Telugu Yoddhas edge past Odisha Juggernauts

Defending first, Odisha Juggernauts made a frantic start to the match and earned three dream run bonus points in the first turn of the contest.

Published Date – 10:28 PM, Sun – 31 December 23


Telugu Yoddhas edge past Odisha Juggernauts


Hyderabad: Telugu Yoddhas held their nerves in the last 59 seconds to register a scintillating victory over the defending champions Odisha Juggernauts by 29-28 in the Ultimate Kho Kho Season 2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.

In a see-saw battle, captain Pratik Waikar scored the most 10 points for the winning side, whereas Aditya Ganpule, Avdhut Patil and Akash Tagore stayed on the mat for more than 5 minutes to claim crucial dream run bonus points for Telugu Yoddhas.


Defending first, Odisha Juggernauts made a frantic start to the match and earned three dream run bonus points in the first turn of the contest. Telugu Yoddhas managed to clinch only 10 points before producing a sparkling performance in defence during the second turn.

The batch of Avdhut Patil, Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule won four dream run bonus points for Telugu Yoddhas and Odisha could only take a mere one point lead in the first inning despite getting 12 points in attack.

Odisha then notched up a dream run bonus point during the third round, allowing the Yoddhas to earn 14 points in the attack. The last turn witnessed a see-saw battle between the two teams and in the end, Odisha needed to eliminate a player for victory with only 59 seconds left on the clock. However, the Telugu Yoddhas defended effectively, securing a thrilling win to get three points.

Andy Murray Reveals 2024 Could Be His Last On Tour

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said 2024 could be his final year before retirement after illness and injury hampered his preparation for the new season. Murray’s year will begin at the Brisbane International as he builds up for the Australian Open later in January. The 36-year-old is ranked 42nd in the world after a frustrating end to 2023, when he won just one match in his last four tournaments. Murray has previously battled back from what seemed impending retirement after undergoing hip surgery in 2018.

But he conceded that he will bring down the curtain on his career if the next 12 months follow the same pattern as 2023.

“If I was in a situation like I was at the end of last year, then I probably wouldn’t go again,” Murray told the BBC.

“But then if physically I’m doing well and my results are good and I’m playing well, then that’s enjoyable and I could see myself still playing.

“We’ll see how the year goes, see how the body holds up. If things are going well, I’d love to keep going. But if they’re not, and I’m not enjoying it, it could be the last year, yes.”

Murray, who won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and also took the US Open title in 2012, is part of a golden generation coming towards the end of trophy-laden careers.

Roger Federer retired in 2022 and Rafael Nadal had an injury-blighted 2023, although the Spaniard has suggested he might try to play on beyond 2024.

At 36 Novak Djokovic is still hoping to add to his record 24 Grand Slam titles before hanging up his racket.

Murray revealed the psychological struggle with falling down the rankings after so many years at the top was taking its toll.

“When you have played right at the highest level, it’s not that easy when you are going through periods where you are losing in first rounds, and maybe losing matches that you probably should have won,” he added.

“At the same time, a couple of years ago if someone had offered me that I’d been playing at top-40 level in the world when I had been struggling with my hip, I would have been happy with that.

“But it is hard, mentally, so I need to do a better job of putting things in perspective this year and be a little bit easier on myself.”

Murray faces second seed Grigor Dimitrov in the first round in Brisbane on Monday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Karimnagar: Minister Ponnam Prabhakar releases water from Lower Manair Dam

Prabhakar assured the supply of continuous water to paddy and irrigated dry (ID) crops and advised the farmers to give top priority for the cultivation of ID crops

Published Date – 09:28 PM, Sun – 31 December 23


Karimnagar: Minister Ponnam Prabhakar releases water from Lower Manair Dam

Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar performing pujas before relesing water from Lower Manair Dam on Sunday.

Karimnagar: In order to provide water to standing crops of the Yasangi season, water from Lower Manair Dam has been released into the Kakatiya canal. Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar released the water from the dam on Sunday.

The Minister along with Manakondur MLA Kavvampalli Satyanarayana, Collector Pamela Satpathy and others released water into the canal by performing pujas.


Speaking on the occasion, Prabhakar assured the supply of continuous water to paddy and irrigated dry (ID) crops and advised the farmers to give top priority for the cultivation of ID crops.

Terming the Congress a farmer friendly party, he said the country would flourish when only the farmers prosper.As against its storage capacity of 24 tmc, 19.646 tmc of water was available in LMD. Meanwhile, 22 tmc of water was available in Mid Manair reservoir as against its storage capacity of 27 tmc.

Besides fulfilling drinking needs, water will be supplied continuously for agriculture and ID crops. Standing crops sowed in 3.98 lakh acres from SRSP 146th km to Suryapet 248 km and 346 km would be supplied water, he informed and asked the farmers to utilize the facility.

Instructing the officials to prepare a plan to avoid inconvenience to farmers, he advised the farmers to sow commercial and ID crops depending on the availability of water. He also warned serious action against the people who were involved in the sale of spurious seeds and fertilizer.

Talking about the six guarantees of the Congress, he said that people, who did not have ration cards, could also apply for the government schemes, and said there was no question of rejecting applications.

So far, more than 6 crore women traveled in RTC buses on zero ticket, he informed and added that additional buses would be deployed to meet the increasing demand of passengers. For this purpose, the government has decided to purchase 1050 new buses. While 500 buses would be allocated to Hyderabad, the remaining 500 would be for districts, he said.

"Nomination Of Almost All…": Imran Khan's Party Says Excluded From Polls

'Nomination Of Almost All...': Imran Khan's Party Claims Excluded From Polls

Imran Khan was found guilty of corruption earlier this year. (File)

Islamabad:

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and most of his supporters have been rejected as candidates for the February 8 election, party officials said Sunday after nominations for the ballot closed.

Mr Khan has been in prison since August, facing trial over a slew of cases he insists have been orchestrated to prevent him from contesting the election as the figurehead of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The former cricket star was found guilty of graft earlier this year, but a court suspended his three-year sentence and the conviction is being appealed. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him from office over the conviction, but PTI turned in nomination papers for Khan last week regardless.

“Nomination papers of almost all national and provincial leaders of PTI, including Imran Khan, have been rejected,” said PTI spokesman Raoof Hasan. “90 to 95 percent of our candidates’ papers have been rejected.”

Hasan told AFP candidates were being blocked as part of an “agenda” to prevent PTI from contesting the election in six weeks.

“All tactics are being tried for this purpose but, under any circumstances, we will not leave the political ground and will not boycott the elections,” he said.

An election commission official confirmed to AFP that various PTI candidates had been rebuffed including Mr Khan, based on his conviction.

Such widespread action against a single party is “unprecedented” in Pakistan, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. “This is the first time in the country’s history that a political party has been excluded from the electoral process on such a large scale even before the election,” he said.

State institutions want to keep PTI from contesting polls “at any cost” and “the chances of PTI getting relief are very slim”, he added.

The ECP is due to announce the final list of contesting candidates on January 23.

PTI’s claim it is already being frozen out of the voting process is likely to lead to a slew of appeals to the ECP and various courts.

“We will stay in the elections and will file appeals against all these decisions in each of the constituencies and will use all our constitutional, legal and political options,” PTI spokesman Hasan said.

Mr Khan, 71, was ousted last year after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military leaders who backed him into power in 2018. In opposition, he waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military establishment which has directly ruled the nation for much of its history.

Mr Khan accused them of engineering his removal from office in a no-confidence vote via a US-backed conspiracy and of plotting an assassination attempt that saw him wounded. After his brief detention in May sparked unrest, PTI has been the subject of a widespread crackdown, with leading figures either jailed or forced to leave the party.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad gears up for Numaish

Pay Rs 40 and visit the hugely popular trade fair from 4 pm to 10 pm while the entry for children below the age of five is free.

Updated On – 09:56 PM, Sun – 31 December 23


Hyderabad gears up for Numaish


The annual Hyderabad fare, ‘Numaish’ is back. Organised by the All-India Industrial Exhibition Society will officially open the 45-day event to public with the Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition on Monday.

Pay Rs 40 and visit the hugely popular trade fair from 4 pm to 10 pm while the entry for children below the age of five is free. Nowhere in the city is six hours of guaranteed fun available.


Traders from across the country will be showcasing their products at over 2,000 stalls. Handicrafts, toys, imitation jewellery, ladies apparel, crockery, electronic goods and a variety of other stuff will be put on sale by the exhibitors.

Prominent food outlets of the city have set up their stalls offering kebabs, biryani, haleem, etc. People can also visit the amusement space and enjoy various rides.

The government agencies including DWACRA, TMERIS, Prisons department, Telangana State Legal Services Authority and Traffic Police will also put up their stalls.

The Numaish Radio Station, an integral part of the event, is ready to play the rarely heard old filmy numbers of popular singers of the golden era like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar.

Ajay Kumar Jaiswal, who manages the radio station, carefully chooses each song from his collection of thousands of renditions. “We are ready to welcome and entertain the visitors,” he told ‘Telangana Today’.

Numaish, during its inception years known as Numaish- e-Masnuaat-e-Mulki, began in 1938 when the Economic Committee of the Osmania Graduates Association came up with the idea. The Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, inaugurated the exhibition in 1940 at Public Gardens to mark his birthday celebrations. During the first year, there were just 50 stalls. The exhibition was later shifted to its present venue in 1946 by the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, Sir Mirza Ismail.

Iran's president hopes for end to Israeli massacre in Gaza in 2024


Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says he hopes the international community takes urgent action in the New Year to put an end to Israel’s massacre against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

In separate messages on Sunday, Raeisi extended his congratulations to the leaders and people of Christian countries on the arrival of the New Year.

He prayed to God Almighty for a year full of peace and health for the peoples across the world.

Raeisi said the killing of innocent people in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli regime is one of the biggest crises currently facing the human society.

The president expressed hope that on the eve of 2024 and in light of the joint efforts by the world leaders, the international community would take an immediate action to stop Israel’s massacre in Gaza, eradicate oppression and hegemony, and establish lasting peace and security around the globe.

Israel waged the US-backed war on Gaza after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups conducted the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to its decades-long campaign of death and destruction in Palestine.

Israel has killed a total of 21,822 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and 56,451 individuals have been wounded while many bodies remain trapped under rubble.


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Israeli strikes kill 150 Palestinians in Gaza as death toll nears 22,000 

The Palestinian health ministry says at least 150 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Israel continued committing serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes in its ongoing onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory.  

Dozens of the fatalities are from the bombing of al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps in the central Gaza  Strip and airstrikes on the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Israeli artillery shelling targeted a school housing displaced people in Khan Younis, injuring several people. Dozens are also missing under the rubble of the buildings that were bombed.

A Red Crescent video published on Sunday showed the chaotic aftermath of strikes in central Gaza, as rescuers worked in the dark to carry an injured child from smoking rubble.

The health ministry says the regime has deliberately targeted tens of hospitals and ambulances. Doctors at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis say the medical complex is stretched far beyond its capacity and can no longer accept new patients.

The World Food Program says a complete collapse of the most basic services is imminent in Gaza. Also, the Palestinian Red Crescent has warned that the incoming humanitarian aid does not meet the needs of 90 percent of the Gaza population. 

The Gaza director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on social media on Saturday that the war and lack of supplies have left 40% of Gazans at risk of famine. Israel blockaded most food, fuel and medicine after the Oct. 7 attack.

Israel’s indiscriminate aerial bombardments and shelling have destroyed Gaza’s critical infrastructure. Apart from residential buildings, the regime has targeted hospitals, schools, refugee camps, power plants and communication systems, turning them into rubble.

The Palestinian health ministry says the death toll from 86 days of Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip has topped 21,800.  Palestinian health ministry casualty figures have said 70% of Gaza’s dead were women and under-18s. More than 56,000 others have also been wounded.

CNN reported on December 14 that about half of all the Israeli munitions dropped on Gaza were imprecise “dumb” bombs, which pose a greater threat to civilians.

Earlier this week, an Israeli military official admitted that the high death toll from a Christmas Eve attack on a refugee camp in central Gaza was the result of the use of improper munitions, highlighting military tactics that have created high numbers of civilian casualties.

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using banned white phosphorous. 

More than 90 percent of the besieged territory’s population is now displaced, with aid groups warning of hunger and outbreaks of disease. Delivery of aid has been restricted by Israel worsening the crisis.

Palestinian health officials have warned that Gazans are facing dire humanitarian conditions. Nearly three months of Israeli fierce bombing has left many Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip displaced and without basic supplies.

Media footage showed people on Sunday sitting outside their makeshift tents in Rafah, wedged among the ruins of houses destroyed by Israeli bombardment.

Gemma Connell, an official with the UN humanitarian agency OCHA who has been working in Gaza, said tens of thousands of people fleeing to Rafah had been through attacks and bombardment and had arrived often with no possessions or anywhere to sleep.

“I just am so fearful that the amount of deaths that we’ve been seeing is going to increase exponentially both because of this renewed offensive but also because of these conditions which are literally unbelievable,” she said.

Gaza hospital yard is turned into a cemetery

On Sunday, a video showed how parts of the yard at al-Shifa Hospital had become a cemetery, with signs bearing the names of men and women killed during the intense fighting and bombardment in the area during the Israeli aggression

 Men, women and children were seen at the cemetery visiting the graves of their loved ones.

Israeli bombardment destroyed over 70% of Gaza homes: Report

A new report says 70 percent of the homes in the besieged Palestinian territory have been destroyed.

Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza for nearly three months has destroyed 70 percent of the homes in the besieged strip, according to the Government Media Office.

Experts say Gaza is now unrecognizable and its bombing is the most destructive in recent history.

An earlier report said about 300,000 out of 439,000 homes have been destroyed in Israeli attacks, a Wall Street Journal report said.

 Analyzing satellite imagery, the report added that the 29,000 bombs dropped on the strip have targeted residential areas, Byzantine churches, hospitals and shopping malls and all civilian infrastructure has been damaged to an extent that they cannot be repaired.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has renewed his promise to eliminate the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and bring home all Israeli captives in Gaza.

He said the regime’s deadly military campaign is at its height and will continue for many more months.

Netanyahu also said the border zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt should be under the regime’s control. The zone is now crammed with civilians who have fled the carnage across the rest of the strip.

Netanyahu’s comments signal no letup in a campaign that has killed many thousands and leveled much of Gaza.

The remarks come as Netanyahu faces growing pressure from his right-wing coalition regime amid sharp disagreements over the aggression, which is nearing its 90th day with no end in sight to the war or a deal for a pause in hostilities.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has ruled out any exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian abductees before the regime stops its genocidal aggression. 

Ziad al-Nakhalah says the Israeli regime must also first fully withdraw its forces from Gaza. Resistance movements in Gaza say Israel cannot release the captives held in the territory through military means.

Israeli troops conduct more raids on West Bank

Israeli forces have raided a Palestinian refugee camp in the town of Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank as they press ahead with their incursions into the Palestinian territory.

The regime’s troops also launched drone strikes and carried out several abductions amid fierce fighting inside the camp on Sunday.

Israeli troops were forced to leave the area after meeting stiff resistance from the Palestinian fighters.

A day earlier, Israeli forces raided another refugee camp in the city of Ramallah. They stormed a house, terrorized residents and detained several Palestinians. They later abducted over a dozen Palestinians.

Israeli troops have intensified their raids across the West Bank since October 7, the day the regime launched its deadly onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 300 Palestinians in the occupied territories ever since.

Pics: Milind Soman At "Friendship" Marathon Organised By India, Tanzania

Pics: Milind Soman At 'Friendship' Marathon Organised By India, Tanzania

India and Tanzania organised a marathon of 120 km

India and Tanzania organised a marathon of 120 km yesterday under ‘India-Tanzania Friendship Run’ initiative. The marathon was organised in Tanzania between Dar es Salaam city and the historic city of Bagamoyo. Indian actor and fitness icon Milind Soman participated in the run alog with over 4,000 people from Indian and Tanzanian communities.

Milind Soman participated in the run alog with over 4,000 people

Milind Soman participated in the run alog with over 4,000 people

The event was organised by Indian High Commission in Tanzania and Tanzania’s Ministry of Culture, Sports & Arts. Pindi Chana, Tanzania’s Minister of Legal & Constitutional Affairs, flagged off the marathon and appreciated the initiative for bringing the two countries together.

The event was organised by Indian High Commission in Tanzania and Tanzanias Ministry of Culture, Sports & Arts.

The event was organised by Indian High Commission in Tanzania and Tanzania’s Ministry of Culture, Sports & Arts.

Binaya S Pradhan, Commissioner of India, said that the event was organised to internationalise the spirit of ‘Fit India Movement’. 

India and Tanzania boast a longstanding history of people to people and trade relations.

India and Tanzania boast a longstanding history of people to people and trade relations.

India and Tanzania share a history of people to people and trade relations and this year, the India-Tanzania ties was elevated to the status of a strategic partnership.

Milind Soman is an Indian actor, model and fitness icon

Milind Soman is an Indian actor, model and fitness icon

The first offshore campus of IIT Madras was also inaugurated in November in Zanzibar, demonstrating India’s relationship with Tanzania and firm commitment to the Global South.
 

KTR’s take on YouTube channels vs medical colleges

KTR said he agreed to some extent with the observation that the party may not have suffered the defeat in the recent Assembly elections if party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had set up 32 YouTube channels to counter the fake propaganda instead of 32 government medical colleges

Published Date – 09:33 PM, Sun – 31 December 23


KTR’s take on YouTube channels vs medical colleges


Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Sunday said he agreed to some extent with the observation that the party may not have suffered the defeat in the recent Assembly elections if party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had set up 32 YouTube channels to counter the fake propaganda instead of 32 government medical colleges.

Sharing this on X, he said he was getting lots of interesting feedback and observations after the election results were announced.


“The best one thus far, instead of setting up 32 Govt Medical Colleges, KCR Garu should’ve set up 32 YouTube channels to counter the fake propaganda…Agree with this observation to an extent..” he said.

Setting up one government medical college in every district was one of the achievements the BRS highlighted while seeking a fresh mandate.