Former Essar Steel directors approach NCLAT against takeover
Three directors of erstwhile board of Essar Steel on Monday approached National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the NCLT order that allowed ArcelorMittal to take over the cash-strapped company. The bankruptcy court had on Friday approved the Lakshmi Mittal-led company’s ₹42,000-crore bid for Essar Steel. It also suggested that ArcelorMittal’s payment be distributed among creditors.
Hyderabad jail launches radio station for inmates
The Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad on Sunday launched an internal radio station as part of the rehabilitation measures for the inmates. The programmes on the radio would be designed and hosted by the prisoners themselves. The objective of the facility is to provide entertainment and recreation while also giving the prisoners information about facilities extended to them.
ED attaches ₹8.4-cr assets of AgustaWestland accused Khaitan
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached assets worth ₹8.46 crore of Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, an accused in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland scam. The properties are located in Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand, the agency added. The action was taken as part of a second criminal probe against him for allegedly possessing undisclosed foreign accounts.
IBM’s AI blood test may help in early Alzheimer’s detection
IBM researchers have created an AI blood test that could help with early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. The test identifies a set of proteins in blood that can predict concentration of amyloid-beta in spinal fluid. People with mild cognitive impairment having an abnormal concentration of amyloid-beta in their spinal fluid are 2.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, IBM said.
SoftBank to launch $500-mn fund for early-stage startups
SoftBank’s venture capital unit SoftBank Ventures Asia’s CEO JP Lee in an interview said that the unit could launch its fund for early-stage startups, worth as much as $500 million, next month. The ‘SoftBank Acceleration Fund’ will be backed by SoftBank and South Korea’s National Pension Service, among others. Last week, SoftBank had launched a $5-billion Latin America focused fund.
Pawar not contesting LS polls is our 1st victory: BJP leader
BJP leader Subhash Deshmukh on Monday said that Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar’s decision to not contest Lok Sabha elections is the first victory for BJP. “He (Pawar)…came to know that he isn’t going to win elections against the BJP,” Deshmukh said. Pawar said that he won’t contest the elections since two of his family members are already contesting.
‘No Fathers In Kashmir’ gets U/A certificate 8 months after CBFC row
Director Ashvin Kumar’s ‘No Fathers In Kashmir’, starring Soni Razdan, was granted U/A certificate by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) eight months after it was submitted to the Censor Board. This comes after the film’s makers challenged the Censor Board’s decision to give the film an ‘A’ certificate in October 2018. The makers approached FCAT in November, last year.
K-Pop star retires amid charges of supplying prostitutes
Singer Seungri, from K-Pop group ‘Big Bang’, announced his retirement from the entertainment industry after being charged for allegedly supplying prostitutes to foreign investors at nightclubs. The 28-year-old singer was reportedly charged following a police raid on Sunday at a club managed by him. Messages, where he is seen discussing supplying prostitutes to investors, earlier surfaced online.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ co-director Joe Russo to visit India in April
Joe Russo, who directed the upcoming film ‘Avengers: Endgame’ with his brother Anthony Russo, will be visiting Mumbai in April ahead of the film’s release. “Thank you for embracing these movies. I’m excited to be coming to India and eager to meet our Indian fans very soon,” Joe said. The film is set to release on April 26.
Bihar police allegedly torture 2 men to death, hammer nails into them
Two men, arrested in a case of robbery and murder, were allegedly tortured to death in police custody in Bihar’s Sitamarhi last week. Photos and a video clip of their bodies being washed before their burial showed marks of nails hammered into them. An FIR for murder has been filed in the case and five policemen have been suspended.
Official calls Gandhiji’s wheelchair-bound kin to 2nd-floor office
Shivalaxmi Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s wheelchair-bound granddaughter-in-law, was summoned by a Charity Commissionerate official in Surat to his second-floor office for getting the paperwork done to register her charitable trust. He also criticised her representative for ‘using Gandhi’s name’ and insisted she come in person. “Sardar Patel’s descendants never used to take his name,” the official said.
US firm Ebix offers to buy travel portal Yatra for $336 mn
American software firm Ebix on Monday said it has offered to acquire Gurugram-based travel portal Yatra Online’s parent company for $336 million in a cash or stock deal. Ebix intends to merge Yatra with its Indian subsidiary EbixCash. Ebix reserved the right to withdraw the offer if Yatra declines to let it proceed with due diligence by March 18.
I called Apple CEO ‘Tim Apple’ to save time and words: Trump
US President Donald Trump on Monday defended himself for mistakenly referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook as Tim Apple at a conference in the White House. “I quickly referred to Tim + Apple as Tim/Apple…to save time and words,” he tweeted. Apple CEO Tim Cook changed his last name on Twitter to the Apple logo after Trump’s error last week.
Mother forgets newborn at Saudi airport, plane forced to turn back
A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport was forced to turn back after a Saudi woman forgot her newborn baby at the airport. She realised she left her baby in the boarding area. A video of the pilot requesting Air Traffic Control (ATC) operators to return to the airport has also gone viral on social media.
Saudi displaces India to be world’s largest weapons importer: Report
Saudi Arabia has displaced India to become the world’s largest importer of weapons with 12% of the global share of arms imported between 2014 and 2018, the data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed. India, which is now the second largest arms importer with 9.5% share, had held the top position for almost a decade.
43-year-old Mumbai businessman dies 50 hours after hair transplant
A 43-year-old Mumbai businessman named Shrawan Kumar Chaudhary died on Saturday, nearly 50 hours after undergoing a hair transplant at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital. Chaudhary was implanted with 9,500 hair grafts in an over 15-hour-long procedure. He reached the hospital on Friday with breathing difficulty and swelling on his face and throat, where he went into a state of shock.
Maoists kill road construction supervisor in Odisha
A group of nearly 25 Maoists killed a road construction supervisor in Malkangiri district of Odisha on Monday, a police official said. The Maoists had earlier asked the contractor to stop the road construction work in the area. They tied the supervisor to a tree during the raid and torched three vehicles and an excavator at the site, police added.
3 killed after snowstorm in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara
As many as three people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district after they were caught in a snowstorm, police said on Tuesday. A group of people was moving on foot from Kupwara to Karnah when they were caught in a snowstorm, after which three of them went missing. Their bodies were later found by the security forces.
India cuts Monsanto’s GM cotton seed royalty for 3rd time in 4 yrs
The government has cut the royalties that Indian seed companies pay to German drugmaker Bayer’s Monsanto unit for the third time in four years. It reduced the royalties paid by the companies to Monsanto for its genetically modified (GM) cotton by 49% to ₹20 for 450-gram packet. Monsanto’s GM cotton seed trait is the only lab-altered crop allowed in India.
Australia, Singapore bar 737 Max planes from airspace after crash
Singapore and Australia on Tuesday suspended the Boeing 737 Max fleet of aircraft from flying into and out of the countries. This comes after an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. The crash in Ethiopia was the second accident involving the model in less than five months.
Indian man who mistakenly crossed into Pak released after 7 yrs
Ghulam Qadir, an Indian national who mistakenly crossed into Pakistan nearly seven years ago, was released by the Pakistani authorities on Monday. He was released following the completion of his jail term for entering the Pakistani territory illegally. Qadir was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Wagah border crossing.
