Haryana’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a wanted sharpshooter, who was carrying a reward of Rs 75,000, from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
A spokesman of the police department said that the arrested was identified as Amit, alias Chottu alias Sultan, a resident of Soop village in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
The accused, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 75,000, was nabbed on Tuesday from Agra by a nine-member STF team led by Inspector Satish Deswal. Amit was allegedly involved in a number of crimes and had been absconding for the last nine years, the official said.
Railways have extended services of 22 pairs of trains across the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.
These trains include the 18107/18108 Rourkela-Koraput Express extended to Jagdalpur, 14369/24369-14370/24370 Bareilly-Singrauli/ Shaktinagar Express extended to Tanakpur, 14630/14629 Firozpur-Ludhiana Cantt Sutluj Express extended to Chandigarh, 24887/24888 Barmer-Haridwar Link Express extended to Rishikesh, 18213/18214 Durg-Jaipur Express extended till Ajmer, 19710/19709 Kamakhya-Jaipur Kaviguru Express extended to Udaipur.
All these extensions have been planned by utilising the lie-over periods of the existing trains at their respective terminating stations. These extensions will help in more gainful utilisation of coaching stock and will augment revenue of Indian Railways, Goyal told reporters after the announcement of the extensions.
India may be much below Italy in rankings, but their non playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday said that his players will not be intimidated by their European opponents in the Davis Cup Qualifiers here next month. Keeping in mind Italians’ weakness on grass, India have opted for grass courts in South Club here for the February 1-2 fixtures which will be played in new format with the winners making a cut to the 18-nation finals in Madrid next year.
Nothing can be taken for granted. We are underdogs but my boys will not be intimidated. I feel we have a better chance,” Bupathi told reporters on the sidelines of the first practice session of the team at the Calcutta Gymkhana Club. He further added that, I think my boys are experienced enough that when Davis Cup comes into play ranking is not really a factor. They have all played at the highest level now, both Ramkumar (Ramantahan) and Prajnesh (Gunneswaran) have played Grand Slams and Tour events.Talking about his personal experience as a Davis Cup player, he said that when I was playing Davis Cup, if I played a top ranked player, it was different for me because I was always competing at the challenger level. But with these guys, I don’t think ranking plays a factor. I think they actually truly believe that they are capable of beating them (the opposition) if they play well.
Bhupathi spoke highly of India number one and world ranked 109 Prajnesh Gunneswaran who has improved 200 ranking places in two years, while he termed world number 131 Ramkumar Ramanathan as “super dangerous”. Prajnesh qualified for his first Grand Slam (Australian Open) so he’s on an all time high, confidence wise. He’s had an amazing breakthrough year last year. He’s a late bloomer because of injury but he’s definitely brimming with confidence.
The 23-year-old Ramkumar finished runner-up in his first final on the ATP World Tour in Newport, Rhode Island, in June last year. On these courts, Ram is going to be super dangerous. We all saw what he did in Newport last year, he made the final and he should have won the title. So we’re positive. It’s definitely an advantage to have a quality left-hander on your team. We’ve never had that ever as far as I can remember. Two years ago when we brought him in, there was a strategic reason for that. It wasn’t because at that time he was ranked 350, but we wanted a lefty and it worked for us. Bhupathi said having a quality left-hander in Prajnesh makes a big difference.
Italy will be without their top player Fabio Fognini but they still have two players in top 50 — Marco Cecchinato (18) and Andreas Seppi (35) along with Matteo Berrettini (54), Thomas Fabbiano (102), doubles world number 88 Simone Bolelli.
But Fognini’s absence will not make it any easier for India, Bhupathi said. They got two guys in the top 50, so I don’t think the equation changes for us. We don’t have one guy in the top 100.
Asked about the shortened format, Bhupathi said: Better or worse, I don’t know it’s better for India. When you’re trying to upset a team like Italy, obviously beating them in two sets versus three sets is easier asked for me, for my boys. In general sports around the world are trying to get shorter for TV. In the Australian Open, there’s a super tiebreaker in the men’s singles now, Wimbledon is changing. So yeah, I think everyone will learn to live with it. And it’s the way forward in sport.
India have beaten Italy only once in five Davis Cup ties, and that happened at the very same South Club courts in Kolkata back in 1985. Asked if India are the favourites to beat the Italians on grass, he said: “If it was that simple, then the Italians wouldn’t have shown up. They would have stayed back at home.”
Bhupathi is yet to see the South Club courts but coach Zeeshan Ali went there in the morning. He (Zeeshan) is really happy, he likes what he saw. It’s still a long way to go, we only get practice there Monday onwards. Personally I’m very excited. I made my debut in Calcutta. I played a lot of ties here. That time grass was the choice. Obviously there’s a lot of tradition of tennis here.
As the restoration of the iconic Flora Fountain in South Mumbai has been completed, the monument is set to be unveiled on Thursday, civic officials said.
However, the work of giving a facelift to the area around the heritage structure and landscaping will take another few months to complete, they said.
“The restoration of Flora Fountain, named after Flora, the mythological Roman goddess of flowers, has been completed and it would be formally thrown open for public viewing on Thursday,” a senior civic official said.
Noted architect Vikas Dilawari, who is overseeing the project on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said the restoration work was divided into two parts.
“The first part of the restoration work of the main monument is now complete. It will be opened for public viewing tomorrow. The second part of the restoration work involves upgradation of the surrounding and landscaping, which will take another few months,” he said.
The work to renovate the 153-year-old Gothic Revival architecture was given to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) by the BMC in September 2016. However, the organisation had stopped the work towards the end of 2017 due to paucity of funds. The restoration work resumed in March 2018.
Flora Fountain is an ornamentally and exquisitely sculpted architectural heritage monument located in the Fort business district in the heart of the southern part of the city. Built in 1864, the decorated structure is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture depicting the Roman goddess Flora.
According to the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019, India’s GDP growth is expected to accelerate to 7.6 per cent in 2019-20 from an estimated 7.4 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 2019. The growth rate may come down to 7.4 per cent a year later. India will continue to remain the world’s fastest-growing large economy in 2019 as well as in 2020, much ahead of China, a UN report said on Wednesday.
In the case of China, the growth is estimated to decelerate to 6.3 per cent in 2019 from 6.6 per cent in 2018. It may further go down to 6.2 per cent in 2020.
“Growth (in India) continues to be underpinned by robust private consumption, a more expansionary fiscal stance and benefits from previous reforms.
“Yet, a more robust and sustained recovery of private investment remains crucial to lift the medium-term growth,” WESP report said.
Referring to China, it said the growth is expected to moderate from 6.6 per cent in 2018 to 6.3 per cent in 2019, with policy support partly offsetting the negative impact of trade tensions.
The report further said the global economy would continue to grow at a steady pace of around 3 per cent in 2019 and 2020 amid signs that global growth has peaked.
However, a worrisome combination of development challenges could further undermine growth, it added.
The report also highlighted that global trade tensions pose a threat to the economic outlook.
Amid the rise in global trade tensions, world trade growth moderated over the course of 2018 to 3.8 per cent from growth of 5.3 per cent in 2017.
While tensions have materially impacted some specific sectors, stimulus measures and direct subsidies have so far offset much of the direct economic impacts on China and the US, it said.
“But a prolonged escalation of trade tensions could severely disrupt the global economy,” WESP report said.
Directly impacted sectors have already witnessed rising input prices and delayed investment decisions.
These impacts, it said, can be expected to spread through global value chains, particularly in East Asia. Slower growth in China and the United States could also reduce the demand for commodities, affecting commodity exporters from Africa and Latin America.
Johnny Depp has filed new legal documents apparently supporting his claims that he never laid a hand on ex-wife Amber Heard. The 55-year-old actor is also suing The Sun for defamation after an article in the UK-based newspaper referred to him as “wife-beater”.
Through the lawsuit, Depp is also contesting Heard’s accusations that he threw a phone at her face before repeatedly hitting her in an alleged May 21, 2016 incident. In a statement to E! News, Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, said that today we filed a partial list of evidence that we will use to disprove the fraudulent underlying allegations against Mr Depp.
The evidence includes new witness statements that say numerous unnamed parties saw Heard in their apartment building on May 21 with no marks. The papers also include previous depositions from the responding officers, who said they did not see any injuries on Heard. However, Depp reportedly said of The Sun in the lawsuit that they must have made a positive decision to present a totally one-sided picture, leaving out my side of the story and pretending it either did not exist or was not worth considering.
A hearing for Depp’s lawsuit against The Sun is scheduled for February.
The BJP in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday linked Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s fall in his party to the rise of Priyanka Gandhi, who has been put in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Congratulations to Priyanka Gandhi on her appointment and assignment. However, it is also an admission that in the Gandhi family, the dependence on Rahul is over. It is good that one by one Gandhi family members are being tested in Indian politics and are being rejected. Now is the turn of Priyanka Gandhi, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh said.
He said that Rahul Gandhi’s fall is the rise of Priyanka Gandhi in the Congress. The minister also said that Priyanka Gandhi can be judged from her management so far of the Rae Bareli constituency, where he claimed no development has taken place. Singh, who is also the UP government spokesperson, was commenting on the appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as the Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East.
Jyotiraditya Scindia was made the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary for UP West. Amethi and Rae Bareli, the two Gandhi family bastions, fall in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Welcoming his sister’s entry into active politics, Rahul Gandhi said that he is very happy that she will assist him in the Lok Sabha polls. He also called Jyotiraditya Scindia a dynamic youth leader.
Former captain Sandeep Singh on Wednesday slammed the frequent change of coaches in Indian hockey, asserting that there was none better for the job than the recently-removed Harendra Singh.
Harendra was sacked as India coach earlier this month following a disappointing 2018 and offered another stint with the junior squad. He became the sixth coach to be sacked in as many years.
“You can’t be changing coaches this frequently. The crucial Olympic qualifier (FIH Series Finals in June) is ahead of us and we should not be experimenting too much. I don’t think I have worked with a better coach than Harendra sir,” Sandeep said at the launch of Flickers Brothers hockey academy, his joint venture with brother Bikramjeet.
“There are a few coaches (in India) who can coach at the highest level and Harendra paaji is one of them. He should have been given more time.
“Any new coach takes about six months to adjust to the system and players also need time to understand his methods. The team doesn’t have that kind of time (ahead Olympic qualifiers),” he said.
India have had a variety of foreign coaches and Harendra helming the national team was a rarity in recent times. But he could not even last 12 months after taking charge, following the team’s medal-less showing at the Commonwealth Games in April.
Hockey India has invited fresh applications for the post and Sandeep, who was best known for his ferocious drag-flicks, feels an Indian coach will be most beneficial for the team.
“There is no language barrier and more importantly, you don’t hesitate while interacting with an Indian coach. Indian coaches are strict on the field but off the field they take very good care of you,” he explained.
The phenomenon of dropping players without giving them ample opportunities is another aspect that bogs down Indian coaches, said Sandeep.
The biggest worry for the national team, according to Sandeep, is lack of world-class goalkeepers.
“My biggest worry is when P R Sreejesh retires, who will be replace him? I don’t see anyone matching up to his standards. We have to prepare goalkeepers. Strikers and drag-flickers keep coming but not goalkeepers. I hope he plays for another five to seven years.”
He concluded by saying that the head coach should be involved in selection matters as is the case with top foreign teams like the Netherlands and Germany.
India’s Saina Nehwal struggled her way into the second round but compatriots B Sai Praneeth and Subhankar Dey failed to cross the opening hurdle at the USD 350,000 Indonesia Masters on Wednesday.
Eighth seeded Saina, who had reached the semifinals last week at the Malaysia Masters, recovered from a first-game loss to secure a 7-21 21-16 21-11 win over local hope Dinar Dyah Ayustine, ranked 50th. It was Saina’s third win over Ayustine.
The 28-year-old from Hyderabad will next face another Indonesian Fitriani Fitriani, against whom she has a 4-0 head-to-head record.
National champions Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also dished out a fighting game to notch up a 14-21 21-19 21-15 win over Denmark’s Mads Pieler Kolding and Niclas Nohr in the men’s doubles.
In the men’s singles, 2017 Singapore Open champion Praneeth was sent packing 12-21 16-21 by Olympic champion Chen Long of China in 40 minutes, while Subhankar, who had won his maiden title at SaarLorLux Open in Germany last year, fought hard before going down 14-21 21-19 15-21 against former World champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also bowed out of the competition, losing 14-21 14-21 to Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the women’s doubles opener.
Haryana’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a wanted sharpshooter, who was carrying a reward of Rs 75,000, from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
Railways have extended services of 22 pairs of trains across the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.
As the restoration of the iconic Flora Fountain in South Mumbai has been completed, the monument is set to be unveiled on Thursday, civic officials said.
According to the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019, India’s GDP growth is expected to accelerate to 7.6 per cent in 2019-20 from an estimated 7.4 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 2019. The growth rate may come down to 7.4 per cent a year later. India will continue to remain the world’s fastest-growing large economy in 2019 as well as in 2020, much ahead of China, a UN report said on Wednesday.
The BJP in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday linked Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s fall in his party to the rise of Priyanka Gandhi, who has been put in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
India’s Saina Nehwal struggled her way into the second round but compatriots B Sai Praneeth and Subhankar Dey failed to cross the opening hurdle at the USD 350,000 Indonesia Masters on Wednesday.
India beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in the first One-Day International to take 1-0 lead in the five match series on Wednesday.