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‘Race 3’ team shoots first song

IANS | Mumbai |

The Race 3 team has started shooting for the first song from the upcoming film.

Producer Ramesh Taurani on Tuesday shared a photograph of him along with the film’s director Remo D’Souza holding a clapboard.

“Shooting our first song on Race 3 with my director and the best choreographer in the country. Remo D’souza, Salman Khan, Jacqueline, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem,” he captioned the image.

Co-produced by Salman Khan Films and Taurani under the banner of Tips Films, Race 3 will hit theatres on Eid 2018.

It is the sequel to the 2013 film Race 2 and the third installment of the “Race” film series.

The earlier instalment featured Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Ameesha Patel, Aditya Pancholi and Katrina Kaif.

Arsene Wenger admits one Arsenal midfielder could depart in January

The hardworking midfielder has been out of favour this season and could move within the next few days!

SNS | New Delhi |

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted there is a chance of defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin departing the Emirates Stadium in the winter transfer window.

“It’s a possibility but nothing is decided,” Wenger responded at his press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea when asked whether the 26-year-old was on his way out of the North London club.

Coquelin, a product of the Arsenal Academy, has made just 13 appearances this season for the Gunners.

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Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey, when fit, have been preferred in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, while Jack Wilshere’s resurgence has further scuppered Coquelin’s first-team chances. He’s primarily been used in the UEFA Europa Leauge and the Carabao Cup, where Wenger has fielded teams that have been made up of a mix of fringe players and youth prospects.

London rivals West Ham United have been reportedly chasing the hardworking midfielder but Wenger poured cold water on the rumours as he stated: “We have no contact with West Ham”.

Don’t miss: Juan Mata feels Manchester United’s warm weather camp will boost morale

The combative 26-year-old has been at the club since 2008, but has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot, and has gone on loan to three clubs during that period in a bid to get some minutes under his belt.

Known for his tenacity in the tackle, Coquelin’s technical qualities have often been found lacking and despite signing a long-term contract in January 2017, it seems his time in North London is coming to an end.

Also read: We’re still in the tie: Bristol City boss Lee Johnson

Wenger, who has repeatedly insisted that the summer transfer window should shut before the season starts, slammed the winter transfer window as he added, “The transfer window should be banned to keep our life a bit more focused on football”.

Arsenal make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to take on arch-rivals Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

Train catches fire in Bihar, 4 coaches gutted

IANS | Patna |

Four coaches of a passenger train were gutted in a fire in Bihar’s Mokama railway yard on Wednesday, an official said. No one was injured in the incident.

The coaches were of a MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) passenger train that caught fire around midnight.

At the time of the incident the train was stationed at the yard, around 80 km from Patna.

“The train had arrived in Mokama at 10.28 p.m. The fire was spotted in two of its coaches at 1.15 a.m. Soon the fire spread to two other coaches,” a Railway Ministry official in Delhi said.

“The remaining 12 coaches of the train were saved as they were separated by the railway staff,” the official said.

The fire brigade from Barh, 30 km away from the spot, reached and completely doused the flames by 3.30 a.m.

There has been no disruption though on the Patna-Howrah route due to the incident.

An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of fire,” the official added.

Modi lauds Anchal Thakur for winning India’s first international skiing medal

SNS | New Delhi |

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated 21-year-old Manali resident Anchal Thakur on bagging India’s first-ever international medal in skiing.

In a message of Twitter, Modi said: “Well done @alleaanchal for winning an international medal in skiing!”

“The entire nation is ecstatic on your historic accomplishment at the FIS International Skiing Competition in Turkey. Wishing you the very best for your future endeavours,” he added.

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/950958074210041856

Thakur on Tuesday clinched bronze in the coveted Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup organised by the Federation Internationale de Ski — skiing’s international governing body — at the Palandoken Ski Centre in Erzurum, Turkey.

She won the medal in the slalom race category.

Earlier, sports minister Rajyavardhan Rathore too congratulated Aanchal on Twitter.

“Congrats Aanchal Thakur for the Slalom Skiing Bronze in the FIS International Skiing Competition in Turkey. India opens account by a first ever medal in skiing. Well done!,” Rathore said in his message.

Yemen’s Houthis warn of cutting off shipping line

IANS | Sanaa |

Yemen’s Houthi rebels warned of cutting off the Red Sea shipping line if the Saudi-led coalition forces keep advancing towards the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, the media reported on Wednesday.

“We will block the Red Sea international shipping line in the Red Sea if Saudi-led aggression coalition forces keep advancing towards Hodeidah,” Xinhua reported citing Saba news agency which quoted Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad as saying.

The threat was made by al-Sammad, the chief of the Houthi governing body, known as the Supreme Political Council, during his meeting with the visiting UN deputy envoy Maeen Sharim in Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

The warning was a “deterrent step” that aimed to exert pressure on the Saudi-led coalition, as targeting the Red Sea shipping route could have international economic consequences, according to Saba.

Recently, the ground battles backed by the coalition air strikes have intensified around Hodeidah as the coalition forces are pushing towards the rebel-held port city to recapture it.

The US-backed coalition accuses Houthis of smuggling weapons through the Hodeidah port and collecting customs revenues from imported goods to finance the war, which the Houthis have denied.

Hodeidah port city, where 80 per cent of Yemen’s food imports arrive, is the only port kept by Houthi rebels after the Saudi-led coalition and the Yemeni government forces recaptured the southern port city of Aden along with other southern governorates in 2016.

Al-Sammad also told the visiting UN deputy envoy their willingness to enter into peace negotiations, but required the coalition to show goodwill by lifting the all-out blockade, including re-opening Sanaa Airport, and stopping air strikes and ground battles.

“Yemen is ready for peace talks if the Saudi aggression stopped,” Saba cited al-Sammad as saying during his conversation with Sharim.

The Yemeni war pits dominant Shiite Houthi rebels against the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which is supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

The war has so far killed more than 10,000 Yemenis, half of them civilians, and displaced over 3 million others, according to UN humanitarian agencies.

Rajya Sabha MP Gupta denies irregularities in AAP funding

Statesman News Service | New Delhi |

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) refuted  media reports wherein the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had reportedly flagged a mismatch in the party’s actual and reported donations to the Election Commission (EC).
The party demanded that the “electoral bonds scheme” should be withdrawn immediately. Newly elected AAP Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Narain Dass Gupta said that every donation made to the party has been accounted for and all accounts had been shared with Central agencies on many occasions.
“There are no irregularities in the accounts of the party. The media reports on AAP’s donations originating from CBDT have no basis in fact or reality,” Gupta said at a press conference.
Gupta, a former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), said Section 138 of the Income Tax Act prohibits sharing of information related to a political party’s files.
“The sharing of information to the media by CBDT is in itself a violation of the law,” Gupta said. Gupta said the reason that there was a discrepancy at the end of the Central government’s agencies was that their calculations had been done at different times.
“At party’s end, every single donation coming to party has been accounted for. The facts of this case are being purposefully twisted and misrepresented,” Gupta alleged. Senior leader of the party and national secretary Pankaj Gupta said, “on the one hand the Central Government is talking about making political funding transparent, while at the same time it is working to give statutory validation to electoral bonds which will help keep source of political funding a secret.”
Gupta pointed out the source of funding received by political parties through electoral bonds will be accessible to the nationalised banks, the RBI and the government.

JP Morgan CEO regrets calling bitcoin ‘fraud’

IANS | New York |

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has softened his stance on bitcoin and regretted calling the digital currency a fraud.

In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Dimon said he regretted making his earlier comments on the cryptocurrency.

The head of the biggest US bank called bitcoin “a fraud” in September 2017 and said the digital currency “won’t end well”, Xinhua news agency reported.

He also then said that he would not allow JP Morgan traders to trade bitcoin, noting that “it’s against our rules and they are stupid”.

Bitcoin was trading around $4,200 when Dimon made the comments. Since then, the price of the digital currency has skyrocketed. Bitcoin traded above $14,000 on Tuesday.

Dimon said he personally was “not interested in the subject at all”. But he said blockchain, the open-ledger technology that underpins bitcoins, was real.

Sakshi leads Mumbai Maharathi to victory in opening PWL tie

She jumped into a 10-2 lead in the first period of the 62-kg bout and wrapped it up 18-2 to the delight of her fans.

IANS |

The Pro Wrestling League (PWL) got off to a sensational start with Mumbai Maharathi besting Delhi Sultans 5-2 on the opening night at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Tuesday.

Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik, played her role as captain of the Maharathis with elan, winning the crucial fourth point to put the contest beyond the Sultans’ reach. She trounced Monia 18-2 in what proved to be a walk in the park.

The two teams were locked 2-2 after four contests but Satender Malik edged out Hitender 7-6 to put the Maharathis ahead. Sakshi then walked into the stadium like a rock star, to a standing ovation by a packed house, and showed what she is all about.

She jumped into a 10-2 lead in the first period of the 62-kg bout and wrapped it up 18-2 to the delight of her fans.

Delhi Sultans were on the back-foot right at the start, with their captain and star player Sushil Kumar being removed from the equation. Sakshi Malik lost the toss and promptly blocked him.

In return, Sushil opted to block Odunaya of Nigeria, a formidable force in the 57-kg category.

That, however, didn’t deter Sushil’s teammate Sandeep Tomar from beginning on a winning note and pick up the first point of the tie. The 2017 Asian Indoor Games bronze medallist got the better of a fighting Andrey Yatsenko 14-9 in the 57-kg men’s freestyle clash.

Tomar looked solid in the first period, racking up a 10-0 lead. But the Ukrainian snatched 8 points with a brilliant move to raise a scare. Tomar, however, held on to win the match.

The Mumbai team asserted themselves in the second match, with Seema beating Maroi Mezien of Tunisia in the 50-kg women’s competition.

It was a defensive fight, with both not making any aggressive moves. Only one point was taken in the first period, by Seema who then won four more points in the next for a strategic 5-1 win.

The Sultans regained the lead, with Azerbaijan’s Aslan Albvorov notching up a comprehensive 15-0 win over Satyawart Kadian in the 92-kg class. The 2017 World Championships bronze medallist was a class above the Indian who struggled all the way through.

France’s Cynthia Vescan promptly won the next one for Mumbai, beating Egypt’s Samaramer Hamza in the 76-kg men’s fight. She took it easily, conceding just one point to her 12.

Australia records third hottest year in 2017

IANS | Canberra |

Australia registered its third warmest year on record in 2017, with an average temperature of 0.95 degrees Celsius above the 1967-to-1990 average, the Met announced on Wednesday.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) stated in its annual report that in 2017 temperatures were high despite the absence of El Nino, a natural phenomenon associated with rising temperatures, and the Indian Ocean Dipole, which remained neutral during the year.

The BOM added that the warming associated with anthropogenic climate change has occurred since 1950 and the Australian annual mean temperature has increased by approximately 1.1 degrees since 2010.

“Seven of the 10 warmest years on record have been recorded since 2005 and only one year was below the 1961 to 1990 average in the past decade” BOM head of climate monitoring Karl Braganza said in a press release.

According to the BOM, the hottest day in 2017 was the second hottest ever recorded since 1910, with the temperature in Tarcoola, a town in the state of South Australia, reaching 48.2 degrees on February 9.

On the other hand, the coolest night was recorded on July 16 in Perisher Valley, in New South Wales, with temperatures dropping to -12.1 degrees, Efe news reported.

Australia’s wettest day in 2017 was registered at Mt. Jukes, Queensland, on March 28 with over 635 millimetres of rainfall, while Hamilton Island in Queensland was hit by 263 km-per-hour winds two days later on March 30, marking the country’s windiest day of the year.

The BOM also said that the sea surface temperature surrounding Australia marked its eighth warmest in 2017.

The agency also confirmed that the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef located in the Australian Northeast, suffered two consecutive years of mass coral bleaching, marking the first ever back-to-back mass bleaching events.

“Prolonged high sea surface temperatures were associated with significant coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during early 2017, following significant bleaching the previous summer,” said Barganza.

Prannoy, Saurabh guide Ahmedabad to PBL-3 semis

Incidentally, it was the first time in the season that both teams had ticked off the same match as Trump.

IANS |

H.S. Prannoy powered Ahmedabad Smash Masters to a brilliant 4-1 victory over Mumbai Rockets, to advance to the semi-finals of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) season 3 here on Tuesday.

It was the last league for both teams but Ahmedabad came out all guns blazing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here to down the Rockets. While Ahmedabad earned five points, Mumbai did not get any.

The victory not only guaranteed Ahmedabad a semi-final spot but also sealed a top spot in the eight-team league. The five points earned from this win swelled their points tally to 17, two more than earlier leaders Bengaluru Blasters.

Prannoy, playing the first men’s singles, dished out an impressive display to upset World No.5 Son Wan Ho 15-12, 15-12.

After losing the first game, the Korean fought back in the second by taking a 12-9 lead but Prannoy stood up to the challenge and ended up winning 15-12 and earned a vital point for his team.

Prannoy, the World No10, had made his intentions clear earlier in the day, tweeting: “1% chance, 99% faith that’s how we go tonight for our last league match!! Do or die for a spot in the semis of PBL Season 3”.

The 25-year-old backed his words on court by defeating a higher-ranked player.

Sourabh Verma was another hero for Ahmedabad as he won the Trump match defeating his brother Sameer 15-14, 15-11 in the second men’s singles. It was also a Trump match for Mumbai, which meant the loss got them a negative point.

Incidentally, it was the first time in the season that both teams had ticked off the same match as Trump.

There was not much to choose between the Vermas in the first game but it was the elder brother Sourabh who edged out Sameer 15-14. The first game loss appeared to have affected Sameer as he was not in his elements in the second. Saurabh capitalised on it fully to seal the match by winning 15-12.

Earlier, World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying justified her billing by winning her women’s singles duel against Beiwan Zhang 15-9, 15-12. Tai Tzu wrapped up the first game pretty quickly but in the second Zhang stretched her to level the scores at 6-6. The 23-year-old Tzu did not allow her opponent any leeway by collecting six points in a row only to find the doughty Zhang reduce the margin at 12-14.

Tzu ensured the scoreline did not change much by grabbing the match point and win 15-12.

Ahmedabad’s mixed doubles pair of Law Cheuk Him and Kamilla Rytter Juhl began the proceedings in right earnest by defeating the Mumbai duo of Lee Yong Dae/Gabriela Stoeva 15-11, 15-7.

Lee Yong Dae and Tan Boon Heong provided the only consolation for Mumbai winning their men’s doubles encounter against Lee Chun Hei Reginald and Kidambi Nandagopal 15-10, 15-12.

The Korean pair’s win earned Mumbai their first point but the -1 point they had got in the Trump match defeat meant they ended up with zero points from this tie. While PBL debutants Ahmedabad surged to the top, two-time finalists Mumbai dropped to the bottom with just 10 points.

Chinese yuan weakens against US dollar

IANS | Beijing |

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency, the renminbi or the yuan, weakened 239 basis points to 6.5207 against the US dollar on Wednesday, the lowest point in about two weeks.

The softer rate came after drops in the offshore yuan against the dollar on Tuesday following rumours that the country’s central bank had notified lenders to suspend the “counter-cyclical factor” in the pricing mechanism of the yuan’s central parity rate, Xinhua reported.

The People’s Bank of China said in response that parameters of the “counter-cyclical factor” are determined by market-making banks based on their own judgement on the macro-economy and the foreign exchange market.

In May 2017, authorities introduced the “counter-cyclical factor” to the existing pricing model of the yuan’s central parity rate against the dollar, aiming to moderate pro-cyclical fluctuations driven by irrational sentiment in the foreign exchange market.

In China’s spot market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The World Bank (WB) on Tuesday said growth in China remained solid throughout 2017 and its growth slowdown was well managed. China’s trade flows recovered markedly in 2017, with tighter enforcement of capital flow management.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the US dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.

The China Foreign Exchange Trade System said that China’s foreign exchange market is prone to irrational expectations due to a certain level of “pro-cyclicality” which distorts market demand and supply, and increases the risk of the market exchange rate overshooting.

Adding the “counter-cyclical factor” to the existing model will help correct the trend and steer market attention to the macro-economy, it said.

China has been pushing reform of the yuan’s exchange rate formation system to make the currency more market-oriented and help stabilize expectations.

The yuan’s onshore exchange rate strengthened by 6.72 per cent against the US dollar in 2017, the sharpest annual appreciation in nine years, according to calculations by financial information provider Eastmoney.com.

The currency has seen sustained strength this year, with its central parity rate strengthening to a 20-month high against the US dollar on Monday

‘Pari’ to release on Holi

IANS | Mumbai |

The makers of Pari have postponed the release date of the film and it is now scheduled for a Holi release on March 2.

The film starring actress Anushka Sharma was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on February 9.

Anushka on Tuesday shared an 18-second motion picture. It read : Pari…Not a fairytale.

“Sweet dreams guys…Holi with ‘Pari’,” Anushka captioned the image.

The project, which also stars Bengali actor Parambrata Chatterjee, has been directed by debutant Prosit Roy. Pari is jointly produced by Anushka’s Clean Slate Films and KriArj Entertainment.

This will be Anushka’s third project as a producer. NH10 and Phillauri were her previous production. “Pari” is reportedly shot in Mumbai and Kolkata.

Anushka, who tied the knot to star cricketer Virat Kohli in December 2017 in an intimate wedding in Tuscany, is back on the sets of Aanand L. Rai’s Zero starring Shah Rukh Khan,

Gasquet upsets Nadal at Kooyong Classic

Richard Gasquet of France on Tuesday handed a defeat to World No.1 Rafael Nadal at the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Australia.

IANS |

Richard Gasquet of France on Tuesday handed a defeat to World No.1 Rafael Nadal at the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Australia.

This was Nadal’s first match after withdrawing due to a right knee injury from the 2017 ATP Finals in London, and despite losing 4-6, 5-7 to the World No.31, he remained upbeat about his physical condition, reports Xinhua news agency.

“It’s not an official match but still a test for me and good practice, that’s the most important thing, that’s the most important thing for the whole season,” the 31-year-old Spaniard said, reaffirming his need to keep practising hard to be prepared for the Australian Open.

“I had a long year last year, so I had to start my preparation later than usual. But I’ve arrived with plenty of time and it’s a good day to start again the feelings of playing a match,” the 16-time Grand Slam champion added.

On Wednesday, Nadal is set to play against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, World No.14, at the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne, where matches are to be comprised of tie-breaks only, with no games and no sets.

Nadal’s first official match is scheduled to take place at the Australian Open, following his withdrawal from the Brisbane International tournament and from an exhibition held in Abu Dhabi.

Rooney Rule adopted by English football teams in diversity bid

When a successor to Southgate is required, at least one black or ethnic minority candidate will be interviewed.

AFP | London |

Since the job was created 72 years ago, every manager of the England men’s football team has been white.

When a successor to Gareth Southgate is eventually required, at least one black or ethnic minority candidate is set to be interviewed.

Drawing inspiration from the NFL, the English Football Association announced yesterday it had adopted its version of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview a diverse pool of candidates for coaching and management positions.

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“It is the right thing to do but there is also a business case for it,” FA chief executive Martin Glenn said while overlooking the pitch at Wembley Stadium.

“If your management team reflects more the people that you are serving then you’re going to make correct decisions.”

The FA’s Rooney Rule covers jobs across all 28 national teams organised under the England flag, including youth and disability squads for men and women. Currently, only one manager is black: Kevin Betsy, who runs the men’s under-15s.

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The women’s team was led into the 2007 and 2011 World Cups by Hope Powell, who is black. The team currently requires a new coach.

The FA’s push to foster greater diversity follows a damaging row last year around the women’s team involving allegations of racism and sex discrimination by striker Eni Aluko, which led to a parliamentary hearing.

Former manager Mark Sampson was found to have racially discriminated against two of his players, while goalkeeping coach Lee Kendall left his role after addressing Aluko using a mock Caribbean accent.

Also read: We’re still in the tie, insists Bristol City boss Lee Johnson

“I think culturally what women will be prepared to put up with has been a bit different from guys,” Glenn said. “I guess banter would be a case in point.”

After becoming embroiled in a public row with Aluko, the FA has sought to heal the rifts by consulting the Chelsea player particularly about new whistleblowing procedures.

The FA hopes black and minority ethnic (BAME) players would feel more comfortable reporting grievances if the staff on England teams was more diverse.

“It’s all about improving performance by making the England players feel like the setup is more inclusive,” Glenn said.

At least one BAME candidate will be interviewed for all future jobs around the national teams if they have the right qualifications and experience.

“What we’re seeing now is more BAME players,” Glenn said, “and what we want to do is make sure that post their playing career there’s an opportunity for them to carry on contributing, and that they feel the FA is also for them.”

English football’s anti-discrimination group, Kick It Out, praised the FA for delivering a “watershed moment” it hopes will spur a wider push to promote BAME coaches. Chris Hughton at Brighton is the only black manager in the 20-team Premier League.

The Sports People’s Think Tank reported in November that 22 of 482 coaching roles across 92 clubs in the top four professional leagues in England were held by BAME coaches.

“We look forward to working with the FA and the other authorities to bring about the changes necessary to make the game inclusive for all,” Kick It Out chairman Herman Ouseley said.

The Rooney Rule was named after campaigning Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who died last year.

“The Rooney Rule on its own isn’t enough,” Glenn said.

“All the other programs about building the pipeline of talented young BAME coaches is also important at the same time.”

Liam Neeson is so warm, curious: Vera Farmiga

IANS | Los Angeles |

 Actress Vera Farmiga had fun filming for The Commuter with veteran actor Liam Neeson, and says he is a “wonderful guy”.

“I didn’t know Liam before this film. Liam was just a myth, he was a legend! Boy, he is grace on two feet! He’s everything I anticipated – strong, steadfast, kind and open. He is so warm and he is a very curious, very tender but a big oak in stature,”Farmiga said in a statement.

“You just want to wrap your arms around him and climb him like a big tree and swing from him. He’s that guy. He’s wonderful,” she added.

To this, Neeson said: “Vera plays a very mysterious character and she’s such a wonderful actress that you’re never quite sure if she’s all that she makes out to be. Is she a cop? Is she FBI? Is she a baddie or what? She plays it very, very close to her chest. She’s always been on my bucket list of actresses to work with.”

They are looking forward to the release of The Commuter, revolves around a man’s quest to prevent disaster on a packed commuter train. PVR Pictures is releasing the film in India on January 19.

Rupee recovers 5 paise against US dollar

PTI | Mumbai |

The rupee recovered by 5 paise to 63.66 against the dollar in early trade on Wednesday on mild selling of the US currency by exporters amid a higher opening in domestic equity markets.

Currency traders said weakness in the dollar against major global currencies overseas supported the rupee.

On Tuesday, the rupee had dropped sharply by 20 paise to end at a fresh one-week low of 63.71 against the US currency following steady uptick in dollar demand from importers and banks amid surging crude prices.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose by 122.44 points or 0.35 per cent to trade at new lifetime high of 34,565.63 while the NSE Nifty was up 18.50 points, or 0.17 per cent to 10,655.50 in early trade.

Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat evicted from Paris flat

AFP | Paris |

A French court has ordered that Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat be evicted from an apartment in a posh part of Paris for failing to keep up with the rent.

In a December 14 ruling seen , the court told Sherawat and her French husband Cyrille Auxenfans to pay 78,787 euros (USD 94,000) in rent owed and expenses, giving the green light for their furniture to be seized.

The couple began renting the apartment in the pricey 16th district on January 1, 2017, for a monthly sum of 6,054 euros.

But according to the owner they never paid the rent, making only a single payment of 2,715 euros.

At a hearing in a Paris court on November 14, a lawyer for the couple said they were in financial difficulty.

The lawyer emphasised the “irregular” nature of Sherawat’s work — an argument dismissed by the owners of the apartment who claimed she had earned tens of millions during the rental period.

Neither Sherawat nor Auxenfans replied to AFP’s request for comment.

In mid-December the actress had denied having a Paris apartment.