We will force Rahul Gandhi to become Congress chief: Mallikarjun Kharge
Bengaluru: Rahul Gandhi would be pursued to return as Congress President as there is none in the party other than him who has a pan-India appeal, veteran leader M Mallikarjun Kharge has said. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said anyone aspiring to lead the party should be known throughout the country and enjoy support from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and West Bengal to Gujarat. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, will hold a virtual meeting on Sunday to approve the schedule of dates for the election of the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi will preside over the CWC meeting. Several leaders have been publicly exhorting Rahul Gandhi to become party chief again. However, several party insiders say Rahul Gandhi is persisting with his stance that he will not be AICC president. He resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in Parliamentary elections in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.
Dubai-bound flight receives hoax bomb threat call
Chennai: A bomb threat call received to a Dubai-bound private carrier on Saturday turned out to be a hoax, authorities said. Following the anonymous call received at the police control room, a thorough check was undertaken by the security agencies to ascertain if any explosive items were planted in the Indigo aircraft, airport officials said. However, no such items were found on the aircraft, with officials and others heaving a sigh of relief. Subsequently, the flight which was supposed to leave at 7.20 am will proceed towards its destination later in the day, officials added. Around 170 passengers and crew members of the flight were provided accommodation. An inquiry was on to trace the caller.
Ukraine during India visit: US Treasury
Washington: US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several senior Indian officials and discussed ways that the United States and India could work together to address shared global challenges like food insecurity, and high energy prices. Adeyemo said that ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was critical to addressing these issues, the Treasury said on Friday in a readout of the meetings. Adeyemo reiterated the importance of well-supplied global energy markets, even as we work together with partners like India to expand access to sources of renewable energy that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels over time, the readout said. During Adeyemo’s visit, the US pressed India to join a coalition seeking to impose a price cap on Russian oil aimed at squeezing revenue streams for Moscow and softening the global energy prices. India snapped up discounted Russian oil that was shunned by buyers of Europe and other places post-Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India has been guarded in its criticism of Moscow for its aggression against Ukraine. The war has disrupted the global supply chain which has resulted in rising prices of crude oil and some food products. On the other hand, Russia is discussing cheap long-term oil deals with Asian buyers in an attempt to counter the G7 bid to cap export prices. According to the Treasury, during the meetings in New Delhi, the Deputy Secretary continued to underscore the importance of deepening the United States and India’s already strong relationship, including through platforms like the Quad and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region.
India, Argentina reaffirm commitment to deepen and diversify bilateral cooperation
Buenos Aires: In a joint statement following the Joint Commission Meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister of Foreign Affairs International Trade and Worship Santiago Cafiero here, India and Argentina on Friday reviewed their ongoing cooperation in the strategic sectors of defence, nuclear energy and space and reiterated their commitment to work together for mutual benefit. Jaishankar, acknowledging Argentine interest in the Made in India TEJAS fighter aircrafts for Argentine Air Force, highlighted the importance of the proposal in enhancing the strategic quotient of bilateral relationship. The two ministers also recalled close coordination and support extended to each other in fight against the COVID pandemic, which yielded remarkable outcomes. Highlighting its expertise and immense production capacities, India offered tie-ups in vaccine production making Argentina a regional base. Following up on the recent discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Alberto Fernandez, it was decided that India would host the first bilateral conference, later this year, of pharmaceutical companies to explore areas and modalities for cooperation. Argentina would host the next conference in 2023. Considering the increasing risks derived from climate change and environmental degradation, both ministers noted their cooperation under the ambit of Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) partnership that aims to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development. They also agreed on the need to address these through cooperation on Integrated Disaster Risk Management and Humanitarian Assistance, and examine the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in this regard.
Neeraj Chopra scripts another history, wins Lausanne Diamond League title
Lausanne: Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Friday scripted history as he became the first Indian to clinch a Diamond League Meeting title by winning the Lausanne leg here. The 24-year-old Chopra, who had pulled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games due to a “minor” groin injury he had suffered while winning a silver during the World Championships last month, hurled the spear to 89.08m in his first attempt to seal the win in style. The youngster from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana became the first Indian to win a Diamond League crown. “I had to skip Commonwealth Games due to injury and I was a bit nervous. Tonight has given me a lot of confidence to finish the season on a high, with a strong performance in Zurich DL Final,” Chopra said after the event. Chopra qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on 7 and 8 September, and also became the first Indian to do so. Despite the win, he remained on fourth spot with 15 points. The top six after the Lausanne leg qualify for Zurich Finals. Chopra also qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary by breaching the 85.20m qualifying mark.
Satwik-Chirag sign off with a maiden bronze medal at World Championships
Tokyo: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty signed off with a maiden bronze medal in the men’s doubles competition of the World Championships after going down narrowly to Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals here on Friday. The world number 7 Indian pair flattered to deceive as it squandered an opening game advantage to go down 22-20 18-21 16-21 in a pulsating 77-minute clash to bring an end to the Indian challenge at the prestigious tournament. It was the sixth successive defeat against the Malaysian pair for Satwik and Chirag, who had lost to the same combination at the mixed team final of the Commonwealth Games early this month. Despite the loss, it was a creditable show by the young Indian pair as it ensured India continued to return with a medal from the World Championships since 2011, the year the country won its first doubles medal with Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa returning with a bronze.
Ajay Devgn, Tabu conclude shooting of Bholaa
Mumbai: Actors Ajay Devgn and Tabu have completed filming for their upcoming movie Bholaa, the Hindi remake of the Tamil hit Kaithi. Tabu shared the news of the movie’s production wrap in a post on Instagram on Friday night alongside a photo with Devgn from the sets. “Look!! We finished our 9th film together! #wewrap #bholaa @ajaydevgn @adffilms” the 51-year-old actor wrote in the caption. Bholaa is directed by Devgn, who earlier helmed films such as U, Me aur Hum (2008), Shivaay (2016), and Runway 34 (2022). The original Tamil film, which was written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, revolved around an ex-convict (played by Karthi) who decides to meet his daughter for the first time after being released from prison but gets caught in a face-off between police and drug mafia. Devgn is taking on the lead role in the Hindi movie, which is produced by his banner Ajay Devgn Fiilms, T-Series Films, Reliance Entertainment and Dream Warrior Pictures.
