Bengaluru to host 10th AASF Asian Age Group championships 2019

Agencies
August 2, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 2: Bengaluru will host the 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships 2019 for the first time, giving the Indian swimming enthusiasts an opportunity to witness the largest aquatic event in the continent.

The nine-day sporting extravaganza, scheduled to be held between September 24 and October 2, is set to have over 40 countries and more than 1200 participants competing for top honours in four different aquatic disciplines, including swimming, diving, water polo, and the visually-mesmerizing artistic swimming.

The event venues will be spread across the city with swimming to be held at Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence from September 24 to 27, Water Polo to take place at the Sports Authority of India, Kengeri from September 24 to 30.

Diving will be held at the Sports Authority of India, Kengeri from September 29 to October 2 and Artistic swimming will be conducted at the Kensington Swimming Pool, Ulsoor from September 29 to October 2.

"It is a true honour and pride for us to host the 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships 2019 in Bengaluru, a city which has seen scores of international swimmers being produced under the Karnataka Swimming Association's umbrella. We are geared up to ensure the event is a mega success and that every participant will return home with memories they would cherish for a lifetime," President of the Organising Committee (AAGC 2019), IPS (Rtd), Gopal B Hosur said.

He further said that the support provided by the Government of Karnataka has ensured the mega event is conducted on-par with top world-class aquatic events.

"I must extend my sincere gratitude to the Government of Karnataka and the Department of Youth Services and Sports who have come on board as the main sponsor for this event. Their support has come as a shot in the arm in our endeavour to ensure the event is conducted on-par with other top nations," Hosur said.

The event will see a strong contingent from India, including the likes of Olympians Virdhawal Khade, Sajan Prakash and Shivani Kataria, backstroke sensation Srihari Nataraj, sprinter Anshul Kothari, national record holder in breaststroke Likith SP, freestyle specialist Khushagra Rawat take part in the open category while Kenisha Gupta, Kushi Dinesh, Suvana C Baskar, Tanish George Mathew, Sanjay CJ, and Riddhima Virendra among others promise to create headlines in the age-group categories.

The 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships will also witness top swimmers from Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

"This is the largest Aquatic Championships in Asia as it's not only for open categories (18 years and above) like the Asian Games and Asian Championships but will also include participants from Age Groups I (15-17 years) and II (14 years and below)," Swimming Federation of India, Secretary-General, Monal Chokshi said.

"The last time India hosted this event was in 1999 and I am sure this Championships coming to India will spur the popularity of the sport with aspiring swimmers getting to watch their icons live in action. Traditionally, Indian swimmers have always done well at this competition and I am confident they will make use of the home advantage this time to surpass the previous edition's medal tally,"
With the event recognised by FINA as an Olympic Qualifier, Indian swimmers will enjoy home advantage as they aim for A Qualification Mark for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bengaluru is the most preferred city for Olympians and top Indian swimmers to train and excel.

Meanwhile, Vice President of Indian Olympic Association and veteran sports administrator Virendra Nanavati said, "This is a very crucial period for the Indian swimmers as some of them are vying for the 'A' Qualification mark for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."

"At the recent FINA World Championships we had good participation with six swimmers, four Open Water swimmers and one diver qualifying to take part and some of them even improved the best Indian Performance record. Good show here at the 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships Bengaluru 2019 will put them in good stead to make the qualification mark for the forthcoming Olympics," Nanavati added.

In the previous edition held in Uzbekistan in 2017, India won a total of 40 medals in swimming with five gold, 13 silver, and 22 bronze Medals. While in diving, India won three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals.

Srihari Nataraj, the national record holder in 50, 100 and 200m backstroke said it is a great opportunity for Indian swimmers to create match-winning performances and get more support in the sport.

"It is very exciting that the 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships 2019 is happening in my hometown Bengaluru. This is a great opportunity for Indian swimmers to create winning performances and garner more support for swimming in the country. With nearly 45 days to go for the event, I am looking forward to being in my best form and I will be vying for Gold in all my events and make use of the home advantage."

Nataraj further said he is confident of achieving the A Qualification mark. The backstroke player also highlighted that his performance improved at the recent World Championships.

"At the recent FINA World Championships, I further improved my personal best in 50m (25.83), 200m (2:02.08) backstroke slashing my own National Record in these events and I clocked 55.55 in the 100m backstroke."

"Though I could not achieve my goal of securing the A Qualification Mark for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I believe there are quite a few opportunities coming up and I am confident of achieving the A Qualification mark. I was one of the youngest swimmers in my event at the FINA World Championships, so in that sense, I am happy with my performance," Nataraj added.

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Agencies
June 14,2020

Kashmir, Jun 14: An Army personnel was killed and two others were injured as Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled areas along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.

This is the third fatality in the Pakistani firing and shelling on forward posts and villages in the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri this month.

The officials said the latest firing and shelling from across the border took place in Shahpur-Kerni sector on Saturday night, drawing strong retaliation by the Indian Army.

Three Indian Army personnel were injured in the Pakistani firing and were immediately evacuated to hospital, where one of them succumbed to injuries, the officials said.

They said the casualties suffered by the Pakistani Army in the retaliatory action were not known immediately.

On June 4, havaldar P Mathiazhagan fell to Pakistani firing in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district, while on June 10, Naik Gurcharan Singh lost his life in a similar incident in Rajouri sector.

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News Network
February 26,2020

Feb 26: In a midnight hearing, the Delhi High Court directed police to ensure safe passage to government hospitals and emergency treatment for those injured in the communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law.

The court held a special hearing, which started at 12:30 am, at the residence of Justice S Muralidhar after receiving a call from an advocate explaining the dire circumstances under which the victims were unable to be removed from a small hospital to the GTB Hospital.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Anup J Bhambhani directed the Delhi Police to ensure safe passage of the injured victims by deploying all resources at its command and on the strength of this order as well as to make sure they receive immediate emergency treatment if not at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital then at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) or Maulana Azad or any other hospital.

The bench also called for a status report of compliance, including information about the injured victims and the treatment offered to them, and the matter will be heard during the day at 2:15 pm.

It said the order be communicated to the medical superintendents of the GTB and the LNJP Hospitals.

The urgent hearing was conducted after advocate Suroor Mander called the judge and sought urgent orders for safe passage of ambulances for the injured.

The Delhi Police and the government were represented through additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose.

During the hearing, the bench spoke over phone to doctor Anwar of the Al-hind Hospital in New Mustafabad who told the court that there were two bodies and 22 injured persons there and he had been trying to seek police assistance since 4 pm on Tuesday without success.

The court then directed the senior officials to reach to the hospital forthwith, following which they started the process of evacuating the injured to the nearest hospitals.

It also said this order be brought to the knowledge of the Delhi Police Commissioner.

Communal violence over the amended citizenship law in northeast Delhi claimed at least 18 lives till Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the violence escalated in northeast Delhi as police struggled to check the rioters who ran amok on streets, burning and looting shops, pelting stones and thrashing people.

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News Network
January 19,2020

New Delhi, Jan 19: Reacting to a tweet by ace lawyer Indira Jaising urging her to forgive the four men on death row for brutally raping that finally took her life, Nirbhaya's mother said on Saturday: "Even if God asks me, I won't forgive them."

Speaking to news agency, over the phone, the mother who had been fighting for seven long years to send her daughter's killers to the gallows, said, "...even if god comes and asks me to forgive them, I will not. People like these (Jaising) are a blot on the society."

Commenting on Jaising's tweet, she said: "Who is she to tell or suggest to me to forgive them. What relation does she have with me. I have nothing to do with such people. She can be a relative of those (the convicts) that she is having a soft corner for."

"She is an insult to women. She is running a business in the name of human rights. She is a veteran, she should give a message to the society. But she instead will go against her own kind," she added.

Earlier in the day, Jaising had requested Nirbhaya's mother to follow the example of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had moved for the clemency of a woman, Nalini Murugan convicted for the assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"While I fully identify with the pain of Nirbhaya's mother I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn't want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against death penalty," Jaising tweeted on Friday.

A Delhi Court on Friday issued fresh death warrants against the four convicts -- Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Satish Kumar Arora fixed 1 February as the date of execution of the four death row convicts. They will be hanged at 6am.

The move came after the prosecution moved an application seeking issuance of fresh death warrants following the rejection of the mercy plea of one of the convicts Mukesh by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The 23-year-old victim was brutally gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which later led to her death.

All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petitions.

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