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)