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India hosting U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup will encourage young Punjab girls take up sports’

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Ludhiana, May 8 : Gokulam Kerala FC striker Manisha, who has been turning heads with her performances in the ongoing season of the Hero India Women’s League believes that India hosting the 2020 U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup would “help young girls from Punjab take up the sport.”
“It feels great that the IWL is being held in Punjab. This will help raise awareness about women’s football in the state. The young girls in Punjab can watch the matches and learn more about the game,” said Manisha.
Manisha may be banging in the goals from the front, but she was not always a striker. Back in the days when she played in the India U-17 team, she used to play as a left winger.

In the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers, she played as an attacking midfielder, while Senior National Team coach Maymol Rocky promoted her to the position of a striker in recent times.

“When I’m on the left, I always try to go back and help my win back, and then run forward to attack once we get the ball,” she said. “When I play in the midfield, I always need to keep the position of the opposition midfielders in mind. Especially when we don’t have the ball, I have to keep tracking them.”

Security Scare in Bengaluru Metro: man refuses to undergo security check

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Metro stations are on high alert after a passenger’s ‘suspicious’ behaviour led to tension at Kempegowda metro station in Majestic on Monday evening.
A man in his 40s, on Monday, entered the Majestic Metro station and passed through the metal detector.As he crossed the detector,the machine beeped,indicating that he was concealing a metal object on his person.When security personnel asked the person to step aside,the man retreated and fled the station.
The incident occurred at Majestic Metro Station at around 7:30 pm on Monday.
Security Hightightened and beeped up at all the metro station across city.All precautionary measures has been taken for the safety of passengers says BMRCL. 
Police are on the lookout for a man who fled the scene when he was asked to undergo a security check at the entrance of Majestic Metro station in Bengaluru.
Security personnel stopped the man,who seemed to be in his forties,when the scanner at the entrance beeped as he passed through it.Suspecting that he was concealing an object on his person, the official asked him to step aside. However, the man refused to comply and fled the station.
A house keeping staff at the metro station informed the investigators that a similar looking person approached her and asked whether she would carry out something if paid she said she has objectected to do it and he went off. 
The incident was also captured on CCTV which was examined by police after the incident was brought to the notice of Ravi D Channannavar,DCP of Bengaluru West. 
According to police,no details on the object or any other particulars are available at the moment.
DCP West,Ravi.D.Channanavar told media persons that there is no need to be panic and said a incident of man fleeing from the spot after the security personnel asked him to show the suspicious object at the security check has been reported at Nadaprabhu kempegowda Majestic Metro station a man who tried to barge in the metro station by jumping was noticed by a security personnel immediately he stopped him and was sent inside while he entered the door frame metal detector and hand held metal detector while frisking the detector started beeping as it was beeping the private security personnel stopped the person and when he went to call his superior the man fled from the spot later the security personnel informed his seniors who examined the CCTV footage and found that a man with suspicious object has fled from the spot but we are not sure what was the object only we will come to know what was the object carried by this person and why he fled the spot after we take him in our custody three special teams has been formed under the supervision of ACP Chickpet Sub-division Mahanth Reddy with other inspectors to trace the suspect and we have intensified and hightightened the security by deploying additional forces at all the Metro Stations,Bus Stands,Railway Stations,Malls and other various places and I myself with Internal security division officers and other officers visited the spot and inspected the area and we appeal the general public that there is no need to be panic as we have taken all precautionary measures and massive manhunt is on for the suspected person a case has been registered in upparpet police station and further investigation is on he added.
Meanwhile, security has been intensified at various spots.An additional police force has been deployed at the stations across Bengaluru.
Police have assured that there is no reason to worry but a hunt is on for the man to ensure that there is no untoward incident. 

Asianet, Suvarna News ordered to pay Rs 50 lakh in damages to actor Divya Spandana

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While granting damages, the court said that “reputation is the most valuable asset of a person.”

A Bengaluru court has found news media giant Asianet News Network and its Kannada news channel Suvarna News liable for defaming actor-politician Divya Spandana by wrongfully telecasting news stories linking her to the IPL spot-fixing scam in 2013. The court has ordered the news channel to pay damages worth Rs 50 lakh to the actor.

In the order dated April 26, the VIII Additional City Civil Court and Sessions Judge Patil Nagalingegouda also restrained Asianet and Suvarna News from telecasting any programs linking her to the match-fixing and spot-fixing scandals without any proof.

“On perusal of the records, it is clear that plaintiff has a blemishless record and known as a good actress in the Kannada film industry and she has also worked as a Member of Parliament,” the court observed.

Divya Spandana had filed a defamation case against Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd and Suvarna News 24×7 in 2013 after the Kannada news channel telecast a news segment alleging her involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Suvarna News had run news segments containing visuals of Divya Spandana at various IPL matches and had alleged that she was involved in the spot-fixing scandal. Divya Spandana was the brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore team for the first five IPL seasons.

During the trial, Divya Spandana’s legal counsel Pramod Nair had contended that she was not involved in IPL in 2013 in any manner, as she was then campaigning for Karnataka assembly elections that year.

Asianet and Suvarna News contended that news channels were entitled to broadcast news relating to public events and public figures and that they had not made any direct reference to Divya Spandana. The channel’s representative also argued that the broadcast had not caused her any damage. They also stated that the inquiry by police in the case had revealed the involvement of two Kannada film stars in the scam.

The 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting case came to light when the Delhi Police arrested three cricketers, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, on the charges of spot-fixing. All three of them were a part of the IPL team Rajasthan Royals. Suvarna News in its news segments alleged that one of the cricketers had revealed to the police that two Sandalwood women actors were also involved in the scam.

However, the court noted that Divya Spandana was not associated with the IPL in 2013 and that the persons nabbed by Delhi and Mumbai police in relation to the scam had not named her as the actor involved in spot-fixing. The court observed that the channel had telecast the news with Divya Spandana’s pictures at IPL events.

“There are no records produced on behalf of the defendant to show plaintiff being a brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore Team was involved in betting and spot-fixing scandal as transmitted in the questioned program by the defendants. Hence, this Court is of the opinion that act of defendants is in complete violation of the journalistic ethics and deliberately to destroy the popularity of the plaintiff and act of defendant is mala fide with an intention to defame her dignity,” he further observed.

The court also stated that the “reputation is the most valuable asset of a person” and is “much more valuable than any amount of money.”

“When the above said questioned program/still images do have the tendency to destroy such reputation, the injury complained of by the plaintiff would be irreparable,” the court said.

Agencies

TN objects to Karnataka’s KC Valley project, say it violates SC order

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The TN govt has claimed that the KC Valley project was in violation of SC order on Cauvery dispute in February, 2018.

In the latest episode of the Cauvery water dispute Tamil Nadu has objected to Karnataka’s controversial Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley treated water project. The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court alleging that the project violates the Supreme Court order. Tamil Nadu claimed that the apex court had ordered Karnataka to discharge all treated water into the river. 

“In the guise of utilising sewage water, the scheme provides for pumping surplus water of Varthur tank to a series of tanks in Kolar district for increasing the utilisation and thus preventing the surplus of Varathur tank flowing to Pennaiyar river. It is another devise for increasing the irrigation and other new uses,” the TN government told the apex court.

“It is stated that transferring the sewage of Bangalore city which is generated from Cauvery water supply is in violation of the Judgment dated 16.2.2018 passed by this Hon’ble Court,” the petition added.

The KC Valley Project transports treated (primary and secondary) water from Sewage Treatment Plants in Bellandur and Varthur lakes in Bengaluru to 126 minor irrigation tanks in the perennially arid district of Kolar. The decision was made in a bid to solve the water woes of the district. It was thought the water, which would be fit only for agricultural use would also improve the groundwater table.

The project had turned controversial when activists based in Kolar opposed the move over fears of receiving polluted water. They demanded that the water be treated in a tertiary treatment plant and adhere to the guidelines prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board. Their stand was vindicated when a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science found that the water being released into the lakes contained higher than permissible amounts of E.coli bacteria, heavy metals and dissolved oxygen.

Since their demands fell on deaf ears, they had moved the Karnataka High Court against the state government and had obtained an interim stay. Recently, the Supreme Court had lifted a stay on the project asking the High Court to decide on the matter comprehensively in a speedy manner.

However, activists in Kolar are not pleased with the stand of the TN government. Anjaneya Reddy, the petitioner in both the HC and Supreme Court and an activist with Shashwatha Neeravari Horata Samiti, said, “There is no merit in the Tamil Nadu government case, as earlier in a case in the SC against Karnataka government of contaminating the Cauvery water flowing into Tamil Nadu from the KC Valley and Hebbal-Nagwara catchments. Then the Karnataka government had replied in court stating that this water will be treated and supplied to the drought-prone districts. To this, the TN government had not objected. This was three years ago. The fresh objection is only for political reasons.”

Agencies

Bombay high court refuses to grant bail to Peter Mukerjea.

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The Bombay High Court Wednesday said it cannot grant bail to former media baron Peter Mukerjea, an accused in the killing of his step-daughter Sheena Bora, but directed jail authorities to take him for his post-operation cardiac rehabilitation sessions.

A vacation bench of Justice Riyaz Chagla said it was not inclined to order the release of Mukerjea at the Asian Heart Institute, where he underwent bypass surgery, submitted in a report to a special CBI court last month that he has recovered from the operation.

“I am, however, inclined to grant limited protection to the applicant (Mukerjea). It will be appropriate to permit the applicant to undergo post-operation cardiac rehabilitation sessions and physiotherapy at the Asian Heart Institute,” Justice Chagla said in the order.

“The applicant shall be taken to the hospital under police escort for 26 sessions, as prescribed by the Asian Heart Institute,” the court said.

Mukerjea last week approached the high court, seeking interim bail on medical ground. His lawyer Shrikant Shivade argued that Mukerjea was sent to jail without letting him undergo the post-operative care.

“Without the post-operation cardiac rehabilitation sessions and physiotherapy, he (Mukerjea) will die. Jail is not a proper place to be kept in after undergoing bypass surgery,” he argued on Wednesday.

CBI counsel Ejaz Khan opposed the plea and relied on the Asian Heart Institute’s report, which said Mukerjea was being discharged from the hospital as he had recovered from the surgery.

“The jail authorities shall take him (Mukerjea) to the hospital for the post-operation cardiac sessions. He need not be released on bail for this purpose,” Khan argued.

Mukerjea has been in jail since his arrest in November 2015 for his alleged involvement in the killing of Sheena Bora, his wife Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter from her previous relationship.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Bora was killed in April 2012 but the case came to light only in August 2015 when Indrani Mukerjea’s former driver Shyamwar Rai spilt the beans after being arrested in another case.

Indrani Mukerjea’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna and Rai were also arrested in connection with the Sheena Bora killing the case.

However, Rai later turned an approver in the case.

Agencies

Bollywood Buzz

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Terribly Tiny Talkies & Tipping Point Come Together To Create 6 Path-Breaking Short Films

Terribly Tiny Talkies & Tipping Point, the digital content arm of Viacom18 Studios come together to create 6 path-breaking short films.

2 short films from this lineup are Ishq Ki Googly & Glitch featuring Amol Parashar & Mona Singh respectively. They have already been released. These films are now live on TTT’s YouTube channel & the streaming platform Voot under the umbrella Shortcuts.

Ishq Ki Googly is written & directed by Neeraj Udhwani & also features Manu Rishi (of Ankhon Dekhi & Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! fame). The film is a quirky comedy, which centers around a husband’s plan gone awry to murder his wife’s illicit lover.

Written & directed by Shubham Yogi, Glitch is a heartwarming tale of a 12 year old boy who travels back in time to try & stop the break-up of his parents.  

Terribly Tiny Talkies is India’s premier short films studio which has produced over 30 films in the last 3 years, many of which have travelled to film fest’s across the globe & have also won prestigious awards.  

Their repertoire includes the Jio Filmfare Short Film Awards 2018 winner Khujli starring Jackie Shroff & Neena Gupta, Kheer featuring Anupam Kher, Amit Masurkar’s L starring Pankaj Tripathi & Agli Baar which features Rasika Duggal.

Viacom18 Studios is one of India’s premier motion pictures Studio which has produced critically & commercially acclaimed films such as Andhadun (2018), Padmaavat (2018) & Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013).

The collaboration between Terribly Tiny Talkies & Tipping Point, the digital content arm of Viacom18 Studios marks yet another exciting chapter in the ever-evolving space of short films that has been consistently offering path-breaking content to the audiences.

Rahul Gandhi tenders ‘unconditional apology’ to SC.

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Rahul Gandhi, while welcoming the SC decision to review the Rafale deal on 10 April, claimed a moral victory and said that the court has made it clear that PM Modi ‘committed theft’.
Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in an affidavit on Wednesday tendered “unconditional apology” to the Supreme Court for “incorrectly attributing” a remark on the Rafale order to it.

Rahul Gandhi has filed a three-page affidavit stating his unconditional apology to the apex court.

In the affidavit, Gandhi stated that he had “unintentionally and inadvertently” linked its Rafale case order to his “Chowkidar chor hai” phrase against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“(Rahul Gandhi) unconditionally apologises for the wrongful attributions to this Hon’ble Court. The Deponent further states that any such attributions were entirely unintentional, non-willful and inadvertent,” the new affidavit said according to a report in meida.

Gandhi further said that “he holds the court in the highest esteem and respect” and “never sought or intended to, directly or indirectly, commit any act that interferes with the process of administration of justice.”

He also requested the top court to close the contempt proceedings against him. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday.

On April 30, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, counsel for Rahul Gandhi had said that the Congress president will file a fresh affidavit with an apology after BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Gandhi has only expressed regret even as he “deliberately” put words in the mouth of the court.

In an earlier affidavit, Gandhi had said that he had no intention of dragging the court into politics and alleged that it was the petitioner, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is playing politics.

Rahul Gandhi, while welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to examine fresh revelations on the Rafale deal on 10 April, claimed a moral victory and said that the court has made it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “committed theft”.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that ‘chowkidarji’ (watchman) has committed a theft,” Gandhi told reporters during a rally in Amethi.

Lekhi file a criminal contempt petition against Gandhi, following which, the court said the remark was “incorrectly attributed” to it.R

Pakistan: Eight dead in blast outside sufi shrine in Lahore

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Lahore, May 8 : At least eight people were killed while 25 others sustained injuries on Wednesday in a blast near Lahore’s Data Darbar, the largest Sufi shrine in south Asia, officials said.

The explosion was reported around 0845 hrs local time this morning.

Five police officers and three civilians were killed in the attack.

As per initial reports the suicide attack was near a car of police elite force which was in the immediate vicinity of Data Darbar in Lahore, local media reported.

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan has condemned the attack.

According to sources, the police’s elite force was made the target of the blast.

Further investigation of the incident is underway.

India’s pollution is killing millions, yet it’s not a poll agenda

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Climate change appears in poll manifestos of leading parties for the first time, but experts say it’s not enough.

Yamuna, which flows through New Delhi, is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world [Amarjeet Singh/Al Jazeera]
Yamuna, which flows through New Delhi, is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world

New Delhi, India – It was the winter of 2017 when Utsav, then a two-year-old child, was first diagnosed with asthma, a respiratory disease that affects lungs.

Since then, he is forced to cover his nose or wear a mask to save himself from the dust and smog as India’s capital has been battling a pollution crisis. On worse days, he is given nebulisation by his parents.

“Whenever the air quality depletes, Utsav’s condition worsens. He is quite young but he starts asking for medicines and nebuliser whenever he starts feeling uneasy,” said his mother Priya as they waited to see the doctor in a state-run hospital specialising in chest ailments in North Delhi.

“We cannot even afford good quality masks,” said the 33-year-old mother, an accountant in a local consultancy firm. Her husband Kamal, also 33, is a data entry operator with a food company.

During the winter months of November and December, when air quality is at its worst in New Delhi, the average poisonous particulate matter (PM2.5) often hits the emergency figure of nearly 440, more than 12 times the US government’s recommended limit. The city’s average PM2.5 level is around 114.

Children worst affected

The spike in New Delhi’s air pollution during the end of the year is attributed not only to vehicular emission or industrial dust, but also to the burning of straw by farmers in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after they harvest their crops.

The Hindu festival of Diwali, which falls around November, also contributes significantly to the city’s pollution as millions of people burst firecrackers filled with harmful chemicals, forcing India’s Supreme Court to regulate their sale.

Delhi-based pulmonologist Dr AK Singh told Al Jazeera that there is a direct correlation between toxic air and ailments including respiratory issues, high blood pressure, heart diseases and even cancer. India has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world due to toxic air as well as polluted water.

“Children are the worst affected because because they respire more air as they are involved in physical activities. The coming generation is going to be seriously affected since their lung development is not
happening in a healthy manner,” he said.

Earlier this year, Sandhya Kamal, a mother of two, finally realised she would not be able to live in a polluted New Delhi anymore and decided to move to Chandigarh, 250km north of India’s capital.

“Delhi’s pollution had gotten on our nerves. Living in the city became a recurring nightmare,” her husband Saras Kamal, who quit his job as a designer with a leading English newspaper, told Al Jazeera from Chandigarh.

The Kamals are among a growing community of “pollution refugees” as The Washington Post put it last year, referring to a growing trend among a section of New Delhi residents seeking a better life in less polluted parts of India.

Fatal air

India, the world’s fastest growing economy, is currently holding its seven-phase general election. Over 900 million eligible voters are expected to use their ballot in a seven-phase election that ends on May 19.

While a number of national issues such as national security and economy have garnered headlines during the ongoing elections, there is barely any discussion over the country’s pollution crisis in their campaign.READ MORE

India has the world’s worst air pollution: report

India’s toxic air claimed 1.24 million lives in 2017 – 12.5 percent of total deaths recorded that year in the country, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health. The study said more Indians died due to pollution than cancer, tuberculosis, AIDS and diabetes put together.

The 2018 Global Environmental Performance Index placed India at rank 177 out of 180 countries, down over 20 positions from 155 in 2014.

In March this year, another study said India was home to 15 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. All four satellite cities surrounding New Delhi – Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida – figured in the top six while the national capital itself, home to nearly 30 million people, was placed at the 11th spot.READ MORE

Gap in air quality between rich and poorer countries increases

Yet, Indian politicians seeking a place in India’s 543-member lower house of parliament hardly ever talk about the deadly pollution around them in their campaign speeches.

“Pollution is not an issue for political parties because these leaders are not affected by it. The prime minister’s residence is spread across acres and is full of greenery. What problem is he facing due to air pollution,” asked Priya, who goes by her first name only.

No consensus on climate issues
India elections: All you need to know

In January, India launched a National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aimed at cutting pollution in India’s 102 worst affected cities by 20 to 30 percent by the year 2024.

But the NCAP has been criticised by environmentalists, who said it lacked focus and ambition.

According to an article in Down to Earth, a New Delhi-based environment magazine, 2019 is the first time climate change has made it to poll manifestos of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress.

The BJP has vowed to focus on 102 most polluted cities and establish India’s renewable energy capacity of 175 gigawatt by 2022. Its rival Congress has recognised air pollution as a national public health emergency and made a promise to strengthen the NCAP.

Polash Mukherjee, who works with Centre for Science and Environment (CSE, which publishes Down to Earth), says the bottleneck is that the political parties, governments and bureaucrats often don’t agree on the nature of the crisis.

“The biggest challenge is gaining a political consensus on recognising the problem and that is something that has eluded our country so far,” he told Al Jazeera.

While Mukherjee credits the incumbent BJP government for making sanitation and cleanliness electoral agenda, he thinks it’s not enough.

“Of course, implementation is still a long way to go. There are so many areas where measures have been taken only on paper,” he said, citing solid waste management as an example.

“Eighty percent of India’s local municipal bodies are not doing it.”

The World Bank calculates that India’s losses from pollution-related healthcare expenditure stands at $221bn every year or 8.5 percent of its GDP – more than the government spends on health every year.

Dr Singh points out that ordinary citizens are the worst victims of the pollution caused by unregulated urbanisation and increasing industrialisation.

“The kind of burden that is going to fall on us due to diseases related to air pollution is going to be enormous in terms of cost,” he said.

“A country with a majority of unhealthy citizens will not be able to flourish.”

Aljazeera

Global air freight markets demand up by 0.1 pc in March

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Geneva, May 8 : After four consecutive months of contraction, the global air freight markets’ demand increased by 0.1 per cent in March 2019, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced on Wednesday.

While this is a significant improvement on the 4.9 per cent contraction in February, in seasonally adjusted terms, demand is still down by 1.5 per cent over the past year, the IATA said after releasing data for global air freight markets.

The Association said Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for air freight shrink by 3.4 per cent in March 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

This was a significant improvement from the 12 per cent decline in growth from the previous month. Weaker manufacturing conditions for exporters in the region, ongoing trade tensions and a slowing of the Chinese economy impacted the market. Capacity decreased by 1 per cent.

Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), rose by 3.1 per cent year-on-year in March 2019. Capacity growth has now outstripped demand growth for 11 out of the past 12 months.

Industry confidence regarding the outlook, however, remained relatively upbeat with only 13 per cent of respondents from IATA’s Business Confidence Survey expecting to see a decrease in freight volumes in 2019 compared to 2018.

Demand for air cargo continued to go down due to global trade volumes fell by 1 per cent over the past year and weaken global economic activity and consumer confidence.

It also went down after the export order component of the global manufacturers Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) has indicated falling global export orders since September 2018.

IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said: ”Year-on-year demand for air freight edged back into positive territory in March with 0.1 per cent growth. After four consecutive months of contraction, this is an encouraging development. But the headwinds from weakening global trade, growing trade tensions and shrinking order books have not gone away.”

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