SPORTS - BUSINESS

Sourav Ganguly hails Indian team for lifting Women’s U-19 World Cup

Agency News : New Delhi

Sensex jumps over 1,200 points post Budget announcements

Agency News : New Delhi

No tax on income up to Rs 7 lakh, standard deduction allowed under new tax regime beginning February 9. The other venues are Delhi, Dharamsala and Ahmedabad. Both teams are in the running to reach the World Test Championship final. Australia have opted out of a tour game in India ahead of the crucial series expecting the surfaces in practice games to be totally different from what they would face in the four Tests.

Geopolitical challenges loom for WTA after Sabalenka’s Australian Open triumph

Aryna Sabalenka’s longawaited confirmation as a grand slam champion and a corker of an Australian Open final were a welcome balm for the WTA as the women’s tour seeks to move on from a bruising loss of star power. Challenges lie ahead, however, as the circuit negotiates a tricky geopolitical landscape and a scheduling impasse with the lucrative Chinese market. After years of struggling with nerves on the biggest stage, 24-year-old Sabalenka’s three-set win over Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the final at Melbourne Park gave the big-hitting Belarusian her first grand slam title. Now world

No.2 and boasting one of the most powerful games in women’s tennis, she looms as a major threat to topranked Pole Iga Swiatek, who she beat at the WTA Finals. The development of a proper rivalry between the pair would be a tonic for the WTA which has produced few of note in recent years and recently.

Sourav Ganguly hailed the Shafali Verma-led Indian team that emerged champions in the justconcluded Women’s U-19 World Cup in South Africa. The India U-19 girls thrashed their English counterparts by seven wickets in the final in Potchefstroom on Sunday. They bundled England out for 68 in 17.1 overs and then took just 14 overs to notch up the required runs and win the Cup. “Winning the World Cup is always something big. It’s a huge achievement for these girls. No second thoughts about it,” the former India captain and the BCCI ex-president said at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Sourav also lauded the emphatic manner in which Shafali and her teammates conquered the summit. They got beaten in only one game in the tournament, losing to Australia by seven wickets. “For sure it’s a tremendous achievement and a World Cup triumph is phenomenal, given the manner in which they played. Nearly unbeaten,” Sourav said. Talking about pacer TitasSadhu, who was adjudged Player of the Match in the final for her spell (2/6), Sourav stated: “I have seen her bowling. A very fine piece of performance.”.

Cricket Association of Nepal lifts suspension on Sandeep Lamichane; Attorney General challenges decision

Nepal’s Cricket Association lifted the suspension of rapeaccused former National team captain Sandeep Lamichhane, according to Nepal’s officials.

“Late on Tuesday, the meeting of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) held in Pokhara decided to lift the suspension. Details will be released today,” Birendra Bahadur Chanda, CAN official. Meanwhile, Patan High Court to release rape-accused star cricketer on bail has been challenged in the country’s apex court by the Office of the Attorney General. The Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding that the rape accused star cricketer be kept behind bars and prosecuted. The petition further claimed the bail decision of the high court to be flawed. “The order is wrong. Therefore, to uphold the order of the Kathmandu District Court, the bail order given by Patan High Court should be changed. We have moved the Supreme Court with the legal basis and provisions for doing so. Since the case of the nature where the accused must remain in custody during prosecution, we have asked the Supreme Court for the same,”.

Benchmark BSE Sensex zoomed over 1,200 points in the afternoon trade on Wednesday as market investors cheered the Union budget proposals presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. The 30-share BSE barometer zoomed 1,223.54 points or 2 per cent to its intra-day high of 60,773.44. The broader NSE Nifty jumped 310.05 points or 1.75 per cent to 17,972.20. “The market had mixed expectations on the budget presuming it to be populist and low elbowroom for the government ahead of the slowing economy, high inflation and interest rates. However, the government has taken it to a new zone with a well- tuned perfection between growth and stability. “The rise in capital expenditure by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore is the shot in the arm heading a multiplier effect on the economy. While high amount of schemes and tax benefit to rural economy and taxpayers will enhance consumption growth in India. Much beyond expectations, a win-win for households and corporates. It is a 10 on 10 budget,” said Vinod Nair, head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

Gautam Adani no longer Asia’s richest person after stock rout, Mukesh Ambani overtakes him

Agency News : New Delhi

India’s Gautam Adani lost his title of Asia’s richest person on Wednesday as a rout in his conglomerate’s stocks deepened to $74 billion after a short-seller report. A report by Hindenburg Research last week alleged improper use of offshore tax havens while flagging concerns about high debt and the valuations of seven listed Adani companies. It has brought heightened scrutiny of the conglomerate with an Australian regulator saying on Wednesday that it would be reviewing the allegations to see if further enquiries are warranted. The Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them baseless and saying it has always made necessary regulatory disclosures. Wednesday’s stock losses saw Gautam Adani slip to 10th on Forbes rich list with an estimated $84.1 billion, just below rival Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd who has an estimated $84.4 billion. Before the Hindenburg report, Adani had ranked 3rd. The worsening rout comes despite the group managing to muster support from investors to haul a share sale for flagship firm Adani Enterprises Ltd over the line on Tuesday. “There was a slight bounce yesterday after the share sale went through, after seeming improbable at a point.