Ben Stokes to come back from ODI retirement to play the World Cup: Reports

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

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England all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to make a comeback from his retirement for the upcoming IC World Cup 2023. However, it would happen at the cost of missing the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to the reports in The Telegraph, Ben Stokes is prepared to make a U-turn and reverse his one-day international retirement to strengthen his team in India this year. “Even if it means missing out on next season’s Indian Premier League. The England Test captain now appears willing to play World Cup if he is asked by white-ball captain Jos Buttler,” read the report.

If Stoke doesn’t skip the IPL season, he will have to spend five months in India, as India and England indulge in a five-match test series that starts on January 25 and ends in the month of March.

Also Read: Tilak Varma can be a surprise pick in the World Cup squad: Report

“While concern lingers over Stokes’s knee which might require operation at some stage, Telegraph Sport understands that he would be prepared to miss next season’s IPL if he needed a gap in his schedule to help him recover.”

“Stokes is likely to bat in the middle order for the England ODI side. Amid fears of how much bowling he could do, England is prepared to pick him as a specialist batsman, replicating the role he performed at stages during this summer’s Ashes series,” the report stated.

Stokes had hung up his boots from ODI cricket in 2022 as he looked to manage workload after having assumed England’s Test captaincy. However, the team’s white-ball coach Matthew Mott has repeatedly maintained that they are hopeful of the all-rounder returning to the setup for the quadrennial tournament. Stokes starred significantly in England’s victory in the tournament in 2019, scoring 465 runs and scalping seven dismissals in 11 games in the competition.

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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

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Bayern Munich eyeing move for former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea: Reports

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

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Bayern Munich FC is pursuing a move for former Manchester United FC goalkeeper David de Gea, as per latest reports in the British press. The Spaniard has been in talks with several clubs from the Saudi Pro League. However, he could very well end up in the German capital courtesy of the Bundesliga champions looking for a long-term replacement to Manuel Neuer between the sticks.

De Gea’s wage demands might be an obstacle in the transfer activity though. The 32-year-old secured £375,000 a week at Old Trafford and it is unclear whether Bayern would offer that kind of a sum with multiple top players already in their ranks.

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Neuer is still recovering from the horrific injury that he suffered during a skiing accident in December 2022. The 37-year-old snapped his tibia and fibula and underwent an immediate surgery. However, he is not back to full fitness and Bayern is understandably eyeing an established custodian to assume duties until then.

De Gea rose up the ranks at Atletico Madrid before switching to United in 2011. He spent 12 years at the club and made 415 appearances for the senior team. The goalkeeper won the Premier League once and the FA Cup twice during his stint with the club. He also emerged victorious in the Premier League Golden Glove race in two separate seasons, i.e. in 2017-18 and 2022-23 respectively. Further, de Gea was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in four seasons and capped off a very fruitful stint on an individual level at United.

He is without a club after the departure from the Premier League outfit though. Certain reports linked him to Real Madrid after Thibaut Courtois’ injury but that move didn’t materialise.

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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

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Attendance and ticket records keep growing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup

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

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The Women’s World Cup semifinals and expanded 32-team format has set a new record for attendance at the tournament. Soccer’s international governing body said that 1.77 million tickets have been sold for the tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with a total of 1,734,028 attendance for the 60 games.

The record match attendance for the 2023 edition is 75,784 for three games under a restricted capacity at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, which was built for the 2000 Olympics.

Putting in the work. 💪🇪🇸

Will Spain be the one to lift the #FIFAWWC trophy?

— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 14, 2023

FIFA said the average crowd for games across the 10 venues has been 28,900, more than 7,000 above the average for games at the 2019 edition in France and more than 4,000 above the historical average at the eight previous Women’s World Cups.

The competition was expanded from 24 to 32 teams for this edition. Australia reached the semifinals for the first time with a 7-6 penalty shootout win over France in Brisbane last Saturday and will take on European champion England on Wednesday in Sydney for a spot in the final against either Sweden or Spain.

“Nearly 30,000 Swedes celebrated at Götaplatsen. I get goosebumps looking back on it.”

Stina Blackstenius on her memories of @SvenskFotboll‘s run at #FIFAWWC 2019 💭

— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 14, 2023

The country will be almost at a standstill when the semifinal is staged. The Australian men’s basketball team, preparing for the FIBA World Cup starting later this month, is just one of the many teams adjusting match or practice times to ensure they can watch the national women’s soccer team.

Led by Atlanta Hawks guard Patty Mills, the Boomers moved up their warmup game against Brazil by a few hours on Wednesday so they and their supporters could see the broadcast of the Women’s World Cup semifinal.

Jennifer Hermoso = Always on alert! 🔥

Will she find the net for Spain? 🇪🇸 #FIFAWWC

— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 15, 2023

“The Matildas have really captured the nation this World Cup,” Mills said. “Just like the rest of the country, our Boomers team have been locked in for each game, watching it as a team.”

(With AP inputs)

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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

Andy Murray pulls out of Cincinnati Open due to abdominal strain

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

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British tennis star Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as he recovers from an abdominal strain with an eye of appearing in the U.S. Open starting later this month.

Murray, 36, withdrew from last week’s Canadian Open before his round of 16 clash with eventual champion Jannik Sinner due to the issue he picked up after spending nearly five hours on court in wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Max Purcell.

The three-times Grand Slam champion and former world number one travelled to Cincinnati where he hoped to be fit in time to face Russian Karen Khachanov but he will now be replaced by a lucky loser, men’s tennis governing body ATP said.

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Murray is currently number 36 in the world – his highest ranking since hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 – and was named in Britain’s Davis Cup team for their Finals group stage ties that will take place after the Aug 28-Sept 10 U.S. Open.

7 years ago today.

Andy Murray defeats Juan Martin Del Potro and retains his title to become the first player in history to win two Olympic gold medals in singles.

Take me back. 🥇❤️

pic.twitter.com/tGWfxwYliy

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 14, 2023 

Murray entered the Wimbledon 2023 in fine form, having won the Surbiton Trophy and the Challenger Nottingham trophies prior to the Grand Slam. However, his title bid in the grass court didn’t last long, bowing out in the second round to Greek star  Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic five-set clash. He had secured straight set victories against Ryan Peniston in the opening round and that raised hopes about him progressing further in the competition. However, Tsitsipas emerged victorious in a closely contested game.

He has not bounced back from that loss till now. Murray lost in the Round of 16 of the Citi Open and then handed a walkover to Jannik Sinner in the same round of the Canadian Open, owing to the aforementioned abdominal strain.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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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

Michael Burry exits Alibaba, JD.com stakes in portfolio overhaul

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

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Michael Burry’s Scion Asset Management exited its stakes in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and JD.com Inc. in the second quarter, ditching the stocks just months after doubling down on them.

That’s a stark turnaround, considering the two Chinese tech giants comprised 20 percent of the firm’s portfolio and were its top two equity holdings at the end of March.

Scion liquidated holdings in 15 companies in the second quarter, according to a regulatory filing Monday, including banks that it had scooped up in the preceding period as the failure of several lenders battered the financial sector. They include First Republic Bank, which was rescued by JPMorgan Chase & Co., and PacWest Bancorp, which is being acquired by Banc of California.

Also Read: Here’s all you need to know about famed investor Michael Burry

Expedia Group Inc. emerged as Scion’s top holding, with the hedge fund acquiring 100,000 shares worth $10.9 million as of midyear. The firm also added shares of Charter Communications Inc. and CVS Health Corp., among the 25 new stakes the fund started last quarter amid a significant portfolio revamp. Scion’s top 15 holdings at the end of June are all new positions.

Financial social media was abuzz Monday with talk that Burry was making a multibillion-dollar bet against the stock market by buying put options on the biggest exchange-traded funds tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. A closer look, however, shows the wager is more nuanced.

Scion’s filing shows long put option positions of 20,000 contracts in the two ETFs — equating to 2 million shares each. That was amplified on social media into a huge short bet on the broader US stock market.

The notional value of those shares was $886,560,000, based on SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust’s closing price on June 30. But depending on the strikes and months of the particular options traded, the size of the actual investment and premium paid would be much smaller. The same is true for the 20,000 puts on Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1, which show a notional value of $738,840,000.

Also Read: Know Michael Burry, the man who bet over half a billion against Tesla

Burry, who rose to fame after predicting the 2008 housing crash, developed a large social media following for his predictions of looming risks. In January, he forecast another inflation spike and said the US was already in a recession.

Scion, based in Saratoga, California, had $233.3 million of assets under management at the end of last year.

Monday is the deadline for thousands of institutional investors, including hedge funds, pension funds and endowments, to report certain US equity holdings to the Securities and Exchange Commission through quarterly 13F filings.

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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

Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan share official motion poster of ‘Fighter’

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

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Actors Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan on Tuesday unveiled the official motion poster of their upcoming film “Fighter” on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day.

Touted as India’s first aerial action magnum opus, the film is directed by Siddharth Anand. It is scheduled to be released in theatres on January 25, 2024.

The motion poster, which Roshan and Padukone as well as veteran star Anil Kapoor shared on social media, provides a first glimpse at the three actors, who are playing Indian Air Force (IAF) officers in the movie.

“#SpiritOfFighter | Vande Mataram! See you in the theatres on the eve of India’s 75th Republic Day. Fighter releases worldwide on 25th January 2024,” Roshan posted on Instagram.

Deepika said, “A salute to our glorious nation. Happy Independence Day.”

“Fighter”, backed by Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures, is described as a homage to the valour, sacrifice and patriotism of the Indian armed forces. The film reunites Roshan with Anand after the two collaborated on hits “Bang Bang!” and “War”.

It also marks Deepika and Anand’s second collaboration after “Pathaan”, the Shah Rukh Khan-led blockbuster which released earlier this year.

Also Read: Deepika Padukone’s first look poster from Prabhas starrer ‘Project K’ out, gets a mixed response

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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

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China skips giving update on surging youth unemployment as economic slump deepens

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

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China’s government skipped giving an update on a politically sensitive spike in unemployment among young people as official data Tuesday showed an economic slump deepened in July.

Meanwhile, the central bank unexpectedly cut a key interest rate in a sign of growing official urgency about shoring up economic growth that fell sharply in the three months ending in June.

Youth unemployment is sensitive after a survey in June found a record 21.3 percent of potential urban workers aged 16 to 24 couldn’t find work after an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls fizzled out.

Publication of unemployment by age group is suspended while the National Bureau of Statistics considers how it measures data, according to a bureau spokesperson, Fu Linghui. Fu said a survey found overall unemployment among urban workers was 5.3 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from June.

“The employment situation is generally stable,” Fu said at a news conference.

Growth in consumer spending decelerated to 2.5 percent over a year earlier in July from the previous month’s 3.1 percent, according to Fu.

Growth in factory output slowed to 3.7 percent from 4.4 percent, according to Tuesday’s data, as export demand plunged after U.S. and European central banks raised interest rates to cool inflation. Investment in factories, real estate and other fixed assets rose 3.8 percent, down from June’s 3.4 percent.

“A decision to discontinue the youth unemployment figures just after they hit a record high doesn’t inspire confidence,” said Capital Economics in a report.

Also Read: Oil nudges up as China cuts policy rates to support economy

The People’s Bank of China cut the interest rate on a one-week loan to banks to 1.8 percent from 1.9 percent.

“Today’s cuts suggest that the authorities’ concern about the state of the macroeconomy is mounting,” said Robert Carnell of ING in a report. “But that doesn’t mean that they are about to undertake unorthodox policy measures.”

Economic growth slid to 0.8 percent over the previous quarter in the three months ending in June from 2.2 percent in the January-March period. That is equivalent to 3.2 percent annual growth, which would be among China’s weakest in decades.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is trying to revive economic activity without resorting to a large-scale stimulus, possibly for fear of reigniting a rise in debt levels they worry are dangerously high.

Also Read: Dollar firm, yuan hits 9-month low after surprise China rate cut 

That is hampered by a slump in China’s vast real estate industry following tighter government controls on debt levels at developers. Buyers are reluctant to commit when they are worried about possible job losses and whether construction of apartments they pay for might be suspended.

The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive business and consumer confidence by promising to help entrepreneurs but has yet to announce major spending or other policy changes. Xi’s government also is trying to revive interest among foreign investors, but business groups says companies are redirecting or delaying investments due to uncertainty about their status following an expansion of anti-spying rules and calls by Xi and other leaders for national economic self-reliance.

Exports in July plunged by an unusually large margin of 14.5 percent from a year earlier.

The country’s No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, expressed confidence in May that the country can hit the ruling party’s annual growth target of “about 5 percent.” Growth in the second half of the year would need to be markedly stronger than the first half to achieve that.

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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

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin pitches for moving education to state list of Constitution

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

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday batted for shifting education to the state list of the Constitution from the concurrent list. In his Independence Day address, Stalin announced that approximately 55,000 vacancies would be filled in various government departments.

He said all subjects that have a direct connect to people should be brought under Constitution’s state list, in particular education. Only if education is moved to the state list of Constitution, qualifying examination method like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) could be completely scrapped.

Following the deaths by suicide of a teen, a medical course aspirant, and his father over alleged NEET related stress, Stalin on Monday urged President Droupadi Murmu to immediately give her assent to a state Bill that seeks to exempt Tamil Nadu from the ambit of the qualifying test. Stalin delivered his Independence Day address from Fort St George in Chennai, the seat of power, after unfurling the national flag.

Stalin had on Monday flagged the 16 suicide deaths of students over NEET in Tamil Nadu. He urged President Murmu to accord her assent at the earliest to the state’s anti-NEET Bill. He pointed to the “unfortunate consequences” due to the delay in the grant of approval to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 and urged her to provide assent immediately.

The chief minister underscored the back-to-back suicide deaths of a son and his father on August 12 and 13 respectively due to the stress of NEET.

Giving a background to the legislative process, Stalin had referred to the Justice AK Rajan Committee which studied the NEET-based admission process and its adverse impact on poor and rural students. Later, based on the panel’s report and deliberations, the chief minister said, the Bill was passed on September 13, 2021.

Governor RN Ravi returned the Bill after five months of delay and it was reintroduced in the assembly on February 8, 2022. It was passed again after reconsideration and sent again to the Governor for reserving it for the President’s consideration.

The Governor forwarded the Bill to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and it has been pending President’s assent.

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

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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

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Binance files for protective order against the US Securities and Exchange Commission

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

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Cryptocurrency firm Binance late on Monday filed for a protective court order against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) claiming the agency’s requests for the company’s communications are “overbroad” and “unduly burdensome”, as per a Reuters report.

In June, the US SEC and Binance reached an agreement in court that lets the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange continue to operate in the United States as it battles SEC fraud charges.

The SEC said that Binance broke US laws by operating as an unregistered securities exchange. It filed similar charges against the world’s other top cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, nearly simultaneously.

But Binance and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, face additional charges of diverting customer funds – concealing the fact that it was commingling billions of dollars in investor assets and sending them to a third party that Zhao also owned.

As a result, the SEC asked that the assets of Binance’s US platform be frozen.

– With inputs from Reuters and AP

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

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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

India working to increase ‘Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ from 10,000 to 25,000: PM Modi

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

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The government is working to increase the number of ‘Jan Aushadhi Kendras’ from 10,000 to 25,000, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Addressing the nation on the 77th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he said Jan Aushadhi Kendras have given new power to the people, especially the middle class.

“If someone is diagnosed with diabetes, then a monthly bill of Rs 3,000 gets accrued. Through Jan Aushadhi Kendras, the medicines that cost Rs 100, we are giving it at Rs 10 to Rs 15,” he said.

Now, the government has plans to increase the number of ‘Jan Aushadhi Kendras’ from 10,000 to 25,000, he said.

‘Jan Aushadhi Kendras’ have been set up for making affordable generic medicines available for all. In his address, the prime minister said the world saw India’s potential during the coronavirus crisis. “When the supply chains of other countries were disrupted, we had advocated a human-centric approach to ensure the world’s progress.” Holistic healthcare was the demand of the hour after Covid, he said adding his government established a separate Ayush department and now the world is taking note of Ayush and Yoga.

“The world is now watching us because of our commitment,” Modi said, adding that India has emerged as “Vishwa Mitra” (friend of the world) in the post-Covid period.

“After Covid, India advocated for the ‘One Earth One Health’ approach. Problems can only be solved when humans, animals and plants are addressed equally with respect to diseases,” the prime minister said.

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

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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