Russian leader Medvedev reminds Trump about dangers of 'dead hand'
Moscow, Jul 31 (PTI): Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday warned US President Donald Trump not to ignore the peril posed by those he labels "dead", as the two leaders exchanged barbs on social media.
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump mounted a sharp attack on India and Russia for their close ties and said the two countries can take their "dead economies down together".
Hitting out at Moscow, Trump added: “Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory."
Hours later, Medvedev, who is the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, which is headed by President Vladimir Putin, mocked Trump's “dead economies” remark, saying he should remember that Russia possessed Soviet-era automatic nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.
"If some words from the former president of Russia cause such a nervous reaction from the supposedly mighty president of the US, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path," Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel.
Reacting to Trump's remarks about ‘dead economies’ of India and Russia and the warning about ‘entering dangerous territory’, Medvedev said the US president should "remember his favourite films about 'The Walking Dead' and think about how dangerous a ‘dead hand’ can be, even one that doesn't exist in nature.” He added a laughing emoji.
According to Russia's state-run TASS news agency, the term "dead hand" harks back to Cold War-era nomenclature in the West, where it referred to the Soviet nuclear deterrent system known as Perimeter. This automatic system was reportedly designed to ensure a guaranteed retaliatory strike in the event of an attack on the USSR.
Recently, Trump said that the US will impose about 100 per cent import tariffs on Russia and its trade partners if Moscow and Washington do not reach an agreement on the Ukrainian settlement within 50 days. He later shortened the deadline to 10 days.
Medvedev responded, saying Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. "Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country."
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
