West Indies beat South Africa by 8 wickets in 3rd T20, sweep series 3-0

West Indies beat South Africa by 8 wickets in 3rd T20, Sweeps series 3-0

Wednesday, 28 August 2024 | AP | Tarouba (Trinidad)

Nicholas Pooran blasted 35 runs from 13 balls to lead the West Indies to an eight-wicket win over South Africa in the rain-shortened third Twenty20 cricket international, securing a 3-0 series sweep.

Rain delayed the start of play by an hour and returned in the fifth over of the South Africa innings, reducing the match to 13 overs per innings.

South Africa was 23-0 when the rain started and Tristan Stubbs dashed 40 from 15 balls to help the visitors post 108-4 after a slow start. Stubbs hit five fours and three sixes for 38 runs from boundaries. He finished the series with 144 runs at a strike-rate of 178.

Pooran almost matched him, hitting two fours and four sixes. The West Indies was 60-2 when Pooran was out to the fifth ball of the fourth over and coasted to victory with 22 balls remaining.

Shai Hope made an unbeaten 42 from 24 balls and Shimron Hetmeyer scored 31 from 17 deliveries in an unbroken partnership of 56 for the third wicket.

“Obviously coming out on top is what we wanted. We wanted to win the series 3-0,” West Indies captain Roston Chase said in a television interview.

“Before the match, at the team meeting after everyone had spoken, I just asked the boys to give me the victory because you want to start well and I just want to thank the guys for the support and the way they played with their heart today.”

No overs were lost when rain delayed the toss. The West Indies eventually won the toss and chose to bowl, with an eye on the threat of further rain.

South Africa began cautiously in humid conditions and the first boundary of its innings didn't come until the fourth over, hit by Ryan Rickelton from the bowling of Matthew Forde. The first six of the innings came from the next ball.

The rain returned and forced the players from the field for 70 minutes, leaving South Africa on the back foot when it resumed. Reeza Hendricks was out three balls after the resumption, but that brought Stubbs to the crease and he did his best to blast South Africa to a competitive total.

Stubbs hit 6, 4, 6 from consecutive balls in the 11th over bowled by Obed McCoy and 4, 6, 4 in the final over bowled by Forde. He was out with two balls left in the innings.

Pooran then blasted the West Indies into an winning position with his brilliant 13-ball cameo. He finished with a strike rate of 269.

Hope hit four sixes in his innings and Hetmeyer hit four fours and a six as the West Indies completed a comprehensive win.

The West Indies beat South Africa 3-0 in a Twenty20 series prior to this year's T20 World Cup, which it co-hosted with the United States, and now has swept South Africa again. But in between, South Africa eliminated the West Indies from the World Cup.

“It was a tough one today. Obviously it was stop-start with the rain which hurt us quite a bit,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said. “Conditions changed quite a bit throughout the game as well.

“I think we got the tougher of the conditions. That being said I think there are several areas we can improve on as a team to play better cricket in tough conditions.

(Source : AP & The Pioneer)

Rape case registered against actor Sidhique

 Rape case registered 

against actor Sidhique

Wednesday, 28 August 2024 | PTI | Thiruvananthapuram

A rape case has been registered against Malayalam actor Sidhique following a female actor's allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2016, police said on Wednesday.

An FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) has been registered against the actor at Museum police station, a senior police officer said.

 The case was registered under the IPC as the offence allegedly occurred in 2016. This is the second FIR against a high profile film personality following the allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice Hema Committee report.

 The first case, under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), was against director Ranjith on a complaint by a female actor from West Bengal regarding an incident which occurred in 2009. She had alleged that the director had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyam in 2009.

Following the allegation by the actor, Ranjith had resigned from his post as chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy. Sidhique had also resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the allegations against him.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Amidst allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them. Subsequently, more complaints surfaced.

(Source: PTI & The Pioneer)

Waqf Board claims ownership of entire village in Bihar: 'Vacate it in 30 days'

Waqf Board claims ownership of entire village in Bihar: 'Vacate it in 30 days'

After claiming ownership of a village in Tamil Nadu, the Waqf Board has now asserted ownership of an entire village in Bihar. The Bihar Waqf Board has sent notices to seven villagers in Govindpur, a village where 95% of the residents are Hindus, demanding that they vacate the land within 30 days.

AajTak reported that seven people living in Govindpur, located 30 kilometers from Patna, have received notices stating that the land they occupy belongs to the Waqf, and they must vacate it. The villagers, however, countered saying that the land has been in their families since their grandfathers' time.

Brijesh Ballabh Prasad, Rajkishore Mehta, Ramlal Sao, Malti Devi, Sanjay Prasad, Sudip Kumar, and Surendra Vishwakarma, have received notices from the Bihar State Sunni Waqf Board. After receiving these notices, all seven landowners filed a petition in the Patna High Court.   

The High Court has said that the land has been in the names of the seven petitioners' descendants since 1910.

(Source: Business Today & Aaj Tak)

'Entire Surat Municipal Corporation HQ is declared Waqf property, how can this happen?': Rijiju blasts Opposition

 Entire Surat Municipal Corporation HQ is declared Waqf property, how can this happen?': Rijiju blasts Opposition   

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill-2024, expressed shock at the ways some government and private properties were declared Waqf properties.

Rijiju questioned unfettered powers granted to the Waqf Boards through amendments brought in by the Congress-led UPA in 2013. The minister said that some mistakes needed to be fixed to ensure justice.

During his an-hour-long address in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju highlighted some interesting cases where the Waqf seemingly overstepped its mandate and claimed rights on government properties. He informed that the entire headquarters of the Surat Municipal Corporation had been declared Waqf property. "How can this happen? Is a municipal corporation someone's private property? How can the land of municipal property be declared as Waqf property?" he asked the Opposition, which has opposed the Bill. 

The Union Minister also spoke about a village in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli, which has a 1500-year-old history but has been declared a waqf property. "In Tiruchirappalli district, there is a 1500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple. A poor villager there went to sell his 1.2 acres of land. He was told that his entire village is Waqf property," the minister said. "Just imagine, the entire village, with a history of 1500 years, has been declared Waqf property." 

Rijiju asked the opposition leaders to shun their ideological stand and see it objectively. "Whether it's Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh, don't view this issue through the lens of religion. Hearing about such incidents should concern you," he said. 

Citing another case from Lucknow, the minister said that a woman, Bushra Fatima, along with her child, is living in very difficult conditions. He said that under the current act, she would lose entire property after her father's death and it would go to Waqf. "If we don't amend the current Waqf Board system, after her father's death, this entire property will not go to her and her child. Shouldn’t we intervene in such situations? Shouldn't we take steps to ensure justice for them? So, please don't view this issue through the lens of religion".

(Source: Business Today)

Gunmen kill 23 bus passengers in Pakistan's restive Balochistan

Gunmen kill 23 bus passengers in Pakistan's restive Balochistan

Monday, 26 August 2024 | PTI | Karachi

Unidentified gunmen in a targeted attack shot and killed at least 23 people from Pakistan's Punjab province on Monday in the restive Balochistan province after offloading them from buses and checking their identities.

The incident happened in Balochistan's Musakhel district.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ayub Khoso said that militants of an outlawed group put up blocks on the highway in the Rarashim area of the Musakhel district and offloaded 23 passengers. He, however, did not identify the outfit.

“The passengers were told to get down from buses and shot dead after being identified from their national ID cards,” Khoso said.

“Most of those killed belonged to southern Punjab and some are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggesting they were killed because of their ethnic background,” he added.

Khoso said the armed men had also set some 12 vehicles on fire on the highway before fleeing into the nearby mountainous terrain.

Police reached the spot and shifted the bodies to the hospital.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident of terrorism.

He expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the cowardly act of terrorists.

The terrorists and their facilitators will not be able to escape an exemplary end, he said, adding that the Balochistan government will pursue the terrorists.

The Musakhel attack comes months nearly four months after a similar attack targeting people from Punjab. In April, nine passengers were offloaded from a bus near Noshki and shot dead after gunmen checked their ID cards.

In October last year, unidentified gunmen fatally shot six labourers hailing from Punjab in Turbat in Balochistan's Kech district. According to the police, the killings were targeted. All victims belonged to different areas of southern Punjab, suggesting they had been chosen for their ethnic background.

A similar incident occurred in 2015 when gunmen killed 20 construction workers and injured three others in a pre-dawn attack on a labourers' camp near Turbat.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

Israel stages heavy airstrikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah launches attack over slain top commander

Israel stages heavy airstrikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah launches attack over slain top Commander

Sunday, 25 August 2024 | AP | Jerusalem

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region. It could also torpedo efforts to forge a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, for over 10 months.

By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides having confined their attacks to military targets. But the situation remained tense, and the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. Iran supports both groups as well as militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who might join any larger conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated “thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel” and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command.

“We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we will harm them,” he said.

Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel's Home Front Command has raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found “very little damage” in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sunday's strikes.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that two people were wounded in the Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. One of them, a 17-year-old Syrian, was hospitalised, civil defence officials said. Separately, a fighter for the Amal group, which is allied with Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on a car, Amal said.

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation was targeting “a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defence) platforms.”

Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said “military operations for today have been completed.”

The group said all the exploding drones it launched hit their targets, without saying how many. It listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. It also dismissed Israel's claim that its preemptive strikes had succeeded in warding off a stronger Hezbollah attack.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday morning's exchange was “still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all out war.”

(Source AP & The Pioneer)

Central Cabinet approves Unified Pension Scheme for central govt. Employees

Central Cabinet approves Unified Pension Scheme for central govt. Employees

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).

The salient features of the UPS are:

• Assured pension: 50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months prior to superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years. This pay is to be proportionate for lesser service period upto a minimum of 10 years of service.

• Assured family pension: @60% of pension of the employee immediately before her/his demise.

• Assured minimum pension: @10,000 per month on superannuation after minimum 10 years of service.

• Inflation indexation: on assured pension, on assured family pension and assured minimum pension:

Dearness Relief based on All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) as in case of service employees.

• Lump sum payment at superannuation in addition to gratuity:
1/10th of monthly emoluments (pay + DA) as on the date of superannuation for every completed six months of service

This payment will not reduce the quantum of assured pension.

(Source : pmindia.gov.in)

Bihar policeman accidentally hits SDO during lathi-charge on Bharat Bandh protesters

 

Bihar policeman accidentally hits SDO during lathi-charge on Bharat Bandh protesters

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 | PTI | Patna

A sub-divisional officer (SDO) was accidentally hit by police personnel while managing law and order during Bharat Bandh protests over community-based reservation here on Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra told PTI that while police were lathicharging to disperse protesters blocking traffic at Dak Bunglow Chowk, an officer inadvertently hit the Sadar-Patna SDO, who was leading the force.

Mishra described the incident as a human error, and said the police officer did not recognise the official.

The Patna District Administration later confirmed that the incident was an honest mistake and said no disciplinary action will be taken against the police officer.

Bihar Police on Wednesday lathi-charged and used water cannons to disperse protesters who put up rail and road blockades in support of Bharat Bandh over community-based reservation.

Protesters disrupted train services at Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations and blocked traffic in Patna, Hajipur, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, and Begusarai districts following which police baton-charged to quell them.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

IAF fighter aircraft drops 'air store' near Pokhran, nobody hurt

IAF fighter aircraft drops 'Air Store' near Pokhran, Nobody got Hurt

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 | PTI | Jaipur

An object fell from an IAF fighter aircraft in the Pokhran area of Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in an isolated area and there was no damage to life or property, authorities said.

"An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today," the Indian Air Force (IAF) posted on 'X'.

The IAF said it has ordered an inquiry into the incident. It, however, did not reveal the exact nature of the "air store".

Sub-Inspector of Ramdevra police station Shankar Lal said some people heard a loud bang about a kilometre away from the village following which they rushed to the spot and found pieces of an object lying around.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

It was absolute failure of state machinery: Cal HC on vandalism at RG Kar hospital

It was absolute failure of state machinery: Cal HC on vandalism at RG Kar Hospital

Friday, 16 August 2024 | PTI | Kolkata

The Calcutta High Court on Friday observed that mob violence at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital was an absolute failure of state machinery in West Bengal.

The court directed the police and the hospital authority to file affidavits on the incident.

A division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam said it was hard to believe that the police intelligence did not have information about the gathering of 7,000 people at the health facility when the state's lawyer told the court that a mob of such number had assembled at the hospital in the early hours of Thursday.

The court directed the police and the administrator of the hospital to file two separate affidavits narrating the true state of affairs and all connected matters on the next hearing date on August 21.

The bench, also comprising Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, said the police should place on record the entire sequence of events that led to the vandalism in the hospital.

The investigating team of CBI was also directed by the court to file an interim report about the progress of its investigation into the alleged rape and murder of the woman doctor in the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9, which led to a ceasework by junior doctors in government hospitals in the state.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

PM Modi calls for secular civil code, says existing laws Discriminatory

PM Modi calls for secular civil code, says existing laws Discriminatory

Thursday, 15 August 2024 | PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said a "secular civil code" is the need of the hour as the existing set of laws as "communal civil code" and discriminatory.

In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said, "A large section of the country believes, which is true also, that the civil code is actually in a way is a communal civil code. It discriminates (among people)."

He said laws which divide the country on communal lines and become a reason for inequality have no place in a modern society.

"I would say, it is the need of the hour that India should have a secular civil code. We have lived 75 years with a communal civil code. Now, we have to move towards a secular civil code. Only then would religion-based discrimination end. It would also end the disconnect the common people feel," he said.

The prime minster noted that the Supreme Court has given various directions in this regard. The spirit of the Constitution also encourages such a code, he said, referring to Article 44 under the Directive Principles of State Policy.

It states that it is the duty of the State to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India.

"It is our responsibility to fulfil the dream of the makers of our Constitution. I believe there should be a serious discussion on the subject," he said.

Uttarakhand came out with its own uniform civil code recently.

The government had referred the issue of a common code to the Law Commission which last year began fresh public consultations on the issue.

A uniform civil code in India has been a key agenda of successive BJP manifestos.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

Gyanvapi: HC defers hearing on plea for 'wazukhana' survey as Muslim side counsel fails to appear

Gyanvapi: HC defers hearing on plea for 'wazukhana' survey as Muslim side counsel fails to Appear

Wednesday, 14 August 2024 | PTI | Prayagraj

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on a plea against a Varanasi court order refusing to direct the ASI to survey the Gyanvapi mosque's 'wazukhana', as the counsel for the Muslim side did not appear due to "illness".

On July 9, the high court granted a month to the mosque management committee to file a counter affidavit on the revision plea and fixed August 14 for the hearing.

On Wednesday, an "illness slip" was sent on behalf of counsel for the Muslim side and a request was made to adjourn the matter. Thereafter, the high court fixed August 22 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order on the revision petition filed by Rakhi Singh, one of the plaintiffs in the Shringar Gauri worshipping suit.

As per counsel of Rakhi Singh, no counter affidavit has been filed by the Muslim side till date.

On October 21, 2023, the Varanasi district judge passed the order refusing to direct the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake a survey of the 'wazukhana' area (except for the structure which the Hindu side calls a 'shivling') inside the Gyanvapi mosque located adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath temple. Rakhi Singh has challenged the district judge's order.

In her revision plea, Rakhi Singh has pleaded that the survey of the 'wuzukhana' area is necessary in the interest of justice. It shall benefit the plaintiff(s) and defendants alike and help the court arrive at a just decision in the suit, the plea said.

It has also been contended that the court of Varanasi district judge, in its October 21 order, failed to exercise the jurisdiction vested in it by law to direct for the survey of the 'wuzukhana' area.

It has further been submitted that in its July 21, 2023 order (for the survey of Gyanvapi premises), the court of district judge erred in stating that it had deliberately excluded the duly protected area from the ambit of the survey, as in the application on which the said order was passed, there was no prayer seeking survey of the protected area.

It was also argued that it is possible to survey the 'wuzukhana' area (except for the 'shivling') using non-invasive methods as directed by the Supreme Court.

The ASI has already conducted a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi and has also submitted its report to the Varanasi district judge.

The ASI had conducted the survey in accordance with the July 21, 2023 order of the Varanasi district judge to determine if the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

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SC expunges HC judge's remarks against apex court, says they were 'unwarranted' and 'scandalous'

SC expunges HC judge's remarks against apex court, says they were 'unwarranted' and 'scandalous'

Wednesday, 07 August 2024 | PTI | New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday expunged the observations made by a single judge bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the apex court in a contempt case, saying they were "scandalous" and "unwarranted".

A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, however, refused to initiate proceedings against Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Rajbir Sehrawat for his critical observations.

The bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy, referred to "judicial discipline" and said it expected greater caution to be exercised in future while dealing with orders of higher courts.

It said neither the apex court nor high courts were supreme and supremacy is actually of the Constitution of India.

During the hearing, the bench, which took suo motu cognisance of the matter, said it was pained by the observations made by the high court judge.

It said "unnecessary" observations have been made with regard to so many things in the high court's order.

The bench said judges are not aggrieved by the orders passed by higher courts and judicial discipline has to be maintained.

Justice Sehrawat was critical of an apex court order staying contempt proceedings initiated by the high court.

"Seen at a psychological plane, this type of order is actuated, primarily, by two factors, firstly a tendency to avoid owning responsibility of the consequence which such an order, in all likelihood, is bound to produce, under a pretence that an order of stay of contempt proceedings does not adversely affect anybody, and secondly, a tendency to presume the Supreme Court to be more 'Supreme' than it actually is and to presume a High Court to be lesser 'High' than it constitutionally is," he had said in his order passed on July 17.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)

Heartbreak in Paris Olympics: Vinesh disqualified for being overweight before Final

Heartbreak in Paris Olympics : Vinesh disqualified for being overweight before Final

Wednesday, 07 August 2024 | PTI | Paris

In a shocking reversal of fortunes, Vinesh Phogat was on Wednesday disqualified from the Olympics after being found overweight ahead of her women's 50kg final here, leaving her medal-less within hours of coming close to an unparalleled gold.

Vinesh had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the gold medal bout in the event on Tuesday night.

"She was found overweight by 100gm this morning. The rules do not allow this and she has been disqualified," said an Indian coach.

The Indian Olympic Association later confirmed the development and requested privacy for the wrestler, who was competing in her third Olympics.

"It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the women's Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning," the IOA stated.

"No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you to respect Vinesh's privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand," it added.

The disqualification means that Vinesh will end medal-less in the Games as international rules stipulate that any grappler found overweight at the time of weigh-in ends up at the bottom of the final standings

She had taken down defending champion Yui Susaki of Japan en route the finals on Tuesday and was to face American Sarah Ann Hildebrandt in the summit bout this evening.

Hers was not the only weight-related disqualification in the 50kg category.

On Tuesday, Italy's Emanuela Liuzzi was also forced to forfeit her preliminary bout after being found overweight.

(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)