IPL 2022: Cummins can help Shreyas Iyer in leadership role, says KKR’s coach McCullum

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IPL 2022: Cummins can help Shreyas Iyer in leadership role, says KKR’s coach McCullum

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum believes the Australian Test captain Pat Cummins would add an element of leadership for captain Shreyas Iyer to feed off.

“Pretty delighted to get Pat back. He’s going to add another layer of leadership in and around our skipper Shreyas, who has been impressive as well. We have got a few selection headaches actually. We have more guys to pick from than not, which is a good problem to have and hopefully we get them right,” McCullum told Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website.

“He’s one of those guys who blend so well in this environment and is a wonderful human being. Huss (David Hussey, mentor) was adamant he wanted some Australians, I was, obviously, a bit hesitant about too many Australians (laughs) but Pat’s an absolute beauty, a wonderful cricketer, and a strong leader as well,” he added.

Cummins, who arrived last week, is available for selection for their next game against the Mumbai Indians and adds to a few selection headaches. Cummins’ inclusion would bolster an in-form pace bowling that has led the Knight Riders to two wins out of three games.

The Knight Riders prepare to take on Mumbai Indians on Wednesday (April 6) and even though the Rohit Sharma-led team is coming off two losses in as many games, McCullum is not discounting the five-time IPL champions.

“Mumbai is Mumbai! (Laughs) They know what they are doing. We are very respectful of the Mumbai Indians management, the coaching staff, and the leadership. So we know that even with a couple of losses early in this tournament, they would still remain poised under pressure. We are expecting them to play well. We expect every team that we come up against to play well and we expect us to play well as well. Hopefully, if we can be present and calm in pressure times, then hopefully it means we come out on top,” McCullum said.

Chess Olympiad: Top teams to be in Category ‘A’ beach resorts, served Continental food

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Chess Olympiad: Top teams to be in Category ‘A’ beach resorts, served Continental food

With the 44th Chess Olympiad slated to be held in Mahabalipuram near here in July-August, 2022, officials of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Tamil Nadu government are checking out various hotels for the boarding and lodging facilities offered, hoteliers said.

Hoteliers are also told that the chess players and others should be served nutritional food, preferably continental or European cuisine and the top teams will be housed in category ‘A’ beach resorts.

The Chess Olympiad will be held in the convention center at the Four Points by Sheraton, located in the Mahabalipuram area, one of the main tourist destinations in southern India.

“The officials are checking out all the hotels/beach resorts on the ECR (East Coast Road) and OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road) stretch and inspecting the rooms, restaurants, and other facilities offered by the properties,” said an official of a star hotel on OMR.

The properties available for chess players and others include a mix of luxury beach resorts and star hotels.

Many luxury beach resorts on the ECR and star hotels on the OMR and nearby corridors have offered a sizable number of their rooms to the Tamil Nadu government for the Olympiad, hoteliers had told in an interview.

“The officials want the rooms from July 25 onwards till August 9. We have offered 110 rooms out of our 129 rooms,” Amit Kumar, General Manager, Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort and Spa told in an interview.

“The tariff rates are yet to be fixed. The officials — TN government and FIDE — have visited our property and others as well. Since the state government is involved, perhaps they would come out with their offer,” a hotelier on the OMR told in an interview, preferring anonymity.

“The officials had told us that the tariff includes breakfast and does not include lunch, dinner, and other things. The players will take their food in the hotel alone and not anywhere outside. Apart from the rooms, the banquet hall should also be provided for serving food for the players,” Kumar said.

On the food to be served to the players, Kumar said: “We were told the food should be nutritious and healthy. We will offer Continental/Asian/Indian as well as South Indian cuisine to the players.”

Properties like Sheraton Grand, Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay in Mamallapuram, Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort and Spa and InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort fall under the category ‘A’ resorts.

Hoteliers told in an interview that the tariff rates for Olympiad participants should not be very low so that their existing customers do not feel cheated.

The Olympiad starts on July 28 (rooms are required from July 25 onwards) with a technical meeting and opening ceremony. The first round will begin on July 29 and there will be a total of 11 rounds.

The last round will be played on August 9, after which the closing ceremony will be held.

Chess players from over 160-190 nations are expected to participate in the event.

Around 2,500 persons — chess players, coaches, team managers, chess officials from different countries, journalists, and others — will arrive in the city for the Chess Olympiad.

Further, the FIDE Congress will also be held which would elect the global chess body’s office-bearers.

“No hotel will offer all its rooms for Olympiad players/officials. We have to cater to our regular guests and others who have reservations as well,” Yagya Prakash Chandran, Founder, and CEO, of Crossway Hotels and Resorts, told in an interview.

“That apart, the resorts on the ECR do very good business throughout the week. The Olympiad is a two-week event. The resorts may not be inclined to accept bulk bookings at a discounted rate,” he added.

The room rates on the ECR go up to Rs 1.5 lakh, depending on the star and room category.

Concurs Vikram Cotah, CEO, GRT Hotels and Resorts, which owns the 150-room Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay in Mamallapuram.

“We have offered 120 rooms for the Olympiad and plan to add 10 more. We also have our regular guests and there are guests who have reserved the rooms and they can’t be turned away,” Cotah had told in an interview.

He said the Radisson Blu Resort offers different staying options — rooms, villas, chalets — with tariffs ranging from Rs 12,000 to Rs 1,50,000 per night.

It will be interesting to see the teams that would be accommodated in the beach resorts.

“In the past, the Olympiad organizers had allotted hotels to teams based on their average ELO ratings. Higher-rated teams got higher star hotels and lower-rated ones got lower star-rated hotels,” Chess Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, who had represented India in seven Olympiads, told in an interview.

“We were told the top-ranking teams/players will be housed in our property as it is now,” Kumar said.

Queried about the global media mileage that their property would get owing to the Olympiad, hoteliers told in an interview: “The branding and media mileage will be derived by Four Points by Sheraton as it will be the Olympiad venue. For other properties, it is like any other business.”

Not agreeing fully with that view, Kumar said that exposed to the hotel’s offerings, chess players will spread the good word which in turn would build goodwill, and brand image and ultimately result in guests.

Naveen Polishetty-Anushka Shetty movie shoot to start soon

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Naveen Polishetty-Anushka Shetty movie shoot to start soon

It’s been a long time since the news related to Anushka Shetty and Naveen Polishetty’s possible collaboration has come out.

Now that the makers have apparently decided to roll the movie, here is an important update.

It is reported that the regular shoot for this yet-to-be-started movie will begin soon, while the post-production works are going on. Naveen Polishetty, who was last seen in ‘Jathi Rathnalu’, will play a titular role in the movie, alongside Anushka.

Mahesh P of ‘Ra Ra Krishnayya’ fame to helm this project, which is produced by UV Creations on a grand scale. More details about the movie will be out soon, as the makers have planned for an official announcement regarding the shooting, in a couple of days.

Anushka Shetty, the actress from ‘Baahubali,’ was once a sought-after actress. In recent times, however, the heroine who seems to have become picky about roles has not acted in a film. This movie is supposed to be her comeback, and hence anticipation is doubled.

Iga Swiatek officially world No.1 in WTA ranking after superb start to year

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Iga Swiatek officially world No.1 in WTA ranking after superb start to year

Poland’s tennis star Iga Swiatek officially became the world’s No.1 women’s tennis player when the rankings for the week were announced on Monday.

In a history-making achievement, the 20-year-old Swiatek — who defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open (WTA 1000 event) final on Sunday (IST) — became the first player from Poland to reach No. 1 in either ATP or WTA rankings history.

The previous highest-ranked player from Poland was Agnieszka Radwanska, who was No. 2 on the WTA rankings in 2012 and 2016, according to tennis.com.

Swiatek is also the first player born in the 2000s to reach No. 1 in either ATP or WTA rankings history.

Swiatek has become world No. 1 on the back of a superb last six weeks, where she has won 17 matches in a row to capture back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at Doha, Indian Wells, and Miami.

At 20, she is the youngest woman ever to do a ‘Sunshine Double’ — Indian Wells and Miami Open titles in the same year. She is also the fourth woman overall after Germany’s Steffi Graf (1994 and 1996), Belgium’s Kim Clijsters (2005), and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (2016) to do a ‘Sunshine Double’.

Swiatek’s coronation as world No. 1 got fast-tracked when Australia’s Ash Barty announced her retirement last month. The latest rankings saw Barty’s name being removed from the WTA ranking.

“Even if Barty hadn’t retired and her name removed from the WTA rankings, Swiatek would have been on the verge of No. 1 anyway — Barty would have had 6,980 ranking points this week, and Swiatek now has 6,771 ranking points,” according to tennis.com.

Meanwhile, Paula Badosa of Spain and Danielle Collins of the US rose to new highs of No. 3 and No. 8, respectively, after making the quarterfinals in Miami. American teenager Coco Gauff, who reached the fourth round before losing to Swiatek, rose from No. 17 to No. 15 for her top-15 debut.

Four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Osaka rebounded from No. 77 to No. 35 after reaching her maiden final since the 2021 Australian Open.

Devi Sri Prasad has already composed 3 chartbuster songs for ‘Pushpa 2’

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Devi Sri Prasad has already composed 3 chartbuster songs for ‘Pushpa 2’

Following the stupendous success of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, musician Devi Shri Prasad is said to have composed three songs for the much-awaited sequel.

It is reported that DSP has already composed three songs for the upcoming movie ‘Pushpa: The Rule’ or ‘Pushpa 2’.

As the movie was not planned to be a two-part affair, DSP had readied a couple of songs earlier. The makers had dropped the plan in the middle and made the movie into two parts, DSP had to wrap up the music for the first part.

Now that the makers are all set to begin shooting for the second part, Devi had worked on minute changes for his previously composed songs and completed three songs for the sequel, a source reported.

Allu Arjun, who was seen as a sandalwood smuggler in ‘Pushpa’, will be seen in a more intense role in ‘Pushpa: The Rule’. Sukumar helms the movie under the Mythri Movie Makers banner in association with Muthamsetty Media.

NASA satellites detect 1st ever decline in human CO2 emissions

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NASA satellites detect 1st ever decline in human CO2 emissions

A team of scientists at NASA has for the first time ever spotted regional fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) across the globe due to emissions from human activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using a combination of NASA satellites and atmospheric modeling, including data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), the team measured drops in CO2 emissions during the pandemic from space.

Previous studies investigated the effects of lockdowns early in the pandemic and found that global CO2 levels dropped slightly in 2020.

However, by combining OCO-2’s high-resolution data with modeling and data analysis tools from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS), the team was able to narrow down which monthly changes were due to human activity and which were due to natural causes at a regional scale.

The team’s measurements showed that in the Northern Hemisphere, human-generated growth in CO2 concentrations dropped from February through May 2020. It rebounded during the summer, consistent with a global emissions decrease of 3 percent to 13 percent for the year.

The results represent a leap forward for researchers studying regional effects of climate change and tracking results of mitigation strategies, the team said.

The method allows the detection of changes in atmospheric CO2 just a month or two after they happen, providing fast, actionable information about how human and natural emissions are evolving.

When the Covid pandemic forced people to stay home, there were fewer cars and other means of transport on the road, which meant steep drops in the number of greenhouse gases and pollutants released into the atmosphere.

But with CO2, a “steep drop” needs to be put in context, said Lesley Ott, a research meteorologist at NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This gas can last in the atmosphere for up to a century after it is released, which is why short-term changes could get lost in the overall global carbon cycle, a sequence of absorption and release that involves natural processes as well as human ones. The lockdowns of early 2020 are one small part of the total CO2 picture for the year.

“Early in 2020, we saw fires in Australia that released CO2, we saw more uptake from plants over India, and we saw all these different influences mixed up,” Ott said. “The challenge is to try to disentangle that and understand what all the different components were.”

But, the signal wasn’t as clear in the Southern Hemisphere, due to another record-breaking climate anomaly: The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a cyclical pattern of cooler-than-normal oceans in Southeast Asia and warmer-than-normal oceans in the eastern Indian Ocean (positive phase) or the reverse (negative phase), the team noted.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the IOD experienced an intense positive phase, yielding a plentiful harvest season in sub-Saharan Africa and contributing to the record-setting Australian fire season.

Both events strongly affected the carbon cycle and made detecting the signal of Covid lockdowns difficult, the team said.

Calcutta HC judge recuses from WBSSC hearing

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Calcutta HC judge recuses from WBSSC hearing

Justice Harish Tandon, on Monday, chose to recuse from hearing 10 cases relating to recruitment irregularities by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).

A division bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta was supposed to hear those cases relating to irregularities in the recruitment of non-teaching staff under Group C and Group D and teaching staff for ninth and tenth standards for sponsored schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Examination (WBBSE).

However, on Monday, Justice Tandon expressed his desire to recuse from hearing these ten cases. However, Justice Tandon did not cite any specific reason behind his decision. According to him, the decision to recuse was prompted by personal grounds.

On March 25 the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered WBSSC’s former advisor, S.P. Sinha to file an affidavit to the court disclosing the details of his assets. Sinha appealed to the division bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Rabindranath Samanta against the single-judge bench order. The said division bench, although upheld the single-judge bench order, directed Sinha to file the same affidavit in a sealed envelope.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay took exception to this observation of the division bench and complained that in a way the hands of the single bench had been tied. “This is – I am sorry to say – the highest degree of double standard expressed by the appeal court for the reason known to it. But to maintain judicial discipline, I have to accept such an order,” Justice Gangopadhyay observed.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay also raised questions on how an affidavit filed in a sealed envelope can be dealt with at the time of the final decision. And after that on Monday, Justice Tandon chose to recuse from hearing all the cases pertaining to the WBSSC recruitment irregularities.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court, on Monday, ordered S. Acharya and P.K. Bandopadhyay, two members of the WBSSC- to appoint an advisory committee to be present at the office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata by 3 p.m. on Monday only.

Players showed a good heart and good spirits in thrilling win v England: Coach Reid

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Players showed a good heart and good spirits in thrilling win v England: Coach Reid

Indian men’s hockey coach Graham Reid appreciated the way his players fought all the way against England in a thrilling 4-3 win, adding that the players showed a “good heart and good spirits” in the second match of the FIH Pro League double-header, at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday night.

Drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as India pulled off a win, with the defender making his total international goals tally to more than 100.

India pulled off victories in both the games against England, winning the first one 3-3 (3-2) in the shootout on Saturday. With the wins in the double-header, India climbed to the top of the FIH Pro League 2021/22 table with 21 points in 10 games so far.

Reid, however, pointed out that India lacked the finishing flourish when they were in control of the situation.

“We seem to have a habit of not finishing those games when we have control of them. We let the other team get back into it. But I suppose that’s hockey nowadays. In the third quarter (of Sunday night), we lost control a bit and we need to look into that,” Reid opined.

“The corners went in and we had opportunities to try some variations. It was a really good fight with them and our boys showed a good heart and good spirits. Games like these help in building characters. And it’s always good to come out on top,” the coach added.

Reid’s boys will next play home games against Germany on April 14 and 15 at the same venue, and the coach warned that India will have to be on its guard against “a great hockey nation”.

“It’s good to win and reach top of the table, but now we have to prepare for Germany, who are also a very tough team. They will always bring a competitive team. They are a great hockey nation. So, we can look forward to some good games coming up in two weeks,” Reid said.

Speaking about his hat-trick, Harmanpreet said that he always wants to contribute to the team in any which way possible.

“My aim has always been to score goals for the benefit of the team. Even if I score one or two goals, or don’t score any, I always look to help the team in any which way I can. All my goals are memorable for me and are my favorite ones =- because I scored them for India,” said Harmanpreet.

“England is a very good team, they did not give up till the last minute. But we also performed well to keep our calm. It is also a learning lesson for us that we need to maintain our lead and the pressure in the match so that we can play freely in the final two quarters,” he added.

India skipper Amit Rohidas said that the win over England had given the players a great deal of confidence.

“We have gained a lot of confidence. Everybody in the team is making their contribution and we are showing a great team effort,” Rohidas said.

“I am enjoying leading the team as Captain, and it has been a great learning experience for me. But, more than that, everyone in the team wants to play for the benefit of the team, and that has been a really good thing to see in the past few games,” Rohidas added.

Why Ram Charan walked barefoot in black attire in Mumbai

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Why Ram Charan walked barefoot in black attire in Mumbai

‘RRR’ actor Ram Charan was spotted at Mumbai airport, as he was seen in unusual black attire walking barefoot.

The ‘Rangasthalam’ actor observes a 41-day ‘Deeksha’, which is the reason behind his attire.

Ram Charan, a core believer of Sabarimala Ayyappa, generally observes ‘Deeksha’, a 41-day ritual, whenever possible. As the actor was busy with back-to-back promotions for ‘RRR’, he started the ‘Deeksha’ post the movie’s grand release.

Ram Charan, who is a pet lover, had taken this oath to follow the Deeksha ritual, as he had a mannat when his pet dog ‘Brat’ fell sick some time ago.

“I lost my Brat (pet dog) earlier. That pain was haunting me and hence my wife Upasana gifted me a similar puppy. I named him Brat, again. Brat got his leg fractured and hence I have a mannat that I will not eat non-vegetarian food until he gets up and run,” Ram Charan had explained in one of his interviews earlier.

Now that the ‘Magadheera’ actor appeared in black Kurta and barefooted attire, close sources claim that the actor does it every once in a while, to keep his loved ones in his prayers and for positivity.

SL Prez invites oppn parties to join cabinet to resolve crisis

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SL Prez invites oppn parties to join cabinet to resolve crisis

Following the resignation of the Sri Lankan Cabinet amid anti-government protests, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all political parties, including the opposition, to accept ministerial posts and to help to resolve the ongoing economic crisis.

Issuing a statement, President Rajapaksa invited the parties to come together to find solutions.

“The current crisis is a result of several economic factors and global developments. As one of the leading democratic countries in Asia, solutions should be found to this within a democratic framework,” the statement noted.

“Considering this a national need, the time has come to work together for the sake of all the citizens and future generations.”

As the island-wide protests defying curfew and emergency laws imposed by Rajapaksa took place on Sunday, the government decided to dissolve the cabinet with the plan to have an all-party interim government.

Grappled by a severe economic crisis, the island nation has been going through a crisis where people are suffered without fuel, LPG, electricity, and food for months.

Extensive loans and unlimited money printing which exceeded 1.2 trillion LKR ($4 billion) in 2021 have led to the current economic crisis.

Meanwhile, Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who was blamed by the opposition parties and activists as responsible for extensive money printing, has resigned.

Apple reportedly testing 9-inch foldable device

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Apple reportedly testing 9-inch foldable device

Apple is reportedly testing a 9-inch foldable device, according to one supply chain insider.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities said that despite his earlier prediction that a foldable iPhone could come in 2024, it is now looking highly unlikely that we’ll see it before 2025.

“I think the priority order of sizes of Apple foldable product development is medium, large, and small. Apple is actively testing foldable OLED about 9-inch (PPI between iPhone and iPad, adoption of TDDI). The test is to verify key technologies and may not be the final product spec,” Kuo said in a tweet.

The delay for the launch of a foldable iPhone is quite long if it is not getting official until 2025.

Earlier, the device was rumored to launch sometime in 2023 or 2024 to catch up with the competition in the market.

But the delay in the launch indicates that the tech giant is not in a hurry to enter the foldable smartphones market.

The company is now focusing on MacBooks and is allegedly exploring the possibility of offering an all-screen foldable notebook.

It is also currently in discussion with suppliers for around 20-inch foldable screens.

Apple is collaborating with LG to develop a foldable OLED display panel with ultra-thin cover glass for future Apple tablets and notebooks.

La Liga: Barca move second with solitary-goal win over Sevilla

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La Liga: Barca move second with solitary-goal win over Sevilla

FC Barcelona moved into second place in La Liga thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Sevilla. Pedri’s spectacular goal in the 72nd minute decided the result on Sunday night and it was a goal worthy of winning any match, as he controlled the ball, beat two defenders, and sent a diagonal shot into the corner.

Both sides had chances, with Gerard Pique’s header against the bar the best of all, but Barcelona did just enough to deserve the win that leaves them 12 points behind Real Madrid with a game in hand, Xinhua reports.

On Saturday, Real Madrid won controversially away to Celta Vigo in a game that saw referee Gonzalez Fuentes award Madrid three penalties and rule out a Celta goal for offside.

Karim Benzema put Madrid ahead in the 19th minute from the penalty spot after Nolito clipped Eder Militao’s heel as he was preparing to shoot.

Fuentes then ruled out an equalizer for Celta, deciding that the offside Iago Aspas had interfered with play when Thiago Galhardo’s header ended in the back of the net.

Celta equalized in the 52nd minute when Nolito scored from close range, but although Benzema saw a penalty saved in the 63rd minute after Rodrygo had gone down, the Frenchman scored the third penalty of the afternoon after Ferland Mendy was judged to have been fouled on the edge of the Celta area.

Joao Felix and Luis Suarez both scored twice as Atletico Madrid won 4-1 at home to Alaves.

Joao put Atletico ahead after 11 minutes, although Alaves dug in and deserved Gonzalo Escalante’s 63rd-minute equalizer.

Atletico had enough to come back to win the game, with Suarez scoring a 75th-minute penalty before Joao Felix scored a third with eight minutes left to play, and Suarez added a fourth in the last minute.

Atletico moves third after Sevilla’s defeat, while Real Betis remain fifth, four points behind their neighbors, after two first-half goals from Juanmi put them on the way to a 4-1 win at home to Osasuna.

Ante Budimir pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 65th minute, but a moment of magic from William Carvalho made it 3-1 and Alex Moreno added fourth with two minutes left to play.

Athletic Bilbao moved to within a point of the top seven with a 2-1 win at home to Elche with a spectacular volley from Alex Berenguer and Asier Villalibre’s first goal of the campaign.

Athletic controlled the game for 90 minutes but had to survive a few nervous moments in the end after Jose Antonio scored Elche’s only chance of the game in injury time.

Cadiz edged a point further away from the bottom three with a 0-0 draw away to Valencia in a game of very few chances, while Granada saved a point with another controversial penalty in a 2-2 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano.

Mario Suarez headed a 94th-minute cross clear, but VAR gave Granada a penalty from a handball which Luis Milla scored to complete a comeback from 2-0 down.

Alejandro Catena and Sergi Guardiola had put Rayo 2-0 up in the first 17 minutes, but after Santi Comesania was harshly sent off, Jorge Molina pulled the first goal back for the home side.

Borja Mayoral’s 81st-minute goal gave Getafe a 1-0 win at home to Mallorca, who improved in Javier Aguirre’s debut as first-team coach and were unlucky to be reduced to 10 men when Franco Russo was shown a second yellow card for handball, which also saw Getafe given a penalty.

Mallorca keeper Sergio Rico saved the penalty and the follow-up but was helpless as Mayoral slid the ball across him.

Two moments of second-half magic from captain Jose Luis Morales gave Levante a 2-0 win against Villarreal to lift them off the bottom of the table.

Another round of district bifurcation in Bengal likely next year

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Another round of district bifurcation in Bengal likely next year

Speculation is rife that West Bengal is heading for a fresh round of district bifurcation by 2023.

Reportedly a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the preparatory planning for this proposed fresh district bifurcation has already started and the plan is currently restricted among selected members of the cabinet and the top bureaucrats of the state. Although none of the top cabinet members and bureaucrats were willing to make any official comment on this matter, highly placed sources said if the fresh bifurcation is done the total number of districts in West Bengal will increase to 27 from the existing 23.

The planned three new districts will be forked out of the two big districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. To recall, the two existing districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas were formed by bifurcating the erstwhile undivided 24 Parganas district on March 1, 1980.

A state government official, aware of the planning for the formation of the three new districts, told to an interviewer on condition of anonymity, that the proposed three districts would be Sunderbans, Basirhat, and Alipur.

Of the three, the formation of the Sunderbans district will be the most complicated process and it will have to be formed by forking out pockets from both North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts. According to him, the proposed Sunderbans district might be forked out mainly out of Gosaba, Basanti, and Kultali areas in South 24 Parganas district as well as Hingalganj and Sandeshkhali blocks in the current North 24 Parganas district.

The state government official also said that the formation process of the planned Basirhat and Alipur districts will be comparatively simple. Alipur might be formed with the pockets forked out of the Kolkata adjacent pockets in South 24 Parganas districts as well as the Assembly constituencies under Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, wherefrom the MP is the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and the chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

On the other hand, the state government official said the proposed Basirhat district would be formed from pockets forked out of the existing Basirhat and Bangaon sub-divisions in the North 24 Parganas district.

Since 1980, West Bengal has witnessed district bifurcations seven times, out of which three developments were during the previous Left Front regime and four developments took place during the current Trinamool Congress regime.

The first event of district bifurcation in the state was on March 1, 1980, when the previous Left Front government was in force with late nonagenarian Indian Marxist, Jyoti Basu as the state chief minister.

The second phase of district bifurcation was on April 1, 1992, when the erstwhile West Dinajpur district was bifurcated into the existing North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts. At that point in time, the Jyoti Basu-led Left Front government was in power in the state.

The third phase of bifurcation was on January 1, 2002, when the undivided Midnapore district was divided into the existing two districts of East Midnapore and West Midnapore. Mamata Banerjee’s predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the chief minister of West Bengal then.

On June 25, 2014, when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime came to power, the new Alipurduar district was formed by bifurcating Jalpaiguri district.

Again, on February 14, 2017, the hill district of Kalimpong was formed by bifurcating the Darjeeling district.

On April 4, 2017, the formation of the new Jhargram district was formed by bifurcating the West Midnapore district.

Finally, on April 7, 2017, two districts of West Burdwan and East Burdwan were created by bifurcating the erstwhile undivided Burdwan district.

Commenting on the practical justification of the bifurcation of districts, senior political analyst and former registrar of Calcutta University, Raja Gopal Dhar Chakraborty told in an interview that the formation of smaller districts through the bifurcation of bigger districts is always a welcome move.

“First this will provide a relief to the common people from traveling long distances to reach government offices. Secondly, the formation of new districts means the creation of new government offices which enhances the scope of fresh employment. However, at the same time, I would also like to say that like the formation of new and smaller districts I also do not find any harm in the creation of new and smaller states through the bifurcation of bigger states. There might be some sentimental issues involved with the bifurcation of states but the creation of smaller states enhances administrative advantage,” Dhar Chakraborty said.

We need to give Ruturaj Gaikwad good confidence, says Jadeja on struggling CSK opener

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We need to give Ruturaj Gaikwad good confidence, says Jadeja on struggling CSK opener

Chennai Super Kings captain Ravindra Jadeja urged his teammates to back opener Ruturaj Gaikwad the hero of the defending champions’ previous edition’s campaign in the IPL –, saying everyone needs to give the 25-year-old batter “good confidence”.

Gaikwad was the highest run-getter in CSK’s winning campaign last year, scoring a mind-boggling 635 runs in 16 matches. He beat then-CSK team-mate Faf du Plessis by just two runs to wear the orange cap in 2021.

However, Gaikwad was out for just one run in the 180-run chase against Punjab Kings at Brabourne on Sunday night, with CSK losing their third consecutive IPL 2022 match by 54 runs. Against newbies Lucknow Super Giants too he scored a single on March 31, while in the opening match of the IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede, Gaikwad was out for a duck.

However, Jadeja, who himself was out for a duck on Sunday, said that Gaikwad needed the support of his team.

“I think we lost too many wickets in the powerplay. We didn’t find momentum from Ball 1. We have to come back stronger. We need to give Ruturaj good confidence, we need to back him. We know he is a very good player. He will come good,” opined Jadeja.

On Shivam Dube, whose 30-ball 57 went in vain as the defending champions could only manage 126 in their chase, Jadeja said that “Dube is batting so well. He was also batting well today. Keeping him in a good frame of mind will be key. Definitely, we will try and come back stronger and work hard.”

Dube walked in with the score on 23/ 4 and counterattacked, including hitting South African pacer Kagiso Rabada for two straight sixes. He reached his fifty off 26 balls — his first half-century for the Super Kings.

Chennai Super Kings face Sunrisers Hyderabad next on April 9 at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai.

IPL 2022: Waiting for that one win which will put CSK on the right track: Jadeja

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IPL 2022: Waiting for that one win which will put CSK on the right track: Jadeja

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, attributed the 54-run defeat to Punjab Kings at Brabourne on Sunday to the inability to gain “momentum” from the first ball onwards, adding that just one win would put his side on track in IPL 2022.

Liam Livingstone’s 60 off just 32 balls propelled PBKS to 180 in 20 overs, following which their bowlers, especially Rahul Chahar (3/25) and Livingstone (2/25), restricted the defending champions to 126 to secure a 54-run victory.

This was CSK’s third loss in as many matches under new captain Jadeja in this edition of the IPL. The all-rounder himself was off-color going for a duck and taking just one wicket in his four overs.

“In T20 cricket it’s a matter of one match. If you win one match the momentum comes your way. One win will put us on the right track and give us the rhythm because all our players are so experienced that you don’t need to tell anyone anything because everyone knows their game. We are working hard towards that,” said Jadeja after the match.

He added that it was important to back the players as they were all match-winners.

“We have 4-5 Indian fast bowlers. We are looking to back them. You can’t judge players in 1-2 matches so we have to back them. I think we didn’t get the momentum from ball one, which we were looking for. It happens in T20 cricket. You lose early wickets and can’t find the rhythm. You find it difficult.”

Barbadian right-arm fast bowler Chris Jordan, who had a special debut for CSK with figures of 2/23, said, “It was an honor and pleasure to take a few in yellow alongside a few legends of the game like MS Dhoni, DJ Bravo, Jaddu (Jadeja). To put on that yellow jersey and that yellow color is special.

“Disappointed we couldn’t get over the line for the fans. Wherever we go in the country, the support is immense. Just a shame that we couldn’t get a win for them tonight. All in all, very pleased to have made my debut for such a great franchise. It’s about performing and helping the team get to winning ways now.”

IPL 2022: There is a question mark on CSK’s choice of players, says Kaneria

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IPL 2022: There is a question mark on CSK’s choice of players, says Kaneria

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria feels a lot of questions have been raised on the choice of players Chennai Super Kings has selected in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

With the loss against Punjab Kings on Sunday, CSK has now lost its third consecutive game in the ongoing IPL.

Kaneria said the team given to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is a “weak” side with a weaker bowling lineup.

“The team given to Ravindra Jadeja has many flaws. The combination of CSK is very poor. They have a weaker bowling line-up and their batting too isn’t clicking at the moment. So there is a question mark on CSK’s choice of players in IPL 2022,” Kaneria said on the KOO app.

Prior to the start of the IPL, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had handed over the leadership of CSK to Jadeja.

Jadeja, who has been an integral part of CSK since 2012, is only the third player to lead CSK.

Coming to the match, Liam Livingstone smashed 60 runs in 32 balls and picked two wickets as Punjab Kings defeated CSK by 54 runs in the IPL 2022 match.

CSK lost their third consecutive match of the season while Punjab registered their second win of the season.

Mozilla calls on Microsoft to ‘respect default browser choice on Windows

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Mozilla calls on Microsoft to ‘respect default browser choice on Windows

Mozilla, the firm behind the popular web browser Firefox, said that Microsoft took a step in the right direction regarding default browser choice but that there is more to be done.

Earlier this month, Microsoft rolled out an optional cumulative update for Windows 11 that made it easier to change the default browser on PCs, reports Windows Central.

Previously, people had to manually change the default setting for every file and link type, which could require dozens of steps to accomplish.

Following the recent update to Windows 11, people can set their preferences for more than one link and file type with a single click.

Mozilla said that the move is a “step in the right direction” by Microsoft but that more can be done to “respect default browser choice on Windows”.

The company calls on improvements for both end-users and developers when it comes to setting a default browser.

“People should have the ability to simply and easily set defaults and all operating systems should offer official developer support for default status,” a Mozilla spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“In practice, we would like to also see progress on reducing the number of steps required to set a new browser as default, and on opening and making APIs available for apps to set a default that other Microsoft applications use.”

Women’s World Cup: Healy smacks brilliant 170 as Australia reach 356/5 v England

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Women’s World Cup: Healy smacks brilliant 170 as Australia reach 356/5 v England

Alyssa Healy smacked a brilliant 170 off 138 balls, including 26 boundaries, as Australia reached a dominant 356/5 against England in the final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at a sunny Hagley Oval on Sunday.

Apart from Healy’s magnificent knock which will be regarded as the greatest ODI knock of all time and left the cricketing world enthralled, her opening partner Rachael Haynes hit 68 while Beth Mooney justified her promotion to number three with a quick 47-ball 62.

For England, it was a forgettable day on the field where missed catches, misfields, and wayward bowling meant nothing went their way after captain Heather Knight won the toss and elected to field first on a fresh pitch.

After seeing off the swing challenge from pacers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole in the first ten overs, Healy and Haynes opened up to go on a rampage, pushing England on the backfoot. While Haynes was the early aggressor, Healy soon took over from her to dish out a masterclass in making a big knock at a World Cup final.

Australia, especially Healy, took advantage of England’s errors on the field as well as with the ball. In the 21st over, both Healy and Haynes were dropped by Nat Sciver and Danni Wyatt on 42 and 47 respectively off pacer Kate Cross. Though Haynes couldn’t get a century, Healy ensured that she stayed at the crease after the 160-run partnership to bring her second successive century in the knockout matches of the ongoing mega event.

Against the spinners, Healy made use of her feet to dominate the spinners, especially Charlie Dean. She went back foot at times to nail her cuts and drives and even brought out the scoop twice to get runs at a rapid rate. Mooney complimented her well with her brisk shots during the partnership of 156 for the second wicket.

During her whirlwind knock of 170, Healy became the first player, men’s or women’s, to score more than 150 in a World Cup final, going past 149 made by Adam Gilchrist in the 2007 men’s final against Sri Lanka. Her tally of 509 runs has made her the leading run-scorer of the tournament and is also the most runs scored by a player in an edition of the women’s Cricket World Cup.

Though Shrubsole came back to pick up wickets and stall the run-flow in the fag end of Australia’s innings, Healy’s stupendous show with a wide array of shots all around the ground kept the six-time champions in pole position at the interval, leaving England, the defending champions staring, at an uphill mountain to climb.

Brief Scores:

Australia 356/5 in 50 overs (Alyssa Healy 170, Rachael Haynes 68; Anya Shrubsole 3/46, Sophie Ecclestone 1/71) vs England.

Besides shattering records, ‘RRR’ signals altered power equations in Tollywood

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Besides shattering records, ‘RRR’ signals altered power equations in Tollywood

Images of the protagonists in the latest box-office super hit ‘RRR’ tell a great story of friendship on the big screen.

In real life too, the Tollywood actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan are winning hearts for their friendship bordering on bromance.

On several occasions during the run-up to the movie’s release and after that too, the camaraderie between the two-star actors, scions of two of the most powerful Tollywood clans, have touched a chord with the people. It looks like their friendship spans several years at least.

But nothing could be farther from the truth. A couple of years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine seeing the two stars in the same frame, let alone a three-hour-long multi-star blockbuster! In fact, Jr NTR confessed as much in some of his media interactions.

It was a trend that symptomized the deep divisions in Tollywood for many years. Where stars refused to act in multi-starters for fear of being overshadowed or offending the sentiments of their fans.

In recent years, however, the trend seems to be slowly but surely reversing. A few years ago, ‘Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’, a family entertainer starring Venkatesh and Mahesh Babu became a blockbuster. Then came ‘Bahubali’ where S.S. Rajamouli brought Prabhas and Rana Dagubatti together to the big screen. It was a casting coup of sorts for the director to get Rana to play the antagonist. In more recent times, ‘Bheemla Nayak’ had Pawan Kalyan facing off with Rana on screen.

“Today’s stars are more concerned about the story and their characterization. They believe in letting bygones be bygones,” a director said on the condition of anonymity.

For generations, the Telugu film industry has been dominated by clans headed by a father-figure who is himself a star. Tollywood initially had stars like NT Rama Rao (NTR) and Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) who amassed immense popularity and clout. They were followed by Krishna and Krishnamraju who became icons in their own rights. After that came Balakrishna, Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, and Nagarjuna.

“The relations between the first generation stars could be described as frosty at best. NT Rama Rao and ANR were best friends but fell apart later on. Similarly, NT Rama Rao and Krishna were not on the best of terms,” a senior film journalist recalls.

Interestingly most of the current crop of Tollywood stars hail from one or the other of these movie clans.

For instance, leading Telugu actor Balakrishna is NT Rama Rao’s son, while NTR is his grandson and Balakrishna’s nephew. On the other hand, Ram Charan is Chiranjeevi’s son. Chiranjeevi heads the extended clan which includes the Allu family. Between them, this clan has as many as nine-film stars. This includes the likes of Chiranjeevi’s kid brother Pawan Kalyan and nephew Allu Arjun. Similarly, Prabhas is Krishnamraju’s nephew and Rana is related to actors Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna’s sons Naga Chaitanya and Akhil are also stars in their own right.

In a further sign of the changing times, actor Mahesh Babu participated in an episode of the Telugu version of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ hosted by NTR. The two spent a lot of time in friendly conversation belying the old rivalries between their families.

Similarly, NTR’s uncle and top actor Balakrishna hosted his top-rated show ‘NBK’ on Aha, the OTT platform promoted by the Allu family who is closely related to Chiranjeevi.

Babar Azam’s ton helps Pakistan clinch ODI series v Australia 2-1

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Babar Azam’s ton helps Pakistan clinch ODI series v Australia 2-1

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam continued his superb form with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 105, while Imam-ul-Haq remained not out on 89 as the hosts defeated Australia by nine wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium here to take the three-match ODI series 2-1.

After a brilliant bowling performance helped Pakistan bowl out the tourists for 210, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey (56 runs) the highest scorer for Australia, the hosts scored the massive win with more than 12 overs to spare on Saturday night.

The victory meant Pakistan jumped to eighth in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League table, leapfrogging New Zealand, with 60 points. Australia remains fourth on the 13-team table, with 70 points after 12 matches.

With the win, Pakistan gained two rating points, maintaining their sixth position on the table with 97 points. Australia managed to hold on to their third position, but are now only two ahead of fourth-placed India with 112 rating points.

Put in to bat, Australia was rattled early, being 0/2 at one stage. Pakistan picked up wickets at regular intervals before Alex Carey’s half-century steadied the ship for the tourists. His wicket though would lead to a mini-collapse for the visitors, before Sean Abbott’s fine 49 helped them to a score of 210.

For the hosts, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim collected three wickets apiece.

Despite losing Fakhar Zaman quite early, Pakistan then cruised home in the chase, courtesy of a mammoth 190-run partnership between skipper Azam and Imam-ul-Haq. Babar scored the 16th century of his ODI career while Imam notched up a serene fifty, as Pakistan emerged as 2-1 series victors.

Babar Azam was adjudged Man of the Match.

The two sides will now play the one-off T20I in Lahore on April 5. The match will be a great opportunity for both sides as preparations heat up for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

Brief scores:

Australia 210 in 41.5 overs (Ben McDermott 36, Alex Carey 56, Cameron Green 34, Sean Abbott 49; Shaheen Afridi 2/40, Haris Rauf 3/39, Mohammad Wasim 3/40) lost to Pakistan 214/1 in 37.5 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 89 not out, Babar Azam 105 not out) by nine wickets.

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