Actor Sruthi Hariharan revealed that casting couch does happen in India and her first casting couch experience left her crying and petrified.

Sruthi, who was last seen in Kannada hit film Humble Politician Nograj, was shattered when a producer threatened to exchange her with five other men as part of the infamous casting couch.

The actor was speaking at the India Today conclave as a part of a panel on ‘Sexism in Cinema’, where she shared about her casting couch incident and how the industry thrives on your weakness.

“One of the leading producers in Tamil Cinema bought rights to my Kannada film and offered me the same role in the remake. He offered me the role on one condition that five producers will exchange me in whatever way they want. To which I retorted by saying that I carry a slipper with me in my hand,” Sruthi said.

Sruthi also added that she stopped getting roles after this incident.

“Many producers who knew this man asked me if I actually said what I said. Since then, I have not received good projects in Tamil cinema,” Sruthi added.

But this is not the first time that the actress has faced casting couch. Her first casting couch experience happened long time ago and left the actress petrified of the industry.

“My first casting couch experience took place on my first Kannada film when I was just 18 years old. It did leave me scared and petrified that I ended up crying. When I told about this incident to my friend, who is a choreographer, he asked me to leave the industry if I don’t know how to handle this kind of things,” Sruthi said.

After the revelations of popular actors being sexually harassed by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, more people have come up to share about their horrifying experiences with Sruthi being one of them.

In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party, the Election Commission on Friday sent recommendation to President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs in the ‘office of profit’ case.

The disqualification will lead to by-polls in Delhi for 20 seats.

Responding to the latest development, AAP said the EC has hit a new low because the legislators were not given a chance to present their case.

In a tweet, AAP leader Ashutosh  attacked the electoral body and said, “EC should not be the letter box of the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office)…but that is a reality today… (A) person like me who has covered EC as reporter during (ex-EC chef TN) Seshan days, today I can say EC has never touched so low ever. Sad.”

Another AAP leader alleged that EC was trying to repay the Prime Minister.

“Election Commission chief AK Joti is trying to repay Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi before he retires,” alleged Saurabh Bhardwaj (AAP) in a press conference.

AAP leaders Sanjeev jha, Alka Lamba, Nitish Tyagi, Adarsh Shastri and Sarita Singh are among the lawmakers who face disqualification.

The office of profit petition was filed against 21 AAP MLA. Later, proceedings were dropped against Jarnail Singh after he resigned as the Rajouri Garden MLA to contest Assembly polls in Punjab.

On September 8, 2016, the high court had set aside the appointment of the 21 AAP MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.

The court had observed that the order to appoint them as parliamentary secretaries was given without the concurrence of the Lieutenant Governor.

The 16-year-old son of a property dealer who was kidnapped for ransom on Thursday was found murdered here on Friday, police said.

The body of Raunak Kumar, a Class 9 student and son of Sudhir Kumar, was found in a shuttered shop in Kadamkuan locality. His hands were tied with a rope.

“Raunnak was kidnapped by motorcycle-borne criminals in broad daylight on Thursday morning when he was on way to his school,” Patna’s Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said.

According to a relative, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 25 lakh from his father for the teenager’s safe release. Sudhir Kumar received repeated phone calls from the abductors.

One of the kidnapper arrested on Friday revealed that the boy was killed after the father failed to cough up the money on time.

The opposition mounted fresh attacks on the government of Nitish Kumar over what they said was rising lawlessness in the state.

“Hardly a day passes without murder, kidnapping, extortion and robbery reported in the state but Nitish Kumar is more busy in his ‘yatra’,” RJD state President Ram Chander Purve said.

Britain has announced the world’s first public register that requires overseas companies that own or buy property in the country to provide details of their ultimate owners.

The government is set to publish relevant draft laws and the register will go live by early 2021.

“This world-first register will build on our reputation for corporate transparency as well as help create a hostile environment for economic crimes like money laundering,” said British Business Secretary Greg Clark.

The register is the government’s move to crack down on criminals who launder money through the British property market, Xinhua news agency reported.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Thursday said properties in Britain worth $250 million has been under criminal investigation for being linked to corruption since 2004.

Over 75 per cent of the properties currently under investigation have been suspected of being used off-shore corporate secrecy, a tactic regularly seen by investigators pursuing high-level money laundering, added the spokesperson.

This will help reduce opportunities for criminals, who try to use shell companies to buy properties in London and elsewhere to launder illicit proceeds.

“We are committed to protecting the integrity and reputation of our property market to ensure the UK is seen as an attractive business environment — a key part of our Industrial Strategy,” Clark added.

The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday chaired the 25th meeting of the GST Council in New Delhi, which slashed tax rate on 54 services and 29 goods, including second-hand vehicles, confectionery and bio-diesel.

The new rates would be effective from January 25.

The council had also discussed process to make return filing simpler with just one return to be filed every month. Infosys non-executive chairman Nandan Nilekani made a presentation on simplification of the return filing process.

The council discussed the possibility of retaining only GSTR- 3B or initial sales return, while mandating sellers to upload their invoices.

Here is the entire list:

LIST OF GOODS ON WHICH GST RATE RECOMMENDED FOR REDUCTION FROM 28% TO 18%:

Old and used motor vehicles [medium and large cars and SUVs] on the margin of the supplier, subject to the condition that no input tax credit of central excise duty/value added tax or GST paid on such vehicles has been availed by him.

LIST OF GOODS ON WHICH GST RATE RECOMMENDED FOR REDUCTION FROM 28% TO 12%:

All types of old and used motors vehicles [other than medium and large cars and SUVs] on the margin of the supplier of subject to the conditions that no input tax credit of central excise duty /value added tax or GST paid on such vehicles has been availed by him.

LIST OF GOODS ON WHICH GST RATE RECOMMENDED FOR REDUCTION FROM 18% TO 12%:

• Fertilizer grade Phosphoric acid
• Bio-diesel

The following Bio-pesticides:

• Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis
• Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki
• Bacillus thuringiensis var. galleriae
• Bacillus sphaericus
• Trichoderma viride
• Trichoderma harzianum
• Pseudomonas fluoresens
• Beauveriabassiana
• NPV of Helicoverpaarmigera
• NPV of Spodopteralitura
• Neem based pesticides
• Cymbopogan
• Bamboo wood building joinery
• Drip irrigation system including laterals, sprinklers
• Mechanical Sprayer

LIST OF GOODS ON WHICH GST RATE RECOMMENDED FOR REDUCTION FROM 18% TO 5%:

• Tamarind Kernel Powder
• Mehendi paste in cones
• LPG supplied for supply to household domestic consumers by private LPG distributors
• Scientific and technical instruments, apparatus, equipment, accessories, parts, components, spares, tools, mockups and modules, raw material and consumables required for launch vehicles and satellites and payloads

List of goods on which GST rate recommended for reduction from 12% to 5%: 

• Articles of straw, of esparto or of other plaiting materials; basket-ware and wickerwork

List of goods on which GST rate recommended for an increase from 12% to 18%:

• Cigarette filter rods

List of goods on which GST rate recommended for reduction from 12% to 5% with no refund of unutilised input tax credit:

• Velvet fabric

List of goods on which GST rate recommended for reduction from 3% to 0.25%:

• Diamonds and precious stones

Nil GST rate:

• Vibhuti
• Parts and accessories for the manufacture of hearing aids.
• De-oiled rice bran

List of goods on which GST rate recommended for an increase from nil to 5%:

• Rice bran (other than de-oiled rice bran)

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said the franchise would be aiming to get Ravichandran Ashwin back in the fold in the upcoming IPL players’ auction.

Ashwin is back in auction pool after CSK, back in the IPL fold after serving suspension in the aftermath of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, retained Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja. The players’ auction is scheduled on January 27 and 28in Bengaluru.

“As I have said it is always a tough call. With Ashwin, you know we had done the same thing in the past. We will definitely go for him (Ashwin) in the auction. Ashwin definitely being a local lad, we want a lot of local players to be part of CSK,” Dhoni said at a promotional event for India Cements here.

“We have two right-to-match options but having already retained three capped Indians, don’t think we can use it. We will have to buy him out in the auction. As of now, it is tough to say, we will get him or him or him,” he added.

“Ashwin will come first in the auction for us. But we will have to wait and watch. We will try to get him,” he added.

He also stressed on the adaptability factor at the auction and said they would have to keep the emotions in check while picking the squad.

The star Ranveer Singh has always proved himself as a dedicated actor. He has always merged in the characters of his films and wore it like a second skin.

He never fails to impress his fans whether it is his movie or a red carpet attire. The quirk in the actor is what makes him stand out from the crowd.

ALSO READ: After Priyanka Chopra, now Deepika Padukone shares her meme

Ranveer is currently shooting for his next project ‘Gully Boy.’ It is musical drama directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Akhtar’s Tiger Baby and Excel Entertainment productions. The actor shared a picture of his transformation into the character. Have a look at his body transformation.

#padmaavat —> #gullyboy pic.x.com/6GFJAzPChf

— Ranveer Singh (@RanveerOfficial) January 19, 2018

Ranveer will be starring with Alia Bhatt in Gully Boy, based on the lives of street rappers Divine and Naezy. In other news, Ranveer will soon be seen on the screen in his film Padmaavat, to be released on 25 January.

 ALSO READ: In pics: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt’s look in ‘Gully Boy’ revealed

Crude oil prices at around $60 per barrel is the “ideal” level for Air India to sustain its new-found revenue growth, the airline’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Pradeep Singh Kharola said.

When asked about the surge in crude oil prices and its impact on Air India’s revenue growth, Kharola told IANS: “I believe the airline is comfortable with oil prices being in the range of $60-65 per barrel.”

“Anything beyond this range will obviously erode our bottom line,” he said at the company’s HQ — Airlines House — located here.

Several global factors like production curbs and high demand have led to a surge in crude oil prices to a three-year high. As of January 18, 2018, it hovered around the $70-a-barrel mark.

Crude prices are important for airlines, as jet fuel, which is a refined product, is heavily taxed in India and forms a major cost component.

The new CMD pointed out that on a year-on-year basis the airline has grown its revenues by around 10 per cent during April-December 2017. He, however, did not disclose any figures.

Recently, Parliament was informed that Air India is expected to report a net loss of Rs 3,579 crore for 2017-18 as per “(budget estimates) (projected)” from a (provisional) net loss of Rs 3,643 crore for 2016-17.

On the other hand, the airline is projected to increase its operating profit to Rs 531 crore (BE projected) for 2017-18 from a provisional operating profit of Rs 215 crore for 2016-17.

The airline, which is under a massive debt burden of Rs 50,000 crore, had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16 and is expected to report an improved operating profit margin for the last fiscal.

According to Kharola, the airline plans to increase its revenue by focusing on the business class segment by providing better services in terms of food and beverages and entertainment options.

In terms of new international services, Kharola said that the airline is expected to commence a New Delhi-Los Angeles flight within the next two-three months and increase frequencies to Australia.

In regard to the ongoing discussion surrounding the divestment process, Kharola distanced himself and stated that his mandate is “to improve the airline’s efficiencies and to keep a tab on costs”.

However, he said, efforts are underway to safeguard employees’ interests. Air India has over 11,000 employees, whereas at the group level, including its subsidiaries, the number of staffers goes up to about 20,000.

Currently, a ministerial panel is firming up the contours of the strategic divestment — of at least 51 per cent stake — in Air India and its subsidiaries.

Last month, consulting multinational EY had been appointed as transaction advisors to aid the government in the strategic divestment process.

A court here has issued arrest warrants against fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and 18 others for offences involving alleged fraud and concealment of material facts for inducing investments, on a complaint by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).

The court, in its recent order, issued arrest warrants against Mallya and others, taking cognizance of the offence punishable under Section 36, Section 448 and Section 447 of the Companies Act, 2013.

The arrest warrants are returnable by January 29.

Besides Mallya, the others against whom arrest warrants have been issued include a clutch of UB Group officials, including its Chief Financial Officer A.K. Ravi Nedungadi, Capt. G.R. Gopinath, promoter of Deccan Aviation Ltd till its merger with Kingfisher Aviation, Ashok Wadhwa of Ambit Private Ltd., and several chartered accountants associated with Kingfisher.

The Bengaluru court in its order said, “Cognizance is taken for the offence punishable under Section 36 read with section 448 and 447 of the Companies Act, 2013, and Section 68 read with Section 628 of the Companies Act, 1956.”

The order further directed its office to “register Special Criminal Case against accused No. 1 to 19 for the above said offences in separate register, which is to be opened for the Special Court under the Companies Act, 2013”.

“Issue Arrest Warrants against accused No. 1 to 19 for the above said offences. Returnable by 29.01.2018,” said the order.

Mallya is accused number five. The grounded Kingfisher Airlines too is one of the 19 accused.

The court in its order said, “Considering the various allegations made in the complaint, the status of each of the accused under the Companies Act, 2013 and 1956, I hold that cognizance has to be taken directly and process has to be issued against each of the accused.”

The order further said, “The offence under Section 36, 447 and 448 of the Companies Act, 2013, are punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than the amount involved in the fraud and even it may extend to three times the amount involved in the fraud.”

Noting that in the “present case amount involved in the fraud is heavy”, the court in its order said, “Therefore, Court feels that it is warrant case and instead of issuing summons, warrant has to be issued against all the accused.”

In what appears to be a slap on the face of Pakistan, former CIA director David Petraeus rejected the theory of ‘India-sponsored terrorism’. The former commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was responding to a question directed at soon-to-be foreign secretary S Jaishankar at the Raisina Dialogue at New Delhi.

“As director of the CIA, and commander of ISAF in Afghanistan, I never once heard the term ‘Indian state-sponsored terrorism’,” Petraeus, a retired US Army General, said.

Jaishankar and Petraeus were talking on how India can offer a counterbalance to China in the Indo-Pacific region while providing a secure and free navigational route.

Petraeus’ response was greeted by the audiences with applause.

His comment comes at a time when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi defended the release of Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed saying that there is “no case against him”.

Saeed is the mastermind of the 26 November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which claimed the lives of 166 people.

The US-designated terrorist has been living freely in Pakistan after his release from a house arrest in November 2014.

Using the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, Pakistan has been falsely accusing India of sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan. Islamabad claims that Jadhav was sent by India’s elite spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for fomenting terrorism in the restive south-western part of Pakistan.

But New Delhi has provided facts which prove that Jadhav is a businessman who was abducted from Iran by Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is being presented as a spy to demean India.

A military court in Pakistan had sentenced Jadhav to death but India successfully obtained a stay against the ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

India is not the only country which accuses Pakistan of state-sponsored terrorism. Afghanistan, too, has been accusing Pakistan of supporting and sheltering Taliban terrorists. Reacting to Pakistani PM’s defence of Saeed, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that there is enough evidence to prove that the JuD chief is behind the 26/11 attacks.

US President Donald Trump, too, accused Pakistan of “lies and deceit” in his New Year’s Day tweet. He wrote: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”

A few days later the US decided to freeze around $2 billion given in military aid to Pakistan.

Key Indian equity indices on Friday traded at fresh highs during the mid-afternoon session buoyed by broadly positive Asian indices, coupled with upbeat quarterly corporate earnings and healthy buying in banking stocks.

At 12.40 p.m., the wider Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange traded higher by 19 points or 0.18 per cent at a fresh level of 10,836 points.

On the BSE, the barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), which opened at 35,339.11 points, traded at a new high of 35,368.51 points — up 108.22 points or 0.31 per cent — from its previous session’s close.

The Sensex has so far touched a high of 35,434.08 points and a low of 35,221.16 points during intra-day trade.

However, the BSE market breadth was bearish as 1,663 stocks declined as compared to 1,030 advances.

The top five gainers on the BSE were Adani Ports, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Kotak Bank and Reliance Industries.

On Thursday, the benchmark indices closed at higher levels despite paring gains on the back of profit-booking.

The Nifty50 edged higher by 28.45 points or 0.26 per cent to close at 10,817 points, while the Sensex closed at 35,260.29 points — up 178.47 points or 0.51 per cent.

Shikhar Dhawan, the explosive India opener, posted a special message for Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik and the Twitterati found his gesture adorable.

The 32-year-old took it to the micro-blogging site Twitter and wrote, ” Janab @realshoaibmalik, hope you’re recovering well and will be fit soon to be back on the field! Take care.”

Janab @realshoaibmalik, hope you’re recovering well and will be fit soon to be back on the field! Take care☺

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) January 18, 2018

— Shoaib Malik (@realshoaibmalik) January 18, 2018

Shikhar Dhawan’s gesture drew praise from cricket lovers across the border.

wow..its a good to see u such a great sportsman spirit.
have a good life @SDhawan25..
respect from 🇵🇰🇵🇰🙏🏻

— Muhammad Usman (@usman_dona) January 18, 2018

Thank you for the prayers.

— Yasir Mushtaq (@realyasir18) January 18, 2018

Wao thank you dhawan ..😍

— Ahmad (@ahmadahmi11) January 18, 2018

Thanku dhawan sb for tweeting about my hero @realshoaibmalik . We all praying for him, he will be fit very soon and will be back in field in shaa allah. Thanku once again and best of luck

— Ahmad Masood (@SyedAhmadMasood) January 18, 2018

Wahhh Great sportsman spirit Tusi great ho g Dhawan bhai @SDhawan25..
respect for you from🇵🇰

— Kashif Gondal (@kashifgondal29) January 18, 2018

Pak india player’s ke yahe understanding dono nation k liya acha hy

— Malik shahzaib (@malikshahzaib94) January 18, 2018

Thnku shekhar bhai love from Pakistan

— Faheem Qadir (@FaheemQadir6) January 19, 2018

Shikhar Dhawan’s gesture drew praise from cricket lovers across the border.

Earlier, Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik was hit on the back of his head by a ball during Pakistan versus New Zealand One-Day encounter at the Sheldon Park in Hamilton. The spectators and the players witnessed with dread as Malik fell on the ground.

The incident happened in the 32nd over of the first innings of the fourth ODI match. Malik, who was on 1, was hit by a throw from Colin Munro, as he attempted to steal a single.

He was batting without a helmet because Kiwis had launched their spin-bowling attack.

The force of the impact was such that the ball ricocheted to the boundary after hitting him on the head.

Though Malik resumed batting after medical attention that lasted several minutes, he was caught out at a personal score of 6 off 8 deliveries.

Malik, who is the husband of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, was assessed by the match doctor and Pakistan team physiotherapist VB Singh.

Singh said that Malik is now fine.

The incident brought back memories of the tragic incident of 25 November 2014 when Australian batsman Phillip Hughes was hit on the neck by a bouncer during a first-class cricket match. He died two days later having never regained consciousness.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have an MBBS degree but he certainly is the “best doctor” to treat the illnesses that plague the country.

The Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation made the remarks during the ongoing MRAI International Indian Metals Recycling Conference here.

“There were some other countries too which got Independence from the British rule in 1947. India, however, did not see the growth rate as it should have and that was because of six major diseases.

“No doubt, there has been development, but not at the speed which was desired of it,” he told the conference.

Meghwal said cleanliness, corruption, poverty, communalism, casteism and terrorism are the six diseases, identified by the prime minister, that gripped the country and are responsible for its slow pace of growth.

“Modi ji has resolved to ensure the desired pace of growth for India,” Meghwal said, adding that “Modiji is not an MBBS doctor but whatever diseases have gripped the country, he is the best doctor to treat them.”

He has kept cleanliness on the top, this itself shows that the Prime Minister is concerned about the industry, Meghwal told the members of Metals Recycling Association of India (MRAI).

Meghwal asserted that “Mera Desh Badal Raha hai, Aage badh raha hai” (My country is changing, progressing) is not just a slogan but a reality about the transformation of the country.

He said visitors coming to India 3-4 years ago used to see a lot of garbage along the beaches, but today the situation has improved, “The slogan has changed the mindset of the people and today citizens are more conscious cleanliness.”

MRAI President Sanjay Mehta requested for a policy for the metals recycling industry and removal of basic customs duty on imports of scrap.

“Introducing policy (for metal recycling industry) in India is very much needed. Initially, I am sure government will not put stringent norms and standards on recycling of scrap, but as we are a developing country, we expect the government to implement norms and standards at par with that existing in developed countries like the US, the UK and Europe, gradually,” he said.

Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap trade is being hit in India as “at present GST on scrap trade is 18 per cent on all grades of metal scrap”, he added.

The industry expressed hope that the government will take concrete steps to boost the recycling industry by removing 2.5 per cent customs duty on import of various grades of metal scrap in the upcoming Budget.

Indian star Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Édouard Roger-Vasselin reached the pre-quarterfinals of the Australian Open tennis tournament here on Friday.

The 10th seeded Indo-French combination beat off a late fightback from Portugal’s João Sousa and Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin did not face too much trouble in the opening set.

Sousa and Mayer gave a stiff fight to their highly rated opponents in the second set before Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin managed to clinch a hard-fought victory.

Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin will have to be at the top of their game in the next round as they will be up against sevetn seeds Mate Pavic of Croatia and Oliver Marach of Austria.

Pavic and Marach had clinched a hard-fought 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 victory against the unseeded team of New Zealand’s Artem Sitak and Wesley Koolhof of Holland in their pre-quarterfinal clash on Friday.

The Crotian-Austrian pair had registered a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Víctor Estrella Burgos of Dominican Repulic and Federico Delbonis of Argentina in the opening round on Wednesday.

Pope Francis scripted history on the third day of his South American trip as he performed a wedding ceremony for two flight attendants on board a plane in Chile.

The couple — Paula Podest Ruiz (39) and Carlos Ciuffardi Elorriga (41) — reached the Pope to seek his blessings and surprisingly Francis asked them if they had been married in the church too. They had been married earlier in a civil service, but they couldn’t conduct a ceremony in their church in Santiago as the church was damaged in the 2010 earthquake.

After coming to know about the couple’s situation, Francis, reportedly, told the duo that he will read out the vows for them, to which the couple readily agreed.

Soon the ceremony was performed by the Pope at an altitude of 36,000 feet (11,000 meters) on the short flight from Santiago to the city of Iquique in northern Chile.

According to the reports, the couple signed a handwritten marriage certificate after the ceremony and the certificate had Pope’s signature ‘Francis’.

The Pope has been travelling to Iquique to celebrate an open-air mass on the shores of the Pacific.