More self-driving cabs are being launched in China at a time when people are worried about public transport.

The heavy showers on Tuesday caused severe waterlogging on the tracks of Kelwe and Nalasopara railway stations, stranding long distance trains. The Gujarat Duronto Express was halted at Kelwe while the Vadodara Express and Shatabdi Express were also stopped at Nalasopara early in the morning.

Passengers of the trains were stranded, with no way to reach their destinations. But Palghar police stepped in and helped by arranging transport for them to Mumbai in Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) and private vehicles.

"Around 700-800 passengers were stuck at Nalasopara station when the Tulinj police provided them food and shelter at Kutchi Hall and helped them reach their destinations beyond Borivali in buses and private vehicles," said PRO Hemant Katkar from Palghar district police. Around 100 passengers stuck at Kelwe station were sent to their destination, Borivali, in three buses, he added.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

Pics/Crossing lines

On a fine April morning, when Mumbai-based slackliner Samar Farooqui drove into Settlement Number 63 in Chtaura, a town wedged between Beirut and Damascus, all he could see was a sea of white tents glistening in the sun. Under the plastic tarps lived thousands of displaced Syrians who had fled to the Bekaa Valley, the largest affected area and temporary home to over 3,00,000 Syrian refugees, when a brutal civil war broke out in 2011. Lugging the nylon webbings, carbiners and other slacklining equipment, Farooqui and 14 other volunteers, stationed themselves at the nearby parking lot waiting for the refugee children.

This was to be their playground for the next two weeks. Life on the line Slacklining is the art of balancing along a narrow, flexible piece of portable fabric which is usually anchored between two points, mostly trees. "Apart from being a fun fitness activity, it has an incredible ability to connect people, start conversations and change lives," says 27- year old Farooqui. It's the reason he booked a flight to Beirut and signed up for the Crossing Lines Project, an initiative launched in 2013 by Sonya Iverson, a scientist from San Francisco, who uses slacklining to change the way we see and talk about refugees. "I had met Sonya several times at different events. The last time we interacted was at the Move Copengagen festival in Denmark, when she mentioned her plan to introduce slacklining to Syrian refugees and organise a highline festival in Lebanon. It was just the kind of inspiration I was looking for," says the Neral resident who made a career out of slacklining when he founded Slacklife Inc. — a sport and recreation company — in 2014. A level playing field At the Chtaura parking lot, the lines are hooked to the cars in the absence of trees. It's one of the things the sport has taught him — to make the best use of whatever is available at hand. "In Mumbai, I've slacklined in building compounds, garden and promenades. In fact, I was even been arrested for slacklining at Marine Drive," he laughs. Once the line was set up at the camp, Farooqui says the excitement among kids was palpable.

"Children everywhere are the same. You don't have to be concerned about the language or the way you look. I didn't speak Arabic but we managed to communicate fairly well through non-verbal cues in those two weeks. With hand gestures, I would tell them to slow down or stop or move ahead," he says. It was through two local volunteer-based NGOs Salaam and Sonbola that provides education and recreational facilities to those living in the camps in the Bekaa Valley, that the team got access to the children. Forging a personal rapport with each child — there were nearly 400 of them — was difficult for the volunteers who hailed from Iran, America and the UK.

"On the face of it, you couldn't tell that the children had gone through so much trauma. There were some who were more reserved and took time to open up," he says. Periodically, the team would sit down and discuss the day's progress. "If one of students perhaps struggled through the slacklining experience and we noticed it, we discussed it and psycho-analysed it till we came up with a solution to make sure that we didn't leave with someone feeling demoralised," he says. In the two weeks, Farooqui picked up a couple of Arabic words from them, and in turn taught them English. What was most interesting, though was how the sport changed the dynamics among the children themselves. "When you are standing on the rope, wobbling and holding the hand of the person standing on ground, you are opening up to them. So the bullies in the group ended up bonding with the rest. Everybody was on the level playing field," he says.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

Uncertainty is so intrinsic to sports that elite athletes will not have much trouble coping up with a pandemic-forced lockdown, feel India's top sports psychologists as they become a part of their journey into an unchartered territory. Rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted minds as much as health and productivity, sports pyshologists Dr Chaitanya Sridhar, Nanaki J Chadha, and Keerthana Swaminathan are dealing with athletes across disciplines and economic spectrum, being their "sounding board, friend" and enabling them to process the magnitude of the situation.

"When you are dealing with athletes, you can broadly divide them in three categories—the elite, the ones who are at national level aspiring to make it and the next group is academy bunch. The reaction to lockdown will be different," said Dr Sridhar, who is associated with JSW Sports and has worked with GoSports Foundation and IPL franchise RCB.

For performance analyst and sports psychologist Nanaki, this is the time when "you help them steer clear of negative thoughts." For Keerthana, there is light at the end of the tunnel where a lot of athletes, who probably had injuries or may have been going through slump in form, get a chance to "recuperate both physically and emotionally" in the time away from sport.

But yes, there is also the disappointed lot, which was hitting the peak in what was to be an Olympic year. "As a psychologist, it breaks my heart to see those who were really peaking before the big tournament. They are the ones likely to be disappointed more. But I am a big believer in Rahul Dravid's statement: 'Control the controllables'."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Legendary shooter Abhinav Bindra believes once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, it could be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports due to absence of much foreign exposure. "The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure. We need to build our own coaches and our own support staff," Bindra said on Monday. The entire sporting calendar has come to a grinding halt across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. Major sporting events, including Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon, have either been postponed or cancelled.

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, alongwith Nandan Kamath, lawyer and managing trustee GoSports Foundation, on Monday addressed the newly-appointed assistant directors and other senior officials of Sports Authority of India (SAI) during a special session. Bindra said that as sports administrators they need to work towards creating an alternate skill development programme for athletes to ensure their well-being in the long run.

"We need to look after athletes because the very nature of sport is that more will fail than succeed. It is important that athletes have backup plans in case their sports career doesn't work out," he pointed out. Bindra further said that sports administrators need to understand the psychology of an athlete to be able to build them up because athletes pass through different phases because of the nature of sport and the probability of failure.

"An expert can give a larger overview of the various elements that go into sporting performance and that's where you will understand where performance is built and what are the various elements that go into performance and then you will start to have a better and deeper understanding of where performance is built. Results at a competition cannot be the only denominator when planning for an Olympic Games or an Asian Games," he added.

Bindra spoke at length on his experience as an athlete and also on the future of sports in India. "The one per cent (of athletes) makes all the difference in sport, and as our sports ecosystem starts maturing, we need to start focussing on that one percent for all athletes," he said.

Stressing on the need to build a strong talent identification and nurturing programme, he added, "Getting foundations right is important, a lot of work on that has already been started with the Khelo India programme and also emphasis placed on junior programme of different sports.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Bajrang Punia, World silver-medallist wrestler

Wrestling is a contact sport. When wrestling will resume, there is no way you can avoid physical contact. But I don't think there would be any hesitation. I don't see any change happening.

Sachin Tendulkar, cricket legend

Players will be wary for some time when it comes to using saliva [to shine the ball]. High fives and hugging your teammates will be avoided for some time. They will be conscious to begin with and may maintain social distancing.

Vijender Singh, India's only male boxer to win an Olympic medal

Athletes will be more cautious. Certainly, training abroad won't be all that easy. Less tournaments will happen and whenever they happen, I am not sure what the participation would be like.

Joshna Chinappa, Top squash player

I think I will have to be extra careful on flights as those are the main transporters of germs around the world. My first instinct after the game is to shake hands with the opponent but now things might change there also.

Bhaichung Bhutia, Former India football captain

Sports events will gradually come back to what they were before and can be held behind closed doors for now. Till the time a vaccine is out, I don't think they can have people inside as it involves a lot of risk.

Mahesh Bhupathi, Multiple-time Grand Slam winning former tennis player

Sport won't change. Things will be normal once COVID-19 goes away.

Abhinav Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold-medallist

The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure.

MC Mary Kom, Six-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist

Once a vaccine is developed, things can go back to how they were before but until then, travelling will be less frequent, training will not exactly be a team thing and tournaments, I don't know how they will resume.

Text:PTI

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Alleppy Prawns Curry in Spicy Rosemary Warqi Taco

It's hard to miss London Taxi standing tall at a corner of Kamala Mills. The facade of the three-level gastropub, which opens this Saturday, might seem like it’s bovine inspired but a close look reveals a map of London, the city that serves as an inspiration for this pub, with the river Thames running through it.

The 6,000-sq ft property is helmed by ad filmmakers Vivek DasChaudhary, Sanjay Shetty and Ricky Singh Bedi, with Dhaval Udeshi as the managing partner. The first things we notice when we enter are the custom-made, taxi-shaped tiles. The bar features cab grills lining the front. Colourful pipes run across the ceiling, to form a map of the London Underground. The table tops are printed with artwork inspired by Abbey Road.

Sherlock in a Pickle

The London inspiration continues on the menu, albeit in a less obvious manner. It has a wild mix of cuisines (think Prawn Thai Broth, Moroccan Fish Tikka and Madras Curry Scotch Egg). Chef Nagraj Bhat says the menu speaks of London’s cosmopolitan nature, and stories from his time spent there. The south Indian dishes are an ode to his mother’s cooking. Everything is made in-house, including the sausages, sauces and breads. Ami Shroff, who has created the bar menu, informs that the infused liquor and shrubs are made in-house too.

Bhat picks some of his favourites for us to try. The first is Truffle-scented Dark Chocolate Caramelised Cauliflower Veloute ('260).

A soup is not something we would normally have at a pub, but the dark chocolate flavour, heightened by the bitter-sweetness of the caramelised onion, makes it a must-try. From the salad spread, we are served Cajun-spiced Prawn and Kale Chips Salad ('385). Grilled pieces of spicy pineapple add a punch to the dish, with drops of mango jalapeño coulis offering a sweet-and-spice combination.

By now, Shroff is ready with her cocktails, the first concoction being The Trip ('725). A pleasant woody flavour of turmeric envelopes our palate, thanks to the gin infused with the healthy ingredient. Saffron honey water and fresh orange add to the unique flavour.

It is followed by Sherlock In A Pickle ('675). The savoury cocktail features Earl Grey-infused vodka mixed with wine-beetroot reduction, sweet lime juice and pickled gherkins — inspired by the culinary favourites of the fictional sleuth. Beer lovers can opt for Picadilly Circus ('450), made with lager, espresso and cocoa-infused whisky with bitters. There is a section dedicated to gin and tonic and martinis for the Londoner in you. Only paper or metal straws are offered, to reduce plastic usage, a move that we wholly approve of.

Our food picks also include Alleppy Prawns Curry in Spicy Rosemary Warqi Taco ('580), Truffle Scented Welsh Rarebite Doughnut ('365), which makes for a great bar bite, and Theecha Tepenade Flatbread ('575) made with beer-fermented flatbread. For dessert, try their Banana Rum and Toffee Parfait ('465).

With intriguing decor, a crowd-pleasing menu and unique cocktails (which are heavy on the pocket), London Taxi is revving up as the newest entrance in the restaurant race at Kamala Mills.

Opens on September 9, 6 pm to 1 am At Kamala Mills, Trade World, Lower Parel.
Call 24951000

In order to ensure that farmers continue to get all necessary inputs for farming amid the coronavirus lockdown, the Indian Railways has carried 25,588 tonnes of manure to Moradabad through 12 goods trains. "To ensure that no farmer faces any issue here, we have transported all the essential items for agriculture including urea via goods trains. These goods will be delivered to farmers with the help of the traders," Manohar, an Indian Railways official, told ANI. The official further stated that they are also ensuring that labourers who are unloading the manure from the trains are following social distancing norms.

"Labourers who have been asked to unload the items have been made aware of social distancing. All the workers have been issued lockdown passes so that they do not face any problem while commuting," he added. Also, Indian Railways recently has also identified 63 routes for Parcel Special Trains since the start of the lockdown for transportation of perishable commodities including fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products and seeds for agriculture purposes.

The Parcel Specials have been planned to connect all the major cities of the country, viz Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. In addition, proper connectivity has also been ensured to Guwahati, to ensure supplies in the North-Eastern region of the country. Other important cities connected via these trains are Bhopal, Allahabad, Dehradun, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Ranchi, Gorakhpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Salem, Warangal, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, Rourkela, Bilaspur, Bhusawal, Tatanagar, Jaipur, Jhansi, Agra, Nasik, Nagpur, Akola, Jalgaon, Surat, Pune, Raipur, Patna, Asansol, Kanpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Gwalior, Mathura, Nellore, Jabalpur, etc.

Trains are being run even on those routes where demand is less, so that no part of the country remains unconnected. Trains have been given en-route stoppages at all feasible locations, so that maximum possible clearance of parcels may be done.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Branded Harry Potter buses that generally take fans to Warner Bros.' The Making of Harry Potter studio tour in the UK are now being used to transport key National Health Service (NHS) workers for free between hospitals battling coronavirus.

The buses have been provided by Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and bus operator Golden Tours to transport key workers between West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust's three sites, reported Variety.

"Our workforce has been depleted due to sickness or self-isolation and so it's really important that those staff who are well but have transport issues can come back," Variety quoted Paul da Gama, chief people officer at West Herts Hospitals as saying.

"A special shuttle bus, which will have strict social distancing rules, is the perfect solution and we are so grateful to Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and Golden Tours for making this happen. Our staff might not be travelling to exotic locations or seeing behind the scenes of a major movie, but they will be making magic happen in their own way," he added.

The free service runs its first journey just after 6 a.m. and its last drop-off at 10:40 p.m. (local time) between the Trust's three sites.

"We couldn't think of a better way to use the buses at this time. We are delighted to play a part in supporting our local NHS in its time of need," Variety quoted a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden as saying.

The UK has reported more than 90,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus while the toll due to the coronavirus has surged past 12,000.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

"The Transporter" franchise director Louis Leterrier might direct the sequel of Will Smith's "Bright". Streaming giant Netflix is in talks with Leterrier, also known for "Now You See Me", "Clash Of The Titans" and "Unleashed", to lend his touch to the fantasy actioner "Bright 2", in which Smith along with Joel Edgerton will be reprising their roles, reports variety.com.

The report also claimed that Netflix is "planning to begin shooting the sequel once it's able to start production" after the coronavirus pandemic. The script for "Bright 2" is written by David Ayer and Evan Spiliotopoulos, with a rewrite by TS Nowlin. Ayer directed the first part, which released in 2017.

"Bright" was an action-thriller that takes place in an alternate present-day south Los Angeles. For "Bright", Ayer picked up a story with modern day sensibilities set in the present day, but added mythological characters to give a fantastical touch to the story while addressing real issues.

Despite getting mixed response, "Bright" became one of Netflix's most streamed films thanks to its star cast. The streaming platform in 2018 announced plans to make a sequel but Ayer, best known for directing the 2014 war drama "Fury", opted out of helming "Bright 2".

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho pleaded his innocence while speaking for the first time after spending 32 days in a Paraguayan prison. The former Barcelona forward is currently under house arrest in a hotel in Asuncion after he was arrested along with his cavalry for entering the country with forged documents.

Ronaldinho has insisted he didn't know his documents were illegal and also stated he showed full cooperation with the authorities in the aftermath of the airport fiasco.

"We were totally surprised to learn that the documents were not legal," Ronaldinho told ABC Color. "Since then our intention has been to collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts.

"From that moment until today, we have explained everything and facilitated everything that has been requested of us.

"It was a tough blow, I never imagined that I would go through such a situation. All my life I have sought to reach the highest professional level and bring joy to people with my football," he added.

Ronaldinho also revealed what his plans are after he is allowed to go back to his home nation once investigation ends.

"The first thing will be to give a big kiss to my mother, who has lived through this difficult phase since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, at her home."

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

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

Are you really bored of the routine and look to have a fun-filled vacation? Here your quest ends as the Good Friday long weekend is approaching and then you can plan to have some adventure for your lifetime. Though our country offers a vast number of adventure activities, it is always difficult to choose one out of them. It is really important to decide a right adventure sport at a right place to have the best utilization of your vacation. In order to help you we have list down some of the best places for you to consider this long weekend. We promise that these sports not only stimulate adrenaline rush but also help you to become fearless:

Bungee Jumping in Rishikesh
Bungee Jumping is an exciting and thrilling adventure sport. It is an ill-advised sport for the faint hearted. You might be surprised that though a lot of people take the initiative to try it out, but most back off just before the jump. First a long, extremely strong and stretchy cord is tied around the jumper's ankle, which leaps off of the jumping point. Jumpin Heights offers adrenaline-pumping activities such as Bungee Jumping, Flying Fox, and Giant Swing. Recognised by Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, the organization follows Australian and New Zealand Standards for Safety Regulations. Built above the glorious river Ganges, Jumpin Heights is host to India's first highest Bungee jumping platform (83 meters).jumpinheights.com

Wildlife Safari in Ranthambore National Park
For the wildlife adventure enthusiasts, Ranthambore National Park in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan is a celestial destination. Known to be one of the best parks to spot the majestic Indian Tigers, the park is also the home to several other endangered species. The Ranthambore wildlife sanctuary is popular for being India's largest National Park. It encompasses the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and the Keladevi Sanctuary and hence covers approximately a stretch of 1300 Sq. Km. The park welcomes all you adventure enthusiasts, wildlife photographers and nature admirers to be awe struck by its glory

Cycle Trekking in Himalayan
The mountainous region delivers a special kind of excitement to the adventure junkies. The great topography of India will let you experience this excitement. For cycle trekking, the Himalayan range and the mountainous regions of Kerala are the most favorite for the activity. One can ride individually or in groups to rejuvenate their senses.

Desert Camping in Jodhpur
For those, who crave for fun and adventure in the arid deserts of Rajasthan, Jodhpur proves to be an ideal destination. Also known as the 'Sun City', the adventure junkies can opt for desert camping along with bonfire, barbeque dinners and village tours in Jodhpur.

River Rafting in Rishikesh
The gushing waters of Ganges makes river rafting in Rishikesh one of the most exhilarating adventurous sports. Embraced by the majestic Himalayas and enveloped by the lush green vegetation, the divine city of Rishikesh invites all you adrenaline Junkies, to encounter some thrill. The Ganga River flowing through the city offers rapids ranging from Grade-I-V and makes it for an ultimate rafting destination in the country.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

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