A Plane crash in Havana airport
A Boeing 737 plane crashed shortly after taking off from Havana’s main airport, Cuban state-run media reported.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
The plane was a domestic flight going to Holguin, carrying 104 passengers, state-run TV said.
Officials said the plane was headed to the eastern city of Holguin when it crashed between the airport in southern Havana and the nearby town of Santiago de las Vegas.
Images on TV and social media showed a large plume of black smoke above the airport.
Ambulances and firefighters were rushing to the scene.
The first season of ‘Muthoot Blue League of Dreams’
Young Mumbai Central Cricket team is the reigning champion of the
first season of ‘Muthoot Blue League of Dreams’
- Star performers of the final leg of the tournament were:
- Best Batsmen – Manish Kohli from Young Mumbai Central Cricket
- Best Bowler – Indrajit More from Ukkadgaon CC
- Safest Hand – Jaspreet Singh-Delhi Cricket Council
- Player of the tournament – Nibin Nivas from Spartanz
- Winners of the tournament awarded a grand sum of 1 lakh
- Runner-up received a cheque of amount INR 50,000
- 3rd and 4th teams received cheques for INR 25,000 respectively
- The initiative celebrated the spirit of these teams that have overcome adveristies & challenges to keep their passion for cricket alive
May 18th, 2018: An exciting 2 day tournament,‘The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams’, closed with Young Mumbai Central Cricket team emerging as the winner in a adrenalin driven play off, that saw, 4 shortlisted teams Delhi Cricket Council, Spartanz, Young Mumbai Central Cricket Team, Ukkadgaon C C from Delhi NCR, Kottayam, Mumbai and Parbhani respectively battled it out at the Air India sports club, Kalina stadium in Mumbai. The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams, a nation-wide sporting initiative by Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), saw unprecendented response to its maiden season with over 1200 registrations coming in from across the nation. The final shortlisted 4 teams played with the celebrated sports stars; Zaheer Khan with Spartanz, Brett Lee with Young Mumbai Central Cricket Team, Herschelle Gibbs with Delhi Cricket Council and Jonty Rhodes with Ukkadgaon CC , also were skippered by the team captains.
The two days tournament saw 8 match sets in total, played across 2 days with the celebrity cricketers encouraging them throughout. Each player across all the 4 teams gave their ‘best innings’ and the team captains skippered the celebrity cricketers like professionals.
The Young Mumbai Central Cricket team, winners of the maiden edition of The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams said, “We feel over the top of the world for not only having won the tournament, but having this spectacular chance to play with such big names in the cricket fraternity. It was a ‘dream come true’ opportunity and we are thankful to Muthoot Pappachan Group for providing us with a great platform like this. We hope to keep pursuing our passion for the game and reach bigger heights.”
Mr. Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman & Managing Director of the Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), on the occasion said, “We are proud to have concluded our very first edition of The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams. The resounding response, the enthusiatic playoffs, the fervour on the pitch speak volumes about the grit and passion of these young men. We are glad to have played a part in helping them realise their dreams. On behalf of the MPG family, heartfelt congratualtions to the winning team and to the other teams. We hope they all continue to shine in the game of cricket.”
Mr. Sanjeev Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer, Muthoot Pappachan Group further added, “The League captured the passion and mood of not only the game of circket but also those of the youngsters who played brilliant strokes through the 2 days. The First Muthoot Blue League has been a success and we look forward to many rewarding editions in the future”.
On the occasion, Brett Lee said, “ Congratulations to the Muthoot Blue League of Dreams and Muthoot Pappachan Group. We all have played ‘backyard cricket’ at some point with visions of making it big one day, its great to see these kids finally getting that one opportunity to fulfil those dreams. It’s a wonderful initiative and its great for us as past cricketers to come and play with the people who have a vision and aim to one day play for their country. Its exciting and lot of fun.”
On the occasion, Zaheer Khan said, “ India is a passionate country when it comes to cricket, the street is where the real connection with the game begins and we all at some point have played on the streets. I have grown up playing gully cricket myself and got nostalgic about my earlier days. It’s a different experience, innovative initiative by Muthoot Pappachan Group and am happy to be part of this league. It’s wonderful interacting with the real fans of the game.”
On the occasion, Jonty Rhodes said, “ The League is a great initiative to be part of, the talent, the passion of these young kids is amazing. Am glad I got to play a role in this spectacular event. The players reminded me the reason we play cricket, team spirit and passion. The platform by Muthoot Pappachan Group is fulfilling the dreams of cricketers in India. The difficulty is not getting the game to the common man, but rather providing the young talent with an opportunity and this is where Muthoot Pappachan Group has stepped in. The talent and passion shown by India towards the league makes me confident of its exponential growth with coming editions.”
On the occasion, Herschelle Gibbs said, “It’s a wonderful concept and idea by Muthoot Pappachan Group. This is where it all started, in the backyards, gardens and parks. The play offs gave us a chance to see the passionate people in action. The Muthoot Blue League of Dreams is doing a great job in helping these people realise some of their dreams. It’s a platform for players to show their potential, I am convinced that with the growth of this league you can see some of the players becoming part of some professional leagues one day representing India.”
About Young Mumbai Central Cricket Team (Mumbai)
A team so passionate about the game and with players aged between 21-40 years who come with a unparalled dedication towards the game. There is a member who is a plumber, while another works in the admin department of an office and yet another who is a dance teacher. Whenver they all find time, they play cricket in the gully close to their homes. Their passion and dream for the game is so big that one of the member even mortgaged his mobile phone in order to get money for entering this tournament. They wished to play with Brett Lee and got their wish as they not only had Brett Lee play with them, but he also shared some learnings of the game with each one of them. Goes without saying, they won!
This team received over 65000 votes They aimed to enter the League of Dreams and through their passion for the game, they won the league.
Riya Arora
Pracheen kala Kendra
Prof. Neera Grover’s soulful Vocal and Sanjeet Gangani’s scintillating Kathak mark the 9th Quarterly baithak of Pracheen Kala Kendra
New Delhi, May 18, 2018
Today Pracheen Kala Kendra organized its 9th quarterly Baithak in New Delhi under the series “Legends of Tomorrow” at Triveni Kala Sangam, at 6:30 pm onwards where Prof. Neera Grover , an eminent Vocalist from Chandigarh presented vocal recital and city based Spectacular Sanjeet Gangani cast magical spell with his elegant Kathak dance.
Prof. Neera was initiated into the Khayal Gayan tradition of Hindustani Classical
Music by her father, (late) Dr. Panna Lal Madan, who belonged to the Vishnu
Digambar parampara and, also, had the distinction of starting M.A. classes in Vocal Music of Panjab University at Chandigarh. She was awarded Gold Medal for Khayal Gayan by the prestigious Shri Baba Harballabh Sangeet Mahasabha, Jalandhar. She won top prizes in vocal and instrumental music in numerous music conferences, and competitions and Youth Festivals at Inter-College, Inter-University and Inter-State level. She also learnt from Padma Bhushan (late) Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan at Mumbai. As an artist, she has given performances in several Mehfils all over India.
On other hand Sanjeet Gangani is a young and talented Kathak dancer . He born in Gharanedaar family of and since his childhood and started learning dance from his legendary father Pt. Rajendra Gangani . He is grateful to his guru for developing his dance to the high level of perfection and enabling him to establish equal command on Nritya & Abhinaya paksh.
Prof. Neera commenced her recital with Raag Puriya Dhanashree , and after aalap she presented bandish “Braj jan mangal gayo” was developed with soothingly inserted alap badhat. It was followed by a chhota khayal bandish “Bhanak padi kaan”. She chose Raga Nand as her next rendering with bandish “Dhan Dhan bhag Nand ke” which was laced with rhythm deployed variations. She then moved on to present a bhajan in raga Bhairavi “roop aroopi rang rangeele” followed by invocatory Krishna Kiratan. Neera provided a befitting finale to her recital with a Tarana amid applause displaying her musical capabilities in a highly impressive manner.
She was ably accompanied by Rajnish Dhiman (Tabla, Vinay Mishra (Harmonium) and Ankit on (Pakhawaj).
After this melodious recital Sanjeet Gangani took the centre stage and opened up the programme with a spiritual performance Guru Stuti , followed by Traditional Kathak Dance. Gat, Nikas Thaat, aamad, uthaan, paran, chakradar paran, upaj , pramilu so on were presented with captivating and graceful movements and fine footwork. Sanjeet also displayed his command over abhinaya aspect of Kathak. His inimitable style of presenting bhavas in nritya enthrall the city audience.
The accomplished artists Yogesh Gangani and Nishidh Gangani on Tabla, and Vinod Gangani (Harmonium) embellished the recital.
Kendra Registrar Dr. Shobha Koser along with Secretary Sh. Sajal Koser honored the artists.
SC order Karnataka assembly floor test on Saturday 4pm
Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa reacts to the Supreme Court’s order for a floor test: “Will discuss with Chief secretary and call for assembly session tomorrow. We are 100% confident that we will prove full majority.”
The SC on Friday ordered that a floor test be held in the Karnataka assembly at 4 pm on Saturday to ascertain whether newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa enjoys majority in the state.
Congress-JD-S counsel Abshishek Manu Singhvi said after the SC interim order for the Karnataka floor test at 4 pm tomorrow.
Dr Singhvi said that the today the Supreme Court the has given a historic interim order, a landmark ruling. Enumerating what the SC order said, Singhvi spoke to reporters outside the court. Quick takes:
1. The floor test will be conducted at 4 pm by the pro-tem speaker.
2. Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa cannot take any major decisions or pass any orders before the floor test.
3. Protem Speaker will chose mode of floor test. AG’s request for secret ballot has been turned down.
4. DGP has to ensure safety of Congress and JD-S MLAs.
5. It is clear that BS Yeddyurappa’s letters given today in the court did not disclose how he had any basis for laying stake to form government.
6. Supreme Court also said that oath should be administered to all MLAs before the floor test tomorrow
7. SC also said that a member of the Anglo-Indian community cannot be nominated.
Rahul Gandhi reacts: “Today’s Supreme Court order, vindicates our stand that Governor Vala acted unconstitutionally. The BJP’s bluff that it will form the Govt., even without the numbers, has been called out by the court. Stopped legally, they will now try money & muscle, to steal the mandate.”
Press Meet and Public Interaction
In the light of Fact Finding on the Status of Rehabilitation and
‘Corruption’ in the R&R of Polavaram Project-Affected
Venue: Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), 5, Windsor Place, New Delhi
18th May | 2 pm – 4 pm
This is to request you all to kindly make it convenient to attend a Press Meet and Public Interaction In the light of Fact Finding on the Status of Rehabilitation and ‘Corruption’ in the R&R of Polavaram Project-Affectedto be held at Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), 5, Windsor Place, New Delhi on 18th May from 2 pm – 4 pm.
The event shall also include release of a brief report, noting the key observations and recommendations of a Fact Finding team that recently visited certain villages in the constitutionally protected Schedule-V project-affected areas, where displacement of a very large number of adivasis, dalits and other small, marginal farmers is impending and complaints or corruption and irregularities in the rehabilitation process are rife.
The Press Conference would be addressed, among others, by certain members of the Fact-Finding Team including Prafulla Samantara (Advisor, NAPM and Recipient of Goldman Environment Prize, 2017), Sridhar Rammurthy (Environics Trust), Soma KP (Independent Researcher and Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch), Bapji Juvvala (Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruttidarula Union), Tellam Krishnaveni (Adivasi Rights Activist), Vimal bhai (Matu Jan Sangathan), Balu Gadi (Rythu Swarajya Vedika), Meera Sanghamitra (NAPM) and a few project-affected persons themselves.
Please do attend the event and send in a line of prior intimation, it possible.
Yours sincerely,
Sanjeev Kumar (9958797409) | Amit Kumar (8486944483)
On behalf of : Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG)
National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)
Adivasi Sankshema Parishad (ASP)
Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruttridarula Union (APVVU)
Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV)| Human Rights Forum (HRF)
World Economic Situation and Prospects
UN: Growth in global economy exceeds expectations, but increased risks could threaten economic outlook
Global growth expected to exceed 3% for 2018 and 2019
17 May – Growth in the world economy is surpassing expectations and global GDP is now expected to expand by more than three per cent this year and in 2019, reflecting strong growth in developed countries and broadly favourable investment conditions, a new UN report finds.
But rising trade tensions, heightened uncertainty over monetary policy, increasing debt levels and greater geopolitical tensions can potentially thwart progress, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) as of mid-2018, launched today in New York.
According to the report, world economic growth is now forecast to reach 3.2 per cent both in 2018 and 2019, an upward revision by 0.2 and 0.1 percentage point, respectively. This revised outlook reflects further improvement in the growth forecast for developed economies due to accelerating wage growth, broadly favourable investment conditions, and the short-term impact of a fiscal stimulus package in the United States. World trade growth has also accelerated, reflecting a widespread increase in global demand. Many commodity-exporting countries will also benefit from the higher level of energy and metal prices. While the modest rise in global commodity prices will exert some upward pressure on inflation in many countries, the report notes that inflationary pressures remain contained across most developed and developing regions.
Speaking at the launch, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist Elliott Harris said the upward revision in the global economic forecast reflected in the report is positive news for the prospects of making tangible progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but cautioned that “there is a strong need not to become complacent in response to upward trending headline figures.”
“The report underscores that the risks have increased as well and highlights the need to urgently address a number of policy challenges, including threats to the multilateral trading system, high inequality and the renewed rise in carbon emissions,” he added.
GDP growth forecasts in 2018 have been upwardly revised in nearly 40 per cent of countries since the previous forecast presented in the World Economic Situation and Prospects Report 2018 was released last December. However, some countries and regions are still not sharing in the global cyclical upturn, in many cases due to structural impediments to development. Output is expected to decline in Central and in Southern Africa this year and forecasts have been revised marginally downward for 2018 for the economies in transition–reflecting rising geopolitical tensions–and for the least developed countries (LDCs), where weaker growth prospects are largely driven by a deteriorating situation in Yemen.
As reflected in the WESP 2018 report, the pickup in economic growth offers policymakers greater scope to address some of the deep-rooted barriers that hamper more rapid progress towards the SDGs. This includes measures and specific policies that can accelerate the process of economic diversification, tackle high and/or rising levels of inequality, support investment in basic infrastructure, and strengthen institutions and governance to build a more transparent and dynamic business environment. Action in these areas could also help build resilience against future economic shocks.
The multilateral trading system
The report warns that a shift away from unambiguous support for the multilateral trading system, marked by further trade barriers and retaliatory measures threatens the strength and sustainability of global growth, with potentially large repercussions, especially for developing economies.
Addressing high inequality
The report also found that income inequality remains very high in numerous countries, but there is evidence of noticeable improvements in some developing countries over the last decade. These gains reflect temporary cyclical factors, but also illustrate some structural changes. Latin America and the Caribbean region, for example, has made significant progress in reducing inequality in the past 15-20 years, driven by specificpolicy measures related to minimum wages, education and government transfer payments.
Decoupling economic growth and CO2 emissions
Accelerated economic growth propelled by fossil fuels, the report found, also bears an environmental cost. Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by 1.4 per cent in 2017 due to a number of factors including faster global economic growth, the relatively low cost of fossil fuels and weaker energy efficiency measures. Reforming fossil fuel subsides and taxation could speed the pace towards an environmentally sustainable growth that can meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
About the report: The World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2018 updates the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.18.II.C.2), released in December 2017.
For more information: https://www.un.org/ development/desa/dpad/wesp- report
