Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 17

No winter break is just one of the many appealing factors of the English Premier League.

Alexis Sanchez (L), Aaron Cresswell (C) and Raheem Sterling (R)

No winter break is just one of the many appealing factors of the English Premier League.

For Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, however, that means no rest over the festive season as the games just don’t stop.

In FPL, one needs to keep a tab on the latest updates from club and players for it is an extremely dynamic environment and you could be left trailing before you can scream goal!

Each week, thestatesman.com will help to make the right moves on the FPL with a comprehensive article on who to buy for the impending gameweek.

The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices marked with a (+) indicate an increase in Base Price.

Prices marked with a (-) indicate a decrease in Base Price.

Goalkeepers

Hugo Lloris

Team: Tottenham Hotspur

Fixtures: Burnley (H), Southampton (A), Watford (A), Chelsea (H), and West Brom (H)

Price: 5.5

Score: 58

Ownership: 7.3%

Why yes: Spurs have the joint-best defence in the league and a major reason is their outstanding custodian. Fixtures are quite easy on paper at least and Lloris should pick up a couple of clean sheets.

Why no: Spurs have some quality defenders, who give points on both ends of the pitch. Should you have Walker, Rose or Vertongen, buying Lloris would be a risky strategy for sure.

Defenders

Daley Blind

Team: Manchester United

Fixtures: West Brom (A), Sunderland (H), Middlesbrough (H), West Ham (A) and Liverpool (H)

Price: 5.4 (-)

Score: 49

Ownership: 6.4%

Why yes: With Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly struggling with injuries, the versatile Dutchman is a sure-shot starter for the next couple of games at least. Fixtures look good and he may just pick up an assist or two. United do seem to be putting together a string of results and that bodes surely well for their defence.

Why no: Should Shaw return to full fitness, Blind will drop to the bench. United aren’t exactly out of the woods yet, and perhaps a game or two later one will be able to truly judge their resurgence.

Aaron Cresswell

Team: West Ham

Fixtures: Hull (H), Swansea (A), Leicester (A), Man Utd (H) and Crystal Palace (H)

Price: 5.3 (-)

Score : 18

Ownership: 0.4%

Why yes: One of the finest full backs in the league, Cresswell will pick up points on both ends of the pitch surely. Hull and Swansea are relegation contenders which only adds to the left-footer’s appeal.

Why no: The Hammers haven’t been in top form of late and games after Swansea look tough.

Midfielders

Alexis Sanchez

Team: Arsenal

Fixtures: Man City (A), West Brom (H), Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (A) and Swansea (A)

Price: 11.8 (+)

Score: 122

Ownership: 35.7%

Why yes: Joint top-scorer in the league, there is little Sanchez cant do. City-Arsenal is expected to be a goal-fest and one can bet Sanchez will be key in most of Arsenal’s strikes. Fixtures after City make him even more appealing.

Why no: Much more expensive than his Arsenal teammates and isn’t much of a differential. Should City cut off his supply, may not be able to wreak much damage.

Raheem Sterling

Team: Manchester City

Fixtures: Arsenal (H), Hull (A), Liverpool (A), Burnley (H) and Everton (A)

Price: 7.7 (-)

Score: 62

Ownership: 8.1%

Why yes: Fast and direct, Sterling has impressed in patches this season. After a brief rest due to manager Guardiola’s rotation, expect the jet-heeled youngster to get back among the goals against an Arsenal defence which could get stretched.

Why no: City are without the suspended Sergio Aguero, a striker who is among the league’s best. Aguero’s loss does impact their attacking stats for the whole team, such is his importance. The pricier but consistent De Bruyne is expected to shoulder most of the offensive responsibilities and makes for a strong case in the City midfield.

Forwards

Divock Origi

Team: Liverpool

Fixtures: Everton (A), Stoke (H), Man City (H), Sunderland (A) and Man Utd (A)

Price: 6.8 (-)

Score: 42

Ownership: 7.4%

Why yes: Most impressive streak of his Liverpool career, Origi just can’t do wrong at the moment. His form augurs a must-buy status especially considering his price. Admittedly, his fixtures are tough, but Liverpool do perform at their best against the ‘top’ teams! He is a big differential which could prove key during the busy festive season.

Why no: Most FPL managers will have either Firmino, Coutinho or Lallana in their squads and for them Origi is a risky-pick. It remains to be seen if this is simply a purple patch or a permanent scheme of things.

Andy Carroll

Team: West Ham

Fixtures: Hull (H), Swansea (A), Leicester (A), Man Utd (H) and Crystal Palace (H)

Price: 6.1 (-)

Score: 10

Ownership: 1.8%

Why yes: The injury-prone striker is back from yet another layoff and against strugglers like Hull and Swansea could bang in a few goals! West Ham have sorely missed his talents up top and his return is to be underestimated at your own peril. A huge differential should he fire.

Why no: Injury-prone is an understatement at times, as this is the man who has made only two starts this season. Michail Antonio and Dimitri Payet are worthy midfield options from the Hammers stable, and much lower on the risk rating in comparison.

PS: The Gameweek deadline is 11.30 am GMT/5 pm IST, so make sure all transfers are completed before that!

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Trump knew that Russia meddled in US election: White House

(Photo: Getty Images)

There are indications that President-elect Donald Trump knew about the Russian involvement in hacking of the servers of the rival Clinton Campaign and the Democratic party, the White House has said.

“There's ample evidence that was known long before the election and, in most cases, long before October about the Trump campaign and Russia — everything from the Republican nominee himself calling on Russia to hack his opponent,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.

“It might be an indication that he was obviously aware and concluded, based on whatever facts or sources he had available to him, that Russia was involved, and their involvement was having a negative impact on his opponent's campaign. That's why he was encouraging them to keep doing it,” Earnest said in response to a question.

A secret assessment by CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the presidential elections to help Trump, The Washington Post had reported, citing officials briefed on the matter.

“You had the Republican nominee refer to the President of Russia as a strong leader. The Republican nominee chose a campaign chair that had extensive, lucrative, personal financial ties to the Kremlin,” Earnest said.

He said this was obvious to those who were covering the race that the hack-and-leak strategy that had been operationalised was not being equally applied to the two parties and to the two campaigns. There was one side that was bearing the brunt of that strategy and another side that was clearly benefiting from it, he observed.

“Now, I know there's a lot of reporting that there may be some disagreement in the intelligence community about whether or not that was the intent. That's a question that they should ask and a question that they may attempt to answer, but there certainly was no doubt about the effect.

“And, again, it didn't require a security clearance or a consensus, high-confidence intelligence assessment to understand. In spite of all that, that didn't change the way in which this information was reported on, either,” he said.

Outgoing President Barack Obama, who had endorsed a candidate in the presidential race, believed it was important for the intelligence community to make this announcement.

“That's why you saw a joint statement from the Intelligence community and from the Department of Homeland Security. That was an effort to ensure that this information avoided even the appearance of being politically motivated,” Earnest said.

“The President had very strong feelings about the race and about the candidates who are involved in the race. And the President in the last four or five weeks of the campaign saw that the President didn't pull any punches in forcefully making an argument in support of his preferred candidate. And he believed that that political activity should be separate from the intelligence community's analysis of Russian malicious cyber activity,” he said.

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‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ title track top trending Hindi song

Ranbir Kapoor in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'

Ranbir Kapoor’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track is the most trending Hindi song of the year, with Kala Chashma following on number two, according to Google India.

The song from the Karan Johar-directed film is penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya while Pritam has composed the track crooned by Arjit Singh.

The list also includes the title track of superstar Salman Khan’s Sultan, Tere Sang Yaara from Rustom and Nashe Si Chad Gayi from Befikre.

In the top trending English song list Closer by The Chainsmokers is on number one position followed by Champion (Dwayne “DJ” Bravo) and Sia’s Cheap Thrills.

Coldplay’s Hymn for the weekend, video which has been shot in India, is at the fourth position.

Indian origin child actor Neel Sethi, who played the lead role of in The Jungle Book, has made it to most trending Hollywood celebrities list, topped by Jaden Smith.

Margot Robbie, Tom Hiddleston, Leonardo Di Caprio and Ryan Reynolds are also in top ten in the same category.

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Kohli hails Team India for consistency, looks at next 7-8 years

Kohli insists India will have to keep winning consistently for the next 7-8 years to leave a mark on the world stage.

Virat Kohli (Photo: Getty Images)

The top-ranked Indian Test team is on a roll having triumphed in five straight series under Virat Kohli but the captain insists his side will have to keep winning consistently for the next 7-8 years to leave a mark on the world stage.

With the win in the Mumbai Test, the Kohli-led team secured the five-match series against England and the emphatic performance came after India got the better of New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa and Sri Lanka in the previous rubbers.

Asked about the air of invincibility surrounding the team ahead of the fifth Test starting on Friday, Kohli replied in the negative.

“Not really, we still understand we have got to play a lot of cricket everywhere in the world. It’s not only about this one period we are going through,” said Kohli.

“It (the phase) looks really good because we have come out of transition and immediately started winning games. But I wouldn’t take this as overconfidence.

“As I said, it’s an ongoing process which needs to be sustained for the next five-seven or eight years for us to become a top quality side and leave a mark on world cricket; maybe known as one of the best teams to have assembled on the field.”

Kohli asserted that focus is on doing well in all formats and not just Tests.

“We want to do it across formats and make that mark for Indian cricket on the world stage. But it requires a lot of persistence and skill, lot of hard work on your fitness and those are the key factors which will decide where we go as a unit.

“We don’t feel invincible to be honest, we respect every opposition, we admit every time we are put under pressure, and we know teams are going to put us under pressure. We appreciate that, we accept that and we try to find a way out of it.

“I think that’s been the key for us and as I said it’s a process that should go on for another seven-eight years,” said the skipper, who has played an important role in the team’s success.

Talking about the dead rubber beginning on Friday, Kohli said the match remains an important one for the hosts.

“I don’t think we are looking at a collective series as 4-0. For us every game is separate from the other and the intensity and the motivation to win a Test match remains the same, whether we have won the series or haven’t won the series, or it’s drawn.

“We are not looking at a scoreline as such. We just want to continue what we have been doing. It takes a lot of hard work to win a Test match and to put a number to it, I think it would be unfair to the players and the series as well,” Kohli added.

The Indian spinners led by Ravichandran Ashwin have not just delivered with the ball but have also made valuable contributions with the bat, allowing Kohli to play five specialist batsmen and as many bowlers.

In the media interaction, Kohli again showered praise on Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and rookie Jayant Yadav, who scored a hundred in Mumbai batting at number nine.

“Their contributions with the bat have been outstanding. It hasn’t taken much from me at all to motivate them. I think Ashwin has set a benchmark for the other spinners to contribute with the bat as well.

“Jadeja has come of age with the bat in this series, we saw his knock in Mohali, where he went out with lot of confidence and scored 90 runs for us. Jayant Yadav as well. He gets inspired seeing Ashwin the way he improves his cricket every time. Jayant always has been a keen learner.

“All the fast bowlers as well. Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh (Yadav) have become so much better with the bat and they understand the importance of those runs.

“So as a captain it gives you more freedom to play five batsmen rather than thinking of another batsman when your bowlers contribute 120-130 runs in every game for you,” said Kohli.

Kohli said Jayant’s approach reminded him of the great England spinner Graeme Swann.

“Jayant, what he has done, he has come in and has his plans. Has a lot of control as well and he rushes the batsman.

If you saw the way he got his wickets in Vizag he rushed Stokes, in Mohali he rushed Root where he got LBW.

“So he doesn’t give much time to react after the ball has pitched and he has those revs on the ball and the strength in his shoulder to keep pitching the ball in the right areas and not give you too much. I think Graeme Swann was very similar, the way he bowled.

“The pace control was magnificent without giving the ball too much air and that’s why he was so successful. That’s what I see with Jayant as well.

“So as a captain, I know that the third bowler is one against whom the batsmen cannot independently go after and that brings him into the game at any stage whenever you want a wicket, Jayant is always there on the spot, making things happen and creating doubt in the batsman’s head,” said the star batsman who himself has been in top form in the series amassing 640 runs in four games.

Kohli’s knock of 235 at Wankhede was a treat to watch as he piled on the runs without taking any risk. He hit only a single six in the 511-ball innings. Kohli said he did not feel the need to play aerial strokes.

“It has been a conscious effort (to curb the six hitting instinct). Many times I felt like I can go after the spinners but I understand that I need to go in that extra hour or two hours for the team. I don’t feel the necessity to hit sixes, it is just an excitement of the batsman crossing 150, 160, you feel like expressing yourself.

“But then I realise that if I am scoring at 3 or 4 an over without trying to hit the boundary, I can rotate strike and do that for the team. I don’t necessarily need to take that big risk at any stage and cost the team some momentum,” he said further.

Kohli also praised the opposition players especially Joe Root, who is tipped to replace Alastair Cook as England captain. He, in fact, backed Root for the captaincy job.

“Joe is an outstanding player. I have been very fond of the player and the way he goes about things, he is very positive, always thinks of any situation as an opportunity. I don’t know what captaincy would do to that (approach).

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Stop thinking of cancer as dead end: Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi (Photo: Facebook)

Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi on Wednesday urged people to stop thinking of cancer as a dead end in their life because the disease can be cured or treated to get a better life if diagnosed at an early stage.

Emraan’s son Ayaan was diagnosed with first stage cancer at the age of four in early 2014.

The actor was present at the launch of a cancer awareness campaign by Tata Memorial Centre and Times Now here, where he said: “There is a misconception about cancer that it is not curable and that the patient would die. Please stop thinking this disease as a dead end… It is not.

“If diagnosed at the right stage, it even can be cured… So do not break down, and rather stay hopeful.”

Talking about the parental vulnerability in such a situation, he said: “I know it is easy to say that don’t lose hope and things will fall in place, but as a father, I can say that when my little Ayaan was diagnosed with cancer, he went through physical pain.

“My wife and I went through a huge emotional trauma. However, positive thinking is the best way to deal with it — if you think positive, stay positive, even treatment will respond well to a patient’s body. So I am saying it from personal experience that stay positive.”

He feels children deal with the disease better.

“Kids recover faster because they are playful and resilient even when they are suffering. They don’t understand the intensity of cancer and that works in their favour,” he added.

Emraan is also all for right projection of effects of cancer and its cure in films.

“The projection should be right, and if the story is good, it can do well at the box office. That way, a film can create awareness. Remember ‘Taare Zameen Par’? That talked about a condition (dyslexia) that the child was suffering from… we all know it well now.

“So yes, it is on the maker of the film — how realistically you are making the film. A good film will do well if audiences like it.”

The actor is busy shooting for his upcoming film Baadshaho along with Ajay Devgn that will be releasing on September 1, 2017.

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Nicole Scherzinger almost rejected ‘Dirty Dancing’ remake

(Photo: Facebook)

Singer-actress Nicole Scherzinger says she almost said no to the TV remake of “Dirty Dancing” because she did not want to promote abortion.

The 38-year-old beauty plays the part of Penny in the upcoming ABC special, which is based on the iconic musical romance movie, but considered walking away from the project as her father opposes abortion, reported Female First.

“My Papa’s a bishop and my family’s really hard core against abortion. I almost didn’t take it because I didn’t want to promote abortion,” Scherzinger said.

The singer is still keen to discourage her fans from following in the footsteps of her on-screen character.

“Hopefully they can learn from her ways and I can be a positive influence. My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18. She chose.

“Her parents were never going to let her have an abortion.

So I came out. So I just want to encourage everybody to keep your babies,” she said.

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Antonio Guterres appreciates India’s contribution to UN

Antonio Guterres (Photo: AFP)

Secretary-General designate Antonio Guterres has expressed appreciation for India’s contributions to the United Nations at a meeting with Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, said a spokesperson for India’s UN Mission on Wednesday.

Jaishankar met Guterres soon after he was sworn in on Monday.

Jaishankar assured Guterres of India’s cooperation in implementation of his priorities in sustainable development and peace and security, the spokesperson said.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman also met Jaishankar and discussed an array of issues, the spokesperson said.

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Denied aid, deprived of justice

According to a report titled Understanding the Informal Justice System: Opportunities and Possibilities for Legal Pluralism in Pakistan (2015), 98.2 per cent of respondents in a survey opined that the poor and lower classes do not have access to justice in the formal justice system. In the same survey, 42.8 per cent felt that women and 25.2 per cent that landless peasants and agricultural labourers similarly lack access. One of the reasons for limited access to the formal justice system, as perceived by half the respondents, is the high legal fees charged by lawyers.

Access to justice is a fundamental right. The right to legal aid is a basic one under Article 4 (due process) and under Article 10-A (right to fair trial) of the Pakistan Constitution. An adequate legal aid system is one of the prerequisites for access to justice This acquires more significance in the context of developing countries due to higher levels of poverty, socioeconomic inequalities, and serious accessibility and affordability issues.

The World Justice Project report, 2016, on the Rule of Law Index ranked Pakistan’s criminal justice system as being at 81 out of 113 countries, above Bangladesh (97) but below India (71) and clearly way below most of the 113 countries surveyed. In the civil justice system, the same report ranked Pakistan even worse (106/113), below Bangladesh (103), Sri Lanka (96) and India (93). On ‘accessibility and affordability’, Pakistan scores slightly better than India; however, it lags behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

According to an official report launched by the Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform in June, about 40 per cent Pakistanis (around 60 million) live in multidimensional poverty. Legal aid thus assumes enormous importance in the context of access to justice where deviance and discrimination are deeply rooted in the socio-political milieu. Ironically, after almost 70 years of its existence, the legal aid system in Pakistan is still struggling to take root.

A comparative analysis of the legal aid systems of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka shows that these countries, although struggling like Pakistan in many ways in developing effective legal aid systems, have at least established organised aid structures.

In Bangladesh, the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office was established in 2015 to provide legal aid in both civil and criminal cases. The structure of legal aid in Bangladesh is organised under the watch of the Supreme Court at four levels a) Supreme Court legal aid, b) district legal aid committees, c) upazila (sub-division) legal aid committees and d) union council legal aid committees.

The National Legal Aid Services Authorities Act, 1987, of India provides for an organised structure of legal aid and services. The chief justice of the Supreme Court of India is the patron-in-chief of NALSA and a retired judge of the Supreme Court works is its executive director. Likewise, there are state, district and sub-divisional legal aid service authorities on a similar pattern.

In Sri Lanka, The Legal Aid Act, 1978, created the Legal Aid Commission consisting of nine members, three nominated by the justice ministry and six by the bar council of Sri Lanka. The LAC provides legal aid services through regional, district committees and clinics, and also works to promote legal awareness, training and reforms.

Existing legal aid structures in Pakistan lack ownership at the relevant levels and performance management mechanisms. For example, district legal empowerment committees (DLECs) constituted by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) in 2011, in a well-meaning attempt to provide legal aid to deserving litigants at the district level, lack a) ownership at the most relevant level — the high courts and the district judiciary, b) effective oversight, and c) performance management mechanisms.

Consequently, among other things, the rate of disbursement of legal aid under the DLECs is quite disappointing; 59 per cent of the funds in Punjab, 91 per cent in Sindh, 69 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 95 per cent in Balochistan allocated to the respective DLECs between 2012 and 2016 unfortunately remained unspent.

The Pakistan Bar Council, under the Free Legal Aid Rules 1999, also has the mandate to provide legal aid and create awareness about legal rights. Under these rules, the Pakistan Bar Council manages central, provincial and district free legal aid committees. However, these committees lack the capacity and support to perform the roles assigned to them.

The concerned authorities need to realise their role to address the chronic neglect of this fundamental right of the citizens. The Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights has to take the lead to engage not only the provincial law ministries and the Pakistan Bar Council but also the superior judiciary and civil society to reform the legal aid system.

As a first step, there is a need for a national legal aid framework/authority with clear structures from the centre and the province down to the level of each sub-division, to ultimately each union council.

The DLEC rules need to be re-examined to improve engagement, collaboration and performance management of the DLECs in coordination with the LJCP and the respective high courts. This will help in building ownership of the DLECs especially at the provincial level with the high courts and down to the district courts.

The Pakistan Bar Council Free Legal Aid Rules, 1999, also need to be assessed with a view to improving their structure, capacity and support through the provision of a dedicated structure for effective arrangements for legal aid, training, continuing legal education, sustainable funding streams and effective oversight. Last but not least, NGOs must also mark legal aid as a priority area to complement public-sector initiatives.

An efficient legal aid system can significantly help improve access of vulnerable sections to justice and reduce legal exclusion. It is crucial to build the trust of millions of poor people with the justice sector and importantly, with the political system of the country.

Dawn/ANN

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Prayer, action, cut

The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore has been trivialised yet again in the fountain-head of his creation. Visva-Bharati’s acting Vice-Chancellor has accorded permission for a film-shoot featuring the Union minister, Babul Supriyo, in Santiniketan’s holy of holies — the Upasana Mandir (prayer hall). Reports suggest that the decision was unilateral, indeed reversing the earlier order that had rightly disallowed the shooting of a film on the poet. Has the MP from Asansol been accorded precedence over Tagore? It is hard not to wonder whether the decision followed the pulling of political strings. The minister has ducked the responsibility of the film team and its director and producer, passing the buck onto the VC’s office — “The person who gave the permission, in this case the VC, has to take the responsibility,” is the somewhat evasive response.

It bears recall that the previous VC had to step down under a cloud; the officiating head of the central university has already stirred a controversy over a heritage building, verily an object of beauty. Upasana Mandir, an exquisite structure that is also referred to as kanch mandir (glass temple), has traditionally been integral to Santiniketan’s predominantly Brahmo culture. The ashramites of yesteryear must be spinning in their graves, pre-eminently the poet’s father, Maharshi Debendranath, who had conceived the prayer hall. Visva-Bharati has suffered a double whammy at the behest of the incredibly accommodating acting VC. Permission was given to the crew for the filming of prayers on a certain Wednesday — the day of the week that was earmarked by Tagore for a ritualistic programme devoted to hymns and poetry.

That tradition has been preserved, but sadly not the praxis that has been followed on a welter of issues by the VCs in recent years, as often as not verging on the scandalous. These range from under-qualified faculty appointments to the events at Upasana Mandir last week. The prayer hall, constructed with Belgian glass and a roof of burnt clay, was trivialised further still within 24 hours when the film crew trooped into the venue… with permission to enact a prayer sequence.

The official “welcome” accorded to the film team makes a calculated mockery of the giant boards that proclaim that it is a “heritage site” and a “protected area” where “photography is prohibited”. The acting VC’s explanation that permission was granted on an understanding that the film, Posto, will promote Santiniketan’s culture and education is a strained defence of an ugly truth. Sad to reflect that both culture and learning — the second never the forte of Visva-Bharati — have been accorded a minor rating in the overall construct. There is today a hollow ring to the theme song, Amader Santiniketan.

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Rabindranath Tagore

Cong, CPI-M stage walkout from Bengal Assembly

Bengal Assembly (Photo: Facebook)

The Congress and the CPI-M on Wednesday staged a walkout from the assembly after an adjournment motion on the state government’s inability to pay dearness allowance to its employees was rejected by the chair.

The Congress first walked out after the motion, moved by it, was turned down by the speaker and the CPI-M followed suit, expressing moral support.

“The state government has money to spend on festivals and carnivals, but it does not have money to give DA to the state government employees. This only shows its true colours,” Congress leader Abdul Mannan said.

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Government to implement GST from April 1

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh (Photo: Facebook)

Sounding bullish on the state of economy, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said the Centre was hopeful of crossing the hurdles in rolling out GST from April 1 next year.

“We are trying to implement GST from April 1. There are some hurdles but I think we will find a solution. GDP may see a rise of 1.75 per cent to 2 per cent due to the implementation of GST,” Singh said.

Interestingly, he did not refer to demonetisation while enunciating the measures taken by the government to curb black money.

“As far as the question of corruption and black money is concerned, the government has started working from day 1. In the recent past also, some actions have been taken in this regard,” Singh said during a conference on 'Defence Production' organised by trade body ASSOCHAM here.

He said the Indian economy was the world's fastest growing despite global trends not being positive.

“In 10 to 15 years, Indian economy can be among the world's top three economies and the government will do whatever is needed to make this happen,” Singh added.

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Felicity Jones was ‘rebellious teenager’

Felicity Jones (PHOTO: Facebook)

Actress Felicity Jones, who grew up in Bournville, Birmingham, says she was a bit of a rebel in her younger years.

“When did I go rogue? Probably when I was growing up and I was a teenager. At times I was a bit of a rebellious teenager,” Jones, who will next be seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, told eonline.com.

The 33-year-old previously said that she thinks it is “wonderful” that young girls can look up to her character Rebel Alliance fighter Jyn Erso.

“I just feel it’s a wonderful moment that young girls get to celebrate someone like Jyn just as they did with Daisy Ridley’s Rey (in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’),” Jones said.

“She is someone who has great humanity, she has an independent spirit and lives by her beliefs, and I think there’s something wonderful about her for a young girl to admire,” she added.

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Willow ‘can handle herself’, says Will Smith

Will Smith (PHOTO: Facebook)

Actor Will Smith thinks his daughter and singer Willow, who turned 16 a few months ago, “can handle herself” when it comes to dating.

Will is not concerned about judging Willow’s partners when she brings them to the house, as he says she knows how to “shut it down”.

“(Willow) can handle herself. They knock on the door and the first couple of questions that Willow asks sort of shuts it down,” Will told etonline.com.

Will attributed his daughter’s tough edge to her mother Jada Pinkett Smith, with whom he also has 18-year-old son Jaden.

“The Smith ladies are a lot,” he said.

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Rs.2.19 cr hawala money seized in Chandigarh

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

Busting a hawala and black money racket, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday seized Rs.2.19 crore, including nearly Rs.17.75 lakh in new currency, from a trader here.

ED officials said a house was raided in Sector 22 here on Wednesday following a tip-off that black money associated with illegal hawala trade was kept there.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Gopal said that a cloth trader, Inderpal Mahajan, in whose house the money was kept, was booked and arrested following the raid.

The ED and police had raided a few places here in connection with illegal money.

The raids and searches are being conducted by the ED to recover black money following the demonetisation move of the central government which was announced on November 8.

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Delhi HC adjourns hearing of pleas against demonetisation till Dec 22

(Photo: Facebook)

Delhi High Court on Wednesday adjourned till December 22 the hearing on pleas challenging the demonetisation move after it was informed that the Supreme Court is seized of the matter.

As the bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini did not assemble on Wednesday, the counsel for the petitioners sought a date after December 15 as the apex court will hear similar issues.

The court adjourned the matter to December 22.

The counsel said that the Supreme Court is seized of the pleas challenging the November 8 decision to demonetise high value currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 and also the petition filed by the government seeking transfer of matters pending before various high courts to either the apex court or one of the high courts.

The high court bench was hearing two separate pleas, one of which has sought discontinuation of new Rs.2,000 currency notes.

The other petition has sought a direction to the Centre to ensure that all the ATMs are dispensing cash and people do not suffer.

One of the petitioners, Pooja Mahajan, who runs a designer showroom, has questioned the government allowing certain public utilities including hospitals and petrol pumps to use the old notes.

In her plea, she has also claimed that the government has taken a dual stand as on the one hand it was encouraging people to deposit old notes in bank accounts and on the other hand, it was threatening them of prosecution for depositing over Rs.2.5 lakh.

She has also urged the HC to quash various notifications with regard to demonetisation which were issued on and after November 8, alleging that they are in contravention of the Constitution of India and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act.

Another petition, filed by Birender Sangwan, has sought direction to the government to ensure that all the ATMs are dispensing cash.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced the demonetization of Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 notes.

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Pokemon GO launched in India

(Photo: Getty Images)

Nearly five months after its launch, Pokemon Go is finally available in India thanks to Reliance Jio and Niantic partnership.

The augmented reality game recently saw generation 2 of the Pokemons launched by the Niantic. Since its launch, the game has received an explosive popularity.

Based on geo locations and a camera, players can catch Pokemons as they appear on their screens as they roam around according to the indicated positions of the Pokemons.

Already available around the globe, the game is sure to find many takers. With high speed internet speed, this move will be a huge boost for Reliance Jio as well.

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Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm over ‘noise’

(Photo: Facebook)

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm following an uproar created by opposition parties on Wednesday.

Earlier, during the Zero Hour, the house adopted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, moved by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The house adopted the bill after members of various parties spoke on it.

Subsequently, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien told the members that the remaining part of the amendments will be taken up at 2 pm.

Soon after, the opposition members created ruckus in the house, but because of the noise it was not clear what issue they were raising.

Amid the din, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till 2 pm.

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