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Vastrakar’s career-best four-for leads India to Asian Games final
Pooja Vastrakar could have well been watching the Asian Games back home on TV. She was only initially named as a non travelling reserve in the squad, who was to fly back home after a week-long pre-departure camp in Bengaluru. But when Anjali Sarvani pulled up injured a day prior to departure, the direction of Vastrakar’s flight changed from Indore to Hangzhou.
A week later, on Sunday, Vastrakar proved why she should have been considered in the first place. Her career-best T20I figures of 4 for 17 helped skittle Bangladesh for 51 in the semi-final as India vaulted themselves into gold medal contention. Up next in the final on Monday will be the winner of Pakistan versus Sri Lanka in the second semi-final.
India will head into that game knowing their regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur will be available after her two match suspension ended with Sunday’s game, which incidentally was given to her following an acrimonious series against Bangladesh in July.
Vastrakar’s early incision
Nip-backers, outswingers, hard lengths – Vastrakar showed she’s no one-trick pony as she got it to zip around with the new ball. And in the first over itself, she had two wickets with two different deliveries. Shathi Rani was caught behind first ball of the match after being enticed to drive an away-swinger and Shamima Sultana was trapped lbw playing all around one that hit the seam and jagged back to hit her below-the-knee roll.
In her next over, Vastrakar should have had a third but Smriti Mandhana grassed a sitter at mid-off. Sobhana Mostary couldn’t capitalise, managing just one more run, before being dismissed for 8 in Vastrakar’s third straight over inside the powerplay. And it was almost an action replay of the reprieve. Except Mandhana saw this carefully lodge in her palms.
In the next over, debutant Titas Sadhu picked up her maiden wicket with an excellent delivery of her own. Angled in full from wide of the crease, Sadhu had Shorna Akter playing all around a full delivery that held its line to crash into the middle. At 21 for 4 after the powerplay, Bangladesh were tied in knots on a surface that held up considerably, where shot-making wasn’t easy. Under the covers for two full days in the lead-up to the match, the surface seemed a touch unpredictable, which further magnified Bangladesh’s decision to bat early into the contest.
Run outs add to Bangladesh’s misery
It wasn’t just shot selection that hampered Bangladesh, though. Their running between the wickets was equally poor, and accounted for two run outs that should have never been. Nigar Sultana, one of Bangladesh’s most-accomplished batters, was out attempting a single to extra cover where Devika Vaidya swooped in to effect a direct hit at the bowler’s end.
Two balls later, Fahima Khatun was run out without facing a ball when Ritu Moni dabbed one to short third, where Kanika Ahuja fired a direct hit at the striker’s end. Khatun may have survived had she put in a dive; she didn’t. At 25 for 6, Bangladesh were in danger of not lasting the overs. Nahida Akter and Moni helped Bangladesh huff and puff past 50 before they folded in the 18th over, with five of India’s bowlers finishing among the wickets.
Rodrigues helps India cruise home
India’s chase wasn’t without its own initial hitches. Smriti Mandhana was out to Marufa Akter, misjudging the line of her delivery as she lobbed a leading edge to point for 7. Then with the target two blows away, Shafali Verma who seemed in a hurry, especially in trying to muscle her way against spin, perished. Looking to get inside the line and pull, Shafali was beaten by the slowness of the surface as the ball kept a tad low and sneaked through her legs to crash into the stumps. Rodrigues treaded spin with her patented touch game, using the pace of the bowlers to nudge and deflect deliveries into gaps to make a polished unbeaten 20 to see India home in Ahuja’s company with 70 balls to spare.
Brief scores: India 52 for 2 in 8.2 overs (Jemimaah Rodrigues 20*, Shafali Varma 17; Marufa Akter 1-13, Fahima Khatun 1-07) beat Bangladesh 51 all out in 17.5 overs (Nigar Sultana 12, Pooja Vastrakar 4-17, Titas Sadhu 1-10, Amanjot Kaur 1-10, Rajeshwari Gayakwad 1-08, Devika Vaidya 1-00) by eight wickets
Global stocks have sunk, a day after President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs that are forecast to raise prices and weigh on growth in the US and abroad.
Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region fell for a second day, hot on the heels of the US S&P 500, which had its worst day since Covid crashed the economy in 2020.
Nike, Apple and Target were among big consumer names worst hit, all of them sinking by more than 9%.
At the White House, Trump told reporters the US economy would “boom” thanks to the minimum 10% tariff he plans to slap on imports in the hope of boosting federal revenues and bringing American manufacturing home.
The Republican president plans to hit products from dozens of other countries with far higher levies, including trade partners such as China and the European Union. China, which is facing an aggregate 54% tariff, and the EU, which faces duties of 20%, both vowed retaliation on Thursday.
Tariffs are taxes on goods imported from other countries, and Trump’s plan that he announced on Wednesday would hike such duties to some of the highest levels in more than 100 years.
The World Trade Organization said it was “deeply concerned”, estimating trade volumes could shrink as a result by 1% this year.
Traders expressed concern that the tariffs could stoke inflation and stall growth.
In early trading on Friday, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell by 1.8%, the Kospi in South Korea was around 1% lower and Australia’s ASX 200 dipped by 1.4%.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 – which tracks 500 of the biggest American firms – plunged 4.8%, shedding roughly $2tn in value.
The Dow Jones closed about 4% lower, while the Nasdaq tumbled roughly 6%. The US shares sell-off has been going on since mid-February amid trade war fears.
Earlier, the UK’s FTSE 100 share index dropped 1.5% and other European markets also fell, echoing declines from Japan to Hong Kong.
On Thursday at the White House, Trump doubled down on a high-stakes gambit aimed at reversing decades of US-led liberalisation that shaped the global trade order.
“I think it’s going very well,” he said. “It was an operation like when a patient gets operated on, and it’s a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is.”
He added: “The markets are going to boom. The stock is going to boom. The country is going to boom.”
Trump also said he was open to negotiating with trade partners on the tariffs “if somebody said we’re going to give you something that’s so phenomenal”.
On Thursday, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said that country would retaliate with a 25% levy on vehicles imported from the US.
Trump last month imposed tariffs of 25% on Canada and Mexico, though he did not announce any new duties on Wednesday against the North American trade partners.
Firms now face a choice of swallowing the tariff cost, working with partners to share that burden, or passing it on to consumers – and risking a drop in sales.
That could have a major impact as US consumer spending amounts to about 10% – 15% of the world economy, according to some estimates.
While stocks fell on Thursday, the price of gold, which is seen as a safer asset in times of turbulence, touched a record high of $3,167.57 an ounce at one point on Thursday, before falling back.
The dollar also weakened against many other currencies.
In Europe, the tariffs could drag down growth by nearly a percentage point, with a further hit if the bloc retaliates, according to analysts at Principal Asset Management.
In the US, a recession is likely to materialise without other changes, such as big tax cuts, which Trump has also promised, warned Seema Shah, chief global strategist at the firm.
She said Trump’s goals of boosting manufacturing would be a years-long process “if it happens at all”.
“In the meantime, the steep tariffs on imports are likely to be an immediate drag on the economy, with limited short-term benefit,” she said.
On Thursday, Stellantis, which makes Jeep, Fiat and other brands, said it was temporarily halting production at a factory in Toluca, Mexico and Windsor, Canada.
It said the move, a response to Trump’s 25% tax on car imports, would also lead to temporary layoffs of 900 people at five plants in the US that supply those factories.
On the stock market, Nike, which makes much of its sportswear in Asia, was among the hardest hit on the S&P, with shares down 14%.
Shares in Apple, which relies heavily on China and Taiwan, tumbled 9%.
Other retailers also fell, with Target down roughly 10%.
Motorbike maker Harley-Davidson – which was subject of retaliatory tariffs by the EU during Trump’s first term as president – fell 10%.
In Europe, shares in sportswear firm Adidas fell more than 10%, while stocks in rival Puma tumbled more than 9%.
Among luxury goods firms, jewellery maker Pandora fell more than 10%, and LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) dropped more than 3% after tariffs were imposed on the European Union and Switzerland.
“You’re seeing retailers get destroyed right now because tariffs extended to countries we did not expect,” said Jay Woods, chief global strategy at Freedom Capital Markets, adding that he expected more turbulence ahead.
[BBC]
While Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) regained the dazzling batting form they had lost somewhere on their trip to Mumbai, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting continued to be lackluster as they slumped to their third loss in a row after starting IPL 2025 with a mammoth 286. Four days after being skittled for 116 by Mumbai Indians, KKR posted a stiff 200 for 6, led by a 29-ball 60 from vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer and an unbeaten 17-ball 32 from Rinku Singh. Venkatesh and Rinku enabled KKR to finish with a bang – they scored 78 runs in their last five overs – after Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi set things up with a third-wicket stand of 81.
SRH were punished for being sloppy in the field more than a few times, and managed just 120 in reply after the KKR quicks took their mighty top three down in just 13 balls. Last year’s runners-up slumped to the bottom of the table while the defending champions jumped five places from last to fifth.
Travis Head fell cheaply for the second time in a row against Vaibhay Arora as in the IPL final last year, while Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan managed just 2 each. The eight runs scored by SRH’s top three was their second worst start in the IPL. In last year’s final, their top three – though Kishan wasn’t part of it – had managed just 11.
SRH barely recovered from 9 for 3 and slipped to 66 for 5 and eventually suffered their biggest defeat by a runs margin in the IPL.
There was no venom in the pitch, no unplayable bounce or movement either, but the SRH top order had no answers for the KKR pace attack, even though Mitchell Starc is no longer part of it. Head skied the second ball to mid-off, Abhishek edged a slower one from Harshit Rana in the second over to slip, and Kishan smashed one to cover where Rahane pouched a sharp catch on the tumble to delight the home fans. Nine for 3 could have become 9 for 4 had Andre Russell held on to an on-drive from Kamindu Mendis at mid-on and made it a double-wicket maiden for Arora. Russell, however, redeemed himself when he got the next wicket as soon as the powerplay ended, having Nitish Reddy caught at long-on. Arora picked up his third eventually, getting the big scalp of Henrich Klaasen for 33 when he returned for his second spell.
In between, Reddy showed glimpses of his ball-striking talent, Mendis heaved a couple of sixes on the leg side off Russell, and Klaasen tried to take the game deep even as the asking rate climbed past 15 an over. Rahane stifled SRH with five overs in a row from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakarvarthy, from the eighth to the 12th, which went for just 33 and brought two more wickets, before Arora removed Klaasen and Varun nearly scalped a hat-trick in the 16th over. SRH were eventually bowled out for 120, again raising question marks over their batting approach.
Even though the Eden pitch didn’t have the spice that was offered by the Wankhede’s in KKR’s last game, they lost their openers cheaply again. Narine fell to another yorker, edging one behind this time, for 7, and Quinton de Kock pulled a short ball to deep square leg for 1 off 6 as KKR crawled their way to 17 for 2 after three overs. They got a lift thanks to the Mumbai duo of Rahane and Raghuvanshi, who between them struck four sixes in 14 balls to help KKR end the powerplay on 53 for 2. Rahane smashed three of them, even before hitting his first four, peppering the leg-side boundary with two pulls and a majestic flick behind square.
Cummins brought on spin as soon as the field spread out and rookie legspinner Zeeshan Ansari rewarded his captain by stifling the set batters with turn, flight and different lengths to concede just 25 runs in three overs on the trot while the quicks continued to leak boundaries from the other end. Ansari conceded just one boundary off his first 14 deliveries, that too off a misfield from Reddy, before Raghuvanshi carted him for a six and four when he erred too full. Ansari, however, fought back with Rahane’s wicket for 38.
SRH could have had two in two had Reddy not put down Raghuvanshi at the rope on 43. Raghuvanshi made them pay with a cover drive for four later in the over and brought up his second IPL fifty in the next. His luck finally ran out against the ambidextrous Sri Lanka spinner Kamindu Mendis, and when Harshal Patel held onto an excellent catch that he dived for after running in from deep point.
KKR were going at just over eight an over after 13 overs, with two new batters in the middle. Harshal and Simranjeet Singh slowed them down further by taking the pace off the ball, but the trick didn’t work for too long. Rinku and Venkatesh took off once they got their eyes in and powered KKR to their first 200 total of this campaign. Rinku started the carnage with three consecutive fours off Harshal in the 17th while Venkatesh reeled off two in the next over, which Rinku finished with a towering six over long-on. Venkatesh then turned his purr into a roar in the penultimate over. Even though Cummins tried his cutter, a slower bouncer and a yorker among other things, Venkatesh went 4, 6, 4, 4 and brought up a 25-ball fifty before blasting Harshal for a six and a four at the start of the final over. He holed out next ball, and Harshal conceded just three off the last three, but the damage had already been done.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 200 for 6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Ajinkya Rahane 38, Rinku Singh 32*; Mohammed Shami 1-29, Pat Cummins 1-44, Zeeshan Ansari 1-25, Harshal Ptel 1-43, Kamindu Mendis 1-04) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 120 in 16.4 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 19, Kamindu Mendis 27, Heinrich Klaasen 33,Pat Cummins 14; Vaibhav Arora 3-29, Varun Chakravarthy 3-22, Harshit Rana 1-15,Andre Russel 2-21, Sunil Narine 1-30 ) by 80 runs
[Cricinfo]
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PM underscores the outstanding universal value of Anuradhapura’s Living Heritage at International Expert Conference in Paris
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya who is on an official visit to France from 31 March to 2 April 2025, participated in the high-level segment of the International Expert Conference on “An Integrated and Sustainable Approach to Safeguarding the World Heritage Property of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka and Associated Living Heritage”, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on Tuesday 1 April 2025.
The International Conference was organized by UNESCO in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka to showcase the universal significance of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura and its associated living heritage, and to garner international cooperation for its conservation and sustainable development.
Inaugurating the Conference, Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay warmly welcomed Prime Minister Amarasuriya to UNESCO, while recalling her own memorable visit to Sri Lanka in July 2024 where she had the valued opportunity to witness firsthand the “exceptional heritage” of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, which she described as “a spiritual hub, a royal capital of over a 1,000 years, and the birthplace of Theravada Buddhism.” Referring to the inscription of Anuradhapura in the world heritage list in 1982, she underscored the importance of global solidarity and international cooperation in safeguarding this extraordinary world heritage for posterity, and the intent of the Conference to explore further means of its conservation and sustainable development through international cooperation. In concluding her address, the Director-General recalled the words of renowned Sri Lankan archaeologist and former President of ICOMOS International Dr. Roland Silva, that Anuradhapura continues to be “a modern wonder of the world.’
Addressing the high-level segment, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya outlined Sri Lanka’s national vision to preserve the global heritage of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura for education, pilgrimage and heritage tourism, while ensuring the maintenance of a careful balance between conservation, sustainable development, and the needs of local communities. The Prime Minster also extended her deep appreciation to Director-General Azoulay for her vision and leadership which was instrumental in convening this International Conference dedicated to Anuradhapura.
Striking a personal note, the Prime Minister reminisced about her childhood and youthful memories of this heritage city, where she felt “the magic of Anuradhapura, the sense of awe at the creativity and skills of our ancestors.” She described Anuradhapura as “a unique mix of the ’sacred’ (activities belonging to the spiritual realm) and the ’profane’ (relating to the everyday and the material realm),” while also highlighting the advanced architectural and hydraulic expertise of this ancient civilization, whose origins can be traced back to 900 BCE.
Referring to UNESCO’s institutional mandate, the Prime Minister commended the organization—led by the Director-General, the secretariat, and its member states—for its invaluable contributions to advancing global discussions on education reform, mainstreaming cultural recognition, and harnessing knowledge and innovation for global peace and sustainable development amid complex geopolitical challenges.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi presented the integrated management plan of the Government of Sri Lanka towards the sustainable and integrated management of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. He reiterated the Sri Lanka Government’s commitment to preserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the heritage site through inclusive, sustainable development. He further urged the international community to join hands with Sri Lanka in safeguarding this shared heritage for future generations, and to ensuring that its benefits reach local communities.
The Conference brought together internationally recognized experts, senior officials of government, development partners, heritage professionals and the diplomatic corps in exploring innovative and sustainable approaches to integrated site management. The key themes discussed comprised the integration of tangible and intangible heritage, capacity building, strengthened community participation, the application of digital tools in conservation, sustainable tourism aligned with World Heritage guidelines, and the critical importance of international partnerships and resource mobilization for long-term preservation of this heritage site.
The Prime Minister had a meeting with Director-General Azoulay on the sidelines of the Expert Conference where thematic areas of cooperation were discussed. The Prime Minister highlighted Sri Lanka’s interest in enhancing UNESCO’s presence in the country through suitable programmes, and apprised the Director-General on progress in Sri Lanka’s Category II South Asia Centre for Teacher Development (SACTD), Sri Lanka’s engagement in the programme of work of UNESCO, Sri Lanka’s educational reforms and areas of synergy with UNESCO, as well as the country’s commitment to the annual celebration of Vesak in UNESCO, among other matters. The Director-General reiterated UNESCO’s continued commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s multifaceted collaboration with the international body.
At a reception hosted by the Ambassador and Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of Sri Lanka’s 75-year partnership with UNESCO, and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to further strengthening this collaboration in key areas of cooperation. She did so in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO, and Chairperson of the Central Cultural Fund.
The Prime Minister also formally handed over to the Director-General, Sri Lanka’s Instrument of Accession to the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, demonstrating the country’s commitment to promoting cultural diversity, artistic freedom, and international collaboration. Ambassadors and Permanent Delegates accredited to UNESCO, senior representation of the UNESCO Secretariat including Director and team of the World Heritage Centre, the President of the France – Sri Lanka Friendship Group in the French National Assembly, expert participants of the Conference, academics, scholars and senior officials of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs attended the reception and conveyed their warm greetings and felicitations to the Prime Minister.
The delegation of the Prime Minister comprised the Minister of Buddhasasana Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi; the Director General, Central Cultural Fund Dr. Nilan Cooray and the Director General, Department of Archaeology Prof. Thusitha Mendis. The Prime Minster was assisted by the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Sri Lanka to UNESCO Manisha Gunasekera and senior staff of the Embassy and the Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka to UNESCO.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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