Diamond League Live: Murali's Long Jump Event Coming Up Chopra To Follow

Lausanne Diamond League 2023 Live: India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who was a gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, will be returning to action after a one-month injury lay-off. He is seeking a second straight podium finish of the season at the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League in a star-studded field on Friday. The 25-year-old Indian superstar had made a perfect start to the Diamond League season with a top podium finish in Doha, Qatar, on May 5 with a fourth career-best throw of 88.67m but suffered a muscle strain while training later that month. Murali Sreeshankar will also be competing in the long jump event.

Here are the Live Updates of Lausanne Diamond League 2023, Javelin Throw event: 

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Meta Google Advised in Vietnam to Use AI to Detect Toxic Content on Social Media: Report

Vietnam has told cross-border social platforms to use artificial intelligence (AI) models that can detect and remove "toxic" content automatically, the latest requirement in its stringent regime for social media firms, state media reported on Friday.

Vietnam has repeatedly asked companies like Meta's Facebook, Google's YouTube and TikTok to coordinate with authorities to stamp out content deemed "toxic", such as offensive, false and anti-state content.

"This is the first time Vietnam has announced such an order," state-run broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) reported from the information ministry's mid-year review event, which was opened to selected newspaper.

The report did not give details on when and how cross-border platforms had to abide by the new requirement.

During the first half of this year, in accordance with government requests, Facebook removed 2,549 posts, the ministry said in a statement. YouTube removed 6,101 videos while TikTok took down 415 links, the info ministry said in a statement.

The announcement came as Southeast Asian countries are drawing up governance and ethics guidelines for AI that will impose "guardrails" on the booming technology, Reuters reported this month.

Vietnam in recent years has issued several regulations together with a cybersecurity law that target foreign social media platforms in a bid to battle disinformation in news and force foreign tech firms to establish representative offices in Vietnam and store data in the country.

The country last month undertook a comprehensive inspection on short videos platform TikTok's local operations and preliminary results showed "various" TikTok violations, the info ministry has said.

VTV reported the info ministry saying at Friday's event that US streaming giant Netflix had submitted documents needed to open a local office in Vietnam.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Reduce Age Of Consent From 18 To 16 High Court Urges Centre

The Gwalior Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the central government to reduce the age of consensual physical relations between a man and a woman from 18 years to 16 years.

The single-judge bench of Justice Deepak Kumar Agarwal made the remark on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed in connection with a rape case reported on July 17, 2020.

Justice Agarwal was hearing a petition filed by Rahul Chandel Jatav for quashing an FIR registered under relevant sections of the IPC, Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO), and the IT Act. A sessions trial was also pending in the case.

"This Court would like to share its experience as a Judge that before amendments in IPC under Section 375 of IPC regarding age of prosecutrix for the purpose of consent that was 16 years and subsequently enhanced by amendment up to 18 years due to this amendment, fabric of society has been disturbed. Nowadays, every male or female near the age of 14 years due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity is getting puberty at an early age," read the judgment.

"Owing to this, female and male children are getting attraction and these attractions are resulting in physical relationship with consent. In these cases, male persons are not at all criminal. It is only a matter of age when they come into contact with a female and develop physical relationships. Only due to this reason, lawmakers in IPC, when it came into force, put the age of female as 16 years since they were well aware of the aforesaid facts," it added.

The judgment further read, "Generally, girls and boys of adolescence develop friendship and thereafter, due to attraction make physical relationships. But, due to this rider, boy is treated like a criminal in the society. Today, most of the criminal cases, in which prosecutrix is under 18 years of age, due to aforesaid anomaly, injustice is going on with adolescent boys. Thus, I request the Government of India to think over the matter for reducing the age of prosecutrix from 18 to 16 years as earlier before amendments so that injustice should be redressed."

According to the judgment, the complainant claimed she used to take coaching classes from the petitioner. On January 18, when she reached for her classes, no one else was present there, she said, alleging that she fell unconscious after having juiced offered by him. Thereafter, he sexually assaulted her and also made a video of the act, alleged the complaint.

He had physical relationship with her multiple times by threating her to make the video viral, she alleged.

The complainant came to know she was pregnant in April and informed Rahul, following which he made her take a tablet that caused her miscarriage. Rahul visited her house several times through the roof and had physical relationships with her, the judgement read.

Besides, the complainant also knew Mukesh Chokotia, who studied in her school and was her distant relative, for the last four years. In 2016, Mukesh had physical relationship with her multiple times on the pretext of marriage.

On July 16, 2020, Mukesh came to her locality, snatched her mobile and assaulted her with a stick. He had sent her photos on her sister's mobile. Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO Act, according to the judgment.

Justice Agarwal further added, "The impugned FIR as well as all consequential proceedings arising out of crime registered against the present petitioner at Thatipur Police Station, for the offences punishable under Sections 376(2)(F) (n), 376(3), 315 of IPC as well as under Section 5(L)(O)/6 of POCSO Act and 66 of IT Act as well as the Sessions Trial pending before learned 13th Additional Sessions Judge, and Special Judge POCSO Act are hereby quashed."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Meta Now Allows Secure Chat Transfer Between Devices on WhatsApp Using QR Code

Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on Friday announced a new feature on the platform's instant messaging app, WhatsApp. According to the Meta CEO, users will now be allowed to transfer their chat history between devices conveniently and in a secure way. Currently, both the devices need to work on the same OS (operating system) for the transfer to take place. The new feature makes the process easier and faster to transfer messages as well as larger attachments from one device to another.

In a post shared by Meta CEO on his official Facebook handle, Zuckerberg wrote, "If you want to move your WhatsApp chats to a new phone, you can now do it more privately without your chats ever leaving your devices." Apparently, now the users will be able to share the chat history with the help of QR code authentication. He also shared a demonstration video to explain the new process. 

While WhatsApp already allowed users to transfer their chat history from one phone to another, the new method of chat transfer using QR code makes the process more safe. Currently, users can transfer their chat history by either using third party apps, or by updating the backup on cloud services. 

However, with the new process, users do not need to exit their app on one device to transfer the data on the other phone. The data remains only between two devices, without any third party apps or clod services in between, and stays safe.

Users will therefore not be required to take a backup of the data for the purpose of transferring that chat history or media files. In order to transfer using QR code, both devices should be physically connected to Wi-Fi and location enabled. One can transfer chats and media from an old phone by going to Settings > Chats > Chats Transfer > Scan the QR code using the new device. 

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Apple's annual developer conference is just around the corner. From the company's first mixed reality headset to new software updates, we discuss all the things we're looking forward to seeing at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Second Only To Don Bradman: Steve Smith Scripts History With Ashes Ton

Australian batter Steve Smith has now become the player with the second-highest number of centuries for his country. He accomplished this feat in his side's Ashes second Test against England at Lord's. Smith continued with his rich run of form in English territory, scoring his 32nd Test hundred. The former Australia skipper produced a delightful 110 runs off 184 balls, studded with 15 boundaries.

Ponting holds the record for the most Test centuries for Australia, with 41 tons. Steve Waugh also has 32 tons like Smith. Notably, Smith is the fastest player to get to the 32-century mark, doing so in the 174th innings of his 99th Test, as per cricket.com.au. This was Smith's eighth Test hundred in England, the second-most by any foreign player in the country, behind only Sir Donald Bradman's eleven tons. Also, now Smith has 12 tons in the Ashes. Only Bradman, with 19 tons, has more triple figure mark in the Ashes, according to a ESPN Cricinfo report.

Smith has also become the fourth Australian player to etch his name on the honour's board at the Home of Cricket, Lord's. He joined an elite company featuring the likes of Warren Bardsley (1912, 1926), Sir Don Bradman (1930, 1938) and Bill Brown (1934, 1938) to score multiple Test hundreds at Lord's.

Smith now has 12 Ashes hundreds and now he is only second to the legendary Don Bradman, who has scored 19 centuries in the series.

Smith has a lot of history at the Lord's, a ground where he made his Test debut back in 2010. He smashed a mammoth 215 at the venue during the 2015 Ashes. It was here that England pacer Jofra Archer concussed him in 2019, which is one of the most brutal moments of this rivalry's history.

It further adds to Smith's unique history at Lord's, a ground where he made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2010, where he blazed a mammoth 215 during the 2015 Ashes and where Jofra Archer concussed him in 2019 in one of the Ashes' most brutally memorable moments.

After a rare double failure at Birmingham, perhaps Smith gave England a hope that they could avoid the carnage he unleashed back in the 2019 Ashes, in which he smashed 774 runs in four Test matches. But his attacking, but yet careful strokeplay helped him get another hundred.

In his knock, he also surpassed the total of 9,000 Test runs, with only Kumar Sangakkara being faster to reach the milestone in 172 innings.

Coming to the match, England's first innings is in progress.

In their first innings, Australia was bundled out for 416 runs. Smith (110), Travis Head (77 in 73 balls) and David Warner (66 in 88 balls) played standout innings for Australia.

Josh Tongue (3/98) and Ollie Robinson (3/100) took three-fers. Joe Root took two wickets while the veteran pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad managed a wicket each.

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OpenAI Sued in US for Allegedly Misusing Artists' Work to Train ChatGPT

Two US authors sued OpenAI in San Francisco federal court on Wednesday, claiming in a proposed class action that the company misused their works to "train" its popular generative artificial-intelligence system ChatGPT.

Massachusetts-based writers Paul Tremblay and Mona Awad said ChatGPT mined data copied from thousands of books without permission, infringing the authors' copyrights.

Matthew Butterick, an attorney for the authors, declined to comment. Representatives for OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Several legal challenges have been filed over material used to train cutting-edge AI systems. Plaintiffs include source-code owners against OpenAI and Microsoft's GitHub, and visual artists against Stability AI, Midjourney and DeviantArt.

The lawsuit targets have argued that their systems make fair use of copyrighted work.

ChatGPT responds to users' text prompts in a conversational way. It became the fastest-growing consumer application in history earlier this year, reaching 100 million active users in January only two months after it was launched.

ChatGPT and other generative AI systems create content using large amounts of data scraped from the internet. Tremblay and Awad's lawsuit said books are a "key ingredient" because they offer the "best examples of high-quality longform writing."

The complaint estimated that OpenAI's training data incorporated over 300,000 books, including from illegal "shadow libraries" that offer copyrighted books without permission.

Awad is known for novels including '13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl' and 'Bunny'. Tremblay's novels include 'The Cabin at the End of the World', which was adapted in the M. Night Shyamalan film 'Knock at the Cabin' released in February.

Tremblay and Awad said ChatGPT could generate "very accurate" summaries of their books, indicating that they appeared in its database.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of money damages on behalf of a nationwide class of copyright owners whose works OpenAI allegedly misused.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Born x Raised Co-founder Chris Printup Dies In Car Crash

Born x Raised co-founder Chris Printup, aka Spanto, died in a tragic car accident on Tuesday, June 27, Fox 11 reported. Printup, alongside partner Alex “2Tone” Erdmann, launched Born x Raised in 2013. 

As a co-founder of Born x Raised, Chris Printup played a pivotal role in shaping the brand's identity and establishing its reputation within the streetwear realm. 

Notably, Born x Raised has collaborated with brands such as New Era, Converse, and Babylon, and has also partnered with prominent Los Angeles sports franchises including the Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, Rams, and LAFC. The brand has 300K followers on Instagram.

Last month, Born x Raised teamed up with Levi's to pay homage to Spanto's late father Butch, who died earlier this year.

Many of his close friends, and fans paid heartfelt tributes to the designer on social media. 

RIP TO THE HOMIE SPANTO! 💔🙏🏽😔 pic.twitter.com/2JhcA0hLT1

— BEN BALLER™ (@BENBALLER) June 28, 2023

You can't go anywhere in LA without seeing someone wearing some #BORNxRAISED. He was so much more than his brand and that just goes to you how loved Spanto was and will forever be. Prayers to his family, friends, Venice and everyone who knew him and loved him.

RIP SPANTO 🕊️

— Rob (@RobDollas) June 28, 2023

LA might've lost a real one, but your presence made an everlasting impact in this city and around the world. Your vision shifted my trajectory in life and I've created lifelong bonds with people who share the same gratitude for you as I do.

Rest In Power Spanto#BornxRaised pic.twitter.com/HXdCwfdDit

— Miguelito (preWGA On Strike)🇲🇽 (@migueltheiii) June 28, 2023

RIP Spanto 🕊️thank you for always representing la raza in your work and definitely being a big inspiration to my art 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/RNVm8PNzt0

— Jocelyn (@JocelynStitches) June 28, 2023

Photographer Atiba Jefferson wrote, ''Spanto I was waiting to make this post because of how much a fighter you are, you beat cancer and the streets, you lived life like everyday was your last, you glowed when you talked about you family. Working with you was so great, you connected me with so many new friends that I love. You will always be with us my heart goes out to family and friends. I love you and will see you again.''

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A post shared by Atiba Jefferson (@atibaphoto)

Rap executive icon Dante Ross wrote on Instagram, ''A testament to a man's being is how much he is universally loved and respected. Spanto was loved by all. Watching his evolution was a gift, hearing his laugh an honor. He walked the walk with grace and then some. We will talk you up until the wheels fall off, we love you Chris.''

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dante Ross (@danteross)

Notably, Mr. Printup was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2013, a month after he started Born x Raised. By 2018, reports confirmed he was free of cancer. At the end of 2022, he reflected on how far he has come on Instagram in a gratitude post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by bornxraised (@bornxraised)

He was also renowned for his altruism and commitment to his native Los Angeles in addition to his creative endeavors. 

Meanwhile, the brand has yet to reveal an official announcement on their social media.

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Activision Blizzard to Set Up Shop in Barcelona Following EU's Approval for Microsoft Acquisition

Activision Blizzard said its studio that developed Call of Duty would set up shop in Barcelona, putting into action its pledge to invest in Europe after Brussels approved Microsoft's $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,66,000 crore) acquisition of the company in May.

The US company said on Wednesday its game developer Infinity Ward, which created the blockbuster first-person shooter game, would join its Digital Legends mobile games unit in the Spanish city.

The decision comes after Britain blocked the Microsoft takeover, prompting Activision, which has studios in Guildford and Warrington in England, to say it would "reassess" its growth plans in the country.

In contrast, it said it would "meaningfully expand" its investment and workforce in the European Union after the deal received the green light there.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are battling antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to clinch the deal, the biggest ever in video gaming.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella are due to testify in a court in San Francisco on Wednesday to urge a judge to allow the merger.

The Federal Trade Commission, which is seeking to block the deal, wants the transaction temporarily stopped in order to allow the agency's in-house judge to decide the case.

Microsoft is appealing the British veto with the "aggressive" support of Activision.

The games company, which also owns the Candy Crush Saga and World of Warcraft franchises, said in April that Britain was "clearly closed for business" after the deal was blocked.

It said on Wednesday it was looking closely at the EU to enlarge its studio footprint.

"For good reason: Europe has played a key role in the evolution of gaming — particularly mobile gaming — across the globe and it's not unreasonable to expect developers on the continent to maintain that momentum thanks to ample skills, ambition, and government support," it said in a blog post.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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What are the most exciting titles that gamers can look forward to in 2023? We discuss some of our favourites on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Titanic Sub Debris Brought Ashore in Canada

A Canadian-flagged ship on Wednesday brought ashore debris from the Titan submersible that imploded while on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic earlier this month, killing all five people on board.

Shattered fragments wrapped in white tarp pulled up by a crane off the Horizon Arctic vessel.

Video from the Canadian Broadcast Corporation showed what appeared to be the nose of the submersible and other shattered fragments wrapped in white tarp pulled up by a crane off the Horizon Arctic vessel at the St. John's harbor in Newfoundland on Wednesday morning.

The debris is expected to shed more light on the cause of the catastrophic implosion that killed everyone on board - OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush; British billionaire Hamish Harding; Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman; and French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

It was not immediately clear where the debris was headed.

Canadian and US authorities have in the past week announced investigations into the incident, which has raised questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.

The deep-sea submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions was discovered in pieces on the seabed some 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic by a robotic diving vehicle last week, ending a multinational five-day search for survivors.

"Our team has successfully completed off-shore operations, but is still on mission and will be in the process of demobilization from the Horizon Arctic this morning," Pelagic Research, which operates the robotic vehicle, said in a statement. It declined to comment further, citing confidentiality reasons.

Footage also showed a shattered part of the hull and machinery with dangling wires being taken off the ship at St. John's, where the expedition to the Titanic had set off from.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Nvidia AMD Other US Chipmakers Face Fall in Shares as US Plans Curbs on Export to China

Shares of US chipmakers fell on Wednesday following a report that the Biden administration was planning new curbs on export of computing chips for artificial intelligence to China as early as July.

Companies such as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, which rely on the world's second largest economy for at least a fifth of their revenue, fell between 0.8 percent and 1.8 percent, caught in the US-China crossfire.

The Philadelphia chip index dropped 0.9 percent.

Last year, US officials had ordered Nvidia to stop exporting its top two AI chips to China to limit the country's technological capability.

Months later, Nvidia launched a new advanced chip called A800 in China to meet export control rules.

The new restrictions being considered by the Commerce Department would also include a ban on the sale of Nvidia's A800 chip without a special US export license, the Wall Street Journal report said.

Curbs on sales of datacenter graphics processing units to China would impact future financial results, Nvidia's finance chief Colette Kress said on Wednesday. However, the company does not expect the additional restrictions to have an immediate material impact on its results.

"With an update on export controls now expected, investors will assess just how limiting the new rules will be for chip makers' sales," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown.

"A handful of tech companies pack a huge punch on Wall Street due to their sheer size, so any wobble in confidence reverberates on indices."

Rising expectations over the advancements in AI have helped Wall Street climb this year, with Nvidia at the pole position on the S&P 500 index, gaining 187 percent so far this year.

But the sharp rise in shares has also sparked doubts over lofty valuations.

Nvidia is trading at 47 times its expected 12-months earnings, while AMD is at a 31.2 multiple and Intel at 31.8, way above the S&P 500's multiple at 19, according to Refinitiv data.

The Philadelphia chip index has surged more than 44 percent so far this year, far ahead of the benchmark index's 14 percent rise.

Across the Atlantic, Nordic Semiconductor, Dutch chipmaker ASML, Milan-listed STMicroelectronics, however, closed between 2.3 percent and 6.4 percent higher.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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"Because Of Tolerance Of Hindus...": Allahabad High Court On 'Adipurush'

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday pulled up the makers of "Adipurush" over the “very shameful manner” in which the movie portrayed the Ramayana characters, asking them to imagine the law and order problem if the Quran was treated in a similar manner.

The Lucknow bench of the high court, which was hearing a petition seeking a ban on the film, asked why such movies are made on the Ramayana, Quran or Bible when they disturb religious feelings.

"Suppose a small documentary was made on the Quran, can you think what kind of a serious law and order problem would have been created. But because of the tolerance of Hindus, things are not turning ugly despite this blunder by filmmakers," said the vacation bench of justices Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Shree Prakash Singh.

"Lord Shiva was shown to be running with his trishul in a movie. Now, Lord Ram and other characters of Ramayana have been shown in a very shameful manner. Should it not stop?" the bench asked.

During the course of hearing, the bench said that "should the court remain silent considering the funny manner in which the movie has been made".

Expressing the need to make specific guidelines for making such movies, the bench stressed that films made on religious subjects should not "instigate the religious feelings of any community".

The bench also said that the court has no religious inclination and if a plea had come up before it in regard to the Quran or Bible, it would have taken the same tough stand.

Justice Singh asked the filmmakers why they do not make movies showing the sacrifice of Lord Ram and his love for his brother Bharat.

On the plea of production house's senior lawyer Sudeep Seth that there is no book which depicts the dress of Lord Ram and other characters of Ramayana, Justice Singh asked Seth if he has not gone through the original copy of the Constitution of India which contains pictures of Lord Ram and other gods shown in decent dresses.  Seth was left speechless when the bench asked him if he would like to worship idols of indecently dressed gods as shown in the movie in his prayer room.

Hearing the PIL filed by Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan seeking ban on the movie, the bench asked deputy solicitor general S B Pandey as to why the central government was not reviewing the certificate granted by the Central Board of Film Certification for telecasting the movie.

To this, Mr Pandey said that the bench should come out with a solution while opposing the PIL, saying that the censor board had granted the certificate to telecast the movie after a panel of many senior board members watched it.

“Better senses should prevail over such sacramental members," reacted the bench sharply in a crowded open court.

When the bench asked additional advocate general V K Shahi as to why the state government was not taking any action, he said the act of the filmmakers was incorrigible.

Earlier, arguing on the PIL, advocates Ranjana Agnihotri and Prince Lenin stressed that the movie should immediately be banned.

After hearing the PIL, the bench proposed to pass the order in its chamber. The court, however, made it clear that it may issue notice to the makers of "Adipurush" and ask the central government as to why it was not taking action to cancel the certificate granted by the censor board for telecasting the movie. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Explained: Why Are Facebook Instagram Cutting News Access in Canada

Meta Platforms plans to cut off access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada once a new law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers takes effect, arguing news has no economic value to the company and that its users do not use the platform for news.

Canada drafted new rules after legacy media companies complained about internet companies elbowing news businesses out of the online advertising market.

Why are technology companies against the law? 

The Canadian parliament passed "Bill C-18" into law, requiring internet giants to pay news publishers.

The Online News Act forces platforms like Facebook and Alphabet's Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content.

Both Meta and Google had warned they would withdraw access to news articles on their platforms in Canada if the legislation is passed into law without amendments. Facebook says links to news articles make up less than 3 percent of the content on its users' feed, and that journalists benefit from posting their work on the social media platform.

Google has argued Canada's law is broader than those enacted in Australia and Europe, and puts a price on news story links displayed in search results and can apply to outlets that do not produce news.

Google proposed that the bill be revised to make the displaying of news content, rather than links, as the basis for payment and to specify that only businesses that produce news and adhere to journalistic standards are eligible to receive payments.

What happened when similar rules were passed in Australia?

Google and Facebook had also threatened to curtail their services after Australia became the first nation to enact similar laws in 2021. Eventually both struck deals with Australian media companies after amendments were made to the legislation.

During the fight, Facebook blacked out Australian news pages and only restored them once the government granted concessions.

Yet in the year following the law taking effect, Meta and Google have paid some AUD 200 million (nearly Rs. 1,100 crore) annually to Australian news outlets, according to a report from the former chair of Australia's competition regulator.

What could the global impact be?

Lawmakers are pushing for similar rules in Meta's home state of California and in the US Congress. Meta says it makes 40 percent of its revenue in the US and lists Australia and Canada among its most significant markets. If Meta fails to secure exemptions or get the rules changed in Canada, the tech giant may face a similar fate in the United States.

In 2022, US lawmakers released a revised version of a bill aimed at making it easier for news organizations to negotiate collectively with platforms like Google and Facebook.

The New Zealand government said in 2022 it would introduce a law requiring big online digital companies to pay New Zealand media companies for the local news content that appears on their feeds.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, at its annual developer conference, along with new Mac models and upcoming software updates. We discuss all the most important announcements made by the company at WWDC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Man Defecates Mid-Air On Mumbai-Delhi Air India Flight Arrested

A man was held in Delhi for allegedly defecating and urinating on the floor of a Mumbai-Delhi Air India flight mid-air, police said on Monday.

The incident took place onboard flight AIC 866 on June 24, police said.

According to the FIR, Ram Singh, a passenger on seat number 17F, defecated, urinated, and spat in row 9 of the aircraft.

Upon observing the "misconduct", the cabin crew gave a verbal warning to the passenger, he was secluded from the others, it said.

The pilot-in-command was also informed of the situation. A message was sent to the company immediately seeking security on arrival to escort the passenger. The act left several of the passengers agitated, the FIR stated.

On arrival, the head of Air India security attended and escorted the passenger to the local police station, it said.

A case under sections 294 (obscene acts) and 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person) of the Indian Penal Code was registered, it added.

On November 26, 2022, a man, who was in an inebriated condition, allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger onboard an Air India flight from New York to Delhi.

Ten days later, another episode of a "drunk" male passenger allegedly "urinating" on a blanket of a female passenger was reported on a Paris-New Delhi Air India flight on December 6.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Google Said to Have Urged Supreme Court to Quash Android Antitrust Directives

Google has urged India's Supreme Court to quash antitrust directives against it for abuse of the Android market, two sources said, as its presses its legal battle against the competition watchdog in one of its most important markets.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in October that Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers 97 percent of the 600 million smartphones in India, had exploited its dominant position.

It ordered Google to remove restrictions imposed on device makers, including those related to the pre-installation of apps, and fined the US firm $163 million (nearly Rs. 1,300 crore), which it paid.

In March, an Indian tribunal gave partial relief to the Alphabet unit by setting aside four of the 10 directives in the case.

The tribunal said CCI's findings of Google's anti-competitive conduct were correct, but gave Google some relief by quashing some of the directives that forced it to alter its business model.

Google is now asking the Supreme Court to quash the remainder of the directives, the first source with direct knowledge said.

Google is also arguing in its filing made on Monday that it has not abused its market position and should not be liable to pay a penalty, the source added.

Google in a statement confirmed the Supreme Court filing, saying that it looked forward to presenting its case and demonstrating how Android benefited users and developers.

The Indian tribunal had ruled authorities must prove harm caused by anti-competitive behaviour "but did not apply this requirement" to several of CCI's Android directives, Google said, explaining the rationale of its latest challenge.

Google's Supreme Court challenge has not been previously reported.

The CCI too has approached the Supreme Court, seeking to reverse the tribunal's decision to give Google partial relief, according to a third source. The CCI did not respond to a request for comment.

Google has been particularly concerned about India's Android decision as the directives were seen as more sweeping than those imposed in the European Commission's landmark 2018 ruling against the operating system.

Google had made sweeping changes to Android in India in recent months following the directive, including allowing device makers to license individual apps for pre-installation.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Watch: Navdeep Saini Rattles Off-Stump On "First Ball" For Worcestershire

Fresh from his recall to the Indian Test side, pacer Navdeep Saini struck gold on his first ball for Worcestershire in a County Championship Division Two match. Saini, who had signed a four-match deal with Worcestershire, cleaned up Derbyshire opener Harry Came with a nip backer after the batter paid the ultimate price for leaving the ball. The incident happened on the first ball of the second over of Derbyshire's first innings. "How about that for a first ball in Worcestershire colours!," Worcestershire captioned a video on Twitter.

How about that for a first ball in Worcestershire colours!@navdeepsaini96 pic.twitter.com/8pw585qVMA

— Worcestershire County Cricket Club (@WorcsCCC) June 25, 2023

At stumps, Derbyshire were 32/2 with Came and Luis Reece back in dugout. Saini and Dillon Pennington have taken a wicket each so far for Worcestershire.

Earlier, Worcestershire were bundled out for 237 after opting to bat. Captain Jake Libby (78) was their top scorer. Libby is now the third highest scorer in Division Two this summer with 614 runs at an average of 61.40.

Meanwhile, Anuj Dal (5/45) was the wrecker-in-chief for Derbyshire as he ran through the top order.

Due to his India call up, Saini won't be available to face Yorkshire (July 10-13), Leicestershire (July 19-22) and Gloucestershire (July 26-29). He had signed a four-match contract initially.

Libby said: "Honours just about even? I would say so. We will be a little disappointed with the bat. We would have liked to have squeezed a few more runs.

"It is quite a slow, turgid deck and was quite tough to score runs on it so our score is probably a bit more than what it looks like on the scoreboard.

"We bowled brilliantly this evening to get two wickets and the game is poised nicely.

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Bengaluru Techie Who Was Laid Off Turns Rapido Driver To Get Job Leads

A Twitter user has shared a 'Peak Bengaluru' moment about a software developer who lost his job at HCL and is now driving a Rapido bike to get leads on any Java developer openings across the city.

Srinivas Rapolu, a skilled Java developer was laid off from Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL). He now works as a driver for Rapido and hopes to find a suitable job as a Java developer. Mr Rapolu's story was shared on Twitter by Loveneesh Dhir. "My Rapido guy is a Java developer recently laid off from HCL driving rapido to get leads for any Java developer openings," Mr Dhir wrote on Twitter.

"I have his cv. DM if you have any relevant openings," Mr Dhir added. He also called the incident his "peak Bengaluru" moment.

See the post here:

My Rapido guy is a Java developer recently laid off from HCL driving rapido to get leads for any java developer openings.

I have his cv. DM if you have any relevant openings.

My @peakbengaluru moment 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PUI7ErdKoU

— Loveneesh Dhir | Shardeum 🔼 (@LoveneeshDhir) June 22, 2023

His post soon went viral and collected nearly 2 lakh views on Twitter. The post generated mixed reactions on the social media platform. While some appreciated Mr Dhir's effort of helping the Rapido driver, others called it a gimmick for publicity.

Mr Dhir clarified in a follow-up tweet, he wrote, "This is not a tweet gimmick." He shared Mr Rapolu's CV. 

HCL also reacted to the post, "We're sad to hear about your experience. Request you to please DM us the details (Name, SAP ID, Contact, Email), we shall try our best to assist you."

Another user commented, "that's straight-up hustling. massive respect for the guy. i never think of how easy I've got."

The third user commented, "Appreciate this gesture of yours."

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Influencer Kusha Kapila Announces Separation From Husband. Read Her Post

Actor and social media influencer Kusha Kapila has announced her separation from husband Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia. The couple announced the split at the same time on Instagram. In the post, the digital content creators wrote that the decision to part ways has been taken mutually and they will continue to co-parent their dog, Maya.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Kusha Kapila wrote, "Zorawar and I have mutually decided to part ways. This hasn't been an easy decision by any means but we know it's the right one at this point in our lives. The love and life we have shared together continue to mean everything to us, but sadly, what we seek currently for ourselves doesn't align. We gave it our all, until we couldn't anymore."

She further wrote, "A relationship ending is heartbreaking and it's been a tough ordeal for us and our families. Thankfully, we have had some time to process this, but what we shared and built together panned for over a decade. We still need a lot more time and healing to get to the next phase of our lives. Our current focus is to get through this period with love, respect and support towards each other. We will continue to co-parent the love of our lives, Maya. And continue to be each other's cheerleaders and pillars of support."

See the post here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kusha Kapila (@kushakapila)

Kusha Kapila and Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia had gotten married in 2017 after dating for a few years.

Ms Kapila was last seen onscreen on Masaba Masaba 2 and recently made her Cannes debut. She was also part of Plan A Plan B, Selfiee and Case Toh Banta Hai among others.

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IndiaisNextKey LocationforSemiconductorManufacturers: AshwiniVaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said current Central Government has succeeded in attracting investments in emerging technology, and stated that India is the next important location for semiconductor manufacturers. Congress has attempted to do so since the 1980s but was not successful. 

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State visit to the US last week, Micron Technology announced a massive India-specific investment plan.

On Thursday, hours after PM Modi met Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra in the US and invited him to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India, the global semiconductor major announced plans to build a new assembly and test facility in Gujarat in India with an investment of $825 million (nearly Rs. 6,800 crore). Once set up, the facility will address demand from domestic and international markets.

Micron said it selected Gujarat due to its manufacturing infrastructure, conducive business environment and a firm talent pipeline in the SANAND Industrial Park (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation — GIDC).

Phased construction of the new assembly and test facility in Gujarat is expected to begin in 2023. Micronexpects Phase 2 of the project, which would include the construction of a facility similar in scale to Phase 1, to start towards the second half of the decade.

"This was a very historic visit. It is a very proud moment when India was discussed in the White House. The US sees India as an equal partner. Several foreign policies focusing on India were signed during the visit. India and US are coming together as a big force. PM Modi's visit is considered a milestone globally. India has now become a force to reckon with," said IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

During PM Modi's US visit, partnerships on 35 emerging technologies, including on semiconductors, space, quantum computing, and AI, among others, were signed.

According to the minister, jet engine manufacturing in India by HAL is the most significant milestone.

In a major announcement coinciding with PM Modi's visit, GE Aerospace announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. These state-of-the-art jet engines, known for their endurance and durability, will enhance the capacity of the Indian Air Force.

Co-production of jet engines for the Indian Air Force, defence industrial collaboration, space sector cooperation, semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership and collaboration in emerging Artificial Intelligence technology are among key takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US and his bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden.

"India tried for 40 years to 

develop the semiconductor industry but this is the first time a major semiconductor player, Micron is coming to the country," Vaishnaw added.

"Today it is very clear all over the world that India will be the next big distinction of Semiconductor, now the way the whole company has seen India from a different point of view and an MoU has been signed between US and India 3 months ago in Semiconductor Corporation, which resulted during the state visit of Prime Minister, there have been 3 major advances related to semiconductor."

"Congress is hiding its frustration, it is their frustration, Congress's frustration is that they tried twice, tried thrice, tried in the 80s, tried in the 90s, tried back in 2010, all three times they failed, to bring the semiconductor industry in India."

Today, India, according to Vaishnaw, India is clearly focused on technology, joint development of technology, and how India's position can be ent in the global world order.

About Micron's plant in India, Vaishnaw it will be ready in record six quarters — by late 2024.

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Is the Xiaomi Pad 6 the best Android tablet you can buy under Rs. 30,000 in India? We discuss the company's latest mid-range tablet on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Xiaomi Pad 6: Is This the Best Mid-Range Android Tablet Under Rs. 30000?

Xiaomi Pad 6 was recently launched in India as the successor to the Xiaomi Pad 5 that made its debut in 2022. Just like last year's model, Xiaomi has attempted to equip its latest tablet with a range of features and a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, while keeping the price of the device under Rs. 30,000. The Xiaomi Pad 6 sports a 11-inch LCD display, runs on Android 13 out-of-the-box, and Xiaomi claims it can offer up to two days of battery backup. It is equipped with a 13-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, resident device expert Pranav Hegde, who has spent some time with Xiaomi's latest tablet, talks to guest host Sheldon Pinto about the device. Pinto reviewed the Xiaomi Pad 5 last year, and the duo discuss some of the changes and upgrades that have made their way to this year's model and how it fares against the competition.

The Xiaomi Pad 6 isn't exactly a new device — it was launched in China earlier this year and only made its way to India last week. It runs on an Android 13-based MIUI 14 for Pad. The tablet sports a 11-inch LCD display with Dolby Vision up to 144Hz refresh rate, and supports up to 550 nits of peak brightness.

Equipped with a slightly older Snapdragon 870 chip that is paired with 8GB of RAM, the Xiaomi Pad 6 should be more than capable of handling daily tasks and a few games — you can read more details about the tablet's performance in our review. The processor is a slight upgrade over last year's Snapdragon 860 chip, which was an upgrade over Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855+ SoC.

You can also pick up a few accessories that are compatible with the tablet and were announced by the company when it launched the Xiaomi Pad 6 in India last week. This includes the Xiaomi Pad 6 keyboard, cover, and the Xiaomi Smart Pen (2nd Gen). Hopefully, Xiaomi will be able to ensure that these accessories remain available while the product can be purchased in the country.

Xiaomi's latest tablet has a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera, and like most tablet devices, one might find themselves using the camera to click images of documents and similar materials, while relying on one's smartphone camera for regular photography. You can view the camera samples and details of how it performs in different scenarios in our review.

The recently launched Xiaomi Pad 6 packs a large 8,840mAh battery with support for 33W wired charging. With that charging rate, Xiaomi says that going from an empty battery to a full charge will take about 100 minutes. The tablet is also claimed to last up to two days on a single charge, according to Xiaomi. 

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"Congress Not Allowed To Present Views In All-Party Meet": Jairam Ramesh

Hours after the all-party meeting, convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the prevailing situation in Manipur, ended, the Congress, which was represented by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, said he was "not allowed" to put forward his points".

It also called the meeting an "eyewash and a formality".

Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it was an "insult" that the only leader from Manipur at the all-party meeting was not allowed to put forth his views on the situation in the Northeast state.

"As the principal Opposition party, our representative, the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing the pain and anguish of the people of Manipur. He was the only leader from Manipur in the all-party meeting today, and it is an insult not only to the former CM and the Congress party but also to the people of Manipur that their representative was not allowed to fully put forth his point of view," Ramesh tweeted.

The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality.

As the principal Opposition party, our representative the senior most leader from Manipur, 3-time elected CM Okram Ibobi Singh, was not allowed to present his points representing… pic.twitter.com/XMjfWXYHBa

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 24, 2023

He also shared eight points on behalf of his party, which include the immediate removal of the Manipur CM, without which, according to him, "no progress can be made towards peace and normalcy in Manipur".

"The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eyewash and a formality," he added in his tweet.

The meeting, chaired by the Union Home Minister, was called to take stock of the situation in the violence-wracked state. BJP national president JP Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, and CPI (M) MP John Brittas were among the other leaders present in the meeting.

Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.

The ruling BJP has come under fire from the Opposition over the continuing violence in the state.

Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi had earlier said the "unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation".

She urged all stakeholders to work for the restoration of peace and harmony in the state.

The Congress has been vocal about Manipur since the violence erupted in the BJP-ruled state.

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Before Mercenary Group's Mutiny Russia Faced 2 Big Revolts

After the rebellion launched by the Russian mercenary group Wagner against Moscow, AFP looks back at the previous biggest threats survived by the Kremlin since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Failed coup of 1991

In August 1991, four months before the collapse of the Soviet union, president Mikhail Gorbachev survived a failed attempt by Communist hardliners to seize power to prevent the signature of a treaty granting a large degree of autonomy to the 15 republics that made up the USSR.

Gorbachev was on holiday at his dacha in Crimea when he was taken prisoner there by the KGB, the Soviet secret police, on August 19. Troops and tanks were also deployed on the streets of Moscow.

Over the next three days, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to defend Russian democracy.

The resistance centred on the White House, the parliament building in Moscow, which became a symbol of opposition to the putsch. 

Boris Yeltsin, the newly elected president of the Russia republic -- the USSR's largest -- led the fightback, famously addressing crowds atop one of the tanks that surrounded parliament. 

Within two days the coup had petered out and Gorbachev returned to Moscow a day after it ended, but the episode undermined his influence and made Yeltsin the dominant leader.

Within a few months, Soviet republics began declaring independence.

Parliamentary revolt of 1993

Two years later, between September 21 and October 4, 1993, Yeltsin found himself at the centre of an even bigger crisis, when hardline Communist and nationalist deputies led a bloody revolt that ended with tanks attacking parliament.

The rebellion erupted after months of political deadlock, after Yeltsin signed a decree to dissolve the Supreme Soviet, as the legislature was called at the time.

It set up a standoff with the Communist-dominated parliament, which voted to remove Yeltsin as leader and give his powers to vice-president Alexander Rutskoy, who joined the opposition. 

Parliament supporters barricaded themselves with rebel MPs inside the White House while Yeltsin's opponents demonstrated outside.

The rebels seized the Moscow mayor's offices and took over part of the state television centre.

Yeltsin eventually crushed the rebellion by ordering tanks and troops to fire on the White House on October 4.

Entire floors of the 18-storey building were reduced to rubble and the leaders of the rebellion were jailed.

The number of people killed is officially listed at 148, though the rebels claimed that some 1,000 people died.

In December that year, a new constitution boosting the powers of the president was adopted by referendum. 

But Yeltsin's supporters suffered losses in parliamentary elections, and MPs later voted to grant amnesty to the leaders of the uprising.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"My Toast And Towel Fell Down": India Star's Funny Story From 1983 WC

Former India batter Syed Kirmani has revealed a funny incident from the 1983 World Cup. It was India's match against Zimbabwe in which the then captain of the side, Kapil Dev, played the iconic 175-run knock. India were tottering at 17 for 5 when Kapil Dev entered the crease and tore apart the Zimbabwe bowlers, helping his team eventually post a total of 266 for 8 in 60 overs. The captain's unbeaten knock was laced with 16 fours and 6 sixes.

Kirmani revealed the funny incident during Adani Group's launch of 'Jeetenge Hum' campaign at Adani Day.

"I am in the dressing room, toast in between my teeth and the towel around me. Somebody shouted from outside - 'Hey Kiri pad up'. Normally, guys pull your leg (by shouting like this). So I ignored that shout. In a span of three minutes again, someone shouted - 'Arey kya kar raha hai yaar (What are you doing man?) Pad up.' So I held my towel with the toast between my teeth, I saw the scoreboard which read 17 for 5. My toast and towel fell down. I looked around left and right. Believe me, no one was there in the dressing room," said Syed Kirmani on the eve of India's 40th anniversary of 1983 World Cup.

India went on to win the game by 31 runs as the side bundled out Zimbabwe for 235. Madan Lal picked three wickets while Roger Binny scalped two. Mohinder Amarnath, Kapil Dev and Balwinder Sandhu claimed a wicket each.

In the final match of the tournament, India defeated West indies by 43 runs to claim their first-ever World Cup title.

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"Need To Forget Differences" Arvind Kejriwal Told Rahul Gandhi: Sources

Amid confusion over the Congress' stance on the Centre's Delhi ordinance, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal told Rahul Gandhi to forget the differences and move forward together at the opposition meeting in Patna, AAP sources said on Saturday.

"Arvind Kejriwal spoke directly to Rahul Gandhi (on the ordinance matter) and said if there is any issue, they can resolve it over tea. In the opposition meeting on Friday, Kejriwal said there is a need to forget the differences and move forward together," a party source said.

Given the situation, he said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is yet to decide if it will attend the opposition parties' next meeting scheduled in Shimla. 

The plan of action is expected to be formulated at another meeting to be chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, tentatively on July 10 or 12, in Shimla. Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties had on Friday resolved to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the crucial meeting in Patna.

In a statement on Friday, the AAP had said that any alliance with the Congress would be very difficult after its war of words with the grand old party over the contentious Delhi ordinance issue.

At the opposition meet in Patna, many parties urged the Congress to publicly denounce the "black ordinance", but the grand old party refused to do so which raises suspicions about its real intentions, the AAP had said in the statement soon after the meeting. 

AAP sources claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee at the meeting intervened and said Mr Gandhi and Mr Kejriwal should sit together for lunch so that all the issues get addressed.

Sources in the AAP also claimed that at the end of the meeting, Mr Kharge alleged that a spokesperson of AAP was making 'wrong' statements about the Congress. 

"In response, our national convener Arvind Kejriwal clearly stated that Congress spokespersons had also made misleading statements against AAP. Having said that, there is a need to forget the differences and come together," the source added.

The source said Rahul Gandhi stressed that there was a process to discuss about the contentious Delhi ordinance.

"Kejriwal asked the Congress to specify the time for the next meeting, but the Congress leaders were non-responsive. All the top opposition leaders present during the meeting had urged the Congress to clarify its stand on the ordinance and fix a meeting to discuss the same," the source said.

The AAP source also said that party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal specified that his party had always stood by the Congress in the right matters.

"Even when Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was cancelled, Kejriwal had opposed it. If Gandhi and the Congress are afraid to meet AAP leaders, forging of opposition unity is doubtful. We have been constantly asking for an appointment with the leadership, but the Congress has refused to budge," he said.

The AAP source also said that although the Kharge-led party has maintained that it has always raised its voice against any draconian law, but it has largely remained mum on the Delhi ordinance issue.

Although Mr Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP's Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha attended the opposition meeting, they remained conspicuous by their absence at the joint press conference held by the opposition parties later.

The BJP took a potshot at the absence of Mr Kejriwal at the opposition parties' joint press conference in Patna and said the AAP's "blackmailing" at the beginning of the meeting itself showed the future of the "unholy alliance".

Mr Kharge, however, said a decision on whether to oppose the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi would be taken before the Parliament session and wondered why it was being talked about elsewhere when the matter pertained to Parliament.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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