life,” informs a source. When contacted, Rani confirms saying, “We had many inspiring teachers in my
Jamie Lynn Spears to be mother again
This Christmas and New Year’s is likely to be doubly exciting for actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears. Britney Spear’s sister recently revealed that she is pregnant with her second child. She took to Instagram to make the big announcement. She posted an adorable picture of her family and wrote, “Looks like we are starting off 2018 with another big milestone...sooo happy to announce that Maddie is FINALLY going to be a big sister! 2017 was filled with some of the biggest challenges of my life, as well as some of the biggest blessings, so I made a choice to lay low this year to focus on truly becoming my best self as a person and as an artist.
Meghan Markle’s dog breaks two legs Meghan Markle’s rescue dog Guy is currently undergoing treatment after recently breaking two of his legs.How the injuries happened is not known yet, but Mail On Sunday reports that the future princess is reportedly “distraught” and “very upset.”
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play Nargis Dutt‘s role in the remake Raat Aur Din? After doing a glamorous role in Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan might be seen playing completely different character in the remake of 1967 release ‘Raat Aur Din’. The original classic film starred Nargis Dutt in the lead role. As per the reports, if Aishwarya gives her nod to the film then she will play the character of Varuna which was earlier played by actress Nargis who had won National Award for Best Actress for the film. Aishwarya is likely to play the role of a woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder in the film, which is being produced by Prernaa Arora and Arjun N Kapoor under their banner KriArj Entertainment. On being asked about the possibility of the remake, producer Prerna Arora said to a leading gossip portal, “We are collaborating together on a thriller to be directed by a debutant director. Siddharth and I are co- producing the film.
On being compared with Deepika, Jacqueline Fernandez, who is gearing up for Race 3 alongside Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor, said that she concentrates on her work and does not take these comparisons seriously.
Jacqueline Fernandez: Don’t take comparisons too seriously
Actor Jacqueline Fernandez doesn’t believe in taking comparisons very seriously. Jacqueline is a part of the third installment of the hit franchise Race. She had also featured in Race 2, which also had Deepika Padukone as part of the cast. On being compared with Deepika, Jacqueline told media here, “I don’t really see the comparison but I just know that I concentrate on my work and I don’t think you can take those comparisons too seriously, because you are on your own and each one brings her/
his individuality when it comes to play a certain character.” The shoot of Race 3 is going on with Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. It’s like one big family, Jacqueline said on the sidelines of a Christmas celebration with underprivileged children organised here by RPG Foundation under their ‘Pehle Akshar’ initiative on Monday. “On Sunday (December 24), the entire team of Race 3 was there. We were just celebrating Anil (Kapoor) sir’s first day on Race 3. We were also celebrating Salman’s (Khan) big hit ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’
and obviously Salman’s birthday is also coming up. So, Race team is like one big family. “We are really having fantastic time together. I think Ramesh Taurani is just an amazing producer. We are very excited for the new revamped Race 3 and we are very excited for doing lot of action.” Jacqueline will also be seen in Drive opposite Sushant Singh Rajput. “Drive is releasing soon. We are working very hard on the finishing of the film and the dubbing and last minute portions, so it should be releasing very soon.”
During a recent interaction with a leading magazine, the ‘Lootera’ actor was all praises for Anushka Sharma.
Ranveer opens up about his equation with Anushka
Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma are amongst the best on-screen jodi of Bollywood who delivered awesome films like Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011) and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015). Their fun banter and camaraderie off-screen talks a lot about their friendship too. During a recent interaction with a leading magazine, the ‘Lootera’ actor was all praises for Anushka Sharma. He spoke at length about her success and more. Ranveer said, “it’s wonderful to see how far she has come. She was always amazing as an actor, but her craft has gotten more solid. She’s also come into her own as a person. She’s comfortable with herself and clear about her choices.Both Ranveer and Anushka made their debut under Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films’ ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ (2010) and ‘Rab Ne Bana De Jodi’ (2009) respectively and they consider the filmmakerproducer as their mentor.
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India pacers can challenge South Africa batting, says Murali Vijay
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Sports Special Ravi Shastri praised India captain Virat Kohli’s will to improve in all formats and that it rubs off on other players too.
New Delhi: India are set to take on South Africa in an away fixture scheduled to begin from January 5 in Cape Town. The Virat Kohli-led side has been a dominant force at home and opener Mural Vijay feels that this tour of South Africa will come as a learning experience for him and the team. “My battle is with the ball and not with the names. It’s going to be a great experience for me personally and for the team as well,” the 33-year-old said of the tour. “I know how it feels to perform abroad, ” Vijay told while talking to news agancy.Despite showing consistency at home in the longer format, questions have been raised on India’s overseas performances and whether they would be able to rubbish-off the previous records. “Every time we go abroad, we want to do well,” he said. “I have played with a lot of legends in the past. Everybody prepared well, but it just didn’t happen.” Talking about the preparations, Vijay revealed that the team is up for challenges and would have a particular strategy for every player. Moreover, he suggested that the conditions in South Africa would be testing and the side is ready for this as well. “I cannot tell how Virat is going to go about with team strategy. But I am quite sure there will be plans for everybody and Virat is up for it. It’s going to be good fun. There is going to be bounce and the conditions are going to be testing.
Will pick and choose tournaments next year, says PV Sindhu
Virat raises the bar for himself with no room for excuses, says Shastri New Delhi: With 2818 internationals runs, 11 hundreds across formats and having led India to series wins against Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2017, Virat Kohli has been fantastic with the bat and with the leadership as well. Everything he has touched this season, has turned to gold. Plenty of credit for that goes to his work ethic which sees him continually push himself – physically and mentally. His dedication towards improving and winning remains unquestionable and he stands
head and shoulders above other batsmen by being able to adapt across formats thus highlighting his versatility. That very fact is also noted by India coach Ravi Shastri. “The great thing about Virat is his work ethic, his realisation of what kind of player he can become and what it takes to become that player. So the emphasis on fitness, the sacrifices that he has to put through,” said Shastri in an interview to news agancy.The former India batsman believes this will to excel also rubs off on his fellow players who also
are then eager to do well and win. At the same time, it creates lofty ambitions which leave no room for excuses. “A lot of things he wants to do as a 29-year-old. And it has become part of his lifestyle. What happens is, that when you have a captain in that frame of mind, wanting to achieve things others can only dream of. Then it rubs off on other players. Others want to emulate him. He wants to raise the bar for himself and he doesn’t want any room for excuses,” added Shastri.
Timberwolves beat Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 for first Christmas win Mumbai: Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 on Monday night for their first-ever Christmas Day victory. Former Southern California standout Taj Gibson had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have won four straight. Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench. Kyle Kuzma scored 31 points for the Lakers, who have lost three in a row and six of seven. Jordan Clarkson had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Julius Randle had 16 points and seven rebounds.
RCom stock rallied 35 per cent on the BSE to Rs 22.01 per cent after the announcement.
RCom announces debt revival plan, ropes in new investor
Mumbai: Crippled Reliance Communications (RCom) announced yet another debt revival plan on Tuesday claiming full debt resolution by March but without involving any conversion of debt into equity and exiting the SDR framework, apart from coming on-board of a strategic investor. But the company did not name the new investor. Announcing the resolution plan, company chairman Anil Ambani told reporters that the new plan has the support of a Chinese lender that had dragged it to the NCLT
for dues running into USD 1.8 billion, and would see RCom bringing down its mountain of debt by Rs 25,000 crore. RCom stock rallied 35 per cent on the BSE to Rs 22.01 per cent after the announcement. The company has a debt over Rs 44,000 crore. Debt resolution involves RCom exiting SDR framework with no conversion of debt into equity and zero write-off by lenders, Ambani said, adding he expects full closure by March 2018. He said the deal involved an eight-stage asset monetisation process under
an oversight committee headed by former RBI deputy governor S S Mundra with members from Trai and the whole process will be completed in 40 days flat. The proceeds from asset monetisation will be used only to pay back the lenders, including China Development Bank with whom the company sealed an out-of court settlement last evening in Beijing. On the no haircut for lenders, he said the new plan involves zero equity conversion for lenders and bond holders.
New Delhi: After Saina Nehwal and Caroline Marin slammed the Badminton World Federation for a cramped schedule next year, PV Sindhu said that she is going to pick and choose tournaments after planning with her coach. Speaking at a press conference ahead of her Premier Badminton tie against Mumbai Rockets, Sindhu said, “The calendar has already come out so we cannot say we won’t play. Of course its a very tough schedule with World Championship, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. I am going to pick and choose tournaments and plan with the coach accordingly.”The BWF has been under fire since it made mandatory for top shuttlers to play at least 12 tournaments in a revamped schedule for 2018. On demands of inclusion of tournaments like the tennis Grand Slams, Sindhu said, “I cannot comment about someone else, how they prepare for the tournament and they can’t say about me. Some tournaments maybe are important for others while some are important for me.”
IPL 2018: Royal Challengers Bangalore undecided over Virat Kohli retention?
Mumbai: It’s nearing 2018 and with that, the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is keeping the media abuzz. The salary purse for IPL teams has also been extended to Rs. 80 crore this season, that could see a lot of money could be shelled out by teams during the upcoming auctions in February. With the return of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after a two-year spot-fixing ban, teams have been given the choice to retain five of their elite players from their previous squads with two options - retain three
cricketers with two Right to Match (RTM) or retain two cricketers with three RTM. However, according to a report by Ahmedabad Mirror, teams such as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face a big dilemma to retain their top players such as the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, with a new change in the IPL retention policy manual released by BCCI. The policy reads, “The deduction from salary purse in case of retention will be determined on the basis of guideline price or actual price (whichever is higher).”
business
SBI Manufacturing index inches up to 53.1 per cent in December TM hosts successful
edition of Orange Day in Ahmedabad
Mumbai: Manufacturing activity showed moderate growth with annual SBI Composite Index rising to 53.1 in December compared to 53 in the previous month. The SBI Composite Index has mainly two indices - SBI Monthly Composite Index and SBI Yearly Composite Index. The month-on-month index declined to 50.6, showing low growth in the month compared to 51.2 in November. This indicates a possible slowdown in IIP growth in the next couple of months. “We, however, believe even though the momentum may have slowed down the outlook for some of the sectors appears largely positive,” SBI Research said on Tuesday. One such sector is the fertilizer sector. The financials of the 26 fertilizer companies reported an improvement in operations in terms of operational and post-tax growth in the first half of the fiscal. The bottom line of the sector grew by 34 per cent, while the top line grew by only 2 per cent, it said. The new project announcement in the fertilizer sector is showing an upward trend with 13 projects in FY14 to 34 projects in FY17 entailing an investment of Rs 23,614 crore in FY17 from Rs 10,172 crore in FY14.
Ahmedabad : KTM, the European Racing Legend, organized yet another successful version of “Orange day” for its customers and motorcycle enthusiasts of Ahmedabad. The “Orange day” is conceptualized to make the customer experience the genes of the KTM bikes. It gives the KTM owner a formidable exposure to the powerful performance of their Dukes and RCs and also an opportunity to interact with the fellow KTM owners on a race track. With more than 271 world championship titles in the various categories, including the consecutive 15 prestigious Dakar rally titles, racing is an integral part of the KTM brand. Their core racing philosophy is demonstrated in the way the bikes are designed. By using light but high strength alloy components, KTM bikes have one of the best power to weight ratio in its class. The “Orange Day” was hosted at Sabarmati River Front Parking, opp NID Coll, Sardar Bridge, Paldi. The event started at 4.30.PM with the riders registering themselves for a performance session.
4 / Dt. 27-12-2017, wednesday, Ahmedabad Karsan Ahir, who works as a guard at a diamond polishing unit in Lathi, questions the “so-called vikas”.
Behind Gujarat’s urban-rural skew: Where farm distress, lack of rural vikas helped Congress snatch a region
Amreli : Two days after the Gujarat poll results, Dadu Jajda, 40, a farmer of Moti Kheriali village in Amreli, motorcycled 14 km to Rajula to congratulate newly elected Congress MLA Amarish Der. The dedicated BJP supporter
says he had no hesitation deciding his vote this time. Jajda, who has studied till Class VIII, owns 15 bighas land and had sown groundnut on eight bighas and cotton on the rest. He says while deficient rain reduced
Boy, 13, killed while trying to protect mom from molesters
AHMEDABAD: A 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death on Sunday night for trying to protect his mother from molestation by a gang of seven attackers allegedly led by the son of a head constable. Four of the seven accused were arrested on Monday and teams have been formed to apprehend the remaining three . Those arrested include key accused, Amit Thakur, the 22-year-old son of head constable Avnishsinh Thakur of Gomtipur police station. DCP Himkar Singh said the boy and his family eked out a living making brooms and stayed in a roadside shanty at Odhav, east Ahmedabad. The boy’s mother said Amit, who was drunk, had passed lewd remarks at her on Sunday evening. Thakur fled when people gathered, but he returned later in the night. “The boy’s mother said the accused tried to drag her away with them. Her shrieks woke up her husband and son who rushed to defend her. Thakur stabbed the boy and he died on the spot due to excessive bleeding,” said Singh, adding that the woman and her husband suffered injuries.
his groundnut yield to a quarter, whatever he harvested was damaged by unseasonal rain. “Some surveyors came and took photos of the damaged groundnut but I did not hear anything about compensation,” he says.
www.sunvillasamachar.com EXTRA CASH NOT OKAY, PLEASE: DRIVER RETURNS RS 74,000 TO A WOMAN WHO HAD ACCIDENTALLY OVERPAID Ahmedabad : For Ashwin Talwadi, Rs 74,000 would have made a huge difference. It was a lot of money for a daily wage earner who did not earn more than Rs 13,000 in a month. What’s more, he could have afforded better treatment for his ailing two-year-old daughter. He could have taken leave from work to be by her side during her hospital trips, something he cannot afford to do as a daily wage earner. Had he wanted, he could have just kept quiet when he realised that a customer had paid Rs 74,000 extra over the bill amount. But he ignored all temptations and ensured the money reached its rightful owner. Ashwin (33), a driver with Infibeam Logistics that delivers orders for Fortune Online, had recently gone to deliver two 25 kg rice bags and five tin cans of sunflower oil to a customer in Paldi who had ordered it online. “The total bill for the order was Rs 12,184. But the woman customer was busy with some work related to her daughter. She handed over a bag containing the amount that she had set aside beforehand.
US doctors to hold free surgeries for 600 VADODARA/ANAND: As many as 600 patients from across the rural heartland of Charotar region of central Gujarat will undergo free surgeries in fortnight-long camp organized by a team from Californiabased Aloha Medical Mission beginning January 6.For the first time, a team of USbased surgeons will be camping in the country to provide their free services to the rural folk, thanks to efforts to US return Dr Paresh Patel. After spending 35 years of his life in the US, Patel, a general surgeon himself had started a hospital from a small hostel campus in Borsad where he along with his wife oncologist Chandralekha Patel provide free consultation to the needy. “The Aloha Medical Mission wanted to conduct a camp in India. Although they were keen on organising the camp in South India, I insisted that their services are also needed in this rural belt of Gujarat,” said Patel, 75, who after completing his MBBS and three years of MS (general surgery) from Baroda Medical College in 1966 had first moved to East Africa for two years and later shifted to US. ”In all a team of seven surgeons, three dentists, five anaesthesiologists, one plastic surgeon and one ENT surgeon will be camping at Borsad from January 6 to January 19 to operate the patients,” said Patel, president of the Chovis Gam Sacchidanand Medical and Research Center which runs Shraddha Hospital.
First trilateral dialogue: China, Pak, Afghanistan agree to fight terrorism
Khawaja Muhammad Asif respectively. “They expressed their strong determination not to allow any country, organisation or individual to use their respective territories for terrorist activities against any other countries,” it reads. They agreed
Where faith in BJP overrode urban traders’ anger and Hardik appeal Surat : Sitting on a bike outside his shop in Surat’s Varachha, Alpesh Lakhani says he and others in his Leuva Patel community had “almost decided” to vote for the Congress this election. “Hardik Patel’s movement had touched our hearts. Besides, there was a lot of anger due to notebandi and then GST. We had decided we would teach the BJP a lesson when the Limbayat sabha changed all that,” says Lakhani, 52, who works as a diamond polisher for Rs 15,000 a month, besides running a small shop of electric appliances. Lakhani is referring to Narendra Modi’s December 7 campaign speech in Surat’s Limbayat, where the PM targeted the Congress over
SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) is in the process of setting up at least five new shelter homes at a cost of Rs 20 crore in five municipal zones of the city. These shelter homes, which will be known as labour transit camps, would provide shelter and food to at least 1,000 labourers. The first labour transit camp for 154 people would be ready in three months at Varachha. The labour transit camp at Katargam, also for 154 people, would become functional in six months. The labour transit camps at Limbayat, Bhestan and Althan will be able to accommodate 154, 350 and 500 people respectively. There will be separate accommodation for single men and women and 10 rooms each for families at labour transit camps at Althan and Bhestan. Some of the labour transit camps would have kitchens too. A resident would be charged 20th part of his or her total monthly income as rent per month. SMC will be conducting a survey of homeless people in the city to get an idea about how many more labour transit camps were required. “New labour transit camps would
China, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed not to allow any country, group or individual to use their territories for terrorism.
to establish a trilateral dialogue mechanism in June. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the first China-AfghanistanPakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Beijing with his Afghanistan and Pakistan counterparts – Salahuddin Rabbani and
Behind Gujarat’s urban-rural skew:
Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remark calling him a “neech kism ka aadmi”, linked it to his caste and called it an “insult” to Gujarat. Lakhani says he watched Modi’s speech on TV. “Every Gujarati’s heart was pained… A lot of us changed our minds and voted for the BJP,” says Lakhani. Surat has been a BJP stronghold since 1995.
SMC begins process to build labour transit camps for 1,000 residents
international Islamabad: China, Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday agreed not to allow any country, group or individual to use their territories for terrorism as their foreign ministers discussed development, security and counterterrorism during their first such trilateral dialogue in Beijing. The three sides reiterated their firm resolve to fight the menace of terrorism, according to the joint statement shared by Pakistan’s Foreign Office after the meeting. It was the first meeting of its kind since the three countries agreed
Surat city BJP vice-president P V S Sarma says, “The traders might have understood that if they voted for the BJP, their issues would be sorted out soon.”
to strengthen counterterrorism coordination and cooperation in an effort to combat all terrorist organisations and individuals without any discrimination. They reaffirmed that a broadbased and inclusive peace and reconciliation process, which is “Afghan-led, Afghan-own”, and fully supported regionally and internationally, is the most viable solution to end the violence in Afghanistan. “In this regard, they call on the Afghan Taliban to join the peace process at an early date,” the statement said.
be built based on the report of survey,” municipal commissioner M Thennarasan said. SMC would have a non-governmental organization as a partner in this project whose responsibility will be to maintain the facilities and look after daily food requirement of residents. The labour transit camps will be set up in a commercial area so that workplace of majority of residents is located close by and is connected with bus services. “We need to take care of all sections of people. We will try to accommodate all who want shelter in a labour transit camps,” Thennarasan added. At present SMC runs 27 temporary shelters. Old school buildings have been identified in Udhna, Varachha and Rander to convert them into temporary shelters and labour transit camps after repairs.
But this election, traders were upset with the BJP over demonetisation and GST —the city had shut for 22 days in July-August. Surat was also the epicentre of the Patidar quota stir — lakhs had turned up for Hardik Patel’s rally in August 2015. But on December 18, the BJP retained all 12 seats in Surat city and lost just one of the 16 seats of the district.
Short-circuit sparks fire in Karelibaug hospital VADODARA: Panic spread in a private multi-speciality hospital in Karelibaug on Monday after fire broke out on the third floor where operation theatres are located. Thirteen patients were undergoing treatment in Shukan Hospital when short-circuit sparked fire in the wiring panel at around 11.15am. At the same time, the doctors at the hospital had just initiated surgery on an 81-year-old patient. Initially, they switched off the electric supply of the hospital and when the fire’s intensity increased, hospital staff informed the fire department. Meanwhile, in the confusion the hospital staff forgot to shift the elderly woman patient who was already administered anaesthesia. “When our team reached there, the passage outside the operation theatre was filled with smoke. The doors of the operation theatre were closed but the smoke had entered there through gaps therefore we used exhaust fans to remove the smoke,” said I I Shaikh, fire officer, Dandiabazaar fire station. On one hand while the firemen were dousing the fire with extinguishers, another team quickly moved the elderly lady to lower floor. After the fire was brought under control, all the patients were moved to another hospital nearby.
Peru: Protests spark as Pedro Pablo pardons accused ex-prez on humanitarian grounds
Lima: Thousands of Peruvians marched in Lima on Monday to protest the pardon of ailing ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses. Current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski ordered the pardon of Fujimori and seven other prisoners on Sunday on humanitarian grounds, once again placing himself in the middle of a political crisis just days after he avoided impeachment. On Monday, protesters called for Kuczynski’s departure from office. “Out, out PPK! Out, out PPK!” angry demonstrators chanted in reference to the president, who had promised during his electoral campaign in 2016 that he would not free Fujimori. “Fujimori, murderer and thief. No to the pardon!” read one of the signs held by the protesters, some of whom also carried a giant Peruvian flag. Relatives of victims of Fujimori’s brutal rule took part in the march. “We
are here as relatives to reject this illegal pardon, because it does not correspond to the gravity of the crimes,” Gisella Ortiz, representative of a group of relatives of victims, told reporters. A strong force of anti-riot police moved through the streets of Lima with the protesters and sought to prevent them from heading to the clinic where Fujimori is hospitalized. Kuczynski said his decision to grant the pardon relied on a medical evaluation that Fujimori suffered a progressive
and incurable illness and those conditions in prison “represent a grave risk to his life”. But the move came after Fujimori’s son Kenji drained votes away from a parliamentary bid on Thursday to impeach Kuczynski on suspicion of corruption; sparking speculation the pardon was political payback. The condition of Alberto Fujimori, 79, was “delicate” and “a decision will be made” based on how he responds to treatment at the Centenario Clinic, a doctor at the facility.
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