1) Microorganisms are key to storing carbon in soils, shows new study:
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| Agricultural soils in southern Europe. |
Soils serve as crucial carbon sinks in the battle against climate change, storing more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem and three times more than the atmosphere. However, the processes involved in soil carbon storage have not been well understood. While microorganisms have long been recognized as important contributors to the accumulation and loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), the specific contributions of different biological and environmental processes have remained largely unknown.
The study, titled "Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency Promotes Global Soil Carbon Storage," and published on May 24 in Nature, employed a novel approach to quantifying the processes that determine soil carbon dynamics. The international research team comprehensively explored the relationship between carbon use efficiency, SOC preservation, and various factors such as climate, vegetation, and soil properties. The study represents the first successful integration of global-scale datasets, a microbial-process explicit model, data assimilation, deep learning, and meta-analysis to examine this relationship.
Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) measures the proportion of carbon used by microbes for growth versus metabolism. When carbon is used for microbial growth, it becomes incorporated into microbial cells, which supports its storage in the soil. Conversely, when carbon is used for metabolism, it is released into the air as carbon dioxide, acting as a greenhouse gas. The study emphasizes that microbial growth is more crucial than metabolism in determining the amount of carbon stored in the soil.
"We found that microbial carbon use efficiency is the most significant factor in soil carbon storage," says Feng Tao, the study's first author and recent visiting Ph.D. student at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, under the guidance of Prof. Markus Reichstein's department.
While soil carbon dynamics have been studied since many years, previous research focused primarily on individual processes, such as the input of carbon from leaf litter and roots or the release of carbon dioxide into the air during organic matter decomposition. "The study shows the importance of microbial traits for carbon cycles and applies a novel strategy, which we proposed a few years ago, for their estimation," explains Markus Reichstein, co-author of the study and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry.
These new insights highlight the need for further studies on methods to enhance soil carbon sequestration by microbes, the influence of different types of microbes and substrates on soil carbon storage, and on farm management practices. Understanding the microbial processes underlying carbon use efficiency and their dependence on environmental factors can aid in predicting SOC feedbacks in response to a changing climate.
2) Study finds 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones are oldest in Australia
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| Study finds 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones are oldest in Australia |
Published in the journal Historical Biology and completed in collaboration with Museums Victoria, the research analyzed a partial pelvis bone and a small wing bone discovered by a team led by Museums Victoria Research Institute's Senior Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Dr. Tom Rich and Professor Pat Vickers-Rich at Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia in the late 1980s.The team found the bones belonged to two different pterosaur individuals. The partial pelvis bone belonged to a pterosaur with a wingspan exceeding two meters, and the small wing bone belonged to a juvenile pterosaur—the first ever reported in Australia.
Lead researcher and Ph.D. student Adele Pentland, from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said pterosaurs—which were close cousins of the dinosaurs—were winged reptiles that soared through the skies during the Mesozoic Era.
"During the Cretaceous Period (145–66 million years ago), Australia was further south than it is today, and the state of Victoria was within the polar circle—covered in darkness for weeks on end during the winter. Despite these seasonally harsh conditions, it is clear that pterosaurs found a way to survive and thrive," Pentland said.
"Pterosaurs are rare worldwide, and only a few remains have been discovered at what were high palaeolatitude locations, such as Victoria, so these bones give us a better idea as to where pterosaurs lived and how big they were.
"By analyzing these bones, we have also been able to confirm the existence of the first ever Australian juvenile pterosaur, which resided in the Victorian forests around 107 million years ago."
Pentland said that although the bones provide important insights about pterosaurs, little is known about whether they bred in these harsh polar conditions.
"It will only be a matter of time until we are able to determine whether pterosaurs migrated north during the harsh winters to breed, or whether they adapted to polar conditions. Finding the answer to this question will help researchers better understand these mysterious flying reptiles," Pentland said.
Dr. Tom Rich, from Museums Victoria Research Institute, said it was wonderful to see the fruits of research coming out of the hard work of Dinosaur Cove which was completed decades ago.
"These two fossils were the outcome of a labor-intensive effort by more than 100 volunteers over a decade," Dr. Rich said.
"That effort involved excavating more than 60 meters of tunnel where the two fossils were found in a seaside cliff at Dinosaur Cove."
The research was co-authored by researchers from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Monash University, and Museums Victoria Research Institute.
3) Software offers new way to listen for signals from the stars
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| An artist's conception of an alien device that generates repetitive signals |
Pulsars—rapidly rotating neutron stars that sweep beams of radio energy across the Earth—are natural astrophysical objects that generate periodic signals but humans also use directed periodic transmissions for a variety of applications, including radar. Such signals would be a good way to get someone's attention across interstellar space, standing out from the background of non-periodic signals, as well as using much less energy than a transmitter that is broadcasting continuously.
"BLIPSS is an example of cutting-edge software as a science multiplier for SETI," said Suresh. "Our study introduces to SETI, for the first time, the Fast Folding Algorithm; our open-source software utilizes an FFA to crunch over 1.5 million time series for periodic signals in roughly 30 minutes."
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| Image description : Detection of a target periodic spectral signal using blipss. Left: simulated radio frequency-time data containing 64 spectral channels of width 391 kHz each. A periodic pulsed signal has been inserted into the central channel. Right: radio frequency-period (P) diagram showing the detection of a P0 = 30 s signal in the central spectral channel. The first harmonic (cross) and the first subharmonic (plus) of the fundamental signal frequency (f0 = 1/P0) are also detected at P = 15 s and P = 60 s, respectively. Credit: The Astronomical Journal (2023). DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/acccf0 |
BLIPSS is a collaborative effort between Cornell, the SETI Institute, and Breakthrough Listen. The project significantly enhances the probability of capturing evidence of extraterrestrial technology by focusing on the central region of the Milky Way, known for its dense concentration of stars and potentially habitable exoplanets. The center of the Milky Way would also be an ideal place for aliens to place a beacon to contact large swaths of the Galaxy.
The team tested their algorithm on known pulsars and were able to detect periodic emission as expected. They then turned to a larger dataset of scans of the Galactic Center undertaken using the Breakthrough Listen instrument on the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. In contrast to pulsars, which emit across a wide swath of radio frequencies, BLIPSS looked for repeating signals in a narrower range of frequencies, covering less than one-tenth of the width of an average FM radio station.
"The combination of these relatively narrow bandwidths with periodic patterns could be indicative of deliberate technological activities of intelligent civilizations," said co-author Steve Croft, Breakthrough Listen project scientist. "Breakthrough Listen captures huge volumes of data, and Akshay's technique provides a new method to help us search that haystack for needles that could provide tantalizing evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life forms."
"Until now, radio SETI has primarily dedicated its efforts to the search for continuous signals," said co-author Vishal Gajjar, a SETI Institute astronomer. "Our study sheds light on the remarkable energy efficiency of a train of pulses as a means of interstellar communication across vast distances. Notably, this study marks the first-ever comprehensive endeavor to conduct in-depth searches for these signals."
4) Scientists' report world's first X-ray of a single atom
%20illuminate%20onto%20an%20iron%20atom%20(red%20ball%20at%20the%20center%20of%20the%20molecule),%20core%20level%20electrons%20are%20excited..jpg) |
| Image description: When X-rays (blue color) illuminate onto an iron atom (red ball at the center of the molecule), core level electrons are excited. X-ray excited electrons are then tunnel to the detector tip (gray) via overlapping atomic/molecular orbitals, which provide elemental and chemical information of the iron atom. Credit: Saw-Wai Hla |
A team of scientists from Ohio University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and others, led by Ohio University Professor of Physics, and Argonne National Laboratory scientist, Saw Wai Hla, have taken the world's first X-ray SIGNAL (or SIGNATURE) of just one atom. This groundbreaking achievement could revolutionize the way scientists detect the materials. Since its discovery by Roentgen in 1895, X-rays have been used everywhere, from medical examinations to security screenings in airports. Even Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover, is equipped with an X-ray device to examine the materials composition of the rocks in Mars. An important usage of X-rays in science is to identify the type of materials in a sample. Over the years, the quantity of materials in a sample required for X-ray detection has been greatly reduced thanks to the development of synchrotron X-rays sources and new instruments. To date, the smallest amount one can X-ray a sample is in attogram, that is about 10,000 atoms or more. This is due to the X-ray signal produced by an atom being extremely weak so that the conventional X-ray detectors cannot be used to detect it. According to Hla, it is a long-standing dream of scientists to X-ray just one atom, which is now being realized by the research team led by him.
"Atoms can be routinely imaged with scanning probe microscopes, but without X-rays one cannot tell what they are made of. We can now detect exactly the type of a particular atom, one atom-at-a-time, and can simultaneously measure its chemical state," explained Hla, who is also the director of the Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute at Ohio University. "Once we are able to do that, we can trace the materials down to ultimate limit of just one atom. This will have a great impact on environmental and medical sciences and maybe even find a cure that can have a huge impact for humankind. This discovery will transform the world."
%20An%20image%20of%20a%20ring%20shaped%20supramolecule%20where%20only%20one%20Fe%20atom%20is%20present%20in%20the%20entire%20ring.%20(Right)%20X-ray%20signature%20of%20just%20one%20Fe%20atom.jpg) |
| Left) An image of a ring shaped supramolecule where only one Fe atom is present in the entire ring. (Right) X-ray signature of just one Fe atom |
Their paper, published in the scientific journal Nature on May 31, 2023, and gracing the cover of the print version of the scientific journal on June 1, 2023, details how Hla and several other physicists and chemists, including Ph.D. students at OHIO, used a purpose-built synchrotron X-ray instrument at the XTIP beamline of Advanced Photon Source and the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory.
For demonstration, the team chose an iron atom and a terbium atom, both inserted in respective molecular hosts. To detect X-ray signal of one atom, the research team supplemented conventional detectors in X-rays with a specialized detector made of a sharp metal tip positioned at extreme proximity to the sample to collect X-ray excited electrons—a technique known as synchrotron X-ray scanning tunneling microscopy or SX-STM. X-ray spectroscopy in SX-STM is triggered by photoabsorption of core level electrons, which constitutes elemental fingerprints and is effective in identifying the elemental type of the materials directly.
According to Hla, the spectrums are like fingerprints, each one being unique and able to detect exactly what it is.
"The technique used, and concept proven in this study, broke new ground in X-ray science and nanoscale studies," said Tolulope Michael Ajayi, who is the first author of the paper and doing this work as part of his Ph.D. thesis. "More so, using X-rays to detect and characterize individual atoms could revolutionize research and give birth to new technologies in areas such as quantum information and the detection of trace elements in environmental and medical research, to name a few. This achievement also opens the road for advanced materials science instrumentation."
For the last 12 years, Hla has been involved in the development of an SX-STM instrument and its measurement methods together with Volker Rose, a scientist at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.
"I have been able to successfully supervise four OHIO graduate students for their Ph.D. theses related to SX-STM method development over a 12-year period. We have come a long way to achieve the detection of a single atom X-ray signature," Hla said.
Hla's study is focused on nano and quantum sciences with a particular emphasis on understanding materials' chemical and physical properties at the fundamental level—on an individual atom basis. In addition to achieving X-ray signature of one atom, the team's key goal was to use this technique to investigate the environmental effect on a single rare-earth atom.
"We have detected the chemical states of individual atoms as well," Hla explained. "By comparing the chemical states of an iron atom and a terbium atom inside respective molecular hosts, we find that the terbium atom, a rare-earth metal, is rather isolated and does not change its chemical state while the iron atom strongly interacts with its surrounding."
Many rare-earth materials are used in everyday devices, such as cell phones, computers and televisions, to name a few, and are extremely important in creating and advancing technology. Through this discovery, scientists can now identify not only the type of element but its chemical state as well, which will allow them to better manipulate the atoms inside different materials hosts to meet the ever-changing needs in various fields. Moreover, they have also developed a new method called "X-ray excited resonance tunneling or X-ERT" that allows them to detect how orbitals of a single molecule orient on a material surface using synchrotron X-rays.
"This achievement connects synchrotron X-rays with quantum tunneling process to detect X-ray signature of an individual atom and opens many exciting research directions including the research on quantum and spin (magnetic) properties of just one atom using synchrotron X-rays," Hla said.
In addition to Ajayi, several other OHIO graduate students including current Ph.D. students Sineth Premarathna in Physics and Xinyue Cheng in Chemistry, as well as Ph.D. in Physics alumni Sanjoy Sarkar, Shaoze Wang, Kyaw Zin Latt, Tomas Rojas, and Anh T. Ngo, currently an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago, were involved in this research. College of Arts and Sciences Roenigk Chair and Professor of Chemistry Eric Masson designed and synthesized the rare earth molecule used in this study.
Going forward, Hla and his research team will continue to use X-rays to detect properties of just one atom and find ways to further revolutionize their applications for use in gathering critical materials research and more.
5) Plants can distinguish when touch starts and stops
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| Non-invasively evoked responses of cytosolic calcium to mechanical stimulation in pavement cells of the Arabidopsis abaxial leaf epidermis. |
In a set of experiments, individual plant cells responded to the touch of a very fine glass rod by sending slow waves of calcium signals to other plant cells, and when that pressure was released, they sent much more rapid waves. While scientists have known that plants can respond to touch, this study shows that plant cells send different signals when touch is initiated and ended.
"It is quite surprising how finely sensitive plants cells are—that they can discriminate when something is touching them. They sense the pressure, and when it is released, they sense the drop in pressure," said Michael Knoblauch, WSU biological sciences professor and senior author of the study in the journal Nature Plants. "It's surprising that plants can do this in a very different way than animals, without nerve cells and at a really fine level."
Knoblauch and his colleagues conducted a set of 84 experiments on 12 plants using thale cress and tobacco plants that had been specially bred to include calcium sensors, a relatively new technology. After placing pieces of these plants under a microscope, they applied a slight touch to individual plant cells with a micro-cantilever, essentially a tiny glass rod about the size of a human hair. They saw many complex responses depending on the force and duration of the touch, but the difference between the touch and its removal was clear.
Within 30 seconds of the applied touch to a cell, the researchers saw slow waves of calcium ions, called cytosolic calcium, travelling from that cell through the adjacent plant cells, lasting about three to five minutes. Removal of the touch showed an almost instant set of more rapid waves that dissipated within a minute.
The authors believe these waves are likely due to the change in pressure inside the cell. Unlike animal cells with permeable membranes, plant cells also have strong cellular walls that cannot be easily breached, so just a light touch will temporarily increase pressure in a plant cell. The researchers tested the pressure theory mechanically by inserting a tiny glass capillary pressure probe into a plant cell. Increasing and decreasing pressure inside the cell resulted in similar calcium waves elicited by the start and stop of a touch.
"Humans and animals sense touch through sensory cells. The mechanism in plants appears to be via this increase or decrease of the internal cell pressure," said Knoblauch. "And it doesn't matter which cell it is. We humans may need nerve cells, but in plants, any cell on the surface can do this." Previous research has shown that when a pest like a caterpillar bites a plant leaf, it can initiate the plant's defensive responses such as the release of chemicals that make leaves less tasty or even toxic to the pest. An earlier study also revealed that brushing a plant triggers calcium waves that activate different genes.
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| Plant-sending-calcium-signal-wave |
The current study was able to differentiate the calcium waves between touch and letting go, but how exactly the plant's genes respond to those signals remains to be seen. With new technologies like the calcium sensors used in this study, scientists can start to untangle that mystery, Knoblauch said.
"In future studies, we have to trigger the signal in a different way than has been done before to know what signal, if touch or letting go, triggers downstream events," he said.
6) Neanderthal and human fire-making methods suggest different origins, shared intelligence
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| A material-and-action sequence for strike-a-light firemaking representing planning depth and prospective cognition. |
In the paper, "Minds on Fire: Cognitive Aspects of Early Firemaking and the Possible Inventors of Firemaking Kits," published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal, the researchers make a case for separate inventions of fire-making techniques by Neanderthal and previous modern human cultures, with cognitive implications for each.
The team analyzed the two dominant past hunter-gatherer fire-making techniques, the strike-a-light and the manual fire-drill. The methods were assessed in terms of causal, social and prospective reasoning.
The more complicated technique of the fire-drill kit begins in Africa, where it could only have been invented by modern humans. Here the researchers point out that fire was used for sophisticated technological processes, such as the heat treatment of rocks, to improve their knapping ability in southern Africa since ~160,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest strike-a-light fire-making was most likely invented by Neanderthal populations in Eurasia. Archaeological evidence of fire is relatively regular in Europe ~130,000–35,000 years ago.
There is even indirect evidence of controlled fire use going back ~200,000 years when the world's first manufactured synthetic adhesive, birch tar, was likely heated for distillation in low-oxygen earth ovens.
Neanderthals
The cognitive involvement in the strike-a-light method is relatively low in terms of the execution of banging the right rocks together. As Neanderthals were prolific makers of stone tools with flint knapping techniques, the discovery and adoption of what is essentially a flint knapping method of fire creation would not be surprising.
The distribution maps for strike-a-light versus fire-drill fire-making techniques support a hypothesis wherein the strike-a-light method may have been more successful in wetter, high-latitude regions and fire-drills best suited for drier, warmer areas. Regardless of complexity, both groups used the best or most convenient option for their location.
While fire use by early hominids could be millions of years old, the researchers were focused on fire-making with tool sets. The researchers hypothesize that fire-making requires a more complex cognitive process than the ability to use and maintain a natural fire.
Fire-making requires a toolset for ignition, indicating a learned knowledge of the method and the ability to craft or collect such a toolset. The right type of burn materials needs to be collected, from easily ignitable to start the fire to slower burning to keep the fire going once it has started. Once the fire is going, some foresight on how it will be used or contained keeps it from becoming a hazard.
Each of these phases involves different forms of causal thinking, cultural transmission and rehearsal, as well as cooperation in collecting and managing the fire, suggesting that both Neanderthals and their contemporary modern humans had these cognitive capacities, hinting that such abilities may have pre-dated the evolutionary split between the species over 500,000 years ago.
7) ISRO launches next-gen navigation satellite GSLV NVS-1:
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India successfully put into orbit the first of its second-generation navigation satellite NVS-01 on Monday, May 29. The 2,232 kg NVS-01 satellite -- part of Indian satellite navigation system NavIC or originally called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) -- was carried by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Simply put, NavIC is an Indian GPS - Global Positioning System. Around 10.42 am, the three-staged GSLV rocket standing 51.7 metres tall and weighing 420 tons rose up into the skies from the second launch pad in Sriharikota.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country's new Parliament building, which was constructed by Tata Projects Ltd. The triangular-shaped building has a built-up area of 64,500 square metres and features a grand constitutional hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the new Parliament building, seeking blessings from high priests of various 'adheenams' in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand. He also installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.
Dressed in traditional attire, PM Modi walked into Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka's Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed "Ganapati Homam" to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building.
PM then carried the Sengol in a procession amid tunes of "nadaswaram" and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.
Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Jitendra Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP president J P Nadda among other leaders were present on the occasion.
Highlights of the new Parliament building
Constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, the new parliament building will have a grand constitution hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space. The material used for the new building has been acquired from various parts of the country.
The teakwood used in the building was sourced from Nagpur in Maharashtra,
while the red and white sandstone was procured from Sarmathura in Rajasthan. The sandstone for the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in the national capital was also known to have been sourced from Sarmathura.
The triangular-shaped four-storey building has a built-up area of 64,500 square metres.
The building has three main gates -- Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar, and Karma Dwar. It also has separate entrances for VIPs, MPs, and visitors.
The Kesharia green stone has been procured from Udaipur, the red granite from Lakha near Ajmer and the white marble has been sourced from Ambaji in Rajasthan.
"In a way, the entire country came together to construct the temple of democracy, thus reflecting the true spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," an official said. The steel structure for the false ceilings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers have been sourced from the union territory of Daman and Diu, while the furniture in the new building was crafted in Mumbai.
The stone 'jaali' (lattice) works dotting the building were sourced from Rajnagar in Rajasthan and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
The materials for the Ashoka Emblem were sourced from Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Jaipur in Rajasthan,
The new Parliament building used manufactured sand or M-sand from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana for creating concrete mix for the construction activities. This sand is considered environment friendly as it is manufactured by crushing large hard stones or granite and not by dredging of river beds.
The fly ash bricks used in the construction were sourced from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while brass works and pre-cast trenches were from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
The new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. In case of a joint sitting of both the Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.
PM Modi had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020. The present Parliament building was completed in 1927, and is now 96 years old. In 2006, the Parliament Museum was added to showcase the 2,500 years of rich democratic heritage of India.
Officials said the present building was never designed to accommodate a bicameral legislature and the seating arrangements were cramped and cumbersome, with no desks beyond the second row.
The Central Hall has seating capacity only for 440 people and the need for more space was acutely felt during joint sittings of both the houses.
2) Protesting wrestlers detained, police clearing protest site at Jantar Mantar
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| Vinesh Phogat and Sangeeta Phogat being detained by the security personnel during their protest march from Jantar Mantar to the Parliament. |
The wrestlers were arrested for breaching the security barricades while trying to move towards the new Parliament building where a women’s mahapanchayat had been planned. A little over one month after they had began protesting at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harrassment, India’s top wrestlers including Olympic and World medallists Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik were on Sunday detained by Delhi Police and their protest site cleared.
The wrestlers had been planning to march to the site of New Delhi’s new parliament building and conduct a ‘women’s mahapanchayat’ to coincide with the inauguration of the building by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The wrestlers left Jantar Mantar – where they had been sitting in protest since April 24 th – but as soon as they crossed protective barricades placed around the protest site were detained by the Delhi Police.
With section 144 in place in New Delhi to prevent disruptions to the Parliament innauguration, Delhi Police picked up the wrestlers who’s march only made it until the end of Jantar Mantar road before they were stopped.
Ironically the wrestlers were detained in front of the Ashoka Road residence of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the five-time member of Parliament against whom allegations of sexual harrassment had originally been made. The protesting wrestlers were sent to detention in separate police stations across New Delhi. Punia was sent to Mayur Vihar Police station, Malik to Burari while Vinesh and Sangeeta were detained at Kalkaji Police station. Other protesters were detained at Singhu Border.
Within half an hour of the wrestlers being detained, their protest site at Jantar Mantar which included a tented structure, mattresses and air coolers was dismantled by Delhi Police.
Detained Wrestlers, Supporters Angry at BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh Attending Parliament Inaugural.
3) Protesting wrestlers postpone immersion of medals in Ganga after farmer leader Naresh Tikait seeks '5 days time
The protesting wrestlers on Tuesday, who were in Haridwar to immerse their medals in river Ganga, decided against doing so after Farmer leader Naresh Tikait intervened and requested the wrestlers to defer the move for five days, according to News18.
wrestlers-protest-sakshi-malik-vinesh-phogat-break-into-tears-ahead-of-immersing-their-medals-in-ganga
The wrestlers are currently protesting against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, who has been accused of alleged sexual assault. The grapplers have now given the Union government five days to arrest Brij Bhushan, else the wrestlers would return to Haridwar if no action was taken.
While the protests that resumed on 23 April at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi have been going on for over a month now, the wrestlers, along with support from the women and youth had planned a Mahila Mahapanchayat on 28 May outside the new Parliament building. However, during their march from Jantar Mantar to the new Parliament building, the wrestlers were detained by Delhi Police and an FIR had been registered against the athletes.On Tuesday, a huge crowd gathered in Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri as the protesting wrestlers got ready to immerse their world and Olympic medals in the holy waters as a mark of the protest.
Sakshi, Vinesh and her cousin Sangeeta were seen sobbing as their husbands tried to console them even as scores of their supporters formed a cordon around them.The wrestlers stood for about 20 minutes in silence after reaching Har ki Pauri. They then sat on the banks of the river holding their citations and looking emotionally distressed. The wrestlers said they will immerse their hard-earned medals and sit on a hunger strike “until death” at the India Gate.
However, the Delhi Police said on Tuesday that they will not be allowed to protest at India Gate as it is a “national monument and not a site for demonstrations”.Earlier, Sakshi, bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, had said in a statement on her Twitter handle that the wrestlers will go to Haridwar to immerse the medals.
“These medals are our life and soul. We are going to immerse them in the Ganges because she is Maa Ganga. After that, there is no point of living, so we will sit on a hunger strike until death at India Gate,” she had said in the statement in Hindi. The same statement was also shared by her Vinesh.
Tuesday is the day of Ganga Dussera and a lot of people are expected at the banks to offer prayers.“We have won these medals with the same purity as the holy Ganga. These medals are holy for the entire country and there can’t be a better place to keep them than in the holy Ganga rather than it acting as a mask for the unholy system which is siding with the wrongdoer,” Sakshi said.
“India Gate is the place of those martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country. We are not as holy as them but our emotions while playing at the international level are similar to those soldiers.”
Sakshi said as the “system kept trying to scare the victims and stop the protest” instead of “catching the harasser”, the wrestlers felt the medals have no value and wanted to return them.She wished president Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the issue.
“We don’t want these medals now because by making us wear them this shiny system is using it as a mask for its own publicity while exploiting us. If we speak against this exploitation, it prepares to send us to jail.”
4) Why Kuki-Meitei Conflict In Manipur Is More Than Just An Ethnic Clash (Rakhi Bose from Outlook):
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In Manipur, a prolonged clash between two ethnic groups - Kukis and Meiteis - has led to widespread violence, death and displacement. Conservative estimates put the number of deaths at 80 while over 40,000 people have been displaced from their homes. In many cases, there are no homes led to return to. While all Kukis have been violently expelled from Imphal, no Meiteis can be seen in Churachandpur or other Kuki-dominated hill districts.
The lines of division have become sharper than ever with both communities expressing mistrust, anger and even hate against the other. It all started on May 3 when a tribal solidarity march organised by tribal civil society bodies in Churachandpur turned violent. The purported cause for the clashes appears to be the dominant and politically stronger Meitei community’s demand for ST status. The Meiteis, who form about 60 per cent of the population, can currently reside in just 10 per cent of the total land area in Manipur. The rest of Manipur - consisting of hill districts - belongs to the tribals, mainly Kukis and Nagas. However, a closer analysis of the incidents that unfolded in Manipur reveals not just burgeoning ethnic tensions but deeper divides - between a valley and the hills, between shifting and settled agriculture, between state and non-state, between so-called ‘civilised’ and ‘anarchist’.
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Agriculture and the Conflict of ‘State and Non-state’
In the Art of Not Being Governed — An Anarchist History Of Upland Southeast Asia, anthropologist James C Scott outlines how state formation in the valleys creates sections that are “non-state” that inhabit the hills. At the core of this distinction between state and non-state is “surplus”.
Imphal-based political analyst Pradip Phanjouban explains that surplus is the necessary first step of the process of state formation and intellectual/political/economic activity. Thus, communities practising shifting agriculture in hills and making frugal produce that lasts from season to season remained left out of the process, meaning they became “non-state”.
History shows various examples of how settled rulers, especially in indigenous societies, maintained peace with hill tribes. In Assam, for instance, the Ahom kings evolved the Post system wherein villages provided certain goods that the tribes needed to survive through lean seasons in exchange for peace. The logic was that in case of a raid, both parties suffered (the Ahoms would have raided back and done more damage). This helped maintain peace between the valley and the plains.
When the British came, they wanted to draw the lines between what is in the state realm and what is in the non-state realm by categorising who was more “civilised” and could easily be aligned with the British culture of governance and society. They also monetised the indigenous systems like the Posa by replacing the kind given to tribes with cash. This further established the divide between state and non-state as it forced tribal chiefs to come to face to face with bureaucracy and become part of the “civilised” channels of administration. Today, the conflict between the Kukis and Meiteis in Manipur, Phandjouban feels, is largely a conflict between the “state” and “non-state”.
Ostracisation, Othering And the Kuki Identity
In the wake of violence, Kuki MLAs and civil society groups in Manipur have demanded the establishment of separate administration for the hill districts of Manipur. While the Nagas have also opposed the demand for ST status by the Meiteis, they remain neutral on the matter of separate administration.
“When Kukis had initially started the demand for separation, they had not included the Nagas. But this time, they have been wiser and have included us in the demand. They are demanding separation under the umbrella of tribals. But Nagas have to wait and watch how the situation unfolds with Centre,” Kasar states.
Apart from tribal ethnic dynamics, scholars note yet another - and one of the most important factors - that led to the current conflict - the role of the state and the rising “Meitei nationalism” in Manipur.
For years, the Meitei-dominated governments of the Manipur have remained alienated spaces for Kukis who find themselves labelled as “outsiders”, “illegal immigrants” and “poppy cultivators”. With the coming of Biren Singh as Chief Minister, these narratives seem to have got a further fillip.
Biren Singh has been known for his “anti-Kuki” rhetoric from his early days in Congress and many, especially the Kukis, accuse him of peddling fake narratives against the community. “He uses words like a foreigner, illegal immigrant, and makes threats to the community,” states L Haokip.
Several Kuki MLAs including ones working in BJP have renounced Singh’s approach to Kukis. Paolienlal Haokip, BJP MLA for Saikot in the Churachandpur district of Manipur, has called Singh an “anti-Kuki” man who is “prejudiced”, the Wire has reported. Many Meiteis like Pradip Phanjouban believe that the CM’s attitude of “othering” of the Kukis added to the community’s anger and alienation. “The ongoing narratives would have made the Kukis very sensitive, pushed against the wall. And when you are pushed against the wall, you respond with more force. That may perhaps answer the question - why did the Kukis react like that and not the Nagas,” Phanjouban adds.
Thangminglen Kipgen, Vice President of Kuki Inn Kangpokpi and spokesperson for Kuki Innpi Manipur, the apex body for Kukis in the state, states that this process of hatred against and othering of the Kukis had been going on for the past two-three years through the support and ignorance of a certain community who villainised another community. Others from Kuki Innpi like Dr L Haokip who works for the Congress state that newly formed Meitei groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Lipul have been carrying out divisive campaigns by travelling door-to-door in Meitei and Gorkha-dominated areas in the hills where they have been trying to work up the Meiteis and Gorkhas against the Kukis.
A recent eviction drive by the state government to clear reserved forest lands under FRA has also led to the displacement of Kuki villages without any rehabilitation. “Instead, they have tagged us as illegal immigrants and poppy cultivators,” Haokip states. Many like Haokip and Kipgen among others in the Kuki community feel that separate administration can be the only solution. “The Kukis have now seen the opportunity for pushing for separation. However, it needs to be done in a systematic and constitutional manner, not through force or anarchy” Ashang Kasar states. With Amit Shah personally assuring Biren Singh that Manipuri's integrity will not be harmed, many in Manipur remain wary of future developments and potential violence.
In light of the historical dynamics between the hill and valley communities, the demand for separate administration by Kukis could also perhaps be seen as the community’s first step toward state formation - an attempt to shift from a “non-state” entity to a “state” entity. But will the dominant Meiteis allow it? And how would such a development impact international geopolitics in the highly sensitive region that borders Myanmar and is close to China?
Judicial commission to probe Manipur ‘ethnic violence’, says Amit Shah
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| Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses a press conference in Imphal, Manipur, on June 1, 2023 |
Home Minister warns Kuki militant groups of stern action if 2008 SoO pact violated; says police will start combing for looted weapons from Friday; CBI to register conspiracy case on the basis of five FIRs. Terming the ongoing violence in Manipur as “ethnic violence,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that a judicial probe would be conducted by setting up a commission to “investigate the violence, its causes, and fix responsibility” on the Centre’s behalf. It will be headed by a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
Addressing a press conference in Imphal on the fourth day of his trip to Manipur, the Home Minister said that the Central Bureau of Investigation would also begin its own probe. Out of all the cases registered so far, the CBI will select five cases and register a general case of conspiracy. “The special CBI team will probe the cases without any bias,” Mr. Shah said. More than 2,000 FIRs have been registered since the violence broke out on May 3.
With many security agencies now at work in Manipur and to bring them to a common ground, an inter-agency unified command is being set up, Mr. Shah said. It will be headed by retired Central Police Reserve Force director Kuldiep Singh, who was appointed as security adviser by the Manipur government soon after the violence began.
Action against SoO violations
The Home Minister also warned the Kuki militant groups of stern action if the terms of agreement of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) were violated.
‘Surrender looted weapons’
As many as 1,420 weapons have been looted from police camps since May 3. The Home Minister called for all to be surrendered to the police. “I want to appeal to those who have the weapons to surrender them immediately. Police will start combing operations from tomorrow; they should come forward and surrender the weapons to the police. If they fail to do so, strict action will follow. We know the people who possess the weapons,” Mr. Shah said. Asked how the police allowed the arms to be taken in the first place, the Minister said, “Many arms have been recovered, [but] when a mob comes, police hesitate to fire at them.”
Manipur HC’s hasty verdict to blame’
On March 27, the Manipur High Court had directed the State government to submit a recommendation for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe list, preferably within four weeks. This was opposed by Manipur’s existing 34 Scheduled Tribes, who comprise 41% of the State’s population and predominantly live in the hill districts. A tribal solidarity rally was organised in Churachandpur and other areas on May 3, following which violence erupted. Many parts of the State remain under curfew.
Mr. Shah said that the peace established in Manipur over the past six years had been disrupted in May due to a court judgment, adding that “there have been some misunderstandings” since then. “I can say without any hesitation that on account of a hasty decision of the Manipur High Court, a situation of ethnic violence between two groups erupted. For the last six years since a BJP government was formed here, Manipur became free from bandhs, blockades, curfews and violence,” Mr. Shah said.
Myanmar border fencing
With some sections blaming the violence on illegal migrants from Myanmar, Mr. Shah said that fencing has been completed on a 10-km stretch along the Manipur-Myanmar border, adding 80 km would soon be fenced.Terming the ongoing violence in Manipur as “ethnic violence,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that a judicial probe would be conducted by setting up a commission to “investigate the violence, its causes, and fix responsibility” on the Centre’s behalf. It will be headed by a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
Air, rail services
The Home Minister announced that helicopter services would be started for the hill areas at a cost of ₹2,000 per person. They can be used as transportation to airports or for travel within the State. A part of the cost will be borne by the State; the Centre will monitor the scheme. As reported by The Hindu, tribal groups in the hills had demanded aerial services to the neighbouring State capitals of Aizawl and Guwahati as they refused to travel to the airport in Imphal citing safety concerns.
Relief measures
“To deal with any possible food crisis 30,000 metric tonnes of rice have been allocated by the Government of India,” the Minister said. Special medical teams have arrived in Manipur, and will be based at Moreh, Kangkokpi and Churachandpur, he added.
5) ‘If you sat Modi ji next to God…’: Rahul Gandhi enthralls audience during US visit – Top Quotes
Modi ji would start explaining to God how the universe works. And God would get confused about what he has created, Rahul Gandhi said during an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Santa Clara, California.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that the Modi government deployed all its might to derail the Bharat Jodo Yatra that he undertook a few months ago but failed. Addressing a group of people from the Indian diaspora in Santa Clara, California, Rahul touched upon several issues ranging from the Bharat Jodo Yatra to his idea for uprooting the social and economic divide in the country.
In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Rahul said that the BJP has had to resort to distractions such as the Sengol and “lying down” before it because it cannot talk on real issues like unemployment, price rise and rising hatred in the country.
Govt used all their might to stop Bharat Jodo Yatra
“We were finding that the normal tools that we used to use for politics — conversations like this, public meetings — were simply not working anymore. All the instruments that we needed to do politics in India were controlled by the BJP and the RSS. You know people are threatened, agencies are used.. in some way we were finding it difficult to act politically. And that’s why we decided to walk from the southern-most tip of India to Srinagar.
“The government tried everything.. Jo bhi unme taaqat thi, unhone yatra ko rokne mein laga di (They used all the power at their disposal to stop the Yatra). But nothing worked. The effect of the Yatra only kept growing.
‘If you sat Modi ji next to God…’: Rahul’s swipe at PM Modi
The assault that is taking place in India is on our way of life. The tradition in Inda something that Basavanna ji, Guru Nanak Ji, Gandhi ji emphasised – not to be under the impression that you know everything. The world is too big, too complicated for any one person to think that he knows everything. But that is the disease…we have a group in India that is absolutely convinced that we know everything.. I think they think they know even more than God. They could sit down with God and have a conversation and explain to him about what is going on. And of course, our Prime Minister is one such specimen.
If you sat Modi ji next to God, Modi ji would start explaining to God how the universe works. And God would get confused that what have I created. It’s a funny thing but this is what is going on. We have a group of people who know everything. They can speak to scientists and explain science to them. They could sit next to historians and explain history to them…explain warfare to the Army, flying to the Air Force. At the heart of it is mediocrity, that they actually don’t understand anything.
And Rahul Gandhi would be doing Mann Ki Baat…
If you look at our country has the ability to absorb any idea that comes. India has never rejected any idea. Everybody who has come to India has been received with open arms and their ideas have been absorbed. And that is the India we like. An India that respects the rest of the world.. India that is humble.. that listens and is affectionate. And that is the India that you represent. You would not be here if you did not agree with these values.
If you believed in anger, hatred, arrogance, you would be sitting in a BJP meeting. And I would be doing Mann Ki Baat. So thank you for holding up the Indian flag in America, showing Americans what it means to be Indian, respecting them, respecting their culture, learning from them and also allowing them to learn from you. You make us all proud. When we think of our country, you are all our ambassadors.
On Women’s Reservation Bill
We are committed to the Women’s Reservation Bill and we wanted to pass it when we were in government, but some of our allies were not too happy with it and they didn;t give us the support for that bill. But I am confident when we come to power we will pass that bill. If we empower women, involve them in the political system, give them space in the governance of the country, the businesses of the country we will automatically make them safe.
Constitution says India a union of states
If you read our Constitution, the definition of India is a Union of states. And within our Constitution is the idea that the languages, cultures, history of each one of our states have to be protected under the union. It’s already incorporated into our constitution. The BJP and the RSS are attacking that idea that you mention and also the Constitution of India. I understand that for Tamil people, Tamil is not just a language, it is their history, their culture, their way of life. And I will never ever allow Tamil language to be threatened. To me, threatening the Tamil language is threatening the idea of India. Just like threatening Bengali or Kannada or threatening Hindi or Punjabi are all attacks on India.
On uprooting social and economic inequality
One of the things that we are suggesting is when we were in government, we had carried out a caste census. The idea behind it was to take an X-ray of Indian society to find out the exact demographics of the country. What are the different communities, the different castes, how many people in each community, how many people in each caste… Because without understanding our demographics and who is who it is very difficult to distribute wealth, power effectively. That is one idea we had and we have been putting pressure on BJP to release the numbers in the caste census. Of course, they are not doing it and we will continue to do so.
We are committed as the Congress party to making India a fair place and we understand deeply that India today, in terms of its treatment of Dalits, tribals, poor people, and minorities is not a fair place. There are many things that can be done. There is the NYAY scheme that we had which was aimed at providing minimum income to all Indians. There are ideas like MNREGA. Increase in spending on public education, public healthcare are all things that can be done to make India a much more equal and fair place.
On new Parliament building inauguration
I think the Parliament House (opening)…these are distractions. The real issues in India are unemployment, price rise, spread of anger and hatred, crumbling education system, price of education and healthcare. These are the real issues. BJP can’t really discuss them so they have to do the whole sceptre thing… You know, lying down and doing all of that. Aren’t you happy I am not lying down?
On ‘attacks’ against Muslims
It (attack) is felt more strongly by the Muslim community because it is done more directly to them. But in fact, it is being done to all minorities. I can guarantee you that the way you are feeling attacked, I can guarantee you the Sikh and Christian brothers and sisters are feeling the same thing… The Dalit community is feeling the same thing, the tribal community is feeling the same thing. Anybody who is poor in India today, when he looks at the extreme wealth that a limited number of people have. In some way, he feels the same way as you (Muslims) feel — “How is it that these 5 people have lakhs of crores and I have nothing to eat?” You (Muslims) feel it the most since it is directed at you most aggressively. But it is a phenomenon that is taking place against everybody in India.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday arrived in San Fransisco as part of his three-city visit to the United States of America (USA) during which he is scheduled to participate in a slew of interactions and programmes with the Indian community, think tanks and businesses.
6) Coromandel Express accident Live Updates: Rescuers work on cutting last coach to pull out victims; death toll rises to 233, over 900 injured
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Odisha Coromandel Express train accident Live Updates: A massive rescue operation is underway after two trains-- Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express-- derailed near Balasore in Odisha late last night. At least 233 people are dead and more than 900 injured after 10-12 coaches of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express derailed and fell on an adjacent track in the path of another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah near Balasore in Odisha late last night. Scroll down for latest updates!
A massive rescue operation is underway at the accident site in Bahanaga Bazar near Balasore to retrieve people trapped in the derailed coaches. This is considered one of the deadliest train crashes in India in recent times. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered for a high-level probe into the incident and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh in case of death, Rs 2 lakh for the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a one-day state mourning due to the accident.
6) Coromandel Express accident Live Updates: Rescuers work on cutting last coach to pull out victims; death toll rises to 233, over 900 injured
Odisha Coromandel Express train accident Live Updates: A massive rescue operation is underway after two trains-- Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express-- derailed near Balasore in Odisha late last night. At least 233 people are dead and more than 900 injured after 10-12 coaches of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express derailed and fell on an adjacent track in the path of another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah near Balasore in Odisha late last night. Scroll down for latest updates!
A massive rescue operation is underway at the accident site in Bahanaga Bazar near Balasore to retrieve people trapped in the derailed coaches. This is considered one of the deadliest train crashes in India in recent times. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered for a high-level probe into the incident and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh in case of death, Rs 2 lakh for the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a one-day state mourning due to the accident.
1) Junior Men’s Asia Cup Hockey: India emerge champions, beat Pakistan 2-1 in final
India’s junior men’s hockey team maintained its continental supremacy as it beat arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 to emerge Asia Cup champions here on Thursday.
Angad Bir Singh (13th minute) and Araijeet Singh Hundal (20th) scored for India while Pakistan managed to pull one back through Abdul Basharat (37th).
This was India’s fourth title, having earlier won the tournament in 2004, 2008 and 2015. Pakistan have won the tournament in 1987, 1992 and 1996.
2) Manjeet wins bronze in UWW ranking series wrestling event in Kyrgyzstan
Manjeet won a bronze in the men’s Greco Roman 55kg category to open India’s medal account in the UWW Ranking Series wrestling event here on Thursday.
Manjeet lost to Ikhtiyor Botirov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals with the latter notching up victory by superiority (VSU1, 13-4). But, since Botirov reached the final, Manjeet got a chance to fight for one of the two bronze medals.
The Indian beat Yersin Abyir of Kazakhstan 14-9 via VPO1 (winner with no technical superiority but the loser scores atleast 1 point) to grab a bronze on the opening day of competitions. Kazakhstan’s Marlan Mukashev beat Botirov in the gold medal bout.
In 60kg, Sumit reached the repechage round where he lost to Balbai Dordokov of Kyrgyzstan. He had earlier lost to Nursultan Bazarbayev of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals.Neeraj also lost in the repechage round in the 67kg class.
3) Jannik Sinner exits French Open after wasting match points in thriller
Eighth-seeded Sinner, whose best performance at Roland Garros came in 2020 when he lost in the quarter-finals against Rafael Nadal, looked set for a no-nonsense win after cruising through the third set but Altmaier had other ideas.
Jannik Sinner wasted two match points as he was knocked out of the French Open 6-7(0) 7-6(7) 1-6 7-6(4) 7-5 in a second round thriller against German Daniel Altmaier on Thursday.
4) Indian qualifier Kiran George stuns top Chinese players to enter quarters at Thailand Open
Approaching his 23rd birthday, Kiran George was aware that time was slipping out of his hands. That he needed to break through in the next year or two, or else it might be too late in the big league. In a span of four matches – two qualifying and two in the main draw – Kiran has managed to draw the world’s attention, defeating the top Chinese and then their form-player on successive days at the Thailand Open.
On Thursday, Kiran beat last week’s Malaysian Masters finalist, Weng Hong Yang 21-11, 21-19, to reach the quarterfinals of the Super 500 and make further headway. He plays Toma Junior Popov in the last 8.
From beating Korean Jeon Hyeok Jin in the qualifying round to downing Shi Yuqi in Round 1 to getting past the southpaw Weng, Kiran showed he’s grown in confidence. On Thursday he was prepared for Weng’s down strokes and sliced half smashes that had beaten Kidambi Srikanth. Defending gamely, Kiran hardly missed anything on his backhand side, though Weng had an array of overhead straight down the lines and crosses. Kiran worked hard, ran up and down and held his nerve despite getting visibly tired, showing he was ready to play at that pace.
After racing to take the opener, Kiran led 4-1 and 5-3 in the second. Scores then went neck to neck but Weng took the 11-10 lead. From here, Kiran held his nerve and didn’t shy away from playing his strokes. He’d go for the lines even when others would’ve played safe when closing out. On the last point, he stayed at the net confident of his backhand, even when Weng took a step back expecting a lift.
5) HS Prannoy defeats Weng Hong Yang to claim first-ever BWF World Tour title
Malaysia Masters 2023 Finals Highlights: Prannoy was the only Indian left in the fray at Malaysia
Badminton Malaysia Masters 2023 Finals Highlights, (HS Prannoy vs Weng Hong Yang): India’s HS Prannoy won his first title at the BWF World Tour level on Sunday as he beat China’s Weng Hong Yang in the men’s singles final in three games, prevailing 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 in one hour, 34 minutes.
The Indian shuttler had made it to the men’s singles final after his opponent Christian Adinata of Indonesia conceded the semifinal match following a nasty knee injury. World number 9 Prannoy was leading 19-17 when Adinata lost his footing while landing after a jump return and his left knee buckled, leaving the Indonesian shuttler grimacing in pain. China’s Weng Hong Yang, meanwhile, overcame Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in the semi-final.
This was Prannoy’s first final of the season and his second since he was the runner-up at the Swiss Open last year.
Meanwhile, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu couldn’t make it to the women’s singles final after suffering a 14-21, 17-21 loss to Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.
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