The sentencing of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case of fodder scam is likely to take place on Thursday, officials said.

“The quantum of punishment for RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 15 others convicts in fodder scam case is likely to be announced tomorrow (Thursday),” the CBI advocate said.

According to reports, the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Shivpal Singh arrived in the court at around 11 am. However, the sentencing was not pronounced due to a condolence meet for advocate Vindeshwari Prasad.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, who was lodged in the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi after being convicted on December 23, was brought to the court in the morning and was present inside when the hearing was on.

He was taken away at around 12 noon.

The former Bihar chief minister’s lawyer had on Tuesday said that they would urge the court for minimum punishment owing to the RJD chief’s age.

Lalu is likely to get three to seven years’ punishment, as per reports. If he is awarded three years’ sentence, he will be able to get bail soon.

His 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.

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

The RJD chief has already been convicted in another fodder scam case that cost him his Lok Sabha seat and disqualified him from contesting elections. Both Lalu and Jagannath Mishra are out on bail in the case.

Hearing 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.

Indian women’s cricket team created a buzz on the internet with their unique and exceptional performance in the Women’s World Cup 2017. From Harmanpreet Kaur’s sensational knock in the semi-finals against Australia women’s cricket team to the Indian skipper Mithali Raj becoming the highest run-getter in One Day International (In women’s), the World Cup saw the best of Indian players.

For Indian cricket fans, the WWC2017 was full of excitement because they found their new national crush in explosive Indian opener Smriti Mandhana. Even though the Indian squad was not able to lift the World Cup trophy, yet they returned as stars to their home and got a wonderful reception at home.

Soon, Indian skipper Mithali Raj will be seen on a Television show named TED Talks India: Nayi Soch, along with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. In the show, Mithali revealed that she read books before any big match to stay in focus.

“When you are on the field, and everyone is looking up to you and the entire team to bring back the trophy, (then) it is not just about the game. So, it is necessary for us to stay focused… and we all have our own ways to ensure we give our best on the field. I read books to get rid of pressure during a match. It does help me to keep calm and encourage a good performance,” said Mithali Raj.

King Khan of Bollywood was all praises for Mithali Raj and he even confessed that someday he wants to see Mithal as the coach of Indian men squad,

“I want to see you (Mithali) as the coach of the men’s cricket team one day,” said SRK to which Mithali was quick to reply that, “I always want to give my best.”

Former manager of Girls Aloud, Louis Walsh, says the band could reform if all five members get back on the same page.

The X Factor judge helped create the girl group in 2002, which featured Sarah Harding, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, reported Contactmusic.

“It needs to be the five of them. They’d do really, really well. If Bananarama could do it, why can’t Girls Aloud do it?” he said.

The band played their final concert back in March 2013 after celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Louis, 65, said the group would do well because they had hits such as Biology, The promise and I’ll stand by you to their credit.

“There would be a huge market for a Girls Aloud reunion. They need to delay it for a while but they had great songs, brilliant, brilliant songs – some of the best songs for a long time. And they all look good,” he added.

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan will be coming to India in a month, according to Hindi movie star Amitabh Bachchan.

Big B, via his blog, revealed that Kodak will open its facility here by March.

“It is all about to change yet again Kodak, that largest name for film, is coming back. Many in the world of direction and production are finding values in the product done on film to be the more liked subject. So, like ‘Dunkirk’, the film by that renowned Christopher Nolan (who) uses only film for his picture.

“And in a month or so, the man himself Mr Nolan is coming to India to inaugurate or at least lend support to a few matters,” Amitabh wrote.

The cine icon, 75, is upbeat about the development as just last month, he was contemplating on why the movie world is still referred to as the “film industry” in the digital age. Hollywood, he says, is getting back to film, again.

“Firstly, the archival of films, their repairs and preservation, and secondly to support the Kodak world all over again. I believe that Los Angeles, Hollywood is already all back to film again. They say the quality and feel and colour of film is unmatched, so what happens to digital… It shall exist, it shall co-exist and film shot on celluloid shall be sent to the lab for its development, but all post-production work shall be digital.

“I mean what kind of times are we living in,” Big B questioned.

Amitabh also tweeted his excitement on Kodak film’s comeback to India.

“News! Don’t know if it deserves the tag ‘breaking’ but celluloid film is back. Kodak is to open its facility again fresh and productive in Mumbai soon by March 2018! Hollywood is apparently switching back to film. Hai hai apni digital film ka kya hoga (What will happen to our digital film)” he tweeted.

T 2580 – NEWS !! don’t know if it deserves the Tag BREAKING !! but Celluloid film is back .. KODAK is to open its facility again fresh and productive in Mumbai soon … by March 2018 .. !! Hollywood is apparently switching back to film .. hai hai apni digitel film ka kya hoga pic.x.com/oNXO781DbE

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) January 2, 2018

Karnataka would soon be hosting its first international travel expo in order to promote its tourist hotspots to travellers from across the world, state Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said on Tuesday.

“The expo will provide an impetus to the inbound travel and tourism and would enhance the efforts of Karnataka Tourism to promote our destinations to the world travellers,” he said at a preview event held here.

To be held from February 28 till March 2, the Karnataka International Travel Expo 2018 expects over 1,000 delegates from over 25 countries.

This will be the southern state’s first such international expo in the tourism sector.

Through the three-day event, the state aims to promote its cities and towns through adventure and wildlife tourism, world heritage sites, pilgrimages, and Karnataka’s festivals.

“The expo will be largest business-to-business (B2B) travel event in the country,” claimed Kharge, adding that travel agents, tour operators, hotels, resorts from the state, international and domestic travellers among others are expected to be a part of the event.

Karnataka had received about 13 crore domestic tourists and nearly 7 lakh foreign tourists last year, he said, adding this made it ninth among Indian states in attracting international tourists and fourth in the number of domestic tourists.

Karnataka is home to two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation world heritage sites — a group of monuments in the village of Hampi, about 350 km north of Bengaluru, and Pattadakal, about 450 km northwest of Bengaluru, for its 7th century Hindu and Jain temples.

The state is also popular for its pilgrimage spots like Udupi, Sringeri in the coastal region and hill stations in the southwestern districts Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, which are also well-known coffee-growing regions.

A new German law that demands social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube delete posts containing hate speeches, fake new and illegal material within 24 hours of receiving a complaint has come into effect with the New Year, media reported.

The new rules could fine social media sites up to $60 million if they do not remove posts containing hate speech quickly, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported this week.

The Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz (NetzDG) law was passed at the end of June 2017 and came into force in early October, but social networks were given a three-month grace period to install the new complaint management systems.

Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram will all come under the new law, though professional networks like LinkedIn and Xing are expressly excluded, as are messaging services like WhatsApp, the report said.

The new law also requires the affected companies to produce a yearly report detailing how many posts they deleted and why.

People can report violations to Germany’s Federal Office of Justice (BfJ), which has made an online form available for the purpose.

Google has also created an online form to report content, while Twitter has added an option to its existing report function that specifies “comes under the NetzDG.”

Facebook has also put in place its own system to help people report offending posts.

The call to police social media sites more effectively arose after several high-profile cases in which fake news and racist material was being spread via the German arms of prominent social media firms, a BBC report said.

We are all set to begin the New Year with new pledges and resolutions to stay fit and tune in to a healthy lifestyle. To beat a big hurdle in your healthy resolution — dieting boredom — one needs to keep the diet plan and healthy eating target as exciting and simple as possible. Nature has blessed us with a few natural sweeteners which can best fit into our healthy diet, says nutritionist and fitness trainer Iram Zaidi. Here are her four top natural sweeteners.

1. Stevia-plant based, zero calories, easy to use and safe sweetener

Stevia is getting popular across the world as a natural sweetener. There were certain misconceptions with its bitter taste as a majority of products were based on traditional stevia sweeteners offered in the form of high purity Reb-A molecule. A recently developed variety of stevia tastes exactly like sugar so that our taste buds should not be compromised. Given stevia can replace some unwanted sweetener calories, it can be one tool for cutting calories from your daily diet without affecting blood sugar or insulin levels.

2. Sugarcane juice — Nature’s superfluid and a great sweetener

Sugarcane juice has been a part of Indian culture for thousands of years. Ayurveda acharyas prefer the juice to be extracted from healthy canes and consumed in hygienic form. A great energy drink, skin toner, body cleanser and loaded with a variety of medicinal properties to fight a majority of diseases, sugarcane juice is, unfortunately, missing from our diet plans. One of the biggest reasons was the hygiene factor. Now, a bottled sugarcane juice or cold-pressed sugarcane juice are good pick-ups for a healthy start.

3. Honey — Nature’s best anti-biotic and great sweetener

Natural honey is loaded with nutrients and is an essential part of Indian home remedy solutions from ages. It has proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The plant enzyme amylase present in raw honey is effective in breaking down and helping the predigestion of the starches and also helps to raise the level of antioxidants required in the body. One teaspoon of honey is only about 20 calories.

4. Coconut sugar — lower glycemic index and great nutritional value

Coconut sugar is also called coconut palm sugar. It is a natural sugar made from sap, which is the sugary circulating fluid of the coconut plant. It is a good source of minerals like iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, along with some short chain fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. Coconut sugar and coconut nectar contain a fibre known as inulin. This fibre may help slow glucose absorption, offering an alternative for those dealing with diabetic concerns.

So, go ahead with these natural sweeteners as there is no need to put an extra effort to fight your sweet tooth by eliminating sugar from your meals.

Singer-actor Nick Jonas finds actor Jack Black an “amazing team player”.

He said Black made their screen kiss in the movie “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” easy, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“It was important for the story. We did have to do quite a few takes but Jack is an amazing team player. He and I really connected. He loves a good meal, as do I, so we ventured out to some of local spots on Oahu, Hawaii, where we were shooting,” Jonas told Metro newspaper.

Unlike the original, the new film follows four high school teenagers who discover an old video game console and are transported into the game’s jungle setting, becoming the adult avatars they chose.

The four must work together to survive in the jungle and beat the game in order to return to the real world or they will be stuck forever.

The sequel was shot on site in the Hawaiian jungle and Jonas said it was the same location where “Jurassic Park” was filmed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to 19^th century social reformer Savitribai Jyotirao Phule on her 187th birth anniversary and said that the nation was “deeply guided” by her ideals.

“I bow to the great Savitribai Phule on her Jayanti. Hers was a life devoted to the empowerment of the poor and marginalized,” Modi said in a tweet.

“She gave utmost importance to education and social reform. We are deeply guided by her ideals and are working tirelessly towards fulfilling her vision,” he said further.

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/948432340727996416

Among the country’s first to speak up for the rights of women, Savitribai K. Patil was born on January 3, 1831, in a rich and influential farming family and at the age of nine was married off to the 13-year old Jyotirao Phule.

She was taught to read and write by her husband and when she turned 17, the couple founded India’s first school for girls and women in Bhidewada, Pune.

The Phule couple – who had no children of their own – launched a crusade against social discrimination based on caste and gender, and sparked the flame for women’s equal rights during the British rule in India.

At a time when women had no say in anything, Savitribai’s campaign covered child marriages, child widows, rape victims becoming pregnant, the practice of ‘Sati’, educating women and fighting for equal rights for all women.

The Phules had set up 18 more schools across the state of which Savitribai was the teacher, headmistress and principal.

Actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, who will be seen sharing screen for the first time in Brahmastra, has already started preparing for their upcoming next in Israel.

Brahmastra is being backed up by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and it also stars the megastar Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal role.

Karan shared a photo all the way from Israel, where the trio of Ranbir, Alia and Ayan can be seen chilling together over a cup of coffee.

Karan Johar Tweeted, “The New Year begins with the prep of #BRAHMASTRA….the countdown of the epic journey of our film begins! Filming commences in February 2018! Ayan Mukerji helms this magical trilogy! @SrBachchan #ranbir @aliaa08 and an exciting ensemble! “Tweeted.

The new year begins with the prep of #BRAHMASTRA….the countdown of the epic journey of our film begins! Filming commences in February 2018! Ayan Mukerji helms this magical trilogy! @SrBachchan #ranbir @aliaa08 and an exciting ensemble! pic.x.com/pXraaH1425

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) January 2, 2018

As per reports, the film starring Ranbir-Alia is the first part of a bigger franchise of what is suppose to be a trilogy.

The film’s shooting has already commenced and is slated to have a worldwide release in February 2019.

Popular Telugu singer Ghazal Srinivas was arrested on Tuesday on charges of sexual harassment and a court later sent him to judicial custody till January 12.

The singer, whose real name is Kesiraju Srinivas, was shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail. His bail petition will come up for hearing on Wednesday.

Srinivas was taken into custody on charges of sexually harassing a woman, working as a jockey for a web radio ‘Alayavani’ (voice of temples) run by Save Temple Organisation. He is the brand ambassador of the save temples movement.

A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the singer in Panjagutta police station in the city.

The woman complained that Srinivas, who is popular for singing ghazals in Telugu, was harassing her for the last few months, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar.

She alleged that the singer made her do his body massage. She also provided video recording and other evidence to the police.

Denying the allegation, Srinivas said she always treated the woman like his daughter. Stating that he recently met with an accident and a physiotherapist used to come to him for the massage, he said that one day when he did not turn up, the woman offered to do the massage.

The 51-year-old holds the Guinness World Record for singing in most languages (76) at one concert.

Two film-related events scheduled for Wednesday here were cancelled due to the Maharashtra shutdown called by some Dalit parties.

“Due to Maharashtra bandh on Wednesday, we have decided to push our My Birthday Song trailer release to tomorrow January 4, 2018. Thank you,” tweeted the movie’s producer and actor Sanjay Suri.

Due to #MaharashtraBandh today we have decided to push our #MyBirthdaySongTrailer release to tomorrow 4th Jan ‘2018 Thank you.

— sanjay suri (@sanjaysuri) January 3, 2018

Even a song launch event for Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety was cancelled “owing to the current situation in the city”.

Angry Dalits staged rail, road blockades and took out processions in Mumbai and agitations in different parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday to protest against violence in Pune a day ago which left one youth dead. They called for a state-wide shutdown on Wednesday.

The Thane sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for a murder committed in 2013.

District Judge H M Patwardhan also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Sunny Arjun Sonawane yesterday.

The fine amount should be paid to the victim’s family, the court said.

Public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale said that Sonawane was accused of setting a man on fire and killing him during pre-wedding celebrations at a friend’s house in Rabale near here on May 4, 2013.

While dancing at a pre-wedding ceremony, Sonawane accidentally bumped into another man, and they had a heated argument.

Ganesh Ramsingh Kotal (32) who was present there intervened to stop the quarrel and persuaded both to leave the place.

Later, as Kotal and others were having dinner, Sonawane returned with a can of petrol, doused Kotal with the fuel and set him on fire, the prosecution said.

Kotal, who sustained 95 per cent burns, died three days later.

During the arguments, prosecutor Hiwrale sought death sentence for the accused, saying it was a heinous crime.
Based on the statements of eye-witnesses, the court convicted Sonawane for murder under section 302 of the IPC and awarded him a life term.

The Maharashtra shutdown called by some Dalit parties started with attempts to block suburban train services in Thane and Palghar and processions in Mumbai and elsewhere on Wednesday amidst tight security across the state.

Groups of Dalit activists jumped on the railway tracks, shouting slogans and waving flags to attempt a rail-blockade at Thane and Virar stations in Palghar, but were prevented by the security forces.

In Mumbai, colleges and schools opened as usual but schoolbuses stayed off roads as a precaution. One private school bus was stoned in Chembur but there were no injuries.

Though many taxi-auto rickshaw unions have supported the shutdown, the city’s lifeline, the suburban trains and the BEST (Bombay Electric Supply And Transport) buses services were plying near-normally.

Some autos and taxis were seen plying in various areas, but the famed Dabbawalas cancelled their services for the day.

Many shops and establishments also opened for work as usual in the city and suburbs and there were the familiar crowds on roads and highways.

The shutdown evoked greater response in mofussil areas compared to urban pockets of Thane, Nagpur, Pune and other cities.

The coastal Konkan region reported a near-total shutdown, as also Dalit strongholds of Marathwada like Beed, Latur, Solapur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Palghar.

Internet services were suspended in Aurangabad for the day.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses in some sensitive districts have been suspended as a precaution after it suffered damages to 187 buses in Tuesday’s violence.

The Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, a Dalit party headed by Prakash Ambedkar – the grandson of Bharat Ratna B.R. Ambedkar, called for a ‘peaceful Maharashtra shutdown’ on Wednesday to express anger over the Pune incidents of January 1.

The shutdown call has elicited support from various Dalit parties, Leftist parties, some Maratha groups with the likelihood of other parties supporting it.

The best exercise for burning fat need not be a high-intensity exercise. You can mix up your moderate-intensity exercise schedules and do them daily interchanging with one-another turn by turn. The most important thing is to enjoy your workout whichever you may do.

It may be walking, easy jogging, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, yoga, dancing, badminton, football, tennis or any other sport of your choice. Challenge your body in a new way every day. Thus, maintain and attain your weight-loss by doing a variety of different physical activities.

Body fat starts burning when you exercise at an intensity where your heart rate is 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. The heart rate range may vary according to your age. In this zone, you’ll be breathing heavier, feeling increased exhaustion, sweating and probably dehydrated.

You need at least 45 minutes of moderate exercise to mobilize your body to dip into fat reserves and burn stored fat. Intensify your workout slowly and steadily increasing time, speed and energy level so that more fat can be consumed as fuel. It is safest to increase the time by 10 percent per week.

Warm up at an easy pace in initial five to 10 minutes at low intensity. It will prepare your body to exercise. Then start at an intensity of 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate doing any workout that may result in breathing harder than usual. Its duration should be between 30 to 60 minutes. After the completion of your workout, cool down with five to 10 minutes of low-intensity exercises. It’s the time for stretching of the muscles now used in your workout regimen. That’s the end of your session.

Your workout pattern shouldn’t be same every day. Change it to get your body build muscles and burn calories. You can acquire your fitness goal more quickly by adding bursts of intensity. Like, if you are walking, you may include a hill climb or climbing of stairs on and off. Maintain a good posture always while exercising.

Hormone levels for most people peak at 6 p.m. Exercising three hours before or after the peak may give you your best workout for both endurance and building muscles. Muscles are warmer and more flexible at this time than in morning. You may be able to work out harder and faster in the evening time. You can exert more feeling less exhausted. It may help regulate the amount of food you feel like eating for dinner. But, at the same time distraction and other commitments may make keep you from exercising at this time.

The key thing is to make a habit to do the physical workout at any time of the day suitable to you and follow it consistently. So, there is no prescribed time that can be considered as best to exercise. Do it any time that fits best into your schedule. Consistency is important here and not the time.

Two important things to be kept in mind:

Keep yourself away from the excuses not to exercise five to six days a week. Be honest with yourself and keep an exercise log.

Don’t indulge in eating more calories as a perk for your physical workout. To lose weight, you need to be selective about your food habits. Make a record of everything you eat. Look for the ways to amend bad eating habits if there are any.

Know your basic calorie per day metabolic rate and how many calories you burn while exercising. Stop drinking sodas, sugary fruit juices, sports drinks, milk tea or coffee. Stick to water and keep your body well hydrated. Eat healthy fibrous food- whole grains, fruits, veggies and nutrient-rich low-fat diet.

This way you’ll not only reduce your body weight but curb health risks too by making yourself more physically or mentally fit. The trick of weight-loss lies in your workout programme’s frequency, duration and intensity. Happy weight-loss!

Opposition members disrupted proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday after the Speaker disallowed discussions on civilian killings and a spike in militancy-related incidents in the valley.

The opposition members stood up from their seats and caused an uproar as Speaker Kavinder Gupta disallowed an adjournment motion moved by the National Conference (NC), Congress and Yusuf Tarigami of the CPI(M).

The House was scheduled to take up a discussion on Governor N.N. Vohra’s address made in the legislature on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a key BJP Parliamentary Meet wherein discussions were held on the bill criminalising instant Triple Talaq.

“In today’s parliamentary party meeting, we discussed two important bills. the Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill which will give constitutional status to OBC Commission and the bill  which will end Triple Talaq and protect the rights of Muslim women,” Union Minister Ananth Kumar said after the meet concluded.

Modi arrived for the meeting in Parliament House at around 9.45 am and as per reports the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government sat together to chalk out a plan to counter the opposition in the upper house where discussion on the bill will begin post lunch.

BJP chief Amit Shah along with other senior leaders were present in the crucial meeting.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which makes instant triple illegal with up to three years in jail for the husband was listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday.

However, the tabling of the bill was delayed to Wednesday as the Centre tried hard to build a consensus to ensure its smooth passage in the upper house where it does not enjoy brute majority.

The opposition parties including the Congress, Left, AIADMK and the DMK are in favour of sending the Muslim Women Protection of Rights in Marriage Bill 2017 to the Standing Committee but the government rejected the demand.

The amendments to the bill moved by the opposition too were rejected.

But the biggest bone of contention between the BJP and the opposition is the on the three-year jail term clause for the erring husband. The opposition has said that the clause can be misused by women to harass their husbands.

The bill could get stalled in the Rajya Sabha where government lacks a majority and it may be referred to a parliamentary committee for its review.