President, VP, PM pay tributes to Dr Ambedkar on Jayanti

TB Team
-
0
President, VP, PM pay tributes to Dr Ambedkar on Jayanti

President, Vice-President, and Prime Minister on Thursday paid homage to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on his Jayanti.

Remembering Dr. Ambedkar, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted: “A strong advocate of social justice, as the architect of the Indian Constitution Babasaheb laid the foundation of modern India. Let us do our part in building an inclusive society following his ideal of ‘Indian first, Indian later, and Indian last’.”

In a tweet, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said: “My humble tributes to the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary today. Babasaheb was a multi-faceted genius- a legal luminary, visionary statesman, outstanding constitutional expert, brilliant parliamentarian & social reformer.”

“He was the voice of the socially oppressed and dedicated his life to the upliftment of the marginalized sections of society. His iconic life and noble thoughts continue to guide the nation,” Naidu added.

In his tribute to Dr. Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Tributes to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on his Jayanti. He has made indelible contributions to India’s progress. This is a day to reiterate our commitment to fulfilling his dreams for our nation.”

Champions League: Man City play Atletico at their own game to qualify for semis

TB Team
-
0
Champions League: Man City play Atletico at their own game to qualify for semis

Premier League winner Manchester City will play Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals after a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium made good of the 1-0 home win from their quarter-final first leg.

Pep Guardiola’s side showed in the closing minutes that it is just as adept at the ‘darker arts’ of the game as Diego Simeone’s side had shown in the first leg and were able to close the game down in the closing minutes.

Anyone expecting Atletico to change their usual defensive tactics to get back into the tie in the first half was in for a disappointment as Diego Simeone’s side remained content to sit deep despite their 1-0 defeat from the first leg.

With City content to control the ball, very little happened before the break, with Atletico managing one shot, while the visitors were unlucky not to double their advantage after Ilkay Gundogan thumped the ball against the post after a scramble.

Things changed after the break as Atletico finally began to look for the goal they needed to get back into the tie. Firstly, Koke set Antoine Griezmann free down the right-hand channel, only for Aymeric Laporte to block his effort, before Griezmann then set up Joao Felix, who shot just wide, reports Xinhua.

All of a sudden, it was all Atletico as Joao Felix and Angel Correa combined for Rodrigo de Paul to fire wide with 20 minutes to go.

Correa went down in the City penalty area and looked to have a good case for a penalty as Rodri pulled at his shirt, but the referee waved play-on and the game got bad-tempered as Felipe was sent off for a foul on Phil Foden.

Correa drew a good save from Ederson in the 98th minute and City was able to see out the remaining moments of an increasingly bad-tempered injury time.

Amit Shah to attend ‘PoJK Sankalp Rally’ on May 8

TB Team
-
0
Amit Shah to attend ‘PoJK Sankalp Rally’ on May 8

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the ‘Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Sankalp Rally’ on May 8 which is being organized to reiterate India’s claim over parts of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan, BJP sources said.

The rally is being organized in Jammu on May 8 by Jammu and Kashmir People’s Forum.

The rally will be attended by the Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir refugees, who have settled in Jammu and Kashmir, and other states of the country.

Shah’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir comes amid reports that the Union government proposes to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory after the completion of the delimitation exercise which will be followed by summary revision of electoral rolls.

The Union Home Minister’s visit on May 8 will follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Palli panchayat in Jammu’s Samba district on April 24 on the occasion of National Panchayat Day.

Union Home secretary, A.K. Bhalla, and Intelligence Bureau Director, Arvind Kumar will visit Srinagar on Thursday (April 14) to review the arrangements for this year’s Amarnath yatra.

The 43-day long Amarnath yatra will start this year on June 30 and end on August 11 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima.

In 2019, the yatra was cut short because of the Union government’s decision to abrogate Article 370. The yatra was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BRICS countries agree to strengthen collaboration to address global challenges

TB Team
-
0
BRICS countries agree to strengthen collaboration to address global challenges

The BRICS sherpas have agreed to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation to address multiple challenges the globe is currently facing, including the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recovery.

The pledge came as the second BRICS sherpas’ meeting in 2022 was held from Tuesday to Wednesday through a video link, Xinhua news agency reported.

The meeting was chaired by Ma Zhaoxu, sherpa for BRICS Affairs and Vice Foreign Minister of China, and attended by Sherpas of Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa, and representatives of relevant Chinese departments.

Noting that achieving the 2030 sustainable development goals faces new risks and challenges, he said BRICS countries should deepen strategic partnership, contribute solutions for maintaining fairness and justice, inject strength into the stability of the global market, build a defense line for the joint fight against the pandemic, and provide the impetus for international development cooperation.

As the BRICS presidency this year, China looks forward to working with BRICS partners to continue to strengthen communication and coordination, deepen practical cooperation, and ensure the success of the summit, Ma added.

The other Sherpas highly appreciated China’s leading role in the presidency, fully affirmed the achievements and progress of BRICS cooperation in various fields this year, and expressed that they will continue to support the work of the Chinese presidency.

All parties emphasized that the world is currently facing multiple challenges such as the pandemic, weak economic recovery, and the Ukraine crisis. They agreed that BRICS countries should further strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and make greater contributions to improving global governance, promoting economic recovery, implementing the 2030 sustainable development goals, and fighting the pandemic.

Heat wave conditions in isolated pockets likely over NW India, MP after April 15

TB Team
-
0
Heat wave conditions in isolated pockets likely over NW India, MP after April 15

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a fall in maximum temperatures is likely over parts of northwest India by nearly 2 degrees Celsius during the next 24 hours due to the presence of a western disturbance and a rise by 2-4 degrees Celsius thereafter over most parts of northwest India.

The IMD on Wednesday predicted heatwave conditions in isolated pockets over east Madhya Pradesh on April 16 and 17, Bihar on April 14, Jharkhand till April 15, west Rajasthan from April 15 to 17, Gujarat on April 15 and 16, Haryana-Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan and west Madhya Pradesh on April 16 and 17 and over Punjab on April 17.

No significant change in maximum temperatures is likely over most parts of central India during the next two days and rise by nearly 2 degrees Celsius thereafter, it said.

In Gujarat, the maximum temperatures would rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius likely during the next three days even as the rest of the country may witness no significant change in maximum temperatures.

Jharsiguda in Odisha recorded the highest maximum temperature at 44 degrees Celsius on Wednesday even as maximum temperatures have fallen by about 2-3 degrees Celsius over parts of Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, and west Uttar Pradesh during the past 24-hours, as a result of which heatwave conditions have abated from these regions, the IMD added.

However, heat waves to severe heatwave conditions were observed in isolated pockets over Punjab; heatwave conditions were witnessed in some parts of Himachal Pradesh; in isolated pockets over Jammu division, east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.

Under the influence of western disturbance over north Pakistan and neighborhoods at lower tropospheric levels, light to moderate isolated or scattered rainfall is very likely over the western Himalayan region till April 16.

Isolated thunderstorms or lightning is also likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on April 14.

Similarly, under the influence of the cyclonic circulation over the southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Kerala up to middle tropospheric levels, light to moderate fairly widespread or widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms or lightning is very likely over Kerala-Mahe and Lakshadweep and isolated or scattered rainfall over Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka during next five days.

The IMD also predicted heavy rainfall over south Tamil Nadu on April 14 and over Kerala on April 14 and 15.

IPL 2022: Dhawan, Mayank and Odean star in Punjab’s 12-run win over Mumbai

TB Team
-
0
IPL 2022: Dhawan, Mayank and Odean star in Punjab’s 12-run win over Mumbai

Superb batting by Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal followed by a brilliant bowling effort by Odean Smith (4/30) helped Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in an IPL 2022 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here on Wednesday.

It was the fifth-successive loss for the five-times champions Mumbai Indians as they remain the only winless side in the ongoing IPL 2022 season.

Invited to bat first, brilliant fifties by Shikhar Dhawan (70 off 50) and Mayank Agarwal (52 off 32) powered Punjab Kings to 198/5 in 20 overs. Apart from Shikhar and Mayank’s superb hitting at the top, Jitesh Sharma (30 off 15) and Shahrukh Khan (15 not out off 6) gave a late flourish to Punjab’s innings at lower down the order.

Chasing a big total, skipper Rohit Sharma gave Mumbai an aggressive start by hitting a few cracking boundaries. However, Kagiso Rabada got rid of Rohit, who departed for 28 off 17. Vaibhav Arora then dismissed Ishan Kishan (3) to put Mumbai in more trouble.

With 32-2 after 4.1 overs, Mumbai needed a big partnership, and two youngsters — Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis were in the middle. Brevis struggled to connect initially but in the 9th over of the chase, he found his touch and wreaked havoc, by hitting one four and four back-to-back sixes against India international Rahul Chahar while Tilak also continued his rich form as Mumbai raced to 105/2 at the end of the 10th over.

It was Odean Smith, who ensured that Brevis (49 off 25) did not get to his maiden IPL fifty, getting him out with a short delivery. Suryakumar, who came to bat next, hit over the fence for the first time in the 13th over off Arshdeep while Tilak (36 off 20) also fell in the same over-run-out at the non-striker’s end after a mix-up.

With Kieron Pollard (10) being run out while attempting a second, the pressure was on Mumbai as they needed 47 off 23 deliveries, with only Suryakumar being their last recognized batter. Suryakumar scored two successive sixes off Arora but Arshdeep bowled a fine 18th over under pressure, conceding only five runs.

The 19th over, bowled by Rabada, started with a boundary and Jaydev Unadkat sent Suryakumar back to the striker’s end when he wanted to take a single. Suryakumar (43 off 30) fell the very next ball, hitting a low full toss to Smith at long-on.

With 22 required off the final over, Unadkat pulled Smith for a six and took a couple. But he fell off the third delivery and the bowler added the wickets of Jasprit Bumrah and Tymal Mills to his tally during the over, finishing with a career-best 4-30. Eventually, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 186-9 in 20 overs, losing by 12 runs.

Earlier, openers Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan gave Punjab Kings a flying start, scoring 65/0 in the Powerplay. Both Mayank and Shikhar looked in fine touch, dealt in boundaries, and were also helped by some wayward bowling by Mumbai bowlers.

Mayank, in particular, was playing with a sense of adventure and targeted spinner Murugan Ashwin and scored his first half-century of the season. However, the Punjab skipper couldn’t continue his innings longer as Ashwin finally gave Mumbai their first breakthrough. Mayank went for a lofted drive but didn’t get to the pitch of the ball and Suryakumar Yadav took a good catch at long-off as Punjab was 97-1 after 9.3 overs.

Once Mayank was dismissed, Dhawan took over the mantle of being the aggressor and completed his half-century in 37 balls. But, he didn’t get the required support from Jonny Bairstow (12) and Liam Livingstone (2), who came to bat next and couldn’t score big for Punjab. Bairstow was far from his best and was dismissed by Jaydev Unadkat while an excellent yorker from Jasprit Bumrah sent dangerous Livingstone back to the pavilion.

With back-to-back wickets and a significant drop in the scoring rate, Mumbai was clawing their way back into the game. However, Dhawan decided to free his arms and hit Basil Thampi for six but the bowler had the last laugh. It was a length ball from Thampi and Dhawan hit it into the hands of the fielder at long-on.

From there on, it was the responsibility of Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan to finish big for Punjab and they didn’t disappoint their team. Jitesh played a blinder with a 15-ball 30 while Shahrukh in the final over smashed a couple of sixes and took Punjab Kings to 198/5 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings:

198/5 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 70, Mayank Agarwal 52; Basil Thampi (2/47) beat Mumbai Indians 186-9 in 20 overs (Dewald Brevis 49, Suryakumar Yadav 43; Odean Smith 4/30) by 12 runs

IPL 2022: Bumrah bowls only four overs which the opposition acknowledges, points out Aakash Chopra

TB Team
-
0
IPL 2022: Bumrah bowls only four overs which the opposition acknowledges, points out Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra pointed out that although Mumbai Indians’ pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is their biggest strength, the opposition teams have started to acknowledge that the right-arm pacer bowls only four overs, allowing them to score against the rest of the bowling attack.

Bumrah has had a very indifferent IPL 2022, going wicketless in matches against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bangalore while picking 3/17 against Rajasthan Royals. Overall, he averages 39.00 with an economy rate of 8.16. Bumrah’s role to pick wickets in power-play and stem the run-flow in death overs will be crucial as Mumbai seek to end their four-match winless run in IPL 2022 against Punjab Kings at MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday.

“The biggest strength of Mumbai Indians is that they have the best bowler in Jasprit Bumrah. The only issue I see with Mumbai Indians and Jasprit Bumrah is that he has only 4 overs to bowl and the opposition acknowledges that fact. They respect the 4 overs of Bumrah but in the remaining 16 overs the opposition knows that they get ample opportunities to score,” said Chopra in a Game Plan episode on Star Sports.

“If the opposition doesn’t go after him (Bumrah) then it becomes very difficult for him to take wickets. Because other bowlers are not putting enough pressure, the opposition doesn’t go after Bumrah but the rest, it is very difficult. He is an asset and MI will surely keep someone like Bumrah as he is a constant threat,” added Chopra.

Chopra further expects either of England’s left-arm pacer Tymal Mills or Australia’s right-arm quick Riley Meredith to get a chance. In terms of spin, he thinks leg-spinner Mayank Markande may get a go-to replace fellow leggie Murugan Ashwin in the playing eleven.

“I am hoping they have Tymal Mills play if he is available or Riley Meredith who got some pace, or maybe Mayank Markande or Murugan Ashwin. I am expecting a few changes in the team actually because if you don’t change anything and expect a different outcome or results that’s not very smart.”

‘Show already telecast’: SC declines to stop streaming of ‘LockUpp’

TB Team
-
0
‘Show already telecast’: SC declines to stop streaming of ‘LockUpp’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a plea seeking directions to Alt Balaji and its agents to restrain from exhibiting and publishing reality show “Lock Upp” on OTT and social media platforms.

The plea challenged a Telangana High Court order, which set aside the ad-interim injunction granted by the trial court against the release and publishing of the reality show, hosted by Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna noted that the show has already been telecast, and granted liberty to the petitioner to move the trial court for expeditious hearing of its interim injunction application.

As the petitioner claimed that they came up with the story of “The Jail” and later, prepared a script with 22 celebrities, the top court said the high court has considered everything in detail and it cannot restrict the show at this stage.

Telling the petitioner’s counsel that the first episode has already come, the bench said: “This petition is virtually infructuous.”

Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, representing the petitioner, Prime Media, sought permission from the bench to withdraw the petition and submit an application for an early hearing of injunction application before the trial court.

“It will be open to the petitioner to move the trial court for expeditious disposal of the plea,” said the bench. The petition was dismissed as withdrawn.

The trial court on February 23, had granted the ad-interim injunction granted regarding releasing, exhibiting, and publishing the series. However, the high court set aside this order. Pride Media moved to the top court challenging the February 26 high court order.

The high court had noted Alt Balaji had already produced the show and also spent on the marketing of the show, nothing the balance of convenience is in their favor.

The petitioner said they registered the story with Screen Writers Association, but due to the Covid restrictions and the lockdown, they could not produce the show. And, “Lock Upp” began streaming, as the petitioner was in the process of mobilizing the production of the show.

Pooja Hegde’s inconsequential role in ‘Beast’ disappoints her fans

TB Team
-
0
Pooja Hegde’s inconsequential role in ‘Beast’ disappoints her fans

‘Beast,’ starring Vijay and Pooja Hegde was released on Wednesday. Pooja Hegde, who has become one of the most popular heroines in recent times, has appeared in a role that is essentially an extended cameo.

Apart from one song in the first half, she doesn’t have much of an impact, which has upset her slowly increasing fandom.

Starring Vijay as the lead, Pooja’s role in Nelson Dilipkumar’s directorial seems to be disappointing to the viewers.

“Nobody would have recognized her if it hadn’t been for the two songs released prior to the film’s release. This is disappointing at many levels”, one of her fans said at one of the theatres in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.

Star actresses are downgraded to only making cameo appearances in songs in superstar films, which seems to have changed in recent movies. However, in ‘Beast,’ Pooja Hegde played a silly role with no significance to the story, which changes the perspective that heroines are given equal importance in big-budget films starring popular heroes.

Pooja Hegde, who had appeared in super hit movies like ‘Maharshi’, ‘DJ-Duvvada Jagannadham’, ‘Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava’, ‘Ala Vaikunthapuramloo’, has been in limelight for a long time now.

Cyber-attack on OIL network in Assam but production unaffected

TB Team
-
0
Cyber-attack on OIL network in Assam but production unaffected

State-owned Oil India Ltd (OIL) has suffered a major cyber-attack in its field headquarters in eastern Assam’s Duliajan, with the hacker demanding $75,00,000, officials said on Wednesday.

OIL’s Manager, Security, Sachin Kumar, who filed an FIR with the police on Tuesday night, said that their server, network, and other related services were affected due to the cyber attack of ransomware on Sunday.

The OIL, however, said that the exploration and production work of the company has not been affected due to the suspected cyber-attack.

OIL spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said that there has been no impact on the production and drilling activities due to the cyber-attack.

“The production and drilling activities are not fully reliant on IT resources. The software which deals the business functions including payments to vendors and contractors also has not been affected and is functioning as usual,” Hazarika told IANS.

Sachin Kumar, in his FIR, said that presently, the OIL server, network, and other related services are affected.

OIL is a public sector undertaking, and due to this ransomware cyberattack, OIL and the government exchequer has incurred a huge financial loss as a business through IT has been seriously affected,” he mentioned in his complaint to the Police.

Quoting a communication from Deputy General Manager, IT, Keshab Bora, Kumar said that on Sunday a cyber attack of ransomware occurred on one of the work stations of the G & R (Geological and Reservoir) Department.

“After their preliminary investigation, it came to their notice that OlL’s network, server, and client’s PCs are facing network outage. Further, it also came to their notice that, thee cyber attacker has demanded 75,00,000 USD as a ransom through a note from the infected PC,” the FIR said.

OIL is India’s second-largest national ‘Navratna’ company after ONGC in terms of total proved plus probable oil and natural gas reserves.

FIH Hockey Pro League: India look to consolidate lead at top of the table against young German side

TB Team
-
0
FIH Hockey Pro League: India look to consolidate lead at top of the table against young German side

Indian men’s team will look to consolidate their lead at the top of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 points table when they take on Germany in the two-legged contest on April 14 and 15 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, here.

The Indian team is currently placed on top of the FIH Pro League table with 21 points in 10 matches. They come into the double-header with 3-3 (3-2 SO) and 4-3 wins against England.

Speaking at the pre-match virtual press conference, India captain Amit Rohidas stated that the team will look to maintain its position at the top.

“We played exceptionally well against England and managed to win both the games. It’s a very good feeling to lead the league table. It’s a team effort and we will look to maintain our position at the top,” Amit said.

Speaking about the preparedness for the two-legged contest against Germany, the Indian Captain said, “We have done our homework through the video analysis and worked on the areas we needed to improve upon. From practicing PCs to ball position, we have worked on everything.

Meanwhile, vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh, who achieved the 100-goal milestone during India’s previous FIH Hockey Pro League match against England, said, “It’s more of a team achievement for me. I am just happy that I was able to contribute to the team’s victory. I am also happy with our performances and we are always looking for creating more and more chances whenever possible.”

When asked if India will have an advantage over the young German squad, Harmanpreet said, “We don’t think about who our opponent is, whether it’s a young team or an experienced one, we just want to do well as a team and improve our performance with every game. Also, we should be wary of the young team as they will give their 100% to win the game and prove themselves.”

On the other hand, the World No. 6 Germany are placed second in the Pro League points table with 17 points in eight games.

Speaking on the eve of the first match against the home side, Germany head coach Andre Henning said, “I think we have about 12 players who will be playing their first matches here for Germany, so there’s huge excitement at the moment. It’s the most exciting stage for everyone and playing India is always something special for us and we are looking forward to that.”

He further added, “We have some young guys playing U-18, and U-19 and a lot of these guys have played Junior World Cup here some months ago, so, the challenge at the moment is to get everyone together. We have two training sessions and some meetings to start off. I have a feeling that guys are excited and kind of confident as well. They know they have that quality, of course, it’s not at the highest level at the moment, but I think that is part of the process. We are looking forward to seeing how we develop, especially during the matches.”

German captain Martin Zwicker, who has played as many as 265 international matches for his team, spoke about his role.

“I think it’s more like the same thing on and off the field. It’s about how you treat the young players, how you talk to them. The most important thing is we need to talk about everything, especially on the field. We need to look at what’s going on and how we can progress as a team and then I will see what can I do for the young players,” Zwicker said.

IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl against Punjab Kings

TB Team
-
0
IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl against Punjab Kings

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab Kings in an IPL 2022 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the toss, Rohit mentioned that his side has made one change in their playing XI, bringing Tymal Mills in place of Ramandeep Singh.

“We will bowl first. Looks like a similar pitch to the ones we have played, there will be help for the pacer, need to exploit. Just one change – Tymal Mills is back, replacing Ramandeep. Just want the guys to keep their heads high, it’s important not to lose focus, keep trying harder and harder to get the points. Looking forward to doing well as a team,” the Mumbai skipper said.

On the other hand, the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings didn’t make any change in their team for this match.

“We didn’t think about the toss and were prepared to do both. No changes in the playing XI for us, we’ve been playing good cricket, we need to win the big moments,” said Agarwal.

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings:

Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow(w), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Odean Smith, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Jaydev Unadkat, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi

Modi to take feedback from force personnel involved in ropeway mishap rescue op

TB Team
-
0
Modi to take feedback from force personnel involved in ropeway mishap rescue op

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually interact with the personnel from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who were involved in the over 40-hour long rescue operation following a ropeway mishap in Jharkhand that concluded on Tuesday.

During the interaction scheduled for Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister will take their feedback on the rescue operation under which 46 persons were rescued.

Three persons died while several others were injured after stranded cable cars hung midair near the Trikut Hills in Deoghar. The accident took place after the cable cars collided on Sunday, leading to a massive rescue operation that lasted for nearly two days.

Following the incident, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has asked all the chief secretaries of states to conduct safety audits of all ropeway projects to ensure safety and maintenance as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). For this, necessary guidance may be taken from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL).

Legendary boxer Estelle Mossely becomes ambassador for IBA Women’s World Boxing

TB Team
-
0
Legendary boxer Estelle Mossely becomes ambassador for IBA Women’s World Boxing

2016 World Boxing Champion Estelle Mossley will be the ambassador of the upcoming IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The French boxer will be present at the opening ceremony of the event.

In 2016, Mossley was crowned AIBA Women’s World Boxing Champion and then went on to win the coveted Olympic gold medal in Rio a few months later. She has been at the top of the sport for a number of years and has beaten the best in her division consistently, proving that she is one of the best female fighters in recent memory.

“I am really looking forward to being ringside at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul,” said Mossely.

“As a champion of this event, I know the sacrifices that need to be made to win. This year, the level of competition is very high in all 12 weight categories, which shows the tremendous growth of women’s boxing over the last few years. I would like to thank the IBA for inviting me to be a part of this major event. Winning this competition in 2016 is a memory I will never forget, so to return as an ambassador is an amazing feeling.”

Chairwoman of the IBA Women’s Committee Amanda Coulson said, “We are delighted to have Estelle Mossely as an Ambassador for the upcoming Women’s World Boxing Championships. She has elevated the level of women’s boxing to heights not seen before. Fans of our beloved sport will always hold a special place in their hearts for Estelle. Her accomplishments speak for themselves, she has won all there is to win whilst carrying herself with class and grace throughout her illustrious career. We are looking forward to seeing the evolution of women’s boxing as we seek to promote the sport globally.”

As with the Men’s Boxing World Championships last year, for the first time ever, this year’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will have prize money. The prize money will be equal to that of the men’s competition. IBA has made it a priority to promote gender equality and the development of women’s boxing. It is vital to make sure that world-class athletes who fight to not only entertain the fans but also to make their dreams a reality are fairly rewarded for their efforts and have the stability required to train at the highest level.

IPL 2022: Retire out will happen a lot in the coming days, says R Ashwin

TB Team
-
0
IPL 2022: Retire out will happen a lot in the coming days, says R Ashwin

Rajasthan Royals’ off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is expecting to see a lot of retire-out instances in the future and feels that it will not be a stigma move, like running out a batter from the non-striker’s end.

On Sunday, Ashwin became the first batter in the IPL to retire out while batting for Rajasthan against Lucknow Super Giants. He was promoted to number six in the tenth over and after having scored 28 runs off 23 balls, Ashwin walked off after two balls of the 19th over when Royals were 135 for 4, to make way for Riyan Parag, who struck a six in one of the four balls he faced as Rajasthan eventually won by three runs.

“T20, as a sport, is heading towards where football has reached. Just like how they’re using substitutions, I did something similar (by retiring out). Already we are late. But I believe this will happen a lot in the coming days. This won’t be a stigma like running someone out at the non-striker’s end. This will happen more times,” said Ashwin on his Youtube channel.

“It might work sometimes and it might not work sometimes. These things happen quite frequently in football, and we haven’t cracked the T20 format fully yet. This is a millennial sport. This is the next generation’s sport. In fact, in football, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo score goals frequently. But their team’s goalkeeper should save goals and their defenders should defend well. Only then, a Messi or Ronaldo can get the limelight,” further explained Ashwin.

Asked about his decision to retire out in the fag end of Rajasthan’s innings, Ashwin remarked that he wasn’t getting the desired timing he needed and felt getting Parag at the crease would work well for the team.

“It was just a tactical move (to retire out). Riyan Parag was the next batter and when the (K) Gowtham over (16th) ended, I gave myself some time to see whether I can hit six or two fours. I threw the kitchen sink at everything, but I couldn’t get the timing going. If Riyan Parag could come and smash even two sixes, it could be a handful. It was a tactical decision.”

Rajasthan, currently the table-toppers in IPL 2022, will face Gujarat Titans at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.

Ranbir-Alia wedding: Alia’s ‘Dilbaro’ played at Mehendi ceremony

TB Team
-
0
Ranbir-Alia wedding: Alia’s ‘Dilbaro’ played at Mehendi ceremony

Alia Bhatt’s Mehendi ceremony on Wednesday was as much a special affair as it was an intimate one. The recently concluded ceremony saw a mix of musical genres from Sufi to folk.

As per media reports, timeless Punjabi chartbuster ‘Mera Laung Gavacha’, the Asha Bhosle and Shamshad Begum classic ‘Kajra Mohabbat Wala’ and ‘Dilbaro’ (‘Raazi’ 2018), which features Alia and her mother Soni Razdan, are some of the songs that were a part of the playlist at Alia’s Mehendi.

The hush-hush ceremony has grabbed the headlines ever since the news about the power couple’s wedding broke out. During the day, a 24-carat gold bouquet wedding gift from Surat jeweler gifted to Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt was also seen entering the venue premises.

Post Alia’s Mehendi ceremony, her family members – father Mahesh Bhatt, sister Pooja Bhatt, and brother Rahul Bhatt were spotted leaving the venue.

Ranbir-Alia wedding: Mickey Contractor to do hair, make-up

TB Team
-
0
Ranbir-Alia wedding: Mickey Contractor to do hair, make-up

Celebrated make-up artist Mickey Contractor will be dolling up actress Alia Bhatt for her big day as she is all set to tie the knot with her beau and actor Ranbir Kapoor.

Bollywood’s “It” couple Ranbir and Alia, fondly called “Ralia”, are all set to have they’re happily ever after on April 15 at Ranbir’s residence in Bandra, Mumbai.

According to reports, Mickey Contractor will be doing the couple’s glam for their D-Day. Reports state that the Contractor will be taking care of the make-up and hairstyling of Ranbir and Alia for the wedding.

The contractor has worked with the who’s who of Bollywood such as Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Alia Bhatt, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas among many others.

On Wednesday, Ranbir and Alia were seen celebrating the Mehendi celebrations with their near and dear ones including names such as Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ayan Mukerji, Karisma Kapoor, Aadar Jain, Karan Johar, Neetu Kapoor, and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.

IPL Turning Point: Dube-Uthappa show seals season’s first victory for CSK

TB Team
-
0
IPL Turning Point: Dube-Uthappa show seals season’s first victory for CSK

Since the beginning of the IPL 2022, Chennai Super Kings were struggling to find a win and needed some magical performance and the batting duo of Shivam Dube and Robin Uthappa did that by playing sensational knocks to guide the Ravindra Jadeja-led side to the first win of the season.

Once RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and going by the trend, he opted to bowl first, it seemed that once again things won’t be easy for CSK and exactly there were some worries for the defending champions in the powerplay. After losing the wickets of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (17), Moeen Ali (3), CSK was in a spot of bother at 36-2 after 6.4 overs but Dube and Uthappa had other plans on Tuesday night.

However, after spending enough time in the middle, both batters decided to free their arms. RCB delayed the introduction of spinner Wanindu Hasaranga probably because of the presence of a left-hand batter but he was brought on in the 11th over with Dube immediately launching into him, hitting him for a six and a four.

In the 12th over, he hit the left-arm spin of Shahbaz for another six. Not to be left behind, Uthappa sent Maxwell into the bigger leg-side boundary for three sixes in the 13th over. The hitting was so clean that Super Kings didn’t worry about hitting into the bigger boundary and it continued till the end of first innings as 83 runs were scored in the last 5 overs. Uthappa played a couple of cute ramps, but Dube just sat deep in the crease and smoothly punished errors in length.

During their important stand of whopping 165 runs off just 74 balls for the third wicket, Uthappa smashed 9 sixes and four boundaries while Dube hit eight sixes and five fours and propelled Chennai Super Kings to a mammoth 216/4 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube’s knock of 95 not out has also become the highest individual score in a CSK-RCB encounter equalling 95 by Murali Vijay in IPL 2011 final in Chennai.

For RCB, Akash Deep conceded 58 runs in his four, while the otherwise economical Wanindu Hasaranga gave away 35 in his two overs and picked two wickets. The most economical on the night was Hazlewood (1/33), but even he went for over-8 an over.

Chasing a huge total, batters — Shahbaz Ahmed (41), Suyash Prabhudessai (34), Dinesh Karthik (34) tried their best, but it was not enough as RCB lost the game by 23 runs. After losing four consecutive matches, it was the first victory for four-time champions CSK in the ongoing IPL season.

“We were looking for the first win and I am really happy that I contributed to the team. It’s an honor for me. I am more focused this time and focusing on basics. I spoke to many seniors – Mahi Bhai also helped me to improve the game. He said, ‘Just be focused, just be still, just let the skill work in the game,” said Shivam Dube, Player of the Match, after his heroics with the bat.

“I wanted to time the ball really well. I tried to maintain my balance. Yuvi pa is always a role model for a left-hander. Many people told me that I bat like him. As the situation demands, as the captain and coach tell me, I am ready to bat anywhere,” he added.

‘Very serious issue’: SC stops AP’s money transfer from disaster fund to personal account

TB Team
-
0
‘Very serious issue’: SC stops AP’s money transfer from disaster fund to personal account

The Supreme Court on Wednesday restrained the Andhra Pradesh government from transferring funds from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to a personal deposit account, saying “it is a very serious issue”.

A plea filed by state resident Palla Srinivasa Rao said when the top court is actively and continuously monitoring the implementation of its October 2021 order, dealing with the issue of disbursing ex-gratia assistance of Rs 50,000 to next of kin of Covid-19 victims, the diversion of funds by the AP government from the SDRF to personal deposit account is not only against the law of the land but is also contemptuous in nature.

Advocate Gaurav Bansal, representing Rao, submitted that the AP government diverting funds from SDRF to a personal deposit account is not permissible under the Disaster Management Act. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, also said that the Finance Ministry has asked questions from the state on the issue.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna said this is a very serious issue and asked the state government not to divert funds under the Disaster Management Act. After hearing the arguments, the bench issued notice to the state government in the matter.

The bench also directed the state government not to utilize the funds which they have transferred to other accounts under DM Act.

The plea said: “That the applicant… has knocked the door of the temple of justice for the reason that State of Andhra Pradesh is illegally utilizing the funds of State Disaster Response Fund for the purposes other than specified under Section 46 (2) of the Disaster Management Act – 2005.”

The plea cited a letter issued on March 12, 2022, by the Union Minister of State for Finance, which crystal clearly says that the Andhra Pradesh government received an amount of Rs 324.15 crore as the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund and a number of Rs 570.91 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund.

“The said letter dated March 12 also mentioned that the state of Andhra Pradesh has transferred the funds from State Disaster Response Fund to Personal Deposit Account without spending on immediate relief,” added the plea.

The plea contended that once the statute prohibits the utilization of funds deposited under the National Disaster Response Fund and the State Disaster Response Fund, the Andhra Pradesh government has no authority to divert the said fund to any other use.

The plea also sought a direction from the Andhra Pradesh government to submit the details of funds that they have utilized under State Disaster Response Fund during the Covid pandemic.

Zika may be a step away from dangerous outbreak

TB Team
-
0
Zika may be a step away from dangerous outbreak

US researchers have found that the Zika virus can mutate to become more infective – and potentially breakthrough pre-existing immunity.

The finding is in line with the warning issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), earlier this month. The global health agency warned that the next pandemic could be triggered by insect-borne pathogens, including Zika and dengue.

Researchers from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in the US, identified a new mutation — called NS2B I39V/I39T mutation.

It was found to boost the virus’s ability to replicate in both mice and mosquitoes. This Zika variant also showed increased replication in human cells.

“The world should monitor the emergence of this Zika virus variant,” said Professor Sujan Shresta from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in the US, who showed how the Zika virus naturally evolves as it encounters more hosts.

Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, caused a global medical emergency in 2016, with thousands of babies born with birth defects such as microcephaly after their mothers became infected while pregnant.

In the study published in the journal Cell Reports, the team recreated infection cycles that repeatedly switched back and forth between mosquito cells and mice.

The researchers found it is relatively easy for the Zika virus to acquire a single amino acid change that allows the virus to make more copies of itself – and help infections take hold more easily.

“This single mutation is sufficient to enhance Zika virus virulence,” said Jose Angel Regla-Nava, Associate Professor at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.

“A high replication rate in either a mosquito or human host could increase viral transmission or pathogenicity – and cause a new outbreak.”

Zika virus and dengue virus tend to overlap in many countries worldwide. Like Zika, the dengue virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, and thus shares many biological properties.

Further, Shrestha noted that in areas where Zika is prevalent, a vast majority of people have already been exposed to the dengue virus and have both T cells and antibodies that cross-react.

According to the WHO, dengue fever infects 390 million people in the 130 countries annually where it is endemic, while the Zika virus has been detected in at least 89 countries.

In fact, the viruses are similar enough that the immune response sparked by prior dengue exposure can offer protection against Zika.

But unfortunately, “the Zika variant that we identified had evolved to the point where the cross-protective immunity afforded by prior dengue infection was no longer effective in mice”, Shrestha said.

Thus “if this variant becomes prevalent, we may have the same issues in real life”, she warned.

1...733734735...2,196Page 734 of 2,196