Pak’s Arshad Nadeem calls Neeraj Chopra a ‘friend forever’; Neeraj’s mother says ‘Arshad is like our son’

News Network
August 9, 2024

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Millions across two nations split by a contentious border stayed up well past midnight, glued to their television sets as a battle for the ages unfolded in Paris. In the end, the men’s javelin gold medal changed hands, and countries, at the Olympic Games with an unassuming Pakistani grabbing the ultimate prize from a celebrated yet modest and humble Indian champion. Arshad Nadeem was a popular winner after unleashing a sequence of monster throws punctuated by a new Games record; defending champion Neeraj Chopra was beaten but not defeated.

Neeraj Chopra, who got India its first silver medal at the games, fell short of retaining his Olympic gold medal, finishing with a best throw of 89.45 metres. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal – first for his country in the games. Nadeem threw an astonishing 92.97 metres for victory.

As the two great rivals sank into each other’s arms, it was hard to remain unmoved. They might belong to countries that espouse differing ideologies and often are at loggerheads politically and otherwise, but they were united by the bond of competitive spirit and mutual respect. The camaraderie was obvious, but clearly, this was more than just professional respect. With their careers running parallel to each other, Neeraj and Arshad have managed to transcend boundaries and strike up a grand friendship that shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone who has a sporting bone in their body.

In a post on X, Nadeem compared the competition between him and Chopra to the famous cricket battles between India and Pakistan. He shared a picture with Chopra, captioning it with the words, "We are always natural friends," along with the flags of both nations.

"The rivalry is there when it comes to cricket matches and other sports, definitely. But at the same time, it is a good thing for youngsters in both countries who are pursuing a sport to follow us and follow their sports icons and bring laurels to their countries," Nadeem told reporters after his historic win.

Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra's mother, Saroj Devi, told news agency ANI that she was happy with the way his son delivered at the Olympics and pointed out that she was eager to cook her son's favourite meal upon his return.

She also lauded Arshad Nadeem's performance, adding that he is also like their "son”. “We are very happy. For us, silver is also equal to gold. The one who got the gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also like our son,” Soroj Devi said.

"He (Neeraj Chopra) was injured, so we are happy with his performance. I will cook his favourite food," she added. Chopra's father, Satish Kumar, said it was Pakistan's day in the men's javelin throw final.

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News Network
August 28,2024

Trichy: A teenage girl died of complications after consuming an excessive amount of medication to alleviate her menstrual cramps in Pulivalam area of Tamil Nadu’s Trichy.

Police said the 18-year-old girl used to experience frequent menstrual cramps. On Aug 21, she endured severe abdominal pain. In an attempt to alleviate the pain, she ingested a significant quantity of pills.

However, she began to vomit shortly after. Her parents rushed her to the primary health centre (PHC) in Omandhur, where she received treatment and was subsequently discharged. Upon returning home, she lost consciousness. 

She was admitted to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Govt Hospital (MGMGH), where she underwent further treatment but ultimately died on Monday. A postmortem examination was performed.

Police said that the consumption of an excessive dose of medication to manage menstrual cramps resulted in fatal health complications. Based on a complaint by her father, a case of unnatural death has been registered. 

The girl had recently cleared her higher secondary education, and was awaiting the counselling process to secure admission to an engineering programme.

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News Network
August 27,2024

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Thiruvananthapuram: Actor Mohanlal has resigned as president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following widespread criticism and growing pressure over handling of sexual harassment allegations within Malayalam film industry. All members of the AMMA executive committee have also submitted their joint resignation.

A statement from AMMA said the top decision-making body had taken "moral responsibility" and dissolved itself "in light of allegations made by some actors against some of the committee".

An election to form a new committee will be held within two months, AMMA said.

Senior figures in the Malayalam film industry face sexual abuse complaints following the public release of the Justice Hema Committee report last week. The report - which includes multiple shocking stories of abuse - was submitted to the Kerala government in 2019 but then buried.

It was made public this month after clearing legal challenges from film industry members.

A junior artiste told a TV channel he raped her at his home in Ernakulam district in 2019, after inviting her there on the pretext of a role in one of his films. He has claimed the allegation is false, and meant to scupper his chances of succeeding fellow thespian Siddique as General Secretary of the film body.

Siddique quit last week over another sexual assault claim. He has lodged a police complaint against his accuser, Revathy Sampath, who said she had been "sexually abused... physically and mentally".

Another actor, Minu Muneer, has accused prominent actors M Mukesh and Jayasurya, as well as two others, of physically and verbally abusing her on the sets of a movie in 2013.

"I had a bitter experience while shooting... I went to the restroom and when I came out, Jayasurya hugged me and kissed me without my consent. I was shocked and I ran out," she said.

Maniyanpilla Raju, one of those accused by Ms Muneer, has called for an investigation into the allegations, claiming multiple vested interests are behind the accusations.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under severe scrutiny, announced a seven-member SIT to probe all sexual assault charges.

That has not, however, stopped the predictable avalanche of political attacks from the opposition BJP and the Congress-led United Democratic Front. 

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News Network
September 3,2024

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A 19-year-old boy, studying in Class 12 in Haryana’s Faridabad, was chased in a car and shot dead by a group of five cow vigilantes who allegedly mistook him for a cattle smuggler, police said on Tuesday.

A Duster car in which the boy, Aryan Mishra, and his friends Harshit and Shanky as well as two other women seated in the back of the vehicle, was chased by the members of cow vigilante group on the night of August 23 for about 30 kilometers near Haryana’s Gadhpuri on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

Police have identified and arrested all the five accused – Saurabh, Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna and Adesh. A report by Hindustan Times quoted police sources as saying that the weapon used to kill the victim was illegal.

All the five accused cow vigilantes were grilled by the cops who revealed that they had received information that on the night of August 23, some suspected cattle “smugglers” were carrying out surveillance in the city in Renault Duster and Toyota Fortuner and picking up cattle in the area.  

The accused also claimed they were told that the alleged cattle smugglers had also called their associates  to pick up cows in a truck from isolated areas in the city.  

The cow vigilantes, who were also in a car, spotted a Duster at Patel Chowk in which Aryan Mishra was seated with his friends.  

The vehicle was being driven by Harshit and was stopped by the accused, but they instead accelerated, following which they opened fire and a bullet hit Aryan Mishra, who was seated in the passenger seat, near his neck.  

After Aryan was shot, Harshit pulled over the SUV near the Gadhpuri toll in Palwal, but the attackers approached and fired another shot into Aryan Mishra’s chest, resulting in his death.

The accused saw the women in the car and realised that they had shot a wrong person after which they fled.  

Police said despite being asked to stop, Harshit sped the vehicle as Shanky, who was also in the car, was recently involved in a dispute with a man and a case had been registered against him. They thought goons were sent to kill them.

With the SUV not stopping and instead running away, the cow vigilantes thought the cattle smugglers were in it and they started to chase the vehicle which broke through the barrier at the Palwal toll plaza.  

The accused have been sent to judicial custody after being presented in a city court.

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