India’s head coach Ravi Shastri and Indian captain Virat Kohli have been under severe criticism ever since they announced the playing eleven for the opening Test match in Newlands, Cape Town, in which they included Rohit Sharma instead of vice-captain and Test specialist Ajinkya Rahane.

Ajinkya Rahane’s statistics abroad speaks volumes about him and his exclusion on bouncy pitches, therefore, was bound to invite the ire of fans and critics alike.

Now Rahane’s coach Praveen Amre, too, has joined the discussion and slammed the coach and the captain for the same. Amre, while talking to News 18, slammed Kohli and Shastri for not backing the vice captain.

“I think this is the time when Rahane needed Kohli and Shastri’s backing because he had just one bad series against Sri Lanka and that too on Indian soil. When he was dropped from the ODI team after winning the Man of the Series award in the West Indies, there was no problem because he was filling in for the first team players,” Praveen Amre was quoted as saying by News 18.

“He was expected to make way once they returned to the team. But to drop the vice-captain of the Test team in the first Test of what is deemed as the start of the real test for Team India over the next 18 months was anything but shocking,” he added.

While talking about the inclusion of Rohit, Amre said, “You can’t replace Test specialist by someone who had done good in One Day Internationals, that too on home soil. If that was the case, there wouldn’t be a term called specialists. I am one of Rahane’s biggest critics when he doesn’t do well. I am the mirror who needs to give him the real picture. But then, in this case, I will stand by him and say that he had trained really hard for this series.”

There are reports that Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan can be replaced by KL Rahul in the second Test starting from January 13.

 “Hopefully, he will get to show his talent at some point in the series. I have played in South Africa myself and I can tell you that it is a different ball game when there is pace, swing and movement at the same time. I felt it was the perfect condition for Rahane to hold fort,” Rahane’s coach continued.

“This man has been scoring over the years on foreign soil and when one poor series sees him getting dropped, then it comes as a surprise because even against Australia in tough conditions, he not only did well, but also led the team well in Kohli’s absence,” Amre concluded.

Hair colour is not just used for hiding grey hair anymore as people are changing the colour of their tresses according to their mood and seasons. However, this process needs a lot of care and attention so why not opt for few homemade hair mask recipes that you can use to keep your locks strong and shiny.

Bhavya Sharma and Vandana Gupta, listed five simple home-made hair masks for you:

* Avocado plus almond oil: Avocado is densely packed with nutrients and is a superfood that you should incorporate into your diet. This creamy fruit can also be applied to your hair to give it extra softness and shine. Since colour treatments can make your hair dry and brittle, a nutrient-rich and creamy fruit like avocado can efficiently salvage your colour-treated hair. Almond oil is also great for hair since it contains Vitamin A and E, in addition to other nutrients. Mixing avocado and almond oil give you a superfood mix of your hair and brain.

* Eggs plus honey: Eggs are extremely good for the health of your hair. You can use the protein-rich eggs to bring the lost shine and lustre back to your hair. If hair colour has made your hair dry and frizzy, egg masks can help you deal with these issues effectively. Honey is a great humectant and has over 22 amino acids, 27 minerals, and 5,000-plus enzymes. It is also full of anti-oxidants. Mix eggs and honey to bring life back to your hair and fight the negative effects of pollution.

* Banana plus milk: The combination of banana and milk gives you the goodness of protein, good fats and calcium, among other nutrients. As good as this combination is for your bones, it works wonders for your color-treated hair too.

* Olive oil plus honey: Olive oil is rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and is extremely beneficial for hair. Virgin olive oil also works great for colour-treated hair. Honey, on the other hand, adds luster to the hair and contains amino acids and enzymes that repair damaged hair.

* Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is rich in fats since it is made out of egg yolk and vegetable oil, among other things. If you refrain from eating mayonnaise because of its fat content, you can still use it on your hair to avail its benefits. The smell can be an issue and you add an essential oil, lavender for instance, to the mixture.

A 23-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her husband and in-laws for dowry here, the police said on Thursday.

A case of dowry death has been registered against her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Brajesh Verma, in-charge at Kasna police station, said.

The accused yesterday had allegedly hit his 23-year-old wife on her head with a sharp-edged weapon and fled. The woman’s father-in-law took her to a hospital where she was declared brought dead, Verma said.

The father of the woman has alleged that the accused was demanding a car along with Rs 10 lakh as dowry from her, police said.

Police have detained some people for questioning, they said, adding the husband of the victim was absconding.

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NorthEast United FC may have won their first match under the guidance of their technical advisor Avram Grant, but they will need to be at their best to stop a desperate ATK in a ninth-round Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.

ATK has won just twice in eight games and can cut the gap to the play-off spots to just two points with a victory.

Their assistant coach Bastob Roy likened the situation to that of Real Madrid in the La Liga, saying that this was how football was and that they would now have to create their own luck rather than rely on the rub of the green.

“Have you seen the situation of Real Madrid? This is football, it’s part of the game and we are trying to come out of this situation. We still think we can make the playoffs. The table is very unpredictable and with two wins in a row, we may be able to achieve it. Luck is not with us,” he said.

“Chance factor has been against us. We are not looking behind but looking forward. The only thing we can do is hard work. Luck is not in our hands. In football, you have to score and not concede. That’s what we work on,” he added, not disclosing the team’s plans for NorthEast United, who were impressive in their 2-1 win against FC Goa.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea manager Grant will look for the attitude which was seen against FC Goa, when his side notched their first win after four defeats on the trot. They can leapfrog ATK with a win and that will be the most motivating factor for them.

“I think we need to improve a lot. I like to implement attacking football but for us to reach the desired level is difficult. So the immediate focus is to remain organised and be together. Hopefully that gets us some results,” NorthEast assistant coach Eelco Schattorie said.

“Two areas which need work on is to bring the team together. Last week everyone worked hard and had the intention to help each other so that organisation is very important. Secondly, we need to improve in the area of scoring goals but that is the most difficult as well. We can’t train today to score and score tomorrow. That is not how it works. That only works when you have (Lionel) Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo,” he added.

NorthEast United may not have those two players at their disposal, but they showed what a determined performance can achieve against one of the best teams in the league. More of the same will certainly cause ATK problems.

In a feel-good budget in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Thursday, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu announced that the recommendations of the 7th Pay commission for government employees will be implemented in the state from 1 April. He also announced the release of 1 percent DA for government employees from July 2017.

Drabu, while presenting his 4th budget, also announced concessions for trade, industry, craftsmen and hoteliers.

The 7th Pay Commission will have retrospective effect from January 2016, Drabu said. The commission had recommended 14.27 percent hike in basic pay and raising minimum pay from Rs.7000 to Rs.18,000 per month.

Drabu proposed that the minimum wages of unskilled workers would be raised from Rs. 150 to Rs. 225, while those of skilled labour to Rs. 350 from Rs. 225. A new category of highly skilled worker has been introduced and Rs. 400 was fixed as the minimum wage.

He announced that the hotels and resorts will be treated at par with the industrial sector for payment of electric tariff with effect from 1 April. It has also been decided to waive off interest and penalty on all the power arrears owed to the Government by the industrialists and hoteliers and tourist resort owners who suffered losses during the floods in 2014 and unrest in 2016, he said

He rolled out a “CM’s Business Interest Relief Scheme”. For all the RBI approved restructured accounts, the Government will contribute one-third of the total interest payment of all these borrowers.

The government granted a one-time waiver of Rs. 1.47 crore on soft loans provided under erstwhile Prime Minister’s Package in respect of 19 Houseboat owners, who had taken such loans from Banks other than J&K Bank and State Bank of India.

The budget proposals also granted a waiver of penalty and interest on arrears of tax in respect of all the dealers registered under the provisions of J-K Value Added Tax, 2005 and J&K General Sales Tax Act, 1962.

Under Amnesty Scheme for the transport sector, the Finance Minister proposed waiving off interest and penalty on past arrears of token and passenger tax from 1st July 2016 to 31st March 2017.

Announcing health insurance for employees and pensioners, Drabu said their 5 family members each will be covered under the insurance scheme. The scheme has also been extended to accredited media persons.
He said that to ensure delivery of services in far off places, the government shall incentivise the postings in such places. “Every government official wants a posting in Srinagar or Jammu,” he rued.
He also announced that SGST rates will be brought down on a few items.

In a relief to the general public, the state government today proposed to abolish basic toll on all non-commercial, private light motor vehicles at Lakhanpur and Lower Munda.

He raised the toll on tobacco, in all forms, from existing Rs 290 per quintal to Rs 400 per quintal as tobacco is hazardous for health.

The Assembly Election in Nagaland will be held on schedule, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today amidst a demand by the state’s civil society groups for deferring the polls to facilitate a solution to the vexed Naga insurgency issue.

This was conveyed by the home minister to Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang when the latter met him here on Wednesday.

“HM also told the Nagaland Chief Minister that announcing the dates for assembly elections is the prerogative of the Election Commission and the elections have to be held on schedule,” the office of the home minister tweeted.

During the meeting, the chief minister also gave some suggestions to the home minister for a solution to the vexed Naga issue.

“HM told him that the negotiations of various Naga groups with the interlocutor will continue,” another tweet said.

Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister Imkong Imchen on Tuesday said he supported the demand of various Naga groups to defer the upcoming assembly elections in order to facilitate a solution to the seven-decade-old Naga insurgency.

Various civil society groups have placed the demand — the signing of a final peace accord with the insurgent group NSCN-IM before the assembly elections.

On Tuesday, the Naga Hoho, an apex Naga tribal body, has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s help in postponing the forthcoming Nagaland assembly elections, saying that the vexed insurgency problem should be resolved first.

“It is the unanimous view of the Naga people that the political solution or Naga peace accord is more important than elections and therefore, it has become imperative that the elections to the legislative assembly of Nagaland be deferred for peace and tranquility,” the tribal body said.

Assembly elections in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura are due in February-March and an announcement in this regard is expected early next month.

The expectations for a lasting peace have soared in Nagaland, which had been hit by insurgency for decades after the Centre and the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement in 2015.

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN-IM) has been engaged with peace talks with the interlocutor of the central government since 1997 when it announced a ceasefire agreement after a bloody insurgency movement which started in Nagaland soon after the country’s Independence.

During a visit to Nagaland in November last, President Ram Nath Kovind had said the state was at the threshold of making history as the final agreement on the Naga political issue would soon be arrived at and a lasting peace achieved.

On September 19, Nagaland Governor P B Acharya had said the vexed Naga issue would be solved within a few months.

Seeking to allay concerns of three northeastern states, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said on November 8 that the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur would not be compromised while inking the final Naga peace accord.

The insurgent group NSCN-IM’s key demand is to integrate Naga-inhabited areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, which has been strongly opposed by the BJP-ruled states.

Giving a cinema analogy, actor Kamal Haasan, who has announced his entry into politics, said on Thursday that like in cinema, in politics also there is a fear that a rival can run away with your script and produce a film before he can do it — in what is seen as a veiled reference to his longtime friend and superstar Rajinikanth.

In a write-up in the Tamil weekly ‘Ananda Vikatan’, he said he was often being asked about the progress of his plans to launch a political party. This was like asking what is the story plot on the first day a film’s production starts. “But in cinema there is a fear that a rival may complete a film and release it before we are able to do it. In politics also there is such a fear,” he said in an apparent reference to Rajinikanth, who has also announced his entry into politics.

“That is why one has to be careful. What has to be said has to be said carefully and correctly. One has to guard against taking back what has been uttered. I am involved in that only,” he said. Kamal Haasan also said he was being asked by several people on ‘how I am going to tackle the problem of friends turning rivals”, again a veiled reference to Rajinikanth with whom he has about four decades of friendship.

He said he would take such things in his stride but he would not stoop to the “usual low levels” of politics and his followers would also not like it.

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday has welcomed the Supreme Court (SC) decision to order fresh probe, by a new Special Investigation Team (SIT), into 186 cases of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, with the hope that justice would finally be meted out to the innocent victims.

Talking to mediapersons on Thursday, the CM said more than 30 years had passed since the gory violence, which claimed many lives and left many others homeless, and while various Commissions had been set up to investigate the cases, justice continued to elude the victims.

Several names had cropped up in connection with the riots, and it was now up to the SIT to verify the allegations and bring the investigation to its logical conclusion, he added.

It was high time that justice be provided in these cases, said Amarinder, who himself had quit as Member of Parliament (MP) in protest against the violence.

To a question on the ban announced by certain elements on entry of Indian officials in gurudwaras in Canada and the US, the CM said anyone, be it Sikh or non-Sikh, can enter the ‘guru ghar’ (abode of the Guru) to pay their respects or partake the langar prasad. It was against the ‘Sikhi’ (tenets of Sikhism) to stop anyone from entering the gurdwaras, he said, condemning the ban as totally wrong.

It was for the management committees of the gurudwaras, as well as the Sikh community, in these countries, to put a stop on such acts, he said, pointing out that never in history had any person been barred from entering a gurudwara.

On the issue of political conferences at Shaheedi Jor Melas, Amarinder said the precedent laid in the case of the Fatehgarh Sahib Jor Mela should be followed for all other Shaheedi Jor Melas, such as Maghi and Chamkaur Sahib.

All political parties acceded to Jathedar Akal Takth’s call not to hold any political conference in Fatehgarh Sahib and should now follow the same tradition for other similar melas, he added. If the Akali Dal planned to hold political conferences there, it was up to them to explain and justify their act, said the CM.

The CM, however, made it clear that he was not against holding of political conferences at other Jor Melas which were not related to martyrdom.

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a police constable here on Thursday morning, following which he was arrested, an official said.

Constable Subhash, who is on deputation with the sales tax department, took the girl to his house and raped her. He was in an inebriated state, Surajpur police station in-charge Akhilesh Pradhan said.

The girl’s family is from Bihar and was the constable’s neighbour, he said.

Pradhan said that when residents heard the girl’s screams, they came to her rescue and caught the accused. He was thrashed by them before being handed over to the police, he said.

The constable took her when she was playing outside her house, he said.

The matter is being investigated and a case has been lodged by the victim’s parents, the officer said.

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Golfer Rajesh Natarajan claimed the second National finals spot, winning the city qualifiers of the Mercedes Trophy golf meet, it was announced on Thursday.

Rajesh returned a net score of 71.8 to emerge victoriously. He will now join actor R. Madhavan, who won on the first day.

Delighted after the win, Natarajan said: “I am very happy to win the qualifiers of such a prestigious event and look forward eagerly to the National Finals now. I thank Mercedes for the wonderful experience and we had a wonderful time here at the BPGC.”

One more qualifier will be identified on Friday, the third and the final day of the of the Mumbai qualifiers

The best Gross Winner of the day was Akshay Kilachand who carded an excellent round of 76and there was a host of other prizes on offer to be won on the day.

Prominent winners included Devang Sharma who won the Ballantine’s Long Drive Challenge with a long drive of 260 yards.

Aryanman Rajpurohit won the Mercedes-Benz Closest to Pin contest while the Mercedes-Benz Closest to Pin in Two Shots was won by R. Ramakrishnan, who landed the ball 5 ft from the pin after two shots.

The format of play was Double Peoria. This unique format of adjusting handicaps of players levels the playing field enabling golfers to have a greater chance of qualifying for the National Finals.

After German automaker Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal, it is now the U.S. auto giant Ford Motor that was accused of emissions cheating in a bid to promote its diesel engine trucks.

A class action lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in Detroit in the state of Michigan, claiming Ford and German auto supplier Bosch of knowingly installing emissions-cheating software devices in 2011-2017 Ford 250 and 350 Super Duty diesel pickup trucks.

According to Hagens Berman law firm, affected pickups which drivers paid $8,400 more than the gasoline edition for higher fuel efficiency, could pollute the air with NOx (nitrogen oxide) at levels up to 50 times of legal limits, Xinhua reported.

However, the law firm said that Ford marketed and sold these trucks as the “cleanest Super Diesel ever,” and said it used “proven technology and innovative Ford strategies to meet the latest federal emissions standards.”

Hagens Berman hit Ford and Bosch with a total 58 counts of violations of state consumer laws, false advertising laws, deceptive trade laws as well as violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

It adding that “Ford did not act alone,” but colluded with Bosch in an organised scheme to evade emissions requirements, for sake of profit.

Neither Ford nor Bosch have reacted to the accusations.

In a homecoming of sorts, former Maharashtra BJP MP Nana F. Patole has rejoined the Congress, a month after quitting his Lok Sabha membership from Bhandara-Gondiya, it was announced on Thursday.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi formally welcomed Patole into the party in the presence of stare Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan and Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil among others.

A party leader here said he is likely to contest the next Lok Sabha elections from the same constituency in Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra as a Congress candidate.

Elected on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket in the 2014 parliament elections, Patole had given a shock defeat to Nationalist Congress Party strongman and former union minister Praful Patel.

While Patole rode on the wave of farmers’ angst against the erstwhile UPA government to win the Lok Sabha elections, he later rebelled and became a bitter critic of the ruling BJP-led NDA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for ignoring the cause of the farmers and going back on their pre-poll promises.

Finally, on the eve of the recent Gujarat assembly elections, he quit the BJP and his Lok Sabha membership on December 8 and bided his time amidst speculation he would return to the Congress.

Since the past one month, he spent his time touring his parliamentary constituency, meeting his activists and supporters before joining the Congress, the formal announcement of which was made on Thursday.

Born in a farmer’s family, the 54-year old Patole was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative assembly for three consecutive terms since 1999 and was elevated as a deputy party leader in the legislature before he suddenly defected to the BJP before the 2014 elections.

Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved is in talks with several foreign venture funds for investment in its ongoing projects like food processing units and manufacturing units, said a company official.

The Haridwar-based company has held several meetings with leading fund managers in Mumbai in last couple of months through financial services company UBS and IDFC.

Patanjali Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna also participated in the meetings, he added.

“We had meetings with the world’s largest equity funds through the letter circulated by UBS and then it was facilitated by IDFC also. Through them, we met over a dozen venture capitalists in last couple of months,” Patanjali spokesperson S K Tijarawala told PTI.

Confirming reports that Patanjali was in talks with French luxury group LVMH, he said as per Patanjali’s policy, it would go with its own terms for such fundings, which means no stake, no share and lower rate of interest.

“Our terms are very simple that we would not allot any share or stake of Patanjali to them. We want the money simply in the form of loan, which should have lower interest rate than that of bank,” he added.

Moreover, Patanjali would accept “any loan or borrowing in Indian Rupee only”, as per its conditions.

LVMH, which is in the process of investing around Rs 5,000 crore, is evaluating the offers.

“We would not dilute our icon and identity for which we are known, that is Swadeshi and India-made products,” Tijarawala added.

In 2016-17, Patanjali had crossed a turnover of Rs 10,500 crore and aims a two-fold growth this fiscal.

Besides FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) segment, Patanjali is present in sectors such as education and healthcare.

Recently, it had forayed into kids and adult diapers and affordable sanitary napkin segments. Last month, it also announced its foray into solar equipment manufacturing.

Patanjali is also partnering this month with eight leading e-tailers and aggregators to push online sales of its FMCG products.

The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra as the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the apex court, sources said on Thursday.

Along with her, Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph, who was part of the bench which in 2016 had quashed the imposition of President’s Rule in the state, has also been cleared for elevation to the apex court.

Malhotra, who was designated as a senior advocate in 2007, would be the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the top court, instead of being elevated from a high court.

She will be the seventh woman judge since independence to make it to the Supreme Court. At present, Justice R Banumathi is the lone woman judge in the apex court.

The first woman to be appointed as a judge of the apex court was Justice M Fathima Beevi in 1989.

Thereafter, Justice Sujata V Manohar, Justice Ruma Pal, Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai made it to the top court as judges.

Actress Kajol, an active supporter of eradicating preventable deaths from hygiene-related issues, has become an advocacy ambassador for a Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat initiative. Kajol on Thursday took to Twitter to urge people to become “swachhta doot” and contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

“It’s a great honour to be chosen as the Advocacy Ambassador for the Swachh Aadat Swachh Bharat ‘haath muh bum’ initiative Hindustan Unilever. I urge people to become a Swachhta Doot and contribute to a better tomorrow,” Kajol tweeted.

Kajol’s husband and actor Ajay Devgn expressed his happiness over her achievement.