Don’t criticise players for opting for specific...
lggy Azalea defends decision to continue show page no. 02
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ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD EDITION Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News Army rescues 2500 tourists stranded near India-China border in Sikkim New Delhi: The Indian Army has rescued around 2500 tourists who were stuck near the IndiaChina border in Sikkim’s Nathu La due to heavy snowfall. The tourists including women and children who were stranded between the 17 Mile area and Nathu La in Sikkim have now been provided food, shelter and warm clothes by the Army, a Defence Ministry official said. “300 to 400 civil vehicles were stranded near 17 Mile carrying over 2500 tourists who were returning after visiting Nathu La Pass along the Indo-China border. The Indian Army immediately swung into action to provide rescue and relief to the stranded tourists including food, shelter, warm clothing and medicines,” the official said.
Bihar Govt collects 38 pc more tax than last year: Sushil Modi
Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Friday said the state government has collected around Rs 15,466 crore in taxes from 2017 to November 2018, which is 38 per cent higher compared from last fiscal year for the same period. Speaking at Aranya Bhawan during an inauguration of training programme meant for newly recruited officers of Bihar Finance Service, Sushil said: “The revenue collection for the financial year 2018-19 is Rs 27,000 crore and so far, we have achieved a target of Rs 15,466 crore till November, which is an increase of 38 per cent as compared to last fiscal year for the same period,” he said. Stressing that the strength of tax-payers has seen a remarkable growth of 3.87 lakh against 1.69 lakh registered during VAT regime.
There is no role of religion in government, says Smriti Irani Mumbai: Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Friday said that there is no role of religion in government. She said the Sabarimala temple issue, which became a matter of national debate after the Supreme Court allowed entry of women of menstrual age into the famous hill shrine in Kerala, is being used as a “political tool”. The Union Textiles Minister was speaking at the 48th edition of IIT Bombays annual cultural festival ‘Mood Indigo’ here. “There is no role of religion in government. There has to be a distinction between governance and politics. But, a fine balance between the two can serve the country well,” Irani said. To a question on the raging debate over entry of women in 10-50 age group into Sabarimala temple, she said every religion and temples have their own practices and the freedom to follow one’s own faith is enshrined in the Constitution.
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Bhagwan said, ‘I have left RLSP and joining JD(U) with 35 state level office-bearers after Kushwaha decided to join UPA.’
Ahead of 2019 polls, RLSP VP Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha, supporters join JD(U)
Patna: RLSP national vice president Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha Friday left the party and joined the ruling JD(U) along with his supporters in Patna and asserted that the NDA would win 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state. Kushwaha joined the JD(U) at party office in the presence of party’s state unit president Bashishtha Narayan Singh, Education Minister Krishnandan Prasad Verma and others along with his hundreds of workers and office-bearers
of RLSP. His exit from RLSP may prove to be another jolt for Upendra Kushwaha as his three legislators- Sudhanshu Shekhar, Lalan Paswan and Sanjeev Shyam Singh (ML)- have already announced that they would chart a different path than that of the party head Upendra Kushwaha. Out of RLSP’s three MPs, Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar is a dissident while Sitamarhi MP Ram Kumar Sharma is with the RLSP chief.
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The court has sent the alleged middleman Michel to 7-day ED custody.
AgustaWestland case: Christian Michel names Sonia Gandhi during ED probe New Delhi: The E n f o r c e m e n t Directorate on Saturday informed Delhi’s Patiala House court that AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michael has taken the name of Mrs Sonia Gandhi during interrogation but in what reference it can’t be said. Michael has identified how HAL was removed from the deal and the deal was offered to Tata, added ED. Michel spoke about “the son of the Italian lady” and how he is going to become the “next prime minister of the country”. ED has asked to ban Michel’s lawyer’s access to
Cong regime was a govt of corruption, says Javadekar
him. It has alleged that he is being tutored from outside. The investigative agency stated that they need to decipher who the “big man” referred to as “R” is in the communication between Christian Michel and other people. Aljo K Joseph,
Michel’s lawyer said, “We don’t dispute that he (Christian Michel) had handed us the papers, but it’s the fault of the ED that they allowed it to happen.” The court has sent the alleged middleman Michel to 7-day ED custody.
Hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) disclosed that Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, took the name of “Mrs Gandhi” during interrogation, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday alleged that the Congress regime was a government of corruption that compromised with national security. “Revelations by ED show that there is ‘son of Italian lady’, ‘big man’ and ‘R’ involved.
Some elder girls at shelter home in Delhi’s Dwarka area alleged that female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment.
Girls at Delhi shelter home abused by staff, chilli powder in private parts
New Delhi: Girls of a shelter home in Delhi were allegedly abused by its staff, following which a complaint was registered by the police, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said Friday. During an inspection of shelter homes in Delhi on Thursday, the DCW members interacted with girls aged 6-15 to understand their experience of residing at a shelter home, a DCW statement
said. Some elder girls at a shelter home in Delhi’s Dwarka area alleged that the female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment. They were also forced to have chilli powder, it said. Any sort of defiant behaviour from the children would be met with “serious and grave punishment” because of which they had become submissive, it said. The teenage girls were also forced to
Pulwama encounter: This is the second encounter in the last 24 hours in the area. Following the gunbattle, clashes broke out at the encounter site in which 16 persons were injured.
Pulwama encounter: Four militants killed, 16 civilians hurt in clashes near site
New Delhi : At least four militants were killed in an encounter with security forces that broke out early on Saturday in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. As many as 16 persons were injured in clashes that erupted thereafter. This is the second encounter in the last 24 hours in the area. #OpBunHajan (#Pulwama). Four terrorists killed. Weapons and warlike stores recovered.#IndianArmy #Kashmir — Chinar Corps – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) December 29, 2018 According to police, a cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched by security forces in Rajpora
following inputs about the possible presence of militants in the area. “Brief exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists at Hanjan,” Jammu and Kashmir Police had tweeted. “The area has been cordoned off,” it added. Brief exchange of fire between Security forces & #terrorists at Hanjan #Pulwama. Area under cordon. Details will follow. @JmuKmrPolice — Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) December 29, 2018 The identity and the affiliations of the slain militants are being ascertained, police said in a statement after the encounter.
wash utensils and clothes, clean rooms and toilets, and perform other kitchen chores, as the home did not have adequate staff. There was only one cook in the home for the 22 girls and staff, and the quality of food was not good, the statement said. The teenage girls complained that they were beaten with scales for not keeping their rooms clean and not listening to the staff. They were not permitted
on Friday. On September 1, an FIR was registered against Vadra and Hooda under the Prevention of Corruption Act and multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), in the alleged scam that dates back to 2008. Besides Vadra and Hooda, DLF Gurgaon and Onkareshwar Properties Gurgaon are also named in the FIR. The FIR states that Vadra’s company, Sky Light Hospitality, allegedly purchased land in various places in Gurgaon and sold them at exorbitant prices.
to go home during summer and winter vacations, it said. The committee members shared the allegations with DCW chief Swati Maliwal who immediately reached the home at 8 pm. Maliwal immediately called the Dwarka deputy commissioner of police, who sent a team of senior officers to the home and recorded statements of the children.
‘This chowkidar of yours is toiling very hard day and night... to brighten your future,’ PM Modi said.
Beware! Congress using loan waiver ‘lollipop’ to cheat farmers: PM Modi Ghazipur (Uttar Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading farmers on loan waivers, saying its governments had handed out “lollipops” instead of what was promised. “Be wary of the Congress and its lies,” he said at a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur after laying the foundation stone for a medical college and releasing a postal stamp on legendary king Suheldev. PM Modi was on a visit to the Purvanchal region, his second trip to Uttar Pradesh this month. He also visited Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, to launch the South Asia Regional Centre of the International Rice Research Institute. The Prime Minister said the Congress promised loan waivers to lakhs of farmers, but the JD(S)-
Haryana Police gets Govt’s nod to investigate land deal case against Hooda, Vadra
Gurgaon: The Haryana government has authorised the state police to investigate the land deal case against former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra. Addressing a press conference here, Gurgaon Police Commissioner KK Rao confirmed the government’s approval, saying that the investigation into the case is underway. “We have got the approval to probe and the investigation is underway,” Rao said
december 30, 2018, sunday
Congress coalition that came into power did not deliver. “Lollipops were handed out. The loan waiver was given to only 800 farmers,” he claimed. He said the “lollipop company” had similarly “forgotten” the promises it made before the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has in the past denied similar charges made by the Bharatiya Janata Party. PM Modi’s recent remarks on farm loans follow the waivers announced
by the Congress governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh after this month’s assembly polls. Congress president Rahul Gandhi recently said his party would not let PM Modi rest till he writes off farm loans across the country. PM Modi claimed that under the Congress rule, loans were given to people who were not eligible, while farmers were forced to go to private lenders and fall into debt traps.
Nirav Modi located in UK, British authorities inform India: Govt
New Delhi: British authorities have informed India that bank fraud fugitive Nirav Modi is living in the UK, the government has said. Replying to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh told Rajya Sabha that National Central Bureau of Manchester
conveyed to Indian agencies that their investigations have led to the location of Nirav Modi in the UK. “In August 2018, the government sent
two requests, one from the CBI and the other from the Enforcement Directorate, to the authorities of the UK seeking the extradition of Nirav Modi to India,” he said. He said the requests are presently under the consideration of the authorities concerned of the UK.
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sunday, 30 december, 2018
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Vicky Kaushal feels honoured
An attempt to understand and contextualise farmer suicides
There is much discourse on both the issue of agrarian distress and farmer suicides. However, there have been some arguments that seem to paper over the problem and get into comparisons—that the people who committed suicide just happened to be farmers; that they were not poor; that (as argued by Shamika Ravi of Brookings India) the suicides of housewives are higher than that of farmers; and that, as argued in a recent article in Mint, the idea of debt-driven suicide was popularised by those opposed to genetically modified crops. These arguments are clever. On the one hand, they question the rigour of attributing causality, breaking up the triggers to smaller bits and putting them on a statistical significance like (a) poverty is not a significant reason (b) smaller farmers are not committing suicides (c) indebtedness is not a significant reason or (d) bankruptcy is not a significant reason. On the other hand, they bring out alternative narratives— more lovers are committing suicide or a larger number of housewives are committing suicide. Similarly, people like Shamika Ravi have argued that farmers in better-off states (like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh) are committing suicide while those from economically backward states (like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) are coping. How does one counter these clever arguments? Or are the arguments made by people other than “activists”—scholars like Srijit Misra, K. Nagaraj, Ajay Dandekar, Davuluri Venkateswarlu, A. Vaidyanathan or journalists like P. Sainath, Jaideep Hardikar and Kota Neelima —to be ignored? What have these people who have worked on the phenomenon of farmer suicides done to bring credibility to the obfuscating grand statistics and how do they establish causality? The credibility of the scholars and authors named above does not come purely from comparing the data at the meta level that compares suicides by lovers to those of farmers. No, they are not writing a chapter for books like Freakonomics where the fun-fact is that drunken walking is more dangerous than drunk driving. Instead each of them is focusing on the data about the reported farmer suicides. In most of the cases, the journalists and scholars have followed up on reported suicides and interviewed the families to ascertain whether the reporting was accurate and unbundled the death by trying to establish the events that triggered the death. Therefore, when one talks of farm suicides, it is usually backed by years of data that has been independently verified and given meaning through real-life stories, unlike the arguments provided purely on metadata.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Editor
Kriti Sanon pitches for Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Krrish 4’ again?
Mumbai : Unconventional actor Vicky Kaushal, who bent the rules and emerged as a star with content driven films, is more than happy to collaborate with Karan Johar yet again. After Lust Stories, Vicky will now be seen in Karan’s period drama Takht. If sources are to be believed, the actor will also learn horse riding and sword fighting for this ambitious project. Vicky
says, “It is too early to speak about Takht but I am really excited to be part of this huge film which will be directed by Karan Johar. It’s a huge honour to be one of the lead heroes of his films.” “Every actor craves to be part of this film. The film has a huge star cast, and I am very excited for the journey to start also because this is my first-period drama,” he adds.
Mumbai : While Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif are still under consideration for the role of one of the actresses in Rakesh Roshan’s film Krrish 4, Kriti Sanon made her second visit in six weeks to Rakeshji’s office to get the role opposite Hrithik Roshan in the fourth part of the sci-fi musical franchise. In a media interaction, Rakesh Roshan also admitted that he would love to have PC on board for the fourth instalment
Here’s how you can watch Ranveer Singh’s Simmba online
New Delhi : Ranveer Singh starrer Simmba is being applauded by the audience for being an entertainer. True to Rohit Shetty’s style, the cop drama is being called massy and is gaining all the love. Simmba belongs to the same genre as Shetty’s Ajay Devgn film Singham and such movies are usually enjoyed in a theater that has an excited audience who laughs and cheers in unison. Alongside Ranveer, the film also stars Sara Ali Khan and Sonu Sood in key roles. From what we have seen in trailer, we know that there is going to be an appearance by Devgn’s Singham as well. But in case you can’t catch Simmba at the theaters, the film’s streaming partner will soon make it available for online viewing. The film’s official streaming partner is Zee5, as mentioned in the opening titles, and though the makers have not declared when the film will be out on the streaming service, we are hoping they will make an announcement soon enough. Even those who catch the film at theaters can enjoy it again on Zee5. Simmba has received mixed reviews from the critics but Ranveer Singh’s performance has received praise from all quarters. The Indian Express’ critic Shubhra Gupta
Suhana Khan to undergo acting training in US!
New Delhi : Shah Rukh Khan is keen that his little daughter Suhana learns the ropes before she enters films as an actor. Having served as an assistant director on the sets of Zero, Suhana will do an acting course because the father is keen that the daughter is educated in what she wants to pursue. “To be honest, I think you cannot be a good actor if you do not study acting, which is the reason why I want her to pursue a four-year course. One should learn the
Bollywood
ropes of the field you want to be in, and the same applies with acting,” he argues. “Suhana is undergoing acting training at the moment and she is studying in London. She will later do the acting course in the US. During the course of her studies she will also participate in a department internship in acting. Last year when she had to do an internship, I had called her over to the sets of Zero so that she could do it on my set so that we could also spend some quality time together.
gave the film two stars in her review and wrote, “The only reason to watch Simmba then, is Ranveer Singh. In his sharp moochh sticking up at both ends, shiny bronzed face, broad shoulders filling out, eventually, the khakee uniform, Singh is Simmba. Striding into cop stations, wading into ‘goondas’, losing his heart to the girl across the road Shagun (Ali Khan), Singh is fully alive to the moment, knowing that he is working in a template, aware that he has to keep breaking out.” Simmba is expected to mint an impressive sum of Rs 18 crore on its opening day.
Anil Kapoor-Sonam Kapoor’s film well crafted: Juhi Chawla New Delhi : Actress Juhi Chawla who is extremely
picky about the films she chooses to do says she couldn’t resist signing Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Juhi says, “I heard the script from the director. It is one of the finest films that have been narrated to me. The way it flows makes it feel it has every emotion. It is about love, friendship, relationships and has a beautiful emotional ending. As a script, it was well structured and well crafted, it was a complete film.” She further added, “Once in a while, such a lovely script comes along and you fit in very well. Then you agree to work on this project. You have to give time and attention so I feel this was the perfect film.” Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga also features actors Rajkummar Rao, Sonam Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor. Juhi further reveals that this role was written keeping her in mind. She says, “Vinod ji told me that when he was writing this role, he felt only I had to play it. This is a big compliment to me when filmmakers feel you are the best fit for the role. It is a cute, fun character.”
Sacred Games to Raazi: The manuscript adaptation game has been strong in 2018
While the beginning of 2019 will see the release of Anupam Kher starrer The Accidental Prime Minister (January 11), which is based on the memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, and Anil Kapoor-Sonam Kapoor’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (February 1), which is inspired by PG Wodehouse’s Damsel in Distress; the recipe of adapting manuscripts was strong in 2018 as well. New Delhi : The new year is just around the corner and looks like some trends and formula will continue well into 2019 with regard to Bollywood. In case you are wondering, we are talking about the successful trend of adapting books and short stories into feature films and shows.While the beginning of 2019 will see the release of Anupam Kher starrer The Accidental Prime Minister (January 11), which is based on the memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, and Anil KapoorSonam Kapoor’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (February 1), which is inspired by PG Wodehouse’s Damsel in Distress; the recipe of adapting
manuscripts was strong in 2018 as well. Be it Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone’s Padmaavat, Alia Bhatt starrer Raazi, Akshay Kumar-Sonam
Kapoor’s PadMan, or the Sudhir Mishra directorial Daas Dev, this year saw quite a few filmmakers heading towards the reservoir of texts for a
ready screenplay. While the lesserknown Daas Dev was based on Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s classic Bengali novel Devdas, the Danny Denzogpa and Adil Hussain film Bioscopwala took its inspiration from Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala. In the film, the story of Kabuliwala is taken forward and is placed from the 19th century into the 1980s Taliban regime. However, the biggest successes that Bollywood was able to churn this year based on book adaptations included the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial Padmaavat, Akshay’s PadMan and Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal film Raazi.
of the sci-fi film. “Kriti came in to meet Rakeshji to try and get on board the film. It is but obvious that the role is a coveted one and every actress worth her salt is trying to be on board. While Rakeshji will meet every actress who calls him to pitch for the role, the final decision on the casting will be taken in consultation with Hrithik only,” says a source in the know. It can be recalled that Kriti had pitched for the film in the first half of November as well.
Hollywood buzz
lggy Azalea defends decision to continue show
los angeles : Rapper Iggy Azalea experienced aterrifying moment on Thursday as one of her back-up dancers suffered a seizure during her concert, reports People.com. But more importantly, Iggy faced a flurry of criticism for not stopping the concert and finishing the song while the dancer fell down on stage. The singer was unaware of what was happening and took awhile before calling the medic. According to her, she thought the dancer had just twisted her ankle and felt obligated to continue singing as long as the music played. The Fancy singer put out a statement on Instagram defending her decision to continue the show, and said, “Just want to let everyone asking know my dancer is OKAY! The light & heat caused her to have a seizure. She is backstage feeling much better. We are all really shaken up by what happened & just thankful she is okay. I know it’s easy to make memes of someone “passed out” but someone having a seizure isn’t funny, it’s really scary! So I hope my fans do not repost some of the memes i’m seeing about my dancer (sic)”
Carrie Fisher’s brother teases her appearance in Star Wars Episode IX
los angeles : Carrie Fisher, Leia of the Star Wars franchise, left this world at the age of 60 around two years ago, leaving her fans in shock. Her final Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, was released posthumously and was dedicated to her. Lucasfilm confirmed earlier this year that she will also appear in the concluding chapter of Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, Episode IX, slated to be released next year. Unused footage from both the previous films — The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens — will be employed in Episode IX. Carrie’s brother, Todd Fisher, explained while speaking to Good Morning America, “There’s a lot of minutes of footage. I don’t mean just outtakes. This is unused, new content that could be woven into the storyline. That’s what’s going to give everybody such a great kick. It’s going to look like it was meant to be. Like it was shot yesterday.” He added, “We’re not allowed to talk about the details of anything. But we’re thrilled at what’s been done.”
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SPORTS ROUNDUP
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India vs Australia 3rd Test, Day 4: India come within two wickets of winning the third Test but Pat Cummins’ unbeaten 61 forced the game into the final day at the MCG.
Defiant Pat Cummins leaves India India in billiards: Pankaj Advani a whisker away from victory adds two world titles to his
growing kitty in memorable 2018
Steve Smith and David Warner were handed year-long bans by CA for their role in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March. New Delhi : The legend of Pankaj Advani grew bigger and had no competition in 2018 when India’s finest cueist completed a grand double by winning the world billiards crown in the point and time format, extending his tally to a staggering 21. The 33-year-old kept churning out world titles, proving that his game was getting better with age and there was a long way to go before his hunger for trophies could be satiated. While Advani won the world championship in the point format for the third straight year in the edition that took place in Myanmar in November, he secured the time format trophy for the first time since 2015. Advani, among the few
who juggles smoothly between billiards and snooker, also lifted a major snooker trophy this year after he and Manan Chandra staged a dramatic recovery to beat Pakistan in the world team championship, which was held in Doha in March. The duo was down 0-2 in the final before pulling off a sensational victory. The Bengaluru-based cueist was expectedly pleased with his performance in another productive year. “Considering I didn’t play in too many tournaments this year, 2018 was superb especially in billiards – winning the nationals, Asian and World (point as well as time format) – making it a clean sweep,” Advani told news aganacy.
Melbourne : Pat Cummins’ defiant half-century denied India a win on the fourth day of the third Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Tasked with chasing a target of 399, Australia crumbled to 176/7. India opted for an extra half an hour after Mitchell Starc got dismissed and the hosts were eight down. But Cummins blocked away the Indian bowlers while working in a few glorious shots with Nathan Lyon on the other end to see his side through. The pair will start Day 5 on an overnight partnership of 43 for the ninth wicket. Australia are on 258/8. There was rainfall early on Saturday and clouds hovered throughout the day over the MCG. India started on 54/5 with a lead of 346 and quick runs were the priority for them. Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant played shots every time they saw an opportunity.
Cummins took advantage of the situation and continued from where he left off on Day 4. He dismissed Agarwal for 42 and then accounted for Ravindra Jadeja who was going big guns himself. Cummins ended the innings with career-best figures of 6/27. Josh Hazlewood dismissed
Pant for 33 and that prompted Virat Kohli to declare the innings. Jasprit Bumrah got the struggling Aaron Finch in his very first over of the day. Jadeja got Marcus Harris soon after that leaving Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja to survive until Lunch.
New Zealand on brink of second Test win against Sri Lanka
Wellington : Concerted pressure from New Zealand’s bowling attack pushed them to the brink of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. Sri Lanka, chasing an improbable 660 for victory, were 231 for six at stumps on the fourth day, with Dilruwan Perera (22) and Suranga Lakmal (16) set to resume on Sunday needing to bat the entire day to save the match and series.
The first game in the two-match series ended in a damp draw in Wellington last week. Sri Lanka had been set the target late on Friday after Tom Latham (176) and Henry Nicholls (162 not out) drove New Zealand’s second innings to 585 for four declared. The tourists lost two early wickets in their response but had resumed on Saturday on 24 for two with captain Dinesh Chandimal on 14 and Kusal Mendis on six.
MS Dhoni retired from the longest format in 2014 but Sunil Gavaskar recently had suggested that he should play a bit of first-class cricket in order to remain match-fit.
Don’t criticise players for opting for specific formats, says MS Dhoni Chennai : Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Friday urged people to refrain from “criticising individual preferences” with regards to a number of India internationals who have decided to skip this year’s Ranji Trophy. Players like Yuzvendra Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan decided to give Ranji Trophy a miss while someone like Ambati Rayudu, who plays for India in only one format decided to retire from first-class cricket. While Dhoni has retired from the longer format in 2014, Sunil Gavaskar recently had suggested that he should play a bit of first-class cricket in order to remain match-fit. “It is important
to safeguard players. We have to make the domestic circuit slightly less challenging (he was referring to itinerary) for the individual. Moreover, it is important to be not too critical of T20 cricket and also individual preferences. Individual preferences should not be criticised,” Dhoni said during the launch of former BCCI president and India Cements top boss N Srinivasan’s coffee table book. Dhoni seemed pretty satisfied with how the Indian team across formats have shaped and attributed the success in Australia to the quality bowling unit at their disposal.
Business
Facebook explains how it reviews Restrictions on foreign content after critical NYT report e-commerce companies to hit
New Delhi: Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, criticized for months by lawmakers, privacy advocates and some investors, said he was “proud of the progress we’ve made,” fighting misinformation and protecting users’ personal data during one of the company’s most tumultuous years. “To be clear, addressing these issues is more than a one-year challenge,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. “For some of these issues, like election interference or harmful speech, the problems can never fully be
New Delhi: Facebook has clarified in a blog post that its policies for moderating content on the platform are not “secret”, are carefully considered and not “ad hoc” responses, after a New York Times article claimed Facebook’s rulebooks have “numerous gaps, biases and outright errors”. The NYT claims to have accessed 1,400 pages from rulebook used by moderators to monitor posts on Facebook and tackle issues of
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says problems will take years to fix solved.” This year was one of constant apologies for the social network, after multiple instances of broken trust with its users. Zuckerberg testified for the first time in front of Congress in April, explaining why Facebook allowed users’ data to fall into the hands of unauthorized third parties. In his reflection on Friday, he made the case that Facebook is now a changed company, and will be more proactive about problems. “We’ve fundamentally altered our DNA to focus more on preventing harm in all our services,” he wrote.
extremism, hate, etc in countries. However, the article goes on to say that at Facebook, highly complex issues are distilled into simple yes-or-no rules that leads to errors in moderating content properly. For instance, moderators were being mistakenly told to take down comments critical of religion in India. The article cited another example from Myanmar where a prominent extremist group was allowed to stay on the platform
for months due to some error in paperwork. This error was admitted by Facebook. “The Facebook employees who meet to set the guidelines, mostly young engineers and lawyers, try to distill highly complex issues into simple yes-or-no rules,” the article reads. “Those moderators, at times relying on Google Translate, have mere seconds to recall countless rules and apply them to the hundreds of posts that dash across their screens each day,” it adds. It points out that rules on what the site’s two billion users should be allowed to say are discussed by Facebook employees every Tuesday morning “over breakfast” and are circulated to over 7,500 moderators globally.
Xiaomi Poco F2 was recently spotted on Geekbench running Android 9.0 Pie out of the box.
Xiaomi Poco F2 powered by Snapdragon 845 spotted on Geekbench
New Delhi : Xiaomi recently launched a new smartphone under a new sub-brand called the Poco F1. Now the company seems to be working on its successor dubbed Poco F2. The upcoming device was first spotted by Nashville Chatter on Geekbenchrunning Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. According to the listing, the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with 6GB of RAM. However, it can be speculated that there might be a model with 8GB or 10GB of RAM. The device was able
to get a single-core score of 2,321 and a multi-core score of 7,564. Poco F1 has recently received a permanent price cut of Rs 1,000 and now starts at Rs 19,999 in
India. The highest model with the Kevlar design back is priced at Rs 28,999. It sports a 6.18-inch full-HD+ display with a resolution of 2246×1080 pixels. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor paired with Adreno 630 GPU. It comes with 6GB/ 8GB RAM along with 64GB/ 128GB/ 256GB of internal storage. The device runs Google’s Android 8.1 Oreo operating system with the company’s own MIUI based Poco launcher on top. All of this is backed by a 4000mAh battery non-removable battery.
FDI in India: US industry body
Washington : Expressing concern over India tightening restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies operating in the country, leading American industry advocacy groups have said that such a move would have a long-term negative impact on the foreign direct investment as well as consumers. Earlier this week, the government announced changes to the foreign direct investment policy for the e-commerce sector, which would end discounts and cashback offers that online platforms with foreign investment were offering. Flipkart and US-based Amazon — the two largest players in the
burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector — are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019 “The new e-commerce restrictions announced by the government of India on December 26 are a cause for concern. While we are still trying to understand the full implications, we fear that these restrictions will have a far-reaching negative impact both on US investments and on Indian consumers,” said Nisha Desai Biswal, president of US India Chambers of Commerce (USAIC), a wing of the US Chambers of Commerce.
Jio Happy New Year Offer returns with 100 pc cashback on Rs 399 recharge
New Delhi: Reliance Jio on Friday announced a New Year offer under which it offers 100 per cent cashback on a recharge of Rs 399 in the form of coupons that can be availed on e-commerce portal AJIO. “Jio in partnership with AJIO has introduced its Jio Happy New Year Offer. The offer provides 100 per cent cashback in form of AJIO coupon. Customers performing recharge of Rs 399 will get 100 per cent cashback in form of AJIO coupon. AIO coupon worth Rs 399 will be credited in ‘MyCoupons’ section of MyJio,” Jio said in a statement. The coupon credited
can be redeemed on AJIO app and website on a minimum cart value of Rs 1,000. “AJIO coupon worth Rs 399 can be redeemed over and above the existing AJIO discounts,” the statement said. The offer is applicable for both existing and new Jio users for recharges done between December 28, 2018, to January 31, 2019. The coupons received during this period can be redeemed on or before March 15, 2019, the statement said. Reliance Jio has been coming up with New Year offers since the commencement of its business in 2016. Under the scheme, it has been offering services at effectively free rates.
4 / Dt. 30-12-2018, sunday, Ahmedabad
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Mevani attacks PM Modi over bullet train project
Today inaugural function of Two Days 5th Refresher Course of organised at A One Pharmacy College. Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Technological University Dr. Navin Seth was invited as Chief Guest, other dignitaries present on the occasion were Dr. J. K. Patel, Mr. Montukumar Patel, Shri N.M Zala & Prof. Umesh Patil. As per the tradition of SNME Campus, plantation drive for the guests was organised from the institute. Total 200 registered Pharmacist participated in this refresher course.
Rajasthan And Gujarat To Keep Witnessing Cold Wave Conditions For Now Ahmedabad : Presently, a Western Disturbance is moving as an upper air system over Jammu and Kashmir. However, no significant system is present over the plains. North-northeasterly cool winds are prevailing over Rajasthan and Gujarat region which has intensified the cold wave condition over many parts of the states. A drop-in day and night temperatures have been observed over many parts of Gujarat. Severe cold wave conditions are prevailing in some parts of Rajasthan, and
as of now we expect these cool winds to continue. The severity of the weather is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Gujarat will also continue to
witness severe cold wave conditions in pockets and cold wave condition in many parts as the minimums being experienced over here are below normal by
3-5°C. Rajasthan is also observing below normal temperatures (by 4-8°C) during morning hours and (by 2-3 °C) during day time. Mainly clear skies and cold winds will continue for now. This table takes note of the observed weather over different citiesSuch conditions in these areas often leads to the formation of ground frost which is harmful for crops. As of now these conditions will continue to prevail over these states until some other weather system arrives.
Ahmedabad : Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani has attacked the BJPled governments in Centre and Maharashtra over their “misplaced priorities”. Addressing a meeting of Paryavarn Samvardhan Samiti at Vasai in Palghar district Friday night, Mevani took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the proposed bullet train project linking Mumbai with Ahmedabad. “Modi is a bluffer, a ‘natasamrat’ (dramatist) who makes only tall claims on development”, he said. The MLA also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to improve suburban train services. “What is the use of costly projects like Bullet Train when the common people cannot afford it? The government thinks of costly projects but not of common people”, he alleged.
People trying to dilute nationalism still active on college campuses: Amit Shah
international Strong quake strikes off Philippines, tsunami warning withdrawn
Manila : A strong earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday, raising fears of dangerous tsunami waves across the region but after about two hours, the tsunami warning was withdrawn. There were no reports of casualties or damage from the earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said struck 193 km (120 miles) east of the Philippine city of General Santos, at a depth of 60 km (37 miles) The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially
said “hazardous tsunami waves” were possible within 300 km (186 miles) of the epicentre”, along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia and the Pacific island nation of Palau. But about two hours after the quake struck, the center said there was no longer a tsunami threat. The USGS initially said the magnitude of the quake was 7.2 but later downgraded it to 6.9. Residents of the southern Philippines said the earthquake lasted about a minute and people rushed out of buildings but there had been no major damage.
Leaked video shows Pervez Musharraf seeking covert US support to regain power
“Even today, there are many challenges before ABVP. Some people are deliberately raising issues which are aimed at diluting the spirit of nationalism. People involved in it are still active in colleges and hostel campuses. We have seen this earlier in many parts of the country,” Shah said.
Ahmedabad : BJP president Amit Shah Saturday said the people trying to “dilute the spirit of nationalism” by raising certain issues are “still active” on campuses of colleges and hostels in the country. Addressing former and current workers of the BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) here, Shah urged them to work towards finding a solution to this issue. “Even today, there are many challenges before ABVP. Some people are deliberately raising issues which are aimed at diluting the spirit of
nationalism. People involved in it are still active in colleges and hostel campuses. We have seen this earlier in many parts of the
Gujarat: Elderly woman mistakes leopard cage for gate, gets trapped in Tapi district
Surat: A 65-year-old woman was trapped inside a cage meant for leopards near her village in Tapi district on Wednesday. The elderly woman who has been identified as Kamli Khusal Chaudhary went to a dispensary for treatment of joint ailment. While she was returning to her home in Bhanwadi village, she entered the cage by mistake and was trapped for the entire night. Devsang Chaudhary, Kamli’s sonin-law, told The Times of India that she was experiencing pain in her joints and thus, he took her to the dispensary on his motorcycle on Wednesday. He left early from there due to some work. Reportedly, the forest department had installed a cage at Lotarva village as a leopard had been caught from there a few days ago and it was suspected that another leopard was roaming in the area. The forest officials wanted to trap the other leopard too. Lotarva village is on the way to Bhanwadi village from the dispensary. When Kamli reach Lotarva village while walking home, she entered the cage mistaking it for a gate.
country,” Shah said. Though he didn’t elaborate, Shah was apparently referring to the 2016 incident in the Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU) in Delhi where controversial slogans were allegedly raised. To come out of this situation, ABVP workers should work towards spreading our ideology and ensure that it continues for a longer period, Shah said. The event was organised by the ABVP as part of its 64th national conference, which was inaugurated on December 27. Shah also lauded the ABVP for its contribution to “protecting democracy” and raising issues concerning society and students.
Washington : In an embarrassment to Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani dictator, in a leaked video, was purportedly seen seeking covert US support to regain power and telling American lawmakers that he was “ashamed” of the ISI being negligent about the al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden’s whereabouts. The undated video clips, which have been posted by dissident Pakistani columnist Gul Bukhari, also shows the self-exiled former president as saying that he thinks that the negligence of the ISI was
“pardonable” as the CIA was also involved in same level of negligence on 9/11. General (retd) Musharraf, 75, was Pakistan’s president between 2001 and 2008, before resigning to avoid impeachment. The former army chief has been living in Dubai since March 2016 after he left for medical treatment and has not returned since, citing security and health reasons. He is facing the treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014.
BJP misusing money: Gujarat Barack Obama’ s Favorite Book of 2018 Was Congress leader Ahmed Patel on ‘The ‘Becoming.’ Here’s What Else He Liked. Accidental Prime Minister’
Ahmedabad : Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel Saturday termed the upcoming movie, “The Accidental Prime Minister”, as “nothing more than a gimmick” and alleged that the ruling BJP was “misusing” its money for such a film. The film is based on the book of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, who served as media adviser to then prime minister Manmohan Singh’s from 2004 to 2008. Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Anupam Kher as Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru and is scheduled to release in theatres on January 11. “It is nothing more than a gimmick. The BJP has
a lot of money. It is busy ensuring how to misuse it or use it for a gimmick (like this). Let them do whatever they want to do. Such films come and go, are made and unmade…all these things keep happening. We do not want to comment on that,” Patel told reporters. The trailer of the film was released in Mumbai on Thursday and depicts Singh as a victim of the Congress’s internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, sharing the trailer on its official Twitter handle, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had said the film was a “riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years”.
NEW YORK : Former President Barack Obama on Friday shared some of the books, movies and music he found most inspiring or thought-provoking in 2018, including works that he “just plain loved,” compiling them into a yearend list posted on Facebook. It was a wide-ranging list that included songs by artists as varied as Cardi B, Janelle Monáe and Nancy Wilson, who died this month. Unsurprisingly, “Becoming,” by Michelle Obama, topped his list of books, which featured multiple works by women and by authors
of color. Obama started sharing his reading lists and playlists during his presidency and has continued that tradition into retirement. The selections are a carefully curated mix of works that have found critical acclaim or mainstream popularity, punctuated by nods to lesser-known artists. Obama, an avid reader with a deep appreciation of pop culture, not only celebrated art during his presidency but also brought it into the White House. There was the luncheon with novelists Zadie Smith, Barbara Kingsolver, Junot Díaz, Dave
Eggers and Colson Whitehead. Visits from numerous rappers and R&B singers including Common, John Legend and Queen Latifah. And the multicultural “Jazz at the White House” event in 2016. In 2009, before Lin-Manuel Miranda was a household name, Obama invited him to a White House poetry jam, where he performed an early version of the opening song from “Hamilton.” Miranda was invited back in 2016, along with his cast, to perform parts of the Broadway blockbuster for high school students.
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