Daily wrap: Modi sworn in for second time; ICC World Cup begins
Modi sworn in as Prime Minister for second term
Narendra Modi took over as the country’s Prime Minister for a second term on Thursday (May 30) after he was sworn in along with Union ministers, including BJP president Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and former foreign secretary S Jaishankar – a surprise pick. At least 58 ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy. Modi, 68, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at a glittering ceremony at the forecourt of the majestic Rashtraparti Bhavan. “Honoured to serve India!” tweeted Modi after taking the oath for the second consecutive term. Apart from Shah, Singh, Gadkari, the other top leaders who were sworn-in as cabinet ministers included D V Sadananda Gowda, Nirmala Sitharaman and Ram Vilas Paswan.
Jagan Mohan Reddy sworn in as Andhra Pradesh CM
YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who led his YSR Congress Party to a thumping victory in the Assembly elections, was sworn in Thursday (May 30) as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 46-year-old leader, whose party emerged victorious in 151 seats in the 175-member strong state assembly. The YSR Congress decimated the TDP headed by N Chandrababu Naidu who became the first chief minister of the state after it was bifurcated to carve out Telangana five years ago. The YSRC also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recently concluded polls. Reddy took the oath in Telugu at 12.23 pm amid thunderous cheers by scores of party leaders and workers in a brief ceremony at the IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada.
Nesamani returns: After ‘chowkidar’, TN roots for ‘contractor’
A recent social media buzz about ‘Nesamani’ has again brought Tamil Nadu under the limelight. Known for its movie stars’ successful political plunges, the state has become talk of the town due to a meme created on a film star. A comedy scene featuring character of Nesamani in the 2000 Tamil movie ‘Friends’, which was a remake of a Malayalam movie having the same name, has made a come back and triggered hashtag trends on the social media. In the movie, popular comedian Vadivelu played the role of Nesamani, a painting contractor. Following this, many Tamilians have added the prefix ‘contractor’ to their names on their social media handles, quite similar to the ‘chowkidar’ campaign run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run up to the recently-concluded general elections.
ICC World Cup: Will English fans cheer ‘It’s coming home’?
England masterfully colonised almost a quarter of the world at the peak of the British Empire’s rule, but when it comes to winning sporting events, the country does pretty poorly. The English are yet to win the 50-over ICC World Cup though they claim cricket as their national game. The famous slogan — ‘It’s coming home’ — used by English fans during the football world cup last year failed miserably and fans from other nations trolled England for their defeat. The team last won the FIFA tournament in 1966, when they were hosts. But maybe the slogan can apply to cricket this year. This time, the English cricket team is filled with a new generation of players like 2018 FIFA team. England is said to have started a new level of sport after the 2015 World Cup when it won 58 of the 88 matches it played with a winning percentage of 2.52. It is currently ranked No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings.
A clash of two English giants in the UEFA Champions League finals
Four English clubs in two European finals. Three of them from London. One of them — Chelsea — already champions of the Europa League after demolishing Arsenal 4-1. The third, Tottenham Hotspur, come up against mighty Liverpool in the final for the trophy with the big ears — the UEFA Champions League. Tournament football is odd in the way it manages to kick out reigning domestic champions, which is why it’s so difficult to do a league and European double. Ask Manchester City — they’ve had a stunning season, winning everything in England only to be knocked out by the Spurs in the Champions League. Spurs finished 27 points behind City in the Premier League, and haven’t signed a single player in three transfer windows. That’s just one of the examples. The match on May 2 will decide who wins but there may be no losers.
Serena Williams moves forward in French Open
Serena Williams put her nervy start to the French Open behind her by thrashing Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara on Thursday to step up her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title. The 37-year-old cruised into the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier. Williams will face Sofia Kenin for a last-16 spot, after her fellow American received a walkover following Canadian Bianca Andreescus withdrawal through injury.
