Author: Samikhsya Bureau

Having kick-started the year 2018 on a very confident note – winning elections in Christians stronghold and predominantly tribal states of Nagaland, Tripura and to an extent in Meghalaya – it would not be erroneous to observe as the calendar year drew to a close – that minor nervousness is apparent in the BJP as the party braces for all important 2019 battle. The recent polls in five Indian states only prove a point that the ‘Modi Magic’ of 2014 is certainly on wane

New Delhi, Dec 26 (UNI) Just ahead of the upcoming cricket season, the second edition of ‘Royal Challenge Sports Drink Bold League’ is back with its unique platform for cricket lovers, that promises to be bigger, better and bolder.
In a series of short, humorous films, ‘Royal Challenge Sports Drink’ has brand ambassador and RCB
skipper Virat Kohli challenging cricketers across the nation to play against his team.
Taking a dig at armchair cricketers and self-proclaimed gully cricket legends, he asks them to show their A-game ‘Ab Khel Ke Dikha’.
The league, which made its successful debut in February this year in 10 cities, is now expanding to
host teams in over 30 cities and towns to battle it out and win a chance to be pitted against none other than the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

With an ever increasing threat  of climate change waking up all across the globe, the most powerful nation US keep refusing it as a reality.That raises the level of disappointment all over. Even Robert Reich, the former secretary of labour opined that world faces two threats as climate change and wage stagnation that keeps widening the in-equality as never before.

Baba Ramdev, Yoga guru who has a BJP leaning has said that in the difficult situation for the BJP when the other parties seem joining hands, it is difficult to say as ‘ who will be be the next prime minister’.Several questions stare on the face of the BJP from the opponents need to be answered by the BJP.

As per the parliamentary Standing Committee recommendations the minimum wagwe for all the sectors will be made compulsory, either organised or not.It has to be enforced strongly, as per reports. Any non adherence will invite penalty of Rs. 10 lakh and no worker can be forced to work more than 8 hours under any circumstances. the minimum wage shall be revised every five years.

(UNI) Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, Dinesh Gundu Rao challenged the BJP leader’s claim of bringing down the 6-month-old JD(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka within next 24 hours.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Rao took strong objection to BJP leader Umesh Katti’s claim that more than 15 Congress MLAs, who were denied Cabinet berth, are in touch with the BJP and the coalition government will be pulled down within 24-hours.
Challenging the BJP leader’s claim, Mr Rao said that “The BJP leaders are making a false propaganda with frustration. Will Mr Katti quit politics if his claim of bringing down the government proved false”.

Innovative product maker ZAAP on Wednesday launched waterproof bluetooth speakers – Hydra Xtreme.

“Hydra Xtreme is a next-generation Bluetooth speaker developed and designed by ZAAP USA for the Indian market. The rubberized Bluetooth speaker is a premium rugged device which provides ultimate impact resistance while promising the users a sporty look due to its exterior,” a statement here said.

Resistant to water, shock, dust and snow, Hydra Xtreme comes with a compass and carabineer clip for those adventure junkies who wish to carry the Bluetooth speaker anywhere and everywhere including trekking and camping.(UNI)

(UNI) Social media platform Helo on Wednesday unveils the top three most popular trending topics that have engaged users nationwide.
According to Helo, this year’s festive Diwali season was the biggest trending topic of 2018, as the platform garnered over 600 million views, with users exchanging wishes and engaging with posts by Indian celebrities. During the Diwali season, the app also received over 300,000 posts, with various vernacular hashtags including #मेरा घर जगमग, #ధనత్రయోదశి శుభాకాంక్షలు, #லக்ஷ்மி பூஜை, #ദീപാവലി, #ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ಪೂಜೆ, #ਦਿਵਾਲੀ ਦੀ ਰੰਗੋਲੀ, #দীপাবলির আলোর প্রদীপ, #મારી દિવાળીની રંગોળી and #पहिला पाडवा.
“The second most popular trending topic among Helo users was the launch of the film 2.0. The release of this biggest Indian science fiction film of the year last November garnered over 220 million views on the platform. This trending topic sparked discussions around the film as well as on the topics of science and technology, resulting in various posts and memes,” stated the statement.
“To cap off an amazing year, users can get a chance to vote for the most popular entertainer on Helo through the “Helo Best of 2018” campaign. Starting Dec 25, Helo users can cast their votes here. The final results, which will be available in Hindi，Tamil，Telugu，Punjabi，Bengali，Gujarati and Marathi, will be unveiled on December 31,” said Shyamanga Barooah, Head of Content Operations, Helo.
Helo is available in India in 14 vernacular languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and more.
The app enables one to make new friends, share jokes, tweets, memes, WhatsApp status updates, wishes, quotes, shayari and stay informed with the latest trending news and views of the day.

(UNI) Renowned golfer Jyotinder Singh Randhawa alias Jyoti Singh Randhawa, along with one of his accomplice, has been arrested by Uttar Pradesh forest official in a poaching case in Katerniaghat forest in Bahriach district on Wednesday.

Forest official said here that the golfer and national-level shooter Mahesh Virajdar have been arrested in poaching case in Motipur Range of Katerniaghat.

A vehicle, a weapon and other equipment along with wildlife articles have been seized.

Interrogation and further legal action is being taken by the DFO (Divisional Forest Office), Katerniaghat and his team, official said.

(UNI) The coldwave further paralyzed normal life in the state as water pipe disrupted in many places in the state with plunging down Mercury below freezing point.
Keylong, headquarter of Lahaul Spiti district shivered at minus 11.1 degrees and two degrees below yesterday.
There are report that water pipes freeze with dipping down mercury in high reaches and tribals town. Formation of thick ice sheet on road made the road slippery causing road accident in the wee hours.
Kalpa in Kinnaur minimum temperature recorded at minus four degrees, two degrees below y’day.
Tourist resort Manali recorded minus 3.4 degrees, Seobagh in Kullu minus two degrees, Sundernagar in Mandi minus 1.4 degrees and Bhuntar in Kullu minus one degrees respectively. 

(UNI) Alleging that a senior police officer was indulging in electoral politics, chairman of Peoples Conference (PC) Sajjad Gani Lone on Wednesday said people of the Jammu and Kashmir deserves to choose their leaders without these Machiavellian tactics.
However, Mr Lone, who was minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government in the state from laters quota expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor SatyaPal Malik and advisor K Vijay Kumar will take note and give everybody an even play field.
Without naming the officer (Additional Director General of Police ), Mr Lone, who has announced that PC will contest all Legislative Assembly (LA) seats without any coalition with any party, including BJP, said are their no lessons to be learnt from rigged elections in the past.
Taking to micro-blogging site twitter the PC chairman alleged that “ IPS officer of the rank of ADGP indulging in electoral politics. summoned Some SPs, DSPs deliberating how to script a wave for his fav leader. Will name him soon. But hope @PMOIndia @jandkgovernor @KVijayKumarIPS take note give us an even play field. Is that too much to ask”. 

Celebrating its Foundation day, the president of the BJD and chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched a massive attack on the centre with nine major questions on which the latter has allegedly failed miserably. Prominent among them were neglect of the sectors like railway, Highway, auction of coal mines, lacking in Agriculture and the Ujwala yojna that the BJD chief cited as major failures.

(UNI) Nearly 4,000 workers, half of them women, have rendered jobless for indefinite period after the management of two tea estates in north Bengal declared shut down of work following
owner-employee disputes, official sources said on Wednesday.
The two tea gardens are Mujnai tea estate in Jalpaiguri and Changmari tea estate in Alipurduar district.
The management of Changmari tea garden put up notice for shut down of work for indefinite period citing labour trouble at the gardens. The garden has been witnessing unrest among the labourers after the management wanted a weekly holiday on Monday instead of Sunday, which the workers did not agree. Following the dispute, the management alleged that one of its official was beaten up by the workers early this week and hence the shut down of work apprehending fresh trouble.
However, the workers denied this and alleged that the management wanted to force ” whimsical rule” on them. The shut down of the garden was to give a lesson to the poor workers, according a to a union leader.
Mujnai tea estate also locked up its main gate after putting up a notice declaring stoppage of work for indefinite period, which the workers staged protest demonstration in front of the gate.
Reinforcement was deployed in front of gate at both the closed tea estates apprehending trouble.

(UNI) Ginger, operated by Roots Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), is planning to add at least 50-55 more hotels in its kitty within a span of three to four years, a top official of the company said.

Speaking exclusively to UNI, Deepika Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ginger, said there were 40 hotels primarily in almost all the commercial cities in the country while 11 were in the pipeline.

‘We are opening second hotel in Surat, we are opening in Patna, third hotel in Goa. Products like ours need highest occupancy, we are opening our second hotel in Nashik, we are opening hotel in Bharuch in Gujarat, Jhanshi, Visakhapatnam. There is nice variety of locations,’ she said.

‘We will take the product every where, not just metros, We will open our third hotel in Goa in March, we are also going to Sanand. We want to get 100 hotels in next four years. This year, itself we have signed six and we wish to keep signing every year. Some of them will happen and some will get delayed. (But) If we sign around 10-15 each year we will get target of hundred hotels,’ she said.

Stage is set for yet another round of high-decibel debate and confrontation in the Lok Sabha on Thursday on the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill that seeks to put a ban on the practice of instant divorce among Muslims.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday said that the treasury bench would like to ensure the passage of the Bill in both Houses of Parliament.

“We are in favour of constructive debate. Opposing a draft law or staging a walkout is part of the democratic process, but I am confident the Bill will be passed as it seeks to ensure justice for Muslim women and is against ill practices,” Mr Naqvi told reporters.(UNI)

(UNI) As many as 10 lakh people are expected to join ‘Ayyappa Jyothi’ — lighting of lamp from Hosangadi to Parassala, in a 795-km stretch across Kerala — here on Wednesday evening.

Creating awareness among the people to protect the customs and traditions of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi organised confluences in 12 other states also.

Devotees will join the confluence from Hosangadi to Angamali at National Highway, and from Angamaly to Moovattupuzha at M.C. Road.

Swami Yogendra Saraswathy will hand over lamp in Hosangadi while actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi will do the same in Kaliyikkavila.

Devotees will line up on the roadside from 1630 hrs and lit the lamp at 1800 hrs. The Ayyappa Jyothi will end with ‘Saranam Ayyappa’ chants.

BJP State president P S Sreedharan Pillai will light the lamp in front of the State Secretariat here where party’s general secretary Sobha Surendran is staging a hunger strike which completed seven days.

Devotees will line up holding lamps from Kerala’s northern district Kasaragod to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, sources said.

Meanwhile, CPI (M)-led Left Government also called for the formation of a ‘Women Wall’ on January 1 as part of renaissance movement to protect the religious rights of women.

The campaign was followed by September 28 Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry for women of all ages into the world-famous Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

(UNI) VIVO Pro Kabaddi League has set the benchmark for the rise of home grown sporting leagues in India.
Giving fans an opportunity to play with their favourite kabaddi players, Star Sports and Decathlon are offering fans an opportunity to participate in the sport and stand a chance to win INR 1 lakh.
Season VI of India’s premier Kabaddi tournament, keeping in line with the league’s vision has continued to redefine the standards for modern sports consumption in India.
The encouraging response from fans of the sport is reflective of the love India shares for Kabaddi and the potential it has to grow as a truly global sport.

(UNI) Is the UN tackling its most ambitious and far-reaching project: The 2030 Agenda to “transform the world”?
Many of the topics discussed during the Committee session were relevant to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which included all aspects of sustainable development, from macro-economic policy, human settlements, the eradication of poverty, and the best use of communications technologies for development.
In recent years, the committee’s work has begun with a keynote address from Homi Kharas, the director of the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institute.
Mr Kharas has an intimate knowledge of the 2030 Agenda, having led the High Level Panel in 2015 which decided what should replace the Millenium Development Goals.
The answer was the SDGs, which are grouped in five specific themes including people, planet, prosperity, peace and the partnerships that are necessary to make them happen.
In an interview with UN News, he explained that it soon became clear how connected various pieces of the economic agenda are, “all of these different pieces, whether it’s alleviating poverty ending hunger, girls’ education, environmental issues…what we realised was that they all had to be tackled as a seamless whole, and that’s why the committee’s work is really so all embracing.”
Mr Jorge Skinner-Klée, Guatemala’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and current Chair of the 2nd Committee and the career diplomat with over 30 years experience, who describes himself as a “specialist in generalities…everything from the bottom of the sea, to outer space and in-between.”
He told UN News that the legacy of the creation of the committees, over 70 years old, is one of the big challenges that he, and other Chairs have to deal with, “there are a lot of anachronisms…that have permeated the agenda and have been there for some time… so many resolutions, and the momentum, come from the past, and now we have to figure out how best to procure resolutions that come into action and play into the SDG agenda.”
In terms of getting the 193 countries to pull in the same direction, Mr Skinner-Klée said the skill of the Chair is not enough, “It takes political will. So that means reciprocal transactions. There are countries who have vested interests….and the mainstay of the committee is the negotiation that happens between the G77– which is 134 countries plus China and, on the other side, the European Union.”
Mr Skinner-Klée said that he is encouraged by the global community’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda over the last three years, but is concerned that the current geo-political climate, which he characterises as one of “atomisation, confrontation and polarisation,” will have an impact on his ability to make progress on the items on the Committee’s agenda.
For Homi Kharas as well, the world is carrying all the cards it needs to fulfill the 2030 Agenda, but for various reasons, the international community is moving too slowly, “I think that we have the understanding, the resources, and technology to do much more than is currently being done. But we’re also distracted by many factors, and on the international stage we now have far lower levels of international cooperation, including in scientific exchange, than we have had in some time.”
His fears echo those expressed by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has warned that “climate change is running faster than we are – and we are running out of time.” The message from the UN Chief is clear for the work of the 2nd Committee and the 2030 Agenda to succeed, world leaders need to show more leadership and greater ambition, and avoid “a fate that none of us wants – a fate that will resonate through generations in the damage done to humankind and life on earth.”