Religious group claims priests were made to dance for Dabangg 3 song
Religious group Sanyojak Navyuvak Hindu Mitra Mandal has claimed that religious sentiments were hurt as Hindu saints and priests were made to dance for a song in Salman Khan’s upcoming film ‘Dabangg 3’. An appeal has now been made to run an investigation on this case. The film’s shooting at Indore’s Rajwada Palace has reportedly led to resentment among devotees.
Don’t believe them, file an FIR: Dutt on #MeToo allegations on Hirani
Actor Sanjay Dutt has said he doesn’t believe in sexual harassment allegations against director Rajkumar Hirani and added, “If you’ve some allegations, file an FIR.” “I’ve worked with him in so many films…I don’t know why that lady is putting these allegations,” Dutt added. A female assistant who worked with Hirani for ‘Sanju’ accused him of sexual harassment last year.
Billionaire Kotak asks Jaitley about future of electoral bonds
Billionaire banker Uday Kotak on Thursday questioned Finance Minister Arun Jaitley about the future of electoral bonds and their role in electoral reforms. Electoral bonds, which don’t carry the donor’s name, can be purchased from SBI and delivered to a political party, which can exchange them for cash. Congress pledged to scrap the “opaque” instrument if it came to power.
2 Army men martyred, 5 injured in fire at Mhow Army range in MP
As many as two Army men were martyred and five others suffered serious burn injuries in a fire while taking part in a training exercise at a field firing range in Mhow near Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The fire was caused due to sparks from the firing of the sniper rifles, which burnt the dry leaves and grass, officials said.
Your wife is a towel: McGregor to Khabib over ‘jealous wife’ remark
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor took to Twitter to share a picture of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and his wife from their wedding, writing, “Your wife is a towel, mate.” This comes after Khabib had termed McGregor “a jealous wife who says I will leave the whole time but then comes back” over his retirement.
Elon Musk loses $1 billion in two minutes as Tesla shares fall 11%
Tesla CEO Elon Musk saw $1.1 billion wiped from his net worth in the first two minutes of trading on Thursday as the carmaker’s shares sank as much as 11%. The fall cut his net worth to $22.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. Tesla reported deliveries of 63,000 vehicles in the March quarter, down from 90,966 in the previous three months.
Micromax Co-founder launches AI-enabled e-motorcycle brand
Rahul Sharma, Co-founder of Indian phone maker Micromax, has launched his new enterprise Revolt Intellicorp with a personal investment of nearly ₹500 crore. The proposed AI-enabled e-motorcycle will have a range of 156.8 km and a top speed of 85 kmph. “My vision is to see every household in India have access to sustainable mobility,” said Sharma at the launch.
Chandrayaan-2 Moon lander damaged during test, launch put on hold
ISRO has revealed that the lander of India’s second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, suffered minor damage during a drop test in February. Mission engineers found its legs were not strong enough to support its weight. ISRO Chairman K Sivan said the mission will “be ready by May”. In January, ISRO said it was targeting a mid-April launch of the ₹800-crore mission.
Indian Army finds wreckage of World War II US aircraft in Arunachal
A 12-member Indian Army patrol along with a police representative recovered wreckage of a World War II US aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh’ Roing district. The patrol located the aircraft debris buried under five feet of snow. The patrol moved cross country for 30 km in thick jungles and snow covered areas for eight days to trace out the wreckage.
Thief climbs out of 23rd-floor window to escape police in China, held
In an attempt to escape police, a robber in China climbed out of the window of his 23rd-storey apartment but was eventually arrested. He was wanted for robbing a shop owner of his card and 10,000 yuan (₹1 lakh) cash on March 24. When police turned up at his apartment, he tried to escape by climbing out of the window.
Prez sends EC report on Guv Kalyan Singh’s remarks to MHA
President Ram Nath Kovind has forwarded the Election Commission’s report, which alleged that Governor Kalyan Singh has violated Model Code of Conduct by ‘campaigning’ for PM Narendra Modi, to the Home Ministry (MHA). The President has sent the file to the ministry for “necessary action”. Last month, Singh had called for PM Modi’s re-election “for the sake of the country”.
He perfectly sums up true essence of BJP: PM on Advani’s blog
After veteran BJP leader LK Advani wrote a blog ahead of the party’s foundation day, PM Narendra Modi said that Advani perfectly summed up the “true essence” of the party. “Proud to be a BJP Karyakarta…proud that greats like…Advani Ji have strengthened it,” he tweeted. PM Modi further said, “Nation First, Party Next, Self Last” is BJP’s “guiding mantra”.
Doors of NDA forever shut for Chandrababu Naidu: Amit Shah
Addressing a rally in Andhra Pradesh, BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday said that the doors of the NDA are “forever” closed for state CM N Chandrababu Naidu. Calling Naidu an opportunist, Shah alleged that he would “change colours” as and when it suited him. He said that Naidu “couldn’t implement even a single project without PM Narendra Modi’s support”.
Dhoni meets elderly fan who had ‘I am here only for Dhoni’ placard
Following Chennai Super Kings’ defeat against Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019 on Wednesday, CSK captain MS Dhoni met an elderly fan, who had come to watch the match with ‘I am here only for Dhoni’ placard. Dhoni interacted with her for a while and took a selfie. A woman accompanying the elderly fan also touched Dhoni’s feet.
Support shown to our Muslim community after attack amazing: Guptill
Talking about last month’s terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill said that the support that “New Zealand showed to our Muslim community and the way that we rallied around them was amazing.” “It just showed what sort of a country we are. When things are down….we…hold each other through hard times,” Guptill added.
Yahoo spin-out Altaba to sell entire Alibaba stake, shut down
Altaba has announced its board has approved the liquidation and dissolution of the entity. As part of the deal, Altaba intends to sell no more than 50% of Alibaba shares it holds prior to stockholder approval, on receiving which, it will sell the remaining shares. Yahoo’s remaining business was renamed Altaba after Verizon acquired its core internet business in 2017.
10 govt oil, gas firms partner for ₹320-crore startup fund
Around 10 state-owned oil and gas firms have partnered to launch an around ₹320-crore fund for startups. Any Indian startup that fulfils eligibility criteria as per the DPIIT definition can apply for the fund and send applications through the online mode till April 15. Startups will have to pass through a four-stage process, eligibility screening, shortlisting, evaluation and approval.
Hanoi summit ended abruptly as N Korea wasn’t ready for deal: Trump
US President Donald Trump has said the summit in Hanoi with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended abruptly without an agreement as the regime wasn’t “ready for a deal”. “[Kim] wasn’t ready. I told him…That’s the first time anybody has ever told him that and [I] left”, Trump added. The two countries disagreed over granting sanctions relief to North Korea.
Fitch keeps India’s rating unchanged for 13th year in a row
Ratings agency Fitch on Thursday retained India’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-‘, the lowest investment grade, with a stable outlook for the 13th straight year. A weak fiscal position continues to constrain India’s ratings, it said. Fitch expects growth of 6.8% in current fiscal and 7.1% in the next, supported by accommodative monetary policy, easing of bank regulations and government spending.
No lay-offs or cut in retirement age: BSNL Chairman
BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava has said the telco is “not at all” considering lay-offs or reduction in employees’ retirement age. The company is, however, offering “lucrative” Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to willing staff, he added. His statement came after a media report claimed BSNL was planning to lay off 54,000 employees and reduce retirement age from 60 to 58 years.
BJP spent ₹1.21 cr on Google ads in last 43 days, Congress ₹54,100
A Google India Transparency Report has revealed that political parties spent over ₹3.7 crore on 831 election ads on Google platforms from February 19 to April 3, led by the BJP which spent over ₹1.21 crore for 554 ads. YSR Congress Party was placed second with ₹1.04 crore for 107 ads while Congress party spent just ₹54,100 for 14 ads.
Commentator Doull gets death threat from RCB fan, shares screenshot
Cricket commentator and ex-New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull took to Twitter to reveal that he received an online death threat from a Royal Challengers Bangalore fan. The fan wrote that Doull “will be killed for sure” if he didn’t stop making comments on Royal Challengers Bangalore. “It’s only a game of cricket, mate. Chill out,” the 49-year-old commentator wrote.
I met a man that they call Elon Musk, a real genius: Israel PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a campaign event that Elon Musk is in talks with the Israeli government to build tunnels in the country. “I met a man that they call Elon Musk – have you heard of him? A real genius,” he said. Musk’s The Boring Company is taking steps towards developing projects in various US cities.
TN bypoll candidate declares ₹1.7 lakh cr cash, ₹4 lakh cr debt
A candidate contesting in the Perambur assembly bypoll declared ₹1.76 lakh crore in cash and mentioned he has taken a ₹4 lakh crore loan from World Bank. The Election Commission accepted J Mohanraj’s nomination and allotted him ‘green chilli’ symbol. “You can declare whatever you want in the affidavit. The Election Commission will do nothing,” the retired police officer claimed.
Cashify says it caught fake agents stealing iPhones, warns users
Nakul Kumar, Co-founder of used phone buying and selling platform Cashify, claimed they caught fraudsters posing as Cashify agents to steal iPhones and Apple Watches using fake receipts. Bengaluru police let the fraudsters leave with just an apology after being taken to the station, he added. Kumar also claimed the police had rejected requests to file an FIR 14 times.
Woman forgets wallet, New Zealand PM pays for her groceries
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern helped a woman pay for her groceries as she forgot to bring her wallet. The woman mentioned the incident in a now-deleted Facebook post, calling the 38-year-old Prime Minister, “lovely, low key and authentic”. When asked why did she help the woman, Ardern said, “Because she was a mum.”
Saudi Arabia pledges $1 billion to Iraq
Saudi Arabia will provide $1 billion to Iraq to build a sports city, Saudi Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qassabi said. The announcement followed the arrival in Iraq of a Saudi delegation for the second meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Co-ordination Council, an initiative launched in 2017. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 after 25 years.
Don’t seek independence for Tibet: Dalai Lama
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said that he is not seeking independence for Tibet, saying he preferred Tibet remaining with China, with “some kind of a reunion”. “I am not a splittist, but Chinese government considers me a splittist,” he added. China claims Tibet as part of its territory.
Crashed Ethiopian plane repeatedly nosedived despite pilots’ efforts
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane repeatedly nosedived before it crashed killing all 157 on board, according to the preliminary report released by the airline. The report added that the pilots had followed all the Boeing recommended and FAA approved emergency procedures. “Despite all their hard work, it was very unfortunate that they couldn’t recover the airplane,” it stated.
Reliance Jio, Airtel consider competing for stake in Zee: Reports Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Airtel are reportedly considering competing bids for a stake in Zee Entertainment. Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group is looking to sell as much as half of its 42% stake in Zee to a strategic partner. The television network’s profits in the third quarter surged 75% to ₹560 crore on sales of ₹2,170 crore.
