Trending Cricket News

500 test matches… and a heap of mediocrity

India goes into its 500th Test match today against a combative but not frightening New Zealand XI. The national expectation is that Virat Kohli and his lads will win, making it India’s 130th Test victory. A cooperative pitch is expected to play its part: it’s not called “home advantage” for nothing. In Indian cricket at least, ‘atithi devo bhavah‘ – the Upanishadic principle that says the guest is God – is blithely ignored. It’s more like ‘Ashwin devo bhavah’, in homage to India’s sharpest spin bowler.(more)

India's sports sponsorship market touches Rs 5,190 crore

The Indian sports sponsorship market grew 12 per cent in 2015 to touch a size of Rs 5,190 crore, according to aKPMG report titled The Business of Sports. The potential value of the sports infrastructure market in the country is Rs 80,000 crore, says the report.(more)

BCCI calls for bids for IPL media rights

One of the most anticipated media rights battles has started with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing an open bid for the rights to the cash rich annual twenty-twenty tournament, the Vivo Indian Premier league (IPL). Broadcasters, OTT players, mobile video platforms and marketing agencies have one month to buy the tender and submit their respective bids.(more)

ICC presents Test Championship mace to Pakistan

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday presented the Test Championship mace to Pakistan for being the top-ranked team in the traditional format of the game.(more)

Gujarat HC issues notices to developers of 'Pokemon Go'

Gujarat HC issues notices to developers of 'Pokemon Go'

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the developers of location based-augmented reality game Pokémon GO, following a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the game in India, alleging it not only hurts religious sentiments but is also a threat to national security.

The court issued notices to San Francisco-based developer of the game, Niantic Inc, the Centre and the Gujarat government.

According to the PIL by one Alay Dave, the image of eggs in the augmented reality game appear in places of worship of various religious groups. The petitioner has said eggs are considered non-vegetarian food, and it is blasphemous to carry non-vegetarian food inside a place of worship of Hindus and Jains. "People playing the game get their points in the form of virtual eggs which generally appear in the places of worship of different religious groups. To find eggs in temples of Hindus and Jains is blasphemous, and my client has sought a ban on the game from the country," the petitioner’s lawyer Nachiket Dave said. Read more

How to get Jio SIM & 3-month free data offer Edit

How to get Jio SIM & 3-month free data offer

With free voice calls - for both local and roaming - and cheap data plans, Reliance Jio has unleashed a price war in the telecom sector. But how do you go about getting one, how do you install one, what devices are compatible, what is VoLTE... Read on to know all about Jio...

Reliance Industries caused a stir in the telecom industry when it made an announcement on September 1, during the company’s annual general meeting in Mumbai, offering free voice calls - both local and roaming - and data at cheap prices of Rs 25-50 per gigabyte (GB) throughReliance Jio Infocomm. On September 5, the fourth-generation mobile phone service was launched for public subscription.

The Mukesh Ambani-promoted company promised consumers voice calls on Jio would always be free. It announced 10 data tariff plans, starting at Rs 19 a day for occasional users, to Rs 4,999 a month for heavy data users. The most popular is the Rs 149 a month plan for low-data users. At an average data price of Rs 50 per GB, the data plans are touted to be amongst the lowest in the world.

Also read:

• Supporting device
• How to get a Jio connection?
• How to activate a Reliance Jio 4G SIM
• Cut the queue with Aadhaar
• Jio deconstructed
• Future plan
• Devices supporting Jio

April 1 deadline for GST a stiff target: Jaitley

April 1 deadline for GST a stiff target: Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the April 1, 2017, deadline to roll out the goods and services tax (GST) was stiff, as there were a few hurdles ahead.

He added the Centre and states were “running against time”, and there were issues, which the proposed GST Council needed to address.

“After the notification and constitution of the GST Council, there are obviously some pending issues, which the council will have to resolve. So we have September and October, and, parts of November to do that,” said Jaitley at the The Economist India Summit in the national Capital.

Later, a senior finance ministry official said there were three issues — GST rates, dual control over assessment and scrutiny of assessees, and geographical or area-based exemptions.

“If we are able to successfully transact those issues, the pieces of legislation would be introduced in Parliament in the winter session. Looking ahead, it’s very stiff. We are running against time,” said Jaitley.

More than half the states have ratified the Constitution amendment Bill, passed by Parliament on August 6. Only the President’s assent is left to make it a law.(more)

Starting Rs 60,000, Apple iPhone 7 in India from October 7

Starting Rs 60,000, Apple iPhone 7 in India from October 7

Apple iPhone 7and iPhone 7 Plus will be available for iOS lovers in India beginning October 7 - the last in the list of countries.

Available in silver, gold, rose gold and the new black finish (jet black), iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models, starting at Rs 60,000.

The new jet black finish will be offered exclusively on the 128GB and 256GB models from Apple authorised resellers and select carriers, the Cupertino-based tech giant announced on Wednesday.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus begins from September 9 and the shipping will start from September 16 first in 25 countries and other countries a week later.

All iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models will include EarPods with "Lightning Connector" and a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter, also sold separately for Rs 2,500 and Rs 900, respectively.

"Apple-designed accessories including leather and silicone cases in a range of colours will be available starting at Rs 2,900 and iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case will be offered in black and white for Rs 8,900," the company said.

Lightning Docks in several colour-matching metallic finishes will also be available for Rs 3,700.Read more

Bollywood Celebrities and their Ganpati 2016

Bollywood Celebrities and their Ganpati 201

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Long queues, SIM cards scarcity on Day 1 of Jio launch

Long queues, SIM cards scarcity on Day 1 of Jio launch

(Crowd outside a Reliance Digital Express store to get Reliance Jio SIM cards in New Delhi, on Monday. )

Customers joining long queues outside Reliance Jio stores here on Monday — the day of the full service launch — were often disappointed to find SIM cards unavailable.

A visit to a few stores in Sarojini Nagar and RK Puram, in the south west, made it clear that demand for Reliance Jio SIMs far outstretched supply. Customers were seen running from one store to the next.

Few of the customers who spoke to Business Standard said though there was a paucity of SIMs at the Reliance Digital stores, local dealers had these. They were charging between Rs 300 and Rs 600.

SIM cards are available free of charge but the dealers were making a quick buck, thanks to the surge in demand.

A Reliance Digital store employee, who did not want to be named, said local dealers had acquired SIM cards in bulk and were selling these at a premium.

The company was yet to comment at the time of going to press.

Another Reliance Digital employee said they had issued tokens to walk-in customers who could not get a SIM on Monday.Read more.

PM Modi raises black money, tax evasion at G20

PM Modi raises black money, tax evasion at G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday raised the issues of black money and tax evasion at the G20 Summit here, urging member countries to act against financial corruption.

On the second day of the Summit here, Modi said: "Fighting corruption, black money and tax evasion were central to effective financial governance."

Modi urged the grouping to show full commitment to action against financial corruption and said effective financial governance required action against the corrupt and elimination of safe havens for economic offenders.

"We need to act to eliminate safe havens for economic offenders, track down and unconditionally extradite money launderers and break down the web of complex international regulations and excessive banking secrecy that hide the corrupt and their deeds," Modi said in his address at the G20.

Representing 85 per cent of the world's GDP, the G20 is composed of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

Making his intervention in the discussion on 'More Effective and Efficient Global Economic and Financial Governance at the G-20 summit', Modi called for further strengthening the global financial safety net.Read more.

Reliance Jio to launch on Sept 5: Top 10 things to know

Reliance Jio to launch on Sept 5: Top 10 things to know

The mega telecom disruption is finally here. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani announced at the 42nd AGM that Jio will be launched on September 5, offering customers free domestic voice calls and zero roaming charges.

"Jio will out an end to voice call charges in India. No Jio customer will ever have to pay for voice calls again," Ambani said during the AGM.

Data tariff plans will begin from Rs 149 for 0.3 GB to Rs 4,999 for 75 GB. All data plans, except for the 0.3 GB plan, will also provide unlimited 4G data at night.

"These are the simplest and the most attractive tariff plans in the market, with the lowest data rates anywhere in the world," Ambani said.

Here are the top announcements from the AGM:

1) All domestic voice calls for Jio customers will be absolutely free. Roaming charges will also be zero across India.

2) India is 155th in the world for mobile broadband access; Jio will take the country to the top 10.Read more.

For more info about Reliance Jio 4G Plans.Click here

Economic situation in May 2014 was worse than what it seemed: PM Modi

Economic situation in May 2014 was worse than what it seemed: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said in a TV interview to Network18 that he suffered political damage for his decision to not issue a white paper on the state of the economy when his government took over in May 2014. He said the sluggish private investments was a continuing fallout of the economic conditions that prevailed when he took office two and a half years back but his government has resisted the temptation to take shortcuts, the positive results of which are now evident across several sectors.

In the interview, the PM he spoke on a wide range of issues, from Lutyens' culture, atrocities against Dalits, the Kashmir situation, and the forthcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi said the economic situation in May 2014 was much worse that it seemed on the surface. Modi said he was confronted with a choice of whether to be politically expedient and put the poor state of the economy in the public domain, or keep the interest of the nation uppermost. He said his government had even mulled tabling a white paper on the economic condition in Parliament before the presentation of the first Budget.Read more

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Azim Premji and Shiv Nadar in Forbes list of 100 richest tech tycoons

Azim Premji and Shiv Nadar in Forbes list of 100 richest tech tycoons

Wipro chairman Azim Premji and HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar are the only two billionaires from India in Forbes' list of the world's 100 richest people in technology, ranking in the top 20 ahead of Google boss Eric Schmidt and Uber chief executive officer (CEO) Travis Kalanick.

The '100 Richest Tech Billionaires In The World 2016' list has been topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with an estimated fortune of $78 billion. Premji ranks 13th on the list, with a net worth of $16 billion and Nadar comes on the 17th spot, with $11.6 billion of net worth. Indian-American technology czars — Symphony Technology Group CEO Romesh Wadhwani and founders of IT (information technology) consulting and outsourcing company Syntel Bharat Desai and his wife Neerja Sethi — are also on the list. Forbes said Premji, who heads India's third-largest outsourcer, Wipro, has been on a buying spree in the past year to boost growth. Premji's son Rishad, who heads strategy and sits on the board, also oversees Wipro's $100-million venture capital fund. Nadar co-founded HCL, which is reportedly mulling a US listing, Forbes said, adding Nadar also owns HCL TalentCare, a skills-development firm. His latest venture is a $500-million fund to invest in startups and US health care technology firms.(more)

2016 Rio Olympics: Dipa Karmakar qualifies for vault finals

2016 Rio Olympics: Dipa Karmakar qualifies for vault finals

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar scripted history as she became the first Indian to make the cut for the individual vault finals in her debut Olympic Games after finishing 8th in the qualifying round here.

The Tripura-girl, who is the country's first woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, managed to perform her much-appreciated 'Produnova' vault cleanly to secure 14.850 points after two attempts.

It was a nervous wait for the Indian after that. She had ended sixth after the third of five sub-divisions.

She dropped to 8th eventually when Canadian Shallon Olsen's terrific effort of 14.950 rejigged the overall standings.

Read our full coverage on the 2016 Rio Olympics

But that was just about enough to secure her a place in the finals scheduled for August 14 as the top-8 made the cut for the medal round.

Dipa secured 7.000 on difficulty and 8.1 on execution in her first attempt. Her score for difficulty was a tad lower at 6.000 in the second attempt.

She landed low on her Produnova vault in the first attempt, while her second vault was a 'Tsuk double full twist' with step to the side.

Three-time world all-round champion Simone Biles topped the charts with a sensational score of 16.050. The American scored a brilliant 9.700 on execution in both her attempts.(more)

Clinton's national lead over Trump touches double digit

Clinton's national lead over Trump touches double digit

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has gained a double digit national lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump who has been going through a rough patch over the past few weeks, according to a latest poll.

"The Clinton-Kaine ticket leads the Trump-Pence ticket by 10 points (49-39 per cent) in the race for the White House," Fox News said as it released results of its first poll after the conclusion of the back to back conventions last week.

While Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia is the vice presidential running mate of Clinton, Governor Mike Penceis Trump's running mate.

Clinton's double digit lead is considered to be significant as it is outside the margin of error.

A month ago, Clinton was up by six points (44-38 per cent, June 26-28), the report said.

According to the poll, however, 61 per cent of the respondents think Clinton is dishonest.

According to the report, Democrat is winning among the "Obama coalition", the key voting blocs that secured his re-election.(more)

Nifty hovers above 8,550; Tata Motors up 4%

Nifty hovers above 8,550; Tata Motors up 4%

Markets have shrugged off the clearance of GST in the upper house and are trading in a narrow range with Sensex and Nifty swinging between negative and positive zone.

By 10:25 am, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 48 points at 27,746 and the Nifty50 gained 14 points to trade 8,559. Broader markets are outperforming the benchmark indices- BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices are up 0.5% each.

"Contrary to popular belief, the passage of the GST Constitutional Amendment marks only the beginning of a fairly tedious procedure that should ultimately result in the implementation of a unified GST in India at best by 2HFY18. Even as the adoption of a unified GST is one of the most remarkable tax reforms from a long-term perspective, in the short-term we highlight that this is likely to result in (1) a mild pick-up in inflation as hitherto untaxed goods and services are now brought under the tax net, (2) a meaningful loss of jobs in the informal sector as this sector will no longer be able to fly under the radar of the taxman and (3) consequently trigger pro-electorate measures in the form of higher revenue expenditure from FY18 onwards as the Modi-led BJP Government begins preparing for the 2019 General Elections," adds Ritika Mankar Mukherjee, Senior Economist, Ambit Capital.(more)

Old bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway collapses; 2 buses, other vehicles missing

Old bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway collapses; 2 buses, other vehicles missing

At least two buses and several other vehicles went missing near Mahad city after a bridge on the Savitri River collapsed early on Wednesday due to torrential rains in the Konkan region.

The bridge, more than seven decades old and a critical link to the Mumbai-Goa national highway, crashed around 1 a.m. due to the flood waters rushing into the river.

Two state transport buses with 11 passengers each were missing and there was no contact with either their drivers or the passengers, Raigad Collector Sheetal Ugale said.

Since the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses — which started from Mumbai — did not arrive at their scheduled Mahad depot, Ugale appealed people to get in touch with the concerned authorities about their missing relatives.(more)

Donald Trump 'unfit' to serve as US President: Barack Obama

Donald Trump 'unfit' to serve as US President: Barack Obama

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "unfit" to serve as President and lambasted Republicans for sticking with the businessman-turned-politician.

The strong rebuke came after Trump's criticism of the family of a slain Muslim US soldier, along with comments that displayed apparent confusion related to the Russian incursion into Ukraine, CNN reported.

"The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as President," Obama said at a White House news conference with the Prime Minister of Singapore. "He keeps on proving it."

The Trump campaign responded by going after the Democratic nominee as well as the President.

"Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office," a Trump statement said, listing a number of policy concerns. "Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilised the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi."

Obama on Tuesday described his feelings about Trump as unprecedented, recalling disagreements with previous GOP presidential nominees Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney -- but never an outright sense they were unfit to serve.(more)

Bill's pitch: Hillary is the "best darn change-maker"

Bill's pitch: Hillary is the "best darn change-maker"

Making a strong case for his wife Hillary's presidency bid, charismatic former US presidentBill Clinton on Wednesday narrated his personal story with "a girl" he met in 1971 to emphasise that she is "uniquely qualified" for the top job and the "best change-maker" he has ever known.

"Hillary will make us stronger together. You know it because she spent a lifetime doing it," Bill said in his address to the Democratic National Convention here, hours after the party nominated his wife Hillary as its presidential candidate for the November elections.

"She is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known," the 69-year-old former president said in a mesmerising speech, asking his countrymen to vote and elect Hillary as the next US president.

Scripting history, the 68-year-old former secretary of state on Wednesday became the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US party as she secured the backing of the Democrats to set up an epic clash with Republican rival Donald Trump in the November polls.

Bill, who was the 42nd president of the US from 1993 to 2000, said, "Hillary is uniquely qualified to seize the opportunities and reduce the risks we face. And she is still the best darn change-maker I have ever known. You could drop her into any trouble spot, pick one, come back in a month and somehow, some way she will have made it better. That is just who she is".Read more.

Swachh Bharat, Skill India 'transformative' schemes: Pranab Mukherjee Edit

Swachh Bharat, Skill India 'transformative' schemes: Pranab Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday hailed the Narendra Modi government's initiatives like Digital India,Swachh Bharat and Skill India as "transformative in nature".

"President of India President Mukherjee believes these programmes are transformative in nature and their successful implementation will alter the landscape of the country," said a reply on Facebook live chat from the President's page, where a question and answer session was organised on the eve of his four years in office.

The replies were made by Venu Rajamony, Press Secretary to the President.

Mukherjee urged Indians to dedicate themselves to the service of the nation.

"Citizens of India should dedicate themselves to the cause of the nation and society through constructive contribution to these programmes in every possible manner," he said in reply to one question.

The President also stressed the importance of teachers, saying: "Teachers are like the soft and skillful hands of a potter. They mould the destiny of thousands of students, in turn shaping the future of a nation."

In another reply, it was said that he "loves teaching and remembers his days as a teacher fondly".

Mukherjee was a teacher in Suri Vidyasagar College of West Bengal before joining politics.

However, the live chat evoked a lukewarm response from some net-savvy citizens who said very casual and "easy" kinds of questions were asked.(more)

It's a good to have contagious winning habit: Virat Kohli

It's a good to have contagious winning habit: Virat Kohli

Winning is "contagious" and Indian Test captain Virat Kohli feels that it is a "good habit" that his boys can create in order to become a formidable Test team anywhere in the world.

India trounced West Indies by an innings and 92 runs well inside four days in the first cricket Test of the four-match series.

"We want to create winning habits, good habits. And you know, winning is contagious. If we learn to win Test matches, then we'll learn how to win Tests everywhere. We will learn how to play in different situations and we will know exactly what to do when a certain situation is going a certain way," Kohli told mediapersons after a thumping victory against the hosts.

"We want to be consistent side, we need to set ourselves goals and look to execute that rather than looking at the opposition which I think this team is willing to do," said Kohli after the win.

"That for me is a very pleasing thing as a captain and for the team as well. Everyone understands the way we want to play on the field - where we need to bat, how we need to bowl, etc. We need to be comfortable with what the team requires and I think that's the most important for this team going forward."
(more)

Kabali film review: Weapon of mass attraction Edit

The expectations from Kabali are as high as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the setting for almost 80% of the movie, not least because it's a Rajinikanth movie. The reasons are varied: the audience need a taste of the Rajinikanth of yore, not a do-gooder Samaritan (Lingaa) or a CGI generated version of a warrior Prince (Kochadaiiyaan). Thalaivar fanatics just wanted him to have fun, which was rarely the case ever since Sivaji. The teasers of Kabalisuggested Rajinikanth is back to his glory days of Basha, Padayappa and Pedarayudu.

You wanted badass, you get industrial levels of badass in this Pa Ranjith movie. His previous film Madras had a delightful off-kilter sensibility. Sadly, here he spends too much time deifying his larger-than-life protagonist. And that makes the movie a giant 150-minute slog.

It opens with the erstwhile gangster getting released from a Malaysian prison after spending 25 years there. As soon as he steps out, he's apprised of how his rival gang (consisting of Kishore and Winston Chao) has grown from strength to strength and has turned the city into a teeming hub of drug abuse and prostitution.

Kabali starts cleaning up right away, while getting reunited with his daughter and wife along the way. You have to be punch drunk on Rajini mania to sit through the movie without dozing off or trying to play Pokemon GO at the cinema itself. The only saving grace is the man himself. The wizened visage hasn't lost a bit of its grace and infectious scowl.(more)