British tennis ace Andy Murray continued to lead the men's Association of Tennis Professionals world singles rankings, released on Monday.

Serbian Novak Djokovic came in second, followed by Swiss Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer in third and fourth place, respectively, reports Efe.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal dropped two positions to the seventh place, while Japanese Kei Nishikori jumped to the fifth position.

The current ATP rankings and point scores are as follows:

1. Andy Murray (UK) 11,600 points

2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7,905

3. Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 5,605

4. Roger Federer (Switzerland) 5,125

5. Kei Nishikori (Japan) 4,310

6. Milos Raonic (Canada) 4,165

7. Rafael Nadal (Spain) 3,735

8. Marin Cilic (Croatia) 3,385

9. Dominic Thiem (Austria) 3,385

10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 2,905

The Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, perched along Serangoon Road, has welcomed people from all walks of life since it first opened its doors in 1855. Indian immigrants, British colonial rulers, devotees of Lord Vishnu, tourists and Singaporeans have all gathered, admiring the place of worship.

At the weekends, the temple bursts into life with about 2,000 devotees gathering for prayers.

During the Thaipusam festival, between January and February each year, thousands of Hindus and non-Hindus gather along Serangoon Road to watch a procession of worshippers walk 6 km from the temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road.

"About 10,000 devotees carry elaborate kavadis and milk pots, and on Thaipusam day, we get around 30,000 onlookers from friends to family and curious onlookers," said K Vellayappan, 72, chairman of the temple management committee.

The temple was built in 1855 after a group of Indian community leaders purchased the land for about 26 rupees (50 cents today) from the British East India Company.

To get to the old temple in the 1950s, known as Narasinga Perumal Kovil, devotees had to walk along a narrow lane that ran through a garden.

When the temple was reconstructed in 1966, its chief deity was changed from the lion-headed avatar, Narasimha Perumal, to Srinivasa Perumal. The temple was also renamed accordingly.

"The temple used to have a large pond, there was a forest and plants all around," said Rajan Krishnan, who was chairman of the temple committee for nine years from 1990.

In the mornings, devotees cleansed themselves and bathed in the same pond where post-cremation ceremonies were conducted, added Rajan.

Perumal Krishnasamy, 75, who has been visiting the temple since birth, said: "In the early years, there were cattle roaming on the temple grounds. People would come and leave the animals after making a vow too."

By the 1900s, the temple was in a dilapidated state, said Vellayappan. According to a book published by the temple, the building had fallen into disrepair in the 1930s and a chief government architect wrote to the then Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board saying it was unsafe for anyone to enter the temple. The roof was said to be in a dangerous condition.

Restoration works for the temple were finally completed in 1966 and it was gazetted as a national monument on Nov 10, 1978. Today, the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple features an elaborate five-tier tower that crowns its entrance.

The temple houses several shrines and a main prayer hall, with ceilings and walls carved with elaborate mandalas.

Inside the main shrine, where only priests can enter to perform religious rituals, sits a statue of the temple's main deity, Srinivasa Perumal.

There are also shrines dedicated to other Hindu deities in the temple. On the two sides of the main sanctum are the shrines of Lakshmi and Andal.

Perumal said the temple has gone through many changes.

"As a child, my father took me around the temple every Saturday, teaching me about the temple and life. The things he taught me, I still remember today and have kept me well through the years," he said.

These days, he takes his grandson to the temple from Potong Pasir, where they live. "We go around the temple, doing the same, I tell him about the temple and we pray together. I have grown together with the temple. A lot has changed but my faith remains."

(The Straits Times/ANN)

Singer Damon Albarn says he hopes to live on as a hologram after his death.

The 49-year-old singer is fascinated by the fact his animated band Gorillaz have recorded with a number of now- deceased stars, including Bobby Womack, Lou Reed, Ike Turner and Dennis Hopper.

But they will still be able to appear with his group in digital form, and hopes his own virtual likeness will be belting out his hits in the years to come, reported Contactmusic.

“We could almost have a whole evening of people who aren't here any more. I love the idea that eventually when I am here no longer I'll be just a hologram. They'll just press that button and up I pop,” he says.

Besdies Gorillaz, Damon works with a string of other acts and projects, including Blur, The Good, The Bad and the Queen, and Africa Express, and compares his diverse career to being a farmer.

“I'm like a rotational crop farmer. I wanted to be a farmer as a child. I don't think you should push anything unless it's fertile ground.'

Four years ago, Morocco imported 93 per cent of its energy needs. By 2030, it hopes to get 52 per cent from renewables. Just how serious the country is about solar power comes across loud and clear to visitors as soon as one crosses the Mohamed V International Airport here.

Large solar panels along the road and street lights topped with solar panels line the way for a few miles — highlighting how the north African nation is moving firmly ahead in its mission to become a solar superpower.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI earlier this month launched the fourth and final phase of the world's largest solar energy plant — Noor Solar in Ouarzazate, on the edge of the Sahara desert. Noor is the Arabic word for light.

The first phase of the $9 billion project was launched in 2013, while the second and third phases were launched in 2016.

When completed in 2018, the desert solar power complex will have a 582 MW capacity, enough to power 1.1 million homes — and would measure the size of capital Rabat.

Morocco's leadership in renewable energy was highlighted at last month's Crans Montana Forum where Said Moufti, Research Director of the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies, pointed out that solar and wind power plants had been set up all over the southern provinces. "Morocco is showing by way of example," he said.

The first phase of Noor, which was commissioned in February 2016, uses 500,000 curved mirrors spread over thousands of acres of desert to generate up to 160 MW, making it one of the world's biggest solar thermal power plants.

The mirrors are part of technology called concentrated solar power (CSP). The 39-foot-tall parabolic mirrors focus the sun's energy to heat fluid in pipelines, which when mixed with water, produces steam to drive a turbine.

This system can store power after the sun goes down and generate power at night.

While Phases II and III are also CSP projects, Noor IV, the final phase, uses photovoltaic (PV) technology to produce electricity.

The entire Noor project, when ready, will help reduce CO2 emissions by 760,000 tonnes a year and by 17.5 million tonnes over 25 years, according to reports.

Morocco's stress on renewable energy will not only help the country reduce its energy imports, but also generate revenue from exporting energy across the Mediterranean to Europe and to its neighbours in Africa.

Morocco, a country of 33 million people, is the only African country with a power cable link to Europe.

The stress on renewable energy will also create jobs.

Morocco currently employs about 3,000 people in the renewable energy sector. According to a study by the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences (FEMISE), the country is expected to create between 270,000 and 500,000 new green jobs by 2040. 

The report was released at the COP22 held in Marrakech last year. 

The Noor project is being developed on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis by ACWA Power Ouarzazate, a consortium of Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power, the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), Aries and TSK.

Morocco is also focusing on wind energy. It has set up the Tarfaya wind farm complex — said to be the largest in Africa — stretching more than 100 sq km across the Sahara desert, on the southern Atlantic coast.

Actress Shannen Doherty has wished her “beautiful friend” Sarah Michelle Gellar a happy birthday and thanked her for always sticking by her side.

The “Buffy The Vampire Slayer' star celebrated her 40th birthday on Friday and her good friend Shannen took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute to the blonde beauty.

Shannen – who was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 – praised Sarah for standing by her side throughout her battle with the illness, and thanked her for always rooting for her.

Posting a throwback photo of the pair at a party, the former “Charmed” actress wrote: ''Happy Birthday @sarahmgellar I'm posting this pic because of the pure joy and fun, I am clearly having in your presence. From the moment we met, you embraced me, supported me and stood fiercely by my side. Never a moment of insecurity or feeling threatened between us.

“Instead, you only rooted for me and lifted me up. You are that woman that walks in a room and lights it up…. not only with your smile, but with your confidence, humility, intelligence and sense of ease. Naturally, you are an Aries!!! I love you. I'm proud of you. I also want you to come home now so we can celebrate!!! Happy birthday beautiful friend. You deserve the moon and more. (sic)”

In order to further push digitisation and fight against black money, the Centre has asked all state governments' revenue departments to record all land records online and link Aadhaar numbers to each of these transactions, including existing land records.

Senior officials said, "Once the state authorities are able to link all PAN with Aadhaar numbers to the land record databases, the investigation officials and tax department can make searches to match property values with annual income declared and tax return files." 

Under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, that came into force last November, the government can now confiscate property without paying any compensation to the buyer if they find any discrepancies. 

Sources said this will put an end to old malpractices of fraud and embezzlement in land transactions. Moreover, it will also ensure the role of various middlemen is diminished and bribes to revenue officers is eliminated. Once complete, this will be a valuable step in catching those with benami properties across the country, the official added.

The official said the states' revenue departments have already firmed up a proposal to this effect whereby it may become mandatory for land-owners to furnish their Aadhaar numbers and get it duly verified. For, new owners it was already made mandatory to furnish the Aadhaar and PAN at the time of property registration.

Real estate is the most popular means to park unaccounted money, and is considered the hub for generation of black money where a large number of Benami transactions take place. Experts believe the Amendment Act will further reduce black money transactions, thereby adjusting prices as per the set land value, making it accessible for buyers to buy a property without hassles.

States like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are among the states whose land revenue departments are in the process of linking Aadhaar with land records and making it complete digitised. 

The Maharashtra government is already in discussions with the National Informatics Centre to link the land records, property ownership with the Aadhaar number of the owner. For instance in Uttar Pradesh, the NOIDA administration has already converted the physical records in to digital records of over 16,000 institutional, industrial and commercial properties. Now both Noida and Greater Noida administrations are undertaking a project to provide all land/property related certificates/documents/papers/etc., which will be digitally readable and verifiable. 

Italian ports on Monday received thousands of migrants who had been rescued during several coast guard operations in the Mediterranean.

UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) spokeswoman Carlotta Sami told Efe news that 8,300 people were rescued in 60 rescue operations were conducted throughout the weekend by 35 ships, including some merchant vessels that offered support.

Sami said the weekend's work had a frenetic pace, to the point where some humanitarian agents involved in the rescues worked for 40 hours straight.

Many of those rescued were young, and often unaccompanied children, as well as adult men who presented signs of having been tortured, including burns on their backs and welts from lashings and electrocutions.

According to Sami, seven deaths were registered, including a pregnant woman, but the toll could rise.

She said this was possibly due to the fact that many are held prisoners in Libya by human traffickers in order to extort their families.

The Italian coast guard told Efe news that some 1,200 people arrived in the Sicilian port of Messina, and that sea conditions were rough.

Local media reported that another 1,181 migrants were brought by a German boat to Catania, also in Sicily.

Italy continued to register record-setting amounts of migrant arrivals.

According to interior ministry data, between January 1 and April 12 some 26,989 migrants arrived in the country, a 23.8 per cent increase from 2016.

An Afghan Army General was killed and another person injured in an attack in Kunduz province on Monday, authorities said.

The commander of Baghlan coordination command General Abdul Hai Atayi, who was travelling from Badakhshan to Baghlan, was ambushed by Taliban militants, Khaama Press reported.

Several other officials accompanying Atayi were also killed in the atatck but the exact number was not ascertained so far.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the incident.

Kunduz is among the relatively volatile provinces in Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgents are active.

The latest attack on the commander comes despite the Afghan intelligence said there was panic among the Taliban insurgents following the death of their leader Mullah Abdul Salam.

The state-owned NTPC has managed to bring down its cost of electricity generation by an average 39.5 paise while for the Mauda project, it was a decline of Rs 1.65 per unit, mainly because of improvement in coal quality and supply.

Data available with NTPC showed that the overall cost of power generation has come down to below Rs.2 last fiscal, driven by improved quality of coal and its supplies, a power ministry official said.

The overall cost of power generation of the company has come down by 39.5 paise. It does not include taxes and cess primarily imposed to finance protection of environment, the official explained.

According to the data, the overall cost of power production for the company stood at Rs.2.01 per unit in 2014- 15, which has declined to Rs.1.94 in April-February of 2016- 17.

Elaborating, he said the actual reduction was 6.4 paise per unit, but if increased levies and charges are taken into account, the total drop in power output cost translates into 39.5 paise.

The data further showed that NTPC's Mauda project registered an overall fall in cost of power generation at Rs.1.65 per unit, taking into account the impact of revision in levies and charges.

The official explained that new projects and plants with high dependence of imported coal have benefited the most.
The other plants which gained due to improved quality and supplies of coal are Barh Stage-II (Rs.1.24 per unit), Badarpur (Rs.1.16) and Tanda (93.6 paise).

The official said the NTPC plants represent a quarter of thermal power generation projects in the country and indicate an encouraging trend in power generation cost.

Former National Security Adviser MK Narayanan on Monday said an exchange of prisoners is possibly the only way to sort out the controversy surrounding alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

"From my point of view, an exchange of prisoners is possibly the only way we can sort it (the issue) out," Narayanan told IANS here. But he declined to comment further on the issue.

New Delhi has warned that if Jadhav was hanged, it would amount to "premeditated murder".

Jadhav has been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and waging war against Pakistan. Islamabad says Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan. India says he was abducted from Iran.

As a fallout of the case, India on Saturday called off bilateral maritime security talks with Pakistan scheduled for April 17.

Narayanan was speaking on the sidelines of an international energy conference organised by The Neotia University.

Legendary Spanish tennis star Arantxa Sánchez on Monday said the feeling of becoming the youngest winner of the women's singles title at the 1989 French Open took three days to sink in.

Sanchez, at 17, defeated former World No.1 Steffi Graf in the thrilling final to become the youngest to clinch the title before Monica Seles broke the record the following year when she won the title at age 16.

"She was unbeatable and I had to sweat it out for more than three hours to beat her. It took me three days to realise about my achievement," Arantxa said.

A winner of four Grand Slam singles and six doubles titles, the 45-year-old, on her maiden visit to India, recollected the moments of her pulsating three-and-half hour intense contest against Graf.

"Frankly I had nothing to lose as I was playing against Graf. I started getting stronger with the support of the crowd after which I won the first set 7-6," she said.

"The confidence grew with the first set win but she came back strongly in the second which I lost 3-6. I went on slowly in the third as she took a 5-3 lead before I managed to level her at 5-5 and break her again at 6-5 when my legs started shaking."

"I could not believe myself and kept on rolling again and again on the clay court until she came to me to shake my hands and I said to myself 'Oh my God, I won it'," she added.

Arantxa, who has four Olympic medals from her five appearances, said no player should be counted out before being given a proper opportunity.

Commenting on the importance of playing on clay courts during the formative years of a tennis player, the Barcelona-based star said: "It's important for young kids to start playing on clay courts, where it helps develop all-round strength, stamina, determination which can't be achieved on hard-courts or grass."

Arantxa, who is in the capital for the final leg of the third edition of the ‘Rendez-vous à Roland-Garros', to be held at the R.K. Khanna tennis Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday will also host a clinic with the 16 finalists.

"The Indian talent that has been on show in the event so far has been impeccable. The ‘Rendez-vous à Roland-Garros' has been fostering long journeys for these tennis players and I am proud to be part of it," the Spaniard, who was named the brand ambassador, said. 

After having witnessed successful qualifying legs in Kolkata and Pune, a total of eight boys and as many girls will vie for the top honours to win a ticket to participate in the wild card playoffs of the Junior French Open 2017 in Paris. 

The winners will have the opportunity to compete against the best players from US, Japan, China, Brazil and South Korea. 

The Supreme Court on Monday asked Bombay High Court's official liquidator to sell the Rs.34,000 crore worth of properties of the Aamby Valley owned by the Sahara Group and directed its chief Subrata Roy to personally appear before it on April 28.

"Enough is enough. You cannot say something today and resile tomorrow," a bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi and A K Sikri, said, taking strong note of non- submission of over Rs.5,000 crore by the Sahara group.

The bench also cautioned Roy from playing with the court's order and said non-compliance of its order would invite the wrath of the law and ultimately he will be at his own peril.

The bench asked the official liquidator, attached with the Bombay High Court, to auction the Aamby Valley properties, estimated to be worth Rs.34,000 crore, and directly report to it.

The bench also directed Roy and his group as well as SEBI to provide all necessary details relating to the properties to the official liquidator within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the top court restrained one Prakash Swamy, who has filed an affidavit with regard to the sale of Sahara hotels in the USA, from leaving India and asked him to deposit Rs 10 crore as fine with the market regulator SEBI.

Swamy will also have to appear in person in the apex court on April 28.

The Supreme Court had on April 6 warned the Sahara Group that if it failed to deposit Rs 5092.6 crore in SEBI-Sahara refund account by April 17 in pursuance of its order, it will be "compelled" to auction its property at the Aamby Valley in Pune.

The top court had told the group that no extension of time would be granted for depositing the amount.

The observation had come when the lawyer mentioned an interim plea seeking extension of time for depositing the money in the SEBI-Sahara refund account.

The court had also observed that it had clearly told the group that a "substantial amount" must come in the refund account.

"Whatever you do, we had told you that a substantial amount must come. Otherwise we will be compelled to put up Aamby Valley for auction," the bench had said, noting "What matters is the money coming in the kitty."

The apex court had on February 28 said "in case, the substantial amount is deposited, this court may think of extending the time, otherwise appropriate direction shall be issued".

The court had last month ordered an international real estate firm, which had shown willingness to buy Sahara's stake in New York-based Plaza Hotel for $550 million, to deposit Rs 750 crore in the SEBI-Sahara refund account, instead of the apex court registry to show its bonafide.

The top court had earlier directed attachment of Sahara Group's prime property for realisation of money to be paid to its investors.

It had also asked the group to provide it within two weeks the list of "unencumbered properties" which can be put up for public auction to realise the remaining over Rs 14,000 crore of the principal amount of around Rs 24,000 crore that has to be deposited in the SEBI-Sahara account for refunding the investors.

The court had on November 28 last year asked Subrata Roy to deposit Rs 600 crore more by February 6 in the refund account to remain out of jail and warned that failure to do so would result in his return to prison.

It had on May 6, 2016 granted a four-week parole to Roy to attend the funeral of his mother. His parole has been extended by the court ever since. Roy was sent to Tihar jail on March 4, 2014.

Besides Roy, two other directors — Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary — were arrested for failure of the group's two companies — Sahara India Real Estate Corporation (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHICL) — to comply with the court's August 31, 2012 order to return Rs 24,000 crore to their investors.

However, director Vandana Bhargava was not taken into custody.

Actor Raqesh Vashisth Bapat, who was last seen in the Life OK robo-comedy, 'Bahu Hamari Rajni_Kant ki’ is all set to make his silver screen debut opposite actor John Abraham!

According to sources close to the actor, Raqesh is all set to star in an upcoming Marathi film as the parallel lead across actors Subodh Bhave and Trupti Toradmal.

"It's a film based on a terrific subject which is the Pokhran Nuke Test, a play which was already a huge success. The film has a lot of acting scope and I have already been doing a lot of intense acting workshops,”Raqesh was quoted as saying.

Talking about his character, he added, "I cannot reveal much about the character, but all I can say is that he (my character) will be the catalyst in the film and without him, the story cannot move forward. Subodh is one of the finest actors and Trupti is a delight to work with. The music of the film is absolutely fantastic and I have never heard such amazing stuff till date. The first schedule is set to begin on 20th April and I am excited for it."

We wish Raqesh all the best for his upcoming film

China's first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is to be launched into space between April 20 and 24 to dock with the orbiting experimental space station.

The cargo spacecraft was transferred with a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket from the testing centre to the launch zone in Wenchang, southern China's Hainan Province, a statement from the office of China's manned space programme said today.

"The completion of the transfer signals the Tianzhou-1 mission has entered its launching stage," state-run Xinhua quoted the statement as saying.

China currently is in the process of building permanent station by 2022 to rival Russia's International Space Station (ISS).

Technicians have performed several tests during the assembling of the spacecraft and rocket since February, it said.

In the following days, technicians will continue testing the spacecraft and rocket and inject fuel before the launch, it said.

Tianzhou-1 is the first cargo ship independently developed by the country.

It is expected to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab and conduct in-orbit refuelling, the report said.

The cargo spacecraft will also carry out space experiments, including one on non-Newtonian gravitation, before falling back to earth, it said.

National carrier Air India is considering imposing a penalty of up to Rs.15 lakh on unruly passengers for flight delays.

The latest proposal comes less than a month after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulted a staffer of the national carrier at the airport here.

Now, the airline is mulling to penalise passengers who delay flights and the amount could be up to Rs.15 lakh.

A fine of Rs.5 lakh would be levied for delay up to one hour and the amount would be Rs.10 lakh in case the delay is between one to two hours, airline sources said.

The fine would be Rs.15 lakh for more than two hours delay.

Since the incident involving Gaikwad on March 23, the national carrier as well as the government have been exploring ways to bolster the existing mechanism to rein in unruly passengers.

Indian racer Shankar Sarath Kumar and his team RAMA Honda Racing by NTS T.Pro Ten10 endured mixed fortunes in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Buriram, Thailand.

Sarath Kumar picked up three points from the first race of the SuperSport 600cc class, but drew a blank in the next while team-mate Rajiv Sethu missed the Asia Production 250cc double-header due to a crash during free practice session.

For Sarath Kumar, it was hard work through the race weekend, but he did well to gradually improve his timings that reflected his ability to adapt to the 600cc bike as he scored points for the third consecutive race this season to take his tally to seven from two rounds.

However, in the second race, Sarath battled to control the bike, especially through some of the corners and came away without any points.

Rajiv Sethu could not start the races in the AP250 due to crash he suffered in the third free practice session. The bike was damaged and as it was a new model bike, the frame was not available immediately and hence he had to sit out the weekend.

Both the Chennai-based riders are supported by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Honda Motorsports Japan besides John Sudheer of RAMA Group of Companies and are part of a five-rider team.

Hospitalisation for heart attacks and strokes is less common among people living in areas that restrict trans fats in foods compared to residents in areas without restrictions, new research has found.

"Our study highlights the power of public policy to impact the cardiovascular health of a population," said lead author Eric Brandt from Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, US. 

Trans fatty acids, or trans fats, are commonly found in fried foods, chips, crackers and baked goods.

Eating even minimal amounts is linked to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. 

Some communities in the US-most notably New York City-have eliminated the use of trans fats in restaurants and eateries in recent years.

To study the impact of restricting trans fats, researchers compared outcomes for people living in New York counties with and without the restrictions. 

Using data from the state department of health and census estimates between 2002 and 2013, the researchers focused on hospital admissions for heart attack and stroke.

They found that three or more years after the restrictions were implemented, people living in areas with the bans had significantly fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke when compared to similar urban areas where no limits existed. 

The decline for the combined conditions was 6.2 per cent, said the study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology.

"It is a pretty substantial decline," Brandt said.

"The results are impressive, given that the study focused on trans fatty acid bans in restaurants, as opposed to complete bans that included food bought in stores," senior author Tamar S. Polonsky, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, added.

"If we enact a more complete restriction on trans fatty acids, it could mean even more widespread benefits for people," Polonsky said.