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Indian women aged 15 to 29 years and those with more years in school gave birth at shorter, unsafe intervals over the decade to 2015-16, shows an IndiaSpend analysis of health data. Birth intervals–the time between two successive live births–of less than 24 months may lead to low birth weight and death of a child, according to the 2015-16 report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The optimal birth interval to reduce neonatal and infant mortality is three to five years, according to global research (here and here). In India, spacing between births for women aged 15-29 years worsened from 25 months to 22.5 months over 10 years, we found. The median interval between two live births fell by 2.5 months to 22.5 months in 2015-16 from 25 months in 2005-06 for women aged 15-19 years and by 6 days to under 29 months from 29 months for women aged 20-29 years, according to our analysis of data from 2005-06 and 2015-16. “ It is difficult to comment without looking at dis...

IPL 2018  : The ball tampering scandal involving Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft has seen some serious action being taken by Cricket Australia, as well as Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council.   Four days after the scandal came to light, Cricket Australia swung into action on Wednesday and suspended all three. While Smith and Warner were handed a 12-month suspension from the national side, Bancroft got a 9-month suspension. Meanwhile, the IPL governing council in New Delhi also decided to bar Smith and Warner from VIvo IPL 2018. Both had earlier stepped down from the captaincy of their respective IPL 2018 franchises – Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad – after the duo had earlier been retained by the franchises for a whopping Rs 125 million each. Earlier, Australian cricket team captain  Steve Smith  had admitted to his side’s deliberate and pre-planned act of ball t...

Actor Varun Dhawan , who starred in the remake of Salman Khan starrer " Judwaa ", says the superstar is the best and the most helpful human being. Varun on Monday treated his fans to a question and answer session, where a user asked him to describe Salman. "Bhai (Salman) is the best and most helpful human being," Varun said. When a fan complimented Varun's work, he said he does not want to limit himself. "Trust me I'm still me. I just won't limit myself just because some people think that I can only do certain type of cinema," commented the actor, who has featured in films like "Student of the Year", "Badlapur" and "Badrinath Ki Dulhania". Varun currently awaits the release of his latest project "October", directed by Shoojit Sircar. Asked how different "October" is from his other films, he said: "It's very different. Everything was real. I was living dan rather t...

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is in Hyderabad to shoot for Megastar Chiranjeevi's "Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy" magnum opus, and shared with his fans a glimpse of his look test for the biopic on the late freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. "Dear friend Chiranjeevi, th at majestic superstar and icon from the world of Andhra and Telugu cinema, requests for a guest appearance in his magnum opus, on a most valiant period character that he portrays, and I agree," Big B posted on his blog. He shared a photograph in which he is seen sporting a heavily white bearded look. "These are not the final, but close," he wrote. The 75-year-old said most people who wish for him to work in their films, attempt to put him in situations wherein he sports the look of an old man. "Cannot really deny their choice... The days of yore are over... I mean they could never be reborn as this," he said, posting another picture in which he can be seen ...

It is learnt that the country's premier businessman Mukesh Ambani's eldest son Akash recently proposed to diamantaire Russel Mehta's daughter Shloka in Goa. Shloka is the youngest daughter of Russell Mehta, managing director of Rosy Blue India, one of the country's leading diamond companies. As reported earlier Akash and Shloka’s wedding rumours have been rife for quite some time with both families keeping the news under the wraps. Akash Ambani (Elder Son of Mukesh n Nita Ambani) got engaged to Shloka Mehta ( Daughter of Mehta's ( Owners of Worlds largest Diamond Trading company - Rosy Blue ) pic.twitter.com/bwFS72cVHr — Tarun Malhotra (@TarunMalhotraTM) March 24, 2018 According to reliable sources, Akash will probably get married to Shloka sometime in December this year. Both Akash and Shloka are the alumni of the famed Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) at Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Rosy Blue Diamonds, the company of Shlo...

Actor Rana Daggubati has lent his voice to the character of Thanos for the Telugu version of Hollywood film "Avengers: Infinity War". Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War", which features an ensemble of superheroes, will release worldwide on April 27. Disney India, in a move to expand its localisation efforts, has signed on Rana to lend his voice for the villainous character. "I've grown up reading Marvel Comics and Marvel movies with their intricately woven storylines. It is fascinating to see how Marvel has created characters and stories that resonate so well with audiences across the globe, making movies at a scale that one had never before imagined," Rana said in a statement. "Characters such as Iron Man and Captain America have been my favourites. So dubbing for 'Avengers: Infinity War' was thrilling. Voicing for Thanos, a villain so powerful that some of the biggest superheroes have a tough time dealing with, wa...

Reliance Jio shook the Indian telecommunication space with the launch of its affordable, data-centric network. After doling out freebies for more than the first six months since the launch, the Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom major introduced Prime membership at Rs 99 with the promise of offering subsidised recharge options and additional benefits for a period of one year. The Jio Prime memberships, which came into effect on April 1 last year, are valid until 31 March. Now, with the subscription expiry approaching, it is expected that Jio would make an announcement sometime soon. While there is nothing official yet, it is expected that the company might completely do away with the Prime subscription or offer it as a free service. Here is what the company offered in the first iteration of the Prime membership: Free unlimited data and voice services for one year at an effective price of Rs 10 per day Special recharge plans with additional data and validity Free VoLTE-b...

India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel is doling out free 30GB additional 4G data to subscribers who opt-in as beta testers for the company’s voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) services before its official launch. Recently, Airtel had rolled out VoLTE services in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka and Chennai. In the next batch, the telecom operator is gearing up to initialise the VoLTE services in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Before the service launch, however, Airtel is testing its network and seeking subscribers who would like to beta-test the services and provide regular feedback before launch. As an incentive, the telecom operator is offering additional 30GB 4G LTE data to beta testers which will be credited to subscribers accounts in three tranches. ALSO READ: Reliance Jio Prime membership subscription to end on March 31: What next? To avai...

With every successive generation, the prices of the OnePlus smartphone have increased. Yet, the company has managed to build smartphones at an effective cost much lower than other premium flagships. Now, the next iteration, the OnePlus 6, is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2018. But the phone’s purported price has been leaked on the web. The smartphone’s price, according to a price comparison sheet doing the rounds of the internet, will be more than its predecessor, but still be in range to give it an 'inexpensive flagship smartphone' tag. The screengrab of a slide uploaded on Chinese social media platform Weibo hints that the phone would cost $749. By comparison, the launch prices of the Apple iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9+ were $1517 and $1200, respectively. Based on the price comparison, it is safe to assume that the prices revealed are in Canadian dollar terms and, therefore, the phone would cost less in the United States – somewhere around $575. At this p...

One of the largest states to poll this year is Karnataka in our country. There are many interesting aspects about this election this year. After Uttar Pradesh elections , Karnataka elections are certainly very important for both the national parties. Karnataka being a very large state is currently ruled by congress party with Mr. Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister. It is important for the Congress to win in these coming elections as a loss will have a huge impact on the party. The BJP is focusing on congress mukth Bharath (Congress-free India). It would the most crucial challenge for the BJP to win in these elections as Karnataka is a gateway for them in the south. Caste system plays a very crucial role in politics and Karnataka is no exception to it. All the parties have their own caste equation in Karnataka and have strong backing by castes. There are two factors which will decide the winning of a party in Karnataka: First, JD(S): The Janata dal secular party is emerg...

In 2014, PM Narendra Modi led NDA stormed in to power with an absolute majority. Since then, BJP has been successful in keeping the momentum going. As of today BJP led governments are in power in 22 states either on their own or along with a coalition partner. After the completion of 3 years in power, all the opinion polls and surveys that were conducted by various private media houses had concluded that PM Modi by-far remained the most popular leader in India. The consensus was that if the Lok Sabha elections were held then, the BJP would again form the government at the center with ease. But lately much has changed or at least the opposition would like to believe so. On 26th May 2018, the Modi government will complete 4 years in power and things are fast becoming challenging for the BJP. The BJP led NDA government has come under pressure and severe criticism on many fronts recently. Farmer agitations, distress in the agricultural sector and failure to generate enough jobs a...

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is inviting applications for the post of Senior Lecturer (Textile Processing) to be working in the department of Office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms of Weavers Service Centres WSC and Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology IIHT under Ministry of Textiles. Candidates willing to take up the post can apply for the same till March 29, 2018 (Thursday). The number of vacancy is 1 reserved for UR (1), OBC (0), SC (0) and ST (0). The qualified candidates would be paid Rs. 15,600-39,100 ( PB-3) plus Rs. 5,400 (Grade Pay) (Total emoluments excluding T.A. and HRA at the time of initial appointment will be Rs.59000/-p.m. approximately). The job location is New Delhi but the candidates would be liable to serve anywhere in India. The post carries probation of one year. Eligibility Parameters: Age: Not exceeding 35 years as on normal closing date. Relaxable for regularly appointed Central/U.T. Government Servant upto Five years as ...

The candidates who appeared for the Canara Bank Probationary Officers Exam can see their results as the Bank has officially announced the same on its official website. The Canara Bank PO exam was conducted online on March 4, 2018 (Sunday). How to check the results: Candidates are required to visit the official website of Canara Bank here. (Direct link to the list of results here). Then select Career from the Menu tab above. After that find the link "RP-2/2017 - Recruitment of Probationary Officers in JMGS-I on completion of specially designed PGDBF Course" and click on the same. On the new page click on "RP 2/2017-PROBATIONARY OFFICERS (PGDBF) - LIST OF PROVISIONALLY SELECTED CANDIDATES FOR GROUP DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEW New”. Date and Time of Group Discussion and Interview : The official notice says that the date, time and venue for Group Discussion and Interview will be communicated to the successful candidates in due course. The successful candida...

Now with less than two months to go for the assembly elections, Bengaluru and Karnataka are truly in campaign and election mode. The state has already seen multiple tours by PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi , Amit Shah and other bigwigs from all across the political spectrum. JD(S) has already declared their first list of candidates with 126 names. Congress and the BJP are expected to release their first list shortly, by end of March or in the first week of April. Hectic lobbying to secure a party ticket in underway in all camps. It is widely expected that all the parties will give tickets to younger and fresher faces, along with their sitting MLAs. This time around the Karnataka State Assembly Elections will be keenly fought with all the parties believing they have a real shot at power and thus leaving no stone unturned to achieve desirable results. Both the Congress and the BJP have had good electoral experiences in the recent past with BJP wining in the North East and Congress performing ...

The Karnataka state government approved a distinct entity for Lingayat community. This decision will have a strong impact on the coming elections as Lingayat is a strong community in terms of numbers. After three hours of marathon discussion, the Karnataka government took this decision. The Lingayat seers met Karnataka Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah and requested him to execute the report prepared by a committee that discussed having a separate legal status for this religious community. The Lingayat community is led by Mr. Gadag-based Tontadarya Mutt's Siddalinga Swami, met the Chief Minister Mr. Siddaramaiah on last Sunday at his residence. The decision came a day after Siddalinga Swami met Mr. Siddaramaiah. This community comprises 17% of Karnataka population. This group gave a strong support to BJP in the past. The demand for a separate status for Lingayats surfaced from a politically strong group. Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha demanded a separate religious status ...

With European and US lawmakers calling for investigations into reports that Facebook user data was accessed by UK based consultancy Cambridge Analytica to help President Donald Trump win the 2016 election, investors are asking even more questions about the social media company's operations. An increasingly vocal base of investors who put their money where their values are had already started to sour on Facebook, one of the market's tech darlings. Facebook's shares closed down nearly 7.0 per cent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that potential legislation could damage the company's advertising business. Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is facing calls from lawmakers to explain how the political consultancy gained improper access to data on 50 million Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denies the media claims and said it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party ap...

The Apple iPhone X was the first smartphone that crossed the $1,000 price mark -- the smartphone was launched at $999 and $1149 for 64GB and $256, respectively. Now, according to Digitimes research analyst Luke Lin, the company would launch a new 5.85-inch iPhone this year with OLED screen that would cost much lower than the iPhone X. According to Lin, who cited information from Apple's upstream supply chain, the next-generation iPhone’s manufacturing bill for materials will be over 10 per cent lower than that for the iPhone X. He added, that the MBOM of the iPhone X was more than US$400 in 2017. In the past, Lin also alleged that Apple was preparing for a new inexpensive smartphone similar to the iPhone SE for 2018, featuring the wireless charging functionality, but without 3D-sensing technology. ALSO READ: Apple plans giant high-end iPhone, lower-priced model, aims to boost sales In 2018, Apple is expected to launch three iPhone models, according to Taiwan-based KG...

Superstar Salman Khan 's 'Veergati' co-star Pooja Dadwal, who is reportedly battling with Tuberculosis, has reached out to the actor for financial aid. Pooja sought 'Sultan' star's help in a video where she said she has no money for her treatment. "Salman sir, today, I am at that point in my life when I really need your help. Some of my friends have helped me come out from the well of death. Neither do I have money for my treatment, nor do I have someone to support me," Pooja said. "I don't expect any money from you sir, but I want my treatment to be done. I want to live again. I hope, seeing my present condition, you will stand by me," she added. Pooja Dadwal was seen with Salman Khan in the 1995 flick 'Veergati'. She later starred in movies like 'Hindustan', 'Inteqaam' and 'Dabdaba'.

In a tragic incident, a 15-year-old girl student allegedly committed suicide here in Delhi's Mayur Vihar area on Tuesday. The teenage girl had reportedly failed in her Class 9 examinations. The deceased's father said that she had also accused her social sciences teachers of sexually harassing her and "touching her inappropriately". A case has been registered in the matter under Sections 306 and 506 of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). The deceased student belonged to the Ahlcon Public School in Mayur Vihar Phase-I. She reportedly hanged herself on Tuesday evening when she was alone at her home. The father of the victim has blamed the school for her daughter's suicide. "She told me her SST teachers touched her inappropriately. I said since I am also a teacher, I can say they cannot do it, might be a mistake but she said, 'I am scared of them, no matter how well I write they will fail me. Ultimately they fa...

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 is one of the most keenly awaited electoral battles of 2018. Here the two national parties the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go head to head against each other and against the regional heavy weight Janta Dal Secular JD(S). Currently the Congress party holds a simple majority of 123 seats in the 224 constituencies’ strong Karnataka legislative assembly. The BJP holds 44 and the JD(s) has 40 seats respectively. In the last assembly elections held on 5th May 2013, Congress was successful in winning the state back from BJP by surpassing the magical figure of 113 seats to gain a simple majority and form the government with ease. In 2018, the Karnataka electoral battle becomes that much more interesting as Karnataka is one of the last two big states along with Punjab that is held by the Congress. Karnataka is also the only Southern state of India that has been ruled by the BJP in the past. The Karnataka stat...

A few hundred railway job-seekers caught Central Railway (CR) by surprise, resulting in a virtual paralysis of Mumbai's lifeline, the suburban train service, for over three hours here on Tuesday morning. The agitation also turned violent as some protesters pelted stones, leading to a police baton charge to disperse them. The morning peak hour suburban and long-distance train services were severely disrupted as hundreds of protesters squatted on the railway tracks between Matunga and Dadar on the CR to press for their demands pertaining to railway apprentices' recruitment. Rattled by the sudden crisis, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal held emergency meetings and announced that 20 percent posts in railway establishments are already reserved for those who have cleared the All India Railway Act Apprentice Exams. "This has been done as per the various judgements by the Supreme Court from time to time. Applicants who completed the apprenticeship course have also been g...

Top actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday dismissed claims that BJP was behind his political entry and said he was driven by only the God and the people. "They are saying from the beginning that BJP is behind me. Only God is behind me and after that people are behind me. Okay," he told reporters in Chennai. He was replying to a question about a 'row' over his meeting with some local BJP leaders in Uttarakhand despite maintaining that he was not a full time politician yet. Rajinikanth has in December last announced he will launch a political party and contest the next assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and declared that "spiritual politics" needs to be ushered in, sans shades of any caste or religion. The actor who had embarked on a spiritual tour of the Himalayas on March 10 returned to Chennai on Tuesday. Asked on his friend and actor-politician Kamal Haasan saying that he had not expressed views on key issues like Cauvery, Rajinikanth denied it. ...

Touted to be the biggest entertainer of 2018, ' Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety ' has crossed 100 crores run on box office India. Taran Adarsh, a film critic and trade analyst, broke the news on the internet and tweeted, "Truly UNSTOPPABLE... ?? cr and counting... #SonuKeTituKiSweety marches into ? 100 cr Club... SECOND FILM to cross ? 100 cr mark in 2018, after #Padmaavat... [Week 4] Fri 1.27 cr, Sat 2.11 cr, Sun 2.32 cr, Mon 76 lakhs. Total: ? 100.10 cr. India biz... #SKTKS". Starring Kartik Aaryan, Sunny Singh, and Nushrat Bharucha in titular roles of Sonu, Titu, and Sweety, respectively, the film has been unstoppable on the box office since its release on February 23. The comedy flick, which revolves around the lifelong war between friendship and love, is helmed by Luv Ranjan and also stars Alok Nath in a pivotal role of Titu's sassy grandfather.

Mumbai railway traffic resumed between Dadar and Matunga after scores of agitating students blocked rail traffic, including suburban services between the two stations earlier in the day, causing difficulties to hundreds of thousands of Mumbai local commuters. The agitation by students, seeking permanent jobs in Indian Railways, was called off at 10.35 am but not before the rail blockade forced the Railways to stop the suburban and express trains in the affected section between Matunga and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) for hours. Railways officials have told a national daily that they are running special trains for the Kurla station in the down direction. They added that they are diverting railway traffic from Dadar station in the up direction. According to Railways officials, the entire four lines between Matunga and CSMT have been affected, while police and Railways officials are conducting talks with the agitating railway job aspirants. Students shouting slo...

Do you use Ola and Uber for your daily commute? If yes, you may want to find other modes of transport as drivers for app-based cab aggregators Uber and Ola on Monday started an indefinite strike across India. The strike, which began at midnight on Sunday, centred on Mumbai and was called by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's transport union. The strike, which will be observed in key cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, aims to voice the drivers’ woes of not being able to cover rising costs due to falling business. They are currently being paid Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month, according to media reports. "Ola and Uber had given big assurances to the drivers, but today they are unable to cover their costs. They have invested Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 and were expecting to make Rs 150,000 a month. But drivers are unable to make even half of this because of the mismanagement by these companies," said Sanjay Naik, President of Maharas...

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ from the stable of South Korea-based electronics manufacturer Samsung are the most advanced smartphones available in the market right now. The devices sport modern design, top-tier innards, improved camera modules and advanced display technologies such as high dynamic range 10 (HDR10). However, even the most advanced smartphones have weak points. Some early buyers of the Galaxy S9 Plus have reported problems with HDR10 playback. According to a thread created on Samsung’s Europe community support page, they have reported that their devices fail to render the high dynamic range 10 (HDR10) video files properly using the smartphones native video player. A look at the photos below will make the problem clearer. ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S9+ review: King of low-light photos According to some users, the HDR10 seems to be working fine while watching HDR10-enabled videos in horizontal mode using online video streaming services such as YouTube. Ho...

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp ., the biggest US sponsor of H-1B visas for foreign information technology specialists, says a civil rights lawsuit accusing the firm of bias against workers who aren’t from India is all wrong. Three former employees claim they were forced out of their jobs and replaced with “less qualified” South Asians after being poorly treated by their Indian supervisors and colleagues, given unjustifiably low performance ratings and denied promotions. The company contends that what it’s accused of isn’t covered by federal civil rights law. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, but plaintiffs’ factual allegations, on their face, plainly pertain to a claim of discrimination based on national origin -- not race,” Cognizant said in a court filing. It also said the complaint is clearly targeted at “visa holders, but visa-status allegations have nothing to do with race.” Broader Backlash The lawsuit is part of...