DailyNamaa: September 2016

Thursday 29 September 2016

HUNAR HALE'S `CAR'NAMA

Hunar Hale's `car'nama

The actress had a harrowing experience trying to get her car driven down from Delhi to Mumbai

Hunar Hale moved bag and baggage to Mumbai following her marriage with actor Mayank Gandhi, but she had a rather harrowing experience in trying to get her car driven down from Delhi. The agency she hired for the purpose promised to deliver within five days, which did not happen. Says Hunar, “I got through them after calling up incessantly for five days. They were curt and told me to get in touch with a third party to whom the car had been handed over. I argued as I had assigned them to bring my car.Left with no choice, I called them up to whom the car was handed over. To my shock, they told me that the car would be delivered only after I deposit `10,000 into their account.“

Her husband Mayank then devised a plan to expose the agency . “Mayank got a friend to call them to have another car driven to Delhi.They then reached the venue and nabbed them. He also got the car back without paying an extra penny,“ she says.

(TOI)

MS DHONI'S BIOPIC BRINGS ALIVE HIS JOURNEY ON SCREEN

MS Dhoni's biopic brings alive his journey on screen

MS Dhoni The Untold Story, based on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's life, is said to be India's widest re lease as it simultaneously opens in cinemas across 60 countries. Given that a film of this scale, based on the life of a sportsman who is still in action, hasn't been attempted before, the biopic is one of the most anticipated movies of this year.

At the onset, filmmaker Neeraj Pandey was keen to stay true to the subject. So, he traced Mahi's inspirational journey from his humble beginnings in Ranchi to international fame and India winning the World Cup under his captaincy . The movie has also been shot in real locations which have played a key role in the Indian skipper's life. It's not surprising that every piece of content released, right from the first teaser, reveals an aspect of his inspirational story , thereby fuelling the audience's curiosity . Starring Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni and Kiara Advani as his wife, Sakshi, the biopic also features Disha Patani and Anupam Kher in pivotal roles.

Producer Arun Pandey says, “There is a Dhoni that the world knows of and then there is a person behind this glorious name. Having known him for over two decades, it has always been my dream to narrate his story to the world. This film is an expression of that.“

Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios, says, “MS Dhoni The Untold Story will also be the widest release for a Hindi film in Tamil and Telugu. It will open in 4,500 screens in India and 1000 screens overseas including the regular Bollywood diaspora markets in South East Asia, Africa, Europe and North America as well as non-regular markets such as Hungary , Poland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Spain, France, Philippines and West Indies.“ MS Dhoni The Untold Story, produced by Fox Star Studios and Arun Pandey (Inspired Entertainment), releases today.

(TOI)

KOHLI, GAMBHIR SHARE LIGHT MOMENTS DURING PRACTICE

India skipper Virat Kohli and comeback man Gautam Gambhir seem to have moved on from their bitter IPL spat as the Delhi duo was seen sharing a few light moments on the eve of the second cricket Test against New Zealand.

Gambhir stood alongside Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin while a padded up Kohli quickly joined them. The fans witnessed ugly spat between Kohli and Gambhir during the 2013 season during a match in Bangalore.

On Thursday they were seen in a lengthy discussion peppered with some laughs. Drafted into the Test side after more than two years, Gambhir was later seen chatting with team India coach Anil Kumble even as he did not bats long in the nets.

The 34-year-old's turn to bat at the nets came last along with R Ashiwn who did not bowl to recover from the corn — thickened skin — on his middle finger of the bowling arm.

The duo faced only a few deliveries in the fag end of the two-hour practice but skipper Kohli later clarified that no inference could be drawn from the practice session. Kohli said sometimes the batting order was followed but it is not necessary that people who have not batted for long during the nets, won't play.

Gambhir's stint at the two-hour net session also included giving some catching practice at the start to Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan.

(the pioneer)

INDIA BEAT PAK 3-1 TO ENTER ASIA CUP FINAL

India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 to storm into the summit clash of the fourth men's Under-18 Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Thursday.

India took the lead in the seventh minute through Shivam Anand's strike. India then doubled their lead through a penalty corner conversion by Dilpreet Singh. Then, Nilam Sanjeep Xess (46th) converted another penalty corner to make it 3-0.

Pakistan managed to pull a goal back through Amjad Ali Khan but it proved to be too little too late. India will meet Bangladesh in the final.

(THE PIONEER)

(the pioneer)

DESPITE DIESEL BAN, MERCEDES BENZ HOPES TO GET LAST YEAR'S SALES VOLUME

India’s largest luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz is hopeful that the company will retain the same volume as last year despite diesel ban in Delhi and NCR region. “Diesel ban has affected sales but we hope to achieve the same volume as last year. We have sold 6,597 units in the first half of this calendar year. Last calendar year, we sold a total of 13,502 units,” Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Roland Folger told The Pioneer at the sideline of an event here.

In a move to aggressively cater to the Indian market in luxury segment, Mercedes Benz, on Thursday, also rolled out locally-produced GLC SUV from its Chakan plant. The new model comes in both diesel and petrol variants and is little over Rs 5 lakh cheaper than the imported version. Accordingly, the 2.1-litre GLC 220d entry model diesel version comes at Rs 47.9 lakh, while the 1.99-litre top-end GLC 300 petrol version is priced at Rs 51.9 lakh, in Delhi. Launching the GLC, Folger said that the local production of the model has been completed in four months due to the tremendous response to the CBU version.

“And doing so in four months is a record for Mercedes India. We are enthused by the customer response to this dynamic SUV GLC, which has altogether redefined the segment and given the customers a refreshing choice,” he said, adding that the GLC is the ninth product from Mercedes Benz to be locally produced after Mercedes-Maybach S500, S-Class, E-Class, C-Class, GLS, GLE, GLC, GLA and CLA.

Talking about the customer’s benefit, Folger said, “Generally, whenever a product exceeds 500-unit demand mark on a sustainable basis we plan investment for making the product locally. When a product is produced locally our cost also comes down and customer is the winner as we pass on the benefits to them. Even in the case of this product, there is also a significant price reduction.” By rolling out the GLC SUV from its assembly line, Mercedes Benz India has also become the only luxury car manufacturer boasting of the largest locally-manufactured product portfolio in India.

The locally-produced GLC is launched in three variants GLC 220 d 4MATIC Style, GLC 220 d 4MATIC Sport and GLC 300 4MATIC Sport. Pertaining to the increasing demand of the GLC, Mercedes-Benz started the local production within just four months of its India debut in June, 2016. With the introduction of the ‘Made in India’ GLC, Mercedes-Benz bolstered its local production portfolio significantly with nine products rolling-out from its world-class facility in Chakan, Pune. “The GLC has already become one of Mercedes-Benz’s highest selling products, and we are very confident that it will replicate the global success in India as well. With the localisation and availability in petrol and diesel, we are confident that the GLC will become an attractive proposition for our discerning buyers with enhanced value propositions and increased availability,” said Mercedes Benz India chief.

However, Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations of Mercedes-Benz India said, “We are extremely satisfied with our localisation strategy, which is pivotal to our long-term success in this dynamic market. The rolling-out of the ‘Made in India’ GLC underscores our positive outlook for the Indian market, as we look forward to introducing more locally produced vehicles depending on future market growth.

(THE PIONEER)

SENSEX TANKS 465 PTS, NIFTY BELOW 8,600-LEVEL ON SURGICAL STRIKES ACROSS LOC

After Indian Army’s ‘surgical strikes’ on Wednesday night on terror launch-pads across Line of Control (LoC), the stock market on both the bourses was hit very badly as the Sensex on Thursday plunged over 465 points -- the biggest single-day fall in 3 months, while NSE Nifty cracked below 8,600-level to hit a low of 8,558.25 during the session, and later managed to recover some ground.

The intra-day trading also saw the BSE benchmark index down with over 573, but some bargain-buying at lower levels helped the index settle higher than the day's low of 27,719.92. The rupee too was caught in the crossfire, sharply down 39 paise against the US dollar, at 66.85.

The stocks went into a panic mode soon after the announcement that India conducted surgical strikes last night on terror pads across the Line of Control. However, dynamics of the September derivatives expiry ensured the spree of liquidation of bets did not lead to a free fall.

Earlier, the Sensex had hit a high of 28,475.57, in sync with a firm global trend after a surprise decision by OPEC to cut oil output for the first time in eight years to push up prices. The Army's announcement triggered all-round selling, sending the 30-share barometer into a tizzy, which went below the key 28,000-mark.

It settled at 27,827.53, lower by 465.28 points, or 1.64 per cent -- its biggest single-day fall since June 24 and weakest closing since August 26 when it closed at 27,782.25. The 50-share NSE Nifty, which cracked below 8,600-level to hit a low of 8,558.25 during the session, managed to recover some ground and ended down 153.90 points, or 1.76 per cent, at 8,591.25.

In a tweet, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said 'decisive action against terrorism will spur growth and stability'. The mood turned decidedly cautious after the Army said the surgical offensive last night came on very specific and credible information about Pakistan-based terrorists being pushed into Indian territory for carrying out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and various cities in India.

The red mark was all over the place as 29 of 30 Sensex stocks slumped. Adani Ports lost most by 5.01 per cent. Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, GAIL, Tata Steel, Lupin, Tata Motors and SBI followed. TCS manged to close in the green, up 0.46 per cent.

“As markets got first whiff of developments across the border, panic liquidation gripped the stocks enmasse, resulting in a sell-off across the board,” said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services. Realty got the maximum battering, falling 6.31 per cent, followed by power (4.11 per cent), healthcare (3.26 per cent), metal (3.17 per cent), infrastructure (3.15 per cent) and consumer durables (2.84 per cent). Broader markets stumbled too, with the BSE small-cap index falling 4.02 per cent and mid-cap 3.60 per cent.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) net bought shares worth Rs 73.83 crore on Wednesday, as per provisional data. Much of Asia and Europe traded in the positive territory. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.39 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.51 per cent. Shanghai Composite ended 0.36 per cent higher.

(the pioneer)

WH RACE IS REAL, NOT REALITY TV: HILLARY TO TRUMP

Clearly on a high after her stellar debate performance, Hillary Clinton sought to drive home the point that she is the only one prepared for the top job, taunting Donald Trump with the comment that the race to the White House is “real” and “not reality TV”.

Both Clinton and Trump declared victory as they dashed off to key battleground States after the Monday night debate in New York. “One down, two to go,” Clinton chuckled at a rally in North Carolina, while Trump boasted in Florida that most internet polls have declared him the winner.

The Clinton camp was elated on another count -- the shrewd manner in which she brought up Trump’s record of insulting women, bringing to the fore his offensive comments against a former Miss Universe, calling her “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping” for gaining weight after winning the pageant back in 1996.

“It might be Hillary Clinton’s most cunning move since the start of the general election,” The Washington Post wrote, noting that she “set a trap for Donald Trump in the final minutes of the first debate, and he walked right into it”.

Some pundits even view it as a possible turning point that will enable Clinton to solidify her support base of women and Hispanics, besides reaching out to young voters. The ex-Miss Universe in question is Alicia Machado, a Venezuelan who has since become a naturalized US citizen and is now campaigning for Clinton.

But an unfazed Trump, who used to be executive producer of the Miss Universe pageant at the time, doubled down on Machado on Tuesday, telling Fox News: “She was the worst we ever had. The worst….She was the winner, and she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem. We had a real problem.” She had reportedly gained 60 pounds and was put on a rigorous workout schedule, according to reports.

Clinton herself moved on to attack Trump’s words on other subjects. At her rally in Raleigh, she criticised his comments on a host of America’s allies, saying, “Words matter. And last night it sounded like he was basically telling our treaty allies in Asia, Hey, we’re not sure were going to be there for you even though we have a mutual defense treaty.”

(the pioneer)

PAK CAN’T TAKE INDIA’S RESTRAINT GRANTED FOR LONG: WALL STREET

Pakistan cannot take India’s policy of strategic restraint for granted for too long and if Islamabad rejects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offer of cooperation, it will become part of a case for making the country a “pariah nation”, a US daily has claimed.

“Modi is practicing restraint for now, but Islamabad can’t rely on that continuing. Modi’s offer of cooperation, if rejected, will become part of a case for making Pakistan even more of a pariah nation than it already is,” The Wall Street Journal said in an opinion piece on Tuesday.

“If the (Pakistani) military continues to send arms and fighters across the border, the Indian Prime Minister will have a strong justification to take action,” it warned.

The Wall Street Journal said India has always enjoyed the moral high ground on the terrorism issue, but past Congress and BJP governments lacked the courage to assert it forthrightly.

That led to a policy of “strategic restraint”, which meant that Pakistan would never be held accountable for its terrorist proxies, no matter how heinous their attacks, it noted.

Praising Modi for deciding against taking any military action, the daily said even as he walked back threats of military action, he replaced them with a pledge to isolate Pakistan internationally if the military doesn’t stop supporting terrorist groups.

He is considering the cancellation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which protects Pakistan’s rights to the Indus River’s water.

He could also withdraw most-favoured-nation trading status, granted in 1996, that Pakistan has never reciprocated, the daily said.

In an op-ed published in Foreign Affairs, Sameer Lalwani, Deputy Director of the Stimson Center’s South Asia program, said in the wake of the Uri attack, the understandable anger and frustration of Indian policymakers and strategies is building momentum for major military action.

“But the arguments for such action are highly debatable, if not incorrect.

A major militarised response might satisfy a desire for revenge, but it is not clear that it would serve the Indian government’s political, credibility, prestige, or coercive interests,” Lalwani said.

“The 2009 elections and recent polling data suggest thatIndian prime ministers have thus far suffered no real political costs for opting against military actions in retribution for major attacks.

“Further, the country could actually weaken its credibility if it embarked on a militarily disastrous adventure that exposes gaps in capabilities,” he said.

“Finally, although India has fulminated over its lack of options to punish its enemies, it has invested little in the comparatively easier approach of denying its enemies their goals.

“With new considerations of costs and benefits, Indian strategists might turn their conversations toward security through meaningful capabilities and political engagements and away from risky, punitive gambits,” Lalwani wrote.

(the pioneer)

ARMY CONDUCTS SURGICAL STRIKES ON TERROR CAMPS ACROSS LOC

India conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads last night across the Line of Control (LoC) and inflicted significant casualties and heavy damages.

The announcement of the sudden action by the army to target terrorists was made by the DGMO Lt Gen Ranveer Singh at a hurriedly called news conference during which External affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup was also present.

Gen Singh said India shared with Pak army details of the surgical strikes which followed "very specific information" that terrorists were positioning themselves in the launch pads along the LoC.

Details of duration of the surgical strikes or when it was conducted or the place was not immediately given.

"Indian Army conducted surgical strikes last night on terror launch pads across the Line of Control(LoC)," Singh said, adding India was ready for any kind of contingency.

Gen Singh said heavy damages were caused to the terror camps and there were significant casualties, adding that as of now there was no plan for further operation.

Sources said that at least two terror camps were struck during the surgical strikes.

"We can't allow terrorists to operate across the LoC. There has been a surge in infiltration," Gen Singh said.

Gen Singh said the operation to neutralise terrorists has since ceased and "we don't have any plans for any further operation as of now" but added the armed forces will not allow terrorists to carry out any attacks in J and K or any major Indian cities.

He said the strikes were launched after getting "very specific and credible" intelligence input that the infiltrators were being pushed to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and in some major Indian cities.

(the pioneer)

7 TERROR LAUNCH PADS TARGETED IN SURGICAL STRIKE

Seven terror launch pads were targeted across the LoC by special forces of the Indian Army during the 'surgical strike' overnight in which heliborne and ground forces were used, defence sources said today.

The sources said the operation began at around mid-night last night and ended at around 4:30 AM this morning.

The terror launch pads targeted were in the range of 2 to 3km from the Line of Control(LoC) and were under surveillance for over one week, the sources said.

They said the operation was a combination of heliborne and ground forces.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said India carried out 'surgical strike' on terror launch pads across the LoC, inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists and those who are trying to support them.

He said "based on very credible and specific information which we received yesterday that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along the Line of Control with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes in Jammu & Kashmir and in various other metros in our country, the Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launch pads."

The announcement of the strikes by the Indian army was made soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS).

The DGMO said he had spoken to the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations and explained India's concerns and also shared with him details of the operation.

"It is India's intention to maintain peace and tranquility in the region, but we can certainly not allow the terrorists to operate across the Line of Control with impunity and attack the citizens of our country.

"In line with Pakistan's commitment made in January 2004 not to allow its soil or territory under its control for any terrorist activities against India, we expect the Pakistani army to cooperate with us with a view to erase this menace of terrorism from our region," he said.

(the pioneer)

URI FANGS SURGICALLY REMOVED

In a daring operation to avenge the killing of 18 jawans in the Uri terror attack, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the wee hours of Thursday against terrorist launch pads and inflicted “significant casualties.”

The Commandos of the Special Forces targeted at least seven terror launch pads in a nearly four-hour-long operation starting midnight. Unconfirmed reports said at least 35 to 50 terrorists were killed in the military action. No Indian casualties were reported. This was the first-ever surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC.

The operation began around 12.30 am when Special Forces Commandos crossed into PoK areas opposite Kupwara and Uri. The artillery and infantry battalions manning the LoC gave covering fire to the teams involved in the cross-border action conducted in an area of one km to three km across the LoC. The strikes were over before sunrise, said sources.

Stating that the element of surprise was complete, sources said here each launch pad had roughly 10 to 15 terrorists. For the last one week, the Indian Army and Intelligence agencies were keeping tabs on these pads and decided to go in for the strike when a sizable number of terrorists were present at the camps, they said.

Equipped with night vision devices and high masked lights for the raid, the Commandos used specialised ammunition to smash the terror launch pads. Real-time Intelligence was relayed to the raiding teams through satellite imagery. The four launch pads opposite to Kupwara were barely 300 metres from the LoC. The Commandos destroyed it with some help from artillery fire, sources said.

They also said the Army has photographic and video evidence of the strikes and denied reports that helicopters were used to drop the Commandos across the LoC. The entire action was carried out on foot, they maintained. This denial came amid reports that helicopters crossing the LoC amounted to an act of war. Sources also said helicopters would have alerted the terrorists and either they or the Pakistani Army could have shot down the slow the same.

The Indian Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) called up his Pakistani counterpart on the hotline and informed him that the action was aimed against the terrorists and not against the Pakistan Army.

Refraining from giving details of the operation, DGMO Lt-General Ranbir Singh said based on specific and credible inputs that some teams of terrorists had positioned themselves at launch pads along the LoC to carry out infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes inside Jammu & Kashmir and in various metros in other States, the Army conducted “surgical strikes” to pre-empt infiltration.

During the counter-terrorist operation, “significant” casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing support to them, said the DGMO, adding operations aimed at neutralising terrorists have since ceased.

“We do not have any plans for continuation,” said Singh, adding, “But we cannot allow the terrorists to operate across the LoC with impunity and attack citizens of our country at will. In line with Pakistan’s commitment in January 2004 not to allow the soil or territory under its control to be used for attacks against India, we expect Pakistani Army to co-operate with us to erase the menace of terrorism from the region.”

The announcement of the strikes by the Indian Army was made soon after Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). Modi also informed President Pranab Mukherjee, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among others, about the action.

After the Uri attack, Modi had said the perpetrators of the terrorist attack will not go unpunished. The Government also said it reserves the right to respond to the attack at a time and place of its choosing. The political establishment also said it was aware of the national mood after the attack and the Government honours these sentiments.

(the pioneer)

IN A FIRST, INDIA STRIKES JEHADIS ACROSS LOC

As India conducted its first surgical strikes across the LoC early on Thursday, the Para Special Forces of the Army have come into spotlight.

The Special Forces are units under the direct command of the military and specially organised, highly trained and equipped to conduct swift pin-pointed strikes and hit strategic targets within an enemy or hostile territory. Surgical strikes are Intelligence-based precision attacks on strategic targets inside a hostile territory without incurring or inflicting collateral damage.

The Para commandos could count only a few bodies of the slain jehadis while many others were shredded to bits due to use of weapons like RPO flame throwers, grenade launchers and Carl Gustav among others, sources said.

The movement of the terrorists was tracked through drones and communication satellites and the same was shared with the PMO. An estimated 12 jehadis were there inside each launching pad and the Para commandos killed the sentries guarding such pads by using silencer-fitted sniper rifles following which the jehadis inside were killed, the sources said.

For their part, the Ghatak platoons of the Bihar and Dogra Regiment, who too were part of the operations, opened rapid fire on three launch pads closer to the LoC (600 mt to 1.2 km). Sources said six to 12 Pakistan Army personnel manning these staging posts would have been killed through artillery firing. The Ghataks then crossed the LoC and killed smaller squad of the fidayeens. While the operations were coming to a close, two truck loads of SSG Border Action Teams and Pak Rangers were sent in for reinforcements but when they arrived and saw the volume of fire they ran, they said. The Ghataks then covered the Paras’ egress back.

The SF unit was created in 1965 by the Indian Army when it used to be a small ad hoc force comprising volunteers from infantry units and operated along and behind enemy lines during the Indo-Pak war that year. Later, the SF was organised into Para commando units which were first deployed in the Indo-Pak war in 1971. The Para units also took part in the 1984 Operation Blue Star. They were deployed in Sri Lanka in the eighties in the operation against LTTE, Operation Cactusin in 1988 in Maldives and Kargil War in 1999.

Even before conducting the surgical strike against the jehadis on Thursday, the Government had been keeping two units of the Army's special forces-4 Para and 9 Para—based in Jammu & Kashmir on standby in the wake of the Uri terror attack.

The retaliatory strike comes amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of yet another terror attack exported by Pakistan through the jehadi affiliate Jaish-e-Mohammad whose fidayeens burnt alive 18 soldiers and injured about 30 Indian Army personnel in a pre-dawn attack at a Battalion headquarters at the Uri town near the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir on September 18.

One Para comprises 1,000 personnel including highly trained commandos and the equipment includes a host of latest weaponry and gadgets including high altitude parachutes, underwater scooters and state-of-the art communication sets among others. The Army has raised 10 Para units for conducting special operations.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured the nation that "this attack will not go unpunished." Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had subsequently said the PM's statement will not remain just a statement indicating impending action against the terror groups.

(THE PIONEER)

INDIA WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE PAK ADVENTURISM

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Thursday congratulated the Indian Army for carrying out a surgical strike in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Gupta said Prime Minister Narender Modi has shown exemplary restrain and decisiveness in this crucial time. He has ably shown that India will no longer tolerate Pakistan’s proxy war through the militants trained by its Army.

He further said the successful surgical strike has established India’s supremacy. “Though, India is desirous of peaceful co-existence, it is capable of guarding its interest. Due to our firm belief in Panchtantra, the Pakistan dared to keep the fuel of proxy war burning, but now under the capable leadership of Modi, India has shown that it will no longer tolerate adventurism by Pakistan,” said Gupta.

Also, he said India stands united and is ready to make any sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the country. “India has full faith in the capability and supremacy of its armed forces,” he added.

(the pioneer)

KEJRIWAL HAILS ARMY

KEJRIWAL HAILS ARMY

Hailing the Army after the surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the entire country

stands behind the Armed forces. However, AAP leaders, who had earlier attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Uri attack for not acting against Pakistan, remained silent on the Government’s move.

The announcement of the sudden action by the Army was made by the DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, 11 days after the terror strike by Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Kashmir over which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the attackers will not go “unpunished” and that the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.

Delhi Tourism and Water Minister Kapil Mishra had even started an online petition, urging Narendra Modi to revoke the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan.

(the pioneer)

Wednesday 28 September 2016

SELFIE ADDICTS MAY NOT MAKE GOOD PARTNERS

Selfie addicts may not make good partners

Good news for anyone who has ever twitched with rage at the friend who constantly posts selfies of their apparently perfect life online: the biggest offenders could be damaging their romantic relationships. Researchers in the United States are working to understand how selfies affect our self-perception, and the quality of our romantic relationships. The team behind an initial study entitled “The online ideal persona vs the jealousy effect“ found that the more selfies a couple take, the more likely they will view their relationship as a “lower quality“. They pinned this down to jealousy stemming from the comments about the pictures, as well as the creation of an “online ideal persona“ that was different to real-life. Other studies have also revealed how social media surveillance of a roman tic partner is associated with greater jealousy , insecurity, and dissatisfaction in relationships.

Their findings follow a previous study by the same team at Boston University which found that that those who were more narcissistic take more selfies, but that the photos also boosted feelings of self-importance.

To make those findings, the researchers at Boston University and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile surveyed 314 people aged between 18 to 65-years-old, and again a year later.The respondents were asked to rank on a one-to-five scale questions including “I like to be the centre of attention,“ “I will never be satisfied until I get all that I deserve,“ and “I like to look at myself in their mirror,“ according to Pacific Magazine. The researchers also asked how frequently the participants took and shared photos of themselves on social media.

(TOI)

ASHWIN BECOMES NO 2 IN TEST, TOP SPOT IN SIGHT

Courtesy his 10-wicket haul in the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, India off-spinner R Ashwin on Wednesday gained a place to be second in the latest ICC Rankings and another good performance in the second match in Kolkata will propel him to the coveted top spot.

Ashwin's match haul of 10 for 225, that helped India notch a 197-run victory in the first Test, saw him overtake England's James Anderson by one point.

He is now within seven points of number-one ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa, who leads the Rankings for Test Bowlers with 878 points.

A strong performance in the Kolkata Test, starting Friday, will potentially see Ashwin top the bowling charts for the second time in 2016 after first claiming the number-one position last year following the Boxing Day Tests.

Ashwin also contributed with a useful innings of 40 to consolidate his position at the top of the list of all-rounders. Ashwin has reached a career-best rating of 450, opening up a 66-point gap with second-placed Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.

New Zealand captain Williamson has similarly edged England's Joe Root by one point with innings of 75 and 25 in Kolkata to reach 879 points in the Rankings for Test Batsmen, which is led by Australia captain Steve Smith with 906 points.

However, to move ahead or edge even closer to Smith, Williamson will have to produce strong performances in the remaining two Tests.

There was not much to cheer for other New Zealand batsmen apart from Williamson, but for India, opener Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara made significant gains.

Vijay and Pujara, who became the first Indian pair in 10 years to notch century partnerships in both innings of a Test match, moved up from joint-20th position to joint-16th position.

Other Indian batsmen to move up were Lokesh Rahul, who gained five ranks to reach 57th position, and Rohit Sharma, who gained two slots to reach 52nd rank.

Victory in its 500th Test means India is now one victory away from reclaiming the ICC Test Championship mace from Pakistan. India had entered the series trailing Pakistan by one point and needed to win the series to move ahead of its traditional rival.

Meanwhile, India's Ravindra Jadeja, who took six wickets in the Kanpur match and also contributed with the bat in the lower order, gained a place of to be seventh.

Ajinkya Rahane dropped out of top-10 after losing three positions to be 11th and India captain Virat Kohli, who struggled to score in both the innings is now at number 20, a, loss of four positions.

(the pioneer)

MADRID’S WINLESS STREAK PROLONGS

Real Madrid solved one of its problems during its trip to Germany in the Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo made peace with coach Zinedine Zidane.

Now it needs to find a way to start winning again.

The 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday was the third consecutive draw for Madrid in all competitions, raising questions about the team's potential to repeat as Champions League champion, and to end a four-year title drought in the Spanish league.

"I am frustrated," Zidane said. "We played a good game in attack and defense and it was a great effort from everyone. We played the game we wanted. At the end, the same (draw) again, it's the third match. I'm frustrated for the players because it's undeserved."

Dortmund's equalizer came in the 87th minute, when Madrid appeared in control. One of the positives that came out of the result was that Zidane got a much warmer handshake from Ronaldo, who created a bit of turmoil after going on a little rant because of his substitution in the league setback at Las Palmas on Saturday. He didn't even look at Zidane while reaching for the coach's extended hand on the sidelines.

After scoring Madrid's first goal in Dortmund, he immediately pointed to the bench and rushed to celebrate with his teammates. He also exchanged a moment with Zidane, apparently trying to erase doubts about any problems in their relationship.

Ronaldo and his teammates have been struggling to put together the type of top-notch performances that led them to the European final last season, failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities and being unable to put games away.

Madrid's first draw was at home against Villarreal, and then it tied Las Palmas after conceding a late goal. In its Champions League opener against Sporting Lisbon, it was losing until the 89th when it rallied to win.

Madrid remains unbeaten, and is in decent shape both in the Champions League and La Liga, but new setbacks could start putting Zidane's team in a difficult position in both competitions. Madrid is tied with Dortmund atop Group F with four points from two matches. It leads the league after six games, one point ahead of Barcelona.

Leicester win again

Islam Slimani kept up his hot streak against Porto by scoring Leicester's first-half goal in a 1-0 victory in the Champions League on Tuesday, maintaining the English champions' 100 percent start to Group G.

The Algeria striker headed home from close range off a pinpoint cross by international teammate Riyad Mahrez in the 25th minute. It was Slimani's sixth goal in four games against Porto in 2016, with the other five coming for Sporting Lisbon in Portuguese soccer before his offseason move to Leicester.

Leicester opened group play with a 3-0 win at Club Brugge and is in good shape to advance to the knockout stage in its first-ever season in the Champions League.

Slimani picked up the nickname the "Dragon Slayer" at Sporting because of his penchant for scoring against Porto, which is sometimes referred to as the Dragons. On his final appearance for Sporting before joining Leicester for a club-record fee $33.5 million in August, he scored in a 2-1 win over Porto.

He was at it again here — and he could hardly miss from Mahrez's inswinging cross from the right. The move started with Marc Albrighton switching play with a brilliant long pass to Mahrez, and ended with Slimani outmuscling his marker to head in from the edge of the six-yard box.

Slimani has now scored three goals in four games for Leicester.

Elsewhere, Juventus' big summer signings proved their worth as Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain helped the Italian side to a 4-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Pjanic scored one and set up another to put Juventus firmly in charge at halftime. Paulo Dybala and Dani Alves sealed matters after the break.

Juventus moved top of Group H, level on points with Sevilla after the Spanish side beat Lyon 1-0. Dinamo, which lost 3-0 at Lyon in the first round of fixtures, remained bottom.

Juventus leads Serie A but it has not all been plain sailing for Massimiliano Allegri's team, and it drew 0-0 at home to Sevilla in its opening match in Europe's elite club competition.

Meanwhile, Tottenham coped well despite injury problems to put its Champions League campaign back on track with a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow.

Son Heung-min scored the winning goal, his fifth of the season, in the 71st minute to keep up his good form in the absence of injured Harry Kane.

Tottenham — missing five first-team regulars — bounced back from its opening loss to Monaco in Group E. Coach Mauricio Pochettino criticized his players' outlook following that defeat, but was full of praise after Tuesday's win made it four victories in a row since then.

Goalscorer Son was frequently a substitute last season but has found himself elevated this campaign due to Kane's injury. With Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Moussa Sissoko also having missed the trip to Russia, Pochettino praised the team's strength in depth.