Latest news with #Agencies
Qatar Tribune
a day ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
India coach in confrontation with Surrey ground staff
Agencies London India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been involved in a confrontation with Surrey ground staff during a training session before Thursday's fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, reports Video footage from the net session shows Gambhir pointing his finger at Lee Fortis, Surrey's head of ground staff, and the India coach can be heard shouting 'you can't tell us what to do' and 'you're just the groundsman, nothing beyond'. Speaking in a news conference afterwards, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak - who was present during the incident - said the coaches were inspecting the wicket for the Test, and were asked to move away. 'When we were standing on the wicket looking at it, one of the ground staff came and said to stand two and half metres away from here. In my cricketing career I have never seen anybody saying that,' said Kotak. 'Literally he was saying that 'you can go outside the rope' to the head coach and see the wicket. I don't know how you can see. 'If someone was brushing their shoes, or somebody is trying to put something on the wicket or somebody wearing spikes - if the curator feels that then fine - but it was a very strange way of saying it.' Kotak continued: 'Curators are a little over-protective or possessive about the square and the ground. [They] need to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent people. 'When you are working with very intelligent and highly skilled people, if you sound a bit arrogant, you can be protective - but at the end of the day it's a cricket pitch. It's not an antique that you can't touch because it's 200 years old and it can be broken. That's what I feel.' With no specific outdoor practice area, India used three practice wickets surrounded by nets close to the Test match pitch, which is standard procedure. BBC Sport asked Surrey for a comment but the club declined, though in a video Fortis later downplayed the incident, telling Indian media 'there's nothing to speak about. There's nothing to hide here'. The incident is the latest in a heated and competitive series between the two sides, with the fourth Test at Old Trafford ending with India refusing to shake hands for the draw early as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar reached centuries. India skipper Shubman Gill also said England were acting 'against the spirit of cricket' with time-wasting tactics during the third Test at Lord's. England lead the five-match series 2-1 and Ben Stokes' side are expected to make changes to the team from Manchester's draw, particularly to the bowling line-up after just three days in between Tests. Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue are the spare quicks in the squad after Stokes struggled with various niggles. Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have played all four matches so far and Jofra Archer has played back-to-back after making his comeback from a four-year injury absence. Meanwhile India will be without wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant because of a fractured foot and they also have a decision to make on pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has played the maximum three Tests they stated he would before the series.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Parliament monsoon session: Lok Sabha sees smooth functioning of Question Hour after 6 days of disruption
Agencies Parliament monsoon session Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed smooth functioning of the Question Hour for the first time since the beginning of the Monsoon session on July 21. The House has been witnessing repeated disruptions over the Opposition's demand for a debate on electoral roll revision in Bihar and Operation Sindoor. While the debate on Operation Sindoor commenced in the House on Monday, the Opposition disrupted the first half of the day demanding an assurance from the government that a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar will be held after that. Tuesday was the first time in six days that the House could take up the Question Hour without disruptions. Speaker Om Birla has been insisting that members should participate in the Question Hour as issues related to key ministries are taken up and the government is held accountable.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Heartbroken': Indian-origin Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani reacts to Manhattan office shooting from Uganda; thanks first responders
(Photo credit: Agencies) Indian-origin, Democratic Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani on Monday reacted to the Midtown Manhattan office shooting from Uganda saying he was "heartbroken" by the deadly incident. Sharing a post on X Mamdani said, "I'm heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts. " "Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground," he added. Mamdani is currently in Uganda, celebrating his wedding at a heavily guarded private estate in the upscale Buziga Hill area near Kampala. A mass shooting at a Midtown Manhattan office tower on Monday evening left five people dead, including a New York City police officer, and the suspect, with a sixth victim critically injured. The suspected gunman, identified as Shane Tamura from Las Vegas died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities. Mayor Eric Adams called the attack a "senseless act of violence" and said officials are still working to understand the motive. "We lost four souls to another act of senseless violence," Adams said at a late-night briefing, excluding the gunman from the death toll. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Tamura had a "documented mental health history," but no clear motive has been established yet. "We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location," she added. The shooting unfolded at 345 Park Avenue, a prominent high-rise that houses major institutions including Blackstone, the National Football League, and the Irish Consulate. Surveillance footage showed Tamura pulling up in a double-parked black BMW, stepping out with an M-4-style rifle, and walking into the building. According to Tisch, Tamura immediately opened fire at the entrance, shooting a uniformed officer before turning the weapon on others inside. A woman who tried to flee was gunned down, followed by a security guard behind a desk and another man in the lobby. Tamura was armed with a .223-caliber Palmetto State Armory AR-15-style assault rifle. Police later found a revolver, ammunition, and extra magazines in his vehicle. The shooting took place in a busy part of Midtown Manhattan, just north of Grand Central Terminal and close to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Local television footage showed people evacuating the office building with their hands raised. The building, located on Park Avenue, houses major firms including Blackstone and the Irish Consulate.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Lebanese icon Fairuz bids farewell to her son Ziad Rahbani
Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives with her daughter Reema Rahbani (left) condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, Iconic Lebanese singer Fairuz arrived Monday at the Church of the Dormition in Bikfaya to bid farewell to her son, composer and playwright Ziad Rahbani, according to local media reports. Dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, Fairuz stepped out of her car to the applause of mourners gathered outside the church. Lebanon's veteran singer Fairuz (Fayrouz) receives condolences during the funeral of her son, musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, at Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition in Bikfaya in Mount Lebanon, north east of Beirut, on July 28, 2025. --AFP photos She was accompanied by her daughter Rima Rahbani and Member of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, and was greeted at the entrance by Lebanon's First Lady. According to media reports, the church was cleared to allow Fairuz a private moment to mourn near the casket of her son, whose death has stirred a wave of public grief across Lebanon and the Arab world. — Agencies
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Cambodia PM Hun Manet says ceasefire offers solution 'to move forward'
Displaced people react as they queue for food inside a temporary shelter after an announcement of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, after the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a ceasefire on Monday effective midnight, in a bid to bring an end to their deadliest conflict in more than a decade after five days of fierce fighting, in Sisaket province, Thailand, on Monday, July 28, 2025. -- Photo: REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha PUTRAJAYA (Agencies): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday said an unconditional ceasefire agreed with Thailand offered a chance for a "return to normalcy" in relations after five days of clashes. "The solutions that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim just announced will set a condition for moving forward for our bilateral discussion to return to normalcy of the relationship," Hun Manet announced after peace talks brokered by Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar. For the record, Thai and Cambodian leaders agreed to halt hostilities in their deadliest border conflict in more than a decade, after a push by the US and regional powers for a diplomatic resolution. Thailand's Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet held discussions Monday in Malaysia, hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar facilitated the dialogue in his role as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Washington and Beijing dispatching envoys. Anwar, speaking after the talks, said the sides agreed to a ceasefire as of midnight. The talks mark the first formal dialogue since fresh clashes erupted on July 24, with at least 36 people killed and more than 150,000 civilians displaced on both sides of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. Tensions escalated rapidly over the weekend as heavy artillery fire and aerial strikes were reported, and both sides accused each other of targeting civilian areas. US President Donald Trump had said before the discussions that the Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to "quickly work out a ceasefire." After separate calls with Phumtham and Hun Manet on Saturday, Trump had threatened that Washington would not do a trade deal with either as long as the fighting continued. Before departing for the talks, Phumtham questioned Cambodia's sincerity in halting fighting as clashes continued into early Monday. The discussions were set to focus on ending the hostilities and maintaining Thailand's sovereignty, he told reporters. Thailand has insisted that any ceasefire must include troop withdrawals, an end to lethal force and an agreement to resolve conflict through bilateral mechanisms. Cambodia, by contrast, says it supports an unconditional end to hostilities. The current conflict traces its roots to long-standing disputes stemming from colonial-era maps and treaties that defined the two countries' boundaries. Relations had remained relatively stable since a 2011 clash that left dozens dead, but renewed tensions have triggered fears of escalated fighting. Trump threatened to block trade deals with both countries unless the violence stopped. "We're not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war," Trump said Sunday, adding that both leaders expressed willingness to negotiate after speaking with him directly. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that US officials are on the ground in Malaysia "to assist these peace efforts." China, the top trading partner for both Southeast Asian nations and a major backer of Phnom Penh, is due to participate in the talks, the Cambodian leader said. "Both President Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely," Rubio said earlier in a statement. "We want this conflict to end as soon as possible." With Trump's Aug. 1 tariff deadline looming, trade-reliant Thailand wants to avoid antagonizing the US president, especially as its officials have been holding talks to lower the steep 36% planned levy on its exports. Trump has claimed credit for helping halt border clashes earlier this year between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade measures. It's an assertion India has consistently denied but Pakistan has embraced. Thailand's trade talks with the US have included offering expanded access for American goods to narrow a $46 billion trade surplus. Neighboring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have already secured trade deals with the US in recent weeks. "President Trump's pressure tactic seems to be working as both the Thai and Cambodian governments are struggling economically," said Tita Sanglee, associate fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. "Failure to lower Thailand's tariff rate will be politically costly." But yielding to a ceasefire agreement when the Cambodian threat to take the territorial disputes to the International Court of Justice is still alive, won't likely be accepted by the Thai public or the military, she said. Cambodia has said it wants the court to help settle the disputed status of four border areas, after a skirmish broke out in May. Thailand doesn't recognize the court's jurisdiction. - Agencies
