Australia PM praises Usman Khawaja for showing courage amid stand-off with ICC
Melbourne: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Usman Khawaja's courage amid his stand-off with the ICC after expressing solidarity with the victims of the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
The ICC has barred the Australian opener from displaying messages of equality and freedom, specifically a dove logo and an olive branch on his shoes, during the Test series against Pakistan.
The decision was based on the international regulation that prohibits players from showcasing personal messages on their uniforms But his act has won him an admirer in the country's premier who touched upon Khawaja's gesture during an address to the Australian and Pakistan teams ahead of the Sydney Test.
''I'd like to congratulate (Khawaja) for the courage he has shown standing up for human values,'' Albanese said.
''He has shown courage, and the fact that the team has backed him in is a great thing.'' ''When Ussie and Dave (David Warner) go out, it will be a very special moment, when you walk on to the SCG,'' Albanese added. The SCG Test will mark the last time Khawaja and Warner will be walking out together to open the innings with the latter retiring from the traditional format after the match beginning on Wednesday.
Last week, Australian captain Pat Cummins had come in support of his teammate, saying the opener’s attempt to bring to the fore the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was ''not offensive.'' Cricket's global governing body, the ICC, had rejected Khawaja's application to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
''We really support Uzzy. He's standing up for what he believes and I think he's done it really respectfully,'' Cummins had said on the eve of the second Test at the MCG, which Australia won to wrap up the series.
''As I said last week, 'All lives are equal', I don't think that's very offensive and I'd say the same about the dove,'' Cummins had said.
Notably, the ICC reprimanded Khawaja for wearing a black armband during Australia's 360-run win over Pakistan in Perth, the action coming after he was barred from wearing boots with the messages ''Freedom is a human right'' and ''All lives are equal'' in the colours of the Palestinian flag during the match at the Optus Stadium.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
