January 2020

India vs New Zealand | Super Overs Aren’t Really Our Friends, Says Williamson Hamilton: “Super Overs aren’t really New Zealand’s friend,” skipper Kane Williamson said after a heart-breaking loss to India in the thrilling third T20 International here on Wednesday. India defeated The Back Caps via Super Over to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Rohit Sharma smashed consecutive sixes in the final two balls of the eliminator to lead the visitors to their maiden T20 series win in New Zealand. The defeat brought back memories of the 2019 World Cup final, which New Zealand agonisingly lost to...

Dalai Lama’s advice to followers to contain spread of coronavirus Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has advised his followers in China to chant a mantra to contain the threat posed by coronavirus, which has reportedly left over 100 dead. A group of mainland Chinese devotees on Facebook had requested for the Dalai Lama’s advice amid widespread health scare after the virus was discovered in Wuhan. Responding to their concern, the Dalai Lama advised his followers and Buddhist monasteries across China to chant the ‘Tara Mantra’ as it would be “beneficial for effectively containing the spread of the virus”. He...

‘Like I wasn’t there’: climate activist Vanessa Nakate on being erased from a movement “When I saw the photo, I only saw part of my jacket. I was not on the list of participants. None of my comments from the press conference were included,” she said. “It was like I wasn’t even there.” The 23-year-old Ugandan activist had appeared at a joint press conference in Davos with other prominent climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, Loukina Tille, Luisa Neubauer and Isabelle Axelsson. But when the news agency published a picture of the event, Nakate had been cut from the image –...

‘The epidemic is a demon, can’t let it hide’: Xi Jinping on Coronavirus China is battling a “demon” virus that has so far killed more than 100 people, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday, as foreign nations prepared to evacuate their citizens and the US said it was developing a vaccine. Xi made his remarks during talks with the head of the World Health Organization in Beijing amid growing global concerns about a novel coronavirus that has infected thousands in China and reached more than a dozen other countries. In a development that could cause more jitters abroad, Japan and Germany...

Why son of Russian billionaire rents two-room flat, takes subway to work You wouldn’t know that Alexander Fridman is the child of Russia’s 11th-richest person. He rents a two-room flat on the outskirts of Moscow for $500 a month and uses the subway to get to work. “I eat, live, sleep, dress in everything that I earned myself,” said Fridman, 19, whose father, Mikhail Fridman, has a $13.7 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The junior Fridman returned to Moscow last year after graduating from a high school near London. Five months ago, he started SF Development, a...

‘Enhancing developmental, economic linkages’: New foreign secretary Harsh Shringla lists priorities India’s new foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said on Wednesday that enhancing economic linkages, building synergies with major world powers and seeking an unambiguous approach to combating terrorism will be among the country’s priorities. Shringla also listed sustaining a rules-based multilateral order, sharing India’s developmental experience with countries in Africa and Latin America, climate change and challenges related to the worldwide web and emerging technologies as other priorities for the nation’s foreign policy. Source: Hindustan Times

Aisa lagta hai apunich Bhagwan hai: Sehwag, Yuvraj and others shower high praise on Rohit Sharma After Indian opener Rohit Sharma led his team to a thrilling win in the Super Over vs New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday, the cricket fraternity immediately started singing praises for the ‘Hitman’. Having helped India post 179 with a 40-ball-65 in the 1st innings, Rohit returned to hit 15 off 4 balls in the Super Over including 2 successive sixes off Tim Southee to mow down the 18-run target. Former India all-rounder and Rohit’s IPL teammate, Yuvraj Singh took to Twitter to write:...

Narayana Murthy touches Ratan Tata’s feet in a ‘touching gesture of humility’ A humble gesture by Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of software giant Infosys touching the feet of Ratan Tata feet has gone viral in the social media. The two tycoons from India’s business community were present in TiE-Mumbai conclave. Ratan Tata was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th edition of TiECon Mumbai. Narayana Murthy touched the feet of Ratan Tata after giving him the Lifetime Achievement award. Ratan Tata also shared Narayana Murthy’s gesture in an Instagram story and said he was “truly humbled” by it....

Taranjit Singh Sandhu appointed India’s ambassador to US Seasoned diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US, replacing Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. Shringla is set to take over as the next foreign secretary on Wednesday. Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently posted as High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka. His appointment to the high-profile job comes at a critical time when the US-India strategic partnership is deepening and also tensions are simmering in the Gulf region after the US killed top Iranian commander General...

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal joins BJP Badminton champion and former world number one Saina Nehwal on Wednesday joined the BJP. Her elder sister, Chandranshu Nehwal, also joined the party along with her.  At a formal joining ceremony at the BJP national headquarters in New Delhi after meeting party president J.P. Nadda, Ms. Nehwal hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an “inspiration” with his “hard work” for the country. Source: The Hindu