Born without hands, Kerala girl writes with feet, gets A+ in 10th
Devika, a girl from Kerala who was born without hands, has scored A+ in all subjects in the 10th grade exams. The student, who was felicitated by Kerala Police Chief Lokanath Behera, was taught to write with her feet by her mother. The daughter of a senior civil police officer, Devika has chosen to pursue Humanities in Class XI.
Kolkata beef festival cancelled after threat calls
Organisers have cancelled ‘Kolkata Beef Festival’ after receiving threat calls. The festival, first named ‘Kolkata Beef Festival’ and later renamed as ‘Kolkata Beep Festival’, was to be held on June 23. Stating they cannot ensure security of visitors, organisers said, “Apart from beef delicacies, we had planned to keep pork dishes too…It was never a political or any other event.”
Woman with same name gets neighbour’s cheque book, withdraws ₹3.6L
The Delhi Police has arrested a 49-year-old woman for impersonating her neighbour, with whom she shares her first name, and withdrawing ₹3.6 lakh from her account after she mistakenly received the neighbour’s cheque book. The woman forged her neighbour’s signature and even got an ATM card made. She also got a passbook issued from the bank.
Committed to finding missing air-warriors onboard AN-32: IAF
Amid the search for missing IAF AN-32 aircraft, the IAF on Friday tweeted that it is “committed in finding the missing air-warriors.” Earlier, Navy, Army and ISRO joined the massive search and rescue operation being conducted daily between Jorhat and Mechuka. The aircraft, carrying 13 people on board, had lost contact with ground forces at 1 pm on June 3.
Pak PM offers to resolve Kashmir issue in letter to PM Modi: Report
Pakistan PM Imran Khan in a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Friday said his country wants talks to resolve all reconcilable problems, including the Kashmir issue, according to a media report. Khan wrote the letter a day after India said there will be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.
4 held for beating Lesbian couple over refusal to kiss each other
Four teenagers have been arrested for assaulting a lesbian couple on a London bus. The couple was beaten up after they refused to kiss each other. “I’m tired of being taken as sexual object, of finding out that these situations are usual,” one of the women wrote on Facebook, adding, “When you stand up for yourself shit like this happens.”
Gulshan Grover to play villain in Akshay’s Sooryavanshi: Report
Actor Gulshan Grover has been roped in to play the role of the antagonist in the upcoming Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’, as per reports. Akshay and Gulshan have previously featured in several films together, including ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’, and ‘International Khiladi’, among others. Directed by filmmaker Rohit Shetty, ‘Sooryavanshi’ is slated to release next year.
‘Straight pride’ group removes Brad as mascot post legal threat
The organisers of a pride march for heterosexual people in the US removed Brad Pitt as their mascot after he threatened to sue them. The group, which describes heterosexuals as “an oppressed majority”, was using Brad’s name and pictures to promote the event. The group recently claimed that they have roped in far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos as their new mascot.
Rishi to return to India in Sept post cancer treatment: Report
Rishi Kapoor, who has been undergoing treatment for cancer in New York since last year, will be returning to India in September, as per reports. While revealing that he is cancer-free, the actor recently said that he’s scheduled to undergo a bone-marrow transplant which delayed his return to India. Rishi’s wife Neetu accompanied him in the US during his treatment.
Balls are actually different for World Cup 2019: Trent Boult
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult said, “The balls are actually different for this tournament. They’ve got a different gloss on them, they’re painted differently, so there’s definitely been a little bit more swing.” “It’s nice to hold in the hand and it’s moving a little bit, so I’m very happy,” Boult said about the cricket balls at World Cup 2019.
Google Maps adding feature to show driving speed: Report
Google Maps is rolling out a new “Speedometer” feature to display users’ driving speed while using driving navigation, which will also alert users if they overspeed, a report claimed. The feature has reportedly been spotted by users across several countries around the world including India. Notably, Google Maps earlier also added speed limit indication and speed camera alert features.
Article 370 will be removed if Amit Shah has said: BJP leader
BJP’s Anurag Thakur on Friday said, “If our (BJP) party president (and now Home Minister) Amit Shah has said that Article 370 would be scrapped from Jammu and Kashmir, it will become a reality.” This comes after Home Ministry recently said it’s considering a draft proposal regarding the same. Notably, removal of Article 370 was part of BJP’s 2019 manifesto.
KPMG India acquihires Mumbai AI decision services startup
One of the Big Four accounting firms, KPMG’s India arm has acquihired Mumbai-based AI-based decision services company Recommender Labs for an undisclosed amount. KPMG will acquire Recommender’s trademark brand, software products and other IP rights. Founded in 2016, Recommender utilises its AI capabilities to support users during decision-making processes by generating meaningful recommendations.
MS Dhoni can’t wear Army ‘sacrifice’ badge as ICC denies permission
Former India captain MS Dhoni can’t wear wicketkeeping gloves with Army ‘balidaan’ (sacrifice) badge after ICC rejected BCCI’s request. The regulations for ICC events don’t permit any individual message or logo to be displayed on any items of clothing or equipment, ICC said. The logo also breaches the regulations in relation to what is permitted on wicketkeeper gloves, it stated.
I feel raped: Madonna criticises article for focusing on her age
US singer Madonna has said she feels “raped” after reading an interview she did with New York Times Magazine, criticising the interviewer Vanessa Grigoriadis for focusing on her age. The 60-year-old added her age “would have never been mentioned” in the article had she been a man. She further said that she regrets spending even five minutes with the interviewer.
Dhoni’s identity is country’s identity, BCCI must back him: Rijiju
Reacting to Indian Army ‘balidaan’ (sacrifice) badge controversy, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said that MS Dhoni’s identity is country’s identity, Army’s identity and not politics. “I am hopeful that BCCI will take up this matter with ICC and will solve this matter,” he added. He further said that the government does not intervene in the affairs of the sports bodies.
CRPF personnel carry ailing teen on cot for 8 km for treatment
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel carried an ailing 13-year-old boy on a cot for eight kilometres from his village to a camp for treatment in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma. The teenager, who was suffering from jaundice, was found by the troops of 231 battalion while patrolling on Thursday. He was treated by a doctor from the same battalion.
US & Russian warships nearly collide, both nations blame each other
A Russian and American warship nearly collided in the East China Sea, with each side blaming the other for the incident. Russia said its destroyer Admiral Vinogradov was forced to perform “emergency manoeuvre” as the USS Chancellorsville came within 50 metres of it. Rejecting Russia’s claims, the US said, “We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional”.
RBI fines Kotak Bank ₹2 crore for not meeting ownership rules
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday fined Kotak Mahindra Bank ₹2 crore for not furnishing details about the shareholding of its promoter and its plans for complying with stake dilution norms. The bank is in the middle of a legal battle with the RBI which had ordered Uday Kotak to lower his holdings in the private-sector lender.
Eros International loses 32% in value over two days on debt worries
Eros International Media shares plunged 32% in two days after Care Ratings downgraded the company to “default” levels. Its US-listed parent Eros International Plc plunged nearly 50% on Thursday. Eros International, which acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films, said it was late on two loan interest payments for April and May but added they will be cleared in a week.
RBI relaxes rules on bad loans, replaces ‘one-day default’ rule
The RBI has diluted its earlier guidelines on bad loans and has now mandated banks to undertake a review of a borrower account within 30 days of default. The resolution plan should be implemented by the lenders within 180 days after the initial review period. The previous circular mandated lenders to start resolution even if there was a one-day default.
Anand loses to Mamedyarov, falls to last spot in Norway Chess
Indian chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand slipped to the bottom of the points table after losing to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan in the second round of the Altibox Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger. Anand had earlier lost to world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the Armageddon game in the first round.
