Sikkim Flash Flood | CM blames previous governments for ‘sub-standard’ dam work

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

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Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday, October 6, went on an extensive tour of flood-hit areas in the eastern part of the state to take stock of relief and restoration work. He assured the victims that rescue operations were underway in full swing and also directed the district administration to extend all help for the rehabilitation of the displaced families.

While on his tour, Tamang also assured the evacuees of free medical treatment and other logistical support. His announcement also included an ex-gratia compensation of ₹4 lakh to the family of those who died and an immediate relief of ₹2,000 each to all those who are being sheltered in relief camps.

While speaking about the havoc that extreme weather condition caused in the state, he said that the entire Teesta Dam has been washed out. “Teesta 3 Dam was of sub-standard quality,” he added.

He also blamed the erstwhile governments for construction. “Whatever construction has happened has happened during earlier governments’ tenures. We haven’t done any of the new construction.”

A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) at Lhonak lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday, October 4, led to a massive surge in the Teesta, causing a flash flood in river’s basin. GLOFs occur when glacier-fed lakes suddenly burst open due to accumulation of excessive water.

On October 6, the third day after the flood, the death toll has risen to 22, including seven Army men. Of the 22 deceased, 15 have been identified as men, six as women. A total of 103 people, including the 15 jawans, are still missing.

Meanwhile, the Centre also extended help to the Northeastern state with Union Home Minister Amit Shah approving the release of ₹44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The Centre has assured the Sikkim government of all possible help.

Also Read:Sikkim flash flood: Military firearms, explosives carried away in Teesta; Army asks people to be alert

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‘Leo’ Trailer Release: Fans in a frenzy over Thalapathy Vijay’s ‘beast’ avatar

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

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The trailer of Thalapathy Vijay and Sanjay Dutt starrer Leo has finally been released and fans can’t contain their excitement. The trailer has created quite a stir on social media, with positive feedback to Thalapathy Vijay’s power-packed scenes pouring in thick and fast.

The trailer features Vijay as Leo Das, a family man who undergoes a transformation to become a blood-thirsty beast to hunt down his enemies. The 2-minute-43-second trailer shows various shades of Vijay as a saviour fighting against the evil world to save his family. In the video, Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, who is playing the role of the antagonist, can be seen leaving no stone unturned to kill Leo Das.

A part of Lokesh Kanagaraj Universe, the film has struck the right chord among fans with many going crazy over Vijay’s action scenes. The trailer promises a thrilling drama with all the elements in place to keep audiences entertained.

The trailer, within an hour of its release, also garnered more than one crore views on YouTube and in less than 24 hours it has crossed the 3-crore mark.

The excited fans also took to social media to share their reactions as they were all praise for Thalapathy Vijay.

Reacting to the trailer on YouTube, a fan wrote, “The attention to detail in ‘Leo’ is a testament to the filmmakers’ dedication, creating a world where every frame feels meticulously crafted, contributing to an immersive and unforgettable cinematic journey.”

A second viewer commented, “It’s not just a trailer it’s pure goose bumps.”

A third user commented, “Leo gonna blast in theatres. Thalapathy Vijay is on fire mode. Rest in peace previous Kollywood Box Office Records.”

The trailer also created a buzz on social media platforms like Instagram and X.

BLAST – #LeoTrailer!

It's Lokesh's 100% Sampavam!🤯🔥pic.twitter.com/u6x6LcgTuS

— Arun Vijay ᴸ ᴱ ᴼ 🔰 (@ArunVJ_VFC_) October 6, 2023

Sharing a clip from the trailer a fan wrote, “BLAST – #LeoaTrailer! It’s Lokesh’s 100% Sampavam!”

#LEO – Re-Watched the Trailer Many times..💥 Felt like the Emotions are gonna play a Bigger part than the Action..⭐

• Also Team didn't go for the crowd pleasing cuts by showing only the massy shots of #ThalapathyVijay .. instead of that, the trailer shows the tone of the film… pic.twitter.com/gQeB1qspf9

— Laxmi Kanth (@iammoviebuff007) October 6, 2023

Another die-hard fan shared a photo from the film and shared a detailed note, “#LEO – Re-Watched the Trailer Many times.. Felt like the Emotions are gonna play a Bigger part than the Action.. Also Team didn’t go for the crowd pleasing cuts by showing only the massy shots of #ThalapathyVijay … Instead, the trailer shows the tone of the film and sets up the mood correctly. If the Emotion Lands well like the Action does, then there’s No stopping at the Box office.”

Freaking cuts & the badass dialogue ruling my mind 💆🏻❗• #LeoTrailer pic.twitter.com/jkmP9kgVXs

— 𝐀кнιℓ 🔥🧊 (@thanatos__x4) October 6, 2023

A third user, while praising the dialogues of the film, wrote, “Freaking cuts and the badass dialogue ruling my mind.”

Amid the fan frenzy over the Leo trailer release, ‘Leo trailer’ and ‘Leo Das’ are clearly trending on the internet. The much-awaited movie of Thalapathy Vijay is expected to get a rousing response at box office as the movie is scheduled to hit the theatres on October 19.

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Exxon in advanced talks for $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer, sources say

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

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Exxon Mobil is in advanced talks to acquire Pioneer Natural Resources in a deal that could value the Permian shale basin producer at about $60 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The acquisition would be Exxon’s biggest since its $81 billion deal for Mobil in 1998 and would expand its footprint in one of the most lucrative regions of the U.S. oil patch.

Pioneer’s shares rose nearly 12% to $240.47 in premarket trading on Friday while Exxon slipped 1.7%.

Pioneer, which had a market value as of Thursday of $50 billion, is the third-largest producer of oil in the Permian basin after Chevron Corp and ConocoPhillips. That basin, which stretches across parts of Texas and New Mexico, is the U.S. energy industry’s most coveted because of its relatively low cost to extract oil and gas.

If the negotiations conclude successfully, an agreement between Exxon and Pioneer could be reached in the coming days, the three sources said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential.

Spokespeople for Exxon and Pioneer declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Thursday that a deal between the two companies was approaching.

Exxon, which has a market value of $436 billion, is the largest U.S. oil producer with an average 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) from its global operations.

Last year it earned a record $55.7 billion thanks to high oil and gas prices and ended the year with $29.6 billion in cash.

Some of those profits have tapered off this year as energy prices, which surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have fallen over concerns about a global economic slowdown weighing on fuel demand.

Acquiring Pioneer would give Exxon more established oil-producing land it can rely on to increase production when needed, rather than risk its cash on the development of unproven acreage.

“It makes complete sense,” said Bill Smead, chief investment officer of Smead Capital Management, an investment firm which manages $5.2 billion in funds. “You replenish your reserves without poking holes in the ground.”

Exxon produced about 620,000 boed in the Permian basin in the second quarter, a record for the company. Still, this was dwarfed by Pioneer’s output in the basin, which averaged 711,000 boed in the same period.

The potential deal is set to attract political and regulatory scrutiny, after the White House accused Exxon in February of achieving bumper profits at the expense of consumers.

Other oil majors have also been turning to dealmaking because they find it risky to drill new acreage. Chevron Corp, for example, agreed in May to acquire shale producer PDC Energy Inc in a stock-and-debt transaction worth $7.6 billion.

Pioneer itself has bulked up through dealmaking, including the acquisitions of U.S. shale rivals DoublePoint Energy for $6.4 billion in 2021 and Parsley Energy for $7.6 billion in 2020.

The Dallas-based company is led by industry veteran Scott Sheffield, who has said he will retire at the end of this year and be succeeded by his chief operating officer Richard Dealy.

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Watch: Shadab Khan hits a classical six to provide Pakistan a late flourish against Netherlands

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

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Pakistani vice-captain Shadab Khan took charge of their first innings after the visitors were six wickets down after 37 overs. But it was his conventional six that caught the most attention on the field and from fans.

Shadab Khan walked into the middle and took his time with a few deliveries and kept rotating the strike with some timely boundaries. He got to 22 off 21 deliveries with extreme ease. But it was his first six and second from Pakistan’s innings that’s worth appreciating.

Watch the video here:  

Classiccal Six From Shadab Khan’s Bat ♥️

First For Shadab Second For Pakistan 🇵🇰💚

Shadab Will Score Fifty Today Inshallah 🩵#PAKvsNED #CricketWorldCup2023 #WorldCup #WorldCup2023 #PAKvNED pic.twitter.com/F6lih4tXYY

— Usman Sidhu Official (@usmansidhuoffic) October 6, 2023

After winning the toss, Scott Edwards decided to bowl first and put Pakistan to bat first in Hyderabad. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali made a comeback in the playing eleven for Pakistan. Shakeel hit a half-century in just 37 balls while Babar Azam walked out at 5 runs in 18 balls.

Catch PAK vs NED LIVE Score updates

Pakistan finished the innings at 286, losing all their wickets after 49 overs.

It was quite a laudable comeback from Babar Azam’s men after losing three wickets in the first 10 overs. The middle order duo of Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel spearheaded their fight whereas Shadab Khan and Mohammed Nawaz played handy roles with the bat later on to take the Pakistani team to a potentially match-winning total.

Brief Score:

Pakistan: 286/10 in 49 overs (Rizwan 68, Shakeel 68, de Leede 62/4)

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Newsclick case: FIR names lawyer Gautam Bhatia in ‘conspiracy’ to provide legal defence to Chinese cos Xiaomi, Vivo

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

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The Delhi Police FIR in the Newsclick case has identified constitutional lawyer Gautam Bhatia as a “key person” in the investigation.

As per the FIR, Gautam Bhatia entered into a conspiracy with Newsclick founder Prabir Purkhayastha, alleged funder Neville Roy Singham, and writer Geeta Hariharan.

They conspired to “create a Legal Community Network in India to campaign for and put up a spirited defense of legal cases” against Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Vivo, the FIR said.

The FIR further alleges that big Chinese phone manufacturers like Xiaomi and Vivo incorporated thousands of shell companies in violation of PMLA and FEMA norms.

These shell companies were then used to illegally route foreign funds into India for peddling false narratives through paid news, the FIR said.

The FIR claims that large funds were routed from China in a “circuitous and camouflaged” manner in a conspiracy to “disrupt the sovereignty” of the country and “cause disaffection against India”.

On October 3, Delhi Police had arrested Prabir Purkhayastha and Amit Chakravarthy. On October 4, they were remanded to police custody for 7 days. They have challenged the FIR and remand order in the Delhi High Court.

Delhi High Court is due to hear the plea challenging arrest and custody on October 9.

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RBI’s OMO bond sales program to negatively impact NBFCs

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

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate and policy stance unchanged. The banking regulator, however, took the market by surprise with the announcement of a bond sales program known as Open Market Operations (OMO).

Following the RBI announcement, the yield on the Indian 10-year bond witnessed a notable increase, climbing to 7.35% from its previous closing rate of 7.21%. RBI clarified that the sale of bonds will be conducted through auctions rather than screen-based transactions.

This move is expected to have a negative impact on non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), as it is anticipated to significantly increase their cost of capital.

Lakshmi Iyer, the CEO of Investment & Strategy at Kotak Alternate Asset Managers, now anticipates yields to first consolidate and then rise again. She also advises caution in the equity markets, as the cost of borrowing is likely to remain at elevated levels.

“Bond yields rising from 7.11% to 7.35%, is a massive bump up, I think now the yields will have to consolidate probably come down 5-10 basis points and go up that is how it’s going to be. If you try to tie this into the larger markets, from an equity market standpoint, till the time the bond yields or sovereign bond yields stabilise, it’s very difficult to see the corporate bond yields come down. And that clearly means that the cost of borrowing is going to remain at elevated levels. One will have to take that into consideration when you are deploying money into the equity markets as well. I don’t think markets have still fathom that so I think there needs to be some bit of caution, even on the equity markets,” Iyer said.

Watch the accompanying video for the entire discussion.

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Google Japan creates Gboard keycap that actually types

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

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A Japanese company has come up with a funny cap under its Gboard CAPS project. The keycap or a key-shaped cap that can be worn like a headgear can be used as a keyboard. The innovative keyboard is not only a showpiece with some features but also has the ability to protect the user from rain as well.

While many could be confusing this to be a Google product, this is not made by the search engine giant. Instead, the Gboard CAPs project is a funny keyboard ideas project of Google Japan.

This company previously introduced a 5.25-foot-long stick version of Gboard last year. The company comes up with such prototypes that can be quirky, interesting and useful as well.

While announcing the device, Google Japan shared an introductory video on YouTube which has garnered over 1.9 lakh views on the platform.

The two-minute and 19-second-long video elaborates use of the keyboard in different possible ways, including to use of the cap in different looks. While briefing, one of the team members said, “Aiming for the top we’re always brainstorming for better text input. As I was racking my brains for a way to make keyboards more portable and fashionable, I had an aha moment. That’s when we developed this wearable keyboard.”

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Following its introductory video, many curious viewers commented about the product and its functionalities. One of them said, “Japan never disappoints in terms of something crazy like this.”

Another wrote, “Google Japan taking the word ‘cap’ in every form and level seriously.”

“Now, I want to see this in a graduation cap”, said the third viewer.

In a blog post, Google Japan explained that the device is a wearable that the user can wear on the head and rotate from side to side, which would help in entering characters according to the angle of rotation. Additionally, pressing the device from the top will work as clicking on the ‘Enter’ button. The keycap connects with a device through Bluetooth and works on a 3.7 V 120 mAh battery.

Besides, the blog also mentioned that the company is planning to get several other suit options for different occasions in future, which might include a reversible red and white version of the keycap; a version with a built-in display, and another solar-powered variant.

However, the company also clarified that there are no plans for the sale of this product, but they have released a blueprint as an open source so that anyone can make their own similar device. Alongside, a production guide has also been prepared that can help to make the device.

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JK Cement in pact with Vakrangee to access rural, semi-urban markets

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

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Vakrangee, a financial services distributor, on Friday (October 6) said it has forged a strategic partnership with JK Cement Ltd for lead generation and to facilitate the sale of grey cement products through Vakrangee’s Kendra network.

Vakrangee Kendras represents an exclusive branded format of outlets that offer a wide array of products and services spanning banking, insurance, ATM services, assisted e-commerce, e-governance solutions, and comprehensive healthcare services.

With a remarkable 84% of Vakrangee Kendra outlets situated in tier 4-6 locations, this association promises to bridge the accessibility gap and enable customers in these underserved areas to access cement products conveniently.

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“We will continue to add more products and services and tie up with leading business partners to offer our customers a one-stop solution to all their needs. We are aspiring to be the most trustworthy physical as well as online convenience store across India and positively moving towards Vakrangee Kendra’s new brand philosophy of Aab Poori Duniya Pados Mein,” the company added.

Vakrangee is a technology-driven company focused on building India’s largest network of last-mile retail touchpoints to deliver real-time banking, insurance, e-governance, e-commerce, and ATM services to the unserved rural, semi-urban, and urban markets.

Shares of Vakrangee Ltd ended at Rs 17.14, down by Rs 0.05, or 0.29%, on the BSE.

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Vikas Oberoi returns to Mumbai after no prima facie case against him in Italy car crash: Sources

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

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Vikas Oberoi, Chairman & MD of Oberoi Realty, have returned home to Mumbai today (October 6). Sources say that there was no prima facie case against him in the car crash in Italy.

As part of the investigation into the car accident, sources suggest that the State Department in Italy have appointed a technical expert to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Oberoi Realty, in a statement, said, “Our Chairman and Managing Director Mr Vikas Oberoi and his wife Mrs Gayatri Oberoi had met with accident in Sardinia, Italy on 2nd October 2023. By Gods grace they both are unhurt and have returned back home to Mumbai safely.”

CNBC-TV18 first reported on October 5 that sources claimed there were no charges against Vikas Oberoi in the car crash case. The accident took place on October 2, Monday, and the share price of Oberoi Realty had declined post the news this week but recovered on Thursday to end up 1.7% at Rs 1109.70 per share.

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