Parineeti Chopra: I don’t think I would’ve got Golmaal.....
30/01/2018, tuesday Edition: Ahmedabad
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Indian Premier League 2018: Delhi Daredevils appoint James Hopes as bowling coach Page no. 03
ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News Shopian civilian killings: JK govt to take FIR against Army to logical conclusion, says CM Mehbooba Mufti
Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday assured the Legislative Assembly that the probe ordered into the killing of two civilians at Shopian two days ago would be taken to logical conclusion. Winding up the discussion on an Adjournment Motion on these killings in the House, the Chief Minister said nobody countenances such killings which only impairs and slow down the political process in the State. She said an FIR was lodged against the guilty immediately after the incident took place, and the Deputy Commissioner, Shopian was ordered to conduct a magisterial probe and come up with its report within 15 days. Mehbooba Mufti said within moments of learning about the incident she rang up Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi who, she said, shared her anguish and assured to take appropriate measures. She said Army as an institution has done a great job but the grace of an institution only enhances once the black sheep within are identified and weeded out.
BJP
Delhi HC transfers disqualified AAP MLAs’ plea to division bench
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday transferred to a division bench the pleas of AAP MLAs, seeking quashing of their disqualification from the Delhi Assembly for holding office of profit. Single judge bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru fixed the matter before the Acting Chief Justice for Tuesday, who may either set up or refer it to an existing division bench. The court also extended its January 24 order restraining the Election Commission (EC) from issuing any notification announcing bye-elections to fill vacancies of the 20 Assembly seats, MLAs of which have been disqualified. The court’s direction came after advocate Prashant Patel, on whose plea the poll panel had recommended disqualification of the AAP legislators to which the President gave his nod, moved an application seeking transfer of the matter to a division bench.
Cow vigilantism: SC’s contempt notice to Maha, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday slapped contempt of court notice on the States of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and UP for not implementing the order issued on September 6, 2017, to prevent cow vigilante groups from taking law into their hands. A threejudge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Kanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud issued notice on the petition filed by journalist Tushar Gandhi and others to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. The bench after hearing senior counsel Indira Jaising for the petitioner said the presence of contemnors is not required for the present and directed the matter to be listed for further hearing on February 23. On that it will be enough if the States are represented through their counsel.
Mahadayi dispute: Goa deputy speaker proposes resolution against K’taka
Panaji: Accusing Karnataka of diverting the water of a Mahadayi tributary into the Malaprabha river basin, Goa Assembly’s deputy Speaker Michael Lobo has said a resolution against it is likely during the Budget session. Lobo was speaking to reporters after visiting Kanakumbi in Karnataka with Speaker Pramod Sawant and two other Goa legislators on Sunday. “There is a total diversion of water from Mahadayi tributary at Kanakumbi by Karnataka government by constructing underwater canals. Whatever water is flowing down to Goa from there is just seepage,” the deputy speaker said.
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Congress labels President’s Parliament speech ‘insipid’, says claims were made contrary to ground realities New Delhi : Describing President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament as “disappointing”, the Congress stated that the claims made were far removed from the ground realities. “The President’s address was deeply disappointing and insipid… which made claims that are contrary to the ground realities and known facts,” Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters. He also stated that the address was meant to give an impression that all the promises made by the Narendra Modiled government are being
fulfilled. “An impression is sought to be given that under the watch of the Prime Minister and this government, all the commitments made to the people of India have been honoured and fulfilled,” the Congress leader said. Targeting the BJP over demonetisation, GST, Sharma said, “President said the economy is booming, which it is not – because of the
two reckless decisions”. He pointed out that the Modi government’s GST model has led to a drastic decline in GDP. Sharma also trained his guns on BJP over its poll promise of giving jobs to two crore youths. “The employment, as promised, has not been created. Jobs have been destroyed because of wrong decisions, including that of demonetisation,” he said, pointing out that over 3.7 crore of 13 crore jobs in the informal sector of the economy have been lost due to demonetisation. “It is time for the government to give an account”, he said.
january 30, 2017, Tuesday
Economic Survey pegs GDP growth at 7-7.5 pc in 2018-19 vs 6.75 pc in 2017-18 New Delhi: India’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow between seven and seven and a half per cent in 20182019 on the back of major reforms that have already been initiated, predicted the Economic Survey presented in Parliament on Monday. A report of the country’s financial health, the survey said India would end the current year with GDP at 6.75 per cent, “reinstating the country as the world’s fastest growing major economy”.
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Temporary impact of demonetisation, GST dissipating: Subramanian
New Delhi: Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian on Monday termed the GST (goods and services tax) launch a big transformational event of 2017-18. Sharing the key highlights of Economic Survey 2018 that was tabled by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
Parliament at the start of the Budget session on Monday, Chief Economic Adviser said, “Economy is picking up as temporary impact of GST and demonetisation is dissipating, exports are also picking up.” He said the direction of the economy is very good and the economy is picking up “robustly”.
Rajasthan: ‘Chariot bride’ challenges patriarchy, replaces groom in marriage ritual Jaipur: Residents of Chirawa town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan were in for a pleasant surprise to see a bride sitting in a horse-drawn carriage and leading the procession for a pre-wedding ritual of ‘Bandori’. In order to spread the message that daughters are in no way inferior to sons, Gargi Ahlawat, an MBA from UK has been going around in different localities in Jhunjhunu in the horse carriage for the last three days. Gargi is the daughter of Jhunjhunu MP Santosh Ahlawat and her reversal of the popular ritual has received wide acceptance. “People in rural and semirural areas can be influenced by action but not by articles in newspapers or TV shows. My mother is campaigning for ‘Beti Bacho, Beti Padhao’. This action coming from the daughter of an MP can set an example for others to follow. A woman riding a horse carriage for the ritual is bound to be noticed and followed by other families soon,” said Gargi.
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu conferring the Life Time Achievement Award to legendary Badminton player, Shri Prakash Padukone, in New Delhi
32-yr-old Andhra techie, ‘talking on phone’, falls to death at Chennai airport
Chennai: A man fell to his death from a bridge at the Chennai airport, police and airport officials said. The man fell from the departure bridge near gate number 4 of the domestic terminal and died, they said. According to a report in The Times of India, the man has been identified as 32-year-old Chaitanya Vuyuru of Vijayawada and was employed at an IT company in Bengaluru died after falling off from a bridge at the Chennai Airport around 6:30 am on Monday. The report quoted witnesses informing the police that Chaitanya had been sitting on the railing of the flyover and had fallen off from there. Footages from the CCTV cameras
showed that the man was either trying to take a selfie or talking to someone sitting on the railing. The flyover is used for dropping passengers at the domestic and international departure terminals. Police were checking if it was a case of suicide or an accidental fall from the bridge. According to reports, Chaitanya had suffered multiple fractures on his skull. The man was not carrying any bag and he didn’t have any air ticket. “He may have an e-ticket in his mobile. But his Apple iPhone was damaged in the incident. Another phone he carried was malfunctioning after the fall from a 10-foot high flyover,” a TOI report quoted a police officer as saying.
Ahead of Budget session 2018-19, Modi pitches for passage of triple talaq bill
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked all the political parties to help pass the triple talaq bill in the Budget session of Parliament as a New Year gift to Muslim women. Modi said, “we have to pass this bill and protect Muslim women”. The Prime Minister said the budget will add new vigour to India’s development and will fulfil aspirations of people. “We should rise above politics and make most use of our healthy system of parliamentary committees and have proactive discussions,” he said. Modi also said, “We should make use of our system of parliamentary committees and discuss aspects of the Budget. We should think about the well-being of rural India, farmers, Dalits, tribal communities and labourers.” Terming the budget session important, the Prime Minister said, “The world is optimistic about India. Agencies like World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been giving an optimistic opinion of the country.” The last full budget before the 2019
general election will be presented on February 1. At the all-party ahead of the Budget session, the Prime Minister on Sunday, said the Budget session is very important and the government takes very sincerely the suggestions given about it by opposition during discussion in all party meeting. The Opposition, however, said it planned to counter the government on issues such as incidents of rape and other atrocities on women, alleged attacks on the Constitution and constitutional institutions and the plight of traders, besides the recent incident of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh. The opposition has also asked the government to allow a discussion on these issues during the Budget session. The focus of the Union budget will be job creation, small businesses and rural schemes, reported news agency Reuters, quoting officials. “The budget is likely to offer incentives to the farm sector and small businesses,” Reuters quoted an official as saying.
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tuesday, 30 january, 2018
Kasganj violence: No soft options
V iolence in UP’s Kasganj needs to be put down with an iron hand as a lag in police action in the initial stages that led to the situation spiralling out of control. With over 80 people rounded up and the law enforcement agencies dealing with the problem sternly now, the situation has almost returned to normal. The peace committee, comprising prominent local citizens and representatives of the administration, has decided to keep shops and commercial establishments open, which is welcome. That the trouble broke out on the Republic Day over taking out a bike rally with national flags is most unfortunate as it gives the impression that one section was objecting to the celebration of the national day. This even gave a certain anti-national colour to the incident. But in reality, it was due to a dispute about the right of way as a stretch of the street had been cordoned off for a flag hoisting ceremony, inhabited predominently by the minority community. Two seperate functions meant that the supporters of one turned against the other and with a communal divide, the implications were clear. Of course, when trouble starts additional factors come into play, and the whole issue gets hijacked. Those who are familiar with the area say this is the first communal violence to have ever taken place. Like it happens in most such cases, the victims were innocent poeple. The young man who fell to a bullet and whose death inflated passions was a popular local youth who found time to engage in charity work, such as distributing blankets to the needy. Most of violent incidents occurred after the victim’s funeral, where some inflammatory remarks by a BJP leader reportedly provoked people to attack members of the minority community. But most of those who had their shops burnt were innocent people who got caught up in the trouble. There may also have been incidents of personal scores being settled or anti-social elements exploiting the situation. Kasganj serves as a trading hub that provides supply of farm produce and aluminium wares for eastern UP neighbourhoods and most people are employed in the local mandis. There are few other employment opportunities in the area, which makes unemployment rampant. While discontent on this count is high, that is no excuse for passing off trouble-making as an occuption. The law enforcment authorities cannot escape the blame that they did not act promptly when it was really required. It appears that the police administration has recommended suspension of the police superintendent, who reportedly reached the spot at least two hours late. This has given the Opposition parties a ground to suspect if there was any deliberate attempt to whip up tension to achieve communal polarisation with an eye on the elections.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Editor
bollywood special Boney Kapoor on comparisons with Sridevi: Janhvi Kapoor has an individual style
Boney Kapoor while talking about his daughter Janhvi Kapoor who is all set to make her big Bollywood with Dhadak says that she has her own individuality and she is nowhere trying to be like her mom, Sridevi. Boney Kapoor says his debutante daughter Janhvi Kapoor has an individual style and she is not trying to ape her mother, veteran actor Sridevi. Filmmaker Karan Johar is launching the upcoming actor in Bollywood with Shashank Khaitan-directed Dhadak, the Hindi remake of Marathi blockbuster Sairat, opposite Ishaan Khatter. When asked about how his daughter is prepping for her debut, Boney said, “Janhvi has her own individuality. Fortunately, she is not trying to be (like) her mom. She is trying to be herself which is good. She (Sridevi) has been an iconic figure so more so being her daughter why should Janhvi ape her.” “If she has to make a mark she should be her own individual self and do things that create your own identity. She is sensible and intelligent girl. She is hardworking, sincere towards her work and she will create a niche for herself,” he added. The
Myanmar’s first LGBT festival goes public, leaving broken heels, glitter behind Fluorescent wigs askew and leaving broken stiletto heels and a cloud of glitter in their wake, Myanmar drag queens pounded across the finish line and crashed into a waiting coterie of photographers at a groundbreaking festival. The race and other games including handbag throwing were some of the highlights of the “&Proud” festival, which took place in public for the first time in a country where same-sex relations are still officially illegal. “Some people don’t know about LGBT people,” said 20-year-old Thaw Zin, who attended the weekend event at a Yangon park sporting a bright pink T-shirt, dyed strawberry blond hair and blue contact lenses. “You get people who are LGBT but they don?t know what that is. They don’t understand. So that’s why it’s difficult for other people to understand as well.” Myanmar’s notorious Section 377, a remnant of British rule, criminalises so-called “unnatural” sex and has been used to target LGBT people in the socially conservative nation. Political reforms have broadened the space for free expression and civil society, but rights groups decry entrenched homophobic
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attitudes and widespread discrimination against the community. Organisers said they were therefore amazed to receive the green light to hold the festival in public rather than the more discreet garden of the French Institute as they had in the past. The widening acceptance boosted numbers with some 6,000 people coming along on the first day alone, compared with 2-3,000 over the whole festival in previous years. “I would say this is not just for the LGBT community. This is for the whole country, acknowledging equality and basic human rights,” said 33-year-old festival co-director Hla Myat Tun. LGBT RIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE The aim of the event, which runs over two consecutive weekends, is to educate as well as to entertain. LGBT volunteers were on hand at a “human library” to discuss their personal stories while a series of LGBT-focused documentaries are also being screened. “A Simple Love Story” tells the touching tale of the relationship between a trans-man in Yangon and his part-time lover and trans-woman in Mandalay.
producer said he is happy with the way Dhadak is shaping up. “I was in Udaipur for a day and it’s going pretty well. She was filming a song and it looked fantastic. I have also seen the stills and pictures. They look good,” he said. Meanwhile, Boney’s much-awaited “No Entry” sequel is making news over the return of one of its lead actors – Salman Khan. Also featuring Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan, the 2005 superhit film was helmed by Anees Bazmee. Bazmee had recently said it would be “good” if Salman agrees to be a part of the sequel, but if he is not keen on doing it, they will have to scout for some other actor. Boney, however, chose to stay mum on the casting. “I know it (sequel) has been announced for a long time. I don’t want to comment on the star cast. All I can say is that the film will be made sooner than later,” he said. The producer was talking on the sidelines of Yash Chopra Memorial Award last evening here.
Parineeti Chopra: I don’t think I would’ve got Golmaal Again had I not been fit Actor Parineeti Chopra says she is happy that the variety of roles being offered to her has increased since she underwent weight loss two years ago. Taking a break from films in 2016, Chopra spent most of her time working on her physical fitness, and the actor said it paid off as she got Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again only because she “looked fitter” than before. Asked if filmmakers began viewing her differently after her weight loss, she said, “I think yes. It is not necessarily the typical way that ‘Now, she is looking sexy so, we will look at her in a different way.’ Not at all. “It is not like that. Our directors and producers are beyond all of this. They just saw that I
could do something different,” she said. Parineeti said staying fit gives filmmakers a chance to visualise an actor in various roles. “When you look a certain way, your expectations from that person are of a particular type, that may be she can only do these many roles,” she said. “But when you give them a shock like this (her weight loss), they see you in a different way, which is why I got Golmaal Again, because the girl had to do a lot of action in the film. I don’t think I would have gotten it had I not been fit,” the actor said. Chopra was speaking at the launch of this month’s edition of Grazia magazine, with her on cover.
Runoff from glaciers in the local region is an important freshwater supply and is used for agriculture and hydro- electric power.
Himalayan icy ponds influence hydro-electric, irrigation projects’ water flow: study The flow of water that supports hydroelectric and irrigation projects in the mountain regions of India and Nepal is regulated by hundreds of large icy ponds on some of the world’s highest glaciers, a study has found. Researchers at Aberystwyth University in the UK have shown that the ponds, which form on debris-covered glaciers in the Himalaya, control the rate at which water from melting ice flows downstream. With many covering an area of up to five times the size of an Olympic swimming pool, their hydrological role, specifically to the extent which they can store water on the glacier surface, has remained unknown until now. According to Tristram IrvineFynn from Aberystwyth, the role of these ponds could become increasingly important as the region’s climate changes. “The hydrological role of ponds and debris may become more significant in the future. By understanding these
processes we can become more confident in our predictions of water security and ecosystem response in the Himalaya,” said Irvine-Fynn, who led the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “Runoff from glaciers in the local region is an important freshwater supply and is used for agriculture and hydroelectric power,” said Neil Glasser from Aberystwyth University. “Water flowing from glacierised catchments in the Himalaya is a critical water resource for mountain dwellers in particular, and impacts on flows reaching the lowlands
too,” said Glasser. Irvine-Fynn and colleagues uncovered the hydrological function of surface ponds on Khumbu Glacier in the Everest region of Nepal. The team monitored the melt-water runoff from Khumbu Glacier, which descends from Mount Everest, for nearly 200 days through the summer monsoon season. The high-resolution measurements of water flow showed two unexpected patterns: first, the water volumes released by the glacier were out of phase with daily solar radiation, and second, temperature cycles and the rate of change in runoff after peak flow did not decline smoothly. “The pattern of melt-water flow decline, or the ‘flow recession’, was really intriguing and did not seem to match the patterns that have been reported for clean ice glaciers in the Alps or Svalbard in the Arctic Circle,” said Irvine-Fynn.
Scientists can convert human waste into food for astronauts
Scientists have developed a method for converting human waste into a potential food source that may be used by astronauts during deep space missions to Mars and beyond. The researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the US have shown it is possible to rapidly break down solid and liquid waste to grow food with a series of microbial reactors, while simultaneously minimising pathogen growth, scientists have found. “We envisioned and tested the concept of simultaneously treating astronauts waste with microbes while producing a biomass that is edible either directly or indirectly depending on safety concerns,” said Christopher House, professor of geosciences at Penn State. “It is a little strange, but the concept would be a little bit like Marmite or Vegemite where youre eating a smear of microbial goo,” said House. The study published in the journal Life Sciences in Space Research addresses multiple challenges facing deep-space missions to Mars or beyond, which would likely take months or years. Bringing enough food from Earth takes up volume and increases the mass and fuel cost of the spacecraft, while growing food in route using hydroponic or other methods would be an energy- and water-intensive process that takes up valuable room.
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Sports Special
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ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup: After IPL riches, India colts face Pakistan in semifinal Three-time champions India have played like a thorough professional outfit, winning all four matches in emphatic fashion so far.
Christchurch: After bagging lucrative deals at the IPL auction, members of the unbeaten Indian team will be eager to deliver when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semifinal of the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Tuesday. Three-time champions India have played like a thorough professional outfit, winning all four matches in emphatic fashion including the quarterfinal against Bangladesh. For two-time winners Pakistan, it has not been smooth sailing all the way. They lost their tournament opener to Afghanistan before winning three in a row. However, their last two results
were narrow three-wicket wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa. Pakistan’s bowling, led by left-arm pace sensation Shaheen Afridi, has done the job for the team but batting has been far from convincing. Ali Zaryab Asif did bulk of the scoring in the middle- order, rescuing the side from tight situations twice. He hit 59 against Sri Lanka and followed it up with a 74 against South Africa in the quarterfinal. It’s time that others chip in and Indian pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi would look to exploit that weakness in the opposition camp.
The Punjab outfit is considering a name-change for the team ahead of the eleventh edition of the cash-rich league.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic free to leave Manchester United if he wants, says Jose Mourinho London: Manchester United will not stand in the way of Zlatan Ibrahimovic if he wants to leave the club, manager Jose Mourinho said on Monday. But the Swedish striker, linked by British media with a move to LA Galaxy, has not mentioned the subject to his manager. “If that is true and Zlatan wants a future in another club in another country then I give to help and create conditions for that to happen,” Mourinho told reporters. The 36-year-old Ibrahimovic, who joined United in 2016 and is out of contract in the summer, has hardly played this season after suffering a knee ligament injury last year. But Mourinho said Ibrahimovic was striving to get back to peak condition. “He’s working hard to be fit. I’m not saying injured because he’s not injured. I think he’s in a moment of trying to feel really ready for the demands of Premier League football.” Mourinho also gave an update on midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who is free to talk to other clubs as his contract ticks down. “He knows I want him and the club wants him and I think that’s very important for him.
After IPL 2018 Player Auction, Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab to have name changed?
Bengaluru: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were one of the most active and busiest franchises during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Player Auction on Saturday and Sunday. The Preity Zinta co-owned side bid aggressively for star players and had other teams not used Right to Match (RTM) cards, the IPL outfit could have ended up with one of the best squads. However, it is now learnt that KXIP is considering a name-change for the team ahead of the eleventh edition of the cash-rich league. A BCCI official confirmed that the Punjaboutfit has opted for a name change and has sent a request to the national cricket body, it is reported. KXIP owners even hinted at the idea followed by many sports teams in the United States where they are allowed to change names if they shift base. The franchise is now considering a new home ground for the upcoming edition after receiving poor support at the IS Bindra-Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali. KXIP, which will be coached by former India batsman Virender Sehwag once again, have a promising season to look forward to after massively beefing up their squad. KXIP beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals
(RR) to buy Ravichandran Ashwin for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore before shelling out Rs 11 crores to buy KL Rahul. Karun Nair and Yuvraj Singh were also swooped in while RTM cards were used for the likes of David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit Sharma. Two key foreign recruits, Andrew Tye and Universe Boss Chris Gayle were also brought in on the final day. Kings XI
Punjab final squad: Akshar Patel, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Karun Nair, Mujeeb Zadran, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Singh Sran, Yuvraj Singh, Christopher Gayle, Ben Dwarshuis, Akshdeep Nath, Manoj Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal, Manzoor Dar, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar
Indian Premier League 2018: Delhi Daredevils appoint James Hopes as bowling coach New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils on Monday appointed former Australia all-rounder James Hopes as their new bowling coach ahead of the upcoming season of Indian Premier League. Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua confirmed that while Hopes has been appointed as the new bowling coach, ex-Assam and Railways cricketer Subhadeep Ghosh will take over as the fielding coach. The duo will now join the staff led by head coach and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. The rest of the coaching staff, however, will continue to be the same with former cricketers Pravin Amre and Sridharan Sriram as assistant coaches. Sunil Valson is the team manager, whereas Paul Close continues in his role as physiotherapist along with Rajinikanth Sivagnanam as the fitness coach. Hopes featured in 84 ODIs and 12 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia, apart from representing Queensland for close to 15 years.
Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Arsenal?
London: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is closing on a switch from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal as Arsene Wenger looks to boost his forward options, reports in Germany and Britain said on Monday. German magazine Kicker reported the clubs
had agreed on a 63-million-euro ($78 million, £55 million) fee for the player and that as part of the deal Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud could move to Germany on loan until the end of the season. But the report said Giroud was still dragging
RJio low-cost data services has disrupted market and revenue of incumbent players has fallen.
Telcos under stress due to debt pile, tariff war: Economic Survey New Delhi: The Economic Survey 2017-18 on Monday said the telecom sector is going through stress due to a huge debt pile, tariff war and irrational spectrum costs and called for policy measures to minimise over-bidding of assets during auctions. The survey document, tabled in Parliament on Monday, said auctions in case of spectrum as also coal and renewables led to transparency and avoided rent-seeking, although they “may have led to a winners’ curse, whereby firms overbid for assets, leading to adverse consequences in each of the sectors”. It also noted that FDI equity inflows (April-October) in top 10 sectors grew by 15 per cent, as compared to 0.8 per cent growth in total FDI
equity inflows, mainly due to higher FDI in two sectors telecom and computer software and hardware. “However, it is important to note that the telecom sector is going through a stress period
with growing losses, debt pile, price war, reduced revenue and irrational spectrum costs,” the survey said. The survey, in an apparent reference to Reliance Jio, said that low-cost data services by a new entrant has
disrupted the market and the revenue of incumbent players has fallen. “The crisis has also severely impacted investors, lenders, partners and vendors of these telecom companies,” the survey said.
his feet and would prefer to stay in England and move to Premier League side Chelsea.The BBC also reported that the move was close, quoting a figure of £60 million but said the deal would not go through until the German club had a replacement
lined up. The Bundesliga club turned down a bid of 50 million euros from Arsenal last week, the BBC reported. Gabon international Aubameyang, 28, played for Dortmund in their 2-2 draw against Freiburg on Saturday but did not score.
business
Railways’ freight traffic declining on non-competitive tariff: Economic Survey New Delhi: The share of Indian Railways in freight movement has been witnessing a drop over a period of time, mainly on account of non-competitive tariff structure, Economic Survey said on Monday. While the passenger fare had remained more or less flat, the freight fare has gone up sharply over the years, it said. “The share of Indian Railways in freight movement has been declining over a period of time primarily due to non- competitive tariff structure,” Economic Survey 2017-18 tabled in Parliament said. In a bid to make rail transportation attractive and arrest the declining trend of rail share, the survey said, various initiatives were taken in FY2017 which includes tariff rationalisation, new policy guideline for station to station rates, withdrawal of dual freight policy for export of iron ore and rationalisation of coal tariff. During the current fiscal (up to September last year) Indian Railways carried 558.10 million tonnes (MT) of revenue earning freight traffic as against 531.23 MT during
FY2017 (up to September 2016), showing an increase of 5.06 per cent during this period, it said. Facing stiff competition from other modes of transportation, the government is introducing various transformative measures in order to keep railways on track. “These measures are focusing on prioritising investments in important areas, viz dedicated freight corridors, high speed rail, high capacity rolling stock, last mile rail linkages, port connectivity, and attracting private and foreign direct investment,” the survey said. Station redevelopment is the biggest non-fare revenue generating project for redeveloping railways stations in the country and has been included in the Harmonised List of Infrastructure Sub-sectors. Station redevelopment programme is envisaged to be done by leveraging commercial development of railways’ spareable space in and around the station. The Survey further said that the rapid urbanisation has created increased demand of civic facilities and transport infrastructure.
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Shankar Chaudhary, Jethabhai Patel emerge frontrunners for chairman’s post
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation: Election today, BJP says 18 dairies to choose ‘unanimously’
AHMEDABAD: THE ELECTION for the two top posts — chairman and vice-chairman — of the country’s largest co-operative federation, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), is scheduled to be held on Monday in Anand. The BJP which gets most of its political clout from co-operatives , claimeed that it has arrived at a “consensus”, following a meeting of the chairpersons of all the 18 dairies which will go to polls, here on Sunday. The election, which is held once in two and a half years, has been electing the top two posts through a consensus and not through voting. At present, all the 18 member unions in the
state are run by the BJP. The election comes in the backdrop of the Assembly election where the BJP won by a slender margin, and the decision to reduce the milk procurement prices, especially in Kutch and Saurashtra. Names of former Health Minister and Banas Dairy chairman Shankar Chaudhary, and incumbent GCMMF chairman Jethabhai P Patel of Sabar Dairy are doing the rounds for the chairman’s post. “All the 18 dairy members met today and have left the decision (on electing chairman and vice-chairman) to the party,” said Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama who is also the minister of law and justice, legislative and
parliamentary affairs and cow-breeding. Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel was also present at the meeting. “The decision taken at the meeting has been communicated to the Chief Minister (Vijay Rupani) and state BJP president Jitu Vaghani. It is good that the largest co-operative decides on the two posts unanimously,” he added. Shankar Chaudhary, who lost the Assembly polls to the Congress, and is now the frontrunner for the post, said that he “will go with whatever the team (18 members and the party) decides”. Among the 18 dairy unions, his Banas Dairy has the highest voting share in the GCMMF. Out of the total 1,300 votes, Banas Dairy
has 320 votes — roughly 25 per cent votes. The business a dairy holds decides its voting share, and as Banas Dairy is the largest among the 18, it has the highest vote share. Raising questions on the selection process, former Congress MLA from Dhanera Joitabhai Patel, who has served as director of Banas Dairy for almost four decades, said that such a system has been intentionally created by the BJP. “Among the 19 directors in Banas Dairy, I am the only Congress director remaining; all are from the BJP. This system has been created so that there is no hold or say of the directors. It is a co-operative movement where it will be run the way the government wants.
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700 residents benefit from legal help camp
VADODARA: Close to 700 citiznes got benefits of different schemes of the state and central government at legal help camp organized by the Vadodara District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) on Sunday. The camp was organized with the help of National Legal Services Authority and Gujarat State Legal Services Authority. Secretary of DLSA M A Mirza said, “Usually people have to visit different offices to get benefits of the scheme, but through the camp citizens could get information, forms and apply at the same place. Nearly 4,800 people from different talukas of Vadodara came get information about various government schemes. Of these 700 applied and 65 applications were resolved on the spot. “We have also accepted 200 other forms and the staff will go to their homes to give them benefits of the schemes,” he said. Five people were also given Rs 10.5 lakh under Gujarat Victim Compensation Scheme.
French climber rescued from Nanga Parbat Islamabad: An elite group of climbers saved a French mountaineer in a daring high-altitude rescue mission on Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat, one of the highest mountains in the world, as officials called off the search for a second missing alpinist on Sunday. The group of Polish climbers with support from the Pakistani military launched the effort Saturday afternoon to rescue stranded French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol, but were unable to reach Polish national Tomek Mackiewicz on Nanga Parbat, nicknamed “killer mountain”. “The rescue for Tomasz is unfortunately not possible - because of the weather and altitude it would put the life of rescuers in extreme danger,” wrote Ludovic Giambiasi, a friend of Revol, in a series of updates on Facebook. “It’s a terrible and painful decision.” The rescue mission involved four mountaineers who were flown by the Pakistani military from the base camp of K2 — the world’s secondhighest peak — to reach the stranded climbers. “The K2 climbers who stopped their historic effort for a winter K2 summit will descend with Elisabeth Revol — one life saved,” said Karar Haideri, spokesman for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, in a statement on Sunday. The team is in the process of being evacuated by helicopter after a five and a half hour descent down the mountain to Nanga Parbat’s camp one early on Sunday.
A reveler smiles as she takes part in the ‘Desliga da Justica’ block party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Leading up to Rio’s annual Carnival, thousands of merrymakers fill the streets taking part in parties known as “blocos”.
President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to Parliament indicates government sees agrarian crisis as major challenge
AHMEDABAD: If Gujarat Assembly election results were an indication, and if one reads the fine print of President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the parliamentarians ahead of the Budget Session on Monday, then the agriculture sector seems to be emerging as one of the biggest challenges for the Narendra Modi government and the BJP. It is also a challenge that the government appears to be keen on handling before it goes out of hand ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kovind in his presidential address emphasised on the farm sector, reiterating the government’s promise to double agricultural growth by 2022. While showcasing government schemes and initiatives for rural and agriculture sector, the president tried to give a message to the people about the government’s plans for the farmers. The Economic Survey 2018 tabled soon thereafter projected agriculture growth of 2.1 percent for FY 2018. Representational image. ReutersRepresentational image. Reuter However, agriculture experts and the Opposition are not convinced about the growth story and see the predictions as a ‘mirage’ created by the government to impress the electorate. “If agricultural income is to be doubled in the next four years, the growth trajectory of agriculture has to be assumed at an annual rate of minimum 20 percent.
Kabul remained on high alert as the presidential palace declared a national day of mourning for today, with flags flying at half-mast.
Kabul declares mourning as blast toll crosses 100 Kabul: Afghanistan on Sunday declared a day of national mourning as the toll for those killed by a huge bomb hidden in an ambulance in Kabul topped 100 people, sharply raising tensions after insurgents struck in the city for the second time in a week. At least 103 people were killed and 235 wounded in Saturday’s lunchtime attack claimed by the Taliban, which caused panic in the war-torn capital and overwhelmed its hospitals. Kabul remained on high alert as the presidential palace declared a national day of mourning for today, with flags flying at half-mast. The attack was one of the worst to strike the capital in recent years. Central Kabul was unusually quiet on Saturday, a normal workday in Afghanistan, with little traffic and few people on the street. In contrast, security checkpoints have been beefed up, particularly in the streets
near the blast scene, as the city braced for the possibility of further violence. A security alert issued on Sunday warned that IS group — which claimed the attack on Save the Children’s office in Afghanistan’s east on Wednesday — was planning to attack supermarkets and shops in Kabul frequented by foreigners. US President Donald Trump called for “decisive action” against the Taliban over the assault as other international leaders also condemned the attack. Afghan authorities gave an updated toll for those killed and maimed in the blast.
China says differences with India should be resolved in ‘calm way’ Cambodia clamps down on foreigners, Beijing: India and China should look at their border differences, including over Doklam, in a “calm way” and resolve them through existing mechanisms, the Chinese foreign ministry said Monday. India’s Ambassador to China, Gautam Bambawale, had told the Chinese daily Global Times that the status quo should not be changed along the sensitive areas of the 3,488-km-long border. “Indeed we have noted that the ambassador talked about it while addressing the issue,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. “I should say the two sides should look at border issues in a calm way and resolve relevant issues through the existing border-related mechanisms so that we can create conditions and enabling environment to properly solve our differences,” she added. India and China also have special representative-level border talks to resolve border issues. Also Read: CPEC only economic project:
China ready to resolve differences with India On new satellite imagery purportedly showing a buildup, Ms Hua claimed that Doklam, over which Bhutan also claims sovereignty, is Chinese territory and China is building facilities in the area. She referred to a 1890 treaty between the UK and China, and claimed “the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by historic treaty and treaty under affective jurisdiction of China”. “China has always upheld our sovereignty along the border area including Donglang (Doklam),” she said. About the satellite imagery, she said, “I should stress it falls within China’s sovereignty that we conduct facility building in Donglang area.” “Some Indian media have carried reports about the military build-up and infrastructure building in the area. They are very excited about it,” she said. Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged greetings on the border on Republic Day.
arrests 10 for ‘dancing pornographically’ Phonm Penh: Cambodia has charged 10 foreigners arrested for “singing and dancing pornographically”, officials said Sunday, as the kingdom cracks down on racy behaviour at popular tourist sites. The group appeared in court three days after police arrested them Thursday at a villa in Siem Reap, the town connected to Cambodia’s famed ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. Samrith Sokhon, a prosecutor at the court in Siem Reap, said the 10 suspects were being charged with producing “pornographic pictures and materials”, which can carry a maximum oneyear sentence. He said five of the 10 defendants are British nationals, but did not provide additional details. Cambodia’s national police said on its website over the weekend that the other defendants included two Canadians and one New Zealander.
All were accused of “singing and dancing pornographically”, the police said in the post, which showed photos of pairs simulating various sexual positions at a party. Several people in the original images, however, do not appear in the group shot of the 10 defendants later posted by the police, and authorities did not say who had taken the suggestive photos or when. Some of those arrested were expats and others were tourists who had been in the country for several months, said Duong Thavry, chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department in Siem Reap. “We cracked down on them because they committed activities that are against our culture,” she said. Officials said dozens of tourists were let go after being informed of their inappropriate actions.
Printed, Published & Owned by AKSHESHKUMAR S. SAVALIYA and “Sunvilla Samachar” (English Daily) Printed at “Sunvilla Samachar Daily Printing Press”, Shed No.36, Shreenath Sarthak Industrial Park, Near Torrent Power Sub Station, Ring Road, Nikol, Ahmedabad - 380049 and Published from A/24, Shardha Appartment, Thakkarbapanagar Road, Near Approach, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad-382350. Mo.: 9825098053, (* Responsible for selection of News under the PRB act) *Editor : KAPILKUMAR M. HIRPARA, RNI No. : GUJENG/2014/59629.