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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Karnataka issues order on internal quota within SC reservation; 56,432 recruitments to proceed
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday issued an order implementing internal reservation within the 15 per cent quota earmarked for Scheduled Castes in appointments and admissions.
As per the order, 5.25 per cent reservation has been allocated to Left-hand communities under Category-A, 5.25 per cent to Right-hand communities under Category-B, and 4.50 per cent to other touchable Scheduled Caste communities under Category-C.
The government said the decision follows the recent Cabinet meeting held in view of the interim order of the High Court. It was decided to temporarily adopt the 50 per cent overall reservation ceiling and continue recruitments subject to the final verdict of the court.
Accordingly, the 15 per cent SC reservation in recruitment and admissions will now be distributed among the three categories in the prescribed ratio.
The order further stated that 20 per cent of posts or seats available under Category-C must be reserved for 59 most backward castes within the Scheduled Castes. If eligible candidates from these 59 castes are not available, the vacancies or seats should be filled by candidates from other communities within Category-C.
For implementing the revised quota in recruitment, authorities have been directed to follow a 400-point roster system. Where fewer than three Scheduled Caste roster points are available in any cadre, the reserved posts should be treated as general SC category posts for appointment purposes.
The government has also directed departments to revise ongoing recruitment processes by incorporating internal reservation. Notifications already issued without such quota distribution are to be withdrawn and fresh revised notifications issued immediately.
The order added that if the court upholds the enhanced 24 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the additional 6 per cent posts should be treated as backlog vacancies and filled accordingly.
The government has instructed all recruiting authorities to take urgent steps to fill 56,432 posts already cleared by the Finance Department through direct recruitment.
