"Absolutely Inhuman": Manipur MLA On Highway Blockade In Crisis-Hit State

The killing of two men in Manipur's Kangpokpi district yesterday by suspected insurgents had led to a shutdown call, including the blocking of National Highway 2, by an organisation of the Kuki tribes.

Valley-based civil society groups have, however, criticised the move to block the highway as punishing an entire population over the action of armed miscreants.

Manipur's lifelines that pass through hill areas are the first casualty whenever local tensions arise; they are immediately blocked - sometimes for months - by any group to use as a leverage for their demand.

One of the two men, Henminlen Vaiphei, who was killed on Monday, served in the Indian Reserve Battalion. Unidentified armed assailants ambushed them while they were travelling in a Maruti Gypsy on Monday, the Manipur Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

On 20.11.2023, at Khonsakhul-L. Munlai Junction, Kangpokpi, two individuals, including one police personnel of 6th IRB namely Henminlen Vaiphei, lost their lives in an ambush by unidentified armed assailants while traveling in a Maruti Gypsy. Security forces immediately launched...

— Manipur Police (@manipur_police) November 20, 2023

After the incident, the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) in a statement announced the "emergency shutdown" in the district where one of the lifelines of Manipur passes through.

"... We are no longer safe under the partisan government... The meeting calls for an early materialisation of the demand for separation from Manipur... Political separation is the only option left now," the Kangpokpi group that represents the hill-majority Kuki tribes, similar to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), said in the statement.

Kangpokpi is 45 km from the state capital Imphal, the valley area where a majority of the Meiteis live. Both communities have been engaged in ethnic clashes since May.

Manipur's independent MLA Nishikant Singh Sapam, condemning the sudden highway blockade, told NDTV only two highways connect the state with the rest of the country, and "imposing a blockade on these lifelines by anyone is similar to choking a person by the neck and threatening their survival".

"This is absolutely inhuman, totally unlawful. Essential items reach in trickles with great difficulty, leading to price rise, making survival a lot more difficult to the already difficult situation in Manipur. This practice (of blocking highways) must stop. It's cruelty to an extreme level," said Mr Sapam, who is based in Imphal.

Highway blockades in Manipur add more burden to transporters and eventually the consumers due to daylight extortion that operates as an open secret. NDTV on September 15 reported that the cost of illegal highway 'tax' extorted from truck drivers in Manipur is passed on to consumers in the ethnic violence-hit state.

The prices of essentials and other goods have risen between 10 per cent and 30 per cent, depending on the item. Fruit and fish cost 50 per cent more in Manipur, compared to other states.

The ethnic unrest in Manipur began on May 3 following a protest by the Kuki tribes against the Meiteis' demand for inclusion under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. Though the immediate cause of the ethnic clashes is said to be over the Meities' demand for ST tag, many leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar have said entry of illegal immigrants is one of the main factors behind the unrest in the northeast state, which is ruled by the BJP.

India's anti-terror body the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said it is looking into an alleged transnational conspiracy involving terror groups hiding in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Manipur to exploit the ethnic violence in the northeast state.

The centre last week extended by five years the ban on nine Meitei extremist groups and their associate organisations, which mostly operate in Manipur, for anti-national activities and launching attacks on security forces.

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PM's Adviser On How India Could Have Become $5 Trillion Economy Long Ago

India could have achieved Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of a $5 trillion GDP target "long before" if not for the habit of importing gold, a member of his economic advisory team said on Monday.

Mutual fund industry veteran Nilesh Shah, a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM (EACPM), said that in the last 21 years, Indians have spent around $500 billion on gold imports alone.

"We are working towards achieving the PM's $5 trillion GDP target. But by avoiding this just one habit, we would have become a $5 trillion economy long before. We have probably lost one-third of India's GDP by simply not following the right financial investment," the MD and chief executive of Kotak Asset Management Company said.

Citing official data, Mr Shah said Indians have spent $375 billion on gold imports on a net basis in the last 21 years and added that we keep reading about Customs' gold seizures on a regular basis, which makes it evident that smuggling is rampant.

Moreover, people come back with gold jewellery from destinations like Dubai and successfully walk out of the Green Channel at the port of landing, he noted.

"Instead of investing in gold, if that money was invested in our golden entrepreneurs like the Tatas, Ambanis, Birlas, Wadia and Adani, imagine what would have been our GDP? What would have been growth, what would have been our per capita GDP?" he said.

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

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Sam Altman To Steve Jobs, 5 CEOs Who Were Fired From Their Own Company

Sam Altman, who had been leading OpenAI as CEO since 2019, was sacked by the company's board on Saturday after it claimed it  "lost confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI". Mr Altman is set to join Microsoft. Meanwhile, Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear was appointed as interim CEO of the AI firm.   

However, Mr Altman is not the only CEO who has been fired from the company. Here is a list of high-profile founders ousted from their own companies. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the World of Statistics posted a list of founders who were fired from their companies in the past. The caption read, "Founders who were fired from their own businesses: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Steve Jobs, Apple, Jack Dorsey, Twitter, Noah Glass, Twitter, Travis Kalanick, Uber..."

See the post here:

Founders who were fired from their own businesses:

🇺🇸 Sam Altman, OpenAI
🇺🇸 Steve Jobs, Apple
🇺🇸 Jack Dorsey, Twitter
🇺🇸 Noah Glass, Twitter
🇺🇸 Travis Kalanick, Uber
🇺🇸 Andrew Mason, Groupon
🇺🇸 Jerry Yang, Yahoo
🇺🇸 David Neeleman, JetBlue
🇺🇸 Rob Kalin, Etsy
🇺🇸 Dov Charney,…

— World of Statistics (@stats_feed) November 18, 2023

Steve Jobs

In 1985, Steve Jobs, one of the co-founders of the tech giant Apple, was fired from the company following a clash with the board of directors. The grounds for his ousting were attributed to Jobs' confrontational management style and perceived deficiencies in interpersonal skills.

Nevertheless, Steve Jobs made a triumphant return to Apple in 1997, assuming the role of CEO. During his second tenure, he propelled Apple to new heights, leading as the chief executive for the subsequent 14 years before eventually passing the leadership torch to Tim Cook.

Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey, one of the co-founders of Twitter, was ousted from his position as CEO in 2008. The company's board of directors deemed him unsuitable to lead the company due to several factors, including his inability to resolve a recurring outage issue that caused frequent service disruptions, the absence of a backup system for the entire Twitter network, and his penchant for leaving work early to pursue interests in fashion design and yoga.

However, Mr Dorsey was reinstated as CEO in 2015 and held the position for six years before resigning in 2021. Parag Agrawal took over as CEO following Mr Dorsey's departure.

Travis Kalanick

Uber's CEO, Travis Kalanick, stepped down from his position in 2017. His resignation came just a week after he had taken an indefinite leave of absence. The company was embroiled in a major crisis in February when a former employee published a blog post alleging widespread gender discrimination and sexual harassment within the organization.

Jerry Yang

Yahoo Inc co-founder Jerry Yang stepped down in 2012, appeasing shareholders who had blasted the Internet pioneer for pursuing an ineffective personal vision and impeding investment deals that could have transformed the struggling company, Reuters reported.

Mr Yang's abrupt departure comes two weeks after Yahoo appointed Scott Thompson as its new CEO, with a mandate to return the once-leading Internet portal to the heights it enjoyed in the 1990s.

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Unidentified Flying Object Near Imphal Airport: What Exactly Happened

The controlled airspace of Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Manipur's capital Imphal was closed for commercial flight operations today for nearly three hours after an unidentified flying object was seen.

Here are the details of what happened, according to sources in the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

At 2.30 pm, the Imphal air traffic control (ATC) got a call from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) control room that an unidentified flying object was seen just above the ATC tower.

The object was visible from the terrace of the ATC tower; people on the ground including airline and CISF personnel also saw it. The object's colour was white.

It flew over the terminal building, moved southwards above the ATC tower and remained stationary there for some time. Then it moved southwest of the runway, where it remained till 4.05 pm before it disappeared. The sunset was at 4.26 pm.

Kolkata-Imphal IndiGo Flight

In the meantime, an IndiGo A320 flying from Kolkata to Imphal with 173 passengers on board was told to keep a holding pattern until the ATC got clearance from the security agencies - CISF, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Superintendent of Police (Imphal West). The IndiGo flight remained in a holding pattern for 25 minutes, after which it was diverted to Guwahati in Assam at 3.03 pm.

Delhi-Imphal IndiGo Flight

Another IndiGo A320 flying from Delhi to Imphal with 183 passengers on board was diverted to Kolkata at 4.05 pm.

The ATC in Imphal and the airport director alerted the Delhi watch supervisory officer (WSO), Guwahati WSO, Kolkata WSO, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Guwahati, Indian Air Force (IAF) in Silchar, the IAF's Eastern Air Command in Shillong, the IAF military liaison unit in Kolkata; Manipur Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Home Commissioner, BCAS regional director, Superintendent of Police (Imphal West), and District Commissioner (Imphal West).

Aircraft On Apron

Three flights - two Air India and an Indigo aircraft - were still parked on the apron while the airspace was closed.

All airport operations were kept on hold till further notice and a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) of airspace closure was flashed. A NOTAM contains information about the condition or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.

At 3.55 pm, the Eastern Air Command began scanning the Imphal airspace for threats till 5.35 pm. Subsequently, the Eastern Air Command in Shillong allowed Imphal airport to resume normal operations.

"IAF activated its air defence response mechanism based on visual inputs from Imphal airport. The small object was not seen thereafter," the Eastern Air Command said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Thereafter, the BCAS regional director in Imphal, the DGCA director of air safety in Kolkata and the Joint Action Centre committee comprising Manipur officials gave the go-ahead at 5.45 pm.

The Imphal ATC resumed charge of the airspace and aircraft operations restarted at 5.50 pm. The NOTAM was subsequently cancelled.

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"We Were Not Good Enough": Rohit After World Cup Final Loss

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team won everything on its way to the final of the Cricket World Cup but failed in the final hurdle. A strong Australian cricket team clinched a record-extending sixth World Cup title by defeating India by six wickets. For India, their decade-long wait for a major ICC Trophy continued. After the Cricket World Cup final, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma admitted that they lost to a better team. "The result has not gone our way. We were not good enough today. We tried everything but it wasn't supposed to be. 20-30 runs more would have been good, KL and Kohli were stitching a good partnership and we were looking at 270-280 but we kept losing wickets," Rohit Sharma said after the match. 

"When you have 240 on the board, you want to take wickets but credit to Head and Labuschagne for putting us out of the game, but I feel wicket got slightly better to bat under lights. Don't want to give that as an excuse. We didn't put enough runs on the board. Credit to those two guys in the middle for putting up an outstanding partnership."

India's dreams of winning a third World Cup title lay in tatters after an inexplicable meltdown saw them crash to a six-wicket defeat against an indefatigable Australia here on Sunday, plunging the cricket-obsessed country into deep mourning.
Australia thus won a record-extending sixth World Cup title, stretching their dominance in the tournament that started way back in 1975.

Put in to bat, India ended up with a below-par 240 despite contributions from Rohit Sharma (47 off 31 balls), Virat Kohli (54 off 63) and K L Rahul (66 off 107).

Just like his performance in the WTC final against India in June, Travis Head made a match-winning 137 off 120 balls as Australia chased down the target in 43 overs.

Indian hopes were raised when Australia lost three wickets for 47 but a 192-run partnership between Head and Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out) shut the door on the opposition.

Australia's brilliant bowling and fielding also went a long way in their emphatic win. The dew in the evening also made batting easier on a slow and dry surface.

India, who were the only unbeaten side going into the final after 10 wins on the trot, fell flat in the final hurdle. Their last world title came way back in 2011 and their last ICC trophy was the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013.

India's defeats in the ICC events over the past decade include the loss in 2014 World T20 final, 2016 World T20 semifinal, 2017 Champions Trophy final, 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal, 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal and back-to-back runners-up finish in the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship cycle.

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Where India Lost ODI World Cup Final To Australia - Five Turning Points

The Indian cricket team stumbled on the final hurdle in their quest for World Cup glory. Rohit Sharma and Co. were bowled out for 240 before Australia strode to a six-wicket win in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. We take a look at the five turning points that led to India's defeat in the final.

Shubman Gill fails to fire

Put into bat on a slow pitch, the Indian opener encountered difficulty in stroke-making. Rohit Sharma batted fluently at one end but Shubman Gill couldn't provide India with a strong start in the final. A solid opening start was the success formula of the team's previous 10-match unbeaten run in the tournament.

The Australian bowlers read the conditions well, utilising slower deliveries to stop the Indian batters from playing their shots early on. Gill made an early exit, failing to make a significant impact on the scoring. Similarly, Rohit Sharma continued to take the attack to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the initial phase of the innings before he was dismissed by Glenn Maxwell.

Slow middle overs

Following Shubman Gill's dismissal in the fifth over, Rohit Sharma continued to play attacking strokes, contributing a 31-ball 47 before getting out in the 10th over.

Despite the skipper's departure, India were in a comfortable position at 80/2 at that stage. However, it was in the next 20 overs that India lost the match. Following the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer (4), India were 81/3 in the 11th over.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul got down to shore the Indian innings. The duo put on a 67-run partnership for the fourth wicket. But the Australians kept a check on the Indian batters. The Indian duo took minimal risk and failed to take the attack to the Australians. In the 11 to 20 overs phase, India could only accumulate only 35 runs for a loss of one wicket. In the 21 to 30 overs phase, India could score only 37 runs for the loss of one wicket. Overall, India scored only 13 boundaries and three sixes in the entire innings.

Holding back Suryakumar Yadav

Indian batters struggled to score on a slow pitch and were 148/4 at one stage. Virat Kohli had just departed for a 63-ball 54. Everyone expected Suryakumar Yadav to join KL Rahul in the middle, yet, to the surprise of many, Ravindra Jadeja took the crease. The all-rounder was expected to accelerate India's run rate, but Jadeja could only muster a 22-ball 9 before returning to the pavilion.

In hindsight, it appears India missed an opportunity by not sending Suryakumar Yadav up in the batting order. Renowned for his big-hitting prowess, had the Mumbai batter come in earlier and played in his characteristic style, India might have achieved a more formidable score on the board.

Not bowling Mohammed Siraj early

During India's impressive 10-match winning streak, the bowlers played a pivotal role in securing victories. The pace combination of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj was particularly effective in providing early breakthroughs for the team. However, on the crucial day, Rohit Sharma opted to open the bowling with Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. While this decision led to a promising start, with Australia reduced to 47/3, opting not to hand the new Mohammed Siraj proved detrimental for India. Siraj, known for his potency with the new ball, was less effective when brought in as the first change, especially bowling with a slightly older ball in the middle overs.

Not going for the kill

India had Australia reeling at 47/3 early on in defence of a modest total. Early breakthroughs by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami rekindled India's prospects in the match.

However, the team couldn't capitalise on the advantageous situation. The Men in Blue failed to exert pressure on the opponent and conceded the momentum.

Travis Head (137) and Marnus Labuschagne (58) put on a 192-run partnership for the fourth wicket to steer Australia out of danger and set them up for a historic sixth World Cup title. If India had seized the opportunity and capitalised on Australia's poor start, the outcome of the final could have been different for Rohit Sharma and Co.

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Watch: Rohit, Siraj In Tears After India's Heartbreaking Loss In WC Final

A scintillating century by Travis Head proved to be the point of difference as Australia beat India by seven wickets to clinch their sixth ICC Cricket World Cup title at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Australia have officially won a World Cup title in the decades of 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. For India, their decade-long wait for a major ICC Trophy continues as after overcoming the semifinal hurdle, they have lost in the final. In the chase of 241, Men in Blue started off with an expensive over by Jasprit Bumrah as he was smashed for 15 runs, including three fours. Also, a catch was missed on the first ball itself. But Virat Kohli, who had missed the catch in the first over, made up for his error as Mohammed Shami struck in his first over, removing David Warner for just seven. India was 16/1 in 1.1 overs.

Mitchell Marsh was the next batter up. He displayed some attacking intent with some big shots, but Jasprit Bumrah removed him for 15 after he was caught behind by wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul. Australia was 41/2 in 4.3 overs.

Siraj full of tears#INDvAUS #INDvsAUS #AUSvIND#AUSvsIND #INDvAUSFinal #INDvsAUSfinalpic.twitter.com/NGQzSDGgQ1

— Dank jetha (@Dank_jetha) November 19, 2023

Steve Smith, Australia's premier batter, was trapped leg-before wicket for four. Australia was 47/3 in seven overs.

At the end of the first ten overs of the powerplay, Australia was 60/3.

Australia reached the 100-run mark in 19.1 overs.

Nothing is more painful than watching tears in Rohit Sharma eyes again after 2019 CWC!

#INDvsAUS #RohitSharma #INDvsAUSFinal pic.twitter.com/shA95pQG46

— Saurabh Singh (@100rabhsingh781) November 19, 2023

Travis reached his half-century in 58 balls, with six fours and a six. Marnus Labuschagne also maintained the strike rotation and supported Head from the other end.

Australia kept marching towards victory and reached the 150-run mark in 27.1 overs.

Travis proved himself as a player for big stages yet again, bringing up his century in 95 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes.

India simply had no answers to Australia's brilliance as the five-time champions reached the 200-run mark in 36.3 overs.

Labuschagne reached his fifty, his third of the tournament, in 99 balls, with three fours.

Head was about to go for the winning runs, but was caught by Gill for 137 off 120 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes. Australia was 239/4 in 42.5 overs.

Australia clinched their sixth World Cup title, with Glenn Maxwell hitting the winning runs with seven overs and six wickets in hand.

Bumrah took two wickets while Shami took a wicket. Siraj took a wicket as well.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's gritty half-centuries powered India to 240 against Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Australia put on a stunning display of tight and belligerent bowling to bundle out India for 240 after pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins broke the back of the hosts' batting line-ups early in the innings.

Rahul scored the most for India with 66 runs off 107 deliveries, while Kohli played a fine knock of 54 runs after Rohit Sharma's 47-run knock set a solid platform for his team.

Put to bat first, Rohit got off to a fast start, hitting a four and a six in the first over and a six and four in the fourth. Even when Josh Hazlewood was under pressure, Mitchell Starc struck in the fifth over as he removed Shubman Gill for four runs. A mistimed front foot pull brought the end of Gill's stay at the crease.

The flood of runs continued as Virat Kohli set his sights early on Starc and blasted a hat-trick of fours. However, India's aggressive streak was cut short again near the end of the first powerplay. Travis Head sprinted back from the covers and held on to an incredible stunner off Rohit's mistimed ball towards the off-side.

Soon after the first Powerplay, the aggressive Shreyas Iyer was dismissed, nicking one behind the wicket. Even as India attempted to re-establish itself following the initial blows, the limits dried up.

Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and Kohli continued to restructure India's batting order. Pat Cummins kept changing bowlers in an attempt to get a breakthrough, but India made it reach the mid-innings mark without losing another wicket. India appeared to be gaining momentum after Kohli's sixth consecutive fifty in the ongoing World Cup.

Cummins struck again for Australia, this time with a short ball against the well-set batter Kohli. The 36-year-old ended his ODI World Cup 2023 journey with the most runs by a batter in a single edition of the prestigious tournament with a total of 765 runs.

This loss drove India back into defensive mode. Ravindra Jadeja, who sent in at no. 6 ahead of Suryakumar Yadav to get the left-right combo going, was pleased to whack the ball around the ground along with Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batter Rahul reached his fifty in the 35th over mark.

As the ball started to reverse swing, Australia's pacers found greater help from the wicket. Josh Hazlewood struck in the 37th over, getting Jadeja to nick one behind the wicket. India reached their 200 in the 41st over.

However, wickets continued to fall, as Jasprit Bumrah was the next to go, caught in front by Adam Zampa, who finished with 1/44 from ten overs.

And the audience fell silent when Hazlewood bowled Suryakumar Yadav in the 47th over.

India lost the wickets of Rahul (66), Mohammed Shami (6), Jasprit Bumrah (1) and Suryakumar Yadav (18) in quick succession and eventually bowled out for 240 in 50 overs.

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