India, Pakistan trade barbs after Asia Cup trophy debacle
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said India had “disrespected cricket” while Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav complained his side were denied the trophy after winning a fraught Asia Cup overshadowed by ill feeling on both sides.The two teams did not shake hands for the third Asia Cup match running as India won a thrilling final by five wickets in Dubai on Sunday.Suryakumar’s men then refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan interior minister.The Indian players instead celebrated retaining their regional crown by mimicking holding a trophy.Suryakumar told reporters: “I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing cricket that the champion team is denied the trophy. “We took the call on the ground about not taking the trophy.”The Twenty20 tournament in the UAE was the first time the Asian cricket giants had met since a deadly military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.Tensions had been running high after the two previous matches in the competition saw political posturing and a series of flashpoints between the two teams.”If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in my dressing room — all the 14 players and support staff. They are the real trophies for me,” said Suryakumar.”It appeared on the big screen that India is Asia Cup 2025 champion. It was a great journey and moment for us as a team.” The presentation ceremony was delayed for an hour before announcer Simon Doull said: “I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.” Pakistan’s Agha said India’s actions during the tournament had been “bad for cricket”.”I think what has happened in this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told reporters. “If they think they disrespected us by not shaking hands, then I say they disrespected cricket.”What they did today, a good team doesn’t do that. Good teams do what we have done. We waited for our medals and took them.”It’s been seen for the first time. I do not know where it will stop. What has happened in this tournament is bad for cricket.”In Sunday’s final, India’s third win over Pakistan in as many matches, India pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah bowled Haris Rauf for six and celebrated the dismissal with a crashing-plane gesture.Rauf had made a similar motion in the previous meeting between the two teams, appearing to mock India’s military action.Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan previously mimicked a gun celebration after hitting a half-century.- Tensions spill into cricket -India and Pakistan only meet in cricket on neutral territory in international tournaments because of long-simmering tensions between the arch-rivals.Both countries claimed victory in the four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people in missile, drone and military fire on each side.India tagged its military action against Pakistan “Operation Sindoor”, the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads.The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi’s determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities.”#OperationSindoor on the games field,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X after Sunday’s win. “Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”Naqvi was quick to respond, saying: “If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan’s hands.”burs-pst/dh
Espagne: la région de Valence en alerte rouge pour de fortes pluies (agence météorologique)
La région de Valence, dans l’est de l’Espagne, a été placée en alerte rouge pour de fortes pluies, a annoncé l’agence météorologique qui met en garde contre un “danger extraordinaire” et redoute des inondations, onze mois après celles du 29 octobre 2024 qui avaient fait 235 morts.”Danger extraordinaire dans les provinces de Tarragone, Castellón et Valence pour l’après-midi et la soirée de dimanche, ainsi que lundi”, a mis en garde l’agence météorologique nationale Aemet sur le réseau social X, évoquant de possibles “inondations et crues soudaines des cours d’eau”.Le Premier ministre Pedro Sanchez lui-même a appelé à la plus grande vigilance sur le même réseau, invitant la population à suivre les conseils de la Protection civile et des services d’urgence.Les écoles et collèges resteront fermés dans la ville de Valence lundi, annoncé la mairie qui a également décrété la fermeture des bibliothèques municipales, parcs, jardins, marchés et cimetières pour la journée. En milieu d’après-midi, les habitants de la côte ont tous reçu un message d’alerte demandant une “vigilance maximale au vu des alertes météo, dont le début est prévu à partir de 20H00 le 28/09/25 (dimanche) sur le littoral nord de Castellón et à 04H00 du matin le 29/09/25 (lundi) sur le littoral de Valence”, indiquent les services d’urgence.Les inondations d’octobre 2024 avaient été provoquées par des pluies extrêmement abondantes, conséquence d’une goutte froide (dépression isolée à haute altitude, assez fréquente en automne sur la côte méditerranéenne espagnole) dont les effets sont renforcés par le changement climatique et l’importante urbanisation des zones touchées.La catastrophe avait suscité la colère des sinistrés, qui avaient critiqué la gestion de l’alerte et des secours, sur fond de polémique entre le gouvernement central de gauche et les autorités régionales de droite sur les compétences des uns et des autres dans ces domaines.Depuis, des manifestations réunissent régulièrement des habitants qui reprochent à l’exécutif régional de ne pas les avoir prévenus suffisamment à l’avance du danger des pluies torrentielles.
India, Pakistan trade accusations after Asia Cup trophy debacle
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said India had “disrespected cricket” while Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav complained his side “were denied the trophy” after winning a fraught Asia Cup. The two teams did not shake hands for the third Asia Cup match running as India won the final by five wickets in Dubai on Sunday.Suryakumar’s side did not attend the victory ceremony after refusing to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who is also chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan interior minister.Suryakumar told reporters: “I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing cricket that the champion team is denied the trophy. “We took the call on the ground about not taking the trophy.”The regional Twenty20 tournament was the first time the Asian cricket giants had met since deadly fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours earlier this year.Tensions had been running high after the two previous matches in the competition saw political posturing and aggressive on-field behaviour.”If you tell me about the trophies, my trophies are sitting in my dressing room — all the 14 players and support staff. They are the real trophies for me,” said Suryakumar.”It appeared on the big screen that India is Asia Cup 2025 champion. It was a great journey and moment for us as a team.” The presentation ceremony was delayed for an hour before announcer Simon Doull said: “I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight. So that does conclude the post-match presentation.” Pakistan’s Agha said India’s actions during the tournament had been “bad for cricket”.”I think what has happened in this tournament is very disappointing,” Agha told reporters. “If they think they disrespected us by not shaking hands, then I say they disrespected cricket.”What they did today, a good team doesn’t do that. Good teams do what we have done. We waited for our medals and took them.”It’s been seen for the first time. I do not know where it will stop. What has happened in this tournament is bad for cricket.”
Embattled Australia telco giant hit by another major outage
Australian telecommunications giant Optus said Monday it had suffered a network outage that prevented calls to emergency services, just over a week after a similar interruption that has been linked to four deaths.Optus — one of Australia’s top telecoms providers — said the outage on Sunday impacted thousands of people in New South Wales and lasted more than nine hours.The firm said it had “confirmed with police that all callers who attempted to contact emergency services are OK.””Optus continues to investigate the cause,” it added.This month Optus said it suffered an outage that impacted 600 people across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory for at least 10 hours.The outage prevented calls to emergency services and has been linked to four deaths.Australia’s finance minister Katy Gallagher told national broadcaster ABC that Sunday’s incident was “more disappointing news off the back of the major disruption that happened the week before”.”I think there’s questions that Optus are going to have to answer about what happened in the last fortnight and their response to it,” she said.On Friday, Australia’s National Broadband Network experienced an outage in Western Australia that impacted customers’ ability to make emergency calls, police said.Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh told ABC the interruptions were “extraordinary”.”People across Australia need to have confidence in our triple-0 network,” she said, referring to the country’s main emergency services hotline.”These are lives that are at risk.”Last week, Optus announced details of an independent review that will probe the series of events that took place and determine why emergency calls did not connect.The firm was also fined $66 million last week for selling products to vulnerable customers between 2019 and 2023 that they did not need or want, leaving many in debt.Federal Court Justice Patrick O’Sullivan labelled the company’s conduct as “extremely serious” and “appalling”.Optus was also fined $7.9 million after an outage halted its mobile and internet systems for nearly 12 hours in 2023.
Most Asian markets track Wall St higher after US inflation data
Most Asian markets rose Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street, following US inflation figures that met expectations and soothed concerns about Donald Trump’s latest tariff salvo.However, investors were keeping a wary eye on Washington, where lawmakers have failed to reach a funding compromise to keep the government running, which observers say could affect the release of key data.All three main indexes in New York ended in the green Friday, snapping three straight losses following news that the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of inflation rose in line with expectations, giving the bank room to cut interest rates again.While the 2.7 percent reading on the August personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index was up from 2.6 percent in July and well above the Fed’s two percent target, policymakers are focusing on supporting the labour market after a string of weak jobs readings.Their cut earlier this month — the first since December — came as a closely watched guide indicated two more were in the pipeline before January.Attention now turns to the key non-farm payrolls (NFP) report due Friday.However, there are concerns that could be postponed by a possible government shutdown this week as US politicians struggle to reach a funding deal, with some analysts suggesting the labour department could be hit.With a deadline for a deal coming on Tuesday, congressional leaders on both sides are due to meet President Trump to try to resolve the issue, which could see some key services closed down.Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House leader, said on ABC that he was “hopeful” that a deal could be struck before the Tuesday cutoff.His colleague Chuck Schumer, the Democrats’ Senate leader, echoed that guarded optimism and said any potential breakthroughs would depend on Trump’s Republicans.Trump has struck a defiant tone in pushing for his own agenda and last week cancelled a meeting to discuss the stalemate with senior opposition leaders, which will instead take place Monday.”If we hear early this week that the NFP report will be delayed (potentially until the govt re-opens), traders may recalibrate their approach to risk and increase their sensitivity to” other jobs figures, said Pepperstone’s Chris Weston.And economists at Bank of America warned that the longer the row went on the more painful it would be for the world’s top economy.”The economic effects of a shutdown are typically modest and short-lived. Though the drag grows with the length of the shutdown, and potential federal layoffs could have more lasting effects,” they wrote.Still, investors in most markets were in a positive mood, building on Wall Street’s gains.Hong Kong and Seoul led the way, rising more than one percent each, while Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Wellington, Manila and Jakarta also advanced.Tokyo slipped, though the finance arm of Sony soared more than 30 percent on its debut after being spun off by the tech titan to focus on its entertainment and image sensor business.Sony Financial Group rocketed to as much as 210 yen in the morning, from the 150 yen it was set at last week.Oil prices sank on speculation OPEC+ will increase output, fanning concerns of a glut. The drop followed last week’s rally on the back of mounting tensions between NATO countries and Russia, increasing the possibility of fresh sanctions on Moscow. – Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.0 percent at 44,892.52 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5 percent at 26,506.83Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,833.33Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1725 from $1.1701 on FridayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3431 from $1.3405Dollar/yen: DOWN at 148.96 yen from 149.51 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.28 pence from 87.30 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.8 percent at $65.19 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.7 percent at $69.65 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 46,247.29 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 9,284.83 (close)
India’s divine designs meld with AI at Durga Puja festival
Millions in India’s eastern city of Kolkata will draw on millennia-old traditions when they celebrate the Hindu festival of Durga Puja this week with street parties and worshipping idols in elaborate pavilions.The ancient and divine now increasingly interact with the digital and futuristic as wildly popular artificial intelligence apps help generate new design ideas.”Artisans are now using artificial intelligence to find new designs, helping them to stay updated,” potter Monti Paul said as he admired his statue of the goddess Durga.The statue, made of clay moulded onto a wire-and-straw frame and painted in neon pinks and blues, depicts the 10-armed, three-eyed goddess riding a lion while slaying a demon buffalo in a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.Paul, 70, learnt his craft from his father, like hundreds of other potters in the narrow alleys of Kumartuli, the city’s centuries-old idol-making hub.Kolkata is home to more than 15 million people and each year it erupts in a 10-day celebration of art, music, and devotion, an event UNESCO has recognised as part of humanity’s “intangible cultural heritage”.At its heart are the intricately crafted idols and the temporary temples, or “pandals”, commissioned by thousands of community clubs.Many reflect contemporary themes, from politics to pop culture.- ‘AI-driven images’ -Artisans race each year to create works more striking than before. For decades, designs were either drawn on paper or described verbally by the thousands of committees commissioning them, Paul explained.But the commissioning communities now also use AI apps, which generate fantastical pictures through text prompts, to translate ideas into images.”This year, many festival organisers are opting for AI-driven images — they give us pictures of idols from ChatGPT,” he said, noting that they draw on the “thousands of images of Durga idols from ancient times”.”We then try to create the designs of the idols as the organisers wish.”India, with 900 million internet users, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India, has become one of the world’s largest markets for AI tools.It is the biggest user base for Google’s Nano Banana image-generation model and the second-largest for ChatGPT.China has more internet users, but India is open to US tech companies.- ‘Blessing or a curse’ -The fusion of AI with Durga Puja has itself become a theme for some.Subal Paul, secretary at a century-old community club in north Kolkata, said they chose artificial intelligence as their motif.”We took the help of ChatGPT and other AI tools to get the idea of the pandal and idol of the goddess Durga,” he said.”We took the help of chatbots… highlighting how artificial intelligence is shaping our life.”Their pavilion is decorated with giant computer keyboards and flashing lights, set against a backdrop resembling IT office towers.Two life-size robots guard the entrance, while another whirls atop the pandal roof before the idol.”The old order has changed, yielding place to a new one,” 45-year-old Subal Paul said. “We don’t know if it is a blessing or a curse.”For many, the technology only enhances a festival famed for transcending barriers of class, religion and community.”There is nothing as spectacular and soulful like this tradition,” said Ajoy Bhattacharya, 80, a scholar of Sanskrit scriptures.”It’s an amalgamation of tradition, culture and modernity.”