Author: Samikhsya Bureau

(UNI) The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for amendment in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 to make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children.

The amendment is expected to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions incorporated in the Act, Union Ravi Shankar Prasad told mediapersons on Friday.

He said the new amendment may protect the interest of vulnerable children in times of distress and ensures their safety and dignity. The amendment aims to establish clarity regarding the aspects of child abuse and punishment thereof.

The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to Protect the Children from Offences of Sexual Assault, Sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children.

The Minister said the amendment in Section-4, Section-5, Section-6, Section-9, Section-14, Section-15 and Section-42 of the Act is made to address the aspects of child sexual abuse in appropriate manner. The modification is made to address the need for stringent measures required to deter the rising trend of child sex abuse in the country.

Mr Prasad added that to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent Section-4, Section-5 and Section-6 are proposed to be amended to provide option of stringent punishment, including death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault crime on a child to protect the children from sexual abuse.

Just before the new year superstar, Mahesh Babu wrapped the shooting schedule of his upcoming action film ‘Maharshi’.

Mahesh Babu posted a picture on his official Instagram account where he’s seen having a party time with all his close friends and actor wife Namrata. The gang also included his friend Ram Charan.

In the picture, Ram Charan can be seen taking the selfie while Mahesh Babu, Namrata Shirodkar, Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Krishna R Bhupal, and Dia Bhupal grouped together.

The actor wrote an exciting caption followed by a group picture, “Schedule wrap for #Maharshi, a much-needed fun evening with friends & family! #whatmorecaniaskfor #holidayseason#december”.

Mahesh Babu, who was last seen in critically acclaimed ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’, is currently making ‘Maharshi’ with director Vamsi Paidipally.

A good chunk of the film was recently shot in the US, for which Mahesh Babu was accompanied by his wife Namrata and children Gautham and Sitara.

‘Maharshi’ also stars Pooja Hegde and Allari Naresh in pivotal roles.

‘Maharshi’ is slated for release in April 2019.

(UNI) Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar on Friday congratulated Anupam Kher on the trailer launch of his upcoming political drama ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ based on former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Rishi said,’What a wonderful trailer of a film promising to be political yet interesting. @AnupamPKher your passion for your craft is what I hope you teach at your film school. And how smashing does our Akshay Khanna look! Congratulations beforehand!’

Replying to Rishi Kapoor, Anupam said,’Thank you so much dearest @chintskap for your love and appreciation. New York mein saath mein dekhenge #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister.’

Madhur Bhandarkar said,’Superb trailer so looking forward to see the film. Congratulations @AnupamPKher #AkshayeKhanna #VijayGutte @ashokepandit and the team of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister’.

Following are the top 10 sports news items that broke across the world in 2018 (in chronological order) as selected by Xinhua News Agency:
– On January 28, Roger Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title after lifting the Rod Laver Cup at the Australian Open, becoming the first male tennis player to accomplish this feat. On February 16, the 36-year-old reclaimed the world top ranking after five years and broke the record set by U.S. player Andre Agassi to become the oldest world No. 1.

– Beijing took over the Olympic Flag at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, marking the start of the Winter Games entering “Beijing Time.” Beijing issued a worldwide call for mascot designs on August 8 and for opening ceremony proposals on October 15.

– On May 26, Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final of the UEFA Champions League, becoming the first club to win three consecutive titles in the Champions League era. On December 22, the Spanish powerhouse moved past Al Ain 4-1 to win an unprecedented three straight FIFA Club World Cups.

– The joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico won the right to host the 2026 World Cup on the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13. Of the 80 matches to be played, 60 will be played in the United States with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 matches each. Mexico, who has held the 1970 and 1986 World Cup, will be the first country to host the tournament three times.

– A Thai soccer team of 12 boys aging between 11 and 16 and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave on June 23. All of them were successfully rescued after 18 days, thanks to the joint efforts by more than 1,000 personnel from local and international rescue teams from China, the United States, Britain and other countries.

– On July 15, France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 Russia World Cup final to be crowned world champions for the second time after they lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1998. 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe netted a goal in the final, becoming the second player under 20 to score in a World Cup final after Pele. The Russia World Cup is the first World Cup to introduce Video Assistant Referee technology.

– China won 132 golds, 92 silvers and 64 bronzes at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games held from August 18 to September 2. China has dominated the medal tally for 10 consecutive years. Compared with the last edition of the Asiad, China yielded better results in team events, especially football, basketball and volleyball.

– Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won the FIFA Best Player of the Year award on September 24 and the Ballon d’Or award on December 3, opening a new chapter in the history of the two awards, which have been shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past decade. The 33-year-old helped Real Madrid to win an unprecedented third consecutive UEFA Champions League title and spearheaded Croatia into the World Cup final for the first time in the country’s history in Russia, lifting the tournament’s Golden Ball.

– Africa will welcome the continent’s first Olympic event as Senegalese capital Dakar was selected by the International Olympic Committee as the host for the 2022 Youth Summer Olympic Games at the 133rd IOC Session on October 8. By then, the Olympic event will have been held on all six permanently inhabited continents.

– South Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will cast a joint bid for the 2032 Summer Games, a decision which was hailed by IOC President Thomas Bach. At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games and the Jakarta Asian Games, athletes from South Korea and the DPRK marched into the stadium together under the Korean Peninsula flag and fielded joint teams in some events. The joint team claimed gold in the women’s 200m dragon boat race at the Asiad, their first such title in international comprehensive sports games.

(UNI) Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2018 which was last reviewed and issued in 2011, with periodic amendments to some clauses.
Briefing about Cabinet decisions taken on Thursday, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told media on Friday that the move comes in the backdrop of a series of representations received by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change from various Coastal States/UTs, besides other stakeholders, for a comprehensive review of the provisions of the CRZ Notification, 2011, particularly related to the management and conservation of marine and coastal eco-systems, development in coastal areas, eco-tourism, livelihood option and sustainable development of coastal communities.
The proposed CRZ Notification, 2018 will lead to enhanced activities in the coastal regions thereby promoting economic growth while also respecting the conservation principles of coastal regions. It will not only result in significant employment generation but also to better life and add value to the economy of India. The new notification is expected to rejuvenate the coastal areas while reducing their vulnerabilities.

(UNI) CPI (M) on Friday raised the matter of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha amid opposition uproar on different issues.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the House, CPI-M member PKS Teacher said , ”I request the government to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill which seeks reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies.”

” In the Parliament, Women Reservation Bill should be passed immediately in this session,” she said. TRS member APJ Reddy, BJD member B Mahtab supported the issue raised by the CPI (M) member.

The TRS member requested the government to bring the Bill on the list of Business. The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.
Earlier, Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till noon following ruckus over multiple issues including demand for a JPC on Rafale by Congress members and Special Category status demand for Andhra Pradesh by TDP members and AIADMK members raised the plight of the people in Cauvery delta.

(UNI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the molestation incident which reportedly took place in the intervening night of December 21-22 in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) of the Kalwa-based civic hospital of this district.
According to reports, the accused Dinesh Koli(39),who is now under police arrest, worked as a contract-based sweeper at the hospital and last week allegedly tied the hand of a 14-year-old girl undergoing treatment for seizures and sexually assaulted her.
At the time of incident, the accused was sighted by the patient at the next bed and subsequently others pinned down the accused owing to the alarm raised by the minor victim.
As the incident came to light, the hospital management lodged a complaint with the Kalwa Police Station which then booked the accused under section 354 of the IPC along with the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act,2012.

(UNI) Blaming the ”Nehruvian blunder” for the present impasse in the militancy-hit state, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said ,” Kashmir today, is a result of successive Congress governments’ mistakes in the state.”
The Minister said if then Prime Minister (Jawaharlal Nehru) has had not intruded into then Home Minister’s domain, situation would have been different today, said Dr Singh.
He was intervening in the debate on statutory resolution, approving the proclamation issued on December 19 imposing President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, which was adopted earlier.
”We never said we will not hold elections in Kashmir – we follow a procedure, we are not like certain parties where decisions are taken in the kitchen when the mother and son have their food,” the Udhampur member said.
There was protracted nightmare of restlessness and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir but government’s intentions cannot be doubted, said Dr Singh in the Lok Sabha.

In the Poonch district of J & K a 65 year old woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Her husband , now 80, thanked the Allah saying that the  for the precious gift for them . The couple already has a son who is ten year old.

(UNI) Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal has urged his employees not to be distracted by media speculations and asked them to relook at all costs and rebuild yields and revenues.

“This is a time when around the world there is a global pause to take stock, chart fresh resolves and shore up courage to face the unknowns of the New Year…Stronger then, should be our resolve to relook at all costs and rebuild our yields and revenues,” Mr Goyal said in a New Year Mail to his employees on Thursday.

He said without doubt, 2018 has been a tough year. In fact, it has been a challenging year globally between unresolved Brexit issues, the China-America trade war, the continuing instabilities in the Middle East, the worsening environment crisis at home the evolving political scene across the nation.

However, he expected that with oil prices declining, the airline has rationalised the operations on some of the routes and this would be an ongoing process along with opening of new routes, such as the Mumbai-Manchester and Pune-Singapore services.

(UNI) Former US President Barack Obama has been named the most admired man in America for the 11th year in a row – but now he is joined by his wife, Michelle, who knocked Hillary Clinton off the perch to be voted the most admired woman.

It is the first time in 17 years that a woman other than the former US presidential candidate and Secretary of State has been named the most admired woman in Gallup’s annual poll. There are ten points between Ms Obama and her nearest rival, Oprah Winfrey, according to an SBS News report.

Her jump to number one likely comes down to the release of her best-selling book, Becoming. Meanwhile, Ms Clinton has been staying out of the spotlight more than usual.

And while Barack Obama has continued his number one streak, US President Donald Trump has come in second for the fourth year in a row. When it comes to the women, First Lady Melania Trump is sitting at number four, behind Ms Clinton who dropped to third place.

Queen Elizabeth took out the fifth spot – the first non-American to make the Most Admired Woman list – followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkle, Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, talk show host Ellen Degeneres, US politician Nikki Haley, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and another US politician, Nancy Pelosi.

The data shows American’s hold talk show hosts in high esteem, with both Winfrey and Degeneres making the list.

No entertainers appeared in the male list and only two non-Americans made the cut: Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama.

After Mr Obama and Mr Trump, Americans said they admired George W Bush, Pope Francis, Bill Gates, Bernie Sanders, Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk and Mike Pence, in that order.

There is a six-point gap between first and second place in the Most Admired Man list.

According to Gallup, this year is only the 13th time in 72 years the incumbent president didn’t come in first. If Trump does not get to the top spot during his term, it will be only the second time that a US president has not had the honor.

The survey, which has run every year since 1946, asked 1025 adult Americans to name the man and women, from any country in the world, whom they most admire.

Five-time world champions Brazil will begin a new cycle in 2019 as they seek to win the Copa America on home soil, according to captain and talismanic forward Neymar.
The 26-year-old said the South American giants are ready to rebound from their quarterfinal loss to Belgium at this year’s World Cup and urged his teammates to “find a new identity”.
“It was a difficult year, for me especially, and a year of learning,” Neymar told reporters after participating in a charity match in the southeastern Brazilian city of Uberlandia.
“Now it’s time to come back. We had a big crash in the middle of the year, which was very tough. Now it’s time to resume, to seek strength, to find a new identity. The cycle of players changes automatically. We have to win because that’s what is most important.”
The Selecao will begin as firm favorites to win the Copa America, which will be played in five Brazilian cities from June 14 to July 7.
“There are many goals for next year,” the Paris Saint-Germain forward said. “I will do all I can to achieve them and will also try to be happy. The Copa America is just around the corner and will be very important.” (UNI)

(UNI) In a novel effort, the Bengal Government has decided to introduce special textbooks for schools dropouts, to enable them to get back into the academic fold without much problem.

The Education Department is confident that through this process the number of dropouts in the State would be ultimately brought down to zero.

These books have already been prepared and would be introduced from the next academic year, according to a senior official of the State Education Department.

The books for each subject for each class would contain the main portions of that subject, so that a student studying that textbook would learn the important aspects of that subject, and face much less problem in understanding the topics during regular class.

The special classes would be held outside school hours and would be conducted by the teachers of the same school.

London, Dec 28 (UNI) British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged Theresa May to cut short MPs’ breaks for vote on her Brexit deal.
Mr Corbyn said it must happen “as soon as possible”, he told in an interview with the independent website.
“What I suspect is that it’s a completely cynical manoeuvre to run down the clock and offer MPs the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea,” he added.
Theresa May has said the vote on the EU withdrawal agreement will take place in the first week of January as MPs are due back in the Commons on 7 January, BBC reported.
When Ms May told MPs they would not vote until mid-January as the UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, the opposition parties started to argue about leaving without a deal would hit the UK economy badly in future.
The government has stepped up its planning for that scenario, while the EU revealed its contingencies before Christmas.

(UNI) Lok Sabha on Friday adopted a statutory resolution, approving the proclamation issued by the President on December 19 imposing President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh moved the resolution stating, ”That this House approves the Proclamation issued by the President on 19th December, 2018 under article 356 on the Constitution of India in relation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The resolution was passed in the House by voice vote.
Later, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed members to express their views on it, observing that the issue was important. ” As a special case, I will alow members to speak on the issue,” she said. She said the Home Minister will give his reply after the members speak on the issue.
The proclamation of December 19 said the President “is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of Jammu and Kashmir cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India, as applicable to the state.” It said the powers of the state legislature shall be under the “authority of Parliament”.

(UNI) The BJP on Friday said the harsh reactions from Congress leaders on the upcoming movie ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ supposedly based on former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s life and career is nothing new.

“These have happened with other films in the past. The film ‘Aandhi’ reflected the times of Indira Gandhi, it was opposed. The film ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ met the same fate…..Why is Congress becoming intolerant,” BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters here.

He said at the end of the day, the debate relates to a ‘film’ and not a ‘documentary’.

“If anybody has any thing to say on this, it should be former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh,” said the former Union Minister.

Congress leaders, including P L Punia, have flayed the BJP on the episode.

“The film is political, its all part of the BJP game. Five years have gone and it is time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give his report card and they are deliberately leading people to talk about all kinds of unimportant issues,” Mr Punia said.

“The film is based on the works of Sanjaya Baru, who was media advisor to Dr Manmohan Singh,” BJP IT cell chief Amit Maliya told a private TV channel.

Mr Malviya also tweeted saying: “Why does Congress want to censor a film when the book it is based on was published way back in April 2014? Just because fewer people read books than watch a movie?”

“Where are the champions of free speech and expression? Stand up for artistic freedom,” he wrote.

BJP’s Twitter handle also has shared an audio visual capsule on the trailer of the movie, which is set to be released on January 11 next year.

“Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM’s chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insider’s account, releasing on 11 Jan,” the message on the micro- blogging site said.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit has said the author of the book has been “unfair” to Dr Singh.

“I don’t think anybody should protest…But those people who are portrayed wrongly, they have right to

The story of EK Narayanan  Nambiar and Sarada, of Kerala does not fall short of the emotions of a film script that takes audience to read a story suffused with drama and hear-breaks and, the reunion. Married in 1946 the couple hardly spent a year together and when they met after 72 years the wife was shy as she was as a 13 year old bride falling in loved with 18 year old Nambiar.

Reported exclusively by Matrubhumi, fate and politics pulled them apart when both of them had to remarry and have separate families of their own. Now  meeting  after 72 years, Narayanan and Sarada made it just so touching with the man blessing the first wife that can not be described in words.