Sourav Ganguly: Captain who is still steering the ship of Indian cricket

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Sourav Ganguly: Captain who is still steering the ship of Indian cricket

Many refer to him as the “Bengal Tiger”. For some, he is the “Prince of Kolkata”. But what he is most famous as is “Dada”. Dada generally means elder brother in Bengali and in colloquial terms, it also refers to as don. And Sourav Ganguly is rightly called the “Dada” of Indian cricket.

Counted among one of the most successful Indian captains, Ganguly still remains one of the most talked-about former cricketers in world cricket.

However, it was not a fairytale story for Ganguly where everything clicked right from the word go. After making his international debut in 1992 during an ODI in Brisbane against the West Indies, the stylish left-handed batsman had to wait for almost four years to play another game for India.

He, alongwith Rahul Dravid, made Test debut at the iconic Lord’s in 1996 and Ganguly scored a century at the Home of Cricket. Rest, they say, is history. With that brilliant knock of 131, Ganguly announced his arrival in international cricket like a lion hungry for prey. During his playing days, he was considered to be the god of off-side, playing those stylish cover drives and cut shots which mesmerised many in the cricketing circuit.

During his batting, whenever he used to step out to a spinner, it was almost certain that the bowler could do nothing but concede a monstrous six — “a biggie” in terms of former commentator Tony Greig.

However, the thing which separated Ganguly from other Indian cricketers was the aggresiveness, the bold nature and the never giving-up attitude with which he played. He was hit on numerous occasions by ferocious bouncers from Shoaib Akhtar but the left-handed batsman never gave up. In fact, the Rawalpindi Express recently admitted that Ganguly was probably the bravest batsmen he ever bowled to.

But, more than the batsman, Ganguly is known to people as more the captain. Ganguly became the skipper of the Indian team when the side was facing some really tough times following the match-fixing scandal. He was only in his mid 20s when he had to step in to become the leader of the side which already had greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble.

However, he brought in a new energy within the team which encouraged every player to go for the kill and never give up.

Unlike other previous Indian captains who believed aggression is to be shown through performance and not words, here was Ganguly who was ready to take on teams and make them have a taste of their own medicine. His aggresion and antics were all on display and he never shied away from showing his emotions.

During Australia’s historic tour to India in 2001, he even made Steve Waugh wait for the toss — something which annoyed the then Australian skipper.

He was someone who always led from the front and instilled belief in the team that they are not just winners at home but could win on foreign soil as well. He captained India to 11 Tests wins in 28 overseas Tests, which included victories in Australia and Pakistan as well.

It was under his captaincy only that players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan etc turned from into genuine match-winners. He provided them with the opportunity to play their natural game without any fear of losing their spot.

Many in the contemporary times believe that it was Ganguly only who made the team a force to reckon with.

“My biggest legacy is that we left a unit that believed it could win away,” said Ganguly recently. And it was carried brilliantly by MS Dhoni who led India to victory in the 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.

Just like he waved his shirt from the Lord’s balcony after the NatWest Trophy to stamp India’s authority, Ganguly still continues to boss the Indian cricket — now in the capacity of BCCI President. And all cricket fans hope that he takes Indian cricket to new heights of glory in the coming days as well.

Happy Birthday Dada.

Men and younger adults less active in lockdown: Study

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Men and younger adults less active in lockdown: Study

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the researchers have found that men and younger adults have been less physically active during the Covid-19 lockdown.

For the findings, published in the journal BMJ Open Sport, the research team included data from 911 UK adults who took part in an online survey which began on 17 March.

“The overall levels of physical activity are higher than we were expecting,” said study lead author Dr Lee Smith from the Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the UK.

The research found that 75 per cent of UK adults met the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s physical activity recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week, since the introduction of social distancing regulations.

This is higher than previous studies carried out before the Covid-19 pandemic, which found that between 58 per cent and 66 per cent of the UK adult population typically meet physical activity guidelines.

The new study found that women, older adults, and those with a higher annual household income were significantly more likely to meet the WHO’s physical activity guidelines.

According to the researchers, this is the opposite of studies carried out prior to the pandemic, where men and younger adults were found to have higher levels of physical activity.

“During the early stages of the outbreak, one of the few reasons to leave home was to take part in an hour of exercise. As well as offering a reason to go outside, this may have served as a target for some people,” Smith said.

“Typically, the proportion of UK adults meeting physical activity guidelines declines with age. Therefore, there should be additional support offered to older adults to encourage them to sustain this level of physical activity post-pandemic,” Smith noted.

Covid patient jumps to death from Raj hospital

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Covid patient jumps to death from Raj hospital

A Covid-19 patient on Wednesday jumped to his death from the second floor of the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) building here.

Officials confirmed that the incident was reported around 10.30 a.m.

The 78-year-old patient was a resident of Jaipur, and was admitted in the Covid-dedicated RUHS’ ICU on Tuesday. On Wednesday, after breaking the net of the semi-ICU, he jumped to his death.

Health officials said that he has had blood pressure and breathing issues.

District Collector Antar Singh Nehra with other officials and police team rushed to the spot to investigate.

ACP Poonam Chand Vishnoi said that the patient jumped from the semi ICU’s second floor. “We have spoken to his family members and they are coming here.”

Meanwhile, his grandson, Tapish, confirmed to IANS that his grandfather is no more and the family was on its way for his last rites.

SBI reduces MCLR by 5-10 bps in shorter tenors

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SBI reduces MCLR by 5-10 bps in shorter tenors

State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday announced reduction in its marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) on loans by 5-10 basis points (bps) in the shorter tenors — up to three months — with effect from July 10.

In a statement, the bank said that the rates have been cut to boost credit off take and revive demand.

This is the 14th consecutive reduction in SBI’s MCLR.

Following the latest revision, SBI’s MCLR up to three months tenor comes down to 6.65 per cent per annum which is on par with the EBLR of SBI. SBI’s MCLR continues to be the lowest in the market.

Banks generally review MCLR every month.

Yogi claims UP law and order is ‘better’

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Yogi claims UP law and order is ‘better’

To counter the mounting pressure by the opposition on the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has now released crime figures based on the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data to prove that the crime situation in the state is ‘satisfactory’.

According to the government spokesman, the NCRB data for the year 2018 shows that despite having 17 per cent population of the country, the crime rate in the state was just 10 per cent.

The government also compared the figures of murders, crime against women and children, and crime against Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes of Uttar Pradesh with the rest of India.

The rate of murders in Uttar Pradesh is 1.8 per lakh population, far below the national average of 2.2 per lakh population in 2018.

The state also has a lower murder rate than Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Similarly, crime against women in Uttar Pradesh is 55.7 per lakh population, less than the national average of 58.8 in 2018 and fares better than Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Assam.

In crime against children, Uttar Pradesh’s rate of 22.5 per lakh population is less than national average of 31.8 and also lower than Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The crime rate as per the NCRB shows police has improved law and order in Uttar Pradesh in comparison to other states having a higher population density.

The spokesman said the government has been supportive and initiated a host of reforms to help curb crime.

The Special task Force (STF) was given an additional amount of Rs six crore to purchase equipment and vehicles and financial assistance was also given for modernisation of the force.

Unacademy acquires PrepLadder to boost presence in medical entrance

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Unacademy acquires PrepLadder to boost presence in medical entrance

Bengaluru-based edtech firm Unacademy has acquired Chandigarh-based PrepLadder, a leading post-graduate medical entrance exam preparation platform, for $50 million (approx Rs 375 crore).

According to Unacademy, the acquisition will strengthen its presence in medical entrance examination categories. Unacademy recently acquired Kreatryx and taken over the custodianship of CodeChef.

Founded by Deepanshu Goyal, Vitul Goyal and Sahil Goyal in 2016, PrepLadder prepares students for medical examinations and provides access to education services and preparation material for exams such as NEET PG, AIIMS PG, NEET SS, and FMGE.

Currently, PrepLadder has expert educators teaching over 85,000 active subscribers.

“The exponential growth in Unacademy’s subscriber base is a testament to the increasing demand for quality online education and our consistent efforts. I look forward to working with the PrepLadder team as they become a part of the Unacademy Group,” Gaurav Munjal, Co-Founder, and CEO, Unacademy, said in a statement.

In the last three months, Unacademy has recorded a 100 per cent increase in its paid subscriber base.

The monthly watch time minutes has also reached an all-time high of over 1 billion. Additionally, over 525,000 learners attempted various mock tests on the platform for competitive examinations such as UPSC, NEET-PG, and CAT, among others, during this period.

“Unacademy and PrepLadder are working towards the common goal of making quality education accessible to all. We believe that the synergies between both products will truly create a mark in the industry,” said Deepanshu Goyal, Co-Founder, PrepLadder.

Founded in 2015, Unacademy currently has over 10,000 educators, more than 30 million learners and caters to over 35 exam categories.

The acquisition comes on the heels of news reports that Think and Learn, the parent company of Bengaluru-based edtech unicorn BYJU’S, is in talks to acquire Mumbai-based startup WhiteHat Jr for Rs 300 million.

Instagram brings TikTok-like short videos to India with ‘Reels’

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Instagram brings TikTok-like short videos to India with ‘Reels’

With the ban on TikTok creating a huge vacuum for the 15-second videos in the Indian Internet space, Facebook-owned Instagram on Wednesday announced the extension of the testing of Reels which allows users to record, edit and share short multi-clip videos, to India.

With Reels, Instagram users can share short videos with their followers on Feed and, if they have a public account, make their reels available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore.

“With the rise in video consumption overall and videos making up over a third of posts on Instagram in India, Instagram has a big role to play in unleashing expression in the country,” Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, told reporters in a video call.

“With Reels, we’re unveiling the future of entertainment on the platform, in a way that ignites creativity. With the multiple creative formats, whichever way you want to express yourself, it can now be on Instagram,” Mohan added.

Instagram is used by over a billion people globally across many surfaces — Feed, Stories, IGTV and Live.

With Reels, people can express themselves while entertaining others, whether that’s by trying out a fun new dance or spreading the message on something they care about.

People can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and new creative tools on Reels.

“Instagram has always been a place where culture is created, because people come to share the things they care about and be entertained.

“We’re constantly listening to our community, and have heard that they want to make and watch short-form videos on Instagram and have the opportunity to be discovered by our broader community,” said Vishal Shah, Vice President of Product, Facebook.

“We’re excited to expand the test of Reels to India and give the next generation of creators born and bred in India a chance to share their native and cultural context — and be potential global stars.”

The feature will start rolling out to users in India from 7.30 pm from Wednesday and at the onset, will be populated with content from a diverse set of public figures and creators, such as Ammy Virk, Gippy Grewal, Komal Pandey, Arjun Kanungo, Jahnavi Dasetty aka Mahathalli, Indrani Biswas aka Wondermunna, Kusha Kapila, Radhika Bangia, RJ Abhinav and Ankush Bhaguna.

India is the fourth country, after Brazil, Germany and France, where this new format is being tested.

This entertainment experience builds on the work done in the past year to enable expression, such as the vast library of music available on the platform; the Spark AR effects on Instagram that enable more creation and expression on the platform; and the ‘Born on Instagram’ programme, which has led to discovery and growth of creators from all across India.

Bengal to release redefined containment zone list

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Bengal to release redefined containment zone list

The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government will issue a fresh list of containment zones across the state later on Wednesday.

Sources said no business activities would be allowed in the containment zones so that the spike of fresh Covid-19 cases can be tackled. All government and non-government offices would also remain closed. There will be strict restrictions on public movements in all market areas that will fall under the redefined containment zones or isolation units.

According to sources in the state secretariat Nabanno, the district-wise list of redefined containment zones will be uploaded on the official website of the state government ‘Egiye Bangla’.

Sources said there will be at least 33 containment zones in Kolkata in the new list, up by 15.

Similarly, Kolkata’s adjoining North 24-Parganas district will altogether have 219 containment zones, South 24-Parganas 155, Howrah 146 and 27 in Hooghly district.

Earlier, the state government decided to impose complete lockdown in all the designated Covid-19 containment zones across the state from July 9. The new restrictions will be imposed in all the containment zones from 5 p.m. on Thursday.

7 more Covid-19 patients die in Odisha

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7 more Covid-19 patients die in Odisha

As many as seven more Covid-19 patients died in Odisha, informed the health department on Wednesday.

Out of the seven deaths, six died of Covid-19 while one patient succumbed to HIV-AIDS.

Three of the deceased are from Ganjam, while two are from Khordha and one each from Kendrapara and Rayagada.

With this, the number of corona related deaths in the state climbed to 48 while 13 patients have died due to other health complications, said the department.

Odisha also reported 527 fresh Covid-19 positive cases in last 24 hours. This is the second consecutive day that the state recorded Covid-19 cases over 500-mark.

Out of the fresh cases, 338 were reported from quarantine centres and 189 are local contacts. Ganjam, which is the worst affected district in the state, has reported the highest 215 cases.

The total positive tally in Odisha increased to 10,624 including 3,860 active cases and 6,703 recoveries.

Andhra CM pays tributes to father YSR, releases mother’s book

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Andhra CM pays tributes to father YSR, releases mother’s book

Rich tributes were paid to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on his 71st birth anniversary on Wednesday.

His son and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, wife Y.S. Vijayalakshmi, daughter Sharmila and other family members paid floral tributes at YSR Ghat at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district.

The Chief Minister on this occasion released a book ‘Naalo…Naatho… YSR’ (Within me…With me, YSR) written by his mother.

Vijayalakshmi, who is the honorary president of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), has penned her thoughts while recalling the life and times of her husband and the turn of events after his death in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009.

Vijayalakshmi wrote in the preface that she understands what the world knows about the leader, but in this book she has written some facts about the great leader which the outside world doesn’t know.

The book is an account of YSR’s life and his political journey and how he is still alive in the form of the welfare schemes he has introduced and it will be useful and will inspire the future generations, she wrote in the preface.

According to a statement from YSRCP, the book gives an authentic account of how YSR had aptly handled various responsibilities… as a son, as a father, brother, husband, son-in-law, father-in-law, friend, leader… and how he used to mingle with them with ease and understanding.

The great prudence he had shown before taking every step, the lessons he had learnt from the experiences were analysed in the book. After winning the hearts of his family, he spread his grace to win the mandate of the people. The way he used to understand and solve the problems of the family members as head of the family was no different when it comes to understanding and solving the problems of the people.

For YSR the state was an extended family. He wanted progress and happiness at home and in the state as well. It is only because of the benefits people had reaped from his welfare schemes that makes them remember and adore him even today.

The book is sprinkled with anecdotes from the legendary leader’s life from marriage at a young age, the circumstances then, how he earned the name as a poor man’s doctor, entry into politics, his leadership qualities from student days, compassion towards poor, ebbs and flow in political life, education of children, their marriages, worship of God, winning peoples’ heart, the span from being the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president to Chief Minister and the pulls and pressures thereon, his affection towards Jagan, Sharmila and Bharathi.

She also narrated the deluge of complex situations that arose after the demise of YSR and the incidents that took place till Jagan took oath as the chief minister.

Popularly known as YSR, Rajasekhara Reddy was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009. He died in a helicopter crash, a few months after leading the Congress party to a second term in power.

YSR’s death plunged the state into political chaos. With the Congress party trying to sideline them, Jagan and Vijayalakshmi quit the party and floated YSRCP to carry forward the ideals of YSR.

YSRCP stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh last year.

Meanwhile, Jagan Mohan Reddy tweeted on Wednesday that YSR is immortal. “He will always live on in the form of Arogyasri, 104, 108 services, fee reimbursement, free electricity to farmers, Jalayagnam and many other schemes,” he wrote.

Recalling that YSR was pro-farmer, Jagan said he was happy that the birth anniversary of the great leader was being celebrated as farmers’ day.

J’khand Min, MLA, scribes test Covid positive

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J’khand Min, MLA, scribes test Covid positive

Jharkhand Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Mithilesh Thakur, Jharkahnd Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Mathura Mahto, and 20 media person of Dhanbad districts have tested positive for the Coronavirus.

The Minister has been admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIM), Ranchi and the legislator in a Dhanbad hospital. The Minister inspected Hatia Dam on Monday.

Jharkhand reported 141 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday from 12 districts. The total tally has crossed 3,000.

In Dhanbad 25 people, including 20 journalists have been detected positive for the virus.

As per the data provided by the health department of the 3,018 total cases, the number of active cases is 892 while number of cured and discharged cases stood at 2,104. The total deaths due to Covid in Jharkhand is 22.

Out of the total, 2,142 have been brought by migrant workers coming from the various Coronavirus hotspots in the country including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

On Tuesday, 36 people were cured and discharged from various dedicated Covid-19 facilities in the state including 13 from Gumla and 7 from Ramgarh district. Five patients from Giridih, 3 each in Chatra, Deoghar and Koderma and 2 in Saraikela also defeated Coronavirus and returned back to their homes.

The recovery rate is 69.71 per cent.

So far in the state 1,66,317 samples have been collected out of which 1,61,564 have been tested and 1,58,546 have turned out to be negative.

Hiring activity improves 33% in June: Naukri.com

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Hiring activity improves 33% in June: Naukri.com

In a silver lining amid the growing Covid-19 cases, the hiring activity in India saw 33 per cent improvement in June compared to May, a new Naukri.com report said on Wednesday, adding that the hiring activity was still down by a massive 44 per cent (year-on-year) when compared to the same period last year.

The key sectors like FMCG (58 per cent), accounting (53 per cent), BPO/ITES (48 per cent), IT-hardware (37 per cent) and IT-software (19 per cent) drove the surge in June, according to the Naukri JobSpeak Index.

In addition, functional roles in education/teaching (49 per cent), pharma/biotech (36 per cent) and sales/business development (33 per cent) saw an uptick.

Hiring across experience levels also grew by an average of 28 per cent in June as compared to May led by the entry-level executives’ band.

“It is encouraging to see that the announcement of Unlock 1.0 in India has resulted in the month on month progressive growth in hiring. We are hopeful that the hiring activity will bounce back in the coming months,” said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com.

When it comes to decline, Mumbai saw a decline by 56 per cent, followed by Delhi (-54 per cent) and Chennai (-52 per cent).

There was an across the board decline in hiring at varied experience levels with the entry-level experience bands (0 to 3 years experience) witnessing the sharpest decline of 47% followed by a 44 per cent decline in hiring for senior-level executives. (4-7 years of experience).

Hiring in hospitality, retail and auto sectors has been the most impacted due to the lockdown.

The June decline in hiring is led by industries like hotel/restaurant/travel/airlines (-79 per cent), retail (-68 per cent), auto/ancillary (-76 per cent), and BFSI (-55 per cent).

Key industries like pharma/biotech/clinical research (-28 per cent), BPO/ITES (-42 per cent) and IT-software (-42 per cent) were less affected (YoY).

Hackers break into 570 e-commerce stores including in India

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Hackers break into 570 e-commerce stores including in India

A hacker group has broken into at least 570 e-commerce stores in 55 countries, including in India, in the last three years, leaking information on more than 184,000 stolen credit cards and generated over $7 million (over Rs 52 crore) from selling compromised payment cards.

Known as “Keeper, the group has been stealing information from these online stores which includes Mumbai-based online jewellery store ejohri.com that was allegedly compromised in February this year, according to the threat intelligence firm Gemini Advisory.

“Over 85 per cent of the victim sites operated on the Magento CMS, which is known to be the top target for Magecart attacks and boasts over 250,000 users worldwide,” said the Gemini report.

The country hosting the largest selection of these victim e-commerce sites was the US, followed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The websites hacked include online bicycle merchant milkywayshop.it, Pakistan-based clothing store alkaramstudio.com, Indonesia-based Apple product reseller ibox.co.id and US-based premier wine and spirits seller cwspirits.com, among others.

The Keeper �Magecart’ group has verifiably compromised hundreds of domains and likely extracted payment card information from many more that have yet to be uncovered.

“With revenue likely exceeding $7 million and increased cybercriminal interest in CNP (Card Not Present) data during the COVID-19 quarantine measures across the world, this group’s market niche appears to be secure and profitable,” said the report.

“Keeper” is likely to continue launching increasingly sophisticated attacks against online merchants across the world.

Gemini uncovered an unsecured access log on the Keeper control panel with 184,000 compromised cards with time stamps ranging from July 2018 to April 2019.

“Extrapolating the number of cards per nine months to Keeper’s overall lifespan, and given the dark web median price of $10 per compromised Card Not Present (CNP) card, this group has likely generated upwards of $7 million USD from selling compromised payment cards,” the report informed.

In mid-2020, Magecart attacks have become a daily occurrence for small to medium-sized e-commerce businesses.

Operating on an outdated content management system (CMS), utilizing unpatched add-ons, or having administrators’ credentials compromised through sequel injections leaves e-commerce merchants vulnerable to a variety of different attack vectors.

Over the past six months, the Gemini team has uncovered thousands of Magecart attacks ranging from simple dynamic injection of malicious code using a criminally hosted domain, to leveraging Google Cloud or GitHub storage services and using steganography to embed malicious payment card-stealing code into an active domain’s logos and images.

“The criminals behind this threat constantly evolve and improve their techniques to prey on unsuspecting victims who do not emphasize domain security,” the security researchers noted.

Another Odisha MLA tests COVID-19 positive

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Another Odisha MLA tests COVID-19 positive

A day after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker contracted COVID-19 in Odisha, ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Prasant Behera has also tested positive for coronavirus, said an official on Wednesday.

Salipur MLA Behera is the second Legislator in Odisha to have got the infection.

Apart from Behera, his personal security person and driver have also contracted the virus. They have been shifted to a COVID hospital in Cuttack, said the official.

The Cuttack district administration has initiated contact tracing as the MLA had attended several programmes in his constituency.

Earlier, BJP’s Nilgiri MLA Sukanta Kumar Nayak had tested positive for COVID-19.

Landslide buries nine in China

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Landslide buries nine in China

Rescue operations are underway after a landslide caused by heavy rainfall swept away nine people on Wednesday in central China’s Hubei province.

According to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters, the landslide occurred at around 4 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday in Dahe Township of Huangmei County, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescue teams from the emergency response, public security, armed police, medical and other departments have rushed to the site and relocated more than 40 villagers.

Torrential downpour has hit the county with precipitation exceeding 200 mm. Dahe recorded maximum precipitation of 353 mm.

Govt panel to probe violations by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

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Govt panel to probe violations by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has set up an inter-ministerial committee to probe the various violations of legal provisions by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

The committee will coordinate investigations into violation of provisions like the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Income Tax Act and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) by these foundations, a Home Ministry official said.

The official said that a Special Director of Enforcement Directorate will head the committee.

The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was established on June 21, 1991. The foundation works on a range of issues, including literacy, health, disability, empowerment of the underprivileged, livelihood and natural resource management. Its current focus areas are education, disability and natural resource management.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram are members of the board.

The Centre’s move followed recent allegations launched by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the Congress and the Gandhi family claiming that China had funded the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

Last month, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, citing some documentary proof, sought an explanation from the Congress to explain why the Chinese Embassy donated about Rs 90 lakh to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

It is alleged that the Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in India and the Government of the People’s Republic of China are donors to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

A petition has also been filed before the Supreme Court to seek a probe into the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Congress and the Communist Party of China signed in 2008.

Srman Jain: Comedy shows bring in a lot of positivity

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Srman Jain: Comedy shows bring in a lot of positivity

Actor Srman Jain, known for his roles in shows like “Saas Bina Sasural” and “Adaalat”, has joined the cast of Harsh Limbachiyaas “Funhit Mey Jaari”. The actor feels comedy shows bring in a lot of positivity, especially in difficult times like these.

Talking about the show, he said: “The title says the show is for the audience and for their entertainment. The spoofs will make the audiences laugh. It will bring relief in this current corona times. Comedy shows bring in a lot of positivity and make people forget their stress.”

He calls Sunil Grover and Bharti Singh as brilliant comedians, but says that his all-time favourite actor is Sumeet Raghavan. “His comic timing is too good. In ‘Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai’, he was subtle yet so fantastic. I would like to do such a show for sure.”

Srman says as an actor he is learning something new every day.

“When you are surrounded with actors like Krushna Abhishek, Mubin Bhai, Bharti Singh, you are learning so many things. I just believe in giving hundred percent to any role,” he said.

Stokes will lead England from the front, believes Tendulkar

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Stokes will lead England from the front, believes Tendulkar

Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar believes all-rounder Ben Stokes will lead England from the front and would do whatever it takes to take his side to victory in the first Test against the West Indies beginning Wednesday at the Ageas Bowl.

Stokes will be leading England in absence of regular skipper Joe Root, who left the bio-secure bubble in Southampton for Sheffield, to be with his wife, who is expecting their second child.

“First of all I would like to wish all the best to Joe Root because that’s a big moment in this family. I wish him all the best,” Tendulkar said during a conversation with West Indies legend Brian Lara for 100MB.

“For Ben Stokes from what he has been through in the recent past to where he is today, it is a total transformation and it can happen only to someone who is mentally strong.

“When I first looked at him a few years ago, I could see his body language, it was so positive and vibrant and that energy is infectious. I felt that he was one of those players where in time to come you look back and say Ben stokes, Andrew Flintoff, Ian Botham — these are the leading all-rounders who played for England,” he added.

The 47-year-old further said that he rates Stokes very highly and his impact on the field is a major one. “He (Stokes) is someone who is going to lead from the front, we have seen that on a number of occasions.”

“He is aggressive, positive and when he has to be slightly defensive, he is prepared to do that for the team.

“I always feel controlled aggression produces results and so far whatever I have seen, the aggression has been there but it is controlled. So this is what I think of Ben Stokes,” the former Indian batsman added.

Stokes, who will become England’s 81st Test captain, has stated that he will try to pick brains of some of the more experienced players in the side to help him on the field.

“I’m going to be very open to opinions from other people and just because Joe isn’t here, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to use him,” Stokes said on the eve of the Test match.

“We’ve got so much experience in this team that it would be silly not to lean on that if I feel as if I need some advice.

“Because of Joe’s personal situation, we’ve been letting him deal with that and I haven’t been on him too much. But I know he’ll be at home watching and his phone will always be available if I need him,” he added.

Root is expected to return for the final two matches of the series which are scheduled to be played at the Old Trafford, starting July 16 and July 24 respectively.

Ryder Cup 2020 to be postponed to next year: report

TB Team
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Ryder Cup 2020 to be postponed to next year: report

The Ryder Cup golf tournament, currently scheduled to be played from September 25-27 this year at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is set to be postponed by an year due to COVID-19 pandemic.

An ESPN report quoted a source as saying that the tournament will be delayed until the same time frame in 2021.

“There will not be a Ryder Cup this year,” the source said as per the report. “The Ryder Cup will go to 2021, the Presidents Cup to 2022, and then they will alternate from there.”

The Presidents Cup was scheduled to be held from September 30-October 3, 2021, at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, now the Ryder Cup will take that window, with the Presidents Cup moving to 2022 and the next Ryder Cup, scheduled for September 30-October 2, 2022, in Rome, also pushed back a year.

Last week, British newspapers the Telegraph and the Guardian had reported that the Ryder Cup would be postponed, but getting to this point required the cooperation of numerous entities, including the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes things that people don’t know,” the source was further quoted as saying in the report. “They have to look out for the best of each organisation. I think there is way more to it than people would realise.”

Amid volatility equity indices shed gains to turn flat (Ld)

TB Team
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Amid volatility equity indices shed gains to turn flat (Ld)

The key Indian equity indices shed initial gains to trade on a flat note on Wednesday morning in a largely volatile trade so far.

The drop in the Indian stocks from the initial highs comes amidst a mixed trend in the Asian markets.

At 10.25 a.m., the Sensex was trading at 36,637.81, lower by 36.71 points or 0.10 per cent from the previous close of 36,674.52.

It opened at 36,738.38 and has touched an intra-day high of 36,828.43 and a low of 36,607.83 points.

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange was trading at 10,800.25, higher by just 0.60 points or 0.01 per cent from its previous close.

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