The Pune Police has a history of cops showing an inclination towards politics. Adding to the list, is additional commissioner of police (administration) Sahebrao Patil, currently on leave, who has confirmed that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from his hometown in Jalgoan. A source said he is trying for a BJP ticket.

Patil hails from Tamaswadi village in Parola taluka of Jalgaon district. He joined the Maharashtra Police as deputy superintendent of police in 1990. He has also worked in various cities including Nagpur, Nashik, Dhule, Thane, Pune Rural and State Intelligence Department (SID). While working in the police force, he had also been working in social and cultural fields and has been training students, and helping farmers in his hometown.

A police source on condition of anonymity said, "Patil is to retire in June. If he has confirmed his political aspiration while he is still in duty, it is against the law. There are chances he may get a notice issued to him by the Directorate General of Police office or either from the Pune police commissionerate. But such notices give two months time for reply, and by then, he would have retired."

Despite repeated attempts to connect and meet with Pune Police Commissioner Dr Venkatesham K, he did not respond. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, former Pune police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh resigned as Commissioner of Mumbai Police to contest on a BJP ticket. He won with a thumping margin from Baghpat in UP.

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Amongst all the tears that are being shed over the deaths of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, one presence has been sorely missed. Dimple Kapadia, Rishi’s first heroine in Bobby and his very very close friend has kept out of the tearful tamasha. According to a very close friend of the actress, Dimple has no words to describe her loss. “Chintu was not just her first co-star, they grew up together,” says a close friend of the actress, adding that she is still in a state of denial.

Says the friend, “Dimple has seen a lot of people close to her die. Her own sister Simple Kapadia died painfully of cancer. But this one has hit her really hard. Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) and she remained close over the years. She knew she could lean on him for any problem. He was just a phone call away.”

Interestingly, Dimple also has an ‘Irrfan’ connection. She played his love interest in one of Irrfan’s first films Drishti. Irrfan had told me once how nervous he was when he had to get intimate on screen with a big star like Dimple Kapadia. To this Dimple gave a classic reply, “Sab jhooth. I didn’t notice any nervousness.” Ironically, Dimple was also a part of his last film Angrezi Medium.

Also Read: When Rishi Kapoor, Kamal Haasan and Ramesh Sippy crushed on Dimple Kapadia

Italian football legend Francesco Totti has revealed that he nearly ended his marriage with TV presenter Ilary Blasi when she decided to bring home a sphinx cat, a hairless breed.

FIFA World Cup winner Francesco, who married Blasi in 2005, two years after they began dating, told former teammate Christian Vieri in an Instagram Live chat: "I was furious with my wife…she bought a hairless cat and called it Donna Paola. At night, the cat insists on sleeping in our bed, next to our legs. She's a very affectionate cat but almost caused us to break up."

Ilary got the cat home against Francesco's wishes. "She wanted a cat at all cost. I was adamant we shouldn't. One day, she brought it home because ultimately she makes all the decisions in this family," he added. The couple did not talk to each other thereafter before Francesco started liking the feline. "We didn't speak for days, but in the end, I fell in love with the cat too," said Francesco, who retired from football in 2017 after spending 15 years at Italian club Roma, where he scored 307 goals from 785 matches.

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Brit singer Perrie Edwards, 26, is enjoying every moment alongside her footballer boyfriend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, during this Coronavirus-caused lockdown in the
United Kingdom.

"I feel like I'm really enjoying this [lockdown], I can't lie. I'm having the time of my life. I've never spent so much time with my boyfriend. I've never spent so much time in my house," Perrie, who is part of the British all-girl group Little Mix, told Los Angeles radio station KII-FM.

"It's like I've never had just so much time on my hands to do stuff that I've always wanted to, so it has been nice," added Perrie, who began dating the Liverpool star in 2016.

The couple have been regularly uploading pictures and videos, dancing together on social media, while Perrie has even performed a few songs.

Meanwhile, Alex too has been enjoying all the attention and recently said that Perrie is the "perfect wifey."

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Putting on weight is a common fear during this Coronavirus-caused lockdown. However, England football star Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah prefers to deal with the issue in a lighter vein. While most celebs are posting pictures and videos of their workouts and chiselled frames, Rebekah uploaded this picture (right) on social media, showing off her flabs, a term she coined for her flabby abs.

Former model Rebakah, a mother of five, admitted that her weight-gain is because of excessive eating which included eating cookies and drinking wine.

"I've seen a lot of pics of people's amazing abs in lockdown so thought I'd share my cute little [FL]abs with you as well," Rebekah, 38, wrote on Instagram, going on to explain her daily diet. "For anyone interested in following my lockdown eating plan, it involves three quite healthy meals per day with my family, then I top up with a consistent intake of three cookies in between meals and after meals. Then, I make sure I'm keeping myself well hydrated with wine in the evenings," added Rebekah, concluding with a cheeky line: "I also do yoga."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I’ve seen a lot of pics of people’s amazing abs in lockdown so thought I’d share my cute little (FL)abs with you as well. For anyone interested in following my lockdown eating plan it involves 3 quite healthy meals per day with my family, then I top up with a consistent intake of 🍪🍪🍪 in between meals and after meals & then I make sure I’m keeping myself well hydrated with 🍷🍷🍷 in the evenings. I also do yoga 🧘‍♀️ #keepitreal #nofilter #freetheflabs #loveyourbody ❤️

A post shared by Becky Vardy (@beckyvardy) onApr 29, 2020 at 10:30am PDT

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A video of Hertha Berlin forward Salomon Kalou shaking hands with his team-mates "shocked" key German politicians, who are set to decide Wednesday whether the Bundesliga can resume next month. "The video has done the German league (DFL) and professional football a disservice," Anja Stahmann, chairwoman of Germany's regional sports ministers, told radio station RBB on Wednesday. "I have heard from colleagues that they are shocked and shaken.

"We were struck by great doubts when we watched the video," admitted the sports senator for the state of Bremen. "I got the impression that good rules were being written down on paper, but that they were not actually being lived out." The Bundesliga is set to be given the green light by the government on Wednesday to resume later this month behind closed doors and with strict hygiene measures in place.

Germany's regional sports ministers have already approved the Bundesliga's plans to resume, but Stahmann said Ivory Coast international Kalou's video left a bad impression. "Some people think the Bundesliga has lost its grip in times of a pandemic," Stahmann added. On Monday, the former Chelsea forward was suspended by Hertha after posting a video to Facebook showing him greeting team-mates and club employees with handshakes, flaunting hygiene guidelines laid out by the league. Kalou apologised for disregarding the social distancing rules, saying: "it was a big mistake".

The 34-year-old also said he could understand how his video, shot in the dressng room, caused shockwaves as the league was seeking permission to return to action. Kalou has scored 48 goals in 151 Bundesliga games for Hertha, but is out of contract at the end of the season and could have played his last game for the club. "It was respectless and I want to apologise for that sincerely," he added.

"But I am about more than those five bad minutes that people see of me in the dressing room." However, Kalou's video drew criticism from the top of the German government. Health minister Jens Spahn said it was "right" that Hertha suspended Kalou and there were "consequences after the video".

Bavaria's premier minister Markus Soeder said the league has developed an "excellent" hygiene concept but "there are individual players, as we have read, who are behaving very, very poorly".

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Sooraj Pancholi had a dream debut in HERO [2015], a film produced by Salman Khan. The film underperformed at the box office but the hype of the film was such that it opened at Rs. 6.85 crore, which was the highest then for a film featuring debutants. Sooraj then, shockingly, disappeared and four years later, he’s finally back with SATELLITE SHANKAR. So does SATELLITE SHANKAR emerge as a great entertainer and meet the expectations raised by the trailer? Or does it fail to entice? Let’s analyse. <img class="aligncenter wp-image-1038693 size-full" title="Movie Review: Satellite Shankar" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Movie-Review-Satellite-Shankar1.jpg" alt="Movie Review: Satellite Shankar" width="720" height="450" /> SATELLITE SHANKAR is about the extraordinary journey of a soldier that brings a nation together. Shankar (Sooraj Pancholi) is a rifleman posted near the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir. He is very popular in his regiment because of his jovial nature. He carries with him an idol of Lord Shankar. He pretends that it’s a satellite that can help him connect to anyone in the world. With this little trick, he keeps the officers motivated, despite them not getting leaves. In a firing by the Pakistani forces, Shankar gets hurt. He’s admitted in the hospital and though the injury is not serious, he is asked to rest for eight days. Shankar requests his commanding officer, Cheema (Sanjay Gurbaxani) that he’ll like to go to his hometown, Pollachi, in Tamil Nadu to meet his mother and get her cataract treated. Cheema agrees on the condition that Shankar reaches the base 8 days later at 8 am. Shankar promises to be back on the stipulated day and time by giving a ‘Sainik shapath’. Shankar’s colleagues request him to hand over gifts and other items to his family members while he’s on his way to his hometown. Shankar then begins his three-day-long journey on the train from Jammu. As soon as he commences the trip, an old couple in his bogie are asked to leave as they have boarded the wrong station. While helping them find the right train at the next station, Kathua, Shankar ends up missing his own train. He along with Meera Bakshi (Palomi Ghosh), a vlogger, then take a taxi to Pathankot, where their respective trains was to halt. Again, Shankar is not able to make it on time in his train while helping Meera. However, the family member of an army colleague Subedar Jeetu Singh (Pradeep Singh) picks up Shankar’s luggage from his train when it halts at a station in Punjab. Shankar reaches Jeetu Singh’s residence in Bagha and uses his ‘satellite’ to spread happiness and solve their problem. Shankar then heads to Agra to finally catch his train to Pollachi. Yet again, Shankar gives it a miss as he gets busy in saving people who were in a bus that had met with an accident. Interestingly, even Meera is there in the bus and Shankar gets captured in her video. He overnight becomes a hero of the nation. Meera takes it upon herself to find Shankar and she sets off to find him. Her followers cross the million mark and they too get involved in this journey to ensure that Shankar not only reaches his hometown soon but also that he’s able to adhere to his ‘Sainik Shapath’ and report back to base 8 days later at 8 am. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Vishal Vijay Kumar and Irfan Kamal's story is utopian but has potential and can be best described as ‘Munna Bhai meets Bajrangi Bhaijaan’! Vishal Vijay Kumar and Irfan Kamal's screenplay however don’t do justice to the plot in hand. A few scenes stand out individually but as part of the film, they seem a bit convenient and unconvincing. Vishal Vijay Kumar and Irfan Kamal's dialogues however are appropriate. But a few dialogues are in Punjabi, Tamil and Bengali and are difficult to comprehend. There should have been subtitles for these lines. Irfan Kamal's direction is weak and a bit unpolished. He had a great subject in hand but first he messed it up at the screenplay stage. Then, with his execution, he spoilt it even more. The first 15-20 minutes seem very silly and one might wonder what exactly is happening in the film. The concept of the ‘satellite’ gets clear only after 30-35 minutes in the Punjab village scene. The film boasts of very filmy and convenient plot points and it needed an expert direction so that viewers can digest it. In the absence of it, it’ll be difficult for them to really get engaged with the film. <img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1038694" src="https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Movie-Review-Satellite-Shankar2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="450" /> SATELLITE SHANKAR’s beginning portions might seem bizarre. The concept of the ‘satellite’ might not be easy to comprehend. Even the scene of Shankar getting injured in the cross-border firing is not well helmed, although the idea is interesting. The film gets a bit interesting as Shankar gets in the train and he ends up missing it. However, he misses his train three times and that becomes too much. What stands out in the first half is the scene in the Punjab village and the bus accident sequence. Post-interval, the film has some fine moments but again, the direction and script play spoilsport. Still, the film remains somewhat engaging. However, the climax is when the film really falls down. The stone pelting part looks completely forced and mars the rhythm and even tone of the film. Sooraj Pancholi gives a very fine performance and he’s sure to amaze you with his sheer hard work. There’s this earnestness in the way he has played the part and it’s completely in sync with his character. Also, he is quite entertaining and watch out for the scene where he imitates Prime Minister Narendra Modi! Megha Akash (Pramila) is lovely and lends able support. Her scene at Salem railway station is memorable. But sadly, her track is not well handled and it lacks conviction. Palomi Ghosh has a brilliant screen presence and leaves a tremendous mark. Upendra Limaye (Inspector Chavan) is dependable. Pradeep Singh, Anurag Mishra (Anwar Hussain), Anil K Reji (Sridhar), Asif Basra (Taxi Driver), Subrat Dutta (TC) and Sanjay Gurbaxani are fine. Music is nothing special. <em>'Pyaar Ka Satellite'</em> is like a theme track and is the only song that works. <em>'Aari Aari'</em> is foot tapping but comes at a time when viewers are dazed about the film’s concept. <em>'Tere Sang'</em> is forgettable while <em>'Jai He'</em> has a patriotic feel and hence stands out. Sandeep Shirodkar's background score is appropriate. Jitan Harmeet Singh's cinematography is excellent. The film has been shot in real locations to bring the authenticity and the various locales are well captured. Abbas Ali Moghul's action is dated. Tariq Umar Khan's production design is as per the requirement of the film. Same goes for Dipika Lal and Anirudh Singh's costumes. White Apple's VFX is decent. Chandan Arora's editing is sany complaints. On the whole, SATELLITE SHANKAR is a well-intentioned flick but poor script and direction play spoilsport. At the box office, it’ll have a tough time because of lack of awareness.

Despite the rally we recently witnessed, the market mood continues to be sombre due to the pandemic crisis. FPI outflows from the Indian market persisted in the current month as well, while the recent fiasco at a popular fund house also dented investor sentiments.

It is difficult to predict how this situation will unravel eventually. Though the pandemic has impacted both large and smaller sized companies, small and mid sized companies could be the most affected.

However, quality names even in these segments could perform well over the long run. Therefore, you should stick to only quality names across different market capitalisation and invest via a well managed mutual fund that focuses on growth through diversification.

HDFC Mid-cap Opportunities Fund (HMOF) is one such mid cap fund that looks to invest in mid cap stocks with sound financial strength and reasonable growth prospects.

Graph 1: Growth of Rs 10,000 if invested in HDFC Mid-cap Opportunities Fund 5 years ago

One of the most popular funds in the midcap category, HMOF's asset size is the largest as compared to its peers. However, HMOF has shown no constrain when it comes to delivering superior performance. The fund has a track record of generating above-average returns across market conditions. Over the last 5 years, HMOF has generated returns at 4.5% CAGR as compared to 1.9% CAGR generated by its benchmark Nifty Midcap 100 - TRI, thus generating an alpha of around 2.5 percentage points CAGR. The fund has made well use of diversification to mitigate downside risk and generate decent lead over the benchmark index.

Table: HDFC Mid-cap Opportunities Fund's performance vis-a-vis category peers

*Please note, this table only represents the best performing funds based solely on past returns and is NOT a recommendation. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks. Read all scheme related documents carefully. Past performance is not an indicator for future returns. The percentage returns shown are only for indicative purposes.

Though HMOF has trailed some of the other popular peers in the mid cap category, it stands strong in the list of mid cap funds. The fund has constantly outperformed the benchmark by a noticeable margin across time periods.

Some of the other top performers in the category are Axis Midcap Fund, Invesco India Midcap Fund, and DSP Midcap Fund.

The fund has not only demonstrated its ability to generate superior returns for its long term investors, but has been reasonable when it comes to managing volatility and curtailing down-side risks. In terms of risk-adjusted returns, HMOF has outperformed its benchmark by a significant margin and also stays ahead of most of its peers.

Investment strategy of HDFC Mid-cap Opportunities Fund

Categorized as midcap fund, HMOF is mandated to invest minimum 65% of its assets in equity and equity related instruments of mid cap companies. Accordingly, HMOF invests in stocks of predominantly mid-sized companies, which have reasonable growth prospects at acceptable valuations. The fund also holds significant exposure in smallcaps along with moderate exposure in large caps as well as cash and debt.

It follows the bottom-up approach to identify high quality businesses for the long term. The stocks are bought primarily for the strengths of company fundamentals rather than the strength of the macro-economic indicators.

The fund manager resists from following market momentum and holds each of his high conviction stock for the long term.

Graph 2: Top portfolio holdings in HDFC Mid-cap Opportunities Fund

As on March 31, 2020,HMOF held 75 stocks in its portfolio, with no individual stock having exposure of more than 5%.Popular mid cap names like Aarti Industries, Balkrishna Industries, Trent, Ipca Laboratories, and Voltas, etc. appeared in its top portfolio holdings. The top 10 stocks constitute close to 32% of its assets.

The fund's portfolio is primarily skewed towards Banking and Finance sectors which together constitute around 17% of the portfolio. Auto ancillaries, Pharma, Chemicals, and Industrial Products are the other prominent sectors with allocation of around 9-11% each.

Suitability

HMOF's performance over longer time periods has been commendable, where it has generated decent long-term returns for its investors as compared to the benchmark, though it has lagged behind some of its peers. Its focus on timely realization of growth potential of stocks at fair valuation can help it generate strong returns while also minimize the downside risk. However, its aggressive mandate makes it prone to high volatility. This makes HMOF suitable for investors with high risk appetite and a long term investment horizon.

Editor's note: The last few years have not been among the best for equity mutual funds. While most funds have underperformed or are struggling to match the returns of the benchmark, there are few funds that have the potential to constantly generate alpha for its investors. And we have identified five such high alpha generating funds, in our latest report 'The Alpha Funds Report 2020'. Do not miss our latest research finding. Get your access to this exclusive report, right here!

Note: This write up is for information purpose and does not constitute any kind of investment advice or a recommendation to Buy / Hold / Sell a fund. Returns mentioned herein are in no way a guarantee or promise of future returns. As an investor, you need to pick the right fund to meet your financial goals. If you are not sure about your risk appetite, do consult your investment consultant/advisor. Mutual Fund Investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.

Author: Divya Grover

This article first appeared on PersonalFN here.

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

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British tennis ace Andy Murray won the Virtual Madrid Open title on Thursday after a semi-final walkover, when opponent Diego Schwartzmann, logging in from Argentina, suffered a connection glitch.

Andy beat Belgium's David Goffin in the final, but the drama of the online tournament was in the semis. Diego kept winning points even though Andy was hitting winners.

Andy exclaimed: "This is madness," following which Diego withdrew. "I don't deserve to be in the final you play the final," Diego told Andy. "Due to technical problems with @dieschwartzman's connection that prevented him from competing normally in his semi-final match, the players have agreed that @andy_murray should progress to the #MMOPEN Virtual Pro final," the organisers tweeted. Later, Andy said he would donate a part of his prize money to UK's National Health Services (NHS): "I'll be donating half of the USD 45,000 prize money to the NHS and the other half to the tennis players relief fund."

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It's painfully humiliating for a 12-year-old to stand before his class during an extempore speech and fumble over words. The derision that one might invite can cripple an adolescent's confidence. But, it can also teach the child to face his demons, participate again in the same competition the next year, and then go on to win the district finals for three straight years representing his institution, which, in Siddhant Sharma's case, was a boarding school in Kurseong.

Siddhant Sharma

Ten years after that incident, Sharma has emerged as this season's winner of The Stage, a reality show that promotes western musical talent in India. This, though, was his second shot at the title, after he was unable to get past the auditions last year. Failure, in other words, seems to have been the singer's constant companion, only for him to climb every mountain that crops up in his path. "I am actually a man made of failure, so it doesn't scare me," he tells us over the phone, having just landed in Mumbai from Kolkata. He adds, "Even in life, a lot of things that I have expected haven't happened. Not all of us grow up in the greatest of situations, but the worst thing a rocker can do is give up. [Rock music] is about fighting failures. So, if I can do it in life, music and competitions are nothing for me to handle."

Those are strong words for a 22-year-old to utter. But Sharma comes across as someone who has truly internalised the rock 'n' roll philosophy of facing adversity with a show-me-what-you've-got swagger. He gives us an example of what that means when he says, "I have a friend who would party all the time and only listen to electronic music. She would never attend live concerts. After a bad phase, she started listening to Pink Floyd, and now she is more of a rocker [in persona] than I am, with all her locks chopped off. I mean, there was a guy who cheated on her, and she's like, 'You think I am going to cry? No. I don't give a f*ck about you or your existence.' That's rock."

One of the biggest adversities that Sharma himself faced was when his parents separated over a decade ago, a fact he had revealed in one of the later episodes of the competition. Talking about that difficult phase, he says, "I'm not a guy who speaks a lot and I anyway didn't want to trouble my mother with all of that. So, I ended up keeping things inside me, which wasn't a good thing since I developed serious anger issues. But art has always helped me. I was a painter and then I got into music, and that just let me be who I am."

Who he is now, having won the show, involves signing a contract with MTV and being flown around the country for concerts. The limelight is well and truly on him and yet, he keeps emphasising how failure is the clay that moulds a person's character. "Do you consider the people who have not got the trophy to be losers?" he asks us, before answering, "No, they are not. You never know, tomorrow they might be working in much bigger places and doing way better stuff than I am. The thing is, you have to be satisfied with doing what you're doing and yet keep trying to be better than who you are. That's really all."

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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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Kashmiri filmmaker Rahat Kazmi is best known for his film Mantostaan

When Rahat Kazmi first shared the idea of making a film on Lihaaf with Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sonal Sehgal, they asked him if he would really dare to do such a thing. After all, Lihaaf has been fodder for controversy ever since Ismat Chughtai wrote it. It has been an uphill road for this Kashmiri filmmaker, who is best known for his film Mantostaan, that was based on four short stories by Saadat Hassan Manto. Kazmi's Lihaaf, that recently unveiled its first look at the Cannes Film Festival, has the world's attention now, especially, since Marc Baschet, Academy Award-winning producer came on board. Things are looking much more grand than Kazmi had imagined a year ago.

"I read Lihaaf for the first time as a teenager. I have always been drawn towards Urdu literature, having grown up in Kashmir. Stories of Chughtai and Manto are always fascinating. When you read them at a young age, they seem obscene, but as you grow older, you know better. My friends and I experienced something similar too. And I would keep going back to Lihaaf," says the 36-year-old. Having read it in English, Kazmi hunted down the Urdu version too, which was not easy given the controversy surrounding it. After it was published in 1942 in Urdu literary journal Adab-i-Latif, Chughtai had to defend herself in Lahore Court having being charged with obscenity. Kazmi's film, in fact, starts at the point where the police comes to Chughtai's house in [then] Bombay to summon her.

A still from the film

"The film has two parallel tracks — that of Lihaaf, the story, and that of the trial which is the outcome of the story. It's interesting that the story itself is a true account. Ismat's family confirmed to me that she indeed knew a begum on whom the story was based. And later, a grown up Ismat met her when she had remarried, and had children too," Kazmi says. It was not easy for him to convince Chughtai's family to grant him permission to make the film. "It's difficult for them to trust anyone. I met her daughter Sabrina and her grandson, Ashish Sawhny. When they got to know about Mantostaan, and the recognition it got internationally, they saw in me someone they could trust," he says.

In the film, Chatterjee plays Chughtai while Sehgal, Begum Jaan. Interestlingly, Baschet wanted to associate with the film after he saw the first cut. Until then, it was an independent production shot in three months. Lihaaf, Kazmi stresses, is not as much about homosexuality as it is about alternate sexuality. "This is a common misconception. Begum Jaan falls for her masseuse Rabbo only after she fails to find love in her husband. It's more about love and the need for physical affection." The visuals are a mix of risqué and suggestive. "The best thing about Chughtai and Manto is that they don't judge their characters. I have tried to do the same," he says. Now, as the film prepares for a world premiere — the choice is between Toronto and Venice — we ask Kazmi if he's concerned about reactions on home ground. "For me, it was cathartic to make it. As far as controversies are concerned, let's cross that bridge when we come to it," he says.

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Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts has expressed the board's desire to host a five-Test series against India later this year. India's tour of Australia currently consists of four Tests and three ODIs. However, Roberts has hinted that there could be an additional Test in the series when Virat Kohli and company reach their shores in November. Terming their relationship with the BCCI as 'strong', Roberts said a five-Test series is a possibility but not a certainty at this stage. "There's no certainty about that [five-Test series] for the coming season, but what I can say is that the relationship between the BCCI and Cricket Australia is really strong," Roberts told reporters on a video call.

"We've discussed a shared desire to evolve to five-Test series between Australia and India in the future. "It's something we've both committed to in principle in the future, the big question is whether or not we can bring that in before the next future tours cycle in 2023. "We don't know what prospect there is of that next season, but certainly with a changing landscape...we won't rule out a possibility of that until we get closer to the time," he added.

Kevin Roberts

Roberts also revealed the board is looking at the prospect of hosting all the matches at a single venue in their bid to keep the players and staff safe amid Coronavirus pandemic. "We won't rule anything out in terms of the Indian series. Along with the BCCI and Indian players, we want to stage a series that inspires the cricket world, whether or not there are people in the stands," Roberts said.

"We need to face into all possibilities. Fortunately, we have a little bit of time to work out the scenarios," he added. The cancellation of the Test series against India could cost Cricket Australia potentially up to $300 million (R2307 crore) in lost TV revenue.

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Suresh Raina on Tuesday tweeted a video of him working out with the song 'Bella Ciao' playing in the background. Raina posted boomerangs of him working out with his "little Bella." In one of those, his daughter Gracia can also be seen in the frame. "Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia," said Raina.

On Monday, Raina said that it was disturbing to see how there has been an "exponential" rise in the number of child abuse and domestic violence cases during the ongoing coronavirus crisis around the world. Raina has, therefore, urged people to raise their voice and report such cases without any fear.

Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia pic.twitter.com/CCb4ylo2JX

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) May 5, 2020

"Lockdown has taught us various ways to love and bond with our family," Raina said on Twitter. "Though it's disturbing to read how exponentially the no. of child abuse and domestic violence cases have grown around the world.

"I urge anyone who is facing violence please reach out for help and don't shut yourself," he added. Earlier, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and his wife Ayesha had also put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. Dhawan urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

"While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence," read his Twitter post which he published in April.

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In a viral video that left the internet in splits, a dog exposed the owner's fake handstand pose. The video that went viral on Facebook shows a woman pretending to do handstand by lying down and pressing her hands against the wall, while a man on a chair reading a newspaper is seen sitting besides her.

The nearly-perfect clip seemed convincing until the act was exposed when a dog made an appearance in the picture. At that point, the viewers realised that the man and the woman were simply lying on the floor and the handstand pose was created by tweaking the camera angle and successfully tricking people into believing that the pose was legitimate.

Paulinho Martins, who posted this video on Facebook on Tuesday, said in the captions, "Everything was going well, until the dog ruined everything." The video has received over 6.1 million views with more than 48,000 likes and was shared over 225,000 times.

Amid hilarious reactions, users commenting on the post said that they would love to try it out with their friends while one user commented, "Is that spiderdog?" Another user said, "It is not that bad to cheat, well done!" while one more comment read, "It is absolutely obvious, when he touched his glasses. Newspaper fell on him."

What do you think of the video?

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The US became the first country in the world to have more than one million cases of the novel Coronavirus. It accounts for nearly one-third of the 3.1 million cases globally on Tuesday, while the fatalities spiked to over 58,300, exceeding the number of American soldiers who lost their lives in the two-decade-long Vietnam War.

'We're coming back strong'
According to the US National Archives, 58,220 American soldiers died in the Vietnam conflict, which began in 1955 and ended in 1975. With 58,355 deaths so far, the US also accounts for one-fourth of the over 2,13,000 global fatalities.

"We continue to pray for the victims as well as for those Americans who are grieving their lost ones and their loved ones. There's never been anything like this. We suffer with one heart but we will prevail. We are coming back, and we're coming back strong," US President Donald Trump said at the White House during his remarks on the Paycheck Protection Programme.

"Now that our experts believe the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, Americans are looking forward to the safe and rapid reopening of our country," he said. "Throughout this ordeal, millions of hard-working Americans have been asked to really make tremendous, tremendous sacrifices. It is sacrifices like nobody thought would even be possible; nobody thought we would ever be talking about something like this," Trump said. Meanwhile, several states have initiated the process to reopen their economies.

Some states reopen
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the phased reopening of his state.
"We are not going back to the way things were until we get to immunity or a vaccine. We will base reopening plans on facts and data, not on ideology. Not what we want. Not what we hope," he told reporters. More than 1,800 people have died due to the coronavirus in California so far. Schools and colleges, he said, could start in July-August.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also announced first phase reopening of the state. Tennessee on Monday allowed reopening of restaurants and later this week retail outlets could resume their businesses. Pennsylvania has announced three-phase reopening of the state beginning May 3. The US, Trump said, is opening up again.

58,355
No. of deaths due to COVID-19 in America

58,220
No. of US soldiers killed in two-decade-long war

People visit Yellow Crane Tower after it reopened to the public in China's Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

China's parliament to meet on May 22

China on Wednesday said it will hold from May 22 its annual parliament session, signalling that the pandemic that paralysed the country for over three months is finally under control. The third session of the 13th National People's Congress, which was to be held from March 5, was postponed for the first time ever due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

After rolling out exit plan, Spain sees spike

With 325 new deaths, Spain on Wednesday witnessed a slight rebound in fatalities, a day after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his plan to ease the COVID-19 lockdown. Individual exercise, haircuts and other personalised services with an appointment will be allowed from Saturday. COVID-19 has killed 24,275 Spaniards and infected over 2,12,000.

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[Source: Research & Innovation] A revolutionary approach to neuro-rehabilitation developed by EU-funded researchers could help intensive care patients to recover, including survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On January 11, 2020, Dutch Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra informed the House of Representatives about the Government's plans to restructure the tax authorities.

A number of proposed tax changes intended to boost Dutch competitiveness and combat tax avoidance have been included in the official agreement between the four parties forming the next Government of the Netherlands.

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earphones come with a magnetic stripe on the earbuds that pause music when attached.

For the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2020, ICICI Bank reported a 26 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 1,221 crore compared to Rs 969 crore a year ago

The sedentary nature of modern life has had a noticeably detrimental effect on both physical and mental health. An EU-funded project has highlighted how to boost the wellbeing of Europeans by linking transport and health policies.

Malaysia's Inland Revenue Board has denied allegations that it is more aggressively pursuing taxpayers affiliated with opposition political parties or their supporters.

Researchers have found that mild Zika virus infection in fetuses can cause abnormal brain development in apparently healthy young animals this might be applicable to humans as well.

Highlights: Potato can be a source of high-quality protein Including potato to your daily diet can build

Highlights: Women can successfully have a second in vitro fertilisation (IVF)baby IVF is also known as assi

The Italian Department of Finance has released new lists of government and private sector entities covered by Italy's split-payment mechanism.

Highlights: Personalized therapeutic cancer vaccines are likely to be available soon A new type of deli

Highlights: World Encephalitis Day is celebrated annually on 22 nd February Its major objective is to raise awaren

Airbnb has disclosed that it has been contacted by HM Revenue and Customs regarding the application of tax laws or regulations impacting the company's business, adding that some matters "may result in litigation".

The Spanish Socialist Party and the Podemos movement, which will form the next governing coalition, has released their policy document, which includes plans for a corporate minimum tax, among other tax measures.

The Chartered Institute of Taxation has called on the UK Government to clarify questions remaining about the UK's Digital Services Tax, which became effective this month.

The Irish Revenue has announced that it will allow access to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for certain employers who missed the March 15 payroll deadline.

Majority of the world population live in countries that are dependent on, at least partially, imported food. Globalization has revolutionized food production

Media use is a known contributor to childhood obesity, but reductions in screen use only partly eliminate media influence. Family-centered, media literacy-oriented

A new cell volume regulator in sperm cells that plays a key role in maintaining their shape and fertility has been uncovered by researchers at the University of Tsukuba and Cornell University.

Exposure to lead (in the air and topsoil) can affect fertility in both men and women, finds a recent study. The study was a first that comes after news

Women were only found to benefit from continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask whereas in men it was mainly associated with reduced sexual quality of life, finds a new study.

Aurora kinase A (AURKA), AURKB and AURKC proteins regulate each other with surprising twists and turns in female mouse eggs, a finding that may play an

Lower sperm counts and other parameters of impaired sperm were observed in men having a longer duration of infertility problem. From the study of 1644

Poor quality of a man's sperm is linked to multiple miscarriages in women, reveals a recent research. The sperm quality of fifty men whose partners suffered

RBMXL2 gene's role which is very similar to a possible infertility gene found on the Y chromosome present only in men has been discovered by Newcastle University scientists.

Exposure to environmental pollutants can cause modifications in brain development, which can affect sexual development and fertility for several generations, reveals a new study.

Undiagnosed sexually transmitted chlamydia infection on men may be linked to loss of fertility among men. A study led by Queensland University of Technology

Elite athletes have poor oral health despite brushing their teeth more regularly than most people, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the iBritish Dental Journal/i.

Experts from across Asia gathered to discuss how the next generation of satellite based technologies could help improve disaster preparedness and response at a three-day meeting in Mount Lavinia.

Experts meet in Delhi to discuss a new initiative to "future-proof" livelihoods of one million smallholder farmers in South Asia

Experts meet in Delhi to discuss how South Asian countries could adopt the new drought monitoring system to better prepare and mitigate drought risks

An individual's susceptibility to pneumococcal disease is increased when exposed to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), revealed study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Air quality in the U.S. is dramatically shrinking, leaving nearly 150 million people breathing unhealthy, heavily polluted air, according to the newly