Tom raised his daughter Haleigh as a single father. Haleigh battled with food addiction for as long as she can remember — and Tom was right there by her side, experiencing her heartbreak and frustration. At her heaviest weight of 285 pounds, she no longer fit into plus size clothing and feared flying and theme...

The post High School Bullies Call Her ‘Fatso,’ But Dad Gets Her Plastic Surgery To Transform Completely appeared first on LittleThings.com. Reported by LittleThings 12 minutes ago.

One of Britain's brightest students took a fatal overdose after her mental health declined while studying medicine at university, an inquest heard. Anna Phillips, 20, from Truro, was described as "happy go lucky" and had an extremely bright future after getting 11 A*s at GCSE at Truro High School for Girls. She went on to study medicine at the University of Southampton but had to suspend her course due to a psychotic episode, it was said, and had been battling mental health... Reported by The Cornishman 26 minutes ago.

ABC’s “Speechless,” a sitcom about a family with a son who has a disability, tackled why it’s often offensive to call people with disabilities “inspirational.” And it’s done so, so well.

“Inspiration porn” is a term used to describe a common tendency in which able-bodied people condescend to those with disabilities by suggesting they are brave or special just for living. Ray DiMeo, a character in “Speechless” who is the younger brother of a teen with cerebral palsy, explained it perfectly in Wednesday night’s episode:

“It’s a portrayal of people with disabilities as one-dimensional saints who only exist to warm the hearts and open the minds of able-bodied people,” he said. 

To which his brother, JJ, who has cerebral palsy, hilariously adds: “I blame Tiny Tim.”


Not your inspiration porn, thank you very much. #Speechless pic.twitter.com/1cbjm92BDx

— Speechless (@Speechless_ABC) January 12, 2017

Examples of inspiration porn include, but are not limited to, stories like a high-school wrestler who is heralded as a hero for giving up his shot at a perfect season to allow an opponent with Down syndrome, to win and “make his dream come true.” It’s also in features like the homecoming queen who gave up her crown to a student with cerebral palsy simply because she has cerebral palsy.

Or, as this comic — created by Jessica Oddi and Lianna Oddi of The Disabled Life blog — illustrates, sometimes people with disabilities are showcased as inspirations just for talking a stroll down the street:While these sorts of simplistic attitudes may seem harmless, if misguided, they can have real consequences in a world where disabilities are stigmatized. Research even shows stigma can lead to damaging health care consequences.

What’s more, these kinds of portrayals render the person who is disabled as a side character only revered for what they provide to others. The most recent episode of “Speechless,” however, flips the script. 

The episode, titled “H-E-R—HERO,” begins with Ray, played by Mason Cook, wanting to use JJ, portrayed by Micah Fowler, as the subject for an essay contest about “heroes” at school. Ray knows that writing this kind of essay is an easy way to win because of inspiration porn, but JJ rejects his idea, saying that he’s not Ray’s hero. JJ is so insulted and annoyed by the idea of it, he tries to run Ray over with his wheelchair. But when another student utilizes the same tactic — citing JJ as his hero, although the two aren’t friends — Ray and JJ team up to outdo the competition.

The result is a speech dripping with offensively saccharine lines like, “Who needs to walk when you can soar” and, “JJ knows, in his heart, that the only real disability in life is a bad attitude.” Yet, as Ray reads his finished essay aloud for an audience during the contest, he notices the patronizing and pitting way people are responding to JJ:


Aaaaaaand there it is. #Speechless pic.twitter.com/Gk8QxNDiK0

— Speechless (@Speechless_ABC) January 12, 2017

Ray then breaks down and speaks the truth.  

“My brother isn’t a hero,” he says, deviating from his overly-sappy script. Ray notes that despite JJ’s disability, his brother is a normal teenager, who quite honestly, can be a jerk sometimes who has no qualms with running him over with his wheelchair.

“He’s just living his life. There’s nothing brave about that,” Ray concluded.

The audience does not like the speech, but JJ loves it.


JJ liked it and that's enough. #Speechless pic.twitter.com/xIcDkanZho

— Speechless (@Speechless_ABC) January 12, 2017

People in the disability community also loved it. Dominick Evans, a filmmaker and disability activist, applauded the episode for its honesty.

“I picked on my siblings. I could be a real jerk growing up. I’m human,” Evans, who has OCD and spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disability, told the Huffington Post. “But society would make you think I’m not just because of my disability.”

Evans also pointed out that this is the first time many in the disability community have heard the term “inspiration porn” used on primetime television, which is a big deal.

“Many of us have been told that we are too sensitive, that inspiration porn is not a real thing or we are making it up,” Evans said. “So, it was very satisfying to hear it because it completely validates our experiences with inspiration porn and acknowledges the problem that exists.”

So next time you see inspiration porn, consider taking the show’s lead...

...and help alleviate the problem.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.

JACKSON, Miss.—Gov. Phil Bryant’s going.

So’s the Tupelo High School marching band and Mississippi Gulf Coast rockers 3 Doors Down.

Those are among the Mississippians who will be attending or taking part in inaugural festivities for incoming President Donald Trump.… Reported by Epoch Times 3 hours ago.

I love Martin Luther King Day. It was the most popular thing I got through as a kid member of the Mt. Tam school board back in the day. Far more so, oddly enough, than the English grammar class.

Unfortunately, Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday became shadowed by irrationality long before our comic opera kingpin of a president-elect ripped Congressman John Lewis as "nothing but talk" practically on the eve of the holiday. Lewis, as even Donald Trump should know, was one of King's most intrepid and courageous lieutenants, and was beaten repeatedly by racists in the process.

Of course the holiday was dishonored eight years ago by a Republican Party dominated by states of the Old Confederacy deciding to oppose everything the nation's first black president tried to do.

Maybe "the great Abe Lincoln," as Trump so (unintentionally) amusingly refers to his new party's founder, who couldn't possibly be a party member today, was wrong. Maybe he should have let the Confederate states go. Slavery would have fallen eventually. And American politics would be much more like that of most of the advanced industrial world, i.e., far less prone to knee-jerk reactionary nonsense.

But that's another matter. And the reality is that race relations have curdled even further under President Barack Obama. Perhaps, in an odd way, because of Obama. Not because Obama is a reverse racist or anything like that, quite the contrary.

It's been my observation, walking around the streets of a number of American cities during the Obama years, that hostility from some blacks has actually increased during Obama's presidency. In areas in which Obama is clearly widely supported.

I've experienced quite a few more racial-oriented comments, not infrequently with an undertone of violence. Since I'm just another white face to these folks, hardly given to breaking into a chorus of "Sweet Home Alabama," what accounts for this?

Not at all surprisingly, I haven't seen research on this. But my own questioning of some black men I know comes up with some logical answers.

The first black president hasn't really changed things for the black community, though there is a certain pride and some additional welfare components. But the big ballyhooed economic recovery -- and let's be clear, Obama inherited an economy headed into the abyss of deep depression -- hasn't done much for most people.

Only the rich, according to research I saw in a recent Stanford course on increasing inequality and poverty, have had their fortunes restored. The reality of recovery for most of the black community has been the opportunity to vie for one or two junk jobs -- low-income jobs prone to replacement by automation or immigration -- to barely keep off the welfare rolls.

Meanwhile, everyone is surrounded by a media culture constantly pushing an agenda of success clearly oriented to the amoral acquisition of wealth and power.

So, disappointment and anger are understandable. But hostility and acting out are counter-productive.

Nevertheless, if more and more people perceive a system that is rigged, some will do what little they can to rig it back in their own favor.

So, as someone who sometimes walks around cities at all hours -- and, sorry, Mr. President-elect, let me assure you that our cities are MUCH safer than most around the world -- I have not been surprised to run into several would-be muggers during the Obama years. They were mostly foolish black kids with bad attitudes, and no serious problem.

However, on the day after our Christmas just past, less than a block from an Apple Store, taking a noontime shortcut through an alley to hit a restroom on my way to a bookstore, I thought for a moment that my luck had run out.

A tall black man wearing a surgical mask approached me, talking as though he was a friendly acquaintance of mine playing a little joke. The rest of the joke being the four-foot length of chain on his shoulders. Since I do know some guys who would find it amusing to see how alarmed I might become to be approached by a stereotypical black mugger, I did not become alarmed, in part because my mind was a million miles away. Until the guy was just four feet away and looking into his eyes made it clear that I didn't know him and this was no joke.

Since he didn't know me, I'm sure I looked an easy, unwary tourist type mark, an older white guy wearing a tony TV show ball cap ('Mad Men' of course) in glasses and sandals.

So his first punch was not as snappy as it should have been. I chopped it away easily and then swept him to the ground. But not for long, as I was in sandals, not looking to hurt my foot and thus not at full speed. And there was that big chain, now off his shoulder and in his hands, and he was now embarrassed and very angry. So instead of kicking him in the head, I sprinted to the end of the alley. And I also gave him some advice to, er, the effect that unless he was even dumber than he looked, he would depart the area as quickly as possible.

No harm, no foul, right? I was completely unhurt. And so was the mugger, except for a bruise or two. Which was fortunate in its own way because who needs further hassle? The guy might have sued me for fracturing his skull. And I might have broken my toe or something.

But what gives with a guy walking around wearing a mask and chain?

I already knew the answer, but asked anyway.

Cops have become wary of creating racial incidents of their own. A surgical mask can be a gangster thing, or it can be a legitimate if paranoid defense against illness. The four-foot length of stainless steel chain? Which was actually much more threatening to me than the guy's size or even a potential knife? Well, that can be a fashion statement.

In fact, that was the joke which I thought someone was pulling on me, which is how the guy got so close to me in the first place. Well, that and me being perfectly relaxed and heedless on a pleasant day, thinking about the next 'Guardians of the Galaxy' or something.

But I'm only relaxed and heedless to a point. Morning martial arts, the first exercise of which is to deal with a sudden close-quarters attack (my long since retired Marine instructor called it "Snap Count," though it has a poetic Japanese name), daily breaking of my high school push-ups record, and regular sprints do come in handy.

The next actual tourist would certainly have been successfully mugged. But this particular mugger had learned that he was much more vulnerable than he imagined, and was hopefully dissuaded.

And at this point in writing this piece, I stopped. A solution, which I expected to come in the writing process, simply had not occurred. And the next day, it still hasn't.

What is clear is what we should not do.

Should we all carry guns? Absolutely not. Though I'm a longtime gun owner, I'll be one of the last to carry a gun.

Most people belong nowhere near a gun. Having widespread carry would create a great many accidents waiting to happen. That is how I would probably get killed, by some nervous idiot firing off a wild round that hits me by mistake.

A gun gives one the wrong idea about oneself, creating a sense of invulnerability which actually makes you more vulnerable. Take the situation in Florida in which that fool of a "neighborhood watch" guy shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Maybe Martin looked somewhat suspicious and maybe he didn't. (My observation is that the vast majority of arguably suspicious-looking black guys wandering around at night, and that is an increasing phenomenon, are perfectly harmless if more than a little lost, just guys looking to feel their way through life. Some of them are undoubtedly more frightened than the folks they encounter.) The job of a neighborhood watch volunteer is to observe and report. Had that white fool whose name escapes me not been armed, his confrontation with Martin would never have escalated past the point at which he was incapable of handling it short of using a gun.

Did the guy who tried to mug me deserve to die for being dumb enough to try to mug me? Of course not. Even though that chain he was swinging around at the end could have done some real damage to me.

Stupidity is not a capital crime. If it was, after the invasion of Iraq and the advent of Trump, the political and media communities would be decimated.

What everyone needs to do is be cool. Obama might have been able to get that message across. But of course he had a rather full plate before him.

Trump? Well, we can't exactly expect him to be cool, can we? Since he has lived so oddly sheltered an existence that he says Oakland may be the most dangerous place in the world, his perspectives are obviously skewed.

Unfortunately, on this particular MLK Day, the solutions look farther away than ever. Everyone is talking past one another, and the volume is only likely to increase.Facebook comments are closed on this article.

William Bradley Archive
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.

The high school all-star game takes place March 29 at Chicago's United Center and will air at 6 p.m. on ESPN Reported by nola.com 2 hours ago.

Reading fiction played a valuable role in his presidency, President Barack Obama said, both as a mental exercise and an escape to “someplace else.”

In an interview with The New York Times, published Monday, Obama explained how he sought to balance the kind of fact-based reading he had to do as president.

“[W]orking that very analytical side of the brain all the time sometimes meant you lost track of not just the poetry of fiction, but also the depth of fiction,” Obama said. “Fiction was useful as a reminder of the truths under the surface of what we argue about every day and was a way of seeing and hearing the voices, the multitudes of this country.”

The president, who has listed Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick among his favorite books, also admitted “there’s been the occasion where I just want to get out of my own head.”

“Sometimes you read fiction just because you want to be someplace else,” he said.

Novels have explicitly helped shape Obama’s thinking at times. In his recent farewell address to America, he quoted Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Obama told the Times that the power of fiction would factor into his future work as well.

“[I]n my post-presidency, in addition to training the next generation of leaders to work on issues like climate change or gun violence or criminal justice reform, my hope is to link them up with their peers who see fiction or nonfiction as an important part of that process,” Obama said.

“When so much of our politics is trying to manage this clash of cultures brought about by globalization and technology and migration, the role of stories to unify — as opposed to divide, to engage rather than to marginalize — is more important than ever,” he added.

Obama will start his post-presidency work in a Washington, D.C., office at the downtown building that houses the World Wildlife Federation. He plans to reside in the city until at least 2019, when his younger daughter, Sasha, graduates from high school.

*Read more of The New York Times’ interview with Obama here.*

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 2 hours ago.

GLENSIDE, Pa. (AP) — A community near Philadelphia is gathering to celebrate the life of a 14-year-old girl who authorities say was killed and dismembered by her adoptive mother and the mother’s boyfriend. School parents describe Grace Packer as a bubbly teen who looked out for lonely classmates at Abington Junior High School. A vigil […] Reported by Seattle Times 1 hour ago.

Americans with no more than a high school diploma have fallen so far behind college graduates in their economic lives that... Reported by Deseret News 14 minutes ago.

Erwin Karincic of Virginia Commonwealth University selected to carry on Tipton’s legacy in information security

Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) January 16, 2017

(ISC)²® today announced that Erwin Karincic, undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is the recipient of its 2016 Harold F. Tipton Memorial Scholarship. The Tipton Scholar is selected annually from among the previous years’ recipients of the (ISC)² Undergraduate Scholarships.

The (ISC)² Harold F. Tipton Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education™, was introduced in 2012 to provide enthusiastic and aspiring university students pursuing cyber, information, software and infrastructure security degrees, with a pathway into the profession. The scholarship was named after the late information security industry pioneer and (ISC)² co-founder Harold F. Tipton, and was established through the support of (ISC)² members, and CRC Press and their Taylor & Francis Group. Often referred to as “the grandfather” of the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®), Hal’s work with (ISC)² as its past president, chief instructor and ambassador was integral to the formation of (ISC)² and the information security profession.

In 2016, the Center awarded scholarships to 44 students worldwide. The undergraduate recipients were invited to apply for the Harold F. Tipton Memorial Scholarship.

“It is a great honor for me to be named the Harold F. Tipton Scholar for 2016,” said Erwin Karincic. “This award is the most prestigious in the cybersecurity profession, and I am really proud to be the recipient. I will be sure that it is used to its full potential throughout my studies and my career.”

Mr. Karincic’s passion for technology started when he was only seven years old, growing up in Bosnia. His computer broke and without anyone to fix it, Karincic bought a hard drive and operating system, then figured out how to fix it himself. Immigrating to the United States in 2014, he learned English and began excelling academically, enrolling in college-level courses as a high school student. He is currently studying computer engineering at VCU and plans to pursue a career in cybersecurity.

“It’s quite impressive that Mr. Karincic is a 4.0+ student, has already earned more than nine professional IT certifications, and has competed in several cybersecurity competitions,” said Patrick Craven, director of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education. “He aspires to earn the CISSP and to help mentor other students, which demonstrates his motivation to excel as a leader in the industry. We’re pleased to honor him with this memorial scholarship to help carry on the late Hal Tipton’s legacy.”

Undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students all have the opportunity to build careers in the field of information security through the (ISC)² Information Security Scholarship Program. The scholarship application period for 2017 opened on January 1st with the Women’s Scholarships. The application period for Undergraduate Scholarships opens on February 15th, and on February 28th for Graduate Scholarships.

For more information and to apply, please visit http://www.Iamcybersafe.org/scholarships.

About (ISC)²
(ISC)² is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, (ISC)2 offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, programmatic approach to security. Our membership, over 123,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the public through our charitable foundation – The Center for Cyber Safety and Education. For more information on (ISC)², visit http://www.isc2.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook.

© 2017, (ISC)² Inc., (ISC)², CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP, ISSEP, CSSLP, CAP, CCFP, CCSP, HCISPP, SSCP and CBK are registered marks of (ISC)², Inc.

About the Center for Cyber Safety and Education
The Center for Cyber Safety and Education (the Center), formerly the (ISC)² Foundation, is a nonprofit charitable trust committed to making the cyber world a safer place for everyone. The Center works to ensure that people across the globe have a positive and safe experience online through their educational programs, scholarships and research. Visit http://www.iamcybersafe.org. Reported by PRWeb 2 minutes ago.

In bibliotherapy, the therapist first talks to the patient. If it is a high-school student, he tries to find out details about the student's life-what interests him, and slowly the conflicts and issues that mentally affect him-post which the therapist slowly tries to create a process. Reported by DNA 1 week ago.

The sharp divisions over Donald Trump's election have politicians, celebrities and even high school students debating, two months after the election, whether taking part in the inauguration is a political act that demonstrates support for the new president and his agenda, or a nonpartisan tribute to democratic traditions and the peaceful transfer of power.

The post To celebrate inaugural or not? Donald Trump critics are divided appeared first on Firstpost. Reported by Firstpost 1 week ago.

*Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) MLA Lallan Paswan has stirred a controversy by purportedly asking objectionable questions to girls of a residential Dalit school in Bihars Vaishali district where he had gone in connection with death of a Class X girl allegedly after being raped.*

The MLA from Chenari (reserved seat) in Rohtas district, was captured on camera asking the questions relating to the incident during his visit to the residential school yesterday. RLSP is an ally of BJP in the NDA dispensation.

A Class X girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances near the residential school on Monday morning with blood found on her body. The MLA is seen in the video shown on TV channels asking embarrassing questions to the girls about the incident in the presence of the Principal of the Government Ambedkar Residential High School in Vaishali district yesterday.

The girls were seen answering to the queries of the legislator with great discomfort. Asked about the incident, the RLSP blamed the media for creating an unnecessary controversy.

"My intention was to help the girls of the Dalit residential school and in that spirit I was seeking information about the incident...media showed the video by concocting it," Paswan told PTI in Patna today.

He, however, added, "My way of seeking details of the incident might not be right but my intention was to help them." He also highlighted his own Dalit background to wriggle out of the controversy and said in a veiled criticism of media that "one can portray a Dalit in anyway they like".

Police have registered an FIR against the Principal, Warden and a night guard of the residential school with Sadar police station of Vaishali. Superintendent of Police of Vaishali Rakesh Kumar said Warden Sanju and night guard Mohammad Kaiser have been arrested in connection with the case and police have interrogated several people. Reported by Deccan Herald 6 days ago.

*Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) MLA Lallan Paswan has stirred a controversy by purportedly asking objectionable questions to girls of a residential Dalit school in Bihars Vaishali district where he had gone in connection with death of a Class X girl allegedly after being raped.*

The MLA from Chenari (reserved seat) in Rohtas district, was captured on camera asking the questions relating to the incident during his visit to the residential school yesterday. RLSP is an ally of BJP in the NDA dispensation.

A Class X girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances near the residential school on Monday morning with blood found on her body. The MLA is seen in the video shown on TV channels asking embarrassing questions to the girls about the incident in the presence of the Principal of the Government Ambedkar Residential High School in Vaishali district yesterday.

The girls were seen answering to the queries of the legislator with great discomfort. Asked about the incident, the RLSP blamed the media for creating an unnecessary controversy.

"My intention was to help the girls of the Dalit residential school and in that spirit I was seeking information about the incident...media showed the video by concocting it," Paswan told PTI in Patna today.

He, however, added, "My way of seeking details of the incident might not be right but my intention was to help them." He also highlighted his own Dalit background to wriggle out of the controversy and said in a veiled criticism of media that "one can portray a Dalit in anyway they like".

Police have registered an FIR against the Principal, Warden and a night guard of the residential school with Sadar police station of Vaishali. Superintendent of Police of Vaishali Rakesh Kumar said Warden Sanju and night guard Mohammad Kaiser have been arrested in connection with the case and police have interrogated several people. Reported by Deccan Herald 6 days ago.

*Bengaluru:* Chennai Smashers displayed yet another stellar performance to beat Mumbai Rockets 4-3 and qualify for the semi-finals of the Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

With this win, Mumbai moved to the third spot of the standings with 14 points from four games. Mumbai, who already have reached the semi-finals, remained atop with 19 points from five games.

H.S Prannoy of Mumbai continued his stellar form as he beat his compatriot Parupalli Kashyap 11-9, 13-11 to give his team a flying start.

But Chennai hit back by winning their 'Trump Match' as Chris Adcock and Gabrielle Adcock overcame Chirag Shetty and Nadiezda Zeiba 9-11, 11-2, 11-7.

In the third match, Indonesian Tommy Sugiarto of Chennai made it 3-1 after moving past Ajay Jayaram 8-11, 11-2, 11-5.

Olympic 2016 silver medallist P.V Sindhu stave off a strong challenge from South Korean Sung Ji Hyun 11-8, 12-10 to seal the tie for Chennai.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/11-Yuvi-s.jpg

If there were questions over Yuvraj Singh's form and fitness after his surprise inclusion in the Indian ODI and T20 teams for the England series, he put all of them to rest with an entertaining 56 from 48 balls during the India A versus England warm-up game at Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium yesterday. Yuvraj's knock was studded with six hits to the fence and two sixes. England tried to exploit his weakness with the rising ball when Jake Ball gave Yuvraj a wake-up call with a sharp rising one, but the southpaw was lucky to survive. The ball hit him on the gloves after he took his eyes off it and ducked.

Yuvraj failed to get on top of another rising ball from David Willey, top-edging a pull, only to see it fall short of Adil Rashid who was too deep on the square-leg boundary.

However, Yuvraj got his legs moving while playing the spinners. He hit his first four when he picked Rashid's googly correctly and on-drove him to the fence. No one moved, except the non-striker Ambati Rayudu, who ducked in time to avoid the ball coming in at bullet pace towards him.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/11-Fellaini-s.jpg

Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini struck to give Manchester United a 2-0 victory over injury-ravaged Hull City in Tuesday's League Cup semi-final first leg at Old Trafford.

All eyes were on United captain Wayne Rooney, who is chasing a record 250th goal for the club, but it was Mata who broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before substitute Fellaini added a late second. It puts Jose Mourinho's men in the driving seat ahead of the return leg on January 26, although it was not until Fellaini headed home in the 87th minute that they finally put the game beyond Hull.

"We are not at Wembley, but the second goal is maybe the important goal," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "I was expecting a difficult match.

I wasn't expecting to win by four or five." United have now won nine games in succession ahead of arch rivals Liverpool's visit in the Premier League on Sunday. Hull's new manager Marco Silva, taking charge of his second game, was able to name only six substitutes and lost both Markus Henriksen and Josh Tymon to injury.

"I'm not happy with the result, but I'm happy with the work of my players," said Silva. "With all the problems we had, my boys worked well." Despite Mourinho making seven changes to the team that had outclassed Reading 4-0 in the FA Cup on Saturday, United picked up where they had left off, peppering the Hull goal with shots.

Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic had to produce a one-handed save to thwart Mata inside two minutes and moments later Andy Robertson stopped Rooney applying the finishing touch to Marcus Rashford's shot.

*- Rooney goes close -*
The presence of David Meyler and Tom Huddlestone in defence and the fact there were only six players on the Hull bench told the story of the visitors' injury problems and there was more to come. Henriksen was left clutching his right shoulder in agony after being knocked over by Paul Pogba and had to go off in the 16th minute, with Abel Hernandez taking his place.

United, missing the ill Zlatan Ibrahimovic, continued to swarm forward, Henrikh Mkhitaryan twice shooting wide, Rashford lashing over and Jakupovic shovelling a long-range Pogba effort over the crossbar. But Hull, the Premier League's bottom club, began to offer an attacking threat of their own as half-time approached in the club's first ever League Cup semi-final match.

Adama Diomande gave United a scare when he headed against the post, only for an offside flag to then go up, and both Robert Snodgrass and Hernandez tested David de Gea before the interval. Rooney's moment of history looked to have arrived in the 51st minute when Pogba's fine, flighted pass set him racing in on goal from the right, but he drilled his shot inches wide of the far post.

Instead it was Mata who provided the breakthrough, stabbing in on the volley at the back post after Antonio Valencia's cross from the right was headed back across goal by Mkhitaryan. After Diomande had volleyed over acrobatically for Hull, Pogba came within a whisker of doubling United's lead, his curling free-kick clanging against the left-hand post and bouncing away. It seemed Hull would escape with only a one-goal deficit, but with three minutes remaining Fellaini met Matteo Darmian's cross with a looping header that Huddlestone could only help over the line.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/11-JurgenKlopp-s.jpg

*London:* Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to make amends for their FA Cup flop by delivering a dominant display in tonight's League Cup semi-final first leg against Southampton.

"The question I asked this morning in the dressing room was 'Could we have done better?' 100 per cent yes with this line-up. I don't expect perfection but I have high expectations because I see them every day in training and I was convinced we could play really well.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/jan/11mahi-s.jpg

The India A versus England warm-up game at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium yesterday turned out to be an absolute MS Dhoni affair. Well, almost! More than the final outcome of the game, it was about his leadership qualities, the finisher tag and the man and his popularity as an Indian cricketer.

There were some security concerns before the start of the match and so the authorities had decided to allow entry through just three gates. But in the end, all gates were thrown open and there were close to 25,000 fans to watch Dhoni lead an India outfit perhaps for the last time.

Sam Billings' 85-ball 93 proved to be better than Kuldeep Yadav's five for 60 in the final outcome of the game.*England’s Sam Billings during his innings of 93 yesterday. Pic/PTI*

England were going well with Jason Roy and Alex Hales putting on 95 runs for the first wicket, but some smart bowling changes and field placing by Dhoni reduced the visitors to 112-3 before Bilings and Jos Buttler put on 79 runs for the fourth wicket to bring England back into the game. There were some twists and turns as India A stayed in the game till the penultimate over. But despite the crowd backing, Dhoni couldn't pull off a miraculous win.

There was a time when the crowd had a feeling that they may not see Dhoni bat at all when Shikhar Dhawan (63), Ambati Rayudu (100 retired hurt) and Yuvraj Singh (56) were going great guns. Rayudu scored a 97-ball unbeaten hundred with 11 fours and one six before he retired to get Dhoni into the crease.

Theories of a frosty relationship notwithstanding, it was Yuvraj who signalled to the dressing room and asked the ex-Indian skipper to come in once Rayudu reaches his hundred.

When Dhoni walked out there was not a single individual in the stadium who was seated. Even the strongest of characters could get emotional in this kind of an atmosphere.

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An overenthusiastic fan broke free from the packed crowd to touch his feet while the stands reverberated with his name as MS Dhoni conjured up an innings that had 'MSD' written all over it yesterday.*As bags were not allowed inside the Brabourne Stadium for the India A against England match yesterday, fans were seen piling up their bags on top of bus stops. Pic/Datta Kumbhar*

A fan at the Brabourne Stadium ran on to the field to fall at Dhoni's feet, and when the skipper told him not to step on the pitch, he obliged by jumping over. He was escorted out of the playing area by the police and then taken out of the stadium. The Marine Drive police have charged the fan under the Bombay Police Act, 1951. The cops have booked him under Section 120 (wilfull trespassing). The intruder, whose name has been withheld by the police, was detained till match got over. The overwhelmed man stumbled his way out, constantly turning back to catch a glimpse of his hero. “No further action was taken,” Cricket Club of India sources said.

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*New Delhi:* A host of prominent sportspersons yesterday came out in support of Border Security Force (BSF) soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav over his allegations of poor quality of food served to personnel on the border and corruption among high-ranking officers.

"Really disturbed by the video of our soldiers being deprived of food. Pray that their needs are taken care of .#SaveOurSoldiers," star boxer Vijender tweeted. "Proper food for our Jawans is a must. Bas Baat Khatam.#SaveOurSoldiers," former India batsman Mohammad Kaif added.

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*Indore:* Mumbai blew away the chance to capitalise on 'home' conditions by being bundled out for 228 which gave Gujarat full honours on Day One at the Holkar Stadium yesterday. Mumbai, who traditionally play their cricket on red soil pitches, had the same strip on offer here.

It was Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association's (MPCA) decision to lay two pitches with red soil at the Holkar Stadium. These wickets are the same that are used at the Wankhede and Brabourne Stadiums in Mumbai. Now, the Holkar's centre plot has a total of nine wickets, which include seven consisting of black soil and two with red soil.

All the pitches are looked after by curator Samundar Singh Chauhan.

"Sanjay Jagdale (MPCA pillar) sir was very keen to have red soil wickets at our venue because such pitches in Mumbai helped to generate good bounce and turn too. I spoke to the Wankhede Stadium curator Ramesh Mhamunkar and Brabourne Stadium curator Prakash Adhav in this regard.

"They both helped us to transport Mumbai's red soil here. This is the first time a Ranji Trophy match is being played on red soil," Chauhan told mid-day yesterday.

Gujarat too had a chance to play on pitches consisting of red soil from their stadiums, but due to the state's policy which prevents soil from being sold to other states, Parthiv Patel & Co had no option but to play on the 'Mumbai pitch'. Gujarat, ironically, dominated proceedings, taking full advantage of the sporting wicket yesterday.

"We tried to get red soil from Navsari and Valsad, but we didn't get the permission because of Gujarat government's policy which prevented us from bringing the soil here, so we had to go to Mumbai for red soil," Chauhan added.

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Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) sealed the semi-final berth after defeating Green Bombay High School (Kurla) by an innings and 29 runs on Day Two of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised Giles Shield Elite Division third round tie at New Hind SC, Matunga yesterday.*VMPS’ Shubham Baraskar. Pic/Binaisha M Surti*

The Kurla school, resuming on their overnight score of 72-8, were bowled out for 99 in their first innings. Arun Gupta (3-40) and Moin Khan (3-31) were pick of the bowlers for Rizvi.*VMPS’ Ashwin Yadav. Pic/Binaisha M Surti*

Following on, Green Bombay were skittled out for 144. Aves Khan top-scored with 53 for the Kurla outfit. Mohit Tanwar and Omkar Khot bagged figures of 4-49 and 3-39 respectively.

Rizvi had declared their first innings of 272-8 on Day One.

*VMPS' Shubham, Ashwin shine*
A combined effort from off-spinner Shubham Baraskar (5-44) and skipper Ashwin Yadav (53) helped VPMS Vidya Mandir (Dahisar) beat Gundecha Education Academy (Kandivli) on the basis of their first innings lead at Parsee Gym yesterday.

VMPS scored 221 before Gundecha made 156 in their first innings. The Dahisar school were 140-9 at the end of Day Two.

Balmohan Vidyamandir win Aditya Jadhav's all-round effort helped Balmohan Vidyamandir (Dadar) win on the basis of their first innings lead against Cathedral & John Connon School (Fort) at PJ Hindu Gymk. Earlier, Aditya scored 69 as Balmohan made 193 in their first innings, thus surpassing their opposition total of 177. Aditya then bagged figures of 4-36 to help his team bowl out Cathedral & John Connon for 102. The left-armer finished with a match haul of 11 wickets.

*With inputs from Binaisha M Surti**Brief scores (Day Two)*

· Rizvi Springfield 272-8 decl beat Green Bombay 99 (A Gupta 3-40, Moin Khan 3-31) & follow-on 144 (Aves Khan 53; Mohit Tanwar 4-49, Omkar Khot 3-39) by an innings & 29 runs
· Al-Barkaat 394-6 decl (Jeevan Karlekar 152*; Rohit Joshi 3-95) & 100-1 (Ankit Yadav 50) beat Lilavati Podar 146 (Ansh Bapna 36; Anurag Singh 4-33, Divyanshu Singh 3-45) on 1st innings lead
· VMPS Vidya Mandir 221 & 140-9 (Ashwin Yadav 53, Zenith Sachdev 3-34) beat Gundecha Academy 156-8 decl (Om Vadher 39; Shubham Baraskar 5-44) on 1st innings lead
· Cathedral & John Connon 177 & 102 (Aditya Jadhav 4-36) lost to Balmohan Vidyamandir 193 (Aditya Jadhav 69, Suchit Chavan 32*; Arnav Bakshi 3-33) on 1st innings lead
· Bombay Scottish 247 & 62-0 lost to Gokuldham 303-4 decl (Ronit Thakur 149, Vinit Vanikar 58) on 1st innings lead
· IES VN Sule Guruji 328-3 decl beat Shardashram Vidyamandir 54 & follow-on 83 (Atharva Bhosale 8-22) by an innings & 191 runs
· OLPS 442-9 decl (Harsh Tathare 116, Asad Inamdar 104; Shashank Kamat 3-78) & 51-3 (Atharva Katkar 3-7) beat Pawar Public School 292 (Shashank Kamat 188; Durvesh Patil 3-50) on 1st innings lead
· IES New English 219 lost to SVIS 356-6 (Ayush Jethwa 154, Malhar Mane 76, Rajsingh Deshmukh 52) on 1st innings lead
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*London:* Andy Murray says he does not have a mental block when it comes to the Australian Open despite losing the final of the opening Grand Slam of the season five times.

The World No. 1 - whose season opened with a defeat in the Qatar Open to Novak Djokovic - told The Times in an interview he had also pondered over whether he should accept the knighthood he received in the New Year's Honours list.

Murray, who is in Australia preparing for next week's Aussie Open, is adamant he no longer has issues over tournaments he has yet to win. "I don't feel like I have mental hurdles now," said Murray. "I feel like I'm past that, to be honest. I just go there and give my best to win. So long as I give my best effort, I don't judge myself or feel like I've failed here (Melbourne) or anything like that."

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*Islamabad:* A local court in Karachi yesterday issued arrest warrant against former star cricketer Wasim Akram, after he failed to appear before the court during last 31 hearings of a case.

Akram himself had lodged the case in August last year at Bahadurabad police station against Major (retd) Amirur Rehman and others.

The court issued bailable warrant against Akram and asked him to appear before the court on January 17, Dawn reported.

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At 97 for two when lunch was called, Mumbai were scoring at a good rate. But then, a clinical Gujarat bowling attack shot down the defending champions for 228 on Day One of the Ranji Trophy final at the Holkar Stadium in Indore yesterday. Young Prithvi Shaw top scored for Mumbai with 71. Suryakumar Yadav (57) too found himself amongst runs. For Gujarat, RP Singh, Chintan Gaja and Rujul Bhatt picked two wickets each.

*Also read - Ranji Trophy: Mumbai coach's heart-to-heart chat with players before final*

*Gujarat unhurt*
In reply, Gujarat were two without loss when stumps were drawn. Opener Samit Gohel was dropped by Shaw at first slip off pacer Shardul Thakur's first delivery in the innings. After a shoddy batting performance, Mumbai's head coach Chandrakant Pandit was an unhappy man but expects his bowlers to play a big role today. "Naturally, we will have to bowl them out before they get to 200. That is what we will be aiming for. The first hour will be crucial. We have to get the wickets we need. We should have got one today," said Pandit after the day's play.*Mumbai’s Suryakumar celebrates his fifty. Pic/Prakash Parsekar*

Mumbai made two changes to its semi-final-winning squad. Fit-again opener Akhil Herwadkar replaced Praful Waghela and off-spinner Akshay Girap made way for left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar.

Playing only his second first-class game, 17-year-old Prithvi's innings was the only high point in an otherwise dull day for Mumbai. His on-drives, cover drives and crisp square drives en route his half-century would have pleased all class acts who paraded their skills in this city during the golden years of the national championships.

Prithvi was unbeaten on 70 at lunch, but after the break faced only three deliveries before getting run out on 71 through a major mix-up between him and Suryakumar. It was Suryakumar who prodded the ball to the off side and called his partner for a misjudged single. Prithvi was hesitant and by the time the throw was made to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, Prithvi was well short, bringing an end to his promising 93-ball 71. That was the start as Mumbai batsmen fell like dominoes. They lost four wickets for 82 runs in the second session.

*RP leads the way*
Gujarat's attack was helmed firmly by former India pacer Singh (2-48), who made the difference after lunch. Newcomer Gaja, who played only two first-class games earlier and off-break bowler Rujul Bhatt also bowled well to ensure the wickets column was kept ticking. Pacer Harsh Kalaria and left-arm spinner Hardik Patel took one wicket apiece. "RP's experience is vital for our bowlers. During the break he spoke to our bowlers and discussed the plan of how to bowl to specific batsmen," said Gujarat coach Vijay Patel yesterday. Earlier, Herwadkar was trapped leg before for 13. Shreyas Iyer too failed to capitalise on his 34-ball 14. Abhishek Nayar (35) was the lone soldier at the end of the innings.

*Lad, the victim*
A sour moment for Mumbai would be the dismissal of Siddhesh Lad. The youngster attempted a hook off Singh, but had no contact with the ball. Yet, he was adjudged caught behind by umpire AK Chaudhary for 23. Lad could be forgiven for his delayed exit.*Live Today*
*Mumbai vs Gujarat *
*Day 2: Star Sports 4, *
*HD 4, 09:00*

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Former India cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Tuesday filed nomination for the post of president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

After filing the nomination papers, he exuded confidence of winning the election, likely to be held later this month.

The post fell vacant after Arshad Ayub had to relinquish his post following the Supreme Court verdict on the Lodha Committee reforms.

The 53-year-old is not a voter in HCA but maintained that he has the right to contest the elections in the wake of the Lodha Committee reforms.

The former Member of Parliament said that his basic intention is to see that the game of cricket flourish in Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana. He expressed concern over the poor state of affairs in HCA and said he would like to set right the things and focus on the game.

"There are no funds even to host a cricket match. The cricket board gave so much money to HCA but I don't know what happened to that," he said in an obvious reference to the corruption allegations against some HCA office bearers.

Azhar said the HCA had also confined itself to the city and did not take any steps to promote the game in other parts of Telangana.

HCA officials said Azhar came with an order from a lower court that HCA elections should be held this month. They pointed out that normally the elections are conducted on the last Sunday of May.

This is the first time that Azhar is making a bid to enter the cricket administration in his home town.

One of India's longest-serving captains, Azhar was banned for life by the BCCI for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal in 2000.

Azhar had challenged the ban in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which struck down the board's decision terming it illegal, in 2012. However, the BCCI officially did not lift the ban on Azhar, whose career had already come to an end.

Azhar, who had shot to fame by hitting three consecutive centuries on debut in 1984-85, was one of the India's finest batsmen and most successful captains. He played 99 Tests and 334 One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

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Billings, Jason Roy (62), Jos Buttler (46) and Liam Dawson (41) were the major contributors for the visitors, who chased down India's 304-5 with 1.1 overs and three wickets to spare.

Earlier, put in to bat, the Indian side posted 304-5 with Ambati Rayudu slamming an unbeaten ton. He scored 100 runs in 97 balls before being retired out.

Apart from him, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan (63), Yuvraj Singh (56) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (68 not out) contributed handsomely to India's cause.

For England, David Willey and Jake Ball scalped two wickets each.

Chasing a challenging 304, England started off on a good note as openers Roy (62) and Alex Hales (40) forged a 95-run partnership before Hales was sent back to the pavilion by chinaman spinner Kuldep Yadav in the 15th over of the innings.

Soon after his departure, Yadav scalped his opening partner Roy in the 17th over. His 57-ball knock was laced with nine fours and two sixes.

Skipper Eoin Morgan (3) also failed to step up to the occasion as he was sent packing in the next over by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, with the visitors at 112-3.

The fall of Morgan's wicket brought in Butler, who along with Billings, stitched a crucial 79-run fourth-wicket partnership to help England bounce back into the match.

Yadav removed Buttler in the 31st over to raise Indian hopes again as the batsman offered a catch to Mohit Sharma.

Moeen Ali was the next batsman to join Billings but was dismissed in the same over with the scoreboard reading 191 for five.

Later, the sixth-wicket partnership of 99 runs between Billings and Liam Dawson (41) put the visitors back in command.

When Billings was bowled by medium pacer Hardik Pandya in the 46th over, the damage was already done and England needed barely 15 runs to win.

Lower-order batsmen Chris Woakes (11) and Adil Rashid (6) then completed the formalities to give the visitors a boost ahead of the much important One-Day International (ODI) series.

For India, Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, scalping five wickets for 60 runs.

*Brief scores:* India A: 304-5 (Ambati Rayudu 100, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 68 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 63, Yuvraj Singh 56; David Willey 55-2, Jake ball 2-61). England: 307-7 in 48.5 overs (Sam Billings 93, Jason Roy 62, Jos Buttler 46; Kuldeep Yadav 5-60).

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*Kolkata*: India's outgoing limited-overs team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be felicitated by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) when India play their third and final One-Day International match against England in Kolkata at the Eden Gardens.

Dhoni stepped down as India's ODI and T20I captain recently. Test skipper Virat Kohli has been appointed as Dhoni's successor. The third ODI match will be played on January 22. The first match will be played in Pune on January 15.

Dhoni, who scored an unbeaten 68 in his last match as captain of India A side playing a practice match against England XI in Mumbai on Tuesday, will be given a plaque and a shawl, CAB officials said.

The Ranchi man is arguably India's finest captain, leading India to two World Cup triumphs -- T20I title in 2007 and ODI World Cup in 2011.

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In a letter to the Ministry of Sports dated January 9, IOA President N. Ramachandran claimed that the national Olympic body has not passed any resolution to honour the controversial duo.

"In the annual general meeting held in Chennai on 27.12 2016 at the fag end of the meeting a point was raised by a member stating that IOA should nominate 2 (two) Life Presidents," Ramachandran said in the letter addressed to Sports Secretary Injeti Srinivas.

"As no notice in writing was received (within) at least seven clear days as per the constituition clause VII (h) no resolution was put to vote and passed," he said.

Ramachandran said that members could make proposals in a meeting but if it did not meet the provisions of the constitution, it could not be assumed that the proposal had been approved and passed in the meeting.

"In the view of the above, since the proposal was not in accordance with the constitution, the inconvenience and embarrassment caused to the individuals concerned, members of IOA and to all is sincerely regretted," Ramachandran said.

The IOA's decision to appoint Kalmadi and Chautala as life presidents had invited severe criticism from various quarters with the sports ministry issuing a show-cause notice before suspending the deemed recognition of the national Olympic body.

Following the suspension, the IOA has ceased to enjoy the privileges and prerogatives bestowed on it by the government as the National Olympic Committee (NOC). All government assistance, financial or otherwise, to the IOA has also been stopped.

Kalmadi served as the IOA President from 1996 to 2011 and was jailed for 10 months for his involvement in the corruption scandal that cast a shadow on the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, but was later released on bail.

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WWE Raw witnessed the epic return of WWE superstar The Undertaker who had a huge announcement to make at the upcoming Royal Rumble 2017 event later this month.

Undertaker marked his return to WWE Raw and announced that he would be participating in the Royal Rumble event and stated it would be dark. He also warned anyone against standing in his way. He also made his intentions clear to headline WrestleMania 33.

Roman Reigns faced Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho in a 2-on-1 hnadicap match for the United States title. The match moved both ways with Owens and Jericho overpowering Roman Reigns, with the latter delivering fitting replies. However, after Kevin Owens powerbombed Roman Reigns and Chris Jericho followed it up with the code-breaker, Roman Reigns lost his US title.

WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Shawn Michaels too, made his return to the WWE Raw to announce his upcoming movie as well as reliving past Royal Rumble memories before Rusev and his wife Lana interrupted. Enzo Amore and Big Cass then entered as the latter challenged Rusev to a match, but Rusev declined. Cass faced Jinder Mahal and beat him while outside Rusev was met with Sweet Chin Music by Shawn Michaels.

Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman fought but were both counted out. As Strowman attacked Seth Rollins, he fought back with a chair.

Jack Gallagher defeated Drew Gulak with a running dropkick while Neville defeated Dorado with his rings of saturn submission. After Neville attacked Doraro, WWE Cruiserweight champ Rich Swann made the save.

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England seemed to have got over their 0-4 Test debacle despite nine of them playing in the ODIs. And why not? They have a new skipper in Eoin Morgan and their record with the white ball and coloured clothing is not so disastrous as against in whites. And the way all-rounder Ben Stokes, the skipper Morgan himself, opener Alex Hales, wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler and the others were belting the ball at the Brabourne Stadium was amply evident that they are in good spirit.

"They are very motivated. In India, regardless which format has been played first, the side generally improves and since this side has been together there has been no backlash or no repercussions from any performance. I don’t expect it to have any effect," Morgan said. He felt that the warm-up games will help them adapt to the conditions well going ahead into the series.

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Former Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke's wife Kyly posted a video of her teaching their one-year-old daughter Kelsey Lee how to swim.

In the video she posted on Instagram, the doting mother is seen holding Kelsey as she kicked and splashed in the backyard pool.

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*Indore:* After tough practice sessions, some cricketers relax by listening to music. Others prefer a massage. But Gujarat's prolific opening batsman Priyank Panchal reaches out for a pen and his diary to jot down his essential 'to do' list.

Panchal, this Ranji season's highest run-getter with 1270 runs, is all set to take on Mumbai in the Ranji final here today.

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The decks are finally cleared to stage the India A vs England warm-up ties at the Cricket Club of India’s (CCI) Brabourne Stadium after the Mumbai Police finally agreed to provide security for today’s day-night encounter and also for the next game on Thursday.

"We had a meeting regarding providing security to the practice matches and have decided to provide security for the same, but talks are on regarding payment of the security cover," said Ashok Dudhe, DCP (Operation).

The original fee for the police bandobast for the warm-up matches was Rs 10 lakh each which the CCI was willing to pay. But the presence of high profile stars like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane to name a few, have made the police realise that they will need more force to man the stadium than they had earlier thought about and so demanded Rs 60 lakh as a revised fee.

The CCI will get Rs 1 lakh each from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for hosting the two matches and entry for the matches is free. The CCI expressed their inability to cough up the revised fee as demanded by the police. Some sources in BCCI also said that the cricket body was not willing to pay the security fee, giving a hint of their non-cooperation with the Supreme Court and its recommendations that followed.

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All eyes were on MS Dhoni as the India A team got ready for nets on the eve of their day-night warm-up game against England at Cricket Club of India's (CCI) Brabourne Stadium yesterday.

This is Dhoni's first public appearance after he stepped down from India's ODI and T20 captaincy, so the spotlight on the ex-skipper was obvious. This isn't anything new for him and so there wasn't any apparent display of emotions as he went about playing football, stretching and warming up with the rest and padding up to bat in the second round of the nets session.

Dhoni got an extended hit at the nets, maybe because he wasn't middling the ball as much as he would have liked to when he started.

*Dhoni goes aerial*
He mistimed few of the big hits to start with but was soon in his element, hitting spinners and pacers alike deep into the stands. And once he was happy with his strokes, he left the nets to come and sign autographs for waiting fans on the sidelines.

Another cricketer in focus, Yuvraj Singh, his swagger intact, arrived a little late than his teammates and went about doing his warm-up and stretching routine on the foam roller along with another veteran in the team - Ashish Nehra. Both had some catching and fielding practice before coming in to bowl.

Nehra, bowling off a short run-up showed why he is so dangerous with the white ball. One, he was accurate in line and length and two, he was also moving the ball either ways beating almost everyone he bowled to.

*Balls fly at Brabourne*
Yuvi, who was bowling at the adjacent net, was more flatter and faster after Mandeep Singh deposited some of his tossed up ones in the stands. Mandeep was looking to hit everything over the top, but was watchful against Yuzvendra Chahal. He didn't show much discomfort handling the seamers as well, but handled Nehra with lot of respect. Shikhar Dhawan, returning from injury, was a bit tentative to start with. He was seen flashing anything that was outside off and missing, mostly those from the seamers which moved away after pitching. He was quite comfortable playing the spinners, though he preferred playing most of his shots off the back foot cutting and pulling.

*Hardik looks fully fit*
Among the others, Kuldeep Yadav, bowling left-arm chinaman, also looked brilliant. Hardik Pandya seems to have recovered well from his injury and as proof of it, made Sanju Samson smell leather on few occasions. Ambati Rayudu mistimed a few to start with and took some time before finding the sweet spot of the bat.

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With Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) expressing its inability to host next month's India Under-19 games against their England counterparts, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar feels these matches should be shifted and hosted in Mumbai.

"As a former captain of India, I feel that if TNCA is unable to host the Under-19 games against England, Mumbai can host it as it has more international venues than any other city in India," the ex-chief selector said.

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*London:* Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has pledged to bring out the heavy artillery for today's League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Hull City.

United face a showdown with fellow League Cup semi-finalists Liverpool in the league at the weekend, but with a day out at Wembley only 180 minutes away, Mourinho does not want to take any chances.

"We play against Liverpool, a big match for us, but we want to be in the final," he said. "So we are going to face this Hull match with everything we have, all the power we have, as we know it's two legs, but the second leg is away.

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*Zurich:* Argentine football legend Diego Maradona yesterday backed controversial plans to expand the World Cup to 48 teams, a day before world football's powerful governing council faces a key decision on the issue.

"It sounds a fantastic idea," the 56-year-old told reporters at FIFA's Zurich headquarters. "This will give more possibilities to countries that have never reached that level of competition," he added.

The hobbled Maradona spoke dripping with sweat after rumbling his way through a mini-tournament involving former football greats and current executives. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has organised a series of so-called "Legends Tournaments" since taking charge of the body last year, playing alongside former footballers in front of assembled media.

"The quality will not fall," Maradona said when asked about those concerns.

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*Barcelona:* After FC Barcelona’s last gasp 1-1 draw against Villareal in a La Liga match, head coach Luis Enrique conceded that his team is now relying on Real Madrid to slip up after they fell five points behind the capital club at the top of the Spanish football league.

With the draw on Sunday night, Barcelona are third with 35 points from 17 games, while Zinedine Zidane-coached Real have 40 points from 16 games. Sevilla are second with 36 points from 17 matches.

"We don’t depend on ourselves in the league," Barcelona coach Enrique was quoted by ESPNFC as saying in his post-game news conference.*Luis Enrique*

"But there’s still half of the season and more to go. So of course there’s time (for a reaction in title race) and we (still) have the opportunity to fight for (the title), but we depend on Madrid. The only option we have is to start winning right now. To win and to keep winning."

Messi’s 13th goal in La Liga this season rescued a point for Barcelona after Nicola Sansone’s opener, but Enrique felt his side was worthy of all three points.

"We deserved the three points in terms of chances and in terms of play, but we’re not in a favourable dynamic. We hit the post and we generated enough chances to win," he added.

"I would like to say that Barcelona have played poorly, but that wasn’t even the case in (Athletic) Bilbao (when the team lost 1-2 in the King’s Cup pre-quarterfinal). They’ve been two satisfactory performances, but the results are bad. We have to enter another dynamic now," he added.

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Aditya Jadhav's all-round effort put Balmohan Vidyamandir (Dadar) in command against Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort) on Day One of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised Giles Shield Elite Division third-round tie at Hindu Gymkhana yesterday.

First, the left-arm spinner bowled an incredible spell of 21.5 overs to bag figures of 7-50 and then scored an unbeaten 55 to help his team to 114-2 in 35 overs when stumps were drawn.*VMPS’s Raj Kaila and Ayush Karaval*

Electing to field, Balmohan unleashed Aditya, whose guile and variation troubled the opposition batsmen. The spinner dismissed Arnav Shah (21) leg before wicket and then had Aayaan Jain (3) caught by Tejas Shede. Next, he scalped Amogh Gwalani (72) and Sahil Shroff (14).

Later, Aditya bowled Nishant Ramesh (20). His sixth wicket came in the form of Dev Alimchandani, who was stumped by wicketkeeper Vedant Zende. Zahan Lamba (2) became Aditya's seventh victim.*Al-Barkaat’s Jeevan Karlekar. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi*

Medium pacer Shagun Jadhav, who finished with figures of 3-20, ably supported Aditya. The Fort school were bowled out for 177 in 57.5 overs Balmohan reached 114-2 in 35 overs when stumps were drawn. Aditya carried the momentum with the bat, smashing seven fours during his 110-ball innings.*Rizvi’s Owais Khan*

*Raj, Ayush shine*
Riding on half centuries by Raj Kaila (53) and Ayush Karaval (68), Vidya Mandir (Dahisar) managed 221 in 84.1 overs against Gundecha Education Academy (Kandivli) at Parsee Gymkhana.

The duo batted confidently as they notched up a 107-run partnership for the fifth wicket. For the Kandivli outfit, left-arm spinner Zenith Sachdev (3-39) was the pick of the bowlers. Pacers Rudra Bhatt and Suryansh Shedge bagged two wickets apiece.

In reply, Gundecha were 32-1 in four overs.

*Ton-up Jeevan sizzles*
Centurion Jeevan Karlekar (128*) powered Al-Barkaat MMI English School (Kurla) to 344-6 in 83 overs against Lilavati Podar (Santacruz) at Matunga Gymkhana.

Jeevan's unbeaten 225-ball innings on Day One included 18 boundaries. He was ably partnered by Saumil Malandkar (63) and Ankit Yadav (59). The Santacruz bowler Rohit Joshi finished the day with figures of 3-79.

*Owais scores ton for Rizvi*
Owais Khan's (139) century helped Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) post a score of 272-8 decl vs Green Bombay High School (Kurla) at New Hind SC, Matunga.

Owais' 116-ball innings included 24 hits to the fence and three sixes. Moin Khan (32) and Mayank Piyotiya (31) chipped in. Abhishek Jaiswar bagged figures of 4-70. In reply, the Kurla school were 72-8 in at stumps. Arun Gupta (3-32) was the pick of the bowlers for Rizvi*Brief scores (Day1)*

· *Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) 272-8 decl (Owais Khan 139; Abhishek Jaiswar 4-70) vs Green Bombay Urdu High School 72-8 (Arun Gupta 3-32)*
· *Al-Barkaat 344-6 decl (Jeevan Karlekar 128*, Saumil Malandkar 63; Rohit Joshi 3-79) vs vs Lilavati Podar*
· *VMPS Vidya Mandir 221 (Ayush Karaval 68, Raj Kaila 53; Zenith Sachdev 3-39) vs Gundecha Academy, Kandvli 32-1 £Cathedral & John Connon 177 (Amogh Gwalani 72, Aditya Jadhav 7-50) vs Balmohan Vidyamandir 114 for 2 (Aditya Jadhav 55*)*
· *Bombay Scottish School, Mahim 243-9 (Zeyb Mulla 72, Aditya Giri 43, Nirwan Nithani 36, Khush Jain 4-57) vs Gokuldham*
· *IES VN Sule Guruji 328-3 decl (Vedprakash Jaiswal 214, Harsh Salunkhe 56) vs Shardashram Vidyamandir, Dadar 54 (Atharva Bhosale 4-25) & 0-1*
· *OLPS 414-8 (Harsh Tathare 116, Asad Inamdar 80*, Shawn Fernandes 47, Aryan Nagwekar 46) vs Pawar Public School*
· *Indian Education Society, Bandra 219 (Chinmay Gawde 73, Aryan Desai 35) vs Swami Vivekanand Internationa, Borivli 76-0*
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Lionel Messi's size is overpowering on the football field, but his dog at home seems to overshadows his size.

The Barcelona forward's Dogue de Bordeaux seems to be growing at an astonishing rate. The striker and his partner Antonella Roccuzzo have regularly posted the pictures of the dog on social media at various stages since purchasing it as a puppy.

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Mumbai and Gujarat, two teams from the West Zone will battle it out for Ranji Trophy glory at the Holkar Stadium here today. While Mumbai is playing its 46th final, it will be a stern test for Gujarat, who are in their first final in 66 years. After yesterday's net session, coach Chandrakant Pandit sat down individually with each player from his team. "I spoke with all of them individually to understand their mindset. I tried to get them into a positive frame of mind before this important match. My ultimate aim is to increase their confidence level and tell them what we expect from them," Pandit said.

*Also read: Teenager Prithvi Shaw's debut ton takes Mumbai to their 46th Ranji Trophy final*

Mumbai's Akhil Herwadkar, after missing out four games, said his aim would be to spend as much time as possible at the crease. "It was very disappointing to be out of cricket. But I had to patiently wait for my recovery. Now, after practising, I am ready and confident for the final," Herwadkar, who will play his second Ranji Trophy final, added.

Meanwhile, Vijay Gohil asserted that he is ready to face challenges that come his way during his first Ranji final. "I tried too many things during the semi-final against Tamil Nadu. In the final, I will try to bowl to my strength. I am confident that I will overcome my failures in the last game and will take wickets in this important clash. I am going to play my first Ranji final and want to make it a memorable one with many wickets," said Gohil.

For Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare, winning the title is equivalent to a successful season, unlike other sides (who are happy to qualify for the knockout stage), he reckoned. "We have been brought up in such tough situations and conditions, which is why we have been qualifying for the past five to 10 seasons. If we don't win the Ranji Trophy, it's an unsuccessful season. We are used to high standards and that's how it should be. Everyone who enters the squad knows what it takes to play for Mumbai and win the Ranji Trophy. The aim is to win it as a unit," Tare added.

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*Sydney:* Slovakia's World No. 6 Dominika Cibulkova dropped just two games in blistering heat to win her opening match at the Sydney International yesterday. The diminutive Cibulkova, who upset World No. 1 Angelique Kerber to win the WTA finals in Singapore last October, swept past Germany's World No. 31 Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-0.

Cibulkova, will next play Canadian wild card Eugenie Bouchard in the second round of the WTA lead-in tournament to next week's Australian Open.

*Caroline Wozniacki*

When you start a season, you always start with some confidence, not doubt, but you always need to get into this match rhythm, said Cibulkova. It's not easy if I would expect myself to play like I did in the (WTA) final against Kerber, I think that would be too much expectation.

This is the time of the year when you just have to warm up yourself in the matches, Cibulkova added.

Former World No. 1 and seventh seed Caroline Wozniacki dumped Olympic champion and last year's finalist Monica Puig out of the tournament 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Puig had 12 break point opportunities but could only convert three, while Wozniacki put away three of four break points.

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*New Delhi:* Hockey India League (HIL) has been a financial boon to the players world over and is set to change the life of Australian forward Tom Craig, who intendsto pay for his university fees with earnings from the upcoming event.

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Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Best Male Player Award over his great rival Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann for a stellar 2015-16 season, at a glittering ceremony here.

Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or, given by France Football magazine, in December, with both honours recognition for success in the Champions League with Real and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

"I will never forget 2016," Ronaldo said, as quoted by the BBC on Monday.

He thanked his team-mates, family and his whole staff. Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri won FIFA Best Men's Coach award. Argentine legend Diego Maradona handed the award to Ranieri.

"I'm crazy now," said the Leicester coach, as quoted by the BBC.

"Thank you so much for voting me. I'm 65 now, I start now as a manger!"

Ex-Germany coach Silvia Neid won the FIFA Best Women's Coach award.

Mohd Faiz Subri, forward of club Penang in the 2016 Malaysia Super League won the Fifa Puskas Award for the best goal.

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Former World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy seems to be in awe of Tiger Woods, but his fiancee erica Stoll doesn't seem to approve the bonding the two golfers share.

"He's an intriguing character because you could spend two hours in his company and see four different sides to him. He's thoughtful. He's smart.*Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll*

"But he struggles to sleep, which I think is an effect of over training, so I tell him to calm down sometimes. He'd be texting me at four o'clock in the morning," McIlroy told the Sunday Independent.

However, McIlroy informed that his fiancee erica doesn't approve the texts from Woods at odd times. McIlroy said: "erica actually got p*ss*d off with it. He was texting me in the middle of the night and I was like, 'Tiger is in the gym'."

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*Indore:* Defending champions Mumbai will vie for their 42nd title as they face Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy final at the Holkar Stadium here today. Mumbai have had a tough season. Opening batsman Akhil Herwadkar, bowling spearhead Dhawal Kulkarni and left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil were constantly plagued with injuries. The Aditya Tare-led side have also had to shuffle their line-up due to players' fitness worries. However, injury concerns will be a thing of the past as Mumbai will have all 17 members fit for selection on D-Day.

Tare & Co now have three opening batsmen to choose from. Herwadkar, who scored 447 runs with two centuries in six games, young Prithvi Shaw, who smashed a century on debut against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final and Praful Waghela, who batted well in the second innings against Tamil Nadu, but failed to carry his momentum.

In the spin department, Mumbai have two left-armers - young Gohil, who is also the side's highest wicket-taker this season with 27 wickets and Vishal Dabholkar, apart from off-spinner Akshay Girap.

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Former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag, who is known as the Nawab of Twitter, trolled a UAE-based website for mistaking MS Dhoni with Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

*Read Story: When a website used Sushant Singh Rajput's picture for MS Dhoni's story**Sushant Singh Rajput in a still from 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'*

Following MS Dhoni stepping down as India's ODI captain and Virat Kohli being appointed in his place, the website posted a picture of Sushant Singh Rajput alongside Kohli.

*Also Read: Twitterati trolling Piers Morgan for thanking Virender Sehwag is shameful!**MS Dhoni*

This mistake was probably due to the fact that Sushant Singh Rajput portrayed the role of the Jharkand cricketer in the Bollywood biopic 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.' Virender Sehwag wasted no time in trolling the website with a post on Twitter, by asking their airline to not mistake him with one of his duplicates.



.@Emirates247 I am flying with you in a while , hope you don't allow him to board instead of me. pic.twitter.com/arF5WZ7qEf

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 7, 2017

However, little did Viru know that he himself had goofed up after mistaking the UAE based website for an airline carrier. Emirates airline then replied to Sehwag assuring him that they 'got his back' with this Tweet.



@virendersehwag No worries, we've got your back. We look forward to your next flight with us. @Emirates247 pic.twitter.com/lTzWQWeYFZ

— Emirates airline (@emirates) January 8, 2017

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*Kolkata:* Former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) current chief, Sourav Ganguly revealed yesterday that he received a death threat, ordering him not to visit Midnapore where he was expected to be on January 5.*Envelope of the threat letter addressed to Ganguly’s mother Nirupa*

 

The letter from All India Anti Corruption Committee was accompanied by pictures of dead men, indicating what Ganguly could face if he visited Midnapore. With elections coming up, Ganguly was scheduled to visit various districts of West Bengal to check cricketing infrastructure.

 

A person called Z Alam wrote the letter in Bengali and sent it via Sky King couriers.

 

It was addressed to Ganguly's mother Nirupa, saying, "If your son comes to West Midnapore, he will not return home alive." The letter arrived when Ganguly was in England. When he opened it, he kept the matter to himself. Finally, he decided to call up, Ashish Chakravarthy, a representative of CAB in Madnipore. Chakravarthy said he would look into the matter. While police are investigating the case, according to PTI, Ganguly wouldn't say whether he would give the January 19 trip a miss.

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Marriage seems to have brought its fair share of fortune for Punjab cricketer Mandeep Singh. The 25-year-old tied the knot with his girlfriend Jagdeep Jaiswal, a British national, on December 25 in a Gurudwara near his hometown of Phagwara in Jalandhar.

Less than two weeks later the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman was included in the Indian side for three T20s against England. "My wife has been my lucky charm," Mandeep said.

And with a hectic schedule ahead, a honeymoon is certainly not on the cards. "I told her that we can do whatever we want till December 31. We will think about the honeymoon later, maybe after the Indian Premier League (IPL)," he added. Reported by Mid-Day 6 days ago.

*President of Zilla Panchayat standing committee for Social Justice Beeri Hundi Basavanna expressed displeasure over the performance of taluk panchayat executive officers (EO) for delay in taking up renovation works at anganwadi centres and primary school buildings in the district.*

ZPChief Executive Officer (CEO) P Shivashankar asked EOs to prepare a list of anganwadis and primary schools that need to be renovated in the year 2017-18.

Basavannawas addressing officials during the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP)progress review meeting at the ZPauditorium on Wednesday. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of ZPpresident Nayeema Sultana.

Shivashankar said that the state government is reluctant to release funds for repair of primary school buildings as officials are not spending the funds released for the same. "Even though an action plan for various schools was approved in June-July 2016, no works have been initiated in many of the schools as the TP executive officers are not showing interest. The EOs and the Assistant Executive Engineers (AEEs) should take steps to complete the works before March 31," he said.

Beeri Hundi Basavanna said a majority of the school buildings in the district are in a dilapidated condition and need immediate renovation. "If the officials fail to take up the works, the government will stop realising funds," he said.

Deputy Director for Public Instructions (DDPI) HRBasappa said the department has already sent a proposal for Rs 10.50 crore to the state government for renovation works. He said, "The department had written a letter to the government seeking permission to hand over works of Gopalpura High School to the Round Table as the NGO was ready to invest an additional Rs 11 lakh and had offered to construct two new toilets. Government, however, issued directives to take up the works through Public Works department or Nirmithi Kendra. The government has also sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for the school," he said.

The CEO directed the DDPIto transfer funds to PWDso that the Round Table could take up works as per norms.

*Open goshalas*

Chairman of Agriculture and Industry Standing Committee Dayananda Murthy urged officials of the Animal Husbandry department to take measures to open 'goshalas' in parts of the district as only a few farmers are getting fodder for their cattle in the existing fodder banks. The department has opened a few banks but they are unable to meet the demands. An officer said they have distributed 100 tonnes of fodder from December 15, 2016, but it is not possible to meet the demand as many farmers, even though they have stored sufficient fodder, keep seeking fodder from banks.

"We need three tonnes of fodder every day and the department has already distributed 104 tonnes," he said.

Beeri Hundi Basavanna said though the government and officials are striving to bring all farmers under crop insurance scheme, a few bank managers are not accepting the premium amount from farmers. He urged authorities to take measures in this regard.

*No bird flu*

Officials of the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services confirmed that no bird flu cases had been reported in the district. Following bird flu outbreak in Mysuru Zoo, the department had collected samples of poultry and birds, and had sent blood samples to a lab in Bengaluru. Till now no positive case has been reported, confirmed the officials. Reported by Deccan Herald 5 days ago.

The taboo around alcohol has come down significantly in India, especially in metro cities, where it has been accepted as a way of socialising, not only among adults but also among teenagers.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 30 per cent of India’s population consumes alcohol regularly. The percentage of under-15 boys who have not had alcohol has gone down from 44 per cent to 30 per cent and for girls it has decreased from 50 per cent  to 31 per cent, reveals another study done by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Easy availability of liquor, access to alcohol at home, curiosity, peer pressure and its association with a certain kind of lifestyle have contributed to this shift in drinking patterns. According to Dr Rajesh Kumar, who has been running SPYM, a de-addiction centre in Delhi, more teenagers are now consuming alcohol and reasons are still the same — peer-pressure and the need to fit in a group. ‘Try at least once’ is how it starts for many teenagers, he says. Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Avinash De Sousa believes that alcohol is often taken as a status symbol. He says, “For boys, it’s about their ability to withstand the amount of liquor.”

-*Liquor inside the school*-

In a conversation with school students, many admit buying liquor themselves from a store or arranging it from their parents’ collection.

“My friend brought vodka in a water bottle. We tried it during the lunch break. Nobody got a whiff of it,” says Shruti*, a Class 12 student in Indore. She considers it a thrilling experience without having to face any consequences. Her friend had arranged the booze from her father’s bar.

In another incident in Delhi, Kunal*, a student of Class 9 mixed vodka in water and brought it to the school. Not only was he drinking it inside the classroom but was also sharing it with his friends. However, he was caught on his way home in the  school bus and his parents were called. His mother blatantly refused to believe that her child would indulge in drinking.

While liquor consumption by teenagers was earlier limited to parties, weekend trips, and sleepovers, now taking alcohol to school has become a new trend and these two aren’t the only examples. “Socially, everything has changed, more so in India where the availability of drinks is in excess without any monitoring. Bacardi’s Breezer has around 4% of alcohol in it, but you need not go to a liquor shop to buy it as it is easily available in regular shops,” says Springdales School’s Principal Ameeta Wattal.

Questioning modern day parenting, she says, “In India, parents have become liberal. They allow children to drink Breezer or wine occasionally. These children are then likely to go ahead and try whiskey and other hard drinks. Parents do not know how to say no these days. All they want to do is be their child’s friend. If everybody is going to be a friend, who is going to be a parent? Parenting is important too! It is required very much in Indian metro cities.”

While schools have put the onus on parenting, parents find themselves in a complicated situation where they think being a friend is better than staying as a stranger. “Children are going to do what they want to, either we be in sync with it and tell them what should be done to what extent or remain oblivious to their life. I am concerned about where and how much is my daughter drinking and that is due to health and safety reasons. I am not against it morally,” says a mother of a 13-year-old girl.

 “Consumption of alcohol among children is rampant. When high school children party, alcoholic beverages are a part of it. These days it has entered school premises as well. On outstation trips, children are smuggling alcohol in shampoo bottles. They drink and that’s how it is. My daughter is 16 and I am aware she takes a drink or two socially,” adds another mother on condition of anonymity.

-*Binge drinking*-

Another reason for the rising issue is the various games based on liquor or centred around it, which are now gaining popularity amongst teenagers. Binge drinking, bottoms-up, or doing shots determine who can drink the most and with minimum intervals, thus leading to more alcohol consumption. According to a survey by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), young people across the globe consume more than 90 per cent of their alcohol through binge drinking. Statistics also reveal that at least once in a month, 5.3 million young people had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion, within a few hours. And, 1.3 million young people had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on 5 or more days over a month.

Director of Don Bosco Youth Services (DBYS), Fr Cleophas Braganza blames consumerism for this change. According to him, “The urban youth are more exposed to the culture of consumerism which seeks to promote a lifestyle of hedonism and many literally live for the weekend where they can splurge lavishly without any care.”

-*Laws in India*-

There is no uniform law related to legal age of drinking in India as it varies from state to state since the subject of alcohol is included in the State list. While it is legal to drink alcohol at the age of 18 in Puducherry and Rajasthan, it is 25 in Delhi. In fact, the age at which one can legally buy liquor is different from the age at which it can be consumed. 

For example, in Maharashtra, one can buy a bottle of whiskey at the age of 18 but can consume it only if the person is above 25.

Drinking and driving is a punishable offence with a jail term or fine or both, but the laws are applicable only for adults since under-18 offenders come under juvenile category and thus can’t be taken for a medical examination or to the police station. It is also the reason why most teenagers get away easily.

On January 1, 2017, a 17-year-old was caught drunk after his car hit a 40-year-old woman in South-west Delhi’s Nasirpur area. Even as his mother refused to accept that her son could drink alcohol, the witness confirmed that the boy was smelling of liquor and seemed tipsy. There are several such incidents but barely a few get reported due to the age factor. This particular incident caught everyone’s eye as the boy failed to escape the place where the incident happened and also because the woman was badly injured. Usually, young students get away by paying a small amount to the traffic police.

While some question laws, Advocate Amit Karkhanis suggests that considering the changing social structure, there should be some provision where juveniles are not seen as children but are treated according to the gravity of an offence. “We can’t find every solution in law. Some changes need to be embedded at home through parenting.”

-*Why drinking has an age limit*-

It is scientifically proven that the sooner a child starts drinking, the higher are chances of him/her developing dependency on it. That’s why the drinking age is kept between 21-25 years. Another reason is that the brain of a person develops till the age of 18-20. Underage drinking can therefore affect the development process and is therefore discouraged, says Dr Kumar.

Alcohol is a brain depressant and gets absorbed quickly into the bloodstream from the stomach and the small intestine. If consumed over a prolonged span of time, it may cause damage to major organs, including the liver and/or the brain. It also contains ethanol or ethyl alcohol, an intoxicating agent which produces mind-altering effects and even a small quantity of it can impair the judgment  required to take decisions including operation of an automobile. Thus, drinking and driving lead to road accidents as it has happened in the past.

-*What’s happening around the world*-

According to the NIAAA, about 35 per cent of teens across the globe have had at least 1 drink by the age of 15, whereas, about 65 per cent of teens have had at least 1 drink by the age of 18. 61 per cent of the 190 countries have a drinking age of 18 or 19 years old. It is 21 years for the United States and 11 other countries, and between 18-25 in India. However, according to Procon.org, it is banned in all 16 Muslim countries, while some have concessions for non-Muslims.

-*How to solve the problem*-

Working with the purpose to ensure alcoholics stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety, a self-help group named Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has over 10,000 members in Mumbai, highlighting the number of people with the realisation of an addiction. However, youngsters aren’t keen on bringing any change.

“Teens have started coming for these meetings but they are not too determined to quit drinking alcohol. They have to understand that they have to play the role of a doctor for themselves,” says Ashok Ghadge, who was an alcoholic 14 years ago and is now a counselor in AA. Education is the only solution. We need to make students aware about alcohol and it effects on their body as a part of their curriculum. They need to be explained why underage drinking is discouraged. Also, parents need to encourage a discussion around it instead of scolding their children after they get caught, says Dr Kumar. He further adds that banning is not a solution, be it at home or in the state. We should rather encourage responsible drinking.

(*names have been changed)

ReportIndiaHeena KhandelwalLaveena FrancisDNANew DelhiMumbai

· Health
· Alcohol
· Rajesh Kumar
· Springdales School
· United States
· Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
· National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
· drinking

Thu, 12 Jan 2017-08:00am
Date updated: 
Thursday, 12 January 2017 - 8:00am
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From Print Edition:  Reported by DNA 5 days ago.

A year ago, Thane traffic constable Seema Kale reprimanded a Shiv Sena worker. Not only had the party worker violated traffic rules, he had assaulted Kale for performing her duties. In a welcome move, this paper reported, the Thane Traffic Department has rewarded Kale with Rs 10,000 for bravery. While the recognition arrived a year late, but it’s a great precedent and will encourage our police force to be fearless when faced with political thugs.

Apparently, the Sena worker was talking on his cell phone while driving. When Kale pulled him up for it, the driver abused and hit her. But the braveheart cop did not get intimidated by his political might and hit him back. The driver was arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

It is not new for party workers to use their political clout to try and wriggle out of crimes, but it cannot be tolerated any longer.

Our policewomen have been on the receiving end of many such assaults by political thugs, who consider female cops as soft targets. Quite often, these goons also admit to feeling insulted if women no matter the uniform they may be wearing — book them for their faults. But cops, in general, have been dealing with a rise in road rage, in a society where tolerance is becoming non-existent.

In September last year, even blasé Mumbai was shocked when traffic cop Vilas Shinde died after a biker hit him on the head after being for riding sans helmet. Have we become so callous that we cannot fathom being pulled up for our own mistakes?

Perhaps, yes. It’s with this knowledge in the backdrop that Kale’s actions seem all the more heroic.

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In a shocking recovery, officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized over 1,000 food packets fro m a godown situated in Vasai, after it was found that workers were changing the expiry dates of the products before dispatching the consignment.

According to police, the godown was given on rent to Mahavir Shalaka Mahila Mandal, which has been supplying food packets to slum children in Vasai area under the Child Welfare Act.

*Behind closed doors*
The incident came to light on Tuesday, when a group of officials from the Vasai-Virar Mahanagar Corporation (VVMC) were conducting an inspection drive in the area. When they noticed that the godown’s shutter was closed, they became suspicious. On checking, they found that the workers were using a liquid to erase the expiry date on the packets and were then printing a new one. Immediately they informed the nearest police station about it.

Thereafter, cops raided the godown and seized over 1,000 food packets, which were later handed over to FDA. The VVMC officials even recorded the entire process of changing the expiry dates.

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On Tuesday night, leaving their patients to the care of a handful of doctors, nurses working for the Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli instead, allegedly, decided to shake a leg at an annual get-together that honours their contribution to health services. Several on-duty nurses danced at the Prabodhankar Thackeray mini theatre in Borivli West during the function organised by the hospital’s school of nursing, leaving doctors in the emergency ward handling everything by themselves.

The videos of their dance performances, accessed by mid-day, show the on-duty nurses performing bollywood numbers on stage in front of Dr Pradeep Jadhav, chief medical superintendent of peripheral hospitals, who was the guest of honour. This comes at a time when the hospital is short on manpower. mid-day on December 28 had revealed in the report ‘After R28.8 cr revamp, BMC hospital treats just 5 patients a day’ how the hospital is suffering from staff shortage and treats only 4-5 patients every day.

*Dancing for hours*
“We are functioning on a skeleton structure with a 60 per cent shortage of employees. For emergency, we hardly have two-three nurses working where the need is double. In this time, if on-duty nurses are allowed to go to dance on stage in the presence of seniors, then where will patients go?” asked a senior doctor working at the hospital on Tuesday.

“Because of their unprofessional and unethical behaviour, we doctors had to suffer so much. Can you image a hospital without nurses for hours? We doctors can’t do everything single-handedly on such a shortage of staff,” he added.

*Guest of honour says*
As alleged by doctors from the hospital, the programme was for the nursing students, not for on-duty nurses, who had no role to play in it. However, Dr Jadhav refuted the allegations and said that it was the annual function and part of the curriculum of the nursing college. “Around 80 students participated in the function organized by the nursing college. This is arranged every year where the nurses participate in a cultural function followed by a get together. All the nurses who participated were students of the college. Why would on-duty nurses dance in the programme? These are complete allegations,” said Dr Jadhav.

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The Bombay high court on Wednesday gave the video-sharing website YouTube till Monday to furnish the details of the person who uploaded ‘defamatory’ videos of socialite Poonam Bhagat on the website. Bhagat has claimed that her estranged husband Jaidev Shroff, Director of United Phosphorous Limited (UPL), was circulating these videos of her with some of their common friends, so Shroff also submitted an undertaking that he will be using the said videos only for court proceedings.

*Also read: Poonam Bhagat case: Bandra court under scanner for defying Bombay High Court order*

*Bhagat’s contention*
Bhagat is currently locked in a matrimonial dispute with Shroff and moved the HC on Wednesday, claiming that some videos, which were doctored, were making the rounds on social media websites and insisted that her husband was behind it. She also told the court that the videos on YouTube were uploaded under the username ‘black box’.*Poonam Bhagat and Jaidev Shroff*

“These videos are very defamatory in nature and have been uploaded by people who we don’t know,” said senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, appearing on Bhagat’s behalf before Justice Shahrukh Kathawala.

*Also read: High Court allows Poonam Bhagat to challenge transfer of poisoning case*

Justice Kathawala then asked YouTube to reply by Monday with the details of people/IP address that have uploaded the purported videos on the website.

*Directive to Shroff*
Meanwhile, he also asked Shroff, who was represented by senior counsel Navroz Seervai, to not use the videos for anything else apart from the court cases. However, even as Seervai denied that his client had been the one sharing the videos amongst their friends and on social media, he tendered an undertaking to the court on Shroff’s behalf that his client would only use the videos while representing himself in his court cases.

*Also read: Jaidev Shroff to challenge HC order over wife Poonam Bhagat's entry to house*

In the family court case filed by Shroff, he has made several allegations against Bhagat for ill-treating both him and his children from his first marriage. To that end, the petitioner has submitted recordings of her behavior — both video and audio — as evidence.*Poonam Bhagat. File pic*

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A complate antithesis of the quintessential Bollywood hero, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has found audience acceptance after a good decade and a half of being part of the industry. In the last few years, he has shared screen space with superstars Amitabh Bachchan ('Te3n'), Shah Rukh Khan ('Raees'), Salman Khan ('Bajrangi Bhaijaan') and Aamir Khan ('Talaash'), and still managed to get noticed.

*Also read - Nawazuddin Siddiqui: I never aspired to be a Bollywood superstar*

As the actor gears up for the release of his next, 'Haraamkhor', after a long period of uncertainty (read: censor woes), Nawaz says having worked with the industry’s top guns helps bring audience for his smaller films. "When I work with them, people notice me too and come to watch my smaller films. My films always benefited when I work with big actors. Even if I manage to pull in five per cent of the audience, it gives my film a good footfall, leading to good collections. I am sure people have noticed the promos of 'Raees' and will come and watch 'Haraamkhor'," he explains.

The actor plays an upright cop in 'Raees' and his dialogues have caught on already. "The dialoguebaazi in 'Raees' is more like a conversation between my character and Shah Rukh bhai’s. Rahul sir (Dholakia, director) has kept them simple, yet impactful. I am glad people are loving it," he adds.*On SRK*
"People know Shah Rukh bhai as a superstar, but he is one of the most down to earth people I know. Throughout the film, we were in character and not once did he make me feel that he was a big star. Whatever appreciation I get for my role in Raees will be because of him."

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Though five-year-old Jivika Mistri will never get back her finger, which she lost in an accident at school, the Chairman’s decision of suspending the principal Penelope Miranda and an attendant, has surely given some solace to her parents. The decision came following a meeting held between 300 parents, Jivika’s father Hemant Mistri and the Thakur Public School chairman VK Singh.

*Also Read: Five-year-old loses finger in 'minor' accident*

Hemant, who had a personal meeting with Singh on Monday, claimed that the decision was not taken based on just what happened with his daughter, but it was the result of all the grievances put forward by parents. He further said, “The principal’s suspension should be a lesson for all those schools which are not responsible towards their students.”

Hemant said, “I thank the chairman for giving a patient hearing to all the parents and taking a quick decision. I will soon take back my FIR against the school.”

*The case*
On January 5, Jivika’s mother reached her school to receive her. Her little finger, which got cut from the middle, was bleeding profusely and she was crying in pain. Instead of rushing her to a hospital, the school authorities kept her waiting till her mother arrived. Her father had lodged an FIR against the school for not providing her timely medical attention. Though she underwent a surgery, her finger could not be fixed.

*Read Story: After 5-year-old student loses finger, more than 300 parents storm school*

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Over the years, thousands of people have moved to the northern suburbs in search of cheaper houses. But while the real estate prices might not squeeze your budget, the train travel can certainly squeeze the life out of you.

Fortunately, during a meeting on January 11, Western Railway authorities decided to increase the train services towards Vasai-Virar to accommodate the growing population there. “The uncontrolled real estate prices in Mumbai have forced people to move further north beyond Mumbai limits. As road connectivity is poor beyond Dahisar, the only option left with people is to take the local train,” said a WR official.

*Overcrowded*
Statistics compiled by the Western Railway show a continuous spike in the number of people commuting from northern suburbs beyond Dahisar, and even more so beyond Bhayandar creek. “There is a need to increase the number of trains starting and terminating at Vasai and Bhayandar, which have become important stations over the years. The administration has promised to run 15-car trains there so that more people can be accommodated,” said Kailash Verma, member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee constituted by the Indian Railways.

*Biggest boom*
Nalasopara and Virar, in particular, have cheaper real estate prices and, therefore, have seen the maximum commuter growth over the years. At Nalasopara, the number of daily commuters has gone up from 1.67 lakh in 2011-12 to 2.28 lakh as of November 2016. At Virar too, the number of commuters has gone up to 1.97 lakh.

At present, WR operates 1,323 services every day on the Churchgate-Dahanu route, out of which, 545 services are for Virar. The officials said there are more services that terminate at Bhayandar and Vasai Road as well.

*New services*
Only recently, the WR authorities added 12 more daily services of 15-car trains on the Churchgate-Virar route. But during the morning and evening peak hours, they can only run 6 services per train.

“The number of train services to and from Virar are constantly on the rise, but the growth in number of commuters is tremendously growing. We are now thinking of increasing the number of 15-car rakes on that section,” said another WR official.

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Ahead of the corporation elections, Shiv Sena-BJP led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has cleared the decks for the memorial of late Sena chief Bal Thackeray at the Mayor Bungalow in Shivaji Park. Yesterday, the civic body’s Improvement Committee passed the proposal to hand over the land to the Balasaheb Thackeray Rashtriya Smarak Nyas (BTRSN) to set up the memorial.

Now the proposal will be sent to the General Body for final approval. Since election code of conduct is in force, the civic body will find it difficult to get the final approval. However, the political parties are confident of getting the nod. Improvement Committee chairman Prakash Gangadhare said, “The code of conduct will not be an issue as the proposal is already processed. We will seek permission from the Election Commission to table the proposal in the General Body meeting and get it cleared.”

Taking note of the impending code of conduct, the Improvement Committee had called an urgent meeting yesterday. According to the proposal 11,000 sq m of the mayor’s bungalow plot at Shivaji Park will be given on lease to BRTSN on a nominal rate of Rs 1 per annum for a period of 30 years.

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Three youths landed in hospital with multiple injuries after the bike they were on skidded on the Lalbaug flyover in the wee hours of Wednesday. None of them was wearing a helmet, and one of them sustained grievous injuries. The police are in the process of registering a case against the rider.

*Loss of control*
According to the Kalachowkie police, Mahesh Kharvi (27), Naresh Kharvi (27) and Yogesh Shinde (28), all residents of Dharavi-Antop Hill area, were headed to Reay Road on Mahesh’s bike, a red Pulsar, from Lalbaug flyover.

Around 2.15 am, ahead of the Lalbaugcha Raja stretch, Mahesh lost control on the vehicle, riding at 70-80 kmph, and the bike skid. The three were thrown off and dragged on the road for quite a distance, said the police. And yet, the bike is intact with no major damage.

Mahesh and Naresh sustained serious injuries to their legs, hands, face and other parts, while Shinde sustained multiple serious injuries all over his body.

*Confession to cops*
A passing motorist saw the three lying on the road and called up the police control room, following which a team reached the spot and took the three to JJ hospital, where they are undergoing treatment.

"They told the police that they were drunk and were riding triple seat. They admitted that they were not wearing helmets and were also speeding," an officer said.

After their treatment is done, the police will record their statement. On the basis of the medical report and the blood report and their statements, they will decide the next course of action.

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Facing huge losses after the film 'Force 2' was leaked online, production house Viacom 18 had lodged a complaint with the cyber police against cinema distributor giant K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Ltd last week.

The crime branch is now probing Viacom’s allegations that the executives and staff of K Sera Sera Digital had leaked the film on the Internet.

*Also Read: Damage control? 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya' stills released officially post leak*

A few days ago, Viacom 18 executives registered an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Information Technology Act and Copyright Act for cheating and infringement of copyright. An IPS officer confirmed this to mid-day and said, “Viacom 18 suspects K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Ltd to be behind the leak.”

The John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha-starrer, Force 2, was released on November 18 last year and the entire film was leaked online just a day after it hit the screens.*John Abraham in a still from 'Force 2'*

Following the leak, big players in the piracy arena jumped in, making the film available on multiple Internet sites. Sites offered the full version of the movie online or to download it for free.

Viacom 18 then gave a written complaint to the Mumbai police requesting that a criminal case be registered in the matter and sought a thorough investigation. Cyber police officers initiated an inquiry in the complaint. Meanwhile, the complainant carried out an internal inquiry in which they found some evidence that showed criminal malpractice.

“Technical evidence cropped up during the preliminary probe and some evidence produced by the complainant indicated the alleged involvement of some executives and staff of K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Limited, hence a criminal case was registered and investigations have begun,” said a crime branch officer, requesting anonymity.

*Read Story: 'Udta Punjab' leaked online? Producers file complaint with cops*

The officer added, “When the technical investigators from Viacom 18 found similarities in the leaked copy with the film’s original print exclusively given to K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Limited for distribution, they first raised suspicion on their alleged involvement. Later, their suspicions gained steam after direct links between a few technical changes made in the leaked copy and K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Limited emerged in the inquiry.”*John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha and Tahir Raj Bhasin*

The police will soon be questioning the executives and staff of K Sera Sera Digital Cinema Limited.

Earlier, films like Great Grand Masti, Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Paa, Mohalla Assi, and Paanch were also leaked online before/after the official release. Most of these movies were badly affected by the piracy, causing losses to the producers.

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Residents of Dahanu are up in arms against a builder, who they claim has illegally encroached upon the 14 feet deep Kankradi river, popularly known as the Kankradi creek, putting the region at the risk of a deluge-like situation during the monsoon.

With the monsoon barely half a year away, residents and NGOs in Dahanu recently got the municipal council to intervene and stop builder Minu Irani from reclaiming the creek for construction of a building. According to residents, for years, the Kankradi creek, which is located in Ambawadi off Irani Road, has played the role of a reservoir as it collects and stores rainwater. However, they claimed that the rampant illegal construction and reclaiming of the water body has put Dahanu at risk, especially during the monsoon.

“Since the past four years we have been protesting against the encroachment, but the officials at municipal council have repeatedly disregarded our complaints. The officers in the municipal council claimed that they hadn’t given builder any kind of permission, but Irani says that the creek is under his name,” said resident Vijay Parekh, who lives in Anand Sagar Society, which is a stone’s throw away from the creek. 

According to residents, of late, Irani has started carrying out construction 15 to 20 metres into the riverbank. “He is not a builder, he is a farmer, who pads up rivers, forges documents, and sells it off to others. There are four other parties involved, who through their contacts have been illegally reclaiming rivers and making buildings,” alleged Vijay.

Apart from residents of Anand Sagar, those living in the societies of Anand Mangal, Vaikunth and Rustom Baug have also upped pressure on the municipal council, forcing authorities to temporary stall construction.

Narendra Patel from the NGO Society for fast Justice, who has joined the agitating residents, said, “In 2014, following a meeting, the collector had asked the municipality to prepare a report on how the builder got permission to encroach the river. But, no report has been made yet.”*The area's corporator says if the river keeps getting encroached, houses will collapse and many people will die*

When contacted, Dahanu Municipal Council’s Chief Officer Vinod Dawle said he wasn’t the right person to answer the question and directed us to engineer Tukarambhai Bari. “Investigations are still going on. Action will be taken soon,” Bari said.

Saeed Sheikh, corporator of the area, has promised swift investigations. “This is one of the most important rivers of Dahanu. If it keeps getting encroached, houses will collapse and people will die every year. We have written to the CM about the rampant encroachment.”

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Mumbai airport was put on high alert on Monday night after an Interpol input was received about a bomb on board a flight to Kuala Lumpur. Security.

According to a report in *Times of India*, the security agencies combed three aircraft for suspicious objects. Over 400 passengers, and many check-in bags were also put through security checks.

*Mumbai T2 airport*

"The CBI had an intelligence input through Interpol about a bomb on board a flight bound for Kuala Lumpur. I ordered a proper drill, a thorough security check of all flights bound for Kuala Lumpur. We monitored all the three flights till the time they landed safely at their scheduled destination," O P Singh, director-general, CISF, told the paper.

Later, there was another alert from another source, the report added. A Sahar police officer told the paper that at close to 10:00 pm, the airport control room got an anonymous call, and the person also spoke about a bomb onboard a flight to Kuala Lumpur. The caller disconnected the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) call after giving the message.

The security agencies swung into action, and conducted thorough checks on all Kuala Lumpur-bound flights -- the 11.15pm Malindo Air flight OD-216, which had 140 passengers on board, the 11.25 pm Malaysia Airline flight MH-195 which was carrying 158 passengers, and the MH-187 (2 am), which had 145 passengers.

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Sussanne Khan along with brother Zayed Khan with family and Rakesh Roshan with wife Pinky and daughter Sunaina among other family members were present at Hrithik Roshan's birthday bash at popular eatery on Tuesday night.*Hrithik Roshan with his kids Hrehaan and Hridhaan*

Hrithik Roshan arrived with his kids Hrehaan and Hridhaan. Rakesh Roshan's brother was also present with his family. Hrithik and Sussanne's pals Sunny and Anu Dewan also came in with their daughter.*Zayed Khan with wife Malaika and kids*

Hrithik's 'Kaabil' co-stars Yami Gautam, Ronit Roy and Rohit Roy along with director Sanjay Gupta were also in attendance.

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan had the *sweetest birthday wish* for the actor!

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BJP MP Poonam Mahajan along with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who came unveil the #Bandra by artist and muralist Rouble Nagi were mobbed at Bandra, Mumbai.

*Poonam Mahajan with Rouble Nagi*

Poonam tweeted about the incident



Inaugurated #Bandra with @ShelarAshish & @iamsrk 1st of its kind structure made by artist @ROUBLENAGI in association with Mumbai Youth Forum pic.twitter.com/36dtnp42rr

— Poonam Mahajan (@poonam_mahajan) January 10, 2017

*When the celebrities were mobbed*

Rouble Nagi thanked Poonam Mahajan and Shah Rukh Khan



Thank you @iamsrk @poonam_mahajan for inaugurating my sculpture #BANDRA 🙏😊❤ï¸Â love my City pic.twitter.com/ejuvWHNW9x

— ROUBLE NAGI (@ROUBLENAGI) January 10, 2017

However, the event gathered crowd to take a glimpse of the 'Raees' star who waved to acknowledge them.

Even though it a minute for the star to inaugurate the #Bandra sculpture, he and BJP MP ˆPoonam Mahajan didn’t anticipate was the time it would take for them to return to their vehicles, thanks to the massive crowd that had gathered when they heard of the star’s presence.

Lack of bandobast led to mediapersons toppling over each other, while Mahajan herself escaped a fall.

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After being harassed and cheated by his husband, renowned investment manager and author Ashu Dutt for over five years, this woman has finally set out on the path of justice. After Dutt’s second wife filed a complaint in 2013, it took the Mumbai cops three years to investigate the case. The Juhu Police finally arrested him on Tuesday, under dowry harassment charges. Speaking to mid-day, senior police inspector of Juhu police station said, “After being produced before the magistrate court, he was sent to jail. A case under section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) was registered against him in 2013.”

In her complaint to the police, the victim had mentioned that she came in touch with Dutt in Bangkok, where his father RJ Khurana used to work as Joint Intelligence Secretary in the Indian Embassy. The friendship eventually turned into love and they got married on May 30, 1995. Police sources said that before the marriage, Dutt had told the woman he belonged to an influential and respected family in India and promised her a comfortable married life and high status in the society.

*Secrets revealed*
However, what she didn’t know was that Dutt was already married. Later, when she learnt about it, Dutt told her that he had filed for divorce before the Family Court and would soon get rid of his first wife. “I had no option but to wait for passing of the divorce decree, which happened in 1996. My husband made false promises and forced me to believe his concocted story,” the victim had mentioned in the FIR.

*Dowry demands*
She had also said that after shifting to Mumbai, she got a real picture of her husband’s character. Dutt, who was into a business of shares and securities, started demanding money from the victim’s father, as he wanted to expand his business. He also informed his father in-law that as per the Indian tradition, the bride’s family is supposed to give a lot of money and jewellery to the groom’s family at the time of marriage. On hearing this, the victim was completely shocked as there was no such tradition in Thailand.

She further mentioned in the FIR, “He kept on demanding money on one pretext or the other. My father fulfilled all his demands to ensure that I have a peaceful married life.”

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The Thane police have tracked and arrested three accused, including the mastermind of the 35-kg gold heist in Ulhasnagar’s Mannapuram Gold Loan branch. However, the police managed to recover only 3 kg of gold worth Rs 77 lakh as a chunk of the stolen gold — worth Rs 9 crore in total — is still lying with absconding accused.

The three arrested have been identified as mastermind Kamaruddhin Asuddhin Shaikh (28), a resident of Navi Mumbai, Mustuaffa alias Akthar Shaikh (44), a resident of Jharkhand and Manoj Saud (35), a resident of Diva. The main accused Thapa brothers Mansingh and Deepak are still wanted in the case and may have fled to Nepal with the major amount of gold jewellery.

*Two gangs involved*
The arrested mastermind told cops that the heist was a handiwork of two gangs; one from Jharkhand and another from Nepal and a total 20 people were involved in the heist.

*Ulhasnagar gold heist: Modus operandi of theft points to Jharkhand gang*

On the night of December 25, unknown thieves had fled with the booty from a branch of the gold loaning company located in Sai Krupa Palace housing society in Ulhasnagar. They first made a hole in the shared wall of the society’s water pump room and the branch’s toilet to enter the strong room and then cut holes into the safety vault with gas cutters to steal the gold.

*Help from Jharkhand*
Probe revealed that the Jharkhand gang was roped in as it has expertise in carrying out such heists across the country. Among the three arrested, one accused is from the same Jharkhand gang. mid-day had published a report on December 28 on the possible involvement of a professional gang of thieves from the town of Rajmahal in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district. The gang has expertise in opening high security vaults with a unique method.

“After the heist was reported we checked all the nearby cell towers of the area and the call details records that night. Through that, we traced the accused. The Thane commissioner Param Bir Singh had put 50 police officers on the case,” said Ajay Kamble police officer from the Ulhasnagar unit of the Thane crime branch.*Rs 77 lakh*
Value of the gold recovered so far

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At Om Puri's chautha ceremony on Monday, Naseeruddin Shah remembered his best friend and shared a few anecdotes from his early days. "Om Puri once invited me to his place in Delhi; it was a railway guard's house. He had cooked egg curry. I asked him to show me where he sleeps. He took me to a corridor facing the station and a stench greeted me. I saw a neat charpoy with a pair of chappals slipped under the bed. The stove on which he had made the anda curry for me was also there. There were a couple of books on exercising apart from Constantin Stanislavski's My Life In Art.*Naseeruddin Shah*

I need not describe this, but wanted you to know Om's journey from the corridors of an old Delhi station to the successful actor we all fantasise about," he said.

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Officers at the Bangur Nagar police station were left shocked when a 17-year-old girl with bruises all over her body approached them for help on Monday night. When asked, the terrified girl told the cops that she had escaped from the house where she worked as a maid, as her employer, who is the wife of film director Devendra Singh Sandhu, used to beat her up with an iron rod and hurt her private parts as well.

*Also Read: Mumbai: Chunabhatti cops assault maid in lock-up *

Police have arrested the 40-year-old woman Amruta Kaur Chawla under relevant sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act 2012 and Juvenile Justice Act. After being produced in the Dindoshi Sessions court on Tuesday, Chawla was remanded in police custody till January 13.

*Never paid*
According to police, the victim was a native of Assam and she had come to Mumbai along with her cousin in the year 2015. At that time she started working in Chawla’s house at Vishal Nagar, Malad west. The accused stays with her husband Sandhu, father and eight-year-old son. The victim told police that Chawla used to beat her up brutally even at the slightest mistake. She was also never paid her salary of Rs 4,000. Whenever she asked for it, the accused would say that it was sent to her village home.

*Read Story: Playschool owner raped maid, wife tortured her*

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In the tribal villages of Odisha, a teenage girl kills an elderly relative believing that she is a witch and the cause of her father’s death. Overnight, a village turns into a mob to kill three people — a man and two women — who were identified as witches by a witch doctor. Meanwhile, a family is threatened and ostracised, for it is believed they bring ill fate, after they cook meat.*Lipika Singh Darai*

The audience is engaged with three real life incidents in the 53-minute documentary, Some Stories Around Witches. Directed by Bhubaneswar-based FTII alumnus Lipika Singh Darai and produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), the film explores the politics of witch hunting and the humanitarian crisis surrounding it. It will be screened tomorrow as part of the 22nd edition of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum’s monthly screening programme, Movies At The Museum.

“There is a mystery surrounding tradition and myths about witchcraft but we should also see it in the light of socio economics and politics to understand the complexity of the events. The cases are very sensitive and my priority was to make the camera’s presence insignificant,” says Darai, who will be present for a Q&A session post the screening, which marks its premiere in Mumbai.

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This weekend, if you step into the heritage precinct of the Great Eastern Mills compound in Byculla, you’ll get to feast your eyes on oil and watercolour paintings by 50 artists from across India. The showcase is part of the second edition of Art 35, a three-day carnival that celebrates affordable art. “Though we had a basic festival last year, I have taken it to a bigger scale this year by curating carpet displays, fashion apparel, jewellery and food stalls; paper and origami workshops for children and music performances too,” shares Charu Tewari, CEO of Ficus Fine Living, that’s presenting the festival.*Mooralala Marwada*

The performance line-up includes an afternoon of Sufi renditions by Mooralala Marwada, a well-known folk singer from the Janana village in Kutch district of Gujarat. The artiste, who sings in the Kaafi form of music, will regale the audience with poetry of Kabir, Mirabai and Ravidas. Other must-catch acts include a Dastangoi storytelling session with Ankit Chadha and a stand-up comedy show titled Oye... Stand Up by Ankita Shrivastav and Mohit Sharma. The latter will also perform a solo act of Toba Tek Singh. The play based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s famous short story set in the aftermath of Partition will see the actor don 19 characters in 60 minutes.*Mohit Sharma in an earlier performance of Toba Tek Singh*

The fest also offers a range of workshops — from one on digital photography by Himanshuu Chandrakant Sheth to tarot card reading by Ruchi Shah, finger painting, fabric painting, mural painting, collage making as well as cupcake decoration with fondants and frostings. Each workshop is curated for specific age groups, including two-year-olds.

What’s a carnival without yum food? Dig into chaat, sandwiches, baos and organic fare from the stalls set up at the fest. These include gourmet lunchboxes for `500 whipped up by Savor, a subscription service launched by the folks behind The Secret Supper Project along with probiotic European fermented milk drink, Kefir, by Moina Oberoi, who runs the city’s first Kefir delivery service. You can also binge on Mutton Kheema Samosas, biryani and other sumptuous fare from a pop-up by The Bohri Kitchen.

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Native American dolls made out of cornhusk do not have faces. The Spirit of Corn, goes a traditional explanation, made a doll out of her husks to entertain children. This doll, which was given a beautiful face, spent much of her time admiring her loveliness instead of being with children. As a result, her creator took her face away.*Japanese doll*

A wealth of such stories on the cultural significance of dolls, their role during childhood, their history and evolution along with a unique collection of the little human figurines from around the world will find a spot in Vividha 2017, the annual festival of the Department of Ancient Indian Culture, History and Archaelogy, St Xavier’s College.*Matryoshka dolls*

“Every year, our focus for the festival is rooted in various cultures and civilisations. While Bahuli: Dolls Across the Globe, our theme for this year, will capture this colourful little world, it also aims to draw attention to the many childhoods being lost to the wars plaguing humanity,” shares Dr Anita Rane-Kothare, the head of the department, who has been organising the festival for 16 years. “There is also a growing loss of innocence and through these dolls, we wish to bring back an indelible memory of childhood,” she adds.

While many of the dolls have been sourced from Dr Rane’s personal collection, the department also requested consulates of various countries located in Mumbai to share dolls for the festival. There will be dolls from Japan, where they represent an item of veneration and are even considered living creatures; the famed matryoshkas from Russia that are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another; the Kandyan dolls of Sri Lanka inspired by a native traditional dance form; Santons or hand-painted terracotta figurines that adorn Nativity scenes in the Provence region of France, as well as dolls from Brazil, Germany, Egypt among other nations.

India’s own rich heritage of dolls will be part of the festival, too. “We travelled to Telangana to pick up some of the Bommai Golu figurines that form a part of the doll display during Navratri in South India,” says Dr Rane. A traditional kathputli ka khel featuring Rajasthan’s string puppets has been included in the line-up as well.

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Malcolm Gladwell, the English-born Canadian journalist, gathered his interviews and sound bytes to plan a podcast, centering around the Vietnam War.

The author involves people — a young Vietnamese woman, a refugee from Nazi Germany, a Russian expatriate — and the then unpopular Vietnam government to help understand the futility of the intelligence-gathering mission that the US had signed up for.

All their lives intersected in the battle; if one ducked bullets, the other took shelter to be safe. “The house we lived in Saigon was directly in the trajectory of rockets. We had the experience of ducking while dining on the table,” said one of them.

The 44-minute episode is a flashback to the time when the US was on the mission, run by the Rand Corporation, known as Viet Cong Motivation. The message the episode delivers is that knowing everything about the enemy will not solve any problem; war politics and the reason behind the battle are far from it. “The US kept bombing till Vietnam gave up,” he sums up.

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*Rock 'n' role*
Yesteryear rockstar of the ’70s, Tariq Khan (a cousin of Aamir Khan) who has a string of iconic RD Burman chartbusters like ‘Lekar Hum Deewana’, ‘Kya Hua Tera Vaada’ and ‘Tum Kya Jaano’ picturised on him, resurfaced from his self-imposed reclusive profile at a recent event in Pune. “Legendary Pancham-da’s songs played a mega-mentor’s role in my career,” enthused Khan, as he danced his way to the stage sporting his trademark sunglasses. Later, Khan released the memoir, R D BurMania, authored by senior journalist Chaitanya Padukone, along with seasoned composer Anand (of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak fame).*Cricket humourist Vikram Sathaye (left) with sports journalist Sunandan Lele*

*Vikram’s fan moment*
A recent city event, which brought together tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, created some unforgettable moments for many music and cricket aficionados. Among them was cricket humourist and stand-up comedian Vikram Sathaye, who attended the event with sports journalist Sunandan Lele. Sathaye got a bat autographed by both legends and couldn’t stop smiling. Interestingly, in a satirical fashion, Sathaye’s debut book was titled How Sachin Destroyed My Life.

*Too much stardom!*
It took Shah Rukh Khan only a minute to inaugurate well-known artist Rouble Nagi’s sculpture near Bandra Reclamation yesterday.*Pic/Sameer Markande*

But what he and BJP MP Poonam Mahajan (whose initiative it was) didn’t anticipate was the time it would take for them to return to their vehicles, thanks to the massive crowd that had gathered when they heard of the star’s presence.

Lack of bandobast led to mediapersons toppling over each other, while Mahajan herself escaped a fall.

*Now showing: at a cellphone near you*
The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina), a film that comprehensively focusses on transsexuals in India, is now available on Netflix for audiences the world over.*A still from the film*

Sridhar Rangayan, the Mumbai-based director of the film says, “The odds were against us when this film was being made. It is momentous though that the film is now opening up to the world.” The film is also live on iTunes, Amazon and GooglePlay worldwide, excluding India. In India where homosexuality is taboo, the film depicts two Indian drag queens in a battle to woo a handsome hunk.

It mixes typical Bollywood songs, dance and drama to explore other issues related to the Indian gay community, including the ever-present threat of HIV/AIDS. Producer and dialogue writer Saagar Gupta says, “Gulabi Aaina was conceived with a sincere intent to make people laugh with the drag queens rather than laughing at them.”

*Choral high*
By the end of the three-hour spectacle, doddering, weak-kneed septuagenarians and their teenaged grandchildren were both grooving to musician Luke Kenny’s pyrotechnics, supported by local band, Sonic Divine.*The winning team (in blue); (inset) Luke Kenny*

The event was the Diocesan Youth Singing Competition, which was the culmination of a hunt to find the best youth choir in the Mumbai Archdiocese. With Christmas carols as its theme, eight choirs battled it out for top honours at Bandra’s St Andrew’s Auditorium last weekend. St Joseph’s, Mira Road, grabbed the titled but the rest, including lesser-heard parishes of Pokhran and Gorai surprised with their renditions of popular carols and original compositions.

The judges included RJ Bosco, artiste and vocal coach Samantha Edwards and Kenny, who brought the house down with his covers of Jim Morrison’s Roadhouse Blues and many current and classic hits. The choirs danced in the aisles, forgot about the contest, and bid adieu to a night where choral music was the winner. “Mumbai could do with more choirs,” suggested Bishop Bosco Penha earlier during the show. Amen.

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*Bootilicious again*
“They have the best vegetarian food I’ve ever eaten,” says a newly svelte and glowing designer, Masaba Gupta, about her recent weight loss of 10 kilos which she attributes to a yoga and ayurveda health resort at Pune.

Gupta had checked in to the clinic in Jan 2016 for help with various issues, chief among them her post marriage weight gain. “I then stuck to their methods for the whole year. It was a health call I had to take,” she says. The result was an entirely new approach to health and food. Not to mention a whole new sass.

“I had become a UK 14-16. Now I am a UK 8-10,” she says, newly returned from a Bali vacation where she rewarded herself by bingeing. “There is a wardrobe of 15-20 garments I can now fit into.” We like!

*His suitable publisher*

"An Unsuitable Boy will set the benchmark for all future autobiographies and memoirs in India," says Milee Ashwarya, who has to her credit a slew of best sellers that point to a considered approach to popular culture in India by her international publishing house.

Since she began commissioning around more than eight years ago, Ashwarya’s output has included Piyush Pandey’s Pandeymonium, Twinkle Khanna’s Mrs Funnybones, and The Test of My Life by Yuvraj Singh. Books that bring in the bucks even as they engage celebrities to examine popular subjects with depth and insight.*Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar*

But of all these Ashwarya reserves her highest praise for Karan Johar’s soon to be released tome. “It’s currently the top favourite in the office,” she says. “You laugh with it, cry with it, can’t put it down,” she says.

Incidentally, the book commissioned well before Johar’s image was usurped by questions regarding his sexual orientation, is full of equally illuminating revelations about his life. “His relationship with his father, with colleagues like Aditya Chopra and SRK,” says Ashwarya. “The bits about his orientation are just a small part of this very readable book.”

*The rebranding of Saharashri*
You have to hand it to Subroto Roy. Even as the flamboyant tycoon battles to stay out of jail in connection with a R24,000 crore unreturned deposits scam, his spinmeisters have been busy fashioning a new halo for one of India’s most famous occupants of Tihar.*Subroto Roy with the Bachchans*

Thus yesterday, media heads received a missive informing them that Roy’s latest book – Think With Me — was unveiled at the Think With Me Summit, 2016, in Lucknow in the presence of an eminent audience, consisting of no less than Akhilesh Yadav, Amitabh Bachchan, Baba Ramdev, Sania Mirza, BJP’s Om Prakash Mathur, and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress amongst others.*Roy with Akhilesh Yadav, Suhel Seth and Roy*

For a man who has recently been in the headlines for yet another controversy, that of bribes being allegedly handed out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, does the fact that his audience included politicians of every hue and party, mean that we will see the return of Subroto Saharashri as a free bird again this year? Stranger things have happened.

*Twinkle has Love Charger as neighbour*
Let it not be said, that best-selling author and possessor of her mother’s glorious mane and father’s surname, Twinkle Khanna, lacks in the good fortune stakes. As every pen pusher in the column business knows, nothing is as important as a subject that allows for endless visitation. And now it appears Mrs Funny Bones has received the ultimate benediction. A neighbour who will undoubtedly give her an unlimited scope for her humour and wit, in the form of the high-profile, remarkably hirsute, rock star Godman who goes by the name of ‘Love Charger’.*The Love Charger*

Yes, from Khanna’s recent utterances, it appears that the high priest of spangled sainthood himself Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has moved in to the neighbourhood where the author resides with husband Akshay Kumar and their kids. ‘I am obsessed with him — have stalked him endlessly — taken pictures with his fluorescent green car outside a hotel, written columns on him - threatened to buy first day first show tickets for Messenger of God and God has sent me a message back in return, stating ‘Be careful what you wish for you idiot.’ HE has moved into my neighbourhood!’ she posted yesterday.*Twinkle Khanna*

Incidentally, Ms Khanna’s blessings as far as good neighbours are, are unbound. Hrithik Roshan we are told, also shares the elevator foyer and landings space with her. And now with the addition of the cosmic Love Charger, her readers can expect electrifying times ahead.

*More monkey menace*
Since we carried her alert on the monkey menace in Cuffe Parade yesterday, think tanker and former journalist Manjeet Kriplani, has sent us further insight in to the primate problem.*A monkey on the scaffolding of Reveills building at Cuffe Parade. Picture by 9-yr-old Zara Andhyarujina*

“I have talked to a few of my neighbouring buildings in Cuffe Parade, and this is what I have from them. The monkeys came about three months ago, they caused major problems. They were climbing up to the 30th floor of buildings, jumping on narrow parapets, going into people’s homes. They were eating food and were found sitting on dining tables to the astonishment of residents,” she says.

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A vagabond, who lost his leg in a train accident a decade ago, was apprehended by commuters when he was spotted pelting stones at a local train at Elphinstone station. A woman, identified as Tripti Ramchandra Parab, was injured in the incident. She was heading home after work when the mishap took place.

Around 7pm, after Tripti boarded a train from Elphinstone station, an unknown person started pelting stones at it. She got badly injured in the incident. When the train reached Dadar, cops immediately rushed her to Sion Hospital.

*Also Read: Thane: Stopped from pelting stones at train, youths stab man*

The accused, who was later handed over to the GRP by passengers, has been identified as Vijay Gorivale (37). He is a beggar and stays at Wadala.

Speaking to mid-day, senior inspector of Mumbai Central GRP said, “We arrested Vijay with the help of the passengers. He had lost a leg in a train mishap 12 years back, and may be that’s the reason why he keeps throwing stones at running trains.”

*Read Story: Cop from Mumbai killed during stone-pelting in Aurangabad*

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An annual daylong concert titled 8 Prahar will present an unusual take on Hindustani Classical music, where artistes will perform ragas based on the time of the day. “Ours is the only country to have two diverse and rich traditions of Classical music. While Carnatic Classical music does not follow a time cycle, Hindustani Classical ragas are segregated into eight prahars (unit of time, of three hours each). Therefore, they are to be performed at a specific time. Since all concerts nowadays are held only in the evenings, the next generation of listeners and music lovers may not be exposed to the rich traditional treasure of Hindustani Classical ragas in its entirety,” shares Shashi Vyas, founder of Pancham Nishad Creatives who is co-organising the event with Durga Jasraj’s Art and Artistes.*Rahul Sharma and Rakesh Chaurasia*

“Our ancestors created these divisions in the day based on time depending on the movement of the sun. There is a reason why even today farmers begin work at 4.30 am when the fields are moist and call it a day by 7 pm. It was done in a scientific manner and music is no different. The performance of these ragas at a particular time enhances their aesthetic effects to create a positive and serene impact on the human mind and soul,” he adds.*Kaushiki Chakraborty *and *Begum Parveen Sultana***

The first edition of the concert was held in February 2016. “We have made an attempt to present various musical experiences to audiences. The response we got last year has given us a lot of strength to carry on with this mammoth effort,” shares Jasraj, who conceived the event.

The concert will feature 16 musicians performing back-to-back, starting from 6 am on January 14 until 2.30 am on the following day (January 15). The performers include an interesting mix of stalwarts and young talent. You can watch veterans like Begum Parveen Sultana, Ajoy Chakraborty, Ulhas Kashalkar, Dr Prabha Atre, Shahid Parvez, Kartick Kumar as well as celebrated gen-next artistes like Rahul Sharma, Kala Ramnath, Pravin Godkhindi, Jayateerth Mevundi, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Rakesh Chaurasia and Shashank Subramanium. There will also be a special Dhrupad session by Uday Bhawalkar and Bahauddin Dagar. “Traditionally, Drupad was performed in temples at 5 pm. We have stuck to that time to keep it authentic,” shares Vyas.

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Last evening, Anushka was spotted with beau Virat Kohli outside Omkar 1973, a swanky building in Worli where the latter owns a 5BHK house. Kohli booked the pad in October 2015.

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On Tuesday, one of the cousins of an accused in the murder of mid-day investigations editor J Dey deposed in the court. The cousin’s bike was allegedly used in the murder.

The witness, during the examination by Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat, told court that he had purchased the Unicorn bike from his friend in 2010 for Rs 35,000. The bike was registered in his name even in 2011.

The witness also told court that he used to take the bike while going to work and it used to be parked in his building.

The witness also told court that police didn’t make any enquiry about the bike with him and he handed over the papers of the bike to cops on June 26, 2011.

The witness said, “I was called to a police station where they asked me whether I know Nilesh Shendge. I told them he is my cousin. The police then asked me to hand over the bike to them and return after two days.”

While being cross-examined by Chhota Rajan’s lawyer Anshuman Sinha, the witness said, “I handed over the motorcycle to the police because they asked for it. At the time, I did not know Shendge was arrested, cops had taken my signature on blank paper.”

According to the prosecution, two bikes and one four wheeler were used while shooting Dey. The case was further adjourned to Wednesday.*The case*
Gangster Chhota Rajan is believed to have been allegedly upset over two articles written by J Dey. Among the accused are Anil Waghmode, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane who were following Dey and Satish Kalya, who shot him. From the other accused, Vinod Asrani had pointed out Dey to Kalya at a bar in Mulund. Deepak Sisodia had given weapons and bullets to the shooters and Paulson Joseph had given them global SIM cards and Rs 2 lakh in cash to execute the conspiracy.

*3*
Number of vehicles, including 2 bikes and one four-wheeler, used for J Dey’s murder

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"This year, we have cut down on the old school format and done more outdoor shoots instead. There are 24 actors in quirky, never-seen-before avatars. We have Amitabh Bachchan as a biker boy with a dog in the sidecar, and both are wearing dark glasses. 2017 promises more madness and great fun." 
*Dabboo Ratnani*

*Hrithik Roshan*
"He is the most photogenic male star. He was my junior in school and I did his first photo shoot. Till date, he feels I am partly the reason for what he is today. He is incredibly experimental. His focus is unwavering and he wants to be versatile. Every year, we try a different lighting and mood too. This year, he switched to sexy mode."*Priyanka Chopra*

*Priyanka Chopra*
"She was in LA when I reached out to her. She promptly replied with dates of her India visit. She is one girl with a crazy amount of energy. Most of our shoots happen late and she is always brimming with energy. Even when the world is exhausted, she will show them how to keep going. She hasn't changed at all. If it's possible, she has only gotten better. Her body language is more confident. She hates being repetitive and pre-shoot, we brainstormed for 20 days."*Sanjay Dutt*

*Sanjay Dutt*
"When I started my career, he was one of the first people I shot in 1993. We bonded in Mauritius during the 40-day shoot of Aatish. He treats me like a younger brother. The last time he shot for my calendar was in 2009. This time, I knew I had to feature him. He was travelling, but I forced him to cut short his family vacation. While his wife and kids were chilling in Dubai, we went click-click here."*Shraddha Kapoor*

*Shraddha Kapoor*
"She lives right on Juhu beach and hardly gets to take a walk there. For the shoot, we were ready by 6.30 am. It was quite a tamasha because everyone, who was out there jogging or exercising, stopped in their tracks to watch our shoot. It was a 10-minute thing, but the hysteria we created on the beach was quite something. I used to shoot a lot on the beach in the '90s, some 20 years ago. For me, it was going back to the basics and thus, a novel experience."View Photos*Photos: Bollywood stars pose for Dabboo Ratnani's 2016 calendar*

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*Photos: SRK, Alia Bhatt at Dabboo Ratnani's calendar launch*

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Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) sealed the semi-final berth after defeating Green Bombay High School (Kurla) by an innings and 29 runs on Day Two of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised Giles Shield Elite Division third round tie at New Hind SC, Matunga yesterday.*VMPS’ Shubham Baraskar. Pic/Binaisha M Surti*

The Kurla school, resuming on their overnight score of 72-8, were bowled out for 99 in their first innings. Arun Gupta (3-40) and Moin Khan (3-31) were pick of the bowlers for Rizvi.*VMPS’ Ashwin Yadav. Pic/Binaisha M Surti*

Following on, Green Bombay were skittled out for 144. Aves Khan top-scored with 53 for the Kurla outfit. Mohit Tanwar and Omkar Khot bagged figures of 4-49 and 3-39 respectively.

Rizvi had declared their first innings of 272-8 on Day One.

*VMPS' Shubham, Ashwin shine*
A combined effort from off-spinner Shubham Baraskar (5-44) and skipper Ashwin Yadav (53) helped VPMS Vidya Mandir (Dahisar) beat Gundecha Education Academy (Kandivli) on the basis of their first innings lead at Parsee Gym yesterday.

VMPS scored 221 before Gundecha made 156 in their first innings. The Dahisar school were 140-9 at the end of Day Two.

Balmohan Vidyamandir win Aditya Jadhav's all-round effort helped Balmohan Vidyamandir (Dadar) win on the basis of their first innings lead against Cathedral & John Connon School (Fort) at PJ Hindu Gymk. Earlier, Aditya scored 69 as Balmohan made 193 in their first innings, thus surpassing their opposition total of 177. Aditya then bagged figures of 4-36 to help his team bowl out Cathedral & John Connon for 102. The left-armer finished with a match haul of 11 wickets.

*With inputs from Binaisha M Surti**Brief scores (Day Two)*

· Rizvi Springfield 272-8 decl beat Green Bombay 99 (A Gupta 3-40, Moin Khan 3-31) & follow-on 144 (Aves Khan 53; Mohit Tanwar 4-49, Omkar Khot 3-39) by an innings & 29 runs
· Al-Barkaat 394-6 decl (Jeevan Karlekar 152*; Rohit Joshi 3-95) & 100-1 (Ankit Yadav 50) beat Lilavati Podar 146 (Ansh Bapna 36; Anurag Singh 4-33, Divyanshu Singh 3-45) on 1st innings lead
· VMPS Vidya Mandir 221 & 140-9 (Ashwin Yadav 53, Zenith Sachdev 3-34) beat Gundecha Academy 156-8 decl (Om Vadher 39; Shubham Baraskar 5-44) on 1st innings lead
· Cathedral & John Connon 177 & 102 (Aditya Jadhav 4-36) lost to Balmohan Vidyamandir 193 (Aditya Jadhav 69, Suchit Chavan 32*; Arnav Bakshi 3-33) on 1st innings lead
· Bombay Scottish 247 & 62-0 lost to Gokuldham 303-4 decl (Ronit Thakur 149, Vinit Vanikar 58) on 1st innings lead
· IES VN Sule Guruji 328-3 decl beat Shardashram Vidyamandir 54 & follow-on 83 (Atharva Bhosale 8-22) by an innings & 191 runs
· OLPS 442-9 decl (Harsh Tathare 116, Asad Inamdar 104; Shashank Kamat 3-78) & 51-3 (Atharva Katkar 3-7) beat Pawar Public School 292 (Shashank Kamat 188; Durvesh Patil 3-50) on 1st innings lead
· IES New English 219 lost to SVIS 356-6 (Ayush Jethwa 154, Malhar Mane 76, Rajsingh Deshmukh 52) on 1st innings lead
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*Kachi Haldi Ki Sabji*
Raw turmeric is commonly eaten in winter because it provides heat and also boosts the immune system. At the all-vegetarian restaurant 29-Twenty Nine at Kemps Corner, a winter favourite is Kachi Haldi ki Sabji.

“This is a simple dish made with fresh haldi, tossed in oil and with a tadka of cumin seeds, and a gravy with tomatoes, onions, garlic and green chillies. It is finished with yoghurt,” says head chef Prakash Dhanmeher. The dish is served with a wholesome tukkad (a thick roti made with corn and wheat flour). “This dish is usually made in Rajasthan. It provides adequate warmth, and is good for the joints,” he adds.

*At:* Babulnath, Papanas Wadi, Tardeo.
*Call:* 69992929
*Cost:* Rs 425 plus taxes

*Masoor Ma Gos*
This Parsi delicacy is a simple dish with mutton cooked on the bone and whole masoor dal. At SodabottleOpenerwala, they serve a version of the dish as a daily special.

“This is an authentic Parsi dish, which is essentially lentils with mutton. The masoor (red lentils) add a lovely warmth to the mutton. We slow-cook the dal and mutton together for an hour and a half,” says Danesh Gustad Vakshoor, chef de cuisine. The mildly spicy dish is eaten with rice or roti. “Our version is more flavourful since we add more spices to the dish.”

*At:* Ground floor, The Capital Building, G Block, BKC
*Call:* 40035678
*Cost:* Rs 425

*Satwar Piste Ka Shorba*
Shorba is a warming soup that is typically had in winter up north. At The Sahib Room & Kipling Bar, they serve a Satwar Piste ka Shorba (in pic) with toasted pistachio and an asparagus creme.

The simple dish is made using haldi, onion, dry rock salt, ginger, garlic and dahi. Another favourite is the Purvanchal Ka Saag (Rs 900). “We use all green vegetables and spices. These include palak, mustard leaves, bathua (cheel bhaji), methi, spring onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic, and rock salt. “My mother used to make this dish and I always wanted to recreate it,” says junior sous chef Vinod Mamgai.

*At:* The St Regis Mumbai, 462, Lower Parel
*Call:* 61628000
*Cost:* Rs 450

*Barley & Ponkh Salad*
At the Bombay Canteen, winter brings in indigenous and local vegetables. One of the popular dishes is the Barley & Ponkh Salad made with puffed grains, pomegranate seeds, and a spicy hung curd dressing. “This is a healthy grain salad. We make a puffed barley and jowar in-house and mix it with a tomato vinegarette, cilantro and top it with hung yoghurt. Ponkh has a mild flavour and a crunchy and spongy texture. We lightly steam it,” says executive chef Thomas Zacharias.

The dish, serve chilled, is balanced in terms of flavours and textures, from the crunch of the puffed grain, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds to the spiciness of the chilli, and the curd. “People are pleasantly surprised when they taste it because in a salad, they expect green leaves. The salad adds a good balance to a meat-heavy meal,” he adds.

The other dishes on the menu include Maa ki Dal with Topli Paneer (Rs 450) — charred sweet potato paratha with topli paneer adding the creamy element; Sarson Ka Saag with Radish Paneer (R450) and Guava Tan ta Tan (R375) — where pink guavas are transformed into a tarte tatin and served with a red chilli ice cream.

“Winter isn’t about only warming dishes but also seasonal ingredients such as ponkh, sarson, pink guavas and others,” adds Zacharias.

*At:* Process House, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel
*Call:* 49666666
*Cost:* Rs 300

*Dalim Shakkarkandhi*
Every winter, Delhi street food welcomes the Shakarkandi Chaat, a charcoal-roasted Reported by Mid-Day 5 days ago.

*Continuing the cleanliness drive in the city and surrounding areas under the Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyaan of Ramakrishna Mission, volunteers of different organisations cleaned 10 areas recently. *

The team members of Swacch Kavoor cleaned Nadanapura area.

The members of Hindu Yuva Sena gave a fresh coat of paint to a dilapidated bus shelter. Artists painted direction boards and drew paintings carrying the message of cleanliness.

At Kottara Chowki, the members of Kiran Gym Friends inspired and supported by Ramakrishna Mission. They created awareness on cleanliness at Kottara Chowki area. The big pillars supporting the bypass in the area were also given a totally new look.

The volunteers under the guidance of Yashwant Acharya cleaned the pillars by washing and then painting different art works depicting messages of Swacch Mangaluru.

While students of Sri Saraswat Education Society cleaned Ganapathi High school campus and premises, Team Aloysius took up the cleanliness drive in Court Road.

Konchadry Friends Circle members cleaned the Kuntikana area. Posters stuck on pillars of Kuntikana Bypass were removed and cleaned. The surrounding area was thoroughly cleaned and provision was made for parking vehicles by levelling the ground.

The drivers of Sri Krishna Bhavan Autorickshaw Association cleaned Hampankatta Main Road and the area surrounding the Clock Tower. The area in front of Tokyo Market Road and the premises of Taluka Panchayat were also cleaned by the members.

The students of Backward and Minority Girls Hostel cleaned Chilimbi area. At Deralakatte, students of Justice K S Hegde Medical Academy took up cleanliness work.

The localites of Shivabagh Kadri cleaned the area on Shivabagh Main Road and the drains adjoining the road were cleared.

The residents cleaned the Padil underpass and surrounding areas. Heaps of garbage and stones lying under the railway bridge were also removed. The roads leading to the station were also cleared. Reported by Deccan Herald 4 days ago.

At 27, Naama Choonawala has come a long way from the college days of parking herself behind drum kits at Mumbai's music store Furtados, where she'd spend hours perfecting beats. All because her interest was deemed "too noisy" at home. The secret thrill of buying her first drum kit without her parent's knowledge or assembling it in bits and parts at a friend's place before each rehearsal paid off rather well; Choonawala now drums with Indie-folk band Stella by Starlight, and Reggae-Dancehall outfit Riddim Funktion, besides freelancing and schooling kids in beats.

It was a public performance debut at St. Xaviers' College festival-Malhar, with up to seven hours of rigorous practice thrown in at different stages, that saw Choonawala graduate to gigs at Blue Frog, NCPA, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Ziro in Assam and Shillong's Beer Fest. But hard work wasn't the only curve ball. As a female drummer, Choonawala has not so much borne the brunt of dismissal as of gender-based fetishization. "The whole idea of a girl drumming is hyped and considered exotic," complains Choonawala. She's not wrong. A Google search with the key words drummer+girl throws up, among other things, articles on 'cute', 'beautiful' drummer girls, along with tips to date one.

For a dedicated musician, "it's frustrating, because such notions take away from one's art". And it is safe to say that Choonawala's art has her full attention, as she talks spiritedly about "practicing the same thing over and over again so as to develop muscle memory". Ask her what she likes best about being a part of the two bands and she revels in the feat of straddling genres. "Reggae is a lot of fun! Stella's music, on the other hand, may not be rhythme-driven, but it requires the drummer to hold down the song," Choonawala points out.

When Mithy Tatak's cousin urged her to explore an instrument in high school, he had no idea she'd zero in on drums. But it was the instrument that appealed to Tatak "most naturally", and for the musician from Arunachal Pradesh, now 26, there was no looking back. The Indie-punk drummer who describes her style as "upbeat noise-punk" is a part of all-girls band The Vinyl Records. Tatak laughs about how, for the longest time, her family had no inkling of her passion. "I joined a music school but my parents, in another part of the country, had no idea," she says. Startled as she was, Tatak's mother responded with pride as she watched her daughter unleash her skills live at the Ziro Festival of Music in 2013.

But the rush came with the occasional dampener of being critiqued and patronised as a girl drummer. "I've been asked to drum like a man in order to be better. Double-base and metal drumming, styles I am currently uninterested in, have been suggested, just because they'd look cool," shrugs Tatak. "Arm strength and power can be developed, but drumming is about technique," insists Tatak, before humouring her detractors. "What is drumming like a man anyway?"

Gender was never a consideration in Pragati Soni's musical household when she was growing up. With father Suresh Soni engaged as a rhythme arranger for Bollywood greats like Laxmikant Pyarelal, her relationship with beats was organic. "I started unconventionally, gathering my experience at Navratri functions over energetic garba beats," recalls Soni, who is in her late-30s. College in the 90s opened her up to Bollywood, Pop, Classic and Alternative Rock. "Michael Jackson's music was a huge inspiration," reveals Soni, sharing her weakness for songs like Billy Jean, Man in the Mirror, Black or White, where even the most basic beats sound so beautiful!"

Over the years, Soni worked odd jobs, punching overtime to keep alive a band formed in the office gym, with colleagues. Yet, Soni's career has been fraught with isolated opportunities. "I've contributed to the sound of the Om Shanti Om's song Dhoom Taana, and worked in an Ela Arun album, but the offers have been few and far in between. Perhaps it's because not everyone takes women percussionists seriously," she reasons. "I'm still learning," she says, crediting her father in sealing her faith in music, and her mother, in herself.

ReportLifestyleSohini Das GuptaDNA

· music
· Alternative Rock
· Arunachal Pradesh
· Assam
· Google
· Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
· Laxmikant Pyarelal
· Michael Jackson
· Om Shanti Om
· Shillong

Sat, 14 Jan 2017-07:20am
Date updated: 
Saturday, 14 January 2017 - 7:20am
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Indie-punk drummer, Mithy Tatak, is part of an all-girls band The Vinyl Records, (above left) Pragati Soni worked odd jobs to keep alive a band formed in the office gym with her colleagues, (above right) Naama Choonawala drums with two bands while schooling kids in beats
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From Print Edition:  Reported by DNA 3 days ago.