Telecom Subscriber Base Rise Marginally to 1,170.75 Million in Jan 2023: TRAI

The telecom subscriber base in the country grew marginally to 1,170.75 million in January, driven by net customer gain in the fixed line segment, according to a sector regulator TRAI report released on Friday.

The net gain in the wireline segment was 0.28 million customers while mobile telephony recorded a net gain of 0.09 million subscribers.

Even though Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel jointly added 0.29 million new customers, the gain was offset by BSNL and Vodafone Idea (VIL) losing 0.28 million customers.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,170.38 million at the end of December 2022 to 1,170.75 million at the end of January 2023, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.03 percent," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in the subscriber report for the month of January 2023.

The wireline or fixed line connections in the country increased to 27.73 million in January from 27.45 million in December.

The growth in the wireline segment was driven by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Quadrant, which added 0.21 million, 0.11 million and 5,949 customers, respectively.

State-owned MTNL was the biggest loser in the segment as it lost 29,857 customers. It was followed by BSNL, which lost 19,781 wireline customers, Tata Teleservices 9,444, VIL 3,727 and Reliance Communications 275 customers.

In the mobile telephony or wireless segment, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel added 1.65 million and 1.28 million customers, respectively. BSNL, VIL and MTNL mitigated the growth in the segment by losing 1.48 million, 1.35 million and 2,960 mobile subscribers, respectively.

The broadband subscriber base in the country grew to 839.18 million in January from 832.2 million in December.

"Top five service providers constituted 98.39 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of January-23. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm (434.02 million), Bharti Airtel (237.40 million), Vodafone Idea (125.03 million), BSNL (27.05 million) and Atria Convergence (2.14 million)," TRAI said.

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US Chipmaker Micron's Products to Be Examined in China for Cybersecurity Risks

China's cyberspace regulator will conduct a cybersecurity review of products sold in the country by US memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology, the regulator said on Friday.

The move, which comes amid a spat over chip technology between Washington and Beijing, is aimed at protecting the security of the supply chain for critical information infrastructure, prevent hidden risks and safeguard national security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a brief statement.

It gave no other details, including which Micron products it was reviewing.

The United States has imposed a series of export controls on chipmaking technology to China for fear it could be used to produce chips for applications such as artificial intelligence which could be used by China's military, and blacklisted a number of China's largest chip firms, including Micron rival Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd.

Micron, one of the world's largest memory chip makers, did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The company's shares fell 3 percent on Friday.

"Punitive actions against Micron could suggest a broader shift in Chinese policy with other US vendors with large Chinese exposure now potentially at risk of similar actions," Wedbush Securities analyst Matthew Bryson said.

On Friday, Japan announced it would align its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips. The Netherlands, which makes advanced lithography equipment critical for the manufacture of advanced chips, made a similar announcement earlier this month.

Weak consumer demand has roiled the memory chip market, which is dominated by South Korea's Samsung Electronics.

Micron derives around 10 percent of its revenue from China, but it was not clear if the review would affect the company's sales to non-Chinese customers in the country.

The larger chunk of the company's products flowing into China are being purchased by non-Chinese firms for use in products manufactured in the country, according to analysts.

Micron has offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as a chip packaging facility in the city of Xian. In early 2022, the company announced it would shut its DRAM design operations in Shanghai.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Ashok Gehlot's "Cops Should Ask Amit Shah" Retort To "Frame Modi" Comment

Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has dared Home Minister Amit Shah to name the officers of a central agency who the BJP leader alleged had put pressure on him to frame his party colleague and the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in a fake encounter case.

Mr Gehlot said if the Delhi Police can ask Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to give details of women in Jammu and Kashmir who have alleged sexual harassment, the same cops can surely ask Mr Shah to give the names of the officers who wanted him to frame Narendra Modi before he became Prime Minister in 2014.

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Mr Gandhi had alleged  "women were still being sexually assaulted" in the Union Territory. After the yatra ended and 45 days later, a Delhi Police team knocked on Mr Gandhi's doors thrice in five days, which the Congress termed unprecedented harassment. The Congress alleged the cops won't do any such thing if BJP leaders gave controversial comments at public events.

"What did the women tell Rahul Gandhi in Kashmir? That they have been abused, harassed. And what happened after that - Delhi police arrived at Rahul Gandhi's door. Rahul said he will respond to the cops' notice, but the police again arrived at his home," Mr Gehlot told NDTV.

"So will the Delhi police also send a notice to Amit Shah for saying that the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) was putting pressure on him to frame Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat when he was being questioned by the probe agency during the Congress-led UPA government. That's why I am asking, will the Delhi Police question Amit Shah like they questioned Rahul Gandhi? I think they should," Mr Gehlot said.

Mr Shah yesterday at the 'News 18 Rising India' programme alleged the CBI had put pressure on him to frame PM Modi in a fake encounter case in Gujarat back when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. The Home Minister was replying to a question on the opposition's allegations that central agencies have been sent to harass them frequently with false cases.

"The CBI put pressure on me to frame Modi ji (when he was Gujarat Chief Minister) in a fake encounter case during the Congress government," Mr Shah said.

The BJP has also often cited alleged misuse of central agencies when the Congress was in power.

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TerraUSD Founder Do Kwon Indicted in US Following Montenegro Arrest

Do Kwon, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated $40 billion (nearly Rs. 3,28,500 crore) or more last year, has been charged with fraud by US prosecutors.

An eight-count indictment against Kwon was made public in the US District Court in Manhattan, several hours after news of his arrest earlier Thursday in Montenegro.

Lawyers for Kwon in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours.

Thursday's indictment charges Kwon, a South Korean national who co-founded Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, with two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.

The criminal case follows related US Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges against Kwon and Terraform last month.

Kwon had been a fugitive for several months, and South Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for him last September.

South Korean police said on Friday that the identity of the suspect arrested in Montenegro had been confirmed as Kwon after his fingerprints matched the information held by the country's National Police Agency (KNPA).

"This has been shared with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office and Interpol in Montenegro," one official at the KNPA said.

Prosecutors will work with other institutions to carry out a swift repatriation, a spokesperson for the country's prosecution service said.

Montenegro's interior ministry said police detained a person thought to be Kwon and a second suspect, who were trying to board a flight to Dubai at Podgorica airport.

Police found forged passports of Costa Rica and Belgium during the encounter, the ministry said.

"The person is suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean national Do Kwon, a co-founder and CEO of the Singapore-based Terraform Labs," Interior Minister Filip Adzic wrote on Twitter.

"The former cryptocurrency king who is behind losses of over $40 billion, has been apprehended at the Podgorica airport with forged documents," Adzic added.

TerraUSD was a so-called "stablecoin" designed to maintain a constant $1 price, while Luna's value fluctuated.

But authorities have said TerraUSD and Luna were paired, such that a decline in one could take down the other.

They also said Kwon misrepresented the stability of TerraUSD, once among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market value.

Both currencies crashed last May, with TerraUSD's price sinking to less than one penny.

In its civil case, the SEC accused Kwon and Terraform of "orchestrating a multi-billion dollar crypto asset securities fraud.

"We also allege that they committed fraud by repeating false and misleading statements to build trust before causing devastating losses for investors," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement at the time.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Watch: Tamannah Bhatia, Arijit Singh Light Up IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony

Star singer Arijit Singh and well-known actress Tamannah Bhatia thrilled fans with their performances at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opening ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The crowd was left spellbound as Arijit performed blockbusters like "Ae Wataan" from the film "Raazi", "Lehda Do" from the movie "83" and "Kesariya" from "Brahmastra". Tamannah also joined the show with a thrilling performance on songs like "Tum Tum" and "Oo Antava" from "Pushpa: The Rise". Rashmika Mandanna was the other star attraction of the event.

𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧!@tamannaahspeaks sets the stage on 🔥🔥 with her entertaining performance in the #TATAIPL 2023 opening ceremony! pic.twitter.com/w9aNgo3x9C

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023

Defending champions Gujarat Titans will take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of IPL 2023. The match will be a battle between two generations of Indian cricket. At one side will be CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who took Indian cricket to new heights of success in the late 2000s to early 2010s by clinching the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Cricket World Cup (2011) and ICC Champions Trophy (2013) and became the only skipper to win three major titles.

𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!

How about that for a performance to kick off the proceedings 🎶🎶@arijitsingh begins the #TATAIPL 2023 Opening Ceremony in some style 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/1ro3KWMUSW

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023

Dhoni replicated this success in IPL, leading the team to the title on four occasions. On the other side is GT skipper Hardik Pandya, who was pushed into superstardom after leading GT to the title in their debut season. Pandya has also led India to some wins at the international level in the shorter format and is making a case for himself as a future white-ball skipper.

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans will be facing a huge weight of expectations after clinching the title in their debut season. To prove that their title win was not a fluke, they would have to start this season well against the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings.

Gujarat Titans squad: Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya(c), Rahul Tewatia, Matthew Wade(w), Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Srikar Bharat, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Urvil Patel, Vijay Shankar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Odean Smith, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma and Pradeep Sangwan.

Chennai Super Kings squad: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Bhagath Varma, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki and Akash Singh.

(With ANI inputs)

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"I Have No...": Union Minister Nitin Gadkari On Quitting Politics

 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday dismissed the claims of getting retired from politics.

The senior BJP leader made the statement while referring to a media report.

"I have no intention of retiring from politics," the senior BJP leader said while speaking to media in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri.

"The media must uphold responsible journalism in their reporting on this matter," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also conducted an aerial inspection of the construction work of the Mumbai-Goa highway.

Industries Minister of Maharashtra Uday Samant was also present on occasion, said a press release on Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Union Minister Gadkari said that the much-awaited construction work of Mumbai-Goa National Highway No 66 would be completed by December 2023 and the road will be open for traffic in January 2024.

He further said that the Mumbai-Goa highway has been divided into 10 packages. Out of these, two packages (P-9, P-10) in the Sindhudurg district are almost 99 per cent complete, an official release said.

There are a total of five packages in the Ratnagiri district and 92 per cent and 98 per cent work of two of these packages (P-4, P-8) has been completed respectively.

The rest of the work is in progress. The delayed works for two packages (P-6, P-7) have been resumed by appointing a new contractor, informed the Minister.

"Out of the three packages in the Raigad district, two packages (P-2, P-3) have been completed up to 93 per cent and 82 per cent respectively. More than half of the work on the package (P-1) has been completed and the remaining work will be completed soon," he added.

The Road Transport and Highways Minister further said that land acquisition and environmental clearances for the Panvel-Indapur phase had delayed the work on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway.

He said that now all these hurdles have been cleared and the environmental issue is being taken care of by removing the flyover in the Karnala sanctuary area.

The Minister informed that the construction work in Goa of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway has been completed. The Mumbai-Goa National Highway is a highway connecting major tourist destinations in Konkan. This will boost tourism development. Also, as there is a road connecting major industrial areas, industrial development will also get a boost, said the Minister.

The minister also announced three new projects worth Rs 15 thousand crores. These include the Rs. 1,200 crore Kalamboli Junction project, the Rs. 1,200 crore Pagode Junction Chowk to Greenfield Highway project and the Rs. 13,000 crore Morbe - Karanjade highway connecting Delhi via JNPA. The work on these projects will start soon.

On Thursday morning, the Minister laid the foundation stone of three national highway projects worth Rs. 414.68 crores and 63,900 km long at Palaspe village in Raigad district. These projects will boost economic dynamism at the two ports of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Dighi, while the concretisation of the Panvel to Kasu highway will speed up travel and save fuel.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Going To Other Country To Run Down India": Veep's Dig At Rahul Gandhi

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday cautioned against a "virtual intense warfare" on India's integrity by well-orchestrated global machinery and said their narratives are disseminated in such a high decibel that "activities of Goebbels pale into insignificance".

Addressing Network 18's Rising India Summit, he also said it was "unfortunate" that "legally sanctified crusade" against corruption is sought to be combated by partisan stance and individual concerns.

How can the issue of corruption be seen from political prism, he wondered.

His remarks came in the backdrop of allegations by Opposition leaders that the government was targetting them using central investigation agencies.

Mr Dhankhar said India is proud of its judicial system.

"Where on planet you'll get a Supreme Court which can act with lightening speed and grant relief when someone is accused of defamation? Where will you get a Supreme Court which will sit overtime ... the chief justice has unimpeccable credentials with global image," he said.

He asserted that no one in the world "has legitimacy or credentials to lesson us on this aspect".

The vice president's remarks came in the wake of Germany saying it has 'taken note' of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha.

The issue led to a fresh political slugfest here on Thursday with the BJP accusing the Congress of "inviting foreign powers" to interfere in internal matters.

The BJP attack came after senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh thanked the German foreign ministry and Richard Walker, Chief International Editor of Deutsche Welle, for "taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi".

Sharing a screenshot of Mr Singh's tweet, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference into India's internal matters." People, the vice president cautioned, need to be cognizant of "virtual intense warfare against India's integrity by a well-orchestrated "global machinery functioning within and outside country".

He said there were "sinister forces within and outside" working with pernicious agenda to sully and downsize India's growth trajectory, to run down its democratic institutions and rundown the nation's success.

Mr Dhankhar said "an entire ecosystem" was working to handicap India's growth.

"Attacking India's legitimacy as nation state, its constitutional institutions including the Parliament is becoming favourite pass time of even to some of us," he said.

He hoped people will check such tendencies.

He felt an intense assault on India's values, integrity and its institutions was emanating from well maintained incubators.

"Such orchestrated narratives are disseminated in high decibel by section of media and intelligentsia that activities of Goebbels pales into insignificance," he said.

Goebbels was the propaganda minister of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

In an apparent dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's democracy remarks made in the UK, Mr Dhankhar said one will not find a parallel in the world where people holding positions of power "would go to other country to run down their own country. We all need to reflect on this".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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For Zeenat Aman, Life Would Have Been "Colourless" Without Step-Mom

Zeenat Aman has been trending ever since she made her Instagram debut in February. Now, in her recent post, the veteran actress spoke about the lack of visibility of "older women in the public eye." In her long post, the Amar Akbar Anthony actress shared some stories about how her mother and friends supported her in her life. She also mentioned her stepmother, who doted on her sons. She started her note with these words, "We see very few older women in the public eye. It's not something I thought about when I was young, but now that I myself am silver-haired, I feel their absence. It's a puzzling phenomenon, simply because older women mould, protect and nurture us in so many ways worthy of celebration. There is just no substitute for the wisdom of experience and years."  

"My entire life I have known older women who have anchored me. My mother, yes, but others too. My friend Khadija whose generosity towards me was unsurpassed and who, being widowed young, displayed an inner steel that inspired me. My dear, ever-patient Sartaj, who is always there to make me laugh, but who was also by my side during days of intense grief. Kavi, who is steadfast as a rock and cradles our friendship even when I am neglectful,"  Zeenat Aman continued.

Speaking about her step-mother, Zeenat Aman wrote, "My stepmother Shamim aunty, who doted on my sons and to whom I could entrust them no matter the hour... How different and colourless life would have been without their influence." 

Zeenat Aman concluded her note with these words, "When you sweep your eyes across the landscape of your life, do you not also find the influence of older women? I would be interested to know your stories. Stories of how a mother or aunt or grandmother or sister or woman friend carried you in your time of hesitance or need. If you don't have a story to share, then maybe this post can serve as a reminder to drop a (heart emoticon) to an older woman who enriches your life."

Soon after Zeenat Aman shared the post, Kajol was quick to comment, "So well said!" followed by a fire emoticon. Manisha Koirala dropped the fire emoticon in the comment section. 

Take a look at Zeenat Aman's post here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

Zeenat Aman keeps sharing glimpses from her daily life every now and then. A few days ago, she shared some memes featuring her stills from movies. In a long note, the veteran actress revealed that her children introduced her to the "Zeenat Aman meme" on the social media platform. An excerpt from her post read, "This Saturday I am more of a Meme-at Aman than a Zeenat Aman. I would be befuddled by the vagaries of Instagram if it weren't for my kids. Fortunately, not only do they explain the app and its workings to me, they also introduce me to online humour! Today they showed me 'Zeenat Aman memes', and I've been in splits all morning. I just think they are so fantastically creative and funny. Not to mention that they're a great use of images that would otherwise be redundant!"

Take a look below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

Zeenat Aman is known for her work in movies like Don, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

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Watch: On 'Viral' Delivery, Neesham's "Worst Ball To Get A Wicket" Verdict

During a National T20 Cup match in 2019, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Ilyas served up a strong contender for the worst wicket-taking delivery in the history of the sport. Ilyas dragged a delivery way down the leg-side and the unfortunate batter, Zain Abbas, fell for the pie-ball. While Ilyas' delivery was threatening to land outside the tramline, Abbas had a one-handed poke at it and got a top edge, which fled straight to the keeper, who made no mistake and grabbed the delivery. 

The video of the incident has been doing rounds on social media. Reacting to the same, New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham reacted to the video by saying: "Legitimately could be the worst ball in cricket history to ever get a wicket. Impressive."

Legitimately could be the worst ball in cricket history to ever get a wicket. Impressive. https://t.co/Z0ItGfKJdF

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) March 29, 2023

Speaking of Neesham, the 32-year-old was last seen in action during the recently-concluded season of the Pakistan Super League.

Neesham has falled out-of-favour in the New Zealand side and also went unsold during the IPL mini auction last season.

During IPL 2022, Neesham was part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) squad, playing a handful of games in their road to the final.

RR entered the final of IPL in 2022, after a gap of 14 years only to lose to newbies Gujarat Titans.

RR will be looking to go a step further this time and win the trophy after adding the likes of Joe Root and Adam Zampa, alongside Windies star Holder.

RR will play their opening game against the SunRisers Hyderabad on Sunday, April 2.

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YouTuber MrBeast Gives A New Car As 'Tip' To Waitress, Divides Internet

Youtuber MrBeast is getting several reactions to his latest viral video on Instagram, in which he claimed to gift a waitress at a restaurant with a brand-new car wrapped with logos promoting his business ventures.

With 139 million subscribers, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is the most-followed YouTuber in the world.

He inquired about the largest tip a waitress named Amy had ever received in the 42-second video that was uploaded on Monday, to which she responded that the highest tip she had ever received was $50.

Watch the video here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MrBeast (@mrbeast)

"Has anyone ever tipped a car?" As he handed her the keys to a black Toyota vehicle, Donaldson asked again.

MrBeast then asked her that before bringing her to the brand-new car he was going to give her. His chocolate company's Feastables emblem is imprinted on the side of the car.

This video received nearly 11 million views, over one million likes, and more than 8000 comments.

The video left people in awe of MrBeast, and happy people commented appreciating the work done by him.

"I love watching MrBeast's videos because he always finds new ways to give back to the community." "Keep up the amazing work!" one user commented.

His charitable effort, meanwhile, didn't appeal to everyone; some people thought it was uninspiring.

"Stop being nice; no one cares. I know you just do it for the views. Just let people in Africa lose their homes, shoes, and food. Stop helping people. It's seriously messed up," commented a user.

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"Right Now There Is Only One": Jonty Rhodes Picks 'World's Best Fielder'

Former South Africa player and star fielder Jonty Rhodes has picked the world's best fielder and it is none other than India's Ravindra Jadeja. While his all-round abilities with the bat and the bowl are just amazing, Jadeja is a gun fielder and stands out from the crowd in that domain. From pulling off breathtaking catches to effecting some sensational and crucial run-outs in the game, the star all-rounder has impressed one and all with his fielding on the ground. Jadeja rarely has have an off day in that beat.

When asked about the top three fielders in world cricket, Rhodes took only one name.

"Right now there is only one - Ravindra Jadeja," said the former South Africa star to Times of India in an interview.

Meanwhile, Rhodes credited the Indian Premier League for raising the standard of fielding.

The mega event started in the year 2008. So far, 15 editions of IPL have taken place and players have shown great level of fielding over the years. From boundary line catches to some stunning takes inside the circle, there is hardly any quality catch that would be missing in IPL.

"Only when IPL began, people really started focusing on fielding. Not every team had fielding coaches. There was enough time in 50-over matches. You had 3-4 good fielders and 6-7 guys didn't do great. But once IPL started, we saw growth in fielding. Since 2008, around 12-13 years have been amazing. Earlier, people spoke about fielding but there were only 3-4 good individuals. But now, as a team we have seen the growth of fielding go through the roof," said Rhodes.

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Assam Congress Files Privilege Notice Against Himanta Sarma

The Congress on Wednesday filed a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for breach of privilege in the state Assembly for one of his remarks during a debate on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha.

The Congress Legislature Party filed the complaint with the Principal Secretary of Assam Assembly, following which Mr Sarma withdrew the comments inside the House.

The Congress, however, has not withdrawn the privilege notice yet and demanded an apology from the chief minister instead of a mere withdrawal of the statement.

"Today in the House, the Leader of the House Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that he is aware of the discussion held in the ACLP (Assam Congress Legislature Party) room. Further, he has also stated that some Hon'ble Member of the ACLP has informed him about the decision taken in the CLP meeting held on 28th March, 2023," said the complaint letter, which is accessed by PTI.

"We the Member of ACLP feel that this is a false statement by the Leader of the House. So, we Member of ACLP bring a Breach of Privilege against Leader of the House Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma (sic)," the notice signed by over 20 Congress MLAs read.

They urged the principal secretary to take up the notice for "further action" according to the law.

Earlier in the day, the Assam Assembly witnessed a ruckus after the Congress introduced an Adjournment Motion to discuss the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha following a court verdict.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia introduced the notice and said: "We want to send a resolution to the President of India requesting her to uphold the Constitution. The Constitution is the same for all and the executive must act fairly to protect it." Replying to the motion, Mr Sarma said, "It's unprecedented that we're expressing opinions on a judicial matter here. I know that a decision was taken by Congress Legislature Party last night to create noise here." Deputy Leader of Congress Legislature Party Rakibul Hussain objected to the statement.

Mr Sarma later withdrew the portion of his claim that someone from the opposition party had informed him of their plans on Tuesday night.

Asked if the Congress will withdraw the notice as Mr Sarma has already taken back his words, Saikia told PTI: "That was a very serious charge by the chief minister. It has put our party in a very bad light. We want an apology from him." Following a high drama in the Assembly earlier in the day, Speaker Biswajit Daimary was forced to adjourn the House twice, and suspended two Congress MLAs and an Independent legislator for the entire day.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian-Origin Ajay Banga Set To Become World Bank Chief Unopposed

Ajay Banga, the US pick to head the World Bank, appears almost certain to become the anti-poverty lender's next president after nominations closed Wednesday with no country publicly proposing an alternative candidate.

The former Mastercard Inc. chief executive was tapped by President Joe Biden last month after current president David Malpass announced plans to step down almost a year early.

Mr Malpass, nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2019, won the top spot unopposed. The institution's top job has always gone to a US candidate. 

While no countries besides the US have announced candidates, World Bank rules allow member nations to make nominations during the window that closed on Wednesday afternoon without making them public.

While Mr Banga has built a long career in the private sector, especially in finance and banking, he's highlighted the perspective he could bring to the job from his upbringing and education in India, as well as his commitment to climate science and his belief that poverty and environmental issues are intertwined.

The Washington-based World Bank opened the nomination period in late February, saying at the time that its board would conduct formal interviews of the top contenders after nominations closed, and that it expected the process to wrap up by early May.

Mr Banga, 63, spent most of the past month on a global tour to creditor and borrower nations to build support for his nomination. That included stops in China, Kenya and Ivory Coast, as well as the UK, Belgium, Panama and his native India.

Mr Banga is poised to take over at a pivotal time for the anti-poverty lender, which gives out about $100 billion annually. The US is among nations pushing reforms of multilateral development banks to unlock more climate financing for the developing world.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the world's oldest and largest development bank must evolve from its traditional focus on country-specific lending to address global challenges like fighting climate change, and to more aggressively extend its balance sheet.

While such a funding move is expected to unlock billions of dollars in additional funds, it risks the lender's AAA credit rating, which allows it to borrow and lend cheaply to poorer countries. Mr Banga earlier this month said that grade needs to be protected, and called on private capital to help expand the bank's effectiveness.

The shift in leadership also comes as loans from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank are at the center of a dispute between China, the biggest creditor to emerging economies, and traditional lenders led by the US.

While creditors are seeking to rework debt loads that are becoming untenable amid rising interest rates, Beijing has been pushing for loans from the World Bank to be included in restructurings, which means the institution would take haircuts along with sovereign or private lenders. Such a move is also considered a threat to the bank's rating.

Biden's choice of Mr Banga, who has been an advocate in his private-sector career of cashless transactions and finding ways to serve the unbanked, had been met with criticism among advocates as being too associated with corporate interests.

Since his nomination, Mr Banga has declared himself a "big believer" in the scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change, seeking to address criticism about the lender's commitment to the issue under its outgoing chief.

His comments also contrast with a public relations flub by Malpass last year, when he came under fire for appearing to dodge questions on whether he believed that climate change is driven by man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Banga serves as vice chairman at US investment firm General Atlantic LP. Before that, he spent a decade as president and chief executive officer of Mastercard. He also held various positions at Citigroup Inc., including as CEO of the Asia-Pacific region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G Price Tipped; Confirmed to Pack a 5,000mAh Battery

OnePlus is all set to launch the successor to Nord CE 2 Lite in India on April 4. The company has confirmed to launch the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G on the above-mentioned date. A teaser page for the phone is already live on the OnePlus India website. The site has revealed its colour variants and key specifications. Meanwhile, a reliable tipster has now tipped the expected price of the upcoming smartphone in India. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will be powered by a Snapdragon 695 5G SoC.

Tipster Abhishek Yadav (Twitter: @yabhishekhd) has tipped that the upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G will start at Rs. 21,999 in India. However, the storage variants of the upcoming smartphone are yet to be known. It is tipped to pack 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage.

The company has also shared that the phone will be equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. Additionally, the phone will come in Pastel Lime and Chromatic Gray colour options.

A recent report also suggested the expected price of OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G in European markets. It is speculated to be priced at EUR 329 (roughly Rs. 29,000).

Meanwhile, other specifications of the phone have also been leaked. It is said to come with an LCD display with 1,800 x 2,400 pixels resolution, and a Snapdragon 695 5G SoC. The phone is tipped to feature a 108-megapixel triple rear camera setup with a 2-megapixel macro sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Moreover, leaked images have suggested that the phone will have a selfie camera housed in a hole-punch cutout.

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G will succeed the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G that was launched in India last year. It features a 6.59-inch full-HD+ display with a dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz. The handset is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 695 SoC, paired with Adreno 619 GPU and up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. 

 

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The OnePlus 11 5G was launched at the company's Cloud 11 launch event which also saw the debut of several other devices. We discuss this new handset and all of OnePlus' new hardware on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Mehbooba Mufti's Daughter Moves Court For Passport, Kashmir Police's Reply

Seeking dismissal of the writ petition filed by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti's daughter for issuance of a passport, the criminal investigation department wing of police has informed the High Court here that her final verification report was forwarded to the concerned department last month.

Iltija,35, sought the intervention of the High Court in February, wherein she stated that her passport was due to expire on January 2 and therefore she had applied for a fresh one in advance on June 8, last year.

"The Passport as per the instruction manual is expected to be dispatched within approximately 30 days…the inaction is discriminatory in nature and unconstitutional," she said in her writ petition before the court.

She said the passport is required immediately by her as she intends to apply for obtaining a master's degree in sustainable development from outside the country.

In his response through the counsel, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), headquarters, CID J&K informed the court that the final passport verification report in respect of the petitioner has been forwarded to the Regional Passport Officer, Srinagar on February 16.

"That the petitioner has no ground to approach the Court against the answering respondent because none of the right, whether fundamental or legal, has been infringed by the answering respondent," the officer said in his reply.

He said the petitioner has wrongly impleaded the department as party respondent in the instant matter as the CID has a mere informative role in the passport proceedings and neither any relief has been or could be sought from it.

"The answering respondents department (CID) primarily is an intelligence wing of the government of J&K and has a limited role to the extent of discreetly verifying the character/Antecedents of persons on the recommendations of the competent authorities. The role of CID ends as soon as the report is forwarded," he said.

The SSP informed the court that the CID has no prerogative of deciding whether or not to issue the passport, which is the sole domain of passport authorities concerned having a statutory mandate to that extent.

"The passport Authorities as quasi-judicial authorities, decide the applications after conducting inquiry wherein reports are sought from different agencies, including Police, CID etc. The report of the CID has only an assistive and not decisive role in such instances. It is the discretion of the Passport Authority to rely or not to rely on the report of the CID based on its subjective satisfaction," the officer said.

He said "the contentions or grounds taken by the petitioner do not hold any merit so far as the answering respondent has not committed any discrimination or arbitrariness in order to infringe the rights of the petitioner. The present writ petition is bereft of merit and deserved to be dismissed with costs." Earlier, in March 2021, Mehbooba and her 80-year-old mother Gulshan Nazir were refused a passport after J&K police opposed citing an "adverse report" against her.

Mehbooba's passport expired on May 31, 2019 and she applied for a fresh passport on December 11, the next year, whereas her mother, the wife of former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed applied for the same in 2020 to undertake a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Mehbooba's passport application is still pending but the authorities released the passport of her mother in early February on the directions of J&K High Court. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Supreme Court Clears 5,000 Crores From SEBI-Sahara Fund To Repay Depositors

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a plea by the Centre seeking allocation of Rs 5,000 crore out of Rs 24,000 crore deposited by the Sahara group with market regulator Sebi to repay dues of the depositors of the Sahara Group of Cooperative Societies. 

The direction came on an application filed by the Centre in a PIL by a person named Pinak Pani Mohanty, who sought a direction to pay the amount to the depositors who invested in several chit fund companies and Sahara credit firms.

A bench of justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar noted that the amount was lying in the "Sahara-SEBI Refund Account" unutilised.

The top court said the prayer sought in the present application seems to be reasonable and which shall be in the larger public interest and interest of the genuine depositors of the Sahara Group of Cooperative Societies.

"Out of the total amount of Rs. 24,979.67 crore lying in the 'Sahara-SEBI Refund Account', Rs. 5000 crore be transferred to the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, who, in turn, shall disburse the same against the legitimate dues of the depositors of the Sahara Group of Cooperative Societies, which shall be paid to the genuine depositors in the most transparent manner and on proper identification," the bench said.

The top court also directed that entire disbursement process will be monitored by former top court judge R Subhash Reddy with the assistance of advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who has been appointed as amicus curiae to assist Justice Reddy as well as the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

"The manner and modalities for making the payment is to be worked out by the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies in consultation with Justice Reddy and Agarwal.

"Rs. 15 lakhs per month be paid to Justice R Subhash Reddy, Former Judge of this Court and Rs. five lakhs per month be paid to Gaurav Agarwal, learned Amicus Curiae towards their honorarium," the bench said.

The top court further directed that the amount be paid to the respective genuine depositors of the Sahara Group of Cooperative Societies not later than nine months from today.

The balance amount thereafter will be again transferred to the Sahara-SEBI refund account, it said.

The Centre had sought money from the SEBI-Sahara Sahara-Sebi escrow account that was formed after the top court in August 2012 directed two Sahara firms -- Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Limited (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing India Corporation Limited (SHICL) -- to refund investors.

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PS 2 Trailer: Aishwarya AKA Nandini Is Back To Seek Revenge From Cholas

Finally, the much-awaited trailer of magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan 2 was released on Wednesday. The 3-minute-long trailer, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi and Trisha Krishnan, offers a sneak peek into the sequel with some breathtaking visuals and action sequence. The trailer starts with the news of Arunmozhi Varman aka Ponniyin Selvan's (played by Jayam Ravi) death. In the next frame, we can see some power-packed action sequences led by Aditha Karikalan (played by Vikram), who has been offered to rule the other half of the Chola Kingdom. 

However, it seems Arunmozhi Varman aka Ponniyin Selvan is alive as Kundavai (played by Trisha) questions him about who saved his life, to which he answers, "Nandini". Next, we see Nandini planning to avenge the death of her father as she can be heard saying, "We will destroy the Cholas." Towards the end of the trailer, Nandini, who plays the love interest of Aditha Karikalan, comes face to face him. 

Watch the Ponniyin Selvan 2 trailer below: 

Helmed by Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan 2 also stars Karthi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Jayaram and others in pivotal roles. At the trailer launch event, Kamal Haasan arrived as a chief guest. 

Ponniyin Selvan 2 is based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel of the same name. The first part of the film narrates the early life of Chola prince Arunmozhi Varman. Ponniyin Selvan: I garnered immense praise from the audience and critics. Also, it was a great hit at the box office. 

Ponniyin Selvan 2 will hit the theatres on April 28.

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