Budget 2023 To Set Foundation For Growth Amid Global Gloom: 10 Facts

1. Predictably, India's middle class is looking for some form of income-tax relief. Though the tax slab wasn't changed and no new deduction was announced last year, inflation has eaten into people's earnings. They haven't seen a change in tax rate since 2017-18 and in tax slab since July 2014.
2. Ms Sitharaman may be able to afford a balanced, not a populist, Budget since the general election is still a year and one more Union Budget away. Still, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP hoping to win a third consecutive term, massive welfare programmes for farmers and the rural population can't be ruled out.
3. The Finance Ministry had been considering increasing the limit under 80C, which includes investment in life insurance, fixed deposit, bonds, housing and public provident fund. If this happens, it will encourage savings and help raise rainy day funds of people whose savings were eroded at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. The markets in India - Asia's third-biggest economy - will be closely watched when Ms Sitharaman begins her Budget speech at 11 am. Adani group companies led most of the fluctuations last week, but on Tuesday its Rs 20,000 crore follow-on share sale sailed through, bringing relief to the group that's facing allegations of fraud made by US-based short-seller Hindenburg.
5. The Modi government may strengthen its "Make In India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" policies by giving financial benefits to manufacturers and suppliers who want to set up shop in the country. India has been advertising itself as an alternative to China in the global supply chain.
6. The real estate sector, which nosedived during the pandemic, expects the centre to announce favourable schemes and tax breaks to improve its luck after a slow but surefooted revival last year. In 2019, the goods and services tax, or GST, council cut the tax rate on affordable houses from 8 per cent to 1 per cent. The sector expects similar announcements in this Budget too.
7. Over half of India's population is under 30. For them, the focus would be on job security and reduced tax on products that they prefer to buy, such as electronic goods. Better terms for education loans and other forms of financial help for school and higher education will be keenly watched.
8. The farm sector went through difficult times in 2022 due to global supply problems, unseasonal rains and floods, effects of climate change and the war in Ukraine. Ms Sitharaman would likely have something to cushion them from all these shocks. After all, farmers make for a large and influential voter base.
9. Ms Sitharaman may pick up from where she left on "digital rupee", which was first announced in last year's Budget as a possible alternative to cryptocurrencies. Crypto trades have in recent times become wildly popular across the globe, albeit risky since there's exists a grey area of regulation. The Finance Minister may give a status update on "digital rupee".
10. A Bloomberg brief of what to expect includes extension of long-term capital gains tax to immovable property and unlisted shares, compensation to oil retailers for selling fuel below market prices, cut in import taxes on gold to 10 per cent to rein in illegal shipments and increase in defence budget amid border tensions with China. 

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India Gets Its First Smart Food Court In Pune; Details Inside

We live in a digitalised world where everything is available in just a few clicks. Today, we perform almost every task digitally. Post pandemic, we have realised the convenience even more. The hospitality sector has also taken up the trend quite fast - food apps being the perfect instance of the same. We reply on these apps on a regular basis to get our favourite dishes. Taking a step forward (towards digitalisation), India gets its first smart food court in Pune. As per reports on multiple media outlets, the smart food court has opened its doors in Law College Road, Erandwane in Pune. The place will host more than 15 popular brands across food categories. "Spread across 3,000 sq. ft. the court offers a digital customer experience," the reports read.

Also Read: New Delhi Railway Station Gets First Ever 24 Hrs Food Court

Food Brands Available At India's First Smart Food Court:

The reports further state that the place will host various popular food brands that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner as well. The brands include Oven Story Pizza, Faasos, Wendy's, Mad Over Donut, Behrouz Biryani, Slay Coffee, SMOOR Chocolates and Firangi Bake to name a few.

Also Read: This Indian Street Food Restaurant Opened Its First Drive-Thru Outlet In UK

How Does The Smart Food Court Work?

In the smart food court, a customer will be allowed to place orders from their favourite food brands through kiosks and iPads or by scanning QR codes, available on the table. Once prepared, the order will be notified to customers through the digital screens in store or through a WhatsApp message. The customer can then choose to dine-in or take-away the order.

A statement by food company who opened this explains that the they took the initiative to re-imagine the conventional process of food court service.

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Watch: Man Documents Experience In First-Ever Fully Automated McDonald's

Everything is taking a technological turn today. Following the same league, fast food giant McDonald's also decided to experiment with the idea last year. The restaurant chain opened its first automated restaurant in Texas, United States. As seen in several videos posted on social media, the "robotic" restaurant is entirely automated and requires no human interaction to place or take orders. The entire process, from choosing your order to packing it, is automated. An internet user recently documented his experience at this high-tech eatery and his video has amazed many people on social media.

The user, Aakaanksh took to Instagram to share the same, In the video, the user is seen standing outside the newly opened restaurant in Texas. He then goes inside and shows the surroundings. The restaurant lacks any seating or set-ups for eating inside as it is intended to be a "grab and go" eatery. He then places his order through a kiosk and a robot delivers the same. Later, he places another online order through a mobile application and it is delivered at the drive-thru.

Watch the video below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by aakaanksh (@kaansanity)

Since being shared, the video has amassed over 16,000 likes and seven lakh views. "What do you guys think about this?" reads the caption of the video.

"No for me. Stop making everything with robotic technology, t where will all those people who work there go?? Support businesses that actually support people's jobs not take them away! POV," said one user.

"Maybe I'll get the right order for once," commented a second person.

A third said, "Why would anyone want to support workerless businesses?"

"By 2025 85 million people will be out of a job . So no I hate it . It's bad enough these apps don't have customer service half the time . No humans to speak to and make things right less interaction in society. Smh," added another person.

Another person added, "Beats their customer service!! They do this in other countries and it works!! Anyone ever hear about the food you eat carries energy and that's why you feel sick or heavy after you eat at these places due to the people's energies that work at these places going into the food you eat. Overworked and underpaid..sad but true."

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Aamir Takes Pic Of Salman Posing With His Family, Shared By Sister Nikhat

Aamir Khan may have taken a break from movies, but the star keeps making appearances on social media. This time, his sister Nikhat Hegde has offered a glimpse of Aamir Khan. In the picture, Aamir turned photographer for his family. The photo also features Salman Khan. Yes, the images seem to be from Salman's recent visit to Aamir Khan's house. In the image, Salman is seen posing next to Nikhat and Aamir's mom Zeenat Hussain, while Aamir clicks a perfect group picture. Aamir's other relatives are also present in the picture. Sharing the post, Nikhat Hegde wrote, "For those who were missing Aamir." 

Soon after she shared the post, fans flooded the comment section. A user wrote, "Salman and Aamir are the most beautiful pillars of Bollywood," while another wrote, "Oh so cute. Aamir Sir, the cameraman. Love you Aamir Sir! Love your family. You are pride of our nation." 

Take a look below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nikhat Hegde (@nikhat3628)

In the next post, Salman Khan is happily posing with Aamir Khan's family. Sharing this picture, Nikhat Hegde simply dropped heart emoticons. Check out the post below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nikhat Hegde (@nikhat3628)

Last week on Tuesday, Salman Khan was spotted at Aamir Khan's house. He was pictured arriving at the residence in his car with heavy security. Check out the video below: 

Talking about Aamir Khan's sister Nikhat Hegde recently made a cameo appearance in Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan. She played the role of Shah Rukh's foster mother Saba. 

Coming back to Aamir Khan's social media appearance, the superstar attended a wedding in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where he met Punjabi singer Jasbir Jaasi. The singer shared several pictures on his Twitter handle and wrote, "Dil da Ameer (rich by heart), Aamir Khan."

Take a look at the post below: 

Dil da Ameer, Amir khan #aamirkhan pic.twitter.com/Y5nhnE287f

— Jassi (@JJassiOfficial) January 28, 2023

Meanwhile, on the work front, Aamir Khan was last seen in Laal Singh Chaddha, co-starring Kareena Kapoor.

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German Woman Kills "Instagram Lookalike" To Fake Own Death

A 23-year-old German woman has been accused of seeking out a lookalike of herself on social media and killing her in an attempt to fake her own death, reported Telegraph. The brutal and bizarre case has been dubbed "the doppelganger murder."

The police referred to the German woman as Shahraban K, 24, residing in Munich, who had set up a fake Instagram account and tried contacting women who resembled her. After scouting many profiles, she found a cosmetics blogger, Algerian citizen Khadidja O, 23, who lived about 100 miles away, police said.

Both the women had long dark hair and similar complexion.

According to police, Shahraban K and her boyfriend named Sheqir K, 24, reached out to Khadidja and offered beauty products and went to pick her up.

While going back, they stopped in a forest and stabbed the victim over 50 times, police said.

Shahraban K had told her husband that she was going to meet her ex-husband.

When Shahraban didn't return, her parents went looking for her in Ingolstadt and found her Mercedes near the Danube.

On the back seat of the car, the body of a dark-haired young woman brutally murdered was found and they believed it was their daughter, the Telegraph reported.

According to police, several knives were reportedly found nearby and the car was reportedly discovered not far from Sheqir K's flat.

After doing autopsy and DNA tests, it was found that the body was actually Khadidja O.

Shahraban K and Sheqir K were then arrested.

The police were baffled by the resemblance between the owner of the car and the dead.

Veronika Grieser, an Ingolstadt prosecutor, told the Bild newspaper: "It has been confirmed that the accused had contacted several women via Instagram before the act who seemed to look similar to her.

"It can be assumed that the suspect wanted to go into hiding, due to internal disputes with her family, and fake her own death."

A police spokesman said the killing was done for "base motives."

The spokesman said: "During the return journey, the victim was lured out of the vehicle as planned under a pretext and killed in a wooded area with a large number of stabs in the body.

"The accused then continued their journey to Ingolstadt, where the body was found on the evening of Aug 16th. It was found lying in the vehicle."

Another police spokesman told Bild: "The murder weapon has still not been found but the burden of proof is overwhelming.

"The victim was killed with more than 50 stab wounds and her face was badly injured. That was brutal in the extreme.

"It was an extraordinary case that required all the investigators' skills. We don't have a case like this every day, especially with such a spectacular twist. On the day we found the body, we did not expect it to develop like this."

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Apple Workplace Rules Violate US Labour Law, Agency Finds

Apple maintains workplace policies that unlawfully discourage employees from discussing working conditions, a US labour agency has found.

The National Labor Relations Board will issue a complaint targeting the policies and claiming Apple executives made comments that stymied worker organising unless the company settles first, an agency official said on Monday in an email reviewed by Reuters.

The official had sent the email to Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple senior engineering manager who filed complaints against the company in 2021.

The NLRB investigates charges filed by workers and unions and decides whether to issue formal complaints against companies. The agency can seek to strike down workplace policies and require employers to notify workers of legal violations.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. The company has said it takes worker complaints seriously and thoroughly investigates them.

An NLRB spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gjovik in an email on Tuesday said she hoped the development will spur more Apple workers to speak up about working conditions and to organise.

In her complaints, Gjovik said various Apple rules, including those relating to confidentiality and surveillance policies, deter employees from discussing issues such as pay equity and sex discrimination with each other and the media.

Gjovik also cited a 2021 email from Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook that allegedly sought to stop workers from speaking to the press and said "people who leak confidential information do not belong here."

Many tech companies have strict confidentiality policies designed to protect trade secrets.

US labour law prohibits policies that could discourage workers from exercising their right to band together to improve working conditions.

Apple is facing several pending NLRB complaints, including one claiming the tech giant unlawfully required workers at an Atlanta retail store to attend anti-union meetings. Apple has denied wrongdoing.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

 

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Is 2023 the year when you should finally buy a foldable phone? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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Kerala Man Rapes, Impregnates Daughter; Sentenced To Three Life Terms

A Kerala court on Monday sentenced a man to three life terms, for the remainder of his life, for repeatedly raping and impregnating his minor daughter.

Manjeri Fast Track Special Court judge Rajesh K convicted the man for offences of rape, aggravated sexual assault and penetrative sexual assault as well as intimidation of the victim under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, special public prosecutor (SPP) A Somasundaran said.

The convict was sentenced to the three life terms for the offences under the POCSO Act and the court directed that he shall remain imprisoned for the rest of his natural life, the SPP said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 6.6 lakh on him, he said.

Giving details of the case, the SPP said that the first incident of rape occurred in March 2021 when no one was at home.

The then 15-year old girl had online classes due to COVID-19 pandemic and was studying when her father dragged her into his bedroom and raped her while no one was at home, the prosecutor said.

When the victim objected he threatened to kill her mother, the SPP said.

Subsequently, the convict -- formerly a teacher in a madrasa -- raped his daughter on several occasions, when no one was at home, till October 2021.

When physical classes resumed in November 2021, the victim began going to school and during that time had some abdominal pain for which she was taken to the doctor, but nothing was discovered.

When she again complained of the pain in January 2022, she was taken to a government medical college where it was discovered that she was pregnant and at that time the girl said that her father was the perpetrator, the SPP said.

Thereafter, the police were informed, a case was lodged and the father was arrested.

The pregnancy of the victim was medically terminated and DNA samples of the foetus, the girl and her father were collected.

The DNA analysis proved the girl's father was the offender, the SPP said.

The DNA evidence along with the statements of the victim and her mother were vital in convicting the accused, he said.

"The trial was conducted speedily to ensure that the accused does not come out in the interim and influence the victim or the witnesses," a senior officer of Vazhikkadavu police station, where the crime was registered, said.

The investigating officer of the case was Abdul Basheer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Photo Of US Police Dog Goes Viral After It Was Accused Of Stealing Officer's Lunch

A police dog, named Officer Ice, came under investigation by the Wyandotte Police Department (WPD) of Michigan after he allegedly stole lunch from one of his colleagues on January 12. The police department then shared an image of the dog's mugshot after alleging criminal charges, as per a report in Fox News.

The police department took to Facebook to share the same. They stated that Officer Barwig was eating his lunch when he was summoned to the WPD jail for assistance. Upon his return, he found his lunch had vanished. "Ofc. Barwig was eating lunch in the breakroom when he was called to assist a person in the WPD jail. He quickly jumped into service, leaving his half-eaten lunch on the table. A short while later Barwig and another officer returned to the breakroom only to find Ofc. Ice leisurely strolled out of the room licking his chops. Barwig's entire lunch was gone....disappeared, vanished!" the post stated. 

The department also stated that Officer Ice had "invoked his fifth amendment right to remain silent" and was not cooperating with the investigation. They continued on Facebook, "He has a history of rummaging through trash cans that are within his reach. There have been several other accusations of him taking food right from coworker's hands as they walk by."

Since being shared, the post has amassed over 25,000 likes and 14,000 shares. "Release that innocent officer! Do I need to organize a protest outside headquarters?" said a user.

A second added, "Justice for Ice! I'll defend pro bono!"

"Pawsatively innocent until proven guilty," commented a third user. 

On January 18, the department issued an update on Facebook, stating that they have been "threatened with massive protests" if they proceed with the investigation and/or charges against Ice.

"We have been threatened with massive protests if we move forward with our investigation and/or charges. Plus the overall public just doesn't believe he is guilty.  No video has been produced. That being said Ofc Ice will not face any internal discipline or criminal charges," they wrote in the post. 

The department added that "the public has spoken" They also added a hashtag  '#nochargesforIce.'

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Gorakhnath Temple Attacker Sentenced To Death In UP

A special court here on Monday awarded the death penalty to a man who was booked for waging war against the government after he assaulted a Uttar Pradesh armed police force's jawan at the Gorakhnath temple.

Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, special judge of the ATS court, also imposed a fine of Rs 44,000 on Ahmed Murtaza Abbasi.

According to an FIR lodged at the Gorakhnath police station on April 4, 2022 on the basis of a complaint from Vinay Kumar Mishra, Abbasi, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) graduate, tried to forcibly enter the Gorakhnath temple premises the day before and attacked the security personnel deployed there with a sickle, injuring two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables.

He was overpowered by the security personnel, and subsequently arrested.

The investigation was conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

He had also tried to snatch a rifle.

While being arrested, he was chanting religious slogans and was found in possession of a book in Urdu. He was said to have been connected with a terror outfit.

The court had earlier convicted him under section 121 (waging or abetting war against the government of India), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his public functions), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was also booked for offences under the Arms Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

The court heard his counsel on the quantum of sentence and awarded him capital sentence.

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"Either Sex Sells Or Shah Rukh Khan": Neha Dhupia Recalls Old Statement

Actor Neha Dhupia, who has been constantly giving shout outs to Shah Rukh Khan and his latest release Pathaan did it once again. A Twitter user recently wrote: "Almost 2 decade back Neha Dhupia had given a statement 'only sex or Shah Rukh Khan sells' and that stays true even today! #Pathaan #Pathaan100crWorldwide #PathaanRoars." Responding to the tweet, the actress wrote: "20 years on, my statement rings true. This is not an "actor's career" but a "King's reign"! #KingKhan." Back in 2004, during the promotions of her film Julie, Neha Dhupia had said, "In today's time, either sex sells or Shah Rukh Khan."

Read Neha Dhupia's tweet here:

20 years on, my statement rings true.
This is not an "actor's career" but a "King's reign"! #KingKhan @iamsrk https://t.co/TMgPzpJed4

— Neha Dhupia (@NehaDhupia) January 28, 2023

After watching Pathaan in theatres, Neha Dhupia wrote this in a tweet last week: "It was a packed house, there were whistles, there was cheer and our hearts rejoiced...We laughed on beat, we applauded on every dialogue and we jumped out of our seats on cue each time Pathaan kicked. Shah Rukh Khan, thank you for you...This is what cinematic victory looks like."

She added in the tweet: "Shah Rukh Khan, the love we have for you is hard to explain. Deepika Padukone, you set the screen on fire with your gaze and your kicks and tricks. John Abraham, you make bad look so good! Salman Khan, we would go back to the cinemas to watch the best cameo in history. Pathaan is here to stay."

@iamsrk The love we have for you is hard to explain. @deepikapadukone u set the screen on fire with ur gaze n ur kicks and tricks #JohnAbraham u make bad look so good! @BeingSalmanKhan we would go back to the cinemas to watch the best cameo in history #pathan is here to stay!!! pic.twitter.com/FOTg2Sn4WS

— Neha Dhupia (@NehaDhupia) January 26, 2023

In terms of box office, Pathaan has earned Rs 542 crore crore gross worldwide within 5 days of its release. Box office success aside, the film has been equally adept at impressing the critics. In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and he wrote: "Phenomenally entertaining and consistently engaging, Pathaan, for all the derivative genre components it compiles, is a spy thriller that crackles with energy."

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Bride Misses Her Own Destination Wedding After Airline Cancels Flight

A bride missed her own wedding and lost more than $70,000 (Rs 57 lakh) in reservations after Southwest Airlines cancelled her flight. On December 27, Katie Demko was scheduled to depart from St. Louis, Missouri and her destination wedding to her fiance Michael, in Belize. However, the airline's pilot revealed that the flight had been cancelled just as passengers were about to board, as per a report in the Insider. 

Although the bride claims that she is a frequent flier of Southwest Airlines, she was not able to find another flight for herself and her kids to make it in time for the Belize wedding. "I had about seven travel agents, and my whole family sat for 18 hours searching for a way to get us there. We even looked at flying to Cancun and getting a bus to drive us to Belize. There was nothing," she added. 

According to the outlet, her fiance arrived in Belize before her. However, her flight was short of three flight attendants and the captain made the decision to cancel it just before boarding was scheduled to begin.

Additionally, she attempted to exchange tickets with friends who were departing on December 28, but Southwest Airlines was unable to do so. "I cried all morning on December 30," Ms Demko told Insider.

Despite not receiving a complete refund, Southwest reimbursed Ms Demko for her tickets. She was also not able to receive a refund for a lot of her wedding services. The Victoria House resort, where she and her guests were scheduled to stay, did not offer refunds or postponements. So Ms Demko and her fiance lost thousands as a result of the cancellation.

"In total, it is well over $70K lost in rooms at Victoria House," she told Insider.

Talking to People Magazine, Ms Demko said that she was devastated when she learnt about the same. She said, "Please let this not be true. This can't be happening. Total devastation." 

She continued, "I was in shock and just went numb."

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SRK On "Permanent Balcony Ticket" - 5 Big Quotes From Team Pathaan

Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham addressed the media with their Pathaan director Siddharth Anand on the super success of the film. At last count, Pathaan had fetched Rs 542 crore (gross) worldwide in five days – the action-thriller, produced by Yash Raj Films, released on January 25. The live session was punctuated by chants of "we love Shah Rukh" with the 57-year-old superstar – known for his wit and charm – in top form. Here are some of the best quotes from SRK, Deepika and John.

Shah Rukh Khan On Sunday Ritual With Fans At Mannat
"My elders told me if you are sad, go to the people who love you... We will all have things that go wrong in life. Life is like that, it is meant to be like that…And I am very lucky that I have millions and billions of people who love me. When I am sad, I go to my balcony, when I am happy I go to my balcony. God has blessed me so much that he has given me a permanent balcony ticket"

John Abraham On SRK
"I don't think he is an actor anymore, he is an emotion. I nearly went to kiss him in many scenes… Earlier I felt like I was an action hero, but I think Shah Rukh Khan today is the number 1 action hero of the country."

SRK On John
"I genuinely feel that the backbone and best thing about Pathaan is Jim, played by John. John ho picture me lo toh kapdon ka kharcha bhi kam aata hai, (when John is in the film, the cost of clothing is also less)."

SRK On Deepika Padukone
"You already know about Deepika and me. We just need an excuse to romance, kiss and hug. Whatever question you ask me, I will kiss her hand and that will be the answer." Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone have starred in Om Shanti Om, Chennai Express, Happy New Year and now Pathaan.

Deepika On Pathaan's Mega Success
"I don't think we set out to break records. We set out to make a film with love, with the right intentions."

Pathaan stars Shah Rukh Khan as a RAW agent who teams up with Deepika Padukone's character against terrorist leader Jim, played by John Abraham.

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Not Going To Be "Cheated Again": BJP On Realignment With Nitish Kumar

BJP workers from across Bihar have been categorically told that there was no question of a realignment with "unpopular" Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the party's state unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal said on Sunday.

He made the averment upon the conclusion of the party's two-day state executive meeting in North Bihar district of Darbhanga.

"We have sought to stamp out rumours among our party cadre about such a realignment. Of course, the CM has the proclivity to oscillate like a pendulum. But we are not going to be cheated by him again", said the BJP leader whose party lost power in Bihar when Kumar and JD(U) walked out of an alliance with the saffron party to stitch together a new one with RJD and Congress.

"Nitish Kumar has grown hugely unpopular. It was his unpopularity that had caused his JD(U) to perform badly in assembly polls of 2020, when we did much better", said Mr Jaiswal.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed magnanimity (udaarta) in deciding to stick to the promise made before elections and Kumar ended up enjoying another term in office. But, the habitual betrayer that he is, Kumar abused the trust reposed in him by PM", alleged the Bihar BJP chief.

Mr Kumar had junked the BJP accusing it of trying to split the JD(U) with the help of his former close aide RCP Singh. 

The party has also accused the BJP of an attempted sabotage in the assembly polls when many saffron party rebels were fielded by Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party against JD(U) candidates.

Mr Jaiswal reiterated that the BJP was now aiming at forming its own government in Bihar after winning the next assembly polls and claimed that the tone will be set in the Lok Sabha elections next year in which "we have set for ourselves a target of more than 35 out 40 seats in the state".

Mr Jaiswal also said, tongue in cheek, "today is the birth anniversary of George Fernandes who was a mentor to Nitish. When Nitish did not shy away from betraying him, he can ditch anyone else". 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Fans Spot Selena Gomez's Hands Shaking In Video. She Explains The Reason

American singer and actor Selena Gomez had to reiterate her lupus diagnosis to fans after they pointed out her 'shaky' hands in a recent Tik Tok video. Lupus can harm the skin, kidneys, heart, nervous system and blood cells.

In early January, the singer posted a video of applying products to remove makeup, which included gently washing her face with a towel. But Selena was trolled as her hands were shaking in the video.

Addressing the issue, Selena said to a fan, "I shake because of my medication of lupus," and added "Also read my disclaimer. I ain't no pro," reported by E News.

The 30-year-old has been vocal about her experience with lupus--an autoimmune disease--since she was diagnosed in 2014. As a result of the illness, Selena underwent a kidney transplant in 2017.

y'all are always mean to this woman and I ask WHY? pic.twitter.com/gKbkqjWAl1

— jo (@fetishxsel) January 26, 2023

In her 2022 documentary, 'Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me', the superstar further detailed her struggle with lupus.

"I haven't felt it since I was younger," a crying Selena said in the documentary about the joint pain she is feeling. "In the morning when I wake up, I immediately start crying because it just hurts, like, everything."

However, Selena, who has also spoken about her bipolar disorder diagnosis in the past, refuses to be weighed down by her health battles. As she states in the documentary, her focus remains on embracing and loving herself.

"I found having a relationship with bipolar and myself, it's going to be there," Selena said. "I'm just making it my friend now. I think I needed to go through that to be who I am and I am going to keep going through it, but I'm really happy. I'm at peace. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm competent. I'm full of doubt. I'm a work in progress. I am enough. I am Selena," said the pop queen.

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Rare Green Comet To Make Closest Approach To Earth This Week

A rare green comet is due to make its closest pass by Earth. The comet named C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be visible this week for people in the Southern Hemisphere if the skies are clear. The comet is streaking back our way after almost 50,000 years.

According to NASA, the comet visited Earth during Neanderthal times. It will come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometres) of Earth on Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years.

The comet was first spotted in March last year by astronomers through the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility. It was in Jupiter's orbit at the time and has grown brighter since then.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration says that Neanderthal Comet will shift to the northwest on the horizon throughout January and it will make its closest pass of Earth between February 1 and February 2.

"Comets are notoriously unpredictable, but if this one continues its current trend in brightness, it'll be easy to spot with binoculars, and it's just possible it could become visible to the unaided eye under dark skies," NASA wrote in its "What's Up" blog.

Comets are cosmic snowballs made of frozen gases, rocks, and dust that orbit the Sun. While these celestial bodies are small in size when frozen, they get heated upon coming closer to the Sun and release gases and dust into a large glowing head, which is bigger than most planets.

According to Space.com, the orbital period of the comet was determined to be around 50,000 years. This means that it will be making its first approach to Earth in 50,000 years next month.

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Google Shares Interactive Doodle To Celebrate Popular Bubble Tea

If you are a tea lover, you must have explored the distinct options and variations of the beverage. While the hot versions including green tea, black tea, chamomile tea, and white tea are majorly popular for their health benefits, the cold teas are known for their flavour profiles. In the last few years, one such tea which has garnered immense popularity globally is bubble tea. This is a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated cold tea beverage. It is also called tapioca pearl drink, boba nai chai, big pearl, milk tea or bubble drink. Frothy, sweet and creamy, bubble tea is a perfect rejuvenating drink. The ‘bubble' in its name refers to the round and jelly-like tapioca pearls that are added to the drink and are usually found at the bottom of the drink. 

Bubble tea became popular mainly among Gen-Z and millennials. On January 29, 2020, Unicode Consortium announced that the drink would have its own emoji. Now, Google has selected the same day to celebrate the popularity of this iconic drink across the globe through an absolutely adorable doodle. It also came with a description, reading, ''Satisfy your craving and make a yummy cup of bubble tea in today's interactive Doodle, which features Taiwan's indigenous Formosan Mountain Dog as well as a crew of familiar Doodle characters!''

(Also Read: How To Make Bubble Tea At Home With These Easy Recipes)

_{Bubble tea or boba tea is extremely popular throughout the world. Photo: iStock}

Google's interactive doodle permits bubble tea lovers to create their own concoctions and run a shop. Wondering how? First, you have to click on the doodle and an animation will start playing on the screen. 

The player takes the role of a Formosan Mountain Dog, who runs a bubble tea stall in the middle of a rainy forest. To prepare the drink, users have to simply fill the cup with all the ingredients including milk, sugar, boba balls, among others. You will have to fill five orders before closing shop for the day. Whenever you serve a satisfying drink, the customers line up their straws and poke through the lid. 

(Also Read: Google Pays Tribute To Pioneer Of Espresso Machine With Artistic Doodle)

Along with the doodle, Google in its special piece reflected upon the history of bubble tea. It mentioned how the Taiwanese drink first started as a local treat and exploded in popularity over the last few decades. Not many know bubble tea has its roots in the traditional Taiwanese tea culture of the 17th century. However, it wasn't until the 1980s that the bubble tea we know today was invented.

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Google Celebrates Popularity Of Bubble Tea Through Interactive Doodle

Today, Google is celebrating the popularity of bubble tea across the globe through an adorable and interactive doodle. Bubble tea, also known as boba tea and pearl milk tea is a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated cold tea beverage. The name comes from the jelly-like appearance of the tapioca pearls that look like bubbles in the drink. The beverage gained a lot of popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among Gen-Z and millennials.  

Google has selected January 29 to celebrate bubble tea, as on this day in 2020, it was announced that the iconic drink would be given its own emoji. 

To celebrate the milky and tangy beverage, Google has come up with a fun, interactive doodle that allows netizens to create their own milk tea concoctions and run their own shop. All users need to do is click on the doodle and an animation will start playing on the screen. In the interactive doodle, netizens are playing as a Formosan Mountain Dog who operates a bubble tea stand in the midst of a rainy forest. The process of making tea in the game is straightforward, as users simply need to fill the cup with each ingredient like milk and the boba balls, to reach a certain line. 

All in all, players will need to fill five orders before closing shop for the day, each progressively harder than the last. After each drink is completed, the customers line up their straws and poke through the lid in a satisfying way. 

''Satisfy your craving and make a yummy cup of bubble tea in today's interactive Doodle, which features Taiwan's indigenous Formosan Mountain Dog as well as a crew of familiar Doodle characters!'' the doodle page reads. 

Explaining the origins of the beverage, Google wrote on its Doodle page, "This Taiwanese drink started as a local treat and has exploded in popularity over the last few decades. Bubble tea has its roots in traditional Taiwanese tea culture which dates back as early as the 17th century. However, it wasn't until the 1980s that the bubble tea as we know it today was invented." 

It further added, "As waves of Taiwanese immigrants over the past few decades brought this drink overseas, innovation on the original bubble tea continues. Shops around the world are still experimenting with new flavors, additions, and mixtures. Traditional tearooms across Asia have also joined in on the boba craze, and the trend has reached countries like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and more!" 

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For KJo, SRK's Pathaan Has "Killed" All The "Myths" About Bollywood

Karan Johar – like many other Indian film lovers – cannot stop gushing about Pathaan. The spy thriller headlined by Shah Rukh Khan has taken the nation by storm and is running to packed houses. The film has been breaking box office records after Bollywood saw a post-Covid lull at the theatres. On the third day of its release, the movie became the fastest Hindi film to breach the ₹ 300-crore mark. Needless to say, Karan Johar cannot stop praising Pathaan. In a new Instagram Stories, the filmmaker said, “Nothing matters more than a great film! The mega blockbuster success proves that excessive promotions, fear of trolling, boycott threats, just about all the myths that we as an industry propagate or believe in are redundant when a film like PATHAAN kills all of it. Old school conviction and a kick-ass trailer is what we all need!”

Karan Johar also mentioned producer Aditya Chopra, director Siddharth Anand, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Salman Khan, who appears in a cameo. “So thrilled for you Adi, Sid, bhai, bhaijaan, John, DP. Rooting for you till we reach that magic number,” he added.

Upon the release of the film, Karan Johar had shared a lengthy note celebrating Pathaan.  He wrote: "I don't remember when I last had such a fun time at the movies!!!! This one's just the biggest blockbuster !!! Mega is the word!!! The charm, charisma, superstardom, desirability and sheer brilliance of @iamsrk ... the hottest , beautiful and sensationally gorgeous agent you will ever find @deepikapadukone the sexiest and most desirable villain @thejohnabraham !!! Brilliantly directed and conceptualised by SID ANAND! He knows how to mount a film like very few can...." 

Karan Johar added, "I am so so so proud of my BFF the invisible ADITYA CHOPRA!!! You may never see him! But his vision and brilliance is insurmountable! And as for the KING! He went no where he just waited for the right time to RULE! Love you bhai @iamsrk !!! Love you Adi! And love you BOLLYWOOD! You may have been slandered and "boycotted" but no one can deny that when you come into your own no one can stand in your way! PATHAAN MUBARAK to alll!!!!" 

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Towards the end, Karan Johar also mentioned about Salman Khan's cameo in the film. He wrote, "(no spoiler but the Best sequence of the film is with BHAI and BHAIJAAN) I stood up and clapped !!!!!"

Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar have worked together in several blockbuster hit films including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. 

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Cop Who Killed Odisha Minister Was Being Treated For Mental Illness

Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) Gopalkrushna Das, who allegedly shot dead Odisha's health Minister Naba Kishore Das here, was being treated for bipolar disorder by a psychiatrist.

Despite the history of mental disorder, Das was somehow issued a service revolver and appointed in-charge of a police post at Brajrajnagar where he shot dead Das.

MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, Psychiatry department head Dr Chandra Sekhar Tripathy told reporters that Das was suffering from bipolar disorder.

"Das had first visited my clinic about eight to ten years ago. He used to get angry very easily and was undergoing treatment for this," Dr Tripathy said.

"I am not sure whether he was taking medicines regularly. If medicine are not taken regularly, the disease reappears. It has been a year since he visited me last," th doctor said.

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that ranged from hyper-mania to depression, according to experts. However, the disease can be controlled by treatment including counselling.

Das was a resident of Jaleswarkhandi village of Ganjam district. He started his career in police as a constable in Berhampur and was later transferred to Jharsuguda district 12 years ago.

Jharsugda SDPO Gupteswar Bhoi said the ASI was issued a licensed pistol after he was made in-charge of a police outpost at Gandhi Chhak of Brajrajnagar area. Das's wife Jayanti also confirmed that her husband used to take medicine for the psychological disorder. "As he stays about 400 km from us, I cannot say whether he was regularly taking medicine," she said.

Official sources said that Das was Sunday deployed for law and order arrangement for minister Naba Das's visit. Before opening fire at the minister, Das had kept his motorcycle nearly 50 metres away from the spot were he attacked Das.

He allegedly opened fire while the minister alighted from a car to attend a local programme and his supporters were garlanding him.

Though he fired two rouds targeting the minister, only one of hit the target. Immediately after the incident, Das attempted to flee from the spot by firing at the air, but was captured, police said.

"He was was immediately overpowered and detained for questioning," SDPO Bhoi said.

However, the reason behind the ASI opening fire at the minister was yet to be ascertained, he said.

Meanwhile, officials said the crime Branch of Odisha Police has taken over the case relating to killing of the health minister.

A seven member special Investigating team comprising Cyber Expert, Ballistic Expert and officers of Crime Branch has been formed, a senior CB official said adding that the team is led by Ramesh Ch Dora, deputy Superintendent of Police rank officer.

He along with a balastics expert have reached Jharsuguda by helicopter to start the investigation.

Arun Bothara IPS, ADGP, CID-CB has also accompanied them to personally supervise and monitor the probe.

The CID Crime Branch has registered a case under section 307 IPC read with 27 Arms Act, an official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Sylvester Stallone Denies Asking Pamela Anderson To Be His "No. 1 Girl"

Canadian-American actress and model Pamela Anderson is making headlines these days due to her upcoming Netflix documentary "Pamela, a Love Story." In it, the Baywatch actress discusses personal experiences. One of the claims she made was that Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone once asked her to be his No. 1 girl and offered her a "condo and Porsche."

However, a representative for Stallone firmly denied Anderson's claim in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The statement from Pamela Anderson attributed to my client is false and fabricated... Mr. Stallone confirms that he never made any portion of that statement."

Pamela claims that she turned him down. "And I was like, 'Does that mean there's No. 2? Uh-uh,'" she said with a laugh in the documentary, as per the New York Post. She later added: "He goes, 'That's the best offer you're going to get, honey. You're in Hollywood now.' (But) I wanted to be in love. I didn't want anything less than that."

According to Fox News, the allegations against the "Rocky" actor come just days after an excerpt from Anderson's upcoming memoir, "Love, Pamela," was released to Variety, detailing an awkward encounter she had with Tim Allen on the set of the TV show "Home Improvement" when she was 23 years old.

"On the first day of filming, I walked out of my dressing room, and Tim was in the hallway in his robe. He opened his robe and flashed me quickly - completely naked underneath," she writes.

"He said it was only fair, because he had seen me naked. Now we're even. I laughed uncomfortably."

Allen would have been 37 years old when the alleged 1991 event took place. The 69-year-old, speaking through a spokesman, told Fox News that he refuted the allegations "No, it never happened. I would never do such a thing."

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3 Killed In Upscale California Area, 4th Mass Shooting In State This Month

Three people were killed and four others were injured in a shooting in Los Angeles, local media reported. This is the fourth mass shooting in California this month.

The shooting took place in Beverly Crest, a prime neighbourhood in Los Angeles, according to the news agency Associated Press.  

The incident comes just days after a man opened fire at a California dance venue after Lunar New Year celebrations. Eleven people were killed and 9 others injured in the mass shooting on Sunday.

Days later, a gunman killed seven of his co-workers at a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

The two horrific episodes, both involving semi-automatic weapons, sparked bafflement from California's large Asian American community, as people struggled to come to terms with what had happened.

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Watch: 'Slumdog Millionaire' Inspires Figure Skater To European Title

Georgia's Anastasiia Gubanova was crowned European figure skating champion on Saturday after a memorable performance to the soundtrack of the movie blockbuster "Slumdog Millionaire". Despite an error on a triple flip, the 20-year-old triumphed ahead of Belgium's Loena Hendrickx who had started as favourite in the absence of Russia's banned skaters. "I'm in shock, but the work paid off," said Gubanova, dressed in a bright outfit to resemble a sari, after winning the free program in Espoo, Finland.

Watch: 'Slumdog Millionare' Inspires Gerogian Figure Skater To European Title

Avrupa Artistik Patinaj Sampiyonasi;nda kadinlarda altin madalya asagidaki enerjik ve harika serbest program performansiyla Anastasiia Gubanova'ya gitti. Kisa programi da zirvede tamamlayan Gubanova kariyerinin ilk Avrupa Sampiyonlugunu yasadi. #EuroFigure pic.twitter.com/LlJCtc2SWu

— Murat Taskolu (@murattaskolu) January 28, 2023

She had already won the short program and finished the competition on 199.91 points.

"I was so stressed before skating, and mentally it was very hard," added Gubanova who had represented Russia until 2021.

"At the end of my performance, there were a lot of emotions."

Having finished 11th at the Beijing Olympics then sixth at the world championships last year, Saturday's win was comfortably the biggest of Gubanova's career.

Hendrickx, runner-up at the worlds, had been the favourite to succeed the banned Kamila Valieva as champion.

But the Belgian fell heavily twice on Saturday.

"I'm not happy at all. I wanted to do a good program and I didn't. I'm very disappointed," admitted the 23-year-old.

Hendrickx was more than six points behind the champion while Swiss 16-year-old Kimmy Repond was third with 192.51 points after a faultless routine to music from British rockers Muse.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Man Poses As Bureaucrat In PM's Office, Case File

The CBI has registered a case against one Ankit Kumar Singh for allegedly impersonating a secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) handling the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency and seeking favours from senior government officials.

The federal agency acted on a complaint from Assistant Director in PMO Anil Kumar Sharma, officials said.

The case has been handed over to the CBI's Special Crime unit, headed by Joint Director Viplav Kumar Choudhry, who was awarded the President Police Medal for distinguished service on Republic Day, they added.

In its complaint, Mr Sharma has accused Mr Singh of claiming himself to be Dinesh Rao, a 1997-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, and posted as a secretary in the PMO who looks after Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh.

"His mobile number is XXXXXXX098 and he is learnt to have contacted Prabhu Narayan Singh, District Magistrate, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, seeking favours for 'his constituency'. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of impersonation as a PMO official since no official by this name is posted in this office," Mr Sharma said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Decluttering Queen Marie Kondo Has "Given Up" On Keeping Her House Tidy

Marie Kondo, whose name has come to represent ordering, getting rid of clutter and "sparking pleasure," has acknowledged that even she is not able to maintain a spotless home once her third kid was born in 2021. The queen of organising admitted that she has "sort of given up" on maintaining her home immaculately clean, during a webinar, as per a report in the Washington Post.

"My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life," she was quoted as saying by the outlet. 

"Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times," she stated. Ms Kondo said that she realises what is important to her now. "I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realise what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home," Ms Kondo added. 

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The author's organising technique, known as the KonMari method, helped her many followers empty their homes of clutter and, in Ms Kondo's opinion, change their lives. As a result, she became well-known across the globe. She wrote a book on the technique and Netflix even made a series on it.

She further said, "Tidying our homes, tidying our environment is also a way of tidying our minds." Ms Kondo asserted that by organising our hearts and brains, it becomes evident what we truly desire and added that they are the things she is now struggling with.

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"In 1962...": S Jaishankar's China Dig At Rahul Gandhi On "Territory Loss"

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today claimed the land that opposition leaders say has been occupied by China "was in fact occupied in 1962", in a reference to the war when Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister. He also took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently spoke about an official report on loss of territory in Ladakh.

"Sometimes they spread news that they know is false. They project as if it happened just now, when it, in fact, happened in 1962... They won't talk about that," he said, referring, according to news agency ANI, to China's version of events. His "they" reference may have been to opposition leaders' recent remarks too.

On loss of territory, recently Rahul Gandhi was among those who cited a report by a senior police officer in Ladakh that said India has lost access to 26 of 65 patrolling points in Eastern Ladakh. The report was filed at a conference of the country's top police officers in Delhi, attended by PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

But Mr Jaishankar sought to counter it, speaking at the Saturday event in Pune.

"Also, if I would need to know something (on China), I won't go to the Chinese ambassador to get inputs, but to my military leadership," he added, furthering the dig by referring to Rahul Gandhi's 2017 meeting with the envoy when the two countries were in a standoff.

Mr Gandhi had clarified at the time: "It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, (India's) Ex-NSA (National Security Adviser), Congress leaders from NE (North East) and the Bhutanese ambassador."

At the Pune event, the Foreign Minister also spoke about overseas news outlets using adjectives such as "Hindu nationalist" for India's BJP government. "In America or Europe, they won't say Christian Nationalist... these adjectives are reserved for us," he said.

He added that he is proud of it. "If you look at the last nine years, there is no doubt that government and politics of the day are more nationalistic... I don't think there is anything to be apologetic about it," said the minister, speaking in Hindi, at the release of 'Bharat Marg', the Marathi translation of his book 'The India Way'

His comments on foreign media come when there is a row over a BBC documentary on the PM, 'The Modi Question', that speaks about the 2002 Gujarat riots, when he was Chief Minister, and the BJP's allegedly communal politics.

The central government has denounced the two-part docu-series as a "propaganda piece" designed to push a discredited narrative.

In his remarks in Pune, Mr Jaishankar did not speak on this specifically, but said that "everyone in the country is connected with PM Modi during India's G20 presidency".

India has got the headship of the international group for a year as part of a rotation system.

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