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(MENAFN - AsiaNet News) Anointed as the new Royal Kumari last September, Aryatara Shakya embarked on a five-day tour around the city as part of the Indra Jatra festival, which signals the arrival of ...

Indian shooters Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games 2026, smashing the Asian record. The victory brought immense joy to Kamaljeet's family and village in Rewari, Haryana.

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The Congress on Friday staged nationwide protests to demand the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over 'vote chori' allegations, asserting that the party would not bow down until action is taken against him. The allegations have gained momentum after a media report claimed differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Several Congress leaders and workers were detained during the agitation, including the party's Assam and Punjab chiefs Gaurav Gogoi and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, respectively. Water cannons were also used to disperse the protesters across states. In the national capital, the Youth Congress held a march demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav said: "The demand is clear that Gyanesh Kumar must be arrested because he has murdered democracy. The essence of a democracy is lost when votes are stolen." "We clearly demand that Gyanesh Kumar resign and that the elections conducted over the past year undergo a review," he added. Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba recalled that the party, especially Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, has been speaking about the "theft of votes" for months now. "On December 14, the ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhodo’ rally was held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. The entire Delhi was echoing with the slogan...Today, our only demand is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should seek Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. He should be arrested and sent to jail. The illegal decisions taken by him must be stopped and reversed," Lambae told IANS. Congress leaders and workers attempted to 'gherao' the Election Commission office in Chandigarh. Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who was being detained, told reporters: “We have all gathered here demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar and his arrest and imprisonment. Our protest is against the SIR. Votes are being stolen across the country, and 20 lakh votes have been deleted in Punjab...Our demand is that SIR should be cancelled and voting should take place without it." Congress Chandigarh President H.S. Lucky asserted that the party would continue the agitation despite the attempts being made by the police to stop them. "The police are doing their duty and putting up barricades. Deploy the police, the Army, Income Tax, ED, or any other agency, but the way the people of the country have been wronged, they will not tolerate it. Gen-Z recently held a major protest at Jantar Mantar. Another major movement will emerge in the country. This protest will continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, just as (then-Union Education Minister) Dharmendra Pradhan did," Lucky told IANS. Security personnel also used water cannons to disperse agitators in Chandigarh. Leading a protest march in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das said: “This movement is against the stealing of votes, and Gyanesh Kumar will have to resign. Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue of vote theft from the beginning, but no one was listening. Today, it has been proved how vote theft is taking place." Led by Bihar President Rajesh Ram, Congress workers in Patna marched towards the Election Commission office. However, police put up barricades near the Secretariat to stop them. A heated scuffle broke out between the police and the workers as the latter attempted to break through the barricades and move forward. The police had to use water cannons to bring the situation under control. Speaking to reporters during the agitation, Rajesh Ram said: “We are not afraid. We will continue to protest against Gyanesh Kumar, who is a criminal.” Another protester alleged that police resorted to 'lathi charge'. Purnia MP Pappu Yadav also took part in the Congress protest in Patna. Criticising the Election Commission, he said: "They have committed an injustice against 13 crore people in Bengal, Bihar and Assam. How can they be allowed to go?” Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat took part in the Congress protest in Dehradun. Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja said: “We are holding protests across the country. People have seen the revelations that have come out regarding the Chief Election Commissioner. The Election Commission is not functioning in the manner it should. There is no unanimity there, and it is not impartial." Similarly, Congress leaders and workers protested outside the Election Commission office in Shimla. Congress Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajni Patil also recalled Rahul Gandhi's vote theft allegations, saying: "Now we are firmly convinced that there are irregularities in the elections...If things go on like this then the Constitution will be totally destroyed." Similar protests also took place in Assam's Guwahati, where state chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi, along with other party members, was detained while trying to break through police barricades --IANS cg/vd

Los Angeles, Sep 25 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s troubles don’t seem to cease. The singer’s pair of his high-profile stadium shows have been canceled due to weather. The singer was set to perform on September 25 and September 26 in Massachusetts. However, his shows now have been nixed. The tour promoter Messina Touring took to their Instagram, and shared the updates. They wrote, “Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium. The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority”. “Refunds are available now at the point of purchase. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded”, they added. Earlier, the singer became embroiled in a controversy over Palestine after rapper Macklemore, his opening act, voiced support for Palestinians, and said, “Free Palestine” during a New Jersey concert. Macklemore was subsequently removed from Sheeran’s US Loop Tour after venue owners objected to his comments. Sheeran said the decision was made by the tour promoter following pressure from venues, and denied personally removing Macklemore. 4 other supporting acts later withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore. Sheeran initially said his shows were not intended to be political, but addressed the issue publicly when the tour resumed in Philadelphia on September 19. He apologised for mistakes in handling the controversy and described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable”, while also condemning the October 2023 Hamas attack. --IANS aa/

Tokyo, Sep 25 (IANS) Reflecting on their historic T20I encounter against current T20 World Cup holders India, Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming said his side displayed commendable confidence against a top-tier opponent, adding that it was a massive learning curve for his team. At the same time, Kadowaki-Fleming felt there’s an urgent need to expand grassroots programs across Japan to bridge the gap with elite cricketing nations. Japan played host to India for the very first time in international cricket through a commemorative match organized by the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. The landmark match, which saw tickets sell out within hours, drew a record-breaking crowd of 2,149 spectators - the highest-ever attendance for a cricket match in Japan. It also recorded over two million views across official online streaming in English and Japanese. "Despite the ranking gap between India and Japan, we were able to play with confidence throughout the match and challenge them. Although we unfortunately lost this time, we want to use today's experience to eventually beat top-ranked teams and aim higher," Kadowaki-Fleming said in a statement by JCA on Friday. In a rain-hit match, with the game reduced to five overs per innings, Japan lost by just two runs in the chase despite restricting India to 32/4. "A major difference lies in the educational programs; India has an environment where cricket is played everywhere. “For us in Japanese cricket, the challenge is to expand awareness of the sport not just in Sano, but across the country. I believe we need to create programs that allow children to improve their skills," added Kadowaki-Fleming. Echoing similar sentiments, Japan head coach Dhugal Bedingfield praised his side's adaptability against India, adding that the exposure would accelerate the group's growth. "It was an honour to play against a top-tier team featuring the world's best batters and bowlers. I believe we put up a good fight against them, and the players - including the younger ones - adapted well to the match situation. The players gained valuable experience from this game, so I am excited about the future. We will work hard to reach the next level," he said. --IANS nr/bsk/