Australian pace machine Shaun Tait has now received Indian citizenship and may play for the Indian national side from 2020 onward, if he wants.

The 34-year-old pacer, who last played for Australia in January 2016, will be eligible to play for Team India after a gap of four years as the rule book of International Cricket Council states that “a player requires to wait for at least four years after his last international appearance to represent another country.”

In 2014, Tait got married to an Indian model Mashoom Singha, whom he met first during the 2010 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Tait is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket. He once bowled a fiery delivery speeding 161.1 km/hr, the second fastest in international cricket.

The paceman shares his position with compatriot Brett Lee in fastest bowlers chart that is ruled by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, who once bowled at 161.3 km/hr.

RJ-turned-actor and anchor Pritam Singh, who will be seen participating in the upcoming eighth season of dance reality show Nach Baliye, says he is excited to share screen space with his wife Amanjjot. He feels she is a better dancer than him.

"I have hosted, acted, and am an RJ too. With Nach Baliye, I am getting to explore something completely new which is dancing. Plus I am getting to spend time with my wife Aman which is a win-win situation for me," Pritam, who came into the limelight after appearing in Big Boss 8, said in a statement. 

"My wife is a painter and is also learning how to sing. As a dancer, I feel she's better than me as well," he added.

Nach Baliye 8 will soon be aired on Star Plus.

The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on Friday appointed Sumant Sinha as Chairman of CII northern region for the year 2017-18. Also, Sanchit Jain was appointed as the deputy chairman of the same body.

Sumant Sinha is an advocate of solutions to climate change through business and public policy Sachit Jain is transformational leader at India’s one of the leading textile houses. The new incumbents were elected during the first meeting of the newly elected Regional Council members held in New Delhi on March 22.  

Sumant Sinha will head the CII Northern Region which comprises Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Union Territory Chandigarh.

The Indian basket of crude oils went below the psychological $50-a-barrel-mark this week as global prices fell on the back of a supply glut from rising US crude inventories, offsetting some of the output cut efforts from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

As per available data, the Indian basket, comprising 73 per cent sour-grade Dubai and Oman crudes, and the balance in sweet-grade Brent, closed trade on Thursday at $49.64 for a barrel of 159 litres, which was marginally higher than the previous day's close at $49.44.

The US Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that the country's crude inventories climbed by almost 5 million barrels to 533.1 million last week.

Analysts said the rising output also weighed on the production reduction by the OPEC and its allies.

The West Texas Intermediate for May Delivery erased $0.34 to settle at $47.70 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for May delivery decreased $0.08 to close at $50.56 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

According to the latest OPEC data, its reference basket of 13 crude oils closed at $48.35 a barrel on Thursday.

Last November, major oil producers agreed to cut output as a response to the global supply glut that had been pushing down prices for nearly two years.

In early December, oil producers outside the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Russia, agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day (bpd). This came in the wake of the 13-nation OPEC cartel's November 30 decision to cut output by 1.2 million bpd for six months effective from January 1.

This is the first time since 2001 that OPEC and some of its rivals had reached a deal to jointly reduce output to tackle the global oil glut.

Oil prices had earlier fallen by more than 50 per cent in less than two years, from levels of over $120 a barrel.

Indian oil marketing firms revise prices fortnightly and rates were last revised more than two months ago on January 16, with hikes on petrol by 42 paise a litre, and on diesel by Rs.1.03, both in Delhi and with corresponding increases in other states.

Petrol per litre costs Rs.71.14 in Delhi, Rs.73.66 in Kolkata, Rs.77.96 in Mumbai and Rs.70.61 in Chennai.

Similarly, diesel costs Rs.59.02 in Delhi, Rs.61.27 in Kolkata, Rs.64.89 in Mumbai and Rs.60.73 in Chennai.

Rioting broke out in the Gurdaspur jail in north Punjab on Friday after two groups of inmates clashed which left some inmates injured, the police said.

Senior police and civil officers rushed to the jail, where additional forces too were rushed to control the situation. 

Informed sources said the police and prison security fired shots to control the situation.

Smoke could be seen coming out of a portion of the jail complex, an official said.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which was supporting the Maharashtra resident doctors, has on Friday called off strike after meeting with state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In a meeting, the chief minister brief the IMA representatives about the steps the government has taken to ensure the safety of doctors at hospitals.

Reports suggested that the CM told IMA representatives that more security has been provided in 16 hospitals since Thursday, and the government will make more arrangements in next 10 days.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came down heavily on the protesting resident doctors and said "enough is enough".

“Enough is enough. Now, the government can’t sit quiet. We cannot leave patients to die. Despite accepting all the demands, the doctors are not ready to withdraw their strike. They are forcing us to take a harsh step,” Fadnavis said in the Legislative Assembly.

The state government on March 22 had given strong warning to the protesting doctors and asked them to resume duty or face action.

For the fifth consecutive day on Friday, over 3,000 resident doctors were continuing their mass casual leave protesting against growing incidents of attacks by patients' relatives on them.

The Himachal Pradesh University has invited applications for admissions to PhD programme through entrance test. For the session 2017-18 in various subjects.

An official spokesperson said on Friday that applications are invited for the various departments that include English, Economics, Education, Visual Arts, Mathematics, Law, MTA, Public Administration, Sanskrit, Bio-sciences,  Bio-Technology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Sciences,Yoga studies, Political Science, Hindi, Deen Dayal Upadahya Thought, Management Studies, History, Performing Arts.

Applications are also invited for direct admission to PhD in the department of Hindi, Psychology and Physical Education, he said, adding that all the remaining seats will be filled through entrance test. The application forms and eligibility conditions are available on HP University website www.hpuniv.nic.in, said the spokesperson.

To counter Mukesh Ambani’s Jio and other major telecom-sector operators, British telecom major Vodafone has made plans to merge with India’s Idea Cellular and create a new telecom giant. The partnership, which empower them to create the biggest telecom company in Indian will not only cut costs or facilitate operations but also impact the subscribers.

“I think the merger will bring down my data charges” a Vodafone subscriber said. “I will get good facilities after the merger,” another Idea subscriber highlighted. However, a subscriber said she “don’t think this it will change anything”.

Although it is very early to dream a bigger change, some experts believe the merger will help the merged company to cater their subscribers well. The merger will complete by the end of 2018 and after the merger both Vodafone and Idea will not exist, instead the new entity with a different name will emerge. The likely impacts on the subscribers are:

Immediate impact

In the near future, there will be no impact on the subscribers of both the companies as the merger will take around two years. It can be expected that both the companies will continue to operate the way they do right now.

Coverage impact

Once the merger is completed, the new entity will give good network coverage pan India. The merger will result in “largest Indian telecom operator with widest mobile network in the country and pan India 3G/4G footprint,” a press statement by Idea says. Vodafone has strong presence in metro cities but Idea holds the leadership in semi urban and rural areas, according to the company statement. The merger will allow the companies to enhance customer services and compete more effectively.

Data charges

In the fast-growing digital world, lowering data charges is a problheadache for the service providers as well as the subscribers. Rationalising network infrastructure, generating operational efficiency, lower maintenance expenses and savings in energy cost will give the merged entity and opportunity to cut expenses. When company’s expenses will go down there are chances that the end customers will get benefits.

Benefits for the country

Talking about Indian digital missions, Idea stated the merger will accelerate expansion of wireless broadband network and the “Acceleration of expansion of wireless broadband networks across India will deliver the government of India’s ‘Digital India’ mission”.

Whether we talk about “Digital India Mission”, “Clean India Mission” or initiatives to promote cashless economy, without supportive technology it is not possible to compete with world players.

The country needs strong and competitive telecom majors for sustainable growth.

Tripura Police on Friday began investigating threat calls to former minister and veteran TMC leader Ratan Chakraborty, who joined the BJP on Thursday.

"Two youths, reportedly Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists, have made two successive calls from their mobiles to Ratan Chakraborty, threatening him with dire consequences. We are now probing the incident," a police official said.

The official said: "Chakraborty filed a complaint with the police about the threat. As this is a cognizable offence, we have sought permission from the judicial magistrate to arrest the accused."

Chakraborty told reporters that if the local police do not take action against the accused, he would ask the Director General of Police to take action.

Chakraborty, who was Trinamool's Tripura unit's coordination committee chairman, on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party along with 15 other state committee members in the presence of Assam BJP leader and Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain.

Before he joined the Trinamool Congress, Chakraborty was a former minister of the Congress-led government in Tripura (1988-93).

Chakraborty joined the BJP about a fortnight after former state Trinamool chief Surajit Datta walked over to the saffron party on March 10.

State BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb and the party's observer (Pravari) Sunil Deodhar told reporters after receiving Chakraborty on Thursday that more leaders and workers from various parties would soon join the party.

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra has welcomed Jon Kortajarena, a Basque model-actor, to the cast of her American drama series Quantico.

Priyanka on Thursday night took to Twitter, where she shared a photograph of herself along with Kortajarena. 

"Top secret no more. Welcome Jon Kortajarena aka Felix to the Quantico cast," she captioned the image.

Kortajarena has been part of campaigns for labels like Just Cavalli, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Pepe Jeans, H&M, Zara, Guess and Tom Ford.

Priyanka got global recognition through her stint in Quantico, where she is seen playing an FBI recruit named Alex Parrish. The actress will also star in Hollywood film Baywatch, in which she is playing negative character Victoria Leeds.

The film, which is adapted from the popular 1990s TV series Baywatch, also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. 

With the new government in place, the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) through its allied departments is all set to tighten a noose over the marriage palaces, failing to comply with the guidelines. Sources said that last year notices were sent to about 500 marriage palaces across the state which were not fulfilling the criteria.

The PUDA had identified 170 marriage palaces in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur and Barnala districts that were running illegally. Similarly, in Mohali district 36 such marriage palaces will be sealed.

Sources said that these marriage palaces did not seek the required permission before starting their premises. The lack of safety norms was another major concern. "As many as 36 marriage palaces in Mohali will be sealed after they failed to get requisite no objection certificate (NOC) from GMADA and other concerned departments. We aregoing to seal all such marriage palaces," Chief Administrator, GMADA, Varun Roojam, told The Statesman.

The sources said that the approval of building plans of a marriage palace may be permitted if the applicant has obtained the final NOC from National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). In case of the new marriage palace, the parking of vehicles will be provided within the marriage palaces premises and no vehicle shall be allowed to be parked on the road, roadside berms and road reservation. The parking may be provided on the ground or in basement.

Last year in October, the PUDA had re-notified the marriage palaces regularisation policy second time after it was first notified in November 2012. The PUDA had made it clear that such marriage palaces will be sealed, whose owners failed to apply for regularisation and comply with the norms.

PUDA also made it clear to impose a penalty for operating marriage palace without regularisation. As per the guidelines, the owner of an existing marriage palace who fails to get his marriage palace regularised under the policy may face disconnection of water, sewerage and electricity connections. It is also added that the premises will be sealed and no marriage or any other function will be permitted in the sealed premises.

It is further stated that the unauthorised building of the marriage palace may be demolished and legal proceedings against the owner will be initiated. To put halt on the mushrooming business of the marriage palaces, Punjab government had framed policy in November 2012 to provide public safety, security and public conveniences that too was as per the directions of the high court.

Researchers have successfully used a facial recognition software to diagnose a rare, genetic disease that mainly affects children of African, Asian and Latin American descent, paving the way for physicians to diagnose the disease by snapping a photo.

The technology used to diagnose the disease, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome and velocardiofacial syndrome, is similar to that used in airports and on Facebook.

Because the disease results in multiple defects throughout the body, including cleft palate, heart defects, a characteristic facial appearance and learning problems, healthcare providers often cannot pinpoint the disease, especially in diverse populations.

"Human malformation syndromes appear different in different parts of the world," said Paul Kruszka of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the US National Institutes of Health.

"Even experienced clinicians have difficulty diagnosing genetic syndromes in non-European populations," Kruszka said.

The goal of the study, published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, is to help healthcare providers better recognise and diagnose DiGeorge syndrome, deliver critical, early interventions and provide better medical care.

The researchers studied the clinical information and photographs of participants with the disease from 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 

The appearance of someone with the disease varied widely across the groups.

Using facial analysis technology, the researchers compared a group of 156 Caucasians, Africans, Asians and Latin Americans with the disease to people without the disease. 

Based on 126 individual facial features, researchers made correct diagnoses for all ethnic groups 96.6 per cent of the time, according to the study.

Marius George Linguraru of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Health System in Washington, DC, developed the digital facial analysis technology used in the study.

The researchers said they hope to further develop the technology so that healthcare providers can one day take a cell phone picture of their patient, have it analysed and receive a diagnosis.

On the eve of Australia's fourth and final cricket Test against India here, the visiting team led by skipper Steve Smith met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

After rubbing noses with the Dalai Lama at his temple in McLeod Ganj, the skipper sought advice on how to rest his mind when in the throes of a battle.

"Incredibly fortunate to meet the Dalai Lama and listen to him speak at his temple in Dharamsala today #compassion #oneness #peaceofmind," Smith posted on Instagram.

Smith has been involved in a series of battles on and off field as he leads Australia, scoring two centuries and being the highest run-getter so far with 371 at an average of 74.20.

The series is now locked at 1-1.

Off the field, he has drawn a lot of flak for looking up at the Australian dressing room seeking a nod for whether to seek review of a leg before wicket (LBW) decision in Bengaluru Test, Indian skipper Virat Kohli stopping just short of calling him a "cheat".

The likes of Ishant Sharma have also targetted him, with on-field needling.

It has thus been reported that in India Smith has had sleeping disorders and before the final day of the Ranchi Test where Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb together stitched a 124-run association for the fifth wicket to save the tie for the tourists, Smith could hardly close his eyes.

"His Holiness, do you have any good meditation techniques to fall asleep?" Smith was quoted by Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph as asking the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama replied: "That I don't know."

"I think indirectly when your mind is at peace, then sleep automatically or naturally comes."

"If your mind is much disturbed and too much anxiety, too much anxious and too much stress and anger of course — these are very bad for sleep."

"So relax your mind and go there. Usually, I spend nine hours sleeping. Very peaceful. Around 6 p.m. sleep then 3 a.m. wake up. Then at least four hours for some meditation."

Smith recieved blessings from the Dalai Lama and also posted a picture of the pair rubbing noses together. 

"He gave me his blessings. We rubbed our noses together," said Smith.

"Hopefully it'll help me with my sleep over the next five days."

"It just relaxes us a little bit. He's all about compassion and oneness for each and every human being and it was great to hear something like that from someone as prestigious as the Dalai Lama."

"It was a great experience for all of us."

"We get over the top sometimes when we are out there playing cricket, but at the end of the day it's just a game and you need to realise that at times. That's something this team can take from meeting with the Dalai Lama," Smith was quoted as saying.

Actress Amy Schumer has left the film Barbie over a scheduling conflict.

"Sadly, I'm no longer able to commit to Barbie due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and Sony and Mattel have been great partners. I'm bummed, but look forward to seeing Barbie on the big screen," Schumer told variety.com.

The big screen adaptation of Mattel's iconic toy line was expected to start production on June 23, but Schumer's busy schedule includes a lengthy promotional tour for her new comedy Snatched, which opens in May, as well as an upcoming shoot for Rebecca Miller's She Came to Me.

"We respect and support Amy's decision. We look forward to bringing 'Barbie' to the world and sharing updates on casting and filmmakers soon," a spokesperson for Sony said.

Barbie is said to be in the vein of "Splash", "Enchanted" and "Big". 

The main character in the film gets kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough and lands in a real-world adventure.

A group of JNU students clashed with private security guards on the campus on Friday during a protest demonstration over a controversial notification restricting the number of scholars a professor can guide for M.Phil and Ph.D courses.

Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru Uuniversity staged a sit-in outside the northern gate of the campus, following which some of them tried to close the gate and stopped people from entering or coming out of the varsity campus.

Security men dispersed the protesters, triggering a minor clash.

The students later continued their demonstration over the University Grants Commission (UGC) 2016 notification that restricts a professor from guiding more than three M.Phil and eight Ph.D scholars.

Actors Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan-starrer romantic comedy film Badrinath Ki Dulhania has crossed the Rs.100 crore mark at the domestic box office.

The Shashank Khaitan directorial, which released on March 10, collected Rs.100.74 crore till Thursday, read a statement issued on behalf of the makers.

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who has backed the film under his Dharma Productions banner, thanked fans for their support.

"Thank you for the abundant love," Karan wrote on Friday while re-tweeting a post by his banner's official Twitter handle announcing the news.

"Badrinath Ki Dulhania" is the fourth Bollywood film in 2017 to cross the Rs 100 crore mark after Shah Rukh Khan's "Raees" (Rs.137.51 crore), Hrithik Roshan-starrer "Kaabil" (103.84 crore) and Akshay Kumar's Jolly LLB 2, which minted Rs.116.92 crore after six weeks since its release. It is still running in theatres.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: "‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania' joins Rs.100 crore club. Varun's third film (ABCD 2, Dilwale and Badrinath Ki Dulhania). Alia's second (2 States and Badrinath Ki Dulhania)."

It is said that the film has clicked with the audience not just because of Varun and Alia's onscreen chemistry — earlier seen in Student of The Year  and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania — but also because of its hit soundtrack. A fresh take on the popular song Tamma tamma is also part of the album.

Host Uganda has beefed up security in and around the capital Kampala where the 2017 World Cross Country athletics championships are slated to be held on March 26.

Dominic Otuchet, President of Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF), on Thursday said that with over 800 visitors coming into the country, they have ensured that security will be very tight and all teams, hotels and the track area will be guarded, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We are not taking any security issues for granted," Otuchet said noting that all teams right from arrival will have a lead security car to the hotels, training sessions and on the day of the race.

On the track at the Kololo Independence ground all is set as teams have started training ahead of the event on Sunday.

"The athletes will enjoy the track because the grass has been well maintained," said Faustino Kiwa, a member of the technical committee of UAF.

Foreign teams have started arriving in the country. Fifty nine countries and regions have entered the event which will have 553 athletes taking part. 

Ethiopia are the defending champions of the senior event, while Kenya dominated the individual event in the last championships held in China.