Congress leaders meet Rahul Gandhi over SC judges’ attack on CJI
IANS | New Delhi | January 12, 2018 7:37 pm
P Chidambaram (Photo: Twitter)
Senior Congress leaders including P. Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Ahmed Patel, among others, called on party President Rahul Gandhi to brief him about the implications of the four senior judges of the Supreme Court publicly attacking Chief Justice Dipak Misra.
Among the other party leaders who visited Gandhi’s residence were Salman Khurshid, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Vivek Tankha, Manish Tewari and K.T.S. Tulsi.
The leaders briefed him about the political and legal implications of the unprecedented development, which was termed as “an extraordinary event in the history of judiciary”.
In an unprecedented move, the four senior-most judges in the Supreme Court burst out in the open on Friday and accused Chief Justice Dipak Misra of not strictly adhering to the rules in assigning cases to appropriate benches, which they said could create “doubts” about the integrity of the top court.
Speaking to the media at the residence of Justice J. Chelameswar, the judges said the Supreme Court administration was “not in order” and released an undated letter they wrote to Justice Misra in which they conceded that the Chief Justice was the “master of roster” but this was “not a recognition of any superior authority, legal or factual, of the Chief Justice over his colleagues”.
“Administration of the Supreme Court is not in order. Many things less than desirable have happened in the last few months. We owe a responsibility to the institution and the nation. We tried to collectively persuade the Chief Justice that certain things are not in order and remedial measures are necessary.
“Unfortunately, our efforts have failed in convincing the Chief Justice of India to take steps to protect this institution,” Justice Chelameswar said at the hurriedly called press conference.
The four judges — justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Madan B. Lokur, besides Justice Chelameswar — did not, however, refer to any particular matter the Chief Justice had decided in assigning benches.
Asked specifically if they were upset over reference of the matter seeking a probe into the suspicious death of Special CBI Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya, Justice Gogoi said: “Yes.”
ISL: Chennaiyin, Pune grapple with coaches’ suspensions
The Brazilian is Pune City’s leading goal scorer with six strikes, including a hat-trick, and has four assists to boot
IANS | Chennai | January 12, 2018 7:35 pm
Photo Credits: Twitter
Both FC Pune City and Chennaiyin FC will be without their coaches at the touchlines when they meet in a crucial Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
Pune got four points from their last two matches while coach Ranko Popovic was serving a four-match ban. However, the visitors will now also have to overcome the absence of their talisman Marcelinho.
The Brazilian is Pune City’s leading goal scorer with six strikes, including a hat-trick, and has four assists to boot.
He will, however, remain suspended for the next clash after accumulating four bookings. He has missed a match before — against Bengaluru FC — when he was not fully fit and was left on the bench, and it showed as Bengaluru FC walked away with full points.
“Marcelinho is one of the best players in the league. We will miss him surely but I know our team has quality. If a team cannot play without one player, it’s no team. We know his importance, he is a strong player but we know how (good) is our team,” Pune assistant coach Vladica Grujic said during the pre-match media interaction.
With 16 points from nine matches, Pune is placed third, just below Chennaiyin who have an extra point. This puts them in a good position to push for a play-off place, though the assistant coach warned that they still have plenty to do.
“We have achieved nothing yet because you can be first, fourth or last. Now, it’s time to try to win points to come as close as possible to first four. This is our aim to come in the first four teams,” he said.
Chennaiyin is among the more impressive teams in this edition of ISL and are second only to Bengaluru FC. The home team, however, must shake off the absence of their coach John Gregory, who curiously also remains suspended.
“Both of them are really good coaches and they are working here for the betterment of the game. I hope to see both of them back in the dugout soon,” said Grujic.
Gregory’s absence should not impact Chennaiyin on the field and they should be encouraged with the return of their captain Henrique Soreno who completed serving a one-match suspension of his own.
“We know Pune is strong in attack. They look threatening. We know they are a good attacking side and will come hard at us. We are lucky that our best player, captain (Soreno) is behind. It will be a good contest,” said assistant coach Syed Sabir Pasha.
Chennaiyin has conceded goals at the death in their last two matches at home against Delhi Dynamos (2-2) and Kerala Blasters (1-1). That has cost them dearly and Pasha called for focus till the final whistle.
“It hurts us, hurts the players. It’s just lack of focus. We have to play as a team in those last moments. Players also understand I think. It will not happen in the matches to come,” said Pasha.
A 27-year-old boxer was found murdered on Friday with multiple gunshot injuries at his flat in a multi-storey apartment here, police said.
Police said Jitender Mann had participated in many junior international boxing championships.
He was found dead by his friend Pritam Tokas and some family members when they went to check on him around 2 p.m. at AVJ Heights in ZETA Sector 3 here.
“After leaving boxing about seven months ago due to injury, Mann was working as a gym instructor. He had not gone to the gym for two days and his phone was also found switched off,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suniti told IANS.
His family stays in Munirka in south Delhi. They suspected foul play and came along with Tokas to his flat.
“The flat was locked from outside. They forced open the door and found Mann lying dead in a pool of blood,” she said.
Mann was killed two days ago. The body has been sent for post-mortem.
“Mann, a native of Haryana, had contested many junior boxing matches in Uzbekistan, Cuba, France, Russia and other countries. He was national champion and played for Delhi,” Tokas, a national-level boxer, told IANS.
The Delhi goverment has decided to ban movement of horses, mules, and donkeys in and out of the city border due to the spread of Glanders disease, Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai said here on Friday.
Glanders disease has been detected in around 40 horses in the city over the past two months and the government will issue a notification on the ban within two days, he said after a meeting of Delhi goverment with officials of Union Animal Husbandry Department, police, army and city municipal corporations here.
In December, west Delhi was notified as a controlled area after seven horses were tested positive for the disease.
An Animal Husbandry Department official told IANS that this was the first outbreak in the city.
Liverpool vs Manchester City: 5 players to watch out for
The runaway leaders go head-to-head with a resurgent Liverpool on Sunday!
SNS | New Delhi | January 12, 2018 7:24 pm
(L-R) Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero (Photos: AFP)
Liverpool will be looking to exact revenge on Manchester City for their 5-0 humbling earlier in the season when the Premier League’s runaway leaders come visiting Anfield on Sunday.
Philippe Coutinho’s departure has rocked the Reds, for despite pocketing a cool €160 million, the Reds have lost perhaps their most influential player while City have continued to dominate the English top-flight in an unforeseen manner.
However, there’s still hope for those on the Red half of Merseyside for the Sky Blues from Manchester aren’t quite invincible (yet) and the rest of the Premier League will be praying fervently that Jurgen Klopp can find a way to outsmart Pep Guardiola.
Whatever the result, Sunday’s tie at Anfield has all the makings of a classic and The Statesman has picked the five players that one has to keep an eye out for:
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Van Dijk had a Liverpool debut to remember, scoring a FA Cup winner at the Kop End in a Merseyside Derby, but Manchester City will truly put his credentials to the test come Sunday.
Liverpool may be playing at home, but City are expected to dominate and will swarm forward at every opportunity. The sooner van Dijk is able to develop a solid understanding with Joel Matip, the better.
Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane have been in a mood of late and will look to rip Liverpool’s defence to shreds and the £75 million-signing will have come through a baptism of fire unscathed or risk being singed.
Can van Dijk be the defensive leader Liverpool have been desperately looking for? (Photo: AFP)
Let’s not forget, Dejan Lovren arrived at Anfield from Southampton for then-hefty fee on the back of solid reputation, but never quite going and one fears that if Liverpool’s latest defensive recruit is put on his back one too many times, he may not be able to truly recover.
Emre Can (Liverpool)
It’s old news that Emre Can is keen on a move away from Liverpool, but how long before the move materialises?
Whatever your opinion on the German, one thing is for certain: He won’t be lacking suitors in the summer and stellar performances in games such as these will only strengthen his case.
The winter transfer window is open and there’s a strong chance that the 23-year-old could depart within a fortnight but he’ll be focused on the ominous threat that is Manchester City at the moment.
Can’s literally auditioning for the rest of Europe right now! (Photo: Facebook)
His onerous task will be to shackle the creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, a job easier said than done, but Can’s unique combination of strength and mobility could see him stifle the Citizens midfield generals creativity.
After missing the past two games with a groin complaint, Mohamed Salah has returned to training this week and is primed to be unleashed upon the runway leaders.
With Philippe Coutinho’s departure, can the free-scoring Salah be the next Anfield icon?
This season’s stats would suggest the answer is a resounding yes, but the Egyptian’s performance against City in the first leg left a lot to be desired.
The reigning African Footballer of the Year missed a couple of gilt-edged chances at a time when Liverpool were still in the tie and this time round the winger will look to make amends.
It’s been some year for Salah (L)! (Photo: APF)
For despite City’s monopoly over possession, their defence is still relatively brittle and Salah could make them pay dearly whenever Liverpool break with pace on the counter.
Up against him will be makeshift fullback Fabian Delph and while City will try to prevent too many one-on-one situations, the fleet-footed Egyptian is a crafty customer and will look to stretch the Englishman every time he gets the ball.
Liverpool fans still haven’t forgiven Sterling for forcing a move to Manchester City in 2015, but even the most staunch of the Reds faithful will have to accept the fact that the 23-year-old’s decision was the right one, for him at least.
Credit goes to Pep Guardiola of course, but the Jamaican-born winger deserves his share of the plaudits for the graft he’s put in.
Sterling’s physical attributes, searing pace the obvious one, were always there but his lack of end product frustrated fans more often than not, but if there’s one winger giving Salah competition this season, it’s City’s No.7.
Will Sterling put his former team to the sword? (Photo: AFP)
The atmosphere at Anfield is always special, especially for big games, and you can bet on it that Sterling will not get a warm reception.
As mentioned earlier, games like these forge reputations or shatter them.
Will Sterling rise above the vitriol or will he succumb?
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero is, arguably, Manchester City’s greatest player ever. He’s their all-time top scorer and has scored their most-famous goal in Premier League history (Aguerooooooooooo!!) .
Yet, despite all the above and possession match-winning qualities like perhaps nobody else in the Sky Blues squad does, the Argentine hitman is reportedly unhappy and is assessing his future?
Aguero’s record against Liverpool is ominous! (Photo: AFP)
With Gabriel Jesus knocking on the door, it seems Aguero is no longer irreplaceable at the Etihad and against a side he’s enjoyed great success in the past, ‘Kun’ will be champing at the bit to increase his season’s tally.
Jesus’ injury has made him a confirmed starter for now and it’s not like Aguero to let an opportunity go by.
The fledgling defensive pairing of van Dijk and Matip may have promise, but are they truly ready for an Aguero special?
Hrithik Roshan ‘looking forward’ to work with Kriti Sanon
SNS | New Delhi | January 12, 2018 7:24 pm
(Photo Credits: IANS)
Bollywood’s favourite superhero Krrish aka Hrithik Roshan turned 44 on January 12 and the celebs from the tinsel town poured in their heartfelt wishes for the actor. But it seems like Kriti Sanon’s birthday wish got much attention from the birthday boy himself when he expressed his desire to work with the Bareily Ki Barfi actress in future.
Kriti, who was last seen in the sleeper hit ‘Bareily…‘, was among many B-town celebs who wished the dashing hunk on Twitter.
Kriti tweeted:”Happiestt Birthday @iHrithik !! Wish you lots of happiness and a ‘Super’ Fabulous year ahead! Stay the warm humble person you are!!”
Happiestt Birthday @iHrithik !! Wish you lots of happiness and a ‘Super’ Fabulous year ahead! Stay the warm humble person you are!!
Hrithik instantly took notice of the warm birthday wish by the actress and replied: “Kriti thank you so much. I look forward to working with you. Loved u in Bareilly ki barfi”
Kriti thank you so much. I look forward to working with you. Loved u in Bareilly ki barfi https://t.co/8Sx4mCbgmm
Hrithik’s humble reply has raised all eyebrows as to when the two actors will work with each other and his appreciation of the young actress only proves about his supporting nature for the young talent out there.
Kriti essayed the role of a young and free minded girl, Bitti, from a small town, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, in the film and received rave reviews for her performance in the film.
On the work front, Kriti will be next seen in Arjun Patiala while Hrithik is busy shooting for Vikas Bahl’s biopic drama, Super 30.
The 22-year-old Li and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung dramatically halved their match
IANS | Shah Alam (Malaysia) | January 12, 2018 7:23 pm
Photo Credits: Twitter
Li Haotong of China on Friday produced a gutsy birdie on the last hole to give Team Asia an edge over Team Europe heading into the Saturday Foursomes at the EurAsia Cup golf tournament here.
The 22-year-old Li and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung dramatically halved their match in the Fourball format against Bernd Wiesberger and Rafa Cabrera Bello as Team Asia leads with 3.5 points against Team Europe’s 2.5 at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.
South Korea’s Sunghoon Kang and Poom Saksansin produced the biggest upset of the day when they defeated Major winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden and Frenchman Alexander Levy 5 and 4.
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia and world number 36 Yuta Ikeda of Japan were also victorious 2 and 1 against Thomas Pieters and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Hideto Tanihara of Japan and Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand, the youngest player on Team Asia at the age of 18, also secured victory on the 18th hole when they beat Alex Noren and Paul Dunne by two holes.
The pair of Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Byeonghun An lost their match to Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey 4&3 while Indian duo Anirban Lahiri and S.S.P. Chawrasia was beaten by Ross Fisher and Tyrrell Hatton 5&4.
Li and Fung were 2-up after the turn but Team Europe bounced back superbly to lead 1-up in their match when they birdied, eagled and birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th holes respectively before Li holed a 15-feet birdie on the 18th hole to snatch a late draw.
Debutants Saksansin and Kang got off to a hot start when they birdied the opening eight holes and completed a remarkable victory on the 14th hole.
Playing in front of his home crowd, Green delivered an important victory with his partner Ikeda as the Malaysian holed a 15-feet birdie putt on the par-three 17th hole to contribute a point to the team.
The Calcutta High Court today directed that a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) rally be stopped for two days in view of a mob attack on it.
The vehicle of a court-appointed special officer was damaged in the mob attack.
Following the high court’s nod to the BJYM motorcycle rally, the ‘Sankalpa Pratirodh Yatra’ started from Contai and reached here last evening.
The rally was opposed by the West Bengal government citing lack of police personnel owing to the ongoing Gangasagar Mela.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice J Bhattacharya and Justice A Banerjee directed that further movement of the rally be postponed till January 15.
It would now culminate at Coochbehar on January 20, two days behind the schedule.
The high court-appointed special officer, Rabishankar Dutta, informed the court that the windscreen and a side screen of his vehicle were smashed by a group of 20-25 men throwing stones and glass bottles near Mohammed Ali Park on Central Avenue in the city.
He said he was accompanying the rally as per the division bench’s direction and that pieces of glass from the shattered windscreen and sides creen fell on his hands.
He told the court that he had suspended the rally for the day following the attack.
Advocate General Kishore Datta submitted before the court that FIRs have been lodged in connection with the incident and that 10 people have been arrested.
The AG prayed that the rally be suspended till January 26 as there is paucity of police personnel owing to the Gangasagar Mela where lakhs of pilgrims congregate from all over the country.
Saptangshu Mitra, counsel for BJYM, opposed the prayer saying that preparations have already been made and this will cause major inconvenience as the rally has already begun.
The AG then told the court that the organisers had not followed the court’s instruction to provide detailed route map for the rally a day in advance for each day’s event.
He prayed that such time was necessary to make arrangements as the organisers have estimated that around 20,000 motorbikes would participate in the rally which would move through several districts of the state from Contai in the south to Coochbehar in the north.
The division bench then directed that the movement of the rally be postponed for two days.
In the meantime, detailed route maps would have to be provided and the special officer and a judicial officer accompanying the rally would sit together to discuss modalities over each day’s rally.
The division bench had yesterday rejected an appeal by the state government challenging a single bench order that allowed the rally to be organised from its original schedule.
Putting certain conditions on holding of the rally, the division bench had appointed a special officer to monitor the yatra and directed that if there is any violation of law and order or deviation from route, the officer would intervene and stop the rally forthwith.
Jaysinh carded a net score of 72 to emerge victorious on the third day of the qualifications.
IANS | Mumbai | January 12, 2018 7:15 pm
Photo Credits: Facebook
Jaysinh Dave has clinched the final qualification spot of the Mumbai Leg of the Mercedes Trophy golf meet, it was announced on Friday.
Jaysinh carded a net score of 72 to emerge victorious on the third day of the qualifications.
Jaysinh will now be competing at the National finals of the tournament to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune from April 4-6.
Commenting after the win, Jaysinh Dave said: “I appreciate the effort. I am very glad that my five years of rigorous practice has paid off and has resulted in this achievement. I would also like to thank the Mercedes team for organizing such a wonderful tournament.”
The best Gross Winner of the day was Parthive Sanghrajka with an excellent round of 74 and there were a host of other prizes on offer to be won on the day.
Prominent winners included Aditya Suklikar who won the Ballantine’s Long Drive Challenge with an impressive drive of 277 yards.
I-League: Aizawl aim to get back to winning ways against Chennai
Aizawl FC are trailing the League leaders Minerva Punjab by nine points
IANS | Aizawl | January 12, 2018 7:06 pm
Aizawl: Players during a practice session ahead of an I-League match between Aizawl FC and Chennai City FC; on Jan 12, 2018. (Photo: IANS)
Aizawl FC will try to get back to winning ways after losing their last match against Mohun Bagan as the reigning champions host Chennai City FC on Saturday on their first home match in 2018 with the people of Aizawl city eyeing all three points against the southern outfit.
Aizawl FC are trailing the League leaders Minerva Punjab by nine points having played two matches fewer. Chennai City will play their penultimate away match of the season after showing their potential against Shillong Lajong to garner a hard-earned point from the capital city of Meghalaya.
Chennai City garnered four points from their last two away-matches against Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong and head coach V Soundararajan is brimming with confidence as they prepare to face the champions.
“We have recruited more players from the rural areas this season and the boys are doing well. Aizawl will be our second last away match and we hope to have a better result in our home matches. Top four is still a possibility and we will fight in our remaining matches,” said V Soundararajan.
Chennai City prides themselves on nurturing local players and team captain Michael Soosairaj is a testament to their philosophy. Speaking of Soossairaj head coach V Soundararajan said: “Soosairaj has represented Tamil Nadu in the Santosh Trophy for many years and he is really a talented player. He’s been in the club for a long time and he always gives 100 percent in every match.”
Chennai City’s Slovenian goalkeeper Uros Poljanec is the lone foreign goalkeeper in the league and the Slovenian goalkeeper spoke highly of Indian goalkeepers.
Uros stated: “I think I-League does not need to import many foreign goalkeepers. Indian goalkeepers are good enough but foreign goalkeepers will help in developing the local players.”
Aizawl amassed 10 points from their first 6 matches and the champions will have to improve in their remaining matches. The exodus of crucial players following their fairy-tale season dented their squad but head coach Paulos Menezes is happy with his troop.
“We are not in the market for new players and I am happy with the squad. My players are good enough and we will play to collect three points against Chennai City tomorrow.”
The Portuguese coach clearly stated that title is their primary target and the players need to improve to attain the same.
“My players always bounce back after a bad match and I hope that trend continues. We can have no excuses and retaining our title is still the primary aim. The young players are doing well but they will have to improve,” opined the Portuguese coach.
Aizawl’s Romanian midfielder Andrei Ionescu stated: “I-League is a major upgrade from Mizoram Premier League (MPL) and the foreigners are doing their parts as well. We always gave our best in every match and we’ll continue to do so.”
Meerut girl not raped, immolated herself after spat with kin: Police
Statesman News Service | Meerut | January 12, 2018 7:02 pm
Representational Image (Photo: Wikipedia)
Meerut police have said that the teenager girl who immolated herself was neither stalked nor raped and she had taken the extreme step after she was pulled up by her family for having boys as her friends.
The girl was of Pachgaon Amar Singh Patta village and she succumbed to her burn injuries at the medical college here on Thursday.
Earlier, it was being alleged that the girl had committed suicide as she was stalked and raped. The police had made four arrests, but on Friday, police paraded them before the media. The police said the girl was in a relationship with one of the boys in custody.
Meerut SSP Manzil Saini said the girl had friendship with one of the boys, Shobhit of Gawari village, and used to speak to him on phone. He also introduced her to three other boys and she spoke to them as well.
This came to the knowledge of the girl’s family members and on their strong objection, she attempted for self immolation.
The Class 8 girl, set herself afire on Saturday and was admitted to Meerut Medical College with 80 per cent burns. She lost the battle of life on Thursday.
“The family members did not approach the police neither after the incident nor after her death. At the medical college, the family said it was an accidental fire,” told the police.
It is being alleged that after being approached by the medical college, the police took their own time to visit the hospital. SHO Bhawanpur Kartar Singh has been sent to the police lines for negligence.
Can cash-strapped Himachal afford to have two Vidhan Sabhas?
Archana Phull | Dharamshala | January 12, 2018 6:59 pm
Vidhan Sabha in Dharamshala (Photo: SNS)
The short-duration winter session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly in Dharamshala in Kangra district robs the state exchequer of over Rs one crore every year.
The entire government machinery moves from Shimla to Dharamshala with bag and baggage for the winter session, managing stay in rest houses and hotels. It facilitates the locals in the lower areas of the state to meet politicians for four-five days in a year at one place, but at a great cost to the cash strapped government.
The budget and monsoon sessions of the Assembly are held in Shimla.
None of the successive state governments, all of whom talked high of austerity, have so far dared to ‘roll back’ this political decision of the then Congress government in 2005 to have a winter session of the HP Assembly in Dharamshala.
There have been individual murmurs in political quarters that it’s a costly move to have two Assembly in well connected small state, but there hasn’t been any official discussion on the issue so far.
In 2007, then BJP Chief Minister (CM), Prem Kumar Dhumal had mentioned in media that the decision can be reviewed with consensus, but this did not follow and proposal.
Even new BJP CM, Jai Ram Thakur, who is keen on austerity and termed it a political decision by the Congress government in the past (2005) with no positive results for the party in the polls two years later (2007), has reluctantly addressed it.
“Himachal is a small state and even the bigger states don’t have two Assembly. But, sometimes some issues are associated with the sentiments of people and it’s difficult to go back on them,” he replied to media queries.
The CM did express willingness to use the Assembly building in Dharamshala meaningfully during rest of the year, when it remains vacant as the building involves high maintenance cost.
In 2005, Congress CM Virbhadra Singh sensing the importance of Kangra district (with 15 Assembly segments) hastily decided to have a winter session of the Assembly in Dharamshala. The move was aimed at wooing the local folks, with logic that people in Kangra, Chamba and other adjoining districts would find it convenient to meet the legislators and ministers in Assembly at their doorstep.
In the first year, the Assembly session was haphazardly held in a building in the college complex in Dharamshala and by next year. Later, a majestic Assembly building came up in Tapovan.
However, the decision by Virbhadra did not lead to any political advantage, as in 2007, the Congress lost power, with Kangra folks voting against it.
During the last winter session, former Speaker of the HP Assembly, Brij Bihari Lal Butail, who did pioneer work in making HP Assembly paperless with e-Vidhan system, had talked of having a national academy for e-Vidhan in Dharamshala Assembly building.
Holding that this could put the building to use throughout the year.
Before this winter session, BJP legislator from Jwalamukhi, Ramesh Dhawala, who was Protem Speaker, too touched the issue of need of two Assembly in small state and he even said that Dharamshala building should at least be utilised meaningfully throughout the year.
“The winter session is held for few days. After that the building remains vacant. The government must put it to use,” he said.
In pictures| Kangana Ranaut’s mansion in Manali will leave you flabbergasted
SNS | New Delhi | January 12, 2018 6:56 pm
Kangana Ranaut (PHOTO: Facebook)
Kangana Ranaut gets herself a brand new home in Manali and you won’t be able to get over it. Just a year ago, we got to see the pictures of her flat in Mumbai. Now the Bollywood diva is making everybody jealous of her luxurious new house. It is a pretty European style bungalow, with an equally beautiful background. There is even more, Kangana can now stand in her balcony gazing at some serene snow-capped mountains, isn’t it amazing?
Kangana’s team shared the pictures of the house on Instagram and captioned it, “Look what #KanganaRanaut gifted herself on the New Year’s! #NewYearEve #Gift #HomeSweetHome #Architecture #Design #KanganaRanaut #Manali.” Her bungalow cost her Rs 30 crores and has been designed by Shabnam Gupta. Reportedly, she bought the house after her successful movie ‘Queen’.
“It’s an eight-bedroom house with all the windows opening to a view of the mountains. Each room has a step-out balcony. There is a rooftop glass conservatory so that there is ample sunlight during the winter. Kangana has been making regular visits to her hometown to check on the progress of the place. She just got back from Manali two days ago in time for the shoot of a reality show,” a source was quoted as per media reports.
CJI Dipak Misra selectively assigned political cases: Prashant Bhushan
SNS | New Delhi | January 12, 2018 6:15 pm
Prashant Bhushan (Photo: Facebook)
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Friday appreciated the four senior Supreme Court judges for taking on the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra.
Bhushan said, the SC judges have made people aware of the “extraordinary abuse of power” by the CJI. Bhushan further said that the CJI was selective in “assigning politically sensitive cases”.
“Truly unprecedented! Kudos to 4 senior-most judges of SC who addressed a Press Conf today (Friday) to apprise the people about the extraordinary abuse of ‘master of roster’ powers by CJI in selectively assigning politically sensitive cases to hand picked junior judges for desired outcome,” Bhushan tweeted.
Truly unprecedented! Kudos to 4 seniormost judges of SC who addressed a Press Conf today to apprise the people about the extraordinary abuse of ‘master of roster’ powers by CJI in selectively assigning politically sensitive cases to hand picked junior judges for desired outcome
Earlier in the day, four senior sitting judges — J Chelameshwar, Ranjan Gogoi, Kurien Joseph and Madan B Lokur — expressed concern about the need to protect the institution of the judiciary and said that “for the survival of democracy impartial justices are needed”.
Ishant Sharma is too erratic, says former Indian pacer
“He is too erratic, every-time he comes with new techniques, strategies, and that itself is very confusing for him,” he added.
SNS | January 12, 2018 6:15 pm
Ishant Sharma (Photo: IANS)
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was included in the team ahead over seamer Ishant Sharma in the opening Test of three-match series against South Africa. Fans and experts were critical of the decision, as Sharma’s height could have benefited the Indian side on the bouncy pitch of Newlands, Cape Town.
However, former Indian speedster Raju Kulkarni, who played three Tests and 10 ODIs, believes that Ishant Sharma is too erratic.
“He (Ishant Sharma) has played 78 (79) Test matches, to play 78 (79) Test matches for India is amazing. But I don’t think he has ever led from the front and that has been a problem with him,” Kulkarni said.
“He is too erratic, every-time he comes with new techniques, strategies, and that itself is very confusing for him,” he added.
Sharma had played his debut Test against Bangladesh in 2007. He has taken 226 wickets in 79 Tests matches and 115 wickets in 80 One Day International matches.
“In the last two series, he (Sharma) was acting very stupidly, reacting to the situations badly, and I think every time he comes out with something different and that is not making him very consistent,” Raju Kulkarni said.
Karan Johar suggested I direct ‘My Birthday Song’, says Samir Soni
IANS | Mumbai | January 12, 2018 6:13 pm
Mumbai: Actor Samir Soni (Photo: IANS)
Actor Samir Soni, who is making his debut as a director with My Birthday Song, says it was filmmaker Karan Johar who encouraged him to helm the film.
Asked if shifting gears from acting to direction is a natural progression, Samir said: “I have always had an interest in suspense thriller and dark, intellectually stimulating stories. I wrote one of them and my friends said that it is a good story.
“Being a realistic man, with the interest to know the opinion of industry people, I narrated the story to Karan (Johar) and at the end of the story, the first reaction that came from him was, ‘Samir, direct the film’. Though he mentioned that Dharma Productions cannot produce the film because it is a dark film, he encouraged me throughout.”
However, he found his producer and actor of the film when he went to one of his friends, filmmaker Sanjay Suri.
Samir said: “Since Sanjay also said that I should direct the film, I asked him if he is interested to play the role in it. Surprisingly, he was not only ready to act in the film but also to produce it. Our sensibility matches so well and it is a very exciting project.”
While Samir found it quite a challenging and interesting process to write a thriller, according to him, “this is the genre where the story plays the real hero”.
“If the plot is good and engaging, the film will work. Yes, of course, it is very tough to crack the deal and perhaps that is why in our country, thrillers are so few and far between,” said the fanboy of filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan.
Interestingly, most of the experimental content is coming up on the digital space. Why then did he choose the medium of cinema instead of a web-series?
Samir said: “You see, a film can be available on digital platforms, but a web series cannot be available in a theatre. Since the medium of digital entertainment is new, I am yet to understand the pulse of the audience there. I have seen some of the really bad Indian content on the web too.
“When it comes to the story of my film, it is already a risky genre, thriller. After working for 20 years in cinema, because I know the audience of this medium, I think it is better to put it out on a conventional medium of cinema rather than the web. If the film fails, at least I would be sure it is for the story and not for the medium,” said Samir.
The film My Birthday Song, also featuring Nora Fatehi, is releasing on January 19.
India vs South Africa: Here is everything you need to know about the second Test
Details of the 2nd Test
SNS | January 12, 2018 6:10 pm
Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli (Photo: IANS)
Virat Kohli-led Indian team need to win the second Test match to remain in the competition in on-going three-match Test series in South Africa. With their golden win over India by 72 runs, Faf du Plessis and boys are high on confidence as they are have taken a 1-0 lead.
The second Test match will start on 13 January at the Supersport Park, Centurion. Till today India had never won a Test series in the rainbow nation and if Captain Kohli wishes to change that, they need to be at their best when they take on the hosts at Centurion.
During India’s tour to South Africa, India will three Tests, 6 One Day Internationals and 3 T20Is on the tour.
Details of the 2nd Test
Date – From January 13-17.
Location – At Supersport Park, Centurion.
Live broadcast: Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 1 HD and Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 3 HD.
South Africa Squad – 2nd Test: Faf du Plessis(c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungisani Ngidi
