13-year-old Indian-origin Yoga prodigy wins gold in Europe
London (PTI): A 13-year-old Indian-origin Yoga prodigy from south-east England with several awards under his belt has added another Gold Medal to his tally at the European Yoga Sports Championship in Sweden.
Ishwar Sharma, from Sevenoaks in Kent, started taking up Yoga when he was three years old after seeing his father practise daily and went on to win several World Yoga Championships.
Last weekend, he bagged the Europe Cup 2023 in the Boys 12-14 category when he competed in the European competition organised by the International Yoga Sports Federation in collaboration with Swedish Yoga Sports Federation in Malmo.
"Ishwar is passionate about spreading the message of Yoga especially for special needs children," his family said in a statement, with reference to his autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Sharma, who led daily Yoga classes for 40 children across 14 countries during the coronavirus lockdown, was honoured by then British prime minister Boris Johnson with the Points of Light award.
"You have brought the joy of Yoga to hundreds of children globally during lockdown. I was particularly inspired to hear how you have helped children with special needs enjoy the activity you enjoy and excel at," Johnson said in a personal letter to Sharma at the time in June 2021.
He has won five world championships and British Citizen Youth Award at the House of Lords for his contribution towards Yoga. Along with his father, Dr Vishwanath, Ishwar runs IYoga Solutions to spread the word about Yoga and its many benefits in the UK.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
