Ballon d'Or Organisers Break Silence On Real's 'Boycott Over Vinicius Snub'

The organisers of the Ballon d'Or award insisted on Monday that "no player or club" knows who has won the award, responding to Real Madrid's decision to boycott the event because they believe that Vinicius would not win. "All the clubs and players are in the same boat," a Ballon d'Or source told AFP, pointing out the strict confidentiality rules laid down for this 2024 edition.

Real Madrid said they will stay away from the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as they are convinced that their striker Vinicius, the favourite to win the men's award, has been snubbed.

The club told AFP it questioned the methods behind the selection of the Ballon d'Or winner, saying that defender Dani Carvajal, another of the 30 players nominated, had also been unfairly overlooked. 

"If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner," the club told AFP. 

"As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected."

The Ballon d'Or organisers decided to innovate this year by keeping the winner's identity a secret until the very end, to avoid any leaks to the press. 

In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the award ceremony. 

All the nominees were invited to the ceremony in Paris this evening. 

The absence of the Real players and the club's declaration suggest that neither Vinicius, Carvajal nor Jude Bellingham, the architects of the club's European triumph, will win the trophy.

That could leave the way clear for Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri, who won Euro 2024 and was named the tournament's best player by UEFA. 

The Ballon d'Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"People Create Dispute...": Maharashtra Congress Chief On Ally Rift Buzz

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole today said that he was "friends" with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut amid reports of tension between the two allies.

"I am friends with Sanjay Raut. I don't understand why people create disputes between us," said Mr Patole at NDTV Marathi's Jahirnama event.

Terse remarks by Mr Patole and Mr Raut amid the delay in the seat-sharing announcement for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra triggered the rift buzz.

To a veiled swipe of Sanjay Raut where he said the Congress leaders are "not capable of taking decisions", Mr Patole shot back, "If Sanjay Raut is controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue. We have the responsibility of telling the reality of our leaders and we are doing that. We do not want to speak anything on what Sanjay Raut does."

Other Congress leaders, however, played down the statements insisting that talks were going smoothly.

During the event, Mr Patole also addressed the impasse between the opposition alliance in Maharashtra - Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) - over some seats.

"Congress is a national party, and national parties have to handle things carefully. Regional parties have their demands and dreams of growth, which is acceptable. Congress played a crucial role in allocating seats based on merit, aiming for a majority government in Maharashtra. We are still working towards it," he said.

"Discussions for 5-10 seats are still pending, and we'll resolve this issue. After October 30, we'll gather again to find a solution. We have decided to contest elections as MVA. No conflicts arose during seat allocation. Efforts are continuing to resolve pending seat allocation issues," he added.

The 61-year-old had earlier revealed its seat-sharing arrangement for 255 of 288 constituencies in Maharashtra. He said that each alliance partner - Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) - will be contesting 85 seats each.

When he was asked by the chief minister face of the opposition alliance, he said, "As per Rahul Gandhi's vision, the priority is to save Maharashtra first. Once we do that, the MVA leaders will decide on the Chief Minister."

Earlier, speaking at NDTV Marathi's Election Conclave, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took a dig at the opposition, and said, "Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not announcing Chief Minister face as they don't think their Chief Minister can come after elections."

The ruling alliance, however, has also not named its chief minister face yet.

Mr Fadnavis said that the ruling Mahayuti does not need to announce the candidate for the chief ministerial post, as Eknath Shinde is the incumbent Chief Minister: "Who will become Chief Minister is announced after the elections. We are three major parties, CM Eknath Shinde is chief of Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar is chief of NCP and our (BJP) Parliamentary board will decide who will be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. But we are not worried because we have our Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde who is leading our government."

Maharashtra will vote on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.

The BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena won 56, and the Congress secured 44 seats in the 2019 Maharashtra elections. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, while the Shiv Sena won 63 and the Congress 42.

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"Unleash CBI After Us": Prashant Kishor After Minister's Bribing Charge

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Saturday lashed out at Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for charging the newly formed political party with bribing voters in by-elections to four assembly seats of Bihar.

Mr Manjhi, who is also a former Chief Minister of Bihar, had made the allegation on Friday evening, at a rally in Imamganj which has fallen vacant upon his election to Lok Sabha and from where his daughter-in-law Deepa is trying her luck as the candidate of his Hindustani Awam Morcha.

"The Jan Suraaj people are making people sign forms pledging support for the party in the by-polls. The voters have been promised cash reward of Rs one lakh each in the event of Jan Suraaj candidate's victory", Mr Manjhi had said.

When asked about the charge, Prashant Kishor, who was on the campaign trail in Tarari, shot back "Does Manjhi realise what he is saying? In almost every assembly segment, there are about two lakh voters. If we are promising to give Rs one lakh to each of them, you can do the math and figure out the total sum involved".

Prashant Kishor added "if Manjhi is convinced that we are sitting on such a huge pile of money, then, being a Union minister, he should get the ED and the CBI unleashed after us. He should also draw the attention of the Election Commission".

The political strategist turned activist claimed the 80 years old had suffered "a loss of mental balance" on account of the realisation that "the real fight in Imamganj is between RJD and Jan Suraaj".

"For Manjhi, politics has been all about his family. But in the very constituency which he believes to be his stronghold, his own daughter-in-law is struggling to be one of the main contenders", claimed Prashant Kishor.

The IPAC founder, who claims to have given up on political consultancy for good, floated the new party earlier this month, vowing to win the Bihar assembly polls next year on its own steam.

The party is also contesting the by-polls to all four assembly seats - Imamganj, Tarari, Belaganj and Ramgarh - which have been necessitated by election of respective MLAs to Lok Sabha.

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

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Congress Releases Second List Of 23 Candidates For Maharashtra Polls

The Congress on Saturday released its second list of 23 candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections, fielding a "strong" contender against state Bharatiya Janata Party President Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

Bawankule, who is recontesting Kamthi seat in Nagpur district - which he had bagged in 2004, 2009 and 2014 till he was dropped in 2019, will lock horns with Suresh Y. Bhoyar, a former President of the Nagpur Zila Panchayat.

Similarly, in Savner in Nagpur district, the Congress has fielded Anuja S. Kedar, the wife of former minister and five-term MLA Sunil C. Kedar, who was convicted in a graft case and disqualified. The daughter of the legendary cricket administrator and former Maharashtra Speaker SK Wankhede, whose name adorns the BCCI stadium in Mumbai, Kedar had filed her nomination papers as an Independent, but will now contest on a Congress ticket.

The Congress' second list comes two days after the first list with 48 candidates was issued as the party was purportedly in a tug-of-war with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Shiv Sena-UBT over certain seats in the Vidarbha region.

The others figuring in Saturday's list also include Rajesh Manavatkar (Bhusawal), Swati Wakekar (Jamod), Mahesh Gange (Akot), Shekhar Shende (Wardha), Girish Pandav (Nagpur South), Pooja Thavker (Bhandara), Dalip Banson (Arjuni-Morgaon), Rajkumar Puram (Amgaon), Vasant Purke (Ralegaon), Anil Balasaheb Mangulkar (Yavatmal), Jitendra Moghe (Arni), Sahebrao Kamble (Umarkhed), Kailas Gorantyal (Jalna), and Madhukar Deshmukh (Aurangabad East).

Vijay Patil will contest from Vasai, Kalu Bhadeliya from Kandivali East, Yashwant Singh from Charkop, Ganesh Kumar Yadav from Sion-Koliwada, Hemant Ogle from Srirampur, Abhay K. Salunkhe from Nilanga, and Ganpatrao Patil for Shiro).

Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party Leader Vijay alias Balasaheb Thorat is likely to call on NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and SS-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray this afternoon to finalise the remaining seat-sharing ratio, including the number of seats that will be allocated to smaller allies, as the last date for filing nominations (October 29) approaches.

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

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Nvidia Overtakes Apple As World's Most Valuable Company

Nvidia dethroned Apple as the world's most valuable company on Friday, following a record-setting rally in the stock powered by an insatiable demand for its new supercomputing AI chips.

Nvidia's stock market value briefly touched $3.53 trillion, while that of Apple was $3.52 trillion, according to data from LSEG.

In June, Nvidia briefly became the world's most valuable company, before it was overtaken by Microsoft and Apple. The tech trio's market capitalizations have been neck-and-neck for several months. Microsoft's market value stood at $3.20 trillion.

Nvidia's stock has risen about 18% so far in October, with a string of gains coming after OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced a funding round of $6.6 billion. Nvidia provides chips used to train so-called foundation models such as OpenAI's GPT-4.

"More companies are now embracing artificial intelligence in their everyday tasks and demand remains strong for Nvidia chips," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

"It is certainly in a sweet spot and so long as we avoid a big economic downturn in the United States, there is a feeling that companies will continue to invest heavily in AI capabilities, creating a healthy tailwind for Nvidia."

Nvidia's shares hit a record high on Tuesday, building on a rally from last week when TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, posted a forecast-beating 54% jump in quarterly profit driven by soaring demand for chips used in AI.

The next big test will be when Nvidia reports third-quarter results in November. Nvidia in August forecast third-quarter revenue of $32.5 billion, plus or minus 2%, compared with the current average analyst expectation of $32.90 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore said in a note dated Oct. 10 that he remains "very bullish" about the company longer term, but the recent rally "raises the bar for earnings somewhat".

After a meeting with Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang, Moore noted the ramp up in production of its next-generation Blackwell chips appeared to be "quite strong" and are booked out for 12 months. The stock came under pressure in August after Nvidia confirmed reports that the production of Blackwell chips was delayed until the fourth quarter.

Shares of Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft have an outsized influence on the richly valued technology sector as well as the broader U.S. stock market, with the trio accounting for about a fifth of the S&P 500 index's weightage.

Frenzy around the prospects of AI, expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will considerably bring down interest rates, and most recently, an upbeat start to the earnings season, have pushed the benchmark S&P 500 to an all-time high last week.

Nvidia's massive gains have helped boost the stock's appeal for option traders and the company's options are among the most traded on any given day in recent months, according to data from options analytics provider Trade Alert.

The stock has surged nearly 190% so far this year as a boom in generative AI prompted the company to issue a series of blowout forecasts.

"The question is whether the revenue stream will last for a long time and will be driven by the emotion of investors rather than by any ability to prove or disprove the thesis that AI is overdone," said Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments, a family investment office in New Vernon, New Jersey.

"I think Nvidia knows that near term, their numbers are likely to be quite remarkable."
 

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

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Allu Arjun Confirms Pushpa 2: The Rule New Release Date. Bonus - New Look

For all the movie buffs waiting for Pushpa 2: The Rule, we have an update. The movie has a new release date once again. The film, featuring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles, will now hit the big screens on December 5. It is worth noting that the movie was previously slated for release a day later, on December 6. Before that, the makers had announced August 15 as the release date. Now, announcing the new date, Allu Arjun has shared a post on X (formerly Twitter). In the poster, we see Allu Arjun dressed as his character, holding a gun with a cigar in his mouth. The side note read, “Pushpa 2: The Rule on Dec 5th.”

#Pushpa2TheRuleOnDec5th pic.twitter.com/SZMNKWJKMJ

— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) October 24, 2024

In June, when the makers postponed Pushpa 2: The Rule's release date from August 16 to November 6, they shared an elaborate note on X. The note read, "Pushpa 2 The Rule is one of the most anticipated Indian films. Following the immense success of Pushpa: The Rise, our responsibility to deliver excellence has increased significantly. We have been tirelessly working to complete the movie and release it on time. However, due to the remaining shoot and subsequent post-production work, we will not be releasing the film on August 15th, 2024. This decision is made in the best interests of the film, the audience, and all stakeholders. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience on the big screen without compromising quality.”

It continued, "The overwhelming response to our teasers and songs across all languages has been heartening, and we promise to deliver a film that you will truly love. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the audiences and our partners worldwide for their unwavering support. The media and film industries have also been incredibly supportive. Pushpa 2 The Rule will now be released worldwide on December 6th, 2024. We are committed to giving you the best, and you will see only the best in cinemas.”

#Pushpa2TheRule pic.twitter.com/nJriHfv90N

— Mythri Movie Makers (@MythriOfficial) June 17, 2024

Directed by Sukumar, Pushpa 2: The Rule is the sequel to the 2021 film Pushpa: The Rise. The franchise has been bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers. 

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Chief Justice DY Chandrachud Says "Stopped Morning Walks" Due To Pollution

The seasonal pollution spike in Delhi is affecting the health regimen of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. The Chief Justice, in an informal conversation with reporters at the Supreme Court on Thursday, said he has stopped going for morning walks due to rising levels of air pollution.

"I have stopped going for morning walks from today. I usually go for a walk around 4 am to 4.15 am," he said.

His doctor, the Chief Justice added, has advised him to avoid going out in the mornings, saying it is better for him to stay indoors and avoid respiratory diseases.

The air quality in Delhi has remained "very poor" for the better part of the week, prompting concern over the increased risk of respiratory diseases. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded the worst air quality in the country despite the Commission for Air Quality Management invoking stage two of the anti-pollution plan GRAP.

The top court had grilled the Centre and Punjab and Haryana governments over the states' non-compliance with the necessary anti-pollution measures.

A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka, Justice A Amanullah, and Justice AG Masih, dismissed Punjab and Haryana governments' efforts to stamp out stubble burning, calling it "an eyewash". 

The toxic fumes from over the two states, often visible in satellite images,  contribute to the suffocating blanket smothering the national capital every winter.

Last month, the top court took to task Delhi's air quality panel, saying the body set up to control pollution in the National Capital Region has failed to serve its purpose. 

The court's strictures came after the Delhi government issued its action plan to deal with the annual pollution. 

The 50th Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, is retiring on November 10. He would be succeeded by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who will take oath on November 11. 

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