Elon Musk's 'X' Sued By Thousands Of Employees Over Severance Pay: Report

Billionaire Elon Musk's X, the social media formerly known as Twitter, is facing 2,200 arbitration claims from ex-employees since Mr. Musk took over the company and fired most of its workforce. The filing fees alone for that volume of cases could amount to $3.5 million.

The lawsuit was filed in a Delaware district court, according to CNBC. The case is Chris Woodfield v. Twitter, X Corp. and Elon Musk (No. 1:23-cv-780-CFC).

A former employee, Woodfield, a former senior staff network engineer who had worked at Twitter's Seattle office in his suit said that Twitter had promised then failed to pay his severance, and later delayed alternative dispute resolution by failing to pay the necessary fees required for him to move ahead in the JAMS arbitration system, CNBC reported.

According to the website for JAMS, "For two-party matters, the Filing Fee is $2,000," and "For matters based on a clause or agreement that is required as a condition of employment, the employee is only required to pay $400."

Since JAMS decided that this basic fee applies across the board to X's 2,200 arbitration cases, that would amount to around $3.5 million, with other fees possibly to follow.

However, the company's lawyers have argued that it did not mandate its employees to resolve any issues in arbitration, so it should not be on the hook for the larger portion of the filing fees.

Meanwhile, Mr. Woodfield and others in a similar situation are trying to get out of arbitration and move their cases to trial.

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Watch: England's Bizarre Review Against NZ Leaves Social Media In Splits

England defeated New Zealand comfortably in the first T20I match of their four-match series but a bizarre review by skipper Jos Buttler became a major source of discussion between fans on social media. Glenn Phillips played a forward defence off the bowling of Liam Livingstone and both the bowler and wicket-keeper Buttler went up in appeal. While the umpire was not convinced at all, Buttler decided to take a review and the replays showed that the ball hit the middle of the bat.

Debutant Brydon Carse took three wickets to set up a seven-wicket win over New Zealand.

The 28-year-old South Africa-born paceman, in for the injured John Turner, returned fine figures of 3-23 from his maximum four overs as New Zealand were held to a modest 139-9.

Left-arm quick Luke Wood also took three wickets, following an expensive first over of the match that saw him hit for three sixes, on his way to 3-37.

What are your thoughts on this review? 🫣#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/Wt1ZWU8oQt

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 31, 2023

Carse, playing at his home Durham ground, told Sky Sports: "It was obviously a great start to my T20 career. It was awesome to play in front of a home crowd at Durham and put in a good performance for the team. 

Jos Buttler is closest to the batter and still he went for the review

— Saurabh (@that_cric8guy) August 31, 2023

"I tried to stick to my strengths, hitting the top of the stumps."

I think they only did it for a laugh!

— Elliott Taylforth (@elliottrib) August 30, 2023

Twenty20 world champions England made light of the chase, finishing on 143-3 with six overs to spare, as they went 1-0 up in a four-match series.

(With AFP inputs)

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Diamond League Live: Neeraj In 5th Position, Sreeshankar Going Strong

Neeraj Chopra and Murali Sreeshankar, Zurich Diamond League Live: Neeraj Chopra began with 80.79m throw in his first attempt followed by two foul throws. Boosted by the historic gold medal win at the World Athletics Championships, India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be aiming to continue his purple patch when he takes the field at the Diamond League meet in Zurich. Neeraj clinched the World championship gold with a throw of 88.17m. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar is going strong as he is third in his event.

Here are the Live Updates of Diamond League meet in Zurich:

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Supreme Court Questions Convict Over Payment Of Fine In Bilkis Bano Case

The Supreme Court questioned one of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case today about depositing the fine imposed on him when the hearing on the pleas challenging his remission was in progress. Appearing for convict Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra told a bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan that the convicts have approached the trial court in Mumbai and have deposited the fine imposed upon them.

"Does non-deposit of fine has a bearing on the remission? Did you apprehend that non-deposit of fine would have an impact on the merits of the case? First you ask for permission and now without permission you have deposited," the bench said.

Mr Luthra said non-deposition of fine does not affect the decision on remission but he had advised his clients to deposit the fine to "reduce the controversy".

"According to me, this has no legal consequence. But since the argument was raised... To reduce the controversy, we have deposited now," he said.

One of the petitioners challenging the remission granted to convicts, has argued that their premature release is illegal as they have not served their sentence in entirety. It was also argued that since the convicts did not pay the fine amounting to Rs 34,000, they had to undergo additional sentence which they have not.

Mr Luthra told the court that the convicts had filed an application seeking its permission to deposit the fine, as there was apprehension that the sessions court might not accept it.

"We have filed certain applications with respect to deposit of fine. They have moved sessions court and it has accepted the fine now. I have advised them that it is appropriate to do so," Mr Luthra said, clarifying there was no attempt to "overreach" court's authority.

As the hearing began, Mr Luthra defended the remission granted to his client, saying reformation is the ultimate aim of criminal justice system.

"Otherwise in a murder case, death would be applied more frequently by the judicial dictat but it is applied in the rarest of the rare cases. These are not the cases which are beyond the remit of reformation. These are not the cases where there was a fixed term sentence. My submission is that arguments on society's cry for justice, heinous offence is not relevant at this stage as the court has not said that remission is not permissible," he said.

The hearing will resume on September 14.

On August 17, the top court had said that state governments should not be selective in granting remission to convicts and the opportunity to reform and reintegrate with society should be given to every prisoner, as the Gujarat government defended its decision of premature release of all 11 convicts.

Besides the petition filed by Bilkis Bano contesting the remission granted to them, several other petitions -- including one by CPM leader Subhashini Ali, independent journalist Revati Laul and former vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Roop Rekha Verma -- have challenged the remission. Ms Moitra has also filed a PIL against the remission.

Bilkis Bano was 21 years old and five months pregnant when she was gangraped during the communal riots that broke out in Gujarat after the Godhra train-burning incident. Her three-year-old daughter was among the seven family members killed.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines Join India In Rejection Of China's "New Map"

Governments of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan on Thursday joined India in rejecting China's new national map, issuing strongly worded statements accusing Beijing of claiming their territory.

China published a new version of its national map on Monday to correct what Beijing has in the past referred to as "problematic maps" that it claims misrepresent its territorial borders.

India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China over its so-called "standard map" laying claim over Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin, and asserted that such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question.

The External Affairs Ministry also rejected China's claims as having "no basis".

"Just making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while reacting to the Chinese move.

The Philippine government on Thursday slammed China's 2023 edition of its so-called "standard map" that still shows swaths of Philippine features in the West Philippine Sea.

The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources issued on August 28 a controversial map that includes the nine-dash line, now a 10-dash line, that supposedly shows China's boundaries in the South China Sea.

"This latest attempt to legitimise China's purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a statement.

Daza said the 2016 Arbitral Award has already invalidated the nine-dashed line and called on China to abide by its obligations under UNCLOS.

"(The award) categorically stated that 'maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line' are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China's maritime entitlements under the Convention," Daza was quoted as saying by the official Philippine News Agency.

"The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," she added.

Manila had already protested the publication of a Chinese national map in 2013, which also placed parts of the Kalayaan Island Group or Spratlys within Beijing's "national boundaries".

The Malaysian government said on Thursday that it will send a protest note to China over the latter's claims on the South China Sea as outlined in the 'China Standard Map Edition 2023', which also covers Malaysia's maritime areas.

Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the move was a follow-up step taken by the government over the matter.

"This has been our practice (when dealing with issues like this)... and based on the statement issued by Wisma Putra yesterday, the next step includes sending a protest note," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Malaysia does not recognise China's claims in the South China Sea, as outlined in the "China Standard Map Edition 2023," which also encompasses Malaysia's maritime areas.

The map holds no binding authority over Malaysia, it said in a statement.

The Vietnamese government also criticised China's latest provocation.

Vietnam strongly reiterates its consistent stance on the sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), and resolutely rejects any maritime claims of China that are based on the "nine-dash line" in the East Sea, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said on Thursday.

Hang made the statement while answering reporters' questions regarding Vietnam's response to China's release of the so-called "standard map 2023" which covers Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, the official Vietnam News Agency reported.

The issuance of the map as well as China's "nine-dash line" claim show a violation of Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, as well as Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters as stipulated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), she stressed.

Therefore, the sovereignty and maritime claims based on the "nine-dash line" as reflected in the map are void and violate international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS, the spokeswoman said.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday rebuked China's new "standard map" by saying Taiwan has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Foreign ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu told Taiwan News that "Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country that is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan. These are universally recognised facts and the status quo in the international community." Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry indicated it was not budging on the map issue.

"China's position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear. The competent authorities of China routinely publish standard maps of various types every year, which aims to make standard maps available to all sectors of society and raise public awareness of the standardised use of maps.

"We hope parties concerned can view it in an objective and rational light," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question on Thursday when sought his comment on the protests from countries like India, Malaysia as well as the Philippines against this new Chinese map. 

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

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1st India-Made Nuke Plant Runs In Full Capacity; Congratulations, Says PM

India's first indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power plant in Gujarat's Kakrapar has started operations at full capacity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.

The reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) had started commercial operations on June 30 but was operating at 90 per cent of its capacity till now.

"India achieves another milestone. The first largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers," PM Modi said on 'X', formerly known as Twitter.

India achieves another milestone.

The first largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity.

Congratulations to our scientists and engineers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2023

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is building two 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar, which is also home to two 220 MW power plants.

Various commissioning activities were underway at KAPP 4, which had achieved 97.56 per cent progress by July, according to officials.

The NPCIL plans to build 16 700 MW PHWRs across the country and has granted financial and administrative sanctions for the same.

Construction of 700 MW nuclear power plants is underway at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan (RAPS 7 and 8) and at Gorakhpur in Haryana (GHAVP 1 and 2).

The government has sanctioned the building of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs in fleet mode at four locations -- Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Kaiga in Karnataka.

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

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Anand Mahindra Says His, MS Dhoni's Paths Were Meant To Cross. Here's Why

MS Dhoni's popularity is well known. Dhoni's rise from Ranchi to being one of the most well known cricketers on the planet is a stuff of legends. He has one of the most inspiring journeys in sports history. He is the most successful Indian cricket team captain who has won the Cricket Word Cup twice - in the ODI and the T20I formats. Dhoni continues to inspire the young generation with his intact dedication and seriousness towards his goal. This is the reason the fans continue to show their love and respect towards the player despite he retiring from international cricket three years back.

Dhoni also has a passion for farming. His video of driving a tractor went viral a couple of months back. Now, Dhoni has became the face of a tractor company. Industrialist Anand Mahindra welcomed him to the family. "Mahi and Mahindra, when it's already in the name, it means our paths were always meant to cross! Join me as we #WelcomeMahi to the Swaraj family. @tractorsswaraj @mahindrarise" he wrote on a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Mahi and Mahindra, when it's already in the name, it means our paths were always meant to cross! Join me as we #WelcomeMahi to the Swaraj family. @tractorsswaraj @mahindrarise https://t.co/Az0MFQTe51

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 31, 2023

From working as a ticket collector at a railway station, Dhoni transformed into India's biggest trophy collector, leading the team to ICC T20 World Cup 2007, ICC ODI World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 as skipper. MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the greatest captains cricket ever witnessed.

The wicketkeeper-batter has a massive fan following but what is not a good thing for the fans is the fact that Dhoni is not active on social media. He barely posts anything on the platform and that sees his fans rely on viral videos and pictures to get a glimpse of the player.

Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020. However, he continued to be a part of Indian Premier League as a player. In IPL 2023, Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to a record-equalling fifth title.

However, there is no confirmation yet over his participation in next year's IPL.

(With ANI Inputs)

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On Raksha Bandhan, Brother Sentenced To 20-Year Jail For Raping Sister

Upholding the order of a trial court, the Orissa High Court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 20 years of imprisonment for repeatedly raping her sister and impregnating her when she was 14.

Rejecting the appeal of the convict, Justice S K Sahoo also slapped a fine of Rs 40,000 on him. In default, the convict shall undergo rigorous imprisonment for another two years.

The judge lamented that he had to adjudicate such a case on the day of Raksha Bandhan.

"It is both shocking as well as ironical to hear this case and render judgment on an auspicious day when a brother takes the solemn pledge not only to protect his sister but also to nurture her till his last breath," Justice Sahoo observed.

The man was earlier convicted by the Malkangiri special judge's court for repeatedly raping his younger sister between May 2018 and May 2019 in their village.

He was also convicted in January 2020 for threatening his sister not to disclose it to others. 

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

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32 Firms Apply To Make Laptops In India: Union Minister

The government has received 32 applications for production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme 2.0 for IT hardware, of which 25 are domestic companies, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters in Delhi on Wednesday.

The announcement comes days after the government announced restrictions in laptop imports from November.

All of them are driven to gear up manufacturing and bring in supply chains.

Mr Vaishnaw said companies like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Thompson, Acer, and Asus will be manufacturing laptops under the scheme. HP, VVDN, Lenovo will be manufacturing servers.

He said Apple has not applied under the PLI framework, but the company is already manufacturing components.

This move should see a significant reduction in the import of laptops and PCs, Vaishnaw said, adding that "import restrictions are not a worry anymore."

"I spoke to all the applicants, and they didn't raise any concern," he said.

The minister said incremental production expected is around Rs 3.35 lakh crore and the expected direct employment is around 75,000.

"The upcoming Dixon factory in Noida will alone employ 25,000 people," he said.

Manufacturing of laptops will begin by April 2024, officials said, as companies such as Dell are also migrating to PLI scheme.

When asked if India is optimising on big players quitting China with its economy slowing down, Mr Vaishnaw said India is emerging as a trusted value chain partner.

"Many of these companies will use the semiconductors manufactured in India. In fact, they were pleased we are starting with the manufacturing of memory first, which is crucial for laptops. Companies have shared their detailed proposals. We are optimistic more will join," he said.

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Raksha Bandhan 2023: Inside Sara's Celebrations With Taimur And Jeh

The much-awaited Raksha Bandha post from Sara Ali Khan is here and it is every bit as adorable as we had anticipated. The actress, who was earlier spotted entering her dad Saif Ali Khan's house, spent some quality time with the Pataudi family and also tied Rakhi on her little brothers Taimur and Jeh's wrists. On Wednesday, she also treated her fans to some inside pictures from the festivity. In several pictures shared, we can see Sara and her brother Ibrahim posing adorably with dad Saif, Kareena, brother Taimur, Jeh, aunts Soha and Saba and Soha's daughter Inaaya. In one particularly adorable picture, Sara Ali Khan can be seen tying Rakhi on little Jeh's wrists. Sharing the images, Sara captioned the post, "Happy Raksha Bandhan." Take a look at the post here: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95)

A similar set of pictures was also shared by Kareena Kapoor on her Instagram feed. In one we see Ibrahim Ali Khan posing with his brothers Taimur and Jeh and it is all heart. Kareena Kapoor captioned the post, "Family Ties." See her post below: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan)

Earlier in the day, big sister Sara Ali Khan was pictured outside dad Saif Ali Khan's house.  The Kedarnath star was spotted outside Kareena and Saif's Bandra house in a beautiful kurta. The actress also smiled for the camera before making her way inside the house. Here is a look at her OOTD.

Trust Sara Ali Khan to treat us with the best Raksha Bandhan pics and she won't disappoint. In the year 2018, Sara Alia Khan and Ibrahim Khan dropped by dad Saif's house for the Rakhi festivities. Sharing a picture with baby Taimur, Sara captioned the post, "Rakhi celebrations continue with the little munchkin."

Take a look at the post here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95)

The following year, Sara Ali Khan shared a throwback picture along with her brother Ibrahim from their childhood days. In her post, little Sara can be seen happily posing with her "partner in crime" (her words) Ibrahim. In her oh-so-adorable post, Sara addressed Ibrahim as her "baby brother" and wrote: "Happy Rakhi to my baby brother. Missing you today - giving me money, feeding me sweets and hugging me . I promise to bully you, extort you, greedily eat all your food and force love and cuddles out of you forever."

Check out Sara Ali Khan's wish here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95)

A few days ago, Sara and her brother Ibrahim had dropped by dad Saif's house to celebrate the Dil Chahta Hain star's 53rd birthday along with Kareena, Taimur and Jeh.

See the lovely pictures from the event:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95)

Sara made her Bollywood debut in 2018. She has featured in films such as Kedarnath (her debut film), opposite late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Simmba, co-starring Ranveer Singh and Love Aaj Kal with Kartik Aaryan. She also featured in the Coolie No 1 remake, co-starring Varun Dhawan. Sara was also seen in Atrangi Re, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Dhanush.

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2 IndiGo Flights Report Mid-Air Engine Shutdowns, Land Safely

A Kolkata-Bengaluru IndiGo flight reported a mid-air glitch on Tuesday after one of its engines shut down. The flight, however, landed safely.

The incident happened within hours of the carrier's other aircraft suffered a similar failure.

The first engine glitch incident happened on Indigo's Madurai-Mumbai flight earlier in the day.

"Engine 2 stall occurred and Engine 2 oil chip detected warning came. Engine 2 was shut down as per the checklist and the aircraft landed safely," the country's aviation regulator, the DGCA, said in a statement.

IndiGo also released a statement, citing a technical issue before landing in Mumbai.

"The pilot prioritized the landing in Mumbai. The aircraft is held in Mumbai and will be back in operation after necessary maintenance. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers," IndiGo said.

Both these aircraft were running on Pratt and Whitney engines, officials said.

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"You Make My...": Pooja's Birthday Wish For Friend Deepak Is All Heart

Actress Pooja Bhatt, who became a household name after appearing as a participant in the second season of Bigg Boss OTT, wished her friend and former co-star Deepak Tijori on his birthday with the sweetest message. Sharing a selfie with the birthday boy, Pooja Bhatt wrote, "In a world of temporary equations,here's to a permanent friendship.. one that goes beyond time,space,hits,flops & all of the other trappings of fame & infamy. Happy Birthday@deepaktijoriteam You make my life richer by being part of it. I love you. For now & forever more."

See Pooja Bhatt's adorable post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pooja B (@poojab1972)

While in Bigg Boss Hosue, Pooja Bhatt was visited by her dad Mahesh Bhatt, who shared several anecdotes from his life. He also opened up about how Pooja became the bread earner in his family during tough times.

He revealed that during his struggling phase, Pooja stepped up and became the backbone of the family. She took the initiative to pursue a modelling career and auditioned for numerous ads. Her efforts and success in the modelling world played a crucial role in running the household during those difficult days.

In another episode of Bigg Boss OTT 2, Pooja Bhatt discussed her equation with her former husband. “He is a very good human being, he's Capricorn and that's why we got along very well. When we start speaking a lie, the blame game starts and I didn't want that. Whatever was there was very good till the time it lasted. Till the time dignity was there we were together. Then we parted ways on a good note,” she said. They were married from 2003 to 2014.

Pooja is Mahesh Bhatt's daughter with Kiran Bhatt Aka Lorraine Bright who he married in 1970. Kiran and Mahesh also have a son named Rahul. In 1986, Mahesh married Soni Razdan with whom he has two daughters Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt.

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"I Shock Him Every Day": Rani Mukerji On Marrying Aditya Chopra

Actress Rani Mukerji, who has kept her personal especially marital life away from the glare of the media, in a recent interview with Film Companion revealed that she chose right in terms of her husband as she never desired someone who was outgoing. Revealing that she is the bigger introvert between her husband and herself, Rani said, "I chose right, because I didn't want to choose a person who is outgoing. I'm happy at home, he's happy at home, we both are happy at home. It would've been really difficult if I had a husband who was like, ‘Hey, let's go out partying'. I'd be like, ‘Really? Is staying in bed really that bad?' I chose right in that department. He doesn't force me to go anywhere, I don't force him to go anywhere. We are so happy being at home.”

The Mardaani actress however jokingly said that after featuring in Netflix series Romantics, her husband Aditya Chopra's enthusiasm regarding going out has surprisingly gone up. “It's become a big problem, because I chose to marry a guy who isn't known (publicly).”

The actress also said that her husband will feature in her memoir as he has "no choice." The actress added, "people need to know I am married to him na."

Rani, who was lauded for her stellar performance in her last movie Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, also spoke about her relationship with Aditya Chopra in terms of their career. She said, "There is mutual respect for each other's work. Adi generally respects my craft and I respect him as a filmmaker. This helps us talk to each other without any kind of agenda, ego or judgements. I enjoy his success as much as he enjoys mine."

Besides sharing a bonhomie in terms of work, Rani Mukerji also revealed that she and Aditya Chopra still watch movies together. She said, "For me the best time that Adi and me have is when we go to watch a movie together. That is something we continue doing every Friday at YRF (Yash Raj Films studio) in Mumbai. But when we are outside India, we go everywhere. It is lovely to hold hands and all. It's quite nice... I think it is fun, just going and standing in the line, getting your ticket, getting your popcorn. Nowadays you get pizza also, which is great. So, you get quite good food. It is nice to eat, watch your film. It is crazy, it is such a good experience."

Speaking elaborately about how she makes her marriage with Aditya interesting, Rani said in the same interview, "The best thing about relationships is that you need to shock your partner every day, and I shock Adi every day. It is like every day he sees a new me. He is like 'I don't know what is coming today'. So that is good. He is really bechara (helpless), and simple. It is boring to be simple, so I like to make him... He is always like ‘Aaj kya hoga (What will happen today)?' So, he tells me that ‘For me it is like I am every day putting on a new channel. One day it is comedy, one day it is drama. One day it is violence'. One day it is romance, of course. So, it is like a different movie each day; it is nice."

Talking about her influence in casting for film under the Yash Raj banner, Rani Mukerji revealed that there have times when she has refused being cast in her film by her husband. On being asked if Aditya held that against her, Rani said, "He never gets upset with any actor which is why he is such a successful producer because he doesn't want any actor to be a part of the film when they are not dying to be a part of that film for then they won't give their 100 percent."

Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra married in 2014 and baby Adira was born in 2015. In terms of work, Rani Mukerji was last seen in Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway. Rani Mukerji's filmography includes hits as well as critically acclaimed movies like Black, Hum Tum, Bunty Aur Babli, the Mardaani series, Saathiya, Talaash, Hichki among many others.

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US Man Shoots Through His Front Door To Fend Off Robbers

A video has surfaced on the internet which shows two men pretending to be maintenance workers trying to break in by kicking the front door. The two men were armed with handguns. However, the men were greeted by a barrage of bullets from the homeowner. The wild scene was captured by a doorbell camera.

The video starts with one of the suspects, Aaron Contreras, knocking on the apartment door of Ethan Rodriguez. He claimed to be a maintenance worker there to check on the filters in his air conditioner, according to the New York Post.

Mr Rodriguez answered the door via a digital doorbell app on his phone and said that no one was home. A few minutes later, the suspect came back with a handgun and tried to kick down the front door. Another man appears wearing a mask trying to kick in the door.

However, things soon took a dramatic turn when Mr. Rodriguez tried to fend them off by opening fire from inside his apartment through the front door. The footage shows the men running away from the door.

The resident fired off several rounds and the footage shows bullets striking the wall across the way.

See the video here:

#Texas : On Saturday August 19th, at a Dallas apartment complex a Ring camera captured the moment when a man posing as a maintenance worker is knocking on the door of an apartment claiming “he was there to check the air filters.”

• Once the suspect heard the homeowner wasn't… pic.twitter.com/UAofUdnf0f

— True Crime with Laura🕵🏼‍♀️⚖️ (@Lauraonthecase) August 21, 2023

According to the media outlet, the resident fired 13 shots.

Speaking to WFAA, Mr Rodriguez said he decided to shoot at the suspects when saw that they were armed. "I was hoping I got 'em," he told the station. "That was mainly it, just hoping I got 'em."

The suspect, Aaron Contreras was arrested the same day on charges of aggravated assault, deadly conduct and attempted burglary of a habitation.

He is being held at the Dallas County jail on a $150,000 bond.

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Gujarat Man Poses As Scientist Who Designed Chandrayaan-3 Lander, Arrested

The police in Gujarat's Surat city on Tuesday arrested a man who allegedly posed as a scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and gave interviews to local media outlets claiming that he designed the lander module for the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, an official said.

A complaint was lodged against the accused, Mitul Trivedi, after he was seen giving interviews after the Vikram lander successfully made a soft-landing on August 23, claiming to have designed the lander module of Chandrayaan-3, the official said.

Trivedi allegedly posed as the "assistant chairman" of ISRO's "Ancient Science Application department" and even produced a fake appointment letter dated February 26, 2022, he said.

"A thorough investigation revealed that the man was in no way connected to ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission and had made false claims of being an ISRO employee," the police said in a statement.

He even produced a fake letter about being the "space research member" for ISRO's next project called "mercury force in space", it said.

He spread fake messages regarding ISRO despite not having contributed to the ambitious project, thereby harming the reputation of the institution, the statement read.

The Surat city crime branch lodged an FIR against the accused under sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.

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

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ISRO Sets Date For Its Solar Mission 'Aditya-L1': What Are Its Objectives

After successfully landing a spacecraft near the south pole of the Moon, India's next cosmic quest - the Sun. ISRO has announced that its first solar mission, Aditya-L1, will be launched on September 2 at 11:50 am from the Sriharikota space centre.

According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 will observe the solar corona from a remote location at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1, which is about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

Named after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, a French mathematician who first studied them in the 18th century, Lagrange Points are points in space where the gravitational forces of two large bodies, such as the Sun and the Earth, balance out, creating a region of equilibrium that can be used by a spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption.

"A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time," says ISRO. 

India's first space-based observatory to study the Sun, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, will be launched using the PSLV-C57 rocket.

Main Objectives

According to ISRO, The Aditya-L1 mission is designed to study the Sun's upper atmosphere (chromosphere and corona) and its interaction with the solar wind. The mission is aimed at studying the physics of the partially ionized plasma in the solar atmosphere.

The spacecraft will investigate the mechanisms that heat the solar corona and observe the initiation and development of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares.

It will study the in-situ particle and plasma environment in the vicinity of the Sun and characterise the magnetic field in the solar corona.

It will also study and evaluate the main drivers of space weather.

Its Payloads

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft will be equipped with seven payloads to study the Sun's corona, chromosphere, photosphere, and solar wind.

"The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields, etc.," says ISRO.

The four remote sensing payloads will image the Sun's atmosphere in different wavelengths of light, including visible, ultraviolet, and X-rays.

• The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will image the solar corona and study its dynamics.
• The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) will image the photosphere and chromosphere in both narrow and broadband ultraviolet wavelengths.
• The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) will study the soft X-ray emission from the Sun.
• The High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) will study the hard X-ray emission from the Sun.

The three in-situ payloads will measure the composition, dynamics, and magnetic field of the solar wind.

• The Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) will measure the composition and dynamics of the solar wind.
• The Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA) will measure the plasma properties of the solar wind.
• The Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers will measure the magnetic field in the solar wind.

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"Even Einstein Referred...": G Madhavan Nair On Temple Visits By Scientists

Amid raging debates among the public over faith Vs. science in the country, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair on Monday said that even great scientists like Albert Einstein were of the view that there is something beyond the visible universe and referred to it as God or creator.

Amid the debate in social media over ISRO scientists visiting temples in connection with the launch of Chandrayaan-3, Mr Nair said there was nothing wrong with it.

Throwing his weight behind ISRO chairman S Somanath, Nair said he agreed fully with him on his take on religious beliefs vis-à-vis scientific temper.

"It is basically a question of searching for the fundamental truth. One looks at the external world, trying to understand what it is. Another is looking internally and trying to understand what is self and where it merges," Nair said.

He justified praying and visiting places of worship as a method to relieve oneself of tension.

"Prayers are for getting mental satisfaction. Whenever we are following a complex scientific mission, there are a lot of hurdles and problems and things can go wrong at any time.

"So to have a calm mind and then observe what is happening in real time, so that your decision-making can be accurate and timely, prayers and worship and all those things help," he said.

Nair said such prayers and beliefs are not restricted to any particular religion, and one can follow his or her own ways of worshipping.

"Each one in the country, every citizen, has his own right to pursue his line of thinking, the philosophical thinking about the mind, and also the self-satisfaction that one derives out of pursuing a particular philosophy," Nair added.

Speaking about the controversy behind naming the Moon landing spot 'Shiv Shakti', Nair said the controversy was completely based on misinterpretation.

He said 'shakti' refers to the force that is behind the creation of this universe.

"Our pandits and rishis named it Shiva. Our Puranas gave it a form as people could not understand the concept of the force, and that is how the human form and Kailasa all came. It is a different matter. The underlying principle is 'shakti' and we do not have to attribute religious motives to it," Nair said.

Somanath has downplayed the issue of naming the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 as 'Shiv Shakti', saying that it is part of a tradition to name places on the Moon where some experiment has been conducted by a country.

After visiting a temple in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Somanath said it is not the first time that India had named a site on the Moon.

"There are already a lot of sites on the Moon that have been named after places in India. There are non-Indian names as well. Every country can name a site there. We have a 'Sarabhai crater' there. Every nation names every small site on the Moon where they have conducted some experiments. It is a tradition," he had said. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Opinion: Are China's Economic Crises Cyclical Or Structural?

While China is and continues to be the manufacturing platform of the world, concerns around its decelerating growth in 2023 have triggered panic waves across the globe. Given the deep interconnection between the global economy and the Chinese economy, there is fear among nations that global growth will further decelerate due to the troubled Chinese economy. One of the most important questions in this context becomes how to tackle the fallout. To answer this question, it is first pertinent to understand whether the problem is cyclical or structural in nature. That clarity can help avoid the fallout.

In the past, China has emerged relatively unscathed from the Asian financial crisis and the global financial crisis. It even managed to somehow stay afloat until 2023, despite the US-China trade war since 2017. This gives the impression that such crises are cyclical in nature and are inherently in the DNA of the Chinese economy. Yet a closer examination would reveal that the crisis in 2023 is very different from the ones that the Chinese economy has tackled in the past and is actually structural in nature.

At a Politburo meeting in July, China's leaders referred to the economic recovery this year as "torturous". What they were referring to was China's current economic problems, which range from slowing GDP growth rates to massive unemployment, to deeply entrenched inequality, to dangerously low levels of consumption among others. The interesting point to note is that such candour is difficult to imagine from a communist party institution, let alone from such an elevated body.

Consumer prices in July were lower than a year ago, suggesting that it might be on the cusp of deflation, which reflects a chronic shortage of demand in the economy. Foreign trade in the same month showed a sharp fall in exports, owing to weak global demand, with a sharper decline in imports signifying weaknesses in demand at home. Private firms and entrepreneurs are also not spending much on investment or on hiring people. Youth unemployment has topped 21% or thrice the rate in the US. Clearly, most things currently weighing on the Chinese economy have been building up for years, even while China was wowing the world with its magical double-digit growth rates and claiming to be making strides in lifting millions out of poverty while simultaneously moving up the technology ladder.

The two prongs of Chinese economic development since Deng Xiaoping's reforms and opening up since 1978 have been an export-led growth strategy along with investment. The reforms led to an improvement in the living standards of consumers in China, with greater buying capacity and greater demand for goods and services; investment in infrastructure, particularly in export-driven enterprises in the coastal belts of China also brought in revenues driving Chinese growth. Nevertheless, as compared to consumption levels in other countries, China's consumption rates have been generally low. Currently, consumption - a big driver of growth indices - is even further subdued in China, especially in big-ticket items such as cars, houses, and private investment. In fact, all three segments, the backbone of the Chinese economy, fell in the first half of this year.

To drive consumption, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) even came out with 12 wide-ranging measures to boost domestic consumption, which include encouraging market entities to apply domestic AI technologies to enhance the levels of electronic products, improving the innovation capability of electronic products, cultivating new growth points for consumption and so on. Clearly, something is amiss, otherwise a wide-ranging agenda for driving consumption from the NDRC would not have come up.

Consumption is tied to income. As stated previously, youth unemployment alone has topped 21%, and the government has now stated it will stop publishing data on youth unemployment. Without employment, there is no income. Without income, it is impossible to consume. But beyond consumption's ties to income, there also are other structural reasons why consumption has been generally low while savings rates have always been extraordinarily high in China. In fact, China has an extraordinarily high savings rate at about 50% of its GDP. The reason is its desire to save for a rainy day, which in turn is driven by bad policies historically. The disastrous Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution driving the Chinese economy to the pits under Mao Zedong taught Chinese consumers to save and invest in land, which they can liquidate in the face of disasters like the ones Mao made the Chinese people go through.

Similarly, under Xi Jinping, the arduous three-year lockdown, during which the Chinese consumer went through drastic lows including lack of adequate food and medical care, yet again spelled out the lesson that it is better to save for a rainy day rather than to consume. Because of the hedonistic policies carried out under repressive regimes, China now has a huge local government debt problem, a real estate bubble, and huge creation of urban infrastructures accompanied by under-urbanisation - all of which indicate the desire to save rather than to spend and consume. Increasing authoritarianism under Xi has only led to a further failure of the development model which once shined bright, blinding the audience to its underlying, structural flaws.

What does this mean for neighbour India? India is an integral part of the global economy and reduced trade with China will lead to India needing a rethink of its strategies. But, beyond the fears, reduced imports into China could also be a push to actively build alternative supply chains. The top three items of import from China are broadcasting equipment, integrated circuits, and office machine parts. Collaboration between India and Taiwan has begun in related arenas and this could be a push for expanding greater economic cooperation. The top three exports from India to China are refined copper, cotton yarn, and petroleum oils. Reduced demand from China does not mean absolute doom for India, as alternate markets for these products exist, and India only needs to strengthen its strategies to develop these markets better.

In any case, Indian products that have comparative advantages in other parts of the world, like generic drugs or IT or even basmati rice, face non-tariff barriers in China. Further reduced demand from China for these segments will only spur India to explore other markets. There are also fears that falling prices of Chinese goods will increase competition and hurt foreign companies. Indian companies in China in any case are a handful, so this fear can also be ruled out. Slower economic growth in China could also benefit India, as it will reduce competition in the global energy and especially, natural gas markets. Lower prices can help to ease energy price pressures, which will be to India's advantage.

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After Lucy Letby, Another UK Nurse Under Investigation For Baby's Death

An investigation by the UK's healthcare agency NHS has linked the arrest of a nurse to death of three babies under suspicious circumstances at the hospital where she worked. According to The Telegraph, the nurse used to work at Birmingham Children's Hospital but her identity has not been released. The 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life. This comes shortly after the conviction of another nurse named Lucy Letby on charges of murdering seven babies.

Though the probe was launched last year, after the baby's death, the nurse remained under investigation this weekend. She has not yet been taken back by the hospital, and the regulator too has suspended her, which means she cannot work as a nurse elsewhere.

All the families of the children involved in the review in Birmingham have been informed, said The Telegraph.

"In May 2022, a child on the paediatric intensive care unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital deteriorated suddenly and unexpectedly. Due to the circumstances of the deterioration, the trust acted straight away," Dr Fiona Reynolds, NHS trust's chief medical officer, said in a statement.

"A member of staff was suspended from work and subsequently arrested at home. Sadly, the child later died and our thoughts remain with the family," she added.

According to Metro, the NHS trust passed the findings to the police.

Meanwhile, Lucy Letby was accused of harming 17 babies, some of them just days old, between June 2015 and June 2016.

In the majority of cases she is believed to have injected them with air but prosecutors also accused her of introducing insulin or too much milk.

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"Cringe Level Is So High": Elon Musk's Comment On LinkedIn Is Viral

Billionaire Elon Musk's platform X (formerly Twitter) recently introduced a new job-hiring feature that allows verified organisations to post job listings on their profile. X has entered the domain of professional networking with a beta version of hiring, in a bid to challenge professional websites like LinkedIn.

Now, reacting to a post by a Twitter user, Ian Zelbo, who wrote, "Is there anything worse than LinkedIn?"

Replying to the post, the billionaire wrote on X, "People send me LinkedIn links sometimes, but the cringe level is so high that I just can't bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed. We will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool."

In another comment, Mr Musk wrote, "LinkedIn is actually the most cringe platform on the internet."

See the post here:

People send me LinkedIn links sometimes, but the cringe level is so high that I just can't bring myself to use it, so I ask for the resume or bio to be emailed.

We will make sure that the X competitor to LinkedIn is cool.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2023

The post soon went viral and social media users were quick to react. A user wrote, "The worst part is people just making things up! I've seen a lot of people use titles on LinkedIn that don't even exist and couldn't be further from what they actually do at the company. like - being responsible for something doesn't make you "head of" it lol."

"Make LinkedIn irrelevant. Did you know that they force the pronouns on everyone even if you don't opt in for it? It's hidden outside the US, of course, because they know it doesn't fly elsewhere," another user wrote.

"The App is as rigid as the old phones that never made it to this day," the third user wrote.

Meanwhile, the billionaire hinted about introducing the job-hiring feature in May. In response to a user's suggestion that Twitter includes dating services, Mr Musk said, "Interesting idea, maybe jobs too." This also appears to be a step towards the platform becoming the everything app that Elon Musk previously stated.

As per a July report in TechCrunch, Twitter made its first acquisition since Mr Musk bought the platform, a job-matching tech start-up named Laskie in May. It is likely that the acquisition helped the company in creating and releasing the new feature. A US-based media company WorkWeek, has been using the feature for a month. Its CEO Adam Ryan took to the platform to share the new feature and took a dig at Mark Zuckerberg's newly launched Twitter-rival Threads.
 

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