Jet Airways employees protest in Delhi after shutdown
Jet Airways employees protested in Delhi and Mumbai on Thursday after the airline halted all flight operations indefinitely. “I feel like my hands are tied and I can’t sleep at night,” said a 53-year-old baggage handler, who is a father of two. “We have stopped going out for movies, to restaurants or any other form of entertainment,” an engineer said.
It was a very big shock to me: Neena on daughter filing for divorce
Actress Neena Gupta, while speaking about her daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta filing for divorce from husband Madhu Mantena, said, “It was a very big shock to me.” “Like a normal mother, I said don’t take any decision in a rush. Think about it because me and my husband both loved Madhu and still love him,” she added.
Shatrughan Sinha’s wife Poonam files nomination from Lucknow
Poonam Sinha, the wife of actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, filed her nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency on Thursday. Poonam, who had joined Samajwadi Party on Tuesday, is contesting against BJP leader Rajnath Singh and Congress’ Acharya Pramod Krishnam. Her husband Shatrughan had recently left the BJP to join Congress.
95-yr-old collapses while waiting for turn to vote in Odisha, dies
A 95-year-old man collapsed while waiting for his turn to vote at a polling booth in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Thursday. Soon after, he was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. In Odisha, voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 is underway for Bargarh, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Aska seats.
Facebook admits it uploaded e-mail contacts of 15 lakh users
Facebook has admitted to “unintentionally” uploading e-mail contacts of 15 lakh users without their permission. “These contacts were not shared with anyone and we’re deleting them. We’ve fixed the issue and are notifying people whose contacts were imported,” Facebook added. After criticism from security experts, it also stopped asking e-mail passwords from users signing up for the first time.
Netanyahu nominated to become Israeli PM for the 5th time
Benjamin Netanyahu has been nominated to become Israel’s Prime Minister for the fifth time after President Reuven Rivlin invited him to form the new government. Netanyahu has 28 days, with a two-week extension if needed, to form the government. If Netanyahu succeeds, he will become Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister in July.
Pompeo talks nonsense, get someone more mature: N Korea to US
North Korea has demanded the removal of US’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear talks, calling for someone who “is more careful and mature in communicating”. North Korea accused Pompeo of “talking nonsense” and being “reckless”. A North Korean official had earlier blamed Pompeo for the failed talks at the second Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi.
Mindtree crosses $1 billion in annual revenue after 20 years
IT major Mindtree on Wednesday announced it has crossed $1 billion (₹7,000 crore) in revenue during the financial year 2018-19. Its board declared an interim dividend of 30%. It further recommended a final dividend of 40% and special dividend of 200% to “celebrate twin achievements” of exceeding $1-billion annual revenue mark and the 20th anniversary of the company.
John Cena approached for ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel: Reports
WWE wrestler-turned-actor John Cena has been approached to join the cast of the upcoming sequel to the 2016 film ‘Suicide Squad’, as per reports. Earlier, reports suggested that actor Idris Elba had also joined the cast of the forthcoming film. Directed and written by James Gunn, the film is scheduled to release on August 6, 2021.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Singh and family cast their vote
Amid the ongoing second phase polling for general elections, former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and his family on Thursday cast their vote for the Rajnandgaon constituency. The BJP has fielded the RSS man Santosh Pandey after denying ticket to the sitting MP Abhishek Singh, Raman Singh’s son, from the constituency. The Congress has fielded ex-Khujji MLA Bholaram Sahu from Rajnandgaon.
EC warns Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi for ‘Modi Ji Ki Sena’ remark
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday warned Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi against using the armed forces for political propaganda following his ‘Modi Ji Ki Sena’ remark at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur. It also asked Naqvi to be “careful in the future” with his utterances. State election authorities had issued Naqvi a show cause notice for his remark.
EC searches Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy’s chopper and luggage
The Election Commission (EC) searched the chopper and luggage of Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy after he landed for a public meeting in Shivamogga. Earlier this month, Kumaraswamy’s SUV was also stopped at a check-post in Hassan district and was searched by the EC. On Tuesday, the EC searched the luggage of ex-Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa at a helipad in Shivamogga.
Twitter acquires quote-sharing app Highly, hires its team
Micro-blogging platform Twitter has acqui-hired quote and highlight-sharing app Highly for an undisclosed amount. “We are excited to welcome the Highly team to Twitter. Their expertise will accelerate our product and design thinking around making Twitter more conversational,” Twitter said. US-based Highly said it will shut down its iOS and Slack app on April 26.
Imran had to make public plea to us to pick up phone: PM Modi
Referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on trying to approach India after the Balakot air strike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Imran “had to make a public plea to us to pick up the phone.” Meanwhile, PM Modi also said that his government had managed to contain terrorism to two and a half districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
Amazon-backed bus service startup Shuttl raises ₹35 crore: Report
Gurugram-based bus service startup Shuttl has reportedly raised about ₹35 crore in a funding round led by US-based VC firm New Atlantic Ventures. The funding is likely part of Shuttl’s ongoing $20-million round, as per reports. Previous reports claimed the Amazon-backed startup had raised $7-8 million from investors Sequoia Capital India, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Times Internet in March.
Luckin Coffee raises $150 mn, aims to beat Starbucks China
China-based coffee startup Luckin Coffee has raised $150 million at $2.9-billion valuation in a funding round led by American global investment management firm BlackRock. The startup had last raised $200 million in November 2018 at a $2.2-billion valuation. Founded in 2017, Luckin has said it wants to open 2,500 cafes this year to displace Starbucks as China’s largest coffee chain.
Reasonably hopeful of successful bids: Jet Airways lenders
Lenders to Jet Airways on Thursday said they are “reasonably hopeful” that the bidding process for the airline will end successfully. This comes a day after Jet Airways temporarily suspended operations as it failed to secure emergency funding. The lenders have selected four suitors including Etihad Airways and NIIF to place bids for the airline, according to reports.
Albert Einstein’s brain was stolen after death for research
After Albert Einstein’s death on April 18, 1955, Princeton researcher Thomas Harvey removed his brain without prior permission during autopsy. Einstein’s family learned about it the next day from the New York Times but later gave a reluctant approval to conduct research. In 1999, a Canadian study claimed Einstein possessed unusual folds in the brain part associated with mathematical ability.
Eat almonds: Mufti to Omar after he points out PDP link with BJP
After Omar Abdullah pointed out Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP ran the government in alliance with BJP, Mufti said, “Consume almonds Omar…Improves memory.” She added, “As their first ally from J&K you’d know their true colours since you served as an MoE under NDA.” Omar had hit out at Mufti for criticising BJP for fielding Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya from Bhopal.
BJP candidate put under house arrest for campaigning at polling booth
BJP candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr, Bhola Singh, was placed under house arrest after a video showing him campaigning and seeking votes inside a polling station surfaced online. On being stopped by police, Singh said he entered the booth with the District Magistrate’s permission. However, the DM said he permitted Singh to visit the booths and not to campaign.
Facebook working on own voice assistant to rival Siri, Alexa
Facebook is building its own voice-based AI-powered digital assistant to rival existing ones including Apple’s Siri and Amazon Alexa. Facebook said it aims to make its assistant “work across [its] family of AR/VR products including Portal, Oculus and future products”. Notably, Facebook had launched the M assistant for Messenger in 2015, which it eventually removed in 2018.
Nepal, Sri Lanka launch their first-ever satellites
Nepal and Sri Lanka on Thursday successfully launched ‘NepaliSat-1’ and ‘Raavana-1’, their respective first-ever satellites, into space from the US. Both the satellites were developed under the ‘BIRDS-3 Satellite Project’. ‘NepaliSat-1’ will start rotating around the earth’s orbit after a month to collect information about Nepal’s topography and the earth’s magnetic field.
ArcelorMittal offers steel for Notre-Dame Cathedral restoration
Steelmaker ArcelorMittal on Thursday offered steel for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris after a fire gutted the 856-year-old cathedral’s roof and destroyed its spire. The Lakshmi Mittal-led firm company offered to provide its “expertise and competencies in construction and architecture”. Billionaires and companies have already pledged nearly $1 billion for the cathedral’s reconstruction.
Jet Airways shares tank 34% after temporary shutdown
Jet Airways shares on Thursday plunged over 34% in their biggest intraday fall after the airline suspended operations temporarily after failing to secure emergency funds. The company is worth about ₹1,850 crore now, compared to over ₹11,100 crore at its peak in 2005. Jet Airways is currently awaiting the bid finalisation process by lenders which will bring in fresh equity.
Mahindra signs deal with US’ Ford to make midsize SUVs in India
India’s Mahindra & Mahindra has signed a deal with American carmaker Ford Motor’s Indian unit to jointly develop midsize sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in India. Ford and affiliate companies will invest ₹680 crore for the development of the vehicles over a period of 10 years. The new SUV will have a common Mahindra product platform and powertrain, the companies announced.
NASA partners Bezos’ Blue Origin for new rocket engine tests
NASA has partnered the world’s richest person Jeff Bezos’ aerospace startup Blue Origin to let it upgrade, refurbish and eventually use a historic test stand for rocket engine tests for Moon and Mars missions. “This test stand once helped power NASA’s first launches to the Moon,” NASA said, adding it also led to the emergence of the “commercial space” sector.
Cannabis worth ₹1.68 crore seized in Hyderabad, 3 arrested
Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized over 1,120 kg of cannabis, valued at ₹1.68 crore, from a Solapur-bound truck in Hyderabad on Thursday. The cannabis was concealed in 546 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packages. The DRI officials also arrested three persons, including the alleged mastermind in the case.
Saudi Arabia to host G20 Summit in 2020, first in Arab world
Saudi Arabia will host the 15th annual G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2020 on November 21-22, in its capital Riyadh. This will be the first G20 Summit to be hosted in the Arab world. “Saudi Arabia is fully committed to the G20’s objectives and to the stability and prosperity of the international economic system,” Saudi state news agency SPA said.
Taylor, Dwayne named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People
Taylor Swift and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson were named among TIME magazine’s 2019 list of the 100 Most Influential People and were featured on two of the magazine’s six covers. While singer Shawn Mendes wrote a profile for Taylor Swift in the magazine, actress Gal Gadot penned Dwayne Johnson’s profile. Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga also featured on the list.
Will return to work next week: Hrithik’s father post cancer treatment
Speaking to entertainment website SpotBoyE, Hrithik Roshan’s father filmmaker Rakesh Roshan revealed that he will be returning to work next week after undergoing treatment for cancer. “All my treatment has gone well. I’m on my way to recovery,” the filmmaker wrote in a text to SpotBoyE. Hrithik announced in January that Rakesh had been diagnosed with early stage throat cancer.
CPI(M) leader Md Salim’s car attacked in poll violence in WB
The car of CPI(M) Raiganj candidate Md Salim was attacked in Islampur of North Dinajpur district, West Bengal today. While Salim escaped without any injuries and took shelter in a polling station, his driver was forced to flee with the car. Accusing TMC of being responsible for the incident, Salim said, “I got to know of rigging inside this booth.”
Teacher on election duty dies of heart attack in Chhattisgarh
An assistant teacher on election duty at a polling booth in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district died of heart attack on Thursday, an official said. He complained of chest pain around 6 am and fell unconscious at the booth, following which he was rushed to hospital where he was declared brought dead. Voting is underway for second phase of Lok Sabha elections.
AI will be capable of convincing you to fall in love with it: Musk
Responding to a question on whether an AI system could love humans like in the Hollywood film ‘Her’, Elon Musk said, “I think AI will be capable of convincing you to fall in love with it very well.” Musk added that from a physics point of view if one can’t differentiate if the love is real or not, it’s real.
EC flying squad recovers cash worth over ₹11 lakh in Mumbai
The Election Commission’s flying squad seized ₹11.85 lakh worth of cash from Mumbai’s Sion area on Thursday. The seizure comes as voting for 10 Lok Sabha seats, falling under Maharashtra’s Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, is underway in the second phase of polling. Earlier, over ₹135 crore of unaccounted cash was recovered during raids in Tamil Nadu.
Italian students fined ₹208cr after their barbecue causes forest fire
Two Italian students, both aged 22, have been fined over $30 million (₹208 crore) after their backyard barbecue led to a massive forest fire in northern Italy in December 2018. The fire had lasted for several days and destroyed around 1,000 hectares of forest, officials said. Meanwhile, the students have claimed they are being used as “scapegoats”.
14 passengers killed by gunmen in Pak after being forced off bus
At least 14 bus passengers were killed by gunmen in paramilitary uniform in southwestern Pakistan after being forced off the vehicle on a highway. Survivors told police that the gunmen selectively killed the passengers after going through their identity cards and abandoned their bodies. The motive behind the killings is not known and it is unclear who was behind it.
Cinema can reach out to the masses and educate them: Akshay
Speaking about the role of cinema in society, Akshay Kumar said, “It’s a way of not only reaching out to masses but also at times educating them.” “[M]ovies are a type of communication that’s consumed by…people not only in India but also internationally,” he added. Akshay further said making socially relevant films is his way of giving back to society.
5G tech is a kind of nuclear bomb for US: Huawei Founder
Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei in an interview with German newspapers said, “Unfortunately, the US sees 5G technology as a strategic weapon.” “For them, it is a kind of nuclear bomb,” he added. Last week, while referring to 5G technology, US President Donald Trump said, “We cannot allow any other country to out-compete the US in this…industry of the future.”
