21 Indian wrestlers denied visa by Spanish embassy, to miss U-23 World Championship

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

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Twenty-one Indian wrestlers are set to miss the ongoing Under-23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, after being denied visas by the Spanish embassy. The rejection was handed on the suspicion that the wrestlers do not have the intention to leave the territory before the expiration of their visas. From the squad picked by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) only nine wrestlers were granted visas.

This is the first time in the competition’s six-year history that the Indian team won’t take part in the prestigious event that features world-class athletes.

A 45-member Indian contingent, including 30 wrestlers in the men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-roman categories, was selected by the WFI. The top names included women’s 53kg wrestler Antim Panghal, who is India’s first-ever U-20 world champion in wrestling; Sagar Jaglan (men’s 74kg), Asian cadet bronze medallist Reetika Hooda (women’s 72kg) and junior Worlds silver medallist Bhateri.

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WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar expressed his disappointment with the decision and said their visas were denied on frivolous grounds.

Tomar said this has never happened before and the wrestlers were denied visas despite presenting the Indian government’s clearance and an invitation from the world governing body UWW, NDTV reported.

He added that the rejection letters were received on Monday evening which is bizarre. Tomar insisted that the Indian wrestlers were strong medal contenders and they have been denied an opportunity to shine on the global stage by the Spanish embassy.

The U-23 Wrestling World Championship has begun today and will continue till October 23.

Major setback for India

Several potential medallists including, Haryana’s Antim Panghal who made history by becoming the U20 World Champion in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was one of the best Indian hope in the 53 kg category in the U23 World Championships. Also, out of the nine coaches, only six were granted access.

Another medal contender, U23 Asian champion Reetika Hooda (72 kg category) is also set to miss out.

In last year’s edition at Belgrade, Indian wrestlers secured five medals, including Shivani Pawar’s historic silver in the women’s 50kg class, to register the country’s most successful outing at the event since its inaugural edition in 2017. The Indian squad was looking to better the record this year.

Out of 10 freestyle wrestlers, only Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg), got the visa while the applications of nine other wrestlers were rejected.

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Thus, Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg), Ankush Panghal (women’s 50kg) and Mansi Ahlawat (women’s 59kg) and six Greco-roman wrestlers will be the only Indian wrestlers to take part in the U-23 World Championship.

Speaking to The Times of India, Tomar said the WFI will be writing to the United World Wrestling (wrestling’s world governing body), about the issue. An official complaint will be lodged with the UWW for the embarrassment that the Indian wrestlers have been made to go through, Tomar said.

The chief coach of the Greco-Roman squad and Dronacharya awardee, Mahabir Prasad called for a fine and ban on Spain. He recounted the event when the UWW asked for India to allow Pakistani wrestlers to the Asian Championship in 2019.

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Bilkis Bano case: SC to hear pleas against release of 11 convicts on November 29

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

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will hear on November 29 the pleas challenging the remission of sentence and release of 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape case and murder of her seven family members during the Gujarat riots. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and C T Ravikumar directed that the reply filed by the Gujarat government be made available to all parties.

The petitioners have been given time to file their reply to the affidavit filed by the Gujarat government. “A counter has been filed by the Gujarat government. Let counter affidavit be made available to all counsels,” the bench said.

The Gujarat government on Monday had told the apex court that petitioners challenging the remission are nothing but an “interloper” and a “busybody”. It had also said that since the investigation in the case was carried out by the CBI, it had obtained “suitable orders” for grant of remission of the convicts from the Centre.

Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five-month pregnant when she was gang-raped while fleeing the riots that broke out after the Godhra train burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed. The 11 men convicted in the case walked out free from the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. They had completed more than 15 years in jail.

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ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED: First impressions

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

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ASUS on Monday announced the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED — its first-ever 17.3-inch foldable screen — which can be used in several different modes, depending on the requirement of the user. It was developed in collaboration with Intel and BOE.

The company also claims that the folding screen, which is rated military-grade, has been tested about 30,000 times — twice more than the industry standard.

The specifications on the device look quite promising. It runs on an Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. The screen has an OLED display of 2.5K resolution when unfolded and drops to FHD when it is being used as a laptop with the Bluetooth keyboard that comes with the screen.

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Even in bright sunlight, the screen is very sharp and bright. The crease, which is a challenge for most first-generation foldables is barely visible on this one, owing to the design that uses two hinges that help create a seamless fold without any physical interruption.

To help avoid burn-in ASUS has also made sure that the pixels are never stationary for long periods of time, for example by having the pixels rotate every now and then, and even having an anti-burn screensaver. The display also comes with a one-year warranty and two years of extended warranty, which can take care of any issues that a user can face with the device.

The screen is also very lightweight for its size at just 1.5 kg and 1.8 kg with the keyboard. 

The concept is interesting. It is not something that we have seen before and is pretty darn good for a first-generation. A challenge that we could see with this device is the lack of integration between the hardware and the software. For instance, Samsung and Google worked in sync for the Galaxy Z devices to have an optimised user interface. That is not the case with ASUS. Even though, the company has taken certain steps like changing orientations and splitting screens with its ScreenXpert, it still has a long way to go. Other than that, it is just a regular screen.

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If we believe that the “fold” is the future, then this is only a sneak peek into what is about to come; if not, then this is just another exciting experiment that the world of tech has blessed us with.

Pre-booking of the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has started and it will go on sale on November 10 in the country. It retails for Rs 3,29,990 and pre-booking customers can also avail of discounts and offers, bringing the cost significantly down.

A full review to follow soon.

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Diwali season leads to rise in flight searches by 124%

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

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What better place to celebrate Diwali than in India? Almost all states of the country celebrate the festival of lights with pomp and splendour, with numerous lights, colours, treats, firecrackers and food. Whether you are travelling home for the festival or going on a vacation with your loved ones, you need to buckle up. Given the post-pandemic excitement, flight searches have risen by 124% and you might be startled to look at the tariffs.

Background of the all-time high

After a long wait and stringent travel restrictions, India and most of the world are witnessing free travel in 2022, which calls for a celebration in itself. During the pandemic, people have had increased social media exposure, which increased their eagerness to explore places during the festivals the city is known for.

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Added to it is the festive season, with Dussehra and Diwali close at hand, everyone wants to reunite with their dear ones and make memories. For those who wish to go on a vacation and explore Diwali in other parts of India, Jaipur, Kashmir, Ayodhya and Goa seem the ideal destinations. Hence, the air tickets, local transportation and accommodation costs are about 70% higher than last year, with excessive demand pouring in every single day.

Dates with the highest fares

The last date to book airfare at a reasonably higher cost is October 19, 2022, after which the fares are sure to skyrocket. Even now, a flight from Mumbai to Kochi has a starting price of INR 18,300, with a maximum of INR 20,000 (to and fro). With days passing by, the fares are only going to go upward.

Other reasons for the surge

We are in the last quarter of the calendar year, and this is the time for many businesses to start chalking out their business plan for the upcoming year. Since many companies are doing away with the work-from-home model, they mandate executives to come in person for conferences and meetings. Hence, business travels also increase during this time, adding to the mayhem. Aviation fuel price is also said to spike as a result of increased demand, which also is likely to contribute to the rising prices.

Benefits reaped during the busy season

With the booming demand for travel, the airline and transportation industry, in general, is set to reap the most benefit, followed closely by the hospitality industry. Elite resorts in Jaipur, Udaipur and Kashmir witnessed a 70-90% increase in enquiries and a constant stream of bookings since tourists are flocking to different places of India with their family and friends to make the most of the festival.

Tips for travellers

If you have not booked tickets yet, it is advisable to book the tickets and stay at the earliest. The prices are likely to increase unreasonably, and when they do, the best option is to opt for an alternative and proximate location to celebrate the festival. All public places will be heavily crowded, so it is not advisable to carry precious things during festive travel.

Act quickly to save money and savour the beautiful festival with the ones close to your heart.

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Alembic Pharmaceuticals declines as US regulator issues observations to Panelav’s facility

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

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Shares of pharmaceutical company Alembic Pharma declined over 1 percent as the company notified that the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has conducted an inspection at its Oncology Injectable Formulation Facility located at Panelav from 4, October 2022 to 14, October 2022.

At 11:58 am shares of Alembic Pharmaceuticals were trading at Rs 550, down by 1.05 percent from the previous close on the BSE.

Alembic Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing that the USFDA has issued a Form 483 with four procedural observations. None of the observations is related to data integrity and management believes that they are addressable.

“The Company is preparing the response to the observations, which will be submitted to the USFDA within the stipulated period. The Company is committed to maintaining the highest quality standards and compliance at all times,” said the regulatory filing.

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Last month the U.S. drug regulator flagged quality and procedural lapses at Alembic Pharmaceuticals’ injectable facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has conducted an inspection at Alembic Pharmaceuticals’ injectable facility located at Karkhadi from Aug. 18-30. The U.S. FDA issued a Form 483 with two observations,” the company said in an exchange filing.

Shares of Alembic Pharmaceuticals have declined over 6 percent in one month while the S&P BSE Healthcare index has climbed nearly 3 percent in the same period.

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Tamil Nadu Assembly passes resolution against ‘Hindi imposition’, BJP MLAs walk out

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

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The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution against the Parliament Committee report which recommended making Hindi the medium of instruction in all central educational institutions.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin moved the resolution in the state assembly, saying that the House urges the government not to implement recommendations made in Parliamentary Committee Report on Official Language submitted by its Chairman to President.

He said the recommendations were against state languages including Tamil and also against people’s interest who speak those languages,” he said.

As the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed the resolution, state BJP MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condemned the Centre over “aggressive attempts of the Union government to impose Hindi by all possible avenues”. He said, “These are against the federal principles of our constitution.”

In a tweet on Sunday, he also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi “to take stock of the reasonable fear and discontent among the non-Hindi…” He argued that “such impractical, divisive attempts will put non-Hindi states people in a disadvantageous position and jeopardise the spirit of the union – state relations.”

Stalin had warned the Centre against forcing another “language war by imposing” Hindi. He had further demanded to make all languages in the 8th Schedule Official Languages.

Such impractical, divisive attempts will put non-hindi states people in a disadvantageous position & jeopardise the spirit of the union – state relations.#StopHindiImposition!

Make all languages in the 8th Schedule as Official Languages!

Uphold the unity of India! 2/2 pic.twitter.com/y9yAOicZJj

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 16, 2022

On October 10, Stalin had said the proposals made in the 11th volume of the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language are a “direct onslaught on India’s soul”. “If implemented, the vast non-Hindi speaking population will be made second-class citizens in their own land,” he said.

What the report recommends

The 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee, headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, was submitted to President Droupadi Murmu in September.

According to an Indian Express report, around 100 recommendations were made by the committee. These include that Hindi should be the medium of instruction in IITs, IIMs, and central universities in the Hindi-speaking states. And in other parts of the country, the medium of instruction should be the respective regional languages.

In its report, the Committee of Parliament on Official Language also recommended that local languages should be given preference over English in all states.

The report further suggested that Hindi should be one of the official languages of the United Nations.

According to the Times of India, all states and Union territories are divided in three groups (regions) on the basis of progressive usage of Hindi

Category ‘A’: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Hindi should be used 100 percent)

Category ‘B’: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and the Union territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli

Category ‘C’: The rest of India is categorised

However, MK Stalin claimed that the following recommendation were made in the report. He also laid out his objections in a twitter post:

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

Vistara, IndiGo announces festive season sale — How flight ticket prices compare on different routes

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

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Amid the festive season, airlines have come up with offers to lure customers. Under this, Vistara and IndiGo are offering flight tickets starting at Rs 1,499.

In case of Vistara, the one-way, all-inclusive domestic fares start from Rs 1,499 for economy, Rs 2,999 for premium economy, and Rs 8,999 for business class. For international, return all-inclusive fares start at Rs 14,149. On the other hand, IndiGo’s offer is valid on non-stop flights, on select sectors across IndiGo’s domestic network.

For Vistara, bookings are open till October 19, 2022 for travel between 23 October 2022 to May 31, 2023 on domestic routes under the offer. For international routes, bookings are open till October 20 for travel between 23 October 2022 and March 31, 2023.

In case of IndiGo, the offer is available till October 19 for travel between November 1 till April 15, 2023.

Now, let’s check some of the important routes and airfares on those:

Delhi-Mumbai

On Delhi to Mumbai route, Vistara is offering flight tickets starting at Rs 5,142 on March 30, 2023. IndiGo is also offering fares starting at Rs 5,142 on the given date and route.

These fares are applicable on economy class.

Bengaluru-Delhi

On the given route, Vistara is offering flight tickets starting at Rs 5,582 on December 17, 2022. IndiGo is offering fares starting at Rs 5,883 on the given date and route.

These fares are applicable on economy class.

Delhi-Kolkata

On the given route, Vistara is offering flight tickets starting at Rs 6,358 on November 25, 2022. IndiGo is offering fares starting at Rs 6,357 on the given date and route.

These fares are applicable on economy class.

Bengaluru to Kolkata

On the given route, Vistara is offering flight tickets starting at Rs 9,958 on January 5, 2023. IndiGo is offering fares starting at Rs 8,419 on the given date and route.

These fares are applicable on economy class.

Delhi-Srinagar

On the given route, Vistara is offering flight tickets starting at Rs 5,063 on January 15, 2023. IndiGo is offering fares starting at Rs 4,957 on the given date and route.

These fares are applicable on economy class.

Here are the flight tickets on Vistara’s offer on international destinations:

(Source: Vistara)

Bookings under the sale are open on Vistara’s website, iOS and Android mobile apps, at Vistara’s airport ticket offices (ATOs), through the airline’s call centre, online travel agencies (OTAs), and through travel agents.

The sale fares, Vistara said, are available on select routes. It is valid on direct flights and is applicable on one-way travel in economy class, premium economy and business class when flying within India and on one-way and return fares when flying outside India.

“This is a limited-inventory sale available on a first-come-first-served basis. In case the seats under this sale are sold out, regular fares will appear,” Vistara mentioned on website.

IndiGo’s offer is also a limited inventory one therefore discounts will be provided to customer’s subject to availability and at the sole discretion of IndiGo, the airline said.

It’s important to see that these offers come at a time when surge in the airfares is being reported with rise in domestic aviation traffic. According to a survey conducted by online platform LocalCircles, around one-third of air passengers had to pay extra money for seats on a flight in the last 12 months as free seat option was not available.

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Roger Binny takes over from Saurav Ganguly as the new BCCI President

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

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Roger Binny, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup winning squad, on Tuesday was appointed as the new BCCI President. Binny has become the first World Cup-winning player to rise to the post of BCCI president.  The 67-year-old all-rounder was appointed as the BCCI president during the board’s 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai.

Binny takes over BCCI’s presidentship from Sourav Ganguly. The former Indian captain became the BCCI president in October 2019 but he decided not to continue for a second successive term.

While BCCI will have a new man at the top, Jay Shah will continue to serve as the board’s Secretary. Rajiv Shukla will be the new vice president of the BCCI.

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Before becoming the BCCI president, Binny had served as the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Binny was also the coach of India’s U19 team which won the 2000 U19 World Cup.

As a cricketer, Binny is best remembered for his performance in the 1983 World Cup where with 18 scalps he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Two years later in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia Binny claimed 17 wickets and was again the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

Binny was the first Anglo-Indian of Scottish origin to play cricket for India.

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Gold prices fall and white metal gains as dollar slumps

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

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Domestic gold rates were down on Tuesday after consecutive spikes. The dollar slumped after gaining in the initial trade even as fears lingered about more hefty Federal Reserve rate hikes to tame soaring inflation.

On MCX, Gold prices slashed by a negligible 0.01 percent at Rs 50,467 per 10 grams amid choppy trade. Meanwhile, Silver gained 0.5 percent, touching Rs 56,610 per Kg.

At round 12:30 pm, US Dollar Index Futures were down nearly 0.2 percent at 111.727 after gaining in initial trade. The rupee had also advanced by 15 paise or 0.2 percent to 82.20 against the US dollar early Tuesday.

Ravindra Rao, Vice-President, Head Commodity Research at Kotak Securities, said, fear of aggressive rate hike by the Fed is capping the gains in bullion as it increases the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.

Meanwhile, Rahul Kalantri, Vice-President, Commodities, Mehta Equities, said, “In INR terms, gold has support at Rs 50,120-49,840, while resistance is at Rs 50,580-51,710. Silver has support at Rs 55,450-54,840, while resistance is at Rs 56,980–57,450.

Besides this, Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty50 extended gains after a gap-up start tracking a rise across global markets amid optimism about the corporate earnings season.

Moreover, oil prices steadied in early Asian trade on Tuesday as a weaker US dollar lent support, although rising shale production and fears that stubbornly high inflation could lead the world economy into a recession limited gains.

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Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka wins Booker Prize for his satirical ‘ghost story’

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

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Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka has won the prestigious Booker Prize in fiction for his book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (2022). The book chronicles the journey of the recently killed war journalist, Maali Almeida, who was covering the bloody Sri Lankan civil war. In the book, he embarks on a quest to contact those close to him in the afterlife.

Karunatilaka has become the second Sri Lankan-born author to win, following Michael Ondaatje, who won in 1992 with The English Patient.

The book won the prize for the “ambition of its scope, and the hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques,” said Neil MacGregor, Chair of 2022 Booker judges, on Monday. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is the second book from the author.

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Calling his book a fictional work and not political satire, the author said, “My hope for ‘Seven Moons’ is that in the not too distant future… it is read in a Sri Lanka that has understood that these ideas of corruption, race-baiting and cronyism have not worked and will never work.”

Full of dark humour, satire and absurdities, Seven Moons grounds itself in the traumatic events in Sri Lanka’s past. MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death right” and readers can find “joy, tenderness, love and loyalty”. The book won praise in depicting a dark part of Sri Lankan history in an innovative way while doing justice to the story.

“I thought a ghost story would be an interesting way of making sense of this trauma and the many traumas that unfolded,” he told The Hindu in an interview.

Born in 1975 in Galle, southern Sri Lanka, Karunatilaka is considered one of the most pre-eminent contemporary Sri Lankan authors. He made his debut with the novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew (2010), which focused on an alcoholic writer’s journey using cricket to talk about Sri Lankan society. The self-published work won the Commonwealth Book Prize, the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and the Gratiaen Prize.

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Karunatilaka had struggled with publishing the book and only managed to self-publish it using the proceeds from the Graetian Prize. Seven Moons was published by the independent British publishing house Sort of Books.

Calling Margaret Atwood, George Saunders, Cormac McCarthy and David Mitchell his literary heroes, Karunatilaka takes inspiration from the works of Kurt Vonnegut and William Goldman, he told The Hindu. Other writers from the sub-continent who he reads include Salman Rushdie, Michael Ondaatje, Ruvindu Gunasekera and others.

Karunatilaka grew up in Colombo and currently lives in the island nation. He studied in New Zealand and has lived in London, Amsterdam and Singapore for work where he gathered two decades of experience working for ad agencies, tech firms, media houses, start-ups and multinationals. He has written features for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wisden, GQ, Conde Nast and National Geographic.

Karunatilaka’s next work, The Birth Lottery and other Surprises, is expected to be published later this year. His first screenplay, 800: The Murali Story, will also begin filming in 2022.

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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