Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace | HI tadepalligudem l thursday l august 20, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION India beat pakistan in world cup, advance to next phase of competition Goals flowed as a brace from Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek helped the men’s hockey team to a big 5-3 win over neighbours, confirm qualification to next pool phase High on intensity and drama teams exchange pre-match high fives India, needing a win to go through, started quickly and caused all sorts of problems with their pressing and intensity. They made it 3-0 in under 30 minutes before allowing the rivals a route back thanks to some errors. The Netherlands will be one of their next opponents in the next phase of the competition. They will also face either New Zealand or Argentina ■ ■ Unlike in cricket, the hockey teams have generally traded customary pre-match pleasantries. Before pushback, both teams exchanged high fives, as is the norm in the sport The women’s team will also seal qualification to the next phase as long as they avoid defeat against England on Thursday 20 india have won 18 and drawn two of the last 20 matches vs. pakistan 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 Steel company defrauds bank of `24.81 cr, CBI files case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Visakhapatnam Range has registered a case against Omkara Vijayalakshmi Strips Pvt Ltd, its four directors, and unknown public servants and private persons for allegedly defrauding Union Bank of India of `24.81 crore by submitting false financial information, inflating stock and book debts, and diverting loan funds through suspicious entities. The case was registered following a written complaint filed by Chinari Srikanta Patro, Assistant General Manager, Union Bank of India, Vijayawada Zonal Office, on July 14, 2026. The main accused were identified as Kota Bhanu Prasad (A2), Kota Sravani (A3), Kota Prudhvi Venkata Teja (A4) and Kota Rahul Sai Balaji (A5). According to the complaint, Omkara Vijayalakshmi Strips, incorporated in 2017 and engaged in manufacturing ERW and galvanised pipes and other steel products, approached the bank’s Suryaraopeta branch in 2024 to take over its loan from Karur Vysya Bank. The company allegedly submitted false financial statements and other documents. Based on the submissions, the bank sanctioned fund-based and non-fund-based credit facilities totalling `24.98 crore on February 22, 2024. The facilities included term loans, cash credit limits and bank guarantees/ letters of credit. The company offered stocks, book debts and plant and machinery as primary security besides immovable , P4 properties as collateral.  J&K important part of India: US envoy Ambassador Sergio Gor says security situation improved, US travel advisories to be reviewed F AYA Z WA N I @ Srinagar IN a major diplomatic boost for India, US ambassador Sergio Gor on Wednesday described Jammu and Kashmir “an important part of India” and said the US would revise its travel advisory in view of the improved security situation. Gor arrived in Srinagar on a one-day visit in the afternoon and met J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The meeting lasted an hour, during which the duo discussed the economic, developmental and other issues concerning the region. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Gor said Jammu and The Congress on Wednesday called for a constitutional freeze on the current strength of the Lok Sabha for another 25 years while implementing the 33 per cent reservation for women from the 2029 elections, and decided to launch a nationwide campaign on issues facing students and the alleged corruption at the Ram Temple and the E20 issue. The party’s stand came at a four-hour-long Congress Working Comm i t t e e ( C WC ) m e e t i n g chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. The party also decided to adhere to its historic 1937 position of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party events. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Ramesh said that Kashmir is an important part of India and that he is visiting the region for the first time. “It is an incredibly beautiful place... I’m thrilled to be here, Indian stocks now least preferred in Asia: BofA ARSHAD KHA N @ New Delhi INDIA has earned the dubious distinction of becoming Asia’s least-preferred stock market among global fund managers, according to Bank of America’s (BofA) August 2026 survey . In BofA’s July poll, fund managers indicated Indonesia as the least favoured market. The absence of clear AI exposure and weak growth are the chief reasons why fund managers are ‘underweight’ (having lower expectations) on India, the survey notes. The pessimism about the Indian equity market comes as foreign institutional investors continue to dump locally listed shares amid a huge underperformance of BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, compared to major global indices. CWC for 25-year freeze in Lok Sabha’s strength P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Srinagar | pti thrilled to see this place.” Gor’s statement is significant as it amplifies India’s stand that “J&K is an integral part of India”, dealing a blow to Pakistan’s narrative. On the possibility of Washington revisiting its travel advisory for J&K, Gor said: “I can’t make any big announcements here today, but it is something we’re going to look at.” Noting the steps taken by the Central and state governments to address security concerns, he said: “New Delhi, the chief minister here, the government here… have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer. So we will be looking at if regarding delimitation, the Congress is in favour of keeping the current number of Lok Sabha seats—543—the same for the next 25 years. “At the same time, we demand the implementation of women’s reservation on this very number,” Ramesh said. The party will also hold nationwide protests on the alleged corruption involving the donation to Ram Temple. As for the education reforms, Kharge called for a comprehensive and time-bound “Educationto-Employment Roadmap”. The CWC asked Congress chief ministers to prepare state-specific reports within one month on the reforms required in the education sector. Concer ns were also raised about the rollout of E20 petrol, including questions over fuel contamination and the environmental impact of diverting sugarcane and maize for ethanol production. Taiwan most fav market The Bofa survey said Taiwan is the most preferred market in Asia Pacific for investors in August, with 55% of the respondents being positive, followed by Japan at 50% and South Korea at 23% Among the survey respondents, 32% were ‘underweight’ on India. They also cited lack of reforms and elevated valuations for their bearish view on Asia’s fourth-largest market. In comparison, sentiment towards Indonesia improved, with 27% being underweight, down from 32% in July . Taiwan and Japan continued to be the most preferred markets among investors. In 2026 so far, Taiwan and Korean equity benchmarks are up more than 50% each while Japan has surged more than 26%. India’s Nifty meanwhile, is down nearly 8%. The last time BofA termed Indian stocks the least preferred was in May, when a sharp rise in crude oil prices due to the Iran war put pressure on the economic outlook. regional action plan `169 cr for AP to tackle human-jumbo conflict U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh will get `169.98 crore over five years under the proposed regional action plan to address human-elephant conflict (HEC), as the State faces increasing interaction among elephants, fragmented forests and agricultural landscapes. The proposed allocation is based on a 17 per cent share assigned to Andhra Pradesh in the conflict-risk assessment under the Regional Action Plan for Comprehensive Understanding and Management of Human-Elephant Conflict in South India. The report was prepared by the Project Elephant Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and was recently released by Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan in Visakhapatnam on World Elephant Day . The five-year action plan proposes a total financial outlay of `999.87 crore for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Of this, `500 crore is proposed as Central assistance, with `480 crore earmarked for the four States and `20 crore for the WII’s Elephant Cell for research, P4 monitoring and evaluation.  1 minister, 1 univ scheme Union ministers get social media scorecard RA J E SH KU M AR THAKUR @ New Delhi At the Union cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday the , social media performance of Cabinet ministers was a key point of discussion, with each of them presented with a detailed assessment of their traction as well as efforts to amplify the gover nment’s schemes through online platforms. All the ministers were presented with an assessment card outlining their performance from May 1 to August 15. As part of the Gen-Z outreach, it was also decided that one Union minister will visit one university each day to engage with the youth. During these day-long visits, the ministers must communicate to students a b o u t t h e g o ve r n m e n t ’s schemes, development policies and achievements across sectors as well as gather their perspectives on issues facing the country . Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will coordinate these visits. Modi tops ranking Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi topped the social media performance assessment rankings for the period from May 1 to Aug 15 the travel warning that is imposed and recommended by the United States is something that should be downgraded.” Terming the meeting with Gor “very good”, Omar said: “We had an opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries but with specific focus on what the US can do with J&K. There are certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve, but we look forward to taking this conversation further.” Ahead of his meeting with the US envoy, Omar had said the problems of J&K are to be solved by the Central government and not by Washington. express read AP gets `9,450-crore rail projects Vijayawada: In a major boost to regional logistics and rail capacity along Andhra Pradesh’s coastal corridor, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved four key railway multi-tracking projects worth an estimated `9,450 crore | P3 Assembly passes 4 higher edu bills Vijayawada: The AP Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed four crucial higher education reform bills introduced by HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, marking a comprehensive overhaul of the State’s academic and regulatory framework | P4 Lokesh denounces ‘false propaganda’ on Vizag data centres S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Minister for HRD, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh on Wednesday dismissed the misinformation campaign surrounding proposed data centres in Visakhapatnam, asserting that the State has successfully achieved its target of securing 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity without compromising environmental safeguards or municipal resources. Replying to a query raised by Jana Sena MLA Lokam Naga Madhavi in the Assembly regarding water security power demand, and ecologi, cal impact, he labelled the opposition to data centres as politically motivated and baseless. Drawing a historical parallel, he recalled that similar skepticism greeted IT initiatives when Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu promoted computerisation in the 1990s, noting that staying the course ultimately transformed Hyderabad into a global technology hub. Addressing core concerns, he outlined key policy and operational safeguards for the data centre initiative, beginning with the development of sovereign AI infrastructure. Highlighting sovereign AI as a vital driver for the initiative, he noted that the rapid national expansion of artificial intelligence makes domestic digital infrastructure a strategic necessity . As AI becomes deeply embedded across everyday smartphones, operating systems, and enterprise tools, immense volumes of sensitive data are generated daily Storing and processing this . data on domestic soil is vital to ensure data security and insulate India’s digital economy from P4 shifting geopolitical dynamics, he said.  ‘Domestic water won’t be touched’ On the critical issue of water usage, Lokesh reassured the Assembly that residential water supplies in Vizag will remain untouched. The 3 TMC of water required for data centres will be drawn from industrial allocations via pipelines from the Polavaram project within next 18 months