NDTV Sports-Cricket

Mushfiqur Rahim achieved a dubious feat as the veteran Bangladesh cricketer became the second batter ever in Tests to be dismissed for obstructing the field. The incident happened during Day 1 of the second Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Dhaka after Mushfiqur swatted the ball away from his stumps after defending a delivery from Kyle Jamieson. Social media were filled with funny comments regarding the rare and bizarre dismissal with former England skipper Michael Vaughan coming up with a special message. "Welcome to the very exclusive Handled ball club @mushfiqur15 .. only proper players are members .." he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Welcome to the very exclusive Handled ball club @mushfiqur15 .. only proper players are members ..

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) December 6, 2023

In the match, Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips took 3-65 and 3-31 respectively while Ajaz Patel claimed 2-54 for the tourists as they dominated in their bid to level the two-match series.

Mushfiqur top-scored with 35 after Bangladesh opted to bat at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, helping the hosts recover from a dismal 47-4.

This is cinema

Mushfiqur Rahim - first Bangladesh player to be dismissed for handling the ball! pic.twitter.com/TsXlJQdHnE

— All About Cricket (@allaboutcric_) December 6, 2023

England's Leonard Hutton was the only other batsman to be dismissed for obstructing the field in Test cricket, during a match against South Africa at the Oval in 1951. 

Mushfiqur's 57-run partnership with Shahadat Hossain helped the hosts recover from the spin demolition of their top order by Santner and Patel. 

"Mushfiqur Rahim was just trying to check if New Zealand has been given a different ball by ICC because wickets were falling continuously" - Hasan Raza (In Pakistan cricket show)pic.twitter.com/M8agLj94gC

— CricWiz (@CricWizTalks) December 6, 2023

But after Mushfiqur returned to the pavilion, Phillips dismissed Shahadat (31) and Nurul Hasan (seven) to put Bangladesh into further trouble. 

Santner -- who replaced Ish Sodhi in the only change among both teams from the first Test -- took the wicket of Mehidy Hasan, who made 20 before edging a catch at slip. 

Angelo mathews laughing in the corner somewhere

— saratchandra yalamarthi (@Sarat045) December 6, 2023

Phillips grabbed his third wicket, trapping Taijul Islam leg before for six, before Tim Southee snared the last wicket of Shoriful Islam for 10.

Southee did not concede a run in his 5.5 overs.

Earlier, Zakir Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan put on 29 runs in the opening stand before a disastrous five overs saw Bangladesh lose four wickets for just 18 runs.

Bangladesh are chasing a first-ever Test series win over the Black Caps after their 150-run victory in Sylhet last week.

(With AFP inputs)

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"Aid Not Enough": Gaza Children Sleep Hungry, Wake Hungry In Rafah Camp

Displaced Gazans sheltering in a school courtyard in Rafah were resorting to desperate measures such as diluting baby milk powder in too much water or giving children one meal a day because there was not enough food to go around.

At the southern tip of Gaza, on the border with Egypt, the Rafah area was the only one in the whole of the Palestinian enclave to have received limited aid deliveries over the past four days, the U.N. humanitarian office said on Thursday.

But there was still not enough food for everyone and parents said their children were getting sick and losing weight.

Sitting on a mat in front of his family's tent in a makeshift displacement camp, Zakaria Rehan held his baby boy, Yazan, and a feeding bottle with a small amount of liquid.

"This is basically water with a spoonful of powder, even less than a spoonful, anything so it just smells like milk, just so I can trick him into thinking it is milk so he can drink it," said Rehan. "But it isn't healthy, it doesn't give him any nutrition."

Rehan said all the families in the camp were facing a daily struggle to find food and a means to cook it. He said he had eaten raw beans from a can that came in an aid delivery because there was no fuel for a fire.

"Yes, there is aid that comes in, but it isn't enough at all. It isn't enough for all the families. You get a can of beans, or a can of meat, for 10 people. Even if one person was to eat this alone, it wouldn't satiate him."

Food shortages have been a problem throughout the two-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, but have worsened since the end of a week-long truce on Dec. 1 as the number of aid trucks entering from Egypt has fallen and distribution has been hindered by intense combat, including in southern Gaza.

ONLY MEAL OF THE DAY

In the mouth of another tent at the Rafah school camp, three children were eating rice out of a single pan. Their mother, Yosra al-Deeb, said they would have nothing else for the rest of the day.

"The children sleep hungry and wake up hungry. I made them a meal, and that's the only meal they eat in a day, the rest of the day they don't eat," she said, her anger and exhaustion showing in her face.

"At home, I used to feed them a nutritious meal, they never got sick. But here, they're always sick, every day they have stomach flu," she said.

In another part of the camp, Naji Shallah had chopped some tomatoes and a green pepper and was preparing to cook them in a small pan. He too said this would be his children's only meal of the day.

"If I could find bread for my children, it would be like having a pound of gold," he said, adding they were dehydrated from lack of food and water and that one of his sons had lost a lot of weight.

"And if I secure bread, I can only give my child half a loaf, because if he were to eat the whole loaf, he won't eat the next day."

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people including babies and children and kidnapping 240 hostages of all ages, according to Israeli figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas and free the hostages, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza that has killed more than 17,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

U.N. humanitarian chief Volker Turk has described living conditions in the bombarded strip as "apocalyptic".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Amid War With Hamas, Israel Approves New Settlement In East Jerusalem: NGO

Israeli authorities have approved the construction of more than 1,700 new homes, a non-governmental organisation said Wednesday, a move constituting the expansion of settlements in occupied east Jerusalem.

Half the "new neighbourhood" comprising 1,738 housing units will be in the city's annexed east, the Israeli NGO Peace Now said.

"If it weren't for the war (between Israel and Hamas), there would be a lot of noise. It's a highly problematic project for the continuity of a Palestinian state between the southern West Bank and east Jerusalem," Peace Now's Hagit Ofran told AFP.

In a statement, the NGO said: "Half of the Lower Aqueduct neighbourhood is situated beyond the Green Line in east Jerusalem, and the other half is within the Green Line.

"However, its strategic location between the neighbourhoods of Givat Hamatos and Har Homa makes it particularly problematic from a political standpoint."

The Green Line refers to the 1949 Armistice Line established at the end of the war that accompanied Israel's founding a year earlier. It divided the city between Israeli-governed west Jerusalem, and east Jerusalem, which was administered by Jordan until 1967.

Israel occupied and annexed east Jerusalem in 1967 in a move never recognised by the United Nations.

According to the Ir Amin anti-settlement NGO, around 300,000 Palestinians and 200,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem.

Israeli settlements in occupied territories are illegal under international law.

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European Union Seeks Agreement On World's First AI Law

The European Union will seek to thrash out an agreement on sweeping rules to regulate artificial intelligence on Wednesday, following months of difficult negotiations in particular on how to monitor generative AI applications like ChatGPT.

The EU is racing to approve the world's first comprehensive AI law after the issue took on greater urgency when the ChatGPT bot burst onto the scene last year, highlighting AI's dizzying advances.

ChatGPT wowed with its ability to produce poems and essays within seconds from simple user prompts.

AI proponents say the technology will benefit humanity, transforming everything from work to healthcare, but others worry about the risks it poses to society, fearing it could thrust the world into unprecedented chaos.

Brussels is bent on bringing big tech to heel with a powerful legal armoury to protect EU citizens' rights, especially those covering privacy and data protection.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, first proposed an AI law in 2021 that would regulate systems based on the level of risk they posed. For example, the greater the risk to citizens' rights or health, the greater the systems' obligations.

Negotiations on the final legal text began in June, but a fierce debate in recent weeks over how to regulate general-purpose AI like ChatGPT and Google's Bard chatbot threatened talks at the last minute.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states began discussions on Wednesday and the talks were expected to last into the evening.

Some member states worry that too much regulation will stifle innovation and hurt the chances of producing European AI giants to challenge those in the United States, including ChatGPT's creator OpenAI as well as tech titans like Google and Meta.

Although there is no real deadline, senior EU figures have repeatedly said the bloc must finalise the law before the end of 2023.

Chasing local champions

EU diplomats, industry sources and other EU officials have warned the talks could end without an agreement as stumbling blocks remain over key issues.

Others have suggested that even if there is a political agreement, several meetings will still be needed to hammer out the law's technical details.

And should EU negotiators reach agreement, the law would not come into force until 2026 at the earliest.

The main sticking point is over how to regulate so-called foundation models -- designed to perform a variety of tasks -- with France, Germany and Italy calling to exclude them from the tougher parts of the law.

"France, Italy and Germany don't want a regulation for these models," said German MEP Axel Voss, who is a member of the special parliamentary committee on AI.

The parliament, however, believes it is "necessary... for transparency" to regulate such models, Voss said.

Late last month, the three biggest EU economies published a paper calling for an "innovation-friendly" approach for the law known as the AI Act.

Berlin, Paris and Rome do not want the law to include restrictive rules for foundation models, but instead say they should adhere to codes of conduct.

Many believe this change in view is motivated by their wish to avoid hindering the development of European champions -- and perhaps to help companies such as France's Mistral AI and Germany's Aleph Alpha.

'Not scared to walk away'

Another sticking point is remote biometric surveillance -- basically, facial identification through camera data in public places.

The EU parliament wants a full ban on "real time" remote biometric identification systems, which member states oppose. The commission had initially proposed that there could be exemptions to find potential victims of crime including missing children.

There have been suggestions MEPs could concede on this point in exchange for concessions in other areas.

Brando Benifei, one of the MEPs leading negotiations for the parliament, said he saw a "willingness" by everyone to conclude talks.

But, he added, "we are not scared of walking away from a bad deal".

France's digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot said it was important to "have a good agreement" and suggested there should be no rush for an agreement at any cost.

"Many important points still need to be covered in a single night," he added.

Concerns over AI's impact and the need to supervise the technology are shared worldwide.

US President Joe Biden issued an executive order in October to regulate AI in a bid to mitigate the technology's risks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Putin Visits Saudi Arabia, UAE On Middle East Tour In Rare Abroad Visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday after visiting the United Arab Emirates, making a rare trip abroad as Moscow seeks to reassert itself on the global stage.

It is only the third trip the Russian leader has taken outside the former Soviet Union since he invaded Ukraine, following visits to Iran and China, and comes as Moscow seeks to bolster its influence in the Middle East.

Putin was greeted by a number of Saudi officials after landing in the capital Riyadh, footage from the Kremlin showed.

He was set to meet the country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for talks on international politics, the Israel-Hamas war and oil markets, state media reported.

The Kremlin emphasised the "great importance of maintaining dialogue with the Kingdom to preserve peace and security in the Middle East and North Africa."

The two leaders will "consider ways to promote de-escalation" in the war in Gaza, it added.

Since March, Putin has been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the invasion of Ukraine.

He skipped the BRICS summit in August in South Africa, which recognises the ICC, to avoid causing a "political show", and missed the G20 summit in India in September.

But neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia have signed the ICC's founding treaty, meaning they are not obliged to arrest him.

'Unprecedented relations'

The Russian leader was earlier welcomed with full cavalry escort and motorcade in the UAE, where he met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A national air show team drew a Russian flag with coloured fumes in the sky.

"Today, thanks to your posture, our relations have reached unprecedented levels," Putin told his counterpart at the presidential palace, saying the UAE was "Russia's main trading partner in the Arab world."

Bilateral trade hit a record $9 billion last year, according to the Kremlin, and Putin said "a number of projects" were underway in the oil and gas sector.

The UAE is currently hosting the COP28 UN climate talks, but the Kremlin did not specify whether Putin attended any related events.

Putin is next set to host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for talks in Moscow on Thursday, as the two countries strengthen economic and military ties in the face of Western sanctions.

With Moscow largely adapted to Western sanctions thanks to rebounding oil revenues, and its military fending off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in recent months, analysts say Putin may be sensing reviving fortunes.

"Putin has certainly been speaking more confidently now than any time since the war began," said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
 

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3 Killed After Fire Breaks Out At Mall In Karachi: Report

Three people died after a fire broke out near Ayesha Manzil in Pakistan's Karachi Federal B Area on Wednesday, reported Dawn, citing police and rescue services.

Three people were killed after a fire broke out at the Arshi Shopping Centre located near Ayesha Manzil in Karachi's Federal B Area on Wednesday, according to police and rescue services.

The blaze reportedly broke out at the Arshi Shopping Centre in Karachi and damaged vehicles parked near the building, while there was also a traffic jam in the area.

Footage aired on television showed black smoke billowing into the sky as flames engulfed the structure. Firefighters could also be seen attempting to douse the bright orange flames.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab took to X, and said, "Third dead body" had been found, adding, "Rescue operation still continues. I have been informed of 2 casualties so far, however will give further confirmation. I am present myself at site."

"Fire brigade team is present on the ground to deal with the fire situation at Ayesha Manzil. Snorkel is also present on site to evacuate people from the roof if required. Will keep everyone posted," he added.

In another post, he stated, "Rescue operation continues as people are being evacuated safely from the building. I can so far confirm that two people with severe burn injuries have been moved to the Civil Hospital Burns Ward. No dead bodies have been found as of yet; however, a search is being made. Will keep everyone posted."

Rescue operation continues as people are being evacuated safely from the building. I can so far confirm that 2 people with severe burn injuries have been moved to Civil Hospital Burns Ward. No bead bodies found as yet however, search is being made. Will keep everyone posted https://t.co/tulDHAALJc

— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) December 6, 2023

Meanwhile, Sindh Rescue 1122 director Abid Shaikh said that a rescue operation was underway, as reported by Dawn.

"This is a third category fire, the whole building was in flames," he said, adding that the building had a ground floor, a mezzanine floor and four more residential floors.

Jauharabad Station House Officer Sudeer Bhayo said that eight fire tenders were working on extinguishing the blaze, adding that the flames had been controlled "to some extent".

Fire brigade department official Humayun Khan further stressed that the fire had spread from the ground floor "all the way till the fourth floor".

Moreover, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori expressed grief at the state of affairs in the city, according to Dawn.

"Today, there will be losses worth millions due to this fire and the people living in this city will bear them," he said.

He emphasised that officials always traded blame for such incidents, whereas people had to suffer.

Later, he called on the Karachi mayor to take responsibility and find out the culprit behind the fire.

"But how can it happen that we keep trading blame and the residents keep bearing their losses," he said. He further said that he was on his way to visit the scene of the fire even though it did not fall within his domain.

Tessori further highlighted that he should talk about this in a press conference in three days, Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar ordered a probe into the fire and stated that the inquiry committee would be led by the Karachi commissioner.

"The committee will probe the cause of the fire and the negligence of officials," his spokesperson said, adding that the committee would submit its report and its recommendations to the chief minister within three days, Dawn reported.

Furthermore, the incident comes just days after 11 people were killed in a huge fire that ripped through a six-storey commercial building in the city's Gulistan-i-Jauhar area.3 Killed After Fire Breaks Out At Mall In Karachi: Report

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) women's team captain and Indian women's cricket team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has shared her perspectives on the potential impact of a multi-city format for the Women's Premier League (WPL). She was speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet India in Bengaluru. Reflecting on the success of the WPL, Smriti Mandhana expressed enthusiasm for the prospect of adopting a multi-city format at the first-of-its-kind summit that brought together influential leaders from various industries to delve into the future of sports. "It would be great to have WPL in the multi-city format. I think that might be the next step and I am sure the people right here would look into it and make it happen. As an RCB fan, I would love to play in Chinnaswamy where people are chanting 'RCB RCB' and just to be in that environment. That is something which is one step ahead for us that it (multi-city format) can reach to places where women's cricket hasn't reached and to get new audience going into women's cricket," Mandhana said, according to a RCB release.

The 27-year-old feels the Innovation Lab's Leaders Meet India was a platform to understand how different business people look at sports as a platform to generate digital numbers and feels the event should happen more often to interact with other sports icons and business top brass.

Ahead of the WPL auction, she also talked about the preparations for the tournament.

"A lot of thoughts have gone into what kind of combinations we need in terms of releases or retention. So we are really looking forward to the WPL auctions and hopefully, we get the players who we are looking forward to getting," she added.

Speaking on the growth of women's sports in India, Mandhana highlighted the remarkable achievements of women athletes in recent years.

"Women in India are doing amazing stuff in the last five to 10 years not only in women's cricket but in women's sport in general. If you see the last Olympics or Commonwealth or Asian Games, the kind of medals women's athletes have gone and got for the country is a big inspiration for a lot of smaller city girls out there to pursue their passion. I think women's sports, in general, should be treated separately and by doing that they can definitely sell a lot of things in terms of the ticketing or the digital rights."

Asked about the areas women's cricket needs in terms of further investment or further focus to keep propelling forward, Mandhana suggested focusing on the grassroots level.

"The only thing that we could invest in is the grassroots level of women's sport in general because a lot of interest is developed with the Indian Women's team or the WPL tournament. Invest more so that we get a lot more cricketers women cricketers," she remarked.

Drawing inspiration from women athletes in international sports, Mandhana revealed her admiration for Alex Morgan in women's FIFA and acknowledged Serena Williams' monumental achievements in tennis as her source of motivation.

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