40 Killed In Israeli Bombing On Camp In Rafah: Palestinian Media

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

At least 40 people were killed and some others injured on Sunday evening in Israel's bombing of tents in northwestern Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.

Gaza, May 27: At least 40 people were killed and some others injured on Sunday evening in Israel's bombing of tents in northwestern Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.

Israeli forces fired about eight rockets toward the tents in a newly established camp crowded with thousands of displaced people near the warehouses of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

Local sources told Xinhua news agency that it was a "severe and unprecedented" Israeli airstrike on the densely populated area of displaced families, igniting tents made of plastic and tin, as well as civilian vehicles.

Video clips circulated on Facebook showed flames rising intensively in the area and fires engulfing tents still inhabited by many, including children and women.

The sources mentioned that the Civil Defense and ambulance crews face significant obstacles in retrieving the bodies due to the difficult terrain.

Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that crowded with Gazans, the area had been classified by the Israeli military as a "safe area" before the strike.

In a statement released Sunday night, Hamas slammed the bombing as "complete defiance and disregard for the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that demanded it to stop its aggression against Rafah".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that "an IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating".

"The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas' use of the area," it added.

The Israeli airstrike came hours after Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas armed wing, launched a large rocket barrage from Rafah towards the coastal city of Tel Aviv in central Israel for the first time in months.

On May 7, the Israeli army announced that it had taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, situated south of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt and in the eastern area of Rafah, which resulted in a halt in aid entering Gaza.

Israel considers Rafah a last stronghold for Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

--IANS

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Same Train Will Continue, Only The Engine Has Changed: Suryakumar Yadav

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

Pallekele (Sri Lanka), July 26: India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has asserted that the team will continue to work in the same fashion in the shortest format of cricket even after the departure of the stalwart trio.

India successfully ended their 13-year-long ICC World Cup drought by lifting the coveted T20 title in Barbados last month.

India's T20 World Cup final carried a mixed bag of emotions for the Indian fans. There were tears of joy as India ended their ICC World Cup drought, which lasted for 13 years. There were tears of sorrow as well, with the star trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja bidding adieu to the shortest format of cricket.

Even in the absence of the stalwart trio, the T20I set-up consists of the majority of players. Suryakumar believes that the team will continue to function in a similar fashion.

"The same train will continue. Only the engine has changed. The bogies (carriages) are the same. It's now been 10 years since we've been working together, even though I went into a different franchise in 2018, and he also went to another. We used to keep in touch and talk about the game, even if we were on different teams. There have been learnings in the last six years too when I was not with him," Suryakumar said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The T20I series against Sri Lanka will mark the first assignment of the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. Suryakumar worked with Gambhir during his time in the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

While talking about his relationship with Gambhir, Suryakumar said, "Our bond is special. We have spoken about the upcoming three T20s, not in great detail, but we know each other fairly well. We can read each other's body language. There are some things he understands, even if I don't say them in words. There's a special bond between a captain and a coach. I'm very excited for this journey."

Suryakumar played under the leadership of Rohit Sharma in the Indian team as well as with the Mumbai Indians. The dynamic batter opened up about the lessons he learned from the seasoned opener and said, "What I've learned from Rohit is that he is always a leader on and off the field, not just as a captain. There's a big difference between the two. A leader stands with his players and guides them about how to play T20s, how to win games, and that's what I've learned from him."

While addressing his own versatile batting style, Suryakumar does not expect that captaincy will prove to be a hurdle in his play style.

"I don't think my batting style will change, as such. There will be pressure, but the pressure is always there; otherwise, there's no fun in playing. I'm going to play the way I've been playing so far. Nothing will change. It's better for me, in fact, because I can tell the team openly what brand of cricket we have to play in T20s going forward. I'll enjoy it more and can probably pass the pressure on to others (laughs) and enjoy my game," Suryakumar stated.

India will play the first T20I of the three-match series Saturday in Pallekele. Shubman Gill will serve as Suryakumar's deputy throughout the series.

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mohammed Siraj.

(ANI)

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National Testing Agency Declares Re-Revised Results Of NEET-UG 2024

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, July 26: The National Testing Agency (NTA) Friday declared the re-revised results and ranks of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET (UG) 2024.

As per the re-revised results, a total of 13,15,853 candidates have qualified the NEET-UG 2024 exam. A total of 17 candidates has secured the All India Rank (AIR) 1 as per the NEET UG revised results 2024 while earlier the number was 67.

More than 24 lakh students participated in the NEET-UG 2024 examination which was held at 4,750 different Centres located in 571 cities throughout the country on May 5, 2024, between 2 pm and 5.20 pm. It also included 14 cities outside India.

In an official release, the NTA, said, "The National Testing Agency conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) for more than 24 lakh candidates at 4750 different Centres located in 571 Cities throughout the country including 14 Cities outside India on 05 May 2024 (Sunday) from 02:00 P.M. to 05:20 P.M.(IST).

Also, the re-examination of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) [NEET (UG)] - 2024 was conducted June 23, 2024, for 1563 candidates who had experienced time loss during the originally scheduled examination on May 5, 2024.

The re-revised results came after the Supreme Court on July 23 refused to cancel the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Under Graduate (NEET-UG) 2024 examination held on May 5, holding that there was no systemic breach in the exam.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said that at the present stage, there is an absence of material on record to lead to the conclusion that the result of the exam is vitiated or that there is any systematic breach.

It said the data on record is not indicative of a systemic leak of the NEET-UG question paper, which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the exam.

However, it acknowledged the fact that the leak of the NEET-UG paper took place at Hazaribagh and Patna and said that it is "not in dispute".

The apex court also said that the report submitted by the government shows probe is on and the central agency indicates that material shows 155 students drawn from the exam centres at Hazaribagh and Patna appeared to be the beneficiaries of the fraud. "The probe by the CBI, however, has not attained finality," it added.

The bench also said that directing a fresh NEET-UG exam for the present year would be replete with serious consequences for over 23 lakh students who appeared in this exam.

"Ordering a re-exam will lead to disruption of the academic schedule, causing a cascading effect in the coming years," the bench stated in its order.

The bench also said there is an urgent need to provide certainty and finality to the dispute which has occurred and affected the careers of over 2 million students.

(ANI)

40 Killed In Israeli Bombing On Camp In Rafah: Palestinian Media

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