Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur On Fire, Slams First Half-Century In WPL 2023

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur powered Mumbai Indians to an imposing 207/5 with a stunning half-century against Gujarat Giants as the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) got underway in front of a packed house on Saturday. The opener was preceded by a glittering opening ceremony at the DY Patil Stadium. Kaur lit up the contest with a compelling knock of 65 off just 30 balls (14x4s), which floored the Gujarat Giants and wrote her name in the history books. The right-handed Kaur added a quickfire 89 runs for the fourth wicket with Amelia Kerr, with the New Zealand batter making a rapid 45 not out from just 24 balls with six fours and a six. Mumbai Indians scored 62 runs from the last 30 balls of their innings to record a total in excess of 200 in the very first innings of the tournament.

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆? Harmanpreet Kaur brings up the first 5️⃣0️⃣ of #TATAWPL 👏🏼

More of her in action in #GGvMI 👉🏼 LIVE on #JioCinema & #Sports18 📺📲#CheerTheW #TATAWPLonJioCinema #TATAWPLonSports18 pic.twitter.com/9Q9RwJ1Okx

— Sports18 (@Sports18) March 4, 2023

Gujarat Giants were guilty of committing several errors in the field, including bowling plenty of deliveries on the leg side, after winning the toss and opting to field.

Kaur, who began with consecutive fours off Sneh Rana in the 11th over, got two more fours off Georgia Wareham in the 12th and gave a similar treatment to Annabel Sutherland in the next over.

However, it was in the 15th over when Kaur truly showcased her class, hammering the young left-arm seamer Monica Patel for four consecutive fours to collect 21 runs from the over, which was the most expensive of the innings.

Despite losing an early wicket in the form of Yastika Bhatia (1), Mumbai Indians remained aggressive with the bat, with West Indies' Hayley Matthews providing the initial fireworks during her 54-run stand for the second wicket with Nat Sciver-Brunt (23) to lay a strong platform.

Both Nat Sciver-Brunt and Matthews pounced upon any opportunity to score, which they got in abundance from the Gujarat bowlers who were wayward with their lines.

While the right-handed Sciver-Brunt fell for an 18-ball 23, including five fours, it was Matthews who led the scoring in the initial stages of the game.

Matthews, who began with a six and a four off Mansi Joshi in the second over, took on Annabel Sutherland as she hit a couple of sixes off the right-arm Australian bowler in the eighth over.

The 54-run second-wicket stand was finally broken by Georgia Wareham in the ninth over, who got Sciver-Brunt caught at mid-on by Sneh Rana.

Soon, Matthews' charge towards the first-ever WPL half-century was ended by Gardner, brought into the attack to control the run-flow by Gujarat captain Beth Mooney after the strategic break.

After being punished for a four past point, Gardner provided the third breakthrough when she got one to spin sharply into the right-handed Matthews. The batter missed connecting with the ball which dismantled her stumps.

The right-handed Caribbean batter Matthews fell for a 31-ball 47, studded with four sixes and three fours.

India's Tanuja Kanwar provided Gujarat Giants with their first breakthrough in the third over, with Yastika Bhatia — who struggled to get off the blocks — hitting one straight into the hands of Georgia Wareham at point. 

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US Woman, 31, Who Gave Birth To 13-Year-Old Boy's Baby, Won't Go To Jail

A 31-year-old woman from US' Colorado state, who admitted to having sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy last year, won't go to jail, as per reports.

Andrea Serrano was charged by the Fountain Police with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, as well as sexual assault on a child. She was facing sexual assault charges post her arrest in 2022. However, her lawyers came to a plea deal with prosecutors which forces her to register as a sex offender but keeps her out of jail. Andrea Serrano has accepted the deal, as per reports.

Andrea Serrano was also pregnant with the teen's baby and gave birth to a baby boy post her arrest last year.

Mother of the suvivor, who is 14-years-old now, is not happy with the deal. "I feel like my son is robbed of his childhood. Now he's having to be a father. He's a victim, and he's going to have to live with that for the rest of his life," said the mother to KKTV.

The mother also says that if the genders were reversed in the case, the accused would be facing harsher punishment. "I feel like if she was a man and he was a little girl, it would definitely be different. They would be seeking more. I feel like because he is not a woman, they are not. They are having compassion for her," said the survivor's mother to KKTV.

Since incest is a class four felony in the state of Colorado, it has been dropped to a lesser charge in this case. However, according to reports, Andrea Serrano could be sentenced to 10 years to life of 'sex offender intensive supervised probation' by the judge.

A hearing in May will determine her probation period.

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"JPC Demand Only To Embarrass Centre": Harish Salve On Adani-Hindenburg Row

The demands by some opposition parties to let a joint parliamentary committee investigate the Adani group-Hindenburg Research row "is only to embarrass the government", senior lawyer Harish Salve told NDTV today.

He said the Supreme Court's order to set up a committee comprising six experts is a much better option and their investigation should be time-bound as it involves investors' trust.

"It is critical (this investigation is time-bound) because investors' confidence is fragile. Today, whether true or false, investor sentiment has been damaged by such occurrences of market volatility and to build it back we need to know quickly what exactly happened," Mr Salve told NDTV.

The Supreme Court yesterday set up a six-member committee of experts to look into issues arising out of the Adani group firms' stock crash triggered by US short seller Hindenburg's allegations.

Mr Salve, welcoming the formation of the committee, said the Adani-Hindenburg row involves some complex financial matters that only subject matter experts can handle.

"The JPC (joint parliamentary committee) consists of MPs who are very wise people. Here, what has happened is in an area - a very specialised field. What has happened here is there are allegations made on structuring of companies, allegations made about how shares have been issued, how shares have been overvalued, how the market has been played," Mr Salve said.

"This is a very specialised field. Justice Sapre brings an experience - he has been a commercial lawyer, we have worked together... He was in the SAT (Securities Appellate Tribunal). So is Somasekharan Sundaresan. He knows the subject. He knows this law better than most lawyers do. He can teach me this law. He is that good," Mr Salve said, referring to the composition of the six-member committee - former Supreme Court judge Justice AM Sapre, former SBI chairman OP Bhat, retired Bombay High Court judge Justice JP Devadhar, former Infosys chairman KV Kamat, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and lawyer Somasekharan Sundaresan, who is also a securities and regulatory expert.

Adani group has called Hindenburg Research's report an "attack on India"

"People like them will look at what is going on in the market and what exactly has happened and you will have that report. And after that, if the report convinces you that there has been a political cover-up, then you should demand action in parliament, debate in parliament, joint parliamentary committee (JPC). Today, the demand for a JPC is only to embarrass the government and the noises will become more shrill as 2024 comes closer," Mr Salve said, referring to the national election scheduled next year.

"There are two things - one is the allegations made by the Hindenburg report. They may be right, they may be wrong - Adani is my client, you know that - we will defend the allegations etc, but there is a completely different dimension to this. Hindenburg is no Good Samaritan who has exposed wrongdoings. They have timed the report, they have dropped the report, they do it for shorting," Mr Salve said.

"It is my suggestion and I have said so publicly, and I am repeating that the committee must find all those who have made tonnes of money at the cost of the middle class investor by shorting shares. Treat that as market manipulation and get them to disgorge and ban them from trading," the senior lawyer told NDTV.

Adani group firms' shares fell sharply after the report by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research

"India is new to this game. We are growing our capital markets. If the middle class investor is petrified that every time he invests in a company, tomorrow there's a Hindenburg report, by the time it is proved to be false it's too late. The shares have tanked anyway," Mr Salve said, adding India must have some institutional mechanism to hold to account people who are systematically making money off the misfortune of the middle class shareholders.

Even among opposition parties, there is difference of opinion on the new committee. The Congress and its allies want a JPC, with its leader Rahul Gandhi singularly focussing on this issue. Tamil Nadu's DMK, too, has echoed the Congress demand.

The Trinamool Congress, however, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision and said it would not insist on a JPC. The Trinamool is not alone. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party have also welcomed the court's decision, leaving the Congress and a few of its allies isolated.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

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Chief Justice Was Asked Why We Can't Have More Women Judges. His Answer

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud today said a wider coverage of education for women will lead to betterment of society and in every field, including the legal profession.

At an event in Delhi on law in the age of globalisation, Chief Justice Chandrachud said he is often asked how the number of women law professionals can be increased.

"I am often asked about why we can't have more women judges in the Supreme Court than we have, why can't we have more high court judges from among the women we have. And the answer is not simple, the answer is a little complex. And I hope it has a gem of truth," the Chief Justice said.

"The seeds of our institutions today in terms of inclusion, diversity reflect the state of the profession, say two decades ago. Because the judges who come to the high court today, in 2023, the judges who come to the Supreme Court in 2023, reflect the state of the bar in the beginning of the millennium," he said.

Unless there was a level-playing field for women to enter and thrive in the legal profession between the year 2000 and 2023, there is "no magic wand by which you will have Supreme Court judges drawn from among women in 2023", Chief Justice Chandrachud said.

"So we have to create a framework, a groundwork for a more diverse and inclusive profession today if we truly have to create a future where our profession will be more inclusive and diverse," he said.

The Chief Justice said statistics on recent recruitment in the district judiciary in India indicates that in many states, more than 50 per cent are women. He said the cause of that is the spread of education in India.

"As education spread in India, women education has gone up and there is today a perception on the part of middle class, the growing middle class in India, that the key to prosperity of an average Indian family is to educate their daughters," he said.

Justice BV Nagarathna is in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027.

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Oscars 2023: Deepika Padukone To Attend As One Of The Presenters

Deepika Padukone, on Thursday, announced the exciting news that she is among the celebrities presenting at the 95th Oscars. The actress shared a post on her Instagram with the names of all the presenters. The list also includes Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Troy Kotsur, Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy, Zoe Saldana Donnie Yen, Jonathan Majors and Questlove. Sharing the post, the actress simply wrote, "#oscars#oscars95." The 95th Academy Awards will be held on March 12 (March 13 in India) at Los Angeles' Dolly Theatre.

Soon after she shared the post, Neha Dhupia was among the first ones to drop a comment: "an't wait to watch you Deepu @deepikapadukone." 

Deepika Padukone's fans also flooded the comment section. A user wrote, "Pathaan's girl at the Oscar," while another wrote, "This tym is ours Deepika mam." 

Take a look at Deepika's post below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone)

Earlier this year, Deepika Padukone unveiled a FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar. Also, last year she was one of the jury members at Cannes.  

Meanwhile, this year the Oscars is going to be extra special for India as one song and two documentaries have been nominated in different categories. Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli's RRR has also been nominated at this year's Oscars in the Best Original Song category. The song's music has been composed by MM Keeravaani, while its lyrics are written by Chandrabose. All That Breathes will compete for Best Documentary Feature Film, while The Elephant Whisperers is among the nominees for Best Documentary Short Film. 

Not just this, the RRR song Naatu Naatu will be performed live on stage at the 95th Academy Awards. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, in their Oscar debut, will be performing the track on stage, the Academy announced on Tuesday night.

Coming back to Deepika Padukone, the actress is basking in the success of her recently released movie Pathaan. Next, she will be seen in Fighter with Hrithik Roshan.

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In 5 Key Elections, Congress Wins 3 Seats, BJP, Its Allies Bag 2 Seats

The assembly by-election results today brought some solace for the Congress as it wrested one seat each from the BJP and the TMC in Maharashtra and West Bengal respectively and retained a seat in Tamil Nadu with DMK's support, while the BJP and its ally AJSU bagged one seat each in the western state and Jharkhand.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal suffered a shock defeat in Sagardighi which was won by Congress' Bayron Biswas by 22,986 votes. It is the only seat held by the Congress in the state assembly.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged the Congress and the CPI(M) had entered into an understanding with the BJP to defeat the Trinamool Congress with their "immoral" alliance.

Ms Banerjee also said that her party will go it alone in the 2024 elections, "with the support of common people" and the Congress should refrain from calling itself anti-BJP.

"For the Sagardighi loss, I do not blame anyone... But, there is an immoral alliance, which we strongly condemn. The BJP transferred its votes to the Congress.... everyone played the communal card. The BJP, of course, played the communal card. The Congress, CPI(M), however, turned out to be bigger players in this regard," she told reporters By-election to the constituency, seen as a prestige fight for state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury in his home district of Murshidabad, was necessitated following the death of state minister Subrata Saha in December last year.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to hold on to Chinchwad seat in Maharashtra's Pune but suffered a setback as it failed to Kasba Peth Assembly seat, its stronghold in the district, as Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar defeated the saffron party nominee Hemant Rasane.

The BJP held the seat for 28 years. Girish Bapat, the current BJP MP from Pune, represented the seat five times till 2019.

Mr Dhangekar, who was supported by Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), polled 73,194 votes while Rasane received 62,244 votes, as per figures on the Election Commission's website after the final round of counting.

While the party's performance was dismal in the assembly poll in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya , Congress general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh said the bypoll results were "very encouraging".

"We are building the Congress for the future and those who thought they will make it big by breaking the Congress have not achieved any success," Mr Ramesh said in an apparent dig at TMC.

The bypolls saw the first direct contest between the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the opposing MVA after the change of government in Maharashtra in June last year.

As the bypolls had become an issue of prestige for the MVA as well as the ruling Shinde-BJP coalition in the state, senior leaders like NCP president Sharad Pawar, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis campaigned for their respective candidates.

In Chinchwad seat, BJP's Ashwini Jagtap was ahead with 1.12 lakh votes against NCP's Nana Kate who had bagged around 84,000 votes. The election commission was yet to formally declare the result at 9 pm.

The byelection was necessitated due to the death of incumbent BJP MLAs Mukta Tilak (Kasba) and Laxman Jagtap (Chinchwad).

Ruling DMK-backed Congress nominee EVKS Elangovan won in the Erode East byelection, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin terming it a public endorsement of the "Dravidian model of governance" of his 22-month-old government.

Mr Elangovan won more than one lakh of 1.7lakh votes polled on February 27.

With the "historic and grand win", the ground was being prepared for an even iggervictory of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Stalin told reporters.

BJP state president K Annamalai said he did not see it as an endorsement of the government's performance and indicated factors like "sympathy" were also there, apparently referring to Elangovan being the father of E Thirumahan Everaa, the Congress MLA whose demise in January necessitated the byelection.

AJSU Party candidate Sunita Choudhary won from Jharkhand's Ramgarh defeating UPA-backed Congress' Bajrang Mahto by a margin of 21,970 votes, the Election Commission said.

The AJSU Party, which tied up with the BJP for the by-poll, secured 1,15,669 votes, while the Congress, an ally of the ruling JMM-led coalition, bagged 93,699 votes after the completion of counting, it said.

The by-election was necessitated due to the disqualification of Congress legislator Mamta Devi, following her conviction in a criminal case.

The EC had in January announced that bypolls to the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat, along with six Assembly seats spread over five states - Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu - would be held on February 27.

The Lakshadweep seat was vacated following the disqualification of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member Mohammed Faizal after his conviction in a criminal case.

However, on January 30, the EC withheld the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha byelection l after the Kerala High Court suspended the conviction and sentence of Faizal.

On January 25, the poll panel "revised" the date of polling, from February 27 to February 26, for bypolls in two assembly seats of Maharashtra's Pune district after it was informed about the dates clashing with scheduled class 12 and graduation exams there.

In Arunachal Pradesh's Lumla seat, BJP candidate Tsering Lhamu has declared elected the MLA without a contest on February 10.

Lhamu, the wife of former MLA Jambey Tashi, was the only candidate who filed her nomination for the by-election which was necessitated due to the death of her husband in November last year. 

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

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"Will Fight Alone": Mamata Banerjee Rules Out Any Alliance For 2024

The Trinamool Congress will fight the national election next year "alone with people's support", party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared today.
 
Accusing the CPM and the Congress of having a "setting" with the BJP, she said, "If there are unholy alliances, how will Congress fight with BJP? How will Left fight the BJP... How are CPM and Congress claiming to be anti-BJP?"

The reference was to the by-election in Bengal's Sardighi, where the Congress wrested the assembly seat from the ruling Trinamool.

The Congress, Left and the BJP all have played the "communal card" in Sardighi, she said. The difference is that the "BJP has played it openly, but CPM and the Congress have played it to a greater extent".

It was, she said, a lesson that "we should not listen to CPM or the Congress".

"The ones that work with BJP, we cannot ally with them," she added.

"In 2024, we will see an alliance between Trinamool and the people. We will not go with any of the other political parties. We will fight alone with people's support," Ms Banerjee said in a statement.

"Those who want to defeat BJP, I believe they will vote for us. At the same time, I believe that the ones giving vote to CPM and Congress, they are actually voting for BJP. This truth has come to light today itself," she said, referring to the assembly election results in Tripura, where Ms Banerjee's party has not won a single seat in the 60-member assembly.

The Trinamool has won five seats in Meghalaya.

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