Hundreds of skiers had to be rescued by helicopter on Christmas Eve after chairlifts at two different resorts in the French Alps broke down. Dramatic video shows skiers at SuperDevoluy resort in Dévoluy hanging below a helicopter near a motionless chairlift. n18oc_world n18oc_crux
In a massive blow to Opposition unity, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today said it would ask parties in the INDIA alliance to remove Congress from the bloc if the Grand Old Party does not act against its Delhi leader Ajay Maken.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh today accused the Congress of helping the BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls due in February. “Congress is doing everything to ensure that the BJP benefits in the election. Ajay Maken reads the BJP script, makes statements at the BJP’s behest, and targets AAP leaders on BJP’s instructions. And yesterday, he crossed all limits and called our leader Arvind Kejriwal anti-nation,” Mr Singh said.
The Congress or Ajay Maken have never called any BJP leader in Delhi “anti-national”, Mr Singh said.
The massive face-off comes months after the AAP and Congress contested the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi in alliance. During the general election, leaders of both parties had campaigned for each other’s candidates. The efforts, however, came to naught because the BJP won all seven seats in the capital.
“Arvind Kejriwal had campaigned for Congress candidates in Delhi. He campaigned for Congress in Chandigarh too. AAP repeatedly stands with the Congress on issues in Parliament. And you are calling our leader anti-national, Youth Congress is registering FIR against him?”
Mr Singh then referred to the Haryana Assembly polls and said the AAP had tried its best to ally with Congress. “But the Congress disagreed. So we fought the election but did not utter an inappropriate word for Congress or its leaders. Show us one statement,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said “all limits have been crossed”. “The audacity Ajay Maken has show, I demand that the Congress acts against him within 24 hours. Otherwise we will approach the partners in INDIA alliance and seek removal of Congress from the bloc,” he said.
Chief Minister Atishi said the Congress’s actions and words make it clear that it has “tied up” with the BJP for the Delhi election. “Has the Congress ever filed a police complaint against BJP? No. But they are doing so against AAP leaders.”
Delhi Congress yesterday released a 12-point “white paper” targeting the AAP and BJP for mismanagement of pollution, civic facilities and law and order in Delhi.
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken said AAP came to power riding on an anti-corruption movement but has failed to set up a Janlokpal in Delhi. “If there is one word to describe former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal here then it would be Farziwal,” he said. “If anyone is the king of fraud in the entire country then it is Kejriwal and that is why we have come here with a white paper on the Kejriwal government and also on the BJP government at the Centre,” Mr Maken added.
AAP, despite being part of the INDIA Opposition bloc, are arch-rivals in Delhi and Punjab. In Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had unseated Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and ended the Grand Old Party’s 15-year rule in the national capital.
Virat Kohli, former India captain, has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee in the India vs Australia 4th Test in Melbourne after a shoulder barge incident with debutant Sam Konstas on Thursday, sources told NDTV. The incident happened after the completion of the 10th over of the Australian innings when the players were crossing over. Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch. Both players quickly turned around to glance at each other and engage in a heated exchange of words with Konstas’ teammate Usman Khawaja stepping in to separate them.
The on-field umpires also had a word with the two. “Virat Kohli has been slapped with a Level 1 offence. He has been fined 20 per cent of the match fees,” a source told NDTV. After incident, many former players predicted that Kohli may face suspension but that has not happened as he has been charged with a Level 1 offence. Level 2 offences carry a penalty of three to four demerit points. Four demerit points would lead to a suspension of one Test.
Kohli and Konstas come together and make contact #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/adb09clEqd
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 26, 2024
Speaking to reporters after Stumps on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test, Konstas said Kohli bumped into him and it wasn’t deliberate.
“Virat Kohli accidentally bumped into me, that’s cricket and can happen with tension,” said the teenager. “I think the emotions got to both of us,” Konstas had told ‘Channel 7’ during the second session.
“I didn’t quite realise, I was doing my gloves, then a little shoulder charge, but it happens in cricket,” he added.
Konstas, who was batting on 27 at the time, went on to hit Jasprit Bumrah for two boundaries and a six in the next over. The teenager scored a stunning fifty on debut before Ravindra Jadeja trapped him leg before wicket.
Konstas might have dismissed it as routine but former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting blamed Kohli for instigating the exchange. He went to the extent of saying that Kohli could face disciplinary action for it. “Have a look where Virat walks. Virat’s walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation. No doubt in my mind whatsoever,” Ponting said on Channel 7 while watching the replay of the incident.
“I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that. Fielders should be nowhere near the batsman at that stage.
“It looked to me that Konstas looked up really late, wouldn’t even know anyone is in front of him. That man on-screen there (Kohli) might have a few questions to answer,” Ponting added.
With PTI inputs