The Rupee depreciated 18 paise to 65.05 against the US Dollar in early trade on Thursday at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on fresh demand for the American unit from importers and banks.

Dealers attributed the Rupee's fall to fresh demand for the US currency and a lower opening in the domestic equity market.

However, weakness in the US Dollar against some currencies in the global market limited the Rupee fall, they said.

On Wednesday, the Rupee had gained 16 paise to close at a fresh 17-month peak of 64.87 against the US Dollar on heavy selling of the American currency by banks and exporters.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex was trading lower by 121.94 points, or 0.40 per cent, at 29,852.30 in opening deals.

Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo has become the eighth LP by the rapper to achieve the platinum status.

The news comes in almost a year after the release of his album. A representative for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) confirmed the certification to Billboard.

Kanye's label Def Jam says the project is the first-ever streaming-only set to go platinum.

On the other hand, Billboard reported in April last year that “TLOP” was available for sale on his official website after its February release.

The album secured the number one spot on the Billboard 200 after 70 per cent of its debut earnings accounted from streaming.

The star-studded LP featured artists including Chance the Rapper, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Frank Ocean and more.

Mani Ratnam feels filmmakers at times take too much from the real life and says his upcoming release Kaatru Veliyidai is also inspired from people he has come across.

“Most of it is based on people you know or met. So, there are some tacit real-life inspirations if not apparent. Sometimes, I think filmmakers grab too much from real life. You pick from various sources invariably,” he said.

While Ratnam's previous outing OK Kanmani was a contemporary romance-drama centered on live-in relationships, Kaatru Veliyidai is a period film in the backdrop of the Indian Air Force.

“Kaatru Veliyidai is not contemporary. It is a period film set in the backdrop of the late '90s. It's more like an intense, emotional relationship drama,” says Ratnam.

The director says he always looks for genuineness in an idea to develop it as a feature on screen.

“I always look for genuineness. If I feel I can connect with the audience, I will try to develop it. For example, the genesis of 'Kannathil Muthamittal' was an article published in the a magazine.”

Asked about the recurring shots of sun and rain in his films, Ratnam says they are great tools for filmmakers to tell the story and provide certain visual power to the script.

“I like the wind also. There are elements which are great tools for a filmmaker. It gives a certain energy, certain mood, and certain visual power.

“It really helps to capture it with a little bit of drama from the external. There is the internal drama that the script provides. The external drama is provided by the weather, landscapes and other elements of nature.”

Ratnam has been long-known for writing strong women characters in his films, but he doesn't believe in the concept of 'women-centric' movies.

“I don't start off saying I'm going to write a women-centric film. Even within the standard movies, if you don't make women appear as cardboard characters and flesh them out as real people, it's enough. I'm happy with it. I have done a lot of films which are kind of women-centric. I would say 'Roja,' 'Alaipayuthey,' 'Mounaraagam' and even this (Kaatru Veliyidai) revolve around women. They carry the film.”
Ratnam also rubbished reports that his next project will be a gangster film.

Kaatru Veliyidai, starring Tamil actor Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari as leads, is slated to release on April 7. AR Rahman has composed the music for the film.

Pepsi pulled an ad on Wednesday after it was widely mocked and criticised for appearing to trivialise protests for social justice causes.

“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said. “Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologise.”

It said it was “removing the content and halting any further rollout.”

The ad shows Kendall Jenner, a member of the Keeping Up With the Kardashians reality TV family, stepping away from a modeling shoot to join a crowd of smiling, young protesters.

The protesters cheer after Jenner hands a can of Pepsi to a police officer, who takes a sip.

PepsiCo Inc had previously said the ad was created by its in-house team and that it would “be seen globally across TV and digital” platforms.

It initially described the spot as featuring “multiple lives, stories and emotional connections that show passion, joy, unbound and uninhibited moments. No matter the occasion, big or small, these are the moments that make us feel alive.” That description was also derided on social media.

The Purchase, New York, company had stood by the ad late Tuesday. But on Wednesday, it was apologizing to Jenner for putting her “in this position.”

Critics say the image of Jenner handing the officer a Pepsi evoked a photo of Black Lives Matter protester Ieshia Evans approaching an officer at a demonstration in Baton Rouge last year.

Others criticized the protesters' signs for being comically innocuous, with messages like “Join the Conversation” and heart and peace signs. The website Gothamist expressed a common sentiment online in calling the ad “gloriously tone-deaf.”

Among those mocking the ad was Bernice King, who tweeted a photo of her father, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., being confronted by a police officer at a protest march. “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi,” the tweet said.

It isn't the first time PepsiCo has backpedaled and apologized for an ad. In 2013, it pulled a Mountain Dew ad that was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and appearing to make light of violence toward women.

It pulled that ad from online channels, and said it was never intended to run on TV.

Actress Natalie Portman has been spotted with her newborn baby for the first time since she gave birth in February.

The Jackie actress was pictured stepping out with her baby girl, Amalia, in Los Angeles' Los Feliz area, reported Ace Showbiz.

In some pictures, Natalie was seen keeping her new bundle of joy close to her chest with a black material carrier as she took her to popular walker spot Griffith Park.

The 35-year-old Israeli-born actress left the stroller at home and carried the baby girl in the sling due to the park's walking trails having a steep gradient.

Natalie gave birth to Amalia on February 22, just days before the Academy Awards.

It's the second child for the Black Swan star and her dancer husband, Benjamin Millepied.

Their first child, a son named Aleph, was born in June 2011.

A year later, Natalie and Benjamin tied the knot in an intimate Jewish ceremony in Big Sur, California.

With the favouring changes in Haryana's Excise and Taxation policy for the year 2017-2018, the liquor vends allotted to retailers during the bidding process have been allowed to store both IMFL as well as country-made liquor for sale.

Under the policy, the department has categorised liquor vends into zones between Gurgaon East and West areas.

As per the new policy, a license holder can open maximum six liquor vends with two sub vends, following the Supreme Court's order and excise departments norms.

Under the earlier policy for 2016-2017, the department had allotted three vends in one zone.

Sources have said the decision was taken with a view to centralise revenue generation through limited players having high capacity.

Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Taxation of Gurgaon Aruna Singh, who heads east part of Gurgaon, said as per the new policy, the liquor traders are entitled to sell both IMFL and country-made liquors in an individual vend, which is new initiative.

“We have already directed the traders to open the new vends following the Supreme Court's fresh guidelines about distance measurement based on motorise length of 500 metres and excise and taxation norms,” Singh said.

Following the apex court's decision on December 15, 2016 to measure liquor vends falling under 500 metres from national and state highways, the depratment carried out the measurement process for motorable distance from the edge and nearest point of service lanes of highways to vend.

43 liquor vends falling within the 500-metre distance were closed as their licenses were cancelled on March 31, 2017, she added.

There are total 41 zones declared by new excise policy with 19 falling under east area and 22 under west area of Gurgaon. This time the liquor vends will go till 344 numbers in Gurgaon, while in last year there were 323 in the city.

The 19 zones located in east area are Valley view, DLF-1, Sector-4, 29, 56,31, 47, Galleria, Golf Course, Golf Suit sector-44, South City-II, Pioneer zone, Badshahpur, Bhondsi rural, Sohna Urban, Rural, MG Road and others.

HC Dahiya, Deputy Commissioner of Excise and Taxation of Gurgaon is heading west area 22 zones.

“The Cyber Hub area which is falling under west zone has highest bid of Rs.56 crore against the reserve price of Rs.41 crore set by excise department. As far as the east area is concerned, there are 19 zones coming under it and maximum bidding of Rs.39 crore for sector 31 zone. Lowest bidding for west and east areas are from Bilaspur and Sohna Rural with Rs.6.30 crore and Rs.3.12 crore, respectively,” the officer said.

“The Cyber Hub zone comes under 500 meters and hence the decision of apex court bring headache for the owner of that zone, while some pubs and bars in sector-29 comes under 500 meters distance and some left out which is a matter of measuring their distances. Some pubs like 'Chillis grill and bar' at Ambiance Mall and Hotel Queen Pearl come under 500 metres have been closed,” Dahiya said.

With pubs and bars owners started submitting affidavits with excise department for the review, he said.

“We are waiting for some more affidavits of this kind following which they would undergo verification by excise department. If, they fall beyond 500 meters, they would get NOC from the department, while bars coming within the distance will be shut forever,” Dahiya said.

There is no limitation for liquor vends to stock IMFL and domestic liquor. The excise department has given a flexibility of for them to stock IMFL and domestic liquor according to the demand of the area.

“Suppose, liquor vends in DLF city or cyber hub have huge demand of IMFL, they are entitled to stock accordingly. Similarly, domestic liquors have huge demand in rural areas like Sohna, Pataudi and Maneser. The excise department has set minimum reserve price of particular area accordingly,” said Dahiya.

The excise department has identified 65 bars in west Gurgaon and 50 in east Gurgaon coming within the distance of 500 meters. There is no point of measuring them further as the department has already measured their distances, Dahiya said.

Actress Shabana Azmi ditched her private car and travelled by the metro instead in order to avoid peak-hour traffic snarls here.
“Travelling by Delhi Metro from airport to make it in time for an urgent appointment! Its SUPERB.. clean,” Azmi posted on Twitter alongside a photograph.
The 66-year-old actress later shared an update that she successfully made it to an appointment on time and praised the metro services for helping her do that.
“Hey guys! Appointment done. Would never have made it in time by car! The magic of public transport! Delhi Metro WOW!”

The Chief Executive Officer and four media persons of a private TV channel involved in telecast of a purported sleaze audio clip which led to the resignation of Kerala minister AK Saseendran, were remanded to judicial custody by a court here on the night of April 5.

They were produced before the Judge at his residence, who remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days. CEO of Mangalam TV channel R Ajit Kumar, Chief of Investigation team K Jayachandran, coordinating editor MB Santhosh, and news editors Firoz Sali Muhammed and SV Pradeep are those remanded to custody.

They were arrested on the night of April 5 nearly after 13 hours of questioning.

According to sources, police would move a petition in the court on Thursday, seeking custody of Ajit kumar and Jayachandran.

Meanwhile, a woman journalist, with whom Saseendran is alleged to have conversed in the audio clip, filed a sexual harassment complaint against him before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. She also alleged that he misbehaved with her.

Police had last week registered an FIR against the nine persons, including the CEO, on a complaint by the youth wing of Nationalist Congress Party, for airing “obscene conversation”.

The channel on March 26 had aired the sleaze audio clip which led to the resignation of Saseendran, NCP representative in the LDF cabinet within hours.

The channel had later tendered an apology admitting that they had conducted a “sting operation” involving one of their women journalists and not a housewife, as claimed earlier. Meanwhile, Kerala Union of Working Journalist condemned the “police activism” of framing charges against “innocent journalists”.

KUWJ General Secretary C Narayanan said police summoned even a woman news reader, who had no role in the whole episode. KUWJ also said the union had no differences of opinion in taking action against those who were really behind the incident.

The Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala (IIITM-K) has launched a mobile app to track and gather data on the geographical distribution of flora and fauna, aimed at helping scientists and students in the fields of research and conservation.

The biodiversity app, BIOTA, was developed by researchers at the C V Raman Laboratory of Ecological Informatics at IIITM-K, which has been set up for higher education and research in the area of Information Technology.

The launch version of the app: BIOTA 1.0 was released at the National Biodiversity Conference held here recently, according to a press release.

"IT applications have barely been used in ecological studies and we want to plug that gap with the introduction of BIOTA", said project head Dr Jaishankar R Nair.

The project takes technology to the common man for participatory research and conservation efforts. The app gives users the option to record phyto (plant) and zoo (animal) diversity from a database provided through mobile phone photos of a species. The exact location, date and time of the uploaded pictures will be verified and flagged up on Google Maps, he said.

The aim was to create a geographical distribution map of each species, which can be viewed using the app. The information can also be exchanged with the National Biodiversity Database and Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Nair said.

Actor Tobey Maguire is stepping behind the camera for adapting Jo Nesbo's novel Blood on Snow for the big screen.

The 41-year-old actor will make his directorial debut with the film, reports hollywoodreporter.com. 

This development has been on hold for years after rumours that actor Leonardo DiCaprio was interested in the adaptation of the 2013 book. However, the project came to standstill due to differences over schedule.

Maguire's production company Material Pictures and Lawrence Grey's Grey Matter Productions have taken up the rights. 

Nesbo is also penning the screenplay for the adaptation.

The plot of the book is about Olav, a hit man who kills people for his employer who is one of Norway's powerful crime bosses. However, when he is asked to kill his employer's own wife, Olav's life gets tangled when he ends up falling for her.

Aung San Suu Kyi has denied the ethnic cleansing of Myanmar's Muslim minority, speaking to the BBC after the UN rights council agreed to investigate allegations against the army.

“I don't think there is ethnic cleansing going on. I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening,” Suu Kyi said in the interview televised on yesterday.

Her one-year-old government has faced international condemnation for the treatment of the country's Rohingya Muslims, who are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, prompting the UN rights council to agree last month to launch an investigation into violations against the minority.

The Geneva-based body's fact-finding mission will examine allegations of torture, murder and rape allegedly committed by troops.

Suu Kyi told the BBC there was “a lot of hostility” in the western state of Rakhine, where more than one million Rohingya live.

“It is Muslims killing Muslims, as well, if they think they are collaborating with authorities.

“It is not just a matter of ethnic cleansing. It is a matter of people on different sides of a divide, and this divide we are trying to close up. As best as possible and not to widen it further,” she said.

Myanmar has launched its own domestic probe into possible crimes in Rahkine and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to head a commission tasked with healing long-simmering divisions between Buddhists and Muslims.

“They are free to go in and fight. And of course, that is in the constitution… Military matters are to be left to the army,” she said, adding that she aimed to amend the constitution.

Almost 75,000 people from the persecuted minority have escaped to Bangladesh after the military launched operations in the north of Rakhine state to find Rohingya militants who raided police border posts in October.

Rohingya who have fled have told the UN rights office that soldiers executed babies in front of their mothers, as part of campaign to terrorise the Muslim minority.

“If they come back they will be safe,” said Suu Kyi, adding that those who fled were welcome to return.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) faced the ballot box on Saturday in by-elections across the country, winning a string of seats but losing out in ethnic minority areas including Rakhine.

The NLD came to power in a historic 2015 election which ended half a century of brutal military rule, but there has been disillusionment with the administration as it struggles to push through reforms and ease unrest. 

Aiming to help keep crews safe when NASA sends humans to Mars, scientists at the US space agency have developed a new device to monitor radiation exposure to neutrons and are testing it on the International Space Station.

The Fast Neutron Spectrometer is designed to detect and measure the energy of neutrons, which are known to be specifically harmful to humans. 

"There are multiple types of radiation in space," said Mark Christl, team lead for the study at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

"While there are already advanced instruments to detect gamma rays produced by supernovas or black holes, X-rays and other charged particles, we needed a way to detect and measure neutron radiation to quantify the impact on human biology. Neutron detection techniques have not seen the same leap in technology advancement," Christl added in a statement on Tuesday.

Neutron radiation is created when the high-energy particles from our sun and outside our solar system interact with other particles or matter, such as a spacecraft or a planetary surface. 

But these neutrons are only viable for approximately 13 minutes before they decay into charged particles.

"If they're more than 13 minutes away from you, it's not really a problem," Christl said. 

"If you're in a capsule or on a planet's surface with little or no magnetic field or atmosphere, you can potentially be covered in a neutron field," Christl added.

The Fast Neutron Spectrometer is mainly a passive tool, waiting for neutrons to strike it. 

It is comprised of an aluminum housing with a plastic scintillator that slows down the neutron when it hits the device, and glass scintillator fibers that absorb the neutrons and re-emit the energy in the form of light. 

This advanced version provides two distinct signals for measurement — the first to measure its energy and the second to confirm a neutron was detected rather than another kind of particle. 

The standard, all-plastic devices can't clearly determine the differences between these signals.

Even though the space station's radiation environment is not considered "deep space," the spectrometer is a new capability ready for validation in a space environment, the scientists said.

"These radiation detectors may force missions to change in mid-stream, but it will help keep our astronauts safe," Christl said.

Star all-rounder Yuvraj Singh said he has been batting with more freedom after making a successful return to the Indian ODI team earlier in 2017.

Yuvraj made a comeback to the Indian team against England earlier in 2017 and roared back to form with a brutal century in the second ODI in Cuttack and then followed it up with a gritty 45 in the third and final game in Kolkata.

Vintage Yuvraj was again on full display on Wednesday, this time for defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"I enjoyed my batting tonight. My batting has been up and down over the couple of years, but I am feeling really good at the moment. I just need to continue this good run forward.

"The comeback into the Indian team has really helped me.

I am more free in my mind and I am not worrying anymore about making a comeback. I am just going to play according to the situation and express myself," said Yuvraj after playing a match-winning 62-run knock off just 27 balls in his side's 35-run win over RCB here.

The dashing southpaw said the return to form was possible because of plenty of hard work and dedication.

"I have been hitting a lot of balls and practicing a lot.

I have been spending more hours in the nets batting. Also, Hyderabad has always been a lucky place for me. I made a comeback when I scored a lot of runs in Hyderabad.

"I feel good about my batting at the moment. Hopefully I will keep doing what I am doing right now," Yuvraj was quoted as saying by IPLT20.com.

The swashbuckling 62 was also Yuvraj's fastest IPL fifty till date.

He said the Sunrisers could not have asked for a better start to their title defence.

"We started from where we ended. It was a great performance from all the batsmen throughout the innings. The bowlers then came and did the job for the team," Yuvraj said.

"It was an important win for us and we need to take more points at home. If we can get five out of seven wins at home, it will help us to qualify in the last four."

US President Donald Trump has told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Washington will continue to build its military capability to take on the threat posed by North Korea's repeated nuclear arms tests.
Trump spoke to Abe yesterday over phone to discuss the situation in the east-Asian region, a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
“The President emphasised that the United States stands with its allies Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat that North Korea continues to pose,” the White House said in a readout of the telephonic conversation between the two leaders.
During the conversation, Trump made it clear that the United States will continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend itself and its allies with the full range of its military capabilities, it said.
The two leaders agreed to stay in close communication to enhance cooperation on the North Korea issue and other regional issues of mutual interest, the White House said.
Hours after the missile launch yesterday, the White House had reacted strongly, saying, the clock has now run out for North Korea and all options are now being considered to deal with the menace.

World number one Dustin Johnson could miss the Masters after injuring his lower back in a "serious" fall on the eve of the tournament.

The 32-year-old American star landed "very hard" after a fall down the stairs at his rented house in Augusta on Wednesday, his agent said, but still hopes to be fit enough to tee off in the first round.

Johnson is the oddsmakers favourite to collect the winner's green jacket at Augusta National after winning his past three starts.

"At roughly 3 pm today, Dustin took a serious fall on a staircase in his Augusta rental home," said his agent, David Winkle, in a statement. "He landed very hard on his lower back and is now resting, although quite uncomfortably.

"He has been advised to remain immobile and begin a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication and icing, with the hope of being able to play tomorrow."

Johnson is scheduled to tee off in Thursday's final first-round group at 2:03 pm alongside compatriots Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson.

Even if he is able to start, his trademark long driving skills could be compromised if the back trouble continues, a potentially serious handicap over the 7,435-yard Augusta National layout.

Johnson averaged a tournament-best 299.5 yards in driving distance last year, when he finished a career-best fourth, and averaged a Masters-low 26.50 putts per round in 2015, when he shared sixth.

"Everything has got to be working this week," Johnson said Tuesday. "If you want to win, you're going to have to drive it well. You're going to have to hit your irons well.

You're going to have to putt it well.

"I don't know how many guys are in the field, but they are the best golfers in the world, so you've got to bring your best stuff if you want to win."

The injury marks another setback in the checkered career of Johnson, who won his first major title in 2016 at Oakmont.

Johnson withdrew from the 2012 Masters after a back injury suffered, his agent said, when he lifted a jet-ski.

At the 2010 PGA championship, Johnson carried a one-stroke lead into the final hole but received a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker, doing so in a sandy area he did not recognise as a hazard.

Even in his major victory last June, Johnson had to play the final holes knowing he would likely receive a penalty over an earlier infraction after a rules official had told him to play on.

Johnson became the world number one by winning at Riviera in February and followed with World Golf Championships Mexico and Match Play titles in March. He would be the first player since 1976 to enter the Masters on a three-event win streak.

Johnson — born an hour's drive north of Augusta National in Colombia, South Carolina — played 112 holes and never trailed in a single match of his Match Play triumph, which made him the first player to win all four WGC events.

The last time a world number one missed a major tournament was in 2015 when Rory McIlroy suffered an ankle injury a few weeks before he was to have defended his title at the British Open.

Johnson has not missed a major since the 2014 PGA Championship, which came just after he announced he was taking a six-month break from golf to seek professional help for "personal challenges."

No world number one has won the Masters title since Tiger Woods in 2002 and no player since 1940 has made the Masters his fourth victory in a row.

Johnson hopes to make his seventh Masters start after unleashing a late charge on Sunday last year. He made birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th holes but a double bogey at 17 ended his chances to overtake eventual winner Danny Willett of England.

US President Donald Trump has told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Washington will continue to build its military capability to take on the threat posed by North Korea's repeated nuclear arms tests.

Trump spoke to Abe on Wednesday over phone to discuss the situation in the east-Asian region, a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

“The President emphasised that the United States stands with its allies Japan and South Korea in the face of the serious threat that North Korea continues to pose,” the White House said in a readout of the telephonic conversation between the two leaders.

During the conversation, Trump made it clear that the United States will continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend itself and its allies with the full range of its military capabilities, it said.

The two leaders agreed to stay in close communication to enhance cooperation on the North Korea issue and other regional issues of mutual interest, the White House said.

Hours after the missile launch yesterday, the White House had reacted strongly, saying, the clock has now run out for North Korea and all options are now being considered to deal with the menace.

Actor Wentworth Miller says coming back to shoot the new season of Prison Break was like "riding a bike".

Miller and Dominic Purcell are reprising the roles of brothers Micheal Scorfield and Lincoln Burrows in the fifth season of the show. 

"Coming back to this project was like riding a bike, the story still lived in me somewhere. My very first scene behind bars, Dominic's on the other side and it was just like old times looking into his eyes were enough to ground me to whom am I of these characters," Miller said in statement. 

Prison Break, which was aired from 2005 to 2009, will be back with season five. It will air in India from Saturday on Star World and Star World HD. 

Purcell also said that it was just "like old times". 

"We all sit and understand each other's rhythms. We are all good friends and we are like family," he added.