Author: Samikhsya Bureau

Bollywood actress Twinkle Khanna and her husband and superstar Akshay Kumar remembered the 70s heartthrob Rajesh Khann on his birth anniversary on Saturday.

On the occasion, Twinkle Khanna posted on her social media account a photo of the superstar from the archives.

In her post, Twinkle, who shares her birthday with her father Rajesh Khanna, revealed an interesting trivia.

“As a toddler, I was convinced that all the truckloads of flowers that would arrive for his birthday were actually for me,” Twinkle said in a caption for Rajesh Khanna’s picture.

Twinkle’s post was liked by several celebrities, including Tahira Kashyap, Sikander Kher and Smriti Irani who also commented on the post.

On this occasion, superstar Akshay Kumar also wished his wife Twinkle and her father Rajesh Khanna on their birthday.

‘’While growing up I’d heard fascinating tales of his superstardom, never imagining one day I’ll marry his fascinating daughter…thank you for giving me this precious one Happy birthday to both of you,’’Akshay said in a twitter post.

Born in Amritsar, Punjab as Jatin Khanna, Rajesh Khanna, who debuted in Bollywood in 1966 with Aakhri Khat, featured in more than 160 films in a career spanning over four decades.

The actor, who featured in several superhits like ‘Aradhana’, ‘Anand’, ‘Kati Patang’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Aap Ki Kasam’ and ‘Safar’, was India’s first superstar.(UNI)

(UNI) Egyptian police killed dozens of suspected militants in security raids, one day after the killing of three tourists in a bomb blast in Cairo, according to the country’s interior ministry on Saturday.

Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed on Friday in a roadside bomb blast that targeted a tourist bus near the world-famous Pyramids in Gaza province, west of Cairo.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the interior ministry said security forces killed at least 40 suspected militants in raids in the provinces of Giza and northern Sinai, Anadolu Agency reported

(UNI) Veteran actor-writer Kader Khan has been reportedly hospitalised in Canada for breathlessness, and megastar Amitabh Bachchan prayed for his recovery and well-being.
The doctors have transferred Kader Khan from regular ventilator to BiPAP ventilator, according to the reports.
Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter,Amitabh Bachchan said,”KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know , taught Mathematics!”
Amitabh Bachchan and Kader Khan worked together on films like ‘Do Aur Do Paanch’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’, ‘Mr Natwarlal’, ‘Suhaag’, ‘Coolie’ and ‘Shahenshah’.
Kader Khan is an Afghan-born Indian-Canadian film actor, screenwriter, comedian, and director.
As an actor, he has appeared in over 300 films after his debut film in the 1973 film ‘Daag’, starring Rajesh Khanna.
He was also a prolific screenwriter for Bollywood films in the 1970s and 1980s.

(UNI) While India’s neighbouring countries are busy strengthening their armed forces, the Indian Army is still struggling to induct Sniper rifles into its stable.

Since last few years, the Army is facing problems at the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir due to Pakistani troops sniper fire. Last month, two soldiers and an Indian Army porter were killed and another was injured in Pakistani sniper fire.

On December 21, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) were killed in the same action across the border in Kupwara district.

However, in a bid to overcome it – the government has issued Request for Proposal (RFP) in September this year for acquiring 5719 8.6mm Sniper rifles. But it would take another 3-4 years for actual signing of the deal.

Nearly 50,000 rounds of ammunition will be imported while rest to be made in India after receiving Transfer of Technology from vendor.

(UNI) A scheme has been approved under which Mahila Police volunteers will mobilise community to form Mahila and Shishu Rakshak Dals (MASRD) to act as community watch groups.
”The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs has envisaged engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) in the States and Union Territories who will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress,” official sources said.
All Chief Secretaries of States/UTs were requested to adopt this initiative in their respective States.
Haryana is the first state to adopt the initiative at Karnal and Mahindergarh District on a pilot basis under Nirbhaya Fund during the financial year 2016-2017.
Further, the proposals of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have also been approved for implementation of MPVs.

(UNI) The Railways Ministry has decided to increase the combined reservation quota of lower berths earmarked for senior citizens, female passengers 45 years of age and above and pregnant women.

The Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it has revised the quota and enhanced it to 13 seats for normal mail or express trains having single coach of the designated class while the trains which have more than one coach of the designated class the number of lower berths seats reserved will be 15.

The Ministry said in Rajdhani, Duronto and other AC trains, the number of seats earmarked for this category will be nine.

At present 12 lower berths are designated in sleeper, AC-three tier and AC-two tier classes for senior citizens, female passengers 45 years of age and above and pregnant women. In Rajdhani, Duronto, the fully air-conditioned express trains, the quota was of seven seats.

(UNI) Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa held series of meetings in the city and reviewed preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections to be held next year.

Speaking to reporters after holding the meetings, the Election Commissioner said,’This (visit) was to generally see the state of preparedness for the Lok Sabha election. Work of voter registration is going on, so we have taken stock of the situation. We have found that the Chief Election Officer and his team is doing work as per the procedure. Most of the work is complete and publication of the draft roles will take place on January 4.’

‘Other than that we also reviewed the availability of EVM (Electronic Voting Machines), (VVPAT Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) and awareness programme which is being undertaken by the CEO. The objective is to involve the community and the people at large to make them understand the various procedure if there are some changes which have taken place, people should be familiar with those changes, and also to see that all the important stakeholders, including the political parties, are satisfied with the procedures which are being followed and the progress that has been achieved,’ Mr Lavasa said.

(UNI) Times are changing and SAIL must keep pace with the new and fast growing steel companies, Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said on Friday.

Outlining four mantras for SAIL — Speed, Aggression, Innovation and Loyalty — the Minister said decisions, actions and projects need more speed and marketing.

He said new areas and markets like North-East need to be explored and technology, thinking and working has to be innovative and all this will happen only if those associated with SAIL have loyalty and commitment towards the company and country.

Mr Singh was addressing an event, organised to commemorate the 60 years of the SAIL foundation here.

The Minister exhorted SAIL to invest in research and development, technology development and production of high-grade, value-added steel as these are the priorities of the government and SAIL has a crucial role to play in all these areas.

(UNI) Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) in association with Transport Department of Jammu & Kashmir government on Friday organised a workshop on ‘Future Norms and Safety Regulation for automobiles in India’.
“The objective of the workshop was to share knowledge and best-practices on futuristic technologies and regulations for automobiles in India, to J&K transport department officials. Most of the current problems in the automotive industry are widely caused due to lack of innovation in the space.
“Special emphasis was given to upcoming emission norms and safety regulations for automobiles so as to improve road safety and bring down accident rates,” the statement said.
J&K Transport Commissioner Dr S. P. Vaid, IPS, said, “We welcome and thank SIAM for organising this important workshop at Jammu. In order to improve safety on roads, several steps need to be undertaken. For e.g. in the area of highway construction, training, Inspection and certification etc are necessary. In J & K, commercial vehicle life is for a span of 20 years, but seeing the environmental conditions, we might have to think of Delhi’s parameter of 10 year for diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol vehicles. One I&C and IDTR centre is coming up in Jammu but we need similar centres in Kashmir also. We request the auto industry to open driving institutes on the lines of Maruti Driving Schools (MDS)”.

(UNI) Britain’s Andy Murray, who was missing the court due to a hip injury, is all set to make come back in the International tennis with Brisbane International tournament which is scheduled to start from next week.

On Friday, he said that he still has some pain in his hip as compared to last year.

“Last year when I came here it was tough, I was struggling quite a lot but it feels better than then,” BBC quoted the former world No 1 Murray as saying.

To enable the processing of pulses, or dal, the Bengal Government has tied up with IIT Kharagpur.

Under the tie-up, scientists from the university will be building pulse-processing machines.

The machines would be distributed by the government to the mills processing pulses. Building of new mills would also be encouraged through policy.

To spread out risks and to further improve the fortunes of farmers, the government is promoting the cultivation of crops other than the staple paddy. Pulses form an important component of this plan.

Pulses have a lot of potential, according to a senior official of the Agriculture Department.

(UNI) Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the bullet train project saying the people of Mumbai need improvement in suburban services not bullet train.
Addressing a meeting of the Paryavarn Samvardhan Samiti at Vasai on Friday night, he called Mr Modi a ‘liar’ who took the help of lies at every stage and wooed the citizens of the country. The people of the region will decide their development model and not the politicians, he added.
”Give us the development that we need and not the one that you want to impose on us at our cost,” he said.

He asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to improve the suburban services instead of going in for Bullet train, understood he questioned.
The project which was around Rs 40 crore had now shot up to Rs 1.10 crore, he pointed out. Throughout the past four years they have been talking of development and when the elections are around the corner they raise the issue of Mandir and Masjid he said.
This, he said, was the plot of the politicians to divert the attention of the people from the original issue.

New Delhi, Dec 28 (UNI) The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the draft National Commission for Homoeopathy, Bill, 2018, which seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Homoeopathy (CCH) with a new body to ensure transparency.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that draft bill provides for the constitution of a National Commission with three autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Homoeopathy by Homoeopathy Education Board.
The Board of assessment and rating to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Homoeopathy and Board of ethics and registration of practitioners of Homoeopathy to maintain National Register and ethical issues relating to practice are under the National Commission for Homoeopathy.

It also proposes a common entrance exam and an exit exam which all graduates will have to clear to get practicing licenses. Further, a teacher’s eligibility test has been proposed to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.

It further aims at bringing reforms in the medical education of Homoeopathy in lines with the National Medical Commission proposed for setting up for Allopathy system of medicine. The CCH had been earlier superseded by Board of Governors through an Ordinance and subsequent amendment of Act.

(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.