Smriti rockets to No.1 in ICC WODI rankings

After stunning performances in the first two ODIs against New Zealand, India's opening batswoman Smriti Mandhana has rocketed to the No.1 spot in the latest ODI women's batters rankings, the ICC announced on Saturday.

Smriti cracked her fourth ODI century and an unbeaten 90 in India's 2-1 win in the three-match rubber against New Zealand.

The Mumbai girl moved up three spots in the batters' rankings to reach the top spot. She leads the pack with Australians Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning at second and third spots, respectively. New Zealand captain Amy Satterhwaite is at the fourth slot, having jumped 10 places.

Indian captain Mithali Raj, who moved down a spot, completes the top five.

According to an International Cricket Council (ICC) statement, it was fine recognition for Smriti, who has been in an exemplary form in the one-day format. 

In the 15 ODIs Smriti has played since the beginning of 2018, she has scored two centuries and eight half-centuries.

Smriti's opening partner Jemimah Rodrigues was another Indian to rise in the rankings. She has played just seven ODIs since making her debut in March 2018, but a half-century in the first ODI at Napier helped the 18-year-old to rise 64 places to the 61th spot in the rankings.

New Zealand captain Amy was another one to catch the eye. Her rise in the rankings is attributed to consecutive half-centuries in the series against India, and four in all in her last 10 ODIs.

Amy's fellow batter Suzie Bates, whose half-century in Hamilton propelled New Zealand to victory in the third ODI, rose one place to No.6.

Lizelle Lee (down two places to No.7), Tammy Beaumont (down two places to No.8), Stafanie Taylor and Chamari Athapaththu (both falling by a place each) complete the top 10.

Among the bowlers, there was less activity in the rankings. But there was good news for India's spin trio -- Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht.

Both Poonam and Deepti jumped five places each and now figure at No.8 and No.9, respectively. Poonam took six wickets in the series to Deepti's four, while Ekta jumped nine places to No.13 after claiming five wickets in the series. 

Veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, whose 3/23 in the second ODI set up the series win, rose one place to No.4 and is the highest-ranked Indian in the top five, with Pakistan's Sana Mir, Australia's Megan Schutt and South Africa's Marizanne Kapp figuring above her.

There was largely no change among the all-rounders. Australia's Ellyse Perry still tops the all-rounders' charts. Apart from Sophie Devine, who moved up one place to No.9, and pushed down Deandra Dottin to No.10, there was no change in the top 10.

Gautam Khaitan's ED custody extended by 6 days

A court here on Saturday extended by six days the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of arrested lawyer Gautam Khaitan, a co-accused in the case relating to the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, in a fresh money laundering case.

He was presented before Special Judge Arvind Kumar who allowed the ED to quiz him for another six days.

Khaitan was arrested on January 25, a week after the Income Tax Department raided his offices and various other properties in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

The ED told the court that they have found evidence of different entries in his various accounts that needed to be probed.

Khaitan's counsel Pramod Kumar Dubey opposed the ED plea, saying the arrest is illegal.

The ED said the lawyer had been "controlling" the modus operandi and was responsible for routing the money, misusing his connections and clients, including the ones inherited from his father, to launder the money through a variety of accounts in Dubai, Mauritius, Singapore, Tunisia, Switzerland, the UK and India.

Agency officials said the accounts included those of his undisclosed shell companies outside India.

Earlier, Khaitan was arrested in September 2014 for his alleged involvement in the AgustaWestland deal.

He got bail in January 2015 and was again arrested along with Sanjeev Tyagi, another accused in the case, on December 9, 2016, by the CBI. He later secured bail.

The CBI chargesheet has described Khaitan as the brain behind the AgustaWestland deal.

Local mobile manufacturing generating more jobs than ever: Goyal

Local mobile manufacturing has taken off big in the last couple of years, generating thousands of jobs across the country, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

"Mobile and its parts manufacturing companies have grown from two to 268 now, creating thousands of jobs in both urban and rural areas of the country," Goyal said while presenting the Interim Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha.

With the help of the government's phased manufacturing programme to incentivise indigenous production of handsets and their various sub-assemblies, most of such companies are from China who are now manufacturing and assembling flagship smartphones and their parts here. 

In 2018, nearly 300 million mobile handsets were produced locally, according to Counterpoint Research.

"In 2015, we set-up our first manufacturing facility that currently employs more than 5,000 people and generates employment for many more," Nipun Marya, Director, Brand Strategy, Vivo India, told IANS. 

"With our recent announcement of an additional manufacturing plant, we are planning to provide additional jobs to 5,000 more in the first phase," he added.

Samsung India has also set up world's largest mobile manufacturing facility in Noida that has doubled up the production, generating more jobs.

Goyal said the government aims to have one lakh digital villages in the next five years, adding that the vision is to make India a modern and technology-driven society. 

New CBI chief to be selected later on Friday

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Friday that a high level Selection Committee will be meeting to decide on a new Central Bureau of Investigation Director later in the day.

The government was responding to the apex court's question as to how long the situation of interim Director of the CBI will continue.

A Supreme Court Bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra and Jsutice Naveen Sinha told the Centre that the post of CBI Director was sensitive and the government should have appointed a regular director by now.

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the court the high-level Committee, comprising of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge will be meeting later to decide the new Director.

The bench was hearing a petition by NGO Common Cause challenging the appointment of M. Nageswara Rao as the CBI interim chief following the removal of former Director Alok Verma under controversial circumstances.

The bench said the process of appointment should have been over by now as it was already known that Verma was going to retire in January.

Venugopal also informed the court that the Centre had taken the approval of the Committee before appointing IPS officer Rao as the interim chief.

The Supreme Court posted the matter for next hearing on February 6.

Facebook memes in 2016 US presidential polls had no gender stereotypes

Facebook political memes of US President Donald Trump in the 2016 election focussed more on his hairstyle and facial expressions, while those of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton were more centered on the email scandal and her relationships -- a contrast to historical gender stereotypes in politics, a study has found.

Typically, the coverage of male political candidates focuses on their policy and history in office, while coverage of females focuses more on their personality and appearance as a frame for their ability to hold political office in terms of their roles of mothers and wives.

The study, published in the journal Social Media + Society, found that Trump Facebook page profile photos questioned his physical features -- such as hairstyle and skin tone -- as well as political and leadership skills. 

On the other hand, Clinton-themed pages often included the idea that she is crooked and out-of-touch with average citizens. 

Profile photos for Clinton meme pages also were more likely to emphasise the email scandal, Clinton's wealth and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

"This study is one of the first to offer a glimpse at the type of Facebook pages that emerged during the political race, profile photos use, popularity of the pages and an examination of how citizens used humour during the 2016 election," said lead researcher Mia Moody-Ramirez, Professor at Baylor University. 

"With the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, it is important to understand the impact of memes, which are easy to create and share on social media platforms."

The study examined an equal number of Clinton and Trump-themed pages for a sample of 106 pages -- 53 for each politician. 

In the Facebook pages that were positive, Trump was depicted as patriotic; Clinton was depicted as a leader. But more commonly, pages for both were negative.

When it came to tone in the 106 presidential election Facebook-meme pages, 44 were negative, 37 were positive and the remaining 25 were neutral. 

Indian fashion is getting into its own through Indian weddings: Anita Dongre

What with the lavish and luxurious weddings of the likes of Isha Ambani and Priyanka Chopra that have caught global attention in the recent past, Indian fashion itself is getting into its own, says veteran designer Anita Dongre, who is back after being a part of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"Davos was interesting. It was interesting to meet like-minded people. The two areas that I'm really working towards is women empowerment and sustainability, and I got to meet a lot of thought leaders from other parts of the world who feel strongly about both these subjects. So it was just an exchange of notes," Dongre told IANS here.

"There is definitely an interest today in the Indian fashion scene because I think our Indian weddings are making global news now. So, it (conversation) starts with, 'Oh my God, what are the weddings you guys do?'. I think Indian fashion is getting its own through Indian weddings," added the designer on the sidelines of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019.

At the fashion gala here on Thursday, Dongre had two key agendas.

The first was to showcase a special capsule collection developed by her brand Anita Dongre Grassroot in collaboration with artisans from northeast India.

"It's a very special region. It's India's most sustainable region...The lifestyles by nature are so sustainable there. I really would like that region to stay as pure and unaffected by the rest of the world, and I think the only way that can happen is if they find employment opportunities there.

"To sustain their craft becomes a double responsibility because it is so integral to keep that area sustainable," she said.

Her second agenda was to showcase her line 'A Summer Reverie', made with a biodegradable fabric called Tencel, sourced from Austria.

"At the House of Anita Dongre, such collaborations are very important for us today because we are on a sustainable mission. So, it's important to partner with companies and manufacturers who are producing fibre sustainably.

"I went to Lenzing Group in Lenzing, Austria, met them a few months ago, saw it with my own eyes that they are manufacturing sustainably, and that the fibres they use are from renewable resources, plus they are biodegradable... Hence, the collaboration and collection," Dongre said.

She said there are a lot of sustainable fabrics that are expensive, but Tencel is not.

"Which is why I have done a ready-to-wear collection which is very affordable. I think it is accessible. I really want to make sustainable mainstream. With today's collection, I am hoping to do that," added the designer, who caters to different markets with her multiple brands.

How would you define sustainability?

"Sustainable is not first just a process. It is also a lifestyle. Sustainability is the way you live life. It's as simple as that. Do you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth? Do you take a bath with a bucket and not the shower? How much do you consume?

"I think it's about giving back more to Mother Earth than you take.

"But in fashion it is about wearing a garment that is produced sustainably or is empowering a woman towards her sustainable development."

Consumer awareness is increasing, but more needs to be done.

Her own little but significant effort begins from her own office.

"We have a pit, we recycle water... And in my design room, nobody can create a design without using 90 per cent of the fabric. Earlier it was 70 per cent, then 80... and now 90. We are setting goals within the team."

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in. She is in Mumbai on an invitation by LFW organisers.

Can medical cannabis help autistic kids?

Cannabis treatment for teenage patients with autism is well-tolerated, safe and effective option to relieve symptoms including seizures, tics, depression, restlessness, researchers say.

The study found that after six months of treatment, 30 per cent of patients reported a significant improvement, 53.7 per cent reported moderate improvement and only 15 per cent had slight or no change.

"Overall, more than 80 per cent of the parents reported significant or moderate improvement in their child," said co-author Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an extensive developmental disorder that is expressed in almost all dimensions of the child's development. 

It is now common to refer to this disorder as a wide range of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) in which there are various manifestations and symptoms.

For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team analysed the data prospectively collected as part of the treatment programme of 188 ASD patients treated with medical cannabis between 2015 and 2017. 

The treatment in majority of the patients was based on cannabis oil containing 30 per cent cannabidiol oil (CBD) and 1.5 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Good quality of life was reported by 31.3 per cent of patients prior to treatment initiation. At six months, good quality of life more than doubled for 66.8 per cent.

Positive mood was reported by 42 per cent before treatment and 63.5 after six months.

"While this study suggest that cannabis treatment is safe and can improve ASD symptoms and improve ASD patients' quality of life, we believe that double blind placebo-controlled trials are crucial for a better understanding..." said co-author Victor Novack from the varsity.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is doing a research on the medicinal use of cannabis for treating diseases like cancer, epilepsy and sickle cell anaemia.

In the US, medical marijuana is legal in 30 states, though the laws governing what is permitted vary from state to state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.