Clinical India thrashes Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to lift Asia Cup title for eighth time
The bright and sunny afternoon turned overcast 10 minutes before the scheduled start. Once the Asia Cup final finally got going 40 minutes late, a capacity crowd at the R. Premadasa Stadium had one eye on the sky, with a thunderstorm predicted to hit the Sri Lankan capital, on September 17. While the dark clouds stayed away, the Siraj-storm struck Sri Lanka so hard that it literally blew the home team away. Riding on Mohammed Siraj’s sensational opening burst, India bundled out Sri Lanka for 50 in just 89 minutes. It took India just 37 balls to overhaul the lowest team total in the Asia Cup’s four-decade history to seal an emphatic win and lift the trophy in style.
Bopanna ends Davis Cup career on a high, India wins 3-1 against Morocco
Rohan Bopanna brought the curtains down on his Davis Cup career with a comfortable straight set win alongside Yuki Bhambri before Sumit Nagal won his reverse singles as India sealed the World Group II tie against Morocco 3-1, in Lucknow on September 17. The 43-year-old Bopanna, coming out to play his 33rd and final tie, and Bhambri raced to a 6-2 6-1 win over Elliot Benchetrit and Younes Lalami Laaroussi in one hour and 11 minutes at the Mini Stadium.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar hoists national flag at new Parliament building
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on September 17 hoisted the national flag at the new Parliament building in New Delhi. Flanked by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, he hoisted the flag atop the “Gaja Dwar” of the new Parliament building. The hoisting ceremony takes place a day before the five-day Parliament session begins Monday which may see parliamentary proceedings shift from the old to the adjacent new building.
Operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag continues for the fifth day
The operation to flush out terrorists hiding in Gadole forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district continued for the fifth day on September 17 as security forces widened the area of operation to neighbouring villages and fired several mortar shells towards the forest, officials said. Security forces are using drones and helicopters for surveillance of the dense forest area where terrorists are believed to be holed up since September 13, after killing two Army officers and a deputy superintendent of police in the initial exchange of fire, the officials said.
PM inaugurates Vishwakarma Scheme, says government is committed to the uplift of the marginalised
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 said that his government was committed to the uplift of artisans and craftspeople, and that the ₹13,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY), launched for them on Sunday, would equip craftspeople with the technology to augment their skills for the modern market. Mr. Modi also inaugurated the first phase of the ₹5,400 crore state-of-the-art India International Convention and Expo Centre, named ‘Yashobhoomi’, at Dwarka in New Delhi.
Ready for polls, people want change: Congress Working Committee
The Congress on September 17 said that it was prepared for the upcoming State Assembly elections and expressed confidence about receiving a decisive mandate in the five States. Reaffirming the preparedness of the party organization for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it said the people of the country want change. Giving a clarion call to remove the BJP from power in next year’s national polls, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that it would a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi as 2024 marks the centenary of Gandhiji’s election as Congress president.
The Union government is considering a phased withdrawal of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised anti-riot Central police force, from violence-hit Manipur. A senior government official said that the continuous exposure of the RAF to the anti-insurgency theatre may be not suitable for a force trained in crowd control and law and order duties, including agitation and communal incidents. An internal report sent by the RAF on July 6 highlights the crisis. The report says a RAF unit was attacked with “glass balls, stones, sharp iron rods and petrol bombs” when they tried to stop a mob of around 3,000 persons from looting weapons from a police armoury in Thoubal on July 4.
India, Brazil begin talks to resolve sugar-related trade dispute at WTO
India and Brazil have started talks to mutually resolve a sugar-related trade dispute at the World Trade Organisation and as part of the solution the South American nation may share ethanol production technology with New Delhi, an official said. Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane and ethanol in the world. It is also a leader in the technology used for ethanol production. “Few rounds of talks have been held as part of our efforts to resolve the dispute. We have also held inter-ministerial meetings here. Brazil is saying that they will share with us technology for ethanol (production). It is a positive thing,” the official said.
Community members in Seattle hold rally, demand justice for Jaahnavi Kandula
Demanding sensitivity, respect and jail for killer police officers who were responsible for the killing of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula, more than 100 members of the South Asian community held a rally on the site where she was struck and killed by a speeding police patrol car. Kandula, 23, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave when she was crossing a street on January 23. He was driving at 119 kmph on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.
North Korean state media says Kim Jong Un discussed arms cooperation with Russian Defence Minister
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held discussions with Russia’s Defence Minister on strengthening “strategic and tactical coordination” between the countries’ militaries, the North’s state media said on September 17, as Kim continued a visit to Russia’s Far East that has raised concerns about an arms alliance that would fuel Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The talks with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu came after Mr. Kim on September 15 was shown some of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems deployed for its war on Ukraine, including nuclear-capable bombers and hypersonic missiles, and a key warship of its Pacific fleet, the Korean Central News Agency said.
NASA names chief of UFO research; panel sees no alien evidence
NASA on Thursday said it has named a new director of research into what the government calls “unidentified anomalous phenomenon,” or UAP, while the U.S. space agency’s chief said an expert panel that urged deeper fact-finding on the matter found no evidence of an extraterrestrial origin for these objects. Administrator Bill Nelson made the announcement about the new research chief - without disclosing the person’s identity - after the independent panel of experts recommended in a new report that NASA increase its efforts to gather information on UAP and play a larger role in helping the Pentagon detect them.
Central Khartoum in flames as war rages across Sudan
Flames gripped the Sudanese capital on September 17 and paramilitary forces attacked the army headquarters for the second day in a row, witnesses reported, as fighting raged into its six month. Battles between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces intensified on September 16, resulting in several key buildings in central Khartoum being set alight.
No training session before China game, we will give tactical preparation on flight: Igor Stimac
The Indian men’s football team coach Igor Stimac said the team will not have any training sessions and will use the time on travel for tactical preparation ahead of its Asian Games opening fixture in Hangzhou on September 19. The team’s preparations for the Asian Games were scuppered by the dispute between the All India Football Federation and the Indian Super League clubs over the release of the players for the continental competition. After a few back-and-forths, a second-string squad was announced late on September 15, leaving Stimac hardly any time for the build-up for the match against host China.
