Bopanna-Ebden advance to Miami Open quarterfinals
Miami Gardens (US) (PTI): Indian tennis player Rohan Boppana and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden moved to the men's doubles quarterfinals of the Miami Open with a hard-fought win against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski here.
Top seeds Bopanna and Ebden toiled for one hour 39 minutes before pulling off a 7-5 7-6 (3) win over Monegasque Nys and Poland's Zielinski in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 on Monday night.
The 43-year-old Bopanna and Ebden will take on Australia's John Patrick Smith and Netherlands Sem Verbeek.
The reigning Australian Open champions hit four aces and won 84 per cent (37/44) of their first serve points.
The match was contested on an even keel. Bopanna and Ebden broke Nys and Zielinski in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead. They then fought off a late challenge, saving a couple of break points before taking the 12th game and the opening set.
There was not much separating the two pairs in the second set as well with both of them holding serve till 6-6 to take the match to the tiebreaker.
But a double fault by Nys and Zielinski led to their downfall as the Indo-Australian duo capitalised on it to take the set and the match.
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House of BJP Minority Morcha's Manipur president torched for supporting Waqf Amendment Act
Imphal, Apr 6 (PTI): The house of the BJP Minority Morcha's Manipur president, Asker Ali, was set on fire by a mob on Sunday night allegedly for supporting the Waqf Amendment Act, officials said.
The incident happened at Lilong in Thoubal district, they said.
Ali had expressed his support for the Act on social media on Saturday.
An irate mob gathered outside his residence around 9 pm, vandalised it and later set it on fire, officials said.
Following the incident, Ali posted a video on social media, apologising for his earlier statement. He also expressed opposition to the Act.
Earlier in the day, protests were held in different parts of Imphal Valley against the Act.
Over 5,000 people participated in a rally that disrupted the traffic on NH 102 at Lilong.
In some places, the protesters got engaged in a scuffle with the security forces, officials said.
One such incident happened at Irong Chesaba in Thoubal in the morning. The scuffle broke out after the demonstrators were stopped by the security forces from moving forward.
The demonstrators raised slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre, decrying the Act.
"The Waqf Amendment Act is against the ethos of the Constitution. It is completely unacceptable for the Muslim community," said Sakir Ahmed, a protester.
Protests were also held in Kshatri Awang Leikai, Kairang Muslim and Kiyamgei Muslim areas in Imphal East, and Sora in Thoubal district, among other places.
Security has been strengthened in Muslim-dominated areas of the Valley, with additional forces deployed, officials said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, and by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of Friday after marathon debates in both Houses of Parliament.
The Act aims to streamline the management of Waqf properties (assets permanently donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes) with provisions to safeguard heritage sites and promote social welfare. It also seeks to improve governance by enhancing transparency in property management, streamlining coordination between Waqf boards and local authorities and protecting stakeholders’ rights.
President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bill on Saturday.
Breaking:
— Dr. Lamtinthang Haokip (@DrLamtinthangHk) April 6, 2025
An angry mob of Lilong set fire to the house of @BJPManipur Minority Morcha President, Mr. Askar Ali Mkm for insulting fellow community & supporting the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. @rashtrapatibhvn @INCIndia @INCMinority @INCAdivasi @the_hindu… pic.twitter.com/PINixnXGma
