A MiG-29K aircraft on a training sortie with under-trainee pilot veered off runway, while taking off at Naval Air Station Hansa, Goa airport on Wednesday.

The aircraft had caught fire but the pilot ejected safely, an Indian Navy spokesperson said

“A MiG-29K aircraft with under-trainee pilot goes off runway while taking off at Goa airport. Pilot eject(ed) to safety,” the spokesperson tweeted.

A Mig29K aircraft with under-trainee pilot goes off runway while taking off at Goa airport. Pilot ejects to safety. Fire on aircraft being extinguished @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 3, 2018

The spokesperson said the aircraft caught fire and the blaze was being extinguished. The accident halted flight operations at Dabolim, — the only airport in Goa.

The runway was closed for an hour, said senior airport official.

(with agency inputs)

Amid call for a shut-down across Maharashtra given by Dalit leaders to protest the violence during the bicentennial celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, civic buses were again targeted in Mumbai today.

Thirteen buses of the civic transport service ‘BEST’ were damaged by protesters in Kalanagar area (Bandra), Dharavi, Kamraj Nagar, Santosh Nagar, Dindoshi and Hanuman Nagar, an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

The city had witnessed a major disruption of road traffic owing to protests in the eastern suburbs yesterday.

Suburban trains were running normally today morning though activists tried to stage blockades on tracks at Thane on the Central line and Goregaon on the Western line, railway officials said.

Mumbai’s famed tiffin carriers, Dabbawalas, chose not to provide their services today.

Mahesh Narvekar, senior official from the civic body’s Disaster Management Unit, had said earlier that the BEST buses will not run on some sensitive routes including Kandivali-Akurli, Dindoshi-Hanuman Nagar, Chandivali-Sangharsh Nagar, Khairani Road-Sakinaka, Sahar Cargo, Mulund Check Naka and Jijamata Nagar.

Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners Association (SBOA), told PTI, “99 per cent of our buses are off the road in the state today for security reasons. Only one or two per cent of buses are on roads.”

“We have decided not to ply school buses in the first shift (during morning hours) today and if circumstances allow, we will run the buses in the second shift,” Garg said.

“Since law and order situation is beyond our control, we cannot take risk,” he added.

Some 40,000 school buses are affiliated to the SBOA in the state.

Garg also claimed that some school buses were damaged by protesters in Mumbai today, but police did not corroborate the claim.

Though the government has not declared a school holiday, many parents chose not to send children to school.
Vijay Shukla, a resident of suburban Vikhroli, said, “I have twop kids, both studying at a school in Vikhroli east. Though school was open today, I suggested they stay at home.”

Offices in major commercial hubs too witnessed low attendance, as employees stayed away from work fearing violence.

Subhash Talekar, spokesperson of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association, said, “Since most of our customers may find it difficult to reach office, we have decided to suspend our services today.”

Dalit protesters descended on tracks at Thane and Goregaon stations in the morning.

“Few protesters tried to disrupt Railway services at Thane but were immediately cleared by the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police. Services are running uninterrupted on Central Railway,” said Sunil Udasi, chief spokesperson, Central Railway.

There were protests at Goregaon and Virar on the Western suburban line too. “Tracks have been evacuated of protesters and train services have been resumed at Virar and Goregaon from 9.05 am,” Western Railway said in a tweet.

Mumbai Police today registered nine cases in connection with yesterday’s violent protests. Over hundred people have been detained in the city since yesterday.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has said he has no problem with Brazilian teammate Neymar, rejecting speculation of a feud between the two.

Cavani and Neymar appeared to argue over penalty taking duties in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory over Lyon in September and the forwards reportedly continued quarrelling in the dressing room after the match, reports Xinhua news agency.

“With Neymar, there is nothing special in what happened,” Cavani told Uruguayan magazine Ovacion.

“People exaggerated things that happened on the pitch or in the dressing room, and that’s where they should stay because it’s a part of football.

“Stories that do not exist are invented or created (but) what counts is the group’s objective,” he added.

Cavani, who has scored 19 goals from 25 matches for Paris Saint-Germain this season, was similarly forthright about Uruguay’s chances at this year’s World Cup in Russia.

“Honestly, we have the aim of winning every competition,” he said, adding that Uruguay’s semi-final appearance at the 2010 World Cup showed their capability.

“We are going to approach this World Cup the same way and hopefully history can be repeated,” the 30-year-old added.

Raheem Sterling scored the fastest goal of the Premier League season as leaders Manchester City got back on track with a 3-1 win against Watford, while Fernando Llorente put Tottenham on course for a 2-0 victory at his former club Swansea.

Sterling struck after just 38 seconds before Christian Kabasele’s first-half own goal put Pep Guardiola’s side in control at Eastlands.

Sergio Aguero made it three as City gave the perfect response after their 18-game winning run was ended in a goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Unbeaten City are 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United as they continue to turn the title race into a lengthy coronation party.

Guardiola had complained that the hectic festive fixture schedule was a “disaster” after City striker Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee ligament injury at Palace.

But Guardiola was able to replace the Brazilian with Sergio Aguero, while David Silva returned from a two-game absence.

City, playing their fourth match in 11 days, were ahead inside a minute as Sterling met Leroy Sane’s cross with a near-post finish for his 18th goal this season.

Having won 6-0 at Watford in September, City looked on course for another rout in the 13th minute when Watford’s Kabasele sliced an attempted clearance into his own net from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.

Yet they had to wait 50 minutes to score again as Argentine forward Aguero netted from close-range for his 16th goal of the season.

Andre Gray’s 82nd minute goal for Watford came way too late to avoid a sixth defeat in their last seven league matches.

“We played really well. After dropping two points, we spoke about our reaction because big teams drop points but not too much,” Guardiola said.

With Harry Kane only fit enough for a place on the bench after illness, former Swansea striker Llorente made his first league start for Tottenham at the rain-lashed Liberty Stadium.

Llorente marked the occasion with a 12th minute goal, the Spaniard powering home a header from Christian Eriksen’s free-kick despite Swansea’s appeals for offside.

Puddles all over the pitch made it hard for Tottenham to establish their smooth-passing game and Kane, who finished 2017 with consecutive hat-tricks, was sent on for Llorente after 68 minutes.

– Dramatic winner –

Kane made his presence felt with a perfect pass to Dele Alli and the Tottenham midfielder finished at the second attempt to wrap up the points in the 89th minute.

Tottenham move above Arsenal into fifth place and sit four points behind fourth placed Liverpool with a game in hand.

“The weather was horrible but we dominated and tried to play football. Overall I think we were better and deserved the three points,” Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said.

Swansea remain bottom of the table as new boss Carlos Carvalhal was beaten for the first time in his second match since replacing the sacked Paul Clement.

Andy Carroll’s stoppage-time strike sealed a vital 2-1 win for West Ham against second bottom West Bromwich Albion at the London Stadium.

James McClean’s deflected shot from the edge of the area put Albion in front in the 30th minute.

But Carroll equalised with a bullet header in the 59th minute, his first goal since April.

Carroll followed up his opener with a dramatic winner from close-range, lifting David Moyes’ side out of the bottom three.

West Brom are winless in 20 top-flight fixtures — only three clubs have endured longer runs without a victory in the Premier League: Derby with 32, Sunderland with 26 and Norwich with 21.

Crystal Palace came from behind to win 2-1 at Southampton thanks to Luka Milivojevic’s late goal.

Palace fell behind in the 17th minute as Saints striker Shane Long scored for the first time since February last year.

Long’s fine finish raced into the top corner from Jeremy Pied’s cross.

But Palace equalised in the 69th minute when Scotland midfielder James McArthur volleyed home from Christian Benteke’s header.

And Serbia midfielder Milivojevic redeemed himself for missing a last-minute penalty against Manchester City at the weekend as his long-range curler in the 80th minute lifted Palace away from the relegation zone.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been charged by the Football Association (FA) over his conduct following the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Sunday English football’s governing body announced today.

The 68-year-old Frenchman reacted furiously to referee Mike Dean’s decision to award a penalty to West Brom in the 89th minute for handball by Calum Chambers.

The FA said the charge against Wenger was for his conduct in the match officials’ dressing room after the final whistle — he has till 1800GMT on Friday to respond to the charge.

Wenger did not sound repentant earlier on Tuesday at his press conference on the eve of their game with Chelsea.

“It was very disappointing,” Wenger said.

“What is more frustrating for me is it happened many times this season — at Stoke, Watford, Man City, now West Brom.

“It is a concerning coincidence for me.

“That is why as well I was not at all happy with the movement the referee made as to why he gave the penalty. It did not correspond at all with what happened.

“On that front it’s a bit worrying. He saw what he wanted to see.”

The government on Tuesday said that a Rs 10,000 cap on education fund paid to the children of armed forces martyrs was not being lifted, with Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre telling Parliament that the measure was accepted as part of 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

He also said that around 250 students have been reported to be affected during the current financial year.

“The combined amount of tuition fee and hostel charges has been capped at Rs 10,000 per month in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission as accepted by the Government. The allowance shall go up by 25 per cent each time DA rises by 50 per cent,” Bhamre said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Asked if any representations were received by the government on the issue, Bhamre replied in affirmative.

In response to a question on what was the response of the government, the minister said: “The reply has been sent stating that the combined amount of tuition fee and hostel charges has been capped at Rs 10,000 per month in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission as accepted by the Government.”

Asked how much money the government will save with this cap, he said out of total reported 2,679 students during the year 2017-18, 193 students were drawing more than the capped amount of tuition and hostel fee.

“Savings have been reported to be Rs.3.20 crore (approximately),” he said.

The highest amount drawn is around Rs 18.95 lakh per annum for a student, Bhamre added.

An order dated September 13 by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare of the Defence Ministry said the fee for tuition and hostel expenses for children of martyrs would be capped at Rs 10,000 per month, as per the recommendations by the 7th Pay Commission. The order came into effect from July 1.

The demand for a rollback of the decision was also raised by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, and Union Minister of State for External Affairs, General V.K. Singh (retd.), who is himself a former chief of the Indian Army.

Get ready to witness the New Year with tons of new movies neatly sprinkled across the months with a wide array of choices to offer. I have always been a fan of sci-fi movies as they always get me pumped up and show me the world of fantasy that I can still only dream about. These stories intrigue and interest me and keep me in awe whenever I watch them and till date there has never been a moment when a sci-fi movie I suggested has failed impress. So for all the movie and sci-fi lovers here is a 2018 version of the much watch sci-fi movies that nobody should miss out on:

1. Jurassic Park – Fallen Kingdom

Roaring into the first movie on the list is ‘Jurassic Park – Fallen Kingdom’, this movie is a successor and a continuation to the previous Jurassic Park movie starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. This edition of Jurassic park is set 4 years past the Indominus Rex incident on the islands of Isla Nublar and showcases an entirely different theme apart from any ever seen in any Jurassic Park movie before. This movie takes the dinosaurs to an entirely different level and introduces a variety of different dinosaur in different settings that are sure to take your breath away. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and Produced by Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow, this movie is set to terrify and stupefy all its viewers.

In Cinemas June 22, 2018

2. Rampage

Starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, this movie features him in the role of a Primatologist named Davis Okoye who maintains a distance from humans but is close to animals, especially a special silverback gorilla named George who he has cared for since birth. But things go awry as the kind gorilla gets exposed to a rogue genetic experiment causing him to grow to an enormous size and into an animal full of shear rage. The problems don’t end with him as they find out about another such animals that have also been exposed to the same genetic experiment. Dwayne partners up with a genetic engineer amidst the ever changing battlefield to find an antidote to the problem and the fearsome creature that was once his friend. Directed by Brad Peyton (the director of San Andreas) this movie crushes screens with its amazing screenplay inspired from the Rampage video game and is sure to keep everyone glued to their seats for the rest of the movie, as the newly formed alpha predators tear through the cities in an action packed thrill seeking blockbuster.

In Cinemas from April 20, 2018

3. Ready Player One

Ever wondered what the world would have looked like when every known and unknown place was already explored and humanity had nowhere else to go. This Steven Spielberg directed movie is set in the year 2045 and showcases the world engulfed by the stray ways of humans and a world where the only place to have a life and an existence is a place known as ‘THE OASIS’. The Oasis is an expansive virtual reality universe created by the works of the genius James Halliday. As a self broadcasted message from the genius himself circulates the entire globe the world falls into a virtual battle for first place as he reveals his death and announces an immense fortune for finder of the digital easter egg hidden somewhere in the oasis.

The movie is a sure shot way to experience the VR world and its extremities as it is showcased in this movie that will make any game nerd fall in love. So experience and sense the world of VR fantasy as it unravels its dirty secrets and cheat codes for a roller coaster ride through action drama and sci-fi all in one awesome package.

In Cinemas March 30, 2018

4. Avenger’s Infinity War

The most awaited movie of 2018 and part of the cult hype – Avenger Infinity War is being waited upon by almost the entire world. ‘There was an idea…’ this is how the Avengers were first formed and after so many editions and addition from the marvel universe the Infinity war edition of Avengers will be an epic concoction of action and adventure that will break through its peak during the climax of the war. This movie will be the one that will hit the cinemas like a bomb and spark and ignite a gathering of fans from all the various universes and hero backgrounds. This year a war will commence and it will end at the hands of the Avengers.

‘Fun really isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe, but this does put a smile on my face’ – Thanos

In Cinemas May 4, 2018

5. Black Panther

Black Panther is another movie from the Marvel Universe that hits the cinemas with a bang. It might be slightly underrated with Avengers Infinity War hitting theatres but mark my words this movie is a sure hitter that is filled with one badass scene after another. The movie revolves around the main character the Black Panther and his ways he chooses to be a King for his people. Hero, Legend and King are the apt words that have been used to describe the Black Panther throughout the movie. You will see his experiences … understand the word of the King and witness the intense battles between rivals. This movie will definitely not disappoint the fans of the Marvelverse as this movie brings together the options of hope, destruction and an action filled adrenaline ride that will make any movie fan go crazy for it.

In Cinemas February 16, 2018

Raheem Sterling scored the fastest goal of the Premier League season as leaders Manchester City got back on track with a 3-1 win against Watford, while Fernando Llorente put Tottenham on course for a 2-0 victory at his former club Swansea.

Sterling struck after just 38 seconds before Christian Kabasele’s first-half own goal put Pep Guardiola’s side in control at Eastlands.

Sergio Aguero made it three as City gave the perfect response after their 18-game winning run was ended in a goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Unbeaten City are 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United as they continue to turn the title race into a lengthy coronation party.

Guardiola had complained that the hectic festive fixture schedule was a “disaster” after City striker Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee ligament injury at Palace.

But Guardiola was able to replace the Brazilian with Sergio Aguero, while David Silva returned from a two-game absence.

City, playing their fourth match in 11 days, were ahead inside a minute as Sterling met Leroy Sane’s cross with a near-post finish for his 18th goal this season.

Having won 6-0 at Watford in September, City looked on course for another rout in the 13th minute when Watford’s Kabasele sliced an attempted clearance into his own net from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.

Yet they had to wait 50 minutes to score again as Argentine forward Aguero netted from close-range for his 16th goal of the season.

Andre Gray’s 82nd minute goal for Watford came way too late to avoid a sixth defeat in their last seven league matches.

“We played really well. After dropping two points, we spoke about our reaction because big teams drop points but not too much,” Guardiola said.

With Harry Kane only fit enough for a place on the bench after illness, former Swansea striker Llorente made his first league start for Tottenham at the rain-lashed Liberty Stadium.

Llorente marked the occasion with a 12th minute goal, the Spaniard powering home a header from Christian Eriksen’s free-kick despite Swansea’s appeals for offside.

Puddles all over the pitch made it hard for Tottenham to establish their smooth-passing game and Kane, who finished 2017 with consecutive hat-tricks, was sent on for Llorente after 68 minutes.

– Dramatic winner –

Kane made his presence felt with a perfect pass to Dele Alli and the Tottenham midfielder finished at the second attempt to wrap up the points in the 89th minute.

Tottenham move above Arsenal into fifth place and sit four points behind fourth placed Liverpool with a game in hand.

“The weather was horrible but we dominated and tried to play football. Overall I think we were better and deserved the three points,” Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said.

Swansea remain bottom of the table as new boss Carlos Carvalhal was beaten for the first time in his second match since replacing the sacked Paul Clement.

Andy Carroll’s stoppage-time strike sealed a vital 2-1 win for West Ham against second bottom West Bromwich Albion at the London Stadium.

James McClean’s deflected shot from the edge of the area put Albion in front in the 30th minute.

But Carroll equalised with a bullet header in the 59th minute, his first goal since April.

Carroll followed up his opener with a dramatic winner from close-range, lifting David Moyes’ side out of the bottom three.

West Brom are winless in 20 top-flight fixtures — only three clubs have endured longer runs without a victory in the Premier League: Derby with 32, Sunderland with 26 and Norwich with 21.

Crystal Palace came from behind to win 2-1 at Southampton thanks to Luka Milivojevic’s late goal.

Palace fell behind in the 17th minute as Saints striker Shane Long scored for the first time since February last year.

Long’s fine finish raced into the top corner from Jeremy Pied’s cross.

But Palace equalised in the 69th minute when Scotland midfielder James McArthur volleyed home from Christian Benteke’s header.

And Serbia midfielder Milivojevic redeemed himself for missing a last-minute penalty against Manchester City at the weekend as his long-range curler in the 80th minute lifted Palace away from the relegation zone.

The special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a ‘contempt of court’ notice to three RJD leaders, including the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Congress leader Manish Tiwari.

Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav, party vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari, and Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari were issued notices for making comments against the 23 December verdict on of the fodder scam cases by the court.

All four have been issued notices as the court found their comments on the verdict as contemptuous, said Prabhat Kumal legal counsel for Lalu Yadav.

On Wednesday, the CBI court in Ranchi deferred the quantum of punishment for RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and 15 other convicts in one of the fodder scam cases for Thursday.

The court deferred the matter in wake of demise of advocate Vindeshwari Parsad.

The special CBI court had convicted Lalu on December 23 but co-accused and former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra was let off in the case pertaining to embezzlement of over Rs. 85 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

Also read: All you need to know about fodder scam and its Lalu Yadav link

The former Bihar Chief Minister, is lodged in Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail.

A total of 17 accused including Lalu were pronounced guilty by the court while six were let off.

The RJD chief Lalu Yadav has already been convicted in another fodder scam case pertaining to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.70 crore from the Chaibasa district treasury when Bihar was an undivided state.

The conviction cost Lalu his Lok Sabha seat and he was disqualified him from contesting elections. The Supreme Court granted him bail in December 2013.

Hearing of one of the cases in the multi-million fodder scam case was completed on December 13 in a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court of Ranchi.

In all, there were 34 accused in the case, out of which 11 died during the course of the trial, while one turned CBI approver and admitted the crime.

In a bid to take on Chinese smartphone manufacturers in New Year, Samsung India is set to launch a new “Galaxy On” device in the third week of January.

Industry sources told IANS that the latest device will be priced at around Rs. 15,000 – a key mid-price segment in the highly-competitive Indian market.

“Galaxy On” will come in two variants — both with 4GB RAM, the sources added. The new device is expected to be an Amazon India exclusive, with a focus on design, performance and photography elements.

In 2017, Samsung India launched “Galaxy On Max” for Rs. 16,900. The device was equipped with a best-in-class camera tailor-made for low-light photography, enabled by its flagship f/1.7 aperture. With 5.7-inch full HD display, the device was powered by a 2.39GHZ, 1.69GHz Octa-Core processor, 4GB RAM and has 32GB internal memory expandable up to 256GB via micro-SD card. The “Galaxy On Max” sports 13MP rear and front camera with LED flash.

With the new “Galaxy On”, Samsung will look to strengthen its mid-range segment where it has witnessed strong competition from Chinese brands.

After registering a 27 per cent growth in mobile business revenue for the financial year 2016-17 – touching a mammoth Rs. 34,300 crore – Samsung has become the undisputed leader in the highly competitive and price-sensitive domestic smartphone market.

With this kind of growth, Samsung has eclipsed the sales of key Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Lenovo and even the Cupertino-based giant Apple.

The South Korean giant had 60 per cent market share (by value) in the premium segment for the August-September-October period, according to German market research firm GfK.

For the overall smartphone market, Samsung had over 45 percent market share (by value) from October to December 2017. “Every third smartphone sold in India is a Galaxy J series smartphone,” the company said.

With the Middle East, which was once the dream of many a Keralite, no longer that attractive on account of falling oil prices and with no proper records of the actual number of returnees, a new diaspora study covering 25,000 households has been launched to find out what the actual scenario is.

The study aims to not only analyse not the present trends in migration but also the medium and long-term consequences of important developments like the global financial crisis of 2009, the drop in oil prices and the stricter immigration policies increasingly followed by countries worldwide and its impact on Kerala’s economy.

S. Irudayarajan, who heads the study by the Migration Unit at the Centre for Development Studies here said its single purpose is to examine ground realities and not to go by unfounded reports that there is a mass exodus from the Middle East.

“This new survey has been titled Kerala Migration Study-KMS@20. It is the eighth a series that begain in 1998. The study would be done in 25,000 Kerala households spread over all the 14 districts and the first results would emerge in April,” Irudayarajan told IANS.

KMS is widely regarded as a reliable and authentic source of data for researchers and policymakers. Following the success of the Kerala model, similar initiatives have been launched in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Goa and Gujarat, from where large numbers of people have spread out across the globe.

Irudayarajan pointed out that structural changes in the global oil market and the consequent fall in oil prices have posed fresh challenges to the oil-producing countries in the Middle East in the last few years.

“The repercussions are being felt in Kerala’s economy and society which has been a consistent supplier of workers and a receiver of large amounts of remittances. Additionally, the governments in Gulf countries have been progressively evolving institutional arrangements and programmes aimed at promoting the employment of their own nationals,” Irudayarajan said.

He also pointed out that the things are not rosy was pointed out in the KMS-2016 study, when for the first time a decline was noticed in number of Kerala emigrants abroad from 2.4 million in 2014 to 2.24 million in 2016 — a drop of 160,000 lakh.

The state had 1.36 million emigrants when the first KMS was conducted in 1998. The figure rose to 1.83 million in 2003, 2.19 million in 2008, 2.28 million in 2011 and peaked at 2.4 million in 2014.

He added that once the results are out later in the year, the state government can evolve appropriate interventions in education, employment and skill development of prospective emigrants as well as the re-integration of returnees into Kerala’s economy and society.

Irudayarajan pointed out that it was wrong to come to conclusions only based on the arrivals and departures from the three Kerala airports as this will only give a lop- sided picture.

“The figures from the airports are only numbers and do not differentiate between workers and others, as they include women and children. Besides, there are a good number of Keralites who goe for holidays to the Middle East. Our 2016 survey had already showed that there was a decline and now in a few months from now, we will bring out the actual picture,” Irudayarajan added.

Remittances from migrants have been instrumental in sustaining Kerala’s economy, constituting 36.3 per cent of the state’s net domestic product. It is now widely accepted that migration has played a significant role in poverty alleviation and in raising the living standards of about one-third of Malayali households.

“Moreover, it is postulated that an additional one-third of the population is indirectly benefitted from the economic opportunities created by remittances from abroad,” Irudayarajan explained.

According to the figures released by the State Level Bankers Committee, the rate of growth of NRI deposits has come down of late. If one looks at the deposits at the 6,339 branches of various commercial, scheduled and private banks, they stood at Rs 117,349 crore in June 2015, grew to Rs 142,668 crore in June 2016 and at Rs 154,252 crore in June 2017.

Hockey India on Tuesday named 33 players for the women’s  national camp starting in Bengaluru’s Sports Authority of India campus on January 3.

The 21-day camp that concludes on January 24 will lay the foundation for a crucial year for the women who will take part in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April, 5th Women’s Asians Champions Trophy in Korea in May, where they will defend their title followed by an exposure tour to Spain in June ahead of the Women’s World Cup, London starting in July and the 18th Asian Games, Jakarta in August which is also an Olympic Qualifying event.

“It is an extremely important year for us. While it was a satisfying 2017, ending the year with a career high world ranking of No.10 the team has that self-belief of achieving bigger goals. The girls know they are capable of doing well against higher ranked teams and getting good results against these teams will be one of our top priorities going into a new season. It is important to play these major tournaments in 2018 with the fittest team,” said Harendra Singh chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team.

In their previous camp, the team’s focus was on improving their strength and fitness, agility and speed apart from skill-driven training. “It was a grueling camp and apart from these aspects we also worked a lot on mental conditioning. In this camp too we will continue with our fitness program along with tactical training, creating goal opportunities, fast rotation of the ball and improving defensive skills will be our main focus,” he added .

The core group features goalkeepers Savita, Rajani Etimarpu and Swati, defenders Deep Grace Ekka, P Sushila Chanu, Sunita Lakra, Gurjit Kaur, Hnialum Lal Ruat Feli, Navdeep Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Neelu Dadiya.

Midfielders are Namita Toppo, Nikki Pradhan, Deepika, Karishma Yadav, Renuka Yadav, Navjot Kaur, Monika, Lilima Minz, Neha Goyal, Udita, M Lily Chanu, Nilanjali Rai.

While the forwards named in the core group are Rani, Vandana Katariya, Preeti Dubey, Reena Khokhar, Anupa Barla, Sonika, Lalremsiami, Poonam Rani, Navneet Kaur and Navpreet Kaur.

The 17- year-old daughter of superstar Shah Rukh Khan stole the hearts of many fashionista at a family wedding. The pictures went viral on social media platforms.

Suhana Khan – the new generation beauty 🎀 .. .. .. .. #celebratingvivaha#cvinspire#celebration#wedding#indianwedding#weddingcelebration#weddingshopping#brides#jewellery#weddingjewellery#suhanakhan#goals#ethnicgoals#beautiful#classic#lehanga#shoppingevents#shoppingexhibition#pink

A post shared by Celebrating Vivaha (@celebrating_vivaha) on Jan 2, 2018 at 8:29pm PST

She was spotted in sage green, pink and maroon lehengas in different events of the marriage.

King Khan with daughter Suhana khan✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌✌ Do Follow @mysharepost ♥ • • • • #mashaAllah #srk #abram #abramkhan #jabharrymetsejal #jhms #kingkhan #shahrukh #shahrukhkhan #kingofbollywood #badshah #picoftheday #swag #suhanakhan #fathersongoals #srkbiggestfansfromindonesia #srk #srkajolforever💫💓 #srkthebiggeststarofalltime #srk_story_of_the_struggle_and_success #srklove #srklovers #srklover #shahrukhkhanlovers #shahsofsunset #shahrukhkhanfans #shahrukhkhanclub #shahrukhkhanfanclub

A post shared by Big Bollywood (@bigbollywoodpage) on Jan 2, 2018 at 9:02am PST

The 17-year-old was seen flaunting her ethnic fashion in sage green lehenga by Monisha Jaising, who is known for hand-embroidered silken threads and crystals.

It was a Delhi function where Suhana, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan were spotted enjoying the family affair.

In an earlier interview, Shah Rukh Khan had said, “Suhana is more theatre-oriented and has been doing plays in college. The best part is that she doesn’t want to learn (acting) from me. She wants to be an actor in her own right.”

Father and Daughter ❤❤❤ Follow 👉@MoviezHouse #suhanakhan #shahrukhkhan #gaurikhan #priyankachopra #sonamkapoor #ameeshapatel #dishapatani #aliabhatt #anushkasharma #sonakshisinha #sunnyleone #deepikapadukone #shenaztreasury #katrinakaif #malaikaarorakhan #kareenakapoor #sapnavyaspatel #ileanadcruz #rihanna #poonampandey #kritisanon #urvashirautela #evelynsharma #jacquelinefernandez #bollywoodhot #bollywood #eshagupta #miakhalifa #moviezhouse #bollywoodactress

A post shared by MoviezHouse (@moviezhouse) on Jan 2, 2018 at 10:55am PST

Suhana attended all the events and donned traditional outfits. She looked absolutely stunning in the photos.

#repost @manav.manglani #GauriKhan #SuhanaKhan #KajalAnand #at #weddingparty #closefriend

A post shared by Nor Anifah (@srkkjj1) on Jan 2, 2018 at 12:53pm PST

Suhana’s fashion quotient can’t be missed out!

Led by G Sathiyan , nine Indian  paddlers  have moved up in the  World  Table Tennis rankings, as per the  IITF release on Tuesday.

Sathiyan, has moved to  world No. 49 slot  pushing A. Sharath Kamal to the second spot at No. 51. They are followed by Soumyajit Ghosh (58), Harmeet Desai (60), Sanil Shetty (68) and Anthony Amalraj (87).

As for the women paddlers, Manika Batra is topping the world chart among Indians at 62, while Mouma Das (74) and Madhurika Patkar (81) trailing the leader.

In under-18 boys, Manav Thakkar at 18 is followed by Manush Shah at 47 while Snehit Surravajjula is placed 64. In the girls’ section, three Indians—Archana Kamath (34), Selenadeepthi Selvakumar (95) and Yashini Sivashankar (99) —are in top 100.

In junior Boys, Jeho Himnakulhpuingheta is placed at No. 52. He is followed by Payas Jain (74) and Yashansh Malik 85) while in Junior Girls Diya at 21 way ahead of the two compatriots Anusha Kutumbale (63) and Vanshika Bhargava (70).

The IITF rankings have been decided as per  the new system which provides  for a more dynamic world ranking based on paddlers’ performance and results during the entire year.

In addition, the system also encourages players to participate in more and more events rather than being inactive, affecting the individual’s rankings.

Jake Gyllenhaal says he has spent a lot of time making excuses for the “absurdity” surrounding Hollywood, which was unmasked in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal.

The 37-year-old actor termed the expose as an insight into the “apparent sickness” of the international entertainment industry following the fall of the disgraced media mogul.

“I have spent a lot of time in my career making excuses for the absurdity of our world – Hollywood – and all of its confusion, apparent sickness over the past few months that we’ve discovered, the complications, the vanity,” Gyllenhaal said on The Hollywood Reporter’s ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast.

Citing his film, Brokeback Mountain as an example, the actor said despite witnessing the dark side of showbiz, he continues to have faith in the “power of movies”.

“You know, you think about ‘Brokeback’ – I’ve had people come up to me over the years and say how that movie changed their life or how it made them realise something…

“But what I will never accept is anyone telling me that movies aren’t an extraordinarily powerful tool for communication and ultimately, in a small way, for change. And sometimes in a big way,” he said.

South Africa coach Ottis Gibson has warned his team that India may prove to be tough opponents during the upcoming three-match Test series.

“They are currently ranked number one and they’ve got a lot of world class players and world class players aren’t just world class in their own back yards,” Gibson told the media here.

“They’re a very good team and I think they will travel a lot better now. We know for sure that it is going to be a tough series. I don’t think you’re going to see them fold as much as they may have done in the past,” he added.

The wicket for the first Test — which begins here on January 5 — showing a distinct green tinge and fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel set to take the field for South Africa, Gibson hoped that the hosts will be able to enjoy the upper hand.

“I’m not expecting it to change too much between now and Friday,” the Proteas coach said when asked about the wicket.