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Rohit praises bowlers after win over Pakistan

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 Stand-in captain Rohit Sharma praised his bowlers after India thrashed arch rivals Pakistan by eight wickets in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.

Asked to field first, three-wicket hauls from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav enabled India to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 162.

Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/15 while Jadhav got 3/23. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah also picked up a couple of wickets.

“Right from the start, we were quite disciplined. We wanted to learn from the mistakes which we made in the last game. Today was a great game for the bowling department because I knew the conditions weren’t great for it. But we kept the conditions aside and did the job. We stuck to our plans,” Rohit said after the match.

“Lots of improvements from the last game, spinners kept it tight, got the odd breakthroughs. The bowlers took wickets early as well. It was important to do that because we wanted to make sure not to make things easy for them. We spoke about not giving room to the batsmen and it worked,” he added.

“The first few overs were disciplined and the spinners took over. Once they had a partnership, we discussed not to panic and it was important to just stick to the plans.”

Rohit, who took over the captaincy after regular captain Virat Kohli decided to skip the tournament, picked out Jadhav for special praise.

“He (Jadhav) has been working on his bowling, takes his bowling very seriously. Every now and then, he does the job which is crucial,” he said.

Rohit also played a crucial role in India’s victory. He smashed a quickfire half-century and his 86-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan saw India overhaul the target with a whopping 21 overs to spare.

Rohit plundered 52 runs off 39 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and three sixes along the way.

“Enjoyed the little innings that I played, got out to a great delivery. We haven’t played here much and we have understood how to plan on such pitches. Opening partnership sets the key on such tracks and it was a fine finish by Dinesh and Rayudu,” he said.

IANS

Asia Cup: India overpower Pakistan by eight wickets

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A strong bowling performance followed by some power-packed batting saw India thrash arch rivals Pakistan by eight wickets in their Group A clash of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Wednesday.

Asked to field first, three-wicket hauls from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and part-time off-spinner Kedar Jadhav enabled India to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 162. Bhuvneshwar returned figures of 3/15 while Jadhav got 3/23.

In reply, a quickfire half-century by Rohit Sharma and his 86-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan saw India comfortably overhaul the target with a whopping 21 overs to spare.

Rohit plundered 52 runs off 39 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and three sixes along the way.

Dhawan scored 46 runs off 54 balls before a loose shot to a Faheem Ashraf delivery handed an easy catch to Babar Azam at point.

Following the duo’s departure, Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthick ensured that India crossed the line without losing any more wickets.

Earlier, the Pakistan batsmen never really found any momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Pakistan got off to a slow start and could only manage 25/2 in the first 10 overs.

Bhuvneshwar sent back openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman early on to leave Pakistan struggling with two wickets down after 4.1 overs with just two runs on the board.

Shoiab Malik and Babar Azam then got going well and negotiated the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal — who went wicketless — and Kuldeep well. The pair stitched together an 82-run stand for the third wicket.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav triggered Pakistan’s slide with a brilliantly executed wrong un’ that outfoxed Pakistan’s best batsman Babar Azam (47) when he was looking good along with Shoaib Malik (43).

Jadhav removed Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (6) around the halfway mark of the first innings before accounting for Asif Ali (9) and Shadab Khan (8). That saw Pakistan, who were relatively comfortably placed at 85/2 at one point, collapsing to 121/7.

From then on, Pakistan could never recover as Mohammed Amir (18 not out) and Faheem Ashraf (21) joined hands for a 37-run partnership towards the end before Jasprit Bumrah (2/23) dismissed Ashraf and Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah got rid of Hasan Ali (1) and Usman Khan (0) respectively.

Malik hit the first six of the innings in the 13th over off Kuldeep and three overs later got a reprieve when Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped him behind the stumps off Hardik Pandya.

Moments later, Pandya had to be stretchered off after suffering what turned out to be a lower-back injury during his follow through. Pandya clutched the floor and could not get up, needing attention from the medical team.

Just when the partnership seemed to be growing, Kuldeep once again underlined why he is a wily customer and can be unplayable at times with a ripper of a googly that pitched on middle and turned away from the batsman at the last moment to knock over his off-stump.

Malik then was dropped again at deep midwicket off Kuldeep as Bhuvneshwar failed to read a slog sweep in which the ball went high up in the air with the pacer misjuding the direction and over-running.

Captain Sarfraz, who had joined Malik at the crease, did not stay long as Manish Pandey took a superb catch at wide long-on off Jadhav.

Malik was run out soon after, failing to convert his start into a big one as the slide started for Pakistan.

Jadhav then added to his rivals’ misery by picking up the wickets of Asif Ali and Shadab Khan as Pakistan failed to string together partnerships.

Amir and Ashraf tried hard to get important runs towards the end but could not bat out the full 50 overs.

Brief scores:

Pakistan: 162 in 43.1 overs (Babar Azam 47, Shoaib Malik 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/15, Kedar Jadhav 3/23) lost to India: 164/2 in 29 overs (Rohit Sharma 52, Shikhar Dhawan 46) by eight wickets.

(IANS)

Walking just 35 minutes daily can reduce stroke risk in elderly

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Older adults can prevent their risk of strokes by taking a daily stroll for just 35 minutes a day or four hours a week, say researchers.

Indulging in moderate physical activity, such as swimming, brisk walking, or running two to three hours a week may also reduce the severity of strokes than people who are physically inactive.

“Stroke is a major cause of serious disability, so finding ways to prevent stroke or reduce the disability caused by stroke are important,” said Katharina S. Sunnerhagen, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

“While exercise benefits health in many ways, our research suggests that even simply getting in a small amount of physical activity each week may have a big impact later by possibly reducing the severity of a stroke,” she added.

For the study, published in the journal Neurology, the team identified 925 people with an average age of 73 who had a stroke.

Of the 481 people who were physically inactive, 354 or 73 per cent had mild stroke. Of the 384 who engaged in light physical activity, 330 or 85 per cent had mild stroke. Of the 59 people who engaged in moderate physical activity, 53 or 89 per cent had mild stroke.

People who engaged in light to moderate physical activity before their stroke were twice as likely to have a mild stroke rather than a moderate or severe stroke when compared to people who were physically inactive, the researchers said.

“There is a growing body of evidence that physical activity may have a protective effect on the brain and our research adds to that evidence,” Sunnerhagen said.

The study does not prove that physical activity reduces stroke severity; it only shows an association, she noted.

(IANS)

Son’s reaction to sewer cleaner’s death sparks outrage in India

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Photographs of a boy crying next to the body of his father who died while cleaning a sewer last week in India prompted social media users to raise nearly $70,000 to support the family.

The photos, tweeted by a New Delhi-based journalist on Monday, showed the 11-year-old child sobbing next to his father Anil at a local crematorium.

A “manual scavenger” – or worker who cleans sewers by hand and often without proper equipment –
Anil died on Friday when the rope around his waist snapped, causing his fall into the seven-metre deep sewer. Police told the local media the rope was unable to bear his weight.

“The boy walked up to his father’s body at a crematorium, moved the sheet from the face, held the cheeks with both hands, just said ‘papa’ & began sobbing,” posted journalist Shiv Sunny, who works for an English-language newspaper in New Delhi, along with the photographs on Twitter.

“The man was yet another poor labourer who died in a Delhi sewer on Friday. Family did not have money for cremating him,” the journalist added in his post, which was shared more than 15,000 times so far.

The boy walked up to his father’s body at a crematorium, moved the sheet from the face, held the cheeks with both hands, just said ‘papa’ & began sobbing.

The man was yet another poor labourer who died in a Delhi sewer on Friday. Family did not have money even for cremating him.

Local media reports said 37-year-old Anil was the only earning member in his family and is survived by his wife and three children. The family lost an infant daughter to pneunomia last week.

Anger and sympathy
The death of yet another manual scavenger, a practice that continues in India despite a 2013 Supreme Court ban, angered many in India. At least six such deaths occurred in New Delhi last week, 11 across the country.

A report released earlier this week by the National Commission for Safai Karamacharis, a government agency, said one manual scavenger has died every five days in India since January 1, 2017.

As soon as Sunny posted the photos on Twitter, social media users began writing back to him, asking how they could help the family. He shared their bank details, and as more people, including a famous film actor, shared his post, money started trickling in.

Soon, a crowdfunding campaign was launched by Rahul Verma, founder of a non-government organisation called Uday Foundation, with the help of Ketto, a crowdfunding platform. He said the campaign has so far raised nearly $70,000 (five million rupees).

“When I saw the pictures on Twitter, I got in touch with Anil’s son. That little boy used to stay near that open manhole in the sewer, guarding his dad’s clothes and shoes. For him, the sewer was his dad’s office. His words horrified me,” Verma told media.

“People were getting emotional online, but my main concern was: there is no bread-earner left, what happens to this child, this family? Our attention spans are limited. I thought people might move on after 24-48 hours of outrage. So, I thought we must raise funds immediately so that this boy’s childhood is not lost,” he said.

Activist Bezwada Wilson, who launched the Safai Karmachari Andolan – a campaign against manual scavenging – in 1995, told Al Jazeera there is no political will to end the practice, which primarily engages the lowest rungs of the Dalit caste.

“There is a law in place but nobody will punish anyone here. Law enforcement is weak because there is no political will. Budget allocation shows sanitation workers are not a priority at all,” said Wilson.

“It’s getting difficult for this community to survive because they are already marginalised. Any person can call for a worker to clean their sewers. Neither can they refuse to work nor are they safe in those manholes. This is a vicious circle. In the past four years, more than 1000 people across India have died while cleaning sewers,” he added.

Verma added: “I shudder to think about what happens to other families when such deaths occur away from the media glare.”

(Aljazeera)

Google ‘Emergency Location Service’ for Android now in US

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San Francisco, (IANS) Google is expanding its advanced location tracking feature for Android called “Emergency Location Service (ELS)” to the US.

Launched in 2016 and is currently available in 14 countries (excluding India), ELS provides accurate locations both indoors and outdoors by using a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and sensors.

“Google is deploying ELS in the US, including the Virgin Islands, in partnership with emergency technology company RapidSOS and wireless service providers T-Mobile and West,” Jen Chai, Product Manager, Android, Google wrote in a blog-post late on Wednesday.

“Wireless providers like T-Mobile have existing ways to share emergency locations with emergency centers, but this integration with ELS will help deliver higher accuracy locations faster than before,” Chai wrote.

Since the launch of ELS around the world, the most observed impact of the feature has been in critical, emergency situations by shortening emergency response times.

“You don’t need to install a separate app, update your OS, or have special hardware to benefit from more accurate location. The location is computed on the device and delivered directly to emergency providers only when you explicitly call an emergency number,” Chai added.

The location tracking service is compatible with Android version 4.0 and above.

[ians]

Homegrown Indian literature has come into its own :By Saket Suman

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New Delhi Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat, who has had his fair share of criticism by readers and writers of literary novels, says that there is a lot of “elitism” in Indian literary circles. He asserted that “there are no benchmarks in India” and that he doesn’t have to prove his credentials to anybody.

“When I began writing, the entire (publishing) industry was focussed on literary kind of books, books that are seen by literature experts as having a certain elitist language. Those were the kinds of books being published, and were being written to win awards like the Booker Prize. I think homegrown Indian literature has now come into its own as there are ample of books by Indian writers,” Bhagat told IANS in an interview, recalling his tryst with the literary world which began with the publication of “Five Point Someone” in 2004.

His upcoming book “The Girl in Room 105” will be released in October and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

“There is a lot of elitism in India. The elites like to look down upon the mere locals, it’s like a colonial kind of hangover that is particularly there in literature. So when it comes to books, the ‘Khan Market books’ are all good and everything else is trash. While they are great, I am not saying they are not, but if I am aspiring to be a pan-India writer, then I must make sure that a reader in Guwahati also understands and relates to my work. They are looking for stories and content that they can relate to,” he elaborated.

Bhagat said he attempts to connect with all readers by including little nuggets of contemporary day-to-day life in his stories.

“For example: Today whole lot of things happen on Instagram and Whatsapp. My new book has a lot of that, this wasn’t there in my previous books. Even in ‘Revolution 2020’, the characters were still using Google chat but the world has moved on and that is what I try to do in my books; write what the readers can relate to,” he quipped.

But his fallout with New Delhi based Rupa publications, which had published all his books so far, sent signals that “Three Mistakes of My Life” writer’s readership was on a decline.

Bhagat refuted the charge saying that he has had “an expansion in readership”. He said that the coming of online bookstores has had a big effect as well.

“It has increased the distribution in tier 2 and tier 3 towns. There were times when my readers used to write to me that they would go to the railway station to buy my books,” the 44-year-old said.

“There are no bookstores that sell novels and general reading books in smaller towns and so I think the e-commerce websites has been the game changer. Having said this, the expansion of online stores has also led to the closing down of many physical bookstores and with the growing spread of internet, people are more and more drawn towards video content than actually reading. Still I am confident that there is ample space for reading. You can have lifts and escalators but there will be always be stairs.”

He maintained that the writers who have become popular have written stories that common people can connect to.

“If a certain elite section looks down upon my books, it speaks for their own insecurity. People who really have credibility, even if they are elite, like my books. Amitabh Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor and even late Leila Seth praised my books. Bill Gates has read my books. I write in a simple way, I add humour, I write about relationships that are similar to relationships that people are having today and I introduce some national issues in it.

“I don’t have to prove my credentials. There was a time when people would always remind me what trolls were telling about me. It used to bother me but I am over it now. If somebody has done well, and has been consistent, then you cannot always dismiss that by insulting him. You can’t take away my achievement,” Bhagat asserted.

(IANS)

NIA to produce deported IS sympathiser in Kerala court

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New Delhi The NIA will produce Nashidul Hamzafar, an alleged Islamic State (IS) sympathiser who was deported from Afghanistan to India on Tuesday, in a Kerala court later on Thursday, an official said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will seek Hamzafar’s custody for questioning, the official said.

Hamzafar was arrested by the NIA after his deportation and produced in a Delhi court on Wednesday.

According to the NIA official, the alleged IS sympathiser had travelled to Afghanistan along with 21 others to join the terror organisation.

He was arrested by the counter-terror probe agency after he landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here from Kabul after his deportation.

In 2017, Hamzafar a resident of Wayanad district in Kerala, was detained by the Afghan security agencies for illegally entering the country to join his associates in the IS.

This is the first extradition of an alleged IS sympathiser from Afghanistan.

A Special Court here where Hamzafar was produced on Wednesday granted the NIA a two-day transit remand.

Hamzafar will be produced before the Special NIA Court in Ernakulam in Kerala that had earlier issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

According to the NIA, the case relates to a criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused from Kasaragod district, along with his associates, since Ramadan 2015 with the intention of joining and furthering the objectives of the Islamic State terror group.

At least 14 accused persons from Kasaragod had left India for their work places in the Middle East between mid-May and early-July in 2016 before travelling to Afghanistan, where they joined the IS.

Hamzafar was part of the conspiracy as he interacted with the other absconding accused like Abdul Rashid Abdulla and Ashfak Majeed through encrypted social media messages.

Abdulla and Majeed were known to Hamzafar through his college mates Shihas, Firoz Khan and Bestin Vincent, a NIA official said requesting anonymity.

According to the NIA this is a big breakthrough in the case as earlier the agency had only second hand information about the Kerala youth group which had gone to Afghanistan to join the IS.

This arrest would reveal much more about who all were involved in radicalising the youths in the state. The NIA said that Hamzafar was in touch with the leaders of the group.

The official said that Hamzafar had left India on October 3, 2017 and travelled to Muscat, Oman before going to Iran and then reached Kabul where he was detained.

(IANS)

Tagliafico scores brace in Ajax’s 3-0 win over AEK Athens

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Amsterdam (Netherlands) Nicolas Tagliafico scored two goals to lead Ajax to a 3-0 home victory over AEK Athens in Group E action in the Champions League, Europe’s premier club football competition.

The score on Wednesday night was an accurate reflection of the action on the field at Johan Cruyff Stadium, with AEK doing its utmost to keep Ajax in check in the first half but falling by the wayside after Tagliafico opened the scoring just after the intermission.

The hosts were in attack mode from the outset, using quick passing in midfield and seeking out combinations that – particularly in the second half – led them to AEK’s penalty box, reports Efe news.

The visitors, meanwhile, looked for Ezequiel Ponce to lead them on the counter-attack when Ajax’s defensive line crept too far forward, but the Argentine forward was mostly unaccompanied on the opposing team’s side of the field and unable to convert any opportunities.

Ajax’s first goal came when Tagliafico took advantage of a failed off-side trap and volleyed home a pass into the area from David Neres in the 46th minute.

The home side then got a further lift when Donny van de Beek came on as a substitute for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at the one-hour mark and scored 15 minutes later by volleying home a pass from Serbian midfielder Dusan Tadic.

With the game already decided and time winding down, Tagliafico scored on the full run from the left edge of the penalty box on a long-range, dipping shot over the outstretched arms of AEK goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas.

Ajax is currently in first place in Group E with three points. AEK, which is back in the Champions League group stage for the first time in 12 years, is in the last place with zero points.

(IANS)

Want to be part of diversity wave in Hollywood: Ali Fazal By Radhika Bhirani

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New Delhi”Furious 7″ and “Victoria & Abdul” gave Ali Fazal a thrust into the world of international cinema. The actor, who had first starred in American TV series “Bollywood Hero” in 2009, says he wants to be a part of the diversity wave that is now taking Hollywood by storm.

“Furious 7” saw him in a bit role, but the British drama “Victoria & Abdul” saw him play the lead one with veteran actor Judi Dench. What next?

“I can’t talk about what is exactly next, but there are two projects that I am on board for. One is a biopic, a true story again,” Ali told IANS, adding that “Victoria & Abdul” has not just opened up doors for him internationally, but in India too.

“It’s weird how that works, but we have always looked up to Hollywood, so one person goes and suddenly they… Anyway,” the actor, stopping abruptly only to add: “I am very hopeful. I am very happy with the decisions I have made.”

“I have given up some big network TV shows very recently because even if it is Hollywood, it has to be the right stuff. As an Indian going there, you’re always scared of getting stereotyped. I have seen that happen before,” he said during a recent chat in Melbourne during a film festival.

He believes the castings are opening up now.

“The diversity is happening in Hollywood and I want to be a part of it. It’s a really exciting time for everybody, not just actors,” added Ali, who is optimistic about the kind of content the web series space has brought along.

He will himself be seen in Amazon Prime Video’s original series, the gritty drama “Mirzapur”.

“It’s not Amazon’s answer to (Netflix’s) ‘Sacred Games’… It has to be the answer…The people will decide,” Ali said of the show, which he feels will stand out due to its outstanding cast and gripping story.

There’s Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Tripathi, Vikrant Massey, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rasika Dugal among others.

“It’s a plethora of great actors and at the same time it’s good writing. It was such layered writing, and to give some Hollywood films as references to give an idea, it’s a mix of ‘Narcos’ and ‘Godfather’ in the Indian context,” said Ali, whose most recent screen appearances were in “Fukrey Returns” and “Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi”.

His upcoming slate of Bollywood films include the Hindi remake of the Telugu “Prasthaanam” and Tigmanshu Dhulia’s “Milan Talkies” — both set in Uttar Pradesh.

In the former, a father-son story set against a political backdrop, Ali plays son to Sanjay Dutt. In the latter, he will be seen as an ambitious filmmaker.

Filmmaking is also something that is on Ali’s mind.

He is penning a short film, which he calls an ode to his inspiration — the multifaceted Guru Dutt — and will direct it too.

As an actor today, Ali says one needs to be diverse in talent.

“I am not just acting, I am also writing, I am also going the direction way… If nothing, then I am able to put my own stuff out there because I can… I don’t have to depend on others.

What about going the production way?

“Why not? That’s the end game. Earlier, actors used to be on this pedestal that ‘bas wohi hain (that they are just actors)… I love acting and I will never leave that, but I want that rush to create something, and be a director.”

(IANS)

Anganwadi workers meet PM Modi

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A group of over 100 Anganwadi workers from across the country, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to thank him for increasing the honorarium amount by up to 60 per cent.

After Modi’s announcement, the Anganwadi workers would now get a monthly honorarium of Rs 4,500 per month instead of Rs 3,000 earlier. The Anganwadi helper would get Rs 2,250 per month in place of Rs 1,500 earlier.

The Anganwadi worker at a mini Anganwadi centre would get monthly Rs 3,500 instead of Rs 2,250, the government said.

Acknowledging the greetings, Modi said Anganwadis play a key role in a child’s physical and cognitive development.

“Nutrition requires constant focus and development of good habits, which can be provided by Anganwadi workers,” he said.

He then exhorted the Anganwadi workers to ensure that the nutritional assistance being made available to beneficiaries is used judiciously.

“Children will listen more to Anganwadi workers. They have a key role in generating awareness,” Modi, who was accompanied by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, said.

He encouraged healthy competition among Anganwadis, as a “motivation for better nutritional care and efforts among various Anganwadi workers.”

(IANS)

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