Filmmaker Onir's Shab will be premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival next month.

The romance-drama will be screened on May 1, which also happens to be Onir's birthday.

"I am thrilled that the world premiere of the film is happening in New York and that too on my birthday. The New York Film Festival is special as this is the fourth time my film will be screened at the festival," Onir said in a statement.

Set in Delhi, Shab is a story that revolves around the search for happiness and love of multiple characters.

The film features Raveena Tandon, French actor Simon Fenay and also introduces two new actors – Ashish Bisht and Arpita Chatterjee.

The chief of communications of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Ramendra Kumar, has won five prizes in the 'Competition for Writers of Children s Books, 2016 (English)'.

The competition was organised by Children s Book Trust (CBT), New Delhi, a premier publishing house of the country, which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year.

According to Ramendra Kumar, popularly known as Ramen, children's writing in English has come of age in the country with many new voices emerging.

According to him, writers need to move beyond fantasies and fairytales and explore the more challenging genre of 'here and now' writing.

With these, the tally of Kumar s awards in this prestigious competition over the years climbed to 31, the highest by any writer, a statement from RSP said.

Ramendra Kumar is the only writer from Odisha to feature in this year s list of award winners.

Besides, two of the writer s award-winning stories have an indelible Odisha connect.

A Player and a Gentleman is a short biography of the Hockey icon Dilip Tirkey while The Modern Eklavya showcases the struggle and success of the International Sand Master Sudarsan Pattnaik, the RSP release said.

Kumar is an award-winning writer with 30 books to his credit. His repertoire includes satire, poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

His writings were translated into 12 Indian and nine foreign languages and also featured in school text books as well as anthologies.

He had also been researching on Jagannath culture and presented papers both within the country and outside.

Mali offers good opportunities and prospects for Indian entrepreneurs and investors in the gold mining and food processing space, among others, the Indian Embassy in capital Bamako has said.

"Mali is Africa's third-leading gold producer (after South Africa and Ghana) and has an estimated reserve of 600-800 tonnes. There is considerable scope for joint ventures between the two countries for the production of gold and fabrication and marketing of jewellery in Mali," the embassy said in an email interaction with IANS.

The West African country currently produces 60 tonnes of gold per year.

"For Indian businessmen, Mali has great scope of investment especially in the field of agriculture (cotton, food processing, abattoirs and tanneries); mining (gold, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, zinc, manganese, tin and copper); automobile (two-wheeler segment), and pharmaceuticals (generic drugs)," the embassy said.

With a population of around 15 million exposed to tropical diseases, Mali is also a good market for Indian generic medicines and pharmaceutical products. 

"There is already an awareness of our capabilities and competitiveness in this area, the Embassy said, adding that this needed to be translated into commercial contracts for Indian companies."

"Malian economy is primarily based on agriculture and livestock husbandry which together account for almost 50 per cent of the country's GDP," the embassy said, adding that "Mali is the second largest producer of long staple cotton in Africa, after Egypt."

It said the country is also one of the largest producers of mangoes in Africa but lacks processing facilities.

"Mali also has one of the largest livestock in Africa with 35 million cattle heads inclusive of eight million cows, 26 million sheep and goats and approximately one million camels," the embassy said, adding that this provided opportunities in the food processing sector, including meat — processing and setting up of modern abattoirs." 

The Malian government also welcomed investments in modern tanneries.

"India's total trade with the West African country has grown steadily over the past few years culminating in $350.72 million for the 2015-16 financial year. It represents 64.87 per cent increase over the previous year's $212.72 million," the embassy said.

It said India's exports during 2014-15 totalled $134.12 million, whilst imports from Mali accounted for $78.59 million.

During 2015-16 however, Indian exports slumped to $107.93 million whilst imports suged to $242.78 million.

The trade figure for the first 10 months of 2016-17 is at $167.54 million, with India's exports at $87.13 million and imports at $80.41 million.

The Malian government is keen to undertake exploration and exploitation of its mineral resources and has formally offered the rights on lease to the Government of India or government-designated companies, said the Embassy. 

"This provides our public as well as private companies with ample opportunities to exploit the rich mineral resources of Mali," it added.

Businessman Seydou Brahima said: "Most businessmen would want to do business with India, but the fact that we are a Francophone country has been a challenge."

"A few of us have tried to get into business with Indian partners and the response has been good."

Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha on Tuesday sought to allay concerns over radiation emitted from mobile towers, saying studies so far have not revealed any health hazards.

The minister further emphasised that prescribed limits for radiation emissions in India are more stringent than global norms.

The comments come in the wake of a report that Supreme Court has ordered shutting down of a BSNL mobile tower in Gwalior on the plea of a 42-year-old cancer patient.

The order is expected to intensify ongoing deliberations on the impact of radiation from mobile phone towers on health.

Sinha also said that call drops situation had improved significantly in the last few months.

"In the last four months, our data shows that call drops have reduced by 60 per cent," the minister said on the sidelines of a CII event.

Eating salty food diminishes thirst while increasing hunger, due to a higher need for energy, according to new study carried out during a simulated mission to Mars.

The study found that "Cosmonauts" who ate more salt in the simulation retained more water, were not as thirsty and needed more energy.

Researchers, including those from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Germany, sealed two groups of 10 male volunteers into a mock spaceship for two simulated flights to Mars.

The first group was examined for 105 days, the second over 205 days. Both groups had identical diets except that over periods lasting several weeks, they were given three different levels of salt in their food.

The results confirmed that eating more salt led to a higher salt content in urine.

The increase was not due to more drinking – in fact, a salty diet caused the subjects to drink less. Salt was triggering a mechanism to conserve water in the kidneys, researchers said.

The prevailing hypothesis had been that the charged sodium and chloride ions in salt grabbed onto water molecules and dragged them into the urine, researchers said.

However, the new results showed something different: salt stayed in the urine, while water moved back into the kidney and body.

"What alternative driving force could make water move back?" said Jens Titze, professor at University of Erlangen in Germany.

Experiments in mice hinted that urea might be involved.

This substance is formed in muscles and the liver as a way of shedding nitrogen, researchers said.

In mice, urea was accumulating in the kidney, where it counteracts the water-drawing force of sodium and chloride.

However, synthesising urea takes a lot of energy, which explains why mice on a high-salt diet were eating more, researchers said.

Higher salt did not increase their thirst, but it did make them hungrier. Also the human "cosmonauts" receiving a salty diet complained about being hungry.

"It is not solely a waste product, as has been assumed.

Instead, it turns out to be a very important osmolyte – a compound that binds to water and helps transport it," said Friedrich C Luft of Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine in Germany.

"Its function is to keep water in when our bodies get rid of salt. Nature has apparently found a way to conserve water that would otherwise be carried away into the urine by salt," Luft said.

The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

In another development to the National anthem issue, the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Centre on a plea seeking singing of national song Vande Mataram for all educational institutions.

Giving the Centre four weeks time to respond to the notice, the top court said it will hear the matter on August 23.

The apex court also exempted the categories of disabled persons from standing during national anthem before screening of a film.

The Supreme Court in December last year had asked all cinemas halls to play the national anthem before a film is screened 'for the love of the motherland'.

A football fan has died after being attacked by rival supporters during a match in Argentina's top division.

Emanuel Balbo was taken to the Emergency Hospital in Cordoba after being beaten and pushed off the edge of a stand during the 1-1 draw between Belgrano and Talleres, reports Xinhua news agency.

He was left in a coma before being pronounced brain dead by doctors on Monday.

"Club Atletico Belgrano is profoundly saddened by the death of Emanuel Balbo," Belgrano said in a statement.

"This is not about giving effective speeches, but about in-depth action in the corresponding area," the club said. 

"That is the real and true commitment of this club. Our condolences to the family and friends. Rest in peace, Emanuel," it added. 

Another fan, Diego Frydman, also suffered injuries during the clashes, according to local media reports.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) offered condolences to Balbo's family and vowed to work with the police to find the attackers. 

"This house rejects all these actions, which are those of criminals who deal so much damage to society as a whole and particularly to the footballing family," AFA said in a statement.

"We will offer all possible collaboration with the security services to determine those responsible for this inconceivable aggression, articulating the necessary measures to ensure that incidents such as this do not ever happen again in any Argentine football stadium." 

AIADMK MLAs from both factions, one led by jailed leader Sasikala and the other by former Chief Minister O P Panneerselvam, were on Tuesday holding informal meetings to arrive at a formula for a possible merger.

According to party sources, MLAs from both factions were holding informal meetings over the issue. An MLA from Sasikala camp, who was on board the INS Chennai, said there are likely to be formal meetings on the matter during the later part of the day.

On Panneerselvam's demand for ending family rule by Sasikala of AIADMK (Amma) and Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran, her nephew, the MLA said the senior leaders would have to decide on any such issue.

However, Finance Minister Jayakumar said there was no such development regarding demands for removal of Sasikala and Dhinakaran from the party posts.

Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani said the split in the party ranks was "temporary".

Speaking to a Tamil TV channel, he said some "good news could come in hours", indicating the next course of action on possible merger of the two factions.

However, he did not elaborate.

But, sources in the Panneerselvam camp said none from the rival side had so far approached them for talks.

AIADMK (Amma) Presidium Chairman and Higher Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan and Environment Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan held discussions with Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

This comes a day after their senior cabinet colleagues discussed the modalities of a merger, placing the focus on redeeming the party's frozen 'Two Leaves' symbol.

The Chief Minister was not present during the meeting late last night to discuss the matter.

This morning, Srinivasan and Sengottaiyan met Dhinakaran, who returned from Bengaluru without meeting his aunt Sasikala.

Dhinakaran is also facing heat from the Delhi Police for allegedly attempting to bribe an Election Commission official to retain the original party symbol.

The AIADMK suffered a vertical split on February 7 when Panneerselvam alleged that he was forced by Sasikala to make way for her elevation as Chief Minister.

This was two months after her appointment as AIADMK General Secretary following then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death.

The late leader was then chief of the party.

The two factions had since staked claim to the two leaves symbol which the Election Commission subsequently froze.

Last night, some of the ministers met at the residence of Electricity minister P Thangamani where they discussed the modalities of a patch-up.

The government has extended the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R) till 27 April 2018, it was announced on Tuesday.

The decision was taken during a meeting between Home Ministry officials and the Ceasefire Supervisory Board of the NSCN-R here.

"Government and the NSCN-R have mutually decided to extend the ceasefire agreement with effect from April 28, 2017 for one year… to bring about lasting peace in … Nagaland with the involvement of Naga people," said an official statement.

The Home Ministry team was headed by Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary (North East), while the NSCN-R was led by Imlongnuski Chang, Supervisor of the Ceasefire Supervisory Board.

NSCN-R is among several other armed groups of Nagaland such as NSCN-Isak Muivah, NSCN-Khaplang, NSCN-Unification and Naga National Council.

A resident here on Tuesday moved the National Green Tribunal against unauthorised industrial units located in residential areas, prompting the green panel to seek response from the Delhi government and others.

A bench, headed by Justice Jawad Rahim, issued notices to the Delhi government, Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Delhi Jal Board, BSES Yamuna Power Ltd and others while seeking their reply before May 15.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Daryaganj resident Mohd Shariq seeking action against illegal factories in the area and demanding sealing of such units in non- conforming areas.

The plea, filed through advocate Gaurav Bansal, has also sought directions to initiate criminal proceedings against those running such unauthorised units.

It claimed that despite issuance of several letters by Public Grievances Commission of Delhi and Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has failed to stop operation of illegal factories.

"The applicant wishes to draw the attention of this tribunal on the issue of operation illegal factories in non confirming areas in residential areas in Daryaganj. It is respectfully submitted that the said illegal industries are being run without having the previous consent of Delhi Pollution Control Committee as prescribed under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974," the plea said.

Irked over the menace of unauthorised industrial units running in residential areas here, the NGT had earlier directed the Centre and Delhi Government to close all such units immediately.

The green panel had directed the Delhi government to ensure implementation of a 2004 Supreme Court verdict ordering closure of industrial units in non-conforming areas and had ordered discom BSES and Delhi Jal Board to immediately cut electricity and water supply to such units.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday accused the Enforcement Directorate of making wild allegations against his son Karti in an alleged forex violation case.

In a statement, the former Finance and Home Minister said the ED's press release issued yesterday did not refer to any specific act on the part of Karti.

Instead, he said it made the "extraordinary and ridiculous" allegation that Karti "appears to be the controller and ultimate beneficiary" of certain transactions of two companies.

"What does 'appears to be' mean? It means that the ED is making a wild allegation just to drag him into the case," the senior Congress leader alleged.

A show cause notice has been issued by the ED to Karti Chidambaram and a firm purportedly linked to him for alleged FEMA violations of Rs 45 crore.

A similar notice has also been issued in the case to Chennai-based M/s Vasan Health Care Private Limited for alleged forex violation of Rs 2,262 crore.

The ED in a statement issued yesterday said, "The total amount of contravention identified on different counts and found to have been committed by M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited in the sale transaction of shares of Vasan Health Care to overseas investors is around Rs 45 crore." 

"A show cause notice has been issued to M/s Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited, its directors and also to Karti P Chidambaram who appears to be the controller and ultimate beneficiary in these transactions," it said.

Chidambaram said the two companies have, in the past, explained their transactions and repeatedly clarified through their statements that Karti was "never a shareholder or a director" of either of the companies.

"As I said yesterday, if a notice is served upon Karti, a suitable reply will be sent," he said.

This was Chidambaram's second statement in as many days.

Yesterday, Chidambaram had said by targeting Karti with "baseless notices" the government cannot silence his voice or stop his writing.

The much-delayed National Sports Development Code could finally see the light of the day in the upcoming Monsoon session and national federations should not expect anything from the government if they fail to comply, Sports Minister Vijay Goel has warned.

Goel said the Ministry has also held discussions with various stakeholders on including Sport in the Concurrent list.

The ministry will present the matter before the Cabinet for approval once it gets the feedback from all concerned.

Speaking on a range of issues during an interaction with PTI journalists, Goel said he personally does not see any harm in letting politicians run National Sports Federations (NSFs).

To review the Sports Code, the government has constituted a committee which is expected to give its final report soon, paving the way for its legislation in the July Monsoon session.

"When the IOA made two charge-sheeted people Life Presidents, we immediately swung into action and suspended the IOA. We respect the autonomy of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), IOA and other Federations but we also want transparency and accountability," Goel said.

"We want all Federations to follow the Sports Code and if they cannot, they should not expect anything from us. We work like Patrons. To fix their accountability, we have constituted a Sports Code review committee," Goel said.

Asked specifically about when the Code is expected to become a law, Goel said," We can easily present it in the upcoming Parliament session."

Goel made it clear that not many changes are required in the already-framed Code.

"The Sports Code, if implemented in its present form, is more than enough. Ninety per cent Federations are following it and others will have to fall in line. We have resolved the disputes in the Associations of karate, boxing, tennis and now we have set sights on archery and basketball. These will also be resolved soon," he said.

The age and tenure of the office-bearers and eligibility of voters in the elections of the Federations are two major issues addressed by the Sports Code.

The proposed Code calls for one state one vote for all NSFs whereas in various associations such as the All India Tennis Association (AITA), a few states have more than one votes.

Recently, the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee had ruled that no minister or a serving bureaucrat be allowed to hold office in the BCCI. Similar provisions are being advocated for other sports as well.

"It is my personal view that if a minister cannot devote time towards sports administration and remains outside, it is understandable but Federations cannot be run just by the players.

"There are administrative, PR and other things for which other people are required. We have to see what is the character of the individual," he said.

"I will not see if he is bureaucrat or not. I will not talk about ministers, because maybe there is time constraint for them. I don't believe that politicians should not be there," he added.

Goel also said that government cannot be kept outside when it comes to important decisions such as bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan.

Responding to a question on whether sports can be free of politics, he said, "All funds are given by the government.

It's a democratic government. If an MP is doing something, he is doing so as a people's representative."

Talking about the inclusion of sports in the concurrent list, Goel said the Ministry is awaiting a response from various stakeholders.

"I had a meeting with the Dronacharya awardees, the Arjuna awardees, Olympic medallists. Then we had a (state) Sports Ministers' meeting, PSUs meeting, Federations' meeting and decided that sport will be taken to concurrent list.

"The status is that we are awaiting comments from all stakeholders. As soon we get it, it will be given to the Cabinet."

Supermassive black holes may be lurking at the centre of most ultra-compact dwarf galaxies, according to a new study which potentially doubles the number of black holes known in the universe.

Scientists have discovered supermassive black holes in two ultra-compact dwarf galaxies.

Earlier, the researchers had discovered that an ultra- compact dwarf galaxy contained a supermassive black hole, then the smallest known galaxy to harbour such a giant black hole.

Together, the three examples suggest that black holes lurk at the centre of most of these objects, potentially doubling the number of supermassive black holes known in the universe.

The black holes make up a high percentage of the compact galaxies' total mass, supporting the theory that the dwarfs are remnants of massive galaxies that were ripped apart by larger galaxies.

"We still don't fully understand how galaxies form and evolve over time. These objects can tell us how galaxies merge and collide," said Chris Ahn, doctoral candidate at University of Utah in the US.

"Maybe a fraction of the centres of all galaxies are actually these compact galaxies stripped of their outer parts," said Ahn.

The researchers measured two ultra-compact dwarf galaxies, named VUCD3 and M59cO, that lie far beyond the spiral arms of our Milky Way, orbiting massive galaxies in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

They detected a supermassive black hole in both galaxies; VUCD3's black hole has a mass equivalent to 4.4 million suns, making up about 13 per cent of the galaxy's total mass, and M59cO's black hole has a mass of 5.8 million suns, making up about 18 per cent of its total mass.

By comparison, the monstrous black hole at the centre of the Milky Way has a mass of 4 million suns, but makes up less than 0.01 per cent of the galaxy's total mass.

"These ultra-compact dwarfs are around 0.1 per cent the size of the Milky Way, yet they host supermassive black holes that are bigger than the black hole at the centre of our own galaxy," said Ahn.

To calculate the ultra-compact dwarf galaxies' mass, the astronomers measured the movement of the stars using the Gemini North telescope located on Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.

They found that the motion of the stars at the centre of the galaxies moved much faster than those on the outside, a classic signature of a black hole.

VUCD3 and M59cO are the second and third ultra-compact dwarf galaxies found to contain a supermassive black hole, suggesting that all such dwarfs may harbour similarly massive light-sucking objects.

Astronomers discovered ultra-compact dwarf galaxies in the late 1990s.

The objects are made up of hundreds of millions of stars densely packed together on an average of 100 light years across.

The youth wing of the opposition National Conference on Tuesday took out a protest rally against the alleged use of "unprecedented force" by the government against the people, especially students, in Kashmir.

The activists of Jammu and Kashmir Youth National Conference (JKYNC) led by its president Salman Sagar took out a protest rally from party headquarter Nawai-Subah to Press Enclave here.

The activists were wearing black shrouds as a mark of protest and shouted slogans against Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

The rally culminated at Press Enclave where it dispersed peacefully.

Speaking to reporters, Sagar said the protest was against the "unprecedented force" used by the government against the people, especially against the students of various colleges, yesterday.

He expressed solidarity with the students and claimed that even while Kashmir was burning the government was not waking from its sleep.

"We do not even see any condemnations from them on the viral videos. If this government thinks that nothing is happening, then it is blind, deaf and dumb. We want them to see, hear and say something as the people had given them a mandate. We want the Governor's Rule to be imposed in the state so that people get respite," he said.

The youth leader said their protest is symbolic and the organisation wants to warn the government that if it does not stop the alleged oppression on people, the NC will come out on roads.

If you thought brain games could make you smarter, think again. In a study, researchers at Florida State University in the US found no evidence that such games increase overall cognitive abilities.

An increasing number of people believe brain training helps protect them against memory loss or cognitive disorders, said Neil Charness, Professor of Psychology.

"Our findings and previous studies confirm there's very little evidence these types of games can improve your life in a meaningful way," Associate Professor Wally Boot said. 

The study focused on whether brain games could boost the "working memory" needed for a variety of tasks. 

In their study, the researchers set up one group of people to play a specially designed brain-training video game called "Mind Frontiers," while another group of players performed crossword games or number puzzles.

All players were given lots of information they needed to juggle to solve problems.

Researchers tested whether the games enhanced players' working memory and consequently improved other mental abilities, such as reasoning, memory and processing speed.

That is the theory behind many brain games: If you improve overall working memory, which is fundamental to so much of what we do every day, then you can enhance performance in many areas of your life.

The team examined whether improving working memory would translate to better performance on other tasks.

They found no such evidence, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

"It's possible to train people to become very good at tasks that you would normally consider general working memory tasks: memorizing 70, 80, even 100 digits," Charness said. 

"But these skills tend to be very specific and not show a lot of transfer. The thing that seniors in particular should be concerned about is, if I can get very good at crossword puzzles, is that going to help me remember where my keys are? And the answer is probably no," Charness said.

The researchers suggested that to improve cognitive function, people should better get some aerobic exercise rather than sitting in front of the computer playing these games.

Rare moments make special stories, memories to cherish and, sometimes, paints the town red. One rare moment is making waves in the tinsel town – a recent incident on the sets of Baahubali: The Conclusion.

An exclusive click of Ramya Krishnan on the sets of Baahubali 2 is making people raise their eyebrows. Ferocious Sivagami, the actor who plays Sivagami in the Baahubali series, was seen smiling and laughing. The picture clearly shows that there was a funny moment shared by the crew and Sivagami.

Interestingly, the role of Sivagami was offered to Sri Devi who reportedly asked for Rs.6 crore which made the director pick Ramya for this role.

This film will conclude the director SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali series. The series stars Rana Daggubati, Prabhas and Ramya Krishnan in pivotal roles. The film will hit the big screen on 27 April 2017.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, now on an official visit to the country, here on Tuesday.

"Shaping our shared historical and cultural linkages. EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at @RahstrapatiBhvn," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Bhandari was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan's foreground here. Later, she paid her tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will also call on the visiting dignitary on Tuesday.

Bhandari will call on President Pranab Mukherjee in the evening and attend a banquet hosted by him.

The Nepal President arrived here on Monday on a five-day visit to India at the invitation of Mukherjee.

This is Bhandari's maiden foreign tour after assuming office in October 2015. 

She is accompanied by a 33-member delegation that includes Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat and Peace and Reconstruction Minister Sita Devi Yadav, five women MPs and senior officials.

She will also visit Gujarat and Odisha before returning to Kathmandu on Friday.