tirupati l monday l november 21, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION elon Musk restores Donald trump’s twitter account The decision was taken on Sunday after Twitter users narrowly voted to reinstate the ex-US president’s account Don says he would keep away from it ■ 88 million over 15 million take part in Musk’s poll Trump, who last week announced his presidential bid, said he would stick to his own platform Truth Social, founded in 2021, and sees no point in returning to the Musk-run platform. Even if Trump is eventually lured back to Twitter, there will be constraints like the obligation to wait for six hours before reposting his content from Truth Social ■ More than 15 million people – some 6% of daily Twitter users — voted on whether to reinstate the former president’s profile, with about 51.8% in favour and 48.2% against The controversial account appeared to be back online as of Sunday morning with the last tweet dated January 8, 2021 users were following trump when his account was suspended CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI World’s grandest sporting carnival kicked off in Doha as hosts lose to Ecuador in first match Auto explosion a terror attack: K’taka police D i v ya C u t i n h o @ Mangaluru Fireworks go off at the Al Bayt Stadium during the glittering Opening Ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. In the inaugural match of the tournament, Ecuador beat hosts Qatar 2-0 | ap Qatar opens to World  With American actor Morgan Freeman’s dulcet voice and an Arabian theme with camels, the opening ceremony began with a promise of “everyone is welcome.”  No leaders of major Western countries were seen at the ceremony.  The presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi shows how far Qatar has come since the boycott that saw its sole land border and air routes cut off for years as part of a political dispute. Contenders in action Euro big guns England and Netherlands will be in action on Monday along with African champs Senegal. Talking points ahead of Monday’s FIFA World Cup matches... Can England go one step further? Mane a huge miss for Senegal Netherlands seek grand return There’s no dearth of talent in the England squad and the hopes are high this time. In last year’s Euros, they reached their first major final in 55 years. They will be hoping that Harry Kane & Co can do a repeat of 1966. With France, Brazil & Argentina in the mix, that will be a difficult task but it will be unwise to rule them out. Sadio Mane is a household in his country. A leader by definition, he was instrumental in the team’s success. In his absence, the team will be hoping youngsters like Krepin Diatta, will step up. The young guns tested from the word go as they face Netherlands in their opening match. The Oranje are back after failing to qualify for 2018 tournament in Russia. Coach Louis van Gaal, despite his illness, has been a massive figure and the players will be determined go deep into the tournament. It will also be a first major tournament for captain Virgil van Dijk (31), who missed the Euro 2020 last year, due to ACL. Group B: England vs Iran | 6.30pm; USA vs Wales (Tue, 12:30am). Gaal’s gallant fight calls to quit Guv Koshyari’s remark on Shivaji creates stir in Maha Sudhir Suryawanshi @ Mumbai Maharashtra’s Opposition on Sunday demanded that Bhagat Singh Koshyari step down as the state’s governor over his remark that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is an idol of “olden times”. Attending a function in Aurangabad on Saturday, Koshyari said, “There are so many icons here (in Maharashtra). While Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is of olden time, there are Ambedkar and Nitin Gadkari,” the gover nor had said. Reacting to the statement, the leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said if Koshyari has has no right to continue in the post. “It is time for Koshyari to reconsider his continuing as state governor. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a great role model on how to use power for people’s welfare and not self interest. These ideals have inspired Maharashtra and will continue to do so for time immemorial,” Pawar said. Reacting to Koshyari’s comment, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said as long as there is sun and moon, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be their idol and there is no second thought over it. Defending the governor, he further said even Koshyari had no doubts that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the only idol. “There are various meanings derived from the remarks made by the governor,” he said. Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (9:30pm) Louis van Gaal has had a very traumatic year. In April, after his team the Netherlands, qualified for the World Cup, he revealed that he was suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer and that he had had chemotherapy sessions. But here at the World Cup, he wants to produce one last grand hurray before he fades from view in a sport that offers little time for reflection and emotion. Samindra Kunti, who has followed Dutch soccer closely, gives us a peek into the man and his mission from Doha... A mysterious low-intensity blast in a moving autorickshaw in Mangaluru on Saturday got a twist with the Karnataka Police on Sunday confirming that it was an act of terror. The blast occurred around 4.40 pm on Saturday near Naguri in Mangaluru. The accused had hired the auto to go to Pumpwell, a locality in the city . By the time the vehicle moved a few metres, the blast occurred, the rickshaw driver said. According to the police, the accused was carrying a pressure cooker with an improvised explosive device inside it. Items resembling an A cooker with detonator, wires and batteries found at the blast site | pti electric circuit, wires, nuts, bolts and batteries were found at the blast site, which led the police to conclude that it was a DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA @ Ahmedabad PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted the Congress for letting anti-Narmada activist Medha Patkar take part in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, alleging the grand old party wants to destroy Gujarat. Addressing a meeting as part of the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections, he questioned the moral ground on which the Congress can votes when its leader is walking should-to-shoulder with a person who stalled the state’s development for decades. While canvassing for BJP candidates in the day, he appealed to voters not to waste their votes on the Congress, which, he alleged, doesn’t have a roadmap for development. He added that other parties in the country were compelled to speak about development during elections thanks to the BJP’s development policies. Medha Patkar had joined the Yatra last week in Maharashtra and photos of Rahul speaking to the activist with his hand on her shoulder were tweeted by the Congress, drawing flak from the BJP . Earlier, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had also raised Patkar in the poll campaign, highlighting her association with the AAP . Gujarat will vote in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 8. K M a d h u S u d h a k a r @ Kurnool mGruha, where abandoned children in the age group of 0 to 5 are provided shelter till their adoption, in the district is crying for attention. The dilapidated building leaks when it rains. It does not have even drinking water facility. Generally, philanthropists supply water to the Shishu Gruha at the request of the staff. The home for abandoned children mainly runs with donations from philanthropists. Eight children -- four male and four female -- are presently provided shelter in the Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) also called Shishu Gruha. The walls of the dilapidated building has developed cracks and electrical wiring has become old. The conditions outside the building too are untidy. Stray dogs and pigs frequently enter the Shishu Gruha premises Tharoor’s stature rises in Kerala after ‘unofficial ban’ EYEING the chief ministerial post in the 2026 Kerala Assembly polls, Shashi Tharoor on Sunday kicked off his Malabar tour. The move, coming close on the heels of his running for the AICC president’s post, has made him the central figure in the Congress in the state, and has started polarising party leaders and workers for and against him. Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan, who spearheads the Tharoor camp, said given the Thiruvananthapuram MP’s tall stature, he should be made the Congress’ face in the state. He also urged the party leadership to order a probe into the “unannounced ban” on Tharoor by the state leadership. Tharoor also endorsed Raghavan’s demand for a probe. The Kozhikode district unit of the Youth Congress had announced a seminar to be held on Sunday on ‘Sangh Parivar and Challenges to Secularism’ with Tharoor as the main speaker. However, they backtracked on the programme on Saturday without citing any reasons. The Tharoor camp sees this as a result of the party leadership’s intervention. The programme, however, went on as planned after Kozhikode Jawahar Youth Foundation, a pro-Congress group, agreed to organise it. Sources, the Congress leadership, both at the national and state level, is peeved at Tharoor for creating a parallel setup within the organisation. IMD issues heavy rain alert in south coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema in next two days E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Prakasam, Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa and Annamayya districts in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema have been put on high alert with India Meteorological Department warning of heavy rains under the impact of depression in the Bay of Bengal. According to the IMD national bulletin, the depression over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 6 kmph and lay centered at 630 km southeast of Chennai at 11.30 am on Sunday It is . very likely to maintain its intensity and move slowly west northwest- dence against the accused, but refused to reveal his identity . “The relatives of the accused will reach the hospital tonight and after they identify him, we will reveal his identity,” he said. “The man has sustained 45% burns on his face and he is unable to talk. We are investigating his connections. We have taken the statement of the auto driver,” he said, adding, “We are investigating how he made a bomb and where he was taking it to. Two other persons have been detained. A team of the National Investigation Agency reached the spot and collected evidence, which was sent to Bengaluru. Kurnool Shishu Gruha cries for attention C y n t h i a C h a nd r a n @ T’Puram Modi slams Rahul for walking with Medha terror incident. “The blast is an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage,” Karnataka Director General & Inspector General o f Po l i c e P r ave e n S o o d tweeted. Police sources said the accused was carrying a low-intensity IED, and as such, the impact of the blast was low. “Maybe he is inexperienced and could not make a strong IED. He might have wanted to plant it somewhere and it went off during transit,” said a police officer on condition of anonymity . ADGP Law and Order, Alok , Kumar visited the blast site on Sunday night. He said the police have gathered strong evi- wards towards North Tamil NaduPuducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 48 hours. Under the influence of depression, isolated heavy rainfall is expected in south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions on Monday and Tuesday while light , to moderate rainfall is likely at several places in the two regions and some places in north coastal Helpline APSDMA can be contacted for any details pertaining to depression and emergency help on phone Nos 1070, 180004250101, 08632377118. Andhra. Squally winds with a speed of 4555 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is likely to prevail along and off Andhra Pradesh coast from Sunday night to Tuesday Sea condition will be rough . to very rough and fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea for the next two days. BR Ambedkar, Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), which is monitoring the development, said administrations of all south coastal and Rayalaseema districts have been alerted. Farmers are advised to store the harvested crop. Standing crops are likely to be hit due to heavy rains. posing a threat to the infants. An SAA should mandatorily have a sick room, general room, dormitory kitchen, store room, , guest room, counselling room, waiting room, dining hall, play room and others as per norms. The SAA in Kurnool, however, is run from one of the oldest gover nment quarters, which is 2BKH (two bedrooms, and a kitchen). Initially, the Shishu Gruha was located at Peddapadu village on the outP4 skirts of Kurnool city  . express read Urban Food Plaza in R’varam from December 1 Rajamahendravaram: The Municipal Corporation of Rajamahendravaram is making arrangements to launch Urban Food Plaza at the Arts College road in the city from December 1. According to Municipal Commissioner K Dinesh Kumar, 33 stalls will be set up in the eat street with timings of 7 to 11 pm. Lanka mulls repealing anti-terror law used against LTTE suspects Colombo: Amid pressure from the European Union, the Sri Lankan government is moving to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), introduced in 1979 in the wake of LTTE’s separatist campaign. The controversial law allowed the government to hold Tamils in detention for decades without charges. A new law is being drafted that will take its place | P10