Reuters journos jailed in Myanmar for 500 days freed from prison
Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar for breaking the country’s Official Secrets Act walked free from prison on Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars. The duo received a presidential pardon. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who revealed the massacre of 10 Muslim Rohingya men, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail.
SL blasts’ terror group has ₹5 crore cash, ₹274 crore worth assets
The ISIS-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath, which carried out the serial blasts, has been found possessing ₹5 crore in cash and other assets worth ₹274 crore, police said. Half of the cash has been taken under CID custody and the remainder was found deposited in several bank accounts. The CID has taken measures to suspend those accounts.
Lady Gaga changes 4 outfits in front of photographers at Met Gala
Singer Lady Gaga changed four different outfits and stripped down in front of photographers at Met Gala 2019 red carpet. She walked in a fuchsia pink gown by Brandon Maxwell, changed to a black gown and a hot pink body fitted gown, before finally stripping down to just black lingerie. She reportedly also wore diamond jewellery worth nearly $2 million.
EC denies Irani’s claim of booth capturing by Cong
After BJP’s candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani alleged that Congress President Rahul Gandhi was ensuring booth capturing in the constituency, the Election Commission dismissed her allegations. Referring to the video shared by Irani of an elderly woman claiming she was forcibly made to vote for Congress, the EC said the charges in the video clip were “fabricated” and “baseless”.
Take money from other parties but vote for AAP: Kejriwal
During a roadshow in support of AAP South Delhi candidate Raghav Chadha on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked voters not to refuse money given to them by other political parties but still vote for AAP. Kejriwal said, “What will you do? Take it, don’t deny it, but vote for jhadu.”
It took Pak leader to remember Tipu Sultan: Tharoor praises Pak PM
After Pakistan PM Imran Khan tweeted about Tipu Sultan on his death anniversary, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised Khan’s “genuine and far-reaching” interest in the “shared history of the Indian subcontinent”. “It is disappointing, though, that it took a Pakistani leader to remember a great Indian hero on his punyathithi,” the Congress leader added.
BSF officer, 2 civilians injured in ceasefire violation by Pak
A BSF sub-inspector and two civilians were injured after the Pakistan Army violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mankote and Krishna Ghati sectors of Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir. This was the second day in a row that Pakistan violated ceasefire, officials said. Several schools in Poonch and Rajouri districts were closed following the continuous ceasefire violations.
Army-run J&K schools get 100% pass percentage in Class 10 results
Indian Army-run Goodwill Schools in Jammu and Kashmir secured a 100% pass percentage in the CBSE Class 10 results, announced on Monday. Under Project Sadbhavana, the Northern Command is currently running over 40 Army Goodwill Schools, of which 3 are affiliated to CBSE, and provides education to nearly 15,000 students. The schools have around 1,000 teaching and non-teaching staff.
Drunk US man kills 8 people, police arrest bartender who served him
Police in US’ Texas last week arrested a 27-year-old bartender for serving drinks to a man, who went on to kill his ex-wife and seven others at her home during a party in 2017. The man was shot dead by police on the scene. The bartender is charged with violating Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code titled ‘Sale to Certain Persons’.
Private jet leaving Las Vegas crashes in Mexico; 13 killed
A private jet flying from Las Vegas crashed in Mexico, killing all 13 on board. The wreckage of the aircraft, identified by Canada’s Bombardier as a Challenger 601, was found via aerial surveillance in the northern municipality of Ocampo. The passengers had reportedly been to a boxing match between Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and US’ Daniel Jacobs.
Yami Gautam joins cast of Ayushmann and Bhumi starrer ‘Bala’
Actress Yami Gautam has joined the cast of the upcoming Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar starrer ‘Bala’. “I’m excited to be working on [the film]. It’s a great script, and a relevant concept and an amazing team working on it,” Yami said. Directed by Amar Kaushik, shooting for the film shooting for the film commenced this week.
Akshay donates ₹1 crore to Odisha cyclone victims: Reports
Akshay Kumar donated ₹1 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the victims of Cyclone Fani in Odisha, as per reports. Over 34 people were killed in the cyclone, which hit the Odisha coast on May 3. Several actors including Abhishek Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit took to social media to urge people to donate towards relief efforts in Odisha.
Deepika Padukone, Priyanka-Nick attend Met Gala 2019
Priyanka Chopra and her husband American singer Nick Jonas, as well as actress Deepika Padukone were seen walking the carpet at the 2019 Met Gala in New York. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’. While Priyanka and Nick wore outfits by Dior, Deepika was seen in a pink strapless gown by Zac Posen.
Jared Leto carries replica of his own head on Met Gala red carpet
Hollywood actor Jared Leto was seen carrying a prosthetic replica of his own head as an accessory on the 2019 Met Gala red carpet. The actor wore a red high-neck gown with shoulder pads and a jewel-encrusted body chain by luxury fashion house Gucci. Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2018 runway show saw models walking the ramp with similar prosthetic heads as accessories.
260 workers in Hyderabad analysed users’ FB posts since 2014: Report
Over the past year, up to 260 contract workers in Hyderabad have analysed millions of Facebook photos, status updates and other content posted since 2014, Reuters reported. The team labels both publicly and privately shared posts to help Facebook develop new features. The posts are reportedly categorised as per five “dimensions” including subject of the post, occasion and author’s intention.
Apple overstated iPhone battery life, claims UK consumer group
Apple overstated its iPhones’ battery life, UK consumer advocacy group ‘Which?’ said after conducting its own tests on nine iPhone models, all falling short of time claims. The iPhone XR battery lasted over 16 hours, while Apple claimed it would last 51% more at 25 hours, Which? found. As per the group, Nokia, Samsung and Sony underestimated their talk time.
Had given resignation from UP Cabinet on Apr 13: OP Rajbhar
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday claimed that he resigned as minister from the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on April 13, but it’s yet to be accepted. “I have nothing to do with the government now,” he added. Rajbhar further alleged that BJP was misusing his party’s name and flag in the election campaign.
Hemant Karkare never used ‘Hindu terror’ phrase: Maha CM
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was martyred in 26/11 terror attack, never used the phrase “Hindu terror”. “The BJP considers Karkare a martyr not only of Maharashtra but the entire country,” he added. This comes days after BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Thakur said that Karkare died because she “cursed him”.
PM has lost mental balance due to lack of sleep: Baghel
Responding to PM Narendra Modi’s remark that former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s life ended as “corrupt number one”, Chhattisgarh CM and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Monday said that PM Modi has lost his mental balance. “Those who don’t get enough sleep tend to lose their mental balance,” he added. Baghel further said that PM Modi needs medical treatment.
SpaceX delivers 2,500-kg supplies to International Space Station
Two days after its launch from Florida, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft delivered nearly 2,500 kg of research, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station. The spacecraft will remain attached to the space station for approximately one month. Recently, SpaceX confirmed its Crew Dragon capsule was destroyed during a test last month.
Maha couple set ablaze over inter-caste marriage, woman dies
A 19-year-old woman and her husband were set on fire allegedly by her father and relatives over the couple’s inter-caste marriage in Maharashtra Ahmednagar, police said on Monday. While the woman died of burn injuries on Sunday, the man has suffered over 40% burns. The woman’s brother-in-law said that she was two-month pregnant when she died.
US-China trade war would be bad for the whole world: Buffett
World’s fourth-richest person Warren Buffett on Monday said a trade war between the US and China would be “bad for the whole world”. His statement comes after US President Donald Trump tweeted that he will raise tariffs on $200 billion worth Chinese imports. Major stock markets fell worldwide following this, which Buffett said was a “rational” response to Trump’s tweet.
Found no merit in taking Jet Airways’ Boeing 777s: Air India
Air India has decided not to pursue its plan to take five Boeing 777s from Jet Airways. “The engineering unit has done their work around the B777s and found no merit in taking them,” an airline official said. The national carrier’s proposal to take the aircraft was earlier discussed between Air India Chairman Ashwani Lohani and SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar.
CBDT clarifies no dip in ITR e-filing; says 19% rise instead
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has refuted media reports which claimed that income tax e-filings dropped by more than 6.6 lakh in FY19. It further said the figures for ITRs e-filed during FY19 are “not directly comparable” with those in FY18. It also clarified that the total number of ITRs e-filed increased to nearly 19% in FY19.
Jackie Shroff once borrowed ₹5 from me to give to a beggar: Archana
Actress Archana Puran Singh revealed on ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ that Jackie Shroff once borrowed ₹5 from her to give to a beggar. “This is when we were struggling…Jaggu Dada was the kind of person who’d never let anyone asking for alms go…empty-handed,” she added. Archana revealed this during an episode where Jackie’s son Tiger had come as a guest.
Dejected: Complainant as CJI gets clean chit in harassment case
After Supreme Court gave CJI Ranjan Gogoi clean chit in sexual harassment case, the complainant said she was disappointed and dejected. “I feel…gross injustice has been done to me as a woman citizen of India,” she added. “Today, my worst fears have come true, and all hope of justice and redress from the committee have been shattered,” she further said.
No error in marks of 22 students who committed suicide: Telangana Board
The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) has said the 22 student suicide cases were not linked with any error in the publication of results. As many as 22 students committed suicide and three attempted to take extreme steps allegedly after results were announced. “Nobody failed because of error in the results as they were rectified instantly,” TSBIE said.
Grabbed people by collar, kicked them out: Burning plane air hostess
Recalling the crash-landing of Aeroflot passenger plane which claimed lives of 41 in Moscow, air hostess Tatyana Kasatkina said that she kicked the plane’s door open and physically pushed passengers onto to the emergency slide. “Just to hurry them up I grabbed each of them by the collar from the back and kicked them,” she added.
Black women hold all 3 major US beauty pageant titles for 1st time
For the first time in history, black women are holding all three major US pageant titles simultaneously. Last week, Cheslie Kryst won the Miss USA contest, and Kaliegh Garris won Miss Teen USA. They joined 25-year-old Nia Franklin who was crowned as the 2019 Miss America in September last year.
Plane struck by lightning: Pilot of Russian plane fire that killed 41
The pilot of the Russian Aeroflot passenger plane that caught fire on the runway while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, said the aircraft lost communication and needed to switch to emergency control mode “because of lightning”. He did not specify if the plane was struck directly. The incident led to the loss of 41 lives.
Earlier, people got electricity on Eid, not on Diwali: UP CM
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath alleged that earlier, power connections were given on “caste lines” and people didn’t get electricity on Holi and Diwali, but on Muharram and Eid. He added but now the state’s situation is different as PM Narendra Modi believed in “sabka saath, sabka vikas”. Criticising SP-BSP alliance, Yogi said it’s built to hide each other’s “sins”.
EC allows MCC relaxation for Maharashtra drought relief works
The Election Commission (EC) has permitted relaxation in the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Maharashtra for conducting drought relief works in the state. The relaxation was made after state CM Devendra Fadnavis wrote to the EC on the issue. The EC further directed that government staff involved in vote counting shouldn’t accompany ministers on any tour during this period.
Microsoft unveils its own blockchain service
Microsoft has unveiled its own fully-managed blockchain service Azure Blockchain Service that allows for consortium blockchain networks’ formation, management and governance. Unrelated to cryptocurrency, it’ll let businesses build applications on top of blockchain technology. Microsoft partnered with JP Morgan to make Ethereum-based open source blockchain platform Quorum its first support ledger.
IBM-backed project makes WiFi network for natural disasters
Project OWL, which won IBM-hosted Call for Code competition last year, has created a network of WiFi-enabled IoT devices in rubber casings to help connect victims with first responders during natural disasters. In March, they tested their devices in Puerto Rico. They hope to get their network ready in small capacity for hurricane season in America’s East Coast, beginning July.
Shiv Sena condemns slap attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ condemned the slap attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal saying that there shouldn’t be any lapse in his security. It added, “Such acts of insulting senior politicians in the country should be stopped at once.” It said the “political and social intolerance is growing” in India and such acts won’t solve the problems.
UK startup turns 100 plastic bags into Bluetooth speakers
UK-based startup Gomi creates Bluetooth speakers using non-recyclable plastic wastes collected from local companies and residents. Each speaker is made with the equivalent of 100 plastic bags, which are melted in ovens, kneaded to form “marble dough” and then placed into moulds to be made into a speaker’s shape. Gomi was founded by Tom Meades, Pawan Saunya and Rishi Gupta.
1 million species on Earth at risk of extinction: UN Report
Roughly one million of an estimated eight million animal and plant species on Earth are threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history, a UN report found. “This loss is a direct result of human activity”, the report’s co-chair said. Compiled over past three years, it stressed that “transformative change” was needed to protect nature.
PepsiCo India withdraws lawsuit against two Gujarat farmers
PepsiCo India withdrew its lawsuit against two farmers at Gujarat’s Deesa on Monday, nearly a month after they were filed. The maker of Lay’s chips had sued the brothers, over “issues around its seed protection” and sought ₹20 lakh in damages. Notably, the farmers are on the board of a Deesa-based potato chips company, Tirupati Balaji Chips Potato.
L&T buys Mindtree shares worth ₹113 crore via open market
Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday bought shares of Mindtree worth about ₹113 crore through open market transactions. It purchased over 11.52 lakh shares, or 0.75% stake, with the average price being ₹979.94 per share. L&T had last week purchased around 20% stake of VG Siddhartha and Coffee Day in Mindtree through block deal for about ₹3,210 crore.
Bharti Airtel profit rises 30% to ₹107 cr in fourth quarter
Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Monday posted a nearly 30% year-on-year rise in profit at ₹107 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. The Sunil Mittal-led company’s profit was boosted by an exceptional gain worth ₹2,022 crore during the quarter. The company’s revenue during the quarter stood at ₹20,656 crore, a 6% rise from the year-ago period.
Royal couple Prince Harry, Meghan Markle become parents to baby boy
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, became parents to a baby boy on Monday, the Buckingham Palace announced. The newborn is the first mixed-race baby in the British monarchy’s modern history and the seventh in line to the throne. The duo had announced in October that they were expecting their first child.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ 1st Hollywood film to earn ₹300 crore in India
Marvel’s superhero film ‘Avengers: Endgame’ became the first Hollywood film to cross the ₹300 crore mark in India on Sunday. The film has earned a total of ₹312.95 crore in India so far. It is the highest weekend opener in history and also the fastest movie to gross $2 billion worldwide, achieving the feat in 11 days.
Karan Oberoi filmed female astrologer during rape for money: Police
Actor Karan Oberoi has been arrested for allegedly raping a female astrologer on the pretext of marriage. “Oberoi not only raped the woman and filmed the act but also demanded money…threatening to release the video if she didn’t pay up,” said police. He is known for being part of ‘A Band of Boys’ and working in ‘Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin’.
Bombay HC declares 14-yr-old girl & 52-yr-old man’s marriage valid
The Bombay High Court has declared a now 56-year-old advocate’s marriage with a 14-year-old girl valid after she expressed willingness to live with him after turning 18 in September 2018. The advocate filed a petition to quash a rape case against him for marrying the minor. “As she’s married…no one in society would accept her as wife,” the court said.
Kylie saved up, built her own business : Kris on ‘self-made’ title
Kris Jenner, while defending her daughter Kylie Jenner for being named the youngest ‘self-made billionaire’ by Forbes in 2018, said, “She saved up her own money and built this amazing business.” “My girls, you can say that certain things have been handed to them. But it takes a lot of work to do what they’re all doing,” she added.
Proud that daughter got 82% in Class 10 despite challenges: Irani
Union Minister Smriti Irani today took to Twitter to reveal her daughter Zoish Irani scored 82% marks in CBSE Class 10 exams. “Proud that inspite of challenges she has done well. Way to go Zoe,” Irani wrote. Last week, Irani revealed that her son Zohr scored 91% marks in Class 12 exams and won bronze medal in World Kempo Championships.
4th richest man Buffett says Tesla can’t sell insurance, Musk responds
After world’s fourth-richest person Warren Buffett claimed carmaker Tesla cannot sell insurance, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk responded with a series of tweets on Sunday. In his first tweet, Musk urged users to buy Tesla Model 3, claiming it’s cheaper than a Honda Accord. “Also 1000 times more fun!” and “That’s a direct quote from Warren Buffett,” his next tweets read.
I’ll never hesitate to fly on 737 MAX: Buffett on crashes killing 346
World’s fourth-richest person, Warren Buffett, has said that he will “never hesitate even for a second to fly on a Boeing 737 MAX plane” which was involved in two crashes that claimed the lives of 346 people. He was responding to a question about damage to Boeing’s reputation after the crashes. “Planes have never been so safe,” Buffett added.
