Parrikar quit as Defence Minister over Rafale deal: Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar resigned from the post because he did not agree with the Rafale fighter jet deal. Pawar added that BJP has taken “siege” of important institutions in the country. Parrikar served as Defence Minister for three years before he took charge as Goa CM in 2017.
513 ceasefire violations by Pak post Balakot strike: Army
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh on Saturday said that Pakistan violated ceasefire 513 times since air strikes were carried out in Pakistan’s Balakot. He added that in over 100 such violations Pakistan used heavy weaponry. However, he said that Pakistan Army is being given a befitting response by the Indian Army.
PM Modi-Nitish Kumar love stronger than Laila-Majnu: Owaisi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that the love between PM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is stronger than the love of Laila-Majnu. He further said that since the two came together, there has been tension between Hindus and Muslims in India. In 2017, Nitish Kumar had left the grand alliance in Bihar and joined BJP-led NDA.
Facebook mistakenly ships devices with inappropriate labels
Oculus Co-founder and Facebook VR Product Head Nate Mitchell took to Twitter to reveal prototype devices of Oculus VR headset’s controllers with “inappropriate” easter egg labels were shipped mistakenly. “The messages on final production hardware say ‘This Space For Rent’…’Big Brother is Watching’,” he tweeted. The hardware’s integrity and functionality were not compromised, he added.
Barcelona held to a draw by Huesca in La Liga
Barcelona were held to goalless draw by Huesca in the La Liga on Saturday. Barcelona had made ten changes to the side that won against Manchester United. Three players were handed league debuts by Barcelona. The Catalan club will face Manchester United at home in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
Pak cannot get a better Indian PM than PM Modi: Kejriwal
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that Pakistan cannot get a better Indian PM than PM Narendra Modi. He added that Pakistan PM Imran Khan wanted PM Modi to be re-elected despite war-like situation between the two nations. This comes after Khan said that there’s a better chance of peace talks with India if BJP wins the General elections.
Would’ve loved to contest against PM Modi: Shatrughan Sinha
Congress’ Patna Sahib candidate and former BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday said that he would have loved to fight against PM Narendra Modi had he contested from Patna Sahib. He added that BJP is living in “fool’s paradise” if they think Patna Sahib is their stronghold. Shatrughan had won the Patna Sahib seat on BJP ticket in 2014.
Case against Irani for giving ‘wrong’ info in poll affidavit
A case was filed against Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Saturday for allegedly submitting wrong information in her election affidavit. The case was filed by Tauheed Siddiqui, Chairman of Lucknow’s Congress Minority Cell. He said that Irani’s 2014 affidavit claimed that she has completed her graduation while her 2019 affidavit said that she hasn’t completed her degree.
Today films are watched for stories rather than stars: Satish
While speaking about how Bollywood has evolved over time, actor-director Satish Kaushik said, “Today audiences are not just watching films for stars but are rather looking at stories.” “Today filmmakers are giving lead role to character actors…Cinema is going through a great phase,” he added. Satish further said that films are now more “sensible” and “true to life” than before.
Tamil actor-politician JK Ritheesh dies of heart attack at 46
Tamil actor and AIADMK leader JK Ritheesh on Saturday passed away following a heart attack at the age of 46. Ritheesh reportedly complained of severe chest pain during an election campaign in Ramanathapuram and was rushed to a hospital, where he breathed his last. He was last seen in the Tamil film ‘LKG’, which released in February this year.
Learning a lot: Harrdy Sandhu on working with Ranveer in ’83
While speaking about working with Ranveer Singh in the upcoming film ’83, singer Harrdy Sandhu said, “I’m getting to learn a lot from him.” “Ranveer is a great personality. He’s a humble and amazing human being. He’s extremely dedicated to his work,” Harrdy added. The singer will be making his acting debut in Bollywood with the forthcoming Kabir Khan directorial.
We were air drying: Three naked women lead US police on 33-km chase
Police officers in US’ Florida this week questioned three naked women who were seen applying suntan lotion at a rest stop. The women, who claimed they were “air drying” after washing up, then fled in a car and led police on a 33-km chase. They were caught after police managed to blow out their car’s tires and repeatedly rammed it.
Mining mafia try to run over trainee IAS officer with JCB machine
Mining mafia allegedly tried to kill a trainee IAS by running over his car with a JCB machine in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh. Mayank Chaturvedi, who is posted in Raigarh as assistant collector, stopped for investigation with two other officials on spotting illegal mining underway in Timarlaga. After escaping narrowly, the officer was allegedly assaulted and suffered minor injuries.
Ambedkar statue found broken, dumped in garbage in Hyderabad
A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was found broken and dumped in the garbage in Hyderabad on Saturday. Around 2 am on Saturday, Jai Bheem Society members had gathered in front of the Hyderabad Central mall to install the statue. However, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials stopped them and seized the statue saying they didn’t have the required permissions.
Lewis Hamilton wins Formula One history’s 1,000th race
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won Formula One history’s 1,000th race after claiming his sixth victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas finished second, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel came third. With the victory, Hamilton moved to the top of Formula One drivers’ standings for the ongoing season, ahead of Bottas.
Footballer kisses rival on nose after getting tackled, both booked
Burnley forward Ashley Barnes kissed Cardiff City defender Joe Bennett on his nose during their Premier League match on Saturday. The duo squared up face-to-face late in the first half and Barnes sarcastically planted two kisses on Bennett’s nose after being brought down by him through a tackle. The referee showed yellow card to both the players following the incident.
Silicon Road launches Foodtech, Retail-tech accelerator in Mysuru
Venture capital firm Silicon Road, which has an office in the US, has launched a four-month-long accelerator focused on Foodtech and Retail-tech startups in Mysuru. Startups in the program will be offered up to ₹25-lakh funding and perks worth €700,000 in exchange for 5-10% equity stake. The program will begin in May in partnership with France-based international innovation hub NUMA.
Meena Kumari clinches gold medal at the Boxing World Cup
Meena Kumari clinched the gold medal in the 54 kg event at the Boxing World Cup in Cologne on Saturday. Sakshi (57kg) and Pwilao Basumatary (64kg) lost their final bouts and had to settle for silver medals while Pinki Rani (51kg) and Parveen (60kg) won bronze medals as India finished with five medals.
Injured Neeraj Chopra pulls out of Asian Championship
Reigning champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will not take part in the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, which is slated to begin on April 21, due to a strain on his elbow. “His coach told us it’s not a serious issue and that Neeraj could return to the field in a week’s time,” deputy chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair.
Open for partnerships in electric vehicle space: Ashok Leyland
Ashok Leyland has said it’s looking for partnerships in electric vehicles (EV) segment to keep costs under control. “If we see possible opportunity whether it’s on batteries or different aspects of EV programme, I think we’ll keep our mind open,” Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja said. The commercial vehicle maker last year won order to supply 50 electric buses for Ahmedabad BRTS.
1 killed, 3 injured in shooting outside Australia nightclub
One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting outside a nightclub in Australia on Sunday. Police said that there was no suggestion yet that the attack was terror-related. Notably, Australia has some of the world’s toughest gun control laws, adopted after its worst mass murder, when a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996.
3 killed as plane hits 2 helicopters while taking off in Nepal
Three people, including the pilot, were killed and four others were injured after a small plane veered off the runway and hit two helicopters while taking off from Nepal’s Lukla Airport. The airport is known to be one of the most difficult in the world for landings and take-offs. “The injured have been sent to Kathmandu for treatment,” officials said.
Dharmendra campaigns for Hema Malini in UP’s Mathura
Actor Dharmendra on Sunday reached Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura to campaign for BJP MP Hema Malini for the general elections. Sharing a photo on Twitter, Hema said, “A photo taken in my house in Mathura…before we leave for campaigning.” She added that the public is waiting “eagerly” to get a glimpse of him and listen to what he has to say.
Unique oil-eating bacteria found in deepest part of world’s oceans
A team of international scientists has discovered a “unique” oil-eating bacteria in Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, the deepest part of Earth’s oceans at approximately 11,000 metres. These types of microorganisms eat compounds similar to those in oil and use it for fuel, a scientist said. Similar microorganisms play a role in degrading oil spills in natural disasters, the scientist added.
3 days after crash, Israel plans 2nd private Moon mission
Israeli aerospace organisation SpaceIL has on Twitter announced plans to build a new spacecraft to be sent to the Moon after the country’s first mission to the Moon, the Beresheet spacecraft, crashed on the lunar surface on Thursday. The work on spacecraft will start on April 14, SpaceIL’s billionaire Chairman Morris Kahn said. Beresheet would’ve become first successful privately-funded lander.
Weather condition and bowling important in WC: Ian Chappell
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has said factors like weather and bowling performances by teams will decide the finalists of World Cup in England and Wales. Speaking about the teams participating in the tournament, Chappell wrote, “[There’re] five possible winners out of nine teams and I wouldn’t totally discount the suddenly much-improved West Indies and the highly unpredictable Pakistan.”
TCS says it is ‘open and hungry’ for acquisitions
India’s largest IT services firm TCS’ COO N Ganapathy Subramaniam has said the company is “open and hungry” for acquisitions. “We are…looking for the right asset which will add a certain amount of IP (intellectual property), market reach or client addition,” he said. TCS last year acquired London-based digital design studio W12 Studios and US-based management consulting firm BridgePoint Group.
Adani’s Mundra plant gets approval to pass on higher cost of coal
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has allowed Adani Power’s Mundra thermal power plant to pass on higher cost of imported coal that had made the project unviable. The regulator’s order pertains only to 2,000 megawatts (MW) of the total 4,620 MW plant. The Mundra unit reported a loss of ₹1,694 crore for the year ended March 2018.
