Archives for August 2021

London: The England team caused a flutter when two of its players tried playing a bit of “football” with the red cherry during the post-lunch session on the fourth day of the second Test here.

A footage from the official broadcasters emerged where one England player passed the ball to another, who used his spikes to trap it, raising a social media storm as accusations of ball tampering flew thick and fast.

However, Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour felt it was “not deliberate”.

“We saw it much later but I don’t think it was deliberate,” Rathour said at the post-day press conference.

The Indian team hasn’t lodged an official complaint with match referee Chris Broad.

The incident was recorded in the 35th over of the Indian second innings, bowled by Ollie Robinson.

The footage didn’t show the face of the players. The matter did not escalate and the umpires didn’t change the ball.

In fact, when an Indian fan asked Stuart Broad on social media if it was intentional, the injured England seamer replied: “Of course, it wasn’t.”

Broad’s explanation was that if the umpires needed to check the ball after the particular incident to ensure it hasn’t been fiddled with, then every six would warrant a ball check.

Shillong, Aug 15: Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui resigned on Sunday amid violence in Shillong over the police shooting of a former militant.

Rymbui also urged Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to institute a judicial inquiry into the shooting of Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, the self-styled general secretary of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council who had surrendered.

“I hereby express shock to the incident where (L) Chesterfield Thangkhiew was killed following the raid of police at his residence exceeding the lawful tenets of the law,” he stated in his letter to the chief minister.

“I would like to request you to relieve the Home (Police) Department from me with immediate effect. This will facilitate free and fair inquiry taken by the government to bring out the truth of the incident. I propose judicial inquiry be conducted,” he added.

“I have put forth my papers, after due consultation with my party leadership, to allow a free and fair probe into the killing of Thangkhiew,” he said.

UDP, an ally of the Sangma’s NPP in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, also urged for a judicial probe into the incident, which resulted in violent protests, Rymbui said.

A source close to the chief minister said the government accepted the resignation as the home minister was unaware of the incident.

The Meghalaya government has imposed a curfew in Shillong and banned mobile internet services in at least four districts as vandalism and arson rocked the state capital and nearby areas on Independence Day.

Thangkhiew, who had surrendered in 2018, was shot dead on August 13 when he allegedly tried to attack a police team with a knife during a raid at his house in connection with a series of IED blasts in the state.

Police said they have evidence that Thangkhiew masterminded the blasts after his surrender.

Munich: Gerd Muller, the Bayern Munich and former West Germany forward known as “Der Bomber” for his scoring-prowess, has died.

He was 75.

The Bavarian club announced his death on Sunday, with club president Herbert Hainer saying it was “a sad, dark day for FC Bayern and all its fans.”

Muller scored 566 goals for Bayern between 1964 and 1979, helping the team to four German titles, four German Cup wins and three European Cup victories in that time.

He still holds the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga with 365, scored in 427 league games.

“Gerd Muller was the greatest striker there’s ever been, and a fine person and character of world football,” Hainer said in a statement posted on the club’s website.

“We’re all united in deep mourning with his wife Uschi as well as his family.”

Bayern announced in October 2015 that Muller had Alzheimer’s disease for “a long time” and that he had been cared for professionally with the support of his family since the beginning of February that year.

Muller made 607 competitive appearances for Bayern. He was the league’s top-scorer on seven occasions. He was as important to Bayern’s ascent to becoming Germany’s powerhouse as former teammates Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoene .

Muller’s record of 40 goals scored in the 1971-72 Bundesliga season was only beaten last season, when current Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski scored his 41st in the last minute of the last game.

Muller also helped West Germany win the European Championship in 1972, then the World Cup two years later, when he scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands.

Altogether he scored 68 goals in 62 appearances for West Germany. It was a national record only surpassed in 2014 by Miroslav Klose, who needed 129 appearances to match him.

“He was the best German forward of all time. Without him, FC Bayern and the German team would never have been able to take this successful path,” Bavarian state president Markus S der said.

“I myself was a big fan. All of Bavaria is mourning.”

The chief executive of Bayern rival Borussia Dortmund also paid his respect.

“Gerd Muller was one of the biggest idols of my childhood and youth,” Hans-Joachim Watzke said.

“I had the great honor to get to know him personally as a very humble and pleasant person. He was an outstanding player for whom FC Bayern and the German soccer team owe so much.”

Muller became a youth coach at Bayern after his playing days, working with players such as Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller.

“His achievements are unrivaled to this day and will forever be a part of the great history of FC Bayern and all of German football,” Bayern chairman Oliver Kahn added in the club statement.

“As a player and a person, Gerd Muller stands for FC Bayern and its development into one of the biggest clubs in the world like no other. Gerd will forever be in our hearts.”

Srinagar: Muzaffar Wani, the father of slain Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, hoisted the national flag at a school in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district as part of Independence Day celebrations Sunday, officials said.

Muzaffar Wani, who is a teacher by profession, unfurled the national flag on the premises of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Tral, they said.

Burhan Wani’s killing in an encounter with security forces in July 2016 in South Kashmir had triggered a massive five-month summer agitation in Kashmir that left over 100 people dead and thousands injured.

As part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the union territory administration has directed all departments including the education department to ensure that flag hoisting is held in all offices on Independence Day.

New Delhi: Air India’s return flight from Kabul to Delhi departed on Sunday evening with 129 passengers as Taliban forces entered the national capital of Afghanistan and waited for “peaceful transfer” of power.

Officials of Air India said that there is no plan yet to cancel its Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight as of now and that it is scheduled to operate on Monday too.

Currently, only Air India is operating flights between India and Afghanistan.

The national carrier operated it Delhi-Kabul leg of the flight (with call sign AI-243) on Sunday afternoon with around 40 passengers, officials said.

Officials said AI-243 departed from Delhi at around 12.45 PM (Indian Standard Time) and had to hover for around one hour above the Kabul airport as it did not get permission to land from the air traffic control (ATC). They stated it was not clear what was the reason for the delay in the permission for landing of AI-243.

Therefore, the flight time for AI-243 on Sunday was around two hours and fifty minutes instead of usual one hour and forty minutes.

The return flight (with call sign AI-244) departed from the Kabul airport with 129 passengers at around 5.35 PM (Indian Standard Time).

Officials clarified that there is no plan to cancel Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight as of now. They added that the flight is scheduled to operate on Monday.

However, they stated that the airline is monitoring the situation closely and it would take appropriate action as required.

India has put in place contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul that has been gripped by fear and panic following reports of Taliban fighters entering the outskirts of the Afghan capital city on Sunday.

People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation.

Mumbai: If dependence on China increases, we will have to bow before it, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Sunday.

Speaking after hoisting the national flag at a Mumbai school on the 75th Independence Day, the RSS chief also said “swadeshi” means doing business on India’s terms.

We use the internet and technology a lot. Our country does not have the original technology. It comes from outside, Bhagwat said.

No matter how much we shout as a society about China and boycott Chinese items, but from where does everything that is in your mobiles come from? If the dependence on China increases, then (we) will have to bow before China, Bhagwat said.

Economic security is important, he said, adding the adaptation of technology should be based on our terms. “We have to be swa-nirbhar”, he said.

Swadeshi does not mean ignoring everything else. International trade will remain, but on our terms, he said. We have to be self-reliant for that, he added.

“What we can manufacture at home should not be brought from the market,” he said.

He said the economic vision should be to produce more and competition should be for the best quality of produce.

We are not against international trade and commerce but our production must be in villages. It should not be mass production but production by masses,” he said.

A decentralised production will help India’s economy to generate employment and self-employment opportunities, he said.

With more producers, more people will be self-reliant, he said, adding the revenue generated should be distributed equitably.

Industries should get encouragement from the government, Bhagwat said. The government should act as a regulator and not do business itself, he added.

The government will appeal and urge industries to manufacture what is important for the development of the country and formulate policies to encourage industries, he said.

We don’t believe in complete nationalisation but it is also not true that the nation has nothing to do with industries. All these should function together as a family unit,” he said.

Small industries should complement bigger industries, he said, adding the focus should be people-centric and not profit-centric. The focus should be on research and development, MSMEs and cooperation sectors, he added.

“Considering the economic unit as a family will help the economy to be an employment generator,” he said.

The government’s job has to be to support and encourage industries. The government should give directions to produce what is important for the development of the country, he said.

A controlled consumerism is necessary to ensure there is no exploitation of natural resources, Bhagwat The standard of living should not be decided by how much we earn, but by how much we give back, the RSS chief said.

We will be happy when we consider the welfare of all. To be happy, we need sound finances and for this, we need financial strength,” Bhagwat said.

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has scant knowledge of history and demanded an apology from him for incorrectly saying that freedom fighter from West Bengal, Matangini Hazra, hailed from Assam.

The BJP said that the TMC was unnecessarily creating a controversy over the gaffe made during the prime minister’s Independence Day speech, and claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also made many faux pas in her speeches in the past.

West Bengal TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that the prime minister has scant knowledge of history and merely read out a written text in a “dramatic style”.

“This is insult to Bengal. You must beg apology. Hope Your LOP from East Midnapore will also condemn such a mistake,” Ghosh added, while attaching a purported clipping of the speech.

The TMC leader sought a response from Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Nandigram’s BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, who had often referred to the contribution of Medinipur, from where Matangini Hazra hailed, to the freedom struggle.

The TMC tweeted on its official handle, “Matangini Hazra is a freedom fighter from Bengal, Mr. @narendramodi!”

“With such scant regard for our glorious history, you have insulted all of #Bengal once again. Is @BJP4India committed to erasing our history? Mocking it as they please? SHAME,” the party said, attaching a purported video with the post.

Reacting to the controversy, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said, “It was a minor mistake on the prime minister’s part and the TMC is deliberately highlighting it while trying to overlook other parts of his speech where he spoke about many projects initiated by the Centre.”

BJP state vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said, “It was a slip of tongue. What about the series of gaffes made by the chief minister on our freedom fighters and history? Did she ever apologise for those blunders?”

Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said, “It was a serious mistake by the PM showing his ignorance about Bengal’s history and its contribution to the freedom struggle.”

State Left Front chairman Biman Bose said, “Things like these happen if someone who has grown up with RSS teachings does not care to read or find out on his own and depends on the text prepared by his office without even checking.”

Hazra (1869-1942), who lived in Tamluk in present-day Purba Medinipur district, was shot dead by the British Indian Police while she was leading a procession as part of the Quit India movement launched across the country by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942.

Her death triggered widespread condemnation and steeled Indians’ resolve against the British colonialists, giving more impetus to the freedom struggle.

Hazra is a familiar figure across West Bengal and there is a statue of her in Maidan area in the heart of Kolkata. She is remembered while paying tributes to freedom fighters and both the TMC and the BJP had invoked her during the high-voltage campaign in Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts during the assembly elections this year.