Govt petition on Ayodhya land aimed to appease Sangh Parivar: CPI(M)

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January 29, 2019

Criticising the government’s petition in Supreme Court, seeking permission to return the excess land around the disputed Ayodhya site to its original owners, the CPI(M) alleged that it was aimed at appeasing the Sangh Parivar ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

In a statement, the party’s Politburo said it was a “devious” effort on the part of the government to “pre-empt” the decision of the Supreme Court.

“The politburo of CPI(M) expresses its strong disapproval of the petition moved by the central government in the Supreme Court to remove the status quo in the non-disputed land that it had acquired in Ayodhya. It wants to handover the land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas that has been set up by VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) to undertake the construction of the Ram temple at the site,” it said.

In 1993, the Supreme Court had ordered that status quo be maintained on the 67 acre of land that had been acquired, the statement said.

“The Centre now claims that only 0.313 acres is actually disputed. This move of the centre is clearly aimed at appeasing the Sangh Parivar which is demanding immediate construction of the temple at all costs. Obviously, all these moves are being orchestrated keeping the impending Lok Sabha elections in mind,” it said.

The Centre on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to return the excess or superfluous land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi Babri Masjid site to its original owners.

Piyush Goyal to receive Carnot prize for power reforms, rural electrification

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January 29, 2019

Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will receive the Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions, with a team from University of Pennsylvania coming here to felicitate him on January 30.

The former power minister, who was to be awarded the prize by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design in October last year, had to skip the event because of the Amritsar tragedy in which over 60 people died after being mowed down by a train.

The award recognises Goyal’s tenure as minister of power in which he is credited to have “reformed” the electricity sector and extended access to electricity to 18,000 villages, as documented by the International Energy Agency.

“Now as Minister of Coal and Railways, the Minster is courageously confronting the complexity of ending energy poverty while transitioning to clean energy,” the president of the centre said in his message.

“His work challenges all of us to consider what values justify the slow rate of US transition to clean energy. We live in a world of common but differentiated responsibilities as we work to mitigate the energy system’s impacts on the climate commons,” the message added.

Passenger traffic between Singapore, India touches 4.7 mn mark in 2018

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January 29, 2019

The passenger traffic between Singapore and India registered the strongest growth of 12 per cent in 2018 and touched the 4.76 million mark, as the city-state’s airport handled a record 65 million travellers last year, the Changi Airport Group said on Tuesday.

It listed Mumbai among the top 20 routes, the traffic on which grew by at least five per cent in 2018. The other routes include Denpasar (Bali), London (UK), Manila (the Philippines), Melbourne and Sydney.

Singapore is now linked to North-East India via Guwahati by flight operated by Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines.

The airport established connections to seven new cities which include Nanchang (China), Berlin (Germany), Guwahati, Pune and Vijayawada in India, Belitung in Indonesia and Warsaw in Poland.

With the introduction of direct flight to Pune, one of Changi’s top unserved points in India, Singapore has opened up its direct connection with the Maharashtra’s second largest city, the Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a statement.

The air link between Singapore and Vijaywada Airport in Amaravati was also a significant milestone, it said, adding that it marked Singapore’s partnership with Andhra Pradesh in building the new capital city of Amaravati.

Overall, the Changi airport handled around 65.6 million passengers last year, an increase of 5.5 per cent over 2017, while the aircraft movement – landings and take-offs – increased by 3.4 per cent to 386,000, while cargo volumes rose by 1.4 per cent to touch 2.15 million tonne mark, the CAG said.

Growth was observed for airfreight throughput across all segments exports, imports and trans-shipments.

The top five markets for airfreight in 2018 were China, Australia, Hong Kong, the United States and India.

India poised to take advantage of new age technological advancements: Prabhu

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January 29, 2019

India is optimally leveraging technology to offer various services on digital platforms and is poised to take full advantage of new generation of technological advancements, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday.

Speaking at Convergence India 2019, the Minister said that digital technologies are advancing and becoming all pervasive.

“Some countries will have a natural advantage in offering these services for all the platforms, be it the government services, business to business or any other service,” Prabhu said.

He said that the future of digital services will be based on convergence, and effective use of broadband.

The government is committed to promote the use of technology, he said and added that there is a Rs 5,000 crore action plan for champion sectors, which includes in IT and related services.

“Our ministry is working on promoting services in a big way for which we set aside Rs 5,000 crore to promote champion sectors of the service sector, in which IT and related services will play a key role…We will ensure the sector develops, creates job opportunities…and ensure complete coverage of the population to eradicate digital divide, through digital literacy and infrastructure development,” the Minister said.

Yogi Adityanath announces tax exemption for film ‘Uri’ in Uttar Pradesh

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January 29, 2019

Yogi Adityanath led- BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday decided to give state GST exemption to Bollywood blockbuster ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’.

The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting held in Allahabad, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who presided over the meeting, told reporters.

“This is a movie on the surgical strikes, the cabinet has decided to exempt it from state GST. This film is about the country’s valour and will instil a feeling of nationalism and patriotism… This will help youth and all citizens of the country to see it,” Adityanath said.

‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, written and directed by Aditya Dhar, is based on the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan in 2016 as a retaliation for the Uri attack that claimed lives of 17 Army personnel.

The film features Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina and Yami Gautam in lead roles.

Not earned money like other heroes but I’ve solid goodwill, says Anil Kapoor

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January 29, 2019

Actor Anil Kapoor says in his career of 40 years, he may not have earned money like other actors but has managed to built a “solid goodwill” in the industry.

The actor, who is teaming up with Vidhu Vinod Chopra after over two decades with “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”, says his equation with the producer-director has not changed over the years.

“I’ve worked with Vinod in two films before and it doesn’t feel it has been so many years. We have been in touch with each other, I’ve attended premier of his films, even if I’m not in them. We have had that bond.

“Like other heroes, may be I haven’t earned that much money, nor do I have as much money as Vinod, but my goodwill is solid. So it felt very nice when I heard the story and I am honoured to be a part of it,” Anil told reporters.

The actor and the producer have earlier worked on “Parinda” (1989) and “1942: A Love Story” (1994).

“Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga” also features Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla.

Jordan Peele, Reese Witherspoon, JJ Abrams vow to work with female directors

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January 29, 2019

Producers JJ Abrams, Jordan Peele and actor Reese Witherspoon are among the Hollywood A-listers who have pledged to work with at least one woman filmmaker in the next 18 months.

The Time’s Up movement, launched in the wake of Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal in 2017, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative have come up with a new initiative, called the “4PercentChallenge” with an aim to increase the number of women directing major studio films.

The initiative, formally launched by actor Tessa Thompson, derives its name from the study which recently stated that only four per cent of the top grossing movies in the past decade were made by women.

“We are supporting women directors from all backgrounds in this challenge, as studies show that women-directed films are more inclusive in terms of girls and women on screen, female characters 40 years of age and older and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups,” a statement posted on an leading website.

“Women directors also hire other women in key behind-the-camera roles. The aim is to humanize production processes so that all groups can thrive at work in safe contexts. This is a step in that direction,” it added.

Lena Waithe, Rashida Jones, Olivia Wilde, Armie Hammer, Kumail Nanjiani, Josh Gad, Amy Pascal, Bryce Dallas Howard, Brie Larson, Eva Longoria, Rachel Brosnahan, Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez and Kerry Washington are among the people who have taken on the “4PercentChallenge”.

Anna Camp boards Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae’s ‘The Lovebirds’

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January 29, 2019

Actor Anna Camp has joined the cast of Paramount Pictures’ new romantic comedy “The Lovebirds”.

“The Big Sick” breakout Kumail Nanjiani and actor Issa Rae will play the lead in the film.

Michael Showalter, who collaborated with Nanjiani on “The Big Sick”, will direct the project from a script by Aaron Abrams, Brendan Gall, and Martin Gero, according to an online portal.

The film will see Nanjiani, 40, and Rae, 34, play a couple close to breaking up, who find themselves caught in a bizarre but funny murder mystery which they attempt to solve in order to clear their names, while also examining if they and their relationship can survive the circumstances.

The project will be produced by Tom Lassally, Olly Obst, Todd Shulman, Jordana Mollick, and Gero.

It is expected to go on floors later this month. Nanjiani, Rae and Showalter will serve as executive producers.

Camp, 36, is best known for “Pitch Perfect” franchise. She will be next seen in “The Wedding Year”, which will also feature Sarah Hyland.

Sonam planned her wedding on ‘Ek Ladki Ko…’ sets

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January 29, 2019

Actor Sonam Kapoor has revealed that she planned her wedding with Anand Ahuja during the shooting of her upcoming film “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”, along with her father Anil Kapoor.

The father-daughter have teamed up for the first time on screen with the film.

“When we were shooting the film, my wedding was being planned. So not much time was wasted as we used plan my wedding on sets, in between takes.

“In a way it was godsend that we did this film together right before the wedding, otherwise I don’t know how we would’ve found the time to meet each other,” Sonam told reporters during a special event of the film.

Sonam and Anand dated for over four years before tying the knot on May 8, 2018 in Mumbai suburbs.

The actor said she was extremely nervous to work with her father.

“Our relationship on set was very professional. But honestly I was very scared on the first day. I was very nervous, hadn’t slept the night before, was very stressed out.”

The “Neerja” actor said the best thing about Anil is that he is still hungry to learn new things.

“Curiosity dies in some people after they grow up. My dad, in a very nice way, hasn’t grown up. He is still so curious. When you are curious, you always feel you’re a student.

“I think that is a quality I hope I imbibe from him. To constantly learn, ask questions, be better and to never think I’ve done enough.”

The film is co-written by Gazal Dhaliwal and director Shelly Chopra. It also features Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla.

Margot Robbie shares Harley Quinn look from ‘Birds of Prey’

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January 29, 2019

Margot Robbie has shared her first look as Harley Quinn in the upcoming “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)”.

The 28-year-old actor, who reprises her “Suicide Squad” breakout character in the female-led film, took to Instagram to post the photograph.

“Miss me? HQ,” Robbie signed the picture as her on-screen character.

Cathy Yan is directing the film from “Bumblebee” writer Christina Hodson’s script.

The movie also features Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya.

Ewan McGregor is the latest addition to the cast who stars as Black Mask, the villain.

According to an leading portal, the film will follow Quinn as she “assembles a girl gang of friends to take on a bad guy”.

Robbie is also attached as producer, along with Sue Kroll and Bryan Unkeless.

“Birds of Prey” is scheduled to be released on February 7, 2020.

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Miss me? ?HQ

A post shared by @ margotrobbie on Jan 28, 2019 at 5:00am PST