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China set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent on Wednesday, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver as an escalating trade war with the United States hit exports.Beijing also announced a rare hike in fiscal funding, allowing its budget deficit to reach four percent this year as it battles stuttering employment for young people, stubbornly low consumer demand and a persistent property sector debt crisis.The headline growth figure announced by Premier Li Qiang at an annual Communist Party conclave was broadly in line with an AFP survey of analysts, although experts say it is ambitious considering the scale of China’s economic challenges.Some 12 million new jobs will be created in Chinese cities under the plans as Beijing pushes for two percent inflation this year.A government work report vowed to make domestic demand the “main engine and anchor” of growth, adding that Beijing should “move faster to address inadequate domestic demand, particularly insufficient consumption”.And in a rare move, Li said China would hike its fiscal deficit by one percentage point — its highest level in well over a decade — which analysts have said will give Beijing more latitude to tackle its economic slowdown.The growth target will be “tough but possible”, said Dylan Loh, an assistant professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.He said low consumption was a “confidence issue”, adding that “if people are, in their own calculations, worried about spending — especially on big-ticket items — it is far harder to address”.Another analyst said Beijing’s policies were not yet “big enough to really significantly drive up the consumer sentiment”.”We need to see a very broad-based recovery of employment, income as well as the property market before we can really see a change in consumption patterns and retail sales trend,” Yue Su, Principal Economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit, told AFP.Major Asian markets traded up on Wednesday, reversing their losses a day after US President Donald Trump imposed more blanket tariffs on Chinese imports following a similar move last month.US tariffs are expected to hit hundreds of billions of dollars in total trade between the world’s two largest economies.”Internationally, changes unseen in a century are unfolding across the world at a faster pace,” the government work report said.”Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,” it warned.”Domestically, the foundation for China’s sustained economic recovery and growth is not strong enough,” the report said.- Fight to the ‘bitter end’ -Chinese exports reached record levels last year.Sentiments were clouded by a broadening trade war under Trump as thousands of delegates congregated in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People for the opening session of the National People’s Congress, the second of China’s “Two Sessions” political meetings this week.Beijing announced its own measures on Tuesday in retaliation for Washington’s latest tariff hike and vowed it would fight a trade war to the “bitter end”.The moves will see China impose levies of up to 15 percent on a range of US agricultural products including soybeans, pork and wheat starting from early next week.Beijing’s countermeasures represent a “relatively muted response” in comparison to Trump’s all-encompassing tariffs, wrote Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING.”The retaliation could have been a lot stronger, and with every further escalation the risks are also rising for a stronger response,” he said.Analysts say authorities could announce further plans to boost the economy this week, adding to a string of aggressive support measures announced late last year.China also disclosed on Wednesday a 7.2 percent rise in defence spending in 2025, as Beijing rapidly modernises its armed forces in the face of regional tensions and strategic competition with the United States.However, online comments bemoaned the spending rise as “too little”.Another wrote: “We must strengthen ourselves to achieve world peace.”Geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington are set to intensify this year, analysts say.The status of self-governed Taiwan — claimed by China as part of its sovereign territory — is chief among the sources of friction.The defence spending will finance Beijing’s frequent dispatches of military aircraft around Taiwan, intended to put pressure on authorities in the democratic island.

India’s capital New Delhi has vowed to clear one of its largest trash piles by next year as part of a plan to eradicate unsightly landfills dotting the megacity’s skyline.Around 32 million people live in greater Delhi, where a slipshod approach to waste management has left numerous landfills with garbage piled up to 60 metres (200 feet) high and visible from miles away.Regular spot fires during the capital’s long and intense summer see the trash mounds turn into toxic conflagrations spilling dangerous chemical fumes into nearby neighbourhoods.Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters Tuesday that work was underway to process and dispose of waste at one of the city’s biggest trash piles.By the end of the year, waste at the Bhalswa dump on the city’s northern outskirts “will be reduced to a point where it will no longer be visible” from a distance, he said.”Our ultimate aim is to ensure that no new garbage mountains are formed,” he added.Local neighbourhoods around the Bhalswa landfill are home to thousands of Delhi’s poorest residents who have migrated from grinding rural poverty in search of work.Sirsa said the Bhalswa site would be cleared by March next year with similar remediation work to follow at Delhi’s other two main garbage dumps.According to last reported estimates from 2023, Delhi generates more than 11,000 tonnes of solid waste each day, according to official estimates in 2023.More than four million tonnes of waste sit at the Bhalswa dump according to official estimates.Untreated domestic waste burns in the landfills during the hot summer months, producing excess methane which further pollutes India’s already smog-choked urban centres.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky has told him Kyiv was ready for talks with Russia and the finalization of a US minerals deal, days after the pair’s explosive White House meeting.The dramatic collapse of Kyiv and Washington’s wartime alliance has played out in the open since the televised dispute in the Oval Office last week, followed by Ukraine’s top ally suspending crucial military aid.Zelensky has since sought to bring Trump back onside, posting on social media that their clash was “regrettable” and he wanted “to make things right”.In his address to US Congress later on Tuesday, Trump read aloud from a letter he said he recently received from Zelensky, which matched the social media statement.”The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,” Trump told US lawmakers in his first address since returning to office.”We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.'” Addressing Congress, Trump added that, “regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.”In the Oval Office on Friday, Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for US assistance and Trump berated the wartime leader as not having “cards” to play.Zelensky left without signing an agreement pushed by Trump for the United States to secure control over Ukrainian mineral resources.While Trump was expected to use Tuesday’s speech to lay out a plan for the Ukraine war, he did not further detail how he envisages ending the gruelling three-year conflict.He did say he had engaged in “serious discussions with Russia”.Trump’s rapproachement with Moscow and decision on Monday to halt military assistance to Kyiv has stunned allies.Like Ukraine, the European Union has been excluded from US-Russian negotiations towards a potential truce, prompting fears any deal proposed would be on Moscow’s terms.Moscow meanwhile hailed Trump’s decision to halt assistance to Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it a “solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process”.The US pause impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.- ‘Stab in the back’ -Ordinary Ukrainians speaking to AFP were shocked at what they viewed as a betrayal by Trump.”It’s like a stab in the back,” a 33-year-old financial assistant in Kyiv who gave only her first name, Sofia, told AFP.Trump “wants Ukraine’s surrender, the deaths of our people, the surrender of our territories,” army volunteer Sergiy Sternenko said on Telegram.Poland’s government noted that America’s decision was made without consulting NATO allies, and said the impact was already being felt.French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told lawmakers in Paris that “entire trains” carrying US supplies for Ukraine “are being stopped and prevented from reaching their destination”.- Troops on the ground? -Last week, Zelensky had travelled to Washington expecting to sign a US-Ukrainian deal for the joint exploitation of Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, as part of a post-war recovery in a US-brokered peace deal.The proposal was to give Washington financial benefits for helping Ukraine in a truce, even if Trump has repeatedly refused to commit any US military force as a back-up to European troops who might act as peacekeepers.After the fiery Oval Office exchange, Zelensky was asked to leave.On Tuesday, Zelensky said that Kyiv remained ready to sign the deal at “any time and in any convenient format”.Ukraine is also seeking tough security guarantees for an end to the war.After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce — potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.Vance, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, mocked the idea of “some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years” sending soldiers to Ukraine. That prompted angry responses from French and British politicians.Vance insisted Tuesday he had not mentioned France or Britain, and said both had “fought bravely” alongside the United States over the past two decades.

India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has broken ranks by admitting that playing all their Champions Trophy games at one venue in Dubai has been to their advantage.Shami returned figures of 3-48 to set up India’s four-wicket win over Australia in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Dubai.India coach Gautam Gambhir afterwards lashed out at critics who have said playing at the same Dubai International Cricket Stadium each time is unfair.India refused to travel to Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan over political tensions and have won all four of their games at their temporary home.They will face South Africa or New Zealand in Sunday’s final, again in Dubai.The other seven teams in the ODI competition have meanwhile had to shuttle between three Pakistani cities and the United Arab Emirates.”It definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch,” Shami said Tuesday after his pivotal role in beating Australia.”It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue.”As part of the hybrid arrangement of the tournament, South Africa were forced to travel to Dubai, only to return to Pakistan again less than 24 hours later without playing a game.India are unbeaten in the 10 ODIs they have played in Dubai, winning nine.- ‘World class’ -Shami, 34, claimed a five-wicket haul in India’s opening win over Bangladesh and has bowled with pace and accuracy.But a question on getting reverse swing with the old ball got Shami pleading with cricket authorities to allow the use of saliva to polish the ball in the 50-over format.The International Cricket Council in 2022 made a ban on saliva — brought in during the Covid pandemic — permanent.”We are trying to reverse, but you are not getting the use of saliva into the game,” Shami told reporters.”We are constantly appealing to allow the use of saliva and it will be interesting with the reverse swing.”The use of saliva to shine one side of the old ball and keep the other rough helps fast bowlers get the leather ball to swing late and can be a lethal weapon in the final few overs of an ODI match.They can still use sweat.After a strong start to the tournament, Shami left the field briefly in the win over Pakistan.He has now put all fears of any fitness issues to rest with two matches in three days and bowling his full quota of 10 overs against Australia.”I am trying to get my rhythm back and contribute more for the team,” said Shami.He added: “I am ready to bowl long spells.”Gambhir called Shami “a world-class performer”.”He’s phenomenal and the hunger he brings on the table, the way he trains, the way he practises — that’s why you see all those results.”

Virat Kohli was hailed on Wednesday as the “chase master” after his latest trademark innings took India into a third successive Champions Trophy final.Kohli stroked a controlled 84 to put India within sight of their victory target of 265 in the semi-final against Australia in Dubai on Tuesday.When the 36-year-old departed India needed a manageable 40 off 44 balls and completed the win with 11 deliveries to spare. They will face South Africa or New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Dubai.Kohli brought up 8,000 runs in ODI chases during the innings, which followed an unbeaten 100 that took India past a 242-run target against arch-rivals Pakistan earlier in the tournament.”He has about 30-40 centuries while chasing, has the most runs while chasing and that’s why he has got the tag of ‘chase master’,” former India opener Virender Sehwag said on website Cricbuzz.”This chase was peanuts for him as he smiled through it.””King Kohli” has now scored 8,063 runs at a remarkable average of 64.50 when India bat second in one-day internationals — behind only all-time great Sachin Tendulkar’s 8,720 at 42.33.Kohli crafted and paced his innings to near perfection against Australia, hitting only five fours but with his renowned fitness allowing him constantly to pick up ones and twos with quick running.Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Kohli’s skill was to keep the scoreboard ticking over by reducing dot balls to a minimum.”At one stage, in 25 deliveries he had 23 singles and a two or something,” Hussain said on Sky Sports. “He manages to knock it around and just when the opposition captain thinks, ‘I might have to bring (a fielder) up’, he knocks it over their head and takes a boundary option.”- ‘The best’ -Australia captain Steve Smith said: “He’s arguably the best chaser the game has seen. He’s done it numerous times against us.”He controls the tempo of the game really well, plays to his strengths and takes the game deep.”It was Kohli’s 74th half-century in 301 ODIs since his debut in 2008. He has 82 hundreds across the three international formats.He was denied a century when caught at long-on off leg-spinner Adam Zampa as he attempted to clear the boundary.India coach Gautam Gambhir lauded Kohli for his game awareness. “He is a phenomenal one-day cricketer,” said Gambhir. “He knows how to plan his runs, he knows how to plan whether he is batting first or chasing and he knows that he adapts to the conditions really quickly.”Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma came into the tournament with retirement rumours swirling after a lack of runs in Tests.Both retired from T20 cricket after India won the World Cup last year.”You can’t judge players thinking that obviously they haven’t got runs in red-ball cricket,” said Gambhir.”It doesn’t mean that they can’t get runs in the 50-over format. “They’ve been exceptional players in this format. They’ve done it for so many years so we had no doubt that they’re going to deliver come the big tournaments.”India won the Champions Trophy in 2002 and 2013.

China on Wednesday set an annual growth target of around five percent, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver as an escalating trade war with the United States hit Beijing’s exports.Beijing also announced a rare hike in fiscal funding, allowing its budget deficit to reach four percent this year as it battles stuttering employment for young people, stubbornly low consumer demand and a persistent property sector debt crisis.The headline growth figure announced by Premier Li Qiang at an annual Communist Party conclave was broadly in line with an AFP survey of analysts, though experts say it is ambitious considering the scale of the country’s economic challenges.Under the plans, some 12 million new jobs will be created in Chinese cities as Beijing pushes for two percent inflation this year.A government work report vowed to make domestic demand the “main engine and anchor” of growth, adding that Beijing should “move faster to address inadequate domestic demand, particularly insufficient consumption”.And in a rare move, Li said China would hike its fiscal deficit by one percentage point, something that analysts have said will give Beijing more latitude to tackle its economic slowdown.Dylan Loh, an assistant professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said Beijing’s growth target would be “tough but possible”.He said low consumption was a “confidence issue”, adding that “if people are, in their own calculations, worried about spending — especially on big-ticket items — it is far harder to address”.Major Asian markets traded up on Wednesday, reversing their losses a day after US President Donald Trump went ahead with imposing more blanket tariffs on Chinese imports following a similar move last month.US tariffs are expected to hit hundreds of billions of dollars in total trade between the world’s two largest economies.”Internationally, changes unseen in a century are unfolding across the world at a faster pace,” the government work report said.”Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,” it warned.And “domestically, the foundation for China’s sustained economic recovery and growth is not strong enough,” added the report. – Fight to the ‘bitter end’ -Chinese exports reached record levels last year.But as thousands of delegates congregated in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People for the opening session of the National People’s Congress, the second of China’s “Two Sessions” political meetings this week, sentiments were clouded by a broadening trade war under Trump.Beijing on Tuesday announced its own measures in retaliation for Washington’s latest tariff hike — and vowed it would fight a trade war to the “bitter end”.The moves will see China impose levies of up to 15 percent on a range of US agricultural products including soybeans, pork and wheat starting from early next week.Beijing’s countermeasures represent a “relatively muted response” in comparison to Trump’s all-encompassing tariffs, wrote Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING.”The retaliation could have been a lot stronger, and with every further escalation the risks are also rising for a stronger response,” he added.Analysts say authorities may announce further plans this week to boost the economy — adding to a string of aggressive support measures announced late last year.- More help needed -Also on Wednesday, China disclosed a 7.2 percent rise in defence spending in 2025, as Beijing rapidly modernises its armed forces in the face of regional tensions and strategic competition with the US.Geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington are set to intensify this year, analysts say.The status of self-governed Taiwan — claimed by China as part of its sovereign territory — is chief among the sources of friction.The defence spending will finance Beijing’s frequent dispatches of military aircraft around Taiwan, intended to put pressure on authorities in the democratic island.It also came after Trump proposed a coordinated halving of the military budgets of the United States, Russia and China.China has not agreed to such a move, with a foreign ministry spokesperson suggesting last month that any reductions in military expenditure should be conducted by Washington first.

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar backed India skipper Rohit Sharma after a fat-shaming post by an Indian politician, saying cricket is about skill not “modelling”.Rohit’s India beat Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final on Tuesday in Dubai but a social media comment on the Indian captain’s bodyweight overshadowed the build-up.Shama Mohamed, A spokeswoman for India’s opposition Congress party, posted on X: “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!.”Mohamed came under fire for the post — later deleted — from media, pundits and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.”I have always said, if you want only slim guys, then you should go to a modelling competition and pick all the models. It’s not about that,” Gavaskar told India Today.Gavaskar spoke about how Indian batsman Sarfaraz Khan had also been “vilified” for his weight issues, but said it was performances that mattered.”I don’t think size has anything to do with it,” said Gavaskar. “It’s your mental strength, whether you can last the distance, that’s the most important thing. Bat well, bat for long, and score runs.”Rohit had previously been ridiculed for his visible “paunch” in the Indian Premier League but the 37-year-old has ignored his critics.The swashbuckling opener hit a quickfire 28 in the first semi-final as India started their chase of 265 against Australia before Virat Kohli set up victory with his 84.Both Rohit and Kohli were recently criticised for their lack of runs in Test cricket and came into the 50-over tournament with retirement rumours swirling.India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that Rohit always sets the tone for India’s batting, irrespective of the runs he scores.”If your captain bats with such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous,” Gambhir said when asked about Rohit’s form.”You evaluate from the runs. We evaluate from the impact. That’s the difference.”India will meet either South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday in Dubai.

At least 12 civilians were killed, including three children, and dozens injured Tuesday evening after two explosive-laden vehicles were detonated at an army compound in northwest Pakistan, officials said, with the attack quickly claimed by a militant group.The massive explosions and an ensuing gunfight occurred at sunset, as people were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced “cowardly terrorists who target innocent civilians during the holy month of Ramadan” and “deserve no mercy”.The attack took place in Bannu, a district in Pakistan’s turbulent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which lies adjacent to the country’s formerly self-governed tribal areas.A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP late in the night that the death toll had risen to twelve, including three children and two women, with 32 wounded.An intelligence official earlier told AFP that 12 militants had attempted to storm the compound after the suicide bombings, and that six of the attackers had been shot dead.”The blasts created two four-foot craters, and due to their intensity, at least eight houses in the locality have been damaged,” a police official said.The attack was claimed by a faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, which actively supported the Afghan Taliban in its war against the US-led NATO coalition since 2001.”Our fighters got access to an important target and took control,” the group said in a statement, without providing further details.Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack in a statement as “heinous”, saying the “entire nation rejects such despicable acts.”- ‘Apocalyptic’ -Plumes of gray smoke rose into the air after the two explosions, while gunshots continued, with gunfire heard from a distance in the area.”The force of the explosion threw me several feet away… The explosion was so intense that it caused significant damage to the neighbourhood,” 40-year-old local Nadir Ali Shah told AFP in hospital, as he received treatment for head and leg injuries.”It was a scene of apocalyptic devastation,” he added.The attack comes days after a suicide bomber killed six people at an Islamic religious school in Pakistan, attended by key Taliban leaders in the same province.Similar attacks have increased in Pakistan since the Taliban authorities returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.Hafiz Gul Bahadur carried out another attack on the same compound last July, detonating an explosive-laden vehicle against the boundary wall, killing eight Pakistani soldiers.Last year was the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan, home to 250 million people, with a surge in attacks that killed more than 1,600 people, according to Islamabad-based analysis group the Center for Research and Security Studies.The violence is largely limited to the country’s border regions with Afghanistan.Islamabad accuses Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil as they prepare to stage assaults on Pakistan, a charge the Taliban government denies.

Virat Kohli produced a trademark innings with a polished 84 as India pulled off a tense chase to beat Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday.Set 265 for victory, India lost the 36-year-old Kohli in the closing overs but KL Rahul’s unbeaten 42 steered the team home with 11 balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium.They will face South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday in Dubai, with India playing all their matches at the venue after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan for the eight-nation event.Lahore was the alternative venue for the final had India missed out.”This game is all about pressure, especially in big games like semis and finals,” said player of the match Kohli.”If you go deep into the innings and have wickets in hand, the opposition usually gives in and the game becomes easier. It is very important to control your impulses while the game is going on.”Australia elected to bat and posted 264 all out after strong knocks from captain Steve Smith, who made 73, and Alex Carey, who hit 61.In reply India lost two early wickets before Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who made 45, put the chase back on track in their partnership of 91.”I take pride in doing what my team wants,” added the 36-year-old Kohli. “Those things (individual records) don’t matter anymore for me. It’s just about stepping out and hopefully doing the job for the team.”Smith said of Kohli: “He’s arguably the best chaser the game has seen. He’s done it numerous times against us.”He controls the tempo of the game really well, plays to his strengths and takes the game deep.”Cooper Connolly, in the team in place of the injured Matthew Short who was forced out of the tournament on Monday, trapped skipper Rohit Sharma lbw on 28 for his first ODI wicket.Kohli and Iyer then took stock against an inexperienced Australian attack missing fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood to injuries and Mitchell Starc for personal reasons.But leg-spinner Adam Zampa bowled Iyer before Nathan Ellis rattled the stumps of Axar Patel for 27.- Maxwell drops Kohli -Kohli, who hit an unbeaten 100 in India’s group-stage win over arch-rivals Pakistan, stood firm in another stand with Rahul.Kohli was dropped by Glenn Maxwell off Connolly on 51 but Zampa denied him another ton when he clubbed a googly to Ben Dwarshuis at long-on to leave India at 225-5 and give Australia a glimmer of hope.But Rahul kept calm and with Hardik Pandya, who hit three sixes in his 28, put on 34 off 31 balls to ease the pressure.Ellis removed Pandya, via another catch at long-on, but Rahul hit the winning six as a largely Indian crowd roared in delight.”I thought the bowlers did a really good job,” said Smith. “They worked hard throughout, the spinners squeezed and enabled us take the game a bit deeper than potentially could have done.”Earlier, Australia lost regular wickets but kept fighting back with 50-plus stands between Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who made 29, and then the captain and Carey.India’s pace spearhead Mohammed Shami stood out with figures of 3-48 as Australia’s innings lasted 49.3 overs.Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each.Opener Travis Head gave the team a quick start with his 39 after losing his partner Connolly for a nine-ball duck.India calmly knocked off the runs though, gaining a measure of revenge against Australia for their 2023 World Cup final defeat in Ahmedabad.The second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand is on Wednesday in Lahore.

Veteran batsman Virat Kohli rolled back the years with a polished 84 as India pulled off a tense chase to beat Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday.Set 265 for victory, India lost the 36-year-old Kohli in the closing overs but KL Rahul’s unbeaten 42 steered the team home with 11 balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium. They will face South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday in Dubai with India playing all their matches at the venue after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan for the eight-nation event.Lahore was the alternate venue for the final had India missed out.Australia elected to bat and posted the highest total of 264 all out at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in this tournament after key knocks from skipper Steve Smith, who made 73, and Alex Carey, who hit 61.In reply India lost two early wickets before Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who made 45, put the chase back on track in their partnership of 91.Cooper Connolly, making the team in place of injured Matthew Short who was forced out of the tournament on Monday, trapped skipper Rohit Sharma lbw on 28 for his first ODI wicket.Kohli and Iyer then took stock against an inexperienced Australian attack missing their top fast bowlers including Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to injuries.But the next line of bowlers stood up as leg-spinner Adam Zampa bowled Iyer before pace bowler Nathan Ellis rattled the stumps of Axar Patel for 27.Kohli, known as a master chaser who recently hit an unbeaten 100 in India’s win over arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23, stood firm in another stand with wicketkeeper-batsman Rahul.Kohli was dropped by Glenn Maxwell off Connolly on 51 but Zampa denied him another ton when he clubbed a googly to Ben Dwarshuis at long-on to leave India at 225-5 and Australia still hoping.But Rahul kept calm and with Hardik Pandya, who hit three sixes in his 28, put on 34 off 31 balls to ease the pressure.Ellis removed Pandya, another catch at long-on, but Rahul hit the winning six as a largely Indian crowd roared in delight. Earlier, Australia lost regular wickets but kept coming back with partnerships including 50-plus stands between Smith and Labuschagne, who made 29, and then the captain and the left-handed Carey.India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami stood out with figures of 3-48 as Australia’s innings lasted 49.3 overs. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each.Left-handed opener Travis Head gave the team a quick start with his 39 after losing his partner Connolly for a duck.India’s victory is a reversal of their last match against Australia when they lost in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad.The second semi-final is on Wednesday in Lahore.