3 more Indians in final of Asian youth boxing; country set for big medal haul
New Delhi, (PTI): World youth bronze-medallist Bishwamitra Chongtham (51kg) was among three Indian male boxers who advanced to the finals of the Asian Youth Championships in Dubai.
Chongtham defeated Tajikistan's Akarali Abdurakhivonzoda 5-0 on Friday night to make the summit clash.
Joining him in the finals were Suresh Vishwanath (48kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (57kg).
While, Vishwanath defeated Bahrain's Fadel Sayed 5-0, Rawat edged past Kyrgyzstan's Bekbol Murasbekov 3-2.
However, Lashu Yadav (70kg) in the women's draw and Deepak (75kg) signed off with bronze medals after semifinal losses.
Yadav was beaten 0-5 by Kazakhstan's Gaukhar Shaibekova 0-5. Deepak, on the other hand, lost to Kazakhstan's Aliaskarov Bakbergen 1-4.
India's medal count has swelled past 35 in the event being conducted simultaneously for junior and youth boxers (both men and women). While 20 medals are secure for India in the youth competition, the junior event will yield 19 podium finishes.
The draws at the event are considerably small following last-minute withdrawals due to the COVID-19 related travel restrictions. More than 20 Indians were assured of medals on the day of draws itself because of the small size of the competition.
The gold medallists in the youth category will be awarded a prize money of USD 6,000, while silver and bronze medallists will claim USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 respectively.
The junior champions will walk away with USD 4,000 for gold and USD 2,000 and 1,000 for silver and bronze medallists respectively.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
