Vinod Kumar clinches bronze in discus throw, third medal for India in Paralympics
Tokyo, Aug 29: Discus thrower Vinod Kumar clinched a bronze medal in the men's F52 event with an Asian record to give India its third medal in Tokyo Paralympics here on Sunday.
The 41-year-old BSF man, whose father fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, produced a best throw of 19.91m to finish third behind Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) of Poland and Velimir Sandor (19.98m) of Croatia.
He injured his legs while training after joining the BSF, falling off a cliff in Leh that left him bed-ridden for close to a decade during which he lost both his parents.
The F52 classification is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in seated position.
It also applies to cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and functional disorder.
Both Bhavinaben Patel and Nishad Kumar had earlier won a silver each in women's singles table tennis class 4 and men's T47 high jump events respectively on Sunday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nepal joins Singapore and Hong Kong in banning sale of Everest and MDH spices over safety concerns
Kathmandu: Nepal has recently taken steps to ban the consumption and sale of spices produced by Everest and MDH, following similar actions by Singapore and Hong Kong. The move comes amidst concerns over the presence of harmful chemicals in these products, particularly ethylene oxide, a known cancer-causing pesticide.
According to reports from ANI, Nepal's Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has initiated testing on spices from these two Indian brands for ethylene oxide. Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson for Nepal's food technology department, confirmed the ban, stating that it extends to both import and sale of the affected spices.
Maharjan highlighted that testing is currently ongoing, and the ban will remain in effect until conclusive results are obtained. This development reflects a growing international scrutiny on the safety of MDH and Everest spices, with concerns also raised in New Zealand, the United States, and Australia.
In New Zealand, where ethylene oxide usage for food sterilization has been phased out, authorities are investigating the presence of this chemical in MDH and Everest spices. Meanwhile, in April, the Hong Kong food safety body banned four spice products from these brands, followed by Singapore's recall of Everest's Fish Curry Masala due to excessive levels of ethylene oxide.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has responded by ordering quality checks on products from MDH and Everest. Additionally, it has reached out to food safety regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore for further information.
MDH and Everest spices have long been household names in India and are exported to various countries, including those in the Middle East.
