Kerala: Two sports trainees found hanging in hostel, probe launched
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): Two teenage girl athletes, both trainees staying at a SAI hostel, were found dead in one of their rooms on Thursday in an apparent suicide pact, the police said.
The deceased were identified as Sandra A (18) of Chaliyam in Kozhikode district and Vyshnavi V(15) of Muthakkal in Thiruvananthapuram district.
According to police, Sandra was an athletics trainee studying in Plus Two, while Vyshnavi was a kabaddi player and a Class 10 student.
The incident came to light around 5 am when fellow hostel inmates noticed that the duo had not reported for the morning training session.
When repeated knocks on the door went unanswered, hostel authorities broke open the door and found both girls hanging from ceiling fans in the room, police said.
Police said Vyshnavi was staying in a different room but had spent Wednesday night in Sandra’s room. Both were seen by other hostel inmates before 12.30 am, police added.
An FIR was registered based on the complaint of SAI centre in charge, police said.
Vaishavi was found hanging from a ceiling fan near the door of the room no 21 at top floor using a bedsheet, the FIR said.
It also stated that Sandra was found hanging from another ceiling fan in the same room, also using a bedsheet.
Police officials said the preliminary probe indicates suicide, and the investigation is continuing to ascertain the reasons behind it.
Though police initially denied the existence of any suicide note, they later confirmed receiving letters from both deceased persons. An officer said the letters mentioned personal issues and were addressed to their parents.
A case has been registered at the Kollam East police station under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for unnatural death.
"The reason for such an act is yet to be ascertained. We are conducting a probe into the incident," Kollam City Police Commissioner Kiran Narayanan told PTI.
Police officials said the body of Vyshnavi was handed over to her relatives after the post-mortem examination in the evening. The post-mortem examination of Sandra will be conducted on Friday, police added.
Both had been staying at the SAI hostel for the past two years, they said.
Sports Authority of India authorities said that a case has been registered.
"SAI is cooperating in the investigation. Investigation is underway," police said.
Police will record statements from other sportspersons in the hostel, their trainers, relatives, schoolmates, and school teachers, an official said.
Also, mobile phones would be examined as part of the investigation.
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Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese EVs in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products
Beijing (AP): Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.
Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from about 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.
“It has been a historic and productive two days,” Carney said, speaking outside against the backdrop of a traditional pavilion and a frozen pond at a Beijing park. “We have to understand the differences between Canada and other countries, and focus our efforts to work together where we're aligned.”
Earlier Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.
Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.
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“It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in turning China–Canada relations toward improvement,” China's top leader said.
Carney looks to improve global governance
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Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years, said better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as “under great strain.”
He called for a new relationship “adapted to new global realities” and cooperation in agriculture, energy and finance.
Those new realities reflect in large part the so-called America-first approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”
A Canadian business owner in China called Carney's visit game-changing, saying it re-establishes dialogue, respect and a framework between the two nations.
“These three things we didn't have,” said Jacob Cooke, the CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, which helps exporters navigate the Chinese market. “The parties were not talking for years.”
Canada had been aligned with US on tariffs
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Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney's predecessor.
China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said. Overall, China's imports from Canada fell 10.4% last year to $41.7 billion, according to Chinese trade data.
China is hoping Trump's pressure tactics on allies such as Canada will drive them to pursue a foreign policy that is less aligned with the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could become America's 51st state.
Carney departs China on Saturday and visits Qatar on Sunday before attending the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week. He will meet business leaders and investors in Qatar to promote trade and investment, his office said.
