1) Restoring
nerve-muscle connections boosts strength of aging mice, Stanford Medicine study
finds:By Krista Conger
A drug that boosts
strength in injured or aging mice restores connections between nerves and
muscle and suggests ways to combat weakness in humans due to aging, injury or
disease. A small molecule previously shown to enhance strength in injured or
old laboratory mice does so by restoring lost connections between nerves and
muscle fibers, Stanford Medicine researchers have found.
The molecule blocks the
activity of an aging-associated enzyme, or gerozyme, called 15-PGDH that
naturally increases in muscles as they age. The study showed that levels of the
gerozyme increase in muscles after nerve damage and that it is prevalent in
muscle fibers of people with neuromuscular diseases.
The research is the
first to show that damaged motor neurons — nerves connecting the spinal cord to
muscles — can be induced to regenerate in response to a drug treatment and that
lost strength and muscle mass can be at least partially regained. It suggests
that, if similar results are seen in humans, the drug may one day be used to
prevent muscle loss of muscle strength due to aging or disease or to hasten
recovery from injury.
It’s estimated that
sarcopenia, or debilitating muscle frailty, affects about 30% of people over 80
and costs the United States around $380 billion each year.
“There is an urgent,
unmet need for drug treatments that can increase muscle strength due to aging,
injury or disease,” said Helen Blau, PhD, professor of microbiology and
immunology. “This is the first time a drug treatment has been shown to affect
both muscle fibers and the motor neurons that stimulate them to contract in
order to speed healing and restore strength and muscle mass. It’s unique.”
Blau, the Donald E. and
Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor and director of the Baxter Laboratory for
Stem Cell Biology, is the senior author of the study, which was published
online Oct. 11 in Science Translational Medicine. Postdoctoral scholar Mohsen
Bakooshli, PhD, and former postdoctoral scholar Yu Xin Wang, PhD, are the lead
authors of the study. Wang is now an assistant professor at the Sanford Burnham
Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego.
Addressing loss of
strength
The finding is the
latest from the Blau laboratory focused on understanding how muscles weaken
from aging or disease, and whether it’s possible to combat this decline. In
2021, the group showed that blocking the activity of 15-PGDH in 24-month-old
laboratory mice significantly enhances the animals’ leg strength and endurance
when running on a treadmill. (Laboratory mice typically live about 26 to 30
months.) But it wasn’t clear exactly how.
The new research shows
that the effect is due to the restoration of lost connections between the
nerves and the muscle. These connections, called neuromuscular junctions, are
how the brain signals muscles to contract, allowing us to pick up a water
glass, jog to the mailbox or hoist a toddler into a car seat. As we age, some
of these connections are lost, causing muscle contractions to become less
powerful and muscles to atrophy. People typically lose muscle mass and strength
— as much as 10% per decade — after the age of 50. Conditions other than aging
can also destabilize these connections, including the disuse of muscles due to
bedrest after illness or injury, or muscle-wasting diseases like spinal
muscular atrophy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS).
Blau’s previous research
showed that a molecule called PGE2 is critical to the function of stem cells in
muscle fibers that repair damage — including the microtears from exercise that
lead to an increase in muscle mass and strength. They subsequently showed that
levels of 15-PGDH, which breaks down PGE2, increase in the muscles with age and
that the loss of strength with aging could be overcome by inhibiting the
activity of this PGE2-degrading enzyme.
“PGE2 is part of the
body’s natural healing mechanism, and its levels increase in muscle after
injury,” Blau said. “We wanted to learn how age triggers an increase in
15-PGDH, and therefore the degradation and loss of PGE2.”
A lack of nerves
Mouse neuromuscular junctions the motor nerve and synapses are in red; the acetylcholine receptors of muscle fibers are in green
The researchers knew
that muscles become less innervated, or infiltrated with nerves, as people and
animals age. They wondered if that loss could be what triggers the rising
levels of 15-PGDH.
“We found that when you
cut the nerve that innervates the leg muscles of mice, the amount of 15-PGDH in
the muscle increases rapidly and dramatically,” Blau said. “This was an
exciting new insight. But what surprised us most was that when these mice are
treated with a drug that inhibits 15-PGDH activity, the nerve grows back and
makes contact with the muscle more quickly than in control animals, and that
this leads to a faster recovery of strength and function.”
Additional experiments
showed that treatment with the drug restored neuromuscular junctions lost
during aging and increased muscle strength and function in old laboratory mice.
The researchers also identified discrete clumps of 15-PGDH in the muscle fibers
of people with several types of neuromuscular disorders suggesting that the
gerozyme may have a role in causing these human disorders.
Blau and her colleagues
plan to investigate at a molecular level how neural growth is stimulated by
blocking 15-PGDH activity. Blau has also co-founded a company, Epirium Bio, to
develop similar drugs for use in humans. Although her lab is still conducting
animal studies, the company hopes to launch a clinical trial within the next
year or so.
“Our next steps will be
to examine whether blocking 15-PGDH function in people with spinal muscular
atrophy can increase lost muscle strength in combination with gene therapy or
other treatments,” Blau said. “We are also looking at ALS to see if something
like this might help these patients. It’s really exciting that we are able to
affect both muscle function and motor neuron growth.”
The research was
supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants K99NS120278,
R00NS120278, R01-AG020961, R01-AG069858 and R01-RHG009674), the Canadian
Institutes of Health, a Stanford Translational Research and Applied Medicine
pilot grant, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation, the Li Ka Shing
Foundation, the Milky Way Research Foundation and the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
Blau is an inventor on
several patents related to the research and a co-founder, consultant and equity
holder of Epirium Bio, which has licensed patents regarding 15-PGDH inhibition
to improve muscle strength.
2) Scientists and
philosophers identify nature's missing evolutionary law:by Carnegie Institution
for Science:
As Earth formed, new geologic processes, especially those related to the interaction of hot fluids with rock during igneous activity and plate tectonics, gave birth to over 1500 new mineral species (4.55 to 2.5 billion years ago). At 2.5 billion years ago, emerging biological life introduced oxygen into the atmosphere. This was a time of pivotal change, when photosynthesis began and the interaction of iron with oxygen-based minerals changed ancient life, providing the blueprint for our future evolution, together with minerals. Credit: Dr. Robert Lavinsky
A paper published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes "a missing law
of nature," recognizing for the first time an important norm within the
natural world's workings. In essence, the new law states that complex natural
systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity. In
other words, evolution is not limited to life on Earth, it also occurs in other
massively complex systems, from planets and stars to atoms, minerals, and more.
It was authored by a
nine-member team— scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science, the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Cornell University, and
philosophers from the University of Colorado.
"Macroscopic"
laws of nature describe and explain phenomena experienced daily in the natural
world. Natural laws related to forces and motion, gravity, electromagnetism,
and energy, for example, were described more than 150 years ago.
The new work presents a
modern addition—a macroscopic law recognizing evolution as a common feature of
the natural world's complex systems, which are characterized as follows:
They are formed from
many different components, such as atoms, molecules, or cells, that can be
arranged and rearranged repeatedly
Are subject to natural
processes that cause countless different arrangements to be formed
Only a small fraction of
all these configurations survive in a process called "selection for
function."
Regardless of whether
the system is living or nonliving, when a novel configuration works well and
function improves, evolution occurs.
The authors' "Law
of Increasing Functional Information" states that the system will evolve
"if many different configurations of the system undergo selection for one
or more functions."
"An important
component of this proposed natural law is the idea of 'selection for
function,'" says Carnegie astrobiologist Dr. Michael L. Wong, first author
of the study.
In the case of biology,
Darwin equated function primarily with survival—the ability to live long enough
to produce fertile offspring.
The new study expands
that perspective, noting that at least three kinds of function occur in nature.
The most basic function is stability—stable arrangements of atoms or molecules
are selected to continue. Also chosen to persist are dynamic systems with
ongoing supplies of energy.
The third and most
interesting function is "novelty"—the tendency of evolving systems to
explore new configurations that sometimes lead to startling new behaviors or
characteristics.
Life's evolutionary
history is rich with novelties—photosynthesis evolved when single cells learned
to harness light energy, multicellular life evolved when cells learned to
cooperate, and species evolved thanks to advantageous new behaviors such as
swimming, walking, flying, and thinking.
The same sort of
evolution happens in the mineral kingdom. The earliest minerals represent
particularly stable arrangements of atoms. Those primordial minerals provided
foundations for the next generations of minerals, which participated in life's
origins. The evolution of life and minerals are intertwined, as life uses
minerals for shells, teeth, and bones.
Indeed, Earth's
minerals, which began with about 20 at the dawn of our solar system, now number
almost 6,000 known today thanks to ever more complex physical, chemical, and
ultimately biological processes over 4.5 billion years.
In the case of stars,
the paper notes that just two major elements—hydrogen and helium—formed the
first stars shortly after the big bang. Those earliest stars used hydrogen and
helium to make about 20 heavier chemical elements. And the next generation of
stars built on that diversity to produce almost 100 more elements.
"Charles Darwin
eloquently articulated the way plants and animals evolve by natural selection,
with many variations and traits of individuals and many different
configurations," says co-author Robert M. Hazen of Carnegie Science, a
leader of the research.
"We contend that
Darwinian theory is just a very special, very important case within a far
larger natural phenomenon. The notion that selection for function drives
evolution applies equally to stars, atoms, minerals, and many other
conceptually equivalent situations where many configurations are subjected to
selective pressure."
The co-authors
themselves represent a unique multi-disciplinary configuration: three
philosophers of science, two astrobiologists, a data scientist, a mineralogist,
and a theoretical physicist.
Dr. Wong said, "In
this new paper, we consider evolution in the broadest sense—change over
time—which subsumes Darwinian evolution based upon the particulars of 'descent
with modification.'"
"The universe
generates novel combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, etc. Those
combinations that are stable and can go on to engender even more novelty will
continue to evolve. This is what makes life the most striking example of
evolution, but evolution is everywhere."
Among many
implications, the paper offers:
1) Understanding into
how differing systems possess varying degrees to which they can continue to
evolve. "Potential complexity" or "future complexity" have
been proposed as metrics of how much more complex an evolving system might
become
2) Insights into how the
rate of evolution of some systems can be influenced artificially. The notion of
functional information suggests that the rate of evolution in a system might be
increased in at least three ways: (1) by increasing the number and/or diversity
of interacting agents, (2) by increasing the number of different configurations
of the system; and/or (3) by enhancing the selective pressure on the system
(for example, in chemical systems by more frequent cycles of heating/cooling or
wetting/drying).
3) A deeper
understanding of generative forces behind the creation and existence of complex
phenomena in the universe, and the role of information in describing them
4) An understanding of
life in the context of other complex evolving systems. Life shares certain
conceptual equivalencies with other complex evolving systems, but the authors
point to a future research direction, asking if there is something distinct
about how life processes information on functionality (see also https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0810).
5) Aiding the search for
life elsewhere: if there is a demarcation between life and non-life that has to
do with selection for function, can we identify the "rules of life"
that allow us to discriminate that biotic dividing line in astrobiological
investigations? (See also "Did Life Exist on Mars? Other Planets? With
AI's Help, We May Know Soon")
6) At a time when
evolving AI systems are an increasing concern, a predictive law of information
that characterizes how both natural and symbolic systems evolve is especially
welcome
Laws of nature—motion,
gravity, electromagnetism, thermodynamics—etc. codify the general behavior of
various macroscopic natural systems across space and time.
The "law of
increasing functional information" complements the 2nd law of
thermodynamics, which states that the entropy (disorder) of an isolated system
increases over time (and heat always flows from hotter to colder objects).
3) Scientists
reconstruct extinct ape's damaged skull to better understand evolution of great
ape face:by American Museum of Natural History
A new study led by
scientists at the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn College, and the
Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont has reconstructed the
well-preserved but damaged skull of a great ape species that lived about 12
million years ago. The species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, may be crucial to
understanding great ape and human evolution. The researchers describe their
findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, a species from northeastern Spain first described
in 2004, was one of a diverse group of now-extinct ape species that lived in
Europe around 15 to 7 million years ago. The species is key to understanding
the mosaic nature of hominid (great ape and human) evolution because it is
known from a cranium and partial skeleton of the same individual—a rarity in
the fossil record.
From left, the Pierolapithecus cranium shortly after discovery, after initial preparation, and after virtual reconstruction
"Features of the
skull and teeth are extremely important in resolving the evolutionary
relationships of fossil species, and when we find this material in association
with bones of the rest of the skeleton, it gives us the opportunity to not only
accurately place the species on the hominid family tree, but also to learn more
about the biology of the animal in terms of, for example, how it was moving
around its environment," said lead author Kelsey Pugh, a research
associate in the Museum's Division of Anthropology and a lecturer at Brooklyn
College.
Previous work on
Pierolapithecus suggests that an upright body plan preceded adaptations that
allowed hominids to hang from tree branches and move among them. However,
debate persists about the species' evolutionary place, partly due to damage to
the cranium.
"One of the
persistent issues in studies of ape and human evolution is that the fossil
record is fragmentary, and many specimens are incompletely preserved and
distorted," said co-author Ashley Hammond, associate curator and chair of
the Museum's Division of Anthropology. "This makes it difficult to reach a
consensus on the evolutionary relationships of key fossil apes that are
essential to understanding ape and human evolution."
In an effort to bring
clarity to these questions, the researchers used CT scans to virtually
reconstruct the cranium of Pierolapithecus, compare it to other primate
species, and model the evolution of key features of ape facial structure. They
found that Pierolapithecus shares similarities in overall face shape and size
with both fossilized and living great apes, but it also has distinct facial
features not found in other Middle Miocene apes. The results are consistent
with the idea that this species represents one of the earliest members of the
great apes and human family.
"An interesting
output of the evolutionary modeling in the study is that that the cranium of
Pierolapithecus is closer in shape and size to the ancestor from which living
great apes and humans evolved. On the other hand, gibbons and siamangs (the
'lesser apes') seem to be secondarily derived in relation to size
reduction," said co-author Sergio Almécija, a senior research scientist in
the Museum's Division of Anthropology.
Other authors on this
study include Santiago Catalano, from the Fundación Miguel Lillo (Argentina);
Miriam Pérez de los RÃos, from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Josep
Fortuny, from the Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont (ICP);
Brian Shearer, from New York University; Alessandra Vecino Gazabón, from the
American Museum of Natural History; Salvador Moyà -Solà , from the ICP and ICREA;
and David Alba, from the ICP.
4) New study
reveals similarities in language development between chimpanzees and humans: by
University of Portsmouth
A new study has provided
evidence that young chimpanzees are capable of vocal functional flexibility; a
known building block in human language development.
The ability to produce
sounds that can fulfill a variety of functions is fundamental to how we learn
to speak, but it has long been believed that non-human primates don't share
this skill.
Human babies make noises
that have specific purposes. Screams, laughs and cries for instance all have a
rigid purpose and clear emotion attached to them. But there are other free
speech sounds, like pre-babbling, that are more flexible in their function.
New research has found
that infant and juvenile chimps demonstrate a similar vocal flexibility, which
implies the foundations for speech are rooted in our primate evolutionary
heritage.
Lead author, Dr. Derry
Taylor, from the University of Portsmouth's Department of Psychology, said,
"All living things communicate, but only humans communicate using
language. How this came to be is an unsolved mystery within science.
"Until now we
didn't have evidence of vocal functional flexibility in non-human primates
early on. This discovery holds profound implications for our understanding of
the origins of human language."
The paper, published in
iScience, is one of the first systematic studies of early chimp vocal
production and function.
A team from the
University of Portsmouth in England, the University of Neuchâtel in
Switzerland, and Université Clermont Auvergne in France, filmed 768
vocalizations in 28 young chimpanzees at a sanctuary in Zambia. These included
grunts, whimpers, laughter, screams, hoos, barks, squeaks, and pant hoots.
When reviewing and
classifying the sounds, they discovered that similar to human infants, the
chimps produced calls with different affective states—positive, neutral, or
negative—alongside a variety of facial expressions and movements.
These flexibly expressed
call types, particularly grunts, also prompted distinct responses from social
partners based on how they were expressed with certain behaviors. The findings
demonstrated a clear parallel with existing human infant research.
Co-author Marina
Davila-Ross, Associate Professor in Comparative Psychology at the University of
Portsmouth, said, "Many studies comparing apes with human children have
tested them at different ages in order to discuss differences in language
deveopment between both species.
"We mirrored
another piece of research carried out in America, which looked at vocal
functional flexibility in human infants, to ensure that our research followed a
similar methodology and the results could easily be compared.
"These findings
contribute to a growing body of literature challenging conventional beliefs
about primate vocal production and emphasizes the need for further comparative
developmental studies to enhance our understanding of the evolutionary origins
of language."
5) Researchers
discover one of the world's darkest rivers:by Peter Rüegg, ETH Zurich
The water of the Ruki River in the Congo Basin is as dark as tea due to a high concentration of dissolved organic substances
When the researchers
came upon the Ruki River, they were quite taken aback. The water in this river,
a tributary of the mighty Congo River, is so dark that you literally can't see
your hand in front of your face. "We were struck by the color of the
river," says ETH Zurich researcher Travis Drake, who has just published a
study in the journal Limnology and Oceanography on the Ruki together with
colleagues from the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, led by Johan Six, as well
as from other universities. Comparisons with other major tropical rivers show
that the Ruki may even be the blackest large blackwater river on Earth—it's
certainly a lot darker than the famous Rio Negro in the Amazon.
In brief
The Ruki River in Congo
is one of the darkest blackwater rivers in the world due to its high content of
dissolved organic matter.
The organic matter comes
mainly from forest vegetation.
Peat bogs along the river currently release very little organic matter into the Ruki because the bogs are submerged for most of the year.
The reason the water is
black is that it contains large amounts of dissolved organic material and
hardly any sediment because of the river's low gradient. These carbon-rich
substances are mostly washed into the river by the rain, which falls on dead
jungle vegetation and leaches out organic compounds from the decomposing plant
material. What's more, the river floods the forest in the rainy season. It can
take weeks for the often waist-deep water to slowly retreat, during which time
it leaches organic substances. "The Ruki is essentially jungle tea,"
Drake says.
Peaty bogs and
virgin rainforest
It's not just the dark
water that's special. The Ruki, which is one kilometer wide and empties into
the Congo, is unique in its entirety. Its drainage basin, which is four times
the size of Switzerland, is still covered by untouched primary lowland
rainforest. Along the river, there are big peat bogs containing gigantic
amounts of undecomposed dead plant material, which makes them significant
carbon sinks.
Despite its uniqueness
and size, the Ruki has never before been scientifically studied. While the
river's different seasonal water levels have been documented since the 1930s,
no data on its chemical composition has been available up to now. Nobody had yet
determined how much dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is in the water and, above
all, where it comes from.
So in 2019, Drake and
his colleagues set up a measuring station near the city of Mbandaka, a short
distance upstream from where the Ruki and the Congo converge, and measured the
water discharge every two weeks and daily water level for a year to determine
the annual streamflow.
"Our measurement
methods on site were quite basic," Drake says. He relates that Mbandaka
has no permanent power supply, only a few diesel generators and hardly any
infrastructure—not even a power drill to install the flood level marker.
"So we often had to improvise," he says with a smile.
1) NewsClick case:
Supreme Court notice to Delhi Police on pleas by editor Prabir Purkayastha, HR
head:
The Supreme Court is
hearing pleas of Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty against their arrest
under UAPA, after the Delhi HC refused to grant them relief. Supreme Court
seeks response of Delhi Police on petitions filed by NewsClick founder and
editor Prabir Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty challenging their arrest
in the UAPA case.
A bench of Justices BR
Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra issued notice to the Delhi Police and sought
its response by October 30 after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Devadatt
Kamat, appearing for Purkayastha and Chakravarty, respectively, said they are
in jail and the pleas be heard early. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said it
would hear on October 19 two separate pleas of Purkayastha and Chakravarty
against their arrest under anti-terror law UAPA, after the Delhi high court
refused to grant them any relief.
"We need to go
through the files. We will take both the matters tomorrow," Justice Gavai
said.
On October 16, the top
court agreed to list the matter urgently after Sibal mentioned it before the
bench headed by chief justice DY Chandrachud. The CJI had asked Sibal to
circulate the case papers and said he would take a call on an urgent listing of
the matter.
On October 13, the Delhi
high court had rejected their pleas against arrest and subsequent police remand
in the case. Both were arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on
October 3.
They subsequently moved
the high court challenging the arrest as well as the seven-day police custody,
and sought immediate release as interim relief. The court, however, refused to
grant them relief, saying there was no procedural infirmity or violation of the
provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in arresting them.
The trial court had on
October 10 sent them to judicial custody for 10 days.
The city police has
lodged cases against the two under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly receiving money to spread pro-China
propaganda.
Allegations against
NewsClick
According to the FIR, a
large amount of funds to NewsClick allegedly came from China to "disrupt
the sovereignty of India" and cause disaffection against the country.
It also alleged that
Purkayastha conspired with a group -- People's Alliance for Democracy and
Secularism (PADS) -- to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections.
2) Rahul Gandhi
promises to probe Adani group if voted to power:
Gandhi referred to a
report in The Financial Times on Adani Group’s over-invoicing of coal imports
and called it a direct theft while accusing Modi of protecting Adani again and
again
Member of Parliament
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promised to probe the Adani Group if the Congress is
voted back to power in the 2024 national polls while asking Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to protect his credibility by ordering an investigation. Gandhi maintained
the revelations about Adani were creating an impact. “Now, questions are being
raised on the Prime Minister’s credibility as there is only one person who can
protect him [Adani Group founder Gautam Adani]. I am trying to help the Prime
Minister. Come clean; save your credibility. But he does not want to come clean
Gandhi referred to a report this month in the British business daily The
Financial Times (FT) on Adani Group’s over-invoicing of coal imports. He called
it a huge story about a direct theft while accusing Modi of protecting Adani
again and again. “While our [state Congress governments] are giving power
subsidy, Adani Group is over-invoicing coal and stealing directly from people
of India. This cannot happen without the protection of the Prime Minister.”
Adani Group dismissed
what it called FT’s “renewed” attempts to “rehash old and baseless allegations”
against the conglomerate. It accused the paper of running a relentless campaign
against the group to “advance vested interests under the guise of public
interest”.
Gandhi wondered what was
“so special” about Adani that the government could not probe the group. The
government has opposed the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
probe into the matter.
Gandhi hit out at the
regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for saying that they
were not getting documents. “But FT got all the documents.” He added it was
very clear that the highest level of the government—the Prime Minister—was
protecting Adani. “They have all documents but no action is being taken. When
you switch on the light or fan, Adani gets money, and who is protecting Adani?
The Indian Prime Minister. In India, Adani can do anything. But no
investigation will take place.” Gandhi said Nationalist Congress Party chief
Sharad Pawar is not the Prime Minister and not protecting Adani. He was
responding to a question about his ally’s meeting with Adani and distancing
himself from the demand for a JPC probe against the Adani Group. “If he [Pawar]
were the Prime Minister, we would have asked him.”
In August, FT reported
two associates of Gautam Adani’s brother, Vinod Adani, used Bermuda’s Global
Opportunities Fund to amass and trade large positions in shares of the
conglomerate, citing documents a network of investigative journalists shared
with the British business daily. The daily said a Vinod Adani employee oversaw
the investments Nasser Ali Shaban Ahli from the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan’s
Chang made, raising questions over whether they were frontmen used to bypass
rules for Indian companies that prevent share price manipulation. Organized
Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, the network of investigative
journalists, shared with FT the intricate paper trail that shielded their
identity from regulators and the public. FT said it is the first time that
potentially controversial owners of Adani stock have been identified since the
American short-selling firm Hindenburg Research in January accused the Adani
Group of running the “largest con in corporate history”.
Hindenburg alleged the
entities Vinod Adani controlled manipulated the share prices of some of the
group’s 10 listed entities. The conglomerate denied the allegations even as it
knocked over $90bn off the Adani Group’s valuation.
FT noted the new
documents identify Ahli and Chang as two of the most significant investors in
the broader scheme Hindenburg, outlining a series of bespoke investment
structures within the Global Opportunities Fund Ahli and Chang used exclusively
to trade Adani stocks. FT said the Adani Group has denied getting favours from
the government but its expansion has gathered pace since Modi took office and
often dovetailed with the Indian state’s economic agenda. It added a package of
reforms in 2018 allowed Adani to add six privatised airports to the
conglomerate’s strategic interests the following year.
The allegations spilled
into Indian politics after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions in
parliament about Modi’s ties to Adani. FT said the new documents show that
Indian regulators have long suspected a conspiracy to manipulate Adani shares.
It added this was contrary to the impression given in an affidavit to the
Supreme Court this year. In the affidavit, the regulator said that “the
allegation that Sebi is investigating Adani since 2016 is factually baseless”.
FT cited previously unreported Indian government correspondence between Sebi
and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, which polices smuggling and
economic crime, and said two separate investigations into Adani were underway
in January 2014.
3) Security forces
recover arms, ammunition looted in ethnic violence-hit Manipur:
The ethnic violence in
Manipur between Meitei and Kuki communities was triggered on May 3 and has
since left at least 175 people dead and 50,000 displaced
Security forces involved
in combing operations in ethnic violence-hit Manipur have in three operations
over the last month recovered arms and ammunition, including 1085 bombs, looted
from police stations and armouries, a defence ministry spokesperson said on
Friday. “...three major successful operations [were conducted] in
Khamenlok-Gwalthabi, Wakan and Shantipur ridges,” said the Kohima
(Nagaland)-based spokesperson in a statement. It added 18 automatic weapons,
1085 bombs, 14 improvised mortars/rocket launchers, six rifles/pistols, one
mortar, 530 assorted ammunition, and 132 other war-like stores recovered were
handed over to Manipur Police on Thursday.
The statement said Khamenlok-Gwalthabi,
Wakan and Shantipur ridges separate villages of Meitei and tribal Kuki
communities in Imphal East district. Intelligence reports indicated a build-up
of weapons, ammunition and other war-like store caches on either side of the
ridges.
“The caches were
probably being built up by inimical elements for attempting misadventure in
each other’s area. The security forces took note of the intelligence inputs and
carried out extensive surveillance and launched multiple search operations to
recover maximum war-like stores with an aim to thwart any attempts of firing or
arson by miscreants,” the statement said. The ethnic violence between Meitei
and Kuki communities was triggered on May 3 and has since left at least 175
people dead and 50,000 displaced. Officials said mobs looted 5669 types of arms
and around 500,000 rounds of ammunition from police stations and armouries.
Only around 1300 of them were recovered until the first week of October.
The Army, Manipur
Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force and India Reserve
Battalion were involved in the combing operations.
4) Continuous
seizure of scribes’ devices violates fundamental rights: Delhi court:
The order, released on
Thursday, emphasised that allowing the press to function independently is
necessary for the country’s democracy Continuous seizure of electronic devices
used by journalists for work tramples upon their fundamental right to freedom of
profession as well as the freedom of speech and expression, a Delhi court has
said, affirming the release of the devices confiscated from the editors of news
portal ‘The Wire’ in connection with a forgery and defamation case filed by BJP
leader Amit Malviya.
Dismissing a revision
petition moved by the Delhi police against an order passed by a magisterial
court last month, the sessions court invoked the constitutional freedoms to
hold that the impugned order does not need an interference “The investigating agency
by continuous seizure of electronic devices of the respondents, is not only
causing undue hardship to them, but impinges upon their fundamental right of
freedom of profession, occupation, trade or business as guaranteed under
Article 19(1)(g) as well as freedom of speech and expression under Article
19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India”, said additional sessions judge (ASJ)
Pawan Singh Rajawat in his order on Wednesday.
The order, released on
Thursday, also emphasised that allowing the press to function independently is
necessary for our democracy. “The Press is considered the Fourth Pillar of our
great democracy and if it is not allowed to function and operate independently,
it would cause serious injury to the foundations of our democracy”, the court
added. The Delhi police had approached the sessions court assailing the order
passed by a magistrate on September 23, in relation to an FIR registered by
Malviya against the founder and editors of the news portal, alleging that the
portal used “forged documents with a view to malign and tarnish” his
reputation.
‘The Wire’, in a series
of news reports published last year, now retracted, had alleged that Meta, the
parent company of social media giants - WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram - has
accorded special privileges to Malviya that enable him to get posts removed
from its platforms. The reports had insinuated that the BJP leader was behind
the removal of some posts from Instagram.
The BJP leader had
registered a complaint and an FIR was lodged in October 2022 against the
editors of the portal under sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery with the
purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for harming reputation), 471 (using forged
document), 500 (defamation), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common
intention) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Siddharth Bhatia, Siddharth
Vardarajan and Mangalam Kesavan Venu, among other editors and employees of ‘The
Wire’, had approached the CMM court in November 2022 seeking release of their
electronic devices seized by the investigating officer (IO). The magistrate
allowed the release of the devices while noting that the devices cannot be kept
by the IO indefinitely only on the speculation of an uncertain future
discovery. The magistrate added that the editors shall ensure that the devices
are kept in their possession and be kept safe from tampering.
Upholding this order,
the sessions judge observed that the revision petition is not maintainable as
order is an interlocutory order and does not terminate the proceeding or decide
any right over the property. The impugned order does not terminate the
proceedings but the investigation and trial if any will go on until it
terminates in either submission of closure report and if chargesheet is filed
in either acquittal or conviction. The impugned order does not decide any right
but only the interim custody of the devices till conclusion of investigation or
disposal of the case”, the court noted in its order.
Approving the
magisterial court order, it observed that the order not only safeguarded the
interest of the respondents but has also ensured that they are duty bound to
keep the devices safe from tampering. The sessions court further observed that
the impugned order was passed after having considered that mirror imaging had
been done and custody of the devices was no longer required. “The argument that
order of Ld CMM (chief metropolitan magistrate) is not an interlocutory order
is humbly rejected as the order of release of electronic devices to respondents
being owner of such devices was made after having noted that mirror imaging of
the devices have been done and custody of same is no more required to be with
IO”, the order said.
The Delhi police had
argued before the court that the order passed by the magistrate court was
unjustified, illegal order against the provisions of law. It was submitted by
the police that investigation against the accused persons are pending in
respect of Information Technology Act (IT Act) and despite that CMM has ordered
for release of case property without correctly understanding and interpreting
Section 76 of I.T. Act which mandates confiscation of electronic devices. The
application was opposed by the counsels for the editors who submitted that the
petition is not maintainable as it has been moved against an interlocutory
order. It was also argued that the devices have been examined by the FSL and
mirror images have been taken of all the electronic devices thus they are no
more required for any investigation.
5) SC asks police
not to arrest Chandrababu Naidu till verdict in plea related to Skill
Development scam:
The court said that
since the order is reserved on another plea, it would be appropriate if it
takes up Naidu's plea.
The Supreme Court on
Friday asked the Andhra Pradesh Police not to arrest TDP chief N Chandrababu
Naidu in the FibreNet case till it delivers verdict on the plea in the Skill
Development scam case. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi
listed the anticipatory bail of Naidu in the FibreNet Case for hearing on
November 9 and told the Andhra Pradesh Police, "Let the earlier
understanding continue." The bench was referring to the statement of the
Andhra Pradesh Police on October 13, when it had said that police will not take
Naidu into custody.
Justice Bose said since
the order is reserved on another plea, it would be appropriate if the court
takes up the instant plea of Naidu after the verdict is delivered.
Senior advocate
Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Naidu, said police are looking to take him into
custody in FibreNet case despite the fact that he is already in custody in the
Skill Development scam case. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Andhra
Pradesh government said for custodial interrogation of Naidu in the FibreNet
case, it will seek permission of the court as he is already in judicial custody
in another case.He said that the state has no problem in awaiting the judgement
of the court.
The bench said,
"Let the earlier understanding continue" and adjourned the matter.
On October 13, the
Andhra Pradesh Police told the top court they will not arrest Naidu in the
FiberNet case till October 18 due to the pendency of his petition related to
the Skill Development Corporation scam in the apex court.
The FiberNet case
relates to alleged tender manipulation in allotting a work order under Phase-1
of the AP FiberNet Project involving ₹330 crore to a favoured company. The
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh Police has alleged
irregularities in the project right from awarding the tender to completion of
the work, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.
Naidu, 73, was arrested
on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development
Corporation when he was the chief minister in 2015, causing a purported loss of
₹371 crore to the state exchequer. He is under judicial remand in the
Rajamahendravaram central prison.
6) Rahul, Priyanka
to launch campaign in poll-bound Telangana with bus yatra:
The bus yatra will be
undertaken in three phases, with the first one covering Warangal, Peddapalli,
Karimnagar and Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituencies. The next two phases will be announced later
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday kicked off a bus
yatra in Telangana as part of the party’s campaign for coming Assembly elections
in the state. The ‘Vijayabheri’ yatra began in Mulugu district at the Ramappa
temple, where Rahul and Priyanka offered prayers. They took part in a roadshow,
involving a long convoy of vehicles carrying Congress supporters, that
accompanied the start of the yatra.
The bus yatra will be
undertaken in three phases, with the first one covering Warangal, Peddapalli,
Karimnagar and Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituencies. The next two phases will be announced later.
Over the coming two days, Rahul and Priyanka will take part in a women’s
convention to be held at Mulugu, meet Singareni coal workers, and address
roadside meetings.Telangana Congress chief A Revanth Reddy said the bus yatra
would allow the party to inform people about its election promises.
7) Mahua Moitra's
lawyer recuses from defamation case after Delhi HC rap on Dehadrai 'coercion'
bid
Mahua Moitra has filed a
defamation suit in the court against BJP MP Dubey and Dehadrai for accusing her
of accepting bribes to ask questions in Parliament.
New Delhi: The Delhi
high court, hearing Mahua Moitra's defamation suit against BJP MP Nishikant
Dubey and Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai on Friday, said it was
“appalled” with the Trinamool Congress MP's lawyer for asking Dehadrai to
withdraw his complaint before the Central Bureau of Investigation in exchange
for his pet dog. The advocate, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, later recused himself
from representing the TMC MP in the case. The court will hear the matter on
October 31. Earlier this week, Moitra filed a defamation suit in the court
against Dubey and Dehadrai for accusing her of accepting bribes to ask
questions in Parliament.
Jai Anant Dehadrai,
Moitra's estranged partner, today wrote on X that there was an attempt to
coerce him into withdrawing his complaint. He said he flatly refused to accept
the offer.
"I’m really
appalled. You have been in touch with defendant no 2 (Jai) on aspects touching
this matter? So you tried to play the role of a mediator?" the court asked
the senior advocate. After Jai raised objections, he withdrew himself from the
case.
Mahua Moitra row: Jai
Anant Dehadrai claims coercion attempts, says 'tells everything about her'
Dehadrai had said: “An
attempt was made yesterday afternoon, to coerce me into withdrawing my CBI
complaint and letter to Nishikant Dubey, in exchange for Henry (dog).” He said
he will provide details of the encounter to CBI
"Messenger is
totally innocent - but tells you everything about her," he said, in an
apparent reference to the MP.Dehadrai had reportedly given 'evidence' to Dubey
allegedly proving Moitra accepted bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
On Thursday, the
businessman claimed in a three-page affidavit that the TMC MP had shared her
Parliament login credentials with him so that he could “post the questions
directly on her behalf”.
He claimed Moitra
targeted Gautam Adani to malign and embarrass Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Moitra questioned the credibility of the affidavit saying it was not published
on an official letterhead or notarised document. "The affidavit is on
white paper, and not an official letterhead or notarized. Why would one of
India's most respected/educated businessmen sign a letter like this on white
paper unless a gun was put on his head to do it?" she said in a statement.
"The contents of the letter are a joke. It has clearly been drafted by
some half-wit in the PMO who doubles up as a creative writer in the BJP's IT
cell. It sings paeans to Modi and Gautam Adani while linking every opponent of
theirs to me and my alleged corruption," she alleged.
The ethics committee of
the Lok Sabha has asked Dubey and Dehadrai to depose before it in connection
with their allegations against Moitra.
8) Don’t punish
Raje because of me: Gehlot takes a swipe at BJP:
CM Ashok Gehlot urged the
BJP not to punish former CM Vasundhara Raje for refusing to support an alleged
conspiracy to topple the Cong-led govt in the state.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) should not “punish” former Rajasthan chief minister
Vasundhara Raje over her refusal to support an alleged conspiracy to topple the
Congress-led government in the state in 2020, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said
on Thursday. The senior Congress leader also said that he and his former
deputy, Sachin Pilot, are “united”, and ruled out any rift in the party over
ticket distribution for next month’s assembly elections The chief minister was
addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in the national capital
when he was asked about the alleged sidelining of Raje in the BJP.
Calling it an “internal
matter” of the BJP, Gehlot said: “I would not like to comment on it. But I
would like to say that she should not be punished because of me. It would be
injustice to her.” HT had reported earlier that Raje’s supporters have raised
concerns over alleged attempts of the state BJP leadership to “sideline her”.
In January, the former chief minister’s supporters had floated the Vasundhara
Raje Samarth Manch Rajasthan, demanding that she be named as chief ministerial
candidate for next year’s polls. At the press conference, Gehlot went on to
recall his remarks he made in May in Dholpur, that he survived a rebellion by
Congress MLAs in 2020 because BJP leaders Raje and Kailash Meghwal (now
suspended) did not support a “conspiracy to topple” his government through
money power.
The rebellion, in July
2020, was triggered by 22 MLAs, led by then deputy chief minister Pilot. He and
the legislators eventually returned to the fold. Addressing reporters, Gehlot
said: “I would like to narrate an incident (that happened) when my government
was facing a crisis...When I was Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee
president, the then chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was abroad in the US
for a bypass surgery and his own people were looking to topple his government.
As state Congress chief, I had opposed this and said that this was not
appropriate.” He said he had even told then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao and
then governor Bali Ram Bhagat this would not be correct.
“Kailash Meghwal knew
about this and when there was a crisis in our government, he said that there is
no tradition of toppling governments this way. I keep meeting MLAs aligned to
Vasundhara Raje ji and I knew about her remarks and it slipped out of my mouth
at a public meeting that she held the same opinion that Kailash Meghwal did,”
he said.
Both Gehlot and Raje
have alternated power in the state since 1998 when the Congress veteran was
voted in. He lost to Raje in 2003, who in turn lost to Gehlot in 2008. Raje
returned to power in 2013 but again lost to Gehlot in 2018. There was no
immediate reaction from Raje or BJP leaders on Gehlot’s remarks. But, to be
sure, after his Dholpur remarks, Raje had targeted Gehlot, saying there is no
goodwill in his praise but “only malice”.
On the 2020 revolt led
by Pilot, Gehlot said he has adopted the policy of “forgive and forget” and has
moved on. He said that in the midst of the rebellion, “we (Congress leaders and
MLAs) had stayed in a hotel for 40 days and all the differences were resolved
with the high command’s intervention”. “When I came out of the hotel, my first
statement was ‘forgive and forget’. We will work with that sentiment,” he said.
“I am becoming a partner
in all the decisions taken by Pilot, who will also be our supporter,” he added.
9) ‘We were in
hell’: Day after deadly attack on Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital:
Attack happened as
hospital was overwhelmed with thousands of Palestinians seeking shelter from
Israeli attacks. Gaza City – Al-Ahli Arab Hospital is a gruesome sight the
morning after a massacre on its grounds – bloodstains on cement, grass and
tattered bedding, shards of glass glitter next to shattered paving blocks and
the twisted, burned-out remains of cars.
Three thousand people
who survived missile attacks in other parts of Gaza had come to take refuge at
al-Ahli, where they slept in the garden courtyard and in the upper floors of
the hospital building.
Those who were not among
the at least 500 people who were killed in Tuesday night’s attack walked around
dazedly, collecting what belongings were still usable or helping retrieve dead
bodies and body parts. “What happened is a crime against humanity,” Mohammed
al-Nageh, the hospital’s director of programmes and coordination told Al
Jazeera.
“This hospital, which
has functioned and delivered health services for more than 140 years, was
attacked in the most brutal manner, massacring more than 500 souls.”
Ambulances and private
cars rushed hundreds of casualties to al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical
complex in Gaza City which was already overwhelmed with wounded from other
attacks amid Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, inside Israel on October
7.
Victims arrived with
gruesome injuries, Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Some were decapitated, disembowelled or missing limbs.
Health officials said
most of the victims of the attack were women and children and warned the death
toll was expected to rise.
Ibtihal al-Raii was
sitting on the hospital’s second floor with other families and children.
“We saw the light of the
missile,” she said. “The next second, we were in hell. The broken glass rained
down on us, and I threw myself over the children. We ran outside and saw
mutilated bodies, burned bodies, body parts everywhere, underneath our feet.
Where is the Arab world?” She cried.Officials in Gaza said the blast at the
hospital was caused by an Israeli air raid.
The health ministry said
at least 3,300 people have been killed in Gaza and 11,000 wounded in Israeli
air raids.
Another 1,200 people
across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead,
according to health authorities.
1) India vs Pakistan Highlights, World Cup 2023: IND thrash PAK by 7 wickets:
India vs Pakistan
Highlights, World Cup 2023: Shreyas Iyer hit the winning runs and in the
process got to his half century as well.
India vs Pakistan
Highlights, World Cup 2023: Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav triggered a
stunning Pakistan collapse and shared four wickets in India's dominant victory
over their archrivals at the 2023 World Cup on Saturday. The seven-wicket win
in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 fans at Narendra Modi Stadium was India’s eighth consecutive
victory over Pakistan in World Cups in a streak that began in 1992. Bumrah took
2/19 in seven overs and Kuldeep picked 2/35 in 10 overs as Pakistan crashed
from 155/2 (29.3 overs) to 191 all out in 42.5 overs. Apart from Kuldeep and
Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja all got two wickets
each.
Then, Indian captain
Rohit Sharma blazed a 36-ball half-century and Shreyas Iyer provided the finishing
touches with an unbeaten fifty of his own as India raced to the victory line.
Rohit scored 86 runs off 63 balls, including six fours and six sixes, as India
finished with 192/3 (30.3 overs). Shreyas got to his half century with a
boundary, which was also the winning runs, finishing unbeaten on 53 off 62
balls. India lead the table now with six points — ahead of New Zealand on net
run-rate — after three straight wins. Pakistan, after their first loss of the
tournament, have four points from three games and are fourth in the points
table.
2) India vs
Bangladesh Highlights, World Cup 2023: Kohli completes 48th ton, IND win by 7
wickets:
World Cup 2023: It came
down to a race between Kohli getting to his ton and IND finishing the chase and
both ended up happening
India vs Bangladesh,
Woirld Cup 2023 Highlights: Rohit Sharma got off to a flier of a start once
again after Bangladesh were restricted to a score of 256/8. The Indian captain
was looking imperious but he ended up falling in the 13th over on 48 off 40.
Virat Kohli then then came out swinging
as he got two back to back no balls. He took two runs off the first, hit a four
off the second that was a free hit and a six off the next free hit delivery,
thus smashing 12 runs off his first three balls. Shubman Gill, meanwhile,
almost effortlessly scored a half century, eventually falling on 53. Kohli and
Shreyas Iyer have since looked quite secure and India are cruising along in the
chase. Kohli eventually cruised past his 69th ODI half-century. India floated along,
to the point that Kohli and Rahul in the end decided to ensure that the former
takes most of the strike and gets to a century. What was a one-sided match
suddenly became interesting and Kohli thrillingly got to his 48th ODI ton and
hit the winning runs with a six.
India vs Bangladesh Live
Score, World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have got India cruising in
the middle overs
India vs Bangladesh Live
Score, World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have got India cruising in
the middle overs(AFP)
Earlier, India choked
out the Bangladesh lineup in the middle overs after the latter got off to a
strong start with a 93-run opening stand. Bangladesh were eventually reduced to
their last four wickets for just over 200 runs. Their last-recognised pairing
of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim was ended by a special piece of fielding by
Ravindra Jadeja, whose outrageous catch at point gave Jasprit Bumrah his first
wicket. This meant that all Indian bowlers - barring Hardik Pandya and Virat
Kohli who combined to bowl just 6 balls - picked wickets.
3)The Indians…
disciples of Vishy… are coming for Magnus’: Karthikeyan Murali becomes 3rd
Indian to defeat Magnus Carlsen in classical chess:
India's Karthikeyan
Murali became the third Indian chess player to defeat World No 1 Magnus Carlsen
in classical chess after he prevailed over the Norwegian at the Qatar Masters
tournament India’s Karthikeyan Murali became the third Indian chess player to
defeat World No 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess after he prevailed over the
Norwegian at the Qatar Masters tournament. In a round-robin contest, the Indian
won despite playing with black pieces in round 7.
Earlier, five-time world
champion Viswanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna had defeated Carlsen (Hari
had beaten Carlsen when he was a 14-year-old, back in 2005).
Carlsen took a gamble
which backfired, whereas the Indian was rewarded for soldiering on in the face
of severe time trouble, always finding decent moves barely seconds before his
time had run out. “It was very exciting playing Magnus for the first time. I
had never played him before this. He has a good edge in the opening but it was
quite unclear. My approach was to complicate matters,” the 24-year-old later
said to the media channel of the tournament. Carlsen has had a shaky tournament
so far, losing to 23-year-old Kazakh GM Alisher Suleymenov last week and later
admitting that he was thrown off by his opponent ‘wearing a watch in the game’
which made him lose concentration.
The Qatar Masters
tournament has a strong line up of players, with Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri
and Nodirbek Abdusattorov also in the fray. India’s charge is being led by
Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi. For Carlsen, the match against Karthikeyan, who has
a rating of 2611 and is a two-time Indian national champion, marked the sixth
time in seven games that he had come up against Indian opposition. Even if the
Norwegian may not, Carlsen’s biggest rivals saw the funny side of this.
“This is the future for
him. The Indians are coming for him. It’s going to be one Indian after another,
after another, after another, after another — all the disciples of Vishy!”
Chess24 dot com’s X handle quoted Nakamura as saying after the day’s games
ended.
4) Denmark Open
2023: PV Sindhu finishes it off in style for a brilliant win against world No 7
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung:
Former world champion
rallies from a game behind to bear Tunjung 18-21, 21-15, 21-13 in Denmark Open.
From 10-13 down in the deciding game, PV Sindhu went on a stunning run of 11
straight points to win the round of 16 tie against World No 7 Gregoria Mariska
Tunjung on Thursday in Odense at the Denmark Open. The Indian finished the
match off in style to come back from a game down and win 18-21, 21-15, 21-13 in
a 71-minute contest.
In a match that swung
like a pendulum, both players had streaks of points across the three games.
Game 1 saw Tunjung go into the lead and Sindhu kept fighting back, but
eventually couldn’t overhaul the Indonesian. Game 2 saw Sindhu open up a
massive lead at 13-4 but the former junior world champion levelled it up at
14-14 before the Indian put together a good run. And then in Game 3, Tunjung
opened up an early lead but Sindhu had two good runs, the second one that saw
her win 11 unanswered points after the change of ends.
Sindhu came into the
match with a 8-2 head-to-head lead in the previous 10 meetings. But Tunjung,
after losing their first six matches, had won two in a row earlier this year.
Sindhu had won their last meeting at the Indonesia Open and now extends her
advantage against Tunjung to 9-2. In the opening game, both players engaged in
good rallies early on, with a 32-shot exchange setting the tempo for what was
to follow. Sindhu was expectedly tested at the net by the crafty Indonesian, as
she had done earlier this year. Her deception in the drops and half slices made
it hard for Sindhu on defence, but the Indian was up for it on Thursday.
However, Sindhu made far too many errors as Tunjung took the lead.
The second game saw
Sindhu start in dominant fashion, yelling out her ‘come on!’ often to get
herself going. Tunjung’s errors helped too, as the 2019 world champion opened
up a massive lead. But Tunjung went from 6-14 to level the game. Sindhu
desperately needed a turnaround and it came from the unlikeliest of sources as
she got a review right, not a common sight. It gave her the break she needed as
she took the match into the decider. The potential turning point of the match
came when Sindhu went down 5-9 in Game 3. From a similar position, she conceded
a big lead to Wang Zhi Yi last week at the Arctic Open semifinal but here, she
put together a superb run of five straight points. A disguised forehand
crosscourt to go 10-9 up was one of the highlights of the day. That gave her
the foothold to impose herself from the far side after the change of ends,
where she dominated from 10-13 down. The decibel level of her roars kept
increasing and she won the match with a dive to her left for a backhand block.
It would go down as one
of Sindhu’s better wins of 2023, as she continues to show signs of returning to
her best after brief glimpses in Hangzhou and Finland.Sindhu will face
Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the quarterfinal, who defeated India’s
Aakarshi Kashyap in straight games 21-18, 21-8. Sindhu has a 3-2 Head-to-Head record
against the left-hander from Thailand, but does have a tendency to struggle
against the aggressive style. Katethong has defeated Sindhu twice in the last
two editions of the India Open.
5) Ayush, the ‘next
Shetty of Indian badminton,’ picks up lessons for future in Junior Worlds
bronze medal run:
On his way to the bronze
medal at the recently held Badminton World Junior championship, the young
shuttler got the crucial experience he will need to make the daunting
transition from juniors to seniors. Some medals – that aren’t gold – come
coated with a matte finish of serious lessons for the future. Ayush Shetty, 19,
returned with a bronze from the Badminton World Junior championship in Spokane,
USA, after losing to eventual champion, Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, in the
semifinal. He led 16-14 in the opener before his fast-paced opponent took 4-5
points continuously to leave him with a blitz, from which he gleaned out many
tough lessons.
One among those, is how
to not fall for mind games – like delays when receiving serve. Another, lessons
in facing serious pace, because Alwi could accelerate mid-rally, which will be
the staple when Shetty graduates into seniors. “In the second set he led 4-12,
and I made it 13-13, but it wasn’t enough,” Shetty told The Indian Express on
his return having played his last juniors, and ready to hop into the seniors
circuit playing International series and Challengers, starting with the Infosys
meet in the coming month.
This ‘next Shetty of
Indian badminton’, for Chirag dominates headlines right now, also comes from
Mangalore, and spent his early years there, but is now training at the Padukone
academy in Bangalore. Ayush’s father played the sport in the backyard, and got
his tall son started with district meets. After his state ranking meets, the
father took a crucial call to pack him off to Bangalore which boasted of better
academies.“I’m tall like my father, who’s 6 feet. I’m 194 cms, so I inherited
the build. But he took an important decision to send me to Bangalore. My mother
and sister shifted with me, but my father, who works in finance, had to stay
back. It’s been tough to stay away from him,” Ayush says.
Starting out with coach
Chetan in his earliest years, he moved to Baddy Zone of Mohit Kamath and
finally I-Sports of Krishna Kumar. The shift to Padukone happened thereafter,
though the titles would take time to start coming in. “I was not very good till
2019. But I won my first title after Covid. For 4-5 tournaments after that I
was stuck at quarterfinals, before winning at Bahadurgarh. Mt fitness was down,
which was the major area coaches at PPBA worked on. Now I’m confident,” he
says.
Ganapath - A Hero Is Born:
Ganapath is a futuristic
action thriller film that is set in the year 2070, where the world is divided
between Silver City and Gareebon Ki Duniya, Ganapath rises as a beacon of hope,
to bridge the gap between the unjust division of society.
Cast
Tiger Shroff
Kriti Sanon
Dasham Avatar :
Bengali
A serial killer is
terrorizing the city of Kolkata in early 2000s. His methods of killing resemble
closely the mythological stories about Vishnu and his ten Avatars. Prabir and
Poddar, one experienced senior and the other an energetic young police officer,
is charged with handling the case.
Director
Srijit Mukherji
Writer
Srijit Mukherji
Stars
Prasenjit
ChatterjeeJisshu SenguptaAnirban Bhattacharya
Bagha Jatin :
Bengali
Presenting you the
untold story of Bengal's greatest freedom fighter Jatindranath Mukhopadhyay aka
Bagha Jatin., Releasing in cinemas on 19th October 2023.
How Jatindranath
Mukherjee became Bagha Jatin and his numerous contributions in the fight for
India's Independence
Director
Arun Roy
Writers
Sounava BoseRaj
KarmakarArun Roy
Stars
DevAlexandra
TaylorSudipta Chakraborty
Kaala Paani : OTT
Relese on Netflix
Amidst the allure of the
salty seas and the ocean breeze - a kudrat ka khazaana if you will, miles away
from mainland India, a mystery awaits discovery at the heart of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. When one’s life is at risk, and the clock is ticking, choices
have to be made - to survive and escape. The trailer of Netflix’s survival
drama, Kaala Paani, gives a glimpse into the journeys of individuals who find
themselves trapped on the islands, away from the mainland, with no immediate
help in the offing. At an existential crossroad, will they manage to escape
from Kaala Paani? Produced by Posham Pa Pictures, the series is directed by
Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani, with a screenplay by Biswapati Sarkar, Amit
Golani, Sandeep Saket and Nimisha Misra. Get ready to dive into the world of
Kaala Paani on October 18, only on Netflix.
Starring a talented
ensemble cast including Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker, Amey Wagh, Sukant Goel,
Vikas Kumar, Arushi Sharma, Radhika Mehrotra, Chinmay Mandlekar, and Poornima
Indrajith, the series promises a survival drama unlike any other. The trailer
delves into an intricately crafted world, pushing the boundaries of storytelling.
What is one willing to sacrifice when the fight is against nature and humanity
is at stake? How far would one go to escape from Kaala Paani?
Executive Producer:
Sameer Saxena
Director: Sameer Saxena,
Amit Golani
Writers: Biswapati
Sarkar, Amit Golani, Sandeep Saket, Nimisha Misra
Showrunner: Sameer
Saxena
Cast: Mona Singh,
Ashutosh Gowariker, Amey Wagh, Sukant Goel, Arushi Sharma, Radhika Mehrotra,
Vikas Kumar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Poornima Indrajith
Durgo Rawhoshyo:
OTT RELEASE ON
HOICHOI ON 19 OCTOBER
Here's presenting the
official trailer of #DurgoRawhoshyo. In the captivating town of Jankigarh,
Byomkesh Bakshi untangles a web of murder, family secrets, and hidden treasure
while balancing personal life and professional challenges. In this story
Byomkesh Bakshi, accompanied by his loyal friend Ajit and pregnant wife
Satyabati, answers Inspector Pandey's call to uncover a murder mystery within
the enchanting fortress of Jankigarh. As they explore the timeless fortress and
its intriguing history, they untangle a web of family secrets, mysterious
deaths, and an ancestral treasure. Byomkesh's astute deductions, amidst the
impending birth of his child, lead to the unveiling of a cunning perpetrator,
the resolution of the crimes, and the discovery of the hidden treasure,
transforming the fate of all involved.
Credits:
Cast: Anirban
Bhattacharya, Sohini Sarkar, Rahul Banerjee, Debesh Roychoudhury, Avigyan
Bhattacharya, Korak Samanta, Debraj Bhattacharya, Anusha Vishwanathan, Samiul
Alam, Anujoy Chattopadhyay, Biplab Chatterjee, Chandan Sen.
Director: Srijit
Mukherji
Production: SVF
BOO K OF THIS WEEK
The Lowland by
Jhumpa Lahiri (Author)
Two brothers, a
brilliant woman haunted by her unfortunate past, a love that exceeds the boundaries
of death and a movement of the country which will decide the future of
countless people, are what this book revolves around. The Lowland is a tale of
Udayan and Subhash Mitra who are born just fifteen months apart, but possess
starkly different personalities and they encounter futures that are poles
apart.
In the 1960s, Udayan
Mitra is an impulsive person with a magnetizing personality and gets involved
in the Naxalite movement, a movement aimed to eradicate inequality and poverty.
On the other hand his brother chooses an entirely different life of scientific
research in a quiet, peaceful coastal corner of America.
Life brings Subhash back
to India after he learns about the unfortunate incident that happens to his
brother in the lowland near his family home. The incident brings him back to
his roots and his torn his family together, including his brother's wife. He
tries to heal the wounds which his brother left behind.
A story based in both
India and America, The Lowland is fiercely thoughtful and overflows with human
emotion. The book gives you goose bumps as the complex intricacies of varied
human emotions like love, affinity and dedication are unveiled.
The author bagged a
nomination for the Man Booker Prize for The Lowland.
This is the fourth book
from the author, after her series of three bestselling books.
Jhumpa Lahiri
was born in London and
raised in Rhode Island. Her debut, internationally-bestselling collection,
Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, the PEN/Hemingway Award,
The New Yorker Debut of the Year award, an American Academy of Arts and Letters
Addison Metcalf Award, and a nomination for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
It was translated into twenty-nine languages. Her first novel, The Namesake,
was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, and
selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment
Weekly, among other publications. Her second collection, Unaccustomed Earth,
was a #1 New York Times bestseller; named a best book of the year by The New
York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among
others; and the recipient of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story
Award. Lahiri was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 and inducted into the
American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2012.
Nature Magazine
National Geographic
Cartoon Games
History Channel
Online Movies
Scientific American
Filmfare Mag
Online Britannica
Time Mag
Unexplained Mysteries
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