Robert Vadra quizzed for 5 hours by Enforcement Directorate
Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra on Wednesday was questioned for over five hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Vadra, however, has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets. Vadra has alleged that he was being “hounded and harassed” to subserve political ends.
Myanmar must show commitment to end anti-Rohingya violence: Jolie
While visiting a camp in Bangladesh for Rohingya Muslim refugees, actress and special envoy for the UN refugee agency Angelina Jolie said that Myanmar must “show commitment” to end violence against Rohingya Muslims. “It was deeply upsetting to meet…families who’ve only known persecution and statelessness,” Jolie said. She added that the crisis was a result of decades of discrimination.
US supports dictators, butchers & extremists in Middle East: Iran
The US’ “hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers and extremists” in the Middle East, who have only brought “ruin” to the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Wednesday. Zarif’s statement came in response to US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech where he called Iran “the world’s leading state sponsor of terror”.
Vodafone Idea posts 2nd straight quarterly loss since merger
The country’s largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Wednesday reported a third-quarter loss of ₹5,005 crore as against ₹4,950 crore in Q2, its second quarterly loss since Vodafone merged its Indian operations with Idea. The company’s domestic average revenue per user rose to ₹89 from ₹88 in the previous quarter. The company lost over 35 million subscribers since last quarter.
Was embarrassed: Bradley Cooper on Best Director Oscar snub
Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper revealed that he felt embarrassed when he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar award in the Best Director category for his film ‘A Star Is Born’. “I was embarrassed because I felt I hadn’t done my job,” Bradley explained. The film has been nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
SoftBank Group reports 50% rise in profit for nine months
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group on Wednesday said its net profit for the nine months to December rose 52% to over $14 billion. This was largely driven by gains of $7.3 billion from its investment funds, led by SoftBank Vision Fund whose partners include Saudi Arabia. The company’s net income stood at $14 billion, a 31% rise from the year-ago period.
3D printed rubber that repairs after being cut in half made
University of Southern California researchers have 3D printed self-healing rubber materials in form of items including a ‘shoe pad’. The team created the material via photopolymerisation process, that uses light to form rigid materials, and increased oxidants to lend it self-healing properties. On being cut in half and heated at 60°C, the material healed completely in two hours, researchers said.
Venezuela seizes shipment of US-made weapons amid ongoing tension
Venezuelan authorities on Wednesday seized a shipment of US-made weapons which was likely sent from Miami. The weapons were seized at the Arturo Michelena International Airport in Valencia. This comes after the US said it doesn’t rule out military action in Venezuela to address the political crisis that occurred after opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself the country’s interim President.
President confers Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards to 42 artistes
President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2017 to 42 artistes from fields including Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional, Folk and Tribal music. A total of 11 artistes were awarded from the field of Music and nine artistes from the Dance category. Ten artistes were awarded in the category of Traditional, Folk and Tribal Music.
FinMin approaches Labour Ministry over ₹3,000 pension scheme
The Finance Ministry has sought Labour Ministry’s help to fund the proposed hike in minimum pension under Employee’s Pension Scheme (EPS) from its own funds rather than seeking money from the Centre. This comes after Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had in Interim Budget proposed guaranteed pension of ₹3,000 per month. The move is expected to benefit 10 crore unorganised workers.
WhatsApp to ban political parties if misused ahead of LS polls
WhatsApp’s Communications head Carl Woog warned Indian political parties against the messaging platform’s misuse ahead of the 2019 general elections adding that misuse would “result in bans of our service”. He said WhatsApp had engaged with parties to explain it wasn’t a “broadcast platform”. WhatsApp said it had seen attempts at misuse but didn’t disclose the nature of alleged misuse.
Bar out with daggers to kill judiciary: SC on Prashant Bhushan case
While issuing notice to senior advocate Prashant Bhushan on a contempt petition filed against him by Attorney General KK Venugopal, the Supreme Court said, “Freedom (to speak) comes with a responsibility. It is the duty of the bar to protect judiciary.” “But, now it seems the bar is out with daggers to kill the judiciary,” the bench added.
Watched McCullum’s innings on YouTube before opening: NZ’s Seifert
New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert, who scored match-winning 84(43) against India in the first T20I, revealed when he got to know he’ll be opening, he YouTubed ex-NZ captain Brendon McCullum and watched his innings. “I’d be lying if I said [McCullum] wasn’t one of my heroes growing up,” Seifert said. “I want to be at…World Cup,” the 24-year-old added.
China bank programmer exploits ATM bug, withdraws $1 million
A 43-year-old programmer at a Chinese bank has been jailed for 10.5 years for allegedly exploiting an ATM bug to withdraw over $1-million cash over a year. Qin Qisheng discovered a loophole in 2016 which enabled unrecorded transactions around midnight. The bank revealed it was aware Qin was testing the loophole, however, the money was transferred to his personal account.
Ex-J&K minister who supported Kathua rape accused quits BJP
Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who allegedly supported the Kathua rape accused, on Wednesday quit the BJP. He said that his recently-floated Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan (DSS) has applied for registration with the election commission to contest upcoming polls in the state. He added, “It (BJP) has its own flag and symbol and I have mine”.
Water leaks on space station toilet, crew collects it using towels
Astronauts experienced a water leak while installing a ‘double stall enclosure’ on the $19-million toilet of Tranquility module, US segment of the International Space Station, NASA has revealed. The crew collected the 9.5 litres of leaked water floating in space station using towels, NASA said. The double stall enclosure was being installed to provide privacy, the US space agency added.
Indrani Mukerjea seeks to turn approver
Indrani Mukerjea, a former director of INX Media has decided to become an approver in the case, in which she is an accused along with Karti Chidambaram. She would be produced before a Delhi Court today through video conferencing, where her plea would be examined. She is currently lodged in a Mumbai jail and is facing trial in the murder case of her daughter, Sheena Bora.
7th Pay Commission: What is delaying
There have been reports that there could be some good news on the 7th Pay Commission in February. These reports could not be independently verified by OneIndia. However NJCA chief, Shiv Gopal Mishra has said that the government is serious and is considering a hike in minimum pay. This has led to speculation on whether there would be a pay hike on its way.
New government regulations could see WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s popularity in India is undoubtedly high and the country is one of the biggest markets of the social media platform with over 200 million monthly subscribers. However, this might change. According to a report in IANS, some of proposed government regulations for social media companies functional in India are posing a threat to WhatsApp’s existence, as said by a top executive of the company.
Can a lawyer criticise a judge
The Supreme Court while issuing contempt notices to Prashant Bhushan said that it would examine if lawyers can criticise the judge hearing a pending case. The court made the observation while issuing a contempt notice to Bhushan over his tweets questioning the appointment of Nageshwar Rao as the interim CBI director.
Sudha Bharadwaj seeks bail in HC
Human rights activist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, has moved the Bombay High Court to seek bail. The plea was taken up for hearing on Wednesday by Justice N W Sambre. Bhardwaj, through her lawyer Yug Chaudhary, challenged the decision of a Pune court that had rejected her bail plea in October last year.
Shashi Tharoor nominates Kerala fishermen
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday in a letter to Ms Beritt Reiss Anderson, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominated the fishermen of Kerala for this year’s award in recognition of their “selfless, lifesaving service” during the devastating floods that had besieged the state last year.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra takes charge
Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at the Congress Headquarters in Delhi to assume charge on Wednesday. In a photograph circulated by the communication department of the Congress party, Priyanka can be seen interacting with two Congress workers. Earlier on Wednesday, she had accompanied her husband Robert Vadra to Enforcement Directorate Office and left soon after.
Gun battle breaks out between security
A gun battle reportedly broke out between the security forces and the terrorists at Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on Wednesday. The exchange of fire is underway and the area has reportedly been cordoned off. On February 2, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module and arrested three persons.
Great Learning helps learners’ upskill with its ML & AI programs
Professionals can now build a solid foundation in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning by learning from top-ranked academic faculty and industry practitioners working in leading organisations like Flipkart, HSBC, IBM and more. As a part of Great Learning’s PGP-AIML, learners work on 12+ hands-on projects to build their Github repository and e-portfolio. The program is rated 4.7/5 by past learners.
India draws Pakistan for away Davis Cup tie in September
India has been drawn against Pakistan for an away Asia/Oceania Davis Cup group tie, which is scheduled to be held in September. Pakistan has not hosted India in a Davis Cup match since March 1964. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) said it will approach the government to know if the team will be allowed to travel.
