Rohit smashes hundred in India’s first match at 2019 World Cup
Opener Rohit Sharma smashed a hundred off 128 balls against South Africa at Rose Bowl stadium in Southampton in India’s first match at the 2019 World Cup on Wednesday. The 32-year-old became the seventh Indian batsman to slam multiple hundreds in World Cup history. Rohit has now slammed 23 hundreds in ODI cricket.
India open WC campaign with win, hand SA their 3rd straight defeat
India opened their 2019 World Cup campaign with a 6-wicket victory over South Africa on Wednesday. This is the first time South Africa have lost each of their first three matches in a World Cup. The match witnessed Rohit Sharma smash his 23rd ODI hundred and Yuzvendra Chahal become the second Indian leg-spinner to take four-wicket haul in World Cup.
Fans criticise ICC for sharing Virat Kohli’s illustration as king
Several fans criticised ICC for sharing India captain Virat Kohli’s illustration as king ahead of India’s 2019 World Cup opener against South Africa, with some suggesting the governing body should be more neutral. “India is not the only country who participated in CWC,” a user wrote. “Other teams to ICC right now: Are we a joke to you?,” wrote another.
I don’t see China targeting us amid US trade dispute: Apple CEO
Apple CEO Tim Cook, when asked about US-China trade dispute and a potential targeting by China, said, “The Chinese have not targeted Apple at all and I don’t anticipate that happening.” Cook said iPhone is made everywhere and not just China and a tariff on it would hurt all manufacturing countries. However, he added China would be hurt the most.
Pawar invited to PM oath in VVIP section, not 5th row: President Office
Days after reports claimed NCP chief Sharad Pawar skipped PM Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony over seat allotment, the President’s Office issued a clarification on Wednesday. “Pawar was invited to the ‘V section’, where the most senior guests sat…He had a labelled first-row seat,” it said. “Somebody in his office may have confused V (for VVIP) for Roman V,” it added.
U’khand Finance Minister dies in US, had almost fainted during Budget
Uttarakhand Finance Minister Prakash Pant passed away at 58 on Wednesday in US, where he was undergoing treatment for a lung ailment. In February, Pant had almost fainted twice while he was presenting the state budget, and CM Trivendra Singh Rawat finished the rest of his speech. Notably, CM Rawat had recently taken over the portfolios headed by Pant.
PM sets up 2 new Cabinet committees to boost employment, growth
PM Narendra Modi constituted two new Cabinet committees under his chairmanship to boost economic growth, investment and employment. The committee on Employment and Skill Development comprises 10 members including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, among others. The committee on Investment and Growth has five members including Shah, Sitharaman, Goyal and Nitin Gadkari.
Women body seeks reservation for pregnant women on Mumbai trains
Maharashtra State Commission for Women wrote to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, urging him to reserve or prioritise minimum two seats for pregnant and lactating mothers in every general compartment of Mumbai local trains. The commission praised Railways Ministry for allowing pregnant women to travel in handicapped compartment but added it isn’t always possible to board it during rush hours.
Pollution no less an offence than murder or rape: NGT chief
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, the Chairman of National Green Tribunal, on Wednesday said, “Pollution is no less an offence than murder or rape”. “I am sorry to tell you that no state in the whole country is compliant with the rules and regulations of waste management,” he said. “No shortage of funds can be given (as an excuse),” Goel added.
Nepal picks up 4 bodies, 11 tons of garbage in Everest clean-up
Nepali climbers have retrieved four bodies and collected around 11 tons of decades-old garbage from Mount Everest and its approach below the base camp. The bodies haven’t been identified and it wasn’t known when the people died. The mountain’s slopes are littered with human excrement, used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders and plastic wrappers left behind by climbers.
Metal thieves steal 23-metre-long central part of bridge in Russia
Suspected metal thieves have stolen 23-metre-long central part of a railway bridge in Russia’s Arctic region of Murmansk. The central part of the bridge had fallen into the water but days later, there was no trace of the section or any debris. The railway over the bridge was reportedly used to transport rare earth elements but was closed in 2007.
Lennart Johansson, father of Champions League, passes away at 89
Lennart Johansson, who oversaw the introduction of the Champions League in 1992 during his 17-year reign as president of European football’s governing body, has passed away aged 89. “Johansson was our biggest international football leader of all time, no Swedish has had a similar influence on football in the world,” Swedish FA president said.
CEO Tim Cook rejects allegations of Apple being ‘a monopoly’
Apple CEO Tim Cook has rejected allegations that the US tech giant is “a monopoly”. “I don’t think anybody reasonable is going to come to [that] conclusion…Our share is much more modest. We don’t have a dominant position in any market,” he said. Cook’s comments come as Apple reportedly faces a possible US Justice Department investigation into anti-competitive behaviour.
Haven’t shared data with Russia yet despite cooperation: Tinder
Dating platform Tinder said it has agreed to be registered on a list of entities obliged to hand over user data and messages to Russian law enforcement agencies on demand. “However, this registration in no way shares any user or personal data with any Russian regulatory bodies and we have not handed over any data to their government,” Tinder added.
Air pollution kills 1 lakh kids under 5 yrs in India a year: Study
Air pollution is killing over one lakh children under the age of five in India every year, Centre for Science and Environment’s ‘State of India’s Environment’ report stated. The risk is higher for girls as 9.6 out of 10,000 girls die before five years of age. Air pollution was found to be responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in India.
Chennai’s Loyola College gives admission to transgenders
Chennai’s Loyola College has given admission to two transgenders, Mirthulla and Diya, in undergraduate courses. They will pursue a Bachelor in Multimedia and a Bachelor in French Literature, respectively. “I always aspired to be a journalist as I can highlight my community members’ problems through my work. I want to improve mine and their lives with my articles,” said Mirthulla.
Trial runs of Vande Bharat-like trains to begin next week
After Vande Bharat Express’ success, Indian Railways is planning to run such semi-high speed trains between Mumbai to Pune, Nashik and Vadodara. Trial runs for the same will begin next week. “If it goes as per plan, we can reduce the travel time between Mumbai to Pune and Nashik to within two hours,” said an Indian Railways official, Rajesh Agrawal.
World Bank retains growth forecast for India at 7.5% for FY20
The World Bank has retained its forecast of India’s growth rate at 7.5% for the next three fiscal years. The growth will be supported by robust investment, private consumption and a more accommodative monetary policy, the bank said. The GST regime is still in the process of being fully established, creating some uncertainty about projections of government revenues, it added.
H-1B visa approvals dropped 10% in 2018: US authorities
The approval of H-1B visa registered a sharp decline of 10% in the fiscal year 2018, according to the US authorities. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 3,35,000 H-1B visas, which included both new and renewable, during the year. The H-1B visa programme is the main vehicle through which US employers can sponsor skilled foreign workers for admission.
Govt probe into Jet Airways may derail revival plan: Reports
The government’s probe into Jet Airways and its Founder Naresh Goyal could derail plans of Hinduja Group, Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company to invest in the grounded airline, reports said. Currently, the I-T department is probing possible tax violation case against Jet. Further, Corporate Affairs Ministry has ordered a probe over allegations of Companies Act violations.
Khel bhi jeeto aur dil bhi: PM Modi wishes Team India for World Cup
PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish Team India luck for 2019 World Cup. “As Team India begins its World Cup journey today…best wishes to the entire Team. May this tournament witness good cricket and celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship. Khel bhi jeeto aur dil bhi,” he wrote. India are playing against South Africa in their WC opener today.
Statue covers 300 kms in 7 months to reach Karnataka temple
An unfinished monolith granite statue of Vishwaroopam covered around 300 kilometres in seven months from a hill in Tamil Nadu to reach a temple in Bengaluru’s Ejipura. The statue, 64 feet high, 25 feet wide, was carried on a vehicle with 240 wheels. Of ₹2.5 crore spent on the statue, transport alone cost ₹1.8 crore.
Andhra techie drowns in US lake during birthday celebrations
Avinash Kuna, a 32-year-old software engineer from Visakhapatnam, drowned in a lake in the US’ New Jersey on Saturday while celebrating his birthday. Avinash had rented a boat and invited eight friends, mostly from his workplace, for a boat ride. He dove into the water but got caught up in the weeds in the lake and was pulled under.
Pakistan military cuts defence budget amid financial crisis
The Pakistani military has cut the defence budget for the next fiscal year as the financial crisis-hit country launches an austerity programme. The military said that the three services will manage the impact of the cut through internal measures. Pakistan PM Imran Khan said the money saved would be used for the development of the merged tribal areas and Balochistan.
There’s a limit to our patience: N Korea to US on denuclearisation
North Korea has warned the US that the agreement to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, which was signed between the two countries last year, could be at risk. It called on the US to drop its policy of “only insisting on our unilateral surrender of nuclear weapons”. “There is a limit to our patience,” a North Korean official said.
