BENGALURU: Tensions are gradually escalating between the newly formed Congress government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, as they find themselves locked in a series of contentious disputes.
The Congress government in Karnataka has unequivocally expressed its intention to revoke all laws deemed detrimental to the welfare of the people, which were enacted during the previous BJP regime. However, a sharp disagreement has arisen between the leaders of the two parties as the Congress government pushes forward with its plan to repeal the anti-cow slaughter law, sparking a heated exchange of words.
“It is not even a fortnight in Karnataka after Congress assumed power, but the repeated statements of ministers warning imprisonment every time, reminds the strategy of Congress during emergency in 1975,” former CM Basavaraj Bommai stated on Tuesday.
“If you think in the beginning stage itself that the mandate given by the people is to trample the opposition, you will have to pay a heavy price,” Bommai told the ruling party.
Speaking on the statements of Congress ministers over any opposition against the revision of the law on cow slaughter, textbook revision, Bommai remarked that the Congress leaders have already got hang of the power.
Commenting on Bommai’s statements, minister for health and family welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao retaliated on Tuesday, “Mr Bommai, which emergency situation are you talking about? Don’t you feel that your PM Narendra Modi government’s ways of misusing investigating agencies to trample on freedom of speech is like an emergency situation?”
He further attacked that the BJP leaders are acting like a cat which had burnt its tail after losing elections. “Mr Bommai, as a responsible government we need to keep the healthy society intact. I pity your discretion for making judgment on action taken against those who violate laws and take law into their hands is dubbed as an emergency situation,” he charged.
With inputs from IANS

Ukraine on Tuesday accused the Russian forces of blowing up a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine that is Russia-controlled, alerting residents further along the Dnipro River of flooding downstream and evacuating.
The Ukrainian interior ministry called for residents of 10 villages on the river’s right bank and parts of the city of Kherson to gather essential documents as well as their pets, turn off appliances and leave, while cautioning against possible disinformation.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, said in a video posted to Telegram shortly before 7 am that “the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror,” and warned that water will reach “critical levels” within five hours.
Ukraine live updates
Significance of the dam
The dam, 30 metres (98 feet) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long, was built in 1956 on the Dnipro river as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The reservoir also supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, and to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control.
The volume of water in the reservoir is about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah. Blowing the Soviet-era dam, which is controlled by Russia, would unleash a wall of floodwater across much of the Kherson region.
The southern command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that the Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine’s Kherson region was blown up by Russian forces.
“The scale of the destruction, the speed and volumes of water, and the likely areas of inundation are being clarified,” the command said on its Facebook page.

Villagers being evacuated
The evacuation of areas near the Kakhovka region in southern Ukraine has begun, the governor of the Kherson region in Ukraine said.
“Within five hours the water will reach a critical level,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on the Telegram channel as 6:45 a.m. (0345 GMT).
Russia’s TASS state news agency cited emergency services as saying that some 80 settlements in the area may be affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.
Threat to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant
The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine poses a threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but the situation at the facility is under control, Ukraine’s state atomic power agency said.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Twitter it was closely monitoring the situation but that there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk at (the) plant” which is also in southern Ukraine.
It said the water level of the Kakhovka Reservoir was rapidly lowering, posing an “additional threat” to the Russian-occupied facility – Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – which both sides have blamed one another for shelling.
“Water from the Kakhovka Reservoir is necessary for the station to receive power for turbine capacitors and safety systems of the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant),” Energoatom said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
‘Russian terrorists,’ reacts Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine confirms that Moscow’s forces “must be expelled” from all of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Russian terrorists. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror.”
Russia blames Ukraine
A Russian-installed official in the Moscow-held Ukrainian town of Nova Kakhovka said that it would likely be impossible to repair the town’s dam after a blast tore a hole in the structure.
In comments to Russian state television, Vladimir Leontev said that the damage to the dam was the result of a series of Ukrainian strikes.
British foreign minister blames Russia
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, visiting Ukraine on Tuesday, blamed the destruction of a dam in southern Ukraine on Russia’s invasion.
“I’ve heard reports of the explosion on the dam and the risk of flooding. It’s too early to make any kind of meaningful assessment of the details. But it’s worth remembering that the only reason this is an issue at all is because of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” he told Reuters.
“We’ll continue to assess the developing situation, but the best thing Russia could do now is withdraw their troops immediately.”

With agency inputs

The much-awaited film ‘Adipurush,’ starring Prabhas and directed by Om Raut, is generating a lot of buzz as its release date approaches. In an interesting move, the ‘Adipurush‘ team has announced that they will be dedicating one seat in every theatre screening the film to Lord Hanuman. This decision aims to celebrate the beliefs and reverence people hold for the deity.
Scheduled to hit theatres on June 16, ‘Adipurush’ will be released in five languages: Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. As part of the unique gesture, the makers have decided to keep one seat unsold in every theatre during the screening of ‘Adipurush.’ This seat will be reserved exclusively for Lord Hanuman.
The official statement from the ‘Adipurush’ team reads, “Lord Hanuman appears wherever the Ramayana is recited. It is our belief. Respecting this belief, every theatre screening Prabhas’ Rama-starrer Adipurush will reserve one seat for Lord Hanuman without selling it. Hear the history of paying respects to the greatest devotee of Rama. We started this great work in an unknown way. We all must see the Adipurush built with great grandeur and grandeur in the presence of Lord Hanuman.”

‘Adipurush’ is a mythological film that draws inspiration from the Indian epic Ramayana. Directed by Om Raut and written by the same, the film features Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles, with Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage in supporting roles.
Despite facing numerous obstacles since its inception, including controversies surrounding Saif Ali Khan’s remarks on Ravana and criticism of its visual effects, ‘Adipurush’ has managed to build anticipation among the audience. With a massive budget of Rs 500 crore, the film promises to be a grand cinematic experience.

‘Adipurush’ Pre-Release Event LIVE Updates: Fans across states are on their way to Tirupati…!

NEW DELHI: To end their decade-long global trophy drought, the Indian team will need a perfect blend of skills and temperament when they take on an equally-strong Australia in the World Test Championship final, starting at The Ova on Wednesday.
India’s consistent performances in the past two WTC cycles highlight their dominance in the longest format of the game. Their success can be attributed to a talented pool of cricketers who have displayed exceptional skills and determination.

Furthermore, India’s bowling attack is one of the best in the world and has the ability to trouble even the most experienced batsmen.
However, winning a global trophy requires more than just skill. It demands a combination of skill, temperament, and performing under pressure. India have come close to winning major white-ball tournaments in the past decade, reaching the knockout stages but falling short of claiming the trophy. Therefore, it is crucial for the Indian cricketers to maintain their composure and handle the pressure situations effectively.

Facing Australia, a team known for its competitive spirit and history of success, adds an extra layer of challenge. Australia has a formidable team with experienced players who have consistently performed well in crucial matches. India will need to strategize and execute their plans flawlessly, making use of their strengths while countering Australia’s tactics.
The last major ICC trophy India won was way back in 2013 when it bagged the Champions Trophy in England. Since then, the side has lost three finals and on four occasion it bit dust at the semifinal stage. It also made an exit at the preliminary stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The country has been pretty much driving the finances of the sport and considering the vast talent pool on offer, the expectations of dominating the game on field seem only fair.

Out of the six series India played in this cycle, their only series loss came in South Africa and that led to an unexpected change of guard with Rohit Sharma taking over the leadership role from Virat Kohli.
They remained unconquerable at home, drew a hard-fought series in England before surviving a slight scare in Bangladesh.
Winning the big titles is what defines the legacy of a team but whatever may be the outcome of the final at The Oval, India head coach Rahul Dravid’s opinion about his team won’t change.
“In the context of things, you look at this and you see this is the culmination of two years of work. It’s a culmination of a lot of success that gets you here,” said Dravid ahead of the title clash.
“Winning the series in Australia, drawing series here, being very competitive everywhere that this team has played in the world over the last five or six years. I think those are things that will never change just because you have or you don’t have an ICC trophy,” he said.

Need to learn from past mistakes
India ignored the conditions and went with their traditional strength — two spinners – against the Black Caps in the final at Southampton two years ago but the move backfired.
As The Oval gears up to host its first ever Test in June in its 143-year existence, India are heading into the unknown and face a couple of key selection calls that might decide the fate of the game.
It will always be a temptation to play both Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin in the same team but considering that it is only the start of the summer and pitches are fresh, there is a strong case for a fourth pace bowling option.
In the batting department, Rishabh Pant is not available to bail the team out in case of a top-order collapse. Therefore, the management needs to decide whether it need the ‘x-factor’ of Ishan Kishan or the more reliable wicket-keeping skills of K S Bharat.
The wily Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj pick themselves in the pace department and a call needs to be made between old-horse Umesh Yadav and all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

The quick switch from IPL to playing red ball cricket
Majority of India’s squad members were involved in two-month long IPL and only got a week to train together in the scenic town of Arundel before heading to London.
As a modern-day cricketer, one is expected to smoothly switch formats but playing Test cricket in England is never easy.
The job gets tougher when one has to face the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, who is expected to start in place of injured Josh Hazlewood.
It is being as billed as the ‘Ultimate Test’ and it will indeed be one for proven performers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as well for a rising star like Shubman Gill. Cheteshwar Pujara will look to extend the rich form he has shown in County cricket while Ajinkya Rahane will be itching to deliver in his comeback game.

For Australia, it’s a high-stake ‘warm up’ for Ashes
In comparison to Indians who are match-fit after a long IPL season, Australians will go into the final with fresher mind and body.
Only three of their players were part of the league in India. Players like Cummins chose to prepare back home while Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith got themselves ready for the long summer with County stints.
The game could well be decided by how the top-order of either team fares against high-quality pace. After a couple of prolific seasons, opener Usman Khawaja will be expected to shine on the big stage while David Warner will have a point to prove in the twilight of his career.
Smith averages close to 100 at this ground and India will need to get rid of him early before he takes the game away from their grasp.
No matter how the surface will behave, veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon will continue to ask questions and Cameron Green’s contribution as an all-rounder will be invaluable.

Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadakat, Umesh Yadav
Reserves: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Reserves: Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw
(With PTI inputs)