PROUD OF YOU: FREIDA PINTO TO EX DEV PATEL ON OSCAR NOD

Actor Dev Patel's former girlfriend, actress Freida Pinto has congratulated him on earning an Academy Award nomination this year. The 32-year-old actress took to social media to give a shout-out to Dev, who has been nominated in the best actor in a supporting role category for "Lion" in 2017 Oscars.  Sharing a black-and-white picture of Dev, Freida wrote on Instagram, "So proud of you, Dev! 

A fine example of what hardwork, focus, humility and crazy amazing talent rewards one with. Long time coming, so well deserved! Former flames, Dev and Freida met on the sets of the  Oscar-winning film, "Slumdog Millionaire" and started dating after that.The couple split amicably after a six-year-long relationship in December 2014 @lionmov @theacademy #Oscars2017 OscarNominations2017 #bestactorinasupportingrole."

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TRUMP PLANS MAJOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN: REPORT

US President Donald Trump is set to sign several executive orders, including one on building a border wall with Mexico, this week to crack down on immigrants - one of his central campaign promises - and could suspend immigration from some Muslim nations, media reports have said. 

Trump is expected to order the construction of the border  wall with Mexico, the first in a series of actions to bolster national security, The New York Times reported.The border wall was a signature promise of Trump's campaign to control the illegal flow of immigrants.  His actions would also include slashing the number of refugees who can resettle in the US and blocking Syrians and others from "terror prone" nations from entering, at least  temporarily.He could move to suspend some immigration from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, either temporarily or "indefinitely," sources familiar with the plans that have been under consideration were quoted as saying by the ABC news.

   

"Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!," Trump tweeted. He also plans to review whether to resume the once-secret "black site" detention programme; keep open the prison at Guantanamo Bay; and designate the Muslim Brotherhood a  terrorist organisation. Trump is expected to target legal immigrants as early as this week, White House officials said, by halting a decades- old programme that grants refuge to the world's most vulnerable people.

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INDIA, US HOLD TALKS TO PROTECT OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS

India and the US have held extensive talks here to protect ocean ecosystems and promote sustainable development through the 'blue economy', one of the largest bilateral diplomatic engagements in the world specifically focused on oceans.

The two sides held wide-ranging discussions yesterday on areas of cooperation in sustainable marine resource management, including the blue economy, fisheries security, and joint exploration of exclusive economic zones.

The first-ever US-India Ocean Dialogue Preparatory Meeting is part of a decision made during the first US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in 2015 to protect ocean ecosystems and promote sustainable development through the 'blue economy', a release said.

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Trump was a ;Change Candidate', Don't Underestimate him: Obama

US President Barack Obama has said Donald Trump was a "change candidate" and cautioned people against underestimating the President-elect, even as he acknowledged that it has been an "unusual" transition. "He was a change candidate," Obama told CBS News in his final interview as the President of the United States. Asked if anyone can change Washington, Obama said, "I think the American people can change Washington." 

"But I think that it is not going to change, because somebody from high directs that change. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, are motivated by all kinds of issues," the 55-year-old outgoing President said. "They're sincerely interested in the economy, in terrorism, in social issues. But the one overriding thing they're interested in is getting re-elected. And if they think that it's harder for them to get re-elected by cooperating with each other, then they won't cooperate," Obama said. Reflecting on the election campaign, the US President said  Trump was clearly able to tap into a lot of grievances.

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Kohli, jadhav Hit Magical Centuries to script Sensational Win

Skipper Virat Kohli smashed a majestic 122 while Kedar Jadhav conjured up a career-best 120 before India's lower middle-order held nerves to pull off an incredible three-wicket win over England in the first One-day International, here today.Kohli and Jadhav rattled up a sensational 200-run partnership for the fifth wicket to set up the platform after England set the hosts a stiff 351-run target.

Chips were down for India after losing four wickets for just 63 runs but Kohli and Jadhav scripted a comeback with their gritty batting as Mahendra Singh Dhoni (6) and Yuvraj Singh (15) could not contribute much in the chase.India required 60 runs from the last 10 overs after the fall of both Kohli and Jadhav but Hardik Pandya ensured that their good work does not go waste with his responsible unbeaten 40-run innings.

Pandya saw Ravindra Jadeja losing his wicket in the 45th over but the young all-rounder kept his cool to steer India to the finish line. He hit a six off Adil Rashid to level the scores and R Ashwin finished it in style, hammering Moeen Ali into the stands in the first ball of the 49th over.India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with the next match scheduled in Cuttack on January 19.

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India 'Incomplete' without Sindh: Advani

BJP patriarch LK Advani feels that India appears "incomplete" without Sindh in its territory.The 89-year-old leader made the remarks at an event here on Sunday while lamenting that Karachi, the capital of the Pakistani province, where he was born in a Sindhi family was not a part of India anymore."At times I feel sad that Karachi and Sindh are not parts of India anymore. I was very active in RSS during my childhood days in Sindh. It is matter of dismay. 

I believe that India appears incomplete without Sindh," Advani said. He was speaking at the 48th ascension anniversary of spiritual leader Pitashri Brahma, the founder of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya.In his brief address, Advani also praised the organisation for according importance to women and placing them in high positions in its hierarchy while adding that he wants RSS to "learn from them"

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Indian Rupee Softens 10 Paise Against Dollar

The Indian rupee weakened 10 paise to 68.26 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on increased demand for the American currency from banks and importers. Dealers attributed the rupee's fall to dollar's strength against some other currencies overseas and a lower opening of the domestic equity market. 

On Friday, the rupee fell by 8 paise to close at 68.16 against the US currency on fresh bouts of dollar demand from banks and corporates amid capital outflows. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex fell by 54.57 points or 0.20 per cent to 27,183.49 in early trade. PTI SUN

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US Dog Saves Owner by Lying on Him in Freezing Conditions

In a heroic act, a dog saved his 64-year-old owner's life by lying on top of him for nearly 24 hours to keep him warm in freezing conditions as the man lay paralysed in snow after falling and breaking his neck.The man, named only as Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse in Petoskey, Michigan, on New Year's Eve to collect firewood. 5-year-old golden retriever Kelsey happened to be with Bob when during halftime of the Fiesta Bowl, Bob decided to walk outside his house in just his long johns, slippers and a shirt to get firewood for the fireplace.The short, 15-foot walk turned traumatic when Bob slipped and fell and then could not move.

"I was screaming for help, but my nearest neighbor is about a quarter-mile away and it was 10:30 PM, but my Kelsey came," Bob was quoted as saying by Petoskey News. "By morning my voice was gone and I couldn't yell for help, but Kelsey didn't stop barking." For the next 20 hours, Bob remained paralysed in the snow in temperatures that dipped very low. Bob claims Kelsey kept him warm by laying on top of him, licking his face and hands to help keep him awake. 

"She kept barking for help, but never left my side. She kept me warm and alert. I knew I had to persevere through this and that was my choice to stay alive," he was quoted as saying. After being outside for 19 hours, Bob lost consciousness, but Kelsey kept barking until eventually his neighbor, Rick, discovered him.

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90 Indian-Origin Punjabis to Fly to India to Campaign for Aap

Some 90 Punjabis of Indian-origin from Canada will fly to Punjab to campaign for Aam Admi Party (AAP) in 16 of the state's largest constituencies for the assembly elections on February 4. They will arrive in Punjab on January 19. "I want to be a part of real change," Surinder Mavi, a 31-year-old Brampton resident who helped in organising the plane load of AAP "election volunteers" was quoted as saying by Toronto Star. Mavi said the Toronto area volunteers were part of a campaign that will see thousands of Indian expatriates arrive in Dehli in Punjab to help AAP in the elections, it reported. 

Mavi's political awakening began with his arrival in Canada eight years ago, when he realised bribes were unnecessary and basic rules, like stopping at red lights, were respected. For the election, Mavi will ride an AAP campaign bus that will rally support in 16 of Punjab's largest constituencies.He had joined the Canadian branch of AAP, which had burst onto the Indian political scene two years ago with a platform of ending the culture of "bribe-taking," the daily reported.The key platform issues in campaign will be AAP's proposals to fight widespread drug abuse among the youth and programmes to give farmers more money for their crops.

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Scottish Church Criticised for Reading 'Quaran' Passage

A Scottish cathedral has been criticised for allowing the reading of a passage from the 'Quran' which was aimed at promoting understanding between the two faiths.

St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow during a Eucharist service last week marked the feast of the Epiphany  by including a guest reader who read from 'Surah 19' in the  'Quran'.  "The decisions which have led to the situation in St Mary's Cathedral are a matter for the provost and the cathedral community but the Scottish Episcopal Church is deeply distressed at the widespread offence which has been caused," said Church Primus, the Most Rev David Chillingworth, in an online post on Sunday.

"We also deeply regret the widespread abuse which has been received by the cathedral community. In response to what has happened at the cathedral, the Scottish Episcopal Church will bring together all those who are involved in the development of interfaith relations," he said.

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Rs. 9000 Minimum Pension For Central Govt. Employees: MOS PMO

The minimum pension has been increased to Rs 9,000 per person besides a two-fold hike in ex-gratia amount for central government employees, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. Addressing the 29th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) here, he said almost 88 per cent of pension accounts have been seeded to Aadhaar. 

There are about 50-55 lakh pensioners in the country, said Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office. He further said that minimum pension has been increased to Rs 9,000 per person and ex-gratia amount has been increased from Rs 10-15 lakh to Rs 25-35 lakh, as per a release issued by Personnel Ministry. The SCOVA meeting is organised by the Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare (DoP&PW). 

Singh said there is a need to put in place an institutionalised mechanism to make good use of the knowledge, experience and efforts of the retired employees which can help in the value addition to the current scenario. He said the retired employees are a healthy and productive workforce for India and we need to streamline and channelise their energies in a productive direction. "We should learn from the pensioners' experience," said Singh.

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I Can't Compare Myself to Raj Kapoor: Aamir Khan

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan says he was touched when noted actor Rishi Kapoor called him Raj Kapoor of today's time. "The one response that really touched me was of Rishi Kapoorji's tweet. He gave me the biggest compliment that I could imagine by calling me the Raj Kapoor of today. 

That was the biggest compliment that I got," Aamir, 51, said. "I was over the moon, I was thrilled and really happy. I thanked him. I can't compare myself to Raj Kapoor there is no way about it. Considering this thought came to Rishi ji's mind who is Raj Kapoor's son means a lot to me." Aamir's superstar friend Salman too had tweeted praising him and his performance in "Dangal". 

"Salman's tweet - 'I love you personally but hate you professionally' people might get confused about it. The fact that he is telling it publicly...  there is lot of love in it and that is a big compliment as it is coming from my colleague," he said. 

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Black Money has Destroyed Nation, Fight Against IT: PM to Youth

Contending that black money had "destroyed" the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reached out to the youth, asking them to fight against it along with social problems like caste discrimination, untouchability and harassment of women.

Hailing the youth for their contribution to various aspects of the society, he pitched for new thinking while underlining the need for channelising the tremendous energy of the young people and preventing them from getting misled. The Prime Minister asked the youth to focus on six social challenges -- ending of illiteracy, insensitivity, perverted thinking, failure to rise above caste considerations, ill-treatment of women and callous attitude towards the environment. 

"Black money has destroyed the country... Recently we took a major decision to fight black money. The youth have put in their energy into this," he said while referring to demonetisation under which Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes were withdrawn. Modi, while addressing the 21st National Youth Festival by video conferencing, underlined that over 80 crore people aged under 35 years can contribute immensely to the social changes. 

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British EX-SPY with Trump Memo Goes Into Hiding

A former British spy is "in fear of his life" and has gone into hiding after being publicly named  as the author of a memo that claims Russia has compromising material on US President-elect Donald Trump. Christopher Steele, who runs a London-based intelligence firm, left his home in Berkshire, south-east England, earlier this week and had asked his neighbour to look after his cats, BBC reports. 

Steele, 52, has been widely named as the author of the memo, published in some US media containing extensive allegations about Trump's personal life and his campaign's relationship with the Russian state. Trump has dismissed the claims as "fake news" and "phoney stuff". The allegations include claims that Moscow has a video recording of Trump with prostitutes and damaging information about his business activities. 

According to BBC, Steele was reportedly "in fear of his life", having spoken out about potential Russian involvement in Trump's election. Members of the intelligence community described the spook as "extremely, highly regarded" and was seen as "competent". Steele, who was initially named in the US, is a former member of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and a director of Orbis Business Intelligence, which describes itself as a leading corporate intelligence consultancy.

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India Announces USD 100 Million Line of Credit to Kenya

India on Wednesday announced a USD 100 million Line of Credit to Kenya for agricultural mechanisation after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta during which they also decided to deepen economic cooperation, identifying expansion of bilateral trade as a "priority".

Asserting that challenges in the maritime domain are a shared concern, Modi said the two sides will also explore opportunities in blue economy. "We are focussed on quick operationalisation of our defence cooperation. Some of the specific areas of priority would be hydrography, 

communication networks, anti-piracy, capacity building, exchanges and defence medical cooperation. "We are also partnering to strengthen our security cooperation and capacities. In this context, we have directed the Joint Working Group to meet early. It would focus on cyber security, counter terrorism, combating drugs, narcotics, human trafficking and money laundering," the Prime Minister said at a joint press event with Kenyatta. 

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Modi meets global leaders ahead of Vibrant Gujarat Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (January 10) held bilateral talks with several heads of state and ministers who have converged in Gandhinagar for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

Ahead of the official inauguration of the summit, he held delegation-level talks with various international leaders at Mahatma Mandir in the morning, starting with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.

In a series of tweets, External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with leaders of Rwanda, Serbia, Japan and Denmark. 'A crisp January morning in Gandhinagar begins with full delegation level talks. PM with President @PaulKagame of Rwanda @VibrantGujarat," Swarup tweeted.

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Priti Patel, Neena Gill among 30 PIOs feted at PBD

BRITISH Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel and Labour Member of the European Parliament representing the West Midlands Neena Gill were two persons of Indian origin (PIOs) from the United Kingdom who were among the 30 PIOs honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) 2017 on Monday (January 9).

The PBSAs--the highest honor conferred on overseas Indians--were announced at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention held in Bengaluru and presented by President Pranab Mukherjee during the valedictory session.

Veteran community activist Dr. Sampatkumar Shivangi; close confidante of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the organizer of Modi’s historic appearance at Madison Square Garden in 2014, Dr. Bharat Barai; and the founder and former president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Dr. Mahesh Mehta, as well as US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal, were among the six Indian American awardees.

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FAITH LEADERS VOW TO MAKE BIHAR CLEAN AND GREEN

OVER 20 prominent interfaith leaders of India’s major faiths joined hands with the Governor of Bihar and other dignitaries to pledge togetherness for a Swachh Bharat and a Swachh Bihar at a special Summit held by the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) with technical support of UNICEF in Patna on Wednesday (January 4).

The Summit, called the ‘Sarva Dharma, Swachhta Evam Sadbhavna’, was organized with the aim of ushering in a Swachhta Kranti (clean revolution) through the coming together of prominent faith leaders, policy-makers, corporate leaders, civil society and media.

Together, the dignitaries fostered inspiration towards taking actions to ensure safe, sustainable and healthy water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all.

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DHONI QUITS LIMITED-OVERS CAPTAINCY

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the country’s most successful skipper, on Wednesday (January 4) sprang a major surprise by stepping down as India’s limited-overs captain, thereby bringing an abrupt end to his glorious leadership tenure.The 35-year-old Dhoni under whom India had won two World Cups and a Champions Trophy title, stunned the cricket fraternity by relinquishing the captaincy barely 11 days before the ODI series against England.

Dhoni’s decision has now paved the way for Test captain Virat Kohli to take over the mantle of the limited- overs team as well. While expressing his desire to quit captaincy, Dhoni conveyed to the selection committee that he will be available for selection as a player for the three ODIs and as many T20s against England starting January 15.

In his unfinished limited-overs career, Dhoni has so far scored 9110 runs in 283 ODIs at an average of 50.89 with 183 not out being his highest score.

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H1-B VISA REFORM BILL REINTRODUCED IN US CONGRESS

A BILL backing key changes in the H1-B visa programme that allows skilled workers from other countries to fill jobs in the US has been reintroduced in Congress by two lawmakers who claim that it will help crack down on its abuse.

The Bill, among other things, increases the minimum salary of H-1B visa to $100,000 per annum and eliminates the Master’s degree exemption. The legislation, they argued, will help crack down on abuse and ensure that these jobs remain available for the best and brightest talent from around the world.

The Bill comes after a number of companies--Disney, SoCal Edison and others--have come under fire for abusing the programme.

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POLL DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 5 INDIAN STATES

THE high-stakes assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases between February 11 and March 8, while Punjab and Goa will go to polls together on February 4, Uttarakhand on February 15 and Manipur in two phases on March 4 and 8, with counting to be held on March 11.

Announcing the poll schedule for five states, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said on Wednesday (January 4) the seven-phased UP Assembly polls for 403 constituencies will be held on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8.

He said over 16 crore people will participate in these polls for a total of 690 constituencies in five states, for which the Commission has set up 1.85 lakh polling stations, which are 15 per cent more than those set up in 2012 polls.

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UNION BUDGET TO BE PRESENTED ON FEBRUARY 1

The Budget session of Parliament is set to begin early on January 31, a day ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget this year, which will also see elimination of a separate Railway Budget.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday (January 3) met and recommended holding the Budget Session from January 31 followed by the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1.

The CCPA has forwarded the dates for the approval of President Pranab Mukherjee. Both the address of the President and tabling of the Economic Survey are likely to take place on January 31, sources said.

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INDIAN MINISTER CAUSES OUTRAGE BY BLAMING ‘WESTERN DRESS’ FOR SEX ATTACKS

An Indian minister faced a severe backlash Tuesday (3) after he criticised women for dressing “like westerners” at a New Year’s eve celebration where a mob allegedly carried out a series of sex assaults.

Although police have yet to charge anyone in connection with the violence on Saturday (31) night in Bangalore, local media have carried testimony and photos of victims cowering from their attackers or fleeing for safety.

Police say they are now trawling through CCTV footage to see if they can identify any of the attackers. But a minister with responsibility for policing in the southern state of Karnataka, whose largest city is Bangalore, said the “unfortunate” attacks were a consequence of women wearing western clothing.

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SCIENCE IMPACTS LIVES – NOBEL PRIZE SERIES INDIA 2017

On January 9, 2017 a five-day unique programme to stimulate engagement in science will begin in India. NineNobel Laureates will take part in conference, lectures, roundtables and other meetingstogether with experts and students from several universities. “Nobel Prize Series is one of the pillars of our global outreach and aims at raising engagement in science, literature and peace in line with Alfred Nobel’s vision. We engage millions of people around the world, combining these meetingevents anda daily contact through the digital channels of the Nobel Prize.”

The inauguration of the exhibition The Nobel Prize: Ideas Changing the World in the presence of honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 January will kickoff Nobel Prize Series. The exhibition will be displayed at Science City in Ahmedabad for a period of one month. Visitors will be guided through the story of the Nobel Prize, its founder, Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Laureates, and how Nobel Prize-awarded efforts have shaped and continue to change our world.

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CAN'T USE CASTE TO SEEK VOTES: APEX COURT

IN a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday (January 2) held that any appeal for votes on the ground of 'religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to 'corrupt practice' under the election law provision.

Referring to the term 'his religion' used in section 123(3) of the Representation of The Peoples (RP) Act, which deals with 'corrupt practice', Chief  Justice T S Thakur and three others in the 4:3 verdict said it meant the religion and caste of all including voters, candidates and their agents etc.

The ruling came on a batch of petitions regarding whether religion can be used to garner votes in an election and whether it will amount to a “corrupt practice” warranting disqualification of the winning candidate.

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NRIS NEED TO SHOW OLD NOTES TO CUSTOMS

NON-RESIDENT INDIANS and Indian nationals abroad can deposit up to Rs 25,000 of the demonetised currency during the 3-6 month grace period, but only if they show the junked notes to Customs officials at the airport and get declaration form stamped.

The declaration will have to be submitted at specified branches of the Reserve Bank while depositing the junked currency, a finance ministry notification stated on Monday (January 2).

While the 50-day window for such deposits at banks or post offices ended on December 30, the government has offered a grace period for those who were abroad.

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ANURAG, SHIRKE GET THE SUPREME COURT BOOT

CRACKING the whip on a defiant Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Supreme Court on Monday (Jnauary 2) removed its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke, saying they should 'forthwith cease and desist from' the board's work.

The apex court also decided to initiate contempt proceedongs against Thakur by seeking his response as to why he should not be held liable for obstructing the implementation of the court's directions aimed at reforming BCCI.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said that working of BCCI will be looked after by a committee of administrators and requested senior advocate Fali S Nariman and senior advocate Gopal Subramanian, who was assisting in the matter as amicus curaie, to assist the court in nominating persons of impeccable integrity as the members in the committee of administrators.

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MODI DOLES OUT SOPS FOR WEAKER SECTIONS

Addressing the nation on the New Year’s Eve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (December 31) announced an array of new schemes that will benefit the homeless poor, farmers, senior citizens and small scale industrialists.

Ending two days of mounting suspense, he thanked the people for the patience they have shown after the demonetisation decision and pointed out that considering the response that the move has gathered, it was evident that the country and its people were looking for a way to beat corruption and black money.

‘Our country has been through a historic purification ceremony after the announcement of demonetisation this Diwali. This will play an important role in the course of the nation for many years to come,’ Modi said in the televised address.

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