Virat Kohli

Kohli Asks Friends Not To Request Him For WC Tickets

Just a day before the beginning of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli requested his friends not to ask him for tickets “all through the tournament”.

On Wednesday, Virat took to his Instagram account and made a special request.

“As we approach the World Cup, I would humbly like to let all my friends know to not request me for tickets all through the tournament. Enjoy from your homes please,” Virat Kohli posted followed by a smiling emoticon.

Reacting to Virat’s story, his wife Anushka wrote, “And let me just add… please don’t request me to help if your messages go unanswered. Thank you for your understanding.”

Soon after the cricketer shared the post, it went viral on social media.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will kick off on October 5 with defending champions England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the biggest cricket stadium in the world, where the final will also take place on November 19.

India will start their World Cup drive on October 8 in Chennai against five-time Champions Australia.

India squad for WC: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

The last time ‘Men in Blue’ lifted the ODI World Cup in 2011 on home soil and the memories of that triumph are still alive in the hearts of the Indian fans.

Virat tapped into his prime self in the recently concluded Asia Cup. With his knock against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, Kohli completed 13,000 ODI runs, becoming the fifth player to reach the landmark in men’s ODIs. (ANI)

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Union Cabinet

Union Cabinet Approves Terms Of Reference For Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the terms of reference to Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II under the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956 for its adjudication between the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Briefing reporters after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, “The Union Cabinet has approved terms of reference to Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II in order to resolve the dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the Krishna River water-sharing. Under this, the tribunal will distribute the Krishna water, which is allocated to the ‘undivided’ Andhra Pradesh, between the two states”.

According to an official statement, the resolution of the dispute between the two States on the use, distribution or control of Krishna River waters will open new avenues of growth in both the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II was constituted by the Central Government in 2004 on requests made by the party States under Section 3 of the ISRWD Act, 1956.

Subsequently, in 2014, Telangana, as a State of the Union of India, came into existence.

Subsequently, the Government of Telangana (GoT) forwarded a complaint to the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India, referring the dispute on the use, distribution or control of Krishna river waters.

A Writ Petition was also filed in the matter by the Telangana government in the Supreme Court (SC) in 2015.

In 2018, the GoT further requested DoWR, RD GR, and MoJS to refer the complaint to the existing KWDT-II by confining the scope of reference between the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh only.

The matter was later discussed in the second Apex Council meeting in 2020 held under the Minister (Jal Shakti).

As discussed during the 2nd Apex Council meeting, GoT withdrew the said Writ Petition in 2021 and subsequently, the legal opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) was sought by DoWR, RD & GR in the matter. (ANI)

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Ranbir Kapoor

ED Summons Ranbir In Mahadev Betting App Case

Actor Ranbir Kapoor has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate on Friday (October 6) in connection with the Mahadev betting app case.

According to sources Ranbir Kapoor had allegedly carried out promotional activities for the Mahadev betting app. In this case, ED also suspects several other A lister celebrities and certain sports personalities who promoted the app

Mahadev app founders are running 4-5 similar apps. The apps were being run from UAE.All these apps were making a profit of several crores rupees every day

A lavish wedding held this February in the United Arab Emirates caught the attention of the Enforcement Directorate as the entire money-around Rs 200 crore- spent on the bash was paid entirely in cash.

At his wedding held in Ras Al-Khaimah, Sourabh Chandrakar, one of the promoters of Mahadev Online Book Betting app, hired private jets to ferry family members from Nagpur to the UAE and paid celebrities from the Indian film industry to perform, according to the ED.

The agency in mid-September released details of its investigation into the online money laundering case linked with the Mahadev Online Book Betting app. Wedding planners, dancers, decorators etc, were hired from Mumbai and hawala channels were used to make payments in cash, ED had said.

Mahadev Online Book Betting app is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enrol new users, create user IDs and the laundering of money through a layered web of benami bank accounts.

The ED said Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal who hail from Bhilai in Chattisgarh are the two main promoters of the Mahadev betting platform and ran their operations from Dubai. They had created an empire for themselves in that country.

The agency had recently conducted searches at 39 locations across Raipur, Bhopal, Mumbai and Kolkata and seized illegal assets worth Rs 417 crore. ED has also earnestly taken up investigation abroad.

A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court at Raipur has also issued non-bailable warrants against the suspects.

The ED which is investigating money laundering charges in connection with the Mahadev Online Book app had last month conducted searches in Chhattisgarh and arrested four accused including the chief liaisoner of the betting syndicate, which the probe agency alleged was organizing payment of bribes to senior government functionaries as ‘protection money.’

ED had stated that it has successfully identified other major players involved in the money laundering operations of the Mahadev online booking app. (ANI)

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Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Takes Test Ride Of Sky Bus In Sharjah

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has visited the pilot certification and experience centre of uSky Technology in Sharjah, UAE and took a test ride of its Sky Bus.

Gadkari has made a stopover in Sharjah while returning back to India from his Prague tour. In Shahjah, he also experienced the safety and evacuation demo showcased by the uSky Technology.

“uSky Technology has developed Sky Bus solutions, and iSky Mobility has tied up with uSky to bring these mobility services to India,” Union Minister for Transport and Highways Gadkari wrote on his X timeline.

“Sky Bus offers a sustainable, congestion-free urban mobility solution, reducing pollution and traffic congestion while providing efficient mobility for urban residents. Moreover, its elevated rail cable system minimizes land use, making it a valuable addition to the nation’s mobility infrastructure,” he added.

According to uSky, its vehicles move above the ground on a unique-design elevated overpass ensure a number of advantages: optimized aerodynamics, increased speed, unprecedented safety, rational use of land and resources, minimized environmental harm caused by transport. In addition, the cost of construction and operation is significantly lower compared to existing transport solutions.

Gadkari was also on an official tour to the Czech Republic on October 2, where he participated in the ministerial session on Road Safety at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague. On the sidelines, he interacted with various international organizations, academia, industry, and domain experts and stakeholders.

Gadkari, who himself is a big enthusiast of sustainability mobility solutions, on Monday took a test drive in a hydrogen bus by Skoda during his stay in Prague. In a post on X, the Office of Nitin Gadkari wrote, “Hydrogen buses hold significant promise in reducing carbon emissions and addressing environmental concerns, contributing to a cleaner and greener future.”

In January this year, Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission, aiming to make India a global hub for such technologies’ production, utilization, and export. The green hydrogen mission will gradually lead to the decarbonization of industrial, transport, and energy sectors, and a reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels, among others.

On Tuesday, he took a test ride in a 24-metre long world’s longest overhead power electric trolley bus, developed by Skoda in Prague. The bus is currently under experimentation.

“After successful operation, it could become a very cost-effective alternative to highly capital-intensive metro systems, especially on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stretches where dedicated lines for this bus, similar to metro rail, would enhance public transportation infrastructure,” Gadkari posted on X. (ANI)

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Sanjay Singh Raid

Raid Underway At Sanjay Singh’s Residence

A Directorate Enforcement (ED) raid is underway at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in connection with excise policy case.

Earlier in May this year, MP Sanjay Singh in a letter to Finance Secretary T V Somanathan said that the ED Director and Assistant Director deliberately linked his name to the alleged liquor scam without any basis, tarnishing his public image and defaming him.

Singh mentioned that his name was added on the basis of statements from Dinesh Arora.

Singh also alleged that the officers misused their position tarnished his public image and demanded prosecution against them. He said he already sent a legal notice to the officers to issue an open and public apology.

According to ED sources, the name of the AAP leader appears four times in the ED charge sheet out of which one reference was wrong and typed inadvertently.

At one place Sanjay Singh’s name was mentioned instead of Rahul Singh who was then excise commissioner.

ED is reportedly searching the residence of Sanjay Singh, further details are awaited. (ANI)

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Aircraft IAF

HAL To Hand Over First LCA Trainer Aircraft to IAF In Bengaluru

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) twin-seater trainer version aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, arrived at the LCA Tejas division plant. 

This historic event today will mark the achievement of a key milestone of producing the LCA Twin Seater which is designed with a strategic intent of graduating the budding pilots from the Twin Seater variants to fighter Pilots.

HAL has an order of 18 twin seater from IAF and is planning to deliver eight twin seater in FY 2023-24. Further, 10 twin seaters would be delivered progressively by 2026-27. Further orders are also expected from IAF.

LCA-Tejas is the largest R-D program ever undertaken in India that made its maiden flight in 2001 and has achieved various milestones since then.

It is going to be the backbone of the IAF fleet in years to come and is slated to be produced in high numbers by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru as HAL has already received an order of 123 aircraft out of which 32 fighters have been supplied to IAF and two squadrons already operational with Indian Air Force (IAF) at Sulur, AF base.

Series Production of LCA Tejas is going in full swing at HAL and balance aircraft are planned to deliver by 2027-28 progressively.

Moreover, HAL has now successfully produced the first ever twin-seater variant of LCA Tejas which has all the capabilities to support the training requirement of IAF and augment itself to the role of fighter as well in case of necessity.

LCA Tejas Twin Seater is a lightweight, all-weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft. It is an amalgamation of contemporary concepts and technologies such as relaxed static stability, quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems and advanced composite materials for the airframe.

This adds India to the list of very few elite countries who have created such capability and have them operational in their Defence Forces, another feather on the cap of the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiative of the government. 

Minister of State for Defence was the chief guest during the function wherein the unveiling of the LCA Twin seater, handing over of Release to Service (RSD), and handing over of Signalling out Certificate (SOC) were conducted in the presence of the Chief of Air staff- IAF, Chairman and Managing Director HAL, Director General ADA, Chief Executive of Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CE-CEMILAC). Top echelons of IAF, MOD, HAL, ADA, DGAQA, CEMILAC, DRDO and production partners were also present during the same.

HAL is also in discussions with many foreign-friendly countries towards exporting the LCA Tejas platform and has submitted various customized Proposals for exporting LCA Tejas fighter and Twin Seater aircraft to foreign-friendly countries around the world. LCA Tejas is the best platform for India to be a flag bearer to achieve export targets set by the government. (ANI)

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Sikkim Flood

Sikkim: 23 Jawans Missing Due To Flash Flood In Teesta River

As many as 23 army jawans have been reported missing after a flash flood occurred in the Teesta River of Lachen Valley due to a sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, said officials.

The Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Guwahati informed about the incident on X and posted, “23 army personnel have been reported missing due to a flash flood that occurred in Teesta River in Lachen Valley after a sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim.”

Giving information about the outburst, the Gangtok District Administration said, “The flash flood made its way through River Teesta sweeping Indreni Bridge in Singtam town, some 30 kilometres from Gangtok. A connecting bridge of the Balutar hamlet was also swept away around 4 am.”

South Lhonark lake, situated in North West Sikkim, had seen a cloud burst causing incessant monsoon rainfall during the early hours of Wednesday morning. 

The flowing flash flood made its way through River Teesta sweeping Indreni Bridge in Singtam town, some 30 kilometres from Gangtok informed Gangtok District Administration. Another connecting bridge of Balutar hamlet was also swept away around 4 am.

As per information from Mangan District Administration, Chungthang town, some 90 kilometres north of Gangtok, houses the Teesta Stage 3 Dam. Upon high alert, the local residents have been evacuated in the area.

“Similarly, the Teesta Stage 5 dam at Dikchu in Mangan district was opened up for water disbursement after a high alert. It is reported that the control room of the dam has been severely damaged,” they informed.

Many homes near the River Teesta, situated in Gangtok’s Singtam have been evacuated. Additionally, temporary relief facilities have been established in the town’s Singtam Senior Secondary School, added officials. (ANI)

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Abhishek Banerjee

ED Issues Fresh Summons To Abhishek Banerjee

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summon to Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He has been asked to join the ED investigation on October 9, sources said.

The ED had earlier summoned Banerjee on October 3. However, Banerjee did not appear at the ED office on that date, owing to the party’s MGNREGA protests in Delhi on the same date.

Banerjee alleged that it was a tactic used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government to squash the protests.

“The fight against the deprivation of WB and its rightful dues shall persist regardless of the obstacles. No force on Earth can hinder my dedication to fight for the people of WB and their fundamental rights. I’ll b in Delhi joining the protest on Oct 2nd & 3rd. STOP ME IF U CAN!” Banerjee said in a post on ‘X’.

The TMC general secretary had also alleged that the ED was summoning on days when he had pre-announced public programs.

“Earlier this month, the ED summoned me on a day coinciding with an important coordinating meeting of #INDIA. I dutifully appeared and complied with the served summons,” Banerjee pointed out in an earlier post on X.

The ED had summoned Abhishek Banerjee under section 50 of the PMLA. The summons to Banerjee came after the central probe agency conducted raids in the office of ‘Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd’ which the federal agency alleged was “used for making dubious transactions running into crores of rupees.” The ED claimed that Banerjee is the chief executive officer of the company.

Banerjee was earlier summoned by the ED in connection with the alleged teacher recruitment scam in September.

Abhsihek Banerjee on Tuesday had led TMC protests against the Centre in Delhi over what the party said was the centre’s refusal to provide funds to the state.

The TMC alleged that the Centre has been withholding Rs 15,000 crore in dues to the state under schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and PM Awas Yojana.

Several TMC leaders including Abhishek Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien were also detained by the Delhi Police during the protest. (ANI)

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RJD Lalu Prasad Yadav Ayodhya

Lalu, Tejashwi, Rabri Get Regular Bail

The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Wednesday granted bail to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi and others in relation to a fresh chargesheet in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam case.

The Special Judge Geetanjali Goel while granted bail noted that no accused was arrested in the matter by the CBI, and even the CBI not opposed their bail petition.

Meanwhile, the Court also directed the CBI to serve the fresh chargesheet copy to all accused in the case.

Earlier, the Court had taken cognizance of a chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and issued summons against all accused.

According to the CBI, this is the second chargesheet in the Designated Court against 17 accused including the then Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, then GM of West Central Railways(WCR), then two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private company etc. in a case related to Land for Job Scam. 

Recently, the CBI has filed a chargesheet in Land for Job alleged scam case against former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav including Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others.

CBI registered a case on May 18, 2022, against the then Union Minister of Railways and others including his wife, two daughters and unknown public servants and private persons.

It was alleged that the then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc. in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu of the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold & gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members.

It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.

Searches were earlier conducted at multiple places including in Delhi and Bihar etc, said CBI.

During the investigation, it was found that the then Union Minister of Railways with intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family already owned land parcels or the places that were already connected to him allegedly entered into conspiracy with associates & family members and allegedly derived a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering/providing group D employment in Railways, CBI said.

The accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing jobs in Railways and the General Managers of West Central Railways under the influence /control of the accused accorded approval for the engagement of candidates.

For providing jobs in Railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as Substitutes and subsequently, were regularized.

A hard disk containing lists of candidates (who were engaged) was also recovered during searches. It was further alleged that a land parcel was purchased in the name of a private company at Rs.10.83 Lakh in 2007 and subsequently, the said land along with some other land parcels purchased by the said company, were brought into the ownership/control of his wife & son of then Union Minister of Railways by way of transfer of shares at Rs 1 lakh only.

At the time of transfer, the company allegedly owned land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs1.77 crore(approx) and it was transferred for a mere Rs.1 Lakh(approx) only, however, the market value of the lands was much more.

Earlier, a chargesheet was filed on October 7, 2022, against 16 accused and the investigation is underway, CBI informed the Court. (ANI)

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Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Starts Men’s Javelin Throw Campaign Today

India’s star javelin thrower, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Neeraj Chopra will be starting his Asian Games campaign in the final of men’s javelin throw on Wednesday.

Neeraj will compete in the title clash in the javelin throw at 4:35 PM IST.

The athlete had won a gold medal in javelin back in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. With a throw of 88.06 m, he made a mark at continental level, giving signs of a fine future. Previously, he had also secured a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018, with a throw of 86.47 m.

Now five years later, the then 20-year-old upstart has transformed into a living legend at 25 years of age. When it comes to accomplishments and trophies, Neeraj has very little to prove now as he has won it all.

In 2021, he captured an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, with the best throw of 87.58 m. With this, he became the first-ever Indian to win an athletics gold. This victory made him a sensation in the country. Love and support from fans, cricketers, politicians, and Bollywood celebrities made his victory even grander. Suddenly, Neeraj was the talking point all over India, being featured on social media campaigns, advertisements, shows etc. People wondered what he would do next.

In the next few coming months, Neeraj showed that though he had attained the top prize in athletics, there was still plenty for him to prove and win.

2022 was an amazing year for Neeraj, though he missed out on Commonwealth Games 2022 due to an injury.

In June, he made a new national record and finished with a silver medal with a throw of 89.30 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, bettering his own previous national record of 88.07 meters which he had set in Patiala in March last year.

In June again, he gave another sterling performance as he clinched gold in the 2022 Kuortane Games in Finland. Neeraj threw 86.69 m to clinch the top prize in tricky and wet conditions.

He also held the male javelin national record thanks to a throw in the Stockholm Diamond League that measured 89.94 metres, with which he broke his own record. He clinched a silver medal at the prestigious Diamond League meet in Stockholm and broke his own previous record.

At the World Athletics Championships in July, Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming only the second Indian and the first male track and field athlete to take home a medal. He finished second and won the silver medal, realising his aim of winning a World medal with a throw of 88.13 metres. Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal for India in the long jump competition before Neeraj.

In September, Chopra made history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League trophy, a top-tier athletics competition, achieving the best throw of 88.44 m to clinch one of the biggest wins of his career.

With a gold medal in Asian Games, Olympics, CWG and World Athletics Championships and a Diamond League title, Chopra has won every top prize in the sport. He has set an unprecedented example with his consistency and hunger for gold.

Ahead of start of his campaign, Neeraj spoke about his consistency, “It is not about being consistent in throw, but also in training. Keep training well and work on your technique. This leads to improvement. Last year, I made two national records, it was nice. I made improvements. This year I felt good, but injuries proved to be a temporary obstacle. Feels good to be consistent.”

The only thing that is perhaps left to prove for Neeraj is whether he can touch the 90 m mark. Neeraj himself is looking forward to it, but is not in a hurry. His main focus still remains consistency.

“I am very close to it. I want to hit that throw myself. I believe in the process. Whenever it will happen, it will happen. I am not in a hurry. I am happy with my consistent performances, this is my main focus,” said Neeraj.

This time, his arch-rival Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan is ruled out due to injury. It means, the absence of India-Pakistan rivalry flavour from the continental meet.

The absence of Nadeem however means Neeraj Chopra is the favourite for Gold. (ANI)

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