10 dead, 80 hospitalised after eating prasad from Karnataka temple
At least 10 people, including a 12-year-old girl, died and more than 80 people were hospitalised after consuming prasad from a temple in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district. According to district officials, many people had gathered for the temple’s gopuram inauguration and were given rice as prasad. “When the devotees consumed the prasadam, several of them began vomiting,” police said.
Police call Dulquer weirdo for using phone in car, Sonam responds
Mumbai Police wrongly criticised Sonam Kapoor’s ‘The Zoya Factor’ co-star Dulquer Salmaan in a Twitter post where he can be seen using mobile while ‘driving’. “We weren’t driving we were rigged on a truck,” Sonam replied to the post. Meanwhile, Dulquer said the Mumbai Police, who called him a “weirdo”, helped them with permissions and traffic management during the shoot.
Umpires didn’t notice Ishant’s 6 no-balls in 1 over: Broadcaster
Fox Sports, the official broadcaster of the India-Australia Test series, claimed that Ishant Sharma bowled six no-balls in an over in the first Test but umpires failed to notice even one of them. Ishant reportedly overstepped 16 times in the first innings of the Test. Ex-Australia batsman Brad Hodge said Ishant was a “serial offender” when it comes to overstepping.
Christian Michel’s father knew Indira, was close to Gandhis: CBI
As per AgustaWestland chopper scam-accused middleman Christian Michel’s remand documents, the CBI has claimed, “His father (Wolfgang Michel) knew late (PM) Indira Gandhi since 1970s and was very close to the Gandhi family.” CBI said that Wolfgang Michel was a consultant of Westland Helicopters to the Government of India during that time, according to reports.
Accused rhino poacher wins Assam panchayat polls on Cong ticket
Dilwar Hussain, who was arrested twice over alleged involvement in rhino poaching, has won the gram panchayat president seat from Suwaguri in Assam’s Biswanath district on a Congress ticket. However, the party said, “It is very unfortunate. APCC had already sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Biswanath district and Election officer of Biswanath district to cancel his candidature.”
Farmer asked to wait till 2020 for MRI by Mumbai civic hospital
A 55-year-old farmer, who came to a Mumbai civic hospital from Konkan, was given an appointment for February 15, 2020 by the hospital’s MRI department that has only one MRI machine. “We feel bad telling patients to come after 15-16 months, but there’s no other way out,” a resident doctor said.
‘Mallya is not chor’ remark taken out of context: Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday clarified that his ‘Unfair to call one-time loan defaulter a chor’ remark for Vijay Mallya has been taken out of context. “I said Mallya’s account was a prime account for 40 years and it had problems in the 41st. So there are always ups and downs in a business,” Gadkari stated.
Trump calls India a ‘true friend’: US official
US President Donald Trump calls India a “true friend”, Alice Wells, US’ Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, said. State Secretary Mike Pompeo considers US-India bilateral relationship “as one deeply bound by shared values”, she added. Wells’ remarks came at a farewell reception hosted in honour of outgoing Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna.
Germany adds ‘diverse’ as third gender option
The German Parliament on Thursday approved ‘diverse’ as a third gender option on official records. The move followed a ruling by Germany’s highest court which required the government to either allow a third gender or to scrap gender classification altogether. The new law requires people who wish to change their gender to obtain a certificate from a doctor.
Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa to step down amid political crisis
Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa will resign from the post of Prime Minister on Saturday amid the political crisis in the country, his son Namal Rajapaksa announced on Twitter. Rajapaksa had replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister after the latter was sacked by President Maithripala Sirisena in October. The Sri Lankan Parliament had passed two no-confidence motions against Rajapaksa.
Wealth of Saudi billionaire missing for 400 days rises to $8.3 bn
Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi has seen his wealth rise 6% to $8.3 billion since being detained around 400 days ago in Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption campaign, according to Bloomberg. He owns Sweden’s largest refiner Preem, oil explorer Svenska Petroleum and property group Midroc Europe. Al Amoudi also owns gold mines, coffee plantations, a fuel company and hotels in Ethiopia.
Malaysian fugitive’s yacht goes on sale at half its $250-mn price
Superyacht ‘Equanimity’, once owned by fugitive businessman Jho Low, is being put on sale for $130 million by Malaysia. Low, the alleged mastermind behind the theft of $4.5 billion from a government fund, allegedly paid $250 million for the yacht in 2014. The US alleges that the yacht and artworks worth $200 million were among assets bought using stolen money.
Iran falls to 6th biggest oil supplier to India in November: Report
Iran dropped two places to become the sixth biggest oil supplier to India in November, according to Reuters. India’s monthly oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation reportedly plunged to their lowest in a year after India cut purchases due to the impact of US sanctions. Iraq and Saudi Arabia continued to be the top two oil sellers to India.
Abhishek Bachchan to make his digital debut with ‘Breathe 2’
Abhishek Bachchan took to Twitter to announce that he will be starring in the second season of the web series ‘Breathe’, opposite actor Amit Sadh. “Thrilled to announce my digital debut…Looking forward to a fascinating ride,” Abhishek wrote. The first season of the series released in January this year, and featured Sadh, R Madhavan and Sapna Pabbi in lead roles.
Jailed actor Rajpal Yadav performs comedy act in Tihar jail
Actor Rajpal Yadav, who is serving a three-month prison sentence in Delhi’s Tihar jail, performed a comedy act as part of a cultural programme organised for the inmates. Praising his performance, a jail officer said, “Yadav made sure everyone laughed.” The actor was arrested in November for failing to repay a loan of ₹5 crore taken to produce a film.
Not a senior, not much older than Sara and Janhvi: Alia
When asked how it feels to be called “senior” to actresses Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt said, “I am not a senior”. ” I don’t think there is such kind of vibe between us and they are not…much younger than me,” the actress added. “I’ll only give lots of love and warmth…to them,” Alia further said.
Kamal Nath to be Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, announces Congress
After emerging as single-largest party with 114 seats in Madhya Pradesh, Congress announced that nine-time Lok Sabha MP Kamal Nath will be sworn in as the state’s Chief Minister. Earlier, Congress MLAs had unanimously decided that party President Rahul Gandhi will take a decision on the state’s Chief Minister. Jyotiraditya Scindia was also being considered for the post.
Which teams have qualified for the UEFA Champions League last 16?
All four Premier League clubs, which qualified in the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 group stage, have advanced to the Round of 16 of the competition. Bayern Munich, Porto, Ajax, Lyon and Barcelona are the only clubs to have advanced without losing a single match in the group stage. PSG scored the most goals (17) in the group stage.
Nissan sues sister of fired chairman for ‘unjust enrichment’
Japanese carmaker Nissan has sued ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn’s sister on Tuesday in a Rio de Janeiro court for “unjust enrichment”. Brazil-born Ghosn is accused of having underreported his income and is currently being held in a prison in Japan. Reports had said that Ghosn’s sister was paid $100,000 a year as remuneration for a non-existent “advisory role” since 2002.
₹2,012 crore spent on PM Narendra Modi’s foreign trips since 2014
The government has spent more than ₹2,012 crore on chartered flights, maintenance of aircraft and secure hotline facilities for PM Narendra Modi’s foreign visits since 2014. Out of the ₹2,012 crore, ₹1,583 crore was spent on PM’s aircraft maintenance. The details of PM’s foreign travel expenditure were shared in the Parliament by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh.
Fascinated by 150-year-old weapons in ‘Manikarnika’: Kangana
In a post shared on Instagram, actress Kangana Ranaut revealed she was “fascinated with the 150-year-old weapons” used in her film ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’. “I also had to carry a shield that weighed about 5 kg,” the actress added. Kangana will be playing the role of Rani Laxmibai in the film which is set to release in January.
Kohli’s b’day post for Anushka most ‘loved’: Instagram India
Team India captain Virat Kohli’s post on Instagram, wishing his wife Anushka Sharma on her birthday, was the most ‘loved’ post in India this year, Instagram revealed in its ‘Year in Review’ feature. While Virat’s post garnered 3.6 million ‘hearts’, Anushka came in second on the list with 2.8 million ‘hearts’. Anushka is seen posing with Kohli in her post.
It’s a disease, everyone has it: Karan on actors’ ‘delusions’
While speaking about actors and their “delusions” about their status in Bollywood, filmmaker Karan Johar said, “It is a disease. Everyone has it”. “Just because their two films do well suddenly it’s all me, myself and I,” Karan added. Further, talking about actors’ salary demands, Karan said, “It gets exhausting to sit in monetary discussions because they are delusional.”
‘CID’ creator BP Singh appointed as new FTII President
Creator of Indian TV show ‘CID’ Brijendra Pal Singh has been appointed as the new president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and Chairman of Governing Council. Singh will replace former FTII President Anupam Kher, who announced in October that he was stepping down due to his “busy schedule”. Singh was previously Vice Chairman of FTII.
Google ends unlimited free storage for some video formats
Google’s image and video storage service Google Photos has announced that certain video formats will no longer be supported by the platform. The technology giant said unsupported videos uploaded after December 6 will be counted in its storage quota. It further added that restricting Google Photos from automatically compressing content will also result in taking up the storage quota.
French foreign ministry confirms hackers stole website data
The French foreign ministry on Thursday confirmed that ‘Ariane’, its website for citizens travelling abroad, had been hacked and users’ personal data had been stolen. “The information does not include sensitive financial material or data likely to disclose destinations,” the ministry said. The website was set up in 2010 to enable French citizens to receive security-related updates while abroad.
BJP to hold National Council meeting on January 11 and 12
BJP has announced that it will hold a National Council meeting on January 11 and 12 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. All public representatives of the party, including MPs and MLAs, will attend the meeting. Further, a BJP Mahila Morcha meeting will be held on December 21 and 22 in Ahmedabad.
Nearly 9 crore toilets built in 4 years: Uma Bharti
Union Minister Uma Bharti on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that around nine crore toilets have been built across the country since October 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). She said a total of 546 districts were declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) during last three years and the current financial year. No Goa district was declared ODF, she added.
Don’t look at Army as a job provider: Army Chief Gen Rawat
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday said Indian Army shouldn’t be looked upon as a job provider organisation. Army personnel who feign illness or disability in order to avoid duty will soon face action from the Army, he added. He assured all help to former and serving soldiers who have actually suffered disability in the line of duty.
SC rejects RCom’s plea seeking more time to pay Ericsson
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition by Reliance Communications (RCom), seeking to extend the December 15 deadline to repay ₹550-crore dues to Ericsson. The company argued it hasn’t received ‘no objection certificate’ from telecom department to proceed with spectrum sale to Reliance Jio. RCom earlier said proceeds from spectrum deal will be used to clear Ericsson’s dues.
Nehru said RBI controls monetary policy, govt economic policy: FM
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that former PM Jawaharlal Nehru had written to RBI stating that economic policy is determined by government, while RBI has autonomy over monetary policy. “We are the sovereign government… the most important stakeholder [in managing] economy,” he added. He also questioned how a discussion on RBI’s functioning could be deemed the institution’s “destruction”.
India’s only state Happiness Minister loses in Madhya Pradesh
India’s only state Happiness Minister Lal Singh Arya lost his Gohad seat to Congress candidate Ranvir Jatav by a margin of 23,989 votes. The BJP leader was the first minister of Madhya Pradesh’s Happiness Department, modelled on the national happiness index used by Bhutan. Arya was arrested in 2017 over his alleged role in the murder of a Congress leader.
Former Miss India Earth Tanvi Vyas marries actor Harsh Nagar
Former Miss India Earth Tanvi Vyas tied the knot with actor Harsh Nagar on Wednesday. Vyas, who was crowned Femina Miss India Earth in 2008, reportedly met Nagar in Mumbai during a short-term acting course. The couple got married in a traditional ceremony in Vadodara, Gujarat and will host receptions in Mumbai and Delhi, as per reports.
Sara is a way better actor than I was: Saif Ali Khan
Praising his daughter Sara Ali Khan’s performance in her debut film ‘Kedarnath’, Saif Ali Khan said, “It’s amazing. Way better than what I was.” “A thinking actress who is expressive and inventive in every shot. I see a fantastic future for her,” Saif added. He further thanked people for welcoming and accepting her as an actor.
I’d totally do it: John Cena on playing Captain America
Former WWE World Champion John Cena addressed rumours that suggested he would be cast as the next Captain America in Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ series. “If the Captain America people are listening and you’re watching right now, I’d totally do it,” he said. Reports had claimed Cena would replace Chris Evans as Captain America after the upcoming film ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
BJP put up a good fight in Assembly polls: UP CM Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the BJP “put up a good fight under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” in the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. Calling victory and defeat “two sides of a coin called democracy”, he added, “Congress’ lies will start unravelling soon, and that will make our future battles even easier.”
Rahul will hoist Tricolour at Red Fort soon: Navjot Sidhu
Lauding Congress for its “remarkable performance” in the Assembly polls, Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday said he is “sure” Congress President Rahul Gandhi will hoist the Tricolour at Red Fort in the near future. Claiming Congress has “conquered BJP’s impregnable forts”, Sidhu added, “These three wins will change India’s fate and fortune.”
Starbucks China rival Luckin Coffee raises $200 mn
Starbucks’ China rival Luckin Coffee on Wednesday announced that it has raised $200 million in a Series B funding round at a $2.2-billion valuation. The funding round was led by investors including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and China International Capital Corporation. Luckin Coffee was officially launched in January 2018 and has raised a total of $400 million to date.
Female-centric coworking startup The Riveter raises $15 mn
US-based female-centric coworking startup The Riveter on Tuesday announced that it raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Alpha Edison. It reportedly plans to open 100 female-forward coworking spaces in the US by 2022. “We want to redefine…work for women and we want everyone to be part of it,” Founder and CEO Amy Nelson said.
Tesla sues former employee for $167 million for leaking data
Tesla has sued former employee Martin Tripp for $167 million for leaking confidential data to third parties and making false claims to reporters. Tripp had earlier accused Tesla of using damaged battery modules in Model 3 vehicles. He had also filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission accusing Tesla of making “material omissions and misstatements” to investors.
NASA shares first selfie by InSight lander on Mars
US space agency NASA on Tuesday shared the first-ever selfie captured by InSight lander, the first-ever mission to study the deep interior of Mars. The photo is a mosaic of 11 images, created using the same imaging process as NASA’s Curiosity rover mission by stitching many overlapping images together. Another image showing the workplace of the lander was also shared.
Turkey to launch new operation against Kurds in Syria
Turkey will launch a new operation against Kurdish fighters in Syria in a few days, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said. Turkey claims that the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, is a terrorist organisation because of its links to the Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. However, the US supports YPG, considering it to be a key player in the fight against ISIS.
Sri Lanka’s sacked PM Wickremesinghe wins confidence vote
Ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe won a confidence vote in the Parliament on Wednesday. Sri Lanka has been embroiled in a political crisis since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe in October and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa, the former Sri Lankan President, has refused to resign despite two no-confidence votes being passed against him.
Ambuja Cements CEO steps down after 26 yrs with the company
Ambuja Cements on Wednesday announced the resignation of Ajay Kapur, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Kapur, who has worked at Ambuja Cements for 26 years, will leave the company on March 1, 2019. He has decided to pursue his career outside the cement industry, the company said in a statement.
TVS Motor chief appointed as Vice Chairman to 7 Tata trusts
TVS Motor Chairman Venu Srinivasan and former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh were on Wednesday appointed Vice Chairmen of seven Tata trusts. Ratan Tata is the chairman of all the Tata trusts while R Venkataramanan is the Managing Trustee. Srinivasan is also on the board of Tata Sons while Singh recently stepped down from the Tata Group holding company’s board.
Air France appoints Anne Rigail as its first female CEO
The French unit of Air France-KLM Group on Wednesday named Anne Rigail as its new CEO, making her the first woman to lead the airline. The 49-year-old, who is currently Executive Vice President (Customer) at Air France, will replace acting CEO Benjamin Smith. Her appointment comes as the airline faces trade union unrest and crucial pay negotiations with pilots.
Isha Ambani gets married to Anand Piramal, couple’s first photos out
Asia’s richest person Mukesh Ambani’s 27-year-old daughter Isha Ambani on Wednesday got married to industrialist Ajay Piramal’s 33-year-old son Anand Piramal at Ambani’s 27-storey residence Antilia in Mumbai. Earlier, a two-day pre-wedding celebration was held in Udaipur, where American singer Beyoncé performed. The couple’s wedding costs around ₹720 crore, according to a Bloomberg report.
MNF’s Zoramthanga to be sworn-in as Mizoram CM on December 15
Zoramthanga, who was unanimously appointed as the leader of MNF legislature party in Mizoram, will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister on December 15. MNF spokesperson Lena Jongte said the ceremony will take place at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl. MNF won 26 seats in the 40-member assembly, bringing down Congress to five seats as compared to 34 in 2013.
Trump ex-lawyer gets 3-yr jail, says job was to cover ‘dirty deeds’
US President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for crimes including hush-money payments to two women who alleged affairs with Trump. He was also found guilty of lying to the US Congress. “I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” Cohen said.
India’s first state cow minister Otaram Dewasi loses in Rajasthan
BJP candidate and India’s first state cow minister, Otaram Dewasi, lost his seat in Sirohi to Independent candidate Sanyam Lodha by 10,253 votes in the Rajasthan Assembly elections. The two-time MLA from the same seat was appointed as the minister in 2014, when the then CM Vasundhara Raje had set up a cow welfare department in the state.
Kerala engineer finds bug that made 400mn Microsoft emails hackable
A Kerala-based application security engineer named Sahad Nk has won a bug bounty from Microsoft for discovering a bug that left over 400 million Microsoft accounts, including Office 365 and Outlook emails, open to hacking. Sahad reported the bug to Microsoft, which fixed the vulnerability. “The Microsoft Security Response Center mitigated the case in November 2018,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
UAE man jokingly calls fiancée ‘idiot’ on WhatsApp, fined ₹4 lakh
A UAE man was fined ₹4 lakh and sent to jail for 60 days after his fiancée took serious offence when he jokingly called her habla (idiot in Arabic) on messaging app WhatsApp. Following the message, his fiancée filed a court case against him. As per law, sending anything of an offensive nature on social media is considered a cybercrime.
