AITA awaits court’s decision before acting on molestation & age-fraud charge

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AITA awaits court’s decision before acting on molestation & age-fraud charge

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has asked for an explanation from the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) on the topic of a junior player being allegedly molested by five players and of them being allegedly overage. However, it will have to wait until the court pronounces its judgment on the topic before taking any action on the issue, said AITA Secretary General Hironmoy Chatterjee.

“We have spoken to (CLTA) and asked them to explain the situation,” Chatterjee told IANS. “Once we hear from them we will discuss it and since the matter is sub judice, we will wait for the court’s final decision.

“Let the court verify all the papers and give a clear verdict based on which we will take action. We have asked an explanation of what happened, let that come in and we will wait for the court’s decision.”

When asked if AITA would be using this as a trigger to crack down on the larger issue of age-fraud that has plagued the sport in the country for decades, Chatterjee said, “We don’t appreciate fudging of age or any indiscipline, we cannot support that. But unless we are totally sure about it we can’t take any action. We will definitely try to do whatever is required.”

Chatterjee said that the system in place has been tried and tested for many years. “We have a large number of registered players and out of that, there are hardly any numbers (of age fraud) we can talk about. But there is a problem. Let’s see, we will discuss it and try and tighten the procedure a little bit,” he said.

However, he reiterated that any decision in this matter will come only after CLTA provides an explanation, and after the court’s decision.

“Once we get the explanation, we will discuss how we should go forward. In this particular matter, we will wait for the court order,” said Chatterjee.

Top Microsoft executive Peggy Johnson joins AR firm Magic Leap as CEO

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Top Microsoft executive Peggy Johnson joins AR firm Magic Leap as CEO

Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft, is joining struggling augmented reality (AR) start-up Magic Leap as its CEO, the company announced on Tuesday.

Johnson, who will begin her new role on August 1, comes to Magic Leap after a 30-year career at the highest levels of technology and business at Microsoft and chip giant Qualcomm.

“As CEO, I look forward to strategically building enduring relationships that connect Magic Leap’s game-changing technology and pipeline to the wide-ranging digital needs of enterprises of all sizes and industries,” said Johnson.

“It is with great pride and sincere appreciation to the Magic Leap Board, Rony Abovitz (Magic Leap founder), and the entire team, as well as to Satya Nadella at Microsoft, that I assume the role of leading this visionary business into the future,” she added.

Since its founding in 2011, Magic Leap has pioneered the field of spatial computing. Magic Leap’s spatial computing wearable, Magic Leap 1, is the most advanced XR device on the market.

Magic Leap competes directly with Microsoft’s own HoloLens augmented-reality technology.

However, in April, the troubled company laid off nearly 600 of its 1,900-strong workforce.

Johnson brings to Magic Leap a proven track record of leading and growing businesses, building strategic partnerships, and executing successful transactions.

In her recent role at Microsoft, she oversaw the development, collaboration, and growth of Microsoft’s relationships with external partners and enterprises of all sizes around the world.

She also led Microsoft’s corporate venture fund, M12, where she identified compelling strategic investment opportunities and worked closely with companies to unlock value and drive growth.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2014, Johnson spent 24 years at Qualcomm, where she held various leadership positions and served as a member of Qualcomm’s Executive Committee.

“As Magic Leap drives towards commercializing spatial computing for enterprise, I can’t think of a better and more capable leader than Peggy Johnson to carry our mission forward,” said Abovitz, Founder and Magic Leap’s first CEO.

Economic mismanagement a tragedy, will destroy millions: Rahul

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Economic mismanagement a tragedy, will destroy millions: Rahul

Reacting to a research report that Indians are worst-hit on the economic front and that 8 out of 10 rural households had lost income during the coronavirus pandemic, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the economic mismanagement was a tragedy that was out to destroy millions.

“India’s economic mismanagement is a tragedy that is going to destroy millions of families,” he tweeted.

He said that it would no longer be accepted silently.

The Congress leader has been raising the issue of economic problems Indians are facing due to the lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic.

Rahul Gandhi was quoting research by the University of Chicago and Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, which said that 80 percent of rural and 75 percent urban households have suffered a loss in income.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal in a statement on Tuesday said that the country lost nearly 13 crore jobs, with many states reaching unemployment figures of 40 percent.

Federer missing Wimbledon after the grass-court Grand Slam was cancelled

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Federer missing Wimbledon after the grass-court Grand Slam was cancelled

Roger Federer on Monday said he is “missing” Wimbledon after the grass-court Grand Slam was cancelled, but hopes to play the tournament in 2021. The 38-year-old, who has undergone two knee surgeries this year, had already announced he will not play again until next year.

This week was scheduled to be the second week of Wimbledon, where Federer has won a record eight men’s singles titles, but the tournament was cancelled for the first time since World War II due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Personally, it has been very pleasant to stay in the same place for a long time, I hadn’t experienced that for more than 25 years,” Federer said at the launch of the “Roger Center Court” running shoes created by Swiss brand On.

“But of course I miss Wimbledon, of course I would like to be there currently playing on Centre Court for a place in the second week.

“Clearly, one of my big goals, and that’s why I do recovery work every day and work so hard, and why I’m preparing for a 20-week physical preparation block this year, is because I hope to play at Wimbledon next year.”

Federer said the coronavirus lockdown gave him the chance to recuperate following surgery, but said he will have to be “patient” as he waits to return to the court.

“Combined with my operations, it was an important moment for me, (to know) if I wanted to continue,” he said.

“It’s very easy to say but it’s a long way to come back, you have to be patient, it also was a time for reflection.

“We were in the mountains, isolated, we didn’t see anyone, I didn’t see my parents for almost three months, we were very serious and strict.”

The ATP and WTA Tours are set to resume in August despite a raft of professional players having contracted COVID-19.

Federer could have lost his record of most men’s Grand Slam singles titles by the time he returns, with his old rival Rafael Nadal just one behind on the all-time list.

The US Open will be the first Grand Slam following the restart, getting underway behind closed doors in New York on August 31, before the French Open starts, with fans allowed to attend Roland Garros, on September 24.

The Swiss star will also be hoping to claim Olympic singles gold for the first time next year at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in Japan, with the final to be played a week before his 40th birthday.

The fight against COVID-19 is more difficult than the war of Mahabharata

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The fight against COVID-19 is more difficult than the war of Mahabharata

The Shiv Sena today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed confidence that the battle against COVID-19 would be won in 21 days, but it has been over 100 days and the crisis still persists.

The fight against COVID-19 is more difficult than the war of Mahabharata, an editorial in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said, adding that the battle against the pandemic will continue till 2021 as the disease vaccine won’t be available before that.

It expressed concern over India reporting the third-highest COVID-19 cases in the world.It is unfortunate and serious for the country, which is dreaming to become a financial superpower, to report over 25,000 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, the Shiv Sena said.

We left Russia behind in terms of the number of cases. We will attain the number one slot in this unfortunate area if the number of cases continues to go up,” it said.

The war of Mahabharata lasted for 18 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had exuded confidence (in March) that we will win this battle against COVID-19 in 21 days. But it has been over 100 days and the coronavirus still persists and those fighting it have become tired, the Shiv Sena claimed.

Patients are recovering on a big scale in Maharashtra, but the situation in some areas of the state turns one restless, it said citing the example of Thane district, which has been a major COVID-19 hotspot.

The Shiv Sena said several politicians, public representatives, policemen, health workers, and other administrators are getting infected by the disease, and this does not suit the country and states.

“The coronavirus will be there and (we) need to live with it…the vaccine for coronavirus will not be available before 2021…that means (we) will have to live with coronavirus at least till then, it said.

Without naming anyone or any party, the Shiv Sena said questions are being raised as to for how many days the lockdown will continue.

But when you open the door , the “messengers (threat) of coronavirus” is right out there, the Marathi publication said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has relaxed lockdown restrictions to some extent, but the threat is still not over, the Sena said.

It said the COVID-19 must be fought even though the industries, economy, and lifestyle have been hit hard by the disease.

Governor Tamilisai has called for a review meeting

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Governor Tamilisai has called for a review meeting

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is said to be unhappy with the TRS government in the way it is handling the Covid-19 crisis in the state. Accordingly, Governor Tamilisai has called for a review meeting on Monday and informed the Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Health Secretary to make it to the meeting.

However, both the CS Somesh and Health Secretary skipped this meeting citing that they were pre-occupied with already committed appointments. So Governor Tamilisai held the review with the officials who were present as per the allotted time.

With Monday’s review did not go as per the plan, Governor Tamilisai has reportedly rescheduled it to tomorrow. Also the Governor will be interacting with private hospitals tomorrow at 11 AM regarding Covid-19 management and public grievances.

The private hospitals have been charging a bomb from the Covid-19 patients and the Governor will discuss this with the hospitals.

Schools Reopen in Andhra Pradesh

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Schools Reopen in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools all over the state from July 13th. This is a surprising move by the YCP government as earlier the Union Human Resource ministry has said that all the schools would reopen after August 15th.

Initially the YCP government fixed August 3rd as the date for reopening of schools and CM Jagan wanted to launch his YSR Vidhya Kanuka scheme too on the same date. But the government changed its mind and brought the date much closer. It is just a week away from now and it is yet to be known whether YSR Vidhya Kanuka would be launched from July 13th.

As per the government sources, the primary schools will conduct classes once in a week while upper primary and higher school classes will hold twice in a week in the state with restrictions and Covid-19 protocols in place.

Also the YCP government would be introducing bridge courses for students while all the Headmasters and Teachers of all the schools all over the state were asked to update all the registration of students on or before July 10th.

We have to see if the Union HRD intervenes in AP government’s decision as the Covid-19 situation is getting worrisome in the state.

Save lives of Covid-19 patients: Central team to Karnataka

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Save lives of Covid-19 patients: Central team to Karnataka

A team of officials from the Union Health Ministry here on Tuesday advised the Karnataka government to save coronavirus victims by providing them the best treatment at the earliest.

“The central team told the state government to give priority to save Covid-19 patients’ lives with the best treatment in time,” said an official.

The team, comprising Additional Secretary Aarti Ahuja and Emergency Medical Response Centre Director P. Raveendran, said lockdown guidelines should be strictly enforced in containment zones to prevent the virus spread.

It met Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Health Minister B. Sriramulu, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar, Chief Secretary T.M. Vijaya Bhaskar, and other senior officials to review the pandemic situation in the state in view of the rising cases of infection.

“The central team appreciated the measures taken by the state government to contain the virus since March 9. Tracking contacts and creation of a database of co-morbid and vulnerable people were also lauded,” the official said.

The state Health Department apprised the team of facilities set up for Covid-19 treatment and of steps to deal with any surge in cases, especially in Bengaluru.

The department is setting up high-flow oxygen systems in the district and taluk hospitals for 15,000 beds by August.

With 1,843 fresh cases, Covid-19 tally in the state rose to 25,317, including 14,385 active ones. With 680 discharged, the number of cured people increased to 10,527, while 401 succumbed to the pandemic, including 30 on Monday.

Of the infected since Sunday, Bengaluru accounted for 981, taking the city’s tally to 10,561, including 8,860 active cases.

NHL set to restart on August 1 after COVID-19 hiatus

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NHL set to restart on August 1 after COVID-19 hiatus

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced that it is targeting an August 1 return to the season, which was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

“As part of the tentative agreement, the following dates have been established: July 13 – Start of formal training camps; July 26 – clubs travel to hub cities; August 1 – Start of Qualifying Round,” the NHL said in a statement on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Local media reported that teams should arrive at their own facilities for training camps for a couple of weeks before traveling to one of two hub cities, Edmonton and Toronto, both in Canada.

The 12 Western Conference teams will report to Edmonton while 12 Eastern Conference teams will make the trip to Toronto. Las Vegas had long been considered a favorite to become a hub city, but COVID-19 cases on the rise in the US made the NHL reconsider that location.

Under the new format, the top four clubs in each conference will play seeding games while the teams ranked fifth to 12th will meet in a five-game series to determine the four qualifiers that face the seeds in the opening round of the playoffs.

Varun Dhawan gets 30mn Instagram followers

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Varun Dhawan gets 30mn Instagram followers

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has garnered 30 million followers on Instagram. The actor made the announcement sharing a fan-made video on the photo-video sharing platform.

“30 MILLION #varuniacs… Thank u for believing in me Keep moving on the beat. Thank u @stevenroythomas for this edit,” he posted with the video.

Over the years, Varun has used social media to connect with his fans, sharing tidbits about his professional as well as personal life. During the lockdown amid the COVID outbreak, the actor used the platform to send positive vibes and spread awareness about the deadly virus.

On the film front, Varun was last seen in the dance movie “Street Dancer 3D” this year. His next film is “Coolie No 1” is directed by his father, filmmaker David Dhawan.

“Coolie No 1” is a remake of the Govinda-Karisma Kapoor original the director made in 1995. In the remake, Varun and Sara Ali Khan reprise the lead roles. The film was originally slated to hit theatres in May but got pushed due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Brad Pitt boards ‘Bullet Train’

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Brad Pitt boards ‘Bullet Train’

Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt will be leading David Leitchs upcoming assassin action thriller “Bullet Train”.

Based on the popular Japanese book “Maria Beetle” by Kotaro Isaka, “Bullet Train” is about a group of hitmen and assassins with conflicting motives on a train in Tokyo, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

The project is being tonally described as “Speed”, the Keanu Reeves-starter set on a bus, meets “Non-Stop”, the Liam Neeson thriller set on a plane.

According to sources, Pitt will be essaying the role of American hitman named Ladybug.

The script is being written by Zak Olkewicz with Leitch overseeing revisions.

The project is a contained thriller, which means it can be shot on a contained set — falling in sync with the health restrictions in the COVID era. The studio plans to shoot the movie later this year.

Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, who originally developed the project, is producing alongside Leitch and Kelly McCormick as well as Kat Samick.

Pitt recently picked up an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”.

Cong leader Solanki put on ventilator support

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Cong leader Solanki put on ventilator support

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus infection, was put on ventilator support on Tuesday after his health deteriorated, sources said.

He is admitted in a private hospital in Ahmedabad. According to sources, Solanki, 67, was given plasma therapy twice on Monday, but his health deteriorated.

Solanki, a minister in the UPA II government at the Centre, was the second Congress nominee for one of the four seats of the Rajya Sabha in Gujarat for which elections were held on June 19.

He was found corona positive two days after the elections.

“Solanki was administered more oxygen; that is what I know of,” Dr. Manish Doshi, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson, told the IANS.

The sources said Solanki is a comorbid patient with complications like asthma due to which his oxygen intake has to be increased.

The doctors at CIMS had consulted Dr. Randeep Guleria, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director, and some other renowned medical professionals on Monday regarding the treatment of the Congress leader.

‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’: Karan Patel steps in as Mr Bajaj

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‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’: Karan Patel steps in as Mr Bajaj

Actor Karan Patel was all suited up on his first day of shoot for the show “Kasautii Zindagii Kay”.

He has joined the hit show as Mr. Bajaj. The actor started shooting early morning on Tuesday here, dressed in a blue suit.

According to a source, the sequence focused on his return to India from abroad. The episode also has him calling up Prerna, asking where she is.

“Playing Mr. Bajaj is something I am looking forward to. The look of Rishab Bajaj was something I wanted to nail at the word go hence, we (creatives and I) took a while to work on it before we got him on screen for all to see,” said Karan.

“I am really happy with the way I look. I am sure my audiences will love it too, at least that’s what I am hoping for,” he added.

Joining the show is special for him because he was a part of the original “Kasautii Zindagii Kay”, which aired from 2001 to 2008. In the original, Ronit Roy became popular as Mr. Bajaj.

Diesel extends gain over petrol in Delhi after 7-day pause

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Diesel extends gain over petrol in Delhi after 7-day pause

Diesel has extended its gain over petrol in Delhi as oil marketing companies raised its price in the city by 25 paise a liter on Tuesday after keeping auto fuel prices hanged for the last seven days.

With the increase, diesel is priced at Rs 80.78 a liter in the National Capital, up from Rs 80.53 a liter on Monday. The oil companies, however, kept petrol prices unchanged across the country, resulting in diesel extending its gain in Delhi from 10 paise earlier to 35 paise now.

Delhi is the only metro city where Diesel is priced higher than petrol and this has been maintained since June 24, when for the time ever the transportation fuel climbed up over petrol.

Apart from Delhi, diesel is still cheaper than petrol by Rs 6-8 per liter in other metro cities. Diesel is priced at Rs 79.05 a liter in Mumbai that is an increase of 22 paise over Monday’s price, at Rs 77.91 a liter in Chennai (19 paisa increase) and Rs 75.89 a liter in Kolkata (25 paisa increase).

Officials in oil marketing companies said that diesel prices are seeing more volatility in the international market so the price changes in the fuel segment have been higher. But with global oil prices also rising again and set to touch $43 a barrel, the expectation is that fuel prices may again see an uptick in the coming days.

Before Tuesday, Fuel prices have remained unchanged for the seven consecutive days since June 30 across the four metros.

Prices of the transportation fuel have had a pause after rising to record levels in 23 of the past 31 days after the oil marketing companies (OMC) resumed the daily price revision system from June 7 that kept the petrol and diesel prices to rise incessantly till June 29.

During the daily hike till June 29, diesel prices in Delhi recorded a new feat by overtaking petrol prices, making the common man feel the heat.

Corona infections reach Bihar CM’s doors

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Corona infections reach Bihar CM’s doors

Bihar has registered a steady increase in the number of coronavirus cases recently, which have now reached the doors of the chief minister.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s niece has been found to be corona infected. According to sources, she was admitted to Patna AIIMS on Monday after getting infected with the virus.

After this, the Chief Minister’s residence has been sanitized. Sources say that all other family members are also being tested for corona infection.

Nitish Kumar, after meeting Legislative Council Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh and his wife who were found to be corona positive, got himself tested and the test report came negative.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at the JD(U)-BJP government, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav said that there is neither testing nor treatment in Bihar. He targeted the government on the ever-rising virus infections.

He tweeted: “Corona infection has increased exponentially in Bihar and the government has no worries, neither for testing nor for treatment of infected persons. The entire cabinet, administration, and government are busy in preparing for elections. The government is also hiding data. If the government does not see through this, the situation may become more explosive by August-September.”

A coronavirus patient’s body was left on the pavement outside a hospital

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A coronavirus patient’s body was left on the pavement outside a hospital

A coronavirus patient’s body was left on the pavement outside a hospital in Bhopal on Monday night after a tragic to-and-fro between hospitals. Security footage accessed by NDTV shows two ambulance workers in PPE suits taking the body out in a stretcher, leaving the patient on the pavement and driving off with the stretcher.

A magistrate has been asked to inquire into the case involving a power distribution company employee who was admitted to hospital two weeks ago with a kidney condition. In the last few days, he had developed breathing trouble and was suspected to have pneumonia. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening.

The man was being treated at the People’s Hospital in Bhopal but after his COVID-19 test, he was to be moved to Chirayu hospital, Bhopal’s nodal centre for the virus.

His son told NDTV that his samples were collected on Sunday and his report returned positive on Monday.

He had been unwell since January and he was admitted to People’s hospital on June 23.

The patient’s son insists he was alive on Monday morning when an ambulance picked him up to be taken from People’s hospital to Chirayu Medical College. He questioned why the ambulance returned.

Deepika calls hubby Ranveer centre of her universe

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Deepika calls hubby Ranveer centre of her universe

In her latest Instagram post, Deepika Padukone has turned on the mush factor for hubby Ranveer Singh, who turned 35 on Monday.

Deepika posted a black and white picture where the couple is seen making a champagne toast. Along with the picture, she left a love note.

“The light of my life. The center of my universe. I wish you good health and peace of mind in abundance. As for the rest, I’ll tell you in person! I Love You! #happybirthday,” Deepika wrote the image, which currently has a whopping 2.5 million likes on the photo-sharing website.

Deepika and Ranveer started dating while filming “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela” in 2012. The two were later seen sharing screen space in “Bajirao Mastani” and “Padmaavat”.

The couple tied the knot in 2018 at the picturesque Lake Como in Italy.

Ranveer and Deepika will next be seen in Kabir Khan’s “83”, where he plays the former Indian captain Kapil Dev and she is Kapil’s wife Romi.

Greyed a bit more, become smarter & sweeter: Sakshi wishes Dhoni

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Greyed a bit more, become smarter & sweeter: Sakshi wishes Dhoni

As M.S. Dhoni turned 39 on Tuesday, social media was flooded with birthday wishes with people from all walks wishing the former India captain on his special day. However, among all this, there was a special wish for Dhoni — the one from wife Sakshi.

“Marking the date you were born, another year older, greyed a bit more, become smarter and sweeter. You are a man who will not be moved by all the sweet wishes and gifts,” said Sakshi while posting several pictures of Dhoni on her Instagram handle.

“Let’s celebrate another year of your life by cutting a cake and blowing the candles! Happy Birthday, Husband!!” she added.

The couple got married on July 4, 2010. Dhoni became a proud father on February 6, 2015, to Ziva. At the time of her birth, he was in Australia as the captain of the Indian team with the 2015 Cricket World Cup only a week to kick off. However, Dhoni decided not to travel back to India and was famously quoted saying that “I am on national duty, other things can wait”.

Dhoni, in November last year, had said that he is better than an ideal husband because he lets his wife Sakshi do whatever she wants.

Speaking at an event in Chennai, Dhoni had left the audience in splits with his speech on marriage. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman had said: “All men are like lions before marriage. The real essence of marriage is once you cross the age of 55. I let my wife do everything she wants because if my wife is happy then I am happy.”

Dhoni has been on a sabbatical ever since the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup where India lost to New Zealand. He was supposed to lead Chennai Super Kings in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League which currently remains indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress seeks CBI probe into gold smuggling case, writes to PM

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Congress seeks CBI probe into gold smuggling case, writes to PM

The office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in increasingly coming under fire in the 30 kg gold smuggling case involving the former PRO of the UAE consulate and a woman.

On Tuesday senior IAS officer and secretary to Vijayan, M. Sivasankar was removed from office.

M. Sivasankar is currently in the dock and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a probe by the CBI or Enforcement Directorate (ED) to unravel the gold smuggling case, where the name of the UAE Consulate also figures.

“I write this letter as Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly with utmost concern at the misuse of diplomatic immunity of UAE Consulate, hereby international gold smuggling cartels with the collusion of officials working under Government of Kerala who has deep-rooted connections with decision-makers at the office of Chief Minister. I solicit your immediate intervention to investigate into his nefarious activities, which has serious implications on India’s national security and the potential to irreparably damage the age-old friendly ties between India and the UAE. In this contest I request an investigation into the matter by agencies like CBI and the ED,” said Chennithala.

Later speaking to the media Chennithala said Vijayan now fears that fingers are being pointed at him and hence he has made his secretary the scapegoat.

Chennithala’s demand came soon after Sivasankar was removed as the CM’s secretary and later applied for long leave. However, he has not been removed from the post of the IT secretary.

Vijayan apart from holding the Home portfolio also heads the IT department.

CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said wrongdoers will not be protected and every aspect will be looked into.

Vijayan reacted on Monday denying any involvement in the case and rubbished remarks on the involvement of his office.

The CPI-M and the Left Front are shocked at the turn of events while the Congress and the BJP have taken to the streets across the state demanding the resignation of Vijayan.

On Tuesday, Vijayan was closeted with the state police chief and the chief secretary.

What has stung many is the way a woman Swapna Suresh has made inroads into the seat of power.

She was earlier working with Air India’s ground handling agency after which she joined the UAE Consulate here. Here she came in touch with its PRO Sarith who is currently under arrest in the gold smuggling case, while Swapna is on the run.

Sarith and Swapna are now no longer with the UAE Consulate.

Various reports have come out that Swapna and Sivasankar were good friends and he was a regular visitor at her house. It was through these contacts that she got a plush job in the IT department which is looked after by Vijayan and Sivasankar.

“Just look at her salary, it’s mind-boggling. What sort of interview or test was done to recruit her in the IT department, when she is only an ordinary graduate and one does not know what her experience is. It’s a shame on what we are seeing in Kerala which involves links with smugglers,” said former State Minister and senior RSP leader Shibu Baby John.

Senior BJP leader P.K. Krishnadas came down heavily on Vijayan and said he is continuing to protect Sivasankar.

“Sivasankar is only removed as Vijayan’s secretary, while he continues to hold the IT secretary post and this is because he is getting a lot of support from Vijayan’s daughter (who has an IT firm). The Special Branch police had informed Vijayan about Swapna’s not too clean record as she had a case against her, but all this was overlooked and she was appointed in a high paying job with practically no qualifications for such a job,” Krishnadas.

The UAE consulate, however, denied any involvement of its personnel in this case and said that the person who is in custody was dismissed from the consulate much earlier.

On Sunday, the Air Customs attached to the Thiruvananthapuram airport had made a seizure of 30 kg of gold that arrived on a cargo flight and was kept in a warehouse here for release. The baggage had arrived from Dubai and is understood to have been marked to the UAE Consulate which has its office in the heart of the city.

Saudi Arabia rules out financial curbs on expats

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Saudi Arabia rules out financial curbs on expats

Saudi Arabia has denied reports of freezing bank accounts of expatriates whose financial dealings are higher than their wages, it was reported on Tuesday.

“There is no truth in reports circulating in some media and social networking sites that banks operating in the Kingdom are directed to freeze accounts of expatriate workers whose transactions exceed the prevalent wages of their jobs,” the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) tweeted.

“Banks constantly apply the necessary measures to different clients’ banking accounts and take the necessary steps in line with relevant regulations and instructions,” SAMA added.

Migrant workers account for about 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s 34.8 million population, reports Gulf News.

In recent months, the Kingdom has taken a series of measures to shore up its economy and support the private sector hit by the economic impact of an outbreak of the new coronavirus and low oil prices.

As of July 1, Saudi Arabia began applying a hike in the value-added tax (VAT), tripling the tax to reach 15 percent.

It has also suspended a living cost allowance given to state employees.

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