IPC lifts partial suspensions on Russia, Belarus
Seoul: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has voted to lift the partial suspensions on Russia and Belarus, restoring their full membership rights.
At its General Assembly in Seoul on Saturday, the IPC rejected proposals for both full and partial suspensions. For Russia, the motion for a full suspension was defeated 111-55 with 11 abstentions, while the partial suspension was rejected 91-77 with eight abstentions. Similarly, for Belarus, members voted 119-48 against full suspension and 103-63 against partial suspension, with nine and ten abstentions respectively, the Associated Press reported.
“This decision means NPC Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership, in accordance with the IPC Constitution,” the IPC said in a statement, adding that arrangements would be made to implement the decision promptly.
Russia and Belarus were banned from international sporting events following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the move as a “fair decision” to “fully reinstate” its membership.
However, Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi strongly criticized the decision, urging European host nations not to permit the Russian flag at upcoming events, including the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympic Games scheduled for Feb. 6–22, 2026.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already confirmed that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutral participants, as seen at the Paris Olympics last year.
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Two girls injured in separate wolf attacks in UP's Bahraich
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Two minor girls were injured in separate incidents of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district, forest department officials said on Saturday.
In the first incident on Friday, Anushka Nishad (5), daughter of Baliram from Mallahanpurwa village, was sleeping alone inside her house when a wolf entered and tried to carry her away, they said.
Hearing her screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot. The wolf left the child, hearing the commotion, and ran towards the fields. The girl sustained minor injuries from the animal's teeth, the officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav described the attack as deliberate and cleverly planned, as it occurred precisely when Anushka's mother went out for a few moments.
On the same day, Nancy (4), daughter of Kamlesh Yadav, was playing outside her house in Baburi Tola village when a wolf suddenly attacked and dragged her away.
Villagers raised an alarm, and the wolf released the child and ran towards the sugarcane fields. The injured child was sent to the Kaiserganj Community Health Centre for treatment.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that both attacks involved wolves, adding that the entire area is plagued by the animal's activity.
Since September 9, such attacks in the Bahraich district have claimed 10 lives, including eight children and an elderly couple, and injured dozens of people, the officials said.
District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi met the families of the victims on Friday and consoled them.
