High taxation, lack of infrastructure and rising pollution levels are impeding the growth of yacht tourism in India, an industry expert has pointed out.
India has as high as 60 per cent tax on imports of yachts which is discouraging industry players from bringing luxurious boats into the country, Gulu Lalvani, the chairman of Royal Phuket Marina, told visiting Indian journalists on the sidelines of a yacht exhibition here.
At the same time, places like Phuket have zero import tax on boats and offer great price advantage to enthusiasts to own yachts at these places instead of importing into India, he explained.
Acknowledging the Narendra Modi-led government's efforts to promote cruise and sea tourism in India, he said the country with its vast coastline has a great potential for the yacht industry and creating jobs.
But rising pollution levels and lack of port base and berthing facilities are major challenges to growth, Lalvani noted. The growth has been limited to few places like ...

High taxes, pollution major challenges to yachting in India: Expert

PTI Automatic

Australian great Margaret Court has predicted nerves could undermine Serena Williams' bid to match her record 24 singles majors at Melbourne Park, clearing the way for an outsider to snatch the title.
She disputed the bookies' assessment that Serena is red-hot favourite to lift the Australian Open trophy for an eighth time, taking her overall Grand Slam tally to 24 and equalling Court's mark.
"I think it's possible for Serena to equal me, if anybody's gonna do it, it's Serena, but I don't think there's a clear-cut favourite," Court told Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper Sunday.
"I think it's a pretty open tournament and I think an outsider can win it." Williams, 37, has won 23 singles Grand Slams since 1999 -- seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons and six US Opens.
Court, now 76, won 24 singles Grand Slams from 1960-73 -- 11 Australian Opens, five French Opens, three Wimbledons and five US Opens.
However, 13 of Court's titles came before 1968, when the women's ...

Court says nerves could jinx Serena's record Slam bid

Actor Chris Pine says his character Steve Trevor is "tonally" different in "Wonder Woman 1984" as "tables have turned" for him.
Director Patty Jenkins, who helmed Warner Bros blockbuster "Wonder Woman" fronted by Gal Gadot, is back for the sequel and so is Pine.
Last year, Jenkins made a startling revelation that the actor will reprise his role of Trevor, an American pilot and the love interest of Diana Prince/ Wonder Woman. The character had sacrificed himself at the end of the 2017 film.
The filmmaker had also shared Pine's still from the film which features him dressed in an '80s avatar, along with the extras rocking yesteryear's look.
Talking about his return in the sequel, Pine told Variety, "This one is a little different for me tonally. The tables are turned, and I'm more of the deer in the headlights."
The actor also said that he got emotional while filming in Washington DC for the movie.
"I cried in front of the Supreme Court. I was like, man, for all that we f**ked up, we're 

Steve Trevor is tonally different in 'Wonder Woman 1984: Chris Pine

A mysterious cosmic explosion detected about 200 million light years away may be the exact moment a star collapsed to form a black hole or neutron star, scientists say.
Researchers from Northwestern University in the US are getting closer to understanding the mysteriously bright object that burst in the northern sky this summer.
On June 17, the ATLAS survey's twin telescopes in Hawaii found a spectacularly bright anomaly 200 million light years away in the Hercules constellation.
Dubbed AT2018cow or "The Cow," the object quickly flared up, then vanished almost as quickly.
After combining several imaging sources, including hard X-rays and radiowaves, the multi-institutional team now speculates that the telescopes captured the exact moment a star collapsed to form a compact object, such as a black hole or neutron star.
The stellar debris, approaching and swirling around the object's event horizon, caused the remarkably bright glow.
This rare event will help astronomers better understand 

Collapse of star captured for the first time

Actor Tom Sizemore was arrested by Burbank Police on the charges of alleged drug possession.
According to January 5 arrest logs of Burbank Police Department, the 57-year-old actor was pulled over by the police near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Evergreen Street.
During the consented search of the actor's vehicle, police found "various illegal narcotics".
The police arrested Sizemore and another male passenger for misdemeanour possession and both posted a USD 1,000 bail before being released later that day.
Sizemore, who has starred in films such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Black Hawk Down" and "Pearl Harbour", has been arrested in the past as well for drug-related charges.
A spokesperson for the actor has not yet commented on his arrest.

Tom Sizemore arrested for alleged drug possession

India's former ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, will speak on Mahatma Gandhi's influence on American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr in Houston on Tuesday.
The event is hosted by Rothko Chapel, as part of its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, in partnership with Houston's Mahatma Gandhi Library.
The talk of Rao will explore the influence of Gandhi on Dr. King. It will be moderated by Melanie Lawson, an award-winning journalist.
Rao was received in Washington on Saturday by newly appointed Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh V Shringla.
"Delighted to receive N Menon Rao, former Foreign Secretary (I had the privilege of working closely under her supervision) and Ambassador of India to USA, who provided me with a wealth of information and suggestions on the relationship," Shringla tweeted.
"A genuine pleasure to meet an old friend and former colleague, our experienced, highly professional, competent and people-oriented new Ambassador to the US, ...

Nirupama Rao to speak on Gandhi's influence on Martin Luther King Jr in Houston on Tue

Pakistan's Supreme Court has directed the federal and provincial governments to compensate within a month all those who suffered losses during the violent protests by radical Islamist parties following the acquittal of Christian woman Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case.
The apex court in October overturned the conviction of the 47-year-old mother of four, who was on death row for eight years for blasphemy, in a landmark verdict that sparked nationwide protests, death threats from hardline groups and cheers from human rights advocates.
A two-judge bench headed by Pakistan's Chief Justice Saqib Nisar issued the order on Saturday while hearing a suo motu case at the apex court's Lahore Registry regarding losses and damages to property during the three-day long nationwide sit-ins staged by religious parties led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the Express Tribune newspaper reported.
As the proceedings started, a government official submitted a report pertaining to assessment of losses 

Pak SC gives govt one month's time to compensate riot victims

Scientists have developed a 3D printing method that is up to 100 times faster than existing processes.
The approach lifts complex shapes from a vat of liquid rather than building up plastic filaments layer by layer.
3D printing could change the game for relatively small manufacturing jobs, producing fewer than 10,000 identical items, because it would mean that the objects could be made without the need for a mold costing upwards of USD 10,000.
However the most familiar form of 3D printing, which is sort of like building 3D objects with a series of 1D lines, hasn't been able to fill that gap on typical production timescales of a week or two.
"Using conventional approaches, that's not really attainable unless you have hundreds of machines," said Timothy Scott, an associate professor at University of Michigan in the US.
Their method solidifies the liquid resin using two lights to control where the resin hardens -- and where it stays fluid. This enables the team to solidify the resin in ..

Novel method can 3D print objects 100 times faster

Actors Tyrese Gibson and Frank Grillo are set to star alongside Naomie Harris in the crime thriller "Black and Blue".
According to Deadline, the film will be directed by "Traffik" helmer Deon Taylor from a script by Peter A Dowling.
The story follows a rookie New Orleans cop (Harris) who rounds the corner just as corrupt narc officers are murdering a drug dealer, an event captured by her body cam.
When they then fail to execute her and she escapes, the narcs pin the murder on her, and she is hunted both by the narcs who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage and the drug dealers out for revenge.
Besides Gibson, Grillo and Harris, the film will also feature actors Reid Scott and Beau Knapp.
Sean Sorensen is producing the project through his banner Royal Viking Entertainment, alongside Taylor's Hidden Empire Film Group production.
Gibons, 40, is best known for playing Roman Pierce in the "Fast and Furious" franchise.
Grillo, 53, has films such as "Warrior", "Captain America: 

Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo join Naomie Harris in 'Black and Blue'

There doesn't seem to be much love in the air in Washington these days, as a long and bitter government shutdown drags on with no end in sight.
But couples whose marriage plans were thwarted by the partial shutdown have gotten a break, thanks to the action of Mayor Muriel Bowser and city council.
The city's Marriage Bureau, part of the US capital's federally funded court system, had been deemed "nonessential" and shuttered as part of the thorny standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats.
But on Friday, Bowser signed an emergency measure authorising city officials to validate marriages in the absence of the Marriage Bureau, which closed when the budget standoff began on December 22.
"They can shut down the US government, but they cannot shut down love in the District of Columbia," City Council member Brandon Todd said when he introduced the measure.
Titled the Let Our Vows Endure Emergency Amendment Act, or LOVE act, the law is valid for 90 days and will spare .

In Washington, three weddings (whew!) and a shutdown

The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with president Mahmud Abbas poised to take multiple measures against Gaza to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas.
The moves raise concerns of more suffering for Gaza's two million residents, already under an Israeli blockade and facing severe electricity shortages, while a cornered Hamas could renew violence against Israel.
Analysts say the measures will also widen the gap between Hamas-run Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Abbas's government has limited self-rule.
Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah party have been at loggerheads since the Islamists seized control of Gaza from Abbas's forces in a near civil war in 2007, a year after sweepinging parliamentary elections.
Hamas has since fought three bloody wars with Israel and fears of a fourth remain.
Multiple reconciliation attempts between the Palestinian factions have failed but Egypt thought it had made a breakthrough in late 2017 when the two sides agreed .

Palestinian president plans anti-Hamas measures as split widens

Pep Guardiola's rejuvenated Manchester City face a potentially tricky challenge at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday as they continue their Premier League title defence.
But the early days of 2019 suggest their uncharacteristic December collapse is firmly behind them.
The final month of last year saw City lose successive league games, against relatively modest opposition in both Crystal Palace and Leicester City, following an end to their unbeaten domestic start to the campaign earlier at the beginning of December.
But a victory over leaders Liverpool to kick off New Year completely rejuvenated the mood at the Etihad Stadium after City had been denied the services of injured playmaker Kevin De Bruyne for most of the first half of the campaign.
And two stunning cup victories in the space of four days -- albeit against lower league clubs Rotherham and Burton Albion -- suggested the clinical, cutting edge that characterised City's play during last season's record-breaking ...

Resurgent Man City resume title quest against in-form

Hong Kong investors are ready to purchase Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir's 31 percent stake in Italian club Inter Milan, according to reports in Italy on Saturday.
The Chinese Suning Commerce Group purchased a controlling 68.55 percent stake in Inter in 2016.
Thohir had remained as president with 31 percent, but Gazzetta Dello Sport and Sky Sports Italia are reporting that his stake is close to passing into the hands of an unnamed fund in Hong Kong.
Sky Italia said the fund is close to the Suning Holdings Group of Inter Milan's majority shareholder Zhang Jindong.
Negotiations are believed to be at an advanced stage and could be finalised within weeks.
Gazzetta Dello Sport reported "the operation was well underway but not at the point of signatures".
Inter Milan have not won a Serie A title since 2010 when Jose Mourinho coached them to an historic treble including the Champions League.
The club are currently third in Serie A -- 14 points behind leaders Juventus.

Hong Kong investors interested in Inter Milan - reports

Ageless Roger Federer said Sunday he was in a confident mood and warned his rivals he was "playing good tennis" as he aims for a third successive Australian Open title.
The Swiss master enjoyed a successful Hopman Cup warm-up in Perth and knows that at even the grand old age of 37 he has a great chance of a record seventh Melbourne crown and 21st major victory.
"I'm playing good tennis. I'm confident that I think it needs a good performance by my opponent probably to beat me," said the third seed, who opens his defence against Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in Monday's night match on Rod Laver Arena.
A buoyant Federer revealed he had enjoyed a successful break coming into the 2019 season.
"Throughout my career, I've been very lucky that in the off-seasons I never had any setbacks," he told reporters at Melbourne Park.
"What I can say is the off-season was great for me. I think maybe it showed a little bit at the Hopman Cup already. Again, look, I'm playing tomorrow. We'll see how it's ...

Ageless Federer sounds confident warning on eve of Open defence

Roger Federer Sunday said he planned to speak to fellow big guns Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray about the future of ATP Tour chief Chris Kermode after reports of a move to oust him.
Britain's Daily Telegraph said it had seen a strongly worded email sent out by ATP player council member Vasek Pospisil to players ranked between 50 and 100.
It reportedly called for the workforce to "start acting and running like a business not like a  bunch of scared kids ... we need a CEO that first and foremost represents OUR interests".
The email added that "the governance structure of the ATP favours the interests of the tournaments and its (their) owners ... It's time for a change and it can be achieved by staying unified and demanding what we deserve for our hard work".
The ATP board -- comprised of three tournament representatives and three player representatives -- is expected to vote on a possible renewal of Kermode's contract this month.
He needs two of the three board members ...

Federer to talk with Djokovic about ATP board woes

Roger Federer said Sunday he was shocked that tennis was to lose "legend" Andy Murray this year and the Scot should be "incredibly proud" of all he had achieved.
Murray on Friday tearfully declared that his chronic hip injury had not been eased by surgery a year ago.
He then emotionally revealed that he hoped to end his storied career at Wimbledon, but admitted the Australian Open may be his last event because the constant pain was so bad.
"I was disappointed and sad, a little bit shocked, to know now that we're going to lose him at some point," Federer told reporters on the eve of the year's first Grand Slam.
"But we're going to lose everybody at some point. It's just now that it's definite," he added, acknowledging that the era of the "Big Four" -- himself, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Murray was drawing inexorably to a close.
"Of course, it hits us top guys hard because we know Andy very well. We like him. He doesn't have many enemies, to be quite honest," the world number ...

'Legend' Murray can be proud of achievements - Federer

"It just needs to be sorted," said 23-year-old Adam Green, a frustrated Leave voter in Brexit-backing Sunderland, where patience with parliamentary delays over Britain's departure is wearing thin.
The former shipbuilding city in northeast England, where the Nissan carmaker plant is now the lifeblood, played a starring role in Britain's seismic decision to leave the European Union.
The city's 61 per cent vote in favour of leaving in the 2016 referendum signalled early on where the nation was heading on the night of June 23, 2016 and celebrations at the count were beamed worldwide.
Now, as MPs prepare for Tuesday's decision on whether or not to back the divorce deal struck between London and Brussels, voters in Sunderland are urging them to get on with it and get Britain out.
The years of wrangling since the referendum over how, or even if, Britain leaves have certainly dampened the high spirits of that 2016 June night.
"It's become an absolute joke," said Green, who is unemployed for ..

'Get us out': Brexit voters urge MPs to hurry up

Tired but smiling, an 18-year-old Saudi woman who said she feared death if deported back home arrived Saturday in Canada, which offered her asylum in a case that attracted global attention after she mounted a social media campaign.
"This is Rahaf Alqunun, a very brave new Canadian," Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said arm-in-arm with the Saudi woman in Toronto's airport.
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun smiled broadly as she exited an airport arrival door sporting a Canada zipper hoodie and a UN High Commissioner for Refugees hat, capping a dramatic week that saw her flee her family while visiting Kuwait and before flying to Bangkok.
Once there, she barricaded herself in an airport hotel to avoid deportation and tweeted about her situation.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would accept Alqunun as a refugee.
Her situation has highlighted the cause of women's rights in Saudi Arabia, where several women fleeing abuse by their families have been caught trying to ...

Woman who fled Saudi Arabia reaches her new home in Canada

An extensive aerial search for a German tourist missing in the vast Australian outback for almost two weeks has been called off, police said.
Monika Billen, 62, was reported missing last week after leaving her resort in Alice Springs, a remote town near the geographical centre of Australia.
She is believed to have hitched and walked her way to the Emily Gap, a site popular with tourists in a remote nature park famed for its rocky ravines and gorges.
Police had launched land and aerial searches for Billen, including the use of drones.
They believe a motorist may have seen her looking dehydrated and a disorientated as early as January 2.
"Despite our efforts no further evidence has been found to indicate Monika is still out there," Northern Territory Police Superintendent Pauline Vicary said in a statement on Saturday.
"Neither is there any evidence to indicate foul play. The last physical sighting we have for her is the Emily Gap and surrounding area, which we have thoroughly ...

Australia police call off outback search for German tourist

Nineteen people were killed while two remain trapped underground after a roof collapse at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported.
A total of 87 people were working underground in the Shaanxi province mine at the time of the accident on Saturday afternoon, official news agency Xinhua reported, citing local authorities.
The search for the two trapped miners continues while 66 others have been airlifted to safety, Xinhua reported.
The cause of the accident at the site, run by Baiji Mining, is still under investigation.
Deadly mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record despite efforts to improve coal production conditions and crack down on illegal mines.
In December last year, seven miners were killed and three others injured in an accident at a coal mine in China's southwest.
In October, 21 miners died in eastern Shandong province after pressure inside a mine caused rocks to fracture and break, blocking the tunnel and trapping workers. .

Mining accident in China kills 19, two remain trapped

Gabon's prime minister announced a new government in a video message recorded thousands of miles away in Morocco, where ailing Gabonese President Ali Bongo is recovering from a stroke.
Recently appointed PM Julien Nkoghe Bekale gave details of the reshuffle in footage broadcast late Saturday on state television, less than a week after the country foiled an attempted coup.
Gabon has been without effective government for months since Bongo suffered the stroke in October during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
A new cabinet was also announced on Saturday evening by presidential secretary Jean-Yves Teale in another video missive recorded in Morocco. No significant changes were made to either the cabinet or the government.
Gabon's constitution states that ministers must take their vows before the president -- but in Bongo's lengthening absence it is unclear how, when and where the ceremony will take place.
On Monday renegade soldiers stormed a state radio station to call for an uprising while ...

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