Second Phase of Gurgaon's Rapid Metro launched Friday March 31,2017

The second phase of Rapid Metro was launched on Friday March 31,2017, bringing areas of South Gurgaon under the fold of the mass rapid transit network.

This phase of the country's first fully privately funded metro will cover a distance of 6.6 km from Sikandarpur metro station, that is connected to the yellow line of Delhi Metro, to sector 56, also known as south extension.

"Rapid Metro Phase II will not only address the transportation needs of those who have their offices located on the Golf Course Road, South Gurugram but large residential societies in the area as well

"It will be open to commuters from around 6 AM till midnight. Seven trains with a frequency of four minutes (during peak hours) will be running between Sikanderpur and Sector 55-56 station," an official of the network said.

It will have six stations - Sikandarpur, DLF Phase 1, sector 42-43, sector 53-54, 54 Chowk and sector 56.

However, sector 42-43 and sector 53-54 metro stations have not been opened for the commuters as some finishing work is left, a spokesperson said, adding the said stations will be opened soon.

The total cost of the project was Rs 2,423 crore. Its construction was started in November 2013 and was supposed to complete by March 2015.
The first phase of Rapid Metro having total length of 5.1 km is already operational in Cyber City, Gurgaon's commercial hub.

With the inauguration, Rapid Metro now have 11 stations covering a total distance of 11.7 km which can be travelled in 22 minutes. The trains will be available at the frequency of 4 minutes.

Rapid Metro has fixed Rs 20 for the ride between Sikandarpur junction and sector 56 station but if anyone travel in the territories of first phase, they have to pay Rs 35.

The company sources however said that the company keeps in mind of higher paying capacities of resident living in the region.

MD and CEO of IL&FS, which runs Rapid Metro, Rajiv Banga said, "The second phase will provide easy and convenient mode of transport to the residents of new Gurugram."

He said mass transit system is the need of the hour which would eventually reduce traffic and pollution level in the city.

World Health Organisation(WHO) Releases staggering figure of depressed people globally Thursday March 30,2017

As per a report furnished by the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 300 million people are depressed around the globe. 

The UN agency released the estimates on Thursday March 30,2017 ahead of World Health Day - April 07

"These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency that it deserves," Xinhua news agency quoted a WHO news release as saying.

With the number of people with depression increasing more than 18 per cent from 2005 to 2015, WHO is carrying out a year-long campaign, Depression: Let`s Talk, the focus of April 7`s World Health Day, with the aim of encouraging more people with depression to get help.

Lack of support for people with mental disorders, coupled with a fear of stigma, prevent many from accessing the treatment they need to live healthy, productive lives.

Depression is an important risk factor for suicide, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year, says the report.

One of the first steps is to address issues around prejudice and discrimination.

"The continuing stigma associated with mental illness was the reason why we decided to name our campaign Depression: let`s talk," said Shekhar Saxena, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. 

"For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery."

Increased investment is also needed. In many countries, there is no, or very little, support available for people with mental health disorders. Even in high-income countries, nearly 50 per cent of people with depression do not get treatment.

On average, just three per cent of government health budgets is invested in mental health, varying from less than one percent in low-income countries to five percent in high-income countries, says the report

First for India: Delhi doctors harvest skin from the cadaver of an 81-year-old man to transplant to burns victims Thursday March 30,2017

An Indian hospital has successfully harvested skin from a dead body for the first time - from an 81-year-old man

Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi conducted the skin harvesting treatment on a cadaver on Thursday March 30,2017

Ratish Mohan Vaish, 81, a retired defence officer, had donated his skin for transplant after his death.

Skin and eyes of a cadaver are best suited for transplant within six hours after death. 

Prof Dr RP Narayan, head of the burns and plastic surgery department in Safdarjung Hospital said: 'After receiving the phone call, our team of doctors started preparing to graft out the skin.

'We cleansed the entire body and four sheets of skin were grafted out

'Donation of skin shall go a long way in treating serious cases of patients with burn injuries. Since the demand is more and supply is very low, we encourage people for more such donations.'

Skin is grafted from a special medical device called a dermatome. 

'We wanted to procure more skin from the body but due to the high temperature on Thursday, the body started to develop the usual stiffness after death,' added Prof Narayan.

2017 Miss South Africa - Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was crowned as Miss South Africa 2017

The 2017 Miss South Africa is the 59th edition of the Miss South Africa Pageant

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (21) was crowned Miss South Africa 2017 last night Sunday March 26,2017 at a glitzy ceremony in Sun City presented by Sun International in collaboration with Cell C.

 The runners-up are Adé van Heerden from Western Cape (1^st Princess) and Boipelo Mabe from Alexandra in Gauteng (2^nd Princess)

An enthusiastic and swamped Demi-Leigh from Sedgefield in the Western Cape said that she was determined to make a difference in her reign as Miss South Africa during her acceptance speech. “I vow to dedicate the next 365 days of my life to serve the people of South Africa, to be a voice to those who are afraid to or cannot speak up and to represent the whole of our beautiful nation. I vow to listen, to be there, to help where I can and to recognize that we all want to be heard, we all want to be validated. I hear you, I see you, I am you!”

Twenty-five-year-old K Prithika Yashini, India's first transgender sub-inspector Friday March 31,2017

Twenty-five-year-old K Prithika Yashini, India's first transgender sub-inspector of police, on Friday March 31,2017 became one of the 1,028 trainees of the rank to complete the year-long course at Tamil Nadu Police Academy

BREXIT - Fewer Britons think Brexit will be good for the economy

A look at four polls over four months, since the time Britain decided to exit the European Union show that increasingly, Britons are becoming pessimistic about the economic impact of Brexit.

Most Generous Indians in 2016

Rich Indians gave away Rs 2,334 cr as philanthropy in 2016. 

Here is a look at who were the most generous Indians and the causes they gave their money to

2017 Lok Sabha By- Polls for Srinagar and Anantnag in Kashmi - Election Commission of India (ECI) Bans Exit Polls For Lok Sabha Bypolls in Kashmir Friday March 31,2017

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday March 31,2017 banned exit polls between April 9 and April 16,2017  when byelections are held for two Lok Sabha seats of Srinagar and Anantnag in Kashmir.

"In connection with the bye-elections to Srinagar and Anantnag Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, the ECI has prohibited exit polls between 7 AM on April 9 and 6.30 PM on April 12," a notification issued by the commission said.

"In exercise of the powers under Sub-Section (1) of Section 126 A of the Representation of People's Act 1951, ECI has notified the period between 7 AM on April 9 and 6.30 PM on April 12 during which conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicising by means of the print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll shall be prohibited," the notification stated.

Displaying any election matter including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for conclusion of poll for bye-elections, the notification added.

Liquor Shops Go Off Highways Today; SCI Order Exempts Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya Saturday April 01,2017

It further modified the 500-metre cap rule for Himachal Pradesh and local areas which are alongside highways with a population up to 20,000, and said that they may have liquor vends at a distance of 220 metres from the highways.

On the issue of non-extension of liquor vends' licences beyond March 31, the apex court said the licences, which were given before December 15, 2016, will be valid till September 30 in case of Telangana and the same would be operational till June 30 in Andhra Pradesh.

The SCI, however, did not give relief to Tamil Nadu, represented by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, from the 500-metre criteria.

The SCI Bench said that the count's direction that no licences for liquor vends on highways would be renewed after March 31 would remain effective for rest of the country.

The SCI had on Friday  March 31,2017 reserved its order on pleas for a relook at its verdict banning liquor vends along national and state highways from April 1 with the attorney general saying the judgment needed rectification as the "budget of the states will go for a six".

Rohatgi had said national highways and state highways cannot be compared and what can be considered for the former cannot be considered for the latter.

Besides some liquor vendors' associations, states like Kerala, Punjab and Telangana had approached the apex court seeking modification of the judgment.

The court had ordered a ban on all liquor shops along the national as well as the state highways and had made it clear that licences of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31.

The verdict had come on a PIL alleging that nearly 1.42 lakh people died per year in road mishaps and that the drunken driving is a major contributor.

It had also directed that all signages indicating the presence of liquor vends will be prohibited along national and state highways.

NDA Govt Cabinet Approves Amendments in Motor Vehicle Act 2016 Friday March 31,2017

The NDA Govt Cabinet on Friday March 31,2017 approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 that provides for linking of driving licence and vehicle registration with an Adhaar-based platform and proposes heavy penalties for traffic violations.

"We have proposed an amendment in the Motor Vehicle Act where people need to have Aadhaar number to apply for driving licence and need not visit transport offices to get a learning driving licence as it all will be online," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

"The Bill proposes Aadhaar-based verification for grant of online services including learner's licence. This would ensure the integrity of the online services and also stop the creation of duplicate licences," he said.

The move comes in wake of de-duplication of licences and registration of stolen vehicles. The government has decided to make an all-India register for driving licences and vehicles which would be available across the country.

Gadkari said the Cabinet has approved various changes in the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016. These include 16 amendments and rejection of three suggestions made by the Parliament Standing Committee.

The three major suggestions rejected by the government include registration of vehicles by only RTO and inspection of vehicles by RTO.
Once the bill is approved vehicle dealers will be authorised to issue vehicle numbers and register them through an all-India electronic register.

He said the government has also proposed compulsory vehicle recall, amendments like third party insurance, relief to good Samaritans, stricter punishment and fines to traffic rule violators, etc.

The bill introduced in Parliament last year had proposed 89 clauses for amendment out of which only 57 were accepted by the Parliament Standing Committee on Transport, headed by Mukul Roy.

With the Cabinet approval, now decks are cleared for the government to bring much-needed reforms in the transport and road sector, he said, adding the government may table the bill in Parliament next week.

The important aspects of the bill are 100 per cent e-governance to be brought in the transport sector, the minister said, adding identity verification using Aadhaar will be used, bad roads contractor to be liable for fine, drivers will be included in third part Insurance and Claims would be time bond.

The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 9, 2016, and was referred to Departmental Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, headed by Mukul Roy.

The Motor Vehicle Act 1988 is a 30-year-old instrument which had not kept pace with the change of dynamics of road transport & information technology.

The bill specifically targets traffic offenders with stringent penal provisions. The bill has identified priority areas for improving road safety. Stricter penalties are proposed for high-risk offences such as drunken driving, dangerous driving, overloading, non-adherence to safety norms by drivers (such as the use of seat belt, helmets).

The bill provides for facilitating delivery of services to the citizens and transporters.

The bill aims to provide for maximum governance with minimum government. This would help in reducing the harassment faced by the stakeholders in the RTO offices. A national data base of vehicles and driving licences would help in safety and security and avoid malpractices.

The minister said it is a largely pro-people initiative and will reform the Motor Vehicle insurance sector.

"It provides specific timelines for processing of insurance claims. A ten-fold increase has been made in the amount of compensation awarded under a simplified process of claims disbursal wherein the family of an accident victim would get compensation of Rs 5 lakh as a settlement within four months of the accident. Presently it takes at least four to five years for an award," he said.

In the accidental death cases arising from a hit and run accidents, the bill proposes an increase of compensation to Rs 2 lakh, an eight fold increase over current.

Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell goes topless for fashion in Africa

Shay Mitchell became a household name after being cast in Pretty Little Liars as Emily Fields in 2010.

Seven years later, Shay Mitchell is making waves once more - this time while posing topless for the April issue of Modeliste Magazine.

The 29-year-old covered up her breasts with her hands in the revealing photo, wearing only accessories.

2017 Miami Open Men's Singles SF's - Rafael Nadal Powers Past Fabio Fognini into Final Friday March 31,2017

Rafa Nadal rolled by unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 on Friday March 31,2017  to reach his fifth Miami Open final and a potential rematch of the Australian Open decider with Roger Federer.

The fifth-seeded Spaniard, with a display of powerful serving and opportunistic returns, did not face a break point against Fognini and put his opponent's serve under pressure throughout the 90-minute match.

Rafae Nadal raced through the first set in 26 minutes, losing only four points on serve while Fognini made 14 unforced errors.

The Italian came to life in the second set, including a stretch where he erased five break points during his first two service games.

But at 5-5, just when it looked as if Fognini might force a decisive third set, he double faulted and Nadal got his break before sealing the match four points later.

Service charge exemption on railway e-ticket extended till June 30,2017

The withdrawal of service charge on online booking of train tickets has been extended till June 30,2017

To promote use of digital modes of payment, the government had decided to give incentive to the passengers for booking tickets online by withdrawing service charge on them from November 23, 2016 to March 31, 2017

"We have received instructions from Ministry of Information and Technology advising railways to extend the incentives at least till June 30, 2017," said Railway Ministry official

The NDA Government had waived off the service charges after the demonetisation on November 08,2016 to encourage digital modes of payment for booking.

As per the government's decision, existing incentives will continue and there will be no change till June 30.

Approximately, an amount of Rs 184 crore has not been realised from passengers on account of service charge and service tax thereon on reserved tickets booked online between November 23, 2016 and February 28, 2017, according to railways data.

Service charges on booking train tickets online through IRCTC ticketing site ranges from Rs 20 to Rs 40 per ticket

GST - GST Council clears 5 rules; 4 more get tentative nod Friday March 31,2017

Moving a step closer to the rollout of the country’s largest tax reform, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Friday March 31,2017 approved five of the rules for the levy and also gave its tentative nod to four other rules.

“The Council took up four new sets of GST rules relating to input tax credit, valuation, transitional provisions and composition. These have been tentatively approved by the Council and the final approval will be given after they are put up in public,” said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after the 13th round of meetings of the Council.

A senior government official said the four draft rules will be released for public comments by Saturday.

The Council also cleared five set of rules relating to refunds, registration, invoices, payments and processes, after incorporating some fresh amendments following the passage of enabling legislations for Central, UT, Integrated GST and compensation in the Lok Sabha.

These rules were cleared in the meeting of the Council in September.

“Of the total nine set of rules, five have now been corrected and have become final, while four new rules have been tentatively cleared,” said Jaitley, who chairs the Council.

The Centre and States will now meet on May 18 and 19 in Srinagar to approve the rate structure for individual commodities and services, Jaitley said.

In the interim, over the next one and a half months, a committee of officials will work on fitment of commodities into the pre-decided four tier rate structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.

2017 IPL Season 10 - Full Schedule with Date and Time of the Matches;Participating Teams and Past Winners

The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on April 05,2017 and the opening ceremony of the cash-rich league will be held in the den of the defending champions — Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In the first match of the tournament, Hyderabad will lock horns against Virat Kohli's much-fancied Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

A total of 60 matches will be played in the tournament which will be spread over a span of 47 days, with the final also scheduled to be played in Hyderabad on May 21,2017

The season will also witness IPL returning to Indore for the first time since 2011.

Among the other teams, Rising Pune Supergiants will take on Mumbai Indians on April 6 in Pune, while Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Gujarat Lions on April 7 in their opening match of the campaign at Rajkot.

Delhi Daredevils will take on RCB in Bengaluru on April 8 in their opener and on the same day, Kings XI Punjab host Pune for their first match at their second home in Indore.

2017 IPL Season 10 Participating Teams

2017 IPL Season 10 Full Schedule

Match 1: SRH vs RCB, April 5 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 2: Rising Pune Supergiants vs Mumbai Indians, April 6 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 3: Gujarat Lions vs KKR, April 7 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 4: Kings XI Punjab vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 8 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 5: RCB vs Delhi Daredevils, April 8 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 6: SRH vs Gujarat Lions, April 9 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 7: Mumbai Indians vs KKR, April 9 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 8: Kings XI Punjab vs RCB, April 10 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 9: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Delhi Daredevils, April 11 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 10: Mumbai Indians vs SRH, April 12 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 11: KKR vs Kings XI Punjab, April 13 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 12: RCB vs Mumbai Indians, April 14 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 13: Gujarat Lions vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 14 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 14: KKR vs SRH, April 15 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 15: Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, April 15 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 16: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions, April 16 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 17: RCB vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 16 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 18: Delhi Daredevils vs KKR, April 17 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 19: SRH vs Kings XI Punjab, April 17 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 20: Gujarat Lions vs RCB, April 18 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 21: SRH vs Delhi Daredevils, April 19 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 22: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, April 20 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 23: KKR vs Gujarat Lions, April 21 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 24: Rising Pune Supergiant vs SRH, April 22 2017, 4:00 PM IST*

Match 25: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, April 22 2017, 8:00 PM IST*

Match 26: Gujarat Lions vs Kings XI Punjab, April 23 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 27: KKR vs RCB, April 23 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 28: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 24 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 29: RCB vs SRH, April 25 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 30: Rising Pune Supergiant vs KKR, April 26 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 31: RCB vs Gujarat Lions, April 27 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 32: KKR vs Delhi Daredevils, April 28 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 33: Kings XI Punjab vs SRH, April 28 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 34: Rising Pune Supergiant vs RCB, April 29 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 35: Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians, April 29 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 36: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, April 30 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 37: SRH vs KKR, April 30 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 38: Mumbia Indians vs RCB, May 1 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 39: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Gujarat Lion, May 1 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 40: Delhi Daredevils vs SRH, May 2 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 41: KKR vs Rising Pune Supergiant, May 3 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 42: Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions, May 4 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 43: RCB vs Kings XI Punjab, May 5 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 44: SRH vs Rising Pune Supergiant, May 6 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 45: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, May 6 2017, 8:00 PM IST*

Match 46: RCB vs KKR, May 7 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 47: Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions, May 7 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 48: SRH vs Mumbai Indians, May 8 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 49: Kings XI Punjab vs KKR, May 9 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 50: Gujarat Lions vs Delhi Daredevils, May 10 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 51: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, May 11 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 52: Delhi Daredevlis vs Rising Pune Super Giant, May 12 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 53: Gujarat Lions vs SRH, May 13 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 54: KKR vs Mumbai Indians, May 13 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Match 55: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kings XI Punjab, May 14 2017, 4:00 PM IST

Match 56: Delhi Daredevils vs RCB, May 15 2017, 8:00 PM IST

1st Qualifier: May 16 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Eliminator: May 17 2017, 8:00 PM IST

2nd Qualifier: May 19 2017, 8:00 PM IST

Final: May 21 2017, 8:00 PM IST

IPL Past Winners

IPL in Numbers

 

 

New poster unveiled for Tom Cruise's summer thriller The Mummy

The Mummy is already shaping up as one of the most anticipated thrillers of the summer, and on Thursday, fans got more to snack on.

Just days before Universal unveils an extended preview for the Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe-headlined motion picture, the company unveiled a new poster, showing a chilling image of the film's titular character, played by Sofia Boutella.

The poster - which the movie company released at CinemaCon in Las Vegas Thursday March 30,2017, shows half of Boutella's face, as she's sporting two irises in her eye, with special characters written on her face. 

State Bank of India (SBI) customers will have to pay higher service charges from today Saturday April 01,2017

Effective April 01,2017 ,State Bank of India(SBI), the behemoth that has grown bigger following the merger of its five associates with itself, will levy fresh charges on account holders, including on their minimum balance, ATM use and cash-handling.

The burden will vary for different categories.

“I have gone through the 11-page notice on service charges and understood only one thing — you have to pay if you use, or don’t use, your bank account,’’ said R Rameshwaram, a customer at the bank’s Gachhibowli branch.

Asked about the levy of these charges, a top SBI officer said: “The major change is in charges on non-maintenance of minimum balance, ATM and cash-handling charges”.

But then, it makes a big difference. ATM charges beyond the mandatory limit will be double — rising from ₹5 to ₹10.

As other banks’ ATM charges are at ₹20 per transaction, it would be prudent to use only SBI (including associate banks’) ATMs. According to an estimate by bankers, a customer uses an ATM about 10 to 13 times a month.

Recent data show that the entire SBI group has about 60,000 ATMs.

If the monthly average balance falls below ₹5,000 in savings accounts in metros, a levy of ₹100 plus service charge will be applicable.

In the case of debit cards, the charges will be ₹30 per quarter, where the average balance is less than ₹15, 000. The SBI group has about 22 crore debit cards.

As of now SBI and HDFC Bank have ventured into raising charges on some services. The impact will be significant for the common man given the fact that SBI, together with its associates, has the lion’s share of the accounts of the middle and lower income groups.

“I am a contract worker with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation with an earning of ₹7,000. How do I keep ₹1,000 in my account,’’ asked Ratnamma, a customer of State Bank of Hyderabad.

It could be just a matter of time before other banks revise their charges.

Indian Premier League(IPL) - 5 Controversies That Shook IPL Over The Years

1) The IPL Spot-Fixing Scandal

The biggest and the worst Indian Premier scandal broke out in 2013 and it changed the face of Indian cricket forever.

It all started with the arrest of bookies but the later on the arrest of actor Vindoo Dara Singh in relation to booking on IPL matches simply proved to be the game changer. The involvement of Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan, who were team owners, with betting was established.

Three Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly meeting with the bookies. The judiciary intervened and then BCCI president N Srinivasan had to step down as it was his son-in-law, Meiyappan, who was also involved in the scandal.

Justice Mukul Mudgal panel was formed by the Supreme Court for investigating the whole matter and the panel submitted its report to the Justice Lodha Panel in 2014. In July 2015, the Lodha Panel gave a landmark verdict by suspending both Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two years.

2) The Bhajji-Sree Slapgate

The visuals of then Kings XI Punjab pacer S Sreesanth crying his heart out inside the stadium was played several times on all the news channels during the first edition of the league in 2008. After registering a 66 runs victory over Mumbai Indians in a group stage match in Mohali, Punjab star Sreesanth said something to Harbhajan, which the India spinner found offensive and the latter allegedly slapped him.

However, later Harbhajan went to Sreesanth's dressing room and it was reported that he went inside to apologise to the pacer and had a long chat with him. The BCCI managed to broker peace between the two players but the entire episode left a sour taste in the very first season of the league.

3) The Sacking of IPL Czar Lalit Modi

The Indian Premier League was Lalit Modi's brain-child and it could be argued that the worldwide success of the IPL is because of him. However, Modi was shown the door from the helm of the league in an unceremonious manner after the end of the third edition of the league in 2010.

In an unprecedented show of strength, the BCCI sent out an official mail about Lalit Modi's sacking after he had just finished reading out the closing speech of the 2010 IPL on the night of the final.

Lalit Modi was accused of financial impropriety, rigging bidding deals, offering bribes, betting and money laundering.

“While we rejoice and celebrate the great success of the IPL season, the alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Lalit K Modi have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself," then BCCI president Shashank Manohar was quoted as saying after Modi was sacked.

However, Lalit Modi still maintains that he was not part of any wrongdoings​ and currently lives in the United kingdom because he claims he fear for his life in India.

4) When Rahul & Parnell Decided to Rave!

Pune Warriors teammates Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell - along with 42 others - were caught by the Mumbai Police for consumption of recreational drugs during a rave party at a plushHOTEL in Juhu in 2012.

Both Parnell and Rahul claimed to have not taken any drugs, but positive blood samples shattered those claims by the cricketers.

However, the duo did find support in the BCCI as big wigs like N Srivasan said they shouldn't be handed harsh punishments as they did not take any kind of performance enhancing drugs.

5) The Luke Pomersbach Scandal

Australian star Luke Pomersbach was arrested by the Delhi Police during the 2012 edition of the league for allegedly molesting a woman. The American Indian woman alleged that Pomersbach stormed into her room without her consent and even beat her fiancee, who tried to stop the 27-year-old.

However, the case was settled by both parties outside the court and the charges against Pomersbach were subsequently dropped.

2017 Miami Open Men's Singles SF's - Roger Federer Beats Nick Kyrgios, Will Battle Nadal in Final Friday March 31,2017

Roger Federer beat Australia’s Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (11/9), 6-7 (9/11), 7-6 (7/5) on Friday March 31,2017 to set up a mouth-watering Miami Open final against Rafael Nadal.

Federer and Kyrgios produced an extraordinary range of shots in an enthralling, fiercely intense semi-final that kept a capacity crowd at Key Biscayne on the edge of their seats.

When Federer won the third tie-break a furious Kyrgios hammered his racket into the ground three times as the frustration of a remarkable near-miss came flooding out.

Kyrgios broke in the first set to go 4-3 up but Federer, with the loud crowd behind him, broke back to level at 5-5 when the Australian missed with an attempted big return.

The big-hitting Kyrgios was frequently booed by the crowd for racquet throwing and language — and sometimes for very little — but appeared to be enjoying the role of pantomime villain

There was little drama in Nadal's 6-1, 7-5 win over Italian Fabio Fognini.

The unseeded Fognini struggled to get going in the first set which was dominated by fifth-seeded Nadal and over with in 25 minutes.

The Italian, who indicated he had some trouble with his elbow, put up a better response in the second but his work was undone when he double-faulted on break point, leaving the Spaniard to serve out for the win

Rafael Nadal will play in his fifth Miami final but will be looking for his first title in the Masters series event

Reliance Jio Prime Deadline Extended Till April 15,2017

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. announced today that in just one month, over 72 million Jio customers have signed up for JIO PRIME, making it one of the most successful customer privilege programmes anywhere in the world.

According to the company, this is the largest migration from free to paid services in history in such a short period of time. Considering the unprecedented demand for enrolling to JIO PRIME and doing the first recharge, Jio has extended the deadline for purchasing Jio’s Rs 303 (and other) plans till April15,2017

This extension will provide the necessary breathing room for users to avoid service disruption during the transition from free to paid services.

Customers who could not enrol for JIO PRIME by 31st March for whatever reason can still do so by paying Rs 99 along with their first purchase of Jio’s Rs 303 and other plans till 15th April.

Jio also announced the Jio Summer Surprise for its JIO PRIME members. Every JIO PRIME member, when they make their first paid recharge prior to 15th April using Jio’s Rs 303 plan (or any higher value plan), will get services for the initial 3 months on a complimentary basis.

In a letter to the customers, Mukesh.D.Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, thanked Jio Family Members for their support and said, "I want to personally thank you for choosing Jio, and for being a founding member of the Jio movement. A movement to transform India. A movement to empower and enrich each one of you with the revolutionary power and possibilities of Digital Life.
I assure you that Jio will always be obsessed with serving you and delighting you every day."

The paid tariff plan will be applied only in July, after the expiry of the complimentary service. The Jio Summer Surprise is the first of many surprises for JIO PRIME members.