Nadal had ‘problems breathing’, ‘something on the rib’ in Indian Wells final loss

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Nadal had ‘problems breathing’, ‘something on the rib’ in Indian Wells final loss

Spanish tennis stalwart Rafael Nadal conceded on Monday (IST) that was mesmerized by Taylor Fritz’s game in the BNP Paribas Open final, adding that he was having “something on the rib” and “problems breathing”, which limited his game.

American Fritz claimed the biggest paycheque of his tennis career, winning his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title by defeating Nadal 6-3, 7-6(5) in the final. It was 21-time Grand Slam-winner Nadal’s first defeat of the 2022 season, while it was the biggest career win for the 24-year-old American, who lifted his second ATP Tour trophy.

“I had pain, honestly. I had problems breathing. I don’t know if it’s something on the rib, I don’t know yet. When I’m breathing when I’m moving it’s like a needle all the time inside here. I get dizzy a little bit because it’s painful,” Nadal was quoted as saying by atptour.com. “It’s a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It’s not only about pain; I don’t feel very well because (it) affects my breathing.

“(It is) more than (being) sad for the loss, (that is) something that I accepted immediately, and even before the match ended. It’s more about that I am suffering a little bit, honestly.”

There were signs of trouble for Nadal towards the end of his three-set slugfest against countryman Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. During that match, he received a visit from an ATP physiotherapist.

“I tried my best. Of course, (it has) not been my day. But that happens. I have experience in all these situations. So at the moment, of course, it’s tough to play a final like this. (I) tried ’til the end. That’s it,” Nadal said.

“Even (though) I had my chances in the second set, I didn’t convert too many chances. That’s it. I think it’s a difficult match to analyze personally from my side because I was not able to do many things.”

Nadal added, “It’s not the moment to talk about that, honestly. Even if it’s obvious that I was not able to do the normal things today… That’s it. It’s a final. I tried. I lost against a great player.

“Victories like today help. He (Fritz) played well. He went through some great matches during this week I think, especially yesterday. A lot of credit to him on the victory of yesterday. In my opinion, his victory of yesterday is much bigger than his victory of today because he had (a) much tougher opponent in front yesterday,” Nadal said.

“He already played great matches in Australia, this year if I’m not wrong, against (Stefanos) Tsitsipas,” added Nadal.

Nadal will now move to the clay courts and prepare for the Roland Garros, his favorite Grand Slam.

“Now is the moment to try to solve this problem as soon as possible, try to start on clay. Practicing starts another part of the season (clay) that I enjoy playing. Of course, every single event is so special for me. I hope to be ready for it,” added Nadal.

Afghan Finance Minister is now Uber driver in Washington

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Afghan Finance Minister is now Uber driver in Washington

Former Afghan Finance Minister Khalid Payenda, who fled the country just before the Taliban takeover in August last year, now drives an Uber in Washington, the Guardian reported.

“If I complete 50 trips in the next two days, I receive a $95 bonus,” the Guardian quoted Payenda as saying to The Washington Post, from behind the wheel of a Honda Accord.

The 40-year-old once oversaw a US-supported $6 billion budget. The Post reported that in one night earlier this week, he made “a little over $150 for six hours’ work, not counting his commute – a mediocre night”.

Payenda resigned as Finance Minister a week before the Taliban seized Kabul, as his relationship with former President Asraf Ghani deteriorated.

Fearing the President would have him arrested, he left for the US, where he joined his family.

“We had 20 years and the whole world’s support to build a system that would work for the people,” Payenda said in a text message to a World Bank official in Kabul on the day the capital fell, quoted by the Post.

“All we built was a house of cards that came down crashing this fast. A house of cards built on the foundation of corruption.”

The Post recorded Payenda telling one passenger his move from Kabul to Washington had been “quite an adjustment”.

He also said he was grateful for the opportunity to be able to support his family but, “right now, I don’t have any place. I don’t belong here and I don’t belong there. It’s a very empty feeling”.

“I saw a lot of ugliness, and we failed,” he said. “I was part of the failure. It’s difficult when you look at the misery of the people and you feel responsible.”

Payenda told the Post he believed Afghans “didn’t have the collective will to reform, to be serious”.

But he also said the US betrayed its commitment to democracy and human rights after making Afghanistan a centerpiece of post-9/11 policy.

Makers of ‘KGF – Chapter 2’ unveil first single ‘Toofan’

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Makers of ‘KGF – Chapter 2’ unveil first single ‘Toofan’

As the producers of ‘KGF – Chapter 2’ unleash the first single from the action thriller, the upbeat music video of the song ‘Toofan’ starts the month-long countdown to the movie’s grand release.

Matching the dynamic idiosyncrasy of Yash’s role – Rocky in the movie, the peppy song ‘Toofan’ grabs all the attention. Depicting the rise of a legendary victor, the song gives hype to the well-deserved sequel to ‘KGF’.

The period action film is written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films.

The ‘KGF’ franchise, can easily be termed as one of the biggest ventures in Kannada, which achieved cult status and was the highest-grossing Kannada film of all time.

‘KGF – Chapter 2’ has an ensemble star cast including Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, and Prakash Raj.

It will be released in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam. The movie’s trailer will be released on March 27.

‘KGF – Chapter 2’ will be presented in north India markets by Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment and AA Films.

Centre thinking seriously on the future of Ukraine students: K’taka CM

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Centre thinking seriously on the future of Ukraine students: K’taka CM

The union government is seriously considering alternative measures for medical students who have returned from war-torn Ukraine without completing their course, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Monday.

Speaking to media persons in Davanagere before participating in the last rites of Karnataka student Naveen, Bommai said, the course in Ukraine is different from that of India. The union government is thinking about their future seriously as it involves the future of students from various states.

Though the government fee is low, medical education in the private sector is expensive. Even students who score 90-95 percent are not getting seats in NEET, he said.

As the cost of seats in the management quota and NRI quota is high, the students look out for other options, he said.

“We are considering a proposal to categorize the seats into A, B, and C categories to reduce the fee. The Medical Council of India decides the issues related to medical courses. A reconsideration is on in this regard,” Bommai said.

Need to put Windies loss behind us and concentrate on India game: Nigar Sultana

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Need to put Windies loss behind us and concentrate on India game: Nigar Sultana

Bangladesh wants to quickly forget the narrow defeat to the West Indies in their league game of the ICC Women’s World Cup on March 18 and move on to the next game against India to be played at the Seddon Park here on Tuesday.

Debutants Bangladesh lost by just four runs, dismissed for 136 with three balls remaining chasing 140 at Mount Maunganui.

Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana affirmed on Monday that defeating India and boosting their semifinal hopes was the only thing on the team’s mind.

India and Bangladesh are coming off tight defeats going into the game at Hamilton and can still qualify for the semifinals. India need to go undefeated in the remaining two matches of the competition and also hope other results go their way, while Bangladesh needs to win all their three games.

“I think right now we’re thinking about the next match. It was quite disappointing (against West Indies) but there is still three more games left. We just want to focus on that and I think girls are trying to get themselves focused on not giving up anymore, they are thinking like that.

“We want to come back in the next match and obviously I think whatever we did in the last match, we don’t want to do that do it again.”

Bangladesh is playing in their first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and will face England and Australia for the first time in ODIs, a challenge Nigar is looking forward to.

“I think this is a huge experience we get from here and we want to execute the next game. This is the opportunity we always wanted to have.

“We want to take all the opportunities from here, all the experiences that we want to execute in the future.”

Bangladesh will join the ICC Women’s Championship and Nigar is looking forward to putting her new knowledge to good use.

“Obviously, we have not played a lot of international matches from 2018 to 2020, we just played T20 matches. We never get the opportunity to play a lot of international matches like ODIs, but now we are getting to play the IWC.

“We’ll get more international matches and we’re going to get to play against the top teams, so we’ll get a lot of experience over there and we want to show the other teams that we are competitive and we are capable. It is going to be a big challenge and a big opportunity for all of us,” said Nigar.

Naveen’s family thanks CM Bommai for bringing mortal remains from Ukraine

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Naveen’s family thanks CM Bommai for bringing mortal remains from Ukraine

The family of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar thanked Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday for bringing the mortal remains of the medical student from Ukraine. Naveen was killed on March 1 in Kharkiv city during the shelling by the Russian forces.

Naveen’s younger brother, Harsha Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, who was present at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) in Bengaluru thanked the Chief Minister with a folded hand for bringing the mortal remains to Karnataka. His relatives and villagers who were also present at the airport expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Bommai.

Manoj Rajan, the nodal officer appointed by the state government for the evacuation of Karnataka students from Ukraine, stated that 572 Karnataka students have been brought back from Ukraine.

He explained that the body was kept at Kiev medical college after the authorities were requested on a humanitarian basis. The documentation was done through a funeral agent.

The body was brought from Varsa Poland from Kiev and via Dubai, it reached the Bengaluru airport.

The body of Naveen was handed over to his family. The government has made arrangements for an ambulance to transport the body to his village in the Haveri district.

Saleem Ahmad, Congress MLC, who was present at the airport stated that he came to pay homage to Naveen on behalf of the party.

He demanded change in the education system. “Thousands of students are forced to go out of the country for studies. Naveen could not get the MBBS seat here even after scoring 96 percent,” he said.

“There are many fault lines in the NEET and students are meted out with injustice. The students from the state should not suffer injustice. They should get the opportunity to study. The government should prioritize and resolve this issue,” he asserted.

Chief Minister Bommai, Health Minister K.Sudhakar, and MP Shivakumar Udasi offered floral tribute to Naveen before the mortal remains were handed over to the family. The family has announced that they would donate the body to a private medical college after conducting rituals.

Brazil lifts ban on messaging app Telegram

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Brazil lifts ban on messaging app Telegram

Brazil has lifted its ban on Telegram after the country’s Supreme Court blocked the messaging app for failing to comply with court orders.

“Considering that the (court’s requested changes) were fully attended to, I revoke the decision to fully and completely suspend the operation of Telegram in Brazil,” Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in a document released by the court.

Justice de Moraes had earlier demanded telecommunications agency Anatel to officially suspend Telegram until it complies with local orders and pays fines.

“The app has always been willing to collaborate with the authorities. What happened was a misunderstanding regarding communication,” said Alan Thomaz, Telegram’s lawyer in Brazil, who was appointed on Sunday as part of the platform’s response to the court

Telegram allegedly failed to prevent users from spreading disinformation as it’s become a communications hub for President Jair Bolsonaro.

Telegram Founder and CEO Pavel Durov said he apologizes to the Brazilian Supreme Court for the negligence.

He requested the court to consider delaying its ruling for a few days at its discretion “to allow us to remedy the situation by appointing a representative in Brazil and setting up a framework to react to future pressing issues like this in an expedited manner”.

“The last three weeks have been unprecedented for the world and for Telegram. Our content moderation team was flooded with requests from multiple parties,” Durov had said, mentioning how people are using the platform using Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

RS to discuss J&K budget for 2022-23

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RS to discuss J&K budget for 2022-23

The Rajya Sabha on Monday will discuss the 2022-23 budget for Jammu and Kashmir.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2022’ and ‘The Appropriation Bill, 2022’ for consideration in the Upper House of Parliament.

On March 14, the union territory’s budget was presented and passed by the Lok Sabha.

The Finance minister will also move ‘The Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2022’ to authorize payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2021-22, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration.

Reports of different department-related parliamentary standing committees will be tabled and ministers will also lay papers related to different ministries.

Russia, Ukraine make progress in ceasefire negotiations: Turkish FM

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Russia, Ukraine make progress in ceasefire negotiations: Turkish FM

Russia and Ukraine have made progress on the “critical” articles of a ceasefire agreement being negotiated, but some issues still require decisions by their leaders, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said.

“If the parties do not step back from their current positions, we can say that we are hopeful for a ceasefire,” Cavusoglu told local daily Hurriyet.

“We see that the parties are close to agreement on fundamental issues,” Cavusoglu said, reiterating his optimism when attending a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the past week, Cavusoglu had meetings with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in Moscow and Lviv, respectively.

Speaking to Hurriyet on Saturday, Turkey’s Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said that Moscow and Kiev were negotiating on six points, namely “Ukraine’s neutrality, disarmament and security guarantees, the ‘de-Nazification,’ removal of obstacles on the use of the Russian language in Ukraine, the status of Donbass and the status of Crimea.”

On March 10, Turkey hosted the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum for their first high-level negotiations since the onset of the conflict, although the talks did not yield much progress on a ceasefire.

‘Russia to open humanitarian corridors from Ukraine’s Mariupol’

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‘Russia to open humanitarian corridors from Ukraine’s Mariupol’

Humanitarian corridors from Ukraine’s Mariupol will be opened from 10 a.m. (Moscow time) on Monday, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, has said.

Up to 130,000 civilians, including 184 foreigners from six countries, are “currently held hostage in the city,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, citing the official.

“In order to save human lives and preserve the infrastructure of Mariupol … Russia will open humanitarian corridors from Mariupol in the eastern and western directions upon the agreement with the Ukrainian side from 10 a.m. (Moscow time) tomorrow, on March 21,” Mizintsev was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Russian forces and Donetsk’s units will “declare a ‘complete silence regime’ and guarantee its observance from 9:30 a.m. Moscow time (0630 GMT),” he added.

Russia is waiting for Kiev’s response to the proposed measures until 5 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the official.

Aamir Khan learns how to dance to ‘Naatu Naatu’ from Jr NTR, Ram Charan

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Aamir Khan learns how to dance to ‘Naatu Naatu’ from Jr NTR, Ram Charan

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan was seen shaking a leg with stars NTR Jr and Ram Charan during a fab event for their upcoming film ‘RRR’.

The cast of ‘RRR’ including Alia Bhatt and filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli was in the national capital to promote the film. Aamir joined the cast during the fan event.

Aamir was seen asking the two actors how they did the step, which the ‘PK’ star felt could not perform.

He said: “They are very fast.”

Alia then chimed in saying that it’s an easy step and even she has tried it.

Finally, Aamir and Alia joined Ram Charan and NTR Jr.

Finally, Aamir then called fans on stage to perform the hook step for Rajamouli, NTR Jr, Alia, and Ram Charan.

The film includes a star-studded lineup including Ajay Devgn and Olivia Morris.

Jayanti Lal Gada of PEN Studios has bagged the theatrical distribution rights across North India and has also bought worldwide electronic rights for all languages. Pen Marudhar will be distributing the film in the North Territory.

The Telugu-language period action drama film is produced by D.V.V. Danayya of DVV Entertainments. RRR will release on March 25.

Ram Charan sends medicine, money to security staff in Ukraine

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Ram Charan sends medicine, money to security staff in Ukraine

Ram Charan sent medicine, money, and other essentials to a member of his security staff all the way to Ukraine amid the war situation.

A video posted by a man named Rusty from Ukraine has caught the attention of all. Rusty, who posted a video on the internet a few days ago, thanked Ram Charan for sending medicine and other essentials.

“Ram Charan was here to shoot for his movie and I worked as his bodyguard during his stay in our country. He called me as soon as the war broke out. I did mention about my wife’s sickness and lack of medicines”, Rusty said.

“Ram Charan sent medicine to help my suffering wife, as well as a few other essentials. I thank him from the bottom of my heart”, the person said, as he also hopes for the war to end soon.

Ram Charan, who acted in ‘RRR’, had shot extensively across India, with a few sequences in Ukraine and Bulgaria. While his stay in Ukraine during the ‘RRR’ shoot, Ram Charan was assisted by a security person named Rusty, who is a native Ukrainian.

As soon as the war broke out, Ram Charan was worried about Rusty, and hence had called him to know about his well-being amid the war scenario. Rusty, who had mentioned his wife’s sickness, also mentioned that the situation was out of hand.

Ram Charan had sent a few essentials along with medicine for the man’s wife. This act of generosity by Chiranjeevi’s son is being appreciated by folks from the industry.

India, Japan should keep trying to end Russia-Ukraine war: Kishida

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India, Japan should keep trying to end Russia-Ukraine war: Kishida

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have discussed the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and talked about peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

Kishida in a statement said Modi discussed the situation in Ukraine. “Russia’s attack on the Ukraine is a serious issue which has shaken the international world order,” Kishida said.

However, Modi did not make any comments over the ongoing Russia and Ukraine War which has reached the 24th day.

The Japanese Prime Minister further stated that the world has been shaken today due to many disturbances, it’s very important for India and Japan to have a close partnership.

“We expressed our views, talked about the serious invasion of Russia into Ukraine. We need a peaceful solution on the basis of international law,” the Japanese PM said.

He further stated that India and Japan should increase efforts for an open and free Indo-Pacific region.

“Japan, along with India, will keep trying to end the war and keep providing support to Ukraine and its neighboring countries,” he said.

Kishida arrived in Delhi on a two-day visit to take part in the 14th India-Japan Annual Summit on Saturday.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw received Kishida at the IGI Airport.

Suresh Raina felicitated with the ‘Sports Icon’ award at Maldives Sports Awards

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Suresh Raina felicitated with the ‘Sports Icon’ award at Maldives Sports Awards

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Sports Icon’ award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Government of Maldives.

Raina was nominated alongside 16 international sportspersons, including former Real Madrid and Brazil footballer Roberto Carlos, Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, former Sri Lankan cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Dutch football legend Edgar Davids.

The 35-year old was presented with the award for his various achievements throughout his career.

He was presented with the award alongside Md Zahir Ahsan Russel, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Bangladesh; Al-Kadi Badr Abdul Rahman, the Vice Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia; Ahmed Nazeer, the Honorary President of the Maldives Tennis Association.

The event was chaired by the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sports Ministers, world-renowned athletes, and Maldivian athletes.

Raina was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He has also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy four times with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise.

He was the first Indian player to score 6000 as well as 8000 runs in a Twenty20 career and the first-ever cricketer to reach 5,000 runs in IPL. He also holds the record for scoring the most fifties in Champions League T20 history.

Kangana Ranaut thrilled as ‘Lock Upp’ gets 100 million views

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Kangana Ranaut thrilled as ‘Lock Upp’ gets 100 million views

Bollywood actress and host Kangana Ranaut are elated with the response being received by the fearless reality show ‘Lock Upp’, which has got 100 million views in just 19 days.

Kangana said: “100MN views in 19 days are just incredible and I am overwhelmed with the love and affection that ‘Lock Upp’ is receiving from the viewers. This proves that the concept of the show is unique and highly entertaining.”

“The views on the show are proof that Ekta Kapoor’s vision has once again hit the bullseye and that along with the huge reach that MX Player reveals that together, they know the audience pulse better than anyone else on OTT. ‘Lock Upp’ is only going to get bigger and more fearless from this point on,” she added.

‘Lock Upp’ streams on ALTBalaji and MX Player.

PayPal enables Ukrainian accounts to send, receive money

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PayPal enables Ukrainian accounts to send, receive money

Payments company PayPal said that it is expanding its services for Ukrainian accounts and allowing them to send and receive money from friends and family.

In a letter to the Ukrainian government, the company also said that Ukrainian account holders will be able to transfer money from their PayPal accounts to credit and debit cards, as well as to external bank accounts by linking an eligible Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card, CNN reported.

“We believe this service will be helpful for people in Ukraine to receive money from their friends and relatives around the world,” the company wrote in a letter to Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.

“It will also help Ukrainian refugees in other countries, so they can receive money to use or withdraw in their current location,” it added.

Previously, PayPal users in Ukraine could only send money internationally from their accounts, not receive it, the company told CNN Business.

PayPal is also waiving transaction fees for remittances to Ukrainian accounts, for both senders and recipients. The change also applies to Xoom, PayPal’s global remittance platform, the company said in a blog post.

Amit Shah reviews security situation in J&K

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Amit Shah reviews security situation in J&K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir along with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and other senior officials.

An official statement said, “The Home Minister appreciated the improvement in the security situation, reduction in terror incidents from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021 and decrease in a number of security personnel martyred from 91 in 2018 to 42 in 2021.

“Amit Shah emphasized proactive operations against terrorists and denying them safe haven or financial support. He directed the security forces and the police to ensure real-time coordination for effective counter-terrorism operations and monitoring activities of terrorists from jails. He ordered further strengthening of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Jammu and Kashmir to choke narco-terrorism.”

As per the statement, Shah said the security grid should be further strengthened to ensure zero cross-border infiltration and to eliminate terrorism completely in order to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.

Maha: Covid situation eases but dramatic change likely, warns official

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Maha: Covid situation eases but dramatic change likely, warns official

The Covid-19 situation is currently comfortable now in Maharashtra but it may change “dramatically” over the next few weeks amid the emergence of a new variant of the Coronavirus, a top health official warned here on Saturday.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Dr. Pradeep Vyas said that while almost all restrictions have been relaxed in the state, some new variants are suspected to be fuelling infections in Israel and other countries.

Simultaneously, Health Minister Rajesh Tope hinted at the possibility of a fourth wave of Covid, sparking fresh concerns in various quarters.

In a precautionary issued to all Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, Zilla Parishad CEOs, and others, Vyas said that the state now has less than 2,000 ‘active cases’ which is a good sign, but “we need to be alert”.

He pointed out that Covid cases are now steadily rising in different parts of the world, including China and Europe with a weekly growth of 8-10 percent and more than 11 million per week.

“Though at present we are quite comfortable with only around 2,000 ‘active’ Covid cases, the situation may change dramatically over the next few weeks,” Vyas said.

He reiterated the need to prevent crowding, wearing masks, alertness in identifying clusters of SARI and ILI cases, and increasing their surveillance, besides catching up on vaccination as the state is below the national average.

Dwelling on the current global scenario, Vyas said in the past 24 hours, some countries recorded the highest ever new Covid cases since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

South Korea reported 621,000 new cases in a day, Germany 262,000 and UK 84,000 cases daily, and, in comparison, the state had recorded the highest figure of around 68,000 new cases in a day during the second wave (early-2021), indicating the extent of infections presently in different countries.

‘Early Warning and Early Action’ theme for World Meteorological Day on March 23

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‘Early Warning and Early Action’ theme for World Meteorological Day on March 23

Forecasts of what the weather will be are no longer enough. Impact-based forecasts that inform the public of what the weather will do are vital to saving lives and livelihoods.

Yet, one in three people are still not adequately covered by early warning systems, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said ahead of the World Meteorological Day 2022 on March 23.

Weather, climate, and water extremes are becoming more frequent and intense in many parts of the world as a result of climate change. More of the world regions are exposed than ever before to multiple related hazards, which are themselves evolving as a result of population growth, urbanization, and environmental degradation.

“Greater coordination between national meteorological and hydrological services, disaster management authorities, and development agencies are fundamental to better prevention, preparedness and response,” the WMO said in a release.

Covid-19 has complicated the challenges facing society and weakened coping mechanisms.

“The pandemic has also highlighted that, in our interconnected world, we need to embrace a truly multi-hazard, cross-border approach to make progress towards global goals on climate action, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development,” it said.

Being prepared and able to act at the right time, in the right place, can save many lives and protect the livelihoods of communities everywhere, both now and in the future.

World Meteorological Day on March 23 this year, therefore, has the theme ‘Early Warning and Early Action and spotlights the vital importance of Hydrometeorological and Climate Information for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Increasing risks

Over the past 50 years, there were more than 11,000 reported weather, climate, and water-related disasters, resulting in just over 2 million deaths and $3.64 trillion in economic losses. That breaks down to a daily global average of 115 deaths and $202 million in economic losses.

According to WMO’s ‘Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes 1970-2019’, the number of disasters increased five-fold between 1970 and 2019 while the economic losses increased even more — by a factor of seven.

“However, thanks to improved early warnings and disaster risk reduction strategies, the number of deaths decreased almost three-fold since 1970,” the WMO said.

Gaps in Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems

Pointing out that just 40 percent of WMO members have Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS), the WMO said, there are large gaps in weather observations, especially in Africa and Small Island Developing States.

The WMO Global Multi-hazard Alert System (GMAS) seeks to address the challenges by increasing the availability of authoritative warnings and information from the WMO Severe Weather Information Centre and to support early action.

GMAS seeks to leverage and strengthen national early warning systems and alerting authorities, capacity and investment, and cross-border cooperation. It embeds the so-called Common Alerting Protocol — automated and standardized emergency warnings which are suitable for all hazards and all telecommunications media, and which communicate key facts such as: What is it? Where is it? How soon is it? How bad is it? What should people do?

“Experience shows that straightforward warning symbols and color codes (e.g., red, amber, green) are highly effective,” it said.

Bengaluru ITF Open: Kadhe wins doubles title, meets Rawat for the singles crown

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Bengaluru ITF Open: Kadhe wins doubles title, meets Rawat for the singles crown

India’s Arjun Kadhe and Sidharth Rawat will battle it out for honors in the second successive event as they scored contrasting wins to advance to the final of the US $15000 SKME ITF Open here.

In the semi-finals played at the KSLTA Stadium here on Saturday, Kadhe, seeded fifth overcame Poland’s 18-year-old Maks Kasnikowski 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 while Rawat was a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Manish Sureshkumar.

Kadhe, who won the previous leg of ITF Open held in Bhopal last week, is now in line for a double crown as later in the day, the 25-year-old joined hands with Julian Cash of Great Britain to win the doubles title, the second title in as many months at the KSLTA courts. In the title clash of the doubles event, the top-seeded duo defeated the second-seeded pair of Sasikumar Mukund and Vishnu Vardhan 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-7.

Meanwhile, in the first singles semi-finals, the 28-year-old Kadhe and Maks began on the right note holding their respective serves until the 5th game where Kadhe led 3-2.

However, the Polish player upped his game and moved faster on the court and caught his opponent on the wrong foot most of the time, and won four games in a row to take the opening set.

Kadhe’s game changed with a change of his shirt as he took a decisive 4-2 lead in the second set, courtesy of a break in the fifth game, and took the match into the decider where he took complete command. All Maks could do was to hold his serve in the first and seventh game as Kadhe, who sent down 11 aces during the match, signed off with a 6-2 win in the final set.

In the other semi-final, Rawat showed a sense of urgency and controlled for most of the match. After an early break in the second game, he raced to a 3-0 lead before achieving one more break in the sixth game to lead 5-1.

The 22-year-old Sureshkumar broke Rawat’s serve in the seventh game but his chances of a comeback were snuffed out with Rawat breaking his serve to win the set.

In the second set, Sureshkumar played some brilliant shots and engaged in long rallies. The strategy did work as he built a 4-2 lead and looked in good stead to win the set. However, Rawat had other plans in mind as he won three games on the trot to go ahead 5-4 and broke his opponent’s serve in the 12th game to win the set and the match.

RESULTS:

Singles (semis):

5-Arjun Kadhe (IND) bt Maks Kasnikowski (POL) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; 2-Sidharth Rawat (IND) bt 4-Manish Sureshkumar (IND) 6-2, 7-5.

Doubles final:

1-Julian Cash (GBR)/Arjun Kadhe (IND) bt 2-Sasikumar Mukund (IND)/Vishnu Vardhan (IND) 7-6(5), 3-6, 10-7.

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