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Worldnews

Who Is Vaibhav Suryavanshi, The 14-year-old Who Stunned The IPL On Debut?

Everyone in world cricket is talking about Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the Indian player who made a dazzling IPL debut at just 14. Shy schoolboy Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in dreamland at just 14, becoming the youngest player in Indian Premier League history and marking the occasion with an audacious first-ball six. The fearless young left-hander is being touted as a superstar in the making after his instant impact opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, when he scored 34 off 20 balls in Jaipur with three sixes and two fours. He finished on the losing side but stole the limelight as, at 14 years and 23 days, he made his debut for Rajasthan after being bought for $130,500 in November’s auction of players at the age of only 13. An explosive free-scoring batsman, who can also bowl spin, Suryavanshi comes from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media reports. The teenager’s rise has been swift. He made his domestic debut aged 12 in the Ranji Trophy in January 2024 before being selected for India’s under-19 squad against a touring Australia team. He hit a 58-ball century – the second fastest in youth Tests after England’s Moeen Ali in 2005. But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction in 2024 that catapulted the youngster into global headlines. Now he finds himself among the cricketing elite in the world’s most popular and lucrative T20 tournament and has been lauded by former players after his first show. Former England captain Michael Vaughan tagged a clip of Suryavanshi hitting his first ball for six off seasoned India seamer Shardul Thakur and wrote on X: “This is incredible.” “He is 14 but has the mind of a 30-year-old,” former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said. “Vaibhav Suryavanshi looked confident against bowlers who have been bowling for years.” Former India batsman Suresh Raina said, “He will rule cricket in the future. Vaibhav Suryavanshi will show what he is capable of.” Rajasthan coach and India great Rahul Dravid was impressed by the youngster in trials before the auction, saying Suryavanshi had “some really good skills”. His father, Sanjeev, expressed astonishment after what happened in the auction. “I am speechless … I don’t know what to say. It’s a massive thing for our family,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper. “I had a gut feeling that he would get picked, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that there would be a bidding war.” He believes his son is in the right team to realise his potential. “Over the years, Royals have groomed the youngsters. Be it Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel or Riyan Parag, all are products of the Rajasthan Royals franchise,” said Sanjeev. “I sincerely hope that Vaibhav will also follow the same path.” Vaibhav’s state coach, Pramod Kumar, described him as a quiet boy who loves his cricket. “He is the kind of player who has come on Earth to play cricket; he settles for nothing else,” Kumar told The Times of India newspaper. “He hardly talks. But ask him about cricket and he can go on day and night.” Born on March 27, 2011, Suryavanshi is the first IPL cricketer born after the tournament’s inception in 2008. Prayas Ray Barman was the previous youngest IPL player. He was 16 years and 157 days in 2019 when he made his debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

Epic At Ibrox, Murray On Goal Hunt & Wimmer's Impact

Last week's Scottish Premiership card looked like being a succession of largely comfortable home wins until Rangers snatched a dramatic late win at Dundee and Dundee United secured a narrow victory at Ross County. But what will this weekend - the penultimate round of fixtures before the league split - throw up? Here are some names and games that could have a big say... The last time Rangers and Hibernian met, they drew 3-3. Since then, both have been involved in goal-laden games, which whets the appetite for this encounter. Hibs are front-runners to finish third - quite the turnaround since November when they were bottom. Only Celtic - in the league and Scottish Cup - have beaten them in the interim as David Gray's side have amassed 10 league wins and five draws. They are also scoring goals for fun - 48 in the Premiership. Rangers, on the other hand, are leaking goals. They've conceded 12 under interim head coach Barry Ferguson, who bemoaned "old habits" after the win at Dundee. The former Ibrox captain is yet to enjoy an Ibrox victory since replacing Philippe Clement, but did celebrate a penalty shootout triumph over Fenerbahce in the Europa League. The table is set, the ingredients are in place, it's over to Rangers and Hibs to serve up another football feast. Among those challenging Daizen Maeda for the Premiership's golden boot is Dundee's Simon Murray. The 33-year-old forward and Dundee United counterpart Sam Dalby both sit on 13 league goals, two behind Celtic's Maeda. Murray netted his fifth in six games in last weekend's loss to Rangers. It's St Mirren at home for Dundee on Saturday and Murray scored both when the sides last met in Paisley in December, sealing a 2-1 victory for Tony Docherty's side. A repeat performance would be welcomed by his manager, with the Dark Blues still second bottom, five points above St Johnstone. Murray is no stranger to a relegation scrap, having helped County survive the play-offs over the past two seasons, and seems just the sort of character that relishes such a battle. The race for top-six places is predictably tight. Only Celtic, Rangers, Hibs and Aberdeen are assured a finish in the top half. Dundee United, Hearts, St Mirren and Motherwell are all vying for the final two places and County are not arithmetically out of the race just yet. For Motherwell and their new manager Michael Wimmer, securing a place among the elite would vindicate his recent appointment. The German has two wins and a draw from his opening five games, including a victory at Ibrox. However, Saturday's 4-1 loss at Aberdeen was a set-back as St Mirren and United made gains with wins. On Saturday, the Fir Park side take a trip to face a Kilmarnock team smarting from a 5-1 defeat by St Mirren and already consigned to the bottom six. Motherwell are unbeaten in the fixture going back almost 16 months and maintaining that record could be crucial to where Wimmer's side end this season.

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Worldnews

UN Food Agency Cites Funding Gap As It Halts Aid To 650,000 In Ethiopia

Aid to 3.6 million Ethiopians overall is at risk unless new support is sourced, the World Food Programme warns. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it is suspending aid for 650,000 malnourished women and children in Ethiopia due to a lack of funding. The UN agency warned on Tuesday that 3.6 million people in Ethiopia overall are at risk of losing access to food aid in the coming weeks unless new financial support can urgently be sourced. “WFP is being forced to halt treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children in May due to insufficient funding,” the UN agency said in a statement. The agency said it had planned to reach two million mothers and children with life-saving nutrition assistance in 2025 but will fall short due to a predicted funding shortfall of $222m between April and September. “Cash and in-kind food assistance for up to one million refugees will stop in June if additional funding is not received,” the agency warned. Like many aid agencies, the WFP is caught in the crosshairs of funding cuts instituted by the administration of United States President Donald Trump. Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump signed an executive order freezing all foreign aid. Conflict, instability and drought are key reasons why more than 10 million of Ethiopia’s 130 million people face the threat of hunger, the UN agency said. The East African country is recovering from two years of brutal civil war between federal forces and rebels in the northern region of Tigray, which ended in November 2022 and killed at least 600,000 people. Tensions are again mounting between longtime foes Ethiopia and Eritrea over Addis Ababa’s quest for maritime access, causing fears of yet another conflict in the Horn of Africa barely seven years after the two neighbours restored ties. Continued violence and instability in Ethiopia’s Amhara region are also obstructing humanitarian operations, the WFP said, adding that below-average rainfall forecast through May in southeastern Ethiopia could further exacerbate conditions. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Instablog9ja

15 K+lled In Sokoto Village Att+ck By Suspected Lakurawa Members