Month: March 2022

Strandja Memorial 2022 gold medalist Nitu Ghanghas has turned her full attention to winning the coveted medal at the Boxing World Championships, scheduled for this May.

The 21-year-old Haryana pugilist clinched the gold in the 48 Kg category in her very first participation at the prestigious Strandja tournament in Sofia last week.

“I heard that the Strandja is one of the oldest boxing tournaments and I feel very proud to win the gold for my country. Now, I want to take step by step this year. We have the World Championship and I want to put my full focus on it and win the gold there. I want to sit with (coach) Bhaskar Bhatt sir and other coaches to work on my strengths and weaknesses. I want to prepare and give my best performance there, ” Nitu told the Sports Authority of India.

Nitu, who started boxing back in 2012, has faced multiple hurdles in her journey. As she looks back, she credits SAI NCOE Rohtak for giving her a new lease of life when she was struck by a life-threatening pelvic injury. “I got selected at the SAI National Boxing Academy Rohtak in 2016. I got more support there than I expected. The injury I had was diagnosed there. There were good doctors and physios who treated me very well. It’s because of the physios, coaches and doctors that I’ve got the gold today, ” Nitu continued.

“Apart from that, whatever diet I needed, I used to get in SAI Rohtak and they used to provide all facilities I needed as well. I didn’t have good sparring partners too. Once I joined there, I got the vision of how to progress step by step and knew I have to go to a different level to become a champion. I made my game technical there and also learnt how to mould my game according to an opponent,” Nitu added.

Nitu Ghanghas, also a Khelo India Scholar, was inducted into TOPS Development Scheme in 2020 and again in 2021 after the Olympics. Speaking about the TOPS support, she mentions, “SAI has helped me a lot. Being in TOPS helps me get the pocket money and this helps me get whatever I require. Also, TOPS provides me with whatever I require as fast as they can. I am very grateful for this support. Players do need these kinds of support.”

The 21-year-old wants to participate in the Commonwealth Games after giving her best at the Worlds. However, she knows the competition she’ll face to represent India, with the likes of Mary Kom waiting as well. “My next target after Worlds is to participate in the CWG. It could be possible I go against Mary [Kom] didi in the selection trials. I will be happy to get the opportunity to have a bout with her and I want to play my own game and be at my best,” Nitu said. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a meeting to discuss the ongoing evacuation drive of Indian nationals and the situation in conflict-hit Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and other senior officials.

The Prime minister had on Monday chaired two meetings to review the ongoing efforts under Operation Ganga for the return of Indians from Ukraine amid military operations by Russia.

Another meeting was held on Sunday. The Cabinet Committee on Security had met on February 24 in the wake of Russian military actions in Ukraine.

The Centre has ramped up efforts to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine amid heightened tensions.

The government has also deployed ‘special envoys’ to four neighbouring countries bordering Ukraine to coordinate and oversee the evacuation process of Indian nationals.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri is overseeing evacuation efforts in Hungary, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju in Slovakia, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in Romania and Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh in Poland. (ANI)

India won the toss and opted to bat against Sri Lanka in the first Test here in Mohali, Punjab on Friday.

After a clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the T20 series, Team India will look forward to continuing their dominance in the two-match Test series against the Lankan Lions. This clash also marks India batter Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match.

Speaking at the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma said, “We are going to bat first. Similar Indian conditions, so it’s important for us to put runs on the board and take it from there. It is a huge honour to be captaining India and be part of the list. It is something I never dreamt of. It has been quite buzzing. We know it is a special occasion. Not many people go on to play 100 Tests, and Virat has been looking forward to this game. We are playing three seamers and two spinners.”

On the other hand, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said, “We wanted to bat first as well. We are playing three seamers, but it is a good wicket to bat on. We have played 300 Tests but we never won in India. We have a good team, with the senior and junior combinations and we are prepared. We are going in with three seamers and two spinners.”

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Lahiru Thirimanne, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando (ANI)

Months after Sidharth Shukla’s demise, Instagram has memorialised the actor’s account.

The word “Remembering” is now written above Sidharth’s name on his profile on the photo-sharing application.

For the unversed, memorialised accounts are a place to remember someone’s life after they have passed away.

The memorialisation of Sidharth’s Instagram account has left his fans emotional.

“You are always alive in our hearts,” a netizen commented.

“This is so heartbreaking. This ‘remembering’ word made me cry,” another one wrote.

Sidharth, who won everyone’s hearts with his stints in ‘Bigg Boss 13’, ‘Broken But Beautiful’, and ‘Dil Se Dil Tak’ among other projects’, died on September 2, 2021, at the age of 40.

He passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. (ANI)

Singer Aditya Narayan and his wife Shweta Agarwal welcomed their firstborn — a baby girl in February this year.

On Friday, Aditya took to Instagram and shared the good news with his fans. He also informed that the child was born on February 24.
“Shweta & I feel extremely grateful to share that the almighty has blessed us with a beautiful baby daughter on 24.2.22,” he wrote.

Alongside the note, Aditya dropped a beautiful throwback image from his wedding ceremony. In the picture, he can be seen applying sindoor (vermilion) on Shweta’s head.

As soon as Aditya shared the news, fans and members of the entertainment industry chimed into the comment section to congratulate the couple.

“Congratulations @adityanarayanofficial a daughter is a blessing! Enjoy the next phase of your life to the fullest,” actor Barkha Sen Gupta commented.

“Congratulations Aditya & Shweta on becoming parents. Love to all of you,” singer Neeti Mohan wrote.

Aditya and Shweta, who met on the sets of their debut film ‘Shaapit’, tied the knot in December 2020. (ANI)

The Quad leaders convened a virtual meeting on Wednesday and discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications.

Quad Leaders – Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, and President Joe Biden of the United States reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is respected and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion, read the joint statement.

They reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and prosperity.

The Quad Leaders agreed to stand up new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine, added the statement.

In their continuing pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Quad Leaders agreed to meet in person in Tokyo in the coming months.

This was the first meeting since the leaders of four Quad countries held a summit in September last year in Washington.

This meeting virtual meeting was held amid Russia’s military action in Ukraine that has led to a refugee crisis in Europan countries.

Since the start of the Russian “special military operation” last week, several western countries including the US, Canada and Australia, have imposed crippling sanctions on Russia.

India has called for immediate de-escalation and advocated the path of diplomacy. (ANI)

US President Joe Biden on Thursday (local time) spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and received an update on the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine this evening to receive an update on the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” read White House release.
Biden joined Zelenskyy in urging Russia to cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site, added the release.

Biden also spoke this evening with Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the US Department of Energy and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to receive an update on the situation at the plant.

In recent developments, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has put its Incident and Emergency Centre in full 24X7 response mode.

“IAEA puts its Incident and Emergency Centre (@IAEAIEC) in full 24/7 response mode due to serious situation at #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in #Ukraine,” tweeted IAEA.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke to Zelenskyy regarding Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and condemned Russia.

“DPM @cafreeland and I just spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa about the horrific attacks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. These unacceptable attacks by Russia must cease immediately,” tweeted Trudeau.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian army has opened fire on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

“Russian army has opened fire on Zaporizhzhia NPP. No state except Russia has ever opened fire at nuclear power units. For the first time in human history, a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror. Only immediate European action can stop Russian troops,” tweeted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broken out. If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!,” tweeted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba,

Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) there is “no change reported in radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site,” the IAEA tweeted on Friday.

Ukrainian officials said early Friday a fire had broken out at the nuclear plant as Russian forces attacked “from all sides,” with firefighters unable to reach the site.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, has spoken with Ukraine’s Prime Minister and the country’s nuclear regulator about the reported fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the IAEA said on Twitter early Friday.

Grossi “appeals for halt of use of force and warns of severe danger if reactors hit,” the tweet added.

Earlier on Friday — before the fire broke out — the IAEA released a statement warning that Russian troops were approaching the area and any fighting near the plant could be disastrous. (ANI)

A special flight from Hungary carrying 219 Indian nationals stranded in conflict-torn Ukraine reached Delhi on Friday.

The special IndiGo flight under Operation Ganga departed from Hungary’s capital Budapest on Thursday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik received the Indian students on their arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport. He also interacted with the students.

“We are getting successful in evacuating all the stranded Indian students in Ukraine. The four ministers deployed under the guidance of PM Modi are working very hard. All evacuated students have a zeal and respect for India. They thanked the Government of India and were happy,” Pramanik told ANI.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in close coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is making all efforts to bring the Indian students back to India at a fast pace.

Four Union Ministers — Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and Gen (Retd) VK Singh — have gone to countries adjoining Ukraine to support and supervise evacuation operations. Indian civilian planes as well as Indian Air Force planes are regularly bringing back stranded Indian students.

The Ministry of External Affairs said more than 7,400 persons are expected to be brought through special flights in the next two days. Further, 3,500 persons are expected to be brought back on Friday and over 3900 on March 5.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations in Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. These countries have also promised Ukraine to help with military aid to fight Russia.

The US, Canada and European allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the interbank messaging system, SWIFT which means Russian banks won’t be able to communicate securely with banks beyond Russia’s borders. President Putin has also signed a decree on special economic measures against the US and its allies. (ANI)

An Indian student has been hospitalised after he was shot with a bullet in the capital city of Ukraine, a few days after an Indian student lost his life in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Minister of State (MoS) for Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) General VK Singh revealed the information at Poland’s Rzeszow airport on Thursday.

“A student from Kyiv was reported to have been shot and was immediately admitted to the hospital in Kyiv,” General (retd) Singh told ANI.

“The Indian embassy had earlier cleared on the priority that everyone should leave Kyiv. In the event of war, the gun bullet does not look at anyone’s religion and nationality,” he added.

The students are currently fleeing the war-torn country Ukraine and trying to reach the border of Poland for their safe return to India.

Four Union Ministers, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Kiren Rijiju and Gen (Retd) VK Singh — are overseeing the evacuation efforts in the countries adjoining Ukraine. (ANI)

French President Emmanuel Macron believes that “the worst is yet to come” in Ukraine after a telephonic conversation with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, said an aide to the French leader.

Putin held a 90-minute talk with Macron who appeared intent on seizing “the whole” of the country, reported the Moscow Times quoting the aide.

An aide to the French leader said, “There was nothing in what President Putin told us that should reassure us. He showed great determination to continue the operation,” reported the Moscow Times.

He added that Putin “wanted to seize control of the whole of Ukraine. He will, in his own words, carry out his operation to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine to the end.”

“You can understand the extent to which these words are shocking and unacceptable and the president told him that it was lies,” the aide said.

When Macron talked to Putin for avoiding civilian casualties and allowing humanitarian access, the aide said, “President Putin replied that he was in favour but without making any commitments.”

“President Putin has a way of talking that is very neutral and very clinical. He sometimes shows signs of impatience, but fundamentally there were no open signs of tensions during the exchanges,” the aide added, reported the Moscow Times. (ANI)