Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 18 (IANS) A day after a fresh controversy centering around a ‘leaked letter’ broke out and hit the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, a former state minister on Monday said if an apology doesn’t come from the person who levelled the allegation, he would file a defamation suit.Former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said if he (Muhammad Sharshad) doesn’t apologise and withdraw his allegation, “I will take it to its logical conclusion. The media should not have made thi…

New Delhi, August 18 (IANS) The Supreme Court, on Monday, questioned the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on why commuters should pay tolls when it takes 12 hours to travel from one end of the National Highway 544 in Kerala to the other during weekends.A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria also asked whether the NHAI should compensate people for their patience and fuel lost while waiting 12 hours in a traffic snarl. The CJI …

Shillong, Aug 18 (IANS) Defending champions NorthEast United FC will face familiar foes Shillong Lajong FC in the first semifinal of the 134th Durand Cup, which is a repeat of their clash at the same venue last year, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Polo Ground) here on Tuesday. NorthEast prevailed 3-0 over Shillong Lajong in the last edition on their way to clinching the title, but the I-League side is more determined to put up a stronger fight against the title holders.Juan Pedro Benali’s Hi…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) A brilliant spell of bowling by Nidhi Mahto set the stage for a commanding victory for Central Delhi Queens over East Delhi Riders in their Women’s Delhi Premier League clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Monday.Batting first, the East Delhi Riders never managed to find their rhythm and were bundled out for just 88 runs in 16.4 overs.The star of the show was undoubtedly Nidhi Mahto (5-15), who bowled a brilliant spell to claim five wickets, dismantling the Riders…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Kapil Bainsla from Palwal, Haryana, won India their first gold of the 16th Asian Shooting Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, firing 243.0 in the 10m air pistol men junior final, leaving Uzbekistan’s Ilkhombek Obidjonov 0.6 behind in second.Kapil’s compatriot Jonathan Gavin Antony won bronze shooting 220.7, bowing out after the 22nd shot of the 24-shot final.Earlier Kapil had shot 579 to finish fourth in qualification and made the top eight alo…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) US researchers are building a non-invasive system using ultrasound to deliver drugs anywhere in the body with precision, as well as with reduced side effects.The new system, being developed by a team of Stanford University researchers, uses nanoparticles to encapsulate drugs along with ultrasound to unleash the drugs at their intended destinations.In a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the team showed in rats that their system can deliver ketamine to …

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The wisdom provided by Ayurveda — the ancient system of medicine — can offer new dimensions to paediatric healthcare, said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush on Monday.The Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Ayush, organised the 30th national seminar under the theme “Management of Illness and Wellness in Paediatrics through Ayurveda”.It aims to advance holistic paediatric healthc…

Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) One of the most renowned lyricists and screenwriters of our time, Gulzar, turned a year older on Monday. As the legendary writer celebrated his 91st birthday, the Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor said that he will forever be grateful for his timeless words.The ‘Animal’ actor dropped a photo of Gulzar on his X timeline with one of his poems playing in the backdrop.Wishing him on his special day, Anil wrote: “Happy Birthday, Gulzar Saab. Forever grateful for your timeless words a…

Chennai, Aug 18 (IANS) The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has now cleared director Praveen Kandregula’s women-centric film, ‘Paradha’, featuring actress Anupama Parameswaran in the lead, with an U/A certificate. Taking to its Instagram page to make the announcement, Anand Media, the firm producing the film, wrote, “Censor done with U/A. Get ready for a heartwarming journey with #Paradha. Releasing in cinemas worldwide AUGUST 22nd!”The film has triggered huge interest among fans and f…

Chennai, Aug 18 (IANS) Actor Dulquer Salmaan on Monday released the character names of director Dominic Arun’s eagerly awaited woman superhero film ‘Lokah – Chapter 1 – Chandra’, featuring actress Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead. It may be recalled that Dulquer Salmaan’s production house, Wayfarer Films, is producing the superhero series.Dulquer Salmaan took to his social media accounts to announce the character names in the much-awaited film, which will incidentally be Malayalam cinema’s first…