Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced the sale of 10.3 per cent stake in subsidiary Bharti Infratel to a consortium of funds for over Rs.6,190 crore ($951 million).

"Bharti Airtel announced the successful completion of the secondary sale of over 190 million shares of its subsidiary Bharti Infratel Ltd, representing 10.3 per cent, to a consortium of funds advised by KKR and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for a total consideration of over Rs.6,193.9 crore, executed at a price of Rs.325 per share," a company release said here.

Bharti Airtel said it will primarily use the proceeds from the sale to reduce its debt.

"Following the closure of this transaction, Bharti Airtel's equity holding in Bharti Infratel stands at 61.7 per cent and that of KKR and CPPIB at 10.3 per cent. 

"The stake held by KKR and CPPIB (combined) will be the single largest public shareholder block," the statement added.

This is KKR's second investment in Bharti Infratel. Earlier, funds managed by KKR had been invested in Bharti Infratel during 2008 to 2015.

 First poster of Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Half-Girlfriend is out.

The duo, who star as Madhav Jha and Riya Somani respectively, in the Mohit Suri-directed movie, took to Twitter to share their look from the film.

"A journey well begun is half done!!! Sharing the first poster of #HalfGirlfriend a film very close to my heart can't wait for #19thMay," wrote Arjun.

The still shows the lead pair sharing a romantic moment.

Shraddha tweeted, "Dost se zyada, girlfriend se kam.

(More than a friend, less than a girlfriend). Here's our first poster. #HalfGirlfriend #19thMay @mohit11481 @chetan_bhagat @arjunk26." 

The film is based on author Chetan Bhagat's 2014 book of the same name.

Bhagat, who is one of the producers on the film, also took to social media and tweeted the poster, "Hi guys, here it is.

The first poster of Half Girlfriend. #HalfGirlfriend".

The movie is slated to release on May 19.

The note ban decision has not affected the prices of 22 essential commodities, including foodgrains, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said changes in prices of the 22 items including pulses, onion and tomato vis-a-vis on the day of demonetisation are being monitored on a daily basis.

Around 3.89 lakh tonne of wheat, 184.45 lakh tonne of rice and 10.45 lakh tonne of pulses have been procured from farmers since demonetisation, he said responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour.

Between November 2016 and February, authorities in states have carried out 17,506 raids under the Essential Commodities Act, arrested 1524 people, prosecuted 837 and detained 46 black marketeers. Of these, 163 were convicted.

Goods worth over Rs.4 crore were confiscated during these raids, the minister said.

Falling growth in loans is making banks to look at the possibility of lowering the interest rates on savings bank accounts so as to improve their pre-provision operating profits, investment banking firm Jefferies said.

In an industry note on Indian banking sector about the concerns of investors after the US roadshows, Jefferies said: "Falling loan growth doesn't augur well with NIMs (net interest margin)."

According to the report, with falling loan:deposit ratios, weak loan growth and compressing spreads, banks are looking at the possibility of lowering the savings interest rates.

"Most banks currently offer four per cent, while some of the private sector banks offer a much higher rate," Jefferies said.

According to the report, a 50 basis point cut in savings rate would result in around 8 per cent improvement in the sector's core pre-provision operating profits.

Most investors saw valuations and weak earnings growth for the sector as an immediate headwind. But there was comfort with the longer-term investment thesis driven by government initiatives, the report said.

"Power sector overhang needs a faster asset quality resolution. Investors were concerned about the lack of asset quality resolution which could stall the medium term loan growth for the banks," it added. 

As many as 3,700 illegal immigrants have been identified in Odisha and some of them found to be involved in petty theft, Lok Sabha was told on Tuesday.

"As per available information, around 3,700 such immigrants have been identified in Odisha," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said during Question Hour.

The Minister said though they have been found involved in cases of petty theft or illegal fishing, there have been no reports of their involvement in any major crime.

"Illegal migrants, when detected, are dealt with as per provisions of the law which include measures to deport them in accordance with the Foreigners Act," he said.

Rijiju said Odisha has a coastline of about 476 kms for which the government is implementing a comprehensive and integrated coastal security scheme to strengthen security infrastructure and capabilities of the police in the coastal states.

At least four Afghan soldiers were killed and five injured in an overnight attack by Taliban militants on an Army base in Kandahar province, an official said on Tuesday.

"Militants stormed an army camp in Khakrez district late on Monday. The clash lasted for hours," Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying.

According to him, several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle.

Kandhar province, about 450 km south of Kabul, has been the scene of clashes between Taliban and security forces over the past years.

Scientists are organising the world's first nanocar race next month in France, where tiny molecular machines are will compete against each other over a minuscule racecourse made of gold atoms.

The international molecule-car race is being organised by the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France.

The vehicles, which consist of a few hundred atoms, will be powered by minute electrical pulses during the 36 hours of the race, in which they must navigate a racecourse made of gold atoms, measuring a maximum of a 100 nanometres in length.

They will square off beneath the four tips of a unique microscope located at CNRS's CEMES research centre in Toulouse.

The race is first and foremost a scientific and technological challenge, and will be broadcast live on the YouTube Nanocar Race channel.

Beyond the competition, the overarching objective is to advance research in the observation and control of molecule-machines, researchers said.

More than just a competition, the Nanocar Race is an international scientific experiment that will be conducted in real time, with the aim of testing the performance of molecule-machines and the scientific instruments used to control them.

The years ahead will probably see the use of such molecular machinery in the manufacture of common machines: atom-by-atom construction of electronic circuits, atom-by-atom deconstruction of industrial waste, capture of energy etc.

The Nanocar Race is therefore a unique opportunity for researchers to implement cutting-edge techniques for the simultaneous observation and independent manoeuvring of such nano-machines.

There were numerous challenges in organising this race, from selecting the racecourse, which must accommodate all types of molecule-cars, to adapting the scanning tunnelling microscope, researchers said.

The participating teams also had to overcome a series of difficult tasks (depositing and visualising the molecules beneath the microscope), as well as meet numerous criteria (the molecules' structure and form of propulsion) in order to participate in this race.

Four teams will take their place at the 4-tip microscope's starting line on April 28 for the 36-hour race in Toulouse.

The challenges facing researchers in the race will be so many steps forward in novel fields in chemistry and physics.

The CEMES-CNRS microscope is the only one in the world allowing four different experimenters to work on the same surface.

The development of such multi-tip microscopes will enable synchronising a great number of molecule-machines in order to increase capacity, for instance for storing energy or capturing it from a hot metallic surface.

Army has rescued 71 tourists, including 21 women and children, stranded in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir due to an avalanche between Chang La Pass and Tangtse village.

"Indian Army troops deployed in eastern Ladakh responded to help civilians trapped at the Chang La Pass due to an avalanche that struck between Chang La and Tangtse.

"Seventy-one tourists, including 21 women and children, were rescued and provided medical assistance, food, clothing and accommodation," a defence spokesman said on Tuesday in a statement issued here.

The spokesman did not give details as to when the incident took place.

Mizoram Tourism Minister John Rotluangliana informed the state assembly on Tuesday that 770 tourists from abroad visited Mizoram in nine months from April, 2016 to January 2017.

In a written reply to a question from Mizo National Front (MNF) member K Beichhua, Rotluangliana said that efforts were being made to concentrate on eco tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism to attract more tourists, both domestic and foreign.

He said Integrated Development of New Eco-Tourism under Swadesh Darshan – North East Circuit was being undertaken at Thenzawl and South Zote villages in Serchhip district and Reiek village in Mamit district.

Implementation of Rural Home Stay Scheme was being taken up in six villages in Champai district on Myanmar border with fund from the New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) of the state government, he added.

The particles that cover the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, are "electrically charged", show results of an experiment.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, may help explain an odd phenomenon — prevailing winds on Titan blow from east to west across the moon's surface, but sandy dunes nearly 300 feet tall seem to form in the opposite direction.

"These electrostatic forces increase frictional thresholds," said the lead author of the study, Josh Mendez Harper from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the US.

"This makes the grains so sticky and cohesive that only heavy winds can move them. The prevailing winds aren't strong enough to shape the dunes," Mendez Harper said.

To test particle flow under Titan-like conditions, the researchers built a small experiment in a modified pressure vessel in their Georgia Tech lab. 

They inserted grains of naphthalene and biphenyl — two toxic, carbon and hydrogen bearing compounds believed to exist on Titan's surface — into a small cylinder. 

Then they rotated the tube for 20 minutes in a dry, pure nitrogen environment. 

Titan's atmosphere is composed of 98 per cent nitrogen. 

Afterwards, they measured the electric properties of each grain as it tumbled out of the tube.

"All of the particles charged well, and about two to five per cent didn't come out of the tumbler," Mendez Harper said. 

"They clung to the inside and stuck together. When we did the same experiment with sand and volcanic ash using Earth-like conditions, all of it came out. Nothing stuck," Mendez Harper explained.

The Earth sand does pick up electrical charge when it is moved, but the charges are smaller and dissipate quickly. 

That is one reason why you need water to keep sand together when building a sand castle. Not so with Titan, according to the study. 

"These non-silicate, granular materials can hold their electrostatic charges for days, weeks or months at a time under low-gravity conditions," co-author George McDonald from Georgia Tech said.

All paramilitary personnel who die in action are considered martyrs, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said on Tuesday.

Ahir said in Lok Sabha that enough protection gear, modern arms and ammunition are provided to paramilitary personnel deployed for various law and order duties.

"Those who die in action are considered martyrs," he said during Question Hour.

The Minister said no paramilitary personnel was killed while dealing with riots and various protests in different parts of the country in the last four years.

He said as many as 3,436 paramilitary personnel were injured between 2014 and March 21, 2017.

However, 12 policemen were killed and 4,780 of them injured by riotous mobs during 2013-15.

Ahir said the state government concerned is mandated to take measures to ensure protection of their police personnel.

The Centre provides assistance for procurement of various safety instrument and equipments including anti-riot equipment, full body protector, bullet resistant jackets and bullet resistant helmets under the modernisation police force scheme as per their operational requirements and strategic priorities, he said.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello may have never dated but the two have recently sparked romance rumours after featuring in a brand new romantic cover of Ed Sheeran.

Mendes, 18, shared a black-and-white clip on Instagram in which the pair was singing Sheeran's track Kiss Me.
“Found this gem deep in the iPhone videos,” Mendes captioned it, adding, “lol I love the 'killed that' face we both make at the end @camila_cabello.”

The duo seemed to have intense chemistry as they effortlessly nailed the hook of the song from Sheeran's debut album.
This is not the first time Cabello, 20, and Mendes have collaborated, they previously teamed up for I Know What You Did Last Summer in November 2015.

 Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will formally release veteran actress Asha Parekhs autobiography, The Hit Girl, here on April 10.

Asha, known as the ‘hit girl' of the 1960s for her nearly-unbroken string of successful films, shares a very special history with Salman's family.

Salman's father writer Salim Khan's second wife Helen was a close friend of Asha Parekh and her girl gang of Waheeda Reman, Nanda, Sadhana and veteran character-actress Shammi. 

The entire society of iconic sisterhood would often be seen at film previews organised by Salman's father.

"Now Sadhana and Nanda are gone. It's just Helen, Waheeda, Shammi Aunty and me," sighs Asha, not prone to succumb to defeatism or pessimism. 

It is this never-say-die spirit that the autobiography titled The Hit Girl brings forward.

"This is something I wanted to do, but hadn't gotten down to doing for a very long time. My good friend and journalist Khalid Mohammed, whom I've known for years, helped me to do it. I hope the book is liked," she said.

Scientists have developed a 'medicinal diet' with high amounts of starches found in fruits and vegetables, which can help protect against type 1 diabetes and boost our immune systems, a new study has found.

The starches in diet resist digestion and pass through to the colon or large bowel where they are broken down by microbiota or gut bacteria.

This process of fermentation produces acetate and butyrate which, when combined, provided complete protection against type 1 diabetes, researchers said.

"The Western diet affects our gut microbiota and the production of these short-chain fatty acids," said Eliana Marino of Monash University in Australia.

"Our research found that eating a diet which encourages the gut bacteria that produce high levels of acetate or butyrate improves the integrity of the gut lining, which reduces pro-inflammatory factors and promote immune tolerance," Marino added.

The study highlighted how non-pharmaceutical approaches including special diets and gut bacteria could treat or prevent autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes.

"The findings illustrate the dawn of a new era in treating human disease with medicinal foods," said Charles Mackay of Monash University.

"The materials we used are something you can digest that is comprised of natural products – resistant starches are a normal part of our diet," Mackay said.

"The diets we used are highly efficient at releasing beneficial metabolites. I would describe them as an extreme superfood," said Mackay.

Autoimmune type 1 diabetes occurs when immune cells called autoreactive T cells attack and destroy the cells that produce insulin – the hormone that regulates our blood sugar levels, researchers said.

"The diets we used are highly efficient at releasing beneficial metabolites. I would describe them as an extreme superfood," Mackay said.

The diet was not just about eating vegetables or high-fibre foods but involved special food and a special process, and would need to be managed by nutritionists, dietitians and clinicians, he said.

The study was published in the journal Nature Immunology.

As many as 3,700 illegal immigrants have been identified in Odisha and some of them found to be involved in petty theft, Lok Sabha was told on Tuesday.

"As per available information, around 3,700 such immigrants have been identified in Odisha," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said during Question Hour.

The Minister said though they have been found involved in cases of petty theft or illegal fishing, there have been no reports of their involvement in any major crime.

"Illegal migrants, when detected, are dealt with as per provisions of the law which include measures to deport them in accordance with the Foreigners Act," he said.

Rijiju said Odisha has a coastline of about 476 kms for which the government is implementing a comprehensive and integrated coastal security scheme to strengthen security infrastructure and capabilities of the police in the coastal states.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced five persons to death for killing award-winning photojournalist Aftab Ahmed in 2013, a media report said.

The verdict was announced by Judge Abdur Rahman Sarder of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 4.

The convicts are Humayun Kabir, Habib Hawlader, Belal Hossain, Raju Munshi and Md Rasel, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Of them, Rasel and Raju have been absconding since the case was filed.

The court also sentenced Sabuj Khan to seven years imprisonment and fined him. If he doesn't pay, he will serve an extra year in jail.

According to the case details, on December 25, 2013, the 80-year-old photojournalist was killed at his house in Rampura here.

Aftab was awarded 'Ekushey Padak', the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in 2006. He had an illustrious career during which he served as chief photographer for the Bangla newspaper The Daily Ittefaq.

A football friendly between Ivory Coast and Senegal had to be called off early as fans from both sides invaded onto the pitch in southern Paris.

After numerous pitch invasions occurred on Monday in the Charlety stadium, French referee Tony Chapron was forced to put an early end to the match in the 88th minute when the two teams drew 1-1, reports Xinhua news agency.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane converted the penalty into a lead for Senegal in the 67th minute but Cyriac Gohi Bi tied the game four minutes later.

Marc Wilmots, former head coach of Belgium, watched the game to get better knowledge about Ivory Coast as preparation for his coaching job starting on April 1.

Ivory Coast sit atop Group C in 2018 World Cup African qualifiers, which will resume in August, with four points from two games. Senegal are placed third in Group D, one point adrift Burkina Faso and South Africa.