In remarks read out on his behalf by UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed at a conference in Cairo, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the situation in war-torn Gaza was “appalling and apocalyptic,” warning conditions faced by Palestinians in the territory may amount to the “gravest international crimes.”
(Source: AFP)
Ukraine brought the war into the heart of Russia Saturday morning with drone attacks that local authorities said damaged residential buildings in the city of Kazan in the Tatarstan region, over 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line, according to AP.
The press service of Tatarstan’s governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, said that eight drones attacked the city. Six hit residential buildings, one hit an industrial facility and one was shot down over a river, the statement said.
A video posted on local Telegram news channel Astra, verified by The Associated Press, shows a drone flying into the upper floors of a high-rise building.
Local authorities said there were no casualties. Flights were halted at Kazan’s airport and all mass gatherings canceled on Saturday and Sunday.
The attacks, which Ukraine didn’t acknowledge in keeping with its security policy, comes after a Ukrainian attack Friday on a town in Russia’s Kursk border region using US-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child.
Moscow sent 113 drones into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 57 drones were shot down during the attacks. A further 56 drones were “lost,” likely having been electronically jammed.
MA/PR
Forex experts noted that rising global oil prices and significant foreign fund outflows limited further recovery of the domestic currency. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 83.95, up by just 1 paisa against the US dollar, and remained mostly flat in early trading.
Updated On – 10 October 2024, 11:54 AM
Mumbai: The rupee rose 1 paisa to 83.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday amid a firm trend in domestic equity markets and a weaker greenback against major overseas rivals.
However, an increase in global oil prices and heavy foreign fund outflows capped further recovery in the domestic currency, according to forex experts.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 83.95, marginally up by 1 paisa against the US dollar, and traded almost flat in early deals.
The local unit had settled at 83.96 against the greenback on Wednesday.
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to keep policy rates unchanged also played a part in the rupee’s range-bound movement.
The RBI on Wednesday kept the policy rate unchanged for the tenth time in a row but shifted its stance from “withdrawal of accommodation” to “neutral” that may lead to a cut in the forthcoming policies.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.06 per cent to 102.86 points.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, gained 0.80 per cent to USD 77.19 per barrel in futures trade.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 203.10 points to 81,670.20 in early trade, while Nifty was up 71.55 points to 25,053.50.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Wednesday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 4,562.71 crore, according to exchange data.
He attributed his government’s inability and delay in implementing the six guarantees and other election promises of the Congress to the previous BRS government. He stated that if challenges were being faced in rolling out schemes like Rythu Bharosa, providing financial assistance to tenant farmers, offering a monthly allowance to women, or distributing one tola of gold under the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, the responsibility lay with the actions of the previous administration.
Published Date – 21 December 2024, 09:04 PM
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday admitted that the State government was unable to implement the promised six guarantees and other promises, including Rythu Bharosa, due to financial constraints.
Blaming the previous BRS government for his government’s inability and delay in the implementation of the six guarantees and other election promises of the Congress, he said if the State government was facing challenges to implement Rythu Bharosa, extend financial assistance to tenant farmers, monthly allowance to women, and one tola gold as part of Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, the previous government should be held responsible.
Speaking during a short discussion on Rythu Bharosa in the Assembly, the Chief Minister claimed that all the income generated and the loans raised by the State government were being used to pay the interest and principal component of loans raised by BRS government in the past.
“If this burden of repaying the past government’s loans was not imposed on us, I would have done wonders in Telangana,” he claimed, saying that the State government would have offered MSP for all crops, paid Arogyasri bills one month in advance, offered Rythu Bharosa and cleared farmers loans completely if there were no financial issues.
Admitting that he was visiting New Delhi frequently, the Chief Minister said financial experts were consulted to get the loans restructured. If there was any reduction in the interest component on the loans, it would aid in considerable savings for the State government and the same could be used for welfare and development works, he claimed.
The Chief Minister also alleged that the previous government had sold Kokapet lands, ORR and Hitec City to generate money. Now, BRS leaders were opposing welfare and development projects in the State, he alleged, accusing the BRS of opposing establishment of industries, land acquisition for setting up units, Regional Ring Road, radial roads and other projects. If all works were opposed, how development would take place in Telangana, he asked.
In Kodangal constituency, there were three lakh acres and of these, the State government was acquiring 1300 acres in four villages. But the farmers were offered money and instigated against the government, he alleged, stating that the land identified was in a strategic location with highways on both sides. If industrial units came up in the region, it would generate employment for 25,000 to 50,000 youth. But these plans were being opposed and revenue officials were attacked, the Chief Minister said, also threatening to “crush” anyone obstructing development in Kodangal.
Will continue to play club cricket; retires as second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 537 scalps in 106 games, leaving him only behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets)
Updated On – 18 December 2024, 12:11 PM
Brisbane: India’s premier off-spinner R Ashwin on Wednesday surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement with immediate effect in the middle of the Test series against Australia here.
Ashwin retires from the game as the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 537 scalps in 106 games, leaving him only behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets). He will continue to play club cricket.
“I won’t take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer,” Ashwin said at the end of the drawn third Test here in a joint press conference with captain Rohit Sharma during which he declined to take any questions and left after making the announcement.
The 38-year-old played the day-night Test in Adelaide and picked up one wicket.
“He was very, very sure of his decision. We should stand by what he wants,” said Rohit after Ashwin left the stage.
He was seen sharing an emotional moment with star batter Virat Kohli in the dressing room hours before the announcement.
“A name synonymous with mastery, wizardry, brilliance, and innovation,” said the BCCI in its tribute post on X.
𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙬𝙞𝙣 🫡
A name synonymous with mastery, wizardry, brilliance, and innovation 👏👏
The ace spinner and #TeamIndia‘s invaluable all-rounder announces his retirement from international cricket.
Congratulations on a legendary career, @ashwinravi99 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/swSwcP3QXA
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 18, 2024
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has cleared the air on Jason Gillespie’s resignation.© AFP
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has cleared the air on Jason Gillespie‘s resignation as head coach of the Test team. The former Australia pacer Gillespie stepped down from his role earlier this month after PCB decided not to extend high performance coach Tim Nielsen’s contract. Gillespie was also upset over the fact that the PCB had also barred the coaches from having a say in the selection matters, a decision which had led to the ouster of white-ball coach Gary Kirsten.
“There were certainly challenges. I went into the job eyes wide open, I want to make that really clear. I knew that, you know, Pakistan had cycled through a number of coaches in a pretty short space of time. The straw that broke the camel’s back, I suppose, was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer. I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have a high-performance coach,” Gillespie had told ABC Sport following his resignation.
With Pakistan set to take on South Africa in a two-match Test series, starting from Boxing Day, PCB chief Naqvi has shared his views on Gillespie’s sudden departure.
“The head coach’s role is to coach the team, while the selection committee is supposed to select players,” Naqvi told Geo News.
Both Gillespie and Kirsten were appointed on a two-year contract before the T20 World Cup 2024 and the PCB had promised a new era for the Pakistan team.
But once Aaqib Javed was brought in as senior selector and PCB granted him full powers including in team selection, the foreign coaches started falling out with the board.
Javed has also been appointed as the interim coach of the team across all three formats.
Pakistan lost the T20I series against South Africa, before turning the tables in the ODIs.
(With PTI Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
Normally a specialised rodent hunter, the Ethiopian wolf is the first large carnivorous predator documented consuming nectar
Published Date – 19 December 2024, 10:49 AM
By Sandra Lai, University of Oxford
Oxford: Every year in the highlands of Ethiopia, when the rain returns after a parched dry season, a dazzling sight unfolds. Vast fields of a plant known as the Ethiopian red hot poker revive from their crinkled, withered state and bloom into fiery torch-like flowers. From June to November, these bright blossoms offer a precious resource: a profusion of sweet nectar.
Among the humming flash of sunbirds and insects drawn to the flowers, an unusual visitor appears: the Ethiopian wolf. Approaching a cone-shaped flower head, it licks the bottom, lapping up nectar and looking quite visibly pleased. As it moves from flower to flower, its muzzle becomes dusted with pollen. Can a wolf actually be a pollinator?
The Ethiopian wolf is a slender canid about the size of a large dog, with a reddish coat, white markings on its throat and chest, and a black bushy tail. It lives only in Ethiopia, in a few areas of high-altitude “sky islands” that emerge above the tropical forests below. With fewer than 500 alive today, it is Africa’s most endangered carnivore.
I’m part of a team of scientists, working under the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, who have detailed this surprising nectar-feeding and the wolf’s potential role in pollination. We recently published our findings in the journal Ecology.
The conservation programme, a joint initiative between the University of Oxford and Ethiopian colleagues, has worked to protect Ethiopian wolves for more than 30 years. While these findings were only published recently, Claudio Sillero, founder and director of the programme, first observed wolves feeding on flowers years ago.
“As I sat in a rocky shelter, I trained my binoculars on a wolf zigzagging through a stand of red hot pokers, pausing to lick a vivid red and yellow inflorescence, and moving on to the next,” he recalls. “Having tasted them myself, I knew they were heavy with sweet nectar. But I wasn’t quite expecting the wolves also had a sweet tooth!” Other colleagues were also familiar with the plant. “It is considered a medicinal plant in Ethiopia and its nectar is traditionally used to sweeten coffee, or on kita, our flatbread,” explained Abdi Samune, one of our wolf monitors.
Capturing the evidence
The publication emerged from a series of serendipitous events. A few years ago, Adrien Lesaffre, a wildlife photographer, became a close collaborator of ours. After hearing about the nectar-feeding behaviour, he made it his mission to get good pictures of the wolves foraging among flowers. At the time, except occasional sightings, nothing much was known.
“It took me two years, several trips to the mountains, tons of patience and great efforts to get my first pictures of a wolf licking the flowers,” said Adrien. The close-up pictures captured the amount of pollen deposited on the wolves’ muzzles. This was striking evidence of their potential role in transferring pollen between flowers.
As we investigated further, it became clear it was not an exceptional occurrence. On the contrary, the wolves really were seeking out the nectar and could spend a substantial amount of time foraging for it. For instance, we noted one female wolf spent 1.5 hours in a flower field and visited 30 different flower heads. Dissecting the flowers confirmed that pollen could be deposited by a mammal. Armed with all the new evidence, we shared our findings in a scientific journal.
Redefining the role of carnivores
Our work challenges conventional thinking about plant-pollinator interactions, especially regarding the role that predators can play.
There are a few nectar-eating pollinator mammals, mostly species of bats. Nectar feeding is uncommon in carnivores and typically only small species do it, such as civets or mongooses. Omnivorous bears, such as sun bears, may eat nectar too, although it is poorly documented.
That’s why the Ethiopian wolf’s behaviour is groundbreaking. Normally a specialised rodent hunter, it is the first large carnivorous predator documented consuming nectar.
While nectar is unlikely to provide enough nutrition to sustain the wolves’ daily needs, it can provide a small energy boost. A tasty treat to start the day or as dessert, to top up a rodent meal.
Whether the wolves can be effective pollinators remains to be confirmed, but it’s worth exploring what this means for the red hot poker flower. And perhaps the Ethiopian wolf is not the only nectar-loving large predator. Greater awareness of such atypical interactions might lead to new examples being discovered in other systems.
Conserving unique species interactions
Pollination is a crucial process sustaining biodiversity. A nectarivorous wolf potentially involved in pollination highlights the complex interactions that can appear in these unique “Afroalpine” ecosystems. In this fragile environment, where both the wolves and the flowers are vulnerable, understanding these relationships is vital for conservation efforts.
The Ethiopian highlands are a biodiversity hotspot, yet their apex predator faces increasing threats from habitat loss, disease transmission, and climate change.
Although our programme’s mission is to save the wolves, there is crucial value in conserving not just a species, but also the ecological processes they help support. Preserving the Afroalpine ecosystem, in turn, ensures that the many species and local communities relying on them will continue to thrive. — The Conversation
Traders noted that market participants are keenly awaiting the Q2 earnings season, starting with Tata Consultancy Services, which is scheduled to release its results later today. In early trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 309.85 points or 0.38% to 81,776.95, while the NSE Nifty gained 90.70 points or 0.36% to reach 25,072.65.
Updated On – 10 October 2024, 11:54 AM
Mumbai: Benchmark equity indices climbed in early trade on Thursday amid a firm trend in global equities and buying in banking stocks.
Market participants will closely watch Q2 earnings season, starting with Tata Consultancy Services which is set to report its results later in the day, traders said.
The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 309.85 points or 0.38 per cent to 81,776.95 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went up 90.70 points or 0.36 per cent to 25,072.65.
From the 30 Sensex companies, PowerGrid, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, Mahindra and Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro were among the gainers.
Infosys, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Bharti Airtel, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra and ICICI Bank were among the laggards.
In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul were trading higher.
Wall Street ended with gains in overnight deals on Wednesday.
“The record highs in the US market, positive trends in Asian markets, and the Reserve Bank of India’s dovish commentary have uplifted market sentiment,” Vikas Jain, Head of Research at Reliance Securities, said.
Global oil benchmark Brent Crude climbed 0.77 per cent to USD 77.18 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 4,562.71 crore on Wednesday, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) bought equities worth Rs 3,508.61 crore, according to exchange data.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its key interest rate unchanged on Wednesday but took the first step towards a rate cut as it eased its relatively hawkish policy stance to ‘neutral’.
The monetary policy committee, which included three RBI officials and an equal number of new external members, voted five-to-one to keep the benchmark repurchase or repo rate – which governs the interest rate of home, auto, corporate and other loans – at 6.5 per cent for a 10th straight policy meeting.
On Wednesday, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 167.71 points or 0.21 per cent to close at 81,467.1 and NSE Nifty dropped 31.20 points or 0.12 per cent to end at 24,981.95.
The CM’s cup-2024 sports competitions are being held in Vivekananda stadium in Jagtial town. The students, who came to the stadium to participate in competitions, were engaged to clean swimming pools as sweepers were not available
Published Date – 21 December 2024, 08:06 PM
Jagital: Students, who came to participate in the CM’s Cup competitions, were allegedly engaged to clean the swimming pool in Jagtial on Saturday.
The CM’s cup-2024 sports competitions are being held in Vivekananda stadium in Jagtial town. The students, who came to the stadium to participate in competitions, were engaged to clean swimming pools as sweepers were not available.
Knowing about it, media persons went to the spot and questioned the officials about using students to clean the swimming pool. The organizers soon left the spot after locking up the pool area.
Rain was always a constant theme in the match at Brisbane, and only 22 overs of play was possible on day five. After bowling out India for 260 to take a 185-run first-innings, Australia declared its second innings at 89/7 and gave the visitors’ a target of 275 runs in a bid to get an unlikely victory
Published Date – 18 December 2024, 12:10 PM
Brisbane: Rain eventually prevailed in denying the Gabba Test a blockbuster finish on day five as Australia and India drew the match on Wednesday. It also means the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test, with the scoreline interestingly placed at 1-1.
Rain was always a constant theme in the match at Brisbane, and only 22 overs of play was possible on day five. After bowling out India for 260 to take a 185-run first-innings, Australia declared its second innings at 89/7 and gave the visitors’ a target of 275 runs in a bid to get an unlikely victory.
India reached eight for no loss in 2.1 overs, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, unbeaten on four each, seeing out 13 balls before bad light meant the players had to go off and tea break was called upon. After that rain came in, and ensured no further play was possible. Fittingly, handshakes happened between the two teams amid a rain interruption to draw the match, where just 216.1 overs of play happened across five days.
Resuming day five from 252/9, after avoiding the follow-on, Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah were at it again to reduce the deficit for India. Akash and Bumrah added eight more runs in four overs and took their last-wicket partnership to 47 before Travis Head snapped it.
Coming from round the wicket, Head got a slider to move across Akash and beat his outside edge after drawing him forward. In this process, Akash’s backfoot came out of the crease and Alex Carey completed a sharp stumping to end India’s innings and give Australia a big lead, as the batter was dismissed for 31 off 44 balls.
The 47-run stand for the last wicket between Akash and Bumrah is also a new record for India in terms of tenth-wicket partnership in Tests against Australia at the Gabba, going past the previous record was 33, between Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath in 1991/92.
Just as Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja, who turned 38 on Wednesday, were ready to come out and bat, a lighting alert near the Gabba meant everyone was forced off the field and lunch was taken in.
After clinching a lead of 185 runs, Australia had a highly eventful, 18-over second innings. They came out to play their shots in a quest to get runs at a fast speed and were dismissed in quick succession by India’s pacers. But with a big lead in hand, Australia found 274 good enough total to declare, thanks to cameos from Carey, Head and Pat Cummins.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets to take his match figures to nine. It also got Bumrah to take his tally of wickets in Australia to 53, which is now the new record for most wickets taken by Indian bowler in Tests in this country, eclipsing Kapil Dev’s 51 scalps.
He got excellent support from Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who chipped in with two scalps each. Bumrah provided the first breakthrough by getting some inward movement on a length delivery, and take the inside edge of birthday boy Usman Khawaja to rattle the top of off stump. He came back to have Marnus Labuschagne slash away from the body and nick behind to Rishabh Pant.
Akash was next to strike, as Nathan McSweeney flashed at an outside off stump delivery and edged behind to Pant. Mitchell Marsh’s promotion to number four didn’t work as Akash found his outside edge and Pant completed another catch.
Siraj came in to have Steve Smith strangled down the leg side, as Pant completed a brilliant diving catch. Head and Carey hit quick boundaries before the former went for a big heave, but gave a top-edge to across-moving Pant, who took his fifth catch of the innings. It’s also the fourth instance of Pant taking five or more catches in a Test innings, which is the joint-most for any Indian keeper in Tests alongside MS Dhoni.
Cummins had an entertaining stay at the crease, hitting a four and six off Akash and giving the same treatment to Siraj, before being foxed by a slower ball from Bumrah and was caught by cover for 22 off just 10 balls. Five balls after he got out, Cummins called back the batters in to declare Australia’s innings and set stage for an exciting finish, which didn’t happen due to rain.
Brief scores: Australia 445 and 89/7 dec (Pat Cummins 22, Alex Carey 20 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 3-18, Akash Deep 2-28) draw with India 260 (KL Rahul 84, Ravindra Jadeja 77; Pat Cummins 4-81, Mitchell Starc 3-83) and 8/0 in 2.1 overs.
