28 Feb 2023

Reports of postpoll violence

Staff Reporter/Correspondent

DIMAPUR/KOHIMA,

FEB 27 (NPN): Barely few hours after polling for the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly concluded, suspected post-poll related violence was reported in Dimapur and Wokha.

Dimapur: In a suspected post-poll violence, unidentified miscreants fired several rounds in the air outside the residence of Kevijau Colony GB here on Monday night. Confirming the incident, commissioner of police, Dimapur, Kevithuto Sophie stated that the miscreants came in a

This is it!

Nagaland Post

New Zealand set England 258 to win 2nd Test

Exit polls: NDPP-BJP poised to win with majority in Nagaland

KOHIMA/AGARTALA/SHILLONG, FEB 27

(PTI): Exit polls by various channels predicted a hung house in Meghalaya, a win for NDPP, backed by the BJP in Nagaland, the two states that went to polls on Monday, and seemed to oscillate between predicting a clean sweep for the BJP to a hung house in the state of Tripura, where a new party the Tipra Motha may emerge as a potential kingmaker in the polls, held a week back.

Nagaland: NDPP is

slated to get 28-34 seats with a vote share of 33 per cent in Nagaland, according to India Today-My Axis.

The poll also gives BJP a surprising 16 per cent vote share and 10-14 seats, possibly coming from eastern Nagaland where it focused its campaigning. Congress

is predicted to get 10 per cent votes and between 1-2 seats and the rump of the Naga People’s Front which remained after some 21 MLAs joined NDPP is forecast to get 13 per cent vote share and between 3-8 seats. Times Now similarly predicts 27-33 seats

‘Massive’ rights violations in Ukraine: UN chief

Massive fire devastates Mao market in Kohima

for NDPP, 12-16 seats for BJP, and 4-8 seats for NPF. While Zee News-Matrize is giving 35-43 to NDPP-BJP, it has also predicted 2-5 seats for the NPF and 1-3 seats for the Congress.

PAGE 4 FOR MEGHALAYA & TRIPURA EXIT POLLS

Nagaland records 84.69 pc turnout with stray incidents

Correspondent

KOHIMA, FEB 27 (NPN):

Nagaland registered a voter turnout of 84.69 per cent till 6 p.m., Chief Electoral Officer Nagaland V Shashank Shekhar said.

“Seems he believes yatra is everything. But everything is not yatra.“

Addressing the media here on Monday evening, Shekhar clarified that the polling percentage was tentative since detailed information from all district returning officers were yet to be received.

He mentioned that poor network connectivity also prevented polling officers from updating their

status, as voters who had queued inside the polling station were allowed to vote beyond 4 pm.

He said Mon, Tseminyu and Pughoboto recorded the highest voter turnout with over 90% polling. The CEO admitted that there were some stray incidents of violence reported in the morning from certain constituencies, but claimed that the quick intervention of security forces helped control the situation and the election was by and large peaceful.

Correspondent

KOHIMA, FEB 27 (NPN):

A massive fire broke out near PHQ junction here on Monday evening that burnt down the famous Mao Market.

The market, a hub for women and mothers selling local produces and indigenous food items, caught fire around 5:30 p.m. and raged on for more than an hour before being brought under control.

At the peak of the inferno, the flames rose to over 80 feet and were visible from many parts of the State Capital and surrounding villages.

Incidentally, the mar-

ket is located just a few feet away from Nagaland Fire & Emergency Services South station and was engulfed by fire for the second time in a span of two years.

According to Addl SP & PRO, Kohima, the fire started from the lower section of the multi-storied wooden structure behind Mao Market and spread to the surrounding buildings.

Most of the shops in the two buildings were poultry, fruit vendors and second hand shops. He said further investigation would be conducted as to how the fire broke out and the extend of the damage done. Director General of

Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma, who was at the site of the incident, suspected that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. He said the Fire & Emergency Services had deployed its personnel to subdue the fire. Responding to a query on whether he suspected any foul play in the incident or whether it was related to election as a means to create a distraction, he said it could only be a case of “tragic incident”. The market is adjacent to Sokhriezie Market, which was also partially burnt, though no major visible damage was done to the building.

Fire personnel dousing the inferno at Mao Market Kohima on Monday evening. (NP)

(R) Shashank Shekhar with officials addressing the media. (NP)

Voting for 14th NLA election successfully conducted

DIMAPUR: Nagaland has successfully conducted the general election to the to the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly election 2023 on Monday, February 27. Casting od votes in most of the Polling Stations in the states have reportedly conducted peacefully.

MOKOKCHUNG: Polling in Mokokchung district passed off successfully without any major disruptions to polling or violence barring some spo-

radic incidents of scuffle and stone pelting in some polling stations between supporters of different parties.

Talking to Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Shashank Pratap Singh, he said that the total percentage of votes cast is around 80% in Mokokchung district though the final figure will be known later.

The DC added that a few polling stations were yet to complete polling

due EVM malfunctioning. However, he added that some EVM machines have started to arrive the district headquarter. Further the DC expressed his profound gratitude to all the political parties, candidates, supporters, civil societies, media and the general public of Mokokchung district for the support and cooperation for free, fair, inducement free election. He further concluded by saying “you all are worthy of congratulations”. (Cor-

Induction programme for peace club &

eco club

respondent)

WOKHA: Casting of votes under 38th Wokha Assembly Constituency which began at 7 am in all the polling stations concluded at 4 pm. Voters in large number turned up in almost all the polling stations to exercise their franchise. Maximum security forces were deployed to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of the election. District Administration, Police, Observers and Sector Magistrates

visited all the polling stations to ensure smooth conduct of election. The voting process was peaceful and no violence have been reported in any of the polling stations within the town area.

TIZIT: Polling for the general election to the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly was conducted successfully at 41-Tizit A/C. The 41-Tizit AC has 35 Polling Stations with 20618 electors comprising of 10543 male and 10075

female voters. Candidates who contested from 41-Tizit AC included P. Paiwang Ko nyak (BJP), Tahwang Angh (NPF) and T. Thomas Konyak (INC).

MEDZIPHEMA:

The general election to the 14th NLA election was conducted at 5 Ghaspani -II A/C beginning from 7 am. It has a total number of 29,163 electors, male 14561, female 14602 and 54 polling stations were used. The polling was vio-

lence free.

THONOKNYU:

Casting of votes for the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly election was peacefully conducted at Govt. High School Thonoknyu polling station 15th, Thonoknyu Head Quarter, under Noklak district. Voting was conducted peacefully even at Thonoknyu village. No proxy voting was reported in any of the two polling stations.

7 Polling Stations manned by all women par-

ty under 9 Kohima Town A/C: During the general election to the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly 2023, Seven Polling Stations were manned by all women polling party under 9 Kohima Town Assembly Constituency. Altogether there are 43 polling stations in the constituency with a total of 22,501 electors, 11,316 are Female and 11,185 Male. The polling commenced at 7 am and ended at 4 pm in all the polling stations.

DIMAPUR: Assisi Higher Secondary School (AHSS), Dimapur conducted an induction programme for Peace Club and Eco Club on February 24 at the school premises.

A press release issued by Peace Channel stated that Assam Rifle, transit camp, Dimapur Lieutenant Colonel, Ravi Chettri, was the chief guest of the event.

The chief guest called upon the students to be an agent of peace and maintain healthy competition within themselves and always consider failure as a stepping stone to success. He urged them to respect and honor their teachers, who molded them into a perfect shape, just like a potter who brings out a beautifully carved pot out of the earthen mud.

Resource person of the programme, Peace Channel project coordinator, Livino S Zhimo, pre-

conducted at AHSS AR Kohima battalion conducts various activities

rate the great inventions and discoveries in the field of science by the great Indian scientists and also to provide an opportunity to scientific minded students and professionals to ex -

cel in the field of science.

“National Science Day” is usually observed on February 28, but the event was celebrated on February 22, in view of the college being closed on February 28.

sented a brief description about Peace Channel and the importance of peace in school settings to promote peace building and conflict transformation through children. She said that peace is one of the most essential requirements of humanity and a necessary pre-requisite for progress, development and sustainability.

Zhimo emphasized on the main objectives of peace and peace building. Students were also motivated to understand the concept of peace to transfer the culture of violence into culture of peace. She informed the students that peace was not just merely the absence of war but that it was a situation where individuals or group actively collaborate and co-exist in harmony and understanding despite odds. She encouraged the students to be a change maker and an

agent of peace for better tomorrow.

She informed that Peace Channel is an emerging youth peace movement, aims to transform society as peace lovers, peace makers and peace promoters and Peace Club is one of the sections where they work with the children educating the students on peace. She also disclosed the seven commissions under peace club which includes peace commission, sports and games commission, health and hygiene commission, environment commission, social welfare and humanitarian development commission, education commission and finance commission.

Later, vote of thanks was proposed by Merenaro, a student of 10th standard and the session was concluded with a school anthem.

DIMAPUR: Kohima Battalion of Assam Rifles conducted various activities on February 22 and 25, under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North).

According to PRO defence, Kohima Battalion of Assam Rifles (AR) organised wreath laying ceremony and paid homage to its brave heart late Naik Tek Bahadur Thapa, KC (P), in Kohima on February 25. The Braveheart had made supreme sacrifice in line of duty in Mizoram on February 25, 1983.

Narayani Devi (75), the wife of Braveheart, who is in Nepal was felicitated by the battalion, who walked 15 km on foot to be in good mobile network location and virtually witnessed the wreath laying ceremony in honor of her late husband.

Kohima battalion of AR reached out to Science College Jotsoma on February 22, as a run up to the upcoming “National Science Day”.

An officer from Kohima Battalion interacted with the students and faculty of Kohima Science College and felicitated them for their contribution to the society. “National

Science Day” is an annual observance adopted by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) of Government of India since 1986 to commemo-

Y Patton showing his finger after casting his vote.

Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu after casting his vote. (DIPR)

A senior citizen proceeds to polling station in Peren. (DIPR)

Dr. Neikiesalie (Nicky) Kire after casting his vote. (DIPR)

Elderly citizen casting their vote in Mokokchung district.

Temjen Imna Along after casting his vote. Womenfolk at one of the polling stations in under Dimapur-3. (NP)

Er. Zale Neikha with an elderly woman. (DIPR)

Polling personnel returning from duty in Wokha. (DIPR)

Dr. Tseilhoutuo Rhutso after casting his vote. (DIPR)

A differently abled person showing his EPIC. (DIPR)

Khriehu Liezietsu after casting his vote. (DIPR)

Kohima Battalion of Assam Rifles with students of Kohima Science College Jotsoma.

Lieutenant Colonel, Ravi Chettri along with students and faculty members.

Q.: Will there be another all party and oppositionless government after March 2,2023?

NDPP-BJP to get thumping majority: Rio

NEXT POLL

Q: Are things going to improve after the next govt in Nagaland is sworn in?

WEATHER FORECAST

FEBRUARY 28

Chief minister, Neiphiu Rio on his way to cast his vote at Northern Angami II, Touphema

Correspondent

KOHIMA, FEB 27 (NPN): Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, exuded confidence that both BJP and NDPP would win the assembly polls with thumping majority.

He was speaking to media persons after casting his vote, who was accompanied by his wife and family members on Monday at Tuophema Basa government middle school, Northern

Voting in Dimapur, Chumou, Niuland and Kohima

Angami II constituency.

To a query on the rise in poll related violence, Rio termed such incidents as, “unfortunate” and called upon all to follow ‘one man one vote’ policy.

He said violence would not resolve anything and apart from creating enmity, the negative impacts of such actions would stay on to torment the people.

When asked whether a post-poll alliance was likely with other parties,

Rio said he was happy that everyone wanted to join the bandwagon. However, he said NDPP-BJP alliance was strong enough and that he was hopeful that the alliance would get absolute majority. Meanwhile, according to HT report, Rio said that the atmosphere for final solution to the decades-old Naga political issue has become conducive and an end to it was expected soon.

Nagaland records 84.69 pc turnout with stray incidents

(From p-) To a query on whether any re-poll request has been made by any political party or candidate, Shekhar said this would be known only after scrutiny of reports from all the returning officers on Tuesday. He said if any such request was received, it would be sent to Election Commission of India (ECI), which would examine the gravity of the issue and announce the date for re-poll if any.

On the incident in Ghaspani II where the presiding officer on duty allegedly “ran away” in an inebriated state as circulated in social media platforms, Shekhar replied that he would not be able to comment unless there was an official report in this regard.

IGP (Range) and state nodal police officer for election, Limasunep Jamir said that polling was largely peaceful and successfully completed in all the 2315 polling stations.

He said that there were a few cases of minor incidents and heated exchanges between supporters of rival political parties in Mokokchung, Wokha, Mon, Zunheboto and Tseminyu. However, timely intervention of police and Central armed police forces (CAPF)

prevented the situation from spiralling out of control he said. The IGP disclosed that few incidents were reported from Akuk village in the vicinity of polling stations no. 1 and 4 under 40 Bhandari AC in Wokha district where stone pelting took place between supporters of two political parties at around 6:30 am. He said firing incident was also reported, though it could not be ascertained which side fired the shots that injured three persons.

He mentioned that Madhya Pradesh Armed Police stationed at the polling station fired eight rounds in the air and eventually brought the situation under control. The injured had been evacuated to the hospital and were reported to be safe, he added.

The IGP also informed media that stone pelting by unknown persons on security personnel on reserve duty was also reported from 55 Monyakshu AC in Mon district where one Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and one Nagaland Police personnel sustained minor injuries. Also, firing incidents were reported from around 200 metres of polling station no. 2 at Awotsakili village under 32 Atoizu A/C. He said three firing incidents occurred at 10:30 am, 11:30 am and 1 pm.

Reinforcement of one section of 35 UP’s Provincial Armed Constabulary, one section of 9 IRB and special team of DEF Zunheboto personnel were sent to the spot.

Limasunep however stated that there was no report of any casualty or destruction of property anywhere and suspected the involvement of underground elements in the incidents.

MP policeman killed in accident

Further, he revealed that one Madhya Pradesh Police constable died on the spot and three others sustained injuries when a vehicle carrying them met with an accident near N Longchum in Wokha district. He said the injured were shifted to hospital for medical treatment, while the mortal remains of the deceased was brought back to Wokha for further necessary formalities.

Arrests& seizures

Meanwhile, the IGP informed media that police recovered Rs.1,99,350 in cash on the day of polling from different parts of the state, taking the total value of such seizures during Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to Rs 35,79,49,059, which was over tenfold in-

crea se from the previous election. He said 40 persons were apprehended from different parts of the State in the last 24 hours, taking the total of such detention to 2,900.

On the number of cases registered to date, Limasunep said about 128 cases had been registered and maximum cases were related to Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act and Narcotics Act, while about 15 cases of violence had been registered. The IGP pointed out that post poll violence was prevalent across the county and that these could not be completely ruled out. He however asserted that the State was prepared to tackle any issue and would follow the directive of ECI, adding that some CAPF companies would be retai ned in the State.

Murder accused arrested in Mkg Sunep also revealed that the main accused in the killing of one person at Chungtia on February 20 has been arrested on Monday.

He said more details were awaited while certain arrests were also made in connection with violence in different constituencies.

Dimapur-1: Speaking to this reporter, sitting MLA and BJP candidate for 1 Dimpaur I assembly constituency, Tovihoto Ayemi exuded confidence to win the polls and thanked the people of the constituency for coming out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

INC candidates for 1 Dimapur I A/C, K Therie was unavailable for his comment.

DIMAPUR-II: Sitting legislator and NDPP candidate for 2-Dimapur-II Moatoshi Longkumer also expressed confidence to come out victorious election. He also thanked the people for coming out in large numbers to cast their votes. LJP (RV) candidate, Y Vikheho Awomi was also confident to win the election and said that the final decision lies with the public.

He also expressed happiness on the smooth and peaceful scene of the polling day. “We are also obviously praying for peaceful election”, he stated.

(From p-1)

Y Vikheho Awomi at a polling station. (NP) INC candidate of 2 Dimapur II AC, Amento Chishi could not be contacted for his comment.

Dimapur-III: A total of 52 polling station were set up under 3 DimapurIII assembly constituency. The assembly constituency witnessed a five-cornered contest-- sitting MLA and LJP (RV) candidate Azheto Zhimomi, Hekani Jakhalu of NDPP and Vetetso Lasuh (INC) and two Independents-- Kahuto Chishi Sumi and Lun Tungnung. Interacting with the media, Azheto Zhimomi said he was confident but at the same time mentioned that it all depended on God.

NDPP candidate Hek-

Hekani arrives at the polling station. (NP)

ani Jakhalu said she was 101% confident to win, saying the love and support of the people of the constituency was tremendous.

Soon after casting his vote, Independent candidate Lun Tungnung hoped that the people of Nagaland would cast their vote for candidates based on their “ability and capability” and not on the basis of “money power”. He hoped that Nagaland will elect good leaders and not backdoor leaders.

Stressing on “one person, one vote”, Kahuto Chishi Sumi raised objection to village councils deciding to let one person vote for the entire family. Refuting reports about manhandling

Reports of post-poll violence...

of a polling official, Kahuto said he had only shouted at the official for not taking action against malpractices.

Ghaspani-1 witnessed a contest between sitting MLA and BJP candidate N Jacob Zhimomi, Akavi N Zhimomi of INC, Imsumongba Pongen (JD-U), V. Phushika Aomi (Ind). Just days before polling, NPF candidate Vicca S Aye declared his support to Jacob Zhimomi.

In Ghaspani-II, it was a three-cornered contest between sitting legislator & NDPP candidate Zhaleo Rio, LJP(RV) candidate Kitoho S. Rotokha and RPI(A) candidate Z. Kasheto Yeptho.

(Maruti 800 or Alto) and fired several rounds into the air outside the residence of Kevijau Colony GB. He said there were no casualties and that the police were investigating the case and trying to nab the culprits. Around seven-eight empty case of .32 bore ammunition were also recovered from the spot. Wokha: In another post-poll related violence, the residence of the press secretary to deputy chief minister Y. Patton was reportedly burnt down Monday late night.

Sources informed Nagaland Post that the residence at Chukitong under Wokha district was burnt to ashes. No further details were known till the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, in another report, a house belonging to a senior citizen was purportedly vandalized by some unknown miscreants on Monday evening. In the video that went viral, it was mentioned that the miscreants pelted stones at house and also vandalized the properties.

Massive fire devastates Mao market in Kohima

(From p-1) The fire was brought under control by 7 p.m. even as fire tenders kept a close watch in order to prevent the fire from reigniting. The inferno posed a great risk of spreading to surrounding buildings as it was in close proximity to two well-known hospitals, including Bethel Medical Centre and Bethesda Hospital.

As the fire raged on, patients from Bethel Medical Centre were relocated to other hospitals in the town. Fire tenders from North Station were also pushed into action even as they were joined by Assam Rifles and paramilitary forces stationed here.

KVYO assists KVC for conduct of free and fair polls

Correspondent KOHIMA: Polling in Kohima village under 10 Northern Angami-I constituency was by and large peaceful. This was facilitated by the Kohima Village Council (KVC), as per its resolution on February 6, 2023 for ensuring a clean, free and fair elections ensured and to prevent proxy voting from being indulged at any of the polling stations under KVC jurisdiction. In this regard, KVC also entrusted Kohima Village Youth Organization (KVYO) to man all the polling stations and oversee the conduct of a smooth and peaceful polling. According to reports received, the student volunteers ensured not only peaceful conduct of polls but also assisted elderly and needy persons who went to cast votes. In this regard, D.Khel Council chairman , who was overseeing the second largest polling station under 10 Northern Angami-I AC at D.Khel ground, said all volunteering at the polling booths were done by students and youths without any polling agents from any of the candidates. He pointed that polling was largely peaceful because of the obedience displayed by the two candidates and their agents.

Khezhie also disclosed that no posters or banners were also displayed or put up to deface any public property during this election.

Voters from Aboi, Mon exercise their franchise in 21 polling stations. (DIPR) All women Polling Station at Mission Compound under 10 Northern Angami-I

by women polling officials. (DIPR) Polling in progress at Pongching Village under Longleng District. (DIPR) Polling officials under 30 years of

age at the Young Employees at Kohima Law College. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: Altogether, 11,550 Polling Personnel (PPs), which includes 9,620 male and 1,930 women Polling Persons were involved in the 14th NLA General Elections on February 27, 2023.

According to CEO office, a total of 386 polling

stations (excluding 31 Akuluto A/C uncontested seat) were manned by women polling persons which can be seen district wise as fol-

lows: Zunheboto- 29 PS, Tseminyu – 8, Kiphire- 8 PS, Tuensang- 24 PS, Kohima- 40 PS, Pughoboto- 7

PS, Mokokchung - 49 PS, Noklak - 10 PS, Dimapur- 36 PS, Peren - 24 PS, Phek - 10 PS, Shamator - 7 PS, Wokha - 44 PS, Chümoukedima - 15 PS, Mon - 50 PS and Longleng - 25 PS. Special Polling teams

Zunheboto and one in Tuensang. Altogether, 39 model polling stations which includes three in Dimapur, two in Chumoukedima, four in Kohima, two in Tsemenyu, one in Pughoboto, five in Phek, 10 inMokokchung, four in four in Tuensang, one in Shamator and two in Kiphire were set up. To keep a check on illegal activities such as booth capturing, illegal money distribution and bogus voting, a total 1647 PS which includes 1391 live webcast-

ing polling stations and 256 offline videography were installed which is about 71% coverage. The gross total Model Code of Conduct (MCC) enforcement teams involved in the ensuing general election was 1,844 officials out of

which Sector Officers/Sector Magistrate are 306, 942 Micro Observers, 169 Flying Squad team, 180 Static Surveillance team, 62 Assistant Expenditure Observers, 62 Video Surveillance team, 62 Video Viewing team and 61 Accountant team.

Basa on February 27. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR/KOHIMA, FEB 27 (NPN): Polling in Dimapur, Chümoukedima, Niuland and Kohima districts witnessed large voter turnout and was by and large peaceful except for minor incidents in some polling stations. Dimapur district recorded 78% voter turnout in three assembly constituencies, spread across 176 polling stations. Poll percentage for 1 Dimapur-I A/C was 78.12%, 2 Dimapur-II was 75.87% and 3 Dimapur III was 81.2%.

Over 75% polling in M’laya

Hung house in Meghalaya, undecided for Tripura

KOLKATA/AGARTALA/SHILLONG/, FEB 27

(PTI): Exit polls by various channels predicted a hung house in Meghalaya and seemed to oscillate between predicting a clean sweep for the BJP to a hung house in the state of Tripura, where a new party the Tipra Motha may emerge as a potential king-maker in the polls, held a week back.

Correspondent

SHILLONG, FEB 27: Over 75 per cent voting of the 21 lakh voters on Monday exercised their franchise in the elections to 60-member Meghalaya Assembly, “Polling was held peacefully across 59 assembly constituencies in Meghalaya, except stray incidents of violence and glitches in EVMs, in which 75.1 percent voter turnout was reported till 5 pm out of 21 lakh voters,” Chief Electoral Officer Fredrick Roy Kharkongor.

He said the voting percentage would rise as votes were still being cast in some districts and reports have not come in from far-flung polling stations.

“This figure would rise and we expect that it would be around the 2018 assembly election turnout, which was 86.9 percent as polling is still on as we speak in some polling stations Ri-Bhoi, South West Garo Hills and other districts,” Kharkongor said.

Voting began from 7 am in 3419 polling stations across the state and people, especially women and first

time voters, queued up early to cast their votes.

Stray incidents of pollrelated violence were reported in Phulbari (West Garo Hills,) West Shillong (East Khasi Hills) and Umroi (RiBhoi) constituencies and 31 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence.

Moreover, 2000 voters residing in Assam were allowed to cast their votes in 6 polling stations under Mawhati constituency following the intervention of authorities from Assam and Meghalaya.

TRIPURA: The crucial but tiny state of Tripura which the BJP had grabbed from the CPI(M) in a surprise win in 2018 had exit results from three pollsters which varied substantially.

IndiaToday-MyAxis indicated that the BJP would get between 36-45 seats in the 60-member assembly by garnering 45 per cent of the popular vote, most of it in the plains where Bengalis live, giving it a spectacular win.

It also predicted the Left-Congress combine would get a paltry 6-11 seats with just 32 per cent of the popular vote, a huge slide from its 43 per cent voteshare in 2018. The newbie party Tipra Motha, founded

CM Khandu lays foundation stones for multiple projects

ITANAGAR, FEB 27 (AGENCIES):Arunachal

Pradesh Chief Minister

Pema Khandu laid foundation stones for several projects at Tali in Kradaadi district of the state. The projects include the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana projects under the Rural Works Department, Water Supply Scheme at Tali under NLCPR, and the improvement and upgradation of roads under RIDF-XXV and CRF 2018-19, reports India NE

Today. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana projects will cover a total of 160 km and include the Tali Headquarter to Pija (45 km), Tali to PipSorang (55 km), and L030Road from Lower Subansiri to Tali Block (60.02 km). The projects aim to improve connectivity in rural areas and provide better infrastructure for the local people.

Additionally, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Water Supply Scheme at Tali under Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources

(NLCPR), executed by the Department of PHE & WS. This project will provide safe and clean drinking water to the people of Tali, improving their overall health and quality of life.

Khandu also laid the foundation stones for the Road from Boa Sango to Neomi (14km) under CRIF2021-2022, Mini Secretariat of ADC HQ at Tali, and Multipurpose Indoor Stadium at ADC Tali Hq. These projects

aim to enhance the overall infrastructure of Tali and provide better facilities for the local people.

The improvement and upgradation of the road from Yangte to Tali ADC headquarters up to the bridge (42 km) under RIDF-XXV and the road from Kamala bridge point to ADC Tali headquarters under CRF 2018-19 were also given the green light. The projects are estimated to cost Rs 3960.78 lakhs and Rs 1000 lakhs respectively.

Narcotics worth Rs. 15 crore seized in KA

Correspondent

DIPHU, FEB27: Karbi

Anglong police has arrested three persons and recovered a large quantity of narcotics substance worth Rs. 15.10 crore on February 26.

In a separate operations under Khatkati police station area of Bokajan, police recovered five kilogram suspected brown sugar worth 15 crores, during search in police checkpoint established near C20 CRPF

Camp within close proximity of Khatkati police station. Based on a tip off, an individual checkpoint was set up in front of C20 CRPF Camp, Bokajan. Around 3.00 PM one suspicious person was spotted disembarking from a bus with baggage; police personnel while frisking through his luggage found the packets of brown sugar.

The accused person has been identified by police as Sunil Kumar aged around fifty five years of age, resident of

The Chief Minister’s visit and the foundation stone laying for multiple projects come at a time when the state is focused on improving its infrastructure and connectivity. The projects initiated by the CM are expected to benefit the local population and boost development in the region. Overall, the foundation stone laying event was seen as a significant step in the right direction towards the development of Tali and the surrounding areas.

Bihar. The whole operation was led by Superintendent of Police, Karbi Anglong Sanjib Kumar Saikia, he was backed by Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarter}, local police and C20 CRPF. Earlier, two drug peddlers were apprehended with104.63 grams of suspected heroin worth around ten lakh rupees at Lahorijan police checkpoint of Bokajan subdivision bordering Nagaland in Karbi Anglong District.

by former royal Pradyot Kishore Mankiya Debbarma, is shown as gathering 9- 16 seats from the tribal areas with a concentrated 20 per cent of the vote share.

The Left-Congress combine, however, doubted the exit polls and Congress leader Sudip Roy Burman said, “The BJP will end up in single digits … people have voted against the lawlessness prevailing in the state. It was a revenge vote against the party in power.”

However, the ETGTimes Now poll indicated that BJP would remain the largest party but with a substantial drawdown from its earlier tally of 36 to just 24 seats, while Left-Congress would get 21 seats with

Ensure peace during counting of votes: Tripura CEO

AGARTALA, FEB 27(PTI): Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tripura, Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao, on Monday appealed to political parties and people for ensuring peace during and after the counting of votes for the state assembly elections.

Counting for the February 16 Assembly elections will be held on March 2. The CEO was addressing a booth-level peace meeting in Sepahijala district’s Kamalsagar Assembly constituency. “We have arranged elaborate security during the counting process to make it free, fair, transparent and peaceful,” he said. The poll panel during its visit to the state on January 12 had promised that the assembly elections would be free, fair, and peaceful. “The Election Commission has set a programme- ‘zero poll violence’ - during the election and post-election period and so far it has been done with the cooperation from the people as well as political parties.”

Tipra Motha snatching 14 seats in the tribal areas.

The ZeeNews-Matrize exit poll, on similar lines, predicted BJP and its ally would win 29-36 seats in Tripura, while the Left-Congress would get between 13-21 seats, and Tipra Motha Party would get between 11-16.

Subrata Chakraborty, the chief spokesperson of the BJP in Tripura, claimed, “We will come back with a thumping two-thirds majority, given all the hard work that we have done in the last five years.”

Former militantturned-Tipra Motha President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhwal had earlier told PTI before the elections that in

case of as hung house his party would consider supporting any party which conceded or furthered its demand for a separate Tipraland state. “In a post-poll scenario, we are willing to support from outside (in case of a hung house), but you have to agree on paper and on the floor of the House that a new state will be created,” he had said.

MEGHALAYA: Both the Times Now ETG Exit and India Today-My Axis polls predicted a hung house in the state described as ‘Scotland of the east’, even though Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad Sangma remained confident of victory.

“We are happy tha -

texit poll predictions are in line with our belief that we will get more seatsthan what we did last time... we are keeping all our options and will do what is in the best interest of the state,” Sangma said, in an indication that post-poll alliances were being thought of.

The Times Now ETG Exit poll predicted Sangma’s NPP would get 18-26 seats, Trinamool Congress led by former chief minister Mukul Sangma would take 8-14 seats, UDP another 8-14 seats while BJP would improve its tally from two to anything between 3-6 seats.

India Today-My Axis predicted that NPP would bag 18-24 seats, short of majority, forcing it to look towards other parties to shore up figures. It also gave UDP 8-12 seats, Congress 6-12 seats, TMC 5-9 seats and the BJP 4-8 seats.

The Zee News-Matrize exit poll predicted that the National People’s Party will retain Meghalaya with 21 to 26 seats. Also It predicted 8-13 seats for Trinamool and 6-11 for BJP.

Assam government evicts 300 families; demolishes 2 temples

GUWAHATI, FEB 27

(AGENCIES): Authorities in Guwahati, on February 27, evicted some 300 families of indigenous people and razed two temples as part of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government’s ongoing drive against the encroachment of government land in Assam, reports India

NE Today.. At least 1,000 police personnel were deployed at Guwahati’s Silsako Beel to clear out around 132 acres of land from alleged encroachers. A temple dedicated to the goddess Durga and one to Lord Shiva was also pulled down. The drive, conducted by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), has predictably caused discontent. Nipen Kalita, the caretaker of the Durga temple, told India Today NE: “I had been taking care of the temple for the past 20 years. After the demolition, it has become difficult for us to survive. The Durga idol was inside the temple premises

when the bulldozer razed the place. We did not get time to protect her.”

Anil Kalita, a resident of Silsako Beel, alleged he had been victimised. “I purchased land in 1999 and the GMDA assured me that my house would not be demolished. I have been paying property tax and electricity bills since 2002,” he said. “I am a Kalita. Now, it’s for the government to decide who are we—Pakistanis or Bangladeshis.”

Deepika Kalita, a homemaker, claimed the eviction had come as a shocker as the government gave people no time. “We

have everything, including holding number and tax receipts. But Himanta Biswa Sarma has demolished everything,” she said. Deepika said the eviction drive had nullified the chief minister’s assurance that indigenous people would be protected by his government.

Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been carrying out eviction drives in various parts of Assam since assuming power in May 2021. Over the past three months, some major eviction exercises have been conducted wherein temples, mosques and madrassas have also been pulled down.

Mizoram HM denies encroachment by Assam in state’s territory

AIZWAL, FEB 27 (AGENCIES): Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana told the state legislature on February 27 that Assam has made no encroachment on the state’s boundaries, reports India NE Today. Mizoram did not lose any land to Assam, rather it occupies some areas which fall in Assam according to the 1933 notification, he added. According to the minister, no farmer practising planting or farming along the Mizoram-Assam border has experienced har-

AssamMLAkingpinofMaoistactivitiesinstate:SC

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (AGENCIES): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) told the Supreme Court on Monday that bail cannot be granted to Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi as he is a kingpin of Maoist activities in the state even as the lawmaker said cases against him were a result of “political vendetta”.

The independent MLA, who was allegedly vocal against the BJP-led Centre during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in Assam in December 2019, moved the top court against a February 9 order of the Gauhati High Court allowing an NIA court to proceed with the framing of charges in one of the two cases against him.

A bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mithal, which extended the protection from arrest

to Gogoi till March 3, said it would hear the matter on Friday. As the hearing commenced, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing in the court on behalf of the NIA, referred to the chargesheet filed by the agency and said Gogoi is a kingpin of Maoist activities in the northeastern state.

“I am ready to show the seriousness of the offence. He is associated with the CPI(Maoist). He sent cadres to train in Maoist

camps and conspired and orchestrated widespread blockade in Assam, paralysing government machinery, and provoked a mob to cause damage to public property,” Mehta said, adding that 64 FIRs have been filed against the legislator.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for Gogoi, argued that there is an overarching ground of political vendetta.

“Gogoi is a political leader and an elected representative of people. He is merely opposed to a particular political dispensation, that is why they want to put him in jail,” Ahmadi said.

The bench said it would take up the matter on Friday.

Earlier, the high court had allowed the NIA to seek framing of charges in the special court against Gogoi and three of his associates in connection with

the anti-CAA protests and their suspected Maoist links.

The high court’s order had come on an appeal filed by the premier investigation agency challenging the order of the NIA court that gave a clean chit to the four.

A division bench of the high court, comprising Justices Suman Shyam and Malasri Nandi, had asked the agency to go ahead with the framing of charges after reopening the case.

“The high court has accepted the NIA’s plea to reopen the case and frame charges against the four persons. The case will be heard again in the special NIA court,” Gogoi’s counsel Santanu Borthakur had said.

The MLA has approached the top court against the order.

The other three accused are Dhaijya Konwar, Bittu Sonowal and Manash

vest problems as of yet.

“Assam does not infringe on Mizoram’s territory. In reality, according to the notice made on March 9, 1933, some regions occupied by Mizoram now lie under Assam, which the neighbouring state (Assam) acknowledges as its constitutional boundary “Lalchamliana stated this in a written response to opposition Congress leader Zodintluanga Ralte’s query.

He said measures are

Konwar, all of whom got bail in one of the NIA cases and were released from prison. Gogoi was the only one whose bail plea was rejected by the court and he was released after spending 567 days in jail once Special NIA Judge Pranjal Das cleared him, along with the three others, of all charges.

The Assam legislator and the three other accused were asked to appear before the special NIA court on February 23. The NIA is investigating two cases against Gogoi related to the anti-CAA protests. In one of those, the NIA court granted him bail, which was upheld by the high court in April 2021 after the probe agency challenged it.

The RTI activist continued to be in judicial custody as he was denied bail in the second case and was being investigated by the NIA.

Correspondent

IMPHAL, FEB 27: Healthcare services in governmentrun healthcare centres including district hospitals continued to paralyze with no sign of doctors returning to work immediately. The stand-off between the doctors and Manipur government over the former’s four-point charter of demands is likely to continue as the striking doctors on Monday declared their firm stand to continue the hospital shutdown strike until and unless their demands were addressed.

Doctors of state health services were resorting to shutting down governmentrun hospitals and healthcare centres across the state under the aegis of the All Manipur Health Services

being taken by Mizoram to occupy the inner line reserve forest notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) in August 1875. The 1875 notification is accepted by Mizoram as its actual boundary, he said. The Mizoram districts of Aizawl, Kolasib, and Mamit share a 164.6-kilometre border with the Assam districts of Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj.

For decades, the border issue between the two

Doctors’ Association (AMHSDA). The indefinite shutdown stir commenced from February 14 and there is no sign of holding talk between the striking doctor’s body and the government even after 15 days of closure of the hospitals.

“We will not retreat.

The closure of hospitals and healthcare centres will continue until and unless our demands are considered positively,” AMHSDA general secretary Lolee P Mao declared on Monday.

Addressing a news conference at Manipur Press Club, Imphal, the general secretary alleged the state government of sidelining the legitimate demands of the doctors. He also blamed the MLAs for not raising the issue arising out of closure of the government-run hos-

neighbouring nations has remained unsolved due to the two colonial demarcations of 1875 and 1933.

Mizoram claimed that a 509 square mile stretch of inner line protected forest proclaimed in 1875, a large portion of which today lies under Assam, is the state’s genuine boundary. Assam, on the other hand, argues that the line shown on the map of the Survey of India in 1933 represents its constitutional boundary.

pitals and healthcare centre in the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly till February 27.

Failure on the part of the state government to address their long pending fourpoint charter of demands, the doctors under the aegis of the AMHSDA launched the hospital closure strike from February 14 last. On the other hand, chief minister N Biren Singh, in a statement in the house of the Assembly on Monday said that as the doctors resorted to the cease work strike despite knowing the fact that their service is within the category of essential service, the state government was considering hiring doctors from private hospitals on daily wage basis to make functional the government hospitals and healthcare centres.

A building demolished during the eviction drive.

Arunachal CM Pema Khandu lays foundation stones for multiple projects at Tali in Kradaadi district.

An elderly voter and first time voters show their fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their votes. (PTI)

Manipur government-doctors standoff continue to hit healthcare delivery

Akhil Gogoi

Lalchamliana

SNIPPETS

Girl gang raped in J’khand; 5 arrested

RANCHI, FEB 27

(IANS): The Jharkhand police on Monday arrested five persons, including two minors accused of gang raping a minor girl when she was returning from a wedding in Dewaki village of Gumla district. Three of the accused have been sent to jail while the two minors have been sent to a juvenile home on the complaint of the victim lodged at Ghaghra police station.

Railways cancel more than 400 trains

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (IANS): The Indian Railways on Monday cancelled more than 400 trains ahead of Holi, with most of them from the Eastern Railway zone. In such a situation, the problems of people from Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have increased as the Railways is considered the most convenient mode of transport for the majority. This decision has affected the rail traffic in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

SP MLA booked for attempt to murder

BAREILLY (UP), FEB

27 (IANS): An FIR has been lodged against Samajwadi Party MLA Ataur Rehman and three others for allegedly trying to kill a man in the Bahedi area here. Ataure Rehman, the SP MLA from Bahedi, along with Rafiq Ahmed, Rahees Ahmed and Aasim, allegedly beat Anis Ahmed and Aasim Khan in his office at Jafari crossing on Sunday. An FIR has been registered against the four under Indian Penal Code section 307 (attempt to murder) and other relevant sections following a complaint by Anis Ahmed.

Toddler’s body

exhumed, raped in Guj

SURENDRANAGAR (GUJARAT), FEB 27 (IANS): Police in Gujarat have launched an investigation into an incident of rape of a toddler’s corpse. The development comes following the registration of a case based on the information provided by the victim’s family. Addressing reporters on Sunday night, Sub-Inspector V.I. Khadia of the Thangadh police said that the family complained that their oneand-a-half-year-old baby girl’s body had been exhumed from the grave and they suspected someone to have misbehaved with the body. After inspecting the body, the Thangadh hospital’s primary diagnosis revealed that she had been raped.

Prez to inaugurate National Cultural Fest

JAIPUR, FEB 27 (IANS): President Droupadi Murmu will formally inaugurate the National Cultural Festival in Bikaner on Monday. She is scheduled to reach Bikaner at 3.25 p.m., and after the inauguration the President will depart for the national capital at 5.50 p.m. The President will reach Bikaner on board a special Air Force aircraft which will land at a the Air Force’s special airstrip.

Man’s body found in lake in Thane district

THANE, FEB 27 (PTI):

The body of an unidentified man was found in a lake near the central jail in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Monday, a civic official said. The body of a man in his 40s was found floating in the lake around 8 am and the local fire station was alerted, said Avinash Sawant, the chief of the regional disaster management cell.

Modi targets Cong in poll-bound K’taka

BELAGAVI/SHIVAMOGGA

(K’TAKA), FEB 27 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought to take the fight with the Congress head-on in election-bound Karnataka, accusing the party of “insulting” its President Mallikarjun Khage, who hails from the state, even as he stressed on the BJP’s development agenda.

With about two months to go for polls in Karnataka, Modi used the occasion of a public meeting at Belagavi to hit out at the Congress as he targeted “dynastic parties”, comments which are also seen to be targeted at former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s JD(S), besides the Kharge-led party.

Earlier on Monday, Modi inaugurated the Shivamogga airport in another public meeting, where he heaped praise on Karnataka BJP strongman and fourtime Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who celebrated his 80th birthday today.

“Hawai chappal-wearing (slippers) common citizens should be able to travel in Hawai Jahaj (aircraft).

I am seeing it happening,” the Prime Minister said as he highlighted that India’s aviation market is growing rapidly.

In Shivamogga, the

home district of Yediyurappa, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth more than Rs 3,600 crore.

Regarding the aviation sector, Modi took a dig at the Congress, saying before 2014 during the UPA regime, Air India was generally discussed in a negative light and its identity had always been associated with scams where it was deemed a loss-making business model.

Highlighting the Air India of today, the Prime Minister said the recentlyprivatised airline is recognised as the potential of a new India where it is soaring to the heights of success, he said.

PMreleases13th

instalmentofPM-KISAN

In Belagavi, the Prime Minister released the 13th

instalment of funds worth over Rs 16,000 crore under PM-KISAN scheme and laying the foundation stone and dedicating to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 2,700 crore in the state’s northern district, which is bordering Maharashtra.

Addressing a large gathering in the city after a massive roadshow, Modi accused the Congress of disrespecting Karnataka and its leaders, while alleging that Kharge was insulted by the party during its plenary session in Chhattisgarh.

He said Kharge was insulted and disrespected by the party, in favour of a “family”, apparently referring to the Nehru-Gandhi family, despite the Congress president’s seniority and age.

“I want to remind you how Congress hates Karnataka. Insulting Karnataka’s leaders is part of Congress’ old culture. From whomever Congress’ family feels troubled, disrespecting them begins in that party. History stands witness to the insult meted out to the leaders such as S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil (former Karnataka CMs), before the family. Everyone in Karnataka knows about it,” Modi said.

Mehbooba Mufti visits family of slain Kashmiri Pandit in Pulwama

SRINAGAR, FEB 27

(IANS): Former J&K Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti on Monday visited the family of Sanjay Sharma, the local Pandit killed by terrorists yesterday.

Mehbooba Mufti visited his bereaved family in Achan village of Pulwama district to express condolences and solidarity with them.

Mufti assured the family of all possible help they need in this tragic hour.

Sanjay Pandit was working as a security guard at a bank. He was killed by terrorists in his native village.

Condemning the innocent killing, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said that the security forces have been given a free hand to hunt down the terrorists.

Four former Chief Ministers, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad have condemned the brutal act of the terrorists.

Syed Altaf Bukhari, president of Apni Party said that those responsible for this innocent killing are en-

Bihar moved backwards since Nitish took over in 2005: RJD

PATNA, FEB 27 (PTI)

RJD’s malcontent MLA

Sudhaker Singh fired a fresh salvo at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday, alleging that the state moved backwards since he assumed office in 2005.

Singh, whose tirades against Kumar had caused his ministerial stint to end in an unceremonious resignation a couple of months ago, was speaking to reporters before commencement of the lengthy budget session of the state legislature.

“Bihar has moved backwards ever since Nitish Kumar took over in 2005. The sooner members of the legislature decide to have him replaced, the better it

shall be for the state,” said the Ramgarh MLA, who is also the son of state RJD president Jagadanad Singh.

Singh, who had started his political journey a decade ago with the BJP, also mocked Kumar’s alleged prime ministerial ambitions, asserting that “it would be better to impose President’s rule in the country instead of having Nitish Kumar as the PM”.

Asked to comment on Singh’s utterances later in the day, Yadav said “Nitish Kumar is the Mahagathandhan’s leader in Bihar. This was affirmed even at RJD’s open session in Delhi last year. There should, therefore, be no doubts about leadership”.

Now once again, one more leader from Karnataka has been insulted by loyalists of the family, he claimed.

“I have great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the President of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress’ session in Chhattisgarh,” Modi said.

“The weather was hot, everyone standing there feeling the heat was natural, but in that heat the good fortune of umbrella’s shade was not there for Kharge who is Congress chief and senior in age. The umbrella’s shade was for someone standing next to him. This shows Kharge is Congress President just for the sake of it, and looking at the way he is treated, everyone can understand as to whose hands the remote control is in,” he alleged.

Noting that several political parties in the country are in the clutches of dynastic politics, Modi said: “We have to free the country from these clutches. People of Karnataka should be cautious about parties like Congress.”

Italian PM Giorgia

Meloni to visit India on March 2-3

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (PTI): Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay a two-day visit to India beginning Thursday to bolster bilateral engagement in areas of defence and security, economy and technology.

It will be the first such high-level trip from Italy to India after five years. Meloni will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajan and a high powered business delegation.

emies of the people of J&K. A silent candlelight protest was held at many places in the Valley yesterday to condemn the killing of the local Pandit who was living with his family in his native village and had chosen to stay back with his Muslim neighbours in the village.

Extend Delhi excise scam probe to Punjab: Akali Dal

CHANDIGARH, FEB 27

(IANS): Former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Monday demanded a CBI inquiry into the Delhi excise scam be extended to Punjab, saying Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also the architect of the state excise policy which had caused losses of hundreds of crores to the exchequer.

Addressing the media here, Majithia said: “The actors and directors of the Punjab excise policy are the same as in case of Delhi.

As in the case of Delhi, the CBI should probe the role of senior officers and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) politicians who had colluded to give huge benefits to select liquor manufacturers like Deep Malhotra at the cost of the state exchequer.”

He said a separate Enforcement Directorate inquiry should also be conducted to go into assertions of money laundering.

Asserting large-scale corruption in the Punjab excise policy, Majithia said like in the case of Delhi, the entire liquor trade had been handed over to two companies and their profit margin had been doubled to facilitate a quid pro quo.

“Hundreds of crores have been passed back to the AAP government in Punjab and the AAP high command in Delhi. It is this ill-gotten money from the liquor as well as the sand mining mafia which is being used by AAP to fulfill Arvind Kejriwal’s national electoral dreams.”

He said this was the reason why the Delhi Chief Minister had publicly stated that the same policy which had been disallowed in Delhi was doing “wonders” in Punjab.

Asking AAP not to adopt double standards on corruption, Majithia said:

“AAP considers corruption done by its leaders as good

corruption but if done by anyone else, it becomes bad corruption.”

He said Kejriwal had also become adept at issuing character certificates be it in the case of his minister Satyendar Jain who was accused of accepting bribes from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as Jails Minister or in the latest case of his Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

“Why doesn’t Mr. Kejriwal let the investigating agencies and the courts do their jobs? Why is he coming in the way of the judicial process by sponsoring protests to defend corruption? It is obvious he feels the trail may lead to him,” he added.

‘PM has become a tourist’, says Cong as Modi visits K’taka

BENGALURU, FEB 27

(IANS): The Karnataka unit of Congress on Monday took a jibe at Narendra Modi over his visit to the poll-bound southern state, saying the Prime Minister has become a tourist.

PM Modi on Monday inaugurated Shivamogga airport in Karnataka. The Congress said:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Meloni will hold wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and global issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, announcing the visit.

Meloni will also be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the eighth Raisina Dialogue, India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics.

“He never bothered to visit when Karnataka faced the flood fury (last year). When the lives of people were affected, and properties were damaged, PM Modi did not bother to turn towards the state and did not care to release a single rupee to the state. Thanks to elections, PM Modi has become a tourist in the state.”

The Congress also said that no probe was conducted into a report that was earlier sought by the PMO regarding a newly

KCR’s daughter ‘will be arrested soon’ in liquor policy case: BJP leader

TIRUPATI, FEB (AGENCIES): Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha will be “arrested soon” by the CBI in the Delhi liquor policy case, claimed a BJP leader on Monday.

Telangana BJP leader Vivek’s claim about Ms Kavitha, a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC, comes a day after CBI arrested Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the case pertaining to the nowscrapped excise policy.

“There is a possibility of some more arrests in the liquor scam. Kavitha will also be arrested soon,” the BJP leader claimed, alleging that she had given ₹ 150

Sisodia, Jain should be removed from Delhi cabinet: Leader of Oppn Bidhuri

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Monday demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal immediately remove his two arrested ministers -Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain -- from the cabinet.

The Delhi cabinet should be “reshuffled immediately”, he said.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI Sunday evening

in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22, while Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges in May last year.

In a statement issued by his office, Bidhuri said that constitutionally and morally, it is also necessary that there should be an immediate change in the Delhi

cabinet. Chief Minister Kejriwal should “immediately drop his two ministers... from the cabinet”, it said.

Bidhuri said Jain has been in jail since May last year. All his portfolios were handed over to Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia, and now Sisodia is also under CBI custody. He said it would “not be fair” to the people of Delhi that the party which has 62 MLAs out of 70 in the Assembly.

Vivek

crore to the Aam Aadmi Party during the Punjab and Gujarat elections.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate had named Kavitha in the chargesheet in connection with the excise policy case, accusing her of holding a 65 per cent stake in a liquor company.

Vivek accused the KCR-led BRS government

of corruption, saying the party will “lose its existence in Telangana state”. “Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party had no funds when it was started”.

“Now the party has more deposits than all the political parties in the country,” he alleged. Questioning the sources of the money, he asked, “KCR has not fulfilled a single promise that he made during the elections.”

Sisodia was arrested by CBI on Sunday after eight-hour-long questioning in the case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy of Delhi.

laid road wearing off, immediately after the visit of PM Modi to the state.

“There was no response from the Prime Minister regarding the letter from a contractor, Santhosh Patil from Belagavi, who committed suicide alleging corruption. Thanks to you, PM Modi, for making Karnataka, a capital of corruption,” the Congress said.

The Congress also said that the Bharatiya

Janata Party (BJP) thinks that PM Modi is all powerful and can do anything.

“Why is he not able to control inflation? Whenever he is asked this question, why does he point fingers towards Pakistan? PM Modi has ensured gas prices cross Rs 1,000 and petrol prices go beyond Rs 100,” the party said. The Congress said that “Karnataka was moving at double speed in corruption”.

Delhi HC dismisses pleas challenging Agnipath scheme

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(IANS): The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed pleas challenging the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, saying that it was introduced in national interest and to make sure that the armed forces are well equipped.

Batches of petitions were filed challenging the scheme, its recruitment process and appointment of candidates.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said:

“All petitions challenging Agnipath Scheme are dismissed.”

The bench by upholding the constitutional valid-

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (PTI): Under whose “umbrella” did the prime minister’s “best friend” loot everything in the country, asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday in a retort to Narendra Modi’s “umbrella” jibe while claiming the opposition party insulted its chief during its plenary session in Chhattisgarh. At a rally in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Monday,

Modi claimed that Kharge, who hails from the state, was insulted and disrespected by the Congress in favour of a “family”, despite his senior-

ity and age.“I have great respect for Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the president of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress’ session in Chhattisgarh.”

“The weather was hot... but in that heat, Kharge did

ity of the scheme for entry into the Indian Armed Forces, dismissed total 23 petitions.

The maximum number of petitions counting to 18 sought appointment as per previous recruitment scheme and the rest five challenged thescheme. The court said that it finds no reason to interfere with the scheme.

A copy of a detailed order is awaited.

The scheme, meant to recruit youth into the Indian Army for four years, will only keep 25 per cent of the selected candidates after this period. The same bench had reserved its order on December 15, 2022.

not have the fortune of getting an umbrella’s shade. It was for someone standing next to him,” Modi said.

Hitting back at the prime minister over his remarks, Kharge said, “Narendra Modi ji, under whose umbrella did your ‘best friend’ loot everything in the country?” “Tell us, when will there be a joint parliamentary committee probe on Adani,” the Congress chief asked.

Shiromani Akali Dal GS Bikram Singh Majithia speaks during a press conference, in Chandigarh, Monday. (PTI)

Narendra Modi (PTI)

Mehbooba Mufti with family of the deceased.

‘UnderwhoseumbrelladidPM’sbestfriend looteverythingincountry?’KhargeasksModi

Mallikarjun Kharge

Disappointing neutrality

Onthe first anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24,2023 , India once again abstained on voting on a resolution adopted by a majority that calls for Russia to withdraw its military and urged a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace”. The UN also demanded “that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders” and called for a cessation of hostilities. This was the sixth time that India chose to abstain from voting with the rest of the world against the war in Ukraine. In the run-up to the Ukraine war’s first anniversary, there had been some concern in Western capitals that developing countries continue to have an ambiguous position due to the economic consequences on commodity and fuel prices. After around 80 speakers delivered their statements, the resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, seven against and 32 abstentions. Twelve countries did not record their votes. Along with India, other notable abstentions were by China, Vietnam, South Africa, Cuba, Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. India reiterated its position on the invasion, saying that peaceful dialogue was the only way out. India has once again abstained from voting in a UN General Assembly resolution that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started a year ago. The UN motion in New York called for immediate peace and reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, rejecting any Russian claims to the parts of the country it occupies. India’s stand vis-à-vis UN resolution on Russia is shaped by its domestic interests. Indo-Russian ties have been as long as 75 years and withstood the tests of time. Most importantly, Russia is also India’s largest arms supplier even though its share has dropped in recent years largely due to Delhi’s decision to boost domestic defence manufacturing. That having been said, the India is also an applicant for permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) with veto power. By abstaining from voting six times over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India’s failure to uphold fundamental human rights and international norms of sovereignty to curry favor with Russia is likely to tarnish its image further. By being neutral when it is about whether the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflicting colossal loss of human lives and turning Ukraine into desolation, India has only turned its back on the free and democratic world and shielding a totally dictator who has no compunction to invade another sovereign nation and inflict deaths and horrible suffering on several thousand Ukrainian people. The vote is to tell Russia to stop the killing and return back and restore the sanctity of international border with Ukraine. If India feels being with Russia will be beneficial, it has to realise it will have to sacrifice growing ties with the USA to compete with China. Russia and China have made a pact to extend active cooperation to the highest ever which means a lot. India has to remain truly neutral with regard to military alliance but not when it comes to standing up for the victims of perpetrators and realise that being neutral is same as silence meaning acquiescence.

DailyDevotion

The MinistryImpoverished of Jesus

Where then do You get that living water? —John 4:11

“The well is deep” — and even a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! (John 4:11). Think of the depths of human nature and human life; think of the depth of the “wells” in you. Have you been limiting, or impoverishing, the ministry of Jesus to the point that He is unable to work in your life? Suppose that you have a deep “well” of hurt and trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says to you, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:1). Would your response be to shrug your shoulders and say, “But, Lord, the well is too deep, and even You can’t draw up quietness and comfort out of it.” Actually, that is correct. Jesus doesn’t bring anything up from the wells of human nature— He brings them down from above. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, “Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing.” The thing that approaches the very limits of His power is the very thing we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do. We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty. The impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus for Him to be our comforter or our sympathizer, but we refrain from approaching Him as our Almighty God.

The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves. Beware of sitting back, and saying, “It can’t be done.” You will know it can be done if you will look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him.

Quotes

Shame! Shame! Shame! Where is our Christianity? The upcoming general election has not brought sin upon people. Instead, the election reveals who your god (money) is, and whom you worship and value. Never have I imagined the naivety of our consciences allowing us to rebel against God. Not long ago, haven’t we celebrated our sesquicentennial and committed to honoring God and serve towards His Kingdom? Now, we are driven away by worldly pursuits-fame, reputation, money, and sexual immorality. Jesus warns us, “What is the use of gaining the whole world if you lose your soul (Matthew 16:26)?” Are you willing to lose your soul for a few thousand rupees? I’m afraid that you are willing, What irony! Sadly, we are willing to sell ourselves for a few thousand rupees. What a tragedy! It is easy to destroy your character, yet it may take your whole life to rebuild it. The Bible says, “We are either enslaved to sin or enslaved to righteousness.” Which side are you on?

Remember! There is no such thing as an occasional or seasonal Christian. Either you are Christian or anti-Christian. Recently, our church leaders have been campaigning for a clean election. Weren’t we on the same page a few days ago? Where are you now? To exaggerate, how many remnants (true believers) can we find in our church today? Remember the story of Abraham (Genesis 18). He bargained with God if he found 50 righteous to spare the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s claim was exacerbated as he could not find 50 righteous, not even 40, 30… you know the rest of the story. Only Lot’s family could be saved! Have we not learned a lesson?

Pastor John MacArthur asserted when he

Has God abandoned us?

preached from Romans 1, “when God judges the nations, he leaves them to do what they do; it’s even frightening to think when God abandons you.” When God abandons us, no matter how hard we try to call unto him, he can no longer be found. Take the analogy of a helpless infant baby abandoned on the roadside by his mother to die. You may say, “I will repent after the election.” Well, you may not find Him anymore. Have we forgotten the story of Noah and Sodom & Gomorrah? The people were too late, only to face the wrath of God. There was no turning back! Remember! Our God is love, but he is also just. As a just God, he will punish the wicked, rebellious people for their actions. Are we already in the judgment of God? I am afraid so- only time will tell.

I have recently listened to many people justifying receiving money from the candidates. It is ridiculous to even imagine selling ourselves. Besides our Christian principles, even the Election Law prevents any such wrongdoing! Are we different from prostitutes, who sell their bodies and consciences?

We are not an object to be bought with money. God has given us the identity“we are created in the image of God and his likeness” (Gen. 1:26). You bear the image of God and his likeness. Don’t you have any conscience left to prick you and repent before God? Are we already experiencing the abandonment of God?

Remember! God does not require your resources for His kingdom. If He wants to do it alone, He can and He will. Yet, he wants us to be part of his mission and calls us to be so. We are privileged. However, God warns us about dirty money (prostitute money) which is an abomination to the

Lord because God is holy. Hence, don’t you dare even think for a second that God would need your dirty money for His ministry?

God abominates any offering or sacrifice offered through wicked means and heart. Do not bring your money acquired by means of falsity for the church building construction, tithes, and offerings, lest it provokes God! The Bible narrated the tragic stories of Achan (Joshua 22) whose greed defiles the whole community of Israel. We all know, how his life ended! Haven’t we learned the lesson yet?

Remember! For a few thousand rupees, the next generations would suffer. God forbids! The Bible warns us, “For the love of Money is the root of all evils.” Now, you are playing with money and other illegal activities! It is as if you are playing with fire knowing what damage it can do. The fire can burn you and your house into ashes. Likewise, money will burn you, your family, and everyone around you. We are blinded by greed. Every decision we make will bear its consequence. For a few thousand rupees, you may already have sold your future and, ultimately, God-given identity. Haven’t we learned from the Prophet Hosea, who warns the Israelites of their actions? God said, “you have made your king and prince without my approval…your sacrifices would not be accepted. You have sowed the wind, and you shall reap the whirlwind. Your grains would yield no flour.” (Hosea 8:4-13). We are sowing for a whirlwind and destruction for ourselves and our children.

Now, I take the courage to challenge our leaders, regardless of party affiliation, to take responsibility if the next generations fail. For the sake of your candidate or party affiliation, do not

Maturity to Debate

Debate is a form of articulating one’s conviction or standpoint to convince the floor based on facts and ground zero applications. When a society can debate maturely on topics such as Development, Literacy, Majoritarianism, Forest, Tribes, Democracy, Uniform Civil Code, CAA, Truth, Peace, Environment, Equity, etc., there is a ray of openness and maturity. Fortunately, the Indian democratic form of government gives us privileges to differ, debate and arrive at a solution non-detrimental for various sections of people. A debate should not be personalised or criminalised or communalised. Debate is a civil form of airing one’s convictions and a civilised form of disagreement. Debate offers a space to receive input from others and see reality from a 360-degree perspective.

Power Politics

Power politics has been the prime cause of world conflicts disturbing local-global peace and the livelihood of the poor. Power is conferred upon someone by people or institutions. Power is never a ‘forever’ entity. Power itself is an intangible thing but the results of its execution can be beneficial or detrimental. It is a passing thing. Religious or political powers are but for the good of society, thereby bringing peace and well-being. Power is for a purpose, not for show or misuse. If

we look at any society, we notice that traditional or ethnic social administrations preceded the present sophisticated political powers that be. A mature society can debate about ‘power politics’ – its fruitful use and misuse because the power to rule itself is conferred by the people, especially in a democratic society. The power of legislature, executive and judiciary are three powerful engines of a democratic society. But if one or two overpower the other(s), we will have autocratic designs and processes in the garb of democratic governance. The ‘Rule of Law’ ensures equality and equity for the powerful and the not-so-powerful. The absence of it leads to arbitrary decisions and executions, further leading to rampant corruption in every possible field. Power corruption is also a form of corruption creating a trust deficit between individuals and institutions, between communities, between academia, and the scientific community.

Agree to Disagree

It is a sign of insecurity and low-grade learning when a person or institution cannot tolerate voices that differ from theirs.

Truly, it will be incredibly dull if all of us think and act in the same way. Differences in thinking, execution and life principles bring variety and expand our horizons for the better.

If we accept the premise that ‘no one is perfect on

encourage corruption (it can be in terms of selling your vote) and lead our people into political and spiritual destruction. Not only leaders but everyone should take responsibility for their actions! The candidate doesn’t own a bank or print out money to distribute. After receiving whatever amount from the candidate, we cannot expect any progress or development in the future. It would be such a shame! After the election, what if the candidate asks you for the money you took to return to bring development? Would you, do it?

Besides, do you dare to consider asking for a backdoor appointment for yourself, your children, your clan members, or your tribe? Isn’t this how corruption starts? We think “taking money from the candidate and asking for a backdoor appointment is normal.” We are like blood-sucking vampires. We are trying to suck all the money from the candidates, exacerbating the corruption. It is so wrong! We become laughingstocks to others through our actions. According to the Bible, corruption, bribery, and nepotism are not normal; it is sinning against God. Where in the Bible allows all these sins to be a norm? Prove me wrong! We try to justify our actions by comparing ourselves with other Christians and acting similarly. Paul Washer has rightly said, “Do not compare yourselves with others socalled “Christian”; rather compare yourselves with the Word of God (Bible).” We compromised our faith with materialism and sold our identity for our earthly security and prosperity. Our present scenarios reflect the pathetic condition of Noah (Genesis 6 & 7) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). We cannot discern what is right and wrong! Did God already

this earth’, then there is a room that all that we do is not perfect. If someone offers a better idea (through suggestions or constructive evaluations), we should be doubly happy to accept it. In fact, we should thank those who suggest better ways of thinking and doing things. But, if a person (or institution, society, group, or government) thinks that everything he or she does is the best and nothing can be better, that thinking is a fallacy. A fallacy is a mistaken belief based on unsound arguments. It is a fallacy to believe that one is foolproof. If one has a mentality of being foolproof, it should be open for a mature debate to test if that belief can stand the test of time. We live in a world where what the majority holds is taken as truth despite knowing that the truth is something else. We are swept away by politics, ethnicism, regionalism, and survivalism. Until we can maturely debate existing policies, principles, social issues, and religious concerns to arrive at a responsible situation, the truth will be compromised in multiple ways. As long as ‘money power’ and ‘other fleeting powers that be’ rule society, it is unlikely that we will be mature enough to debate.

Fr Paul Lelen Haokip

(The author is a PhD research scholar, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Christ University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Email: paulhowkeep20@gmail.com)

abandon us and leave us to our own destructive choices? Isn’t that frightening? Sin is like cancer that will continue to grow and deteriorate your body. It will eventually kill you, your family, your clan, your tribes, and the whole Naga. For now, you may think, “this is the election time. I’ll go along with the corrupt system of the world” (taking money, bribing, lying, etc.). Remember! To refresh your memory, let us look at the life of David. His own actions brought consequences upon himself and his children. He attempted to cover up his sins (adultery with Bathsheba) but miserably failed. Sins continued to multiply in the house of David. His own son, Amnon, raped his half-sister (2 Samuel 13). Then, Absalom took revenge upon Amnon and murdered him (2 Samuel 13:23-38). Further, Absalom pursued killing his own father, David, and ended up getting himself killed. This is not the end of the story; his son Solomon put his brother Adonijah to death (1 King 2:13-26). The cause of all this destruction is the result of sin. We are not the exception! We are not immune to sins! The Book of Ecclesiastes admonished us to fear the Lord because we don’t know the future. Our life is like a stream that flows into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. What goes around comes around (Ecclesiastes 1). The bad decisions we made today might have an impact on the next generation. All sins bear its consequence. Take caution! When your candidate wins and gives you a backdoor appointment! Do not praise God! Instead, ask for repentance for filling the place of another deserving (helpless) applicant. Our God is just! Sooner

or later, He will execute his justice. A day would come when God would do justice to the poor and the oppressed. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord the Bible tells us (Micah 6:8). We have read and learned about corruption and injustice in the Bible. Still, we often say, “unless you play foul and dirty, there is no winning!” Unless we change that mindset, we will yield into the pitfall of election and bear the same result. Be the agent of change and make a difference. Start with yourself, your family, and your clan and let the upcoming generation reap the fruit of it. You may not observe instant results, but that day will come. The remnants have waited for the coming Messiah for more than 400 years! The process may be slow but trust the process. God is on the side of those who seek holiness!

Pray and allow God to prick your conscience while you can. Be careful! Attending Sunday worship service merely or fasting for days will not be able to save you. Do not attempt to appease God with ritual practice. Repentance is all that our society needs as of now. We need His grace and forgiveness! Before it is too late, return to God and repent for your wrongdoing! “Who knows God may turn and relent if they repent?” (Jonah 3:9). Seek after His grace daily for transformation. Do not wait for tomorrow! We may not see tomorrow! Nobody knows when our time will come for us to stand in front of God! Repent today, now! Your winning candidate will not be able to save you from eternal damnation! Do not wait for the election to be over! Return to God while he can be found!

Chepuzo Kepfoh, Conce rn C itizen

Church Worship

When the church was first established by the Apostles on the solid foundation of Christ, the Rock; the believers were steadfastly devoted to the teaching of the Apostles, and fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42. This was what the believers did. It is our duty to make an attempt to restore our church worship to the practice of the Apostolic tradition and practices. This brings us to the worship of God and His son Jesus Christ. True worship consists of thanksgiving, praising Him for who He is. It is our duty to thank Him for His providence. This is what is called Common salvation. Jude 3. This is available to every creation of God, and we are all included. The rain falls on every one so also our daily bread. We all get the benefit of God’s providence. But, our eternal salvation is only on accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross. We should not mix them up. Thanking God is personal, but to be demonstrated corporately.

In the same way, praising God is also purely personal, but it has to be expressed in corporal manner. Why do we have to praise Him? We praise Him because of what and Who He is. He is Sovereign, powerful, immanent and in full control of His creation. Our duty is to praise Him. Unfortunately, we have made it an entertainment and performance. The world like such, so in order to attract them we want to do what the World like. But Christ’s command is to change the World by the church. We are making the world change by the Church. What a wrong strategy!

Thirdly we have to worship Him. How? Solemnly, with awe and reverently. He deserves reverence from us. He is Almighty and Sovereign. In Lotha language “e rangsu ranyoa”. Why? Because He is all powerful and in full control of everything. This is a worship that God desires from us.

In the Old Testament, the Prophet Isaiah saw the Lord only when Uzzaiah died. During the reign of king Uzzaiah, Israel enjoyed the most peaceful time

in the forty years reign. He entered into peace treaty with all the surrounding rulers of the land. There was no war, no territorial dispute. Everybody lived peacefully and concentrated in their daily activities without any dispute. Agricultural produce was plentiful and trade flourished and they had a roaring beneficial trade of their produce. The economy was at its highest point. So their focus was not on God. The prophet Isaiah was also in the same boat. So, in the year king Uzzaiah died, he saw the heaven opened and he saw the Lord sitting on His throne. Only then he saw that he was a sinner. He exclaimed, “I am undone, I am a man of unclean lips and I live with people of unclean lips” Isa.6:1-7. “Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts.”Isa.6:5. “ Then, one of the Seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with thongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, Behold this has touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven” Isa.6:6&7.

In the New Testament again, we see John the disciple, while he was incarcerated in the Island of Patmos, he saw the door of heaven opened. “After these things, I looked, and Behold a door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me and said “come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”Rev.4:1. “Immediately I was in the spirit and behold, a throne was standing in heaven and one sitting on the throne” Rev.4:2. He saw the myriads of angels were worshiping God. Our Church worship should replicate what is happening in heaven. The details are for another day. This time, I would like to invite you to meditate on this to see what worship is. We must worship God which is pleasing to Him and not what pleases us.

Dr. L. M Murry, Kohima

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

~ Elbert Hubbard

Maha: 5 held for poaching in Gondia; organs of wild animals seized

GONDIA, FEB 27 (PTI):

Five persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in poaching during raids in Maharashtra’s Gondia district, an official said on Monday. Officials recovered snares, nails and organs of wild animals, and more than Rs 21.49 lakh cash from the accused, the official said. A separate team was formed and raids were conducted at Palandur Jamindari and in Mangazari village, in which officials recovered and seized nails and organs of wild animals, country liquor worth Rs 84,000 and more than Rs 21.49 lakh cash, he said.

2 dead, 2 injured as truck hits car in Nagpur

NAGPUR, FEB 27 (PTI):

Two persons were killed and two were seriously injured after a speeding truck collided with their car in Nagpur in Maharashtra on Monday, a police official said. The incident took place at Khursapar near Kondhali on the Amravati road at 9am, he said.

Woman fights wild boar to save 11-yr-old daughter, dies KORBA, FEB 27 (PTI): A courageous woman fought off a wild boar to save her 11-year-old daughter at a farmland in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, forest officials said on Monday.

While her daughter remained unhurt, the woman died of serious injuries suffered in the face-off with the animal, they said. The incident took place on Sunday in Teliyamar village under Pasan police station limits.

3 children die of acute respiratory infection

KOLKATA, FEB 27

(PTI): Three children died at two different city-based hospitals primarily due to acute respiratory infection (ARI), a health department official said on Monday.

The three children died between between Saturday and Sunday, the official said. One of the children, a nine-month-old girl from Howrah’s Udaynarayanpur died of Adenovirus at the Dr BC Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences, he added. Sources in the hospital said that the baby did not get a bed at the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in the hospital because of non availability of bed. The other two children are a 8 month old and 1.6 year old, the official said.

SC rejects request over postponement of NEET-pg medical exam

NEW DELHI, FEB

27 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain pleas seeking postponement of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG 2023, which is scheduled for March 5.

A bench of Justices S R

Bhat and Dipankar Datta was informed by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the National Board of Examinations (NBE), that admit cards for the exam have been issued on Monday as per schedule and the counselling may commence from July 15.

Minor boy sodomised, killed in Gurugram; accused held

GURUGRAM, FEB 27

(IANS): A 24-year-old man has been arrested here for allegedly kidnapping, sodomising and killing a 10-year-old boy, the police said on Monday. The arrested individual has been identified Prince. He used to earlier reside near the victim’s house.

The boy’s body was found in the bushes in the IMT Manesar area on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the police said.

Excise policy case: Court sends Sisodia to 5-day CBI custody

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (PTI/IANS): A court here on Monday sent Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get “genuine and legitimate” answers to questions being put to him for “a proper and fair investigation”.

Special judge M K Nagpal passed the order on a CBI plea, which produced the AAP leader before the court amid heavy security in and outside the Rouse Avenue Courts premises a day after arresting him. The agency had sought his fiveday custodial interrogation.

The judge said that though the accused had joined the investigation of this case on two earlier occasions, it has also been observed that he has failed to provide satisfactory answers to most of the questions put to him during his examination and interrogation. Thus, he has failed to legitimately explain the incriminating evidence which has allegedly surfaced against him during the investigation

conducted so far.

It is true that he cannot be expected to make self-incriminating statements, but the interests of justice and of a fair investigation require him to come up with some legitimate answers to the questions which are being put to him by the investigating officer (IO).

“Some of his subordinates are found to have disclosed certain facts which can be taken as incriminating against him and some documentary evidence against him has also already surfaced...

“... a proper and fair investigation requires that some genuine and legitimate answers to the questions being put to him about the same are to be found and hence, in considered opinion of this court, this can only be done during custodial interrogation of the accused,” the judge said.

“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances, the accused is being remanded to CBI custody for a period of 05 days i.e. till March 4, 2023 for his further and extensive interrogation,” the judge said.

Present WB governor following Dhankar’s footsteps: TMC

KOLKATA, FEB 27

(PTI): Trinamool Congress on Monday lashed out at Governor C V Ananda Bose over his remarks against the state government and said the Raj Bhawan occupant is fast following the footsteps of his predecessor Jadgeep Dhankhar as a “cadre of BJP”.

The TMC criticism came on the back of Bose’s statement on Sunday in which he termed the attack on Union Minister Nitish Pramanik as “deplorable” and said that he will not be a “mute witness” to the deterioration in the law and order in the state. He also sought an action taken report from the state government.

This was the second time in a month that the governor made a statement against the TMC government. The governor and the TMC shared a genial relation with it since he assumed office in November last year.

Lashing out at the governor, the TMC in its mouthpiece ‘Jago Bangla’ accused governors of acting like a cadre of the saffron

camp, an oft repeated charge by it.

“Jagdeep Dhankhar had proved that the role of the governor is to pursue the agenda of BJP. The present governor is fast working towards following his footsteps ... The governor is issuing statements against the government just by listening to the one-sided version of BJP. This is where the neutrality of the governor comes under question,” the editorial stated.

“We must not forget that governors are just cadres of the BJP,” it added.

Bose had said in a statement that he spoke to Pramanik, the union minister of state for home, about the attack that took place in Coochbehar on Saturday.

Thackerays, will defeat BJP-Shinde in polls’

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): Balasaheb Thackeray’s family may no longer have the Shiv Sena party name and symbol but has strong support among the people who will teach a lesson to the BJP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in elections, senior Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Arvind Sawant said on Monday.

“They (opponents) cannot take Balasaheb Thackeray out of people’s hearts,” he said and claimed that the Maharashtra government was not holding municipal elections due to fear of “defeat”.

“There is a people’s court bigger than the courts,’’ Sawant said, adding the party’s roots were strong in Maharashtra.

The remarks by Sawant, a Lok Sabha member and former Union Minister, came days after the Election Commission recognised the outfit led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and allotted the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to it.

“Even when Balasaheb Thackeray was alive, the BJP used to make such efforts. They kept trying to destroy Shiv Sena. But Shiv Sena’s roots are so strong that it can never succeed in it,” he said in an interview

with PTI-Bhasha.

Sawant described Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in June last year, as a “traitor” and alleged that he was part of the BJP’s “game” to destroy the party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray.

“They took away the election symbol and snatched the name, but the love for the Thackeray family in the hearts of the people can never be taken away,” he said.

He claimed that there was a lot of anger among the people against the BJP and Shinde and they were waiting for the elections to teach them a lesson.

Sawant, the national spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (Udhhav Balasaheb Thackeray), said it was necessary to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to protect democracy and urged all the opposition parties to come together to achieve the goal.

He added that as far as the apprehensions being expressed by senior counsels regarding the use of any force or third-degree methods for extracting information from the accused are concerned, “this court does not expect the same from the officers of CBI who have been given the task of interrogating the accused holding the high post of Dy. Chief Minister of the GNCTD and also some other important portfolios”.

In any case, such apprehensions can always be taken care of by imposing certain conditions, the judge said.

“Hence, it also being directed that the interrogation of accused during this period shall be conducted at some place having CCTV coverage in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and the said footage shall be preserved by the CBI. It is also subject to the condition that he shall be medically examined once in every 48 hours,” the judge said.

The judge also per -

Instead of protesting, prove Manish Sisodia’s innocence in court: BJP

CBI retrieves deleted files from Sisodia’s computer seized in Jan

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has retrieved the deleted files and data from the computer of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia arrested in connection with alleged corruption in the now-scrapped liquor Policy.

Bharatiya Janata Party

MP Manoj Tiwari has criticised the protests held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, saying that those who are accused of corruption and loot do not protest but prove their innocence in the court. Taking a jibe at the AAP leaders, he said: “It is being reiterated that the Education Minister has been arrested, is it shameful to call him the liquor minister?”

Countering Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations over Sisodia’s arrest, the BJP MP said that Kejriwal and Sisodia could cheat humans but not God.

In January, the CBI had seized the computer.

On finding that some data was deleted, it sent the computer to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to retrieve it.

Now, the forensic department has sent them a report along with retrieved data and files. The Forensic Science Laboratory report suggests that these files were shared through WhatsApp initially and then saved into the computer of Manish Sisodia. Later, these were deleted. The computer was seized from the office of Sisodia.

Before visiting Sisodia’s office, the Central

Bureau of Investigation served a notice under section 91 of CrPC

The CBI had filed a chargesheet in the matter.

According to a source, the agency was in the process of filing a supplementary chargesheet in the matter and hence they wanted to collect more evidence to make the case water-tight.

“Evidence has been recovered from Sisodia’s computer, our case is now more strong,” the source said.

Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday in the excise policy scam after a day of political drama. Sisodia, who reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters at Lodhi Road in south Delhi at around 11.10 a.m. after visiting the Rajghat, was questioned for over eight hours before being arrested.

TMC supporters had allegedly attacked Pramanik’s convoy at Dinhata.

Sharpening TMC’s attack on the governor, senior TMC MLA Madan Mitra said the party will reciprocate as long as the governor behaves impartially.

“If the governor feels he can pinprick us, we will not sit silently. If he starts behaving like a cadre of the BJP he will receive a befitting reply from us. If he thinks the state government is under surveillance, then he too is under surveillance,” Mitra said.

Bose had earned the ire of the Trinamool Congress for his statement earlier this month that there will be “zero tolerance policy” over corruption and nobody will be allowed to take the law into their hands in the state. The TMC had then said that as long as he maintains courtesy and acts within the rules, the party will reciprocate with courtesy.

If the governor tries to criticise the state government against norms, TMC will not stop to give a “befitting reply”, it said.

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): Asserting that India cannot be a “prisoner of its past”, the Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea to constitute a commission for restoring “original” names of historical places “renamed by barbaric foreign invaders” and came down heavily on the petitioner for wanting to “dig the past” and “keep the country on a boil”. A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna said it is a historical fact that India was invaded several times and even ruled by a foreign power and these facts cannot be wished away selectively.

The history of any country cannot haunt the present and future generations of the nation, the bench said and questioned the motive of advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, the petitioner.

“You want to keep this as a live issue and keep the country on a boil. You want to dig the past and place it before the present generation. What has been buried, let it remain buried, we don’t want those issues to come alive and disrupt the har -

mony among the citizens of the country,” the court said.

Dismissing the PIL, the court said,”It’s a historical fact that our country was invaded several times and even ruled by a foreign power. It is part of our history and we cannot wish away these facts selectively. India cannot be a prisoner of its past.”

“Have we not got more pressing problems to tend to than constituting this commission? We have to move on rather than move back. What do you want to achieve by filing these kinds of petitions”, the bench asked Upadhyay. This court is supposed to protect the principles of the constitution and cannot be an instrument to create havoc and allow

anyone to point fingers at any one particular community, the top court said.

“You run down a particular section of society. India is a secular country and this is a secular forum. Our constitution has adopted the word secular and we as protectors of the constitution will go by that. Let us not break this society by filling such kinds of petitions, please have the country in mind”, the top court said.

Upadhyay alleged that many historical and religious places whose mention could be found in ancient scriptures like ‘The Vedas’ and ‘Puranas’ were named after the “barbaric invaders”, who not only looted the country but destroyed

places of religious significance to Hindus. “We have roads after Lodhi, Ghazni, Akbar and Ghori but there is not a single road named after Pandavas in Delhi, though ‘Indraprastha’ was founded by ‘Yudhishthira’. Even Faridabad was named after the person who looted the city”, he said, pointing out that a similar petition is pending before this court. Justice Joseph told Upadhyay that the pending petition relates to places of religious worship and it has nothing to do with the present petition.

He pointed out that religious worship has nothing to do with naming roads and said that Mughal emperor Akbar had tried to create harmony between the communities. Justice Nagarathna said,”Hinduism is a way of life, which has assimilated everyone. Because of this way of life, we are able to live together. Let us not break it away, with such kind of petitions. Keep the harmony of the country in mind instead of religion. There is no bigotry in Hinduism”.

India, Denmark have historic silver traditions: Danish Crown Prince

NEW DE LHI, FEB 27 (PTI): India and Denmark have “strong and historic silver traditions”, Danish Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian said on Monday and expressed hope that both the nations will serve as a true example of artistic cultural exchange to the rest of the world.

Denmark’s Crown Prince and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth, are currently visiting India, and the royal couple inaugurated an exhibition -- “Silver Treasure from India and Denmark” -showcasing more than 250 prized silverware from both the countries, during their visit to the National Museum in Delhi.

As part of the exhibi-

tion, about 150 objects, including one from the Mohenjo-daro era, have been sourced from the National Museum’s reserved collection, and a range of rare silverware, some of them more than 300 years

old, from Museum Kolding in Denmark, officials said.

After a ceremonial event held at the National Museum, the Denmark’s Crown Prince and Crown Princess, later opened the

exhibition and were given a tour of the exhibits.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi

Lekhi and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen were present on the occasion.

Denmark’s Crown

Prince later wrote a message in the visitor’s book and also signed it. In his message, he thanked Lekhi for hosting the royal couple at the National Museum and termed the display an “extraordinary exhibition on silver”.

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Police personnel detain AAP workers during a protest against the arrest of Manish Sisodia in Bhubaneswar. (PTI)

Manoj Tiwari

‘No bigotry in Hinduism, can’t have country on boil’, SC junks plea on renaming roads, places

C V Ananda Bose

Danish Crown Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth at Taj Mahal.

‘Maha has faith in

Arvind Sawant

Urination incident: AI learnt lessons, says CEO

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(IANS): Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Monday said that the flag carrier has learnt lessons and it could have reacted better to the issues surrounding the urination incident that took place on board a New YorkDelhi flight in November last year. While addressing a virtual conference, the CEO said that the airline has realised the importance of reporting incidents.

Saying that Air India is now investing more in technology, Wilson told the media that there were many instances where the airline’s crew is at the receiving end when a drunk passenger misbehaves. “I think, New India is something that the new Air India needs to be a representative of,” he said while talking about the carrier’s improvement with regard to service, reputation, footprint and attractiveness.

Wilson said that Air India has enormous potential and efforts are on to make the group a significant

Gold plunge Rs 185; silver plummets Rs 798

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): Gold prices declined by Rs 185 to Rs 55,520 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday amid weak global trends, according to HDFC Securities.

The yellow metal had ended at Rs 55,705 per 10 grams in the previous trade.

Silver also plummeted by Rs 798 to Rs 63,227 per kg. “Spot gold prices in the Delhi markets traded at Rs 55,520 per 10 grams, down Rs 185 per 10 grams,” said Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst - Commodities at HDFC Securities.

In the overseas market, gold and silver were trading lower at USD 1,811 per ounce and USD 20.75 per ounce, respectively.

international player, adding that the Tata group-owned airline’s order for a record 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing will be nearly worth $70Abillion.

The CEO also said that the process of integration of Vistara with Air India is also underway and is now awaiting approval from regulatory bodies. Wilson further informed that the airline plans to fund the order with a combination of many resources, including internal cash flow, shareholder equity and sale-and-leaseback

Rupee falls to close at 82.79 against USD on forex outflows

MUMBAI, FEB 27 (PTI):

The rupee depreciated by 4 paise to close at 82.79 against the US currency on Monday as a stronger dollar in the overseas market and forex outflows from capital markets weighed on the local unit.

Month-end dollar demand from importers and losses in domestic equities also weakened the rupee sentiment.

Consumer demand to stay low, tough times ahead for Indian startups

highs and stock markets cut losses. The local unit closed at 82.79, registering a fall of 4 paise over its previous close of 82.75.

of aircraft. Air India has planned to hire over 4,200 cabin crew trainees and 900 pilots in 2023 as the airline adds new aircraft and rapidly expands its domestic and international operations. Earlier this month, Air India announced a mega order to purchase 470 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus to support its growth plans. It has already announced plans to lease 36 aircraft of which two B 777-200 LR have already joined the fleet.of first phase seeking competition clearance,” he added.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 82.87 against the greenback and later slid further to a low of 82.94 in line with a decline in equity markets.

The rupee later pared losses as the US dollar retreated from the seven-week

Forex traders said that suspected intervention by the RBI might have prevented a sharp fall in the rupee. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading marginally lower at 105.15 after touching a seven-week high of 105.36.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures advanced 0.46 per cent to USD 83.54 per barrel. The Indian rupee depreciated on weak domestic markets and a strong greenback.

Nawka hearing aid centre to organise hearing camps

DIMAPUR: Nawka hearing aid centre is set to organise hearing camps on March 3 which is observed as the “World Hearing Day”. In a press statement, the centre informed that the hearing camps will be set in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Shillong, Aizawl, Dimapur, Kohima and Imphal.

It also informed that all hearing testing, audiologist consultation, trial of digital hearing-aids and counseling will be done absolutely free of cost.

Airtel crosses 10 mn customers on 5G

and breadth of the country,” Sekhon added.

Airtel 5G Plus uses a technology “that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem,” the company said. This makes sure that all 5G smartphones in the country seamlessly work on the Airtel network.

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(IANS): Bharti Airtel on Monday said that it has crossed 10 million unique customers on its 5G network.

By the end of March 2024, the company plans to offer its Airtel 5G services in every town and key rural areas. “Airtel will continue to stay true to its commitment to build a more connected,

equitable and sustainable network,” Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.

“With cutting-edge 5G infrastructure, a fantastic partner ecosystem and a dedicated workforce that is customer-obsessed, we believe we are on the right path to win and deliver a worldclass 5G Plus experience to customers across the length

The company also guarantees to deliver the best experience by providing customers “between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and superfast call connect”.

“In November 2022, Airtel became the first and only operator to have one million unique customers on its network within 30 days of its commercial launch,” it added.

NEW DELHI, FEB 27 (IANS): Consumer demand is expected to stay low over the coming quarters, as inflation continues to rise, creating a further slowdown phase for the startups in the country, a new report has said. There is an ongoing risk of further escalation in the war on Ukraine and the current wheat crop being impacted by hot weather conditions, according to market research firm Redseer Strategy Consultants. Consumer perception of the general economic condition continues to be pessimistic as per the Reserve Bank of India’s Consumer Confidence Survey of January 2023, where more than 50 per cent of consumers reported it to have worsened.

This comes at a difficult time for startups. They currently have limited ability to drive growth through discounts and other levers, which worked well during an easier funding environment. “Therefore, startups must focus on efficient unit

economics and improving profitability by sticking to their core offerings,” the report said. One strategy that has worked for FMCG players in the face of shrinkflation has been the push towards smaller stock-keeping units (SKUs).

“Bharat-focused startups, too, need to look at revamping their SKU strategy to fit the tighter wallets of the mass-market consumers. The second strategy is to double down on the premium categories, which have lower price elasticity and have performed well

against market pressures across sectors,” the findings showed.

The market disruption by the Covid-19 pandemic created phases of growth and slowdowns for startups.

As a result, most businesses experienced a net growth that spanned two pandemic waves. However, in 2022, global inflationary pressures severely impacted consumer demand. The revenue increase was driven by higher prices, as volumes remained low across the urban and rural sectors.

EPFO sets May 3 as deadline to opt for higher pension

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Monday set May 3 as the deadline for subscribers to opt for a higher pension.

The Supreme Court on November 4 allowed another change for employees who were existing EPS members as on September 1, 2024, to contribute up to 8.33 per cent of their actual salaries - as against 8.33 per cent of pensionable salary capped at Rs 15,000 a month - towards pension.

The apex court gave a four-month window to enable opting for higher pensions. The deadline accordingly should have been around March 3, 2023, but EPFO only last week came out with the procedure for opting for higher pension

under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS).

“The joint option for employees who were in service prior to September 1, 2014, and continued to be in service on or after September 1, 2014, but could not exercise joint option under the Employees’ Pension

Scheme can do so now on or before May 3, 2023,” the EPFO said on its website.

At present, both employees and employers contribute 12 per cent of the employee’s basic salary, dearness allowance and retaining allowance, if any, to the employee provident fund

or EPF.

The employee’s entire contribution goes to EPF, while the 12 per cent contribution by the employer is split as 3.67 per cent to EPF and 8.33 per cent to EPS. The Government of India contributes 1.16 per cent to an employee’s pension, while employees do not contribute to the pension scheme.

EPFO said, “online facility for filing joint option is coming soon”.

Earlier, there were apprehensions that March 3, 2023, is the last date for opting for a higher pension. Last week, EPFO came out with a procedure to enable subscribers and their employers to jointly apply for a higher pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS).

Essar to invest USD 3.6 bn in energy transition in UK, India

NEW

DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): The Essar group on Monday announced a USD 3.6 billion investment in low carbon energy transition projects in the UK and India including the production of green hydrogen and ammonia over the next five years, as it looks at a new phase of growth.

Essar Group, invested in energy, metals and mining, infrastructure and technology sectors, announced “the formation of Essar Energy Transition (EET) to drive the creation of the UK’s leading energy transition hub in North West England.”

“EET plans to invest a total of USD 3.6 billion in developing a range of low carbon energy transition projects over the next five years, of which USD 2.4 billion will be invested across its site at Stanlow, between Liverpool and Manchester and USD 1.2 billion in India,” the company said in a statement.

The projects will include 1 gigawatt of blue hydrogen project being pursued by Vertex Hydrogen in the UK, a 1 GW

of green ammonia facility targeted at the UK and international markets, and developing 1 MT of low carbon biofuels.

Vertex is building a hydrogen manufacturing unit at Essar’s Stanlow refinery complex in the UK.

The joint venture, in which Essar Oil UK holds 90 per cent, will produce 1 gigawatt (GW) of hydrogen per year from two units from 2026.

UK’s Progressive Energy holds the remaining 10 per cent in Vertex.

Besides, EET will include Essar Oil UK, the company’s refining and marketing business in

North West England and Vertex Hydrogen, which is developing 1 gigawatt (GW) of blue hydrogen for the UK market, with follow-on capacity set to reach 3.8 GW. It also includes EET Future Energy, which is developing 1 GW of green ammonia in India, targeted at UK and international markets; Stanlow Terminals Ltd, which is developing enabling storage and pipeline infrastructure; and EET Biofuels, which is investing in developing 1 MT of low carbon biofuels.

Campbell Wilson

SNIPPETS

Minimum marriage age

18 in England, Wales

LONDON, FEB 27 (PTI):

A new law raising the legal age for marriage in England and Wales to 18 years has come into force on Monday, aimed at protecting vulnerable young people from being forced into weddings against their will. Until now, those aged 16 or 17 could get married with parental consent as there was no law against ceremonies for younger children not registered as vulnerable with their local councils. The new law was welcomed by charities campaigning against forced marriages, an issue largely affecting some sections of the South Asian and African communities in the UK.

4 miners killed in Pak coal mine attack

KARACHI, FEB 27 (PTI): At least four coal miners were killed and three others injured when unidentified armed assailants attacked them at a mine in the Khost area of Harnai district in the troubled Balochistan province on Monday, officials said.

According to local authorities, the incident appeared to be a targeted attack by militants belonging to insurgent groups. “The armed men stormed the mine in the early morning and opened fire on the miners working there.

Four died in the firing while three others were injured,” one source said. The injured miners were admitted to the district headquarters hospital in Hernia.

‘Massive’ rights violations in Ukraine: UN chief

GENEVA, FEB 27 (AP): Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered “the most massive violations of human rights” in the world today, the head of the United Nations said on Monday, as the war pushed into its second year with no end in sight.

The Russian invasion “has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement,” UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres said in a speech to the UNbacked Human Rights Council in Geneva.

After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital in the opening weeks of the invasion and suffering a series of humiliating setbacks in the east and the south during the fall, Russia has stabilised the front and is concentrating its efforts on a slow push to capture the rest of the Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas.

Ukraine, meanwhile, hopes to use battle tanks and other new weapons pledged by the West to launch new counteroffensives and reclaim more of the occupied territory.

He said “attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many

casualties and terrible suffering.”

His remarks came as the Ukrainian military said that Russia launched attacks with exploding drones on several regions of the country that lasted from late Sunday until Monday morning, killing two.

Guterres cited cases of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and violations of the rights of prisoners of war documented by the UN human rights office.

3 parties claim early leads in Nigeria’s presidential vote

ABUJA, FEB 27 (AP):

Guterres decried how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, now 75 years old, has been “too often misused and abused.”

“It is exploited for political gain and it is ignored, often, by the very same people,” Guterres said.

“Some governments chip away at it. Others use a wrecking ball.”

“This is a moment to stand on the right side of history,” he told the council, the UN’s top human rights body. Russia withdrew from

Magnitude 5.6 quake hits Turkiye; more buildings collapse

again raising the specter of nuclear war and a nightmare outcome to Europe’s biggest and deadliest conflict since World War II.

He chided the US and its allies for providing Ukraine with military and other support to help push back the Kremlin’s forces. Their longer-term aim, he claimed, is to break up Russia.

“They have crazy illusions that after finishing off the Soviet Union without a single shot they could bury today’s Russia without any significant problems for themselves simply by disposing thousands of lives in the conflict,” he said.

ANKARA, FEB 27 (AP):

its seat last year amid a surge in international pressure over the war in Ukraine.

Russian officials have shown little sign they may be reconsidering their attack on their neighbour, however.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, “We aren’t seeing any conditions for a peaceful settlement now.”

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council that is chaired by President Vladimir Putin, went a step further, once

“It’s a very dangerous mistake, it won’t work like it did with the Soviet Union.”

Putin has also framed the war in those terms, saying it’s an existential risk to Russia.

In the Sunday-Monday attacks, Ukraine’s General Staff said Kyiv’s forces shot down 11 out of 14 Iranianmade Shahed drones.

Ukraine’s presidential office said on Monday that at least two civilians were killed and nine others were wounded by Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook southern Turkiye on Monday — three weeks after a catastrophic temblor devastated the region — causing some already damaged buildings to collapse, an official said.

A father and daughter were reported trapped beneath the rubble of one building.

Monday’s earthquake was centred in the town of Yesilyurt in Malatya province, the country’s disaster management agency said.

Yesilyurt’s mayor, Mehmet Cinar, told HaberTurk television that a number of buildings in the town collapsed, including a fourstory building where a father and daughter were trapped.

Cinar said the pair had

entered the damaged building to collect belongings.

Elsewhere in Malatya, search-and-rescue teams were sifting through the rubble of another building that toppled on top of some parked cars, HaberTurk reported.

Malatya was among 11 Turkish provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkiye and northern Syria on February 6. That quake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 173,000 buildings in Turkiye. AFAD, Turkiye’s disaster management agency, said that close to 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region affected by the quake since February 6.

Oli’s party CPN-UML withdraws support to Prachanda-led govt

election will be held if no candidate secures at least one-quarter of the votes from two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the capital city, in addition to receiving the highest number of votes.

60th

body found off Italy after migrant shipwreck

STECCATO DI CUTRO

(ITALY), FEB 27 (AP):

Rescue crews searched by sea and air Monday for the dozens of people believed still missing from a shipwreck off Italy’s southern coast that drove home once again the desperate and dangerous crossings of migrants seeking to reach Europe. At least 80 people survived Sunday’s shipwreck off the Calabrian coast, but rescue crews recovered 60 bodies, including those of several children and the corpse of a young man Monday morning. Dozens more were feared dead given survivor reports that the ship, which set off from Turkey last week, had carried about 170 people.

Bird flu risk to humans in Cambodia low: WHO

PHNOM PENH, FEB 27

(IANS): The risk to general public from avian influenza A (H5N1) in Cambodia remains low despite two human cases of the virus were detected recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement. Last week, the Southeast Asian nation confirmed two human infections with H5N1 bird flu, the first since 2014, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Retired Pakistan Army general arrested

ISLAMABAD, FEB 27

(PTI): A high-ranking retired Pakistan Army general was arrested early Monday morning on charges of inciting the public against national institutions. Lt General (retd.) Amjad Shoaib, a prominent supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan, was detained by the Islamabad police from his residence in the federal capital after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him at the Ramna police station on Sunday by Magistrate Owais Khan. He was produced before an Islamabad court which remanded him to police custody for three days. The police had sought his custody for seven days to investigate the charges.

Each of the three frontrunners in Nigeria’s hotly contested presidential election claimed they are on the path to victory Monday, as preliminary results trickled in two days after Africa’s most populous nation went to the polls.

Only one of Nigeria’s 36 states has officially announced results, with the ruling party’s Bola Tinubu winning by a wide margin in Ekiti state, yet each party said it was on track to winning. On Monday there were three front-runners in the 18-party race: Tinubu, the main opposition party’s Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi with the Labour Party. A winner is not expected to be announced until at least Tuesday. After the previous presidential election, it took four days for officials to declare a victor. A runoff

There were fears of violence on Election Day, from Islamic militants in the north to separatists in the south, but voting was largely peaceful Saturday. However, observers said there were at least 135 critical incidents, including eight reports of ballotsnatching, that undermined the legitimacy of the election. There were also widespread delays, blamed by officials and observers on logistical issues as well as the upheaval created by a redesigned currency that has left many residents unable to obtain bank notes.

KATHMANDU, FEB 27 (PTI): Nepal’s second largest party in ParliamentCPN-UML - on Monday decided to withdraw its support to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”-led government in the wake of a renewed political equation in the run-up to the presidential election, dealing a jolt to the two-month-old ruling coalition.

“A high-level meeting of the party held under the leadership of party chief K P Sharma Oli on Monday decided to quit the government and withdraw the party’s support to the Prachanda-led government,” Bishnu Rijal, deputy chief of the party’s central publicity committee, told PTI.

The prime reason for the break-up of the alliance between Prachanda and former prime minister Oli was because the Maoist leader decided to support

Death toll in Brazil landslides rises to 65; rescue ops continue

BRASILIA, FEB 27

(IANS): The death toll after last week’s heavy rains that triggered deadly floods and landslides along the coast of Brazil’s southeastern Sao Paulo state has increased to 65, local authorities said.

Among the victims were 19 minors, the state government said in a statement, adding “the priority continues to be relief for the victims”, reports Xinhua news agency.

Army troops, firefighters, volunteers and rescue workers are still digging to

recover the bodies of the victims and search for people still missing.

Most of the victims lived in poor neighbourhoods in high-risk areas on the slopes of the Sierra de Mar mountain range, near Barra do Sahy, a beach in Sao Sebastiao.

Around 2,440 people who lost their homes had to be evacuated due to the risk of new landslides.

On Sunday, coastal roads were reopened after being closed due to landslides and storm damage. However, the highway

that links Mogi da Cruzes with Bertioga in Sao Paulo state will remain closed for six months since the rains destroyed its drainage system.

On February 19, the coastal cities of Bertioga, Caraguatatuba, Guaruja, Ilhabela, Sao Sebastiao and Ubatuba saw record pouring rain in Brazil in less than 24 hours. Sao Sebastiao’s beach, one of Brazil’s exclusive tourism destinations, was drenched within one day with more than twice the amount of rain usually seen in February.

senior Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Chandra Paudel for the President’s post.

Paudel is from the Nepali Congress, an opposition party, and from outside the ruling alliance. Nepal’s Presidential election will be held on March 9.

As Prime Minister Prachanda violated the December 25 agreement

while forming the sevenparty coalition government and betrayed the Communist Party of Nepal(Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), the party took the decision to leave the government, Rijal said.

“The UML ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudyal and Foreign Minister Bimala

Rai Poudyal, are in the process of tendering resignation to the Prime Minister,” he added. There were eight UML ministers including Deputy Prime Minister in the Prachanda-led incumbent government and all of them are resigning en masse.

The exit of CPNUML may not immediately affect the Prachanda-led government, which is supported by the Nepali Congress (NC) which has 89 lawmakers in the House.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swatantra Party led by former TV journalist Ravi Lamichhane has decided to continue its support to the government. The party’s high-level meeting on Monday decided to back the Prachanda-led government, said Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, deputy Parliamentary Party leader of RSP. In the 275-member House, the UML has 79

lawmakers while CPN (Maoist Center) has 32. CPN (Unified Socialist) and Rashtriya Swatantra Party have 10 and 20 members, respectively. Janamat Party has 6 members, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party 4 and Nagarik Unmukti Party 3 members in the parliament.

With the three major parties, NC (89), CPNMaoist Centre (32) and RSP (20), the government has support of at least 141 lawmakers.

Prachanda needs only 138 votes in parliament to continue as the prime minister.

UML’s vice-chairman Bishnu Prasad Paudel claimed that Prime Minister Prachanda used pressure tactics on the UML ministers to quit the government, which forced them to withdraw support, according to My Republica newspaper.

N.Korea rare meeting on farming amid food shortage

SEOUL, FEB 27 (AP): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a major political conference dedicated to agriculture, state media reported Monday, as outside assessments suggest the country is facing a serious shortfall of food.

South Korean experts estimate that North Korea is short around 1 million tons of grain, nearly 20 per cent of its annual demand, after the pandemic likely disrupted unofficial grain imports from China and the government has restricted food sales at markets.

Recent, unconfirmed reports in South Korean media have said that some

Thousands protest Mexico’s electoral law changes

MEXICO CITY, FEB 27

(AP): Tens of thousands of people filled Mexico City’s vast main plaza Sunday to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s electoral law changes they say threaten democracy and could mark a return to the past.

The plaza is normally thought to hold nearly 100,000 people, but many protesters who couldn’t fit in the square spilled onto nearby streets.

The marchers were clad mostly in white and pink — the color of the National Electoral Institute — and shouted slogans like “Don’t

day, in Mexico, we see a great debate on electoral reforms that are testing the independence of electoral and judicial institutions.”

“The United States supports independent, well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law,” Nichols wrote.

López Obrador’s proposals were passed last week. Once enacted, they would cut salaries, funding for local election offices and training for citizens who operate and oversee polling stations. They would also reduce sanctions for candidates who fail to report campaign spending.

North Koreans have died of hunger. But most experts have seen no indication of mass deaths or famine in North Korea.

During a high-level

meeting of

the ruling

Workers’ Party that began Sunday, senior party officials reviewed last year’s work on state goals to accomplish “rural revolution

in the new era,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The report said that the plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee will identify “immediate, important” tasks on agricultural issues and “urgent tasks arising at the present stage of the national economic development.”

KCNA didn’t say whether Kim spoke during the meeting or how long it would last.

Senior officials such as Cabinet Premier Kim Tok Hun and Jo Yong Won, one of Kim’s closest aides who handles the Central Committee’s organisational affairs, also attended.

Israel beefs up troops after unprecedented settler rampage

HAWARA (WEST BANK), FEB 27 (AP): Israel sent hundreds more troops to the occupied West Bank on Monday, a day after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis and settlers rampaged through a Palestinian town, torching homes and vehicles in the worst such violence in decades.

The responses to the rampage laid bare some rifts in Israel’s new right-wing government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealing for calm while a member of his ruling coalition praised the rampage as deterrence against Palestinian attacks. The events also under-

Ukrainian military medics treat their wounded comrade at the field hospital near Bakhmut, Ukraine on Sunday.

Search and rescue teams continue working after a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Malatya, Turkey, on Feb. 27, 2023.

Nepalese PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal (R) looks on as NC party’s Ram Chandra Poudel shows his candidacy papers on Feb 25.

Kim Jong Un speaks with people involved during a meeting in Pyongyang on Sunday.

soldiers and Jewish settlers stand

damaged Palestinian building in Hawara

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ dominates at SAG Awards

The unlikely awards season juggernaut

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” marched on at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, and even gathered steam with wins not just for best ensemble, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan but also for Jamie Lee Curtis.

The SAG Awards, often an Oscar preview, threw some curve balls into the Oscars race in a ceremony streamed live on Netflix’s YouTube page from Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. But the clearest result of the SAG Awards was the overwhelming success of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s madcap multiverse tale, which has now used its hotdog fingers to snag top honors from the acting, directing and producing guilds. Only one film (“Apollo 13”) had won all three and not gone on to win best picture at the Oscars. After so much of the cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had already been on the stage to accept awards, the night’s

final moment belonged to 94-year-old James Hong, a supporting player in the film and a trailblazer for Asian American representation in Hollywood. He brought up the ignoble yellowface history of the 1937 film “The Good Earth.” “The leading role was played with these guys with

this and they talked like this because the producers said the Asians were not good enough and they were not box office,” said Hong. “But look at us now!”

Hong added that the cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” wasn’t all Chinese, though he granted Jamie Lee Curtis had a good

Irrfan Khan would have been my first choice to play Osho: Italian director Lakshen Sucameli

coming over the longtime favorite, Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), who had seemed to be on a clear path to becoming the first actor to win an Oscar for a performance in a Marvel movie. A visibly moved Curtis said she was wearing the wedding ring her father, Tony Curtis, gave her mother, Janet Leigh. “I know you look at me and ‘Nepo baby,’”

said Curtis, who won in her first SAG nomination. “But the truth of the matter is that I’m 64 years old and this is just amazing.”

The actors guild, though, lent some clarity to the lead categories. Though some have seen best actress as a toss up between Yeoh and BAFTA winner Cate Blanchett (“Tár”), Yeoh again took home the award for best female lead performance.

“This is not just for me,” said Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the SAG Award for female lead. “It’s for every little girl that looks like me.”

Quan, the former child star, also won for best supporting male actor. The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star had left acting for years after auditions dried up. He’s also the first Asian to win best male supporting actor at the SAG Awards.

“When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities,” said Quan. “Now, tonight we are celebrating James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr. The landscape looks so different now.” (AP)

Why head injuries may up risk of developing brain cancer

Suffering head injuries can one day lead to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumour called a glioma, according to a study.

The study, published in journal Current Biology, found that patients who experienced a head injury were nearly four times more likely to develop brain cancer later in life, than those who had no head injury.

The reason is that mutations in certain genes synergise with brain inflammation, which is induced by acute injury and then increases over time during the natural process of ageing to make astrocytes more likely to initiate a cancer.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the risk of developing brain cancer is overall low, estimated at less than 1 per cent over a lifetime, so even after an injury, the risk remains modest, said researchers from the University College London.

“Our research suggests that brain trauma may contribute to an

increased risk of developing brain cancer in later life,” said lead author Professor Simona Parrinello from UCL’s Cancer Institute.

“We know that normal tissues carry many mutations which seem to just sit there and not have any major effects. Our findings suggest that if on top of those mutations, an injury occurs, it creates a synergistic effect.

“In a young brain, basal inflammation is low so the mutations seem to be kept in check even after a serious brain injury. However, upon ageing, our mouse work suggests that

inflammation increases throughout the brain but more intensely at the site of the earlier injury. This may reach a certain threshold after which the mutation now begins to manifest itself,” Parrinello said.

Gliomas are brain tumours that often arise in neural stem cells. More mature types of brain cells, such as astrocytes, have been considered less likely to give rise to tumours. However, recent findings have demonstrated that after injury astrocytes can exhibit stem cell behaviour again.

The findings confirm this -- the study stated that genetic mutations acting in concert with brain tissue inflammation change the behaviour of cells, making them more likely to become cancerous. After testing in mice, the team confirmed the theory in humans. They examined electronic medical records of more than 20,000 people who had been diagnosed with head injuries, comparing the rate of brain cancer with a control group. (IANS)

Adecade after his dream project of making a feature film with Irrfan Khan as Osho Rajneesh fell through, Italian filmmaker Lakshen Sucameli has made a documentary on the controversial spiritual guru.

A compressed version of the docu-series “Ten Thousand Shades of Osho”, titled ‘Osho the Movie’ (of one hour and 40 minutes) was screened recently at Yashwant International film festival organized by Maharashtra Government. The series will be released sometime later. Sucameli said if he had his way, he would have made the film with Irrfan, who according to him was the apt choice to play Osho.

“I was doing a feature film more than ten years ago but that didn’t materialize so I switched into this one (docu-series), which took five years. Irrfan Khan was my first choice, and he liked Osho.

“And if I was the producer and if he was still

Farhan Akhtar closes Vh1 Supersonic Festival 2023 on a high note

Actor-singer Farhan

Akhtar gave a soulful closing to the Vh1 Supersonic Festival 2023 here with his hit tracks “Solitary Childhood”, “Pain or Pleasure” and fan-favourite “Rock On”.

The three day festival, which made a comeback after three years, was held at the Mahalaxmi Lawns here from Friday to Sunday.

Dressed casually, Farhan opened his set with the song “Pain or Pleasure”. “It’s an honour to be playing here this evening. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, many things could’ve gone wrong and did go wrong, but the

Covid-19 likely came from lab leak in China: Report

The virus that drove the COVID-19 pandemic, killing close to 7 million people globally, most likely emerged from a laboratory leak in China, according to a US media report, citing a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress.

The Huanan market in central China’s Wuhan city was the epicentre of the pandemic. From its origin there, the SARS-CoV-2 virus rapidly spread to other locations in Wuhan in late 2019 and then to the rest of the world.

The pandemic’s origin has been the subject of vigorous debate among academics, intelligence experts and lawmakers.

The findings of the US Department of Energy – a departure from previous studies on how the virus emerged – came in an update to a document from the Office of National Intelligence director Avril Haines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The new report highlights how different parts of the intelligence community have arrived at disparate judgments about the pandemic’s origin.

The Energy Department now joins the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in saying the virus likely spread via a mishap at a Chinese laboratory.

Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that it was likely the result of natural transmission, and two are undecided.

The Energy Department’s conclusion is the result of new intelligence and is significant because the agency has considerable scientific expertise and oversees a network of US national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research, the report said.

The Energy Department made its judgment with “low confidence,” according to people who have read the classified report.

The spread of COVID-19, just one in a line of infectious coronavirus to emerge, caught global health bodies unawares in early 2020. Close to 7 million people have died worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said that the intelligence community is divided on the matter while noting that President Joe Biden has put resources into getting to the bottom of the origin question.

Sullivan said that Biden had directed the national laboratories, which are part of the Department of Energy, to be brought into the assessment.

“Right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question,” Sullivan told CNN.

“Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. A number of them have said they just don’t have enough information to be

sure.”

The deadly virus has also disrupted the global economy, trade as well as travel.

The FBI previously came to the conclusion that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak in 2021 with “moderate confidence” and still holds to this view.

The National Intelligence Council, which conducts longterm strategic analysis, and four agencies, which officials declined to identify, still assess with “low confidence” that the virus came about through natural transmission from an infected animal, according to the updated report.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and another agency that officials would not name remain undecided between the lab leak and natural transmission theories, the people who have read the classified report said.

Despite the agencies’ differing analyses, the update reaffirmed an existing consensus between them that COVID-19 was not the result of a Chinese biological weapons programme, the people who have read the classified report said. A senior US intelligence official confirmed that the intelli-

gence community had conducted the update, whose existence has not previously been reported. This official added that it was done in light of new intelligence, further study of academic literature and consultation with experts outside the government.

The emergence of the pandemic heightened tensions between the US and China, which US officials alleged was withholding information about the outbreak. At first, the dominant view was that the virus likely arose naturally when the virus leapt from an animal to a human, as had happened in the past. But as time elapsed and no animal host was found, there has been a greater focus on coronavirus research in Wuhan and the potential for an accidental laboratory leak, the report added.

China, which has placed limits on investigations by the WHO, has disputed that the virus could have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, one of its labs in Wuhan, and has suggested it emerged outside China.

Meanwhile, US House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul has said that he was “pleased” the Energy Department “has finally reached the same conclusion that I had already come to.” The Texas Republican had released a 2021 report that concluded that “the preponderance of the evidence” showed the pandemic originated with a leak from the Wuhan lab.

“Now is the time for the entire Biden administration to join the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the majority of Americans by publicly concluding what common sense told us at the start – the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China,” McCaul said in a statement on Sunday. (PTI)

alive, he would be the first choice,” the director told PTI in an interview.

The Italy-born filmmaker had travelled to India in 1978 to meet Osho, then considered one of the most controversial spiritual figures of the world. The director had lived in Osho’s ashram in Pune, and Oregon, US.

Sucameli, who was given the name Lakshen by Osho, said it was his desire to make a movie on him.

“The first time I met Osho was in 1978. Since then, I have had two purposes in life — to know myself and to share his vision. When I started working as a filmmaker, I knew that one day, I would make a film about him,” he added.

Sucameli claimed he

met Indian producers such as Subhash Ghai, Pritish Nandy, and Bobby Bedi and among actors, he approached Irrfan Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Kamal Haasan, besides writer Kamlesh Pandey of “Rang De Basanti” fame.

Ghai had also announced a project on Osho but that has not materialised.

According to Sucameli, the Indian producers were not serious about an international co-production back then.

“The Indian producers are not really open to an international film. They are so satisfied with Bollywood. Even if they know Osho, and even if they saw the potential, they didn’t really warm to the idea of doing an international co-production,” he added.

The director said the key difference between the feature film and docu-series is that, he could play more with imagination while making the movie but with the latter he has stayed closer to reality. (PTI)

only right thing here is you”, he said addressing the huge crowd.

As the fans cheered at him to sing the all time hit track “Rock On!”, the singer-actor responded: “Let’s save the best for the last”.

Farhan’s wife, actor Shibani Dandekar, also attended the concert on Sunday and supported him from the side of the stage. Global pop star Anne Marie also performed some of her biggest hits -- “Friends”, “2002” and “Rockabye”-- on the final day of the annual festival. She made an electrifying entry on stage wearing a white shirt and skirt. It was

a hypnotic one hour performance as she interacted with fans and even accepted a bouquet from one of her admirers.

Nigerian-born singer CKay delivered a 40-minute act and also spoke about his love for Bollywood movies.

“I was born in Nigeria and we used to watch Bollywood movies growing up a lot. We don’t understand the language but we still watch it,” said the singer. He performed his hit songs such as “ Love Nwantiti” and “You”. (PTI)

Team of Everything Everywhere all at once pose for the camera after the event. (AP)

Manchester United win League Cup to end six-year trophy drought

LONDON, FEB 27 (AGENCIES):

Manches -

ter United clinched their first major trophy for six years with a ruthless 2-0 win against Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag’s side took control by half-time thanks to Casemiro’s header and a Sven Botman own goal and held firm despite Newcastle’s second-half pressure.

United’s first silverware since 2017, when they won the League Cup and the Europa League in the Jose Mourinho era, was just reward for a mature display that underlined the impressive work done by Dutchman Ten Hag since

he arrived from Ajax last year.

The celebrations that accompanied United’s sixth League Cup triumph could be the first of many trophy parades on the evidence of Ten Hag’s transformative first season.

United remain challengers on three other fronts, sitting third in the Premier League and with an FA Cup fifth round tie against West Ham on Wednesday followed by a Europa League last 16 tie against Real Betis in March.

After 10 years in the wilderness since Alex Ferguson retired having led them to their last Premier League title in 2013, United are finally emerging from one of the darkest period in the club’s illustrious history.

United finished a dismal sixth in the Premier League last season, but Ten Hag has swiftly mas -

Anupama, Aakarshi to clash for women’s singles title in badminton nationals

PUNE, FEB 27 (PTI): Former junior world number one, Anupama Upadhyaya of Haryana and Chhattisgarh’s Aakarshi Kashyap will fight for the women’s singles title in the 84th Badminton Nationals after winning their respective last-four matches here on Monday.

In the semifinals, Khelo India sensation Aakarshi ended third seed Adita Rao’s challenge with a 21-9, 21-19 victory, while fourth seed Anupama prevailed over Asmita Chalha 21-18, 11-21, 21-18.

Anupama played a safe and calculative game and kept Asmita under pressure. These tactics helped, and she won four points in a row to gain a valuable 20-16 lead

in the first game. Asmita bounced back in the second and garnered eight points in a row. With an 8-1 lead, Asmita made sure that her opponent didn’t make a comeback. Despite all efforts, Anupama managed to fetch just 11 points in the game. The decider saw Asmita once again enjoying a

Lewandowski set to miss Copa ‘clasico’

terminded their return to relevance

It was fitting that Ten Hag’s maiden trophy success with United came after he met Ferguson for dinner recently and with the Scot watching from the Wembley stands.

Ending United’s longest trophy drought for 40 years is no guarantee of future success, but the steely Ten Hag appears capable of thriving in the unrelenting Old Trafford spotlight. United co-chairman Avram Glazer, attending his first game since the November announcement that his family are considering offers for the club, might reconsider selling up after viewing what could be the

start of a golden era. Despite failing to win their first major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Newcastle can also expect to feature in more showpiece occasions soon.

Newcastle have been revitalised since their takeover by a Saudi-funded consortium in 2021 and they competed gamely in their first cup final for 24 years Newcastle’s fanatical ‘Toon Army’ turned one half of Wembley into a roiling sea of black and white as they belted out songs of praise for their heroes well over an hour before kick-off. But that show of Geordie passion proved the highpoint of the day for Newcastle as United spoiled

the party in composed style. Newcastle had feared stand-in keeper Loris Karius might be exposed in his first major occasion since his howlers led to Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid.

Playing instead of the suspended Nick Pope, Karius might feel he could have done better with United’s second goal, but he was not to blame for Newcastle’s defeat.

United went ahead in the 33rd minute when Luke Shaw’s free-kick arrowed towards the Newcastle sixyard box and Casemiro timed his run perfectlvy to glance a clinical header past Karius.

5-1 lead. Her smashes and accurate drops were quite effective and forced Anupama to stay near the net. However, Asmita failed to take advantage of the momentum and, in a desperate attempt to increase the pace of the game, she lost control.

Several times she committed unforced errors, giv-

ing easy points to her opponent. On the other hand, Anupama was patiently waiting for the opportunity, and she received it in a crucial situation when the score read 20-17 in her favour.

Asmita was successful in saving a match point once but that was her only consolation, and again, an unforced error ended her campaign in the nationals.

Earlier, Aakarshi had little trouble in beating the third seed, taking 38 minutes to ensure her berth in the final.

Meanwhile, in the men’s category, Maharashtra’s Harsheel Dani crashed out of the tournament after losing to Madhya Pradesh’s Priyanshu Rajawat 14-21, 15-21.

WPL great platform to make India comeback: Poonam

MUMBAI, FEB 27 (PTI): Seasoned India leg-spinner Poonam Yadav believes the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will not just provide a great opportunity to senior players to come back into national reckoning, it will also be a boon for young players to learn from international stars.

The Delhi Capitals player, who is hoping to take the WPL route to regain her place in the national side, added the tournament will take Indian women’s cricket to the next level.

The 31-year-old last played for India in an ODI against Bangladesh in March last year and was bought by the Delhi franchise for the inaugural WPL edition for Rs 30 lakh. The WPL is scheduled to commence on March 4 with the match between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians.

“The experienced players can utilise the WPL as a platform to make a comeback and the youngsters will get a chance to showcase their talent in the tournament,” Poonam said in a Delhi Capitals media release.

“We can also learn from foreign

players and they will learn from us as well. The WPL will take Indian cricket to great heights.”

Delhi Capitals’ star-studded 18-member side boasts of Meg Lanning, who became the most decorated captain in the history of the game after leading Australia to a record-extending sixth Women’s T20 World Cup title with a 19-run win over South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday. Having won five World Cup titles for Australia, Lanning surpassed compatriot Ricky Ponting’s feat of four trophies and three by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in ICC events.

Delhi Capitals also have South African pace bowling all-rounder Marizanne Kapp along with the star Indian batting duo of Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues on their roster. Top-order batter Jasia Akhtar from Jammu and Kashmir said she is relishing the prospect of playing alongside Lanning and Kapp.

“I switched off the TV when my name came up in the WPL auction. I switched off my phone for 15 minutes as well,” the 34-year-old recalled.

“I got a call from my brother after I switched on my phone and he told me that I had been picked by Delhi Capitals. I didn’t believe him, but then I spoke with my parents and they were very excited. I felt proud after being taken by such a big franchise. I am excited to play with Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp.”

All-rounder Arundhati Reddy, who last played for India in a T20I against England in July 2021, is also looking forward to the “opportunity” of playing alongside international stars.

Busch gets 1st RCR victory in Fontana’s NASCAR farewell

and final time. Busch held off Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series’ final race on the gloriously weathered asphalt at Auto Club Speedway, which will soon be demolished to make room for a proposed halfmile track. Busch asked Fontana officials for a chunk of that asphalt as a souvenir after he burned it up one last time on his way to Victory Lane.

FONTANA, FEB 27 (AP):

Kyle Busch still smiles at the memory of getting thrown out of California Speedway during his first competitive trip here in 2001. The 16-year-old upstart dominated a NASCAR Truck Series practice, only to be told he couldn’t run in a race sponsored by Marlboro because he was too young to smoke.

“That was my ‘Welcome to NASCAR’ moment and my ‘Welcome to California Speedway’ moment,”

Klinsmann hired to coach S Korea’s football team

SEOUL, FEB 27

BARCELONA, FEB 27 (AP): Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has a hamstring strain and is likely to miss the “clasico” against Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday.

Lewandowski picked up the left-leg injury in Barcelona’s 1-0 loss at Almeria in the Spanish league on Sunday, a result that allowed Madrid to cut the Catalan club’s lead to seven points.

Barcelona did not give a timetable for Lewandowski’s recovery, but he is not expected to be fit for the first leg of the Copa semifinals at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Barcelona will face Madrid two more times in the next few weeks, in the second leg of the Copa semifinals and in the Spanish league.

MP beat Maha 5-1 to win Senior National Women’s Hockey C’ship

Madhya Pradesh Women’s Hockey team won gold medal in senior national championship-2023 by defeating Maharashtra.

KAKINADA (ANDHRA

PRADESH), FEB 27 (PTI): Madhya Pradesh defeated Maharashtra 5-1 to win the 13th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2023 here on Monday. Madhya Pradesh lived up to their top billing, conceding only three goals during the tournament. MP coach Paramjit

CLEARED NPSC PRELIM?

Singh was delighted with the victory.

“Unfortunately, we lost in the quarter-finals last year in Bhopal and we knew that we needed to buck up if we wanted to stand a chance to lift the trophy. So we focused on the skills of a few players to help us in set pieces, namely Diksha Tiwari’s penalty corner hit and we also shored up our

defence,” said Singh. “We also built great chemistry within the team after playing practice matches against the junior team, which is where we changed the defence pattern.

“We played with three deep defenders instead of two, which worked perfectly for us throughout the championships,” he added.

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Busch said.

Anger, conflict and disrespect have always appeared to be Busch’s favorite fuels, and the record-setting veteran burned plenty of them Sunday while rewarding his new team — and sending this beloved track off in style.

Busch stormed up from the back after an early speeding penalty to earn his first victory for Richard Childress Racing, winning on this two-mile Southern California track for the fifth

Busch drove his Chevrolet to victory in only his second race with RCR, which scooped him up in December after his 15-year tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing ended. This win was Busch’s first since Bristol last season on a dirt track, and his first on pavement since Pocono in 2021.

With his 61st career victory, Busch earned a win in his record 19th consecutive Cup season, breaking a tie with Richard Petty.

Busch said he set his focus on Petty’s longevity record “a long, long time ago.”

(AP): Former Germany great Jurgen Klinsmann was hired Monday to coach South Korea’s national soccer team. The 58-year-old Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player with West Germany in 1990, replaces Paulo Bento. The Portuguese coach left the team after leading South Korea to the second round at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

“I am very happy and honored to be the head coach of South Korea’s national football team,” Klinsmann said in a statement. “I know well that the Korean national team has been, over a long period of time, constantly improving and producing results.”

Klinsmann signed a contract through the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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Manchester United’s team players celebrate with the trophy at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday.

Aakarshi Kashyap and Anupama Upadhyaya

Poonam Yadav

Kyle Busch makes a pit stop during NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Sunday.

J Klinsmann

New Zealand set England 258 to win 2nd Test

WELLINGTON, FEB 27

(AP): Kane Williamson was officially and unofficially New Zealand’s best batsman on the fourth day of the second Test Monday as his 26th Test century allowed New Zealand to lead England by 257 runs after following on.

Tom Blundell made 90 and was the last man out as New Zealand’s second innings ended at 483 less than an hour before stumps.

Under New Zealandborn head coach Brendon McCullum, England already has pulled off its highest successful run chase in tests, scoring 378 to beat India at Edgbaston last year. This chase for 258 with more than 100 overs available would seem a walk in the park by comparison.

Tim Southee removed Zac Crawley (24) with a ball that cut back to hit off peg and at stumps England was 48-1, needing 210 from 103 overs on the last day to sweep the two-match series.

The odds still heavily favour the visitors but Williamson at least has given New Zealand hope.

When he reached 29 on his way to 132, he became New Zealand’s highest runscorer in Tests, overtaking his former teammate Ross Taylor, who ended his career last year with 7,682 runs.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson celeberates making 100 runs against England in Wellington Monday. (AP/PTI)

And in batting for all of the fourth day, in productive partnerships with Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, Williamson guided New Zealand from a 226 run deficit when England enforced the follow-on Sunday to a respectable lead.

“I don’t sort of think too much about records,” Williamson said. “It’s all

about the team and the position you’re in and trying to do more.

“It was nice to be part of some partnerships today and get a pretty good second innings effort on the board. Having said that you always want more and we were hoping for a few more in terms of the position we got ourselves into. But all to play for tomorrow.”

romp to 3-0 win over Marseille

PARIS, FEB 26 (AGENCIES): PARIS, FEB 27 (AGENCIES): World Cup

foes Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe inspired Paris St Germain to a 3-0 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille to extend their Ligue 1 lead to eight points on Sunday.

Mbappe, who bagged a double, was set up by Messi for both his goals, and repaid the favour by laying on another for the Argentine forward as PSG, who were without the injured Neymar, moved to 60 points from 25 games with second-placed Marseille on 52.

France forward Mbappe, who was on the losing side against Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup final, became PSG’s joint record scorer with 200 goals – level with Edinson Cavani.

Third-placed Monaco slumped to a 3-0 home defeat against Nice, who prevailed thanks to a Terem Moffi double and a superb half-volley by Khephren Thuram. The result left Monaco on 50 points, ahead of fourth-placed RC Lens on

Norrie beats Alcaraz in Rio final

After making only 10 runs in his previous three innings in the series, Williamson showed why he is New Zealand’s best batsman when the chips are down. The match was in the balance at the start of the day: New Zealand was 202-3, still 24 runs behind England who just had taken the second new ball.

Williamson and Nicholls (29) erased the deficit by the ninth over and saw off the new ball in a partnership of 55 for the fourth wicket.

Daryl Mitchell came in after Nicholls, when Williamson was 34, and rushed past Williamson to a half century from 52 balls. Williamson reached his own half century soon after from 148 deliveries and in just over four hours, reflecting the extent of his patience and application.

Mitchell was out for 54 in a 75-run partnership with Williamson, at the end of which New Zealand’s lead was 71. Them came Tom Blundell, the first test century-maker, who provided Williamson with the extended support he needed to gradually improve New Zealand’s position. Williamson had batted for 7-1/2 hours when England, having explored every reasonable means of

Injured Murray withdraws from Dubai C’ships

DUBAI, FEB 27 (IANS): Britain’s Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships, which will be held from February 27 to March 4, due to a recurring hip injury, the tournament organisers announced on Monday.

removing him, gave Harry Brook his first bowl in test cricket. Brook’s bowling style officially is described as right-arm medium. In reality it might be called dribbly medium pace.

But it was Brook who finally ended Williamson’s innings and claimed a first test wicket, which will give him bragging rights for years to come. The decisive ball was gentle and unthreatening, pitching short and heading down leg side. Williamson closed up his guard to glance behind square and the ball glanced across the bat en route to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

England’s appeal for the catch behind was rejected. The tourists reviewed the call, and the replay showed the faintest of edges, as England erupted in celebration.

When Williamson was out, New Zealand’s resistance was broken and the end came quickly. Michael Bracewell paid the price for casual running between wickets and Jack Leach dismissed Tim Southee and Matt Henry in the same over.

Leach also ended Blundell’s four-hour innings but by that stage, including the first innings, England had been in the field for more than 215 overs.

RIO DE JANEIRO, FEB 27 (AGENCIES): Britain’s Cameron Norrie took advantage of an ailing Carlos Alcaraz to win the ATP Tour Rio Open on Sunday.

Second seed Norrie came from behind to claim the fifth tournament win of his career, winning 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in 2hrs 40mins.

Norrie’s victory came exactly seven days after the British world number 13 had lost to Spain’s secondranked Alcaraz in the final of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

“It’s so special to win this one, especially after losing a couple of finals this year,” said Norrie, who was also beaten in the final in Auckland in January.

But while Norrie celebrated, Alcaraz was left with fresh fitness concerns after an energy-sapping duel that saw him require repeated visits from the physio. The 19-year-old, who only returned to tennis at last week’s tournament in Argentina after a fourmonth injury layoff, was clearly struggling with a sore hamstring during the latter stages of Sunday’s final.

He needed heavy strapping on his right thigh midway through the second set, when he collapsed from a 3-0 lead to allow Norrie to

take the set and level the match. Alcaraz is due to play at the Mexican Open in Acapulco next week and after that has the Indian Wells Masters looming in California in early March.

The former world number one had looked to be in control after clinching the first set with a rasping forehand up the line to break Norrie for the first time in the match. He then sprinted into a 3-0 lead with another quick break of serve in the second set and appeared to be building unstoppable momentum.

However, Alcaraz was soon struggling with his sore thigh and Norrie broke twice to take a 4-3 lead.

Although Alcaraz fought back to break again and level at 4-4, the Spaniard was broken on his next

service game and Norrie held to level the match at a set apiece.

While Alcaraz was clearly not firing on all cylinders in the decisive third set, the Spaniard was still capable of moments of freeswinging inspiration with 19 forehand winners.

But Norrie gave himself the chance to win his first tournament of 2023 after breaking Alcaraz for the sixth time in the match for a 6-5 lead. Norrie then held, clinching victory with an ace. “I had to do it the tough way -- a set down and a break down and 0-30 on my serve,” a jubilant Norrie said afterwards. “I was looking done there, but I managed to flick a switch and turn it around so it was a good day.”

Paul takes first ring defeat by split decision to Fury

RIYADH, FEB 27 (AP): YouTube star Jake Paul took the first defeat of his professional boxing career Sunday night, losing a split decision to Tommy Fury.

Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe scores their third goal at Marseille, France on Feb 26

goals scored after the northerners drew 1-1 at Montpellier on Saturday.

Having scored his 12th league goal, Messi set up Mbappé again with a looping pass in the 55th, moments after veteran striker Alexis Sanchez missed a great chance to pull a goal back for Marseille.

The only negative for PSG on an emphatic night was losing central defender Presnel Kimpembe to injury in the 18th. He was stretchered off after falling unchallenged to the ground and lying on his face for several

moments.

Defeat means Marseille is now only two points ahead of third-place Monaco and fourth-place Lens, which both have 50 points. It could have been worse for Marseille had Monaco not lost 3-0 at home to Nice earlier Sunday in the Riviera derby.

Nigeria striker Terem Moffi scored twice in the first 25 minutes and midfielder Khéphren Thuram — son of France great Lilian Thuram — added the third just before halftime as Nice climbed to seventh spot.

The former world no. 1 had been drawn against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the first round with the potential quarter final face-off with Novak Djokovic.

“We regret to inform you that Andy Murray is unable to participate in this year’s tournament. Andy has been dealing with a recurring hip injury that has unfortunately forced him out of Dubai. We wish Andy a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court in Dubai soon,” the organisers said in a statement.

The 35-year-old played marathon matches before falling short of winning his first ATP Tour title since 2019 after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final on Saturday.

Lovlina, Nikhat to spearhead India’s challenge in Women’s World Boxing Championship

NEW DELHI, FEB 27

(PTI): Tokyo Olympics

bronze medallist Lovlina

Borgohain and reigning world champion Nikhat

Zareen will spearhead India’s challenge at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 here.

The tournament will be held from March 15 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. Tokyo bronze medallist, Borgohain (75kg) has two world championships bronze medals so far. She will join several Olympic medallists from other countries in search of glory.

Zareen, on the other hand, will defend her title in the 50kg category. She became the world champion in the 2022 IBA Women’s World Championships held in Istanbul.

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

gold medallist Nitu Ghanghas will also compete in the 48kg category. The two-time Youth World champion will look to add yet another major medal to her name.

“In the last few years, India have become a powerhouse of boxing and we intend to further cement

our standing with this talented contingent for the IBA Women’s World Championships. It’s a line-up of champions and I am sure that they’ll bring glory to the country again,” said Ajay Singh, president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). Manisha Moun, who announced her arrival on the global stage with impressive performances at the 2018 World Championships in Delhi, will represent the country in the highly-competitive 57kg featherweight category.

Manisha won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships.

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria has been a quar-

ter-finalist in the 2022 edition and will compete in the 60kg category.

Young pugilists Preeti and Sanamacha Chanu will represent India in the 54kg and 70kg category respectively. Preeti won bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships, while Sanamcha is the 2021 Youth world champion and recently became the national champion in her category.

The reigning Asian and national champion Saweety Boora will be competing in the 81kg category.

The experienced campaigner, who won silver in the 2014 World Championships in South Korea, will be eager to continue her impressive form to add to her medals tally.

Youth world champions Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg) and Shashi Chopra (63kg) along with 2019 South Asian Games gold medallist Manju Bamboria (66kg) will be eager to prove their mettle in their respective categories at the World Championships.

In the 81kg+ heavyweight category, India’s medal hopes will rest on reigning national champion Nupur Sheoran.

The event will see a total prize pool of Rs 20 crore -- Rs 10 crores being the pool for gold medallists. Boxers who finish runnersup in their categories as well as those who claim bronze will receive their prizes from pools of Rs 5 crores respectively.

India squad: Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg), Preeti (54kg), Manisha Moun (57kg), Jaismine Lamboria (60kg), Shashi Chopra (63kg), Manju Bamboria (66kg), Sanamcha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Saweety Boora (81kg) and Nupur Sheoran (81+kg).

Paul (6-1) knocked down Fury with a short left hand early in the final round of their cruiserweight bout, but the younger half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury controlled long stretches of the eight-round meeting at Diriyah Arena.

Two judges scored the bout 76-73 for Fury (9-0, 4 KOs), while the third favored Paul, 75-74.

“I’ve already won every single way in life,” Paul said. “I made it farther than I ever thought I would, and beyond. This is a humbling experience. I’ll take it on the chin and come back.”

Fury is the first actual professional boxer fought by Paul, who built his lucrative second career by taking on mixed martial artists and a fellow YouTuber in boxing bouts that generated huge social media attention despite featuring more enthusiasm than skill.

Fury also is much better known as a celebrity sibling — and much more accomplished as a reality television star — than as a boxer, leading to a relatively even matchup with Paul. Fury’s unbeaten record entering this bout was built against a series of wildly overmatched opponents with a combined record of 24-176-5.

“In my first main event, 23 years old, I had the world on my shoulders, and I came through,” Fury said. “This, to me, is a world title fight. I

Max Verstappen again the man to beat in F1 in 2023

BAHRAIN, FEB 27 (AP): Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was so far ahead last season that catching the Formula One champion may feel like scaling a mountain. So that’s exactly what Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc did to get himself ready for the challenge, which starts next Sunday at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The 25-year-old from Monaco headed up to the Italian Dolomites for some “extreme training” that left him “fully recharged and ready for” another crack at Verstappen, his former junior karting rival.

Lewis Hamilton has long been a perfectionist when it comes to physical fitness. But this time the Mercedes veteran tried something new: a week in Antarctica whale-spotting.

“Winter was great, amazing, (the) highlight was Antarctica seeing the whales,” the 38-year-old said. “Definitely, if anyone has an opportunity to go, pack warm. But otherwise (it’s) pretty spectacular.”

Whether this makes any difference when it

comes to stopping Verstappen remains to be seen, and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, it might not.

Verstappen thinks his RB19 may be even better than last year. “Overall I think it’s definitely an improvement to last year,” he said during testing. “Very positive days for me.”

Ferrari will hope things improve under new leadership. Frenchman Frédéric Vasseur replaced team principal, Italian Mattia Binotto, whose relationship with Leclerc had become increasingly tense.

Leclerc opened 2022 with two wins in three races and seemed poised to challenge Verstappen. But he finished nearly 150 points adrift, without a win since July and just finished second overall.

“What to expect from Fred? It’s very early days, but what I can say is that it was impressive how quickly he (blended) into the team,” said Leclerc, who worked with Vasseur at Sauber.

“Straight away he felt quite at ease and understood a team like Ferrari.”

trained so hard for this. This was my destiny.”

Both fighters had good moments in the first four rounds in front of a starstudded crowd in Saudi Arabia, but Fury landed more significant shots behind a consistent jab that allowed him to keep Paul at a distance. Paul appeared to stun Fury with an accurate left hook early in the fifth round, but he also lost a point when the referee penalized him, apparently for pushing down on Fury’s head in a clinch. The referee

then took a point from Fury in the sixth, apparently for excessive clinching.

Fury had a strong seventh round despite a cut near his left eye from a clash of heads, repeatedly tagging Paul with combinations. But Paul abruptly reversed the momentum with a perfectly timed left that wobbled Fury, who put his left glove on the canvas to steady himself and bounced up immediately.

Fury finished strong and claimed the decision.

Fury and Paul were slated to meet two times previously, but Fury was unavailable for both showdowns. He injured a rib before their scheduled bout in December 2021, and he was denied entry to the U.S. last summer ahead of a planned meeting in August.

Paul used the postponements to taunt Fury, and the emotions built into a contentious weigh-in earlier this week in Saudi Arabia, which jumped at the chance to underwrite this boxing spectacle and social media event.

Lovlina Borgohain Nikhat Zareen

Max Verstappen

Norrie celebrates with the trophy after winning the Rio Open alongside runner-up Carlos Alcaraz

Jake Paul, left, and Tommy Fury, in action during their boxing match, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday.

PSG