Fiery knocks from Sabbhineni Meghana and Shafali Verma followed by Richa Ghosh’s blistering cameo of 33* helped India post a challenging target of 181/4 against Malaysia in the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup 2022 here at Sylhet Outer Cricket Stadium on Monday.
For India, Meghana scored the highest 69 runs while Shafali Verma slammed 46 and Richa Ghosh played an unbeaten knock of 33 runs. India made four changes to the playing XI, resting some major players like Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar and Renuka Singh.
Put to bat first, India got off to a flying start as the openers Sabbhineni Meghana and Shafali Verma slammed Malaysian bowlers all-around the ground and gathered 36 runs in five overs without losing a wicket.
The duo continued carnage on Malaysian bowlers and hammered Ainna Hamizah Hashim for 11 runs in the last over of the powerplay. Meghana, brought in for the rested Smriti Mandhana, slammed a stunning four and brought up her half-century in 37 balls.
In the 12th over of the innings, Shafali Verma also opened her hands and slammed a stunning six on the delivery of Winifred Duraisingam. The explosive Indian duo took their team’s total beyond the 100-run mark in the 13th over of the innings.
Winifred Duraisingam gave her team a much-needed breakthrough as she dismissed well-set batter Meghana. The opener departed after playing a fine inning of 69 in just 53 balls with 11 fours and a six against Malaysia in Asia Cup. Meghana’s wicket invited right-handed batter Richa Ghosh to the crease.
In the 16th over of the innings, Ghosh finally shifted gears and hammered Sasha Azmi for 12 runs with teh help of one four and six. Ghosh played aggressively and slammed Malaysian bowlers all-around the ground and bagged 18 runs from Nur Arianna Natsya’s over. Nur Dania Syuhada gave India a big blow as she dismissed Shafali for 46 runs off 39 deliveries.
Kiran Navgire then came to the crease but could stand longer as she was departed by Nur Dania Syuhada for zero. Radha Yadav then came to bat and slammed back-to-back two four in the same over of Dania Syuhada. However, Radha could not continue the carnage on the Malaysian bowlers as she was sent back to the pavilion by Duraisingam after scoring 8 runs in four balls.
Dayalan Hemalatha then came to the crease and slammed a six and a four in the final over of the innings to help India post a challenging target of 181/4 in 20 overs.
Brief score: India 181/4 (Sabbhineni Meghana 69, Shafali Verma 46; Nur Dania Syuhada 2-9) vs Malaysia.
India recorded 3,011 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Monday.
India’s active caseload currently stands at 36,126 which accounts for 0.8 per cent of the total cases. The national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.73 per cent, the health ministry said.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.23 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 1.31 per cent. The death toll climbed to 5,28,701 with 28 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 218.77 crore total vaccine doses with 94.87 crores receiving second dose and 21.41 crore are precaution doses. A total of 1,70,034 doses have been administered in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India supported the States and Union Territories by providing them with COVID-19 Vaccines free of cost.
Earlier, ‘COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava’, launched on July 15 this year to give an impetus to Precaution Dose as part of the national COVID vaccination drive, concluded on Friday after administrating over 15.92 crores of precaution doses, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The Ministry of Health said that over 13.01 lakh Special COVID vaccination camps were organized during these 75 days. “In 75 days, across all states and UTs, 11,104 camps were organized at bus stations, 5,664 camps at railway stations, 511 camps at airports, over 1,50,004 camps at various schools and colleges, 4,451 camps at routes of religious yatras, and over 11,30,044 camps were organized at various private and government workplaces and industrial establishments,” the statement from the ministry read.
The Ministry claimed that more than 76.18 lakh first dose, 2.35 crore second dose and 15.92 crore precaution dose had been administered in this period of 75 days.
“More than 24.73 lakh doses per day have been administered including 20.68 lakh doses precaution dose per day,” it said, adding that with the intervention of 75 days long free vaccination campaign, 27% of the eligible population have now received their precaution dose as it was only 8% earlier at the start of the initiative.
Under the COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava, all States and UTs were urged to run the campaign as a ‘Jan Abhiyan’ with massive mass mobilization, through a camp approach. Multiple special vaccination camps in the routes of Char Dham Yatra (Uttarakhand), Amarnath Yatra (Jammu and Kashmir), Kanwar Yatra (all States and UTs of North-India) as well as major Melas and congregations were organized.
Further, Special Vaccination Camps were organized at office complexes, industrial establishments, railway stations, inter-state bus stations, schools and colleges.
The first batch of indigenously-developed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) named ” Prachand” was inducted into the Indian Air Force on Monday in the presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
The induction ceremony was held in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur where newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan was also present along with the Union Minister. While speaking on the occasion, Singh said that LCH will enhance our capability and will boost defence production and it proves India’s commitment towards self-reliance in Defence production.
“There could not have been a better timing for LCH induction than Navratri and in the land of warriors, Rajasthan,” Singh said, adding that the LCH is a result of research and development for two decades.
“For a long time, there was a need for attack helicopters and during the 1999 Kargil war, its need was felt seriously. The LCH is a result of research and development for two decades and its induction into IAF is an important milestone in defence production,” Singh further said.
The new chopper getting inducted into the force is capable of aerial combat and will help the force combat slow-moving aircraft, drones and armoured columns during conflicts.
The induction ceremony will be led by Rajnath Singh who has played a crucial role in progressing cases for buying indigenous platforms for forces. He was also present in the Cabinet Committee on Security which cleared the purchase of 15 of these LCHs for the air force and the army. Hailing the service of the Indian Air Force, Singh said that IAF has played an important role in the nation’s security whether it was internal threats or external war.
“IAF has always strengthened national security with their courage and bravery. The induction of indigenously developed LCH will increase the efficiency of IAF. It has always supported indigenously developed defence products like Marut, Light Combat Aircraft, Aakash Missile System, Advanced Light Helicopter and now LCH. It shows IAF’s trust towards indigenously design and development,” Rajnath Singh said.
Defence Minister also talked about the key feature of this made-in-India LCH and said it perfectly meets the needs of our armed forces. “LCH is capable of dodging the enemy, carrying a variety of ammunition, and delivering it to the site quickly. LCH perfectly meets the needs of our armed forces in various terrains and it is an ideal platform for both our Army and Airforce,” he added.
Giving reference to the Ukraine-Russia war, Rajnath said, “The conflict or earlier conflicts teach us that heavy weapon systems and platforms, which are unable to move rapidly across the battlefield, have a low capability, and become easy targets for the enemy.” He considered the defense of the nation as the top priority and said that the government is fully committed to it. “I can say with full confidence that in the coming time, India will be first whenever there is talk of superpowers including military power in the world,” he said.
“For the nation’s security, it is the job of the government to ensure armed forces are equipped with the best equipment and platforms. Irrespective of the geopolitical scenario, it is their job to keep National security on alert. Against the backdrop of certain events in the past, the government has focused on indigenisation in defense production and preparedness. They are getting positive responses from services, research and development, start-ups, and public and private sector industries. All are coming together to give a new height to defense production,” Singh further said.
“Time requires to shift towards such equipment and platforms that could are easy to move, more flexible and also more lethal. I like to appreciate HAL engineers for putting all these features in LCH. And don’t get confused with the ‘Light’ word associated with it but the task it will deliver is ‘heavy’,” he said.
The light combat helicopter is a dedicated combat helicopter designed and developed indigenously in India. It has been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Of the 15 limited series production helicopters approved, 10 are for the IAF and five for the army. It can land and take off from an altitude of 5,000 meters with weapons and fuel, the officials said.
The choppers have been flown extensively in Ladakh and the desert sector to meet the requirements of the armed forces. The IAF has inducted multiple helicopters to its fleet in the last three-four years with the induction of the Chinooks, Apache attack helicopters and now the LCHs. CCS met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 30, 2022, in New Delhi.
The CCS has approved the procurement of 15 Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Limited Series Production at the cost of Rs. 3,887 Cr along with Infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 crore. Light Combat Helicopter Limited Series Production (LSP) is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern combat helicopter containing approximately 45 per cent indigenous content by value which will progressively increase to more than 55 per cent for the SP Version.
“This helicopter is equipped with requisite agility, maneuverability, extended range, high altitude performance and around-the-clock, all-weather combat capability to perform roles of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (DEAD), Counter Insurgency (CI) operations, against slow-moving aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), high altitude bunker busting operations, Counter Insurgency operations in the jungle and urban environments and support to ground forces and would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force and Indian Army,” said the Ministry of Defense.
A police complaint has been filed against the All India Hindu Mahasabha for depicting Mahatma Gandhi in an ‘asura’ idol at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata’s Ruby by-pass.
The idol of asura resembling Mahatma Gandhi was installed at the pandal, following which West Bengal Congress leader Koustav Bagchi on Sunday filed a complaint with the Kolkata Police to file a Zero FIR in connection with the matter.
However, changes were made to the idol of asura following the intervention of the Kolkata Police. Chandrachud Goswami, who is the organiser of the puja and also the state working president of the Hindu Mahasabha, admitted to portraying the asura as Mahatma Gandhi and said that they do not accept the “forceful” changes.
Speaking to Agencies today, Goswami said, “The idol of Asura did resemble MK Gandhi, we do not deny it. It has been changed. We have not made the changes. We received a lot of calls. We have been made to change it forcefully. We do not accept the changes. Our freedom of expression has been curtailed.”
Goswami denied calling Mahatma Gandhi as the father of the nation, and said that the organisation would “spread the word about Gandhi’s activities” among people in the future.
“People should know that nobody called Gandhi the father of the nation. There is no such resolution passed in this regard. We do not consider him as the father of the nation because of these activities, what he did to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh ji, has to be condemned. After pressure was put on us, Kolkata Police supported us and requested to make the change. So forceful changes have been made. We do not believe in this change. We will spread the word about Gandhi’s activities among people in the future. He is the person who divided our country,” the organiser said.
Following the incident, Congress leader Bagchi filed a complaint with the Kolkata Police alleging that the move by the Hindu Mahasabha was an act of “sedition” and “detrimental to national integrity”. He also asked the police to stop the puja at the said location immediately.
“I have lodged a complaint against Chandrachur Goswami and the other functionaries of the state unit, because the idol of asura has been depicted as Mahatma Gandhi who is the father of the nation. This act determines sedition and is completely detrimental to national integrity. So, a complaint has been lodged at the police station to file a zero FIR and take the necessary steps. It has also been stated in the complaint that the puja needs to be immediately stopped. I have filed the complaint after a discussion with state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,” he said in a video. Earlier, Congress condemned the incident and demanded the “strictest” action against the organisers of the puja.
“All India Hindu Mahasabha in Kolkata has wrongly depicted Mahatma Gandhi in Durga Puja pandal. This is a crime we strongly condemn this. Strictest action should be taken against the organisers. We are not tweeting that picture. There is no place for this picture, this thinking in any corner of the world,” Congress tweeted.
Indian Air Force jets have been scrambled to stop foreign aircraft in Indian airspace due to a bomb threat | Image: Representative/ANI
Indian Air Force fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a foreign aircraft with its origin in Iran that was moving towards the New Delhi airspace.
According to sources, inputs were received by security agencies in Delhi about the possibility of a bomb on board, which triggered an alert and permission was not granted to the plane to land in Delhi.
The foreign aircraft was headed to China as its final destination, had entered Indian airspace when the alert from Indian Air Traffic Control was shared with the plane.
Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter jets from Punjab and Jodhpur airbases were scrambled to intercept the plane, sources told Agencies.
The nature of the bomb threat or the name of the Iranian commercial carrier is still unclear.
However, after clearance, the aircraft is now moving towards China and at the time of filing this report, it was over Indian airspace and is being closely monitored by security agencies.
Farmer protest union leader Rakesh Takait said “Farmers will assemble across the country to mark the anniversary y of the incident | Image: Representative/ PTI
The families of those who died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence are yet to get justice, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said, announcing that farmers will assemble across the country on Monday to mark the incident’s first anniversary.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday evening, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson said the nation will never forget the violence that took place in Tikunia village on this day last year and claimed eight lives.
Tikait will take part in religious programmes at the Kaudiyala Ghat gurdwara in Tikunia on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the violence.
Farmers were staging a protest in Tikunia village on October 3 last year against a visit of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya when four of them were crushed under the wheels of a convoy of cars.
In the subsequent violence, four others including two BJP workers and a journalist were killed. “The families of the victims are yet to get justice,” Tikait said. It was a week of peace.
The violence that broke out claimed the lives of eight people. It was unfortunate, he said. “Farmers of the country will never forget the incident. They will assemble across the nation to mark its first anniversary on October 3,” he added.
The BKU leader blamed the state government for the delay in justice. “The ruling dispensation neither believes in the legal system nor the Constitution and misused its power,” he alleged. Asked about the future course of action, Tikait said, “People can only raise their voices and the rest is up to the government.”
Referring to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) three-day protest here in August over the delay in delivery of justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, he said over 50,000 farmers came together and put forth their demands.
They were assured that the Uttar Pradesh chief minister or concerned officials will talk to them but nothing materialised. “In fact, even the authorities are helpless as the whole system is run from Delhi, which dictates Lucknow,” he claimed.
On his way to the Kaudiyala Ghat gurdwara, Tikait will stop over at the residence of two Dalit sisters whose bodies were found hanging from a tree on September 14 after they were allegedly gang-raped and murdered last month in the Nighasan area.
Railway Police Force seizes unaccounted cash and gold worth Rs 1.71 crore at Thane district’s Titwala railway station | Image: Representative/ANI
Unaccounted cash and two gold biscuits collectively worth Rs 1.71 crore were found in the backpack of a passenger at Titwala railway station in Thane district of Maharashtra, an RPF official said on Monday.
The cash and gold biscuits were handed over to the Income Tax department for further investigation.
A team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) detained Ganesh Mondal, who was moving suspiciously on the railway station platform, on October 1.
The search of his backpack revealed he was carrying Rs 56 lakh cash and two gold biscuits worth Rs 1,15,16,903, the official said, adding that Mondal cannot give a satisfactory reply about the source of the money and gold.
Mondal told RPF officials that he was coming from Lucknow and travelled in Pushpak Express.
Income Tax officials were informed about the seizure and the case was handed over to them, he said.
Fire incident broke out at Uttar Pradesh Bhadohi leaves 3 people dead and many others injured , fire caught at Durga Puja Pandal at aarti | Image : Representative/Twitter
Three people died in a fire that broke out at a Durga Puja pandal in Bhadohi on Sunday night at the time of aarti. Several people who were injured have been admitted to hospital.
Gaurang Rathi, the District Magistrate of Bhadohi informed on Monday that three people died in the fire incident. Earlier, it was reported that one child had died in the incident.
“The death toll has reached three in the Bhadohi Durga Puja pandal matter. A 12-year-old boy, a 10-year-old boy and a 45-year-old woman has died in the incident,” the DM said.
On Sunday night, the SP of Bhadohi Anil Kumar had informed about the incident saying that the fire broke out at the time of aarti.
“At around 9 pm, a fire broke out at Durga Puja pandal in Bhadohi as it was the time of aarti. Around 10-15 people were injured and were immediately rushed to the hospital,” the SP said. Gaurang Rathi, the DM of Bhadohi informed that the incident happened prime facie because of a short circuit.
“Around 150 people were present during the Durga Puja aarti when the fire broke out. 52 people were admitted to different hospitals. People having 30-40% burns have been admitted to trauma centres and every patient is stable. Prime facie, the incident happened due to a short circuit, further probe is on,” the DM said.
Pakistan,rains,floods,killed,injured,disaster | Floods in Pakistan kills 1695 people and 12,965 people are injured | Image : Representative/ ANI
At least 1,695 people were killed while 12,865 were injured so far (October 2) since mid-June due to the devastating floods and rains in Pakistan, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Sunday.
Pakistan has endured severe monsoon weather since mid-June 2022, causing widespread flooding and landslides with severe repercussions on human lives, property, agriculture, and infrastructure. To date, 81 districts across five of Pakistan’s six provinces have been declared ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan — with Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces being the worst hit.
As of mid-September, 33 million people had been affected, at least 1,481 persons have died, over 12,720 people have been injured and an estimated 7.6 million persons may be temporarily displaced.
The floods have also caused the damage and destruction of 1.8 million houses, with 1.5 million houses in Sindh province alone. Meanwhile, the United Nations is set to launch another appeal this week for an additional USD 600 million to Pakistan to help the country recover from the impact of the record-breaking floods.
“2nd Follow-up meeting of Steering Committee for Coordination Regarding International Assistance for Flood Relief Activities, chaired by Mr Humair Karim, Acting Secretary EAD to discuss mapping of humanitarian assistance and relief efforts,” Pakistan’s Economic Affairs Division (EAD) said in a tweet.
2nd Follow-up meeting of Steering Committee for Coordination Regarding International Assistance for Flood Relief Activities, chaired by Mr. Humair Karim, Acting Secretary EAD to discuss mapping of humanitarian assistance and relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/T9Yl2oCj3e
— Economic Affairs Division, Government of Pakistan (@eadgop) September 30, 2022
“The UN is in process of launching Revised Humanitarian Appeal on 4th of Oct in which additional USD 600 million will be asked for immediate relief assistance,” it added. The Dawn newspaper reported that Pakistan EAD Secretary Humair Karim informed donors and relief agencies that the UN would launch the revised humanitarian appeal on October 4 for USD 600m additional aid.
Earlier, the UN launched a flash appeal in August for US 160 million assistance for flood relief support. Karim said the grant was not considered enough in the face of the unprecedented devastation.
Since the start of the floods, the number of houses destroyed has doubled and the number of houses damaged has increased by an estimated 63 per cent With no designated places to take shelter, a considerable part of the population has been displaced and an estimated 575,000 people live in relief camps.
Community infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools, and health facilities have also been destroyed by the floods. Damaged houses and infrastructure, crowded living space and sub-standard living conditions for those displaced have exposed a large population to water-borne diseases and hindered access to safe and clean water.
It is estimated that 20 per cent of water systems are damaged in Khyber Pallitunkhwa, 30 per cent in Balochistan, and up to 50 per cent in the hardest hit areas of Sindh and Punjab provinces. With 3.5 million acres of crops devasted and over 936,000 livestock lost, people have also seen their livelihoods affected.
External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, expresses condolences to the victims who lost their lives at a stampede during a football match in Indonesia that killed 174 people | Image: Representative/@DrSJaishankar/Twitter
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed condolences to the families of victims who lost their lives during a stampede at a football match in Indonesia that killed 174 people. “Deeply saddened by the tragedy at the football stadium in #kanjuruhan #Malang. Extend my condolences to the bereaved families and to our Indonesian friends. Wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Jaishankar tweeted.
Deeply saddened by the tragedy at the football stadium in #kanjuruhan#Malang.
Extend my condolences to the bereaved families and to our Indonesian friends. Wish the injured a speedy recovery. @Menlu_RI
The violence broke out at a stadium in East Java during a game between Arema and Persebaya Surabaya. At least 174 people died in the stampede, Deputy East Java Governor Emil Dardak told local media on Sunday afternoon. Other official or government-backed sources put the number between 129 and 182. The resulting stampede led to cases of suffocation. After the match in East Java province between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended on Saturday night, supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch to express their frustration, police said. FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Sunday said that the riot and ensuing stampede at a football match is a “dark day” for the sport.
FIFA issued an official statement in which President Gianni Infantino said that the football world is in a state of shock following the tragic incidents.
“The football world is in a state of shock following the tragic incidents that have taken place in Indonesia at the end of the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya at the Kanjuruhan Stadium,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an official statement released by FIFA. “This is a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives following this tragic incident,” he added.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the events at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, Indonesia.
The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool Football Club are with all those affected at this time.
