Rishabh Pant turns into the style of Munna Bhaiya from the web series of Mirzapur

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July 19, 2022

After smashing a match-winning ton in the third and final ODI against England, India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant showcased a completely different side of himself.

Taking to Twitter, Pant posted a picture of himself, donning a dapper look with a gold chain, standing beside a chair and captioned it with a famous dialogue from the web series, Mirzapur. “Aur hum ek naya niyam add kar rahe hain, Mirzapur ki gaddi pe baithne wala kabhi bhi niyam badal sakta hai – Munna Bhaiya,” tweeted Rishabh Pant. The tweet by Pant took the internet by storm as many fans got totally amazed after seeing such a quirky side of the wicketkeeper-batter.

Coming to the third ODI against England, Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 125 and his 133-run partnership with Hardik Pandya helped India chase down 260 in the final ODI of the three-match series at Manchester and win the series 2-1.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on SPORTS18’s show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP, had praised Pant for his knock. “Yes, just hoping that Hardik can keep his fitness together. No issues with Rishabh Pant. What we saw in that last one day, I was completely floored by the sheer talent and ability of these two guys, temperament as well built a long partnership and how easily, in the end, India won.

Thanks to Rishabh Pant for staying there till the end,” Sanjay Manjrekar had said. “So yes, high-quality batters, and they’re going to be batting mostly at number 4 and 5 whether it’s T20 Cricket or 50 overs cricket or Pant could be opening as well.

In 2019, we had a lot of issues finding a proper middle order but now we have some quality supply,” he added. Rishabh Pant will next be seen in action in the T20I series against West Indies, starting from July 29.

SIT Committee probes in Tamil Nadu Violence

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PTI

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July 19, 2022

violence — Image : Agencies/Representation

Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) C Sylendra Babu on Tuesday announced the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe in-depth into the riot, arson, and connected incidents in Kaniyamoor in Kallakurichi district on July 17.

The protesters entered the private school and vandalized the property and torched school buses after a Class 12 girl student of the school was found dead at the hostel.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin took stock of the situation on Tuesday and chaired a high-level meeting with School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and senior officials, through video conference.

The SIT will take up the investigation immediately. Praveen Kumar Abhinapu, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Salem range, will head the investigation and he would be assisted by 5 high ranking officials, an order issued by the DGP office here said.

S Radhakrishnan, Commandant 5th Battalion, Avadi, M Kingshlin, Superintendent of Police, Crime against Women and Children, Chennai, Thirumal, additional SP, HQRS, Villupuram district, Muthumanikkam, additional SP, HQRS, Tiruppathur district, and Chandramouli, additional SP, Namakkal district, will assist the DIG. The latter has been asked to send a list of Deputy Superintendents of Police, officers, and personnel required to assist in the investigation.

The SIT has been tasked to unearth the entire conspiracy behind the incident, identify all violators captured in videos, those who formed Whatsapp groups and spread false news resulting in rioting, and take action as per law.

Youtube channels which spread false news and those which conducted parallel media trails, should be blocked. Further, the SIT should file a status report before the Madras high court on the next date of hearing in the case, the DGP said.

Pakistani rupee slumps further to PKR 221 against USD

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

pakitanrupeeagaun october27202110270307062021111222071920211207223928202112281 6qS9cLf — Representative Image

The Pakistani rupee on Tuesday surpassed all prior records against the US dollar after hitting a fresh record low of PKR 221 against the US dollar in the interbank market.

The currency fell by PKR 5.80 in the interbank market on Tuesday after it closed at PKR 215.20 on Monday, Geo News reported citing the data released by Tresmark, a platform for treasury markets.

The Pakistani rupee lost PKR 4.25 or 1.97 per cent against the US dollar, as per the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan on Monday.

The currency witnessed the highest day-on-day depreciation since March 26, 2020.

It was trading at Rs222 against the dollar in the open market today, local media reported.

“The dollar is getting stronger in the global market almost against all the world currencies and the Pakistani Rupee is not exception,” Khurram Schezad, the CEO of investment banking platform Alpha Beta Core, said.

He added that the external account issues of Pakistan “are not settled as yet, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is yet to be on board, and the flows are yet to materialise”.

“Global rating agencies have put a negative outlook on the economy, so that is an additional burden that is weighing on the financial markets in general and foreign exchange market in particular,” Schezad added.

A day earlier, The Pakistani rupee has dropped to PKR 212 against the US dollar. The political uncertainty in the country due to the by-elections in Punjab and the import payment pressure took the currency to its new low, Pakistan-Kuwait Investment Company Head of Research Samiullah Tariq said.

Owing to quarter-end payments and delay in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the Pakistani rupee on June 21 breached 211-a-US dollar, losing PKR 2 during intra-day trading.

This fall in the rupee’s value against the greenback came after traders resorted to panic buying on reports that some commercial banks had run out of foreign currency.

Meanwhile, Arif Habib Limited analyst Ahsan Mehnti is hopeful that the currency will recover soon as the IMF deal with the country will give it a “much-needed breather”.

The IMF on Saturday said that Pakistan will receive USD 1.7 billion in tranches in the coming three to six weeks.

Since the beginning of this fiscal year (July 1, 2021) to date, the rupee has collectively dropped over 30.65 per cent (or PKR 48.29) compared to the previous fiscal year’s close at PKR 157.54.

The rupee has maintained a downward trend for the last 13 months. It has lost over 33.20 per cent (or PKR 50.56) to date, compared to the record high of PKR 152.27 recorded in May 2021, reported Geo News.

China and European Union holds trade talks and issues of the Ukraine war

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

China and the European Union are set to hold high-level talks on the economy and trade amid tensions over human rights issues in Xinjiang and the war in Ukraine. This meeting comes after months of failed efforts to set a date for talks after the tense EU-China summit in April, during which the sides failed to agree on a joint statement.

Besides the difference on the issue of the Ukraine war, another issue that could prove to be a bottleneck will be an unratified investment deal that has undergone a rocky journey since negotiations concluded in December 2020.

“The 9th #EUChina High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue takes place tomorrow 19/07. I look forward to co-chairing this important event together with China Vice-Premier Liu He,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the EU Commission. Back in April, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said China wanted to set aside their difference on Ukraine – they did not want to talk about Ukraine.

“They did not want to talk about human rights, and other issues, and instead focus on the positive things. The European side made clear that this “compartmentalization” is not feasible, not acceptable. For us, the war in Ukraine is a defining moment for whether we live in a world governed by rules or by force,” he said.

Borrell described the last summit as a “dialogue of the deaf” after European officials failed to secure reassurances that Beijing would not offer practical support to Russia. Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the EU has called on China to use its influence with Russia to reach an immediate ceasefire and to support humanitarian corridors. “We stressed that any attempts to assist Russia militarily or to help Russia circumvent the sanctions that were taken would be having serious consequences and would deteriorate our relations.

The Chinese side stuck to general statements of wishing to see peace – ‘we are peaceful people, we do not invade the others’ -, asking for de-escalation, but avoiding specific commitments or avoiding also any kind of blame on Russia,” he said.

Besides trade, the two sides in April this year discussed several international issues. The EU had called on China to play a constructive role in Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Iran.

The 27-member bloc also raised concerns over the South China Sea and called for preserving the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. In May 2021, the European Parliament voted to “freeze” a sweeping investment deal with China after Beijing slapped sanctions on European lawmakers in retaliation for the sanctioning of Chinese officials accused of oppressing the Uighur population in Xinjiang province.

Sharad Pawar breaking Shiv Sena, alleges ex-Maha minister Kadam

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PTI

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July 19, 2022

Former Maharashtra minister Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday alleged that NCP chief Sharad Pawar was breaking the Shiv Sena and he had given a proof of this to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

The Sena was “systematically weakened” by Pawar. Some MLAs had expressed concern over it but Thackeray was not ready to part ways with Pawar, Kadam claimed while talking to a TV channel.

However, NCP’s chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase dismissed Kadam’s remarks, claiming the BJP was behind the split in the Shiv Sena and that the rebel leaders were trying to divert the attention from it by targeting Pawar.

On Monday, Kadam in a letter to Thackeray tendered his resignation as “Shiv Sena leader”.

Shiv Sena president and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday evening announced that Kadam was sacked for indulging in “anti-party” activities.

Kadam was later “reinstated” as leader by the rebel Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress, collapsed last month after Shinde and 39 other Sena MLAs revolted against the party.

Kadam on Tuesday said, “I have given ample proof to Uddhavji about how NCP chief Sharad Pawar is breaking the Shiv Sena.” He (Pawar) has given good posts to members of the Kunabi community (in Konkan) and also strengthened them with funds, Kadam claimed.

“The chief minister was ours, funds came from government coffers, but the party (Sena) was systematically weakened by Pawar. Many MLAs expressed similar concerns before you (Uddhav Thackeray), but you were not ready to leave Pawar,” he further claimed.

Had (Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray been alive today, would he have allowed Uddhav Thackeray to become chief minister with the support of the NCP and Congress? Kadam wondered.

The former minister further said he had opposed Uddhav Thackeray’s move (in 2019) to join hands with the NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra.

“I told him (Uddhav) that it is like committing a sin. His (Balasaheb Thackeray’s) soul will not be at peace with this arrangement,” he said.

Last month, when Shinde revolted against the party, Ramdas Kadam’s son Yogesh Kadam, the MLA from Dapoli in Ratnagiri district, had also joined the rebel camp.

Meanwhile, NCP spokesperson Tapase said the MVA was formed due to Pawar’s initiative and even after the rebellion, the NCP is still supporting Uddhav Thackeray and his group of Sena leaders.

Government does not maintain data of arrested journalists

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

Nityanand rai 2 — Government does not maintain data of arrested journalists 7

Union Minister for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Tuesday informed in a written reply in Loksabha that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not maintain any specific data with respect to the arrest of journalists.

His remarks came after Trinamool Congress MP Mala Roy had asked about the total number of journalists arrested in the country since 2019 along with the details of all the individual charges against these journalists.

Roy had also asked for citations of the total number of journalists facing prosecution currently. Rai said,” ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and State Governments are responsible for the prevention, detection and investigation of crimes and for prosecuting the criminals through their law enforcement agencies.”

Earlier the second day of the Monsoon Session of the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid protests and sloganeering by the opposition parties over inflation and GST rate hikes.

Meanwhile, the Lower House of the Parliament has been adjourned till 2 pm amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs on issues of price hikes and inflation.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla prior to adjourning the House proceedings till 2 pm said, “As per rules, it is not allowed to bring placards inside the House.”

The Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence on Monday and will continue till August 12.

There will be 18 sittings during the Session. This session is important given the fact that the Presidential Election and the Vice Presidential Election will be held during this period.

The Presidential Election was held on Monday while the Vice Presidential election will be held on August 6

SC has issued notice to NIA on seeking bail to P Varavara Rao

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the National Investigation Authority (NIA) on a plea filed by activist and poet Dr P Varavara Rao, an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, seeking bail on medical grounds.

A bench of Justices UU Lalit, S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that its order of extending the interim bail granted on medical grounds Rao will continue.

The apex court posted the matter for final hearing now on August 10. “Interim protection granted earlier on medical grounds extended till further orders,” said the bench in its order. Earlier, the top court had extended Rao’s interim bail till further orders.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for NIA while senior advocate Anand Grover represented Rao. Rao has challenged an April 13 judgment of the Bombay High Court which had rejected his plea for permanent bail.

The High Court, however, had extended the time for Rao to surrender before the Taloja prison authorities by three months, to enable him to undergo cataract surgery. It had also rejected Rao’s application to stay in Hyderabad instead of Mumbai, while out on bail.

In his appeal, Rao has said that he has undergone over two years of incarceration as an under-trial, and is currently enlarged on bail on medical grounds by the Bombay High Court. “Any further incarceration would ring the death knell for him as advancing age and deteriorating health are a fatal combination,” stated the plea.

Rao has challenged the High Court order as he was not granted an extension of bail, despite his advanced age and precarious and deteriorating health condition, and has been denied the prayer to shift to Hyderabad.

He was arrested on August 28, 2018, from his home in Hyderabad and is an under-trial in the Bhima Koregaon case for which FIR was lodged by the Pune Police at Vishrambagh Police Station on January 8, 2018, under various sections of IPC and several provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Rao, who was initially put under house arrest pursuant to the order of the top court, was ultimately taken into police custody on November 17, 2018 and later shifted to Taloja Jail.

Rao in his appeal said that in the totality of circumstances, the trial will take not less than ten years. In fact, one of the accused in the case, Father Stan Swamy, who was suffering from similar ailments as the Petitioner, passed away even before the trial could start, his appeal added. In February 2021, the Bombay High Court granted him interim bail on medical grounds and he was released from jail on March 6, 2021.

Indian Rupee value gone down to 80 against US dollar

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

Rupee Value Down, Dollar, Rupee, Market — Copyright: Afternoon voice

The Indian rupee slipped below the psychologically important level of 80 against the US dollar for the first time ever as high crude oil prices amid tighter global supplies boosted demands for the American currency.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the partially convertible rupee slumped to a low of 80.0175 against a dollar in early trade against its previous day’s close at 79.9775.

The rupee has slipped below the psychologically significant mark of 80 against the US dollar for the first time ever.

The Indian currency has weakened by over 7 per cent so far this year. The rupee has depreciated by around 25 per cent against the US dollar since December 2014.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the parliament on Monday that the main reasons for the depreciation in the value of rupee are global factors like the soaring crude oil prices and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Global factors such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, soaring crude oil prices and tightening of global financial conditions are the major reasons for the weakening of the Indian Rupee against the US dollar,” the government said in written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha.

However, the government informed the lower house of Parliament that the Indian currency has strengthened against other major global currencies.

“Currencies such as the British pound, the Japanese yen and the Euro have weakened more than the Indian rupee against the US dollar and therefore, the Indian rupee has strengthened against these currencies in 2022,” the government said.

Bihar man stabbed several times for watching a video of BJP leader Nupur Sharma

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PTI

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July 19, 2022

Representative image 3 — Image : Representative purpose

A young man was stabbed by people of another community in Bihar for allegedly watching a video of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, though police asserted that the incident had “no communal angle”.

The incident took place in Nanpur police station area of Sitamarhi district on Sunday where Ankit Jha, 23, was stabbed several times at a betel shop after which he was rushed to a hospital.

Jha, who has sustained grievous injuries, told reporters that he was going through his WhatsApp when some bystanders picked up a quarrel with him before attacking him.

A section of the press has quoted Jha’s family members as having alleged that an FIR was registered “only after” they deleted the reference to Sharma, in news for derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad in a TV debate, whose video the victim was watching on his phone.

However, Sitamarhi SP Har Kishor Rai asserted that there was “no communal angle” to the incident and that two of the four persons named in the FIR have been arrested.

Earthquake hits Afghanistan leave 31 injured

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ANI

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July 19, 2022

Earthquake, Afghanistan, — Image: Agencies

A total of 31 people have been injured in the earthquake that hit Afghanistan’s Paktika on Monday, media reported citing province authorities.

As per Afghanistan’s local media outlet, TOLO News, Paktika’s Head of Information and Culture Department, Muhammad Amin Huzaifa said that 31 people were injured in Monday’s earthquake that hit Barmal, Giyan and Zirok districts and damaged dozens of homes.

He added that the injured have been evacuated and taken to nearby health centers. Notably, two earthquakes hit Afghanistan’s east and northeast regions on Monday evening, local media reported.

As per the Tolo News citing US Geological Survey, an earthquake measuring 5.1 jolted in the eastern Afghanistan region, at 4:52 (local time) while the earlier one was reported in the northeast with 4.3 magnitudes.

Another earthquake of magnitude 4.7 shook Afghanistan at 06:40:00 IST on Tuesday as well. Earlier, on June 22, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Afghanistan including the capital city Kabul killing over 1,000 people across Barmal and Giyan districts in Paktika province and Spera district in Khost province.

In addition, at least 1,455 people were injured across three of the six most-affected districts of Barmal, Giyan, and Spera – many of them seriously. Over 10,000 houses were destroyed.

The United Nations allocated USD 10 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Funds (UNCERF) to support the people of Afghanistan affected by the earthquake that struck the eastern part of the country.

Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) of Bahrain has entered into an agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to distribute relief aid to support people in Afghanistan affected by the recent earthquake.

India had also handed over the consignments of relief assistance to support the Afghan nationals affected by the earthquake.

The relief assistance handed over by the Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (PAI), JP Singh consisted of essential items including family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, sleeping mats, etc to support the people of Afghanistan in quake-affected regions.

India also deployed a technical team to the Embassy in Kabul to coordinate the efforts of stakeholders for the delivery of humanitarian aid.