Farooq Abdullah’s sister & daughter released on bail
Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah’s daughter Safiya and sister Suraiya, who were arrested on Tuesday after they took out a protest march, were released on bail on Wednesday, officials said. Other women arrested with them for protesting against Article 370 revocation were also released on bail, they added. Abdullah was detained under the Public Safety Act after Article 370 revocation.
Cow population increased by 18% in India since 2012: Census
The population of cows in India increased by almost 18% since 2012, the 20th Livestock Census released by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Wednesday said. The population of cows in India is 145.12 million, it added. The total livestock population is 535.78 million in the country, showing an increase of 4.6% over 2012 census.
86-kg dog rescued from mountain top after getting ‘too tired to walk down’
A rescue team carried an 86-kg mastiff named Floyd down a mountain after it became tired following the hike to the top. Floyd’s owner had to call the team for help after reaching the summit of Grandeur Peak trailhead near Salt Lake City, US. “Floyd was packaged in a litter and carried down the mountain,” the team wrote on Facebook.
Oscar winner Cuba denies touching woman’s breast, pinching another’s butt
Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in a New York court in alleged sexual misconduct cases. Gooding was accused of pinching a woman’s buttocks in October 2018, four months after being accused of touching another woman’s breast. Besides being charged with four counts related to the two allegations, he also faces accusations by 12 other women.
Messi wins 6th Golden Shoe award, sons Thiago & Mateo present trophy
Argentine forward Lionel Messi was on Wednesday presented with his sixth Golden Shoe award after scoring 36 league goals for Barcelona last season. Messi is the first player to win the accolade for three successive years. He was presented the trophy by his sons Thiago and Mateo. Today also marks 15 years since Messi’s debut match for Barcelona.
Hurt, upset, robbed: Nagaland captain after 1st List A ton deemed invalid
Nagaland captain Rongsen Jonathan, whose first List A hundred was deemed invalid after BCCI rescheduled their match against Manipur due to rain in Dehradun, said he feels “hurt, upset, annoyed and robbed”. “Why should players be robbed of…records just because a result wasn’t possible?” he added. Jonathan said he has written to BCCI but is yet to receive a response.
Why so much fuss about cutting trees for PM’s rally? Environment Minister
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday asked, “Why is there so much fuss about cutting of trees for PM Narendra Modi’s rally?” He said, “Every time we cut trees, we plant more”. His response came after the opposition alleged that trees were chopped in Pune’s Sir Parashurambhau College ahead of PM’s rally.
Crops grown in Moon and Mars soil simulant made by NASA
Netherland’s Wageningen University & Research researchers successfully produced crops in Moon and Mars soil simulant developed by NASA. The research supported the idea that it would not only be possible to grow food, but also obtain viable seeds from crops grown there. Nine of the 10 crops sown grew well and edible parts were harvested, with spinach as the exception.
NASA prepones 1st all-female spacewalk over an ISS system failure
NASA has preponed the first-ever female spacewalk from October 21 to either October 17 or 18 over a power system failure at the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will carry out the spacewalk to deal with the problem for around 6.5 hours. Notably, out of a total of 227 spacewalkers, only 14 have been women.
I-T raids at Kalki Bhagavan’s ashram, premises of son’s business associates
Income Tax officials raided the ashram of self-styled godman Kalki Bhagavan in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor and premises of his son’s business associates in Chennai on Wednesday. An official said the raids are being conducted at 40 places, half of them in Chennai. His son Krishna reportedly made heavy investments in ventures of his associates in which financial misappropriation is suspected.
2 Punjab-based apple traders shot by terrorists in J&K, 1 trader dead
Two Punjab-based apple traders, Charanjeet Singh and Sanjeev, were shot at by terrorists in Trenz, Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir at around 7:30 pm on Wednesday. Charanjeet succumbed to his injuries, while Sanjeev is said to be in critical condition. The incident comes after a truck driver transporting apples in Shopian was shot dead by militants on Monday.
Indian-American drives with dead body to police, confesses to killing 4
A 53-year-old Indian-American techie identified as Shankar Nagappa Hangud, drove to a police station with a dead body in California, US, and confessed to killing four people. All the four victims, comprising two adults and two juveniles, are likely the techie’s family members, police said. The bodies of the three other victims were found at his apartment in Roseville.
RIL can become India’s first $200 bn company in 2 years: BofAML
Reliance Industries can become the first Indian company to hit $200 billion in market value in two years, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) said on Wednesday. This would come on the back of its fixed broadband business and new commerce venture, it said. “We think the market is giving little credit to these initiatives given limited visibility,” BofAML added.
Kerala HC serves notice to Mohanlal in ivory possession case
Kerala High Court on Tuesday served a notice to Malayalam actor Mohanlal that the permission granted to him to keep elephant tusks should be cancelled. This comes after a petition was filed which alleged that no action was taken against his illegal possession of ivory. During an income tax inspection in 2011, four elephant tusks were seized from his residence.
OYO has no plans for an IPO: Founder Ritesh Agarwal
OYO Founder Ritesh Agarwal said that the company does not plan to raise an IPO anytime soon. “OYO has no plans for an IPO because we are focused on execution,” he said. Agarwal added that the company is on the right path in terms of its financial position. OYO has a valuation of about $10 billion.
Nobel laureate Abhijit provides scholarship to 2 school students
Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee provides two students, with a weak economic background, of the Vivekananda School in Dehradun with scholarships in memory of his late son Kabir. “The help I am getting is my lifeline. I will…make my family’s dreams [come] true. I’m not going to let down Banerjee Sir too,” one of the recipient Aman Dabral said.
UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti ends after 15 years
The United Nations ended its 15-year-long peacekeeping and justice mission in Haiti on Tuesday. In 2004, the UN sent thousands of soldiers and police officers to restore order after a rebellion toppled then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Haiti was wracked by violence. Currently, Haiti is witnessing protests against President Jovenel Moise who has been accused of corruption.
Family found living in basement for 9 yrs, was ‘waiting for end of time’
A family of six was discovered in the basement of a remote farmhouse in the Netherlands where they had spent nine years “waiting for the end of time”, officials said. The family was rescued after the eldest of the children escaped and went to a nearby pub and sought help. A man who was reportedly renting the farmhouse was arrested.
War beats Kabir Singh to become highest-grossing B’wood film of 2019
With ₹280.6 crore earnings in India, Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff starrer ‘War’ has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2019. It beat the previous record of ₹278 crore held by Shahid Kapoor starrer ‘Kabir Singh’. The other films in the top 5 highest-earning films of this year are ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, ‘Bharat’ and ‘Mission Mangal’.
I am an accidental startup investor: Ratan Tata
Tata Sons’ Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, who has invested in startups like Ola, Paytm, Snapdeal and Lenskart, said, “I entered the startup investor partly by accident.” He said that he found the startup sector exciting but also found it “somewhat untouchable” over concerns of conflict of interest. “But when I retired I was free from it,” he added.
Atmosphere getting more unstable due to global warming: IMD chief
India Meteorological Department (IMD) chief M Mohapatra has said that the atmosphere is becoming more unstable because of global warming. Long-term studies show that both frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall events (>15 cm in 24 hours) is increasing, especially in central India, he said. September recorded 52% excess rain, the highest ever, he further revealed.
Tore pages in court as CJI gave me permission: Ayodhya advocate
Sunni Waqf Board’s advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who tore a document presented by All India Hindu Mahasabha’s counsel during the Ayodhya land dispute case’s hearing, claimed he did it “with the permission of court.” Dhavan stated, “The incident is going viral. But the fact is that I wanted to throw the pages away and the CJI said I may tear them.”
Prince William, Kate arrive at reception in Pak in auto-rickshaw
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton on Tuesday arrived in an auto-rickshaw to attend a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan. The reception was hosted at the National Monument in Islamabad. The royal couple is on a five-day tour of Pakistan.
Bajaj Consumer promoters sell 22% stake for ₹630 crore
Bajaj Consumer Care’s promoters, the Kushagra Bajaj family, on Tuesday sold 22% stake in the company for around ₹630 crore. With this transaction, the promoters’ stake in the personal products company will come down to 38%. Bajaj Consumer shares surged 20% on Wednesday after reports said promoters will use proceeds from the share sale to repay debt.
Oscar-winning actor De Niro calls Marvel movies ‘cartoony stuff’
After Hollywood director Martin Scorsese said that Marvel movies are “closest to theme parks”, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro has called them “cartoony stuff”. He added that if technology makes something that isn’t “what a human is”, then it becomes “like comic strip things, Marvel and…cartoony stuff”. Earlier, actress Jennifer Aniston said that Marvel movies are diminishing the industry.
