Sourav Ganguly set to become CAB president, again
New Delhi, Oct 15: Outgoing BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly will be back as the president of his state unit, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), the former India captain said on Saturday.
Ganguly, who had to step down from the BCCI president's post as there is no precedence of anyone continuing in the top job for more than three years, had been the CAB president for four years between 2015 to 2019 before coming to the apex body.
"Yes, I will be contesting the CAB polls. I plan to file my nomination on October 22. I have been in CAB for five years and as per Lodha rules, I can continue for another four years," Ganguly told PTI.
There was a strong buzz that Ganguly's elder brother Snehasish would contest in place of Avishek Dalmiya for the top post, but the former India player's nomination changes a lot of equations.
"I will finalise my panel on October 20. Let's see," Ganguly said.
Those who are tracking the developments feel that a lot will depend on what kind of decisions the powers that be in the BCCI take on the ICC chairmanship.
"With Sourav, there will always be an element of drama involved. In 2019, he beat Brijesh (Patel) for BCCI president's post in a literal photo finish with power equations changing at last moment," a senior BCCI official and a close witness to the events then told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"Don't forget that there is an ICC chairman's nomination to be filed on October 20. Whether the powerful people in the BCCI have a change of heart, is the question," he said.
As of now, Ganguly's chances of becoming the BCCI nominee for the ICC chairmanship is less than 10 percent, if one goes by the mood in the Board.
If there is no change in heart among the BCCI mandarins, then Ganguly as CAB president would mean that he would remain relevant in the Board's administrative corridors in some capacity, being their representative at the various board meetings.
But there are a lot of equations that are always at play, and the picture will only be clear post the BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 18 in Mumbai.
There were rumours that Ganguly stepped down in acrimonious circumstances, but the soon-to-be IPL chairman Arun Dhumal in an interview to PTI rubbished them.
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Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 24, mostly women, children
Deir al-Balah, Apr 6 (AP): Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 24 people, including over a dozen women and children, local health officials said Sunday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to the United States to meet with President Donald Trump about the war.
Israel last month ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground offensive, carrying out waves of strikes and seizing territory to pressure the fighter group to accept a new deal for a truce and release of remaining hostages.
It has also blocked the import of food, fuel and humanitarian aid for over a month to the coastal territory heavily reliant on outside assistance.
“Stocks are getting low and the situation is becoming desperate,” the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said on social media.
The latest Israeli strikes overnight into Sunday hit a tent and a house in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing five men, five women and five children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.
A female journalist was among those killed. “My daughter is innocent. She had no involvement, she loved journalism and adored it,” said her mother, Amal Kaskeen.
The body of one child, 1 1/2-year old, took up just one end of an emergency stretcher.
“Trump wants to end the Gaza issue. He is in a hurry, and that is clear from this morning,” asserted Mohammad Abdel-Hadi, cousin of a woman killed.
Israeli shelling killed at least four people in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. And the bodies of five people, including a child and three women, arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to an Associated Press journalist there.
Dozens of Palestinians took to the streets in Jabaliya for a new round of anti-war protests. Footage circulating on social media showed people marching and chanting against Hamas. Such protests, while rare, have occurred in recent weeks.
There is also anger inside Israel over the war's resumption and its effects on remaining hostages in Gaza. Families of hostages along with some of those recently freed from Gaza and their supporters on Saturday urged Trump to help ensure the fighting ends.
Netanyahu on Monday will meet with Trump for the second time since Trump began his latest term in January. The prime minister said they would discuss the war and the new 17 per cent tariff imposed on Israel, part of a sweeping global decision by the new US administration.
“There is a very large queue of leaders who want to do this with respect to their economies. I think it reflects the special personal connection and the special connection between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time,” Netanyahu said while wrapping up a visit to Hungary.
The US, a mediator in ceasefire efforts along with Egypt and Qatar, expressed support for Israel's resumption of the war last month.
The toll of war
Hundreds of Palestinians since then have been killed, among them 15 medics whose bodies were recovered only a week later. Israel's military this weekend backtracked on its account of what happened in the incident, captured in part on video, that caused anger by Red Cross and Red Crescent and UN officials.
The war began when Hamas-led group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Fifty-nine hostages are still held in Gaza — 24 believed to be alive — after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel's offensive has killed at least 50,695 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants but says more than half were women and children. It says another 115,338 people have been wounded. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 members of the group, without providing evidence.
