Sports

“My knee held up pretty well”: Williamson following WC warm-up match against Pakistan

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Kane Williamson said that his knee held up pretty well while batting during the ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up match

Published Date – 08:45 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


“My knee held up pretty well”: Williamson following WC warm-up match against Pakistan

File Photo

Hyderabad: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said that his knee held up pretty well while batting during the ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up match between the Kiwis and Pakistan and it was nice to get some time in the middle to bat.

Half-centuries from Rachin Ravindra, Williamson, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman helped the Kiwis chase down a massive 346 runs against Pakistan. For Pakistan, Mohammed Rizwan smashed a hundred while skipper Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel smashed fifties.

Williamson made an impressive return to the game from a knee injury sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) back in March. While he is still recovering and will miss the tournament opener against England on October 5, his batting and getting some game time are encouraging signs for the Kiwis.

“Just great to get through some batting out in the middle and be part of a match, which was really nice and it (knee) held up pretty well,” Williamson said after New Zealand’s win as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

The batter said that his knee needed a bit of icing after batting.”It needed a little bit of icing afterward but it is all part of the process. Yeah, it was not a reality certainly five months ago and [I have] been quite fortunate with some of that recovery and to be named in the squad is really exciting for me and just really looking forward to getting out there again. It was nice to do that today,” he added.

Williamson’s improved level of fitness comes as a boost for New Zealand ahead of the World Cup. At one point, it seemed that he could miss the entire tournament, but was ultimately named to the squad as he continued to make a speedy recovery and was fine enough to be included.

His knee was heavily strapped up during the warm-ups leading to the match. He played as a specialist batter, not fielding in the first innings. He came in at number three and had a century partnership with Ravindra.

During his return match, he dealt with pacer Hasan Ali’s outswingers cautiously and eventually settled to find gaps at will. He also used some sweep shots, including a reverse sweep against spinners.

“It was largely pretty good, which was pleasing. Nice to sort of build on that. It was a fantastic hit-out obviously. Pakistan are an outstanding side. I mean both teams were trying to get what they wanted out of it, in terms of bowlers getting overs they needed and time in the legs. So, it is an exercise, but also nice to compete and do all those things. As a bowling unit and batting unit, plenty to take away from it. There are always things to work on and it was a great batting performance today. It was a really good surface and it is nice that we were able to put together partnerships and get time in the middle,” he added.

Williamson will however, miss the opening match of his team in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 against England as he continues to recover from knee surgery, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced the batter’s availability update on Friday.

“Williamson will play as a batsman-only in today’s first warm-up match against Pakistan in Hyderabad, with the aim of batting and fielding in Monday’s second and final warm-up against South Africa in Trivandrum,” NZC had said in an official statement.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said making sure Williamson had enough time to progress in his return to match fitness was their top concern.

“Right from the start we have taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play. His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket. We’ll continue to take a day-by-day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready,” Stead stated in an official statement by NZC.

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Scientists Confirm First Evidence Of Black Hole Spinning

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Scientists Confirm First Evidence Of Black Hole Spinning

NASA describes a black hole as a “dense, compact object whose gravitational pull is strong”.

Astronomers have found the first direct evidence of a black hole spinning. The observations provide new insights into the enigmatic celestial object and focus on the supermassive black hole at the centre of the neighbouring Messier 87 (M87) galaxy. On the lines of other supermassive black holes, M87, too, features powerful jets launched from the poles at close to the speed of light into intergalactic space.

Scientists believe the rotation of a black hole powers these cosmic jets, but until now there was no direct evidence. The black hole has been imaged by Event Horizon Telescope, The Guardian reported.

Dr Ru-Sen Lu, the lead author of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, said that the scientific community knows jets are ejected from the region surrounding black holes. “But we still do not fully understand how this happens,” Lu said, adding that, they needed to observe the origin of the jet as close as possible to the black hole.

M87, located 55 million light years from the Earth, harbours a black hole 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun. Beyond the black hole is an accretion disk of gas and dust swirling on the precipice of the cosmic sinkhole. Some of this material, as per the scientists, will fall into the black hole and disappear forever. However, a small fraction will be ejected out from the poles of the black hole at more than 99.99% of the speed of light.

Research, published in Nature, used observations of M87 from a global network of radio telescopes from 2000 to 2022. Scientists noticed a recurring 11-year cycle in the jet, which was found to precess around a central point at the edge of the black hole. It indicated a misalignment between the black hole’s spin axis and the accretion disk, leading the jet to move like a spinning top.

The first picture of a black hole was obtained back in 2019, according to US space agency NASA. The supermassive black hole, imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope, was said to be located in the centre of the elliptical galaxy M87, located about 55 million light-years from Earth.

What is a Black Hole?

NASA describes a black hole as a “dense, compact object whose gravitational pull is so strong (to a certain distance) that nothing can escape, not even light.” It is said that black holes are formed when massive stars collapse at the ends of their evolution. The gravity is extremely strong because matter (the mass) has been squeezed into a tiny space.

World

Norway joins EU nations in banning Russian-registered cars from entering its territory   

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Norway announced Friday that it will start barring Russian-registered passenger cars from entering the Scandinavian country starting next week, mirroring sanctions imposed by the European Union against Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

Updated On – 12:34 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


Norway joins EU nations in banning Russian-registered cars from entering its territory   

Norway announced Friday that it will start barring Russian-registered passenger cars from entering the Scandinavian country starting next week, mirroring sanctions imposed by the European Union against Moscow over its war on Ukraine.


Copenhagen: Norway announced Friday that it will start barring Russian-registered passenger cars from entering the Scandinavian country starting next week, mirroring sanctions imposed by the European Union against Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

Norway, which is a member of NATO but not of the EU, has a 198-kilometre-long (123-mile-long) border in the Arctic with Russia.

The Scandinavian country ”stands together with allies and like-minded people in the reactions against the brutal war of aggression by Russia,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement.

The ban means that Russian-registered passenger cars with nine or fewer seats can no longer be brought into Norway.

Buses and minivans with ten or more seats will still be able to cross the border at Storskog, the sole crossing point between Norway and Russia.

The government in Oslo said there will be exceptions for diplomatic vehicles, for cars owned by Norwegian citizens and their family members with permanent residence in Russia, and for travel necessary for humanitarian reasons, such as acute illness, death or family funerals.

Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc, including the three Batlic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — Finland and Poland.

The sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation were published by the European Commission on September 8.

Norway said its ban would start on Monday at midnight.

Middle East

Israeli forces kill Hamas member during West Bank ambush

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File photo of the Israeli regime’s forces in the occupied West Bank

The Israeli regime’s forces have fatally wounded a member of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas during an ambush in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

The incident took place on Friday near the illegal settlement of Pesagot, which is located to the east of the city of al-Bireh.

The West Bank-based Palestinian health ministry named the victim as Mohammad Jibril Roummaneh, saying he had succumbed to serious injuries he had suffered in the abdomen.

Hamas, which is headquartered in the nearby Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip, issued a statement, describing Roummaneh as a “heroic martyr,” who had died while “defending the freedom of [his] people.”

Another Palestinian was “lightly” injured during the incident, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

The Israeli army alleged that the victims had been targeted after “assailants hurled Molotov cocktails at a military post adjacent to the [settlement] of Psagot.”

“Soldiers…identified the suspects and responded with live fire,” claimed a statement by the army.

Violence waged by the regime’s forces and its illegal settlers has claimed the lives of at least 242 Palestinians so far this year.

Also on Friday, dozens of Palestinians sustained injuries when Israeli forces used tear gas and gunfire to disperse weekly anti-settlement rallies in the northern part of the West Bank.

According to Palestinian media outlets, the rallies were staged in the Beit Dajan village and the town of Kafr Qaddum, which are located near the city of Nablus.

Ahmad Jibril, head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency and Ambulance Department in Nablus, said Israeli troops had attacked protesters in Beit Dajan with rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas bombs, and stun grenades.

Sports

Asian Games: Sarabjot, Divya assure India of medal in 10m air pistol mixed team event

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Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS entered the 10m air pistol mixed team finals to assure the country of at least a silver medal

Published Date – 08:35 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


Asian Games: Sarabjot, Divya assure India of medal in 10m air pistol mixed team event

PTI Photo

Hangzhou: India’s Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS entered the 10m air pistol mixed team finals to assure the country of at least a silver medal at the Asian Games here on Saturday.

Sarabjot shot 291, while Divya scored 286 to aggregate 577 and finish ahead of China (576) in the qualification round.

The two teams will fight for the gold later in the day.

India thus have confirmed their 19th medal in shooting from the continental Games.

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Not Ashwin, Yuvraj Wanted This Star As Axar's Replacement In India's Squad

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The Indian squad is packed with quality players but either wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal or Washington Sundar should have found place in the home team’s line-up, reckons 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh. All-rounder Axar Patel was ruled out of the global event due to quadriceps tear and the management replaced him with senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin was summoned for the ODI series against Australia and eventually he was included in the final 15-man squad as Chahal and Washington miss out.

“I personally feel the only miss in this side is Yuzvendra Chahal. I think the only aspect that is missing from this team is a leg-spinner,” Yuvraj told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“I was very keen to see Washington Sundar in the side if we are not picking up Yuzi. But maybe the team wanted an experienced bowler, so that is why I think they went with R Ashwin,” said one of India’s greatest ODI cricketers.

Yuvraj spoke on the sidelines of an event, organised by Vicks, to release the World Cup anthem.

The performance of Jasprit Bumrah will have a massive bearing on India’s campaign in the World Cup at home, felt former India batter.

Bumrah returned to the Indian side during the T20I series against Ireland recently after a long injury lay-off and he also produced intense efforts in the Asia Cup.

“Jasprit is a match-winner, like Zak (Zaheer Khan) did for us back in 2011. What makes Jasprit a threat is he has skill and pace. He is an asset to the team.

“To make a comeback from the back injury at this stage is quite big too. As a team you feel confident to have bowlers like that, they win you matches from any situation.” Yuvraj, who was the player of the tournament during the 2011 World Cup, was pleased to see the growing maturity of Bumrah as a cricketer. “Bumrah has matured in the last couple of years, he has captained India and has become a smart bowler. Rohit knows how to use him wisely, especially because he has captained Bumrah in the Mumbai Indians,” said Yuvraj.

“The advantage with Bumrah is that initially he can get wickets with pace but when he starts going for runs, his skillset will come into play. There will be days when you will win a game after scoring 300 or 350-plus but these kinds of bowlers like Bumrah are needed to defend scores like 250s and 260s,” he said.

The 41-year-old was also chuffed to see the form of India’s middle-order batters.

“It is a good thing that all our middle-order batters – KL (Rahul), Ishan (Kishan) and Shreyas Iyer – are in good form. But the team management needs to decide the 11 and combination ahead of the tournament that will give the team a settled look,” he said.

Yuvraj knows a thing or two about winning the World Cup as he was a part of India’s triumphant sides in 2007 (T20 WC) and 2011 (50-over WC).

He said India had started their preparation for the 2011 World Cup the moment Gary Kirsten joined the team as the head coach.

“We started planning for the World Cup from the day Gary came on board. The first step was to get to the No. 1 ranking in all formats – whether it is ODI cricket or Tests. When the World Cup came, we had a lot of players who were at the peak of their careers. The younger generation too had matured. So, it became a complete team effort,” he said.

On personal front, Yuvraj was battling injuries and other health issues, which was later diagnosed as cancer, ahead of the 2011 big bash.

So, how did he manage to rise above those obstacles? “I was battling injuries ahead of the World Cup…neck, fingers…and other health-related issues as I was not able to breathe properly. I had to put aside all of those things and concentrate on one goal, which is the World Cup.

“When you were playing in a physical state like that, you had to put the body on the line. I think to win a World Cup after 28 years, an effort like that was needed.” India had then won a 50-over World Cup, their second, after a gap of nearly three decades, and Yuvraj hoped that Rohit Sharma and his bunch would end India’s 12-year wait for a third trophy at home next month.

“I love these guys as I get along with every one of them and I have also played with some of them. I feel that Virat and Rohit deserve a World Cup. So, everyone needs to put their body on the line for such a big stage,” he said.

Yuvraj also advised the present bunch to stay away from distractions during the World Cup. “I would tell them to stay away from distractions for the next 40 or 45 days…media, friends and everything. They need to focus on the game exclusively. Sachin paaji (Tendulkar) used to tell us that,” he signed off.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics mentioned in this article

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Steps should be taken to prevent human-wildlife conflicts: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the officials of the forest department to take appropriate action in this regard

Published Date – 08:10 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


Steps should be taken to prevent human-wildlife conflicts: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

ANI Photo

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that steps should be taken to prevent human-wildlife conflicts adding that funding to build barricades to prevent animals from coming out of forest areas will be looked into.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the officials of the forest department to take appropriate action in this regard.

Speaking at the Chief Minister’s Medal Presentation Ceremony organized by the Karnataka Forest Department at Vidhana Soudha on Friday, CM Siddaramaiah said, “Afforestation should be done by planting more saplings. The expansion of forest area will be of great benefit to the state. Though it is a matter of happiness to see an increase in the number of tigers and elephants in the forests, the wild animals are entering human habitats and this is posing a problem to the forest department as well as the people.”

“Karnataka State is at the forefront in forest and wildlife conservation. It is the responsibility of the government to encourage officers who perform their duties well. More emphasis should be given to forest development. Out of the total land area of the state, only 20 per cent is forest area. This forest area must be expanded by at least 33 per cent. Climate change can only be avoided by expanding the forest area,” he added.

CM Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka is facing many problems due to scarcity of rain this year.

“Situations like the Cauvery water issue, drought, and shortage in food production arise. This situation affects the state’s GDP and per capita income. This time 50 per cent crop is damaged in 40 lakh hectares.

He said that such a drought situation occurs every four to four years.

If the forest area increases, it is possible to prevent such extreme weather conditions,” CM said. CM also said there should not be a practice of awarding medals of 2-3 years together and there is no need to wait two or three years after the selection of the awardees.

The Chief Minister advised the state Forest minister to award the Chief Minister’s Medal every year, the statement said.

World

2 taken to hospital after train collision in Scotland

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Two people have been taken to hospital after a collision between two trains in northern Scotland

Published Date – 08:15 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


2 taken to hospital after train collision in Scotland



London: Two people have been taken to hospital after a collision between two trains in northern Scotland, local media reported.

The crash happened at Aviemore Railway Station in the Cairngorms at 7:10 p.m. on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. “Two casualties have been transported to Raigmore Hospital. Three casualties were treated at the scene but did not require to be taken to hospital,” said a spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

According to local reports, the crash involved the iconic Flying Scotsman steam locomotive and the Royal Scotsman carriages at the station. “It is too early to know what has caused this incident, but clearly a full investigation will have to take place,” Scottish Greens transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell said.

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Olfati collects Iran’s first ever gymnasium medal at Asian Games

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Iranian athlete Mahdi Olfati (Photo by IRNA)

Iranian athlete Mahdi Olfati wrote his name into the national history books when he delivered a fascinating performance at the 19th edition of the Asian Games in China, and pocketed the country’s first medal in the history of the sport at the continental multi-sport event.

On Friday, Olfati scored 14.783 points to claim the second position in the men’s vault competitions at the Huanglong Sports Center Gymnasium in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Japan’s Wataru Tanigawa won the gold medal with 15.016 points, and Malaysian artistic gymnast Aimy Muhammad Sharul scored 14.466 points to rank third and earn the bronze medal.

The 19th edition of Asian Games, delayed a year due to China’s measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, is the country’s biggest sporting event in more than a decade in several metrics, with approximately 12,000 athletes from 45 nations competing in 40 sports.

The Games are underway in 56 venues, out of which 12 have been newly built.

Iran has sent 289 male and female athletes to the Games in 34 sports events. Iranian athletes have so far claimed three gold, 10 silver, and 10 bronze medals, with more expected to come as the Games will wrap up on October 8. 

Sports

Sergio Ramos scores own goal to gift Barcelona 1-0 win over Sevilla in Spanish league

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The former Real Madrid defender scored an own goal that handed Barcelona a 1-0 win over Sevilla and sent the Catalan club back to the top of the Spanish league

Published Date – 08:00 AM, Sat – 30 September 23


Sergio Ramos scores own goal to gift Barcelona 1-0 win over Sevilla in Spanish league

AP Photo

Barcelona: So long the scourge of Barcelona, Sergio Ramos unwittingly came to its aid on Friday.

The former Real Madrid defender scored an own goal that handed Barcelona a 1-0 win over Sevilla and sent the Catalan club back to the top of the Spanish league.

The veteran center back inadvertently turned in a headed pass by Lamine Yamal into Sevilla’s goal in the 76th minute.

The 37-year-old Ramos returned to Sevilla, his boyhood club, this month after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona’s fans jeered Ramos early in the game because of his past stint with Madrid, where he played 45 “clasico” games against the Catalan club between 2005-21.

After an evenly matched first half, Barcelona was pressing Sevilla into its box when the 16-year-old Lamal helped produce the breakthrough. Yamal was trying to head a lobbed pass by substitute Ferran Torres to teammate Fermin López when it hit Ramos and deflected into the net.

During the game, a video clip was played on Spanish news websites from a Barcelona vs. Madrid game in 2016 when Ramos was accompanied onto the field by Yamal when he was a young boy.

“Circumstance of life,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said about Yamal and Ramos now playing against one another.

“Who would have predicted that Yamal would be playing him at age 16, and it is to Sergio’s credit that he is still playing at this level,” said Xavi, who was Ramos’ rival at Barcelona and his teammate on the Spain team that won the 2010 World Cup. “Sergio is a great player and he had a played a great game, but he was just unlucky.” This month, Yamal became the youngest player to score in a European Championship qualifier and also became the youngest player to appear for Spain.

The victory lifted Barcelona back on top of the league table. Barcelona leads Girona by one point and Madrid by two before they play one another on Saturday.

Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic drew a leaping save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 16th minute. The visitors went closer to scoring in the 30th, but Gavi Páez blocked the goal-bound shot by Lucas Ocampos.

“This Barcelona has lots of talented players, and we just weren’t able to defend them until the very end,” said Rakitic, whose Sevilla was left in 12th place. “We have lots of little things to improve so that these details that decide matches can go our way.” Barcelona’s best chance in the first half came in the 20th when João Félix hit the woodwork after being set up by João Cancelo.

Barcelona lost Brazil forward Raphinha to an apparent leg injury in the first half. Fermin replaced him and impressed once again after he scored his first goal against Mallorca in a 2-2 draw midweek.

Prior the match, the executives of the two clubs clashed over the most recent developments in the legal investigation into the payment of millions of dollars by Barcelona to a former vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee between 2001-18.

On Thursday, the judge investigating the payments said there were indications that Barcelona may have attempted to bribe the former official, who was involved in administering the referees. It was the latest blow to Barcelona’s reputation after state prosecutors made their initial accusations against the club and its former executives in March.

Sevilla issued a statement hours before Friday’s game “expressing its complete indignation over the practices of Barcelona’s ex-executives.” As a consequence, its representatives skipped the pre-game lunch with their Barcelona counterparts and refused to sit in the dignitaries’ section at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.

Barcelona hit back with a statement saying that it was severing official relations with Sevilla.

“The (case) cannot serve as an excuse for the steps (Sevilla has taken) since the case is still in the initial steps of its investigative phase,” said Barcelona, which has repeatedly claimed that the monies paid to the refereeing official were for reports on referee’s tendencies, not to influence their decisions.