Manash (Subhaditya Edusoft): SUBHADITYA NEWS CHANNEL PRESENTS NEWS OF THIS WEEK DATED 25/5/2024: SCIENCE, POLITICAL, SPORTS,MOVIE AND BOOK NEWS OF THIS WEEK

1) Human body lice could harbor the plague and spread it through biting By Tina Hesman Saey

Rats and their fleas take the rap for spreading the plague, but lice that infest people may share the blame.

Human body lice can harbor plague-causing bacteria and can transmit the disease by biting, researchers report May 21 in PLOS Biology.

Some studies have suggested that Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, spread too quickly during the Black Death of 1346 to 1353 and other outbreaks to be the sole work of rats and fleas (SN: 6/15/22). Human body lice, which feed on human blood, might be involved, but previous research found that the lice aren’t very efficient at spreading the disease.Researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Mont., revisited whether body lice (Pediculus humanus humanus) can spread the plague. The team simulated human skin with membranes that lice can puncture with their mouth parts to get a blood meal. Lice fed blood with Y. pestis in it developed infections that lasted about a week, the researchers found.

In some lice, the bacteria concentrated in a unique set of glands called Pawlowsky glands, which may produce a lubricant to help mouthparts extend and retract. Those lice could transmit the bacteria during a short three-hour feeding period and in large enough doses to cause disease, the researchers discovered. Lice that carried the plague in their guts could spread the bacteria if given 20 hours, but not as efficiently as the ones with the gland infections.These findings suggest the plague could spread through lice bites — a new way for lice to spread disease. Body lice spread other bacterial diseases, including trench fever and typhus, to people when crushed lice or their bacteria-laden feces are ground into the skin.

And body lice could be infected with Y. pestis strains that have genetic mutations that prevent the bacterium from infecting fleas, the team found. The findings suggest that body lice are better at transmitting plague than previously thought, the researchers note, and might be just the culprits on which to pin some plague outbreaks.

2) Bizarre bacteria defy textbooks by writing new genes By Ewen Callaway

Bacterial defensive systems scramble the standard workflow of life.Genetic information usually travels down a one-way street: genes written in DNA serve as the template for making RNA molecules, which are then translated into proteins. That tidy textbook story got a bit complicated in 1970 when scientists discovered that some viruses have enzymes called reverse transcriptases, which scribe RNA into DNA — the reverse of the usual traffic flow.

Now, scientists have discovered an even weirder twist1. A bacterial version of reverse transcriptase reads RNA as a template to make completely new genes written in DNA. These genes are then transcribed back into RNA, which is translated into protective proteins when a bacterium is infected by a virus. By contrast, viral reverse transcriptases don’t make new genes; they merely transfer information from RNA to DNA.“This is crazy molecular biology,” says Aude Bernheim, a bioinformatician at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, who was not involved in the research. “I would have never guessed this type of mechanism existed.”

One-up on CRISPR

Bacteria fend off viruses and other invaders by deploying myriad defences, such as the juggernaut gene-editing system CRISPR. One of the more mysterious defence systems contains the DNA gene for a reverse transcriptase and a short stretch of mysterious RNA without any clear function: the sequence didn’t seem to encode any protein.

To work out how this system works, a team co-led by molecular biologist Stephen Tang and biochemist Samuel Sternberg, both at Columbia University in New York City, searched for the DNA molecules made by a reverse transcriptase from bacteria called Klebsiella pneumoniae. It found very long DNA sequences that consisted of numerous identical repeating segments. Each segment matched a chunk of the mysterious RNA.

Loop-the-loop

To explain this, the authors note that long RNA strands can form hairpin-like shapes, bringing two distant portions close to each other. The researchers found that the K. pneumoniae reverse transcriptase was doing repeated ‘laps’ around the RNA sequence, which was looped over itself like a shoelace, writing the same RNA molecule into DNA many times over. This created a repetitive DNA sequence.The repeated segments created a protein-coding sequence called an open reading frame. The researchers named this sequence neo, for ‘never-ending open reading frame’, because it lacks a sequence that signals the end of a protein and, therefore, theoretically has no limit. They then found that viral infection triggers the production of the Neo protein, which causes cells to stop dividing. The findings, which have not yet been peer reviewed, were posted to the bioRxiv preprint server on 8 May.

How Neo halts growth of infected cells isn’t yet clear, the researchers say. A predicted 3D structure of a portion of Neo — its length probably varies depending on how much of its RNA gets translated — suggests that it forms a series of helices. Experiments showed that breaking up these shapes stymied Neo’s toxic effects. Exactly how viral infection kicks off the creation of the Neo protein is also a mystery, says Bernheim. “This I am burning to know.”

Wonderful life

The discovery that reverse transcriptase — which has previously been known only for copying genetic material — can create completely new genes has left other researchers gobsmacked. “This looks like biology from alien organisms,” Israel Fernandez, a computational chemist at Complutense University of Madrid, wrote on X.

“Their findings were astonishing,” says Nicolás Toro García, a molecular biologist at Zaidín Experimental Research Station in Grenada, Spain, and should help researchers to develop biotechnology applications for the system.

The discovery has even left Sternberg in awe: “It should change the way we look at the genome.”

3) Lab-grown sperm and eggs: ‘epigenetic’ reset in human cells paves the way By Heidi Ledford

Technique wipes away tags on DNA that must be reprogrammed during development of reproductive cells. The day when human sperm and eggs can be grown in the laboratory has inched a step closer, with the discovery of a way to recreate a crucial developmental step in a dish1.

The advance, described 20 May in Nature, addresses a major hurdle: how to ensure that the chemical tags on the DNA and associated proteins in artificially produced sperm and eggs are placed properly. These tags are part of a cell’s ‘epigenome’ and can influence whether genes are turned on or off. The epigenome changes over a person’s lifetime; during the development of the cells that will eventually give rise to sperm or eggs, these marks must be wiped clean and then reset to their original state.

“Epigenetic reprogramming is key to making the next generation,” says Mitinori Saitou, a stem-cell biologist at Kyoto University in Japan, and a co-author of the paper. He and his team worked out how to activate this reprogramming — something that had been one of the biggest challenges in generating human sperm and eggs in the laboratory, he says.

But Saitou is quick to note that there are further steps left to conquer, and that the epigenetic reprogramming his lab has achieved is not perfect.

“There is still much work to be done and considerable time required to address these challenges,” agrees Fan Guo, a reproductive epigeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Zoology in Beijing.

Eggs in a dish

Growing human sperm and eggs in the laboratory would offer hope to some couples struggling with infertility. It would also provide a way to edit disease-causing DNA sequences in sperm and eggs, sidestepping some of the technical complications of making such edits in embryos. And understanding how eggs and sperm develop can give researchers insight into some causes of infertility.But in addition to its technical difficulty, growing eggs and sperm in a dish — called in vitro gametogenesis — would carry weighty social and ethical questions. Genetic modification to prevent diseases, for example, could lead to genetic enhancement to boost traits associated with intelligence or athleticism.

Epigenetic reprogramming is key to the formation of reproductive cells — without it, the primordial cells that would eventually give rise to sperm and eggs stop developing. Furthermore, the epigenome affects gene activity, helping cells with identical DNA sequences to take on unique identities. The epigenome helps to differentiate a brain cell, for example, from a liver cell.

Researchers know how to grow mouse eggs and sperm using stem-cell-like cells generated from skin. But the protocols used don’t work in human cells: “There is a big gap between mice and humans,” says Saitou.

Pressing reset on the epigenome

So Saitou and his colleagues began an arduous search for a way to control epigenetic reprogramming in human cells. They found that a protein called BMP2 was essential for this step and that adding it to their cultures promoted epigenetic reprogramming. The cells grown in this culture were able to progress a step further in their development than were cells in cultures without added BMP2.

After epigenetic reprogramming, the cells’ development halted again. Even so, each step towards in vitro gametogenesis holds “immense significance”, says Guo. Saitou and his colleagues are now hunting for ways to nudge the cells further along the path to becoming sperm and eggs.The researchers carefully analysed epigenetic marks in their laboratory-grown cells and found that although many of these imprints had been wiped away, a few remained. This means that the reprogramming might be incomplete — which could have serious consequences if such cells were used for reproduction. “If imprinting on even one gene is aberrant, that could lead to disease,” says Saitou.

Such caveats are important to bear in mind, he says: the field of in vitro gametogenesis is advancing rapidly, and these results, along with other developments in the past few years, could fuel speculation and false claims that a solution is just around the corner. “I think in maybe five years or so, things will get more settled,” he says. “And then only the good science will remain.”

4) New catalyst transforms carbon dioxide from industrial emissions into commonly used chemicals :by Joseph E. Harmon, Argonne National Laboratory

A low-cost, tin-based catalyst can selectively convert carbon dioxide to three widely produced chemicals—ethanol, acetic acid and formic acid.Lurking within the emissions from many industrial operations is an untapped resource—carbon dioxide (CO2). A contributor of greenhouse gas and global warming, it could instead be captured and converted to value-added chemicals.

In a collaborative project involving the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, Northern Illinois University and Valparaiso University, scientists report a family of catalysts that efficiently converts CO2 into ethanol, acetic acid or formic acid. These liquid hydrocarbons are among the most produced chemicals in the U.S. and are found in many commercial products. For example, ethanol is a key ingredient in numerous household products and an additive to nearly all U.S. gasoline.

The work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.The catalysts are based on tin metal deposited over a carbon support. "If fully developed, our catalysts could convert the CO2 produced at various industrial sources to valuable chemicals," said Di-Jia Liu. "These sources include fossil fuel power plants and bio-fermentation and waste treatment facilities." Liu is a senior chemist at Argonne and a senior scientist in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.The method used by the team is called electrocatalytic conversion, meaning that CO2 conversion over a catalyst is driven by electricity. By varying the size of tin used from single atoms to ultrasmall clusters and also to larger nano-crystallites, the team could control the CO2 conversion to acetic acid, ethanol and formic acid, respectively. Selectivity for each of these chemicals was 90% or higher. "Our finding of a changing reaction path by the catalyst size is unprecedented," Liu said.

Computational and experimental studies revealed several insights into the reaction mechanisms forming the three hydrocarbons. One important insight was that the reaction path completely changes when the ordinary water used in the conversion is switched to deuterated water (deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen). This phenomenon is known as the kinetic isotope effect. It has never been previously observed in CO2 conversion.

This research benefited from two DOE Office of Science user facilities at Argonne—the Advanced Photon Source (APS) and Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM).

"Using the hard X-ray beams available at the APS, we captured the chemical and electronic structures of the tin-based catalysts with different tin loadings," said Chengjun Sun, an Argonne physicist. In addition, the high spatial resolution possible with a transmission electron microscope at CNM directly imaged the arrangement of tin atoms, from single atoms to small clusters, with the different catalyst loadings.

According to Liu, "Our ultimate goal is to use locally generated electricity from wind and solar to produce desired chemicals for local consumption."

This would require integrating the newly discovered catalysts into a low-temperature electrolyzer to carry out the CO2 conversion with electricity supplied by renewable energy. Low-temperature electrolyzers can operate at near ambient temperature and pressure. This allows rapid start and stop to accommodate the intermittent supply of renewable energy. It is an ideal technology to serve this purpose.

"If we can selectively produce only the chemicals in need near the site, we can help to cut down on CO2 transport and storage costs," Liu noted. "It would truly be a win-win situation for local adopters of our technology."

5) Sumatran orangutans start crafting their engineering skills as infants By Elizabeth Anne Brown

At six months old, human infants are still working on sitting up by themselves. But baby orangutans at that age are already developing their engineering skills.

Orangutans build complex sleeping platforms as high as 20 meters in the tree canopy — the equivalent of four stories above the ground — every single evening. The nests are intricate and can include woven elements, pillows, blankets, padding and roofs to protect from rain.But nest building isn’t instinctive to orangutans — it has to be learned through years of (sometimes hilarious) trial and error that start in infancy, researchers report in the May Animal Behaviour. The finding could be important for conserving populations of the critically endangered ape.The treetops are “a dangerous place to live when you’re so big and heavy,” and a poorly made nest can spell disaster, says Andrea Permana, a primatologist at the University of Warwick in England.

To see how orangutans become expert canopy architects, Permana and her colleagues tracked the development of 27 young Sumatran orangutans at the Suaq Balimbing monitoring station in Sumatra, Indonesia, over 13 years. Those observations allowed the researchers to create detailed timeline of how nest building emerges.

By 6 months of age, baby orangutans take an active interest in nest building, even adding leaves and twigs to mom’s nest.Young orangutans begin by building “day nests” — temporary platforms, often in fruit trees, for lounging while foraging. “Sometime before their first birthday, they’ve already started to try and bend branches around in a circle to try and make a nest foundation,” Permana says.

At this age, they’re not always strong enough to get the job done. “They’ll hang on [a branch] with their body weight to try and break it, really pulling, trying to bend it,” Permana says. “They think they’ve made a circle and they let go and it just pings open. You can see they’re kind of surprised, like ‘Oh! It’s not as easy as it looks.’”Ages 3 to 4 are a frenzy of nest-building practice as the young orangutans perfect their day nests and try their hand at night nests. Permana recalls one young male named Fredy who, at about the age of 3, built and destroyed 21 nests in a single day. (They varied wildly in effort, quality and longevity.)

By about age 5, young orangutans can build a respectable place to spend the night, usually constructing a nest a couple of meters above their mother’s in the same tree. But even if they go to sleep solo, young orangutans always seem to wake up back in mom’s nest until they’re fully weaned at about 7 or 8 years old, Permana found (SN: 5/17/17).

After they’ve got the nest-building basics down, the comfort features — like roofs and blankets — appear to take still more years of practice to master, appearing more frequently in nests made by adults.

Permana’s study is “the first real, detailed investigation of the development of nest-building in apes,” says Elizabeth Lonsdorf, a primatologist at Emory University in Atlanta. It also underscores the important work done by forest schools, rehabilitation facilities designed to prepare orphaned orangutans for a life in the wild by teaching them key skills — like nest building.

Forest schools may need to add something a little extra to the curriculum; there’s an element of culture to the bedtime routine, Permana says. Each night, every orangutan in Suaq that includes a pillow in its nest makes a special pillow-making vocalization. It’s not the soulful lullaby you might expect from these mysterious, gentle giants — “it’s like a human blowing a raspberry.”

1) RBI may transfer dividend of around Rs 1 lakh crore to government: Report

The Reserve Bank of India is anticipated to declare the transfer of its surplus funds by late May.

In Short

RBI expected to transfer around Rs 1 lakh crore dividend to government

Government's borrowing through Treasury Bills reduced by Rs 60,000 crore Surplus transfer likely larger than last year's Rs 87,416 crore

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to transfer a substantial dividend, possibly around Rs 1 lakh crore, to the government, significantly higher than last year's payout, reported The Economic Times.

Recently, the RBI announced a significant reduction in the government's borrowing through Treasury Bills, cutting the anticipated funds by Rs 60,000 crore.

Additionally, the central bank is supporting an operation to allow the government to prematurely repay Rs 60,000 crore of earlier borrowings.These measures suggest an effort to utilise idle government funds, limited by election-related spending constraints, indicating an imminent improvement in the Centre's financial situation.

The RBI is anticipated to declare the transfer of its surplus funds by late May. Union Bank of India's chief economic advisor, Kanika Pasricha, noted in a research report that the RBI is expected to transfer a surplus of Rs 1 lakh crore to the government for FY25.

"We expect the RBI to transfer a surplus of INR 1,000 billion (â‚¹1 lakh crore) to the government in FY25... while there are many moving parts in the RBI dividend calculation, our assessment shows a likely repeat of a strong dividend number," Pasricha noted.

Analysts' assessments, based on the RBI's balance sheet, support the expectation of a larger surplus transfer compared to last year's Rs 87,416 crore.A Prasanna, head of research at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership, projected a surplus (before provisions) of Rs 3.4 lakh crore, with provisions amounting to Rs 2.2 lakh crore, leaving a potential dividend of Rs 1.2 lakh crore.

Prasanna also highlighted that this large dividend would likely correspond with an increase in the RBI's core capital ratio, strengthening the central bank's balance sheet.

A key factor contributing to this anticipated surplus is the sharp rise in interest earnings from the RBI's foreign exchange assets, driven by aggressive rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve over recent years.

Despite lower gross sales and purchases of US dollars in FY24 compared to FY23, analysts still foresee a significant boost in the RBI's earnings from its foreign assets.

2) New evidence bolsters allegations Adani Group overcharged for coal by Newslaudry By:Anand Mangnale

The investigation had been stopped in the courts after Adani legally challenged regulators’ attempts to collect evidence. OCCRP has obtained some of the evidence regulators sought.On January 9, 2014, the bulk carrier MV Kalliopi L docked at Ennore port in Chennai, the southern Indian city in Tamil Nadu, after a fourteen-day voyage from Indonesia. It carried 69,925 metric tons of coal destined for the state’s power company.

However, the paperwork for the coal on board the ship took a more circuitous route, passing though the British Virgin Islands and Singapore.

MV Kalliopi L’s profitable trip was not an isolated event. Documents obtained by OCCRP and shared with the Financial Times reveal that at least 24 other shipments that landed on the Tamil Nadu coast between January and October 2014 were originally priced as low-quality coal but ultimately sold by Adani to the local state power company for triple the cost.However, the paperwork for the coal on board the ship took a more circuitous route, passing though the British Virgin Islands and Singapore.

During this process, the price more than tripled to US $91.91 per metric ton. The quality of the coal also inexplicably changed from low-grade steam coal to the clean, high-quality version sought by power companies. MV Kalliopi L’s profitable trip was not an isolated event. Documents obtained by OCCRP and shared with the Financial Times reveal that at least 24 other shipments that landed on the Tamil Nadu coast between January and October 2014 were originally priced as low-quality coal but ultimately sold by Adani to the local state power company for triple the cost.

The evidence comes from multiple sources, including invoices and banking documents from several jurisdictions, details of investigations by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, leaked documents from a key Indonesian coal supplier for Adani Group, and a trove of documents obtained from the Indian state power company TANGEDCO (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation).

While not definitive, the data adds strong new evidence to over-invoicing allegations against the politically powerful Adani Group – which is perceived as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nearly a decade ago, India’s DRI, which falls under the Finance Ministry, opened an investigation into whether Adani Group and other companies had used offshore intermediaries to inflate the price of coal supplied to utilities. But the probe was prevented from progressing in 2019 after Adani won a case in Bombay’s High Court that blocked the DRI from seeking details about shipments, including the types of invoices OCCRP has obtained, from abroad. The DRI then appealed to India’s Supreme Court, where the case has languished without progress.

Last year, opposition politicians called for a new investigation after the Financial Times reported that the Adani Group appears to have paid over $5 billion to middlemen for coal imported far in excess of market prices between 2021-2023.Arappor Iyakkam, a Tamil Nadu-based NGO that has been fighting for accountability in the alleged coal scam, estimates that the state’s power company TANGEDCO overpaid Rs 6,000 crore ($720 million at today’s exchange rate) for coal from all vendors between 2012-2016, during which nearly half the value of its tenders were given to Adani, according to the organization. The organization filed a complaint against TANGEDCO in 2018 with the state anti-corruption agency. The burden of such overpricing for ordinary Indians would not only be inflated fuel costs – burning lower quality coal also produces more pollution, a scourge responsible for more than 1.6 million deaths in India in 2019, according to a recent study published in the Lancet.“The implications are that you have overpaid for the fuel, the second implication is that you need to burn more coal for every unit of electricity you produce, which results in more fly ash, and more pollution,” said Tim Buckley, founder and Director of Australia-based Climate Energy Finance, who is a leading authority on energy financing and its implications. “More pollution and more energy poverty for the poorest people in India.” When asked about OCCRP’s findings, an Adani spokesperson denied the allegations as “false and baseless.”“The suggestion that Adani Global Pte Ltd supplied to TANGEDCO inferior coal, as compared to the quality standards laid down in the tender and PO [purchase order], is incorrect,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “While it is difficult for us to comment on individual cases due to the sheer volume of data and the elapsed time, not to add the contractual and legal obligations, it is important to note that the coal supplied, irrespective of the declaration by the supplier, is tested for quality at the receiving plant.”

The Adani spokesperson rejected Arappor Iyakkam’s analysis and any responsibility for India’s air pollution or losses incurred by state power companies. “By no stretch of imagination can Adani Global Pte Ltd, with a total supply of less than 2% of the coal burnt by TANGEDCO in the relevant period, be held responsible for either air pollution or the losses of [power distribution companies].”

TANGEDCO did not respond to questions sent by OCCRP.

One shipment, multiple invoices

The documents obtained by reporters track how both the price, and in the case of the MV Kalliopi L, the quality of the coal imported by Adani increased as it moved between companies.

Shortly after the vessel left Indonesia, the provincial office in the port city of Banjarmasin issued a certificate of origin in January 2014 identifying the Indonesia mining group Jhonlin as the consignor and TANGEDCO as the consignee of the coal onboard.

The certificate did not mention the calorific value of the coal – which measures how much energy is produced when the coal is burned and is an indication of its quality. But it listed the price at $28 per metric ton, which corresponds to the market value of the low-end coal Jhonlin was selling at the time. Before reaching TANGEDCO, the paperwork for the shipment passed through a middleman: Supreme Union Investors Ltd, a company registered in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands.This company issued an invoice for the same shipment to Adani Global PTE Singapore – the group’s regional headquarter – that listed the unit price as $33.75 per metric ton, and the quality as “below 3500” kilocalories per kilogram (kcal/kg), which is considered low grade. But when Adani Global issued its invoice to TANGEDCO for the shipment a little over a month after delivery, everything had changed. The unit price of the coal shot up dramatically to US$91.91 per metric ton and the coal was listed as having a calorific value of 6,000 kcal/kg, a high quality form relatively free of impurities. Documents show how the price and quality of the same shipment of coal increased as it changed hands.

1. A certificate of origin issued in Indonesia shows the coal was supplied by the Indonesia mining group Jhonlin. Leaked data from the miner listed the price as US$28 per metric ton. Click here to view it.

2. A commercial invoice issued by Supreme Union Investors to Adani Global lists the price of the same shipment at US$33.75 per metric ton, and describes the quality as below 3,500 kcal/kg. Click here to view it.

3. A commercial invoice from Adani to TANGEDCO shows Adani supplied the same coal to the state power company for the price of $91.91 per metric ton, with the quality listed as 6,000 kcal/kg. Click here to view it.Reporters verified two dozen other coal deliveries from 2014 that follow the same pattern, with Adani earning large margins on every shipment. According to the leaked data from Jhonlin, the Indonesia miner initially supplied the shipments to Supreme Union Investors for an average price of US$28 per metric ton, a cost consistent with low end bulk steam coal. But records from TANGEDCO show these shipments were ultimately supplied by Adani under the contracted quality of 6,000-kcal/kg and the price of US$91 per metric ton of coal. Though reporters were unable to obtain all original invoices, they were able to confirm the 24 shipments were the same in the export and import datasets by matching the ship, weight, and shipment dates. Supreme Union Investors did not respond to requests to comment. But records from TANGEDCO show these shipments were ultimately supplied by Adani under the contracted quality of 6,000-kcal/kg and the price of US$91 per metric ton of coal.

In their response to reporters, the Adani Group spokesperson stressed that the shipments were tested for quality at multiple points in the process. “With the supplied coal having passed such an elaborate quality check process by multiple agencies at multiple points, clearly the allegation of supply of low-quality coal is not only baseless and unfair but completely absurd,” Adani said.

Jhonlin did not respond to questions from OCCRP, but data from Argus Media, a source of coal industry pricing, shows the miner has historically supplied low-end steam coal, which is also supported by its own data. The dataset from Jhonlin that was leaked to OCCRP includes more than 2 million documents from between 2012 and 2022, including contracts, supply data, negotiations, emails, and other documents detailing the Indonesian companies activities. Reporters could not find any example of Jhonlin providing coal with a calorific value above 4,200 kcal/kg – far below the higher-quality 6,000-calorie coal which TANGEDCO ordered.

The Adani spokesperson said if the coal delivered had been found to be of lower quality than what was stipulated in the contract, which allowed for a range of between 5,800 and 6,700 kcal/kg, the payment would have been reduced accordingly.

According to commercially available data of tenders, Financial Times journalists identified 22 of the 24 shipments and found the final payment price varied between $87 and $91 per metric ton, indicating that only small adjustments, if any, may have been made. According to one Indian analyst, power generators in the country have “faced coal quality problems for decades.”“Given the market power of coal suppliers, they often don’t have a choice but to accept grade slippage,” Rohit Chandra, assistant professor of public policy at IIT Delhi, told the Financial Times. “Third party testing has done very little to address these concerns.”

Justice delayed

The data obtained by reporters reveals patterns similar to what the DRI found in the industry-wide case it launched against several Adani Group companies and other firms for alleged manipulation of coal prices and calorific value.

The agency suspected Adani coal was shipped directly from Indonesian ports to India, while the accompanying import invoices took convoluted paths. They were channeled through one or more intermediaries in global hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and the British Virgin Islands, before being issued to the buyer by Adani Global.

In a 2016 notice of the investigation, the DRI noted that “in a significant number of cases” two sets of test reports were discovered for consignments: “one showing lower gross calorific value (GVC) and the other higher GVC.”But its efforts to seek more information about shipments in other jurisdictions were thwarted by Adani in court.At the request of the DRI, a Mumbai court issued formal requests in 2017 to courts in Hong Kong, Switzerland, UAE, and Singapore, seeking help in accessing information held by Adani subsidiaries, including the details of several shipments, their associated invoices, and proof of payments. However, Adani Group challenged the DRI’s requests to obtain its business records the following year. The Bombay High Court ruled in Adani's favor, forcing the DRI to rescind the requests. The DRI appealed the order to India’s Supreme Court and the case has moved at a glacial pace ever since, with Adani reportedly taking three years to file a counter affidavit to the DRI’s appeal. The next hearing is scheduled for August 6.

3) Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 5 Voting Highlights: 58% turnout in 49 seats, 73% polling in West Bengal

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 5 Voting Highlights: According to the Election Commission of India, 57.57 per cent turnout was recorded in 49 seats in the fifth phase of polling on May 20. West Bengal saw 73% polling, the poll panel said. Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 5 Voting Highlights: Voting concluded in 49 constituencies across six states and two Union territories in phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on May 20.

Approximately 57.57 per cent turnout was recorded in the fifth phase, the Election Commission of India said. West Bengal recorded 73 per cent polling, updated till 8 pm on the Voter Turnout App of the poll panel.

Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir recorded all-time highest voter turnout of 59 per cent, according to the UT's Chief Election Officer, PK Pole, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The poll panel said that Bihar registered 52.82 per cent voting, Jharkhand- 63 per cent, Ladakh-67.15 per cent, Maharashtra 49.15 per cent, Odisha 60.87 percent, Uttar Pradesh 57.79 per cent, among the states that polled on Monday.

The poll panel will share another estimated turnout data at 11.45 pm.

The overall turnout in the four phases of polling so far is 66.95 percent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI), in a statement on May 16. After registering a dip in the first three phases of elections, the voting percentage jumped in the fourth phase

The polling, which began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, took place in Uttar Pradesh (14), Maharashtra (13), West Bengal (7), Bihar (5), Odisha (5), Jharkhand (3), and one seat each in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.The fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 witnessed a contest on several high-profile seats, with many prominent minister and leaders in the fray. .

The key candidates in the fray on Monday included Rahul Gandhi (Rae Bareli, UP), Smriti Irani (Amethi, UP), Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, UP), Karan Bhushan Singh (Kaiserganj, UP, Rohini Acharya (Saran, Bihar), Chirag Paswan (Hajipur, Bihar),Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North-Central) and Omar Abdullah (Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir).Apart from 49 Lok Sabha seats, 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha also voted on Monday. Over 8.95 crore voters including 4.69 crore men and 4.26 crore women, and 5,409 third gender electors were eligible to vote in the fifth phase today. There were over 7.81 lakh registered 85+ years old, 24,792 voters above 100 years old, too Around 9.47 lakh polling officials were deployed at 94,732 polling stations today. Among the Lok Sabha seats voting in phase 5 today, the BJP had won 32 seats in 2019 while its allies had won 7 seats. The saffron party bagged a vote share of more than 40 per cent in at least 30 seats.

In 2019, the Congress won just one seat – Raebareli – of the 49 seats. Its allies, including the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, had won seven seats.

Overall, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 39 seats, while the INDIA bloc parties won eight seats of the 49 constituencies voting today. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won the two remaining seats in 2019.

With voting in 49 seats being held today, the election to more than three-fourths of 543 Lok Sabha seats (428 seats) is over. The remaining two phases will be held on May 25 and June 1. Counting votes for all seven Lok Sabha Elections phases will occur on June 4.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.

4) Pune Porsche crash: Minor's bail cancelled, sent to juvenile home, grandfather linked to Chhota Rajan — 10 key updates

Pune Porsche crash update: Pune Police act on rash driving case, minor's bail cancelled, father in custody. CCTV shows juvenile drinking Amid uproar over the May 19 accident involving a Porsche car driven by a 17-year-old boy in which two people were killed in Pune, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) cancelled the minor's bail on Wednesday and sent him to a rehabilitation home till June 5.

The accident sparked outrage on social media, while a war of words ensued between the BJP and Opposition leaders over the minor accused getting immediate bail in the case. However, police approached the JJB again to seek a review of its order, following which the minor's bail was cancelled on May 22.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has said the CCTV footage of one of the hotels clearly shows the juvenile was consuming alcohol.What happened

On May 19, the Porsche car, allegedly driven by the juvenile, knocked down two motorbike riders in Pune's Kalyani Nagar, leading to their deaths. The police have alleged that the juvenile was drunk at the time of the accident.

Who died in the accident

Two IT professionals died in the crash. They were identified as Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both residents of Madhya Pradesh. Awadhiya was a resident of Birsinghpur Pali i

Bail cancelled

The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the minor accused on the same day (May 19) and directed him to visit the Regional Transport Office, study traffic rules, and submit a presentation to the Board within 15 days. "The CCL (Child in Conflict with Law) will write an essay of 300 words on the topic of road accidents and their solutions," PTI quoted, citing the board's order. Later, the police approached the board to seek a review of its order. On Wednesday, May 22, the board cancelled the minor's bail and sent him to a rehabilitation/observation home till June 5, reported ANI.

Father of juvenile arrested

After uproar on social media platforms, the teenager's father, Vishal Agarwal, who is a real estate developer, was arrested from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) on May 21.

Father, two others sent to police custody

On May 22, the minor's father and employees of Black Club pub -- Nitesh Shevani and Jayesh Gavkar -- where the juvenile had allegedly consumed alcohol at the pub, were produced before additional sessions judge SP Ponkshe. The court sent them to police custody till May 24.

What FIR says

According to the FIR, the real estate developer gave his son the car despite knowing that the boy did not have a driving licence, thus endangering his life, and allowed him to party even while knowing that he drinks alcohol, reported PTI.

Charges against father, hotel owner

Police registered a case against the teenager's father under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and against the owner and employees of two bars for 'serving alcohol to an underage person'. -

Section 75 deals with willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses.Section 77 deals with supplying a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs.Why police want father's custody

The prosecution demanded police custody, stating that the police wanted to investigate why the father allowed his son to drive the car, which did not have a number plate. They also need to investigate why he absconded after a case was registered against the son. According to PTI, the public prosecutor also said that the father had in his possession a simple, no-frills mobile phone when arrested, and "the police need to investigate where his other phones are".

Grandfather linked to Chhota Rajan, says report

According to an India Today report, Surendra Kumar Agarwal, the grandfather of the accused, is reportedly facing trial in a shootout case for allegedly making payments to gangster Chhota Rajan. The report further said that SK Agarwal is implicated in a case involving a property dispute with his brother, RK Agarwal, which allegedly led to collaboration with Chhota Rajan's criminal network.Shiv Sena (UBT) questions Fadnavis' Pune visit

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Wednesday asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis whether his visit to Pune following a car crash incident was aimed at shielding the investigative agencies in the case.

5) Will investigate…’, Rahul Gandhi on report on Adani's suspected fraud in alleged coal scam

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh comments on the Modani scam revelations, promising a JPC investigation, if INDIA bloc wins Lok Sabha Elections 2024.Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Adani has “looted thousands of crores by selling low-grade coal at three times the price". He also asked, “Will the Prime Minister tell how many tempos were used to keep ED, CBI and IT quiet on this open corruption?"

Gandhi referred to a Financial Times report alleging that the Adani Group passed off low-quality coal as far more expensive cleaner fuel in transactions with an Indian state power utility.“A huge coal scam has come to light under the BJP government. Through this scam that has been going on for years, Modiji's favorite friend Adani has looted thousands of crores of rupees by selling low-grade coal at three times the price, the price of which…," the Wayanad MP wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

After June 4, the Indian government will investigate this mega scam and account for every penny looted from the public," he added.

The Congress party will order a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into what it calls ‘Modani’ mega scam if INDIA bloc government wins the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Jairam Ramesh also said in a statement on May 22.“All this will change when the INDIA alliance takes power next month. A JPC will be constituted within a month to investigate the Modani mega scam," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a statement on May 22.

The documents, secured by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and reviewed by the Financial Times, suggest that Adani may have fraudulently obtained bumper profits at the expense of air quality, since using low-grade coal for power means burning more of the fuel, the report published on May 22 said.“Over-invoicing of coal, sending ₹20,000 crore of illegal money back to Adani companies, he way the Modi regime forced Indian businesses to sell their assets to Adani and the high prices Indian consumers paid in electricity bills and airport charges to enrich those close to the Prime Minister will all be scrutinized. Every benefit provided to Adani and every corruption committed by him will be thoroughly investigated," Ramesh said.

After the completion of five phases, the Lok Sabha elections to 428 of the 543 seats are over. Voting for the remaining two phases will be held on May 25 and June 1. The votes for all seven phases will be counted on June 4.The BJP-ledNational Democratic Alliance(NDA), seeking a record third term under Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.

6) SC seeks EC response on plea over mismatch, delay in voter turnout data: 'Why is it difficult to put it on website'

The counsel appearing for the Election Commission argued that the real-time voter turnout figures given by the Voter Turnout App are tentative because it is being updated on a realtime basis. “So any mismatch with the App Data and Form 17C data is not material,” he said The Supreme Court sought a response from the Election Commission within a week over an application that alleging a mismatch in voting percentage data of the first two phases of the Lok Sabha polls. The court will hear the matter on May 24, before the sixth phase of voting.

“What the difficulty was in putting it up [the voter turn out details or Form 17] on the website," a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the ECI counsel, Amit Sharma, according to Bar and Bench.The ECI counsel replied, “It takes time. We have to collect a lot of data" and that it can't be done overnight.

"The polling officer of every polling booth submits Form 17C to the Returning Officer?" asked the CJI. Sharma said that it is not immediately done and takes some time and won't reach the same day. "Alright. It reaches the second day. Now why don't you upload it? We will give you reasonable time," the CJI was quoted by Live Law as saying.The counsel appearing for the ECI said that the Returning Officer has to go through every data so that there won't be any mismatch. The ECI further argued that the real-time voter turnout figures given by the Voter Turnout App are tentative because it is being updated on a realtime basis. "So any mismatch with the App Data and Form 17C data is not material," he said.

Meanwhile, the petitioner's counsel said that there are concerns about the rise in the final voting percentage figures disclosed by the ECI. "Citizens are aggrieved. Because they feel whether EVMs are being replaced. Suddenly there is a rise of 6 percent," the petitioner's lawyer submitted.

According to ANI, the NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms, had pointed out in its plea that the data published in the press release by the ECI on April 30, (Phase I voter turnout – 66.14 percent and Phase II voter turnout – 66.71 percent), when compared with the initial data of April 19, and April 26, respectively, showed an increase of nearly 6 percent in the Phase I data and an increase of approximately 5.75 percent in the Phase II data.What the application says?

The application, jointly filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Common Cause, sought directions to the ECI to upload on its website the scanned copies of Form 17-C (which records the number of votes polled in a booth) soon after the elections, Live Law reported.The petitioners said that in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout data regarding the first phase of polling held on April 19 was published after 11 days and the second phase of polling held on April 26 was published after 4 days.

It said that the data published by the ECI in its April 30 press release showed a sharp increase (by about 5-6 percent) from the initial percentages announced by it on the polling day.It also sought a direction that the ECI should disclose the absolute numbers of the voter turnout immediately after each phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

1) Senthilkumar, Abhay power into QSF 3 squash quarters in Doha

SQUASH

Senthilkumar, Abhay power into QSF 3 squash quarters in Doha

Velavan Senthilkumar and Abhay Singh have powered into the quarterfinals of the prestigious USD 53,500 QSF 3 squash – a PSA World Tour Bronze event – in Doha with stunning second-round wins over seeded opponents.

Reigning National champion Senthilkumar defeated Egyptian seventh seed Omar Mosaad, a former world No 3, 13-11, 11-3, 9-3 retd in 30 minutes, while Asian Games medallist Abhay beat sixth-seeded Frenchman Auguste Dussourd 11-7, 5-11, 10-12, 11-5, 9-3 retd in 59 minutes on Thursday.

World No 55 Senthilkumar will meet Egyptian top seed and world No 8 Tarek Momen next, while Abhay, ranked 67 in the world, will take on Malaysian third seed and world No 15 Eain Yow Ng.

2) Indian junior men’s hockey team loses 4-5 against Dutch local club

The Indian junior men’s hockey team fought hard after a sluggish start but could not prevent a 4-5 loss to local Dutch side Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push in its third match of the ongoing tour of Europe here.

After a narrow 2-2 (4-2) penalty shootout victory, India had slumped to a 2-3 loss to the Belgium junior side in their previous match.

Captain Rohit (18th minute), Sourabh Anand Khushwaha (24th), Ankit Pal (32nd), and Arshdeep Singh (58th) sounded the board for India, but the side was unable to overturn the five-goal deficit on Thursday.Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push began the game aggressively, earning a penalty corner and scoring from it in just over a minute.

In the very next minute, the local side overpowered the Indian defence to score another penalty corner goal.The Indian colts resisted the initial pressure and attempted to score but fell short as Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push held firm and finished the first quarter with a 2-0 lead.Determined to gain a foothold in the game, India earned a penalty stroke as the second quarter began and captain Rohit stepped up to score from the spot.The respite was short-lived as Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push bounced back to earn another penalty corner and breached India’s goal again.Sourabh Anand Khushwaha scored through a penalty corner to reduce the deficit to a goal heading into the second half.

A splendid comeback seemed on the cards as Ankit Pal scored a field goal two minutes into the third quarter but Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push took control of the game and went on to restore their lead in the 42nd minute and end the quarter 4-3 in their favour.

The intensity stepped up a notch in the final quarter as India continued to look for a chink in Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push’s defence. Arshdeep Singh breached the net in the 58th minute to make it 4-4. But Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push refused to give up and scored in the last minute to win the match 5-4.The Indian junior men’s team will play its next match against Germany in Mönchengladbach on May 28.

3) Malaysia Masters: Sindhu battles past top seed Han Yue to move into semis; Ashmita falters at QF stage

The Indian shuttler beat the WR 6 shuttler 21-13, 14-21, 21-12 in 55 minutes to seal progress to the semifinal.Double Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu took a giant stride towards securing a title at the Malaysia Masters after progressing to the semifinal with a hard-fought win over top seed Han Yue of China here on Friday.World No. 15 Sindhu recovered from a mid-game slump to outwit Han, ranked sixth, 21-13 14-21 21-12 in a 55-minute quarterfinal battle to avenge her loss to the Chinese in their last meeting at the Asia badminton Championships in Ningbo last month.

Sindhu, a former world champion, will now square off against either Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani or Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the last four stage.

In other results, Ashmita Chaliha’s fine run ended in the quarterfinals with a 10-21 15-21 loss to sixth seed Zhang Yi Man of China.Sindhu, who last won the Singapore Open in 2022, gave a good account of herself during the 55-minute match as she broke off from 3-3 in the opening game to take a 11-5 cushion at the break.

The Chinese slowly made her way to 13-16 but Sindhu reeled off the remaining five straight points to take the opening game.

Stung by the reversal, Han zoomed to a 5-0 lead after the change of sides. She continued to dominate the proceedings as Sindhu struggled. The result was she jumped to a massive 15-2 advantage and despite some fightback from the Indian, Han comfortably took the match to the decider.

Sindhu gathered her wits in the third game to open up a massive 11-3 lead at the break, which proved decisive as Han just couldn’t bridge the gap.

4) Satwik-Chirag regain World No. 1 ranking after Thailand Open triumph

In the BWF rankings released on Tuesday, they climbed two places with 99670 points to reclaim the top-spot after five weeks

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Tuesday regained the number one spot in the men’s doubles world rankings following their triumph at the Thailand Open. Shetty won the Thailand Open Super 500 title.Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Tuesday regained the number one spot in the men’s doubles world rankings following their triumph at the Thailand Open

The Indian duo had slipped to No 3 after the second round loss at the All England Championships and then gave a walkover in the Asia Championships in China due to an injury to Satwik.They made a spirited comeback at the Thailand Open, winning their second title of the season with a straight game win over Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China on Sunday.In the BWF rankings released on Tuesday, they climbed two places with 99670 points to reclaim the top-spot after five weeks.

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu dropped one place to No. 15 in the women’s singles rankings, while HS Prannoy retained his No 9 ranking and was the only Indian inside top-10 of the men’s singles.

Lakshya Sen dropped three places to slip to No. 14. Kidambi Srikanth (No 26), Priyanshu Rajawat (No 33) dropped a place each, while Kiran George slipped to No 36.

In the women’s doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa were the best ranked Indians at No 19, having climbed two sports.Commonwealth Games bronze medallist duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand dropped a place to be ranked World No. 29.Shetty won the Thailand Open Super 500 title.In the mixed doubles, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath climbed three places to be World No. 39 and were the only Indians inside top-50.

5) IPL 2024: How mentor Gambhir turned things around and guided KKR into its fourth final

Gambhir managed to create an environment where players could develop a bond on and off the field. He did it as a captain for seven seasons and repeated a similar story with LSG until last year.Gautam Gambhir does not have a magic wand, but he surely knows what it takes to bring a team together.

He did that with Kolkata Knight Riders as a captain for seven seasons, repeated a similar story with Lucknow Super Giants until last year, and this time around, he’s done that again - guiding Knight Riders to yet another Indian Premier League final.As a mentor, he managed to create an environment where players could trust each other and develop a bond on and off the field - that, eventually, turned out to be the recipe for success.

Obviously, it was not a cakewalk; there were teething troubles as well. But with ‘Gauti bhai’ around, the players and the management knew that this man would eventually find a solution to almost every problem.And, that reflected in KKR’s performance this season.Much before the tournament got underway, Gambhir took bold decisions - bringing in Mitchell Starc for whopping Rs 24.75 crore in the auction despite the cricketing fraternity doubting the decision.

During the camps in Kolkata, he had conversations with the players and ensured that Sunil Narine and Andre Russell were given their due importance. Unlike previous two editions, where KKR had different players at the top, Gambhir promoted Narine as an opener - something he had done in his captaincy days as well - and that allowed the West Indies ace to build his game and play freely.

Turning the clock back, Narine ended up being one of the leading scorers - 482 runs in 13 innings - for the Knights in the tournament and his breezy knocks gave the team the head start it needed. A similar treatment was given to Russell, who has had an impressive season so far.

Gautam Gambhir does not have a magic wand, but he surely knows what it takes to bring a team together.He did that with Kolkata Knight Riders as a captain for seven seasons, repeated a similar story with Lucknow Super Giants until last year, and this time around, he’s done that again - guiding Knight Riders to yet another Indian Premier League final.

As a mentor, he managed to create an environment where players could trust each other and develop a bond on and off the field - that, eventually, turned out to be the recipe for success.

Kolkata Knight Riders bought Mitchell Starc for Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.

Much before the tournament got underway, Gambhir took bold decisions - bringing in Mitchell Starc for whopping Rs 24.75 crore in the auction despite the cricketing fraternity doubting the decision.

“Compared to the last couple of seasons, there has been a huge change in KKR’s style of play under Gautam. He backed Russell and Narine and gave them the freedom and they have been able to deliver. Over the last few seasons, they were not in their elements, but this time with Gautam has given importance to both Russell and Narine and the result is showing,” Manvinder Singh Bisla, who guided KKR to its first title win in 2012, told Sportstar.“These guys need that backing to perform and Gautam has been able to do it. They know that they always have Gautam’s back and that’s why they can play freely. Even when Starc was brought in, people were apprehensive, but Gautam knew that the team was missing that spark with the pace department over the last few seasons, and despite Starc having a few forgettable outings, Gautam has always been around him,” Bisla added.And, Starc delivered when it mattered. Claiming three wickets in the Qualifier, he guided Knights to the final on Tuesday.Along with his colleagues - Chandrakant Pandit and Abhishek Nayar - Gambhir ensured that even young, rookie, uncapped players were given the confidence. A Ramandeep Singh or Harshit Rana was backed, along with the overseas recruits, some of whom had to even warm the bench for a while. But, they never lost hope.And it was quite evident with the way Rahmanullah Gurbaz returned

to India despite his mother still being admitted to a hospital in Afghanistan because his ‘KKR family’ needed him more with Phil Salt flying back to England.

“If you have a management like the KKR family, you really don’t need to worry about anything because GG Sir (Gambhir) is there, Shah Rukh (Khan) Sir is there, the head coach (Chandrakant Pandit) is there. It’s like a family. I didn’t play for a long time, but I came and featured in the semifinal, so there was bound to be a lot of pressure, but they took away all the pressure for me and asked me to just go out there and enjoy,” Gurbaz said.Having played under Gambhir’s captaincy, Bisla believes that for the KKR mentor, the team always comes first. “For Gautam, it’s the team first and he never sets unrealistic targets. He will never want something from his player that’s not achievable,” Bisla said, adding that with a happy dressing room, the Knights have looked sorted both on and off the field.

“Gautam has been able to create a happy dressing room and every player has the backing and if you are in a happy space, things will automatically fall in place. In a tournament like the IPL where you can have a dip in form, it’s important for the captain and the mentor or coach to have your back and this season, Gautam and the team has been able to bring that stability,” Bisla said.While Gambhir planned things out from the dugout, captain Shreyas Iyer implemented those on the field and ensured he brought the best out of his boys. Through thick and thin, he motivated them and in sync with Gambhir’s plan of action, drove KKR on the way to success.

With the team buoying with confidence and mentor Gambhir holding fort, the Knights hope to break its title jinx after a decade. Over to Chepauk!

6) Taunted for being “mentally impaired” once, Para world champion Deepthi is now feted in village

Deepthi Jeevanji on Monday clinched gold with a world record time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400m T20 event at the Para Athletics World Championship.For a long time, Deepthi Jeevanji’s parents were taunted by fellow villagers for having a “mentally impaired” child.But now they are counting the compliments as the same bunch converged at their modest house in Telangana’s Kalleda hamlet to celebrate her world record-beating gold medal in the Para Athletics World Championship in Kobe, Japan.

Born to daily wage labourers in Warangal district of Telangana, the 20-year-old Deepthi on Monday clinched gold with a world record time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400m T20 category race. She also qualified for the upcoming Paris Paralympics.The T20 category is meant for athletes who have intellectual impairment.

Deepthi’s coach Nagpuri Ramesh said, her parents were at the receiving end of taunts from the villagers, who would often say that she would never get married since she is “mentally impaired”.

“Deepthi’s parents were daily wage labourers, and they were struggling to run the family. On top of that they faced constant taunts from the villagers that a mentally impaired girl cannot get married,” Ramesh told PTI from Hyderabad, where Deepthi trains currently.

“After Deepthi won gold in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games last year, the scenario changed. Now, the same villagers are praising them for being parents of Deepthi. They told me this when they came to Hyderabad after the Para Asian Games.“They told me even the district collector and politicians of the area visited their house, which was a shock to them, considering how things have changed.” She had won gold in the 400m T20 category in the Hangzhou Para Asian Games with an Asian record time of 56.69 seconds.

Deepthi’s father J Yadagiri, and mother J Dhanalaxmi were so poor that they did not even have money to afford bus fare to send their child to Hyderabad from Warangal when Ramesh wanted to train her.ty Images

For a long time, Deepthi Jeevanji’s parents were taunted by fellow villagers for having a “mentally impaired” child.But now they are counting the compliments as the same bunch converged at their modest house in Telangana’s Kalleda hamlet to celebrate her world record-beating gold medal in the Para Athletics World Championship in Kobe, Japan.

Deepthi’s coach Nagpuri Ramesh said, her parents were at the receiving end of taunts from the villagers, who would often say that she would never get married since she is “mentally impaired”.

“They told me even the district collector and politicians of the area visited their house, which was a shock to them, considering how things have changed.” She had won gold in the 400m T20 category in the Hangzhou Para Asian Games with an Asian record time of 56.69 seconds.Deepthi’s father J Yadagiri, and mother J Dhanalaxmi were so poor that they did not even have money to afford bus fare to send their child to Hyderabad from Warangal when Ramesh wanted to train her.“She was spotted in a school meet through a PET teacher in Warangal. When I told them to send Deepthi, they said they didn’t have money for bus fare. I told them to just board a bus and give me the phone number of the conductor.“After that, I explained to the bus conductor to let her board the bus and told him I would pay the fare when she reached Hyderabad. During the 130km journey from Warangal to Hyderabad, I kept calling the bus conductor inquiring about her safety.”

Ramesh said Deepthi’s parents had sold their half-acre land due to financial difficulties, but they bought an identical piece of land with the Rs 30 lakh reward she got for winning the Para Asian Games gold medal.“Deepthi’s parents are now doing better. They have bought land with the money Deepthi got as a reward for her achievements, and they have started farming,” said Ramesh.After Deepthi was brought to Hyderabad, she was enrolled at the Sports Authority of India’s Training Center in Hyderabad where Ramesh is a coach. She was studying in ninth standard at that time.Ramesh, who is also the Athletics Federation of India’s national junior team coach, said he had a tough time training Deepthi initially because she could not communicate.

“You cannot teach her too many techniques as she is slow in learning. If you do that, she will get confused,” he said.Her parents once told Ramesh that Deepthi fell from the roof of a building but acted as if she didn’t feel any pain because of her inability to express her feelings.

Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand also played a role in Deepthi’s career.It was Gopichand who suggested Ramesh take her to the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disability in Hyderabad. After medical tests, she was certified as “mentally impaired”, and that allowed her to compete in para meets.

Gopi-Mytrah Foundation chipped in as her sponsor and funded two international events for her to get an international license, which is a must for para-athletes to compete.

“She competed in two tournaments, one in Morocco and another in Australia, and got her international license. Around Rs three lakh were spent in the two tournaments, and Gopi-Mytrah Foundation funded it,” said Ramesh, a Dronacharya awardee, who was also the coach of top sprinter Dutee Chand.

7) Casablanca Chess: Carlsen takes lead, Nakamura second on opening day in Morocco

With three rounds remaining, Nakamura is second, on 1.5 points, after beating Bassem and drawing with Anand and Carlsen. Anand and Bassem have one point each.World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen posted two wins and a draw to take the lead on the opening day of the Casablanca Chess tournament at Casablanca, Morocco, on Saturday.In the unique event, in which the players are given certain positions from games played in advance, Carlsen defeated Viswanathan Anand and Hikaru Nakamura and drew with Amin Bassem.

With three rounds remaining, Nakamura is second, on 1.5 points, after beating Bassem and drawing with Anand and Carlsen. Anand and Bassem have one point each.Among the positions featured on the opening day was from the game between Mikhail Chigori and Wilhelm Steinitz from their 1889 World Championship and that between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov from the 1985 World Championship.

“It’s a fun format,” said Carlsen after the games. “I think what happened in the second game (with Bassem) was a bit of a shame as it all liquidated to a draw pretty quickly.”

CREW – NETFLIX

Rajesh A. Krishnan’s directorial Crew, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, Kriti Sanon, Kapil Sharma, and Diljit Dosanjh, is reported to arrive on Netflix later this week. The film follows three flight attendants who discover a dead passenger smuggling gold on a flight. What ensues next forms the main plot of the family entertainer that promises to keep you hooked to the screen till the end. A binge-worthy film on the list of OTT releases on Friday.

WANTED MAN – LIONSGATE PLAY

Headlined by Dolph Lundgren, this action thriller follows an American police officer who is assigned the case of rescuing an eyewitness and escorting her across the Mexican border. The story takes a shocking twist when he unravels a dark mystery that puts his life in danger.

ABAR RAJNEETI – HOICHOI

The makers of Abar Rajneeti are back with new episodes of their intriguing political drama. Headlined by Ditipriya Roy and Koneenica Banerjee, the new season picks up from where the previous part ended. However, the political situation in Rijpur is sure to get more volatile with the entry of a new challenger.

JURASSIC WORLD: CHAOS THEORY – NETFLIX

The list of new OTT releases arriving this Friday includes Netflix’s new animated series, titled Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. The plot of the upcoming series revolves around the Camp Cretaceous gang who unravel a deadly mystery while navigating a world where dinosaurs are roaming free. Will they be able to protect humanity and dinosaurs from the unknown threat?

BHAIYYA JI – THEATRES

National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee headlines this action crime thriller that revolves around a retired criminal who is forced to step into the darkness once again to punish the ones responsible for his brother’s death. An incredible movie to watch in cinemas if you plan to step out of the house this weekend.

JAMNAPAAR – AMAZON MINITV

A coming-of-the-age series that features an ensemble cast that includes Ritvik Sahore, Varun Badola, Raghu Ram, Srishti Rindani, and Ankita Saigal in pivotal roles. It tells the story of a young man, who embraces his roots while navigating the city life.

ATLAS – NETFLIX

One of the highly anticipated sci-fi thrillers, Atlas features Jennifer Lopez in the titular role. She essays the role of Atlas Shepherd, a smart counterterrorism data analyst who distrusts artificial intelligence. However, she is forced to change her belief when she embarks on a mission to capture a renegade robot and save humanity. The upcoming thriller also features Simu Liu and Sterling K. Brown, among others. An engaging and binge-worthy option on the list of new OTT releases arriving this Friday.

BOOK OF THIS WEEK:

Chats with the Dead Hardcover by Shehan Karunatilaka (Author)

Who is Malinda Albert Kabalana? How did he die? Renegade war photographer Maali Almeida has to solve his own murder. Does that sound fun? It would be if there wasn't so much bloody red-tape to get through. Oh and it's not as though anyone alive actually seems to miss him, and it certainly doesn't help that his girlfriend is related to his boyfriend. Worst of all, it's all those goddamn memories of war, constantly interrupted by the overly chatty dead folks breezing through the afterlife. Besides, he's so busy solving his ethical dilemmas that there's barely any time to solve a murder-even if it's his own. A compulsively readable dark comedy of life-death and everything in between-Chats with the Dead searingly exposes the plight of a country caught in the aftermath of civil war. Its deliciously compelling absurdity holds you in thrall right from the very first page up to its startling denouement, constantly upending its own premise with its staggering humanity. Shehan Karunatilaka has delivered a classic whodunit with a brilliant twist.

Shehan Karunatilaka (born 1975) is a Sri Lankan writer. He grew up in Colombo, studied in New Zealand and has lived and worked in London, Amsterdam and Singapore. His 2010 debut novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew won the Commonwealth Book Prize, the DSC Prize, the Gratiaen Prize and was adjudged the second greatest cricket book of all time by Wisden. His third novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Sort of Books, 2022) was announced as the winner of the 2022 Booker Prize on 17 October 2022.

Shehan Karunatilaka was born in 1975 in Galle, southern Sri Lanka and grew up in Colombo. He was educated at S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Kollupitiya, Sri Lanka, and then in New Zealand at Whanganui Collegiate School, and Massey University. He graduated in English literature, against his family's wish that he study business administration.

Before publishing his debut novel in 2010, he worked in advertising at McCann, Iris and BBDO, and has also written features for The Guardian, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, GQ, National Geographic, Conde Nast, Wisden, The Cricketer and the Economic Times. He has played bass with Sri Lankan rock bands Independent Square and Powercut Circus[9] and the Brass Monkey Band.