Rakesh Kumar and Sarita Adhana have a historic moment as they win gold medal in the mixed team compound archery event in the Para-Archery World Championship 2023.
They win by 152-146 against Brazil in the final.
source/content: latestly.com (headline edited)
The 2023 presidential election is due in September, as President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ends on September 13.
Singapore’s former Indian-origin minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam formally launched his presidential campaign on Wednesday and pledged to evolve the country’s culture to keep it a “shining spot” in the world.
The official launch comes more than a month after Mr. Tharman first announced his intention that he will run for president.
Mr. Tharman, 66, stepped down from active politics after 22 years last month.
“I stepped into this race because I feel very strongly in the need to evolve Singapore’s culture, some of our norms and the way we go about working with each other so that we remain a shining spot in the world,” he said at a press conference.
He said he intended to be “a President for a new era” as he officially launched his campaign for the office.
The 2023 presidential election is due in September, as President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ends on September 13.
Accompanied by his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi, Mr. Tharman outlined challenges facing Singapore both globally and domestically and emphasised that the nation’s real challenge was to avoid becoming a divided society.
“If I’m fortunate enough to be elected as President, I pledge to bring my full experience and capabilities on the ground nationally and internationally, to serve as your President for this new and more challenging era,” Channel News Asia quoted him as saying.
The senior politician said his 22 years in politics had given him ample experience in unifying people, an important role for the president.
“When we talk about being a unifying figure, I do not say this rhetorically or just as an aspiration but I speak from a real track record,” he said.
“That includes the track record of respecting different views, including different political leanings and constantly trying to find common ground,” he said.
Mr. Tharman said he would also fulfil other responsibilities of the presidency such as safeguarding the reserves, citing his experience in government and politics over the years.
He said he would bring a “more basic orientation” of integrity and independence of mind, which he has been known for.
“I don’t have to change my colours like a chameleon. I’m the same person with the same integrity and same independence of mind, and that remains critical for the role of the president,” he said.
Mr. Tharman was an economist and a civil servant, mainly at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, before joining politics in 2001.
He has served as the Minister for Education and Finance and was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019. He has also held prominent posts at international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
There are three prospective candidates who have publicly announced their intention to contest the polls.
The other two prospective candidates who have announced their intention to contest the election are businessman George Goh and investment manager Ng Kok Song.
Under requirements laid out in Singapore’s Constitution, public sector presidential candidates must have held office for at least three years as a minister, chief justice, attorney-general or other high-level posts.
Private sector candidates must have served for at least three years as chief executives of a company with an average of Singapore dollars 500 million in shareholders’ equity.
Singapore will hold its first presidential election since 2011, after President Halimah announced on May 29 that she will not seek a second term.
She is the country’s eighth and first female president. Her six-year term ends on September 13 this year.
The 2017 presidential poll was a reserved election, in which only members of the Malay community were allowed to contest. Halimah was named president then as there were no other candidates.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
Following the final orbit-raising manoeuvre, ISRO will perform the TransLunar Injection (TLI) on August 1.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday (July 25) successfully completed the fifth and final orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission . It was performed successfully from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.
The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 1,27,609 km x 236 km. This means that Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit, which, when closest to Earth is at 236 km and when farthest is at 1,27,609 km.
“The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations,” ISRO said after the successful orbit-raising manoeuvre.
The four earlier orbit raising manoeuvres were performed by ISTRAC between July 15 and July 20.
Following the final orbit-raising manoeuvre, ISRO will perform the TransLunar Injection (TLI) on August 1 to slingshot Chandrayaan-3 towards the Moon.
“The next firing, the TransLunar Injection (TLI), is planned for August 1, 2023, between midnight and 1 a.m. IST,” ISRO said.
The Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and a rover which was launched by the LVM3-M4 on July 14.
After the TLI takes place, the PM and the LM separation will happen on August 17. A series of deboost manoeuvres is also scheduled to take place before the power descent phase for the soft landing on the Moon. The lander is expected to touch down on the Moon surface on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
As many as 90 Indian shooters are taking part in the junior shooting world championships in Changwon, South Korea. Know how many medals India has won.
The July 16-24 ISSF Junior World Championship 2023 are underway at Changwon Shooting Range, Republic of Korea. The junior shooting world championships, now in its third edition, will see 90 Indian shooters vie for medals in pistol, rifle and shotgun competitions in the under-21 age category.
India’s contingent of 90 shooters for the 2023 junior world championships is the largest, followed by Korea’s squad of 66. The USA have 43 shooters in the competition.
Over 550 shooters from 44 countries are competing at the ISSF Junior World Championships 2023.
The 16-year-old shooter Darshna Rathore, an ISSF World Cup bronze medallist, is part of the Indian squad. She will compete in the women’s trap event.
India, with 43 medals including 17 golds, had topped the medals tally at the last junior world championships held in Lima, Peru, two years back.
Raiza Dhillon, Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat, Bakhtyaruddin Mohamadmuzahid Malek and Naamya Kapoor, who contributed to India’s success in Peru, are also competing at the Changwon meet.
| Shooter | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Shubham Bisla | 10m air pistol men | Gold |
| Sainyam | 10m air pistol women | Gold |
| Abhinav Shaw and Gautami Bhanot | 10m air rifle mixed team | Gold |
| Abhinav Shaw, Srikanth Dhanush and Parth Rakesh Mane | 10m air rifle men’s team | Gold |
| Kamaljeet | 50m pistol men | Gold |
| Yashita Shokeen, Veerpal Kaur and Tiyana | 50m pistol women’s team | Gold |
| Kamaljeet, Ankait Tomar and Sandeep Bishnoi | 50m pistol men’s team | Gold |
| Shubham Bisla, Amit Sharma and Abhinav Choudhary | 10m air pistol men’s team | Silver |
| Uttam Sonam Maskar, Gautami Bhanot and Swati Chowdhury | 10m air rifle women’s team | Silver |
| Raiza Dhillon | Women’s skeet | Silver |
| Harmehar Singh Lally and Sanjana Sood | Mixed team skeet | Silver |
| Sameer, Mahesh Anandakumar and Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu | 25m rapid fire pistol men’s team | Silver |
| Bakhtyaruddin Malek, Shardul Vihan and Arya Vansh Tyagi | Trap men team | Silver |
| Abhinav Chaudhary and Sainyam | 10m air pistol mixed team | Bronze |
| Sainyam, Urva Chaudhary and Anjali Chaudhary | 10m air pistol women’s team | Bronze |
| Umamahesh Maddineni | 10m air rifle men | Bronze |
| Unish Holinder, Randeep Singh and Akshay Kumar | 25m standard pistol men’s team | Bronze |
| Yashita Shokeen, Prarthana Khanna and Tiyana | 25m standard pistol women’s team | Bronze |
source: olympics.com (headline edited)
Moksha Roy, who received the award from Deputy British PM Oliver Dowden last week, has the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.
A seven-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl, who started volunteering for a United Nations’ sustainability initiative against microplastic pollution when she was just three, has been awarded the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.
Moksha Roy, who received the award from Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden last week, has the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.
Moksha has been recognised for volunteering for several sustainability campaigns, including raising funds to help children in need.
“Moksha has set an excellent example in her work championing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has gone to significant lengths to have these included in the school curriculum and has been in communication with leaders all over the world to encourage them to consider this,” said Dowden.
“Her school no longer uses plastic glitter, confetti or plastic art supplies – this is a testament to her strong beliefs and ability to change those around her to create a better world,” he said.
Moksha has also assisted in educational sessions for deprived schoolchildren in India.
“I am very happy to receive the Points of Light award. I hope both children and adults get to understand that caring for the planet and its people and making small changes to everyday life should not be just for a few. It is just like brushing our teeth,” said Moksha.
“We brush our teeth to care for them and avoid pain; similarly we can take care of the planet not for anyone else, but just us, to be safe. Each and every one of us can do small things in our own lives, work and community to combat the big challenges such as climate change, pollution, poverty and inequality,” she said.
Her parents, Ragini G Roy and Sourav Roy, said their daughter’s efforts prove that even the youngest in society have a role to play in combatting climate change.
According to Downing Street, the Points of Light awards recognise outstanding people whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others towards innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.
source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)
Harmehar and Sanjana had to endure a gruelling 52-shot shoot-off, which they won 26-24 eventually, enroute to the final, where they lost 38-43 to Italian duo of Andrea Galardini and Sara Bongini.
Indian pair of Harmehar Singh Lally and Sanjana Sood on Wednesday bagged a silver medal in the skeet mixed team event in the International Shooting Sport Federation Junior World Championships in Changwon, Korea.
Harmehar and Sanjana had to endure a gruelling 52-shot shoot-off, which they won 26-24 eventually, enroute to the final, where they lost 38-43 to Italian duo of Andrea Galardini and Sara Bongini.
Harmehar and Sanjana shot a combined 140 out of 150 in qualification, but found themselves tied for second place with American pair of Benjamin Keller and Jessi Griffin. The Italians had topped the 16-team field with a score of 141.
A shoot-off between the Indian and the American pair decided the other finalists to take on Italy.
In the shoot-off, the Indian and the American pairs did not miss a single target for the first 48-shots.
As the Indians nailed their 25th and 26th double, the Americans finally missed to settle for a bronze medal.
In the final, Harmehar and Sanjana faced hiccups from the start, missing five of their first 16 targets against the Italian’s two.
Overall, both Harmehar and Sanjana missed five of their 24 targets each in the final, whereas the Italians missed five overall to coast to victory.
In the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) event, Sartaj Singh Tiwana grabbed the final eighth qualifying spot with a tally of 584, but finished fourth eventually to miss out on a medal.
Sartaj was 0.5 ahead of his Chinese opponent Ye Yishun before the 43rd of the 45-shot final, but an 8.9 to Ye’s 10.2, meant that he fell short by 0.8. Romain Aufrere of France won gold, his second of the championship.
Among other Indians in men’s 3P, Shivam Dabas shot 580 for a 15th place finish, Parikshit Singh Brar fired 579 for the 20th spot, Ramanya Tomer 576 for 27th, Harsh Singla 571 for 41st and Vedant Waghmare shot 571 to finish in 45th overall.
In the women’s 25m pistol as well, Payal Khatri was the only Indian to make it to the final with a score of 578. She too finished fourth with 22-hits as China’s Zuo Qingyi won the gold medal with 34-hits to her name.
Hosts Korea and USA were second and third respectively. Among other Indians Simranpreet Kaur Brar (574) was 15th, Naamya Kapoor (571) 20th, Divyanshi (571) 21st and Meghna Sadula (570) finished 22nd. Tejaswini shot 563 to finish 29th.
China extended the gap with India at the top of the medal standings by picking up two more gold medals on day four of the event.
India have so far won four gold, four silver and three bronze medals in the championship.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
The two teams failed to cross the semifinal hurdles and ended up with the bronze medals from the outing, a qualification event for the World Youth Championships in Slovenia in December.
India’s U-15 and U-19 boys’ squads defeated Singapore and Hong Kong in the quarterfinals before settling for bronze medals at the 27th Asian Youth 2023 here.
The two teams failed to cross the semifinal hurdles and ended up with the bronze medals from the outing, a qualification event for the World Youth Championships in Slovenia in December.
The U-15 girls lost in the quarterfinals 0-3 to Japan, but the U-19 girls managed to take a game off Japan before bowing out 1-3.
In the Under-15 category, PB Abhinand beat Le Ellsworth of Singapore 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 to set the ball in motion.
Priyanuj Bhattacharyya dropped a game against Xing Yao before overpowering to win 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, and the two Indians struggled against the pair of Irle Eles and Zhou Jinghe but won 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7. In the semi-final on Wednesday, they went down 0-3 to China.
As for the U-19 boys, the Indians had a tough time against Hong Kong, with their quarterfinal going down to the last rubber in which Jash Modi turned the tables against Yiu Kwan to win 6-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-2.
Modi, who lost his opening tie to Chan Baldwin Ho Wah 8-11, 5-11, 5-11, lost the first two games to Yiu before pulling up his socks to outwit him and put India in the semi-final.
Earlier, Ankur Bhattacharjee beat Yiu 11-8, 11-8. 11-7 before Divyansh Srivastava defeated Li Hon Man 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10 to seal the fate of Hong Kong players.
Like their juniors, the U-16 boys met championship favourites China in the semi-final and lost 0-3.
In position matches, the Under-19 girls finished seventh after beating Iran 3-0.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
Launched by Ramachandra Guha, this book offers a peek into the Indian subcontinent’s history over the last 12,000 years.
Indian culture today is so varied, it needs to be called cultures. The roots go back to ancient times and it has developed through many races and people. Hence, among its ingredients, it is impossible to say surely, what is native and what is alien, what is borrowed out of love and what has been imposed by force.
If we view Indian culture thus, we realise there is no place for showmen,” said renowned author and historian Ramachandra Guha, quoting polymath and Jnanpith awardee Kota Shivaram Karanth.
Speaking of the book Indians: Histories of a Civilization, during its launch at the Bangalore International Centre in Domlur on July 18, Guha felt the spirit of Karanth’s perspective “hangs over the book”.
A brainchild of author and literary critic, GN Devy, Indians: Histories of a Civilization is a comprehensive volume that collates the many histories of the Indian subcontinent over the past 12,000 years. Jointly edited by Devy, journalist Tony Joseph and archaeologist & adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Ravi Korisettar, the book is a culmination of inputs by over 90 historians globally.
“What was worrying in recent years is that a few autonomous institutions such as the Indian Council of Historical Research and a committee constituted by the Ministry of Culture, GOI had initiated steps to ‘rewrite’ Indian history…History expects a conversation about a society’s past while keeping a safe distance from fantasy and wishful nostalgia. The main objective should be to provide justice to society at large. With these objectives in mind, we embarked on this project,” said Prof. Korisettar, about the book’s ideation.
According to Guha, the book’s generational, disciplinary and international range is unprecedented, at least in the sphere of Indian publishing. “What is truly impressive about this work is the range of themes and contributors. It explores wide-sweeping disciplinary themes, from biology, ecology, language, culture, and sociology. The contributors are of different generations and from different parts of the world, but all are acknowledged specialists in their respective fields,” he added.
While Indians: Histories of a Civilization explores a wide range of themes through its diverse contributors, Prof Korisettar says the chapters of the book are merely a synopsis and hopes to expand on each theme in the future. “We plan to obtain full-length articles, spanning 50-60 pages each and publish them into a series of 30-40 expanded volumes. Our aim is to work consistently over the next decade, closely adhering to the scientific method and with judicious use of recent data and finding, so that we may produce the magnum opus,” he added.
source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)
WHO South-East Asia Region tops in vaccination recoveries following pandemic, thanks to India and Indonesia, says official.
The coverage rate for DPT3, the third dose of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines, in India rose to an all-time of 93% in 2022, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic best of 91% recorded in 2019, and also marking a sharp increase from the 85% recorded in 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The WHO and UNICEF estimates for national immunisation coverage for 2022, released on July 18, showed that in the WHO South-East Asia Region, the coverage rate for DPT3 recovered to the pre-pandemic level of 91%, a sharp increase from the 82% recorded in 2021. The region also witnessed a six per cent improvement in the coverage of the measles vaccine, rising to 92% in 2022 from 86% in 2021.
In this region, the number of zero-dose children (those that have not received even the first dose of DPT vaccine) halved to 2.3 million in 2022 from 4.6 million in 2021.
Similarly, the number of partially vaccinated children (those that have received at least one dose of DPT vaccine but did not complete the primary series of three doses) reduced to 6,50,000 in 2022 from 1.3 million in 2021.
As per the report, the region had the best immunisation recoveries among all the WHO regions. This can be majorly attributed to the efforts being made by India and Indonesia, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said.
She said every child deserved to be protected against life-threatening diseases with routine immunisation, adding that the momentum built with impressive efforts and immunisation service, recoveries must continue to benefit every child for a healthy and productive life.
Indonesia reported a DPT3 coverage of 85% in 2022, the same as in 2019, but rising sharply from the 67% recorded in 2021. Bhutan recorded 98% and Maldives 99%, surpassing their pre-pandemic immunisation rates.
Bangladesh with 98% and Thailand 97% demonstrated consistency in routine immunisation coverage throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, the WHO report said.
Sri Lanka with 98% coverage, Nepal with 90% and Timor-Leste with 86% were closer to the pre-pandemic coverage of 99%, 93% and 90%, respectively.
Myanmar with 71% DPT3 coverage in 2022, was far from the pre-pandemic 90% coverage in 2019, the report noted.
Due to border restrictions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, national vaccine stock-outs were reported in 2021 and 2022, leading to no vaccination at all for several antigens. However, with the country receiving vaccines early this year, the coverage is expected to increase, the WHO said.
“While we draw lessons from the pandemic to strengthen capacities to respond to future health emergencies, we must learn from countries which maintained their immunisation rates even while responding to a pandemic,” Dr. Singh said.
The South-East Asia regional office noted that while overall immunisation coverage levels were looking good, and the progress encouraging, there remained variabilities in the coverage at subnational levels in countries, especially in those with large populations.
The inequities in immunisation coverage leading to accumulation of pockets of unvaccinated children posed the risk of outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, the WHO said, adding that these gaps should be closed.
Countries and partners agencies must continue to and scale up efforts to identify the unvaccinated children, strengthen capacities of the health workforce, better understand, and engage with vulnerable populations and roll out tailored strategies to reach each child with the lifesaving routine immunization vaccines, Dr. Singh said.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
The resolution pushes back against Chinese claims that large portions of Arunachal Pradesh are PRC territory.
Less than a month after the historic visit of Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi to the U.S., a Congressional Senatorial Committee has passed a resolution recognising Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.
The resolution was introduced by Senators Mr. Jeff Merkley, Mr. Bill Hagerty, Mr. Tim Kaine and Mr. Chris Van Hollen on Thursday, July 13.
The resolution reaffirms that the United States recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It pushes back against Chinese claims that large portions of Arunachal Pradesh are PRC territory, which is a part of the PRC’s increasingly aggressive and expansionist policies, a media statement said.
The resolution will now go to the Senate floor for a full vote.
“America’s values supporting freedom and a rules-based order must be at the centre of all of our actions and relationships around the world – especially as the PRC government pushes an alternative vision,” said Senator Mr. Merkley, who serves as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
“Committee passage of this resolution affirms that the United States views the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Republic of India – not the People’s Republic of China – and commits the U.S. to deepen support and assistance to the region, alongside like-minded international partners,” he said.
Mr. Hagerty said at a time when China continues to pose grave and gathering threats to the free and open Indo-Pacific, it’s critical for the United States to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its strategic partners in the region – especially India and other Quad countries – and push back against the Chinese Communist Party’s broader strategy of territorial aggrandisement that it has pursued in the South and East China Seas, in the Himalayas, and in the southern Pacific.
“As tensions between India and China escalate over their shared border, the United States must stand strong in our defense of democracy by supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Senator Mr. Cornyn.
“This resolution would reaffirm that the U.S. recognises the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Republic of India, and I urge my colleagues to pass it without delay,” he added.
China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan. Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, a claim firmly rejected by the External Affairs Ministry which has asserted that the state is an “inseparable part of India”.
Beijing routinely protests visits of top Indian leaders and officials to Arunachal Pradesh to reaffirm its claim.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)