Tokyo Olympics: Sindhu loses to Tai Tzu in semifinals, to fight for bronze now
Tokyo: Reigning world champion P V Sindhu's hopes of securing India's first-ever Olympic gold in badminton came crashing down as she slumped to a straight-game defeat against world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the women's singles semifinals here on Saturday.
The 26-year-old silver-medallist from the Rio Games, however, remained in the hunt for a bronze medal and will be competing against China's He Bing Jiao in the third place play-off at Musashino Forest Plaza on Sunday.
One of the most consistent players, who claimed medals in all big-ticket events in the last five years, Sindhu couldn't counter Tai Tzu's deception with her aggressive game, going down 18-21 12-21 here.
This is Sindhu's 14th loss to the Taiwanese second seed in 19 meetings, having also lost to her in the last three face-offs.
On Friday, Sindhu, seeded sixth, had beaten Japanese world no.5 Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals.
Earlier, men's singles player B Sai Praneeth and the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy had failed to qualify for the knockout stage.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Power supply to be cut to unauthorised buildings after Kumbarapet fire
Bengaluru: A day after a major fire broke out at a hardware warehouse in Kumbarapet near Chikkapete, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) on Thursday ordered disconnection of electricity supply to unauthorised buildings in the area.
The authority also directed officials to issue notices to halt construction activities being carried out in violation of sanctioned building plans. According to a report published by The Indian Express, the GBA warned that if illegal portions of buildings are not removed, criminal cases should be registered against the owners.
The fire occurred around 9 am on Wednesday at Lakshmi Commercial Complex, a three-storey structure housing a hardware warehouse. The blaze is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit on the ground floor, resulting in extensive damage.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel faced difficulty accessing the congested market area due to narrow roads. Hose lines had to be laid from more than 300 metres away before the fire could be brought under control.
The GBA has constituted a committee to prepare a comprehensive report on steps required to prevent and manage fire incidents in the commercial areas of Chikkapete. The committee includes representatives from the GBA, the Central City Corporation, the Fire and Emergency Services Department and the Electricity Department.
The Indian Express reported that GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao has instructed officials to inspect the site and convene a meeting with trade associations to discuss mandatory fire safety measures. He also recalled similar fire incidents reported last year in Nagarathpete within the Chikkapete area.
The newly formed committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed inquiry into the cause of the latest fire and recommending corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
