India’s batter KL Rahul will be missing out on the upcoming T20I series against West Indies, after testing positive for COVID-19. India and West Indies are currently playing a three-match ODI series, with the third and final match to be played on Wednesday. The five-match T20I series will start on July 29 and will conclude on August 7.
Last week, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly, after the Board’s Apex Council meeting in Mumbai, had informed about Rahul being COVID positive.
Rahul has now completed his isolation period, as per the reports , he has been advised one more week’s rest and recuperation by the BCCI’s medical professionals.
Rahul, who underwent surgery recently and had resumed his training at the NCA in Bengaluru, was named in the T20I squad against West Indies and was supposed to take a fitness test in a couple of days.
The T20I squad of Team India arrived in Trinidad on Tuesday ahead of their five-match series against West Indies.
The Men in Blue have gained an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the ODI series. Half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Axar Patel helped Team India win the second ODI against West Indies by two wickets at Queens Park Oval stadium in Port of Spain on Sunday.
Both teams will be facing each other for the third and final ODI match on Wednesday at Port of Spain.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy interacted with people of the flood-affected villages in Konaseema district and assured all possible support to them. Taking note of the situation, CM Reddy was seen interacting with the masses and children from the area.
“CM tour of Konaseema flood affected areas. The chief minister reached villages in P. Gannavaram constituency on a ferry. Travelled the muddy roads on a tractor. CM went door to door in the villages on foot and inquired about government relief programs. He also collected details from flood victims,” tweeted the Andhra chief minister’s office.
As per the Chief Minister’s office, the visit to the villages was not a part of Reddy’s schedule.
“The visit to the villages was not included in the tour schedule. People cheered before the CM on the village secretariat system and the services of volunteers. Appreciation before the CM for the response of the authorities,” the CMO added in another tweet.
Amid the ongoing heavy rains across several regions in Andhra Pradesh, CM Reddy has been visiting flood-affected areas and interacting with flood victims.
The Chief Minister will be touring Pucchakayalavaripeta, Arigelavaripeta, Vudimudilanka, and Mekalapalem cities and he will oversee the relief measures after interacting with the victims.
Earlier, CM Reddy held a review meeting with the officials on the Godavari floods and relief measures on July 16.
The CM instructed that ration supplies and daily essentials be distributed on war footing to all flood-affected families.
The CM also directed officials to be vigilant and ensure no loss of life. The Chief Minister took note of the situation during the meeting and enquired about water inflows to the Godavari, evacuation of people, and other relief measures taking place and cautioned them to stay on high alert.
He also advised using support teams like SDRF and NDRF in emergency situations. He ordered the authorities to take adequate measures in setting up relief camps and emphasized providing quality services.
Earlier on July 15, Reddy had also conducted an aerial survey in Godavari flood-affected areas. He directed officials to ensure all the villages are evacuated and shifted solutions so that there will not be a loss of life.
He further directed the mapping of the villages. “Together we will have to find the solutions. Five senior officers are being posted right away. The next 24 hours are going to be crucial. All the Superintendant of Police and collectors should be on your toes and be on high alert,” said Reddy.
Parts of Andhra Pradesh are hit by floods as water levels in the Godavari river are rising by the hour, threatening villages mostly in West Godavari and Konaseema districts.
Biju Janta Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik on Tuesday wrote a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and requested him to cater to the visa woes of emigrating Indian students.
In a letter to External Affairs Minister, Amar Patnaik said, “Thousands of Indian students are facing long delays in obtaining visas of major countries such as the US, UK, Germany and Canada etc. even after getting admission into universities in these countries.”
The delay has been particularly worrisome since these countries are among the favourite destinations for pursuing higher education. “Visa hurdles are shattering the dreams of many young students. The US embassy for instance is completely booked till April 2023 for in-person visa appointments.
Similarly, the processing time of a Canadian visa invlove months while the rejection rate is a steep 50 per cent which was 15-20 pc in pre-COVID times.
Further, some countries such as Denmark have taken extreme steps of temporarily suspending all new visa appointments,” the former Principal Accountant General of Odisha said in a letter.
BJD Rajya Sabha Upper House MP further said that increased instances of visa rejections and delays are resulting in Indian students seeking a deferral or refund of tuition fees from the universities.
I would like to bring to your kind attention that these refunds are partial in nature and therefore, are leading to unnecessary financial and mental stress for these students and their families.
Even in a deferral, these students will have to apply for scholarships once again. “In contrast to the above situation, Indian missions abroad have worked overtime, if needed, to issue visas including clearing all the backlogs.”
He added Amar Patnaik said in a letter to S Jaishankar, “I request you to take urgent measures to persuade the mission/embassies of these countries to streamline the visa process, if necessary, by adopting temporary emergency measures for clearing the existing backlog so that students required to join the Fall semester in these countries are able to join in time.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday confirmed that the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London will be hosting the World Test Championship finals in 2023 and 2025.
In 2021, the WTC final was shifted from Ageas Bowl, Southampton to Lord’s due to COVID-19, where New Zealand defeated India to be crowned as the inaugural WTC champions.
“The IBC Board approved Lord’s Cricket Ground as the host for the ICC World Test Championship Finals in 2023 and 2025,” stated ICC in an official statement.
Earlier, former India cricketer and former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has been appointed to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Cricket Committee as current player representatives.
Apart from them, former West Indies cricketer Roger Harper has been appointed as the second past player representative.
“Daniel Vettori and VVS Laxman have also been appointed to the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee as current player representatives, while Roger Harper has been appointed as the second past player representative, joining Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena,” stated ICC.
ICC also announced the host countries for the next major ICC tournaments in the women’s category, with India to host the marquee 50-over 2025 World Cup.
The next ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025 will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka will host the ICC Women’s T20 Champions Trophy in 2027 subject to them qualifying for the event.
Bangladesh will be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup for the second time around.
Minister S. Jaishankar set to take a part in council of Foreign Ministers in Uzbekistan 6
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar is set to visit Uzbekistan on Thursday to take part in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.
Jaishankar will be sharing the table with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting.
This is the first time, Bhutto will be meeting EAM Jaishankar face to face after the formation of the new coalition government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) in Islamabad, led by Shehbaz Sharif.
Jaishankar is participating at the invitation of the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov to take part in the meeting, said MEA in a release.
The meeting assumes significance as the Foreign Ministers will hold discussions and prepare for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State which is slated to be held on September 15-16, 2022 in Samarkand.
The discussion will review ongoing cooperation in the expansion of the SCO Organisation and exchange ideas on regional and global developments of common concern, the release stated.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also be attending the meeting. Jaishankar may have a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi to review the outcome of the recently held 16th round of negotiations between the military commanders of India and China to resolve the stand-off along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
If the bilateral talks happen, Jaishankar – Wang meeting may also pave the way for the possible meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Both are expected to attend the SCO summit on September 15 and 16 at Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The 20th Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was held on November 25, 2021, in Nur-Sultan through video conference under the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan and Jaishankar represented India in the meeting, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.
This year, Uzbekistan is chairing the SCO meeting and will be the organizer of all the events pertaining to the two-decade-old grouping that includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and 4 central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. SCO has four observer states, namely Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia.
It has six dialogue partners, namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. Uzbekistan took over the chairmanship of the organization from Tajikistan on September 17, 2021. India will hold the SCO summit next year.
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives at the Enforcement Directorate office for the third round of questioning in the National Herald case.
The ED had questioned Sonia Gandhi for six hours on Tuesday in the second round of questioning amid protests by Congress workers across the country.
#WATCH Congress workers try to stop a train at Mumbai's Borivali railway station in protest against ED questioning of party's interim president Sonia Gandhi in National Herald case
Some people came to stop the train but they didn't succeed, they've been detained: CPRO W.Railway pic.twitter.com/YPjTAAVENP
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third day in the National Herald newspaper-linked money laundering case, has put the onus of the transactions on party’s former treasurer Motilal Vora.
Vora was actively involved with the affairs of Associated Journals Ltd.
According to reports, in January 2008, the employees’ union and the then AICC treasurer Motilal Vora had co-signed the agreement declaring the AJL group’s National Herald newspaper’s closure in January 2008.
Image: Screen Grab
Meanwhile, The opposition Congress in Puducherry staged a satyagraha near the Rajiv Gandhi Square on Puducherry-Tindivanam stretch here on Tuesday in protest against party president Sonia Gandhi’s summons by the Enforcement Directorate.
Condemning the summons issued by the ED to Gandhi in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper, Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee president A V Subramanian presided over the agitation, and among those who participated in the demonstration, included former chief minister V Narayanasamy, former ministers and party legislator M Vaithianathan.
Petition filed in the Bombay HC against police officer Daya Nayak 10
The petitioners claimed that while Nayak was posted at Amboli police station, he had demanded money from one accused apprehended with sandalwood, after which the petitioner, who was told about the same, had reported it to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Seeking an investigation against him by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired judge of HC to investigate the “false” narcotics case registered against the petitioners.
The three petitioners claimed that Nayak had wrongfully implicated them in a narcotics case in 2019. The petitioners claimed that while Nayak was posted at Amboli police station, he had demanded money from one accused apprehended with sandalwood, after which the petitioner, who was told about the same, had reported it to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
According to the plea, Nayak came to know about the complaint and he “implicated the petitioners with vendetta” in a narcotics case.
The ED, which is probing the money laundering aspect of the teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal, has summoned TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya in connection with it, sources said.
Bhattacharya, who is an MLA from Nadia district and the ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, has been asked to depose before the officials of ED at the CGO complex at 12 noon on Wednesday.
ED has already conducted search operations in Bhattacharya’s residential premises on July 22 along with those of others allegedly involved in the recruitment scam.
At 2.32 am, 2.33 am, 3.35 am and 9.35 am – This is the log of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee’s unanswered calls to Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee as he was being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 23 in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) scam.
The ED on Tuesday grilled and arrested Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee over the school jobs scam.
The opposition has slammed the government for the delay in State cabinet expansion 13
Devendra Fadnavis home and finance, while Sudhir Mungantiwar may get revenue and Chandrakant Patil to be given PWD.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a clutch of petitions filed over the formation of the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Perhaps this is the reason that the expansion of the state cabinet is not likely before August 1.
Though the Shinde camp and the BJP have decided on a power-sharing formula, the list of the names to be inducted into the cabinet is yet to be finalized. According to a BJP leader and former minister, the expansion will take place on July 29, or after August 2.
The delay is mainly because of the SC hearing, as the uncertainty over a few issues, including disqualification of the MLAs and right to issue whip during the confidence motion, looms large.
Shinde camp’s spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar, however, said the delay had nothing to do with the SC hearing. “The top court has not stopped us from the expansion. We have to do it at the earliest and it may take place in the next few days.”
So far there is no dispute over the allocation of portfolios. The Shinde camp will get 16 berths, including that of the CM, while we will get 27 departments. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is keen on keeping home and finance, while Sudhir Mungantiwar may get revenue and Chandrakant Patil is expected to be made public works department minister.
A senior leader from the Shinde camp said the ministerial aspirants from both sides had started going back to their constituencies after waiting in Mumbai for four weeks.
Shinde and Fadnavis were sworn in on June 30, a day after Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the CM. Since then, the duo has been taking major decisions related to all the departments.
The opposition has slammed the government for the delay. Leader of opposition Ajit Pawar on Monday said, “The farmers are bearing the brunt of the downpour in various parts of the state as the government has failed to give them relief for crop losses.”
With the delay in cabinet expansion, the monsoon session is also expected to be delayed. An official from the state legislature said the session is expected to be held in the third week of August.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that the opposition will submit a request to the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to rescind the suspension of the members who raised their voices against the price rise.
A meeting of opposition parties was held today to discuss the issue of suspension of MPs and to chalk out a strategy for the floor of the house.
While speaking to the Agencies, Kharge said, “The issues that we have been raising since the last 7 days regarding inflation and imposition of GST on essential commodities, today on the eighth day also we will raise our voice regarding the same. Common people are worried about this. We are also raising our voices continuously, but the government is not ready for discussion. I personally met the chairman and said that you allow the discussion and tell the date and time, we will be ready for discussion, but the government is not ready to accept it. We will submit a request to Speaker and the Chairman to rescind the suspension of the members who raised their voices against the price rise.”
He further said that the suspension of MPs which has been done at the behest of the government should be withdrawn with immediate effect.
“We have called a meeting of opposition parties. We will discuss amongst ourselves and appeal to the Speaker to withdraw the suspension of these 19 MPs. Those MPs who raise their voice against inflation should not suppress their voice by suspending them. This suspension, which has been done at the behest of the government, should be withdrawn with immediate effect,” he said.
The Congress MP further said that it is not necessary for the concerned minister to speak on a particular topic, any minister can reply but this government is sitting dogmatically and does not want discussion.
“The House does not run again and again. There is a rule in our democracy that any minister in the cabinet, who has knowledge about the subject concerned, can speak. It is not that it is necessary for the concerned minister to speak. Any minister can reply. But this government is sitting dogmatically and does not want discussion,” he added.
Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP NK Premachandran, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) MP Vaiko, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) ET Mohammed Basheer, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP Elamaram Kareem, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MP Jayant Chaudhry were present in the meeting today.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) skipped the meeting.
Opposition MPs also protested in front of Gandhi’s statue on suspension of MPs from Parliament Earlier on Tuesday, 19 Opposition MPs including TMC leaders Sushmita Dev, Santanu Sen, and Dola Sen were suspended from Rajya Sabha for the remaining part of the week for ‘misconduct’.
They were suspended for storming well of the House and sloganeering against the government over inflation.
On July 25, four Congress MPs including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and TN Prathapan have been suspended from the Lok Sabha for the entire Monsoon session for their ‘unruly behaviour and disrupting proceedings.
‘The MPs were suspended according to Rule 374 on ‘unruly and disrespectful behaviour towards the Chair.’
The Upper House has been facing adjournment on various issues due to the Opposition ruckus since the Parliament’s Monsoon Session started.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session.
