Toll in Japan floods rises to 141
Tokyo, July 10 : At least 141 people are now known to have died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain in western Japan as rescuers are digging through mud and rubble in a race to find survivors, with dozens missing
It is the highest death toll caused by rainfall that Japan has seen in more than three decades. More than 70,000 rescue workers, including the fire service and the Army, were involved in the relief effort, the government said on Tuesday.
About two million people were evacuated from the region after rivers burst their banks. The rains started on July 5, the BBC reported.
Authorities opened up school halls and gymnasiums to those displaced by the rainfall. There remained a risk of landslides, with rain-sodden hilltops liable to collapse. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled an overseas trip to deal with the flood crisis.
"We will unite and move swiftly to deliver those necessities to the disaster victims by coordinating closely with local government," said Abe in a meeting with the disaster response task force.
Flood warnings were still in effect for some of the worst-hit areas, including the Okayama prefecture in the southern part of Japan. But more settled weather was expected over the next few days which will likely help with rescue efforts.
Police, fire departments and the military were scouring affected areas for those unaccounted for, reports said.
Thousands of houses were damaged and even the ones that stood intact were impacted. Nearly 17,000 households were still without power and phone lines were down across multiple prefectures.
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Gill-Pant duo set to take charge of Indian Test team, BCCI silent on Kohli
New Delhi, May 10 (PTI): Flamboyant keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, in all likelihood, will be India's new vice-captain in Tests with talented batter Shubman Gill set to take charge of the national team in the traditional format.
The choice of vice-captain seems to be a straight forward one as Pant is one of India' finest Test batters in overseas conditions and Jasprit Bumrah can't be considered for the role of deputy due to his stature and also when his own fitness is iffy, making him uncertain for full series.
An average of 42 plus with hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa along with seven scores between 90 and 99 makes Pant of the best batters in the format.
"If Bumrah isn't the captain, then there is no point offering him vice-captaincy," a BCCI source told PTI.
While the cricket fraternity is taken aback by talismanic Virat Kohli's wish to retire from Test cricket, it has been learnt that selection committee did ponder over the idea of handing over leadership to him in England to allow Gill some more time to groom.
As of now, Kohli has not made any official announcement and it is believed that he will be requested to compete in the upcoming five Test series in England as his experience will be required in challenging conditions, especially when Rohit Sharma has also announced his Test retirement.
The BCCI however is tight-lipped on its conversation with Kohli with regards to his Test career. PTI reached out to chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia but they are yet to respond to the query.
"It is true that selectors did think about having Kohli as India skipper for the England series. This would have given Gill some time to grow into leadership role but at 25-and-a-half years of age, he is yet to hit his peak. Due to Bumrah's fitness issues, Gill looks like the obvious choice for Ajit Agarkar's committee," a BCCI source privy to development said.
It is understood that KL Rahul isn't being considered as an option as he is already 33 plus and consistency has been an issue with the Bengaluru player even though he was one of the better performers in Australia.
After 11 years of Test cricket an average of less than 35 in 50 games isn't impressive.
The Indian team for the tour of England will be announced during the end of third week of May while India A team will be announced early next week.
If there is one certainty among the rookies for the Test tour, it has to be Tamil Nadu southpaw Sai Sudharsan, who has made an impression. If all goes well, he will either open or come to bat at No.3.
