It hasn’t even crossed my mind: B’day girl Alia on marrying Ranbir
Amid rumours of tying the knot with boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor in the future, Alia Bhatt, who turned 26 yesterday, said, “I feel it’s all unnecessary chatter…marriage is something that hasn’t even crossed my mind.” “In fact, that’s why, not many speak up about their relationships,” the actress said, adding her “only companion right now” is her “world famous” cat, Edward.
There’s shooting here, save us: B’desh opener Tamim to journo in NZ
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal called journalist Mohammad Isam for help after a gunman opened shooting at a mosque in New Zealand’s Christchurch, which the Bangladeshi team was about to enter. “There’s shooting here, please save us,” Tamim said. Isam revealed he initially thought Tamim was playing a prank but realised that he was not after his voice started to crack.
If Paes can win Grand Slams at 42, I can play at 36: Sreesanth
After Supreme Court set aside his life ban over 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, cricketer Sreesanth said if Leander Paes can win Grand Slams at 42, he can at least play some cricket at 36. “I just want to play whatever cricket I can,” he added. The apex court gave three months to BCCI to decide a fresh quantum of punishment.
EA paid gamer ‘Ninja’ $1 million to stream its new game: Reports
Videogame giant Electronic Arts (EA) reportedly paid Tyler Blevins, known as “Ninja”, $1 million to play and promote its latest game in the first hours of the launch last month. The 27-year-old had streamed himself playing ‘Apex Legends’ to his more than 13 million followers on Twitch on February 5. Ninja reportedly plays Fortnite for 12 hours a day.
Audit done irresponsibly: BMC suspends 2 after overbridge collapse
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has suspended two engineers who carried out the audit work and repair work of the Mumbai foot overbridge that collapsed on Thursday killing at least six. The BMC stated that the structural audit, that was done six months ago, was conducted irresponsibly and negligently and the audit failed to point out the impending failure.
9 Indian origin persons reported missing after NZ attack: Envoy
High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli, has tweeted that at least nine Indian origin persons are reported missing after the attack on mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch. He added that he had received updates from multiple sources, however, official confirmation is still awaited. He further condemned the attack, saying it was a “huge crime against humanity”.
Aus Senator blames NZ attack on ‘Muslim immigration’; criticized
Australian Senator Fraser Anning has been criticised for his anti-Islamic statements following the New Zealand terror attack on two mosques that left 49 dead. “The remarks by Senator Fraser blaming the attacks by a terrorist on immigration are disgusting,” Australia PM Scott Morrison said. “Anning’s comments are contemptible. He is a disgrace to the Senate,” said former PM Malcolm Turnbull.
Gunman who live-streamed NZ mosque terror attack smiles in court
The gunman, who live-streamed the terror attack on a mosque in New Zealand’s Christchurch, smiled when media persons photographed him during his court hearing. The 28-year-old faces murder charges and has been remanded to custody without plea until April 5. At least 49 people were killed and 42 injured in the attack on two mosques.
Jet pilots seek govt help to recover unpaid salaries, with interest
The pilots’ union of crisis-hit Jet Airways has written to Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar to ask for help in getting the airline to pay outstanding salaries and allowances immediately, with interest. “This situation is leading to extreme tension and frustration amongst our members, hardly an ideal situation for pilots in cockpit,” the union said in its letter dated March 6.
BJP a marketing company: Guj leader Reshma Patel quits BJP
Former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti member and Gujarat BJP leader, Reshma Patel, resigned from the party on Friday and said the BJP has become a “marketing company” and its members, salespersons. She added that she will contest the General Elections from Porbandar. She further said that she won’t be joining any party, and might contest election as an independent candidate.
Time to unite against divisive agenda of RSS and BJP: Farooq
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Friday urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to unite against the “divisive agenda of RSS and BJP”. “The General elections afford the people an opportunity to secure themselves a peaceful future shorn of communal strife,” he added. “If people don’t forge unity at this time, the posterity won’t forgive us,” he further said.
European clubs contemplating FIFA’s Club World Cup boycott
Top European football clubs including Manchester United, Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam, are contemplating to boycott FIFA’s proposed new Club World Cup. The European Club Association says that any new competitions should be part of an agreed framework for the international match calendar post-2024. The Club World Cup is currently held every December and features seven teams from six confederations.
Enjoy watching Kuldeep, Rashid and Yasir: Shane Warne
Former Australian spinner Shane Warne has revealed that in the current set of players, he enjoys watching Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, and Pakistan’s Yasir Shah. “They are very different from each other but they get the job done. And one thing that they all do. They attack. They don’t defend,” Warne said about the spin trio.
Kumble names his India squad for WC, includes Khaleel Ahmed
Former Indian Test team captain and former Indian team coach Anil Kumble included Khaleel Ahmed in his 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup 2019. Kumble also included the likes of Vijay Shankar, Ambati Rayudu, and Rishabh Pant, while choosing to ignore wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. Kumble also picked MS Dhoni to bat at number four.
Aubameyang celebrates goal with Black Panther mask
Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrated his second goal by wearing a ‘Black Panther’ mask in the side’s Europa League second-leg match against Rennes. “I needed a mask which represents me. It’s the Black Panther and in Africa, in Gabon, we call the national team the Black Panthers of Gabon… It represents me,” Aubameyang later said.
India to host FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for first time in 2020
India have been awarded the rights to host the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2020. By virtue of being the host country, India will take part in the tournament for the first time in its history. In 2017, India had hosted and played in its first-ever FIFA tournament in the form of Under-17 Men’s World Cup.
Will join Cong if party accepts me back: AAP MLA Alka Lamba
AAP MLA Alka Lamba, who had quit Congress in 2013, has said that she has no hesitation in joining Congress if it “accepts her back”. “AAP has…exposed its weaknesses by begging Congress for an alliance…in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana,” she added. This comes over a month after Lamba claimed that AAP was trying to force her to resign.
Health Ministry calls to block JUUL’s India entry: Reuters
India’s Health Ministry has called for blocking e-cigarette maker JUUL’s entry in India, Reuters claimed seeing official documents of the same. JUUL had reportedly planned to launch Indian subsidiary and products in India by late 2019. JUUL said it’s “open to dialogue with lawmakers and regulators in order to help switch” adult smokers in India to a viable cigarette alternative.
Naspers to put $1B in India fintech startups in 2019: Report
Africa’s largest conglomerate by market value, Naspers wants to invest $1 billion in Indian fintech startups in 2019, as per a report. The African conglomerate may invest $200 million in business loan provider Capital Float and payments security firm Wimbo as a first step, the report said. Notably, Naspers had led Swiggy’s $1-billion fundraising round in December 2018.
Accel raises $2.5 billion for Venture Capital funds: Report
Venture Capital (VC) firm Accel has reportedly raised around $2.5 billion in its largest pool of capital yet to fund technology startups for three new VC funds. The money is reportedly divided among its 14th early-stage fund, 5th growth fund and 2nd Leaders Fund, all larger than their predecessors. Accel operates offices in Palo Alto, San Francisco, London and Bengaluru.
A despicable act of terrorism: Rahul on NZ terror attack
Condemning the terror attack on two New Zealand mosques, Congress President Rahul Gandhi called the attack a “despicable act of terrorism” that must be condemned unequivocally. “The world stands in need of compassion and understanding. Not bigotry and hate-filled extremism,” he added. At least 49 people were killed and several others were injured in the attack.
Delhi court summons CM Kejriwal in defamation case by BJP
A Delhi court has summoned CM Arvind Kejriwal and three others in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Rajiv Babbar over their alleged comments on deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls in Delhi. According to the petitioner, AAP leaders alleged that on BJP’s direction, voters predominantly from Bania, Poorvanchali and Muslim community were deleted from Delhi’s electoral roll.
Scrap bullet train plan: NCP MLA over Mumbai bridge collapse
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad on Friday said that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project should be scrapped after the Mumbai CSMT foot overbridge collapsed. He said that rather than spending money on the project, it should be spent on upgrading suburban railway facilities. “Bullet train project…is merely a show-off project and a waste of tax-payers’ money,” he added.
We saw in video he was shot: Brother of Indian injured in NZ attack
Hyderabad’s Khursheed Jahangir, the brother of Ahmed Jahangir who was injured in shooting at one of the mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch, has said his family saw in a video his brother being shot in the chest. He added that his brother is currently undergoing surgery at a hospital. One of the attackers had live-streamed the attack on Facebook.
Man Utd to face Barcelona in Champions League quarter-finals
Manchester United will face Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2018-19, according to the draw announced today. Manchester United have won just one of their eight Champions League matches against Barcelona, losing the 2009 and 2011 finals against the Spanish side. Further, Manchester City have been drawn against Tottenham in an all-English quarter-final match.
Google files patent for foldable display that bends like ‘Z’
Google has filed a patent for foldable display to be used in “modern computing devices”, including a design that bends from two places like the alphabet ‘Z’. Google presently does not produce displays or its Pixel lineup of phones, manufacturing of which is reportedly outsourced to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn. Google may licence the foldable screen to third-parties, reports said.
Elon Musk says Tesla ‘would love to be’ in India this year or next
Tesla’s billionaire CEO Elon Musk on Friday said his company “would love to be” in India this year and if not, definitely the next. The 47-year-old’s comments come nearly ten months after he blamed restrictive policy environment for delaying the US carmaker’s entry into India. India has just 6,000 passenger electric vehicles on its roads, according to Bloomberg NEF data.
OYO acquires Innov8, enters co-working space
OYO has acquired co-working space provider Innov8, the Gurugram-based startup announced in a mail to employees. OYO further announced two of its own co-working brands PowerStation and WorkFlo for mainly large enterprises and startups respectively. Innov8 founder Ritesh Malik will now drive the company’s expansion as an independent brand under OYO. The deal was reportedly worth around ₹200 crore.
Astronauts from aborted Soyuz launch successfully reach ISS
A Russian cosmonaut and two US astronauts successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) using a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, five months after the failed launch of a Soyuz carrying two of the passengers. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, who made an emergency landing in October, were accompanied by NASA astronaut Christina Koch for Friday’s launch.
Man caught smoking in IndiGo flight’s toilet, taken into custody
A male passenger was caught smoking in the toilet of Goa-Delhi IndiGo flight on Thursday. The man entered the aircraft lavatory and started smoking following which the cabin crew got an alert and informed the pilot. Upon landing in Delhi at 5.55 pm, the passenger was handed over to CISF and was taken into custody by Delhi Police later.
Woman in China finds 40 dead cockroaches in takeaway meal
A woman in China recently claimed she and her friends found around 40 dead cockroaches in their takeaway meal, in which she ordered a braised duck. A video of the woman and her friends picking out the dead insects is also being widely circulated online. The woman later complained to the restaurant and then reported the case to the police.
Gave May advice on Brexit negotiations, she didn’t listen: Trump
US President Donald Trump said he gave British PM Theresa May advice on how to negotiate Brexit but that she didn’t listen to it. “I think it could have been negotiated in a different manner. I hate to see everything being ripped apart”, he said. His statement comes after the British Parliament rejected May’s Brexit deal for the second time.
Nirav Modi entered UK on investor’s ‘golden visa’: Reports
Nirav Modi, an accused in the ₹14,000-crore PNB scam, reportedly entered the UK on a ‘golden visa’. The Tier 1 visa is issued to investors outside the European Union on a commitment to invest at least £2 million in the UK. The ‘golden visa’ was issued on Nirav Modi’s Indian passport a few years ago, reports added.
Indian statistics controlled by politics, say 108 economists
A group of 108 economists and social scientists alleged that the government is interfering with India’s statistics-gathering agencies. Indian statistics and the institutions associated with them have “come under a cloud for being influenced and indeed even controlled by political considerations,” it added. The government has faced criticism for withholding jobs data and revision of GDP numbers.
Google’s work with China benefits its military: US officials
Top US defence officials have alleged Google’s work with China is benefiting the Chinese military. “The technology that is developed in the civil world transfers to the military world…It’s a direct pipeline,” officials said. This comes after Google backed out of several US defence contracts, such as Pentagon’s controversial artificial intelligence drone footage analysing system, ‘Project Maven’.
Qualcomm owes Apple $1-billion royalty rebate: US judge
A US federal judge has issued a preliminary ruling that Qualcomm owes Apple nearly $1 billion in patent royalty rebate payments. Apple had sued Qualcomm for violating the agreement to pay a rebate on the patent payments if Apple agreed not to attack in court or with regulators. Qualcomm said it stopped payments as Apple had broken the agreement first.
N Korea threatens to resume nuclear tests, suspend talks with US
North Korea may suspend denuclearisation talks with the US and resume nuclear and missile testing, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said. The US threw away “a golden opportunity” at the Vietnam summit, she added. The US said both countries didn’t reach an agreement due to North Korea’s demands to lift all sanctions, in return for giving up its nuclear weapons.
