Vafaei defeated He Guoqiang from China 5-2 in the sporting event.
In the semifinals, Vafaei will compete with Welsh legend Mark Williams.
He had defeated English snooker player Oliver Brown 4-2, Yuan Sijun of China 4-2, and Graeme Dott from Scotland 4-2 in his previous matches.
The competition runs from September 25 to October 1.
The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse hosts the third world ranking event of the 2023-24 season, with Ryan Day defending the Clive Everton Trophy against many of snooker’s biggest stars.
World No.1 Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the tournament due to medical reasons.
NIA began its search operation after a Delhi connection came to the fore.
New Delhi:
The anti-terror agency is on alert over ISIS terrorists roaming in Delhi. A massive search operation is on and Rs 3 lakh reward has been announced on each of them.
The three terrorists at large have been identified as Md Shahnawaz Safiuzzama Alam alias Abdullah, Rizwan Abdul Haji Ali, and Abdulla Faiyaz Shaikh, in the ‘Pune ISIS module case’.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), a central body that probes terror cases, began its search operation after a Delhi connection came to the fore.
Pune police and the NIA had earlier raided areas in central Delhi in this connection, but did not get any evidence.
Intelligence agencies are also in loop in the search operation.
TEHRAN, Sep.30 (MNA) – The opening ceremony of the 5th edition of the Mustafa Prize was held in the presence of President Ebrahim Raeisi and 150 religious scholars at the Isfahan International Convention Center in the city of Isfahan in central Iran.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists are operating in areas of northeast Syria controlled by US occupation forces, arguing that Washington has built up a close and strong partnership with militants wreaking havoc across the country.
Assad made the remarks in an exclusive interview with China’s state-run CGTN television news channel broadcast late on Friday.
“The northeastern sector of Syria is exactly the region, where terrorists are operating and Americans assert control over. The issue is not simply restricted to the looting of natural resources; but rather a partnership with terrorists to reap mutual benefits. This brings another problem, as a major power is in cahoots with terrorist. These are the facts on the ground in Syria,” he stated.
The Syrian leader highlighted that the Syrian conflict is not over yet, and the Arab country is in the midst of a war. Syria, due to its geographical location, has historically endured numerous invasions. Anytime occupiers overran the country, they destroyed its cities and towns. Syria has, however, managed to recover. Syrian people will be able to rebuild their own country when the war ends and the siege is lifted.
“The current situation is certainly not good. It is, frankly speaking, difficult because livelihood woes and struggles are the main problems of the Syrian nation. I mean the financial miseries that they have to endure. Their pains and sufferings are increasing,” Assad stated.
“If reconstruction gets underway, Syria will have a very bright future. I am not speaking of assumptions, desires and expectations, but rather about the pre-war situation. Prior to the war, Syria’s growth was at its best rate of 7%, which was considered a very high ratio for a country with limited capacities.
“We had no foreign debts. We used to borrow and pay back our debts directly. We had enough wheat and used to export grains to other countries. We used to export vegetables and fruits, and were developing our industries in the early years of the crisis. Therefore, I can assuredly say that Syria will be much better than what it was before the war in case the war stops and reconstruction starts,” Assad underscored.
Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday announced the appointment of Australia’s Luke Williams as their head coach
Published Date – 01:37 PM, Sat – 30 September 23
Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday announced the appointment of Australia’s Luke Williams as their head coach for the second edition of the Women’s Premier League.
RCB had parted ways with Ben Sawyer after the team finished last in the five-team inaugural edition this year in March, managing just two wins in eight matches.
“I look forward to working with a playing group that will host a number of the most exciting players in Indian and world cricket, as we look to bring a bold and exciting style of play and success to our huge and passionate fan base,” Williams said in a statement.
The 43-year-old Williams coached the Adelaide Strikers to win the Women’s Big Bash League 2022-23. They also had reached the final on previous two occasions.
As their assistant coach, Williams played a vital role in the Southern Brave side winning The Hundred women’s competition this year.
Williams was also associated with the South Australian Scorpions team in the fifty overs’ Women’s National Cricket League. They ended as runners-up on two occasions.
Additionally, he was the head coach of the Australia A team during their England tour earlier this year.
Nicky Fox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, highlighted the significance of the selected four mission concept studies, emphasizing their potential to address pivotal questions in heliophysics.
Published Date – 01:30 PM, Sat – 30 September 23
Washington:US space agency NASA has selected four small explorer missions to conduct concept studies to expand knowledge of the dynamics of the Sun. These missions will aim to shed light on related phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, aurora, and solar wind to better understand the Sun-Earth connection.
“These four mission concept studies were selected because they address compelling science questions and could greatly impact the field of heliophysics,” said Nicky Fox, the associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“These mission proposals are exciting because they build upon and complement the science of our current mission fleet, have the potential for broad impact and could provide new and deeper insight into the solar atmosphere and space weather,” Fox said in a statement late on Friday.
The Cross-scale Investigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora (CINEMA) mission would work to understand the structure and evolution of Earth’s plasma sheet — a long sheet of denser space plasma in the magnetic fields flowing behind Earth, known as the magnetotail — using a constellation of nine CubeSats flown in sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit.
The Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer (CMEx) mission would attempt to understand the magnetic nature of solar eruptions and identify the magnetic sources of the solar wind. Meanwhile, the Extreme ultraviolet Coronal Mass Ejection and Coronal Connectivity Observatory (ECCCO) consists of a single spacecraft with two instruments, a wide-field extreme ultraviolet imager and a unique imaging EUV spectrograph.
The primary objective of the Magnetospheric Auroral Asymmetry Explorer (MAAX) mission would be to improve our understanding of how electrodynamic coupling between Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere regulates auroral energy flow.
“The potential to gain new insights and answer longstanding questions in the field while building on the research and technology of our current and legacy missions is incredible,” said Peg Luce, acting Heliophysics division director at NASA Headquarters.
The terrorists’ drones were destroyed as they were attacking the civilian sites and the Syrian Army’s positions in the suburbs of Idlib, Hama, and Latakia.
The Syrian Army added that the position of the armed terrorist groups was also shelled with artillery and a number of them were killed.
According to the 2017 agreement among Iran, Russia, and Turkey as the guarantor countries of the Astana Peace Talks, four safe zones were established in Syria.
Three regions came under the control of the Syrian army in 2018, but the fourth region, which includes Idlib province in northwestern Syria and small parts of Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo provinces, is still under the control of terrorist groups and adversary groups.
At the end of the summer of 2018, the leaders of Russia and Turkey reached an agreement in Sochi, Russia, during which Turkey promised to remove or disarm the terrorists based in that region without bloodshed.
Indian Olympic medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 75 kg boxing competition
Published Date – 01:22 PM, Sat – 30 September 23
Hangzhou: Indian Olympic medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 75 kg boxing competition, assuring India of its third boxing medal at the ongoing Asian Games on Saturday. Lovlina won the match by 5-0 against South Korea’s Suyeon Seong, with all judges ruling in favour of the Indian in an evenly-contested match.
Earlier, Preeti Pawar confirmed her entry to the semifinals of the 54 kg women’s boxing event at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, not only ensuring at least a bronze medal but also securing a Paris Olympics 2024 quota for the country.
She beat Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova in the quarterfinal clash 4-1, on the basis of the win by points.
Four judges ruled in favour of the Indian boxer while only one judge ruled in favour of Zhaina. The bout was an evenly fought one as there was barely a point of difference between the two boxers.
Preeti became the second Indian boxer after Nikhat to secure the Olympic quota for the Paris Olympic Games in boxing.
Reigning World Champion Zareen on Friday assured India a medal in the 50kg weight category after beating Jordan’s Hanan Nassar by KO in 2 minutes in a quarterfinal of the ongoing 19th Asian Games.
She will be up against Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksat in the semifinal.
The Indian boxer needed less than two minutes to overcome Jordan’s Nassar Hanan in the quarterfinals, as her merciless boxing caused the referee to end the contest via RSC (referee stops count). ‘ Currently, India’s medal tally in the games is 34, with eight gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze medals.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has officially inaugurated the 5th Mustafa Prize ceremony in the central city of Isfahan in the presence of more than 130 luminaries from across the Muslim world.
The prestigious biennial event kicked off to host high-profile scientists from 57 Islamic countries and their ambassadors in addition to Isfahan’s academic elites, university faculty members and scholars in the field of artificial intelligence from September 28 to October 4.
The ceremony will also host the 9th round of Science and Technology Exchange Program (STEP), which is a platform organized by Mustafa Science and Technology Foundation to expand the scientific network among the Islamic world’s scholars by holding international events and laying the groundwork for enhancing scientific synergy and cooperation.
“We strongly believe that the honors of the science and technology as in the past are on the shoulders of Muslim figures, and Muslim scientists are the ones who can bring a new message and a new civilization to the Islamic world and humanity again,” Raeisi said in an address to the gathering.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi greets invitees and attendances in the opening ceremony of the 5th Mustafa Prize in the central city of Isfahan on September 29, 2023. (Photo by president.ir)
Stressing that the roots of many modern Western sciences and technologies are in the Islamic civilization, the Iranian president said, “The Islamic civilization seeks to make humanity prosper in the fields of justice, ethics and spirituality as the cornerstone of society.”
Raeisi also said the Mustafa Prize should be recognized as an “innovative move” as it enjoys a human-, society- and civilization-building perspective.
This year, five scholars and scientists have been nominated for the prestigious award over their scientific excellence, including Professor Omid Farokhzad in nanomedicine and Professor Ahmed Hassan in software engineering.
A view of attendances in the opening ceremony of the 5th Mustafa Prize in the central city of Isfahan on September 29, 2023 (Photo by president.ir)
Mustafa Prize was established in 2012 as one of the symbols of scientific excellence and has been held biennially since 2015, recognizing leading researchers and scientists of the Islamic world.
The laureates are awarded $500,000, which is financed through the science and technology endowment. They are also be adorned with Mustafa Medal and Honorary Diploma.
The prize is awarded in the four categories of information and communication science and technology, life and medical science and technology, nanoscience and nanotechnology, and all areas of science and technology.
In 2016, the Science Magazine called the prize “the Muslim Nobel.”
IAF held an aerial display over Bhojtal Lake in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal to mark its 91st anniversary
Published Date – 12:35 PM, Sat – 30 September 23
Bhopal: The Indian Air Force (IAF) held an aerial display over Bhojtal Lake in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal to mark its 91st anniversary, treating the city with thrilling aerobatic performances, showcasing the nation’s air prowess today.
CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopters of the Indian Air Force showcased thrilling aerobatic performances over the lake.
Apart from Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, senior officers of the Indian Air Force were present to witness the fly-past program.
Earlier this week Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari met veteran air warriors in New Delhi as part of Air Force Day celebrations.
IAF officials said, “As part of the Air Force Day celebrations, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari met veteran air warriors in New Delhi.
The Air Force Chief used the occasion to discuss different issues faced by the veterans and instructed the officials concerned to address them at the earliest.” Air Force Day marks the official induction of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1932. Every year, the day is celebrated in the presence of the Indian Air Force chief and senior officers.
The Air Force was officially raised as the supporting force of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom in 1932 and the first operational squadron was created in 1933. Major operations undertaken by the IAF include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot, Operation Cactus and Operation Poomalai since 1950. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating its 91 anniversary on October 8, 2023.
