Paddler Swastika wins bronze at Hong Kong Open
New Delhi, Aug 6 : Young Swastika Ghosh annexed a medal in the Hang Seng Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open table tennis meet, claiming the bronze in the junior girls doubles along with Singapores Jingyi Zhou.
The pair began on a high note, beating their Taipei opponents Pei-Ling Su and Yu-Chin Tsai in the round-of-16, according to the official statement issued on Monday.
They won 3-1 to progress to the next round. Swastika starred in the quarters too, overcoming the Chinese duo of Binyue Zhang and Yi Chen with a similar score.
The combination of Li Lin Jassy Tan of Singapore and Ruei Ling Wen of Taipei, however, proved to be too strong for them in the semi-finals as they clinched the final game and won 3-2.
In the Junior boys' doubles category, the combination of Raegan Alberquerque and Payas Jain got through to the pre-quarters but couldn't continue their momentum as they lost to the Thai pair of Yanapong Panagitgun and Supakron Pankhaoyoy.
In the junior boys' singles category, even though Raegan made it to the main draw, his journey was short-lived as he couldn't get past local lad Pak Hei Cheng as he went down with a narrow 3-4 margin.
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Rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, as Palestinians mourn 19 dead in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Dec 21: A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.
A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 am Saturday, the military said.
The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides' attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine UN mediation efforts.
