Bhumi Pednekar is one of the most exciting young actors of our generation. The young actress in her first few years of journey in Bollywood, has already given audiences some really strong and brilliant female protagonists in films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet, Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan, Bala, Saand Ki Aankh, Son Chiriya, among others.

"For me, how I represent women on screen is very important. Cinema has the power to influence people and I do feel that through our portrayal of women, we can push the messaging of equality, of independence. I have looked out for such characters and play them with all my heart of screen. I have been fortunate to have got these characters that have made a mark and stood out," says Bhumi.

The talented actress will be soon seen as a leading lady in the Akshay Kumar presentation Durgavati and award-winning director Alankrita Srivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare.

"I thank my visionary filmmakers who chose to tell stories of these magnificent women to the people of my country. It has been an honour to be a part of their cinema and bring such courageous, fantastic, confident women on screen," she says.

Bhumi intends people to realise how equality is yet to be achieved in society through cinema. "My journey in cinema has just begun. I will continue to strive to find more such women whose stories I want to tell on screen. I feel when people see such women and their lives, their struggles, their pain, their dreams, their victories, there can be a shift in perspective. It might help us to further understand how far we are from achieving equality and how much women can contribute in making our country and our society stronger," she says.

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Even as he stays put at his Panvel farmhouse, Salman Khan is doing his bit to help the daily-wage workers and vertically challenged artistes in the industry. Now, the actor has kickstarted a food donation drive in Mumbai where two food trucks labelled Being Haangryy make the rounds of the western suburbs and distribute essentials among the underprivileged.

A source reveals, "The food trucks were an initiative of Salman's not-for-profit organisation Being Human and initially kept on the set of Radhe to provide free meals to the crew. Since the suspension of shoots in mid-March, the trucks have been lying unused. When it struck Salman that they can be used for a greater cause, he promptly contacted Yuva Sena leader Rahul N Kanal to implement the idea."

Over the past two weeks, they have extended help across slums in Andheri, Bandra and Santacruz. The source adds, "They try to reach 1,000 families every day. Every kit contains three kilos each of rice and wheat flour, two kilos of dal, one litre oil, spices and salt. All safety norms are followed while distributing the rations."

A volunteer distributes food kits to the underprivileged

Kanal, who is coordinating the endeavour, says, "Salman bhai is sponsoring the drive. We are doing our bit by deputing volunteers so that we can reach out to as many families as possible."

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On Monday, JD Majethia, chairman of the TV wing of the Indian Film and TV Producers' Council (IFTPC), stated that he intends to approach the government to seek permission to resume shoots of television shows with small crews from May 4. The move has sent the daily-wage workers of the television industry into a tizzy as they have been relentlessly calling the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) to enquire whether they can report to work post-May 3.

BN Tiwari, president, FWICE, says, "[With his statement], JD Majethia has sent a wrong message to the daily wagers who now feel that producers are willing to work, but the FWICE is imposing unnecessary restrictions. That is not the case. Maharashtra is at high risk, and we are only concerned about our workers' safety. We have issued a letter to Majethia, asking him not to make such statements."

BN Tiwari

On March 15, various cine bodies had unanimously decided to suspend all shoots in the wake of the pandemic. "Similarly, the decision to resume work will have to be collectively taken by IFTDA, FWICE, Producers' Guild, and other associations," insists Tiwari.

Majethia was keen to propose the resumption of shoots as it would bring relief to the daily wagers. However, Tiwari points out that the associations are standing by those in need. "The industry — including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Rohit Shetty and Yash Raj Films — has come together to help the workers. Even if the lockdown is lifted on May 3, we may not begin work until May 25. In case the stay-at-home orders are extended to June, we will continue to take care of our workers."

When mid-day reached out to Majethia, he agreed that the recommencement of shoots will be "a collective decision of the industry" with the approval of the government. "It is not as if we have already taken a call. We will start shooting only when it is safe for everyone, but we must start planning for it in advance."

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The Philippines' Senate on November 28 approved its version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, which is expected to exempt 6.8 million workers from paying income taxes.

On February 19 the Philippines Senate adopted three resolutions ratifying agreements for the avoidance of double taxation with Mexico, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

Salman Khan has been spending the lockdown at his farmhouse in Panvel. Despite being away from the city, the actor through his foundation Being Human has been doing everything possible to help people in distress. From giving financial aid to thousands of daily wage workers to sponsoring ration for their families, he has been at the forefront in helping people in need. The actor has now launched a food truck with the words ‘Being Haangryy’ written on it. This is to provide food to the less privileged. 

In a tweet, Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal thanked Salman for doing his bit for the underprivileged. Sharing a video of the food truck, he wrote, “Thank you @Beingsalmankhan bhai for being there and silently doing something which is needed,service to mankind is service to the almighty!!!Jai Ho!!! I shall surely try and do my bit following the lockdown norms and request our Fanclub family to practice the same #BeingHaangryy.” 

Thank you @Beingsalmankhan bhai for being there and silently doing something which is needed,service to mankind is service to the almighty!!!Jai Ho!!! I shall surely try and do my bit following the lockdown norms and request our Fanclub family to practice the same #BeingHaangryy pic.twitter.com/nOeQncO9Er

— Rahul.N.Kanal (@Iamrahulkanal) May 6, 2020

Meanwhile, a few days ago Salman Khan recently took to his Instagram to share a video where he along with Jacqueline Fernandez, Iulia Vantur and others at the farmhouse are seen stacking bags of ration in vehicles to be sent out to those in need. He posted it with the caption, “Thanks for the contribution... thank you all”.

ALSO READ: Radhe – Your Most Wanted Bhai asking for Rs. 250 crores for direct OTT release? Salman Khan’s manager clarifies

Soon after the announcement of COVID-19 lockdown extension by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways on Tuesday stated that it is suspending all passenger services till May 3. "Indian Railways extends suspension of its passenger services till May 3," informed Rajesh Dutt Bajpai Executive Director(I&P) Ministry of Railways.

Indian Railways extends suspension of its passenger services till May 3: Indian Railways Officials pic.twitter.com/QAoZYHnIbv

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020

"All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain suspended till the 2400 hrs of 3rd May," he added.

However, freight movement will continue to carry essential commodities across the country. Informing about the cancellation of ticket booking, Bajpai stated that all booking counters of rail journey tickets for reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises will also be closed till May 3.

Earlier, the railways had also ordered the closure of all rail museums, heritage galleries and heritage parks as a preventive measure to control the spread of the deadly virus. So far, India has reported 10,363 COVID-19 cases. Out of the total, 1036 have been cured and 339 have died due to the infection.

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The government on Sunday prohibited the sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms during the ongoing lockdown, four days after allowing such companies to sale mobile phones, refrigerators and ready-made garments. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued an order excluding the non-essential items from sale by the e-commerce companies from the consolidated revised guidelines, which listed the exemption given to the services and people from the purview of the lockdown.

The order said the following clause -- "E-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions" -- is excluded from the guidelines.

The previous order had said such items were allowed for sale through e-commerce platforms from April 20. However, the reason for reversing the order is not known immediately.

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The government on Sunday prohibited e-commerce platforms from selling non-essential items during the lockdown, four days after allowing the companies to sell mobile phones, refrigerators and ready-made garments. Union Home Secretary, Ajay Bhalla issued an order excluding the non-essential items from the cart of e-commerce companies.

The order said the following clause — "e-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions" — is excluded from the guidelines. Asked why the government made a U-turn on the matter, Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, Punya Salila Srivastava said the COVID-19 situation has been very dynamic and the government is taking decisions on a day-to-day basis. When the government has realised that allowing non-essential commodities to sell through e-commerce platforms may affect the proper implementation of the lockdown, the decision was reviewed and reversed, she said at a daily joint briefing on the COVID-19 outbreak. The April 15 order had said e-commerce platforms were allowed to sell such items from April 20.

The reason for reversing the order was not known immediately, but there was a talk of some retail traders mounting pressure on the government that local shops be also allowed to sell non-essentials items, like e-commerce giants. e-commerce platforms, however, are allowed to sell essential commodities such as food, pharmaceutical and medical devices. The previous order said, "Supply of essential goods is allowed, as under: All facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure." A day later, Home Ministry officials said electronic items such as mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, laptop computers, ready-made garments, stationery items for schoolchildren would be available on the e-commerce platforms from April 20.

Coronavirus maintains its grip on India

Thermal screening of security personnel being conducted as they stand guard on a street in Bhopal, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

. There is no proposal for reduction of pension and no action is being contemplated by the government in this respect, the Centre said on Sunday. The assertion assumes significance as rumours are afloat that the government is contemplating reduction or stoppage of pension.

. The Uttar Pradesh government has removed a second chief medical officer in Gautam Buddh Nagar, a hotspot of Coronavirus, within a fortnight, the health department said. A P Chaturvedi was shunted out late on Saturday and D K Ohri, the principal of Agra's Regional Family Planning Training Centre, was appointed the additional CMO, the department said in an order.

. A one-and-a-half-month-old baby has died of Coronavirus infection at a hospital in Delhi, officials said on Sunday, in perhaps the first fatality of an infant due to COVID-19 in the national capital. The baby died at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital attached to the Centre-run Lady Hardinge Medical College.

. SpiceJet has decided to send employees earning more than '50,000 per month on leave without pay on a rotational basis, sources said on Sunday amid flight services remaining suspended till May 3. This arrangement would be in place for three months, they added. The sources also told PTI that the salary for April is likely to be paid to staff for the days they were on duty.

. As COVID-19 continues its depredation across India and the world, a major row has erupted in West Bengal, with many in the medical fraternity and Opposition parties claiming the state is reporting fewer cases as only a minuscule proportion of the population is getting tested for the inscrutable enemy.

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Tasked to ensure the enforcement of lockdown in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the district's Sahibabad Police were on Wednesday surprised when a mother came to the police station complaining that she had sent her son to buy groceries but he returned with his wife.

"I had sent my son to do the grocery shopping today, but when he returned, he came back with his wife. I am not ready to accept this marriage," said the teary-eyed mother. Speaking about the marriage, Guddu, 26-year-old groom, said: "I got married to Savita two months ago at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Haridwar."

"However, we could not get the marriage certificate at that time due to lack of witnesses. I had decided to visit Haridwar again for my marriage certificate but could not do so as the lockdown was imposed," he added. "After returning from Haridwar, Savita stayed at a rented accommodation in Delhi. However, today I decided to bring her to my mother's house as she was told to leave the rented accommodation due to lockdown," said Guddu.

Giving a solution to the family feud, the Sahibabad Police have asked Savita's house owner in Delhi to let the couple stay there during the lockdown period.

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Amid the total lockdown across the country, a viral video of Haryana police is doing the rounds on the internet for all the right reasons. The video shared by IPS officer Pankaj Nain of the Haryana Cadre has gone viral and won the hearts of netizens.

The viral video shows Haryana's Panchkula police surprising a senior citizen on his birthday with a cake amid lockdown across the country. In the one-minute 46 second clip video, a policewoman can heard asking a senior citizen his name as he walks out of his house to answer the question. "My name is Karan Puri. I live alone and I'm a senior citizen,"says the man as he walks towards the front the gate of his house, where cops can be seen waiting for him with a surprise.

Watch the heartwarming video here:

Interactions with Police is always emotional - be it fear, anger , anxiety or gratitude.
But I have never seen such overwhelming emotional burst . See how #PanchkulaPolice made the best birthday ever this senior citizen who is staying all alone.
Respect @CP_PANCHKULA pic.twitter.com/VP0oVJ2Rvf

— Pankaj Nain IPS (@ipspankajnain) April 28, 2020

As the video moves forward, the senior citizens can be seen shocked and surprised as the team of Panchkula police burst out singing 'Happy Birthday' for him. Moved by their sweet gesture, Mr Puri is seen crying his heart out as the cops present him a cake and make him wear a birthday cap.

👏👏👏👏Proud Moment

— Thakur ji (@VatsaYugal) April 28, 2020

Requesting the senior citizen to cut the cake, a police who can be heard consoling Mr Puri said, "Koi baat nahi sir, aapki family hain hum bhi (It's okay, sir, we are your family)." The heartwarming video can be seen ending with the senior citizen wearing a red hat and as he cuts take cake while the cops sing for him.

IPS officer Pankaj Nain shared the video with his 70 thousand followers and captioned it: Interactions with Police is always emotional - be it fear, anger, anxiety or gratitude. He further said that he has never seen such an overwhelming emotional burst. Officer Nain said that the Panchkula Police made the best birthday ever for this senior citizen who is staying all alone.

I am speechless! 🥺
The look on that man is priceless when the policeman said "hum bhi aapke hi bachhe hai"

— Himanshu Gupta (@himanshu98gupta) April 28, 2020

Since being shared on Twitter, the heartwarming video struck a chord with netizens and garnered over 5,000 views and nearly 1000 likes. Twitterati took to the comments section of the post to shower praises on the Haryana police officers surprising the senior citizen on his birthday amid the COVID-19 crisis in the country.

Really this stole everyone's heart as well as shows picture of our society where senior citizens need love & company of their family.

— Deens Rohilla (@DeensRohilla) April 28, 2020

One user said, "Proud Moment," while another user said, "I am speechless! Pleading face. The look on that man is priceless when the policeman said "hum bhi aapke hi bachhe hai." "This made my dayFolded handsFolded handsFolded hands. A big salute for these policemen," read a third comment.

This made my day🙏🙏🙏
A big salute for these policemen.

— abhi (@abhikatiyar230) April 28, 2020

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, India has been under lockdown since March 25 and the front-line workers, including the health workers, doctors, and the police are risking their lives to serve the nation.

Here's how netizens reacted to the viral video:

Such a cute video 😊
It was all about love and empathy.
I felt so many emotions while watching this video.
Everyone who made it possible deserves appreciation.
Good work !

— Nikita Saini (@NikitaSaini_) April 28, 2020

This is brilliant Policing🙏🏽

— Vikas Kaushik (@kaushikcop) April 28, 2020

One of the best videos you'll get to see. Overwhelming emotions indeed! Well done @CP_PANCHKULA.

— Rakesh Yadav (@Rudra5227) April 28, 2020

In these tough times; let’s gather all such positivity; what a joyous moment; thank you police personnel’s for leading it from the front; by seeing all this we shall come out strongly for sure for a new beginning; way to go....

— Sugreev Kihna (@Kihna) April 28, 2020

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting to deliberate on the issues and reforms required in the agriculture sector. At the meeting, special emphasis was given on reforms in agricultural marketing, management of marketable surplus, access of farmers to institutional credit and freeing agriculture sector of various restrictions with appropriate backing of statutes, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India recorded 37,776 confirmed cases and 1,223 deaths on Saturday.

Raj sends 2,400 migrants
Two special trains were started from Jaipur to send around 2,400 stranded students and labourers back to their homes in Bihar and Jharkhand. While one train departed for Ranchi (Jharkhand) from Kota on Friday night, another train left from Jaipur to Patna (Bihar) with about 1,200 labourers
on Saturday.

It was an emotional affair at the railway station where these migrants were given a warm send off by railway officials and other senior personnel who continued clapping as the train left the station. Additional chief secretary Subodh Agarwal, who is also the Chairman of the Committee formed to resolve issues of workers and migrants in the state, said that five special trains will be operated daily from Saturday.

Migrants from Jaipur arrive by 'Shramik Special' train at Danapur junction in Patna on Saturday. Pics/AP AND PTI

He further said that 38,000 labourers and migrants have been sent to their native states so far. These include 27,000 people from Madhya Pradesh, 6,197 from Punjab and 2,387 from Haryana. Apart from this, 25,259 students belonging to several states, including UP and studying in Kota have been sent back to their homes. On Friday, around 200 students of Odisha were sent to home in eight buses.

Need 400 trains: Kerala CS
Kerala Chief secretary Tom Jose on Saturday said it might take about a month to send back all the migrant labourers who are in the state presently. "On Friday night the first train left, on Saturday there are more trains and on Sunday even more. It might take a month and about 300 to 400 trains to send back all the migrant workers who are here," said Jose.

On Friday night around 10.30 pm, the first train with 1,148 migrant labourers left from Aluva to Bhubaneswar. Since the lockdown began in March, 3,61,190 migrant labourers have been put up across 20,826 camps in Kerala, the State labour department said on Saturday.

Odisha turns to K'taka, AP
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday, took up the safe return of Odia migrants with BS Yediyurappa and YS Jaganmohan Reddy, his counterparts in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, respectively. Patnaik interacted with them separately through video link. While thanking them for taking care of Odia migrants, the Chief Minister requested their cooperation for their safe return.

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In a setback, two senior army officers, were among five security personnel killed during an encounter with terrorists at a village in Rajwar forests of North Kashmir, officials said on Sunday. The deceased security personnel are — Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh and Lance Naik Dinesh, all from the Brigade of GUARDS regiment, and at present part of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles, deployed to counter terrorism in the hinterland. A J&K police sub-inspector, Shakeel Qazi, also fell victim to the bullets of terrorists.

The two holed-up terrorists, who were eliminated in the encounter, included commander of banned Lashker-e-Taiba Haider, a Pakistani national who has been active in North Kashmir area. The identity of the other was yet to be ascertained. They had held some civilians hostage, the officials said. Director General of J&K police, Dilbagh Singh said, "Sad to inform that five brave personnel, including Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Major Anuj Sood and sub-inspector of JKP Shakeel Qazi were martyred in the line of duty." Security forces had noticed presence of some terrorists in the Rajwar forests in Handwara area for the past few days and a brief exchange of fire had taken place on Thursday.

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New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday issued notices to LG Polymers, Union Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and others regarding the Vizag gas leak incident.

The NGT has directed LG Polymers, India, at whose plant the gas leakage occurred, to forthwith deposit an initial amount of Rs 50 crore taking note of damages caused due to the incident.

Further hearing in the matter is scheduled for May 18.

On Thursday, a styrene gas leak at the plant of LG Polymers in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh had claimed 11 lives.

NGT's principal bench headed by its Chairperson AK Goel also issued notice to Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (PCB) and District Magistrate of Vishakhapatnam.

The Tribunal has also sought a report from a 5-member committee comprising former Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice B Seshasayana Reddy, Former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University, Professor Ch V Rama Chandra Murthy, Head of Chemical Engineering Department of Andhra University, Professor Pulipati King, CPCB Member Secretary and Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

NGT said that the committee may visit and inspect the site at the earliest and give its report before the next date via email and site visit may be initially conducted by members available locally in consideration with outside members online.

It said that the committee may specifically report on the sequence of events, causes of failure, the extent of damage to life, human and environment, steps to be taken for compensation of victims and restitution of the damaged property among others.

The bench has directed the District Magistrate of Vishakhapatnam and Regional Office of Andhra Pradesh PCB to provide logistic support to the Committee to enable their fact-finding and reporting.

It took suo-motu cognisance on the basis of media reports on the leakage of hazardous gas, Styrene from a chemical factory owned by the South Korean company LG Polymers. The incident has caused damage to the environment and habitat.

Styrene gas is a hazardous chemical and as per rules, it requires on-site and off-site emergency plans to ensure prevention of damage.

NGT noted that there appears to be a failure to comply with the rules and other statutory provisions and leakage of hazardous gas at such a scale adversely affecting public health and environment clearly attracts the principle of 'Strict Liability' against the enterprise engaged in a hazardous or inherently dangerous industry.

"Such an entity is liable to restore the damage caused under the Environment Law, apart from other statutory liability. The statutory authorities responsible for authorizing and regulating such activities may also be accountable for their lapses, if any, in dealing with the matter," the NGT said.

Stressing that it is necessary to ascertain the facts relating to the extent of damage, the extent of the failure and consider remedial measures, the bench listed the matter for May 18 for further hearing.

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Singer Rihanna's father Ronald Fenty tested positive for coronavirus in his home country of Barbados but has now beat COVID-19 thanks to the superstar's help.

According to Page Six, Rihanna's father recently shared with The Sun, "My daughter Robyn was checking in on me every day. I thought I was going to die to be honest. I have to say, I love you so much, Robyn. She did so much for me. I appreciate everything she has done."

The 32-year-old songstress sent a ventilator to his Caribbean home and gave him "more than enough" to battle the illness that left him feeling weak and frightened for his life.

"I got a fever up inside of my nose. I had a fever across my lips. It was just a lot of fever," Fenty revealed. "I feared the worst. I thought I was going to die, honestly."

The Fenty Beauty founder's father was quarantined for two weeks after at the Paragon Isolation Center, after which he was declared virus-free. He is now resting in his St. James home.

Fenty asked of the public to stay at home and said, "I want everybody to stay home. This is a serious situation. More serious than people realize. Please stay home."

The 'Work' songstress is also using her time and money to help those globally affected by COVID-19, and she has donated 5 million USD to the cause via her Clara Lionel Foundation. She and Jay-Z also teamed up to donate 1 million USD each to those affected in Los Angeles and New York.

Twitter boss Jack Dorsey is also collaborating with Rihanna to help domestic abuse survivors who may have been displaced during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has expressed her condolences on the demise of Indian actor Irrfan Khan, in a message shared with IANS.

"I had the privilege of working with Irrfan Khan on the set of A Mighty Heart. He stood out for his generosity as an artist, which made it a pleasure to work in any scene with him. I remember the intensity of his commitment, and equally his smile. I send my condolences and my sympathy to his family, his friends, and all admirers of his work, in India and around the world," Jolie said in her message.

"A Mighty Heart", is a 2007 drama directed by Michael Winterbottom based on the 2003 memoir of the same name by Mariane Pearl. The film accounts the aftermath of the kidnapping of Marianne's journalist husband Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, and his subsequent beheading by the kidnappers.

Jolie played Marianne Pearl while Irrfan impressed Karachi police chief Zeeshan Kazmi, in a well-written role. Most of the Karachi sequences of the film were shot in Pune.

The critically-acclaimed film was screened out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and is widely considered one of the earliest films to train the global spotlight on Irrfan Khan.

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Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman has sent her love to the near and dear ones of Irrfan Khan, who died on Wednesday in Mumbai. Remembering Irrfan, Portman took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with the actor. In the photo, she is in a white bridal wear and is held by Irrfan, who is in a black and white suit with a hat. "Sending love to Irrfan Khan's loved ones today," she captioned the snap.

The two had featured together in Mira Nair's segment of "New York, I Love You", a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama anthology film.

Ever since the news of Irrfan's demise came out on Wednesday, celebrities from Bollywood as well as Hollywood where he was the face of India, have been pouring in.

Earlier, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie had also expressed her condolences, in a message shared with IANS.

"I had the privilege of working with Irrfan Khan on the set of 'A Mighty Heart'. He stood out for his generosity as an artist, which made it a pleasure to work in any scene with him. I remember the intensity of his commitment, and equally his smile. I send my condolences and my sympathy to his family, his friends, and all admirers of his work, in India and around the world," Jolie said in her message.

"A Mighty Heart", is a 2007 drama directed by Michael Winterbottom based on the 2003 memoir of the same name by Mariane Pearl. The film accounts the aftermath of the kidnapping of Marianne's journalist husband Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, and his subsequent beheading by the kidnappers.

Jolie played Marianne Pearl while Irrfan impressed Karachi police chief Zeeshan Kazmi, in a well-written role.

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Bhumi Pednekar is one of the most exciting young actors of our generation. The young actress in her first few years of journey in Bollywood has already given audiences some really strong and brilliant female protagonists in films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet, Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan, Bala, Saand Ki Aankh, Son Chiriya, among others.

“For me, how I represent women on screen is very important. Cinema has the power to influence people and I do feel that through our portrayal of women, we can push the messaging of equality, of independence. I have looked out for such characters and play them with all my heart of screen. I have been fortunate to have got these characters that have made a mark and stood out,” says Bhumi.

The talented actress will be soon seen as a leading lady in the Akshay Kumar presentation Durgavati and award-winning director Alankrita Srivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare.

“I thank my visionary filmmakers who chose to tell stories of these magnificent women to the people of my country. It has been an honour to be a part of their cinema and bring such courageous, fantastic, confident women on screen,” she says.

Bhumi intends people to realise how equality is yet to be achieved in society through cinema. “My journey in cinema has just begun. I will continue to strive to find more such women whose stories I want to tell on screen. I feel when people see such women and their lives, their struggles, their pain, their dreams, their victories, there can be a shift in perspective. It might help us to further understand how far we are from achieving equality and how much women can contribute in making our country and our society stronger,” she says.

ALSO READ: Bhumi Pednekar to speak to nutritionist and share health tips to tackle emotional eating during coronavirus

Sanjay Mishra starrer Kaamyaab hit the screens on 6th March 2020. The film captured the journey of the character actors. Recently, The Alchemist author Paulo Coehlo praised the film and his performance.

Taking to Twitter, he said, “The producers thank you in the very 1st frame, @iamsrk. I am doing the same. 2 days ago a great Brazilian actor, Flavio Migliaccio, committed suicide, leaving a note on how the industry treats their artists. This movie, labeled as “comedy”, is in fact the tragedy of Art.”

Shah Rukh Khan was quick to respond to his tweet. As the presenter of the film, he said, “Saw the film when it was doing Festival rounds and it touched a chord with the whole team at @RedChilliesEnt Am so moved you appreciate. It’s a sad truth that character actors get forgotten. Look after yourself my friend and be safe & healthy.”

Sanjay Mishra recently spoke to a daily and said that when the emotions of a film connect, language is not the issue. He said that though neither he nor his mother have read Paulo’s books, he told her that he is a well-known author. She said to Sanjay that his father would be proud of him. He said that he received congratulatory messages from his father’s civil services colleagues too.

As Paulo mentioned how a Brazilian actor committed suicide, Sanjay revealed that many of his friends are currently jobless due to lockdown. He said that those who have jobs could lose it one day but some of them didn’t even have it to begin with. He further said this goes for the senior artistes who get written off irrespective of their contribution to the cinema. Sanjay Mishra said that an actor is also society’s responsibility.

The story revolves around how a character actor after his retirement is all set to make a record of 500 films and continue his hustle. Sanjay Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal starred n the film as Mishra had undergone a prosthetics transformation for every character shown on-screen.

Kaamyaab had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival followed by screenings at Festival du film d'Asie du Sud Paris, New York City South Asian Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Shanghai International Film Festival, as well as the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

ALSO READ: Author Paulo Coelho appreciates Shah Rukh Khan for Kaamyaab; actor reveals why he produced it

With the ongoing pandemic, our lives have almost come to a stand-still, and the lock-down is taking a toll on the mental health of many of us. At such a time of crisis, one can only try to keep the optimism alive and not let the situation get the best of them. Actor, Ranveer Singh, in a recent Instagram live session, appealed fans to do the same.

“It’s been a very difficult couple of weeks, emotionally difficult. Turbulent times with everything that is going on in the world. To all my friends & fans stay safe, hang in there, stay healthy. Sending you love, positive vibes & good energy. I’m always an optimist, I like to look at the bright side of things. I always like to stay positive in any situation that life throws up. To be honest, this is unprecedented. We all are in this together and I believe that on the other side of this we’ll come out with more compassion,” he said.

”Its been a very difficult couple of weeks, emotionally difficult. Turbulent times with everything that is going on in the world. To all my friends & fans stay safe, hang in there, stay healthy. Sending you love, positive vibes & good energy.” -Ranveer Singh live on insta today pic.twitter.com/qtYCbiUxyU

— RanveerSingh TBT | #83????♥️ (@RanveerSinghtbt) May 8, 2020

Ranveer and wife Deepika Padukone, at home, are keeping themselves occupied with workouts and household chores as they also keep sharing glimpses of their locked-down life. Post lockdown, they both await the release of Kabir Khan's sports drama '83.

Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery's ex-girlfriend Sacha Wright, 35, has told British tabloid, The Sun that he blamed her for his sacking last year.

Unai, 48, who joined Arsenal on May 2018 on a two-year deal, was sacked by the team management in November last year, following a poor run. Sacha claimed that Unai called her a "white witch" and blamed her for his team's failure.

"I trusted Unai and believed we would get married and have kids. I thought he was a gentleman and a family man. But in the end I realised he was not ready for a serious relationship," said Sacha, who first dumped Unai in September only to take him back in December.

"It was then that he blamed me for getting him the sack. He said I was a white witch as I brought him bad luck. He said the team began losing the day we broke up," said Sacha, who finally left Unai in March.

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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba revealed while growing up he was an Arsenal fan. French international idolised Thierry Henry and wanted to follow the footsteps of the countryman.

"I will be honest. So, at the start, I was an Arsenal fan - obviously because of all the French players, you know. Me and my brother were but my other brother was a Manchester United fan," Pogba told United's official podcast.

"I couldn't say anything so I used to love Henry and, because of him, I was an Arsenal fan. Then I changed and went on to choose with my other brother. No Arsenal, I went with the other one, the United fan!" he added.

Pogba came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford while Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge but after only making a handful of appearances for the first team in 2011/12 he left for Juventus in the summer.

He re-joined United in 2016 from Juventus when Jose Mourinho was the manager as he saw it as an opportunity to finish what he had started.

Henry, who had left Arsenal for Barcelona by the time Pogba arrived in England, was not the only iconic Frenchman or all-time great that an energetic midfielder looked up to.

"I had Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane, Thierry Henry, Djibril Cisse, Kaka," Pogba said.

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Liverpool's star footballer Mohamed Salah, 25, has donated a huge amount of money besides food to families in his hometown of Nagrig, a village in the Egyptian city of Basyoun, to help in the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report in British tabloid, The Sun, the Egyptian footballer sent supplies to poverty-hit residents along with some advice on how to stay safe from the virus.

Salah Ghaly, the Liverpool striker's father, said that the village has been sanitised and residents have been given facemasks to prevent the spread of the virus, which has already killed 205 people in the North African country. It is believed that the total amount donated by the Liverpool star is around £405,000 (R3.8 crore).
Mohamed is currently in lockdown like the rest of the UK, where the death toll has crossed 15,000.

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Arsenal's squad will be allowed back to their training ground from next week, although the club stressed they would still have to maintain British government guidelines designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Premier League side's players will have access to training pitches but on a strict rotational basis that will see them uphold social distancing measures. "Players will be permitted access to our London Colney training grounds next week," said a club spokesperson. "Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times.

"All Colney buildings remain closed. Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home." This week saw Arsenal become the first Premier League club to agree a coronavirus pay cut with their players as manager Mikel Arteta and his stars slashed their wages by 12.5 percent. There are reports Arsenal, whose yearly wage bill is around £230 million ($286 million), will give players their money back in the event that they bridge an eight-point gap and qualify for the Champions League when football restarts. Football is currently suspended indefinitely in England, with the UK under lockdown.

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The Fast And Furious franchise started way back in 2001. Since then we have seen the franchise evolve from racing to something that includes, heists, spying and of course fast cars. Now two years after the last release in the series THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS hit screens in 2017, we see a spin off feature film in the form of FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW. But will this new action flick woo the Fast and Furious audience or will it like so many other actioners be all glitz and no content is what we analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1004788 size-full" title="Movie Review Fast &amp; Furious Presents Hobbs &amp; Shaw" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Movie-Review-Fast-Furious-Presents-Hobbs-Shaw.jpg" alt="Movie Review Fast &amp; Furious Presents Hobbs &amp; Shaw" width="720" height="450" /> Starting off, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW is centred around the titular Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), characters introduced in the main series. The film begins with a crew of MI6 agents attempting to retrieve a virus, Snowflake, which can be programmed to decimate millions of people, from terrorist organization Eteon. Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants, arrives and kills all agents except for their leader, Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), who injects Snowflake into herself as a dormant carrier and escapes. Brixton frames Hattie as a traitor who killed her team and stole Snowflake, forcing her to go on the run. Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw are both informed of the missing virus and are assigned to work together reluctantly to track it down. From here on begins a cat and mouse game to save Hattie and the world while keeping the deadly ‘Snowflake’ out of the wrong hands. Much like the previous FAST &amp; FURIOUS films, this spin off too is an action entertainer that promises edge of the seat stunts, fast cars, and big explosions. While there were initial questions raised whether a spin off on a series like F&amp;F would work and hold the audience’s interest, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW proves that such films if made well, not only keep the audience in their seats but also provides for a fun filled thrilling watch. Director David Leitch, who has in the past proved his mettle with JOHN WICK (2014), ATOMIC BLONDE (2017) and the more recent release DEADPOOL 2 (2018), has done it again. Thanks to a background as a stuntman with professional martial arts training, Leitch is able to execute and shoot some rather difficult action sequences with precision. Keeping in mind the background of the franchise, Leitch has capitalized on characteristic traits of Hobbs and Shaw to develop seamless fight sequences that are well co-ordinated. As for the story of the film, like most action flicks, this one too features a wafer thin plot. However, it isn’t the plot that is the film’s mainstay; instead it is the eye popping relentless action that is interjected with well-placed humour to break the monotony. Coming to the performances, Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs does what he does best, which is smashing things. Assisting him on this endeavour is Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw who takes the more refined approach as compared to Hobbs’ brute force technique to eliminate targets with finesse. Vanessa Kirby as Hattie Shaw does a commendable job and manages to hold her own despite the fact that the film is centred on the characters of Hobbs and Shaw. However it is Idris Elba as Brixton Lore who steals the limelight. A cybernetic enhanced superhuman hybrid, Brixton is capable of feats that push the boundary. Despite having such power, Elba’s restrain is clearly evident, thus preventing the film from becoming too over the top. The dialogues, though not much are good in places with well time punch lines that deliver. As for the action, well it is a spin off from the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise, so expect tons of it. Though unlike the previous films in the series, this one features fewer high end cars, skimpily clad women and debauchery, but rest assured David Leitch has done well with the action. Adrenaline pumping, edge of the cliff (quite literally) gasoline fuelled explosions that are sure to satiate your hunger for destruction. On the whole, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW lives up to the FAST &amp; FURIOUS tag, with insane stunts, high octane action, well timed humour and an entertaining rollercoaster ride that keeps you in your seat. At the box office, the film that releases in four languages, English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu is expected to open well and will see an increase in footfalls over evening and night shows. With little competition at the box office, FAST &amp; FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS &amp; SHAW looks set to dominate the weekend.

Gold has indeed proven itself as an effective hedge against any downside risk. It has seen a sharp rise in the price rally since the first case of Novel Coronavirus was reported in November 2019.

In the beginning of March, gold prices fell marginally, however it is on the upswing and has retained its level above Rs 40,000 per 10 grams.

Graph: Gold's rising uptrend

Gold started to ascend last year when the US and China trade talks began and escalated in trade war, followed by similar trade wars of the US with other nations.

These events have proved to be favourable for the momentum of the price of Gold. It played its role of a crucial hedge and store of value when other asset classes had witnessed high volatility and posted marginal returns.

Some of the other factors that have supported gold are...

• The outbreak of COVID-19 with no evident containment yet
• Economic uncertainty and fears of a virus-led global recession
• Global GDP growth revised downwards and for across regions
• Easy monetary policy action (of reduction in interest rates and stimulus packages) and an accommodative stance adopted by the central banks across the world to support growth
• A crash in the oil markets due to lack of demand and excess supply with storage problems
• A record-high global debt-to-GDP of nearly US$ 255 trillion (over 322% of global GDP) - 40 percentage points higher than at the onset of 2008 global financial crisis according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), as the world is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic
• The US Presidential elections later this year, in November 2020
• Increased stock market volatility
• The potential risk to the inflation trajectory.

[Read: Coronavirus Has No Antidote. Your Bad Investments Could Have.]

Besides, the lockdown brought upon due to COVID-19 pandemic is going to hurt the economy for a couple of quarters badly which will amplify the credit risk. The economic activity will slow grind to full capacity, prompting furloughs and pay cuts, and job losses across sectors, which will affect the credit line as the number of defaulters will rise because cash strapping will be seen.

Recognising the risk stemming from the bottom hit economy, where the growth projections by the IMF are almost 1.9% due to the CoVID-19, the NPAs of banks and NBFCs are expected to increase.

[Read: How the COVID-19 Extended Lockdown Has Made Investments in 'Banking Funds' Very Risky]

Until the COVID-19 pandemic is contained and economic uncertainty prevails, the spotlight will continue to be on gold owing to the financial uncertainty it brings along. Even the IMF Global Financial Stability report highlights an increase in the level of risk among multiple global metrics and, therefore, the importance of owning gold in one's portfolio.

Hence, in my view, in the current situation consider allocating some portion of your investment portfolio to gold and its equivalents. This year buying gold in a physical form from your preferred jeweller or gold merchant may not be possible amidst the COVID-19 extended lockdown. But you can always consider Gold Exchange Traded Funds, Gold Saving Funds, Sovereign Gold Bonds, and/or Digital Gold, which are smart and unconventional ways of investing in gold.

Recently the Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds. The Sovereign Gold Bonds will be issued in six tranches from April 2020 to September 2020 as per the calendar specified below:

Each of the tranche is offered for a limited subscription period, having a maturity tenure of 8 years and a lock-in period of 5 years

With an initial investment amount of Rs 20,000, resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions can subscribe to SGBs. The application can be also made by the guardian on behalf of the minor. One can purchase units from the secondary market as well.

The issue price of the SGB will be Rs 50 per gram less than the nominal value when applied online and the payment against the application is made through digital mode.

On maturity, the Gold Bonds shall be redeemed in Indian Rupees and the redemption price shall be based on a simple average of the closing price of gold of 999 purity of previous 3 business days from the date of repayment, published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited.

In order to encourage passive but direct gold investment, as an alternative to purchasing physical gold, Modi led Government sanctioned a Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme in November 2015. Under this scheme, investors have to pay the issue price in cash and the bonds will be redeemed in cash on maturity. The Bond is issued by the Reserve Bank on behalf of Government of India.

With the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, the risks and costs of physical storage are eliminated. Plus, it is free from issues like the costs of making charges and purity, as in the case of gold in jewellery form. But these bonds are held in the books of the RBI, or in demat form to eliminate even the risk of loss of scrip, etc.

Sovereign Gold Bonds will generate market returns linked to the price of gold, so there may be a risk of capital loss if the market price of gold declines. Moreover, these bonds will provide interest income at the rate of 2.50 per cent (fixed rate) per annum on the amount of initial investment to investors and will be redeemable.

The minimum investment allowed is 1 gram, while the maximum buying limit is a subscription of 4 kg for individuals, 4 kg for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities notified by the government from time to time per fiscal year (April - March).

These bonds are sold through offices or branches of Nationalised Banks, Scheduled Private Banks, Scheduled Foreign Banks, designated Post Offices, Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. (SHCIL), and the authorised stock exchanges, either directly or through their agents.

Do note, that the interest on the bonds is taxed as per the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961. If you hold the SGB till maturity the capital gains tax on redemption of SGB is exempted. But if you sold the bond in the secondary market after three years, long term capital gains (LTCGs) tax is applicable and it will be taxed at 20 per cent with indexation. And if sold before three years, a short-term capital gains (STCGs) tax will be applicable according to the income tax slab.

What should the investors do?

Defeating the Coronavirus and surviving is everyone's core focus and having liquidity, those who have an adequate contingency fund are looking for investments.

Equity and debt markets are yet to see any signs of revival despite the stimulating relief measures provided to uplift the slowing of economy but investing in gold can prove to be worthy for your portfolio.

[Read: What Could Be the Potential Impact of a Lockdown on Your Mutual Fund Portfolio? Know Here...]

Even the bond prices were at all-time lows, which are inversely proportional to gold as well. In my view allocate at least 10-15% of your entire investment portfolio to gold and hold it with a long-term investment horizon.

Remember gold offers an effective hedge during global uncertainty and a shield against inflation. Most importantly in your portfolio, it serves as a diversifier.

PersonalFN is a Mumbai based personal finance firm offering Financial Planning and Mutual Fund Research services.

Disclaimer:
The views mentioned above are of the author only. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Equitymaster do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader. Please read the detailed Terms of Use of the web site.

Tennis ace Sania Mirza said that one needs to be more sensitive while coaching young female sportspersons. Speaking in the All India Tennis Association and the Sport Authority of Indias digital Coachs Education webinar on Wednesday, Sania said that coaches need to be sensitive of the hormonal changes that girls go through while working with them.

"My dad always tells me that to work with a woman tennis player is a lot trickier and a lot more mental because I do think that there are a lot of issues that girls go through, especially when they are adolescent," said Sania.

"There are so many changes that are happening, internally in your body and externally as well. You are trying to be the best tennis player that you can be while there are so many hormonal changes happening as well, and it happens throughout the life of a woman.

"You can be a little bit more sensitive to their needs and the way they are because a lot of the times they are just trying to discover who they are, while they are also trying to be a tennis player. It can be a pretty tough job."

33-year-old Sania made her comeback to tennis this year after giving birth to her first child. She won the Hobart International in January before playing an integral role in helping India seal a historic playoff spot in the Fed Cup.

"Just the way I have managed everything else, I could manage both tennis and motherhood. I am lucky enough to have enough help around me as well, that is a huge plus point for me. My mom and my sister have played a huge part in giving me as much help as possible," said Sania on being asked about how she is managing the twin-role of mother and professional tennis player.

"A lot of people questioned it even when I was trying to make that comeback, how did you find time to lose so much weight. There's so much that happens with your body after you give birth. You just have to, sort of, adapt, find a way to take out two hours from your day to work-out and try to find that balance. It's also good for your own sanity as well, to find time for yourself."

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Are you planning a long distance travel or a long vacation? Confused what to take and how to pack all your belongings? Worry not, as experts like Shikhee Agrawal, (Head - Training, The Body Shop India) and, Shubhika Jain (Founder of RAS Luxury Oils), have listed 10 must-haves for long distance travel. Also, while travelling long distances, it is best to choose products which are more multi-purpose and carry essentials in travel-size bottles. 

Here are 10 such travel essentials you just cannot do without:

1. Face mask: A face mask is one of those essential and handy things that will make you feel better instantly when you are travelling. If you don't have space in the bag to pack your sleeping creams, a mask will help you wake up with refreshed and moist skin.

2. Face elixir: A face elixir with a blend of beauty oils with rose, sandalwood, frankincense, patchouli, rosehip and vetiver nourishes your skin, ensuring your face always has a gorgeously glowing, satin complexion. After your morning/evening cleansing ritual, take 2-3 drops in the palm of your hand and rub them together to warm before pressing gently onto your face and neck to infuse into the skin. These elixirs can be used as a handy to-go multi-purpose moisturiser when in need of hydration.

3. Cleanser: Don't forget to carry your skincare routine with you especially when it comes to cleanser. They can prevent multiple problems like dust. It will even help you remove make-up and moisturise skin.

4. BB cream: This cream is not just subjected to ultra-fine glow of the face anymore but also contains optimal SPF factor and acts as the skin perfecto and primer. It's best and sensible to avoid multiple products but simply replace it with a good BB cream for the radiance with protection.

5. Eye concentrate or serum: Travelling can make your dark circles appear big due to the long journey and lack of sleep. So an eye concentrate or serum is a must to be included during your daily skincare regime. Eye creams are usually enriched with ingredients which detoxify and reduce puffiness around the tired eyes.

6. Lena perfume bottles: When you need to select a scent for your vanity, pick up one in a travel-sized package. The lean bottles easily slip into your bag and will never spill.

7. SPF enriched lip balm: Lip balm with minimum SPF 15, keeps your pout nourished and soft with moisture boosting lip balm that contains a minimum of SPF 15.

8. Hand and foot cream: A hand and foot cream is a must for keeping every part of your body moisturised, with no rough sides. Travelling while caring for your skin is a must.

9. Lavender and geranium salt polish: For exfoliation, a lavender and geranium salt polish is a good, safe and natural choice. It is a perfect way to get rid of dry, dead skin which may have resulted from a sunburn or just not enough hydration. The salt polish can also be used as bath salts.

10. Use distinct pouches: Keep similar items together and it's best to use distinct pouches for everything and pack them right in the middle of your luggage so as to form a gentle cushion over them and to make sure that they don't get squeezed accidentally.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from PTI)

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Ginni Mahi must have been in Std VIII or IX when she first became aware of the divisive nature of the caste system. A girl in her class had asked her which caste she belonged to and Mahi did not know what to say. The Mahis constitute nearly 40 per cent of the scheduled caste population of Jalandhar, her hometown. The 19-year-old grew up on stories about Dr BR Ambedkar, the founder of the Indian Constitution and the teachings of Guru Ravidas, who led the Bhakti movement in Punjab in the 15th century. Theirs is, as her father Rakesh Chandra Mahi calls it, an "Ambedkarite family". It's no surprise, therefore, that both Ambedkar and Guru Ravidas have become a mainstay in Mahi's songs, which, over the past year has catapulted her into a bestselling Punjabi rapper, even earning her the tag of a "Punjabi Dalit rapper".

Ginni Mahi

The tag, however, doesn't agree with Mahi. Even though in her videos the singer wears a definite rapper swag, be it in a leather jacket or a patiala suit, she says her genre cannot be called that. "It is definitely a fusion between Western beats and Punjabi style, but I am not sure if you can call it rap," says the singer who performed in Mumbai for the first time yesterday at a congregation of women speakers. Mahi, who did her first live show when she was 12, knew from a very early age that she wanted to do "something to fight inequality in society". "Since I could sing, I had all these dreams, of doing live and reality shows. I was very little but I was already shooting for the stars," she smiles. While she has brought in a unique style to talk of the life and times of Dr Ambedkar, she was sure that it would work, even though no one had tried it before. "We have a team of lyricists who work hard to figure what should go, and more importantly, what should be dropped from a song. Addressing sensitive subjects like inequality and untouchability is always tricky territory. There has been an overwhelming amount of support, and some negative feedback too. But if there is no criticism, there can be no improvement," says the singer who performed in Mumbai for the first time yesterday at 'We The Women', a congregation of women speakers.

Ginni with her father Rakesh Chandra Mahi

Even though this is her first visit to Mumbai, Mahi could barely make time to look around. "My second year finals are on, I have an exam on Monday," says the singer who is pursuing graduation in music, from HMV College in Jalandhar. "Studies are my priority, I want to do my masters, and then my dream is to do my PhD in music. A doctor heals people with his knowledge in medicine. I want to know music so well, that one day I am able to heal people with music," she says. In terms of her singing career, Bollywood, of course is the dream. "I want to be a playback singer here, much like my idols Lata Mangeshkar, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan."

A still from her hit song, Fan Baba Sahib Di

While Mahi's music wants to break the shackles of inequality, that she herself has earned the tag of a Dalit rapper is an irony she just might have to live with. "My message is humanity, to erase caste politics. No one, especially artists, should be bound by class or caste. Such a tag, even though it has earned me fame, beats the purpose. But then, that is how the world works, in labels. We have entwined ourselves in all kinds of borders that separate us from each other."

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Nupur Dhingra Paiva with daughters Tara, 9, and Isabelle, 6. Pic/Shadab Khan

When five-year-old Armaan walked into child psychotherapist Nupur Dhingra Paiva's clinic, her impression about the kid, whose shoulders were hunched over, was that he was "weighed down by something significant". Armaan's mother would later tell her how he felt unloved, wanted to run away from home and even shoot himself. But, it wasn't until Armaan's father joined the therapist and his wife for chat, an hour later, that Paiva noticed something alter in the child. The kid slowly crawled into his father's lap, and curled up there like a little prawn, Paiva recounted. That the child was craving for his dad's attention was a given.

Vignettes like these form the crux of Paiva's new book, Love and Rage: The Inner Worlds of Children (Yoda Press), where she breaks down conversations she has had in her healing room with both parents and children, to reiterate how love and affection is central to influencing a child's personality. "I felt an urgent need to communicate with the world that what comes into our consulting room is not crazy or bizarre -it is the stuff of ordinary life - ordinary conflicts, struggles and joys. And that mental health distress in adolescence and adulthood is almost entirely based on early life experience, from conception onwards," says the Delhi-based clinical psychologist, of why she wrote the book. "Adults who are interacting with children, as parents, teachers or carers, are sometimes far removed from the lived experience of the child. They become task focussed and outcome oriented - it becomes a lot about achievement, growth and the end result of happiness," she adds. In doing so, Paiva says that people forget "that the growth of the personality is a complex, slow process that needs nurturing".

Here, Paiva, who is also mother to two daughters, offers an "only love-not rage" guide.

>> It takes two
When a child is angry with one parent, it helps to have an available alternative. I have to add that I am not necessarily talking about the heteronormative two parents - male-female couple. Children need a diversity of responsible caregivers, someone who will take it upon themselves to keep the child's emotional needs in mind. The role of mother and father is about a mental attitude, the function they play for the child. It does not have to be a biological parent.

>> We need daddy
Often women find it difficult to let men get involved in caregiving tasks like feeding, bathing and putting to sleep. When a child has emotional access to their fathers, the diversity of experience offers them a wider range of seeing how to live in the world, because men and women live in the world quite differently. Just as an involved father gives a son a sense of someone to look up to, he gives a daughter an experience of being loved and valued - something she will carry with herself into future relationships with men.

>> Prep for school
The first couple of years of kindergarten are not about learning shapes or the alphabet, it is about learning to separate from home. It is a physical/emotional wrench, leaving safety and going to another space - one that can be fun and engaging, provided we can get over the fear of separating from the people we feel safe around. Once children are helped to adapt to this huge change, they can get on with learning. Otherwise, anxiety hampers learning for years afterwards.

Start early with picture story-books or perhaps even a visit to the school for the child to see what it looks like a month or so before the emotional temperature rises in April. Be prepared for repetition for as every parent of a young child knows, once is never enough. Stories that matter the most must be repeated endlessly, without variation so that they can sink in. The story of how everyone leaves home and goes to school is of central emotional import. In fact, it is a rite of passage.

>> Play hard
Using our bodies is a release for everything - anger, anxiety and other feelings - that get stuck in our muscles. In the emphasis on growing children's minds [or getting them to finish homework and projects], we forget about how important it is to be using their bodies. Children are calmer and more attentive, when they have had an experience of using their muscles in activity, especially free play.

>> It's okay to cry
Never tell a child not to cry. All children cry, for all sorts of things, so it is important to first figure out what the crying is trying to communicate. Simply telling a child to stop crying without first trying to understand what is under it, will damage their relationship with you. If the crying is because of sadness, then telling them to stop crying is plain selfish. We do it because we can't bear their expression of sadness. It is far healthier to accept that they are sad, and give them a hug. This kind of acceptance lets them know that while nothing can be done about it, at least their experience is being validated and acknowledged.

>> Don't ignore
Ignoring feelings teaches your child that you don't particularly care for his feelings, just his actions or his/her compliance. This only ensures that the feelings will reappear in a form that is harder to link to its source. In other words, the child will use a defence in order to deal with a feeling, and the anxiety its presence creates.

>> Keep it real
I am not advising that people deny that they also can get angry with their children. "Only love" is not a reality. My aim is to be real with my relationships, including my children. So, I freely express affection - lots of hugs and physical warmth, an hour at bedtime talking about their day and their worries. I also freely express disapproval or annoyance. I explain, and negotiate. As a result, I have very opinionated children who are expressive and open, including about their anger with me or their father. We accept it as real and engage with it as much as is possible at the time.

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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar says he cannot fathom why Mahendra Singh Dhoni has "dragged it for so long" as the right time for the maverick ex-India skipper to call it quits was after last year's ODI World Cup. Akhtar said he hopes the 38-year-old Dhoni gets a resounding farewell despite his resolute silence on what the future holds. "This guy has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don't know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after the World Cup," Akhtar told PTI from Islamabad.

"If I would have been in his place, I would have hung up my boots. I could have played shorter formats for three-four years but I left [after the 2011 WC] as I wasn't into the game 100 per cent. So why drag?" he asked. Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semi-final in July, was preparing to make a much-anticipated comeback with the IPL, which is now unlikely to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If he had done well in the IPL, there was a possibility of him playing the T20 World Cup in October-November. Akhtar believes Dhoni is now in a limbo but deserves a grand send-off despite the anti- climactic turn of events.

Shoaib Akhtar

"As a country, you should let him go with a lot of respect and dignity. Give him a nice send off. He has won you the World Cup and done wonders for India. He is a wonderful human being at the same time. But right now, he seems to be stuck," he said. Akhtar said Dhoni should have ideally retired after last year's 50-over World Cup. "When he could not finish the game in the semi-final [v New Zealand], I felt he should have retired. Only he can answer why he didn't. He should have played a farewell series after that World Cup probably and then said goodbye in a manner befitting his great stature." Talking about the Indian team's inability to win a global event since the 2013 Champions Trophy, Akhtar said Virat Kohli's said: "Winning tournaments is one thing but staying at top is another. India is still the top-ranked Test team and among the top teams in the limited-overs format. We can't rate their performance only in ICC events.

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Feeling like a kid again, England batsman Jason Roy can't wait to get back on the cricket field but says it would make sense to postpone the T20 World Cup in October-November if teams don't get enough time to prepare for the mega event. All cricketing activities have come to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of T20 World Cup in Australia is also in doubt.

"If players aren't able to prepare in the right way and are not able to get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it," Roy was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "But if it goes ahead, it's our job to play cricket - and if we're told we have three weeks to prepare to go and play in the World T20, all the boys will be putting the yards in to make sure we're ready for that.

"I think all the boys are on edge, waiting for the call saying, 'Right, we have a month turnaround or a six-week turnaround. Get in the nets and go hit some balls.' I think the boys will be as ready as they can be," said the 29-year-old opener. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) too has suspended activities until July 1. While Roy is eager to be playing again, he said safety is paramount.

"I've got a huge amount of trust in the ECB. I think they will look into every single avenue of all the positives, all the negatives. So, I guess I would trust in what they say, probably have a chat with Morgs (Morgan) and see where his head's at and go with that. "I don't think I'll have too many questions, especially when it got to the stage of 'Right, we're going to play', because there'll be a lot of people in those meetings discussing whether it's the right thing to do or not."

Roy also has no issues in playing in front of empty stadiums. "I just want to play some cricket to be honest. I think for us to be able to go out there and play some cricket would be an incredible feeling. I feel like a kid again. "I guess we're governed by the government here, we don't really know what is going on or what the safety measures are. There's way bigger things out there. I'm more than happy to play behind closed doors, it would just be nice to get out there," he added.

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The UNESCO has said news media should be recognised and supported by all governments as an "essential service" to stop the COVID-19 "disinfodemic" that is putting lives at risk. "There seems to be barely an area left untouched by disinformation in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, ranging from the origin of the coronavirus, through to unproven prevention and 'cures', and encompassing responses by governments, companies, celebrities and others," Guy Berger, Director for Policies and Strategies regarding Communication and Information at the UN educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in an interview with the UN News.

According to the UN, unreliable and false information is spreading around the world to such an extent that some commentators are now referring to the new avalanche of misinformation that's accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic as a "disinfodemic". Berger said UNESCO is particularly urging governments "not to impose restrictions on freedom of expression that can harm the essential role of an independent press, but to recognise journalism as a power against disinformation even when it publicises verified information and informed opinion that annoys those in power. "There is a strong case to be made that the media deserves to be recognised and supported by governments as an essential service at this time." He stressed that the need of the hour is to improve the supply of truthful information and ensure that the demand is met.

"We are underlining that governments, in order to counter rumours, should be more transparent, and proactively disclose more data, in line with Right to Information laws and policies. Access to information from official sources is very important for credibility in this crisis. "However, this is not a substitute for information supplied by the news media, so we are also intensifying our efforts to persuade authorities to see free and professional journalism as an ally in the fight against disinformation, especially because the news media works openly in the public sphere, whereas much disinformation is under-the-radar, on social messaging apps," Berger said. The UNESCO official also pointed to a more harmful example of disinformation: encouraging the taking of medication, approved for other purposes, but not yet clinically proven as being effective against COVID-19. He said unfortunately some have capitalised on the pandemic, to spread disinformation for the purposes of advancing their own agendas.

"The motives for spreading disinformation are many, and include political aims, self-promotion, and attracting attention as part of a business model. Those who do so, play on emotions, fears, prejudices and ignorance, and claim to bring meaning and certainty to a reality that is complex, challenging and fast-changing," Berger said. He said in a time of "high fears, uncertainties and unknowns", there is "fertile ground for fabrications to flourish and grow". The big risk is that any single falsehood that gains traction can negate the significance of a body of true facts.

"When disinformation is repeated and amplified, including by influential people, the grave danger is that information which is based on truth, ends up having only marginal impact," he said. Berger noted that some people believe, wrongly, that young people or those of African descent are immune (some disinformation has a racist, or xenophobic, tone), and that those in warm climates or countries where summer is on its way, do not need to worry too much. The likely consequence, he said, is complacency, which could fuel more premature deaths. However, not everyone responsible for spreading untruths is doing so maliciously and well-intentioned people are also uncritically circulating dubious content, the UNESCO official said.

"These different motives require different responses, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, irrespective of intention, the effect of sharing falsehoods is to disinform and disempower the public, with deadly potential," he said. UNESCO has underscored that the rights to freedom of expression and access to information are the best remedies to the dangers of disinformation. These rights "enable governments and the public to take evidence-based decisions about reality, and to put in place responses that are founded on both science and human rights values, and which can get us through the pandemic in the best way", Berger said.

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In what appears to be an adorable working from home blunder, a video of a weatherman’s pet dog adorably interrupting his weather report has been making rounds of social media.

Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto was presenting the weather report from his home in Florida when his dog Brody entered the room, knocking into his computer and sat on his lap for a brief moment after which he went to find the cameraman, the New York Post reported.

Dellegatto can be heard playfully scolding Brody in the video saying, "This is not very smart," while the pooch begs him for some snacks and pets. Then after letting out a yawn, Brody runs off to look for the cameraman, who was filming the section from Dellegatto’s porch while maintaining social distance. He is heard saying, "Now he can't see Craig, so he's gone crazy trying to find Craig..."

The viral video posted by Andrew Fienberg on Twitter on Thursday managed to garner more than 3.4 million views with over 162,200 likes and was retweeted more than 35,700 times. The caption reads, "This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news."

This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020

Users commenting on the video resonated that this is the best content on Twitter right now, with some pointing out a cute-little detail in the video –a framed picture of Brody on Dellegatto’s desk.

This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020

"Sorry to keep you up" lmao 🤣

— jenjavitis (@jenjavitis) May 1, 2020

Things that are awesome about this: 1. He clearly loves Brody even when the dog is disruptive. 2. Physical distancing with Craig via the window. 3. Craig knows what content we want and focuses on the dog.

— Sara Leiste (@SaraFeistiness) April 30, 2020

So many reasons to love this including the framed photo of the pup placed prominently on his desk.

— Jasmin Ramsey (@JasminRamsey) April 30, 2020

This is weirdly my favorite part of the video.

You don't truly love your pets if you don't have prominently displayed, framed pictures of them in your house pic.twitter.com/WptDYfPRIQ

— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) April 30, 2020

What do you think about this video?

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As Europe and the US loosen their lockdowns against the Coronavirus, health experts are expressing growing dread over what they say is an all-but-certain second wave of deaths and infections that could force governments to clamp back down.

'Risking a backslide'

"We are risking a backslide that will be intolerable," said Dr Ian Lipkin of Columbia University's Centre for Infection and Immunity. Around the world, German authorities began drawing up plans in case of a resurgence of the virus. Experts in Italy urged intensified efforts to identify new victims and trace their contacts. And France, which has not yet eased its lockdown, has already worked up a "re-confinement plan" in the event of a new wave.

"Typically pandemics occur in waves across different places, so people shouldn't think we are getting out of the woods just yet," the Guardian quoted Irwin Redlener, a physician and director of the National Centre for Disaster Preparedness, as saying.

US health officials worried

In the US, with about half of the states easing their shutdowns, public health authorities are worried. "If we relax these measures without having the proper public health safeguards in place, we can expect many more cases and, unfortunately, more deaths," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.

Trump admin shelves CDC guide to reopen

A detailed report by the top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places such as day care centers and restaurants during the still-raging pandemic has been shelved by the Trump administration. The report was supposed to be published last Friday, but agency scientists were told the guidance "would never see the light of day," said a CDC official.

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[Source: Research & Innovation] EU-funded researchers have developed an ultrasensitive test to rapidly, accurately and cost-effectively diagnose disease, underpinned by innovative biosensing technology that could help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV and cancer.

German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries has said that Germany's air passenger tax is damaging the country's aviation industry and should be scrapped.

Indian share markets ended their trading session lower yesterday.

Benchmark indices edged lower tracking weak global cues as investors fretted over weak economic data and rising COVID-19 cases.

Barring energy stocks, all sectoral indices ended on a negative note with stocks in the power sector, telecom sector and consumer durables sector witnessing most of the selling pressure.

At the closing bell yesterday, the�BSE Sensex stood lower by 242 points and the�NSE Nifty�closed down by 72 points.

The SGX Nifty�was trading at 9,200, down by 53 points, at the time of writing.

The�BSE Mid Cap�index and the�BSE Small Cap�index ended their day down by 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively.

Speaking of the current stock market scenario, after a sharp rally in the past few weeks, the markets have turned volatile again.

You would be interested in knowing when the market will likely bottom out.

Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, has the answer and he has recorded a video about it.

You can check the same here -�This is When the Stock Market Will Bottom Out

Also, our special report, How to Trade the Coronavirus Crash, is the most comprehensive report on how to trade the coronavirus, both from a short-term and long-term perspective. You can�claim your FREE copy here...

Top Stocks in Focus Today

From the pharma sector, Dr Reddy's Laboratories share price will be in focus as the company announced that the its NDA (new drug application) Elyxyb ((celecoxib oral solution 25 mg/mL) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The drug is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults.

From the IT sector, HCL Technologies share price will also be in focus as the company reported a 22.8% year-on-year (YoY) rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 31.5 billion compared with Rs 25.7 billion in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter rose 16.3% YoY to Rs 185.9 billion from Rs 159.9 billion reported in the year-ago quarter. In dollar terms, revenue rose 11.7% YoY to US$ 2,543.40 million from US$ 2,277.80 million. On a sequential basis, dollar sales were flat. Sales growth in constant currency terms rose 13.5% YoY to US$ 2,584.60 million.

To know more about the company, you can read HCL Technologies' Q4FY20 result analysis on our website.

Market participants will also be tracking RBL Bank share price, Cyient share price and Gillette share price as these companies announced their March quarter results yesterday.

You can read our recently released Q4FY20 results of other companies here: Ambuja Cement,�IndusInd Bank,�Axis Bank,�Tech Mahindra,�HUL,�Reliance Industries,�Marico, Kansai Nerolac, NIIT Technologies, Persistent Systems.

GSK Sells Stake in HUL via Block Deal

From the FMCG sector, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) share price will be in focus as the UK-based Glaxo-SmithKline (GSK) offloaded its stake in HUL via block deals yesterday.

According to the term sheet, over 133 million shares are being offered in the range of Rs 1,850-1,950 to investors through a special block window. The deal will be valued roughly between Rs 246 billion to Rs 259 billion.

GSK and�Horlicks�are selling up to US$ 3.4 billion worth of HUL shares through what could be India's biggest secondary market block trades.

The British drug maker is looking to monetise about 5.7% of�HUL stock it had got after last year's merger of GSK Consumer Healthcare and HUL.

As per the scheme of amalgamation amongst GSK Consumer Healthcare and HUL, GlaxoSmithKline Pte had received 54.08 million shares of HUL, meanwhile Horlicks received 79.69 million shares.

Accordingly, parent company Unilever Plc and group companies' stake in HUL reduced to 61.9%, from 67.2% earlier after the issue of new shares.

Yes Bank Q4FY20 Results

Yes Bank reported better-than-expected March quarter (Q4FY20) results.

Yes Bank�posted a net profit of Rs 26.3 billion on the back of one-time gain attributed to an exceptional item of Rs 63 billion.

The bank has written-down additional tier-1 bonds as part of its planned reconstruction scheme, leading to a one-time gain of Rs 63 billion.

In the absence of the exceptional gain, the bank would have reported a net loss of Rs 36.7 billion.

The bank had reported a net loss of Rs 15.1 billion a year ago, while the same was Rs 185.6 billion in Q3FY20.

The bank's net interest income (NII) for the March quarter came in at Rs 12.7 billion, up 19.6% sequentially.

Net interest margin (NIM) for Q4FY20 came in at 1.9%, compared to 3.1% a year ago.

On the asset quality front, gross non-performing assets (NPA) fell 19% QoQ to Rs 328.8 billion, mostly on account of write-offs.

The bank's deposits plunged to Rs 1.05 lakh crore, down 54% YoY compared with Rs 2.27 lakh crore.

Meanwhile, Advances declined 29% YoY to Rs 1.7 lakh crore from Rs 2.4 lakh crore in the year-ago quarter.

For the financial year 2019-20 (FY20), the private lender posted a loss of Rs 164.2 billion, on a standalone basis, compared to net profit of Rs 17.2 billion in the previous year.

To know more, you can read Yes Bank's latest result analysis on our website.

Speaking of the banking sector, the low access to credit for micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) tells us there is a huge opportunity for lenders.

This is evident from the chart below:

India's Huge Lending Opportunity

Of the 60 million MSMEs in India, only 11% had access to credit from organised lenders. Most of them are self-financed or get credit from unorganised sources.

Here's what Tanushree Banerjee wrote about this in one of the editions of�The 5 Minute WrapUp...

• Self-financing limits the growth of these MSMEs. On the other hand, high interest rates from unorganised sources makes it difficult for them to earn profits.
  
  The Modi government is looking at various ways�to correct this problem. Mudra loans, online loans facilities are being made available to MSMEs.
  
  Slowly but surely, lenders are sensing the huge opportunity that lies ahead for this sector.
  
  Banks and other financial firms with prudent lending practices and strong distribution networks will benefit from this�megatrend.

Tanushree is counting on 7 top stocks from the Indian stock market that will benefit from this megatrend.

As per her, now is the right time to buy these stocks to profit from the�Rebirth of India.�You can read about them here.

And to know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent�share market updates here.

The BSE Sensex has surged 640 points to 32,083 (up 2.0%).

Among the top gainers in the BSE Sensex today are HUL (up 4.3%), BAJAJ FINANCE (up 3.3%) and TCS (up 3.0%). Other gainers include RELIANCE IND. (up 2.8%) and MARUTI SUZUKI (up 2.7%).

BAJAJ AUTO (down 2.7%) and NESTLE (down 1.0%) are among the top losers today.

In the meantime, the NSE Nifty Index is up 3,299 points to 9,377 (up 1.9%).

The top gainers in the NSE Nifty Index include include HINDALCO (up 4.5%), HUL (up 4.2%) and ZEE ENTERTAINMENT (up 3.7%). Other gainers include GAIL (up 3.6%) and MARUTI SUZUKI (up 2.6%).

Over the last one year, the BSE Sensex has moved up from Rs 38,277 to Rs 32,083, registering a gain of Rs -6,194 (up -16.2%)..

The top gainers among the BSE Sensex stocks during this same period were BHARTI AIRTEL (up 66.4%), NESTLE (up 63.6%) and HUL (up 22.6%).

Which stocks contributed the most to the BSE Sensex?

The biggest contributors to the gain in the Sensex today were HUL (86 points) and BAJAJ FINANCE (68 points).

Among the other contributors were TCS (57 points) and RELIANCE IND. (43 points).

What about the other broader BSE Indices?

The BSE 100 index has gained -2,133 points today and is now trading at 9,475 (down 18.4%). The top gainer here is AVENUE SUPERMARTS LTD (up 76.0%).

The BSE 500 on the other hand gained 2,818 points (up 1.7%), and is currently at 12,141.

Asian stock markets are higher today as Chinese and Hong Kong shares show gains. The Shanghai Composite is up 0.6% while the Hang Seng is up 0.9%. The Nikkei 225 is trading up by 1.8%. Wall Street's indices climbed on Thursday, with the Nasdaq erasing losses for 2020, following a clutch of upbeat earnings reports led by PayPal as investors looked past more weak jobs data caused by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn.

Trends on SGX Nifty indicated a positive opening for the index in India with a 91 points gain.

India share markets opened higher. The BSE Sensex is trading up by 542 points while the NSE Nifty is trading up by 158 points. The BSE Mid Cap index and BSE Small Cap index opened up by 0.9% and 0.6% respectively.

All sectoral indices are trading in green with metal stocks and banking stocks witnessing maximum buying interest.

Note that the�coronavirus impact�has shaken markets worldwide. For the�BSE Sensex, FY20 was the second worst year post FY08, the year of the global financial crisis.

Good Time to Start Investing Now?

Naturally, there is an atmosphere of fear all round.

Is it time to sell stocks now? Will the correction get worse?

History has shown that after years like the one we had just now, the next 3 years are good for the markets. In fact, these corrections are the rare times when you find businesses with solid fundamentals at reasonable valuations.

If you can�find good businesses�that can survive the current crisis, you will do well in the long run.

Moving on, the rupee is currently trading at 75.57 against the�US$.

Gold prices are currently trading up 1.7% at Rs 46,161.

Gold prices in India edged lower in yesterday's trade though it remained in a narrow range.

On MCX, June gold futures fell about Rs 30 to Rs 45,340 per 10 gram, extending losses to the third day.

Gold prices had fallen about Rs 426 per 10 gram in the previous session. Silver futures also gave up early gains and were down 0.1% to 41,803 per kg.

In global markets, gold prices edge higher today after a sharp fall in the previous session.

Spot gold climbed 0.3% to US$1,690.19 per ounce, after a 1% fall in the previous session. Despite bleak economic data, the dollar's strength is weighing on gold.

The US dollar today touched a more than one-week high against a basket of major currencies. Besides firmer dollar, some bullion refineries restarted have production, easing supply-side concerns.

Moving on to mutual funds sector. Investors pumped Rs 837.8 billion in equity-oriented mutual fund (MF) schemes in FY20, registering a decline of 25% from the Rs 1.11-trillion inflows in the preceding year.

However, this was the sixth successive year of net inflows in equity mutual funds, according to data by the Association of Mutual Funds in India.

The flows into equity funds in the last fiscal were lower than the flows in 2018-19 primarily because of the equity markets displaying volatility, which made some investors take a break from making fresh equity investments.

Net inflows in these funds were Rs 1.7 trillion in FY18, Rs 703.7 billion in FY17, Rs 740.2 billion in FY16, and Rs 710.3 billion in FY15. However, they had witnessed a net outflow of Rs 92.7 billion in FY14.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent�share market updates here.

Indian share markets ended their trading session on a positive note today.

Benchmark indices edged higher, tracking overnight gains in the US market and positive Asian stock markets.

Further, talks of an economic stimulus for small businesses battered by the coronavirus outbreak improved sentiment.

Reportedly, the government may unveil fiscal stimulus amounting to 0.3% of the country's gross domestic product, focusing on small and medium sized businesses, real estate firms and banks.

At the closing bell, the�BSE Sensex�stood higher by 199 points (up 0.6%) and the�NSE Nifty�closed higher by 52 points (up 0.6%).

SGX Nifty�was trading at 9,260, up by 64 points, at the time of writing.

The BSE Mid Cap�index ended up by 0.1%, while the�BSE Small Cap�index ended the day down by 0.5%.

On the sectoral front, gains were seen in the energy sector and FMCG sector, while power stocks witnessed selling pressure.

Asian stock markets�finished on a strong note as of the most recent closing prices.

The�Hang Seng�was up 1% and the Nikkei was trading higher by 2.6%. The Shanghai Composite was up 0.8%.

European markets were trading on a positive note. The DAX was trading up by 0.8%, while the CAC 40 was trading up by 0.7%.

The rupee was trading at 75.55 to the US$ at the time of writing.

Gold prices�are currently trading up by 0.2% at Rs 46,274.

Speaking of the current stock market scenario, Indian stock markets have seen a stunning recovery over the last 5 weeks.

From its all-time high levels of 42,274 touched on January 20 this year, the Sensex crashed 39% to a multi-year low at 25,639 on March 23. Later, the index made a rapid recovery till April 30 as it added 4,250 points.

Thereafter, in just two sessions of this month, Sensex lost 7%.

Excluding this week's 7% fall, of all the rebounds after a 35%-40% fall in the market, the current one has been the biggest by a distance.

This is evident from the chart below:

Sensex: From Bear to Bull in 30 Days

While the Sensex has rebounded sharply, there are still many stocks out there that are trading at attractive valuations.

Co-head of research at�Equitymaster, Rahul Shah, believes this is a good time to get into stocks, even if you missed the rally because the market is fairly valued.

History has shown that after years like the one we had just now, the next 3 years are good for the markets. In fact, these corrections are the rare times when you find businesses with solid fundamentals at reasonable valuations.

If you can�find good businesses�that can survive the current crisis, you will do well in the long run.

Moving on, market participants were tracking�Shree Cement share price,�TCI Express share price, and�SBI Cards and Payment Services share price�as these companies announced their March quarter results (Q4FY20) today.

You can read our recently released Q4FY20 results of other companies here:�Ambuja Cement,�IndusInd Bank,�Axis Bank,�Tech Mahindra,�Reliance Industries,�Marico,�Kansai Nerolac,�NIIT Technologies,�Persistent Systems,�SKF India.

In news from the banking sector, RBL Bank share price was in focus today.

The private lender on Thursday reported a 54% decline in its March quarter net profit to�Rs 1,143 million on the back of higher provisions.

The bank's total provisions trebled on a year-on-year (YoY) basis and stood at�Rs 6.1 billion in Q4FY20. It holds�Rs 1,079.5 million of provisions in excess of what RBI has mandated for covid-19 related moratorium.

The lender logged a 37% YoY growth in its operating profit at Rs 7.7 billion compared to Rs 5.6 billion a year ago.

The bank's total revenue jumped 33% YoY to Rs 15.2 billion from Rs 11.5 billion reported in Q4FY19.

RBL Bank's net interest margin (NIM) stood at 4.93% in the March quarter. Its net interest income (NII) grew 38% YoY to�Rs 10.2 billion in Q4FY20.

The bank's deposits fell 1% to�Rs 578.1 billion in Q4FY20. Current and savings account (Casa) deposits grew 17% and 2% sequentially to�Rs 171.1 billion in the March quarter.

The private lender's advances increased 7% to�Rs 580.2 billion.

For the financial year 2019-20, the bank's total income stood at Rs 55.4 billion, up 39% YoY from Rs 39.8 billion, while its operating profit jumped 42% YoY to Rs 27.5 billion.

To know more, you can read RBL Bank's Q4FY20 result analysis on our website.

Moving on to news from the pharma sector, shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories rallied 8% today to hit a 52-week high of Rs 4,132, after the company received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from US health regulator for its manufacturing plant at Srikakulam.

In a regulatory filing, the company said it has received EIR from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), for the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) manufacturing plant at Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh (CTO VI).

The site was issued warning letter in November 2015 after the inspection in 2014, and was under "Official Action Indicated" classification till now.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories share price ended the day up by 3.8%.

In other news, Laurus Labs share price witnessed selling pressure today. Stock of the company�slipped 10% today after more than 30 million equity shares of the pharmaceutical company changed hands via multiple block deals.

As much as 19.1 million shares were traded on BSE, while on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), about 15.3 million shares changed hands.

Last week, the company had reported its consolidated net profit at Rs 1.1 billion, which more than doubled from Rs 430 million reported in the year-ago quarter.

The company's board also recommended for the sub-division of equity shares of the company from existing face value of Rs 10 each to face value of Rs 2 each, subject to regulatory approvals.

Speaking of the pharma sector, in December 2019, co-head of Research at�Equitymaster, Tanushree Banerjee had predicted that pharma could be the sector to see a�big rebound in 2020.

And rightly so, most�pharma companies�have re-emerged as the safer bets for investors in the ongoing market turmoil. Last month, the Indian rupee touched a new record low of Rs 76.92 against the US dollar. Most�pharma companies�generate their revenues through exports. Hence, a depreciating rupee is a positive development for them.

As per Tanushree, in a�post Covid-19 world, healthcare expenditures globally will see a big rejig.

Tanushree has her eyes on an exciting tech stock. The company in question is developing its medical division. It's focusing on telemedicine, which Tanushree believes will be a huge growth driver in a post Corona world.

Looking at the potential upside in the stock, over a period of five to ten years, Tanushree believes investors could become a�One Stock Crorepati.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent�share market updates here.

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Sensex, Nifty Live News Today: SBI Cards and Payment Services, Adani Gas, Shree Cement, Procter &amp; Gamble Hygiene &amp; Health Care, Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Home Finance, Reliance Capital among others will be reporting their March quarterly results today

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