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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Indexes fell Thursday as investors wait for comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell at Jackson Hole. </li><li>Investors are eager for any indication of how steep cuts will be through the rest of this year. </li></ul>Indexes ended lower Thursday as investors awaited comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole conference on Friday. The S&amp;P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly lower, though the Nasdaq Composite logged a bigger drop of 1.6%. Treasury yields spiked, with the 10-year bond yield up eight basis points 3.863%Investors are eager for any indication of how steep cuts will be, with markets pricing in 100% odds the Fed starts loosening monetary policy at next month's FOMC meeting. The Fed's July meeting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcminutes20240731.pdf">minutes</a>, released Wednesday, said "the vast majority" of officials said a September ease in policy would "likely be appropriate" if economic data continues "to come in about as expected."According to the CME FedWatch tool, investors see a 25 basis point cut as a near certainty next month, with smaller odds of a 50 basis point cut.In a note on Thursday, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jerome-powell-surprise-stock-market-jackson-hole-speech-preview-2024-8">Goldman Sachs analysts said</a> there are still a number of ways Powell could surprise markets, with either a more hawkish or dovish message possible from the Fed chief. "Possible dovish surprises could include a more concerned take on the labor market or any suggestion that the high level of the fed funds rate is inappropriate in light of the progress made on inflation," David Mericle, a Goldman economist, said. Markets were also digesting new jobless claims data, which showed applications for unemployment benefits rose slightly, to 232,000. The rise comes on the heels of two weeks of declining claims following the weak July jobs report, which sparked fears of a recession earlier this month. The report also follows revised jobs data from Wednesday, which showed the US added 818,000 fewer jobs between April 2023 and March 2024 compared to initial reports.Other data released Thursday showed a 1.3% increase in sales of existing homes in July compared to June. The data, released by the National Association of Realtors on Thursday, falls short of economist estimates of 1.5%, according to a Wall Street Journal survey.The data showed that the median price of existing homes fell to $422,600 in July, down from a record high of $426,900 in June.Here's where US indexes stood at the 4 p.m. closing bell on Thursday:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/s&amp;p_500?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">S&amp;P 500</a>: 5,570.64, down 0.89% </li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/dow_jones?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Dow Jones Industrial Average</a>: 40,712.78, down 0.43% (-177.71 points)</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/nasdaq_composite?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Nasdaq composite</a>: 17,619.35, down 1.67%</li></ul>Here's what else happened today:<ul><li>A small mining firm just saw its stock <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/lucara-stock-price-soars-mining-firm-discovers-2nd-largest-diamond-2024-8">surge 91%</a> after it discovered the world's 2nd-largest diamond.</li><li>A small Kansas bank was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/crypto-scam-kansas-bank-pig-butchering-jail-prison-embezzlement-fraud-2024-8">forced to close last year</a> after its owner sent $47 million to scammers, believing he was investing it in legitimate cryptocurrencies.</li><li>Mongolia won't fund a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-china-gas-trade-siberia-pipeline-mongolia-western-sanctions-war-2024-8">natural gas pipeline between Russia and China</a> for at least the next four years.</li></ul>In commodities, bonds, and crypto:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">West Texas Intermediate</a> crude oil rose 1.3% to $72.92 a barrel. <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Brent crude</a>, the international benchmark, rose 1.4% to $77.09 a barrel.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/gold-price?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Gold</a> traded higher at $2,463.30.</li><li>The 10-year Treasury yield was up eight basis points to 3.863%.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/btc-usd?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Bitcoin</a> was down 2% to $60,413.</li></ul>

Stock market today: Stocks end lower as markets brace for Powell's Jackson Hole speech

<ul><li>Some of the top brands in week 13 (starting from March 28) are Dettol, Lifebuoy soap, Harpic, Lizol, Hotstar VIP. </li><li><keyword id="1736818" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-Advertising">Social advertising</keyword> from the Government and NGOs on television grew by 244% and 628% respectively. </li><li>Apart from that, non-essentials such as cement, paints, fairness creams, hair removers, and digestives continue to advertise on television. </li><li>Toiletries (190X), Social organisations (66X), ice cream (11X) were the highest contributors. </li></ul>In the 13th week of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> disruption starting from March 28, a report by BARC India and Nielsen called 'Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones' revealed that advertising Free Commercial Times (FCT) increased by 9%. Sports, social advertisements, toiletries, ice cream were the highest contributors. Social advertising from the Government and NGOs on television grew by 244% and 628% respectively. Some of the top brands that contributed to FCT in week 13 were Dettol, Lifebuoy soap, Harpic, Lizol, Hotstar VIP. Apart from that, non-essentials such as cement, paints, fairness creams, hair removers, and digestives also continued to advertise on television. The same trend of social messaging followed on digital platforms. Creatives specifically designed referencing COVID-19 are seeing a rise across multiple sectors. Top brands like Amul, Godrej, Audi, Zomato, Lifebuoy played their part to reinforce and support social distancing. They changed their logos and spread awareness around the precautions that need to be taken to stay away from Coronavirus. BARC’s data also revealed that the return of classics on Doordarshan made it the most watched channel across India. PM Narendra Modi’s video message on #9PM9Min, released on April 3, was the biggest news event ever as it garnered 1 million viewing minutes. During the nine minutes blackout period, TV viewership recorded was the lowest since 2015 as it dropped by 60%. The decline started by 08:53 PM and came back to current trends only after 9:30 pm. <div type="image" title="9 mins impact" msid="75060694" hostid="261"></div> Some of the Key Highlights of TV and Smartphone consumption during the third week of Lockdown are as follows: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BARC </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nielsen Smartphone Panel </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coverage </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban + Rural) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban 1 Lakh plus) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TG </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ALL NCCS 2+ years </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><ol><li>NCCS ABC 15-44 years </li><li>Android Smartphone Users </li></ol></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Time Period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 11th Jan 2020- 31st Jan 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 13th Jan 2020 - 2nd Feb 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION Week 2 - 21st March 2020 to 27th March 2020 Week 3 – 28thMarch 2020 to 3rd April 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION Week 2 - 21st March 2020 to 27th March 2020 Week 3 - 28thMarch 2020 to 3rd April 2020 </td></tr></tbody></table> <ol><li>India divided on various emotions of feeling Happy, Anxious, Frustrated, Scared and Peaceful – missing out on me-time indulgences and office time </li><li>The Prime Minister’s request on #9PM9MINS garnered the lowest ever Total TV viewership for those 9 mins since 2015 </li><li>India follows the global trend in showing continued increase in TV (43%) and Smartphone consumption(13%) this week vis-à-vis the Pre COVID period </li><li>The growth in TV consumption this week driven by the Movies Genre(77% growth). Significant increase in Time spent on watching Movies (52% growth) on the Smartphone </li><li>Return of the Classics makes DD National the most watched channel this week across India. </li><li>While the return of the Old Classics improves viewership on DD National and Pay GEC Channels, Smartphone viewers increase consumptions on Original Series with 32% growth over the Pre COVID period </li><li>Non-Primetime continues to be the growth driver for TV (81% over the Pre COVID period) with early morning and late night slots also showing a growth </li><li>Social Connectivity stabilizing as people get used to the new normal while the surge in time spent on Digital News consumption stays </li><li>Gaming continues to show growth (44% over the Pre COVID period) - categories like Virtual Education and Virtual Drives increased consumption </li><li>Free Commercial Time (FCT) on TV advertising grows by 9% on the back of social advertising </li><li>On Digital Advertising, no drop in the count of creatives for 11 out of 19 categories – drop seen in Retail, Travel and Auto</li></ol>

Advertising FCT grew by 9% in week 13 of COVID-19 disruption on the back of social advertisements: BARC-Neilsen

<ul></ul><ul><li>The Lockdown address by PM Modi was the biggest news event ever as it garnered 197 million viewership on television, higher than IPL finals which was 133 million.</li><li><keyword id="65298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BARC">BARC</keyword> India and Nielsen’s latest report revealed that <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> Disruption caused an increase in television viewership, smartphone and Video-on-Demand consumption.</li><li>Total TV consumption went up by 8% all over India in COVID-19 Week 1. The growth in TV largely came from Non Prime Time viewership. </li></ul>In the first week of COVID-19 disruption, a report by BARC India and Nielsen on TV and Smartphone consumption revealed that advertising Free Commercial Times (FCT) increased by 13%. Social advertisements, banking and financial investments, and Food and beverages were the highest contributors. The report was presented by Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India and Dolly Jha, Country Leader, Nielsen Global Media, South Asia on a video conferencing platform called Zoom. On March 24, 2020, with the Prime Minister announcing a total lockdown in the country, people are slowly coming to terms with the new normal. It started with many states enforcing the lock-down, partially and fully, and many places of work enforcing work from home (WFH). Faced with the predicament of not being able to move out of their homes, people are creating new ways of spending time productively. The report further revealed how PM Modi’s address on ‘Complete Lockdown’ was the biggest news event ever as it garnered 197 million viewership on television, higher than IPL finals which was 133 million. Total TV consumption went up by 8% all over India in COVID-19 week 1. The growth in TV largely came from Non Prime Time viewership. News was followed by Kids Genre and Movies. With a lot of uncertainty around what is happening, people have also increased their time spent on Chatting (+23%) and Social Networking (+25%) apps. Almost all social networking apps - Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have seen significant increases not only in time spent /user/week but also in the sessions/ user/ week. There was a 30% increase in time spent by mini-metros on their smartphones watching news. BARC is the official currency on Television Measurement in India and Nielsen runs a 12000 strong smartphone panel capturing smartphone behaviour. BARC and Nielsen have jointly put together this report to understand the changes in consumption behaviours of TV and Smartphones, respectively, given the extraordinary situation surrounding the COVID pandemic and its fallout. Sharing her views on the current surge in smartphone usage, Dolly Jha, Country Leader Nielsen Global Media, South Asia said, “We are living through unprecedented times! Physical Social Distancing seems to have led to a phenomenal growth in Virtual Social Togetherness with an almost 20% increase in time spent per user on Chats, Social Media and News in the last one week. And we anticipate this to grow further.” Elaborating on the topic Sunil Lulla, Chief Executive Officer, BARC India said, “These are unfortunate and unprecedented times. Working closely with Nielsen, we bring for our customers and stake-holders, this very significant and important update, on change in content and advertising consumption behaviour, with a significant population at home. We will report soon enough, the impact of total lockdown. Our respective brave teams are working (WFH) round the clock to ensure the TV measurement currency, continues uninterrupted.” Some of the Key Highlights of what they have seen are as follows: Considerations: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BARC </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;background-color:#ffff00;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nielsen Smartphone Panel </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coverage </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban + Rural) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">All India (Urban 1 Lakh plus) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TG </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ALL NCCS 2+ years </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NCCS ABC 15-44 years Android Smartphone Users </td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Time Period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 11th Jan 2020- 31st Jan 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PRE COVID - 13th Jan 2020 - 2nd Feb 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION - 14th March 2020 to 20th March 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">COVID DISRUPTION - 16th March 2020 to 22nd March 2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Week definition </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Saturday to Friday </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Monday to Sunday </td></tr></tbody></table> <ol><li>Expectedly the COVID Disruption period has seen an increase in television viewership - 6% increase in TV Reach and 8% increase in TV viewing minutes /week. The time spent on TV / viewer has seen a jump by 2%.</li></ol>The PMs address to the Nation on complete lockdown garnered unprecedented viewership of 197Mn watching it across the country. <ol><li>When we look at smartphone behaviour the time spent on smartphones per user has gone up by 6.2%. The time spent/user/week on VOD apps has also seen an increase of 3%. If we look at the increase in the time spent/user/week over that of the previous week (to take away the impact of Cricket viewing in the PRE COVID period considered), we can see a jump of 5%.</li><li>Kids’ schools being shut down and the stress of exams off their shoulders; this increase in Television viewing is driven by Kids (+20%). With corporate India getting into Work from Home mode, we are seeing NCCS A showing an 11% increase in viewership. Even on smartphone usage, the increase in driven NCCS A (+7.7%) and 35-44 year olds (+10.7%).</li><li> People staying at home means watching TV throughout the day and hence the growth in TV viewing is coming during Non-Prime Time slots (8am – 5 pm).</li><li>The need for continuous updates expectedly has led to a huge increase in news consumption on Television (57% increase in Impressions), while spending more time as a family together could be leading to the Movies genre and the Kids genre also showing significant increases. </li><li>This behaviour is seen in digital consumption as well with News and Gaming showing huge increases. News apps saw 8% more users per week with an increase of 17% in time spent/user/week. This growth was led by non-English News apps (+87%). Gaming apps saw an increase of 2% in users/week and with a 11% increase in time spent/user/week.</li><li>With a lot of uncertainty around what is happening, people have increased their time spent on Chatting (+23%) and Social Networking (+25%) apps. Almost all social networking apps - Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have seen significant increases not only in time spent /user/week but also in the sessions/ user/ week. </li><li>Expectedly Shopping Apps, Travel Apps and Food Apps have seen a huge drop in both users/ week and time spent/user/week. </li><li>It’s not just <keyword id="659577" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TV-viewership">TV viewership</keyword> that has seen an increase – we can advertising FCT on TV has increased by 13%. </li></ol>As the situation continues to evolve in the coming weeks, BARC and Nielsen will also continue to track shifts in TV and Smartphone audience behaviour. Future reports will be released on a weekly basis to keep the ecosystem abreast of how audiences in India are adjusting their TV and Smartphones consumption around the new normal.

Advertising FCT increased by 13% in Week 1 of COVID-19 disruption: BARC-Nielsen Report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tucker Carlson won concessions from Kevin McCarthy in a deal that made him House speaker, per his texts.</li><li>Carlson said McCarthy agreed to put Rep. Thomas Massie on a committee, as he demanded on his Fox News show.</li></ul>Tucker Carlson extracted concessions from Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California that cinched the votes he needed from far-right members to Congress to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, the former Fox News host said in text messages obtained by Insider.The text messages demonstrate how Carlson shaped the direction of the Republican party behind the scenes, using his powerful primetime perch at Fox News <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-overplayed-hand-at-fox-where-he-could-go-2023-4">before his firing last month</a> to make one of the most powerful elected Republicans in America do his bidding.McCarthy had led congressional Republicans to a disappointing midterm election in November 2022, winning just 222 seats in the House of Representatives. McCarthy needed 218 votes to win his bid to become House speaker, giving him a small margin of error.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-vote-negotiations-congress-republicans-2023-1">Around 20 far-right Republicans initially refused to back McCarthy</a>, as well as all 213 elected Democrats. The result was 14 rounds of votes that failed to produce a House speaker, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-elected-speaker-congress-house-republicans-2023-1">making it the most contested speaker election in more than 150 years</a>.On his Fox News show on January 3, as McCarthy struggled to corral the votes he needed, Carlson made two demands.He said McCarthy could win the gavel if he released footage from the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol — <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2023/03/explaining-the-missing-context-of-tucker-carlsons-jan-6-presentation/">which Carlson falsely maintained was a peaceful protest</a>. He also said McCarthy should appoint far-right lawmaker Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky to lead <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-gop-creates-committee-targeting-weaponization-of-government-2023-1">the new Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government</a>. Republicans created the committee to oversee what they claim is bias against conservatives in executive branch agencies and purportedly modeled it on <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/church-committee.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Senate "Church Committee" of the 1970s</a>.On January 6, 2023, Carlson appeared to get one of his wishes. The other would come later."McCarthy is taking our recommendation and putting him in charge of the new Church committee," Carlson said of Massie in a text to Abby Grossberg, a former producer on his show <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-fox-news-team-lawsuit-pelosi-swimsuit-photo-lawsuit-2023-3">who is now suing Fox News</a> alleging a hostile workplace. "That's a win."<h2>Carlson wanted to broker a deal live on his Fox News show</h2>Before Massie was appointed to the committee, Carlson tried to use his show to broker a deal in public.Among the final Republican holdouts refusing to vote for McCarthy was Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who repeatedly denounced the Californian as untrustworthy. Gaetz led a posse of other members of Congress who repeatedly refused to vote for him.On January 5, 2023, Carlson sought to have both Gaetz and McCarthy on his 8 p.m. show with the intention of brokering the deal himself. He told his producer, Grossberg, that McCarthy "would be a cowardly idiot not to" appear on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," but still viewed him as "the only option" for House speaker.Gaetz agreed to appear on Carlson's January 5 program, but McCarthy still held out, even after Carlson promised not to ask questions about McCarthy's close relationship with GOP pollster Frank Luntz, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/551620-tucker-carlson-targets-mccarthy-over-ties-to-gop-pollster-frank-luntz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a subject the host had previously attacked him over</a>, the text messages show."Please tell them I promise I won't mention Frank Luntz," Carlson told Grossberg, who was tasked with booking McCarthy. "I've done that repeatedly. I don't need to do it again. This interview isn't about that."McCarthy continued to refuse to appear on Carlson's show after the host had a phone conversation with him that day, according to the text messages as well as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-fox-news-team-lawsuit-pelosi-swimsuit-photo-lawsuit-2023-3">a lawsuit Grossberg filed earlier this year against Carlson, Fox News, and several producers</a>. Grossberg's suit, filed in Manhattan federal court in March, alleges she endured a hostile and sexist work environment at Fox News while working <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-execs-spied-on-maria-bartiromo-abby-grossberg-lawsuit-2023-3">as a producer for Carlson and Maria Bartiromo</a>. Grossberg discussed some of the conversations between her and Carlson regarding McCarthy's House Speaker election <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1653560163624730625?t=Tz8ELUXc02yaEQN9e8vZ3Q&amp;s=19">in an interview with CNN on Tuesday night</a>.<div type="image" title="Tucker Carlson." height="4476" width="5968" msid="99969131" hostid="261" sizebytes="693434"></div>The next day, January 6, 2023, Carlson instructed Grossberg to book Massie. Massie had already pushed for McCarthy as House speaker in previous voting rounds, but Carlson viewed him as a lynchpin who could bring Gaetz and other holdouts over to McCarthy's side.Carlson told Grossberg that McCarthy agreed to put Massie in charge of the "weaponization" committee" and insisted that the interview be pretaped rather than live.In a grouptext, Alex McCaskill, a higher-ranked producer on Carlson's show, said the interview had to be conducted in a way that didn't reveal the date, so that any information about Massie's appointment would appear to be new once the show aired at 8 p.m.On the episode, Massie said that he "will probably be on that committee, but I can't say that I will run it" and speculated whether Carlson was "clairvoyant" for demanding that McCarthy place him on the committee to secure the speakership.On January 7, the House held its 15th vote for House Speaker. Gaetz voted "present." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-elected-speaker-congress-house-republicans-2023-1">McCarthy cinched the gavel</a>.Massie <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2023/01/11/massie-says-he-ll-be-on-new-government-weaponization-committee">announced he'd be on the powerful "weaponization" committee</a> on January 11.Representatives for McCarthy, Massie, and Gaetz didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.Aside from putting Massie on the committee, Carlson had also demanded that McCarthy release footage from the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol if he wanted to become House speaker.McCarthy acquiesced to that demand as well, providing Carlson with security camera video in March. Carlson, showing edited footage of the attack, falsely portrayed the deadly, conspiracy theory-fueled insurrection as a peaceful protest."You've exposed so many lies tonight with these tapes," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/07/tucker-carlson-jan-6-senate-republicans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massie claimed in an interview on Carlson's show</a>.Fox News fired Carlson in April without explanation. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-seven-theories-why-got-fired-fox-news-2023-4">Reports indicate</a> that Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Network CEO Suzanne Scott may have given him the boot because of Grossberg's lawsuit, sexism on his show, his support of insurrectionists, support for Ukraine surrendering to Russia, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-text-its-not-how-white-men-fight-2023-5">racism</a>, or some combination of those factors.Representatives for Fox News didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, nor did an attorney representing Carlson.

Tucker Carlson helped broker the deal that made Kevin McCarthy House speaker after 14 failed votes, text messages show

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Thursday, a <keyword id="729756" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="mass-shooting">mass shooting</keyword> in Bryan, <keyword id="15710" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="texas">Texas</keyword>, left one dead and several injured.</li><li>Just hours before, Texas Gov. <keyword id="1110279" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greg-Abbott">Greg Abbott</keyword> tweeted his support of a "Second Amendment Sanctuary State" bill.</li><li>The bill would make it so Texas authorities would not have to abide by federal gun control laws. </li></ul>Just hours before a <a href="https://www.insider.com/police-responded-to-shooting-bryan-texas-2021-4">mass shooting in Bryan, Texas,</a> left one dead and multiple people injured, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted out that President Joe Biden was "threatening our Second Amendment rights" and attempting to "take away our guns."The shooting occurred at Kent Moore Cabinets on Thursday afternoon; one person was killed, while four others were critically injured, and one victim suffered non-critical injuries. One victim is a state trooper who helped chase down the suspect. A suspect - believed to be an employee of Kent Moore Cabinets - is in custody but has not yet been named by authorities. Around noon on Thursday, Gov. Abbott took to Twitter to defend gun rights."Biden is threatening our Second Amendment rights," the tweet read. "He just announced a new liberal power grab to take away our guns. We will NOT allow this in TX. It's time to get legislation making TX a Second Amendment Sanctuary State passed and to my desk for signing."The "Second Amendment Sanctuary State" legislation Abbott is referring to is <a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB02622I.pdf#navpanes=0">HB 2622</a>, introduced in March, which calls to establish Texas as a "sanctuary" state in which federal gun laws cannot be enforced. The legislation is modeled off the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/07/abbott-signs-sanctuary-cities-bill/">sanctuary cities framework</a>, in which cities could declare themselves sanctuaries within which Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices could not be enforced.Abbott has repeatedly touted the sanctuary state bill, though in the past he's signaled support for limited gun control. Following the <a href="https://www.insider.com/el-paso-wal-mart-mall-shooting-cielo-vista-2019-7">2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart</a> that left 23 people dead and scores of others injured, the governor said he would consider supporting more scrupulous background checks."Right now, there is nothing in the law that would prevent one stranger from selling a gun to a terrorist, and obviously that's a danger that needs to be looked into," Abbott said in 2019, the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/03/texas-greg-abbott-guns-background-checks/">Texas Tribune</a> reported. Since then, however, Abbott has again picked up the mantle of gun rights."Last session, I signed 10 laws to protect gun rights in Texas," <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article248953059.html">he said in February</a>. "This session we need to erect a complete barrier against any government office anywhere from treading on gun rights in Texas."Gun rights advocates like Abbott are bristling against a series of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-unveiled-6-executive-actions-to-curb-gun-violence-2021-4">six executive orders</a> Biden unveiled this week aimed at curbing gun violence, including actions to remove "ghost guns" from the streets and the regulation of gun accessories.During a White House Rose Garden speech on the orders, Biden called the US epidemic of gun violence an "international embarrassment," and said: "The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character."Following the shooting, Abbott <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1380291619090530310">tweeted</a> that he was working with state law enforcement on a "swift response" and that he and his wife Cecilia "are praying for the victims &amp; their families &amp; for the injured officer."This is the 14th such mass shooting in the state since January 1. Thus far, there have been more than <a href="https://www.insider.com/number-of-mass-shootings-in-america-this-year-2021-3">100 mass shootings in the US</a> since the beginning of the year.

Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted in defense of gun rights just hours before a mass shooting in Bryan, Texas - the 14th in the state this year

The next edition of the <keyword id="6354831" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league" source="Orion">Indian Premier League</keyword> (<keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ipl" source="Orion">IPL</keyword>), which will be a ten-team affair, is likely to begin on April 2 in Chennai. According to a Cricbuzz report, fixtures have not been finalised but the <keyword id="6354756" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bcci" source="Orion">BCCI</keyword> has internally conveyed to the key stakeholders that the board is planning to start <keyword id="4699266" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL-2022" source="Orion">IPL 2022</keyword> on April 2 in Chennai. Since the 15th edition of the cash-rich league will have 10 teams and 74 games in all, the BCCI has discussed internally that the length of the season will be for over 60 days. As a result, the final could be played in the first weekend of June. Notably, each team will have 14 league games with the current format of seven home and away games each retained. As Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions, Chepauk will be the obvious choice for the inaugural game but there is no formal decision whether their opponents will, again, be Mumbai Indians, which has been the case mostly. Earlier, in his speech at CSK's fourth IPL win celebration event, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had announced that the IPL will be returning to India, after the full season of 2020 and a half-season of 2021 were staged in UAE. "I know you all are waiting to see the CSK play at Chepauk. Well, the moment is not very far. The 15th season of the IPL will take place in India and it will be more exciting than ever with two new teams joining. We have a mega auction coming up, so it will be interesting to see what the new combinations look like," the BCCI secretary had said at the function. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hindustan-petroleum-is-inviting-applications-from-engineering-graduates-for-its-apprenticeship-programme-with-a-monthly-stipend-of-25000/articleshow/87884547.cms">Hindustan Petroleum is inviting applications from engineering graduates for its apprenticeship programme with a monthly stipend of ₹25,000</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/this-fake-rentahitman-website-has-been-receiving-actual-requests-to-take-down-people/articleshow/87884600.cms">This fake RentAHitman website has been receiving actual requests to take down people</a>

IPL 2022 likely to begin on April 2 in Chennai, as per a media report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The January 6 panel published its final report after a nearly 18-month probe into the attack.</li><li>The nine-member committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans held its final public hearing Monday.</li></ul>The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack released its <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23514928-report_finalreport_jan6selectcommittee">final 845-page report</a> on Thursday night following an 18-month investigation into the insurrection.Read the entire thing here:The report's release comes three days after the panel held its final public hearing on Monday, when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/january-6-committee-trump-criminal-referral-doj-capitol-riot-2022-3">they referred Trump to the Justice Department on four criminal charges</a>, including obstruction and inciting an insurrection.Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is chair of the panel, said earlier this week that the committee will continue to release non-sensitive witness interviews through the end of the year before the panel dissolves ahead of the new Congress.<h3>Here's a running list of the most fascinating new details:</h3><ul><li>Big fundraising after election loss: The committee found that Trump raised "one quarter of a billion dollars" in between the election and the January 6 riots. As the report notes, the fundraising solicitations during this period repeatedly referred to unproven and nonexistent examples of election fraud. In total, Trump and the RNC sent millions of emails in this time period spreading the word the election was "rigged." (Page 53)</li><li>New texts: As the riot unfolded, top Trump officials began to privately vent about the president's rhetoric and their role in shaping it. According to the committee's report, Trump speechwriter Gabriel Robert texted someone at 2:49 p.m, "Potus im sure is loving this." The day after a different member of the speech writing team, Patrick MacDonnell, conceded of Trump's speech "maybe the rhetoric could have been better." (Page 624)</li><li>Four Seasons Total Landscaping mentioned: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's bizarre news conference held on Nov 7, 2020, at a Philadelphia landscaping company gets a brief mention in the report. "The next day, November 7th, Giuliani held a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He immediately began making outlandish claims, arguing that the Democrats had conspired to steal the election," the committee writes. A Getty Image of Giuliani addressing reporters at the company located across the street from a cremation center and adjacent to an adult bookstore is also included in the report's executive summary. (Pages 234-235)</li></ul><div type="image" title="Rudy Giuliani speaks at a lectern in an unpaved parking lot at a landscaping business in Pennsylvania with some people behind him" height="3822" width="5733" msid="96461613" hostid="261"></div><ul><li>Trump's team knew that the claim that 10,000 dead people voted in Georgia was incorrect — and some texted joking about it. "My son found 12 obituaries and 6 other possibles depending on the Voter roll acuracy [sic]," Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows texted about the claim. White House senior advisor Eric Herschmann responded, "That sounds more like it. Maybe he can help Rudy find the other 10k ??" The reply from Meadows? "lol" (Page 230)</li><li>"Rudy is walking malpractice": Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah texted Robert O'Brien, the national security advisor, late at night on January 6 saying he'd just gotten a voice message from Giuliani. "You can't make this up," Lee wrote in the text. "I just got this voice message [from] Rudy Giuliani, who apparently thought he was calling Senator Tuberville." You've got to listen to that message. Rudy is walking malpractice."</li><li>Secret Service agent worried that "I don't know how they're gonna retake the Capitol" as Trump's supporters flooded the building: At 2:38 p.m. on January 6, Trump sent a tweet urging his supporters — who had broken into the Capitol and were just outside the House chamber — to "support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement." The committee noted that in the minutes before Trump posted the tweet, Fox News reported that the Capitol was on lockdown, that police officers were injured, and that rioters were in the building "just feet from the House chamber." At 2:39 p.m., one minute after Trump sent the tweet, Secret Service agents said that "[m]ore just got in." At 2:41 p.m., one agent wrote to others: "I don't know how they're gonna retake the Capitol building back at this point."</li><li>Top FBI official directed the Baltimore team to the Capitol after learning that "almost the entire Senate" was sheltering in one room: FBI deputy director David Bowdich told the committee that he received a phone call from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner as the riot was unfolding, in which Warner said that "this is a mess, and we now have the vast majority of the Senate in one room." Bowdich "recalls the number being about 87 senators," the report said, "and that he directed the FBI's Baltimore team to 'protect that room, recognizing you have almost the entire Senate in one room.'"</li><li>Trump's 2020 campaign manager locked Giuliani out of his office: Bill Stepien testified that he was so uncomfortable with Giuliani's post-election antics that he told his assistant not to allow the former mayor into his office. "I told her, don't let anyone in," Stepien testified. "You know, I'll be around when I need to be around. You know, tell me what I need to know. Tell me what's going on here, but, you know, you're going to see less of me. And, you know, sure enough, you know, Mayor Giuliani tried to, you know, get in my office and ordered her to unlock the door, and she didn't do that, you know. She's, you know, smart about that."</li><li>The pressure campaign on state legislators was in full force: "The Select Committee estimates that in the two months between the November election and the January 6th insurrection, President Trump or his inner circle engaged in at least 200 apparent acts of public or private outreach, pressure, or condemnation, targeting either State legislators or State or local election administrators, to overturn State election results." (Page 271)</li><li>Ivanka Trump was "visibly upset" after several attempts to convince her father to condemn the violence. After one particularly grueling attempt, she told the committee she had to visit her husband, Jared Kushner, to "regroup." Per the report: "Once, Ivanka Trump reportedly left her father with a look on her face 'as if she had just had a tough conversation.'" Her chief of staff said she looked "visibly upset" after each visit. (Page 625)</li><li>Trump wanted to attend the electoral vote count: As one witness account suggested, the committee revealed that Trump wanted to participate in the electoral vote count from the House floor, "standing with Republican Congressmen, perhaps in an effort to apply further pressure to Vice President Mike Pence and others." (Page 153)</li><li>Ginni Thomas unscathed: Despite sitting with the panel for nearly four hours in September, Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is not mentioned in the committee's final report. "The information was typical of a lot of information we received from other people who were involved in this effort around Jan. 6. A lot of: 'Well, I believed something was wrong,'" Committee Chair Bennie Thomas told reporters at the time, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/29/ginni-thomas-jan-6-panel-false-election-fraud-claims-00059627">per Politico.</a></li><li>Torn documents: In a footnote, the report notes the select committee received some documents from the National Archives that were "in a format consistent with the documents having been torn apart and taped back together." A former White House aide told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tearing-documents-aide-nick-luna-testified-jan-6-committee/">previously told the committee</a> he had personally witnessed Trump "tearing" documents, which would be a violation of the Presidential Records Act. (Page 502)</li><li>RNC fundraising emails drama: Ethan Katz, a young RNC staffer in his 20s who wrote copy for fundraising emails, reportedly grew uncomfortable with the language the Trump fundraising team was using and asked why the campaign was calling for votes to stop being counted in some states and continue to be counted in others. The report notes that Katz put his foot down, refusing to pen a fundraising email that said Trump won Pennsylvania before the state had been called. The RNC simply found another copywriter to do the task, the report notes, and fired Katz three weeks after the election ended. (Pages 798-782)</li></ul>Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional details since publication.

The January 6 committee released its final, 845-page report detailing the deadly Capitol riot and Trump's role in it. Read 14 of the most fascinating details.

<keyword id="12020197" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sarah-drew" source="Orion">Sarah Drew</keyword> and <keyword id="12020198" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jesse-williams" source="Orion">Jesse Williams</keyword> detail how they helped shape their characters' love story on "<keyword id="11995413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greys-anatomy" source="Orion">Grey's Anatomy</keyword>."Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner (Sarah Drew) entered "Grey's Anatomy" as literal invaders on season six when Seattle Grace merged with Mercy West Hospital. By <a href="https://www.insider.com/jesse-williams-sarah-drew-greys-anatomy-wedding-interruption-japril-2021-12">season 10, episode 12's "Get Up, Stand Up," </a>when Jackson whisked April, his former best friend with benefits, away from her meticulously planned wedding to paramedic Matthew (Justin Bruening) so he and April could marry in Nevada, "<keyword id="12154124" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japril" source="Orion">Japril</keyword>" was a fan-favorite pairing. They're also the only couple on the show so far to have a trilogy of episodes centered on their journey. The first installment, season 12's 11th episode, "Unbreak My Heart," and fondly referred to by fans as "Japril the Movie," aired on February 25, 2016. It's a dramatic rewind of their relationship, from the moment they meet to sign divorce papers to the aftermath of April's deployment overseas to the death of their son Samuel to their wedding day. The flashbacks end on the day they met at Mercy West.At the end of the hour, we learn that though the couple is divorced, April is pregnant again. "Unbreak My Heart" is a beginning of sorts for Jackson and April (affectionately known as "Japril"). Fans got some answers they'd been waiting on for years (like what Japril's wedding actually looked like). They were also given hope for a future that never came.<div type="image" title="Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery and Sarah Drew as April Kepner embracing on an episode of &quot;Grey's Anatomy&quot;" height="758" width="1011" msid="89980879" hostid="261"></div>When Insider spoke to Drew and Williams during a joint interview in December, their passion for their characters was still clear, even though they exited "Grey's Anatomy" in 2018 and 2021, respectively.It's enough passion to fuel a Netflix miniseries, if "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, ABC, or Disney were so inclined. <a href="https://www.insider.com/greys-anatomy-jesse-williams-exit-time-for-japril-spinoff-opinion-2021-5">A Japril spinoff</a> isn't publicly in the works at the time of this writing, but the costars certainly made a case for one during the conversation, whether they meant to or not."There's 'Grey's Anatomy' scenes and there's Japril scenes," Williams said, explaining how he feels his and Drew's scenes stood apart from the show. "Our stuff was its own tunnel."Drew, Williams, and "Grey's Anatomy" fans on social media have made clear that they'd enter said tunnel again if given the opportunity. But what would we find once inside? <h2>Japril's love has lived in the margins of 'Grey's Anatomy' scripts for a long time </h2><div type="image" title="Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew" height="2000" width="2666" msid="89980880" hostid="261"></div>The costars, who would eventually become husband and wife onscreen, made their respective "Grey's Anatomy" debuts together on season six, episode five, "Invasion." Their characters don't exactly notice each other in a romantic or sexual way until about 2.5 seasons after that.But if you pay close attention to their glances at each other on the edges of scenes, or the look on April's face as she smacks Jackson in the head for staring at one of Alex's (Justin Chambers) one-night stands, or Jackson's awkward pat of April's knee when she's melting down about the medical boards hours before their random, drunken first hookup — it's always evident that they care deeply about each other. While most <keyword id="11898468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tv" source="Orion">TV</keyword> couples come together because of dialogue written on the page, Japril's beginning is in the margins. And from the second the "Grey's Anatomy" writers decided to give Jackson and April a shot, Williams and Drew told Insider the two of them were fully committed to the story — maybe even a little too much. "I remember you showed up with a whole marked-up script with script ideas," Drew laughed, recalling Williams' eagerness to get their first intimate scenes together during the medical boards on season eight right. He conceded that his ideas didn't go over well at the time. "I got in trouble for that," he said. <div type="image" title="Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew" height="1500" width="2000" msid="89980882" hostid="261"></div>After an agonizing "will they or won't they" plot that lasted a few years, Japril got married — but that doesn't mean they got to be happy. It's "Grey's Anatomy" after all. Their love was genuine but their choice to get married was impulsive. So their newlywed phase was marred with fights where TV couples are usually allowed a bit of romance. Drew said that she and Williams worked hard to try and fill in gaps for the audience, some of which never came to fruition. "We had a whole pitch for an entire series based on that road trip," Drew said of the few scenes we see of Japril traveling together to get married after April runs away from her wedding to Matthew. Williams confirmed that their series pitch is why "Unbreak My Heart" exists. Soon after their wedding, a surprise pregnancy ended with an induction termination and their son, Samuel, died of a fatal type of <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/osteogenesis-imperfecta#:~:text=Osteogenesis%20imperfecta%20(OI)%20is%20an,range%20from%20mild%20to%20severe.">osteogenesis imperfecta</a>, or brittle bone disease, a genetic bone disorder that is present at birth.After Samuel's death on season 11, Jackson and April let grief tear them apart in strange ways instead of helping each other through the pain. April enlists in the army to run away from her problems and Jackson never forgives his wife for abandoning him at a time when he needed her most. While Jackson and April eventually divorced, fans held out hope that it could have just been the beginning of a powerful reconciliation story about grief, forgiveness, and love. Unfortunately, that's not what they got.<h2>Williams told Insider he and Drew 'carved' much of Japril's story, and particularly its 'Grey's Anatomy' ending, 'on our own'</h2><div type="image" title="Grey's Anatomy season 17 episode “Look Up Child”" height="2000" width="2666" msid="89980883" hostid="261"></div>Drew was asked to leave the hit medical drama at the end of season 14 in 2018 for "creative reasons" that showrunner Krista Vernoff did not specify in a 2018 <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/03/greys-anatomy-jessica-capshaw-sarah-drew-exit-abc-medical-drama-1202316987/">statement to Deadline</a>. For much of the two seasons prior to Drew's exit, many fans remained convinced that Jackson and April were on the verge of an eventual reconciliation, which made Drew's unexpected departure all the more frustrating.Some of that unresolved romantic tension, whether written on the page or not, may have been because the costars worked hard to portray the natural emotion in Japril's complicated relationship no matter what, even when producers on the show may have wanted them to downplay it. Drew recalled that she was asked to play April telling Jackson she wanted to move out of the apartment they shared to raise their daughter together in season 14 "with no emotion." She said she was grateful when Kevin McKidd, the director of that episode and her former costar, allowed her to do a take of the scene that was less cold.Drew's interpretation of the scene is what made the final cut of the episode."Your body, when you're in pain, when you're acting in pain, if you're doing it authentically, you're in pain," Williams said, explaining why Japril's history mattered so much to him and Drew."And we have all of those memories, our body holds that, and so we're trying to honor that in the whole journey. So sometimes people need to be updated and reminded of that," he continued.Williams left the show himself three seasons later, in 2021, and Drew returned so that the end of Jackson's journey on the show would make sense. <div type="image" title="Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams." height="2004" width="2672" msid="89980886" hostid="261"></div>"That relationship — both just between the two of us as humans, but also the Japril relationship — is so meaningful to both of us," Drew previously said of her decision to reprise her role as April at a <a href="https://www.insider.com/sarah-drew-greys-anatomy-return-japril-endgame-interview-2021-5">roundtable interview attended by Insider</a> in May 2021. "It felt like the perfect time to come back and do a special episode to be able to help Jackson make his big departure."In an email statement provided to Insider in February, Drew explained that even on Williams' final episodes, the costars worked to craft a Japril ending that would be "satisfying" for them and for Japril fans. "The pitch that was given to me was April was super pregnant with Matthew's baby and Matthew wasn't home when Jackson came to the house to pitch April on the idea of going to Boston with him," Drew wrote of the original plot for April's return episode. "There was a storm outside and Jackson had to deliver April's baby at the house, and through this whole experience, April decided to bring her whole family to Boston with Jackson." A completely different story made it onscreen on season 17's 14th episode, "Look Up, Child." Jackson shows up at April's house in the middle of a storm to ask her to move with their daughter to Boston — but she's not pregnant. We learn at the end of the episode that Matthew and April are getting a divorce. So, the exes, now both single, move to Boston with their daughter and hope for a future together. "Jesse and I talked about it and thought it would be more satisfying to the audience if they were left with some hope for Japril reuniting," Drew wrote to Insider. "Jesse pitched that to the writers and the writers agreed — and then the story shifted."<h2>Japril fans have 'earned' and 'deserve' a spinoff, Williams said</h2><div type="image" title="Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams." height="2004" width="2672" msid="89980887" hostid="261"></div>Williams told Insider in December that "Grey's Anatomy" was "really lucky to have us" while reflecting on the work he did with Drew. "We carved a lot of that on our own with tremendous support, but it was not like it had to be that way. We could have been lazier about it," he said. Both actors have said in individual interviews that they would reprise their roles for a spinoff, should the opportunity arise.At the aforementioned roundtable interview in May, Drew said Jackson and April "could change the world of medicine" together while living in Boston. They've moved there so that Jackson can lead his family's medical foundation with the goal of eliminating disparities in medical care for minorities. Williams told Insider's Caralynn Lippo on the red carpet of the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 that a Japril <a href="https://www.insider.com/jesse-williams-greys-anatomy-japril-spinoff-possibility-tribeca-interview-2021-6">spinoff in Boston "makes total sense"</a> and that he and Drew "would kill it" if given the chance.The actors have a very clear idea about what Japril's life in Boston raising their daughter, Harriet, would look like.They said they're definitely working together to make change for underserved communities, because Jackson "has tons of money to give away," according to Drew, and April is "providing medical assistance to people that can't pay for it." It's a perfect professional match on paper. As far as rekindling a romance, Williams thinks they're at least on the road to making it happen."They seem to be so grounded, and calm, and there's nothing really left to fight about," he told Insider in December, adding that the couple knows they "love each other" and are "going to figure something out." They even know Japril's living arrangements. "I think that they probably moved there with separate apartments and she's always at my place," said Williams."His is way nicer. He just has more money," Drew joked, to which Williams responded, "Obviously. She's poor."<div type="image" title="Sarah Drew laughing with Jesse Williams." height="1253" width="1671" msid="89980889" hostid="261"></div> Drew and Williams' natural banter enhances their clear admiration for each other, which is evident on any screen they share, in character or not. Williams said that Japril's reconciliation would have to occur in a way that was "not rushed," since "the only other trap that's left is trying to compensate for lost time." A spinoff would be the perfect way to make up for that lost time and provide Drew, Williams, and Japril fans with a nuanced redemption story that makes sense. But Drew admitted that they "don't know" how fans can help make one happen.In May 2021, Craig Erwich, the president of ABC <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> and Hulu Originals, told Deadline that he was <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/05/greys-anatomy-spinoff-rebel-cancellation-abc-signature-president-krista-vernoff-shonda-rhimes-1234763340/">"open" to "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff ideas</a>. "We are always open to any iteration that will serve the show and the fans," he said. It was later clarified in a statement for Deadline by ABC Signature's president, Jonnie Davis, that no spinoffs of the medical hit were being considered at the time.As for a potential Japril spinoff in Boston, Williams said: "If it's a matter of fan love, we would already be in episode eight of it right now." He said he knows fans love the characters and "if there's such a thing that's deserving it, they deserve it and we've earned it and it would be dope.""But all they can do is keep plugging away and screaming about it," Williams added.Drew's Lifetime movie "Stolen by Their Father" premieres on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.Williams makes his Broadway debut in "Take Me Out" at the Hayes Theater in New York City beginning Thursday, March 10.

Former 'Grey's Anatomy' stars Jesse Williams and Sarah Drew still believe fans of Jackson and April have 'earned' and 'deserve' a spinoff

<keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> made a bold move and declared Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes as void starting midnight. 
 In his address to the entire nation, Modi said the decision was taken to clamp down on <keyword id="6356023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Black-Money">black money</keyword>. 
 
He urged Indians to bear with temporary hardships in the implementation of the new rule. 
 
"We are No 1 in rate of economic growth. Despite some progress, India still ranks at No 76 in world rankings for perception of corruption,” said Modi. 
 
Modi said persons holding old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 can deposit these notes in their bank or post office accounts from November 10 till close of banking hours on December 30, 2016 without any limit. 
 
He also made other important points during his address to the nation. 
 
Here’s the full text of his speech 
 
 
My dear citizens 
 
I hope you ended the festive season of Diwali with joy and new hope. Today, I will be speaking to you about some critical issues and important decisions. Today I want to make a special request to all of you. You may recall the economic situation in May 2014 when you entrusted us with an onerous responsibility. In the context of BRICS, it was being said that the “I” in BRICS was shaky. Since then, we had two years of severe drought. Yet, in the last two and a half years with the support of 125 crore Indians, India has become the “bright spot” in the global economy. It is not just we who are saying this; it is being stated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. 
 
In this effort for development, our motto has been ‘Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas’: We are with all citizens and for development of all citizens. This Government is dedicated to the poor. It will remain dedicated to them. In our fight against poverty, our main thrust has been to empower the poor, and make them active participants in the benefits of economic progress. 
 
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 
 
the Jan Suraksha Yojana, 
 
the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana for small enterprises, 
 
the Stand-up India programme for Dalits, Adivasis and Women, 
 
the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme for gas connections in the homes of the poor, 
 
the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana to protect the income of farmers, 
 
the Soil Health Card Scheme to ensure the best possible yield from farmers’ fields, 
 
and the e-NAM National Market Place scheme to ensure farmers get the right price for their produce 
 
—these are all reflections of this approach. 
 
In the past decades, the spectre of corruption and black money has grown. It has weakened the effort to remove poverty. On the one hand, we are now No. 1 in the rate of economic growth. But on the other hand, we were ranked close to one hundred in the global corruption perceptions ranking two years back. In spite of many steps taken, we have only been able to reach a ranking of seventy-six now. Of course, there is improvement. This shows the extent to which corruption and black money have spread their tentacles. 
 
The evil of corruption has been spread by certain sections of society for their selfish interest. They have ignored the poor and cornered benefits. Some people have misused their office for personal gain. On the other hand, honest people have fought against this evil. Crores of common men and women have lived lives of integrity. We hear about poor auto-rickshaw drivers returning gold ornaments left in the vehicles to their rightful owners. We hear about taxi drivers who take pains to locate the owners of cell phones left behind. We hear of vegetable vendors who return excess money given by customers. 
 
There comes a time in the history of a country’s development when a need is felt for a strong and decisive step. For years, this country has felt that corruption, black money and terrorism are festering sores, holding us back in the race towards development. 
 
Terrorism is a frightening threat. So many have lost their lives because of it. But have you ever thought about how these terrorists get their money? Enemies from across the border run their operations using fake currency notes. This has been going on for years. Many times, those using fake five hundred and thousand rupee notes have been caught and many such notes have been seized. 
 
Brothers and sisters, 
 
On the one hand is the problem of terrorism; on the other is the challenge posed by corruption and black money. We began our battle against corruption by setting up an SIT headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, immediately upon taking office. Since then 
 
• a law was passed in 2015 for disclosure of foreign black money; 
 
• agreements with many countries, including the USA, have been made to add provisions for sharing banking information; 
 
• a strict law has come into force from August 2016 to curb benami transactions, which are used to deploy black money earned through corruption; 
 
• a scheme was introduced for declaring black money after paying a stiff penalty; 
 
My dear countrymen, 
 
Through all these efforts, in the last two and a half years, we have brought into the open nearly 1 lakh 25 thousand crore rupees of black money belonging to the corrupt. Honest citizens want this fight against corruption, black money, benami property, terrorism and counterfeiting to continue. Which honest citizen would not be pained by reports of crores worth of currency notes stashed under the beds of government officers? Or by reports of cash found in gunny bags? 
 
The magnitude of cash in circulation is directly linked to the level of corruption. Inflation becomes worse through the deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways. The poor have to bear the brunt of this. It has a direct effect on the purchasing power of the poor and the middle class. You may yourself have experienced when buying land or a house, that apart from the amount paid by cheque, a large amount is demanded in cash. This creates problems for an honest person in buying property. The misuse of cash has led to artificial increase in the cost of goods and services like houses, land, higher education, health care and so on. 
 
High circulation of cash also strengthens the hawala trade which is directly connected to black money and illegal trade in weapons. Debate on the role of black money in elections has been going on for years. 
 
Brothers and sisters, 
 
To break the grip of corruption and black money, we have decided that the five hundred rupee and thousand rupee currency notes presently in use will no longer be legal tender from midnight tonight, that is 8th November 2016. This means that these notes will not be acceptable for transactions from midnight onwards. The five hundred and thousand rupee notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper. The rights and the interests of honest, hard-working people will be fully protected. Let me assure you that notes of one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, two and one rupee and all coins will remain legal tender and will not be affected. 
 
This step will strengthen the hands of the common man in the fight against corruption, black money and fake currency. To minimise the difficulties of citizens in the coming days, several steps are being taken. 
 
1. Persons holding old notes of five hundred or one thousand rupees can deposit these notes in their bank or post office accounts from 10th November till close of banking hours on 30th December 2016 without any limit. 
 
2. Thus you will have 50 days to deposit your notes and there is no need for panic. 
 
3. Your money will remain yours. You need have no worry on this point. 
 
4. After depositing your money in your account, you can draw it when you need it. 
 
5. Keeping in mind the supply of new notes, in the first few days, there will be a limit of ten thousand rupees per day and twenty thousand rupees per week. This limit will be increased in the coming days. 
 
6. Apart from depositing your notes in your bank account, another facility will also be there. 
 
7. For your immediate needs, you can go to any bank, head post office or sub post office, show your identity proof like Aadhaar card, voter card, ration card, passport, PAN card or other approved proofs, and exchange your old five hundred or thousand rupee notes for new notes. 
 
8. From 10th November till 24th November the limit for such exchange will be four thousand rupees. From 25th November till 30th December, the limit will be increased. 
 
9. There may be some who, for some reason, are not able to deposit their old five hundred or thousand rupee notes by 30th December 2016. 
 
10. They can go to specified offices of the Reserve Bank of India up to 31st March 2017 and deposit the notes after submitting a declaration form. 
 
11. On 9th November and in some places on 10th November also, ATMs will not work. In the first few days, there will be a limit of two thousand rupees per day per card. 
 
12. This will be raised to four thousand rupees later. 
 
13. Five hundred and thousand rupee notes will not be legal tender from midnight. However for humanitarian reasons, to reduce hardship to citizens, some special arrangements have been made for the first 72 hours, that is till midnight on 11th November. 
 
14. During this period, government hospitals will continue to accept five hundred and thousand rupee notes for payment. 
 
15. This is for the benefit of those families whose members may be unwell. 
 
16. Pharmacies in government hospitals will also accept these notes for buying medicines with doctors’ prescription. 
 
17. For 72 hours, till midnight on 11th November, railway ticket booking counters, ticket counters of government buses and airline ticket counters at airports will accept the old notes for purchase of tickets. This is for the benefit of those who may be travelling at this time. 
 
18. For 72 hours, five hundred and thousand rupee notes will be accepted also at 
 
• Petrol, diesel and CNG gas stations authorised by public sector oil companies 
 
• Consumer co-operative stores authorised by State or Central Government 
 
• Milk booths authorised by State governments 
 
• Crematoria and burial grounds. 
 
These outlets will have to keep proper records of stock and collections. 
 
19. Arrangements will be made at international airports for arriving and departing passengers who have five hundred or thousand rupee notes of not more than five thousand rupees, to exchange them for new notes or other legal tender. 
 
20. Foreign tourists will be able to exchange foreign currency or old notes of not more than Rs 5000 into legal tender. 
 
21. One more thing I would like to mention, I want to stress that in this entire exercise, there is no restriction of any kind on non-cash payments by cheques, demand drafts, debit or credit cards and electronic fund transfer. 
 
Brothers and sisters, 
 
In spite of all these efforts there may be temporary hardships to be faced by honest citizens. Experience tells us that ordinary citizens are always ready to make sacrifices and face difficulties for the benefit of the nation. I see that spirit when a poor widow gives up her LPG subsidy, when a retired school teacher contributes his pension to the Swacch Bharat mission, when a poor Adivasi mother sells her goats to build a toilet, when a soldier contributes 57 thousand rupees to make his village clean. I have seen that the ordinary citizen has the determination to do anything, if it will lead to the country’s progress. 
 
So, in this fight against corruption, black money, fake notes and terrorism, in this movement for purifying our country, will our people not put up with difficulties for some days? I have full confidence that every citizen will stand up and participate in this ‘mahayagna’. My dear countrymen, after the festivity of Diwali, now join the nation and extend your hand in this Imandaari ka Utsav, this Pramanikta ka Parv, this celebration of integrity, this festival of credibility. 
 
I am sure that all political parties, all governments, social services organizations, the media and indeed all sections of the society will take part in this with enthusiasm and make it a success. 
 
My dear countrymen, 
 
Secrecy was essential for this action. It is only now, as I speak to you, that various agencies like banks, post offices, railways, hospitals and others are being informed. The Reserve Bank, banks and post offices have to make many arrangements at very short notice. Obviously, time will be needed. Therefore all banks will be closed to the public on 9th November. This may cause some hardship to you. I have full faith that banks and post offices will successfully carry out this great task of national importance. However, I appeal to all of you to help the banks and post offices to meet this challenge with poise and determination. 
 
My dear citizens, 
 
From time to time, based on currency needs, the Reserve Bank with the approval of the Central Government brings out new notes of higher value. In 2014, the Reserve Bank sent a recommendation for issue of five thousand and ten thousand rupee notes. After careful consideration, this was not accepted. Now as part of this exercise, RBI’s recommendation to issue two thousand rupee notes has been accepted. New notes of five hundred rupees and two thousand rupees, with completely new design will be introduced. Based on past experience, the Reserve Bank will hereafter make arrangements to limit the share of high denomination notes in the total currency in circulation. 
 
In a country’s history, there come moments when every person feels he too should be part of that moment, that he too should make his contribution to the country’s progress. Such moments come but rarely. Now, we again have an opportunity where every citizen can join this mahayajna against the ills of corruption, black money and fake notes. The more help you give in this campaign, the more successful it will be. 
 
It has been a matter of concern for all of us that corruption and black money tend to be accepted as part of life. This type of thinking has afflicted our politics, our administration and our society like an infestation of termites. None of our public institutions is free from these termites. 
 
Time and again, I have seen that when the average citizen has to choose between accepting dishonesty and bearing inconvenience, they always choose to put up with inconvenience. They will not support dishonesty. 
 
Once again, let me invite you to make your contribution to this grand sacrifice for cleansing our country, just as you cleaned up your surroundings during Diwali. 
 
Let us ignore the temporary hardship 
 
Let us join this festival of integrity and credibility 
 
Let us enable coming generations to live their lives with dignity 
 
Let us fight corruption and black money 
 
Let us ensure that the nation’s wealth benefits the poor 
 
Let us enable law-abiding citizens to get their due share. 
 
I am confident in the 125 crore people of India and I am sure country will get success. 
 
Thank you very much. Thanks a lot. 
 
Namaskar. 
 
Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

PM Modi ends Rs 500, Rs 1000 currency notes. Read his full address here

<ul><li>IPL is scheduled to start on April 9 and the final match will be held on May 30.</li><li>Disney+ Hotstar, on the other hand, has onboarded 10 sponsors so far for <keyword id="10884239" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="vivo-ipl-2021">VIVO IPL 2021</keyword>. </li></ul>Star Sports, India’s leading sports broadcaster, has begun the countdown to VIVO IPL on a strong note with 14 sponsors already on board for this season. The broadcaster announced Dream11, Byjus, Phone Pe, Just Dial, Bingo, Kamla Pasand, AMFI, Frooti, Asian Paints, Thums Up, Vodafone-Idea, Mondelez, Amazon Prime, and Groww as sponsors a fortnight before the tournament. Over the years, VIVO IPL on Star Sports has been established as the best marketing platform, where various brands and categories engage with the largest base of the audience that cuts across geographies and demographics. This year, Star Sports witnessed a significant interest from multiple brand categories including Ed Tech, Fantasy Sports, FMCG, Beverages, Financial Services, Pay Wallets, Home Décor among others. “VIVO IPL is back on the Indian soil, and in its original summer window! The tournament spans across two months, giving brands the advantage to have extended engagement with their consumers and provide a platform that has the most significant brand value and recall, like no other. After the launch of our network campaign, there is high anticipation around the most awaited cricket tournament and brands are eager to capitalize on its popularity. The response from the advertisers is extremely encouraging; with only a few sponsor slots left for grabs,” said Anil Jayaraj, Executive Vice President, Star Sports. Star Sports launched the IPL campaign - #IndiaKaApnaMantra earlier this month featuring MS Dhoni in two completely new avatars. The campaign reflected the resilience, determination, and enterprise of the nation. Through the aperture of VIVO IPL, the campaign is seen saluting the attitude of a generation that is redefining conventional rules of the game to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Vivo <keyword id="7866747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-2021">IPL 2021</keyword> will broadcast LIVE on the Star Sports Network and stream on Disney+ Hotstar from April 9th, 2021 from 7.30 pm onwards across multiple languages. Select Dugout will be back on Star Sports Select with legends providing cricket enthusiasts with an in-depth analysis of each match. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="81429587" title="Disney+ Hotstar onboards 10 sponsors for VIVO IPL 2021; Dream11 to be the co-presenting sponsor" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Star Sports signs 14 sponsors for VIVO IPL 2021

India on Monday insisted on restoration of status quo ante of April and comprehensive disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh to resolve the border standoff, government sources said, as the two countries held a seventh round of military talks. The Corps commander-level talks began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the <keyword id="49399" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Line-of-Actual-Control">Line of Actual Control</keyword> (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and continued beyond 8:30 PM, they said. As the border standoff entered the sixth month, an early resolution to the row appeared dim with close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops remaining deployed in the high-altitude region and showing readiness for a long-haul. There is no official word on the talks yet but sources said the agenda was to finalise a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points. The Indian delegation is led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and includes Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). It is learnt an official of the Chinese foreign ministry is also part of the Chinese delegation. The sources said India pressed for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The standoff began on May 5. The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs on Friday finalised India's strategy for the military talks. The CSG is India's key policy making body on China. Ahead of the talks, sources said India will also strongly oppose any demand by China for withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong lake to kick-start the disengagement process. During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake. Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points. At the talks, the two sides were expected to further explore steps to maintain stability on the ground and avoid any action that may trigger fresh tension in the region where troops from the Indian army and the PLA will be facing difficult conditions in the next four months due to harsh winter, the sources said. Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters. The military talks were held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave. The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC. Days after the military talks, the two sides held diplomatic parleys under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the negotiations on September 30. After the diplomatic talks, the MEA said it was agreed that the next round of the meeting of senior commanders should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards an early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols. Naveen Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side at the WMCC talks, also attended the military parleys on September 21 for the first time. It is Lt Gen Singh's last round of talks with the PLA in the current standoff as he is due to take charge as head of the prestigious Indian Military Academy(IMA) this week. His successor at the 14 Corps Lt Gen PGK Menon is also part of the Indian delegation. At the previous six rounds of military talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated following at least three attempts by the Chinese soldiers to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area between August 29 and September 8 where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years. As tensions escalated further, the foreign ministers of India and China held talks in Moscow on September 10 where they reached a five-point agreement to defuse the situation in eastern Ladakh. The agreement was the basis for the sixth round of Corps commander-level talks. In the last three months, the Indian Army rushed tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies to various treacherous and high-altitude areas of the region to maintain combat readiness through the harsh winter of around four months starting around mid-October. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/china-launches-earth-observation-satellite-amid-border-tensions-with-india/articleshow/78613147.cms">China launches Earth observation satellite amid border tensions with India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/massive-power-cut-reported-across-mumbai-discom-points-finger-at-tatas/articleshow/78613787.cms">Massive power cut across Mumbai due to grid failure —electricity restored in certain areas</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/sitharaman-offers-states-12000-crore-interest-free-for-the-next-50-years-if-they-can-spend-it-on-capital-projects-by-march-2021/articleshow/78616741.cms">Sitharaman offers states ₹12,000 crore interest-free for the next 50 years if they can spend it on capital projects by March 2021</a>

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