The Indian Panorama

Month: April 2017

  • ONCE THE LEADER, MS DHONI FEELS BATTING BLUES

    ONCE THE LEADER, MS DHONI FEELS BATTING BLUES

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been more in focus than his team Rising Pune Supergiant in this Indian Premier League. And that should be the case ahead of the clash against Gujarat Lions at the SCA Stadium on Friday too.

    Dhoni was stripped of captaincy by RPS and is struggling with the bat as he faces Gujarat Lions in the next match

    Nothing seems to be going right for the champion cricketer at the moment. While it all started with RPS owners replacing India’s greatest captain with Steven Smith for the 10thedition of the T20 tournament, the spotlight is on the Ranchi superstar’s poor run with the bat.

    One hoped with the burden of captaincy off his shoulders, a vintage Dhoni would take IPL by storm. However, that hasn’t been the case so far. With scores of 12 not out, 5 and 11 in his first three games, Dhoni, 35, seems nowhere close to his best. Although Dhoni has been active with field placements from behind the wicket, it’s his power-hitting that Smith would have banked on.

    In the first match against Mumbai Indians, the situation was tailor-made for Dhoni, with 13 runs required off the final over. The job was ultimately done by Smith, who hit two sixes to finish off the game, as Dhoni found it difficult to even connect.

    In Pune’s last match against Delhi Daredevils, which Smith missed due to an upset stomach, Dhoni was expected to take on more batting responsibility. The opportunity was lost again.

    It isn’t Dhoni’s form alone that is a concern. It has also a lot to do with building the right environment to bring the best out of the players.

    The build up to IPL 10 hasn’t been ideal for Dhoni. Controversy erupted when RPS owner Sanjiv Goenka declared that he was sacked as skipper of his team.

    After the emphatic win in the opener against Mumbai Indians, tweets by Goenka’s brother Harsh seemed to pit Dhoni against Smith, upsetting fans of the double World Cup-winning skipper.

    Dhoni’s wife Sakshi posted a photograph sporting a Chennai Super Kings helmet and jersey and came out in support of her beleaguered husband with a strong response to Harsh Goenka’s tweets.

    One major reason Chennai Super Kings under Dhoni enjoyed great IPL success, before it was suspended for two years, was because the skipper was a master finisher.

    It is often said write off a champion at your peril. With Dhoni’s finishing abilities on the wane, his task has become more challenging than ever at No 5. Pune could consider promoting Dhoni ahead of England allrounder Ben Stokes, who can still finish matches by batting at No 5.

    The dip in form in IPL 10 seems sudden. Before the league, Dhoni scored 330 runs in eight matches for Jharkhand in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.

     

  • Vijay Mallya arrested in London by Scotland Yard

    Vijay Mallya arrested in London by Scotland Yard

    NEW DELHI: Business tycoon Vijay Mallya, the boss of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, owes Rs 9,081 crore to a consortium of 17 Indian banks, has been arrested in London and will be produced in a metropolitan court today.

    The liquor baron was arrested at about 9.30 am London local time and was taken to Westminster court.

    Mallya, whose extradition India has been seeking since he fled to the United Kingdom in March 2016, is wanted in various cases of foreign exchange violation and debt recovery.

    India had in February asked the UK to extradite Mr Mallya, who is facing charges of money laundering and several warrants in the country. CBI sources count the arrest, which took place around 9.30 in the morning, as a big win in attempts to bring the liquor baron to justice.

    Last month, the UK told India that its request had been certified by the Secretary of State.

    Mr Mallya has been charged with cheating and conspiracy by the CBI that filed a 1,000-page chargesheet against him for defaulting on a 900-crore loan taken from the IDBI bank in 2009. The CBI probe found that 250 crore of this – given to buy aircraft parts – was diverted abroad.

     

  • Dipa, Sakshi conferred with Padma Shri

    Dipa, Sakshi conferred with Padma Shri

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Gymnast Dipa Karmakar and wrestler Sakshi Malik on Thursday received the coveted Padma Shri Award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.

    Gymnast Dipa Karmakar receiving Padma Shri from President Pranab Mukherjee
    Gymnast Dipa Karmakar receiving Padma Shri from President Pranab Mukherjee

    Karmakar, hailing from Agartala, missed the bronze medal by 0.150 points as American gymnast Simone Biles won her third gold medal at the Rio Olympics last year. The 23-year-old had created history when she became the first Indian gymnast to enter the final on her debut at the Olympics after finishing eighth in the qualifying round.

    Sakshi, on the other hand, won the bronze medal in the 58kg category at the Rio Olympics. Sakshi became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympics medal and fourth Indian woman athlete to clinch the coveted medal after Karnam Malleshwari, Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal.

    Meanwhile, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu were the other notable recipients of the prestigious award.

  • Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina rejects Mamata’s plan, wants only Teesta

    Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina rejects Mamata’s plan, wants only Teesta

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina signed off her hugely successful India visit on Monday with a restructured strategic relationship with India, but rejected Mamata Banerjee’s proposal for sharing rivers other than the Teesta.

    Addressing a civic reception held for her by think tank India Foundation, Hasina spoke about the importance of water sharing between India and Bangladesh.

    “On Teesta issue, PM Modi once again reiterated his government’s strong resolve to conclude the water sharing treaty at the soonest. Once it happens, the face of Indo-Bangladesh relations would undergo another transformation.”

    Then, switching to Hindi, she said, “Lekin mujhe nahin pata didimoni kya karega (but I don’t know what Didi i.e. Mamata will do).”

    For the first time, giving a sense of the conversation between her and the West Bengal chief minister, Hasina revealed Mamata had put forward some alternative proposals. But she held PM Modi to his words that Teesta would be the one being negotiated.

    Mamata, she said, had offered to give her electricity. “Paani manga, bijli mila,” Hasina laughed. But PM Modi, she noted, said he would ensure a successful Teesta deal.

    But the ice has been broken, both between Mamata and the Centre and between Mamata and Bangladesh.

    The CM’s presence at the talks and the banquets, even her shift from an intransigent “no” to thinking of alternative water sharing pacts, offering electricity to Bangladesh, all signal a significant move forward, giving the Modi government something to work on with her.

    For India, the Hasina visit proved very productive.

    But more importantly, India has walked the extra mile to court the Bangladesh military, a very powerful institution, with stronger institutional ties to Pakistan than India.

    This will help to change the institutional hostility that the Bangladesh army continues to harbour against India, specially when, India reckons, they begin to look at India as a dependable defence supplier.

    On the economic front, India changed tack this time — a huge $5 billion shopping voucher could have meandered along in traditional Indian style, achieving little.

    But India is learning to play the Chinese game — in the past few months, Indian officials have combed Bangladesh government corridors to pick up visible and viable projects which this line of credit would build.

    Although India has far less cash to throw around (China promised Dhaka$24 billion in 2016), in the past six years India has given $8 billion to Bangladesh— $3 billion already utilised, all of it on much easier terms than China.

    With the “shommanona” ceremony, India and Bangladesh renewed an alliance forged during its liberation —the enemy remaining the same.

    But Hasina never wavered from her demand of a Teesta deal, and with relations ramped up, India will remain under pressure to deliver.

    Indian officials have said that Bangladesh officials have refused to negotiate sharing any of the other rivers — India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers — until Teesta is done.

    Sources said Mamata had offered to negotiate water sharing agreements for Torsa, Sankosh and Raidak rivers, all of which cross over into Bangladesh.

    Hasina said that the Indian Parliament’s unanimous approval of the land boundary agreement was reminiscent of India’s whole-hearted support during Bangladesh’s liberation war. Implicit was the message that India should come together to get the Teesta deal done. (PTI)

  • Nikki Haley Gets Heckled at Global Women’s Summit Over Trump, Russia

    Nikki Haley Gets Heckled at Global Women’s Summit Over Trump, Russia

    NEW YORK (TIP): Nikki Haley, the tough-talking and blunt U.S. Ambassador to the UN, was heckled during an annual summit on women here as she spoke about President Donald Trump and Russia.

    The Indian American envoy was speaking April 5 at the ‘Women In The World’ summit, a premier annual gathering of influential women leaders, politicians and activists organized by media personality Tina Brown in association with the New York Times.

    As she was answering questions during the session titled ‘Trump’s Diplomat: Nikki Haley’ moderated by MSNBC anchor Greta Van Susteren, Haley was booed and heckled on several occasions. At one point, someone in the audience shouted,”what about refugees” while another asked, “when is the next panel.”

    During the nearly 22-minute session, a woman in the audience shouted, “when is the next panel,” to which the 45-year-old smiled and exclaimed “wow” as the audience tried to shush the heckler.

    She was heckled again when asked how America deals with some of the world leaders who are dictators.

    “You call them out when they do something wrong and you work with them when you can find ways to work with them,” Haley said.

    As some members of the audience shouted at her remarks, Haley said, “we have to express America’s values. We are always the moral conscience of the world,” to which someone from the audience shouted, “what about the refugees,” cutting off Haley. Haley went silent. Van Susteren paused, and then said, “Moving on.”

    At the end of the day’s program, Brown commended Haley for attending the event even as she got a “boisterous reception” and for remaining gracious as she was heckled.

    “We often complain and sneer and say Republicans never want to come on any kind of forum except Fox News or places where they can be asked questions that are soft,” Brown said, adding that Haley did not put on any pre-conditions and sat very “graciously” while the audience heckled.

    “She didn’t get agitated about it, and she’s in the middle of a lot of world crises. So, I feel that we should really applaud the fact that she did come.”

    Van Susteren asked Haley why the world has not heard much from Trump about Russia, a question that drew a thunderous applause from the audience.

    Haley said, “First keep in mind that I work for the Trump administration,” a response that generated boos and heckles from the audience and prompted Van Susteren to ask the audience to “hold on, hold on. We got to get people fix these problems.” Haley added that she has “hit Russia over the head more times than I can count. It’s because if they do something wrong we are going to call them out on it. If they want to help us defeat terrorism, fine.”

    “But the things they have done with Crimea and Ukraine, the things they have done with how they have covered up for (Syrian President Bashar) Assad, we are not going to give them a pass on.”

    Haley said she has had conversations with Trump “where he very much sees Russia as a problem and I think if you look at his actions, everybody wants to hear his words but look at his actions. The two things that Russia does not want to see the U.S. do is strengthen the military and expand energy and the president has done both of those.” She gave out a smile as her comments again drew prolonged boos from the audience.

    On the chemical weapons attack on a Syrian town, Haley said Russia blamed it on a container of chemical weapons that ISIS had.

    “There is no ounce of proof. They just make things up,” she said.

  • DRAINING THE SWAMP REQUIRES MORE THAN A SLOGAN: PREET BHARARA

    DRAINING THE SWAMP REQUIRES MORE THAN A SLOGAN: PREET BHARARA

    NEW YORK (TIP): In his first public appearance since being fired last month, former U.S. attorney of Manhattan Preet Bharara on Thursday, April 7, offered a brutal and sometimes humorous critique of President Donald Trump’s administration, saying that draining “the swamp” requires more than a “slogan.”

    “There is a swamp, a lot of the system is rigged and lots of your fellow Americans have been forgotten and have been left behind. Those are not alternative facts. That is not fake news,” Bharara said during an hour-long speech at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

    “But I would respectfully submit you don’t drain a swamp with a slogan. You don’t drain it by replacing one set of partisans with another. You don’t replace muck with muck. To drain a swamp you need an Army Corps of Engineers, experts schooled in service and serious purpose, not do nothing, say anything neophyte opportunists who know a lot about how to bully and bluster but not so much about truth, justice and fairness.”

    Bharara, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama, was one of 46 U.S. attorneys asked by the Trump administration to resign last month. The order is not unusual at the beginning of a new administration.

    But in Bharara’s case it came as a surprise. Trump had asked him to stay after a meeting at Trump Tower in November and Bharara initially was unclear about whether the order to resign applied to him.

    “I was asked to resign. I refused. I insisted on being fired and so I was,” Bharara said Thursday. “I don’t understand why that was such a big deal. Especially to this White House. I had thought that was what Donald Trump was good at.”

    Asked why he was fired, Bharara said: “Beats the hell out of me.”

    During more than seven years on the job, Bharara built a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor willing to go after public officials from both political parties and Wall Street. Bharara indicted more than a dozen prominent New York politicians for malfeasance, including some Democrats, and pursued more than 70 insider trading cases. He won major convictions against terrorists, including the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith.

    But Bharara also had his critics. Some accused him of overreach – he had to dismiss several insider trading cases after an appeals court ruling. Others complained he was not aggressive enough, noting that Bharara did not secure any convictions of big bank CEOs for financial-crisis-era misdeeds.

    Bharara has repeatedly dismissed speculation that he would eventually run for public office, a position he emphasized Thursday.

    “I DO NOT HAVE ANY PLANS TO ENTER POLITICS JUST LIKE I HAVE NO PLANS TO JOIN THE CIRCUS,” HE SAID, “AND I MEAN NO OFFENSE TO CIRCUS.”

  • India’s Abdulqadir Rashik Wins Top Prize at UN Challenge For Open Source Tool

    India’s Abdulqadir Rashik Wins Top Prize at UN Challenge For Open Source Tool

    United Nations: An Indian software engineer has won the top prize at a global challenge for an open-source tool that enables users to interactively view UN General Assembly resolutions and gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns of member states.

    Abdulqadir Rashik, also an entrepreneur, won the ‘Unite Ideas #UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge’ for his ‘Global Policy’, an open-source tool that enables users to search and interactively view General Assembly resolutions to gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns and decisions made by United Nations Member States.

    Mr Rashik’s prototype will be made public and shared with United Nations bodies and member states. He will also receive recognition from the Department of State and the Office of Information and Communications Technology.

    Mr Rashik is a frequent contributor to Unite Ideas challenges and he previously won the top prize in the #LinksSDGs challenge for his ‘Links to Sustainable Cities’, an interactive visualisation that identifies and maps the links between various Sustainable Development Goals.

    The world body said the project was the first collaboration between the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) and the US Department of State.

    The UNGAViz challenged developers worldwide to create an open-source tool capable of providing greater visibility into Member State voting patterns, as well as greater public transparency about their voting choices.

    Solutions were judged not only on their technical merits, but also on their potential to support policymakers dealing with humanitarian challenges, peace and security issues, and other international matters, sometimes under extreme time pressure.

    A State Department official Andrew Hyde said the UN General Assembly has drafted and passed thousands of resolutions affecting people in every corner of the world since its establishment in 1946.

    “In support of transparency and accountability, we believe that everybody, from the general public to policymakers to diplomats, should have easy and timely access to this vast body of knowledge,” he said.

    The first runner-up position was awarded to Maximiliano Lopez, an information technology consultant from Argentina, and the second runner-up was Thomas Fournaise, an information technology manager from France.

    The Chief of the Global Services Division in the Office of Information and Communications Technology Salem Avan said the global network of talented open-source developers responded with insightful and practical solutions that can be easily implemented and made available to United Nations offices and Member States.

    UNGAViz is the sixth challenge issued by Unite Ideas, a big data crowd-sourcing platform developed by the Office of Information and Communications Technology to facilitate collaboration among academia, civil society and UN offices, and to mobilise data scientists and software developers around the world to help tackle the complex issues faced by the Organisation and its member states through the creation of open-source technology solutions.

    To date, academia, the general public and private companies have responded to the Unite Ideas challenges with more than 50 open-source solutions, many of which will be used by the United Nations or shared with member states.

  • Deserted by NRI Husband, Punjabi Woman Seeks Sushma Swaraj’s Help

    Deserted by NRI Husband, Punjabi Woman Seeks Sushma Swaraj’s Help

    KAPURTHALA (TIP): A 29-year-old woman who has been deserted by her NRI husband has sought help from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. She has requested the minister to get him deported from New Zealand. Though her husband, Ramandeep Singh, has been declared a proclaimed offender by the Punjab Police, Chand Deep Kaur has requested Ms Swaraj for help, saying that she wants to set an example so that no other Non-Resident Indian cheats his wife.

    “I have sought (Sushma) Swaraj’s help in getting my husband deported. He is in New Zealand,” Ms Kaur, who is based in Kapurthala, said.

    She also wants her husband’s passport to be cancelled. “I want to set an example so that no other NRI husband can ever dare to cheat a woman. I also want stringent laws in place to check such men,” she said.

    Ms Kaur said she has received a call from the ministry to send relevant documents in connection with her case. “I want him back here for divorce so that I can start my life afresh,” she said.

    Chand Deep Kaur married Ramandeep Singh, who was working as an accountant in Auckland, in July 2015. “Soon after our wedding he returned to New Zealand, in August 2015,” Ms Kaur said. “I stayed with him at his family’s house in Jalandhar,” she said. “He returned to India briefly in December 2015 and went back to New Zealand in January 2016,” she said.

    “I spent just 40-45 days with my husband,” she said. She alleged that the behavior of her in-laws changed after marriage. “They told me that they had disowned Ramandeep so I should move back with my parents,” Ms Kaur claimed.

    “I tried calling my husband repeatedly, but he did not respond. I even tried to contact members of my in-laws’ family but they also refused to respond, and blocked my number instead,” she said.

    She then lodged a complaint against her husband in August 2016. He was booked under charges of criminal breach of trust, among other sections of the Indian Penal Code. A look-out circular was also issued against Ramandeep, she said.

    A police official in Jalandhar later said Ramandeep was declared a proclaimed offender in February 2017.

  • U.S. may launch a preemptive strike against North Korea

    U.S. may launch a preemptive strike against North Korea

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The U.S. is prepared to launch a preemptive strike with conventional weapons against North Korea should officials become convinced that North Korea is about to follow through with a nuclear weapons test, multiple senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.

    North Korea has warned that a “big event” is near, and U.S. officials say signs point to a nuclear test that could come as early as this weekend.

    The intelligence officials told NBC News that the U.S. has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles in the region, one just 300 miles from the North Korean nuclear test site. American heavy bombers are also positioned in Guam to attack North Korea should it be necessary, and earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group was being diverted to the area.

    The U.S. strike could include missiles and bombs, cyber and special operations on the ground.

    The danger of such an attack by the U.S. is that it could provoke the volatile and unpredictable North Korean regime to launch its own blistering attack on its southern neighbor.

    On Wednesday, April 12, North Korea said it would “hit the U.S. first” with a nuclear weapon should there be any signs of U.S. strikes.

    On Thursday, April 13, again, North Korea warned of a “merciless retaliatory strike” should the U.S. take any action.

    “By relentlessly bringing in a number of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, the U.S. is gravely threatening the peace and safety and driving the situation to the brink of a nuclear war,” said North Korea’s statement.

    North Korea is not believed to have a deliverable long-range nuclear weapon, according to U.S. experts, nor does it yet possess an intercontinental missile.

    South Korea’s top diplomat said today that the U.S. would consult with Seoul before taking any serious measures. “U.S. officials, mindful of such concerns here, repeatedly reaffirmed that (the U.S.) will closely discuss with South Korea its North Korea-related measures,” Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a special parliamentary meeting. “In fact, the U.S. is working to reassure us that it will not, just in case that we might hold such concerns.”

    The U.S. is aware that simply preparing an attack, even if it will only be launched if there is an “imminent” North Korean action, increases the danger of provoking a large conflict.

    “It’s high stakes,” a senior intelligence official directly involved in the planning told NBC News. “We are trying to communicate our level of concern and the existence of many military options to dissuade the North first.”

    “It’s a feat that we’ve never achieved before but there is a new sense of resolve here,” the official said, referring to the White House.

    The threat of a preemptive strike comes on the same day the U.S. announced the use of its MOAB – or Mother of All Bombs – in Afghanistan, attacking underground facilities, and on the heels of U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian airbase last week, a strike that took place while President Trump was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.

  • New York State to provide lawyers for immigrants facing deportation

    New York State to provide lawyers for immigrants facing deportation

    ALBANY, NY (TIP): Undocumented immigrants in New York who can’t afford a lawyer and are facing deportation will soon have access to free legal counsel.

    The New York governor’s office said last week that it is allocating $10 million in its fiscal 2018 budget toward creating a legal defense fund “to ensure all immigrants, regardless of residency status, have access to representation.”

    Unlike U.S. citizens, undocumented immigrants don’t have the right to free legal counsel.

    Called the Liberty Defense Project, the funding is part of a public-private partnership with the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation. So far, the non-profit organizations have contributed $1.5 million, making the total funds available $11.5 million.

    “During these stormy times, it’s critical that all New Yorkers have access to their full rights under the law,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said when he first announced the program.

    The Liberty Defense Project will work with 182 advocacy groups and legal entities to provide attorneys to immigrants.

    To qualify, an immigrant’s household income must be below 200% of the federal poverty line and must not already be represented by a lawyer, said Oren Root, director of immigration and justice at the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit social justice policy group based in New York City.

    The Vera Institute is set to receive $4 million — the largest slice of the funds from the state, according to the budget.

    “This funding is significant in that we will now be able to represent all detained people in the State of New York,” Root said.

    Previously, the legal defense services Vera arranged for immigrants were funded by the New York City Council. Last year, the organization received $650,000 through the city’s New York Immigrant Family Reunification Project.

    Since 2013, all of the city’s eligible undocumented immigrants could secure a public defender through the New York Family Immigrant Reunification Project, Root said. Of those immigrants who had legal representation, roughly 30% were able to remain in the country, Root said.

    Outside of the city, Vera said it funded less than 20% of the need in New York State’s three other immigration courts: Batavia, Buffalo, and Fishkill, Root said.

    Last year, nearly 4,400 immigrants in New York were deported after appearing in court, according to TRAC, a database of information on the staffing, spending and enforcement activities of the federal government that’s run by Syracuse University.

    TRAC reviewed nationwide data on immigration hearings for women with children in 2015. Without representation, 98.5%of the cases were ordered to be deported. With legal representation, that percentage dropped to 73.7%.

    Other groups that will receive funds from the state include The Hispanic Federation, the Catholic Charities Community Services Archdiocese of NY, the New York Immigration Coalition, the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants Rights and the Empire Justice Center.

    The funds may be used for legal services, case management, English-as-a-second-language, job training and placement assistance and other employment-related services. However, the vast majority of the funding will go toward legal services, said Frank Sobrino, a spokesman for the governor’s office.

    “The $10 million in the budget is a good start and an important investment,” said Steve Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “But there are still major gaps in legal services. There are thousands of New Yorkers who are not detained, but face deportation and might have relief, but can’t afford lawyers,”

    New York is the first state to provide free legal services to immigrants, but California and several cities — including San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. — have begun efforts to design similar programs, Root said.

  • INDIA’S RETAIL INFLATION INCHES UP TO 3.8% IN MARCH ON FESTIVAL DEMAND

    INDIA’S RETAIL INFLATION INCHES UP TO 3.8% IN MARCH ON FESTIVAL DEMAND

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Rise in the prices of sugar, confectionary, snacks and fruits pushed up India’s consumer price inflation (CPI) firmed up to 3.81% in March from 3.65% in February, government data showed on Wednesday.

    The slowing pace of remonetisation, or pumping new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes into circulation, during March to replace the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in November, helped inflation to stay within 4% in the financial year ending March 2017.

    Retail food inflation was at 1.93% in March, slightly lower than 2.01% in February, as prices of pulses and vegetables fell by a little over 8%.

    However, sugar and confectionaries were costlier by 16.5% while prices of snacks, sweets and prepared meals were up 6.13% due to festival demand during Holi.

    “The worrisome feature is that non-food components still witnessed high rates–clothing 4.6%, fuel and light 5.6%, housing 5%, transport 6%. Hence, core CPI is a worry,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist of Care Ratings.

    “We expect CPI inflation to range between 4.5-5% for FY18 assuming a normal monsoon,” he added.

  • NO SELF-CERTIFICATION? ACCOUNTS USED FOR OVERSEAS TRANSACTIONS TO BE BLOCKED

    NO SELF-CERTIFICATION? ACCOUNTS USED FOR OVERSEAS TRANSACTIONS TO BE BLOCKED

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Bank accounts used for transfer of funds to and from other nations will have to provide additional details of transactions and identity by April 30 or get blocked, the income tax department said on Wednesday.

    Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and their spouses or parents are among those affected by the directive, and will need to make a self-declaration with information such as residence status and purpose of transactions, or risk having their accounts frozen.

    “I am in panic. I will be back from my vacation on April 25. We had no idea about this new rule. I hope I have time to do the needful before my account is blocked,” said a management consultant, whose husband routinely sends her money from his account in United States where he works.

    For privacy, the woman requested her identity not be disclosed.

    Several banks have been caught unawares as well, and they will now need to rush to comply with the guideline before the month ends.

    The directive is a consequence of a bilateral agreement with the United States for implementation of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) by India beginning August 31, 2015. The pact aims to detect tax evasion by sharing information of transactions by people between the two countries.

    Wednesday’s order is specifically for accounts opened between July 2014, the date from which the information was to be exchanged, and August 2015, when the agreement came into force.

    Entities such as firms too will need to comply with the self-declaration directive, which also covers other financial instruments such as mutual funds.

    According to the Reserve Bank of India norms, permanent account number (PAN), Aadhaar card, driver’s license, voter’s identity card or passport will serve as proof of identity and address. Aadhaar, however, is not mandatory for the self declaration, a senior I-T department officials said. Source: HT

     

  • TRUMP BACKS AWAY FROM LABELING CHINA A CURRENCY MANIPULATOR

    TRUMP BACKS AWAY FROM LABELING CHINA A CURRENCY MANIPULATOR

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration will not label China a currency manipulator, backing away from a campaign promise, even as he said the US dollar was “getting too strong” and would eventually hurt the economy.

    In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump also said he would like to see US interest rates stay low, another comment at odds with what he had often said during the election campaign.

    A US Treasury spokesman confirmed that the Treasury Department’s semi-annual report on currency practices of major trading partners, due out later this week, will not name China a currency manipulator.

    The US dollar fell broadly on Trump’s comments on both the strong dollar and interest rates, while US Treasury yields fell on the interest rate comments, and Wall Street stocks slipped.

    Trump’s comments broke with a long-standing practice of both US Democratic and Republican administrations of refraining from commenting on policy set by the independent Federal Reserve. It is also highly unusual for a president to address the dollar’s value, which is a subject usually left to the US Treasury secretary.

    “They’re not currency manipulators,” Trump told the Journal about China. The statement is an about-face from Trump’s election campaign promises to slap that label on Beijing on the first day of his administration as part of his plan to reduce Chinese imports into the United States.

    The Wall Street Journal paraphrased Trump as saying that the reason he changed his mind on the currency issue was because China has not been manipulating its yuan for months and because taking the step now could jeopardize his talks with Beijing on confronting the threat from North Korea.

    Separately on Wednesday, at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump said the United States was prepared to tackle the crisis surrounding North Korea without China if necessary.

    The United States last branded China a currency manipulator in 1994. Under US law, labeling a country as currency manipulator can trigger an investigation and negotiations on tariffs and trade.

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that Trump’s decision to break his campaign promise on China was “symptomatic of a lack of real, tough action on trade” against Beijing.

    “The best way to get China to cooperate with North Korea, is to be tough on them with trade, which is the number one thing China’s government cares about,” Schumer said.

    Trump open to reappointing Yellen as Fed chair

    Trump also told the Journal that he respected Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and said she was “not toast” when her current term ends in 2018.

    That was also a turnaround from his frequent criticism of Yellen during his campaign, when he said she was keeping interest rates too low.

    At other times, however, Trump had said that low rates were good because higher rates would strengthen the dollar and hurt American exports and manufacturers.

    “I think our dollar is getting too strong, and partially that’s my fault because people have confidence in me. But that’s hurting – that will hurt ultimately,” Trump said on Wednesday.

    “It’s very, very hard to compete when you have a strong dollar and other countries are devaluing their currency,” Trump told the Journal.

    The dollar fell broadly Trump’s comments on the strong dollar and on his preference for low interest rates. It fell more than 1.0 percent against the yen, sinking below 110 yen for the first time since mid-November.

    “It’s hard to talk down your currency unless you’re going to talk down your interest rates and so obviously he’s trying to get Janet Yellen to play ball with him…”, said Robert Smith, president and chief investment officer at Sage Advisory Services in Texas.

    Trump’s comments about the Fed were his most explicit about the US central bank since he took office in January, and suggest a lower likelihood that he plans to try to push monetary policy in some unorthodox new direction. Source: Reuters

  • Here’s how you can survive a break-up

    Here’s how you can survive a break-up

    You might know it is the right decision for both of you, but still, breaking up is never easy. A calm well-intended conversation can turn into an argument as emotions run high or someone can feel hurt, or rejected.

    Often people who have made peace with their decision still do not know the best way to break off the relationship and wish for some kind of blueprint in how to approach such a difficult situation. The Independent spoke to relationship therapist Gurpreet Singh about the best way to handle a potentially difficult decision.

    Sometimes the difficulties start before the breaking up when someone thinks they have made the right decision but can find themselves nervous or doubting their choice. “Breaking up really is hard to do,” Singh says. “There are no hard and fast rules about when a relationship is over – it’s usually a feeling that builds over time that things just aren’t right, that you and your partner aren’t making each other happy anymore, that the bad times are outweighing the good. That ‘it doesn’t feel like it used to.

    “The beginning of a relationship can be intoxicating and it’s easy to get swept away in a bubble of happiness. But with time and life changes, the intoxication might wear off. It’s also possible that you or your partner might change in different directions. The reasons for the drift in the relationship or the distance that develops between you is not always clear. “As things deteriorate, both partners could experience a range of emotions like upset, anger, sadness, shock, let down and perhaps even a bit of relief as the reality of the inevitable break-up sets in.”

    Singh says the most important factor when breaking up with someone is honesty. It is important to be honest with your partner and yourself – explaining all the reasons you have for ending the relationship and listening to them. It is important not to leave any stones unturned, even if you feel it is nicer to hide certain parts of the truth. He adds (“of course, if a relationship is in any way unsafe then removing yourself is the absolute priority”).

     

  • SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE: FIVE SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR

    SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE: FIVE SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR

    After Arunabh Kumar, the founder of The Viral Fever, an online entertainment YouTube channel, filmmaker Vikas Bahl, directer of the film, Queen, has also been accused of sexual harassment at workplace by female employees.

    Such incidences have created a furore on social media. They have finally brought to limelight the unspoken problem of workplace sexual harassment in this country. Though we are aware of the term ‘sexual harassment’, we lack clarity on what kinds of behaviour constitutes for it. A consulting firm, HRhelpdesk.in, recently did a nationwide research on workplace sexual harassment and put together insights by talking to women across the country.

    Here are some subtle signs to watch out for at office to know if you’re being harassed:

    SEXIST BEHAVIOUR: Actor-author Twinkle Khanna recently pointed out that calling someone sexy at workplace isn’t appropriate. If your colleagues make sexist jokes towards you, chances are that you’re being harassed. “In many workplaces, the abusers prior starting their sexual harassment actions, use sexist behaviour. This strategy is used to suppress the women employee; to make them feel small and weak prior starting the real harassment act. Sexist behaviours are identified by actions where co-worker or a senior employee passes comments like, ‘ this portfolio is not suitable for you because you are a woman’ or ‘you got promoted because you’re a woman’ or using the age old jokes that say women are not good. Generally sexist behaviour may not be termed as a direct sexual harassment action but such an act should be taken as red alarm by the victim that their silence may welcome something worse tomorrow,” says Shivani Misri Sadhoo, psychologist.

    The so called harmless flirting: Getting a compliment isn’t a bad thing. But, if a compliment makes you feel sexually objectified, it’s a sign of sexual harassment. If a colleague disrespects your personal space and touches you, report it to the HR.

    INAPPROPRIATE ONLINE BEHAVIOUR: If one of your colleagues sends you personal messages on your phone, social media accounts, making you feel uncomfortable, then it’s unacceptable. Your colleagues need to maintain professional and personal boundaries. Violation of these boundaries is considered as sexual harassment. “Sexual harassment is getting more and more subtle. Sending sexualised forwarded messages on whatsapp, out of proportion compliments at work, sending work related requests at odd hours, frequent requests for out of office meetings all account to sexual harassment. Although the victim is often confused whether it is harassment or not, it’s always better to pay attention to your instincts as they never lie,” says Pulkit Sharma, psychologist.

    The quid pro quo stance: Your senior colleagues shouldn’t make statements such as, “Come, lets go for dinner. I’m your boss,” and then hint at returning the favour in kind. This is sexual harassment. The quid pro quo behaviour along with coercion is strict no-no at workplace. “We must highlight the suppressed voices of women facing sexual harassment which is not only plaguing the organisational culture but also failing diversity programmes. Through this survey, we found out that respect and dignity at the workplace, which women deserve as an equal member of the workforce, is often absent in workplaces. This kind of behaviour not only pushes women away from the corporate world, but also forces them to curtail their career ambitions post career breaks,” says Amarpreet Kaur, founder, HRhelpdesk.in.

  • Gemma Arterton wants to start a family

    Gemma Arterton wants to start a family

    Actress Gemma Arterton says she is desperate to have kids.

    The 31-year-old actress, however, says after ending her marriage with ex-husband Stefano Catelli she needs to find a “really brilliant partner” to settle down and start a family.

    “I absolutely want to have children. But how do you do it all? I think the only way you can is if you have a really brilliant partner,” Arterton said.

    “I see a therapist, who said: ‘You know, there are people out there that are like Mark Rylance.’ “Yes, if only everyone was like Mark Rylance,” she adds.

  • GOING IN STYLE – MOVIE REVIEW

    GOING IN STYLE – MOVIE REVIEW

    Given Hollywood’s current obsession with superhero and sci-fi thrillers, it’s refreshing to see a simple tale of three elderly friends, willing to fight for their financial needs post retirement. Crushed under debt and with their pension being suspended, they must find a way to fend for themselves, even if it requires them to rob a bank!

    REVIEWYou know a film has worked when you have a broad smile on your face; way after the film is over. A remake of the 1979 film by the same name, Zach Braff presents a pleasant cocktail of lifelong friendship; heist comedy and a social commentary on the condition of senior citizens, through his three affable lead characters – Joe (Michael Caine), Willie (Morgan Freeman) and his prickly musician roommate Albert (Alan Arkin) in this breezy dramedy. What makes an otherwise regular story unique is Braff ’s execution. Despite touching upon real issues of the elderly, like financial crisis, illness or their anticipation of death, nowhere does the script get soppy or melancholic. It in fact leaves you grinning from ear to ear with its dark humour.

    “Wondering if the insipid corn they had on the buffet is from the World War II days”, Alan Arkin exudes wicked sarcasm and fits the bill. The acting genius of these veteran stars needs no introduction but we must say, with such fine actors at the helm of things, there’s nothing that they can’t pull off.

    While the heist chaos is a bit juvenile, the film works for its self-deprecating humour and chemistry between its phenomenally talented actors. The clever writing does justice to their acting prowess.

    To cut a long story short, Going in Style is a warm and wonderful film on friendship and life post 60. Watch it with your best friends for life as some relationships are worth melting for indeed.

  • VIDYA BALAN: BEGUM JAAN RULES THE SPACE SHE LIVES IN

    VIDYA BALAN: BEGUM JAAN RULES THE SPACE SHE LIVES IN

    As Vidya Balan starrer ‘Begum Jaan’ is all set to hit the screens this Friday, the actress sat down for a tete-a-tete with Bombay Times where she talked about her powerful character and more.

    Speaking about her fiery act as Begum Jaan in the Srijit Mukherji film, the quintessential actress is all praises for the strong. She says, “Begum Jaan rules the space she lives in. When we asked ourselves why she would not set up her kotha somewhere else, we realized that each one of us is trying to establish our roots somewhere or the other.”

    ‘Begum Jaan’ is a story of survival set against the backdrop of the Partition. A Hindi adaptation of Mukerji’s critically acclaimed Bengali movie ‘Rajkahini’, the film shows the grit and gumption of a group of sex workers as they fight for their home.

  • JENNIFER ANISTON NOT A FAN OF THEROUX’S BEARD

    JENNIFER ANISTON NOT A FAN OF THEROUX’S BEARD

    Actress Jennifer Aniston doesn’t like her husband and actor Justin Theroux to have a long beard, which he can be seen with in new series “The Leftovers”.

    Aniston initially didn’t mind Theroux’s bushy facial hair, but later got tired of it and asked him to shave, reports eonline.com.

    But he can’t do that as he is filming for “The Leftovers”.

    “She likes it, up to a point. She’ll like it for about a month and then she’s like, ‘Okay, you have to get rid of it.’ Then I’m like, ‘No, I actually have to keep the beard now for the whole show’,” Theroux said on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’.

    “The first season I had to have stubble for the entire season and that was torture for her. (But) now it’s soft,” he added.

  • SHRADDHA KAPOOR: I DON’T MIND GETTING DRENCHED FOR A SCENE

    SHRADDHA KAPOOR: I DON’T MIND GETTING DRENCHED FOR A SCENE

    Shraddha Kapoor’s monsoon mush in films like ‘Aashiqui 2’, ‘Ek Villain’, ‘ABCD 2’ and ‘Baaghi’ has been favourably received by the audience. And the lady herself is more than happy to be caught in a shower. “There’s nothing more romantic than the rain and since these sequences have worked well for me, I don’t mind getting drenched at all. I love dancing in the rains. Add Mohit Suri’s music and it’s pure magic,” says the 30-year-old actress who plays Arjun Kapoor’s ‘Half Girlfriend’ in an upcoming romance-drama of the same name. Incidentally, Shraddha’s next rain song ‘Baarish’, featuring Arjun this time, has released.

    An adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s 2014 novel, it is set in three distinct worlds -Delhi, Patna and New York. All the three landscapes are essential to Shraddha’s character, Riya Somani’s journey because she changes as a person in each of these settings. From a ‘hep’, high-society Delhi girl she moves to a more modest, fusion inspired avatar post interval. “I’ve enjoyed wearing some of the world’s biggest brands for the most part of the film, gradually shifting to more handloom-kitsch weaves. Mohit and Anaita (stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania) gave me a look that’s straight out of a fairytale. She’s done a phenomenal job with all my looks in the movie,” smiles Shraddha, for whom the film has come as a breath of fresh air after an onslaught of girl-next-door turns. “My best look would be the Delhi one, undoubtedly. She’s super-glamorous and dolled up, unlike any of the characters I’ve played before.”

  • AMY SCHUMER SLAMS BODY SHAMERS WITH BIKINI PHOTOGRAPH

    AMY SCHUMER SLAMS BODY SHAMERS WITH BIKINI PHOTOGRAPH

    Amy Schumer has hit back at body shamers by sharing a series of her pictures dressed in bikini. The 35-year-old actress-comedienne posted eight pictures on her Instagram Story, where she can be seen paddle boarding, walking on the beach and enjoying a boat ride with her friends.

    The ‘Trainwreck’ star ended her post with the message, “I feel great…” Schumer’s posts come in barely days after swimwear designer Dana Duggan criticised the actress for her appearance on the May 2017 cover of a magazine, which features her floating in the pool wearing a white one-piece swimsuit.

  • MIRZA JULIET – MOVIE REVIEW

    MIRZA JULIET – MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY

    A story of star-crossed lovers battle misogyny, hate and caste tensions amidst a politically-charged environment.

    REVIEW

    Contrasting sneakers with garish, loud Punjabi kurtas is Juuliet Shukla (Pia Bajpai) a feisty girl in Mirzapur, UP who bullies anything that moves —from the local bus conductor to her childhood friend Mirza (Darshan Kumar). She throws her weight around town as she is the darling sister of Dharamraj (Priyanshui Chatterjee), a powerful local goon who wants to marry her off to the son of another powerful politician, the very randy Rajan Pandey (Chandan Roy Sanyal). Mirza (Darshan Kumar), on the other hand, is a hitman; a total opposite to Juuliet’s brash personality —calm, composed and the best shot in town.

    At its core, ‘Mirza Juuliet’ is a formulaic film that climbs on the shoulders of other successful films set in small towns such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Tanu Weds Manu. Right from its opening sequence, it borrows the chase scene from Gangs of Wasseypur along with the song ‘Mohabbat Ka Misuse’ and fails on both counts. The chase scene is badly edited and the song tacky enough to be irritating. It also tries to show the ill-treatment of women in small towns, but ends up being crass in the process, sinking under the weight of the misogyny it creates.

    Pia Bajpai looks stunning, but her character is so aggressively loud, you fail to connect with her. Darshan Kumar, as a hitman gives a decent performance but his character development becomes unbelievable. He dodges every bullet putting Keanu Reeves from the Matrix to shame and when he does get shot, it only makes him angrier and faster to the chagrin of the baddies which include the entire town!

  • Raveena barred from promoting her film ‘Maatr’?

    Raveena barred from promoting her film ‘Maatr’?

    Raveena Tandon has been requested by Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) not to promote her upcoming film ‘Maatr’, as the film’s producer Anjum Rizvi is yet to get his dues for a past project – the remake of Sai Paranjpye’s ‘Katha’.

    The 2016 film starred Manish Paul, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Sharmila Mandre and was directed by Khalid Mohamed.

    Joint secretary of CINTAA Amit Behl had said that previously, a non-cooperation notice had been issued by CINTAA against Anjum, who had then promised to clear off the dues as soon as his next film kicked off.

  • United Air episode could dent its China biz – very badly

    United Air episode could dent its China biz – very badly

    NEW DELHI: The hellish ‘dragging episode’ on board a United Airlines passenger flight could dent the company’s business badly in its top growth market, China, experts told state media.

    Last year, the Chinese mainland generated $2.2 billion in revenue for United, which is around 6.1 percent of its total revenue, Global Times wrote citing a report from FactSet. That number for United was almost double the revenue its main competitor, Delta Air, took in from China last year, the report added.

    On Sunday, shocking videos surfaced of a passenger who suffered a bloodied face when he was forcibly removed from a United flight after the airline told passengers four of them would have to leave to make way for United employees.

    The episode led to some top Chinese chief executives disclosing how badly they too have been treated on United. And these CEOs’ harsh ratings of the airline’s services, along with calls from Chinese travelers to boycott United, could well result in a drastic drop in business. “From the ground to the air, United’s arrogant service attitude is so horrifying that I have never booked flights since I’ve experienced it twice,” said Gao Xiaosong, a composer and co-founder of Alibaba Music Group, on his Weibo account, Global Times reported.

    Weibo is Chna’s equivalent of Twitter. Liu Qiangdong, CEO of domestic e-commerce giant JD.com, wrote on Weibo that United Airlines’ recent violent treatment of a passenger brought back memories of his three “nightmarish experiences” flying United.

    “I can responsibly say: United Airlines has definitely the worst services in the world, second to none,” Liu wrote on Weibo.

    “China-US non-stop air routes have become some of the most profitable ‘golden routes’ in recent years thanks to Chinese citizens’ appetite for outbound travel and a relaxed US visa application process”, said Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China, to the Global Times yesterday.

    In 2016, the passenger volume on China-US air routes surged 30 percent year-on-year, ranking as the fastest growing routes among all international flights, according to Li.

    United’s continued business in China “depends on the company’s public relations management ability to deal with the crisis and calm down public anger,” Li further said.

    Considering it took three days for United’s CEO to properly apologize, that ability is also now severely under question. (PTI)

  • 22 dead in fire at Senegal religious retreat

    22 dead in fire at Senegal religious retreat

    DAKAR (TIP): A fire ripped through makeshift shelters at a Muslim religious retreat in Senegal, killing at least 22 people and triggering a stampede, firefighters said on Thursday.

    The blaze broke out on Wednesday as worshippers gathered in the town of Medina Gounass in the southeastern region of Tambacounda, a senior official with the firefighting service told AFP.

    The cause was as yet unknown, the official said.

    Images of billowing clouds of smoke, the charred corpses of animals and devastation at the site circulated online, testifying to the fire’s impact.

    While some victims were badly burnt, others were hurt in the panicked stampede triggered by the blaze, the firefighter added. (AP)