This is my father’s money: Farmer’s son who won ₹1 crore on KBC
Sanoj Raj from Bihar, who became the first contestant to win ₹1 crore on Kaun Banega Crorepati season 11, has said that he considers the money to be his father’s. “My father is a farmer. It’s not about giving money to him. It’s his money,” he stated. He added that his father couldn’t complete his studies due to family conditions.
Autonomous vehicle startup Voyage raises $31 million
Silicon Valley’s autonomous vehicle startup Voyage has raised $31 million in a Series B round led by investment management firm Franklin Templeton. Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures and Khosla Ventures also took part in the round. Co-founded in 2017 by Oliver Cameron and MacCallister Higgins, the startup operates self-driving cab services in retirement communities.
Osama bin Laden’s son and al-Qaeda heir Hamza killed by US: Trump
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that Hamza bin Laden, the son of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, was killed in a US counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. Hamza was reportedly killed in an air strike. “He was very threatening to our country. He was saying very bad things about our country,” Trump had earlier said about Hamza.
Nita Ambani, kids get notices for undeclared foreign assets: Reports
The Income Tax Department in March served notices to Mukesh Ambani’s wife Nita Ambani and their three children for alleged “undisclosed foreign income and assets”, The Indian Express reported. Authorities alleged that Ambanis failed to disclose holdings in Capital Investment Trust and its “underlying company” Cayman Islands-based Infrastructure Company, of which they were “ultimate beneficiaries”.
Two nights before giving birth, I was playing tennis: Sania Mirza
Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has revealed that two nights before giving birth to her son Izhaan, she was playing tennis. “I was like I need this baby to come out. So I was just like…let me play tennis, maybe there’s something going to happen,” she added. “Well…nothing happened. It was all mental but I felt better,” she further said.
Using drones to study Amazon rainforest’s health: Harvard team
Harvard University researchers are using specifically-engineered drones to monitor the effects of climate change on the Amazon rainforest’s health. Researchers aim to monitor unique chemical signatures emitted by plants species, which change if they are under stress, in varied ecosystems. They began work in 2017 with Amazonas State University and the Amazonas State Research Support Foundation.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the drone attacks on two Saudi oil facilities on Saturday. The rebels had deployed 10 drones against Saudi Aramco plants in Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia. The drone attacks sparked fires at both the facilities.
Former US priest jailed for 30 years for child sexual abuse
Arthur Perrault, an 81-year-old former Roman Catholic priest, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing an altar boy in New Mexico, US, in the 1990s, prosecutors said. Although he was convicted of abusing just one victim, prosecutors alleged that Perrault was a serial child molester who abused several young people for more than 30 years.
Infosys’ Gopalakrishnan to head govt panel on non-personal data
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has constituted a committee to study issues related to non-personal data and to come up with related data governance framework. The eight-member committee will be headed by Infosys Co-Founder Kris Gopalakrishnan. The panel was formed based on the recommendations of the Justice BN Srikrishna committee on protection of personal data.
Ashton Kutcher allegedly cheated on Demi Moore with 2 women: Book
In her upcoming memoir ‘Inside Out’, actress Demi Moore has reportedly accused ex-husband Ashton Kutcher for cheating on her with two women in a bathtub. Moore was pregnant and suffered a miscarriage when she was dating Kutcher, as per reports. She reportedly blamed herself for the miscarriage as she had started drinking again after being sober for a while.
Kapil Dev to be Haryana’s Sports University’s first Chancellor
India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev is set to be Haryana’s Sports University’s first Chancellor, state sports minister Anil Vij announced on Saturday. “Although the final nod for the university is pending with the President of India, but remaining all formalities have been completed,” Vij added. The university will be India’s third sports university established by a state government.
India defend lowest total in Youth ODIs to win 7th U-19 Asia Cup
The Indian team successfully defended the total of 106 to beat Bangladesh by five runs to win their seventh Under-19 Asia Cup title. This is the lowest total successfully defended by any team in Youth ODI cricket. Notably, the Under-19 Asia Cup tournament’s final in 2012 was a tie with India and Pakistan being declared the joint-champions.
YouTuber PewDiePie cancels $50,000 pledge to anti-hate group
YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, known as ‘PewDiePie’, has pulled back his $50,000 pledge to Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group that campaigns against anti-Semitism. This follows fans claiming PewDiePie was pressured to make the donation. “I made the mistake of picking a charity I was advised to, instead of picking [one] I’m personally passionate about, which is 100% my fault,” Kjellberg said.
Indian hacker finds Uber account takeover bug, awarded ₹4.6 lakh
Uber has awarded Indian ethical hacker Anand Prakash with ₹4.6 lakh for finding a bug that allowed attackers to take over any Uber user’s account. Prakash requested for public disclosure in June and the bug report was then disclosed by Uber on September 9. Prakash, a Forbes’ 30 under 30 honoree, is the Founder of cybersecurity company AppSecure.
India to organise Dubai-like mega shopping festival in 4 places
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced that India will organise an annual mega shopping festival in four places across the country in March 2020 to promote exports. The shopping festival will be on the lines of Dubai Shopping Festival, she added. It will focus on four themes — gems and jewellery, handicraft/yoga/tourism, textiles, and leather.
Hindi can unite the country today: Amit Shah on Hindi Diwas
On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that if there’s one language which can unite the country, it’s the most widely spoken Hindi language. “It’s necessary to have a common language that becomes the mark of India’s identity globally,” he added. Shah also appealed to the people to promote both their mother tongues and Hindi.
Fires at Saudi Aramco oil facilities after drone attacks
Drone attacks on two oil facilities owned by Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in Abqaiq and Khurais provinces on Saturday caused fires, a Saudi interior ministry spokesman said without identifying the source of the drones. A Saudi-led military coalition has been battling Yemen’s Houthis rebels since March 2015, and the latter have launched similar attacks in the past.
Afghan Taliban sends team to Russia after US talks collapse
The Taliban has sent a delegation to Russia to discuss prospects for a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan following collapse of talks with the US this month. Taliban said US President Donald Trump’s decision to call off the peace process came at a time when both sides had resolved all outstanding issues and were about to sign an agreement.
US baby born on 9/11 anniversary at 9:11 pm weighs 9lb 11oz
A US mother says her newborn daughter is a “little miracle” after she was born on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at 9:11 pm weighing 9lb 11oz. “She is a new life amongst the devastation and destruction,” her mother added. “It was really exciting, especially to find some joy during a day of such tragedy,” her father said.
Canada sells ₹160 cr of Iranian assets, gives money to terror victims
Canada has sold Iran’s assets worth nearly CA$30 million (over ₹160 crore) and handed over the proceeds to victims of terrorist groups allegedly sponsored by the Iranian regime, according to court documents. The confiscated assets include two Iranian-owned buildings in Ottawa and Toronto, around CA$2.6 million (nearly ₹14 crore) seized from Iranian bank accounts, as well as some vehicles.
FM announces ₹50,000 crore tax relief scheme for exporters
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the scheme for Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP) will replace the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme. She said the new scheme will more than adequately incentivise exporters than existing schemes put together. Sitharaman added the revenue foregone from the scheme has been projected at up to ₹50,000 crore.
Priyanka turns showstopper at The Sky Is Pink world premiere Priyanka Chopra turned showstopper at the ‘The Sky Is Pink’ world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Priyanka wore a strapless black and white ruffled gown by Marchesa from their Fall 2019 collection. Her co-star Farhan Akhtar and his girlfriend Shibani Dandekar also attended the event. Priyanka is one of the producers of ‘The Sky Is Pink’.
