Sachin Tendulkar’s most home tons came at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium
Sachin Tendulkar smashed five of his 42 centuries in India at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram or Chepauk Stadium, the most for him at a single Indian stadium. Sachin’s first-ever international hundred in India also came at Chepauk, when he hit 165(296) in a Test against England on February 12, 1993. Interestingly, Sachin hit all five centuries at the stadium in Tests.
Couldn’t afford Husain painting, used Madhuri’s name to get it: Anil
Anil Kapoor revealed he once used Madhuri Dixit’s name to get a painting by MF Husain for his house. “Back then, we couldn’t afford…Husain saab’s painting,” he said. Anil added he learnt Husain had been trying to meet Madhuri and further revealed, “I said I could get him to meet her but…he’d have to give me one of his paintings.”
Mahesh married 2,3 times & had a son, but lived all alone: Pahlaj
Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani, while speaking about actor Mahesh Anand who was recently found dead in his apartment, said, “Though married 2-3 times and though he has a son, Mahesh lived all alone.” “He had stopped getting work for more than ten years,” Pahlaj added. He further revealed Mahesh himself had asked him for a role in his film ‘Rangeela Raja’.
Nothing wrong with being gay: Joe Root to Windies bowler’s taunts
After Shannon Gabriel taunted Joe Root during England’s second innings in the third Test, the England captain was heard telling the Windies pacer, “Don’t use it as…insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.” Gabriel’s initial remarks were not aired but he was spoken to by umpires after his conduct. Root later suggested Gabriel may have said something he “might regret”.
Banned in China, Reddit raises $300 million led by China’s Tencent
US-based Reddit confirmed it has raised $300 million at a $3 billion post-money valuation, with $150 million from China’s Tencent. This comes as several US-based services like Google and Facebook are blocked in China while Reddit has been banned since August 2018. Reddit users posted memes over the funding amid fears the online discussions platform would come under Chinese censorship.
Panama’s Copa Airlines crowned most punctual in global survey
Panama’s Copa Airlines SA has been crowned the most punctual airline of 2018 in a global survey conducted by UK-based data firm OAG Aviation Worldwide. Latvia’s airBaltic was ranked second in punctuality, followed by Hong Kong Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Bangkok Airways. Tokyo’s Haneda airport topped the mega airport list for the best airports for on-time performance.
Akhilesh ‘detained’ while boarding plane to Prayagraj; tweets pic
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed that he was stopped and “detained” at Lucknow airport by Uttar Pradesh police before boarding his flight to Prayagraj. “It’s clear how frightened the government is by the oath ceremony of a student leader,” Akhilesh tweeted, sharing pictures of the incident. Akhilesh was going to attend an oath-taking ceremony at Allahabad University.
Owner of pen drive in leopard seal’s frozen poop found in NZ
The owner of a USB stick, found in frozen faeces of a leopard seal in New Zealand, has been revealed as Amanda Nally, who helped collect the sample a year ago. The functioning USB stick contained footage of an unidentified person kayaking and filming seals. The device was likely eaten by a bird, which was then eaten by the seal.
DTH operators can offer second connection at discounted price: TRAI
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said it’s up to the DTH service provider to offer discount on the base price of a second TV connection. This comes after new DTH rules came into effect from February 1. It’s now mandatory for all DTH and cable operators to offer a base pack of 100 channels at ₹130 plus taxes.
8-yr-old boy loses 4 fingers after mobile explodes while playing game
An eight-year-old boy from Maharashtra’s Nanded lost four fingers of his left hand after the mobile in which he was playing a game suddenly exploded on Sunday. The boy’s father, a farmer by profession, claimed he had bought three I Kall K72 mobiles for ₹1,500 after watching a TV advertisement. The mobile that exploded was in use for one-and-a-half months.
Child marriages still prevalent in Bihar, WB, Raj: UNICEF
The UNICEF on Monday said the practice of child marriage is still prevalent in a few states like Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan. It added that there is nearly 40% prevalence of such practice in these states. A report ‘Factsheet Child Marriages 2019’ released by the UNICEF stated that in Tamil Nadu and Kerala child marriage prevalence was below 20%.
N Korea may have made more nukes, but threat reduced: Stanford study
North Korea continued to produce bomb fuel while in denuclearisation talks with the US and may have added five to seven nuclear weapons to its arsenal, according to a study by Stanford University’s Centre for International Security and Cooperation. However, the study stated that “North Korea is less dangerous today than it was at the end of 2017”.
NZ flight turns back midair over no permission to land in China
An Air New Zealand flight flying from Auckland to Shanghai was forced to return after nearly five hours into the journey as it didn’t have permission to land in China. The plane was new to the company’s fleet and did not have the correct paperwork to land in China, Air New Zealand said. The plane was carrying around 270 passengers.
Anurag to replace Vikas for post-production of ‘Super 30’
Anurag Kashyap has confirmed that he will replace Vikas Bahl for the post-production of Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming film ‘Super 30’. Anurag reportedly said that he won’t take any credit for the work he will be doing in ‘Super 30’. Hrithik had earlier said that it is impossible for him to work with Vikas who has been accused of sexual harassment.
PM acted like Anil Ambani’s middleman: Rahul cites email
Citing an Airbus executive’s email that claimed businessman Anil Ambani was aware of the MoU days before India and France signed the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused PM Narendra Modi of “treason” and acting as Ambani’s middleman. Rahul added, “PM Modi is acting like a spy, giving out defence information, which under oath he’s not supposed to.”
Vadra criticises govt for harassing ‘senior citizen’ mother
Ahead of appearing before the Enforcement Directorate with his mother, businessman Robert Vadra accused the government of “harassing a senior citizen” who has lost her husband and two children. He said, “Three deaths and all I did was to ask her to spend time with me in my office, so I can look after her… Now she is being accused.”
Swiggy to now deliver products from local stores to users
Food delivery startup Swiggy in a blog post on Tuesday introduced a new in-app service ‘Swiggy Stores’, which lets users order products from local stores for delivery. It’ll cover categories including pet care stores, baby care stores and paan shops. The beta version of the service has been launched in Gurugram where Swiggy has partnered with stores including Guardian Pharmacy.
NASA finds possible second impact crater under Greenland ice
NASA has detected signs of a new meteorite impact crater under northwestern Greenland ice-sheet. The new 36-km-wide crater site is around 183 km away from the previous 31-km-wide crater, the first to be found under one of Earth’s continental ice sheets, which was discovered in November 2018. Researchers suspect the new crater site may be at least 79,000 years old.
PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Delhi hotel fire
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of 17 people in a fire at a hotel in Delhi’s Karol Bagh on Tuesday morning. His office tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a fire at Karol Bagh in Delhi. I convey my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. May the injured recover soon.”
Missing Pune RTI activist found dead; police suspect murder
A 32-year-old RTI activist, Vinayak Shirsat, who went missing last month, was found dead in Pune on Monday. It is suspected that the deceased, a Pune resident, was murdered, a police official said. Shirsat’s family suspects that he might have been abducted as he had raised voice under the RTI Act against illegal constructions in the city, he added.
J&J faulty implant patients may get ₹10L extra compensation
The government committee on the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) faulty hip implant case has recommended ₹10 lakh additional compensation for those who had two revision surgeries. However, such patients who have already been reimbursed, will get ₹5 lakh. The committee recommended the additional compensation without making changes in the formula that was earlier approved for the quantum of compensation.
Malvinder files complaint against former Religare associates
Religare’s former promoter Malvinder Singh has filed a complaint against former associates Sunil and Sanjay Godhwani for allegedly defrauding Singh’s Malav Holdings of ₹30 crore. Singh claimed the Godhwani brothers, along with some Ligare Aviation employees, sanctioned fake invoices for fictitious expenses. He also accused them of causing around ₹18.8-crore loss by fraudulently approving payments.
Pay ₹1 lakh, go sit in corner: SC punishes CBI’s Rao for contempt
The Supreme Court on Tuesday found former CBI interim chief M Nageswara Rao guilty of contempt of court for transferring the officer in charge of the Muzaffarpur shelter home case without taking permission from the court. Imposing a ₹1-lakh fine on him, CJI Ranjan Gogoi-led bench ordered, “Go to one corner of court and sit down till court rises.”
Flipkart’s Binny Bansal, Kalyan back fund Tanglin: Report
Flipkart Co-founder Binny Bansal, CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Udaan Co-founder Sujeet Kumar, Facebook’s Asia Pacific head Dan Neary and others have reportedly invested in fund Tanglin Venture Partners. Ravi Venkatesh and Edwina Yeo, who were executives at Tiger Global, started their own fund Tanglin Venture Partners. The new fund targets a corpus of $50 million to be distributed among 10-12 startups.
Unborn baby removed from womb for surgery in UK, then put back
An unborn baby in the UK was removed from its mother’s womb for a surgery before being put safely back inside. Surgeons performed the operation at 24 weeks’ gestation after scans revealed the foetus had spina bifida. The condition can leave sufferers with walking difficulties and even paralysis because the spinal cord does not fully develop during pregnancy.
5200 flats in Amrapali projects bogus, unsold: SC-appointed auditors
There are 5,200 flats in various Amrapali projects which are either bogus or unsold, court-appointed forensic auditors on Monday told the Supreme Court. Moreover, Amrapali’s two properties couldn’t be auctioned by Debts Recovery Tribunal as banks refused to finance buyers. The case pertains to petitions filed by homebuyers, seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked under Amrapali projects.
Rules followed in giving license to Delhi hotel: Hotel body
Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association Vice-President Balan Mani said all norms were followed while issuing a license to Karol Bagh’s Hotel Arpit Palace, where 17 people died in a fire. He added, “Mishaps can occur in a house as well.” However, Delhi minister Satyendar Jain said the hotel violated building bye-laws and had more than the permissible four floors.
Robert Vadra, mother Maureen at ED office for questioning
Businessman Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with an alleged land scam in Bikaner district, Rajasthan. The duo was accompanied to the Jaipur ED office by Robert Vadra’s wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Senior ED officials reportedly prepared a set of 55 questions for Vadra in connection with the case.
Russian islands declare emergency over polar bear ‘invasion’
A remote Russian region has declared a state of emergency over the appearance of dozens of polar bears in its human settlements. Authorities in the Novaya Zemlya islands, home to around 3,000 people, said there were cases of bears attacking people and entering residential and public buildings. Russia classes polar bears as endangered and shooting them is prohibited by law.
US man enters abandoned house to smoke weed; finds tigress inside
A US man, who entered an abandoned house to smoke marijuana, found a caged overweight female tiger inside the property. The man, who thought he was hallucinating when he first saw the tigress, then called animal control. The officials asked the man if he was under the effect of marijuana or if he actually saw the animal.
5 trucks with Saudi prince’s amenities reach Pak ahead of visit: Report
Five trucks full of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s personal amenities have reportedly reached Pakistan ahead of his visit to the country. His security team has also arrived. While the Saudi Crown Prince himself is expected to stay at the Prime Minister House, two of the top hotels in Islamabad have been booked fully for members of his staff.
Best time to be in industry, females are dominating: Tisca
Tisca Chopra has said this is the best time to be in Indian cinema as female actors are dominating the industry. She added, “Earlier, the audience used to go to cinema halls to see heroes on-screen but now they go to theatres to watch our powerful heroines.” Tisca further said that the filmmakers have started making strong roles for women.
Amit Shah launches campaign to hoist BJP flag at 5 cr houses
BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the “Mera Parivar, Bhajapa Parivar” campaign which aims to put the party flag at 5 crore houses of its workers and supporters. Shah began the campaign by hoisting the flag at his residence in Gujarat. “This BJP flag is a symbol of development, belief and nationalism,” Shah said.
AAP invites Rahul Gandhi for opposition rally in Delhi
The AAP has invited Congress President Rahul Gandhi to attend its mega “Tanashahi Hatao, Loktantra Bachao” rally in Delhi on Wednesday, said AAP leaders. “Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu are among others invited for the rally,” they added.
Sec 144 in Imphal ahead of Citizenship Bill tabling in RS
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in East and West Imphal districts ahead of the tabling of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The order has been imposed because of intense agitation launched by various civil society organisations against the passing of the bill. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8.
Mbappé donates ₹24 lakh to help search for missing Sala pilot
French forward Kylian Mbappé, who was 2018 World Cup’s best young player, donated £27,000 (₹24 lakh) after the family of missing pilot David Ibbotson launched a fundraising campaign to help find the pilot’s remains. The plane carrying Ibbotson and Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala vanished over English Channel on January 21. The plane’s wreckage and Sala’s body were found last week.
