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New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Indian wrestlers Deepak Punia and Sujeet Kalkal have been stranded at the Dubai airport since Tuesday, because of heavy rains, while enroute to Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers, sources said.

Speaking to IANS, sources close to wrestlers said that the duo will take flight at 11pm on Thursday and their chances of participation in the tournament is 50-50.

"They have been there for the past two days. Hotels are all full so they are sleeping on the floor at the airport. Their chances of competing in the qualifiers is 50-50. Maybe they will reach Bishkek just before the start of the weigh-in, only if they manage to leave Dubai late tonight."

The Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek is scheduled to kick-start from April 19. There will be a total of 36 Paris 2024 quotas on offer in 18 weight divisions in Bishkek.

India has fielded seventeen wrestlers.

This qualifier will be the penultimate opportunity for Indian grapplers to secure a quota for the Summer Games. The World Qualification Tournament in Turkey, scheduled in May, will be the final wrestling qualifiers.

Indian squad:

Men’s Greco-Roman: Sumit (60kg), Ashu (67kg), Vikas (77kg), Sunil (87kg), Nitesh (97kg), Naveen (130kg)

Women’s freestyle: Vinesh Phogat (50kg), Anshu Malik (57kg), Mansi (62kg), Nisha (68kg), Reetika Hooda (76kg)

Men’s freestyle: Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Sujeet (65kg), Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak (97kg), Sumit (125kg)

--IANS

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Moscow, April 18 (IANS) Russia's Kurgan and Tyumen regions have evacuated more than 15,000 people as of Thursday due to flooding threat as water levels are forecast to continue rising in the coming days.

In the Kurgan region, the water level of the Tobol river keeps rising, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Thursday, adding that in the regional centre, the level has reached around 970 cm, surpassing the danger mark, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nearly 14,000 people have been evacuated, with 2,090 residential buildings and 3,380 country houses flooded, data from the regional department of emergency situations showed on Thursday.

The water in the Tobol river near Kurgan will continue to rise in the next one to two days, the department said.

In the neighbouring Tyumen region, more than 1,500 people have been evacuated, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The water level of the Ishim river in the Kazan district of the Tyumen region has exceeded the historical maximum of 2017 by 56 cm, local government said, adding that the flood peak in Kazan is expected in the coming days.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations continues to strengthen and increase the height of the local dam, it said.

Previous forecasts showed the water levels in the Ishim river will be "significantly higher than previously expected".

In the Orenburg region, more than 16,500 people have been evacuated since the beginning of the flood, latest data from the Ministry showed. Water levels have been decreasing, and flood situations have stabilised in the region, according to the Ministry.

Russian regions have been facing some of the worst flooding in decades due to a continuous rise in daily average temperatures, snowmelt, and rivers thawing. Floods have been ravaging Russia's western Siberia, the Volga region and the Central Federal District.

--IANS

int/khz

Sydney, April 18 (IANS) A 16-year-old boy was charged with a terrorism offence on Thursday in connection with a stabbing incident in a Sydney church earlier this week.

At around 7:10 p.m. local time on Monday, emergency services were called to a church on the corner of Box Road and Welcome Street in Wakeley, following reports of a stabbing.

Officers found a 53-year-old man suffering significant injuries to his head, while a 39-year-old man also sustained lacerations and a shoulder wound when he attempted to intervene, Xinhua news agency reported.

The 16-year-old, who had been restrained by members of the public, was arrested by police at the scene.

The New South Wales Police Force confirmed in a statement that investigators attended a medical facility to interview the boy on Thursday afternoon.

"He was charged with committing a terrorist act under Section 101.1 Criminal Code Act (Commonwealth) 1995, an offence which carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for life," said the state police.

The teenager has been refused bail and is expected to appear at a bedside court hearing on Friday.

--IANS

int/khz

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Giving a life lesson to former Jet Airways CEO-designate Sanjiv Kapoor, who responded to Anand Mahindra’s post on Dubai rains, the Mahindra Group Chairman on Thursday told him that it’s always good to "pause before you punch, reflect before you react".

Mahindra had shared a video of roads in Dubai flooded with stagnant water on X, saying, "Nope. Not Mumbai. Dubai."

The post caught the attention of Kapoor, who reposted it and wrote, "Incorrect analogy. Dubai was not built for such heavy rains - rains that would flood most cities. A better analogy would be if it suddenly snowed heavily in Bombay, which was obviously not built to handle snow at all. Would people in snowy Oslo mock Bombay?"

However, in a subsequent post, he clarified his stance, saying maybe it is not mocking Dubai.

But, "the point remains Dubai was not built for heavy rains, no matter what the source of the rain (seeding, etc.)".

Now, Mahindra has reacted to Kapoor’s post, saying, "I’m glad you subsequently retracted your comment implying that I was mocking Dubai, Sanjiv."

"In fact, the only purpose of my post was to highlight how atypical this weather was for Dubai," he added.

Giving an example of Kapoor's analogy, which he mentioned in his post, Mahindra said, "If it had ever snowed in Mumbai, I might well have said: 'Nope. Not Oslo. Mumbai' -- for the very same purpose of highlighting how atypical this weather was for Mumbai; not to mock Mumbai."

"I recommend that it’s always good to: PAUSE before you PUNCH, REFLECT before you REACT," he added.

--IANS

shs/arm

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara while sharing his view on what makes Rohit Sharma a special player said the 36-year-old is a leader whether name him captain or not.

He added that Rohit's ability to put both Team India and Mumbai Indians (MI) first sets him apart.

During MI's clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rohit smashed an unbeaten 105 off 63 balls in a losing cause and in the process the iconic opener achieved two milestones: the most runs by a batter in the MI vs CSK rivalry with 512 runs and counting and the first Indian to hit 500 sixes in T20 cricket.

"When you look at Rohit Sharma, you feel that he connects to the public very well... Spend his entire life from youth to present-day playing for India sometimes not getting the nods from the selectors and having to work his way back and you know. When you have such an image and a statue like Rohit Sharma... sometimes some people don't take the knock-down very well but I think what is very admirable is his ability to put everything aside and put India first and in this case also put Mumbai Indians first and come out and play the cricket the way it should," Lara said on Star Sports.

"He does not look like a big sulker, which is great. He's a leader, doesn't matter if you name captain or not. At some point in time when you get to a certain age, at a certain level you are a leader. I think he represents that role very well," he added.

--IANS

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United Nations, March 16 (IANS) Calling India "a proud champion of pluralism," India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj opposed the establishment of the post of "special envoy" on a special religion at the United Nations today.

This comes as the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution on “Measures to Combat Islamophobia” which, inter alia, calls for the appointment of a UN Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia.

Explaining India's position during the adoption of the resolution, Ambassador Kamboj said that while the issue of Islamophobia is undoubtedly significant, one must acknowledge that other religions are also facing discrimination.

"Crucial to acknowledge that phobias extend beyond Abrahamic religions...anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist, anti-Sikh elements...increasing attacks on Gurudwaras, monasteries, temples.." the Indian envoy to the UN said.

"The destruction of Bamiyan Buddha, violation of Gurudwara premises, massacre of Sikh pilgrims, attacks on temples, glorification of breaking idols in temple contribute to rise of contemporary form of religio-phobia against non-abrahamic religions."

Ambassador Kamboj added that it is crucial to recognise that Hinduism, with over 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million, and Sikhism, with over 30 million followers worldwide, are all subject to religion-based phobia.

"It is time we acknowledge the prevalence of religious phobia rather than just single out one," she added.

Further, the envoy said: "Allocating resources solely to combat Islamophobia, while neglecting similar challenges faced by other kinds might inadvertently perpetuate a sense of exclusion and inequality."

The resolution was reportedly facilitated by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The country's chief diplomat at the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, had said that Muslims around the world face discrimination, and "bold and decisive actions are needed to counter and combat Islamophobia."

--IANS

mi/kvd