SUBHADITYA NEWS CHANNEL PRESENTS NEWS OF THIS WEEK: SCIENCE,POLITICAL,SPORTS, MOVIE & BOOK NEWS THIS WEEK

 

1) Chandrayaan-3: Pragyan rover's ‘race against time now’. What it has seen on Moon so far:

On Monday, the ISRO said Pragyan rover was commanded to retrace its path after it came across a crater metres ahead of its location on Moon.It has been exactly a week since the Chandrayaan-3 mission's rover 'Pragyan' soft landed on the south pole of the Moon. On Monday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said Pragyan was commanded to retrace its path after it came across a crater just metres ahead of its location on the lunar surface.

With less than 10 days remaining for the completion of one lunar day, Space Applications Centre (SAC) director Nilesh M Desai on Sunday said the Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan is in a “race against time” and that the ISRO scientists are working to cover a maximum distance of the uncharted south pole through the six-wheeled rover.

What ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 found over the last 7 days:

1. August 23: Just hours after the soft landing on the lunar surface, the ISRO shared first the image captured by Vikram's camera “It shows a portion of Chandrayaan-3's landing site. Seen also is a leg and its accompanying shadow. Chandrayaan-3 chose a relatively flat region on the lunar surface,” it said on X (formally Twitter). The ISRO also said a communication link was established between the lander and the space agency's Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in Bengaluru. The MOX is located at the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC). The ISRO also released images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent to the Moon's surface.

2. August 24: In the morning, the Indian space agency informed that "India took a walk on the moon", as Chandrayaan-3's robotic rover rolled out of the lander and commenced mobility operations with all activities on schedule and all systems normal. It also said all the Lander Module(LM) payloads have been turned on. "All activities are on schedule. All systems are normal. Lander Module payloads ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE are turned ON today. Rover mobility operations have commenced. SHAPE payload on the Propulsion Module was turned ON on Sunday," it said in a post on X while giving an update in the same evening.

3. August 25: A video of the Pragyan rover rolling out of the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander and walking on the lunar surface was released by the ISRO. The ISRO released another video of how a two-segment ramp facilitated the roll-down of the Pragyan. It said a solar panel enabled the rover to generate power. The video also showed how the rapid deployment of the ramp and solar panel took place, prior to the rolldown of the rover.

4. In the same evening, the ISRO updated that the Chandrayaan-3 mission's Pragyan rover has traversed a distance of about eight metres on the lunar surface, and its payloads have been turned on. All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally, the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said.

5. August 26: The ISRO said two of the three Chandrayaan-3 mission objectives have been achieved while the third -- in-situ scientific experiments -- is underway. It also said all the payloads of the mission are performing normally. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision to name the spot where Vikram lander made the soft landing as “Shiv Shakti Point” and the site where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon's surface in 2019 would be known as “Tiranga Point”. Also, August 23, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as ‘National Space Day’, Modi said.

6. August 27: The ISRO released a graph of the temperature variation on the lunar surface and a senior scientist of the space agency expressed surprise over the high temperature recorded on the Moon. The national space agency said Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) payload onboard Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole to understand the thermal behaviour of the Moon's surface. 8. August 28: The Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said Pragyan is now safely heading on a new path. The ISRO said on August 27 the rover came across a four-metre diameter crater which was three metres ahead of its location. "The rover was commanded to retrace the path," it added, following which it is headed on a new path.

2) Aditya L1 Mission Live Updates: Countdown to launch on September 2 at 11:50am begins:

Aditya L1 Mission Live Updates: ISRO’s spacecraft can help scientists dig out hidden history of Earth’s climate as solar activities have impact on atmosphere.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its first space mission to study the Sun, Aditya-L1 at 11.50am on September 2 from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The spacecraft is designed to provide remote observations of the solar corona and in situ observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth Lagrangian point), which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. Notably, Aditya-L1 is a fully indigenous effort with the participation of national institutions. On Thursday, ISRO chairman S Somanath said the space agency was getting ready for the launch and that the countdown for its launch will start on Friday.

For the ISRO, success would be another major feat after India became the first country to land a spacecraft close to the lunar south pole in August. If all goes according to plan, Aditya-L1 will enter into a halo orbit around one of five Lagrange points. From there, Aditya-L1 should enjoy an uninterrupted view of the sun and study in real-time its effect on environmental conditions in the vicinity of Earth and other planets. The ISRO’s spacecraft can also help scientists dig out the hidden history of the Earth’s climate as solar activities have an impact on the planet’s atmosphere.

Aditya L1 Mission Live Updates | ‘It will take another 125 days to travel to L1 point’: ISRO chief Somnath ahead of launch

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Friday visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Sullurpeta in the run-up to the launch of Aditya-L1 mission and prayed for its success.

Somanath visited the temple at 7.30 am and offered prayers to the deity, said a temple official.Talking to reporters, the ISRO chief said the Aditya mission will be launched at 11.50 am on Saturday.He said the solar mission is for studying the Sun and it will take 125 days to reach the exact radius.

Aditya L1: Study of solar quakes must as they affect geomagnetic field, says IIA scientist

Ahead of India's Aditya-L1 solar mission, a top scientist said the monitoring of the Sun on a 24-hour basis is a must to study solar quakes which can alter the geomagnetic fields of earth. The Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun is slated to be launched at 11.50 am from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday.

3) New species of marine bacteria isolated from a deep-sea cold seep:by eLife

Researchers have isolated a new strain of marine bacteria with unique characteristics from the ocean seabed.

The research, published today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, is described by the editors as an important study that advances our understanding of physiological mechanisms in deep-sea Planctomycetes bacteria, revealing unique characteristics such as being the only known species in the class of Phycisphaerae bacteria that uses a distinct budding model of division

It provides what the editors also say is convincing evidence that the new species is extensively involved in nitrogen assimilation and lives with a chronic virus (bacteriophage) that facilitates nitrogen metabolism. Nitrogen cycling by bacteria is an essential process that frees up nitrogen for building into nucleic acids, amino acids and proteins—the building blocks of life.

"Until recently, most research on the Planctomycetes family of bacteria has focused on strains in freshwater and shallow ocean environments, because of the logistical difficulties associated with sampling and cultivating deep-sea strains," says lead author Rikuan Zheng, a research associate at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, and the National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.

"Most Planctomycetes bacteria have been isolated using growth media that are nutritionally poor, so we wanted to see if using a nutrient-rich medium would make it possible to culture and further characterize members of this poorly understood family."

To isolate the novel bacterium, the team took sediment samples from a deep-sea cold seep, where Planctomycetes bacteria are known to reside, and then encouraged their growth by supplementing a standard growth medium with the antibiotic rifampicin and sources of nitrogen. They cultured these enriched bacteria on agar and evaluated individual colonies further by gene sequencing.Among the bacteria, they identified a strain called ZRK32 that grew faster than others, and looked likely to be a member of the genus Poriferisphaera. To confirm this, the team compared the genetic similarities between this strain and other members of the Poriferisphaera genus and found that it was distinguishable from Poriferisphaera corsica, the only other species with a valid published name. This suggests that ZRK32 is a novel species—which the team proposes to call Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis. To learn more about this new species, the team studied its growth and how it multiplies. They found that, unlike other Planctomycetes family members, Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis grows better in nutrient-rich media and multiplies via a budding mechanism, where parent cells create outgrowth buds that develop into daughter cells.

As the Planctomycetes bacteria family is known to play an important role in nitrogen cycling, the team next explored whether this was also the case for Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis. To test this, they looked at the effects of different nitrogen-containing substances—nitrates, ammonia and nitrogen dioxide—on Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis growth. They found that adding nitrogen in the form of a nitrate or ammonia increased growth, whereas adding it as a nitrite inhibited growth.

They also discovered that the addition of nitrate or ammonia caused the novel strain to release a bacteriophage—a type of virus that infects bacteria. Bacteriophages are widely distributed across oceans and can regulate nitrogen metabolism in their host bacteria. This bacteriophage—called phage-ZRK32—was able to increase the growth of Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis and other marine bacteria dramatically by facilitating nitrogen metabolism.

Even though the team's genetic analysis suggested Poriferisphaera hetertotrophicis contains all the necessary genes for metabolizing nitrate and ammonia, chronic infection with this bacteriophage may help to further optimize nitrogen metabolism.

"Our analyses indicate that strain ZRK32 is a novel species, which grows best in nutrient-rich media and releases a bacteriophage in the presence of nitrogen," concludes senior author Chaomin Sun, a Professor at the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology.

"This phage-ZRK32 is a chronic bacteriophage that lives within its host without killing it. Our findings provide a novel insight into nitrogen metabolism in Planctomycetes bacteria and a suitable model to study the interactions between Planctomycetes and viruses."

4) A simpler way to connect quantum computers :by Princeton University

Researchers have a new way to connect quantum devices over long distances, a necessary step toward allowing the technology to play a role in future communications systems. While today's classical data signals can get amplified across a city or an ocean, quantum signals cannot. They must be repeated in intervals—that is, stopped, copied and passed on by specialized machines called quantum repeaters. Many experts believe these quantum repeaters will play a key role in future communication networks, allowing enhanced security and enabling connections between remote quantum computers.

A new Princeton study titled "Indistinguishable telecom band photons from a single erbium ion in the solid state" and published Aug. 30 in Nature, details the basis for a new approach to building quantum repeaters. It sends telecom-ready light emitted from a single ion implanted in a crystal. The effort was many years in the making, according to Jeff Thompson, the study's principal author. The work combined advances in photonic design and materials science.

Other leading quantum repeater designs emit light in the visible spectrum, which degrades quickly over optical fiber and must be converted before traveling long distances. The new device is based on a single rare earth ion implanted in a host crystal. And because this ion emits light at an ideal infrared wavelength, it requires no such signal conversion, which can lead to simpler and more robust networks.

The device has two parts: a calcium tungstate crystal doped with just a handful of erbium ions, and a nanoscopic piece of silicon etched into a J-shaped channel. Pulsed with a special laser, the ion emits light up through the crystal. But the silicon piece, a whisp of a semiconductor stuck onto the top of the crystal, catches and guides individual photons out into the fiber optic cable.

Ideally, this photon would be encoded with information from the ion, Thompson said. Or more specifically, from a quantum property of the ion called spin. In a quantum repeater, collecting and interfering the signals from distant nodes would create entanglement between their spins, allowing end-to-end transmission of quantum states despite losses along the way. Thompson's team first started working with erbium ions several years before, but first versions used different crystals that harbored too much noise. In particular, this noise caused the frequency of the emitted photons to jump around randomly in a process known as spectral diffusion. This prevented the delicate quantum interference that is necessary to operate quantum networks.

To solve this problem, his lab started working with Nathalie de Leon, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Robert Cava, a leading solid-state materials scientist and Princeton's Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry, to explore new materials that could host single erbium ions with much less noise.

They winnowed the list of candidate materials from hundreds of thousands down to a few hundred, then a couple dozen, then three. Each of the three finalists took half a year to test. The first material turned out to be not quite clear enough. The second caused the erbium to have poor quantum properties. But the third, the calcium tungstate, was just right.

To demonstrate that the new material is suitable for quantum networks, the researchers built an interferometer where photons randomly pass through one of two paths: a short path that is several feet long, or a long path that is 22 miles long (made of spooled optical fiber). Photons emitted from the ion can go on the long path or the short path, and about half the time, consecutive photons take opposite paths, and arrive at the output at the same time.When such a collision occurs, quantum interference causes the photons to leave the output in pairs if and only if they are fundamentally indistinguishable—having the same shape and frequency. Otherwise, they leave the interferometer individually.

By observing a strong suppression—up to 80%—of individual photons at the interferometer output, the team proved conclusively that the erbium ions in the new material emit indistinguishable photons. According to Salim Ourari, a graduate student who co-led the research, that puts the signal well above the hi-fi threshold.

While this work crosses an important threshold, additional work is required to improve the storage time of quantum states in the spin of the erbium ion. The team is currently working on making more highly refined calcium tungstate, with fewer impurities that disturb the quantum spin states.

5) Evidence shows that, in love, opposites don't actually attract :by Lisa Marshall, University of Colorado at Boulder

Despite some conventional wisdom to the contrary, opposites don't actually attract. That's the takeaway from a sweeping CU Boulder analysis of more than 130 traits and including millions of couples over more than a century.

"Our findings demonstrate that birds of a feather are indeed more likely to flock together," said first author Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG).

The study, published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, confirms what individual studies have hinted at for decades, defying the age-old adage that "opposites attract."It found that for between 82% and 89% of traits analyzed—ranging from political leanings to age of first intercourse to substance use habits—partners were more likely than not to be similar.For only 3% of traits, and only in one part of their analysis, did individuals tend to partner with those who were different than them.Aside from shedding light on unseen forces that may shape human relationships, the research has important implications for the field of genetic research."A lot of models in genetics assume that human mating is random. This study shows this assumption is probably wrong," said senior author and IBG Director Matt Keller, noting that what is known as "assortative mating"—when individuals with similar traits couple up—can skew findings of genetic studies.

Looking back more than a century

For the new paper, the authors conducted both a review, or meta-analysis, of previous research and their own original data analysis.

For the meta-analysis, they looked at 22 traits across 199 studies including millions of male-female co-parents, engaged pairs, married pairs or cohabitating pairs. The oldest study was conducted in 1903.In addition, they used a dataset called the UK Biobank to study 133 traits, including many that are seldom studied, across almost 80,000 opposite-sex pairs in the United Kingdom.

Same sex couples were not included in the research. Because the patterns there may differ significantly, the authors are now exploring those separately.Across both analyses, traits like political and religious attitudes, level of education, and certain measures of IQ showed particularly high correlations.For instance, on a scale in which zero means there is no correlation and 1 means couples always share the trait, the correlation for political values was .58.Traits around substance use also showed high correlations, with heavy smokers, heavy drinkers and teetotalers tending strongly to partner up with those with similar habits.Meanwhile, traits like height and weight, medical conditions and personality traits showed far lower but still positive correlations. For instance, the correlation for neuroticism was .11.

For some traits, like extroversion, there was not much of a correlation at all."People have all these theories that extroverts like introverts or extroverts like other extroverts, but the fact of the matter is that it's about like flipping a coin: Extroverts are similarly likely to end up with extroverts as with introverts," said Horwitz.

Rarely, opposites may attract

In the meta-analysis, the researchers found "no compelling evidence" on any trait that opposites attract. In the UK Biobank sample, they did find a handful of traits in which there seemed to be a negative correlation, albeit small.

Those included: chronotype (whether someone is a "morning lark" or "night owl"), tendency to worry and hearing difficulty.More research must be done to unpack those findings, they said.The trait for which couples were most likely to be similar was, not surprisingly, birth year.But even seldom-studied traits, like how many sexual partners a person had had or whether they had been breastfed as a child, showed some correlation.

"These findings suggest that even in situations where we feel like we have a choice about our relationships, there may be mechanisms happening behind the scenes of which we aren't fully aware," said Horwitz.

Next-generation implications

The authors note that couples share traits for a variety of reasons: Some grow up in the same area. Some are attracted to people who are similar to them. Some grow more similar the longer they are together.

Depending on the cause, there could be downstream consequences.

For example, Horwitz explains, if short people are more likely to produce offspring with short people and tall people with tall people, there could be more people at the height extremes in the next generation. The same goes for psychiatric, medical or other traits.

There could also be social implications.

For instance, some small previous studies have suggested that people in the U.S. are growing more likely to couple up with people with similar educational backgrounds—a trend that, some theorize, could widen the socioeconomic divide.

Notably, the new study also showed that the strength of correlations for traits differed across populations. They likely also change over time, they suspect.

The researchers caution that the correlations they found were fairly modest and should not be overstated or misused to promote an agenda (Horwitz points out that assortative mating research was, tragically, co-opted by the eugenics movement).

They do hope the study will spark more research across disciplines, from economics to sociology to anthropology and psychology."We're hoping people can use this data to do their own analyses and learn more about how and why people end up in the relationships they do," she said.

IMAGE GRAPH DESCRIPTION:

The UKB partner correlation point estimates for 133 traits grouped by category. The point estimates on the y axis represent the estimated partner correlation, along with Bonferroni-adjusted 95% CIs (adjusting for 133 traits), for the corresponding trait on the x axis. Estimates are based on up to 79,074 pairs; Supplementary Table 4 includes the precise sample size/point estimate for each trait along with the Bonferroni-adjusted P values associated with the adjusted 95% CIs depicted in this figure. Traits are grouped into six categories: health-related, psychological, demographic/family, substance use, anthropometric and behavioral. Points representing partner correlations for continuous traits (Pearson correlations) are blue; points representing partner correlations for ordinally coded traits (Spearman correlations) are red; points representing partner correlations for dichotomously coded traits (tetrachoric correlations) are light green. Num Dep Episodes, number of depressive episodes; Heel BMD, heel bone mineral density (in the form of a t-score); LDL, direct low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CRP, C-reactive protein; RBC, red blood cell (erythrocyte) count; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; CPD (all participants), cigarettes per day (includes current, former and never smokers); FEV1 pred %, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), predicted percentage; PEF, peak expiratory flow; WBC, white blood cell (leucocyte) count; SBP, systolic blood pressure; HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CPD (smokers only), cigarettes per day (restricted to current or former smokers); WHR, waist-to-hip ratio; BMR, basal metabolic rate; FIQ, fluid intelligence quotient; FVC, forced vital capacity; Time to First Cig, time to first cigarette. Credit: Nature Human Behavior (2023).

6) Arctic sea ice may melt faster in coming years due to shifting winds By Carolyn Gramling:

The ice is at the mercy of winds controlling where warmer Atlantic Ocean water goes

A flip-flopping, yearslong pattern of winds helps control the fate of the Arctic’s sea ice — by regulating how much of the Atlantic Ocean’s relatively warm, salty water sneaks northward into the Arctic Ocean.

From 2007 to 2021, winds over North America and Eurasia were circulating in such a way that they reduced the influx of warmer Atlantic water into the Arctic, researchers report in the Sept. 1 Science. That helped slow the rate of sea ice loss during that time period — even as atmospheric warming ramped up (SN: 8/11/22). But that grace period may come to an end within just a few years. When the winds shift back, enhanced “Atlantification” of the Arctic may speed up sea ice loss, by giving an extra oomph of warming from below.

“This phase has lasted about 15 years. We’re about at the end,” says physical oceanographer Igor Polyakov of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “The sea ice will be responding. There’s a great possibility for this rapid change in the system.”

Earth’s busy, interactive layers of ocean and atmosphere feature many different regional and global patterns that toggle between two different phases over years to decades, such as the El Niño and La Niña phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (SN: 6/15/23).

The Arctic Dipole is a smaller-scale, regional pattern of winds that is having a global impact, Polyakov and colleagues suggest. To assess its influence, the researchers compared atmospheric wind patterns since 1979 with trends in summer ice extent and thickness gathered from satellite, airplane and shipboard surveys over that time frame. A clear relationship emerged, they say.From 1979 to 2006, the Arctic Dipole was in a “negative” phase, with winds rotating counterclockwise over North America and clockwise over Eurasia. That brought more Atlantic water into the Arctic via the Fram Strait, a narrow strip of ocean between Greenland and Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. During that time period, summertime sea ice extent shrank rapidly from year to year, vanishing at a rate of about 1 million square kilometers per decade.

The year 2007, a record-breaking year for Arctic sea ice loss, marked the end of this “negative” phase of the Arctic Dipole (SN: 12/9/20). From then until 2021, the rate of sea ice loss across the entire Arctic slowed, shrinking by only about 70,000 square kilometers per decade — largely due to atmospheric warming,

That’s not to say that the ice has recovered. It remains at a very low extent compared to the historical record. Human-caused global warming has ramped up heating across the region and created feedback loops that enhance sea ice loss: Melting sea ice exposes more ocean surface to the sun, warming that surface water, in turn enhancing ice melt. 

But the current, “positive” phase of the Dipole has helped put the brakes on the dramatic rate of Arctic sea ice loss — for now, Polyakov says. Less Atlantic water flowing in through the Fram Strait means the waters of the Arctic Ocean remain stratified — tightly layered, with the less-dense, colder, fresher Arctic water sitting on top of the warmer Atlantic waters like a lid on a pot.

That’s been protecting the sea ice from melting from below, says Thomas Rippeth, a physical oceanographer at Bangor University in Wales who was not involved in the new study. Whether another switchover in the Arctic Dipole is about to occur, shifting winds and encouraging more warm waters to flow northward, isn’t yet clear, Rippeth says. “This paper is telling us what to look for — that’s why it’s an important piece of work.”

 1) Modi-linked Adani family secretly invested in own shares, documents suggest: from The Guardian Paper

Offshore records suggest associates of wealthy Indian family spent years acquiring stock during rise of founder to be worth $120bn.

A billionaire Indian family with close ties to the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, secretly invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Indian stock market, buying its own shares, newly disclosed documents suggest.

According to offshore financial records seen by the Guardian, associates of the Adani family may have spent years discreetly acquiring stock in the Adani Group’s own companies during its meteoric rise to become one of India’s largest and most powerful businesses.By 2022, its founder, Gautam Adani, had become India’s richest person and the world’s third richest person, worth more than $120bn (£94bn).

In January, a report published by the New York financial research firm Hindenburg accused the Adani Group of pulling off the “largest con in corporate history”.

It alleged there had been “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud”, and the use of opaque offshore companies to buy its own shares, contributing to the “sky high” market valuation of the conglomerate, which hit a peak of $288bn in 2022.

The Adani Group denied the Hindenburg claims, which initially wiped $100bn off the conglomerate’s market value and cost Gautam Adani his prime spot on the world rich list.

At the time, the group called the research a “calculated attack on India” and on “the independence, integrity and quality of Indian institutions”.

Yet new documents obtained by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and shared with the Guardian and the Financial Times, reveal for the first time the details of an undisclosed and complex offshore operation in Mauritius – seemingly controlled by Adani associates – that was allegedly used to support the share prices of its group of companies from 2013 to 2018.

Up until now, this offshore network had remained impenetrable.

The records also appear to provide compelling evidence of the influential role allegedly played by Adani’s older brother, Vinod, in the secretive offshore operations. The Adani Group says Vinod Adani has “no role in the day to day affairs” of the company.

In the documents, two of Vinod Adani’s close associates are named as sole beneficiaries of offshore companies through which the money appeared to flow. In addition, financial records and interviews suggest investments into Adani stock from two Mauritius-based funds were overseen by a Dubai-based company, run by a known employee of Vinod Adani.The disclosure could have significant political implications for Modi, whose relationship with Gautam Adani goes back 20 years. Since the Hindenburg report was published, Modi has faced difficult questions about the nature of his partnership with Gautam Adani and allegations of preferential treatment of the Adani Group by his government.

According to a letter uncovered by the OCCRP and seen by the Guardian, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had been handed evidence in early 2014 of alleged suspicious stock market activity by the Adani Group – but after Modi was elected months later, the government regulator’s interest seemed to lapse.

In response to fresh questions relating to the new documents, the Adani Group said: “Contrary to your claim of new evidence/proofs, these are nothing, but a rehash of unsubstantiated allegations levelled in the Hindenburg report. Our response to the Hindenburg report is available on our website. Suffice it to state that there is neither any truth to nor any basis for making any of the said allegations against the Adani Group and its promoters and we expressly reject all of them.”

The offshore money trail

The trove of documents lays out a complex web of companies that date back to 2010, when two Adani family associates, Chang Chung-Ling and Nasser Ali Shaban Ahli, began setting up offshore shell companies in Mauritius, the British Virgin Islands and the United Arab Emirates.

These financial records appear to show that four of the offshore companies established by Chang and Ahli – who have both been directors of Adani-linked companies – sent hundreds of millions of dollars into a large investment fund in Bermuda called Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), with those monies invested in the Indian stock market from 2013 onwards.This investment was made by introducing yet another layer of opacity. Financial records paint a picture of money from the pair’s offshore companies flowing from GOF into two funds to which GOF subscribed: Emerging India Focus Funds (EIFF) and EM Resurgent Fund (EMRF).

These funds then appear to have spent years acquiring shares in four Adani-listed companies: Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Power and, later, Adani Transmission. The records shine a light on how money in opaque offshore structures can flow secretly into the shares of publicly listed companies in India. The investment decisions of these two funds appeared to be made under the guidance of an investment advisory company controlled by a known employee and associate of Vinod Adani, based in Dubai.

In May 2014, EIFF appears to have held more than $190m of shares in three Adani entities, while EMRF looks to have invested around two-thirds of its portfolio in about $70m of Adani stock. Both funds appear to have used money that came solely from the companies controlled by Chang and Ahli.In September 2014, a separate set of financial records set out how the four Chang and Ahli offshore companies had invested about $260m in Adani shares via this structure.

Documents show that this investment appeared to grow over the next three years: by March 2017, the Chang and Ahli offshore companies had invested $430m – 100% of their total portfolio – into Adani company stock.

When contacted by the Guardian by phone, Chang declined to discuss the documents setting out his company’s investments in Adani shares. Nor would he answer questions about his links to Vinod Adani, who along with Ahli did not respond to efforts to contact them.

Indian stock market rules

The alleged offshore enterprise of the Adani associates raises questions about the possible breaching of Indian market rules that prevent stock manipulation and regulate public shareholdings of companies.

The rules state that 25% of a company’s shares must be kept “free float” – meaning they are available for public trade on the stock exchange – while 75% can be held by promoters, who have declared their direct involvement or connection with the company. Vinod Adani has recently been acknowledged by the conglomerate as a promoter.

However, records show that at the peak of their investment, Ahli and Chang held between 8% and 13.5% of the free floating shares of four Adani companies through EIFF and EMRF. If their holdings were classified as being controlled by Vinod Adani proxies, the Adani Group’s promoter holdings would have seemingly breached the 75% limit.

Political ties

Gautam Adani has long been accused of benefiting from his powerful political connections. His relationship with Modi dates back to 2002, when he was a businessman in Gujarat and Modi was chief minister of the state, and their rise has appeared to happen in tandem since. After Modi won the general election in May 2014, he flew to Delhi on Gautam Adani’s plane, a scene captured in a now well-known photo of him in front of the Adani corporate logo.

During Modi’s time as leader, the power and influence of the Adani Group has soared, with the conglomerate acquiring lucrative state contracts for ports, power plants, electricity, coalmines, highways, energy parks, slum redevelopment and airports. In some cases, laws were amended that allowed Adani Group companies to expand in sectors such as airports and coal. In turn, the stock value of the Adani Group rose from about $8bn in 2013 to $288bn by September 2022.

Adani has repeatedly denied that his longstanding connection with the prime minister has led to preferential treatment, as has the Indian government.Yet a document unearthed by the OCCRP and seen by the Guardian suggests the SEBI, the government regulator now in charge of investigating the Adani Group, was made aware of stock market activity using Adani offshore funds as far back as early 2014.

In a letter dated January 2014, Najib Shah, the then head of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), India’s financial law enforcement agency, wrote to Upendra Kumar Sinha, the then head of the SEBI.

“There are indications that [Adani-linked] money may have found its way to stock markets in India as investment and disinvestment in the Adani Group,” Shah said in the letter.

He noted that he had sent this material to Sinha because the SEBI was “understood to be investigating into the dealings of the Adani Group of companies in the stock market”.

However, a few months later, after Modi was elected in May 2014, the SEBI’s apparent interest seemed to disappear, a source working for the regulator at the time said.

The SEBI has never publicly disclosed the warning given by the DRI, nor any investigation it might have conducted into the Adani Group in 2014. The letter appears to misalign with statements made by the SEBI in recent court filings in which it denied there were investigations into the Adani Group before 2020, as well as saying suggestions it had investigated the Adani Group dating back to 2016 were “factually baseless”.

The ability of the SEBI, a regulator under the purview of the Modi government, to independently investigate the Adani Group has recently been called into question by critics, lawyers and the political opposition.According to a report given in May to the supreme court – which set up an expert committee to investigate the Adani Group after the publication of the Hindenburg report – the SEBI had been investigating 13 offshore investors in the conglomerate since 2020 but had “hit a wall” in trying to establish if they were linked to the Adani Group. Two of the entities under investigation are EIFF and EMRF.

The regulator has been accused of dragging its feet in their investigation into possible violations by the Adani Group, seeking several extensions. On Friday, the SEBI submitted a report to the supreme court stating that their investigations were in the final stages but did not reveal any findings.

The Adani Group said: “The provocative nature of the story and the proposed timing of its publication, when the allegations in it are entirely based on matters which are already under a formal investigation by SEBI and is at the verge of finalisation of the report and while the honourable supreme court hearing is also scheduled shortly; makes us believe that the proposed publication is being done wilfully to defame, disparage, erode value of and cause loss to the Adani Group and its stakeholders.

“Further, it is categorically stated that all the Adani Group’s publicly listed entities are in compliance with all applicable laws, including the regulation relating to public share holdings and PMLA [Prevention of Money Laundering Act].”

A spokesperson for the two funds that invested in Adani stocks – EIFF and EMRF – said the funds had not been “involved in any wrongdoing generally and particularly in connection with the Adani Group”.

It added: “Both the funds had multiple investments across asset classes like equities, mutual funds, alternate investment funds, bonds etc. Amongst these, EIFF and EMRF had investment in equities of the Adani Group, apart from other investments. EIFF and EMRF received subscriptions from Global Opportunities Fund Limited (GOF) which was a broad-based fund as per declarations received. GOF fully redeemed all its participation in EIFF in March 2019 and EMRF in March 2020.”

The SEBI did not respond to requests for comment.

2) At INDIA alliance Mumbai meet, Opposition slams Centre's 'one-nation, one-election' move.

In the Day 2 meeting of the Opposition in Mumbai, the alliance announced a resolution to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections jointly. Top leaders of the Opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A. on Friday began crucial discussions to give structure to their grouping and lay down their plans to take in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Day 2 meeting of the 28 opposition parties at Mumbai's Hotel Grand Hyatt comes amid speculation of early polls and the formation of a committee to explore the possibility of ‘one nation, one election’.

The alliance announced a resolution to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections jointly.

Top updates on INDIA Alliance meeting in Mumbai:

1. During the formal talks in the third round of Opposition meeting, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders came out with a joint statement and announced that “We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible.” Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take, the statement said.

“We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to organize public rallies at the earliest in different parts of the country on issues of public concern and importance. We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to coordinate our respective communications and media strategies and campaigns with the theme Judega Bharat, Jiteega India in different languages,” it added.

2. Opposition leaders slammed the government's move to set up a committee to study the feasibility of one-nation, one-election, alleging it would pose a threat to the federal structure of the country. CPI leader D Raja said Prime Minister Narendra Modi always talks about India being the mother of democracy and then how can the government take a unilateral decision without discussing it with other political parties. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the country is already one and no one is questioning that. “We demand fair election, not 'one nation one election'. This move of 'one nation one election' is being brought to divert the attention from our demand for a fair election,” he added.

3. The remarks came after former President Ram Nath Kovind was tasked with the responsibility of heading a committee to explore the feasibility of "one nation, one election".

4. On calling a special session of Parliament, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Today, the country is facing farmers' issues, rising unemployment, China's aggression... If the special session will address all these issues then it's welcomed. If it will be used to divert attention from these issues, then it shows that the BJP is nervous. I want to ask them (central government) as to when will a committee be formed on inflation, corruption, rising unemployment, women's reservation..."

5. A congratulatory resolution was also passed in the I.N.D.I.A. coalition meeting on ISRO’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. "We, the INDIA parties congratulate the entire ISRO family - present and past - for its outstanding achievements which have made our country proud. It has taken six decades to build, expand and deepen ISRO's capacities and capabilities. Chandrayaan-3 has thrilled the world, which is looking eagerly to the launch of Aditya-L1 tomorrow. We hope that the extraordinary accomplishments of ISRO strengthen the spirit of scientific temper in our society and give our youth the inspiration to excel in fields of scientific endeavour," states the resolution that was passed with unanimity.

6. Raut said the unveiling of the coalition logo has been cancelled for Friday. "Logo is a very important part of the alliance. It is going to be discussed in our meeting but will not be unveiled today," he told reporters.

7. During informal talks over dinner on Thursday night, the leaders stressed on the urgency to finalise seat sharing and come out with a joint agenda in a few weeks' time.

8. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has asked leaders of various parties to give one name from their respective parties for being part of the coordination committee.

9. While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have told the informal dinner meeting that the bloc should come out with its manifesto by October 2, her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal called for finalising seat sharing among parties for the Lok Sabha polls by the end of next month.

10. Kharge, former Congress chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, Banerjee, AAP convener Kejriwal, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, CPI's Raja, CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, are among those holding hectic parleys.

3) Will contest together ‘as far as possible’: INDIA bloc's resolution for 2024 LS polls

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc released its poll resolution on the second day of their ongoing meeting in Mumbai.Leaders of the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. have officially declared to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together ‘as far as possible’. It further announced that the seat-sharing arrangement among the 28 members of the bloc in different states will begin soon and it will be carried out in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take.

All the member parties of the bloc will organise public rallies soon in different parts of the country on several issues. The theme for their campaigns will be in line with the theme – Judega Bharat, Jiteega India.

A 13-member co-ordination committee will likely to be formed comprising senior leaders Sharad Pawar, KC Venugopal, MK Stalin, Hemant Soren, Abhishek Banerjee, Sanjay Raut, Tejashwi Yadav among others.

4) How ‘special session’ announcement changed the mood of Opposition’s Mumbai meet

Reacting to the announcement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who addressed the press on the latest revelations on the Adani group on Thursday, dubbed the Centre’s decision to call a special session “as out of panic”

Hours before the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance leaders met informally in Mumbai on Thursday, the Centre announced that a special session—a rare occurrence in Parliament—will be held, which changed the tone of the Opposition’s meeting on election preparations.

On Thursday, Union minister Pralhad Joshi announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the government has called for a “special session of Parliament” to be held from September 18 to 22, adding, that there will be five sittings.

“Everyone was talking about the parliament session. It suddenly became the focus of the meeting as many leaders sought quick decisions pointing out the changed scenario and bracing for the unexpected,” said a senior leader present in the meeting.

At 3.18pm on Thursday, three hours before 63 leaders of the INDIA bloc met informally to strategise for their ‘Mumbai Summit’ when key decisions about the alliance’s future strategy would be taken, parliamentary affairs minister Joshi dropped the news.

Reacting to the announcement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who addressed the press on the latest revelations on the Adani group on Thursday, dubbed the Centre’s decision to call a special session “as out of panic”.“I think maybe it is an indicator of a little panic. The same type of panic that happened when I spoke in Parliament House, a panic that suddenly made them revoke my Parliament membership. So, I think it is panic because these matters are very close to the PM. Whenever you touch the Adani matter, the PM gets very uncomfortable and very nervous,” Gandhi said.

But in the meeting, many leaders suggested the Opposition bloc should be prepared for an early election, not discounting the possibility of the prime minister making such a move after the special session.

To be sure, the Centre has not announced its agenda for the special session and indicated that after the G20 meeting, the agenda will be disclosed.In the meeting, however, the special session was mentioned by many top leaders. West Bengal chief minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray were among the leaders who mentioned the special session in the context of the preparations of the meeting.

“No one was prepared for the announcement on a special session of parliament. Leaders (Opposition) realised and advised that now we have to prepare ourselves to face uncertainties. We have been ahead of the game and were setting the narrative. We don’t want to fall behind and react to the BJP’s narrative,” said a third leader.

The opposition’s (INDIA) bloc of 28 parties reached Mumbai on Thursday to participate in the third national-level two-day conclave.The meeting is being held to chart out a concrete roadmap take on the BJP-led central government in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On Friday, many new developments have reportedly taken place, including its potential expansion, a discussion on seat-sharing strategy, unveiling of the group’s new common logo, among other agendas.

5) ‘Manipur situation unprecedented’: Assam Rifles DG as fresh violence killed 8 persons

A fierce gunfight between Meitei and Kuki groups on the border between Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts has been continuing for the past three days.

Director general of Assam Rifles PC Nair said the situation in Manipur was unprecedented, as fresh violence has killed eight persons in Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts over the last 72 hours, and claimed the state had never seen this before. Director general of Assam Rifles PC Nair said the situation in Manipur was unprecedented, as fresh violence has killed eight persons in Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts over the last 72 hours, and claimed the state had never seen this before.

He said while the situation was new for the armed forces to handle, such a state of violence was also new for the state of Manipur.

“The situation that we are facing in Manipur is unprecedented. We have never faced anything of this kind in history. It is new to us, it is new to Manipur too. Something similar happened in the early 90s when the Nagas and Kukis fought and then within the Kuki groups also there was a fight in the late 90s,” Nair told news agency ANI.

Nair said there were multiple challenges that the armed forces were facing in the violence-hit state. One of the biggest challenges, as per Nair, was the “large number of weapons” within both communities. The society has become weaponised. Unless these weapons come back in whatever way they can, this challenge will be the biggest. Today, there's so much against each other, it's so corrupted. This needs to be stalled.”

At least eight persons have been killed and 18 injured, including two security personnel, in Manipur’s Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts following continuous gunbattle between Kukis and Meiteis over the last 72 hours.

An official said firing was continuing intermittently in the foothills of Khoirentak in Bishnupur district and adjoining Chingphei and Khousabung areas in Churachandpur district.

Nair said the only way a resolution can be reached is through negotiations. He said, “There is a need for realisation to come for the people that the only way forward is peace. They have to talk and get back negotiations.”

Other challenges, Nair said, were road blockages which hamper the movement of the troops. “These things have not happened in such a scale.”

In the past month, the Army and Assam Rifles have repeatedly accused women protesters – including Meira Paibis from the Meitei community – of interfering with operations and blocking the movement of troops due to protests or road blockage. In response, Meira Paibis have accused the Assam Rifles of bias and helping Kuki militants.At least 163 people have died and another 50,000 displaced since ethnic violence first broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3

6) China includes Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin in new map:

China on Monday released the 2023 edition of its 'standard map', incorporating areas it claims as its own. India has always reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is its integral part.

China on Monday released the 2023 edition of its "standard map", incorporating Arunachal Pradesh, the Aksai Chin region, Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea in it.

India maintains that Arunachal Pradesh has "always been" and will "always be" an integral part of the country.

"The 2023 edition of China's standard map was officially released on Monday and launched on the website of the standard map service hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources," state-run Global Times said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"This map is compiled based on the drawing method of the national boundaries of China and various countries in the world," the post said.The map displayed by the Global Times showed Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet, and Aksai Chin, occupied by it in the 1962 war, as part of China.

India has repeatedly told China that "Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India".

The map also incorporates as Chinese territory the island of Taiwan and a large part of the South China Sea, both of which China has laid claim to.

China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland and its integration with the mainland is part of a vowed objective of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea areas. It continues to show the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as being within China’s borders

China’s government on August 28 released the “2023 edition of the standard map of China”, which continues to show the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region within China’s borders. The 2023 map was released by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The territorial claims on China’s western borders, as also the so-called nine-dash line covering the entire South China Sea, are shown on the map as in previous editions. Also as in previous maps, a “tenth dash” is placed east of Taiwan, underlining Beijing’s claims over the island.

The latest map follows Beijing in April announcing it would “standardise” the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, including a town close to the Arunachal Pradesh capital of Itanagar. This was the third such list “renaming” places in Arunachal Pradesh, and was seen by observers as a response to India holding events in the lead-up to the G-20 summit in the State, which Beijing had opposed. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the September 9-10 summit in New Delhi.

The 2023 map, State media reported, was released during what is being called “National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week” in China. Following the release of the standard map for public use, the Ministry of Natural Resources will also release “digital maps and navigation and positioning” for use in various fields including “location-based services, precision agriculture, platform economy and intelligent connected vehicles,” the report said.

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the Law of Surveying and Mapping of the People’s Republic of China which was passed “to strengthen the administration of the surveying and mapping undertaking, promote its development and ensure that it renders service to development of the national economy, the building up of national defence, and progress of the society”.

Under Mr. Xi, Beijing has tightened management of border areas, passing in 2022 a new border law that lists various responsibilities for civilian and military authorities in China to take steps to “safeguard national sovereignty”. The issuing of new names is related to Article 7 of the law, which calls for promoting border education at all levels of government. Article 22 calls for the Chinese military to carry out border drills and to “resolutely prevent, stop and combat” what it calls “invasions, encroachments and provocations”.

 1) Neeraj Chopra wins historic World Athletics Championships gold with incredible 88.17 throw in javelin final

Neeraj Chopra won his maiden World Athletic Championships gold medal on Sunday night.

Neeraj Chopra achieved another historic feat on Sunday, becoming the first Indian athlete to win World Athletics Championships gold medal during the men's javelin throw final event in Budapest. Chopra's second attempt in the final saw him launch the javelin to a distance of 88.17 meters, which remained the highest in the event. Neeraj's achievement marked a significant improvement from the 2022 edition of the Worlds, where he secured a silver medal.

The reigning Olympic gold medallist didn't have the desired start in the final, reaching the distance of just 79m; Neeraj was clearly not happy with the throw and decided to not register the score at all, as he stepped the line to force a foul. However, the Indian thrower saved his best for the second attempt in the final; riding on a humongous crowd support, Chopra took his run and in typical style, began to celebrate even before the javelin could land.

Chopra's compatriot from Pakistan, Arshad Nadeem finished second as he finished marginally behind the Indian gold medallist at 87.82m. The Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch took the bronze in 86.67m.

The other two Indian javelin throwers in contention – Kishore Jena and DP Manu – also produced impressive performances even as they couldn't secure podium spots. Both throwers qualified for the top-8 positions and finished fifth and sixth respectively. While Jena had the highest registered throw of 84.77m – also his personal best – Manu threw 84.14m. Chopra, the current no.1 in the javelin world rankings, had won the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 but finished with a silver at the worlds in Eugene last year, as Anderson Peters had clinched the gold. The only other Indian to win a medal at the worlds was Anju Bobby George, who took bronze in the women's long jump in 2003 in Paris.

In the qualification round for the men's javelin final at the 2023 event, Neeraj needed only one throw to book a place for Sunday's event. The Olympic champion had registered a brilliant 88.77m in his first attempt, thus securing an automatic qualification for the final. Neeraj covered distances of 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m following his foul in the first throw in the final on Sunday. Neeraj makes history

India's superstar javelin thrower also became only the third in history to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships titles in the sport, after the iconic Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.

Zelezny clinched Olympics gold in 1992, 1996 and 200 while winning World Championships title in 1993, 1995 and 2001. Thorkildsen won gold in 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships.

2) Medvedev launches angry 'shut up, stupid' tirade at spectator during US Open tie, fan responds with epic act:

Daniil Medvedev has a love-hate relationship with the US Open crowd. And it goes back to the year he had made his first ever appearance in the final in New York. In the early hours of Friday, in what was the final singles clash of the day's schedule, Medvedev was seen launching an angry tirade at a spectator during his second-round match against Australia's Christopher O'Connell on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Daniil Medvedev launched an angry tirade at a spectator during his second-round match at US Open

Daniil Medvedev launched an angry tirade at a spectator during his second-round match at US Open

It had happened during the fourth set after the third seed had taken a two set lead against his opponent. As he was about to serve in the third game of the set, he was left upset by two fans were were still walking in the stands. Medvedev looked at them and lost his cool.

"Can you shut up?" Medvedev began. "Are you stupid or what?"The camera then caught the female fan responding to Medvedev with a million-dollar gesture as she blew a kiss in response to Medvedev's outburst.Medvedev moved over the incident in quick time as he secured an early break to wrap up the match 6-2, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2 and capture his 250th hard-court victory and reach the third round of the season’s final major.

“Tough match. I don’t know why, but at one moment in the match he decided to play better,” joked Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I played the same from the first point to the last. It became much tougher for me, so I’m happy that I was able to still hang in there. I had opportunities in the third set, and I managed to use them in the fourth.”

Aiming for a second major title of his career and at New York, Medvedev will next face Sebastian Baez, who is presently on a 12-match winning streak, having won titles in Australian Open and Winston-Salem Open. The 20-time tour titlist meanwhile is on a 51-11 record in 2023 with four of the five hard court trophies of the season to his name.

3) Sanjeet Budhwar to defend his Featherweight title against Shyamanand in blockbuster Main Event at MFN 13

Shyamanand will challenge the Featherweight Champion Sanjeet Budhwar for the title in the main event for a rematch years later.

Matrix Fight Night, India's premium mixed-martial arts promotion announced a blockbuster main event for the MFN 13, which is set to take place on October 28 at the Noida Indoor Stadium. On the action-packed night that will feature 12 exciting bouts, India's very own Shyamanand, who has been on an impressive winning streak with 2 back to back KOs over two international opponents, will challenge the Featherweight Champion Sanjeet Budhwar for the title in the main event for a rematch years later.

Shyamanand, who hails from Bihar, had called out Haryana's Sanjeet after a TKO win over his opponent Mido Mohamed from Egypt at MFN 12 on July 1st. Shyamanad’s only professional loss was at the hands of Budhwar; however, has improved drastically since then, creating immense buzz around this highly anticipated Main Event.

The 'Silent Killer' Sanjeet had beaten Atabek Abdimitalipov of Kyrgyzstan in a thrilling 5-round bout for the crown in December 2022. He has remained unbeaten in his last three MFN bouts and will hope to continue his streak against Shyamanand.

Speaking on the title bout, Sanjeet said, "I feel like I am ready for any challenge that is thrown at me. Shyamanand has risen through the ranks and has earned a title shot. But while he thinks he is ready for me, he will be in for a surprise at MFN 13." Meanwhile, throwing the gauntlet, Shyamanand added, "I have been waiting to get in the cage with Sanjeet again for a long time. Winning the MFN title means everything because it represents that you are the best among the best. I will give my all to win and become the new MFN Featherweight Champion."

Meanwhile, South Asia’s biggest prospect, Afghanistan's most popular MMA star, Abdul Azim Badakhshi will make a return to MFN and will square off against Korea's Hae Jin Park (Road FC’s Featherweight champion) in the Co-Main event of the night.

Addressing the MFN 13 fight card, Ayesha Shroff, Co-Founder MFN, said, "We are really excited with the MFN 13 fight card. Some of the most talented fighters are on the card this time around and matchups that fans have wanted to see for a long time have been delivered. This will truly be one of our best shows ever." Krishna Shroff, Co-Founder MFN, further added, _"Creating a fight card this time around was really exciting. Our main event sells itself and there is a story and hype already built around it. We cannot wait to see how this rematch ends because it honestly could go either way. May the best man win. We are also excited to welcome many new prospects as well as some of the OGs back into the MFN cage. I’m absolutely confident that MFN 13 will surpass all expectations, once again.

Here is a look at the full MFN 13 Fight Card:

MATRIX FIGHT NIGHT 13 CARD:

FEATHERWEIGHT: Satyam Kumar (IND) vs Jatin Choudhary (IND)

 

FLYWEIGHT: Nongmaithem Bonjovi (IND) vs Arshiyan Memon (IND)

 

STRAWWEIGHT: Sonam Zomba (IND) vs Sarita Rathod (IND)

 

FLYWEIGHT: Himanshu Kaushik (IND) vs Arsenba Ozokum (IND)

 

MIDDLEWEIGHT: Dushan Burale (IND) vs Sameer Dhiman (IND)

4) Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023:

A 4-fer from Matheesha Pathirana coupled with fifties from Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka helped Sri Lanka start the off with a 5-wicket win

5) Pakistan vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 Highlights: PAK beat NEP by 238 runs

Pakistan vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 Highlights: Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed scored centuries in a monster fourth wicket stand that took the game away from Nepal

Pakistan vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 Highlights: Skipper Babar Azam hit a delightful 151 while Iftikhar Ahmed smashed his maiden ODI century as Pakistan thrashed minnows Nepal by 238 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup, here on Wednesday. Babar and Iftikhar played pivotal roles in powering Pakistan to 342 for six after opting to bat. Babar (151 off 130) was involved in two crucial partnerships after a sedate start — first stitching 86 runs with Mohammad Rizwan (44 off 50) and then sharing a whirlwind 214 runs for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar (109 not out off 71 balls) — to take Pakistan to an imposing total.Pakistan vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 Highlights: Skipper Babar Azam hit a delightful 151 while Iftikhar Ahmed smashed his maiden ODI century as Pakistan thrashed minnows Nepal by 238 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup, here on Wednesday. Babar and Iftikhar played pivotal roles in powering Pakistan to 342 for six after opting to bat. Babar (151 off 130) was involved in two crucial partnerships after a sedate start — first stitching 86 runs with Mohammad Rizwan (44 off 50) and then sharing a whirlwind 214 runs for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar (109 not out off 71 balls) — to take Pakistan to an imposing total.

DD Returns (1st September)

DD Returns is the 3rd installment of the popular series Dhilluku Dhuddu, a popular and hit Tamil horror comedy series. DD Returns made its debut at the box office on July 28th and so far the series is considered to be a hit. Fans of Santhanam are excitedly awaiting to see the upcoming OTT release of DD Returns this week on Zee5 on September 1. The series basically follows a horror-comedy story of a group of friends who somehow enter a haunted bungalow while on the run from the police.

Release date: 1st September

Platform: Zee5

Friday Night Plan (1st September)

Another OTT release this week on Netflix is the Friday Night Plan comedy-drama film featuring Juhi Chawla, Amrith Jayan, and Babil Khan. This new OTT release of the week is a coming-of-age drama that weaves a gripping story between two brothers and a single mother who are all trying to find balance in their interpersonal relationships while navigating through the daily struggles of life.

Release Date: 1st September

Platform: Zee5

The Freelancer (1st September)

One of the best new OTT releases this week has to be The Freelancer starring Mohit Raina as the Freelancer and the show is created by the film director, Neeraj Pandey. From his debut in A Wednesday to delivering hit films like MS Dhoni, Baby, and Special 26, Neerja’s new show The Freelancer is all set to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from 1st September onwards. It is expected to be a high-end thriller that features an incredible rescue effort in war-torn Syria - Definitely one of the most interesting OTT releases this week.

Release Date: 1st September

Platform: Disney+ Hotstar

The Wheel of Time Season 2 (1st September)

Okay, so this next new OTT release of the week might be something you may have already heard of, thanks to its season one’s huge success. The Wheel of Time Season 2 is coming back to Prime Video this week and is all set to stream on 1st September. The high-fantasy series of Prime Video will feature most of the old cast and some new faces too. Similar to season 1 of The Wheel of Time, the second season would consist 8-episodes in total. Probably, one of the most anticipated OTT releases this week.

Release Date: 1st September

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Scam 2003 (2nd September)

Scam 2003 is an upcoming OTT release this week on SonyLiv. The show is an adaption from the book Reporter Ki Diary and is based on the Indian stamp & stamp paper scams carried out by the underdog Abdul Karim Telgi. No one has a clue that someone who does odd jobs like selling food on trains, fake passports, etc. can be a mastermind behind a stamp paper racket that was valued at Rs.30,000 Crores. Also, did we share with you that this upcoming series this week is made by the filmmakers of Scam 1992, the all-time successful series?

Release date: 2nd September

Platform: SonyLiv

BOOK OF THIS WEEK:

Contact: A Novel :by Carl Sagan (Author)

 

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cosmos and renowned astronomer Carl Sagan’s international bestseller about the discovery of an advanced civilization in the depths of space remains the “greatest adventure of all time” (Associated Press).

The future is here…in an adventure of cosmic dimension. When a signal is discovered that seems to come from far beyond our solar system, a multinational team of scientists decides to find the source. What follows is an eye-opening journey out to the stars to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who—or what—is out there? Why are they watching us? And what do they want with us?

One of the best science fiction novels about communication with extraterrestrial intelligent beings, Contact is a “stunning and satisfying” (Los Angeles Times) classic.

Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan was Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions to the planets, for which he received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, and many other awards, for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos (accompanying his Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series of the same name) was the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel, Contact, was turned into a major motion picture.