POLE-DANCING ROBOTS SHOW OFF THEIR MOVES

Pole-dancing robots built by Briton Giles Walker perform at a Las Vegas gentlemen’s club on Monday. The event was held to coincide with CES International. Walker said the robo-strippers were an expression about surveillance, power and voyeurism

(TOI)

‘PLAN WAS TO KEEP VIRAT QUIET’

South Africa's wrecker-in-chief Vernon Philander said on Monday they had planned to keep India skipper Virat Kohli quiet and the hosts executed the plan to perfection during their 72-run win in the first Test.

"Virat is a quality player, and the key thing is to keep him quiet, and make sure that we set him up with the other one. I always knew I had the one coming back!" said Philander, who took a career-best six for 42. "It was probably two-and-a-half overs of away-swingers and then the one back at him (Kohli). It was definitely a plan to keep him quiet, and also to drag him across to make sure that when you do bowl the other one, he is on the other side of the off-stump."

Asked if he had told anything to Kohli after the dismissal, Philander said: "Nah, I never said anything to him. It was just obviously on the spur of the moment - I just tried to spur my boys on, and that's what we tend to focus on.

"We knew that Virat was a big wicket to get, and getting him right there and then, I just strived to (enjoy it with) my boys."

With 208 to defend against India, Philander said he knew he had to quickly take the responsibility of spearheading the pace battery and put his team in a good position.

"When you look at the type of score that you have to defend, 208, someone has to make the play. You can't wait for later in the game - because there might not be a 'later on in the game'," he said.

"I knew that I had to bowl overs upfront and put us in a good position, and I just wanted to bowl and make a difference."

His 12th five-wicket haul in Test cricket also included the prized wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin, who had conjured up hopes of a revival for India with a fighting 37.

The 32-year-old seamer credited his skipper Faf du Plessis for the tactics of having Quinton de Kock standing up to the stumps to get rid of Ashwin.

"You have to be open to those suggestions, but I'll have to give this one to 'Faffie'," he said.

"Ashwin, at the time, was batting quite far out of his crease, and the wicket was a touch on the slow side and the ball was a bit older. I also felt that by pushing him back we could get all three dismissals into play."

Ashwin shared a crucial 49-run eighth wicket stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to resurrect India's second innings after they were reduced to 82 for 7.

Philander said: "You just have to remain calm. We had it in out arsenal to get those last three wickets. The team with the calmer head was going to come out on top.”

(TOI)

MUKHTAR ANSARI, WIFE SUFFER HEART ATTACK IN UP JAIL

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Mukhtar Ansari, who is doing time at Banda jail for various criminal cases, suffered a heart attack during a meeting with his wife Asfan Ansari on Tuesday noon.

Seeing Ansari lose consciousness, his wife too suffered a heart attack and both had to be rushed to District Hospital. After their condition slightly improved, doctors referred the couple to Lucknow but they were admitted to Medical College in Kanpur. The doctors at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences have been alerted. A close aide of the MLA said that Ansari’s condition was stable.

Principal Secretary (Home), Arvind Kumar after speaking to local officers in Banda, summoned a detail report.

“I have spoken to SSP and DM of Banda and they told me about the heart attack. I have sought a report from them. The MLA will be provided the best treatment,” Kumar said in Lucknow on Tuesday evening.

The don-turned-legislator from Mau constituency had been in various jails of UP for various crimes since 2015.

Jail Superintendent of Banda, Ram Sewak Chaudhary said that Ansari suffered a heart attack while meeting his wife in the prison and she too developed chest pain. “Later they were rushed to Banda district hospital and later the doctors referred the couple to a Lucknow hospital,” Chaudhary said. 

(THE PIONEER)

LINK YOUR COUNTRY'S PRIORITIES WITH DEVELOPMENT, RAM NATH KOVIND TELLS PIO LAWMAKERS

He praised the Indian diaspora saying they have risen to “appreciable heights” in almost all countries where they found a home.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday asked parliamentarians of Indian origin to link the priorities of their countries with India’s development and see how the two can intersect.

Addressing the inaugural session of the international conference of PIO (persons of Indian origin) Parliamentarians in New Delhi, the President said India offers opportunities for huge investment, trade and development.

The conference is being attended by parliamentarians from 23 nations.

“...it is important for you to link your individual country’s priorities to India’s development. And to see how these can intersect,” he said.

The President called the parliamentarians “living bridges” who play an important role in enhancing understanding between their countries and the country of their parents and ancestors.

“Indians are proud of our democracy, fabric of pluralism and diversity. This is our greatest strength. And the Indian diaspora has carried such liberal and civic-minded values with it.

“Instinctively, this has made members of the Indian diaspora contribute to public life in countries that they are citizens of,” he said.

For the Indian government, engagement with PIO parliamentarians or with the wider Indian diaspora community is not a transactional relationship or a zero-sum game, Kovind said.

“Rather, we look upon the community and look upon you, the PIO parliamentarians and elected and public representatives, as a living bridge,” he said.

They can help build “economic, people-to-people and strategic connections that will be of benefit to both countries and to all of us”, the President said.

Describing India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, he said the economy will gallop ahead in the next few decades. “We are also at the cusp of a new India that will achieve certain milestones for our people by 2022, also a year when we will celebrate the 75th year of its Independence,” the President said.

“At such a juncture, India offers huge investment, trade and developmental opportunities. And the development of India will be of benefit to not just the 1.3 billion people of India but will be a voice of hope and prosperity and of peace and stability for our shared world and for all the countries you represent,” he said.

He praised the Indian diaspora saying they have risen to “appreciable heights” in almost all countries where they found a home.

The President gave some examples of the work done by members of the Indian diaspora, like farmers in countries as far apart as Italy, Bolivia and Tanzania.

“They (Indian diaspora) are instrumental to the tech start-up ecosystem of Silicon Valley. They form the backbone of the economy of Dubai and other major business cities in the Gulf region. The global financial centres of New York, London and Singapore would simply not be the same without the Indian diaspora,” he said.

Mr. Kovind lauded the achievements made by the PIOs and other Indians living overseas.

“As a country, we are very proud of what our Pravasi Bharatiya brothers and sisters have done. They have embellished the identity of India and of the Indian people all over the world,” he said.

They, he said, have remained true to Indian culture and retained a strong and commendable bond with their roots, even when living thousands of miles away.

“I would go to the extent of saying that if Indian cuisine and Indian films have a global market today, it is because the diaspora has taken them to distant lands,” the President said.

The conference is being hosted by the Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad-Bharat along with the PIO Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

(THE HINDU)

US TO PAK: ELIMINATE TERROR NETWORKS WITHOUT DISTINCTION

 The US has conveyed “specific and concrete” steps to Pakistan that it could take to eliminate terror networks on its soil without any distinction, a Pentagon official said on Tuesday. The remarks came as the US in recent days stepped up efforts to put pressure on Pakistan to do more to combat terrorism. The Trump administration last week suspended nearly $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan for its failure to take decisive action against terror groups like Taliban and Haqqani Network.

“Our expectations are straight forward: Taliban and Haqqani leadership and attack planners should no longer be able to find safe haven or conduct operations from Pakistani soil,” Pentagon Press Secretary

Army Col Rob Manning told reporters during an off-camera news conference. He said the US had conveyed “specific and concrete steps” to Pakistan that it could take to eliminate terror networks on its soil. “We stand ready to work together with Pakistan to combat terrorist groups without distinction,” Manning said.

He reiterated the amount — $900 million in Coalition Support Fund to Pakistan — has been suspended, not cancelled or reprogrammed.                

(THE PIONEER)

MUELLER MAY QUIZ TRUMP ON RUSSIA PROBE

Special Counsel Conveyed Interest To Prez Lawyers Last Month

Matt Apuzzo & Michael S Schmidt

Washington: The special counsel, Robert S Mueller III, told President Trump’s lawyers last month that he will probably seek to interview the president, setting off discussions among Trump’s lawyers about the perils of such a move, two people familiar with the discussion said on Monday.

No formal request has been made and no date has been set. White House officials viewed the discussion as a sign that Mueller’s investigation of Trump could be nearing the end. But even if that is so, allowing prosecutors to interview a sitting president who has a history of hyperbolic or baseless assertions carries legal risk for him. Mueller has already brought charges against four of Trump’s former aides. All face accusations of lying to the authorities.

Trump’s lawyers have long expected that Mueller would eventually ask to speak with the president. Ty Cobb, the senior White House lawyer on the case, has for months pledged full cooperation, saying Trump has nothing to hide in an investigation into whether his campaign worked with Russian operatives to try to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s lawyers are expected to try to set ground rules for any interview or provide answers to written questions. If Trump were to refuse outright to cooperate, Mueller could respond with a grand jury subpoena. The White House had no comment on the discussions about a possible interview, which were first reported by NBC News.

One person familiar with the discussions said Mueller appeared most interested in asking questions about the former national security adviser, Michael T Flynn, and the firing of the FBI director, James B Comey — not the broader question of possible collusion with Russia. Those topics signal an interest in whether Trump tried to obstruct justice. The person spoke on condition of anonymity.

The obstruction investigation focuses on whether Trump broke the law by asking Comey to end the investigation into Flynn and whether he fired Comey to try to hinder the FBI investigation into Russia-related matters. Shortly after dismissing Comey in May, the president told Russian diplomats in an Oval Office meeting that doing so had relieved “great pressure” on him.

Trump has sat for depositions before and shown discipline when under oath. His testimony in civil cases reveals a canny ability to avoid being cornered and a frank acknowledgment that he uses “truthful hyperbole” or “innocent exaggeration.” But he has never faced questioning from someone like Mueller, a veteran prosecutor and former FBI director. And the stakes have never been higher. President Bill Clinton was impeached on a perjury charge over his grand jury testimony about his relationship with a White House intern.

Solomon L Wisenberg, one of the lawyers who questioned Clinton, said Mueller would probably wait until his inquiry was nearly complete to question the president. Wisenberg said that while Trump often makes statements to the public that are inflammatory or untrue, the president has shown he can be disciplined, as he has curtailed his criticisms of Mueller in recent months. NYT NEWS SERVICE

(TOI)

2 YOUTHS OFFER JOYRIDE, RAPE MINOR GIRL

A minor girl was allegedly gangraped by two youths who offered her a joyride outside the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib on the night of January 5.

Confirming the gang-rape, BK Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said, “The complainant was walking along the footpath of the Baba Kharak Singh marg at around 9 pm when the accused, Paramdeep Singh along with his cousin, started following her.

One of the accused, Paramdeep introduced himself and offered her a ride in his White Swift Dzire car, which was parked in the parking lot of the Bangla Saheb Gurudwara.”

(THE PIONEER)

NDMC CRACKDOWN ON 16 KHAN MARKET OUTLETS

Civic Body Partially Seals Eateries, Shops; Drive Over For Now

New Delhi: The sealing drive at Khan Market continued on Tuesday with an inspection team of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) taking action against 16 more commercial establishments. On Monday, NDMC partially sealed eight establishments.

Following the directives of amonitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court, the drive was launched against shops and restaurants located on the first floor or above. According to NDMC officials, the establishments partially sealed on Tuesday included lounges and restaurants such as Chatter House, Civil House, Mamagoto, The Blue Door Cafe, Parallel Craft Kitchen, La Bodega and The Beer Cafe; high-end designer shops such as Anita Dongre and Raghavendra Rathore; and retail shops Fabindia and Sham Di Hatti.

After the sealing action, Civil House, a popular restaurant, had shut for the day. “We have been directed to remove some sections by NDMC officials. The shed for the water filter will be removed. We have closed down for the day due to hygiene issues,” said an employee on the condition of anonymity. La Bodega has been directed to remove metal beams while portions of other establishments were sealed for misuse of terrace area.

Officials carried out doorto-door inspection to check violations for illegal use of space and unauthorised construction. The drive, which started at 10.30am, concluded around 6.30pm. Officials said that until further orders, there won’t be any more sealing drive at Khan Market.

“As per the norms, no commercial activity is allowed on terrace and following the committee’s order, we have taken action against all those violating the norms openly,” said a senior NDMC official.

As people stayed away from the usually busy market, many traders complained about losses. Many also shut the shop early fearing action.

However, Anshu Tandon, president of restaurants’ association of Khan Market, said, “We have no complaint against NDMC for Tuesday’s drive. On Monday, many establishments were sealed wrongly. If any owner is using a space that is not permitted by law, it will be sealed. But the confusion is still there as the order of the monitoring committee and that of NDMC are contradictory.” A delegation of restaurant owners met officials from the Union urban development ministry on Tuesday, added Tandon.

Sanjiv Mehra, president of Khan Market traders’ association, said, “We tried to meet the NDMC chairman as well but he was not available. We will approach him again.”

(TOI)

JEFF BEZOS IS NOW WORTH MORE THAN BILL GATES EVER WAS

Jeff Bezos’s net worth reached $105.1 billion on Monday on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as Amazon.com Inc shares added to a 12-month surge that’s lifted the online shopping giant’s market value by almost 57%.

Amazon shares have risen 6.6% this year, with a report showing the Seattlebased company captured 89% of online spending among dominant holiday retailers in the fiveweek period beginning the day after Thanksgiving in the US.

The latest jump has pushed Bezos’s fortune definitively above the high reached by Microsoft Corp’s Bill Gates in 1999. The Amazon founder passed Gates in October with a net worth of $93.8 billion and his fortune crossed $100 billion for the first time a month later when the holiday shopping season kicked off on Black Friday.

Gates, 62, would have a net worth of more than $150 billion if he’d held onto assets that he’s given away, largely to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has given away almost 700 million Microsoft shares and $2.9 billion of cash and other assets since 1996, according to an analysis of his publicly disclosed giving.

Bezos also controls closely held space exploration business Blue Origin and the Washington Post.

BLOOMBERG

(TOI)

MIDDLECLASS CAN EXPECT TAX RELIEF IN UPCOMING BUDGET

Middle class can hope for a big relief in 2018-19 Budget, which will also be the last regular Budget of the NDA government, as the Finance Ministry is contemplating to hike personal tax exemption limit and tweak the tax slabs, according to sources.

The proposals before the ministry is to hike the tax exemption limit from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to at least Rs 3 lakh if not 5 lakh, they said.

Besides, the tinkering of tax slab is also being actively considered by the ministry to give substantial relief to middle-income group, especially the salaried class, to help them tide over the impact of retail inflation, which has started inching up.

In the last Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley left the slabs unchanged but gave marginal relief to small tax payer by reducing the rate from 10 per cent to 5 per cent for individuals having annual income between Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh.

In the next Budget to be unveiled on February 1, the Government could lower tax rate by 10 per cent on income between 5-10 lakh, levy 20 per cent rate for income between Rs 10-20 lakh and 30 per cent for income beyond Rs 20 lakh.

At present, there is no tax slab for income between Rs 10-20 lakh.

“Considering the steep rise in cost of living due to inflation, it is suggested that basic limit for exemption and other income slabs should be enhanced to give benefit to low income group. The income trigger for peak rate in other countries is significantly higher,” industry chamber CII said in its pre-Budget memorandum to the Finance Ministry.

Although the industry chambers want the government to reduce peak tax slab to 25 per cent, it is unlikely that the ministry will agree to that due to pressure on fiscal deficit.

The subdued indirect tax collection following roll out of Goods and Services Tax from July 1 last year has put pressure on the fiscal deficit, which has been pegged at 3.2 per cent of the GDP for 2017-18.

The Government recently raised borrowing target by additional Rs 50,000 crore for the current fiscal to meet the shortfall.

According to industry body FICCI, there is a likelihood that demonetisation effects may linger on for some more months and hence there is a need to further boost demand and therefore, the government should consider revision of income tax slabs, by raising the income level on which peak tax rate would trigger.

“This would improve purchasing power and create additional demand. For individual taxpayers, 30 per cent tax rate should be applicable only if the income is above Rs 20 lakh. Additionally, interest rates should be lowered to enable affordable finance for conducting business operation and expansion,” it said.

Among other things, chambers have suggested re- introduction of the standard deduction for salaried employees to at least Rs 1 lakh to ease the tax burden of them and keeping in mind the rate of inflation and purchasing power of the salaried individual, which is dependent on salary available for disbursement.

(THE PIONEER)

ALESHA DIXON WANTS TO MAKE MEAT ILLEGAL

Singer Alesha Dixon would make it illegal to eat meat and would shut down slaughter houses if she ran the country. “I’d make smoking illegal and I’d ban the slaughter of animals for food or anything. So I’d close down every factory responsible for either and make it illegal to smoke or eat meat. Everyone would be fine, trust me,” a US website quoted Dixon as saying.

The 39-year-old singer gave up meat six years ago because she loves animals. But she has struggled to go vegan because she still really enjoys dairy products. “I listen to what my body wants. I gave up meat for many reasons, but mainly because of my love for animals. My mum is vegan and I think she has had a big influence on me over the years. I guess she finally cracked me. I’ve made other changes, too,” she added. The singer says she does not drink cow milk anymore and has almond milk instead.

(TOI)

KAALAKAANDI IS SAIF ALI KHAN'S 60TH FILM

Here’s everything you did not know about the Akshat Verma-directorial

Saif Ali Khan, who has spent 25 years in Bollywood,entertaining the audience with an array of films like Dil Chahta Hai, Omkaraand Being Cyrus among many others, hits the momentous 60th film mark with debutant director Akshat Verma’s Kaalakaandi. The actor, who is known for picking distinguishable roles, zeroed in the dark comedy admittedly after giving it a lot of thought.Eventually,Saif immersed himself so much into the project that he even choreographed the wedding song Kaala Doreya. Previously,Saif had suggested hook steps for Dil Chahta Hai’s Wo Ladki Hai Kahan.

Nary Singh, who is one of the most-talked about characters from the promos of the film, had a fan-girl moment. While playing a pivotal part, she shared screen space with Saif and was not only awestruck by the actor’s presence on the set, but also nervous while enacting her scenes. When the director brought it to Saif’s notice, he made it a point to make her comfortable. But that’s not all. There are more such facts about the film that could draw you into its funny, yet dark narrative. Actor Deepak Dobriyal, known for his performances across indie and mainstream films, tutored his co-stars in the Haryanvi dialect for the film. While shooting the song, Swagpur ka Choudhary, a break-meets-funk-rock number with Haryanvi lyrics, found most actors having difficulty in lip syncing the lines correctly and bring out the essence of what was being conveyed.Deepak, who plays a gangster in the film, came to their rescue and explained the meaning of the lyrics, which helped his co-stars to slip into the right mood for the number.

Neil Bhoopalam, who plays an underworld don, styled himself keeping the fashion of the ’80s and Amitabh Bachchan in mind. His look is replete with long side locks, bell-bottoms and tight shirts. The actor also watched the superstar’s movies to effectively copy his stance.

The film also stars actors Vijay Raaz,Sobhita Dhulipala,Kunaal Roy Kapur, Akshay Oberoi, Shehnaz Treasury, Shivam Patil and Amyra Dastur.

The movie is produced by Cinestaan Film Company and Flying Unicorn and releases on January 12, 2018.

(TOI)

BITCOIN PRICE SURGE CAN PUT OUR SMART HOMES AT RISK

Aatif Sulleyman

People’s homes could come under attack as a consequence of bitcoin’s price surge, a cyber security expert has warned.

“Cryptojacking” incidents, in which people’s devices are quietly hijacked and forced to mine digital currencies for other people, are on the rise. However, it’s not just regular computers that are at risk.

Other internet-connected devices around the home — seemingly harmless items such as smart thermostats, light bulbs and cameras — could be targeted, and victims might not even notice they’d been attacked until they saw their electricity bills inflate.

Cryptocurrency mining requires a lot of processing power, and therefore a lot of energy.

“Any device that is ‘smart’ now has the three key ingredients to provide the cyber bad guy with everything they need — internet access, power and processing,” Neil Haskins, the director of advisory services for EMEA at cyber security firm IOActive, told The Independent.

It’s fairly easy to work out if your computer is being used for mining, as it will slow down significantly and the battery will drain rapidly. “When could you detect this, at the end of the month when you get an electricity bill? Instead of £50 a month, it’s now £150,” says Haskins.

“And how do you diagnose the issue? You complain to the power company, they show you the usage and it’s correct. Your home really is consuming that power, even if it isn’t you doing it.”

If they manage to pull off such an attack successfully, they’re likely to try it again.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your home, says Haskins. “Consider the entry point for most cyber bad guys. Generally, it’s your desktop, laptop or mobile device. Ensure you have suitable security products running on these devices, make sure they are patched to the correct levels, and be conscious of the websites you are visiting. If you control the available entry points, you will go a long way to protecting your home.” THE INDEPENDENT

(TOI)

BARCA’S NEW BRAZILIAN

Coutinho Must Live Up To 160m-Euro Cost, Legacy

Philippe Coutinho arrives at Barcelona bearing both his huge price tag and the legacy of the long line of Brazilian stars who have dazzled at Camp Nou. The comparisons will be constant with Neymar, whose world-record move to PSG in August provided Barcelona with the 160 million euros they needed to acquire Coutinho at a cost that would have seemed ludicrous just six months before. Only Neymar and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe surpass it.

But while Neymar, as before him Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Romario, all became fan favourites by starring in Barcelona’s attack, Coutinho will have to measure up to the Spanish club’s long line of top-notch — and largely homegrown — midfielders. The 25-year-old Coutinho will come to Spain charged with the daunting task of one day taking over as its midfield leader with Andres Iniesta entering the twilight of his career at age 33.

Coutinho can count on the big advantage of setting up Lionel Messi for goals as he strives to justify the club-record fee Barcelona agreed to pay on Saturday, when it finally pried him away from Liverpool after the English club had refused to let him go in the summer. Even though coach Ernesto Valverde has successfully kept Barcelona winning after predictions of decline abounded following the unwanted departure of Neymar, Coutinho will greatly increase his options in a midfield that is still heavily reliant on Iniesta for its playmaking spark.

Since the exit of Xavi two and a half years ago, and those of Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara, Barca were in danger of seeing their lineage of great midfielders broken. Coutinho showed at Liverpool that he can play anywhere in the midfield. That versatility will help ensure him a place in a Barcelona midfield that has a set group of first-choice players in Iniesta on the left, Ivan Rakitic on the right, and Sergio Busquets in a defensive role, but little else.

Ousmane Dembele would likely need to play in a 4-3-3 alongside Messi and Suarez, while Coutinho could play on the right side of a midfield line with Iniesta and Busquets. But Valverde has also gotten good results with just Messi and Suarez in attack and a four-man midfield including Paulinho.

He will have to use different lineups regardless, because Coutinho is cup-tied the Champions League. He will then have five more seasons under the contract he has agreed to sign to help Barcelona win a sixth European Cup. AP

(TOI)

WILFUL DEFAULTERS FORM 14% OF PSB BAD LOANS

With 53%, Vijaya Bank On Top Of RBI List

Mayur.Shetty@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: Around 14% of the bad loans in public sector banks (PSBs) are due to wilful defaulters. The total gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of 21 PSBs stood at Rs 7.33 lakh crore as on September 30, 2017. Of this, Rs 1.01 lakh crore of loans were termed as those in wilful default.

Wilful defaults have an element of malfeasance as it broadly means that the borrower has reneged on the agreement on usage of funds or has not paid despite having resources.

Recovery from such accounts are difficult because in many cases the money is siphoned off from the books of the defaulting company and most of them are being fought in courts. Some of the largest cases of wilful default are Kingfisher Airlines, Zoom Developers, Winsome Diamonds and Varun Industries.

Of the 9,025 cases of wilful defaults in PSU banks, lenders have filed cases against 8,423 for recovery of Rs 95,384 crore of NPAs. They have also filed 1,968 police complaints in cases of loan amounts totalling 31,807 crore. In 6,937 accounts, representing an outstanding of Rs 87,458 crore, banks have also initiated proceedings to attach and sell assets under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act.

Data released by the RBI in response to a Parliament query shows that Vijaya Bank has the highest share of wilful defaulters in its books. The Bengaluru-based banks had NPAs worth Rs 6,649 crore as on September 30, 2017. Of this loans amounting to Rs 3,537 crore were on account of wilful defaults. Punjab National Bank has the highest share of wilful defaults in its books among the larger banks. Of its bad loans worth Rs 57,630 crore, 25% are on account of borrowers who have deliberately defaulted.

The implication for a business or promoter being declared a wilful defaulter is that they will never be able to get bank loans as long as they have the tag. For a lender, declaring a borrower as a wilful defaulter is a complicated process with senior bankers having to give a hearing to the borrower. In several cases, courts have ruled against the labelling of the borrower due to shortcomings in the process.

Among banks with small percentage of wilful defaulters among NPA accounts are Punjab & Sind Bank (4%), Bank of Maharashtra (5%) and Syndicate Bank (5.4%).

As on September 30, 2017, leading corporate houses accounted for approximately 77% of the total gross NPA from domestic operations for banks in India.

(TOI)

TRUMP NUCLEAR BUTTON TWEET KEEPS KIN ON HIS TOES, HELPS WORLD SECURITY: HALEY

“We want to always remind them we can destroy you, too, so be very cautious and careful with your words and what you do.”

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that President Donald Trump’s “nuclear button” tweet warning Kim Jong-un about America’s nuclear capabilities helped in global security because it kept the North Korean leader “on his toes,”, the media reported.

“We want to always remind them we can destroy you, too, so be very cautious and careful with your words and what you do,” Ms. Haley told ABC News on Sunday. “He can’t sit there and imply that he’s going to destroy the US without us reminding him of the facts and the reality that if you go there it’s not us that’s going to be destroyed, it’s you.”

“I think that he [Trump] always has to keep Kim on his toes.”

‘Trump seen as unpredictable’

Ms. Haley told ABC News that Mr. Trump’s tweets and actions help get the attention of world leaders who “see him as unpredictable.”

“I don’t think they know what the US is going to do at any given time.”

The latest war of words between the two leaders began when Mr. Kim, in a New Year’s speech, signalled his willingness to engage in talks with South Korea and claimed the entire US mainland was within range of North Korean missiles, reports CNN.

“The nuclear button is always on the desk of my office... They should accurately be aware that this is not a threat but a reality.”

Mr. Trump responded in a tweet, saying: “I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my button works!“

Tweet finds resonance in CIA

Also on Sunday, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo made a similar argument about Mr. Trump’s tweet in an interview on Fox News, saying that it was part of a strategy that broke with decades of unsuccessful US policy toward North Korea.

“That tweet is entirely consistent with what we’re trying to communicate,” mR. Pompeo said.

“We want the regime to understand that unlike before, we are intent on resolving this. And it is our firm conviction that resolving this diplomatically is the correct answer, but that this administration is prepared to do what it takes.”

(THE HINDU)

MEDIA BODIES SLAM ‘ATTACK ON FREEDOM OF PRESS’

Clear Effort To Browbeat Journalist’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s lodging of an FIR naming the Tribune in which news about the breach in the system was printed, and also the reporter who had filed the story, drew strong reactions from journalists’ bodies, which condemned it as an “attack on the freedom of the press”.

A statement issued by the Editors Guild said, “The Guild condemns UIDAI’s action to have the Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press.”

The statement, which gives details of the charges under which the reporter, Rachna Khaira, was booked – IPC sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act – asks the union ministry to withdraw the cases against her, and “conduct an impartial investigation into the matter.”

The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps and Press Association too strongly objected and condemned the FIR registration.

“Rather than addressing the loopholes which would actually ensure safety and security of the data and allay the general concerns about this, the UIDAI has chosen to persecute those whose actions appear to have been only in public interest,” read a statement issued by the journalists bodies collectively.

Criticising the FIR as “intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to the pursuit of free, fair and independent journalism”, the statement asked for a withdrawal of the complaint against the reporter. A statement by the Foundation for Media Professionals, while referring to the FIR as an “assault on free speech”, said, “By allowing such FIRs to be registered, the government is clearly signalling that the functioning of UIDAI, however controversial, is out of bounds for journalists and other whistle-blowers.”

(TOI)

POWERLIFTING CHAMP, 4 FRIENDS DIE SPEEDING IN FOG ON NH-1

Were On Way To Murthal Dhaba For Parathas

Pankhuri Yadav, Hindol Basu & Manvir Saini TNN

New Delhi/Chandigarh: World powerlifting champion Saksham Yadav and four of his gym partners, themselves powerlifters, were killed and a fifth friend critically injured when they were speeding

through dense fog on the Delhi-Panipat highway (NH-1) early Sunday morning and their Swift Dzire hit the road divider and two poles, careered out of control and flipped over many times. They had been on their way to a Murthal dhaba to eat parathas.

Police said the accident occurred due to speed and low visibility due to fog. “The speed of the car was very high, and we found a few bottles around so the possibility of drunken driving has not been ruled out,” said DCP (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta.

PCR staff present at the spot alerted Alipur police station at about 4am, the police said. All six people had to be extricated from the mangled car; they were taken to a nearby private hospital where four of the 21-year-old powerlifting champion’s gym partners — Tikamchand (27), Saurabh

(18), Yogesh (24) and Harish Rai (20) — were declared dead. Saksham and Rohit were rushed to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh; from there Saksham was referred to AIIMS Trauma Centre at 9.10am because his condition was deteriorating. After battling for life for over 14 hours, he died.

Witnesses say it all looked like a stunt

He had three cardiac arrests, twice at Max and once in the Trauma Centre,” the AIIMS bulletin said. “The 21-year-old was extremely critical, with low chances of survival, and was declared dead at 6.38pm.”

Police said all six of them had met at Tikamchand’s house in Timarpur, north Delhi. After that, they had roamed the area for over two hours before finally deciding to drive to Murthal for parathas.

The Dzire, the police said, hit the divider barely 100 metre from the Singhu border. Trying to regain control, the driver swung sharply to the left, crashed into two poles standing together and then flipped over at least three times.

Eyewitnesses told TOI the accident looked like an action movie stunt. “I work at a petrol pump and the accident took place just in front of it. It was around 3.50am, a few of us were here when we saw a car heading towards the border at high speed. The fog was dense. The entire incident took place in just a few seconds. Before we could react, the car had turned turtle,” said Harun Ansari.

Yadav, a resident of Nangloi in north Delhi, won gold for India at the senior powerlifting world championship in Moscow, organised by the World Powerlifting Congress, in 2017. He had also bagged gold in the world junior and sub-junior powerlifting championship in Poland in 2016.

“Tikamchand was a veteran on the circuit. Some others were junior lifters who had a great career ahead of them. It’s a big loss for the sport,” Indian Powerlifting Federation president Mohit Suri said. The Dzire, bearing a ministry of defence sticker, belonged to Saksham’s elder sister, Isha, who works with DRDO. Police said they had lodged an FIR.

(TOI)