Month: December 2023

30 years of Darr: When heroes become villains

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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You may not seem to get enough of Ranbir Kapoor’s violent machismo in Animal, but Shah Rukh Khan did all of it and more 30 years earlier..

Hindi cinema’s OG heartthrob who romanced on screen an entire nation like there was no tomorrow and still makes men rapturous and women go weak in the knees, started his trailblazing career as an anti-hero. He was Baazigar’s Vicky Malhotra, Darr’s Rahul Mehra, and Anjaam’s Vijay Agnihotri before he became Simran’s Raj in the 1995 blockbuster Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and forever changed how we saw, experienced, and desired love.

First came Abbas-Mustan’s romantic thriller Baazigar (1993), in which fuelled by vendetta, Khan’s protagonist takes on a false identity and goes on a killing spree to make right the many wrongs inflicted on his family. Soon Yash Chopra’s Darr (1993) followed, in which he plays an unrequited lover struggling with his mental health who would stop at nothing to get his beloved. Also starring Juhi Chawla and Sunny Deol in lead roles, the film cemented Khan’s position as a fascinating actor who could play the spectrum’s two extremes with remarkable ingenuity.

Then released Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994), a breezy coming-of-age romcom that is now widely considered a cult classic, and Anjaam (1994), a stomach-churningly gory, obsessive thriller, which also starred Madhuri Dixit. In both these films, Khan played with jaw-dropping sincerity layered, flawed characters that no other leading man at the time would dare consider.

In the 30 years between Darr and Animal, several heroes have become villains. Each’s story and subtext is as unique as the socio-cultural climate in which they turned dark. Take Sanjay Dutt, for instance. The son of Hindi cinema titans Nargis and Sunil Dutt, he made his debut as a romantic lead in Rocky (1981). But soon, his existential spiral started to overshadow his on-screen narrative and before he could establish himself as an indisputable leading man, he started to get films such as Khalnayak (1993) that tried to milk the most of his controversial life.

Sure, Dutt has played hero consistently all through his 40-year-long prolific career. But he’s seen no dearth of negative roles either. He has been and continues to be Bollywood’s favorite anti-hero. Films such as Daag: The Fire (1999), Vaastav (1999), Musafir (2004), Shabd (2005), Agneepath (2012), Panipat (2019), KGF Chapter 2 (2022), and Shamshera (2022) stand as a testament to the actor’s versatility and how filmmakers love to blur the boundaries that separate reel from real.

Then there’s the curious case of Rishi Kapoor. The blue-blooded scion of Bollywood’s first family, he was the undisputed king of on-screen romance for over 25 years. He was the Hugh Grant of Hindi films—precious, pretty, predictable. But that was until he decided to turn an entirely new leaf in the second phase of his career, surprising the audience with his portrayal of the murderous professor in Ekta Kapoor’s Kucch Toh Hai (2003) and the menacing Rauf Lala in Karan Malhotra’s Agneepath (2012). Along with several memorable character roles in films such as Fanaa (2006), Kapoor & Sons (2016), and Mulk (2018), he continued to play the baddie in movies such as Aurangzeb (2013) and D Day (2013).

How can we discuss heroes turning evil and not mention Bobby Deol? He is having quite a moment right now. The smoldering chocolate boy of the 90s has returned with all guns blazing. Playing villain with a greedy vengeance, he is Lord Bobby now. What started with the bumper success of Prakash Jha’s web series Aashram (2020- ) in which he plays the dubious self-styled godman Baba Nirala, turned concrete with Love Hostel (2022), and now has been etched in stone with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal. So much so that Deol is slated to play Aurangzeb in Krish Jagarlamudi’s upcoming Telugu period action-adventure Hari Hara Veera Mallu.

Rajkummar Rao deserves a special mention too. Though he’s yet to achieve the stardom that he deserves, his first few choices closely resemble SRK’s. He made his Hindi film debut with Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) and continued playing murky, questionable people in Ragini MMS (2011), Queen (2013), Humaari Adhuri Kahani (2015), and Omerta (2017).

Finally, there’s Ranbir Kapoor, inarguably the finest actor working today. Animal’s becoming his highest-grossing film yet has opened exciting new vistas for him. Too old to play a lover boy now, he’d declared his fatigue for romantic comedies earlier this year ahead of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’s release. A man with a heightened sensitivity for complex, conflicted characters, would he then go the Shahid Kapoor way? Only time will tell.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

David Warner set to play final Test of playing career at home ground in Sydney against Pakistan

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Australian opener David Warner is all set to bring curtains down to his Test career at his hometown in Sydney following the final match of the series against Pakistan starting next week. The southpaw had revealed in June that he wanted to hang his boots from the red-ball game after an illustrious 12-year-long career. Warner wished to play his last game at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), and the batter has been granted his wish.

At the ground where he scored 912 Test runs, and made his T20I debut all those years, David Warner bids farewell to the MCG for one final time #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/0XQ6O74meH

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2023

Celebrating David Warner 

“The National Selection Panel have retained the same squad from Melbourne to Sydney as we look to clean sweep the test series. We look forward to celebrating David Warner’s final test match and his incredible career at his home ground,” chief selector George Bailey said.

Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at Shubman Gill’s batting approach in Test cricket

Sydneysider Warner went into the current series with question marks over his form due to a lack of Test runs, but a quickfire 164 in the first innings of the opening test in Perth erased any doubts over his position in the team.

Australia won that test by 360 runs before Pat Cummins put on a Man-of-the-Match performance to seal the second test in Melbourne last week, the captain taking 10 wickets as Pakistan lost by 79 runs in four days.

Peerless Pat

The series win was the fourth in a row at home for the Australians, who have won 10 tests out of 12 since Cummins took over as captain ahead of the 2021-22 Ashes series. Pakistan will go into the meeting at the Sydney Cricket Ground looking for their first test win in Australia for nearly three decades.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

(With Reuters inputs)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at Shubman Gill’s batting approach in Test cricket

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has criticised batter Shubman Gill and his aggressive instincts in Test cricket after the star cricketer failed to step up to perform well in the team’s loss in the opening red-ball fixture against the Proteas at the SuperSport Park. Gill made two runs and followed it up with a knock of 26 in the two innings, as the visitors lost by a margin of an innings and 32 runs in the game.

Shubman Gill exactly a year ago created a bucket list for 2023.

– He achieved almost everything, but the World Cup…!!! 💔 pic.twitter.com/OhS8s1UASU

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 31, 2023

Gavaskar advised Gill to take in the different needs of Test cricket as compared to white ball formats. “I think he is playing a bit too aggressively in Test cricket. There is a slight difference when you play Test cricket when compared to T20I and ODI cricket. The difference is in the ball,” Gavaskar said.

“The red ball moves a little more than the white ball in the air and off the pitch as well. It bounces a little more too. He should keep that in mind,” Gavaskar added, whilst speaking to Star Sports.

While Gill had a fine run in the limited over versions, he has managed to score only one fifty-plus score in the traditional format in 10 innings in 2023, a hundred against Australia at home in March.

His nine other outings produced scores of: 21, 5, 13, 18, 6, 10, 29 not out, 2, 26. Gavaskar hoped that Gill would find his range sooner than later. After 19 Tests, Gill averages 31.06 with two tons and four half-centuries across 35 innings – a stark contrast to how seamlessly he adapted to the rigours and demands of the ODI and T20I formats.

Also Read: Santner stars with ball as New Zealand bounces back to level T20I series with Bangladesh

“Shubman Gill started off his career so well and we praised his shots. We can only hope that he gets back into his form. Hope he trains harder and does well in the future,” said Gavaskar.

India will be aiming to square the series in the second and final Test against South Africa at Cape Town, starting from January 3.

(With PTI inputs)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Santner stars with ball as New Zealand bounces back to level T20I series with Bangladesh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Stand-in New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner picked four dismissals as the Kiwis beat Bangladesh by 17 runs in a rain-affected clash to level the T20I series against Bangladesh by 1-1 at the Bay Oval in in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Santner made the right call at the toss, opting to bowl first and producing figures of 4-0-16-1 to restrict the visitors to 110.

Did you know?

James Neesham played 70 T20I matches & batted 57 innings with 150+ strike rates. Interesting facts he has 0 fifty in his T20I career. #BANvNZ

— Kawsar Hossain (@Khnaeem962) December 27, 2023

New Zealand collapsed to 49-5 in response after Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam struck timely blows, but Santner (18*) and Jimmy Neesham (28*) held their nerve to take them to within 16 runs of victory when heavy rain halted play. New Zealand were ahead of the DLS par score of 78 at that stage before the game was eventually called off.

Game goes down the wire

“It got quite tight in the end,” Santner, who captained the side in Kane Williamson’s absence, told reporters. “Credit to Bangladesh, their bowlers have bowled extremely well in both series and they put us under some pressure again today, and nice to get over the line in the end.”

– Captain of New Zealand.
– 4 wickets with ball.
– 18* runs with bat.
– Player of the match in a must win game.

What a perfect ending for Mitchell Santner in 2023. 👏 pic.twitter.com/x75TVGZnl3

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 31, 2023

Bangladesh sealed a five-wicket win in the series opener in Napier on Wednesday for their first T20 win on New Zealand soil, four days after beating the hosts in the last game of the three-match one-day international series which they lost 2-1. The second T20 was washed out with no result. The series was part of preparations for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States in June.

“Bangladesh was outstanding”

“As a squad Bangladesh have been outstanding. Their seamers obviously have done a very good job up front,” Santner said. “We know how good their spinners are and then batting as well. It was a hard-fought series and same with the ODIs.”

Also Read: India reacts to Test defeat by roping in Avesh Khan to strengthen bowling before Cape Town faceoff against SA

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said the team fell short of runs in the final match but the bowlers kept them in the game and the Sri Lankan expressed satisfaction with their attitude throughout the series.

“This young group had no fear,” Hathurusinghe added. “They wanted to compete. The leadership shown by Najmul Hossain Shanto was outstanding. Tactically he was spot on and very clear with messages to players.”

(With Reuters inputs)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Trade Setup for January 1: Nifty 50 looks to begin 2024 by holding on to supports

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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2023 ended on a somber note for India’s equity markets but not before a strong rally during the final three months of the year. The Nifty ended the year with gains of 20% and also left investors richer by ₹82 lakh crore during the year.

The Nifty is continuing to struggle to cross and sustain above the key hurdle of 21,760. It did close above the 21,800 mark once but has failed to sustain above those levels. A key level to watch on the upside will be 21,828, which will mean that the index has gained 5,000 points from the March 20, 2023 low of 16,828.

Despite the market ending lower on Friday, both foreign and domestic investors were buyers in the cash market. With the new year and new week starting on Monday, the index would look to defend the key support levels of 21,700 on the downside. Besides global cues, companies will also start reporting their December quarter updates along with their earnings in the second half of the month.

Ruchit Jain of 5paisa.com believes that since the Nifty Relative Strength Index (RSI) readings are in overbought territory, the index may not see swift up-moves like it saw in December. He advises trading with proper risk management and look to book some profits around the 22,000 mark.

The long-term uptrend of the Nifty remains intact but there may be some consolidation or rangebound action, said Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities. Immediate support is seen at 21,550 on the downside with upside targets of 22,000 – 22,200.

Nifty’s temporary overbought conditions may result in some profit booking at higher levels, said Amol Athawale of Kotak Securities. Above 21,600, the Nifty is likely to move towards 21,850 – 21,950 but a slip below the support levels can see the index drop to 21,500 – 21,380.

The Nifty Bank also snapped a three-day winning streak on Friday but ended the week with gains of close to 2%. The strong surge seen by the index in December also saw it close the year with gains of 12%, although it underperformed the Nifty for the year. Most of the gains in December for the banking index were led by the Nifty Bank.

Kotak Securities’ Athawale believes the sentiment on the Nifty Bank will remain bullish as long as it remains above the 47,900 mark. Above those levels, the index has the potential to scale 48,800 – 48,900 on the upside. On the other hand, he expects traders to exit the long positions below the 47,900 mark.

However, Rupak De of LKP Securities believes that the trend on the index may favour the bears as long as it remains below the 48,300 mark. He only expects a move towards 48,800 – 48,900 in case the Nifty Bank crosses and sustains above the 48,300 level.

What Are The F&O Cues Indicating?

Nifty 50’s January futures shed 0.7% and 89,000 shares in Open Interest on the first day of the new series. They are currently trading at a premium of 154.55 points. On the other hand, Nifty Bank’s January futures added 0.5% and 10.920 shares in Open Interest. Nifty 50’s Put-Call ratio is currently at 1.11 from 1.3 earlier.

Hindustan Copper continues to remain in the F&O ban list.

Nifty 50 on the Call side for January 4 expiry:

For this Thursday’s weekly options expiry, which will be the first of the year, the Nifty 50 Call strikes between 21,700 and 22,000 have seen addition in Open Interest.

Nifty 50 on the Put side for January 4 expiry:

On the Put side, the Nifty 50 strikes between 21,500 and 21,700 have seen addition in Open Interest for this Thursday’s expiry.

These stocks added fresh long positions on Friday, meaning an increase in price and Open Interest:

These stocks saw fresh short positions being added on Friday, meaning a decrease in price but increase in Open Interest:

These are some stocks to watch out for ahead of the New Year’s day trading session:

• Alkem Laboratories: Arm sells St. Louis, USA manufacturing unit for $7.9 million to New Mill Capital Holdings.
• Dr Reddy’s Laboratories: Acquires 6.46% stake in Edity Therapeutics for $2 million.
• Grasim: Commissioned an additional 1.23 lakh tonnes annual capacity of advanced materials manufacturing at Bharuch in Gujarat. With this expansion, the total advanced material manufacturing capacity is now at 2.46 lakh tonnes.
• Yes Bank: Gets ₹150 crore from a single trust in the security receipts portfolio for the sale of its NPA portfolio to JC Flowers ARC.
• Godrej Properties: Acquired 4 acres of land parcel with a developable potential of 0.7 million square feet saleable area in Yeswantpur, Bengaluru for developing premium residential apartments.
• IndoStar Capital Finance: Sells a portion of its SME loan portfolio to Encore Asset Reconstruction Company aggregating to a principal outstanding of ₹292 crore.
• Bandhan Bank: Transferred housing finance NPA portfolio, having Days Past Due of 180 days and outstanding of ₹719 crore for a consideration amount of ₹289.6 crore on an outright cash basis to an ARC.
• GMR Power: Extending corporate guarantee in favour of IREDA for issuing counter guarantee in favour of a schedule commercial bank for the benefit of three SPVs of GMR Smart Electricity Distribution Pvt. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary worth ₹228 crore.

What Are Global Cues Indicating?

Nearly all of the Asian markets are shut this morning on account of the New Year holiday.

On Friday night, US markets fell slightly but saw a strong rally towards the end of the year.

The S&P 500 ended 2023 with gains of 24% and eked out a ninth straight weekly advance, its best since 2004. The Nasdaq composite also had its best year since 2020 led by the AI mania.

The Dow Jones ended the year with gains of 13.7% and notched a new closing record.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Top 5 key takeaways from ISL 2023-24 as season hits halfway mark

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 embraced the coming New Year by reaching its halfway mark with the clash between FC Goa and NorthEast United FC in Guwahati on Friday. The competition has halted for international competitions now, which will see Team India participate in the AFC Asian Cup, beginning January 12 in Qatar.

The milestone 10th season of the ISL has been as captivating and engaging as expected, headlined by the return of three former league winning coaches along with the involvement of the first-ever promoted side in the history of the competition, i.e. Punjab FC. With Kerala Blasters FC leading the table at the midway mark, here are some of the major takeaways from the league and how it has unfolded so far.

Increased competitiveness amongst teams

The enhanced competitiveness amongst clubs, brought in by seasoned coaches, younger players, and assembling of superior squads has narrowed the gap between the teams in the ISL. This has resulted in scorelines being tighter than ever, with 169 goals being netted in the first 69 games of this season, as compared to the 213 that had been hit after the same number of games in 2022-23. The margins of results have been slimmer, resulting in more engaging contests, keeping audiences to the edge of the seats often. With an average of 2.44 goals being struck per game, the days of one-sided victories are long gone as the ISL enters an era where each team breathes down the neck of its nearest competitor.

Strengthened defences key to the success

The season has witnessed finer tactical awareness, with teams quickly realising the importance of a solid defensive unit. The most glaring example is that of FC Goa, who have jumped to the second spot straightaway since the arrivals of Odei Onaindia and Sandesh Jhingan.

Also Read: FC Goa stays unbeaten going into ISL season break after 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC

Overall, there have been 39 clean sheets across 69 games in ISL 2023-24, which is 18.18% higher than had been witnessed (33) after the same count of matches in the last campaign. The Gaurs lead the way with six clean sheets after 10 games, with Odisha FC keeping the same number of them in 12 matches. The Juggernauts are also the leading goal-scorers with 22 strikes so far, with Sergio Lobera’s impact being evident across departments of their gameplay.

Breakout Indian stars add excitement to the league

The promotion of Indian talent has been at the cornerstone of the truest motives and objectives of the ISL. Right from Parthib Gogoi scoring outside-of-the-box stunners in his first three appearances of the season to Sachin Suresh becoming the first goalkeeper in league history to save penalties in consecutive games, the top-tier has again created a pathway for scores of promising talents to find their feet in football. Sahal Abdul Samad (4), Liston Colaco (3), Nandhakumar Sekar (3), and Manvir Singh (2), are amongst the top assist makers in the league at present, showing that the local talent is thriving in the final third equally well. Lallianzuala Chhangte had become only the second Indian after Sunil Chhetri (2017-18) to win the ISL Golden Ball when the Mumbai City FC winger claimed the top prize in 2022-23. It’s safe to say that the race for another talent from the nation to replicate that feat is wide open for the current campaign at this moment.

Teams intensifying approach as season progresses

Whilst the campaign began with teams adopting an arguably conservative route, it can be argued that they have begun gradually opening up and playing to their full potential as the tournament has progressed. The eighth matchweek was a turnaround in this regard, with Kerala Blasters FC-Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC-Punjab FC playing out 3-3 draws respectively, before East Bengal FC registered their biggest win in ISL history by 5-0 against NorthEast United FC. Jamshedpur FC repeated this scoreline in their win over Hyderabad FC, whereas Mumbai City FC emerged triumphant by 4-0 over Bengaluru FC earlier this month. In fact, Odisha FC capped off their first-half of the season with a 4-1 victory against Jamshedpur FC. All in all, despite the enhanced level of competitiveness reflecting in tighter results, spectators should know that they are in for a treat when teams gradually get in their groove and begin exploring the depths of their potential to the fullest.

The shuffles and surety of Coaches

This season has witnessed an array of shuffles, departures and sustenance in performance of Head Coaches. While Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC parted ways with their earlier this season, Jamshedpur FC announced the departure of tactician Scott Cooper. But making the headlines were the stalwarts – Manolo Marquez, Sergio Lobera, Ivan Vukomanovic and Carles Cuadrat.

Manolo Marquez and Sergio Lobera moved to FC Goa and Odisha FC respectively, and took on the challenge immediately by leading their teams to the second and third spot in the table at the halfway mark. Topping the standings is Kerala Blasters FC, where head coach Ivan Vukomanovic continues to dish out his magic for a third season in a row, hoping to bring silverware for the Kochi-based club. In Kolkata, Carles Cuadrat has turned a chapter with East Bengal FC, as the Red & Gold Brigade have a formidable chance to qualify to the playoffs for the first time since they entered the ISL in 2020.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

FM Sitharaman tells public sector banks to crackdown against frauds and wilful defaults

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has asked public sector banks to tighten their vigilance against frauds and wilful defaults. In a meeting chaired by Sitharaman on Saturday in New Delhi, the Finance Minister asked banks to monitor the early warning signals to check potential frauds and advised them to put more effort into recovery from accounts declared as fraud and wilful default. Banks were directed to make efforts for timely identification of accounts as fraud and their subsequent investigation.

Finance Minister asked banks to concentrate on fraud prevention activities on both large corporate frauds and wilful defaults as well as on actions that defraud individual customers. The FM instructed the banks to adopt advanced fraud prevention and detection mechanisms and ensure that the customers are further educated about safe banking practices.

Recognising that the effectiveness of legal action against defaulters before courts and tribunals largely depends on effective representation by lawyers and attorneys assisted by bank officials, the Finance Minister also called for a performance review of counsels representing public sector banks to ensure better legal outcomes.

FM: Focus on responsible lending practices

The minister urged the public sector banks (PSBs) to adopt responsible lending practices across the board. The minister instructed the PSBs to enhance due diligence before loan disbursement, ensure regular monitoring of large loan accounts, and undertake swift and thorough legal action in cases of such default. Sitharaman also exhorted the banks to take strict administrative action against the conniving officials of the banks who enable fraud and wilful defaults. 

FM: Implement stringent cyber security protocol; protect customer privacy

Issues related to cyber security were also deliberated in the meeting. The Finance Minister noted the need to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures and implement stringent security protocols to protect sensitive financial information and systems from cyber-attacks. In this regard, the preparedness of all the PSBs in addressing cyber security risks was reviewed by the Union Finance Minister. Banks have also been directed to ensure complete privacy of customer data.

FM: NARCL should expedite on boarding of stressed assets 

The progress on the acquisition of accounts by the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) was also deliberated. Sitharaman directed that the acquisition of stressed accounts by NARCL needs to improve further, and necessary efforts must be made in this direction. It was advised that NARCL and banks should hold regular meetings to expedite the on-boarding of stressed accounts.

FM: Offer attractive deposit schemes 

In addition, the Finance Minister emphasised the importance of mobilising deposits, urging public sector banks to innovate and offer attractive deposit schemes to enhance their deposit base, which will also enable them to extend more credit.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘American Idol’ star Paula Abdul sues producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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US singer, dancer and “American Idol” star Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit accusing British television executive Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her when they worked together on two popular talent shows, according to court documents.

Abdul, who rose to fame as a chart-topping singer in the late 1980s, alleged in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her in an elevator during the early seasons of TV singing competition series “American Idol.”

Lythgoe, the producer of several hit television talent competitions, allegedly groped Abdul’s breasts and genitals, among other unwanted physical contact in a hotel elevator after a day of auditions for “American Idol.” Abdul tried to push him away and ran as soon as the elevator doors opened, court documents said.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Abdul or Lythgoe for comment.

Lythogoe denied the allegations, according to TMZ.

“For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear — and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues,” he told TMZ. “Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.”

According to court documents, Abdul immediately reported the assault by Lythgoe, an “American Idol” producer at the time, to her representatives but did not take action for fear of losing her job, the lawsuit said.

Moreover, Abdul’s contracts prohibited her from speaking out, the lawsuit said.

Another alleged assault took place years later when Abdul worked as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance,” according to court documents. The star, 61, enjoyed renewed popularity in the early 2000s starring as a judge on talent TV series.

The lawsuit alleges Lythgoe, 74, assaulted her on the couch of his Los Angeles home after a work dinner. Abdul again firmly rejected him and “immediately left Lythgoe’s home,” court documents said.

In the lawsuit, Abdul levels other allegations at the entertainment industry mogul, including that Lythgoe once called to taunt her and said it had been “seven years and the statute of limitations had run” on the alleged assaults.

The lawsuit alleged that the star also witnessed Lythgoe assault one of her assistants on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The lawsuit was submitted days before the December 31 filing deadline established under the California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act. The legislation allows individuals to bring certain sexual abuse lawsuits that would otherwise have fallen outside the statute of limitations.

Also Read: US forces shoot down ballistic missiles in Red Sea, kills gunmen in attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US forces shoot down ballistic missiles in Red Sea, kills gunmen in attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The US military on Sunday said it shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Hours later, four boats tried to attack the same ship, but US forces opened fire, killing several of the armed crews, the US Central Command said. No one was injured on the ship.

The Singapore-flagged Maersk Hanzghou reported they had already been hit by a missile on Saturday night while transiting the Southern Red Sea and requested assistance, Centcom said in a statement. The USS Gravely and USS Laboon responded to the call for help, and the Denmark-owned vessel was reportedly seaworthy and no injuries were noted, the statement added.

“This is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19,” Centcom said.

In another statement, Centcom said the same ship issued an additional distress call about a second attack “by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats.” The attackers fired small arms weapons at the Maersk Hanzghou, getting to within 20 meters (about 65 feet) of the vessel, and attempted to it, Centcom said.

A contract-embarked security team on the ship returned fire, the central command said. US helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and Gravely responded to the distress call and while issuing verbal warnings to the attackers, the small boat crews opened fire on the helicopters using small arms, the statement said.

“The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,” sinking three of the four boats, killing the crews while the fourth boat fled the area, Ccentcom said, and no damage to US personnel or equipment was reported.

The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end Israel’s air-and-ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip following the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October7.

On Saturday, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said Houthi rebels have shown no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea even as more nations join the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up.

Since the Pentagon announced Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter the attacks just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow