Gul Panag says cab driver cancelled over destination, Ola responds
Actor Gul Panag tweeted she had to walk half-a-kilometre to get an auto-rickshaw after her Ola driver cancelled the ride during peak time. Ola said her cancellation fee was waived, to which Panag replied, “The point isn’t the cancellation fee…your driver partners choose customers [based on] where they feel like going”. Ola also apologised and promised action against the driver.
500 masked men with guns attack poll team in Arunachal, steal EVMs
About 500 masked men carrying guns and machetes attacked a polling team in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. The polling team was on its way to Nampe in Kurung Kumey district, where a re-poll was scheduled for Tuesday, when they were attacked and EVMs were snatched from them. The election happened on Tuesday after a new team was sent on Monday.
David Hussey appointed head coach of BBL side Melbourne Stars
Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Stars on Wednesday appointed former Australian batsman David Hussey as their men’s team head coach. Hussey, who succeeds Stephen Fleming, has signed a two-year deal with Stars, said the club. Hussey played 48 matches for the Stars, scoring 855 runs. “David is a quality person,” Stars president Eddie McGuire said.
Pakistan’s Nida Dar scores second fastest fifty in women’s T20Is
Pakistan’s Nida Dar smashed a 20-ball fifty against South Africa in the fourth T20I to register the second fastest fifty in women’s T20Is. Dar finished her innings with 75 runs off 37 balls, the highest ever T20I score by a Pakistani woman. Dar also reached 1000 T20I runs, becoming the third woman from Pakistan to reach the milestone.
Lt Bhawana 1st woman to qualify to go to day missions on fighter jet
Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth on Wednesday became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to qualify to undertake missions by day on a fighter aircraft. She completed the Day Operational syllabus on MiG-21 Bison, said IAF Spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee. Bhawana joined the fighter squadron in 2017 and flew the first solo on MiG-21 Bison last year.
Doctor operates 7-yr-old for hernia instead of nose surgery, suspended
A government doctor in Kerala was suspended on Wednesday after he performed a hernia surgery on a seven-year-old boy instead of treating his nose. The surgeon defended himself, saying the boy also had a hernia. However, an inquiry revealed his files were mixed up with that of another boy, with a similar sounding name, who was suffering from a hernia.
Indra Nooyi receives honorary doctorate from Yale University
Former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi was presented with the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Yale University, her alma mater, for her achievements in business. “To receive this recognition is a profound honour,” Nooyi said in a tweet. “It’s made all the more meaningful coming from a university that instilled in me…values that drive my work,” she added.
IndiGo clocks record market share of 49.9% in April
Budget carrier IndiGo has clocked its highest-ever domestic market share of 49.9% during April as it flew a record 54.81 lakh passengers during the month, according to the latest DGCA data. At present, IndiGo has a fleet of about 227 aircraft. Air India came in second after recording a 13.9% market share while SpiceJet recorded a 13.1% market share.
British Steel collapses after failing to secure funding
The London High Court on Wednesday ordered compulsory liquidation of British Steel, the country’s second-largest steel producer, after the company failed to secure emergency government funding. British Steel’s staff will continue to be employed as the liquidator oversees operations at its main site, the court said. The company employs 5,000 people while 20,000 more depend on its supply chain.
Gujarat family wakes up to find crocodile in the kitchen
A family in Raval village, Gujarat woke up to find an over 4-feet-long crocodile in their kitchen on Wednesday morning. One of the family members, Radhaben Gohil, said the reptile was trying to drink water from a pot kept inside the kitchen. “It might have come from a small lake located behind the house,” she added.
Jawan deployed at strongroom dies of heart attack in Chhattisgarh
A CRPF jawan deployed at a strongroom in Chhattisgarh’s Kondagaon passed away on Wednesday after he suffered a heart attack. Kondagaon is an Assembly constituency and is a part of Bastar Lok Sabha constituency. The elections for the 17th Lok Sabha were conducted on April 11 in the Bastar parliamentary constituency.
I&B Ministry issues advisory to news, non-news channels
A day before the general poll results, the I&B Ministry has issued an advisory to news and non-news channels asking them to adhere with their respective undertakings of carrying news or non-news content. The news channels are mandated to carry news and current affairs content while non-news channels aren’t mandated to carry news and current affairs content, the advisory said.
Rattled by probable defeat, Opposition questioning EVM: Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday criticised opposition parties, saying that rattled by their probable defeat, the Opposition is raising questions on EVM and this, in turn, is “tarnishing” country’s democracy in the world. He added that opposition to EVM amounts to “disrespecting people’s mandate”. He said Opposition’s demands have “no rationale and are driven by selfish interests”.
Cong will accept general poll results with humility: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that whatever be the general election results, the Congress party will accept it with “humility”. He added that the exit poll predictions have gone wrong several times in the past. “The results will be in our favour,” he further said.
There is no place for violence in democracy: Giriraj Singh
Union Minister Giriraj Singh has said that there’s no place for violence in democracy and the society had neglected those who raised weapons. His remark came after ex-MLA Ramchandra Singh Yadav displayed his licensed weapon at a press meet. Singh further criticised RLSP President Upendra Kushwaha’s ‘pick up weapons to protect vote’ remark, terming it a voice of “impending defeat”.
US judge rules Qualcomm’s practices violate antitrust law
A US judge ruled Qualcomm unlawfully suppressed competition in phone chips market and used dominant position to exact excessive licensing fees. Qualcomm was ordered to renegotiate deals with customers, without threatening to halt supplies, at fair prices. In 2017, US FTC sued Qualcomm alleging it used “anticompetitive” tactics to maintain monopoly on a semiconductor used in products like phones.
Ford robot folds up in car after delivering packages at door
American multinational automaker Ford along with US startup Agility Robotics has built a bipedal robot ‘Digit’ that folds up in the back of a self-driving vehicle before and after it completes a doorstep delivery. Digit, capable of lifting around 18 kilograms, works through a detailed map of the surroundings built by the autonomous car, which is wirelessly shared with it.
New government should ease land acquisition rules: CEA
Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian has said the new government should make it easier for companies to acquire land. It should reduce the cost of land, labour and capital for Indian companies and enhance their ability to compete globally, he said. The government should also scrap archaic laws around hiring workers as part of its first reform measures, Subramanian added.
Flipkart may open stores to sell food like Walmart: Report
Walmart-owned Flipkart is reportedly planning to tap into the food retail business, where 100% FDI is allowed, with physical stores. “Globally, around 50-60% of Walmart’s sales come from food. The strategy of opening offline stores falls into Walmart’s overall scheme of things,” the report stated citing sources. Recently, Flipkart launched its fifth online grocery store ‘Supermart’ in Mumbai.
England to ban plastic straws, cotton buds, drink stirrers
England will introduce a ban on single-use plastic items including straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers from April 2020 over environmental concerns. There will be a complete ban on plastic drink stirrers’ supply, however, registered pharmacies will be permitted to sell plastic straws, over the counter or online. Eateries won’t be allowed to display plastic straws or provide them automatically.
5 dead, 2 injured after car collides with truck in Odisha
As many as five people of a family were killed and two others were severely injured on Wednesday after their car collided with a truck in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, police said. As per a report, the police immediately rushed to the spot after receiving the information of the incident. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital.
US’ ex-Vice President Biden a ‘fool of low IQ’: North Korea
North Korea has called US’ former Vice President Joe Biden “an imbecile” and a “fool of low IQ” after he called Kim Jong-un a tyrant. “What he uttered is just sophism of an imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being, let alone a politician,” North Korea’s state media said. Biden had commented on Kim at a campaign event.
Tribunal asks NSE to transfer ₹625 cr to SEBI in unfair access case
The Securities Appellate Tribunal has granted partial relief to National Stock Exchange on a ₹625-crore fine by SEBI for allegedly giving unfair access to its network servers. However, NSE was asked to transfer the amount to a SEBI account, where it will remain untouched until the outcome of the case. NSE’s IPO has been delayed due to SEBI’s three-year-long probe.
Not a single student passed Class 10 exams in 63 schools in Gujarat
In the results announced on Tuesday, not a single student from as many as 63 schools managed to clear the Secondary School Certificate examinations conducted by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. The overall pass percentage was 66.97%, with total 8,22,823 regular candidates appearing in the exam. Meanwhile, 366 schools posted 100% pass percentage.
BJP will keep open mind if parties want to join us: Jay Panda
On being asked if BJD will support NDA, BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda responded, “If other parties, seeing the national mood, also want to join in, I think BJP will keep an open mind.” Panda, who earlier quit BJD, added, “Amit Shah said we are confident of getting more than 300 seats. We will form the government with NDA allies.”
Zuckerberg should hire a new Facebook CEO: Ex-security chief
Facebook’s former security chief Alex Stamos said CEO Mark Zuckerberg should step down as he “has too much power” and could hire Microsoft President Brad Smith for the role. “Facebook needs to have an internal revolution on the culture of how products are built,” Stamos said, adding Smith could be a good fit as an “adult who’s been through this”.
Ola denies Foodpanda shutdown report, says staff not fired
Bengaluru-based Ola turned down a report claiming it’s shutting down its Foodpanda business, adding it has been scaled down significantly to improve efficiency. Responding to claims that it has fired about 40 employees, the Bhavish Aggarwal-led startup said the team is only being restructured. “We’re focused on building a portfolio of own food brands and curated food offerings,” Ola added.
