55 minute read
of the NSR Act
from February 17, 2020
JAMMU, FEB 16 (PTI): The National Conference, one of the main political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, has expressed willingness to participate in next month’s Panchayat polls but wants “roadblocks” placed in its way to be removed so that it can campaign freely. The party, which had stayed away from the 2018 Panchayat polls, said the detention of its top leaders will hamper the process of candidate selection and campaign. It has expressed its willingness to take part in the poll process this time as the election will be held on party lines. In a letter to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar, NC central secretary Rattan Lal Gupta said the party is a strong votary of democratic process and wishes to participate in the eight-phase elections starting March 5 in over 11,000 seats. A copy of the letter has been marked to the Chief Election Commissioner. The letter states that it is practically impossible for the party to participate in the election when its top leaders, includNC willing to participate in J-K Panchayat polls, wants ‘roadblocks’ to be removed Tejashwi Yadav NEW DELHI, FEB 16 (PTI): Delhi voters have shown the way by opting for “real nationalism” and the electorate in Bihar should emulate them to vote out Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has no qualms in taking off his “secular veil” on issues such as the CAA, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Sunday.
The onus of defeating the “divisive agenda” of the NDA government in Bihar also lies on the opposition that should provide a “formidable and unified” alternative, Yadav told PTI in an interview ahead of his ‘Berozgari Hatao Yatra’ starting on February 23 with a massive rally in Patna.
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He said the ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) was ready to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) against its “divisive agenda and 15 years of misrule” in the assembly polls. “Nitish Kumar has never criticised the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), NPR (National Population Register) and the NRC (National Register for Citizens). He didn’t utter even a single word on the recent reservation issue. He doesn’t have any courage to criticise any of the BJP’s policies,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly said. While the Janata Dal (United) helped the Bharatiya Janata Party in getting the citizenship bill passed in Parliament, Kumar only said his government will not implement the NRC in the state, Yadav said. “Nitish Kumar is a cunning politician. He knows that once the BJP makes NRC an Act, he can do nothing but comply. Then he will cry over his helplessness in light of constitutional norms. His party could have made a difference during voting for the CAB in Parliament, but there he exhibited his true communal character,” the 30-year-old leader said. The whole exercise of the CAA, NPR and the NRC is for dividing and polarising the nation on religious lines for political gains and Kumar has no qualms in shunning his “secular veil to show his true colours”, Yadav alleged.
Talking about the Delhi polls won by the Aam Aadmi Party comprehensively, Yadav said the message was loud and clear not only for the Bihar polls but also for the whole nation that if the government works for necessary amenities and social and financial security, then no diversion will work.
“Welfare of the citizens is real nationalism. Dividing people on communal lines is proving catastrophic for the nation. Youth is on the streets fighting, lynching and abusing. Union ministers are pushing the citizens to indulge in violence against those who are asking questions of the government,” the RJD leader said.
Union ministers are delivering veiled “incendiary and communal” speeches against citizens who are protesting, he said. Voters of Delhi have shown the nation the right path and now it is up to the people of Bihar and the whole country to emulate them, the former Bihar deputy chief minister said. Delhi elections were assembly polls which should be fought on local and statelevel issues, but the way the BJP is trying to rake up national issues every time sets a “very dangerous precedent”, Yadav said.
For 15 years in power, Nitish Kumar kept on terming his rule as “sushasan (good governance) and misused state exchequer for filling the coffers of a few obliging media houses to project his image”, he alleged.
He claimed that Kumar’s days as the chief minister and a politician are numbered as people will not stand “false propaganda” anymore. “He (Kumar) has destroyed the education system, health services are in ICU, law and order has completely collapsed, his own MLAs, MPs, Union ministers are questioning the deteriorating law and order, farmers are dejected... And with all these failures he has failed the aspirational citizens of Bihar,” Yadav alleged. “In such a gloomy situation, the only option that this government has is to play communal politics. And Nitish Kumar will ride the same communal bus, but this time communal and divisive politics will not bear any fruit,” he asserted.
Talking about his ‘Berozgari Hatao Yatra, Yadav said unemployment is the biggest issue that is bothering the educated youth as Bihar has the highest rate of unemployment in the country.
“Nitish Kumar’s 15- year rule had been totally directionless and visionless. He failed to attract a single major investor or any industry worth mentioning. All he could offer to the young people was temporary contract jobs with exploitative fixed salaries,” Yadav alleged. Delhi opted for ‘real nationalism’: Tejashwi Says Nitis h Kumar will be shown door for ri din g ‘comm unal bus’ ing its president Farooq Abdullah, vice president Omar Abdullah, general secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar, are in detention under the stringent Public Safety Act.
JeM releases threat video ahead of Trump’s India visit
Representational image.
SRINAGAR, FEB 16 (IANS): Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s India visit, terror outfit Jaishe-Muhammad (JeM) has released a video that calls for “revenge” and says “the killers would not be forgiven”. The video threatens the Indian government, and says “the way you harassed the Muslims and destroyed their settlements will be avenged”.
In the video, a person citing Quran Sharif, can be heard saying: “We have heard a lot of lullabies on peace... now every excuse has gone... it’s time to see things ‘unrestrained’.”
Sources say the video and its contents are Pakistan’s attempt to show during Trump’s tour that “Kashmiris are angry after the removal of Section 370 and they are carrying out terrorist attacks”.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to visit India on February 24-25. Meanwhile, security agencies have received an input related to the video that a meeting of terrorist groups was held in PoK earlier this month, and officials of ISI and Pakistan Army were also present in that meeting. It was decided in the meeting that Hizbul Mujahideen should be activated.
According to sources, it was also discussed that terrorists operating in Kashmir should be given “more responsibility” instead of Pakistani terrorists.
FRBM not breached?in union budget: Sitharaman
HYDERABAD, FEB 16 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the 2020-21 union budget was prepared keeping the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) in mind even as she maintained she would be remembered for presenting the “longest prepared budget” than for “longest speech” on it.
“So in a way all these (measures) and more has been done that the FRBM, as an Act, we have to keep in mind and also comply with it. So we have not really breached the FRBM. We have not gone outlandish on it. “We have kept fiscal discipline, which is a USP for both the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and also for the Shri Narendra Modi government,” she said.
The Centre had earlier said it was committed to reducing fiscal deficit -- the gap between total expenditure and revenue -- to 3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020-21 and eliminate the primary deficit as per the FRBM Act. The government has utilised ‘escape clause’ under the FRBM Act, which allows the Centre to breach its fiscal deficit target by 0.5 percentage points at times of severe stress in the economy, including periods of structural change and when growth falls sharply. The Union Budget earlier this month raised the fiscal deficit target to 3.8 per cent of the GDP for 2019-20, from the 3.3 per cent pegged earlier, due to revenue shortage.
The Minister was addressing a gathering of industry representatives and trade here. Sitharaman said the budget was prepared between July last year and February this year, with inputs from all stakeholders, including various ministries. “It was probably for the first time, many people do tell me, for the first time, this was the longest speech. I would rather be remembered in fact that it was the longest prepared budget between July and February,” she said. Replying to query, she said the government is trying to reduce the dependence of the pharma industry on API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient).
“We were at one point of time dominant producers of API. Today we don’t any of them left. The government is of course is spending a lot of time on how best we can encourage production of the API... So some work is going on partly addressing the issue,” she said.
Sitharaman said the capital stressed MSMEs were offered additional terms loans through their respective banks and given them additional working capital. On GST, she said from April 1, a “simplified regime” will begin, also to ease the technical glitches if any. She asked the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs to reach out people and clarify their doubts.
“I donot want any more doubts on GST. 1st of April onwards we are bringing a simplified compliance regime for the GST and that has already been final-tested. So GST glitches because of the system will be completely addressed,” she added.
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Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 59,015 crore to power generation companies in December 2018, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators). The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between the generators and discoms.
In December 2019, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 78,174 crore as against Rs 44,464 crore in the same month of the preceding year. Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases.
In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1, 2019. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply.
According to the latest data on the portal, outstanding dues in December has A security guard walks past circuit breakers and transmission towers in Amargarh, Jammu and Kashmir. Discoms’ outstanding dues rise nearly by half in 1 year also increased over the preceding month. In November 2019, total outstanding dues on discoms stood at Rs 82,414 crore.
The overdue amount in November has also increased over the preceding month. The total overdue amount was Rs 73,175 crore in November 2019. Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, the data showed.
Overdues of independent power producers amount to 25.45 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 78,174 crore on discoms in December. Among the central public sector power generators, NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 15,695.65 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 5,010.69 crore, NHPC at Rs 3,165.09 crore, THDC India at Rs 2,136.30 crore and Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 822.09 crore.
Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of Rs 3,201.68 crore to Adani Power, followed by Bajaj Groupowned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 2,212.66 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore. (From p-1)
Asserting that the practice was illegal and a punishable offence under the law of the land, the forum said it was strongly against it, adding any government servant working in complicity with contractors was also liable under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and punishable with fine and prison term. The statement said Rule 9 of GoI draft notification of MDM scheme clearly specified that the State government should take action to fix responsibility on the person or agency, if mid day meal was not provided in school on school days continuously for three days or at least five days in a month. But, there was blatant violation of this rule too as no action had been taken yet against any concerned for reasons best known to the government.
NPRAAF said when its office-bearers met the non-local contractor and inquired the reason why food grains could not reach the targeted beneficiaries, the contractor had replied that it was not easy to meet the goal in view of taxes levied by various organisations in addition to the percentages given to politicians and officers from the profit calculated through sale of food grains in the open market after re-polishing and repacking. It pointed out that the carriage contractor became the highest beneficiary in this illegal business.
The Mid-Day Meal rules, 2015 (vide notification no. G.S.R 743(E), dated 30th September, 2015) under rule 3 states that every child within the age group of 6-14 years studying in class 1 to 7 and attending schools shall be provided meal having nutritional standards as specified in scheduled II of the Act, free of charge every day except on school holidays. New Delhi , Feb 16 (IANS): Vodafone Idea could be the largest bankruptcy ever in India as the inability to pay dues under the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) may push the Vodafone Plc and Aditya Birla joint venture in that direction.
If the promoters and management of Vodafone Idea file for bankruptcy, it will be an earthquake for India Inc.
However, one legal view is that filing under IBC in the NCLT after the Supreme Court order will be to circumvent contempt of court. Vodafone Idea, promoted by British telecoms giant, Vodafone Plc and Aditya Birla group, has said it will repay some of its obligations under AGR in the next few days. However, it has not disclosed how much the amount will be paid.
“The company is currently assessing the amount that it will be able to pay to Department of Telecommunications (DoT) towards the dues calculated based on AGR, as interpreted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 24 October 2019. The company proposes to pay the amount so assessed in the next few days”, Vodafone said in a regulatory filing.
While the Supreme Court has come down (From p-1) An amount of Rs. 13.19 crore was irregularly incurred towards payments of departmental charges, purchase of vehicle, land compensation etc. by seven departments in contravention of NEC guidelines.
CAG revealed that the Soil & Water Conservation department misappropriated an amount of Rs.3.59 crore out of which Rs.3.74 crore released for implementation of Flood management programme in Kohima and Phek districts.
CAG mentioned that departmental officers of four DRDAs failed to observe provisions of financial rules relating to public purchase which resulted in fraudulent payment of Rs.6.21 crore besides depriving job card holders the benefit of work site amenities.CAG further pointed out that the technical personnel in-charge of block development offices recorded fictitious entries in the measurement books and payments amounting to Rs.14.68 crore were made without actual executor of works in contravention of the provisions of general financing rules and MGNERGA guidelines.
CAG in its report pointed out that the Youth Resources & Sports department made a payment of Rs. 76 lakh without actual supply of items and execution of work. It said that the advance payment of Rs.80 lakh was also made without formal agreement, which had not been recovered.
In School Education department, CAG pointed out that the department had paid Rs. 24 crore against 57 works to the contractors. However, CAG said there was short execution in components of works and plinth areas for Rs. 5.59 crore. The CAG has asked the government to initiate action for recovery of Rs.5.59 crore and the matter to be investigated and responsibility of officials involved in misappropriation of funds fixed, besides referring case to the Vigilance department.
Finance (Taxation) deptt: The CAG report NPRAAF alleges irregularities in MDM scheme Vodafone Idea could head for bankruptcy heavily on telcos for nonpayment of dues, it is not yet clear how much Vodafone Idea will pay and when.
The company owes about Rs 44,000 crore, which is required to be paid before the court’s next hearing on March 17.
In end-December, the company had cash and cash equivalents worth Rs 12,530 crore.
The cash in hand for the company will be only one-fourth of the dues payable, making the situation grim and uncertain. CAG detects anomalies in various govt. departments pointed out that four dealers had concealed interstate purchase of Rs. 43.66 crore, which was not detected by superintendent of Taxes, resulting in evasion of tax of Rs. 7.69 crore.
In this regard, CAG said the responsibility of the Assessing Authority (AA) needed to be fixed and initiate action to reasses the tax payable on total taxable purchase of Rs.43.66 crore and also recover the tax amount. ‘Budget disappointing; but fiscal, taxation measures welcome’ Mumbai , FEB 16 (PTI): The Union Budget was “disappointing” as it lacked a vision, though measures like relaxing the fiscal deficit target and simplifying income tax are positives, the PM’s economic advisory council member Ashima Goyal has said.
Goyal, who is a parttime member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EACPM), also said that it was a “surprise” not to have a mention of the word ‘slowdown’ in the nearly three-hour long speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
(From p-1)
It said the blueprint was not only for Nagaland state but also for Naga ancestral lands in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam “without disturbing the present political boundary”. ENNWA said Naga solution would benefit other communities “since all must learn to co-exist in peace and harmony.”
It also reiterated that at the present period of Naga history, Nagas outside the present boundary of Nagaland state must adopt a rational approach and maintain emotional integration, “instead of playing the role of a bully, threatening all and sundry.”
ENNWA urged upon all Nagas to preserve and strengthen their customs, traditions and identity, through new political and administrative arrangements and enable their neighbours to progress alongside.
With this vision, ENNWA said WC leadership was reaching out to Kuki, Meitei, Ahom and other community leaders as there was need to foster greater understanding among people of northeast region as co-existence would determine everyone’s future. As physical integration of Naga areas was being kept for future endeavour through agreed terms, ENNWA said the very idea of establishing the “so-called Pan Naga Hoho through an Act of Parliament, will be the end of any hope for Naga unity” as it would mean seeking government of India’s “permission even on those subjects over which Nagas have absolute sovereign rights over their social, cultural and traditional customary practices.”
In the light of the above, ENNWA said any cultural body in Naga homeland should be “ a voluntary affair among Naga tribes post Indo-Naga political solution”. It reiterated that Pan Naga Hoho could be formed like the erstwhile Naga Hoho or be discarded/ rejected was done by most Naga tribes.
ENNWA asked the ENNWU to understand that fourteen indigenous tribes of Nagaland and other minority tribes “having unique and special administrative and political status, different from other Naga tribes, have informed the government of India that they “strongly oppose Pan Naga Hoho without integration.”
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Sanaa (Yemen), Feb 16 (AP): Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen killed more than 30 civilians in a mountainous northern province, the rebels said, and the UN humanitarian chief called the attack “shocking.”
The attack came hours after Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, said on Saturday they shot down a warplane of the Saudi-led coalition over the province of Jawf.
Saudi Arabia’s staterun news agency quoted Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, as saying it was investigating “possible collateral damage” from a rescue operation in the area after the downing of the Tornado warplane.
Al-Maliki was quoted as saying the plane was providing air support for Yemeni government forces fighting the Houthis.
He did not say whether there were causalities or provide further details on the fate of the aircraft’s crew.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grnade, said the airstrikes in al-Maslub district killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 12 others, according to preliminary field reports.
“So many people are being killed in Yemen — it’s a tragedy and it’s unjustified. … Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility,” she said. “It’s shocking.” She said many wounded were taken to hospitals in Jawf and Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The humanitarian group Save the Children condemned the airstrike, saying it showed that the conflict in Yemen was “not slowing down.” “This latest attack must be urgently and independently investigated, and perpetrators held to account,” said Xavier Joubert, the charity’s country director in Yemen.
He called for halting arms sales to the warring parties in Yemen’s conflict. “Those who continue to sell arms to the warring parties must realize that by supplying weapons for this war, they contribute to making atrocities like today’s all too common,” Joubert said.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the pillars of the US-backed coalition, have purchased billions of dollars’ worth of weapons from Western countries, particularity the US. The rebels released graphic images showing destroyed buildings and vehicles and bodies, claiming they were of the victims. They also released footage allegedly showing the downing of the Saudi aircraft and its wreckage.
The warplane crash and the airstrikes came amid heavy clashes between the government forces and Houthis in the provinces of Marib, Jawf and Sanaa. Hundreds of people, mostly fighters, were killed in the recent clashes that have also forced at least 4,700 families to flee, according to the UN.
The Yemen conflict began with the 2014 takeover of the capital by the Houthis, who control much of the country’s north along the border with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states intervened in March 2015 trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. (AP) The strikes killed more than 30 civilians in a mountainous northern Yemeni province.
Beijing, Feb 16 (PTI): The death toll from China’s coronavirus epidemic has climbed to 1,665 after 142 more people died, mostly in the worst-hit Hubei Province, and the confirmed cases jumped to 68,500, officials said on Sunday, as top WHO experts scramble to assist Beijing contain the virus spread.
C h i n a ’s N a t i o n a l Health Commission confirmed 2,009 new cases across the country.
Hubei and its provincial capital Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December, reported 1,843 of the new cases. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in Hubei to 56,249 cases.
Of the new deaths, 139 were in Hubei, two in Sichuan, and one in Hunan, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The number of new cases, however, appears to have started dropping and a top Chinese health official has said efforts to control the outbreak have reached the “most crucial stage”.
The report said 9,419 infected patients had been discharged from hospital after recovery so far.
The coronavirus has posed a severe threat to the medical staff as more than 1,700 Chinese health officials have been infected London, Feb 16 (AFP): Storm Dennis swept across Britain on Sunday with the army drafted in to help deal with heavy flooding and high winds, officials warning it could be “life-threatening” in South Wales. The government weather agency issued a rare red warning for the area, saying there was a risk of “significant impacts from flooding” that included a “danger to life from fast flowing water, extensive flooding to property and road closures”.
Almost 200 flood warnings were in place early on Sunday, extending from Scotland’s River Tweed to Cornwall in southwest England. Winds of over 90 miles per hour (150 kilometres per hour) were recorded in Aberdaron, south Wales.
The Ministry of Defence had earlier deployed troops in West Yorkshire, northern England, which suffered badly from flooding caused by last weekend’s Storm Ciara. “Our armed forces are always ready to support local authorities and communities whenever they need it,” said defence minister Ben Wallace. British Airways and easyJet confirmed they had grounded flights, while two bodies were pulled from rough seas off the south England coast on Saturday as the storm barrelled in. by the virus while treating the patients and six of them have died.
Exper ts from the World Health Organisation are expected in Beijing on Sunday to join Chinese health authorities in containing the virus, which has spread to several other countries forcing them to temporarily stop tourist arrivals from China.
The health commission said a joint mission with WHO experts will pay field visits to China’s three provincial-level regions to learn the effectiveness of the epidemic control measures. One task of the mission will be to come up with standard medicine to cure the disease, according to the health commission. Several antiviral drugs are under clinical trials and Chinese researchers have narrowed down their focus to a few existing drugs, including Chloroquine Phosphate, Favipiravir and Remdesivir, said Zhang Xinmin, director of the China National Centre for Biotechnology Development.
Experts have asked people to frequently wash hands and face, and wear masks.
Authorities have begun quarantining large quantity of bank notes and coins in the affected areas and sanitising them with UV light before releasing them back into circulation to stop the virus from spreading. Of the new deaths, 139 were in Hubei, two in Sichuan, and one in Hunan, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Turkey has no intention to invade Syria: Erdogan
Ist anbul, Feb 16 (IAN S): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey has “no intention to invade or annex the Syrian territory”.
Speaking on Saturday at an event of his ruling party in Istanbul, Erdogan noted that the problem in Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, would not be resolved until the government forces are drawn to the limits set by the Sochi deal, Xinhua reported. “Otherwise, we will handle it before the end of February,” the Turkish president stressed. Earlier in the day, Erdogan and US President Donald Trump exchanged views by phone on ending the crisis in Idlib as soon as possible, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications announced on Twitter. The two leaders agreed that the attacks of the Syrian government forces against the Turkish soldiers in Idlib were unacceptable. On Monday, five Turkish soldiers were killed and five others wounded in a Syrian government forces’ artillery attack in Idlib. Earlier in February, the Syrian forces killed eight Turks, including five soldiers, in another artillery offensive in the region. Nine drug addicts killed in Afghan shooting Kabul, Feb 16 (IAN S): Nine drug addicts were shot to death in an overnight shooting in a nonresidential area in western side of Kabul, Afghanistan, the capital police said on Sunday.
“The shooting occurred at side of Qurugh Mountain in Police District 6 roughly at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Personnel of Kabul Criminal Investigation Police Department shifted the bodies to Forensic Science Service Department near Kabul University shortly after the shooting was reported,” Ferdaus Faramarz from Kabul police told Xinhua. One arrest was made after the shooting and the motive behind the incident remained unclear. Further investigation is on, police added.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits his father Kim Jong Il’s mausoleum at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
Py ongy ang, Feb 16 (IAN S): North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in three weeks on Sunday to take part in a ceremony marking what would have been the 78th birthday of his late father Kim Jong-il. Kim paid tribute to his predecessor at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the capital Pyongyang. After his death, Kim Jong-il was made “Eternal General Secretary” of the secretive communist nation.
Kim Jong-un laid flowers before the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather, Kim Il-sung, who founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948, Efe news reported.
Kim paid the “highest tributes” to his father. He was accompanied by several senior North Korean officials but the news agency did not reveal the date of the event.
It did, however, publish images of the ceremony, which showed that Kim’s entourage was smaller than in previous years.
On several occasions, the birthdays of North Korea’s former leaders have been celebrated with huge public events and fireworks.
It was Kim’s first public appearance since January 25, an absence that has given rise to rumours that his withdrawal was linked to the outbreak of COVID19 in neighbouring China. North Korea has already closed its borders to tourism and requires any citizen returning from China to enter into quarantine. As of yet, the so-called hermit kingdom has not reported any cases of the new coronavirus, which has killed over 1,600 people in China. The outbreak is concentrated around the city of Wuhan in Hubei province.
More than 70,000 people have now been infected with the virus, the vast majority of them in China.
Kim Jong-un, officially the Marshal of the Republic, inherited his role after his father’s death in 2011.
Little is known of the leader, who is thought to be around 36 or 37.
North Korea has been a communist family dynasty since its founding and its border with South Korea, known as the Demilitarized Zone, is one of the most heavily guarded in the world.
1ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY
Border wall in Mexico turns into ‘mural of love’
Mexico, Feb 16 (IAN S): Dozens of red hearts were painted on the metal barrier that separates the Mexican city of Tijuana from San Diego in the US as part of a recurring project by independent artist Enrique Chiu to spread a message of love and brotherhood.
Children, adolescents, and adults arrived at the venue on Mexico’s border frontage with paintbrushes and full of enthusiasm to take part in the project called “Muro de Hermandad” (Mural of Brotherhood) that began three years, Efe news reported.
The Mexican artist, who spent more than a decade in the US before settling in Tijuana, said it was not a political movement and did not seek funds, but was based on love and efforts of common citizens.
Chiu invited people on social media to take part in the event aimed at filling the metal bars with hearts to mark February, the month of love.
The painter said he was happy with the threeyear-long project, which has become popular over time, with new paintings being created every month.
Many celebrities have joined the activities. Those include Mexican actor Eliza Gonzalez, who has been to Tijuana at least four times to paint messages or drawings on the border barrier close to the Tijuana beach. Chiu said dozens of other artists had also participated in the extended mural, and he expected other big names such as singer Alejandro Fernandez and Luis Fernando Pena to join shortly.
The artist had sought permission for the project from the US government before starting it and was allowed to proceed on the condition that the paintings should be carried out only on the Mexican side.
Each mass painting event is accompanied by live music, food and attended by families. University students and people from other public and private institutions also take part on occasions.
Chiu said he had spent around $9,000 on the project so far but was happy to see the results and the unity among people, who do not want more walls to divide them. Apart from writing their names or messages, the participants were also allowed to use colours of their choice to paint their hearts as they feel.
DP-1206
Late Kevithüto John Richa (Lele) It has been one year since you left us for your heavenly abode on this day. We still feel your presence in our hearts. We remember you in our prayer. We miss you everyday in our own special ways. But we have faith in God that you are resting in eternal Peace.
Rest well in Peace till we meet again.
4th DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF Lt. LHOUHELIE SELETSU
Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday. Unseen, unheard but always near; still loved, and will always be missed.
The 65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 were held on February 15 in ‘Awesome’ Assam. This was the first edition of the award show which was held outside Mumbai. The who’s who of Bollywood graced the event by their presence and dressed their sartorial best.
The event was hosted by Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan and Vicky Kaushal. Zoya Akhtar’s directorial ‘Gully Boy’ emerged as big winner of the night. The film bagged several awards including the most coveted Best Film.
Kartik Aaryan, Ranveer Singh and several other tinsel town stars entertained the audience with their power-packed performances. ‘Gully Boy’ wins big at 65th Filmfare Awards Complete list of winners Filmfare Awards 2020 Best Film - ‘Gully Boy’ Best Director - Zoya Akhtar (‘Gully Boy’) Best Film (Critics) - ‘Article 15’ (Anubhav Sinha) and ‘Sonchiriya’ (Abhishek Chaubey) Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) - Ranveer Singh (‘Gully Boy’) Best Actor (Critics) - Ayushmann Khurrana (‘Article 15’) Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) - Alia Bhatt (‘Gully Boy’) Best Actress (Critics) - Bhumi Pednekar (‘Saand Ki Aankh’) and Taapsee (‘Saand Ki Aankh’) Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) - Amruta Subhash (‘Gully Boy’) Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) - Siddhant Chaturvedi (‘Gully Boy’) Best Music Album - ‘Gully Boy’ l Zoya Akhtar-Ankur Tewari and ‘Kabir Singh’ I Mithoon, Amaal Mallik, Vishal Mishra, Sachet–Parampara and Akhil Sachdeva Best Lyrics - Divine and Ankur Tewari - Apna Time Aayega - ‘Gully Boy’ Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh...Kalank Nahi...’Kalank’ Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shilpa Rao...Ghungroo...’War’ Best Debut Director - Aditya Dhar - ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ Best Debut Actor - Abhimanyu Dassani - ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ Best Debut Actress - Ananya Pandey - ‘Student Of The Year 2’, ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ Best Original Story - ‘Article 15’ - Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki Best Screenplay - ‘Gully Boy’ - Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar Best Dialogue - ‘Gully Boy’- Vijay Maurya Lifetime Achievement Award - Ramesh Sippy Excellence In Cinema - Govinda (Times of India) A ctor Sidharth Shukla on Sunday beat nemesis Asim Riaz to emerge as the winner of reality show “Bigg Boss” Season 13.
Shukla is best known for TV shows “Balika Vadhu” and “Dil Se Dil Tak”.
He made his Bollywood debut in 2014 with “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, which starred Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead.
Throughout “Bigg Boss 13”, the actor stayed in news for his aggressive behaviour towards fellow contestants. His rivalry with Asim was one of the biggest talking points of the Colors TV show and many fans expected the final competition to be between them.
Besides Sidharth and Asim, four other finalists of the show were Shehnaaz Gill (Sana), Rashami Desai, Aarti Singh and Paras Chhabra. Shehnaaz, who was known for her closeness to Sidharth, was the second runners up while Rashami came fourth. Paras, hailed as a gamer on “Bigg Boss”, was the first to leave the house during the finale as he took Rs 10 lakh prize money that the show offered the six finalists.
Then, Aarti’s mother came inside the house to take her out with her. Asim, Sana, Rashami and Aarti have won themselves tickets to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, as announced by the show’s host Salman Khan.
The finale saw performances by all the couples, who hit headlines on the show, including Sidharth-Shehnaaz, Asim-Himanshi Khurana and SidharthRashami.
All the finalists had their families and former contestants cheering them.
(PTI) Sidharth Shukla wins ‘Bigg Boss 13’
Queen and Adam Lambert played the band’s setlist from their iconic 1985 Live Aid concert for Fire Fight Australia, the massive Australian bushfire benefit concert held in Sydney today (February 16).
This was the band’s first time performing the original 22-minute set “for the first time in its history”, Queen noted in a social media post earlier today. At Fire Fight Australia, Queen even broadcast footage of late frontman Freddie Mercury to replicate how Mercury encouraged the 1985 Live Aid audience at Wembley in an energetic singalong, only to light-heartedly tell them “Fuck you” afterwards.
Brian May had previously described Fire Fight Australia as a benefit concert “a bit like Live Aid” when he initially revealed that Queen had been approached to play the event.
Fire Fight Australia is being broadcast live in Australia via Channel Seven and Foxtel. Viewers in the UK will be able to watch selected highlights on Sky One HD from 8pm on Monday, February 17.
Besides Queen, other acts playing Fire Fight Australia included Alice Cooper, k.d. Lang, Ronan Keating and Michael Buble.
Aussie artists playing the massive event included Olivia Newton-John, Daryl Braithwaite, Hilltop Hoods, Icehouse, Amy Shark, Baker Boy, Peking Duk and many more.
(NME) Queen play 1985 Live Aid setlist ‘for first time in history’ T he new teaser of “No Time To Die”, which will see Hollywood star Daniel Craig as the suave spy James Bond for the last time, promises a lot of action.
The high-octane 30-second clip also features Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch, reports dailymail.co.uk.
“James Bond,” Malek’s voice begins at the start of the clip. “License to kill. I could be speaking to my own reflection.”
“Come on, Bond,” Fiennes says with a look of intensity. “Where the hell are you?”
The teaser promises plenty of highspeed chases and explosions, with Bond narrowly averting disaster on multiple occasions.
The teaser also shows the newest Bond girl, played by Armas.
Bond approaches Paloma (Armas) at the corner of a bustling street corner, where she is having a drink at the bar. “Whenever you’re ready,” he tells her. She scolds him, “You’re late.”
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s “No Time to Die” will be the fifth portrayal of 007 by Craig, who has previously starred in “Casino Royale”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Skyfall” and “Spectre”. (IANS) James Bond back in action in new teaser of ‘No Time To Die’
Singer Jessica Simpson has spoken about being body-shamed after photos of her in high-waisted denim “mom jeans” at a music festival in 2009, went viral.
The 39-year-old told Stellar magazine that it was a difficult time and she was “heartbroken” by the response to the photos, reports dailymail.co.uk.
“I beat myself up over it. I was taking diet pills and pinching my fat until it bruised,” she said.
“People were used to seeing me washing a car in a bikini as Daisy Duke in ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’,” she recalled.
She went on to say that she has since changed and has “a lot of confidence in the woman I am today”.
“The person I’m presenting to people (today) is very vulnerable and very raw, but I can take ownership over her,” she said.
She recently released her autobiography, “Open Book”, where she touched upon her relationships, struggle with substance abuse and childhood trauma.
There is also chapter in her memoir dedicated to her fat-shaming experience, titled: “Death by Mom Jeans”.
Talking about the experience on a TV show, she explained that she was just a size four at the time.
“This picture that circulated and went worldwide broke my heart,” she said while promoting her memoir. (IANS) V eteran screen and stage actress Lynn Cohen, who was best known for playing Magda in the hit TV series “Sex and the City” and its two film versions, has passed away. She was 86.
The cause of death was not given in the announcement made by her management company, deadline. com reported on Saturday. She had featured in many TV shows like “Damages” and “Law & Order”. She also made guest appearances in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “God Friended Me”, “Chicago Med” and “Master of None”.
As for films, Cohen co-starred as Golda Meir in the Oscar-nominated Steven Spielberg film “Munich”. She also appeared in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and more.
She also showed her acting skills on the stage. Her stage roles on Broadway included “Orpheus Descending” and “Ivanov”. She was a staple in the New York Theater community, earning her Lucille Lortel and Drama League Award nominations, along with the New Dramatists’ Bowden Award, Fox Fellow, Lilly Award and the Richard Seff Award.
She is survived by her spouse Ronald Cohen. No memorial plans have been announced till now.
(IANS) Jessica Simpson opens up about being body-shamed ‘Sex and the City’ actress Lynn Cohen no more
Barcelona, FEB 16 (AGENC IES): A slick Antoine Griezmann strike set Barcelona on their way against Getafe in La Liga on Saturday before they survived a late onslaught from the gritty visitors to win 2-1.
The result leaves Barcelona trailing on goal-difference atop La Liga before leaders Real Madrid’s Sunday home game with Celta Vigo.
In a physically engaging game, Barca star Jordi Alba limped off in the first half. Alba, the club tweeted after the game, “is suffering from a right adductor muscle injury and will be undergoing further tests.”
The Catalan giants have a Champions League last-16 game away to Napoli on Tuesday.
Barcelona forwards Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele are both out with long-term injuries.
Fed by a masterful through ball from Lionel Messi, Griezmann’s finish was perfect as he clipped the ball over onrushing goalkeeper David Soria on 33 minutes.
“I’ve been here seven months and have started to fit in and build an understanding (with Messi),” said French World Cup winner Griezmann. “We are getting used to each other and it will continue to get better with time.”
Sergi Roberto doubled the scores six minutes after the opener, firing into the bottom corner from a cross by Alba’s replacement Junior Firpo.
But a late rally from Getafe, third in La Liga after four straight wins without conceding a goal, gave Barca a scare. Getafe, playing in their dayglo yellow away strip, often silenced the 80,409 fans at the Camp Nou. Their direct approach yielded a goal when Angel Rodriguez scored with a powerful volley on 66 minutes.
Rodriguez came within an inch of pulling Getafe level on 73 minutes sparking a goalmouth scramble. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen scooped the ball off the line.
Barcelona clung on before Griezmann and Messi both went close with late efforts.
Allan Nyom thought he had put Getafe ahead on 25 minutes when he banged home a rebound. A VAR review, however, judged he had fouled Samuel Umtiti.
Mallorca climbed out of the relegations places as Cucho Hernandez scored the goal in a 1-0 home victory over Alaves.
Real Sociedad’s visit to Eibar on Sunday has been called off because of poor air quality following a landslide into a nearby rubbish dump, the clubs announced on Saturday.
The Basque regional health department had recommended that sports be avoided in the area after the rockslide on February 6 into the Zaldibar rubbish dump, about eight kilometres from Eibar’s Ipurua stadium. Antoine Griezmann (left) celebrates scoring Barcelona’s first goal after being set up by Lionel Messi (right).
C H I CA G O, F E B 1 6 (AGENC IES): The National Basketball Association AllStar Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, league Commissioner Adam Silver said on Saturday.
Bryant, an 18-time AllStar who won a recordtying four All-Star Game MVP awards, his 13-yearold daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. He was 41. “His loss, together with his daughter and those other seven people on the helicopter, is unspeakable,” Silver said at a news conference before the All-Star Saturday Night event at the United Center in Chicago. “As the father of a child ... that’s the unimaginable.”
The Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be presented on Sunday to the most valuable player at the end of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. “Kobe Bryant is synonymous with NBA All-Star and embodies the spirit of this global celebration of our game,” Silver said in a statement. “He always relished the opportunity to compete with the best of the best and perform at the highest level for millions of fans around the world.” Bryant made his NBA AllStar Game debut in 1998 at age 19 – the youngest player to ever play in an All-Star Game. His 18 All-Star selections are the second most in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at 19. Silver said the decision to name the MVP award in honor of Bryant was made collectively by league officials and some players.
“To all of us, it seemed like the appropriate way to bring honor to him,” Silver said. Silver also spoke about the loss of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who oversaw explosive growth in the popularity of the game during his 30-year tenure. Silver said that Stern, who died in January, and Bryant had a lot in common. “They were both determined to win,” he said. “They could be difficult at times because they prioritized winning, and often, they didn’t have time for some of the niceties around personal relationships because it was about winning.” Moments after Silver’s news conference ended, the packed United Center stood and cheered as the game clock was wound up to 24.2, in honor of Bryant’s No. 24 jersey number and the No. 2 that Gianna Bryant wore when she played basketball at her father’s Mamba Sports Academy. New Delhi , Feb 16 (IAN S): The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) second Apex Council meeting on Sunday saw the officials decide on playing one Day-Night Test in Australia and also approved a budget of Rs 2 crore on an ad-hoc basis to the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA).
This apart, the officials also decided to speak to D.K. Jain before taking a call on the term of the ombudsman.
Speaking to IANS, an Apex Council member said that a decision was taken that India will play a D/N Test when they tour Australia at the end of the year.
“It has been decided that Virat Kohli and the boys will play a Day-Night Test when they tour Australia at the end of the year. We did have a talk on the idea and it was felt that the request from Cricket Australia can definitely be honoured,” the member said.
Asked about the funding to the ICA, the member said that a total budget of Rs 2 crore has been approved as of now and a revised presentation needs to be made before release of future funds. Ind to play D/N Test in Australia NBA names All-Star MVP Award after Kobe Bryant
Mumbai Indians to face Chennai Super Kings in IPL opener
M umb ai , F E B 1 6 (IAN S): Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a repeat of last year’s final in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 13 on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The schedule for the league phase, which was accessed by IANS, was sent to the franchises on Saturday. The dates for the knockouts will be announced later.
Apart from the openin day and the last day of the league stage, which will be on March 29 and May 17, respectively, Sundays will feature two matches. In a first, there will be no double headers on Saturdays.
To accommodate the extra matches, the league stage has been extended by a week. The league stage for the 2020 season will thus be 50 days long, as opposed to 44 days last year. The last league game will be between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. All seven franchises except for Rajasthan Royals have retained their home bases. The Royals have been offered two home venues -- Guwahati and Jaipur -- as options as the Rajasthan High Court is yet to decide on a PIL filed on the matter.
Sources told IANS that the rules and regulations of the IPL allow a franchise to move three of its home games to a second venue as long as it has the approval of the IPL Governing Council.
“The rules clearly say that you can play three of your home matches at a second venue as long as you have the clearance of the IPL GC. So, the Royals franchise is not doing anything that is against the policy,” the source said. Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (File)
Duplantis breaks own pole vault world record
MYK C Glasg ow, FEB 16 (AGENC IES): Sweden’s Armand Duplantis set a world pole vault record of 6.18 metres at an indoor meeting in Glasgow on Saturday, adding one centimetre to the record he set in Poland last week.
Duplantis, who won silver at last year’s world championships in Doha, cleared the bar with something to spare and won a world record bonus cheque for $30,000.
The old record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie had stood since 2014 until Duplantis broke it last Saturday in Torun, Poland.
Duplantis, known by his nickname “Mondo”, did a lap of the track signing autographs in Glasgow.
“There are so many things that go into this, so many years of hard work,” he said. “It’s really complicated but I guess when you’re doing it right it seems simple.
“I feel good on the runway, I feel fast, I feel strong and I feel I am working the poles I have really well. I’m excited for the outdoor season. The Olympics is the biggest thing that a track and field athlete can compete in and that is when I want to have my best competition this season.
“It is a good start but that’s where I want to be the best.”
Duplantis opened on Saturday at 5.50m and got over 5.75m on his second Armand Duplantis
try. Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks led at that point, but the US athlete exited the competition at the next height, 5.84m.
The 20-year-old sailed over on his first attempt. With no one else left in the competition, he then flew over 6m.
Duplantis had the bar moved up to 6.18m and one attempt was all he needed.
The pole vaulter was born in the United States to American father and coach Greg -- himself a former pole vaulter who cleared 5.80m -- and Swedish heptathlete mother Helena.
Duplantis’ performances mark him out as a clear favourite for the Olympic title in Tokyo later this year.
He claimed silver at October’s World Athletics Championships in Doha behind Hendricks just months after turning professional.
Duplantis credits a new fitness drive with success on the same pole he used in the Qatari capital. “These meets are important to get a lot of technical things done and sort out the little details to have that perfect jump at the right time,” Duplantis said. L e i p z ig , F E B 1 6 (AGENC IES):Werder Bremen RB Leipzig eased past struggling Werder Bremen 3-0 on Saturday to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga, two points ahead of champions Bayern Munich.
Having failed to win in their last four games in all competitions, Leipzig were desperate to bounce back on their home ground and Lukas Klostermann’s 18th minute goal quickly put them in the driving seat.
Patrik Schick, who had set up Klostermann, then grabbed one himself, heading in his sixth league goal in the 39th minute before Nordi Mukiele latched on to a deep through ball to fire in their third goal a minute after the restart.
Leipzig, who face Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday, move up to 45 points, with Bayern, in action against Cologne on Sunday, on 43.
Borussia Dortmund, winners 4-0 over Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday, are in third place on 42.
“We played a good game and fully deserved to win,” Czech international Schick told reporters. “I am happy for my goal but more importantly it is a big boost ahead of Spurs.”
Lars Stindl scored twice as Borussia Moenchengladbach stormed to a 4-1 win at Fortuna Duesseldorf — their first away win since November — to join Dortmund on 42 points.
Former champions Werder, who have now lost eight of their last nine league games, are stuck in 17th place, a point above last-placed Paderborn.
Bayer Leverkusen kept their Champions League hopes in tact when Karim Bellarabi struck in stoppage time to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Union Berlin to keep them within striking distance of a top-four spot, in fifth place on 40. PAR IS,FEB 16 (AGEN CIES): Paris St Germain’s second-string side were held to a 4-4 draw at struggling Amiens after erasing a threegoal deficit only to concede a stoppage time-equaliser in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The result left PSG 13 points clear of secondplaced Olympique de Marseille after manager Thomas Tuchel rested several regular starters ahead of Tuesday’s first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund.
The makeshift lineup, with midfielder Ander Herrera playing in an unfamiliar right-back role, looked all at sea in the opening half as goals from Serhou Guirassy, Gael Kakuta and Fousseni Diabate gave 19th-placed Amiens a 3-0 lead.
A huge shock seemed on the cards as Diabate capped a jinking run through the middle with a low shot which went in off the post but Herrera pulled one back for the French champions on the stroke of halftime Ligue 1: PSG held to 4-4 draw at Amiens when he steered in a Julian Draxler corner.
The Spaniard’s goal helped turn the match as a pair of headers from centre back Tanguy Kouassi levelled the scores inside the opening 20 minutes of the second half.
Amiens had again been undone by set pieces as Draxler swung in another corner for Kouassi to rise above his marker and head into the net. Five minutes later, the defender met Angel Di Maria’s cross at the far post to silence the home fans. With Amiens on the back foot, it was no surprise that PSG grabbed a 4-3 lead in the 74th minute as Mauro Icardi popped up at the far post and tapped in a fine low cross by Juan Bernat.
His astonishing miss in the dying minutes was punished moments later at the other end as Guirassy levelled with a fine finish from inside the penalty area after he was put through by substitute Quentin Cornette. Amiens’ Serhou Guirassy celebrates scoring their fourth goal . Bundesliga: RB Leipzig beat Bremen to go top
I-League: Dicka goal gives Punjab important win
Ludhi ana, Feb 16 (IAN S): The clash of the Northern teams in Ludhiana ended with the extension of Punjab FC’s unbeaten home run as they defeated Real Kashmir FC 1-0. Dipanda Dickas strike was the differentiator as he went to the top of the goalscoring charts with nine goals in the league - tied with Mohun Bagan’s Fran Gonzalez.
Punjab FC now have 21 points from 13 games whereas Real Kashmir have 15 points from 10 games.
Punjab FC played the first half looking to maintain possession and ended the first 45 minutes with 67 per cent of the ball.
In the 44th minute, an attack which started with the Punjab talisman Dipanda Dicka was joined in by Cavin Lobo. Dicka played a beautiful one-two with Lobo and with a delightful first-time strike, he sent the ball between the legs of the Real Kashmir FC keeper to put his team in front at the brink of half-time.
The referee blew the whistle and Punjab won the match 1-0. Dipanda Dicka won the Hero of the Match award for his solitary goal.
Jones Jr. wins the NBA All-Star slam dunk contest
C HICA GO, FEB 16 (AGENC IES): Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams.
Jones and Gordon each got a perfect 50 on both of their dunks in the final. Then they got two more perfect scores on their first jam in the dunk-off.
Jones then took off from just inside the foul line and threw down a windmill jam with his left hand, drawing a 48 from the panel of five judges.
After a short discussion with Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, Gordon brought out 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics rookie Tacko Fall and positioned him near the basket. He then took the ball from Fall’s hands on his way to a thunderous dunk.
The United Center gasped as the courtside NBA stars celebrated. But Gordon was awarded a 47, giving the victory to Jones. Gordon also lost a memorable dunk contest to Zach LaVine in 2016. Earlier, Sacramento Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr climbs the ladder during the NBA slam dunk contest.
Kings guard Buddy Hield made a late surge to win the 3-Point Contest. Hield nailed a two-point money ball from the corner to finish with 27 points, edging Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker by one in the final round.
Hield is one of the few bright spots for struggling Sacramento, averaging 20.4 points while shooting about 39 percent from 3-point range.
Washington’s Davis Bertans opened the second and final round with a 22, before Booker eliminated him.
Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago’s Zach LaVine were eliminated after they failed to crack the top three in the first
MYK C round.
The opening act of the evening was Miami’s Bam Adebayo winning the All-Star skills challenge. Adebayo narrowly defeated Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis in the final in a matchup of All-Star big men. He shared a hug with former Heat star Dwyane Wade after accepting the trophy.
