Urmila rides bike to file poll papers, declares assets worth ₹68 cr
Actor-turned-politician and Congress candidate Urmila Matondkar on Monday rode a bike to file her poll nominations from Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat. Urmila has declared assets worth ₹68.28 crore in her election affidavits and stated her income to be ₹2.85 crore in 2017-18. She took out a roadshow after filing her nomination and could be seen wearing a turban.
James Bond actress Nadja Regin passes away aged 87
Nadja Regin, who featured in ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963) and ‘Goldfinger’ (1964) from the James Bond film franchise, has passed away, aged 87. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time,” the franchise’s team tweeted. Regin acted in several British TV shows, including ‘Danger Man’, before founding a publishing house with her sister in 1980.
US actress admits recruiting women to secret sex cult
US actress Allison Mack, known for television series ‘Smallville’, has pleaded guilty to charges linked to an alleged sex trafficking operation disguised as a mentoring group. Mack admitted she coerced two unnamed women into performing services by threatening to release damaging information about them. “I now realise that I and others engaged in criminal conduct,” she said.
Not bothered: Alia on criticism over pairing with 27yrs older Salman
Reacting to criticism over her pairing with Salman Khan for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Inshallah’ due to their 27-year age gap, Alia Bhatt said, “I didn’t get any criticism…I got a lot of excitement.” “I think speculation is also a form of excitement…why shouldn’t there be speculation. I’m not bothered…and I don’t think Salman or Bhansali sir are bothered,” she added.
Will remove fee for govt exams if Cong wins: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the application fees for government examinations and jobs will be done away with if Congress is voted to power. Abolishing the application fee for government exams is part of the Congress manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul also promised that the Congress government would enact the Right to Healthcare Act.
Graham Reid appointed as India’s men’s hockey team coach
Hockey India on Monday named Australia’s Graham Reid as the new chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. Reid’s appointment till the end of 2020 was ratified after Hockey India received necessary clearance from the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Reid was part of the silver-medal winning Australian team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Man posts pic of Rahul Gandhi with cap & beard, booked for morphing
A case was filed against a Madhya Pradesh man for allegedly uploading a doctored image of Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Facebook, police said on Monday. The photograph, uploaded by Manish Vijayvargiya, shows Gandhi wearing a cap and sporting a beard. After it was uploaded on April 4, Ujjain district Congress IT and social media cell chief filed a complaint.
Video shows massive dust storm approaching Rajasthan city
A video has surfaced online showing huge blanket of dust approaching Rajasthan’s Churu during the dust storm, which had hit several parts of the state on Sunday. The storm originated from the desert close by, according to reports. While local farmers were affected and properties were damaged due to the storm, no loss of human lives was reported.
US labels Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terror group, Iran responds
President Donald Trump has said the US is designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organisation, the first time an element of a foreign state has been officially named a terrorist entity. The move prompted an immediate response from Iran, which declared the US as “state sponsor of terrorism” and US forces in the region “terrorist groups”.
US bans entry of 16 Saudis over murder of journalist in Turkey
The US State Department has barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A critic of the Saudi regime, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. Khashoggi’s body has not been recovered yet.
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma to make acting debut with ‘Cobra’
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to Twitter on the occasion of his 57th birthday to announce that he will be making his acting debut in his upcoming directorial venture ‘Cobra’. The filmmaker will play an intelligence officer in the forthcoming film, which is reportedly based on the gangster Mohammed Nayeemuddin. The film will be co-directed by Agasthya Manju.
We are adapting ‘Coolie No. 1’, it won’t be a remake: Varun
Actor Varun Dhawan has revealed that his upcoming film, directed by his father David Dhawan, will be an adaptation of the Govinda starrer ‘Coolie No. 1’ and not a remake. “[My father] has changed a lot of things. He has challenged himself also,” the actor added. Actress Sara Ali Khan will star opposite Varun in the film, as per reports.
KXIP beat SRH, win an IPL match with 1 ball remaining for 3rd time
Opener KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten 71 off 53 balls to help Kings XI Punjab chase down SunRisers Hyderabad’s 150 in 19.5 overs in IPL 2019 on Monday. This was the third time that Kings XI Punjab won a match in Indian Premier League with one ball remaining. Further, it was Kings XI Punjab’s seventh straight IPL victory in Mohali.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, KCR are pet dogs of PM Modi: Andhra CM
Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu on Monday called YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao the “pet dogs” of PM Narendra Modi. The two will be at PM Modi’s feet for a single biscuit, he added. Naidu also accused BJP and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of funding YSRCP’s political campaign.
BJP manifesto is arrogant, voice of an isolated man: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the BJP manifesto is “short-sighted and arrogant” and called it the “voice of an isolated man”. “The Congress manifesto was created through discussion. The voice of over a million Indian people, it is wise and powerful,” he added. BJP released its manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ on Monday.
NY’s 1st attempts at driver face recognition on bridge fail
First attempts to identify faces of drivers, passing by in speed at New York City’s Robert F Kennedy Bridge last year have failed, WSJ said quoting a Metropolitan Transportation Authority email. The technology couldn’t detect a single face “within acceptable parameters”, it added. The pilot program will continue at the bridge as well as other locations, an MTA spokesperson said.
After Gujarat, now parents in UAE call for PUBG ban: Report
Parents in the UAE are now demanding a ban on online multiplayer game PUBG as it has been deemed a “bad influence on youth”, as per a media report. This comes after several cities in Gujarat imposed a ban on playing the game. Earlier in March, over 10 people were arrested in Gujarat’s Rajkot for playing PUBG during the ban.
NZ Privacy Commissioner calls Facebook morally bankrupt liar
New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner John Edwards on Twitter labelled Facebook as “morally bankrupt pathological liars”. “[They] allow the live streaming of suicides, rapes…continue to host and publish the mosque attack video…refuse to accept any responsibility for any content or harm”, he tweeted. He later deleted the tweets due to “the volume of toxic and misinformed traffic they prompted”.
Pinterest sets IPO price range below 2017 valuation of $12B
US-based digital scrapbooking platform Pinterest has set a price range for its IPO, valuing it below its last private valuation of about $12 billion in 2017. It’s offering 75 million shares for $15-$17. At the upper end, Pinterest could have about $11.3-billion market valuation and could raise about $1.3-billion net proceeds, accounting for restricted stock units and options, Reuters said.
I-T department uses satellite imaging to nab tax evader
The I-T department has nabbed a person who evaded ₹15-crore tax using satellite imaging. The accused had illegally registered a commercial land as agricultural land in order to evade tax. On receiving this information, the department asked the National Remote Sensing Centre to send an old satellite image of the land which revealed that a commercial complex was built there.
Software firm Kuliza raises ₹20 cr led by Silicon Valley’s Emergent
Bengaluru-headquartered software firm Kuliza Technologies has raised $3 million (about ₹20 crore) in funding led by Silicon Valley-based Emergent Ventures. Earlier in 2013, Kuliza had raised an undisclosed sum from Blume Ventures. Founded in 2006, Kuliza gives digital transformation and operational intelligence solutions to financial enterprises and counts Aditya Birla Finance among its customers.
Flipkart to enter financial services, pilots video e-KYC
Flipkart is working on a video-based digital KYC system to offer instant credit to users purchasing through its platform. The e-tailer has started pilot testing the system with up to 10,000 users, Flipkart’s Engineering Director said. He added that Flipkart had received in-principle approval from RBI and its lending partners are working closely with RBI to ensure it is compliant.
50 kg heroin worth ₹200 crore seized in Delhi; 4 held
Delhi police on Monday arrested four people and seized 50 kg heroin worth ₹200 crore from two cars. The drug was being smuggled into the country from Myanmar through the Manipur border. With this seizure, the Special Cell has reportedly seized 177 kg of heroin and arrested 39 suspected drug traders since January 1 this year.
Singapore govt sells 6.8 crore DLF shares for ₹1,298 crore
Singapore government on Monday sold 6.8 crore shares of DLF for over ₹1,298 crore through an open market transaction. The city-state, through its sovereign wealth fund GIC, holds a stake in the realty giant’s rental arm and two of its housing projects. Singapore government held around 7.32 crore shares worth 4.11% stake in the company as on December 31, 2018.
7 IITs among India’s top higher education institutes, IIT Madras tops
President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday announced the National Institutional Ranking Framework list for 2019, where seven IITs made it to the overall higher education institutes list topped by IIT Madras, followed by IISc Bengaluru and IIT Delhi. While IISc Bengaluru also topped the universities list, IIM Bangalore topped management institutes list. Delhi University’s Miranda House topped the colleges list.
