Biden bloquea la adquisición de US Steel por la empresa japonesa Nippon

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PM Modi Calls Koneru Humpy "A Sporting Icon" After Meeting With Chess Ace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called Grandmaster Koneru Humpy "a sporting icon" after she met him following her recent triumph in the FIDE Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in New York. With her family in tow, Humpy met the PM and described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime privilege." Modi tweeted after the meeting, "Glad to have met Koneru Humpy and her family. She is a sporting icon and a source of inspiration for aspiring players. Her sharp intellect and unwavering determination are clearly visible. She has not only brought immense pride to India but has also redefined what excellence is." Humpy capped a wonderful year for Indian chess by defeating Irene Sukandar of Indonesia to emerge champion in the prestigious tournament in New York on Sunday.

"It was an incredible honor and a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to meet our esteemed Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi ji, alongside my family. The experience was truly unforgettable filled with inspiration and encouragement. Thank you, sir, for this remarkable moment!" Humpy wrote on 'X'.

Glad to have met Koneru Humpy and her family. She is a sporting icon and a source of inspiration for aspiring players. Her sharp intellect and unwavering determination are clearly visible. She has not only brought immense pride to India but has also redefined what excellence is. https://t.co/4H4sFrmq5E

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 3, 2025

Humpy had won the event back in 2019 at Georgia and the Indian No. 1 is only the second player after China's Ju Wenjun to clinch the title more than once.

Humpy's achievement laced a sensational year for the chess fraternity after D Gukesh defeated China's Ding Liren to emerge champion in the classical format World Championship recently in Singapore.

In September, India had also won its first-ever gold medals in Open and Women's categories in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

The Indian, who started the tournament in New York with a first-round defeat, was the lone winner in the 11th and final round, helping her to top the tables with 8.5 points, half a point clear of six others including compatriot D Harika.

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2nd Test: Rickelton, Bavuma Centuries Put SA In Strong Position vs Pakistan

Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma hit centuries and batted South Africa into a strong position on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands on Friday. South Africa were 316 for four at the close of play. Rickelton (176 not out) and South African captain Bavuma (106) put on 235 for the fourth wicket after the pair came together with the total on 72 for three. At that stage South Africa were in danger of wasting the advantage of winning the toss on a good batting pitch. But Rickelton and Bavuma were seldom troubled as they posted a fifty partnership off 66 balls and scored consistently at better than four runs an over throughout their stand.

It was the left-handed Rickelton's second Test century in three matches, following a shaky start to his Test career in which he had failed to register a half-century in his first 12 innings. He was in commanding form, striking 21 fours and a six off 232 balls.

Bavuma recorded the fourth Test hundred of a career in which he has made 24 half-centuries. He was out 15 minutes before the close, caught behind off occasional off-spinner Salman Agha. He hit nine fours and two sixes in a 179-ball innings.

Despite taking three wickets before lunch, it was a lacklustre performance by Pakistan, who only managed to bowl 80 overs in six-and-a-half hours and seldom looked threatening.

Pakistan opening batsman Saim Ayub suffered an ankle injury when he fell awkwardly in the outfield in the seventh over of the day. He was taken to the dressing room on a mobile stretcher and did not return to the field.

Pakistan's hopes rose when Aiden Markram was caught behind off Khurram Shahzad for 17 after he and Rickelton put on 61 for the first wicket.

Wiaan Mulder (5) and Tristan Stubbs (0) followed in quick succession shortly before lunch, caught behind off Mohammad Abbas and Agha respectively. But the rest of the day belonged to South Africa.

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Average Less Than Bumrah: Virat Kohli's Embarrassing Record A New Low

Questions around Virat Kohli's Test career are bound to intensify, with the poster boy of Indian cricket continuing on an embarrassing path with the bat. For the 6th time since the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, Virat was dismissed while chasing an outside-off delivery. Kohli faced a whopping 68 balls with patience, scoring 17 runs before engaging with another 6th stump delivery, and ended up landing an easy catch into the hands of Australian debutant Beau Webster in slips.

Courtesy of his dismissal, Kohli went on to register an embarrassing record, as he recorded the second-lowest average in Test cricket, counting matches since the start of 2024. In fact, Kohli is the only mainstream batter in the top 4, with the other three being bowlers.

Lowest first innings averages since the start of 2024:

1. Keshav Maharaj - 5.4

2. Virat Kohli - 7

3. Jasprit Bumrah - 8

4. Shoaib Bashir - 8.3

(Figures till Virat Kohli's dismissal in the first innings of the Sydney Test. Counting only those who have played at least 5 innings.)

Kohli could've lost his wicket on the first ball he faced but Steve Smith dropped his catch in the slips, though he has the opposite stance on the matter. Smith seemed to have let the ball touch the ground as he tried to grab the ball in slips. The third umpire eventually ruled the decision in Kohli's favour, giving him a lifeline. 

The star batter looked to dig deep, play with patience but wasn't able to prolong is stay in the middle. Though he played over 60 balls, runs couldn't flow freely from Kohli's bat.

With only one innings left before the series concludes, Kohli's failure in the second outing at Sydney could result into his long-term exile from the Test squad. Reports of Rohit Sharma calling it quits are already making rounds on the internet. If Kohli fails again, his return to India's Test side could also be in jeopardy.

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The Growth in Homelessness Is an American Moral Failure

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Premier League Chief Fears Club World Cup's Impact On Man City And Chelsea

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters fears this year's Club World Cup could create "great difficulty" for Manchester City and Chelsea ahead of next season's English top-flight campaign. The two clubs will be England's representatives in FIFA's expanded 32-team event in the United States, with players' unions threatening legal action on welfare grounds and national leagues unhappy about the potential knock-on effects on their own competitions. The Club World Cup final is due to be played on July 13, with the 2025/26 Premier League season starting on August 16.

"The leagues and the players' unions are not happy with the decisions that are being taken at a global level," Masters told Sky Sports. "We've seen the Club World Cup come in, and obviously that is going to have an impact on the Premier League. 

"If either Manchester City or Chelsea get to the final of that competition, the Premier League starts four weeks later, and all players are supposed to have three weeks off as part of the contractual commitment.

"So how does that work? With great difficulty I would say."

Masters, meanwhile, insisted English football is "not on a financial precipice" as he reiterated the Premier League's concerns about the potential impact of an independent regulator on the game.

The Premier League spent more than £45 million ($56 million) in legal costs during the 2023/24 season as it attempted to uphold its rules amid challenges from clubs.

And there will have been additional and significant legal fees this season for the Premier League given their major disciplinary case against Manchester City is still ongoing. 

The reigning champions were charged in 2023 with more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

An independent commission heard the case between September and December, with an outcome now pending.

City have also challenged the legality of the league's associated party transaction (APT) regulations, which seek to ensure deals done with organisations linked to a club's ownership are at a fair market value.

Both the current and former British government's aim in supporting an independent regulator is to safeguard the financial sustainability of clubs in the top five tiers of English football.

Masters, however, insisted too many regulations could damage the excitement on which the Premier League thrives. 

"We have that jeopardy, we have that constant fizz of compelling entertainment," he said.

"There are many different reasons (for the Premier League's global popularity) but that, I think, is what separates us from others."

He added: "We have always been pro investment within measured risks. The Premier League is not a pension fund, it is a place where capital is put at risk. There is no certainty of outcome -- that is one of the things that makes it interesting.

"We do worry that a new regulatory function might be risk-averse and might inhibit clubs' ability to invest. And the ability to invest is key to competitive balance, and that jeopardy that I'm talking about."

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Vehicle Ramming Attacks: Using Cars and Trucks as Weapons Has Become Common

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