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Malted milk drinks, which are as much as one-third sugar, have been breakfast staples of upwardly mobile families in India since soldiers brought GlaxoSmithKline's Horlicks back with them after WW1   For a century, children in India have been brought up on malt-flavored powdered milk drinks that they thought would help make them healthy and strong. Now the $1 billion industry is set for a shake-up after two of the biggest producers, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Kraft Heinz Co. put the businesses up for sale and consumers switch to drinks with less sugar. Malted milk drinks, which are as much as one-third sugar, have been breakfast staples of upwardly mobile families in India since soldiers brought GlaxoSmithKline’s  Horlicks  back with them after the First World War. Now, after a decade of double-digit growth, sales in India rose 8.6 per cent in 2017 and could drop to half that this year. By 2022, the market will expand by only 2.7 per cent, Euromonitor forecasts...

The recall was due to an impurity (N-Nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA) which was found in the recalled products that include valsartan and its combinations   The recent recall of a common  hypertension drug  in the US due to contamination with a carcinogen has opened up short-term opportunities for a handful of Indian players. The issue with sartan (hypertension drug) began around July, when the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) notified health care professionals of a voluntary recall of several drug products containing the active ingredient valsartan. Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. The recall was due to an impurity (N-Nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA) which was found in the recalled products that include valsartan and its combinations. According to the USFDA’s list of products under recall, four companies - Teva, Prinston, Torrent, and Hetero - have recalled products containing the valsartan active ingredient. The US...

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are priced at Rs 71,000 and Rs 83,000 for the 64GB storage variant, whereas the 128GB variant retails at Rs 80,000 and Rs 92,000, respectively   Search engine and technology giant Google announced the third generation Pixel-series smartphones in October. Named the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the phones go on sale in India from today (November 1), exclusively on home-grown e-commerce portal Flipkart. While the Google Pixel 3 has been priced at Rs 71,000 and Rs 80,000 for the 64GB and 128GB storage variants, the Google Pixel 3 XL retails at Rs 83,000 and Rs 92,000 for the 64GB and 128GB model, respectively. The phones come in three colours -- clearly white, just black and not pink. The Pixel 3-series has a glass-metal-glass design with a matte paint covering the lower back side. Though these phones continue with a single primary camera, they now have a dual camera module on the front for selfies. Both the phones are powered by Qualcomm Snap...

Gurm, who was transferred along with other CBI officials has sought to be made a party in the petition filed by Asthana   CBI Additional SP S S Gurm alleged in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that Special Director  Rakesh Asthana  , who has filed a petition seeking the quashing of an FIR against him in a bribery case, was misleading the court by placing "selective" facts before it. Gurm, who was transferred along with other CBI officials in the feud between CBI Director  Alok Verma  and Asthana, has sought to be made a party in the petition filed by Asthana. The officer, who was transferred from Delhi to Jabalpur, has sought an opportunity to be heard in the case. In an application before the high court, the additional SP claimed he has "reasonable" apprehension that CBI is seeking to protect and support Asthana and may not effectively contest the petition. He has also sought dismissal of Asthana's petition. The separate petitions...

Justice Gogoi will have a tenure of a little over 13 months and would retire on November 17, 2019   Justice  Ranjan Gogoi  was Wednesday sworn in as the 46th Chief Justice of India. He succeeds Justice Dipak Misra. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath to the 63-year-old Justice Gogoi at a brief ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan's Darbar Hall. Justice Gogoi will have a tenure of a little over 13 months and would retire on November 17, 2019. News Source :  BS  &  Business Standard  

Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. Track all the LIVE updates on Business Standard   Business Standard  :  The Supreme Court Wednesday declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The apex court's five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said Aadhaar is meant to help benefits reach the marginalised sections of the society and takes into account the dignity of people not only from personal but also from the community point of view. The top court said Aadhaar is serving much bigger public interest and Aadhaar means unique and it is better to be unique than being best. The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar scheme and its enabling 2016 law.  BS The bench had on May 10 reserved the verdict on the matter after a marathon hearing that went on for 38 days, spanning four-and-half months. ALSO READ:  Supreme Court...

On the hashtag's 10-year anniversary last year, Twitter's co-founder Biz Stone recounted how the hashtag symbol came to be so iconic   The  hashtag (#) turned 10 last year. Last week it turned a year older. In my younger days, the symbol # used to denote the number sign. In Western markets it stood for the pound sign. Word nerds called it the octothorpe. But for the past 11 years since it was first used on Twitter, the '#' is famous as the hashtag. Today the hashtag is not restricted to just Twitter (an average usage of 140 million times a day) but is equally frequently used on Facebook, Instagram and every other social media platform. More importantly, the hashtag today transcends social media, and has started to connote a higher purpose, and has become the unifying symbol for a body of thought (or resistance) … #MeToo for example spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media (as also traditional mass media) to demonstrate the wides...

Nayar died at around 12.30 am at a private hospital, his elder son Sudhir Nayar said Veteran  journalist Kuldip Nayar  passed away in New Delhi on Thursday, a member of his family said. He was 95. Nayyar died at around 12.30 am at a private hospital, his elder son Sudhir Nayar said. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Nayar started his career as an Urdu press reporter. He was editor of Delhi edition of English newspaper The Statesman. Nayar had served as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom (UK). He was also nominated as a member of the Upper House of Parliament in 1997. He was also the author of more than 15 books including, Beyond the Lines, Distant Neighbours: A Tale of the Subcontinent, India after Nehru. His last rites will be performed at Lodhi crematorium. Read Full Story →  Kuldeep Nayyar  

Commercial flight operations from Naval airport at Kochi commenced today with the first Air India flight from Bengaluru arriving this morning Kerala floods  : The situation in the flood-ravaged state was gradually improving, even as some rainfall was forecast for the coastal state from Monday onwards. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, “heavy rainfall” is expected only in Kozhikode, Kannur and Idduki districts over the next four days. However, even as water recedes from major areas, authorities are gearing up to deal with the possible outbreak of water-borne and air-borne diseases. Commercial flight operations from the Naval airport at Kochi commenced today with the first Air India flight from Bengaluru arriving this morning. It is after 18 years that civilian flights are landing and taking off from the naval airport. The Indian Railways said that two special trains will be run on Monday from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam to Kolkata and that t...

Actress Priyanka Chopra welcomed her American singer beau Nick Jonas and his parents, fuelling rumours that they will be reportedly formalising their relationship with an engagement party. Nick, dressed in an all-black attire with a gold chain, stepped out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here late on Thursday night, flanked by his parents -- mother Denise and father Kevin Jonas Sr -- and a security entourage as the paparazzi welcomed him with loud cheers of "Welcome to India, Nick". Priyanka is reportedly going to host a party on Saturday when her family members, including her mother Madhu and brother Siddharth, will meet Nick's kin. As they made their exit, the Jonas patriarch had a big Tiffany & Co. bag in his hand. Tiffany is the jeweller that closed down its London store for Nick to buy an engagement ring for Priyanka, according to  PEOPLE.com | Celebrity News, Exclusives, Photos, and Videos . According to international media...

Ajit Wadekar is one of the only three cricketers who represented India as a captain, coach, and national selector. The other two players are Chandu Borde and Lala Amarnath Former Indian cricket team captain  Ajit Wadekar  , who led India to maiden Test series wins in England and West Indies, died at the age of 77, at the Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai on Wednesday, after suffering prolonged illness. The aggressive batsman left an indelible mark on Indian cricket despite making a mere 37 Test appearances. He led India to triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. Wadekar also served as India's manager in the 1990s when Mohammed Azharuddin was the captain. He later went on to become the chairman of selectors as well. He is survived by his wife Rekha, two sons, and a daughter. Ajit Wadekar as Indian cricket captain in 1971 In 1971, Wadekar was appointed the captain of national cricket team after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi opted out of the West Indies...

The acquisition will also propel PVR to becoming the 7th largest cinema exhibitor in the world in terms of annual admissions at its theatres Multiplex chain PVR Ltd on Sunday announced the acquisition of South India-based SPI Cinemas Private Ltd, which has a presence in the key markets of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Mumbai. In a cash-cum-stock deal, PVR will acquire 222,711 equity shares of SPI Cinemas, constituting 71.7 per cent of SPI, from existing shareholders for a total consideration of Rs 6.33 billion, and issue 1.6 million equity shares of PVR Limited, constituting 3.3 per cent of the diluted paid up equity share capital of PVR. At Rs 1,317.2 per share, this translates to Rs 2.1 billion, taking the deal value to just short of Rs 8.5 billion. EY India was the exclusive financial advisor on the transaction. PVR will be funding the cash transaction through a combination of internal accruals, new debt issuance, and a deferred cons...

All departments and affiliated colleges of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad will remain closed today Security has been beefed up in Maharashtra as Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella body of Maratha groups has called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday over reservation issue. Addressing the media, a leader of the Sakal Maratha Samaj, Amol Jadhavrao said that the state-wide bandh would be observed in a peaceful manner from 8 am to 6 pm. However, the bandh will not be observed in the Navi Mumbai. "We have called for a state-wide bandh on August 9. The bandh will not be observed in Navi Mumbai, due to some sensitive issue. Essential services, schools and colleges have been excluded from the bandh called by us," Jadhavrao said. He also urged the community members to not commit suicide over the issue and maintain their calm. Meanwhile, police officials have also been deployed across the state to contain any unpleasant situation. "A...

Under the present framework, instructions for blocking of websites or URLs are issued by the DoT to internet service licensees, based on the directions of Meity and according to directions from courts In a bid to check the spread of  fake news  through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking mobile applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had written to telecommunications service providers (TSPs) and internet service providers (ISPs) on July 18, seeking inputs about options for blocking mobile applications, especially when national security and public order are under threat. According to officials, the DoT had a meeting on July 4 with telcos and ISPs to discuss measures. “Issues have been raised by the M...

The formidable actress in Indian cinema appeared in more than 90 movies during her career that spanned over three decades. The beautiful face and expressive eyes of  Meena Kumari  have been captured in a Google doodle devoted to the late legendary actress Meena Kumari for her 85th birth anniversary on Wednesday. "As shown in the doodle, Meena Kumari captivated audiences with her beautiful, expressive eyes," according to the official Google Doodle page. Born in 1933, Meena Kumari grew up on camera, lighting up the silver screen from the age of four when she was known as Baby Meena. She became a formidable actor in Indian cinema, appearing in more than 90 films during her 38-year career. She portrayed strong yet vulnerable women who made their own way through life, although they were often devastated by romance. This gave her the epithet 'Tragedy Queen'. She came to be known for sailing through complex emotions on-screen with ease. Some of her ...

Tech giant's India unit is developing blockchain-based solutions for global oil & gas majors Companies News  :  Global IT services giant Accenture will soon see the roll-out of its blockchain solutions by two oil and gas majors in Asia-Pacific and North American regions, and most part of the implementation is being done by the company’s advanced technology centre in India. Though blockchain has grabbed a lot of attention globally as a transformational technology post its use in crypto currencies, the large-scale implementation by enterprises is still a far cry. The company had already piloted the solution in these companies, which would soon see enterprise-level implementation. “After a year of discussion and co-innovation with one of our oil and gas clients, proof of concept and solutions have been signed up. Now, they are going for full-scale global implementation. It will happen soon," according to Mohan Sekhar, Senior managing director and lead at Accentu...

Police on Wednesday evening lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in the Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles and clashed with local people Internet services in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai township have been suspended since early Thursday, a police official said. The decision was taken in the wake of the situation in areas like Kopar Khairne, which witnessed violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Wednesday, he said. The situation in Kopar Khairne was still tense, the official said. Last evening, the police had lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles, clashed with local people and indulged in arson. Read More On →  Maratha quota stir