Kohli, Hardik, Ishant return to India's 18-member squad for first two England TestsBumrah, Ashwin cleared to play, Natarajan rested, while Axar earns call-up

Kohli, Hardik, Ishant return to India's 18-member squad for first two England Tests

Bumrah, Ashwin cleared to play, Natarajan rested, while Axar earns call-up

Hardki The squad was finalised by the newly assembled Indian selection committee headed by former India fast bowler Chetan Sharma. Attending the meeting virtually was India captain Virat Kohli, who had returned home in December from the Australia tour to attend the birth of his first child. Also present at the meeting, which took place hours after India's epic triumph in the Gabba Test, were the four other selectors: Sunil Joshi, Abey Kuruvilla, Debashish Mohanty and Harvinder Singh, who is in Brisbane.

Apart from Kohli, also making a return was Ishant Sharma.He was forced to miss the Test series in Australia as the selectors wanted him to regain complete match fitness despite him recovering completely by mid-November from the injury he picked up during the IPL. Ishant, who is three matches away from becoming only the second India fast bowler after Kapil Dev to play in 100 Tests, proved his match fitness while turning up for Delhi during the group stage of ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Along with Ishant, the Indian fast bowling attack will comprise Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. Both Siraj and Thakur were part of India's historic series win against Australia.has.has been included in India's 18-man squad for the first two Tests of the home series against England, starting next month. ESPNcricinfo understands the national selectors, who met today, have also handed a call-up to left-arm spinner Axar Patel to strengthen the spin department.

Main squad:

Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal

Middle-order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul (subject to fitness after first Test)

Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur

Spinners: R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

Standbyes: KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar, Priyank Panchal

Net bowlers: Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Warrier, K Gowtham, Saurabh Kumar

CBI books Hyderabad-based firm for Rs.4,736.57 crore fraud

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against the city-based Coastal Projects Limited, including against its chairman and others, for allegedly causing a loss of Rs.4736.57 crore to a consortium of banks.

The case was booked based on a complaint received from the State Bank of India on behalf of other member banks – IDBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Exim Bank, according to a CBI press release.

It was alleged that the accused in connivance with unknown public servants and others defrauded the consortium of banks. The account became Non-Performing Asset (NPA) on January 25, 2017 with retrospective effect from October 28, 2013 and reported as fraud on February, 20,2020.

It was also alleged that the borrower company based at Hyderabad during the period 2013-18 had indulged in fabrication of books of accounts, manipulations of t financials to show unrealizable invoked bank guarantee amounts as realizable investments, falsified details of promoters’ contribution, converted receivables from related parties to investments to siphon off banks funds, cheating the SBI and other consortium member banks.

Searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused at Hyderabad and Vijayawada leading to recovery of several incriminating documents and other material evidence TToday

Prominent NRI Devender Reddy Nallamada killed in US

Devender Reddy Nallamada, a prominent Non-Resident Indian (NRI) hailing from Deverakonda of Nalgonda district was killed in Edison, New Jersey on Tuesday (December 29), according to reports reaching here.

Reddy’s death is shrouded in mystery as of now since the police have not released any details as to how the youngster passed away. It was said that Devender Reddy was taking a call and sat in his car and got killed in an explosion. Another version said there was some fire accident involving him. An investigation is on to determine the cause of death.

The picture of a Red car in which Devender Reddy was sitting when he was killed, showed the windshields of the car broken in what appeared to be a minor explosion. Pictures of the car with windshields broken were being shared widely on WhatsApp groups.

Devender Reddy is the official spokesman of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in the United States. He is known for his affable nature and his readiness to help anyone in distress, his friends in the US recalled. He was also very active in forming the American Telangana Society.

Condolence messages continued to pour in on all the WhatsApp groups of Telangana NRIs in the United States mourning his death and fondly recalling association with Devender Reddy Nallamada.T Today

Six including one from Telangana, test positive for UK strain

One traveller from the UK who had returned to Telangana after December 9 tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry and local health authorities said on Tuesday.

The UK returnee in the State was one among six travellers from across the country who tested positive for the new variant. Of the six, three were from Karnataka while one each were from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The person in Telangana has been admitted to a designated government healthcare facility and is receiving treatment in an isolation room. All the close contacts of the individual have been quarantined and their health status is being monitored round the clock.

Senior public health officials in Hyderabad said all-out efforts were under way to break the transmission chains of the new variant in the State. The situation was under control as district surveillance teams had ramped up testing and tracing of close contacts of all individuals who returned from the UK after December 9.

Since December 9, close to 1,216 travellers from the UK have returned to Telangana of which the surveillance teams of the State Health Department managed to track down 996 individuals and conducted RT-PCR tests.

“Of the 996 UK returnees who were tested, 966 tested Covid negative and 21 positive. The results of nine more are awaited. Samples of all the 21 Covid positive patients were sent to CCMB for genome sequencing. However, only one person had the new strain,” Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao said. TToday

GHMC Mayor Election to be Held after February 10, says State Election Commission

GHMC Mayor Election to be Held after February 10, says State Election Commission

(SEC) on Tuesday announced that election of mayor and deputy mayor of Greater Hyderabad will be held after February 10, 2021. The names of elected members of GHMC council will be published in the gazette after January 10, 2021.

The first meeting of GHMC will be held within a month of the publication of names of elected members in gazette,” SEC said. In the first meeting, election of mayor and deputy mayor would be conducted.

Five-year term of the council would commence from the date of the first meeting. For instance, if the names of elected members are published in the gazette before January 11, 2021 then the first meeting would be held before February 11, 2021 where the election for mayor and deputy mayor should be held.

“The gazette notifications is likely to be issued on January 11,” a GHMC official said.TOI

Karnataka Night Curfew From 10 PM-6 AM Until January 2 Over Mutant Strain

Karnataka Night Curfew From 10 PM-6 AM Until January 2 Over Mutant Strain

Amid global fears over the new mutant strain of coronavirus, a night curfew has been announced in Karnataka - between 10 PM to 6 AM - till January 2. Karnataka has become the second state after Maharashtra to announce new restrictions this week as concern grows over the new strain, which is believed to be 70 per cent more infectious. It was first found in the United Kingdom. 

All passengers coming from the UK will have to undergo COVID-19 RT-PCR tests within 72 hours, the state government has said.

In view of the new strain of coronavirus, it has been decided to impose (a) night curfew from today to January 2 between 10 PM to 6 AM. I request everyone to cooperate," Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said today. He had told reporters yesterday "there's no need for night curfew for now," while stressing "we've to be extra cautious", news agency PTI reported.

Army Chief Meets "Fire And Fury Corps" In Ladakh Amid China Standoff

Army Chief Meets "Fire And Fury Corps" In Ladakh Amid China Standoff

Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Wednesday visited various high-altitude forward areas in eastern Ladakh and reviewed India's overall military preparedness as the tense border standoff with China in the region prolonged for over seven months, the Army and official sources said.

The Army said Gen Naravane visited the forward areas including Rechin La and undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation along the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in Ladakh.

Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero temperatures. China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials.PTI

Registration of non-agriculture properties in Telangana categorised Dec 15, 2020

Registration of non-agriculture properties in Telangana categorised

The state government has decided to categorise the non-agriculture land registrations as A, B, C and D groups based on

the demand of area and shift and adjust the staff to complete the respirations in a timely manner.

The Cabinet sub-committee on non-agriculture properties consistingroads and buildings minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy, IT and municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao, home minister Mahmood Ali and

animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Tuesday met

at the BRKR Bhavan. After the meeting, committee chairman Prashanth Reddy and chief secretary Somesh Kumar talking to media reporters said that all the

teething problems currently facing during registrations will get sorted out

in next few days.They said that within three months all required staff will be appointed in

the department.

Triple Talaq Case Booked Against US Citizen

Triple Talaq Case Booked Against US Citizen

The Charminar police have booked a case against a Somalia-born US Citizen for “cheating and giving triple talaq to a Hyderabadi woman over phone”.

The accused has been identified as Abdi Wali Ahmed.

According to the complainant, Saba Fatima, she was married to Abdi Wali Ahmed on 25th January, 2015 on the promise that she would be taken to the US.  Since then Abdi has visited Hyderabad four times.  He took flats on rent in Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam & Malakpet areas and lived with her. He went to Dubai to meet her mother and was there during lockdown and from there he proceeded to the US and on 7th October 2020 he pronounced triple talaq over a call made to her father’s phone, without any reasons.

Sindhu Reddy likely to be next Mayor of Hyderabad

Sindhu Adarsh Reddy, a second-time TRS corporator from Bharathinagar division, is expected to be the next Mayor, replacing Bonthu Rammohan.

Sources in the TRS revealed that Sindhu Reddy was called to Pragathi Bhavan by party boss and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao soon after her election.

The state government has reserved the mayoral seat for a woman from the general category. Sindhu Reddy hails from a political family and her uncle Bhopal Reddy was a TRS MLC.

Sources pointed out that though the TRS chief earlier thought of making a SC woman corporator Mayor, he changed his mind after the results were declared.

Though the TRS emerged as the single largest party with 56 seats, the BJP has managed to strike back. The BJP bagged around 43 seats and candidates from Reddy community won the lion's share.DC