A spirited India eked out a fighting 4-3 win over Malaysia in the final to clinch the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament for the fourth time in Chennai on  August 12.

Malaysia were aggressive in the first half as the Indians found it difficult to restrict their opponent.

India converted the first PC in the ninth minute, Jugraj scoring with a fierce flick to the right of the Malaysian goalie.

The Indians got into their groove as the match progressed and played full-press hockey after the sluggish start.

But Malaysia didn’t sit back and continued to test the Indian defence. Their efforts bore fruit in the 14th minute when Abu Kamal Azari found the back of the net after being fed by Azuan Hasan from the right flank.

Seconds from the first quarter, India secured back-to-back penalty corners but wasted both the chances.

Malaysia kept up their tempo in the second quarter and earned consecutive penalty corners in the 18th minute, the second of which was converted by Razie Rahim as the ball went in after getting a deflection from rusher Amit Rohidas’ stick.

Malaysia secured a penalty corner for an unnecessary stick check by Jugraj in the 23rd minute but the effort went wide.

Malaysia got another penalty corner in the 28th minute and this time Muhamad Aminudin made no mistake to hand his side a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Malaysia earned another penalty corner in the 43rd minute but India defended stoutly.

The Indians turned the match on its head in a span of a minute, pumping in two goals to level the scores 3-3.

While India skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored from a penalty stroke in the 45th minute, seconds later Gurjant Singh found the back of the net from field play to make the scoreline 3-3.

India secured a penalty corner six minutes from the final hooter, but Harmanpreet’s flick was saved by the opposition goalkeeper.

India kept up the pressure and earned another penalty corner soon, but Harmanpreet’s effort went wide.

Q1. Which among the following has won the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament for the fourth time in Chennai on  Aug 12 ?

1. Malaysia
2. Pakistan
3. India
4. South Korea
5. None of These

Q2. Who  among the following has been appointed as the care-taker  Prime Minister of Pakistan  to oversee general elections later this year ?

1. Sheikh Rashid
2. Raja Riaz
3. Shehbaz Sharif
4. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar
5. None of These

Q3. What per cent of GST has been approved by the Parliament on online gaming, horse racing, casinos ?

1. 20%
2. 28%
3. 32 %
4. 38%
5. None of These

Q4. The Ministry of Railways  will make rail services accessible in the areas adjacent borders and also in areas that fall under

1. Bangladesh and Nepal
2. Bangladesh and Bhutan
3. Bangladesh and Myanmar
4. Bhutan and Nepal
5. None of These

Q5. Irani Trophy is associated with which sport?

1. Football
2. Cricket
3. Badminton
4. Hockey
5. None of These

Answers

1------------------------3  India

2-----------------------4   Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar

3------------------------2 28%

4--------------------------1   Bangladesh and Nepal

5--------------------------2   Cricket

Stressing that calls to boycott a particular community are not acceptable, the Supreme Court on Aug 11  mooted the idea of setting up district-wise committees to look into hate speech. The SC asked the Centre to consider its suggestion to put in place an inbuilt mechanism to check hate speech and come back with the government’s views by August 18.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V N Bhati suggested that the DGPs of states can be asked to form such panels, comprising 3-4 police officers.

The SC was hearing a plea over alleged hate speeches targeting a particular community in Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The court directed these states to file a status report by Aug 18 .

Meanwhile, the Haryana government,  told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh was not ‘ethnic cleansing’ as suggested by the HC. It said the authorities followed due process of law.

On  Aug 7 , the HC had halted the demolition drive in Nuh, questioning if it was to drive out a particular community from the district. 

Supreme Court granted two-month medical bail to former Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP MLA Nawab Malik in a money laundering case. The interim order was passed by a division bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for Nawab, who was behind bars since February 2022.  The Enforcement Directorate arrested Nawab Malik on February 23 last year in connection with a money laundering case linked to fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

Both factions of the NCP celebrated the release of Nawab Malik by bursting crackers and distributing sweets at their respective party offices in Mumbai.  NCP leader and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule welcomed the Supreme Court order and called it a good order. She said Malik is not guilty but he was framed and arrested due to political reasons but he will come out unscathed. 

India has issued an advisory for its nationals in Niger asking them to leave the country at the earliest. There are approximately 250 Indians in Niger.

Further, those nationals who are planning to travel to Niger in the coming days have also been similarly advised to reconsider their travel plans until the situation normalises.

The Indian Embassy is assisting Indians who are seeking help to leave Niger.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has called for the immediate release of the President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in a military coup on 26th July.

The government  has announced it will release onion from its buffer stock in the targeted regions with immediate effect to ensure prices remain under check till the new crop arrives from October onwards.

The government is exploring multiple options for disposal of onion: e-auction, e-commerce as well as through states at discounted rates via retail outlets of their consumer cooperatives and corporations, it said.

The government has currently maintained 3 lakh tonnes of onion under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) to meet any exigencies if rates go up significantly during the lean supply season.

As per the government data, onion prices have started inching up slightly as the all-India retail price of the key kitchen staple was available at Rs 27.90 per kilogramme on August 10, higher by a little over Rs 2 per kg in the year-ago period.

France and Mali have suspended issuing visas to each other's citizens, in a heightening of a row that has already prompted a French military withdrawal from its former Sahel ally.

The French embassy earlier this week suspended issuance of new visas in the Malian capital Bamako after placing all of the country in a "red zone" where it is strongly advised not to travel.

Mali's junta responded by freezing new visas for French citizens at its embassy in Paris in an act of "reciprocity", the Malian foreign ministry said.

On August 7, the French foreign ministry issued an update on its guidance for travel.

France and Mali fell out after the military seized power in Bamako in 2020, ousting elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita over failures to stem a bloody jihadist insurgency.

As the dispute escalated and the junta brought in Russian paramilitaries, France began to pull out its anti-jihadist force, under a phased withdrawal that ended last year.

The bilateral spat has coincided with a surge of regional tensions sparked by a coup on July 26 in neighbouring Niger, a key French ally.

Kuwait has barred hit film "Barbie" from cinemas over concerns about "public ethics", officials have said, also confirming a separate ban on a horror movie featuring a transgender actor.

"Barbie" and "Talk to Me" both "promulgate ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order", Lafy Al-Subei'e, head of Kuwait's cinema censorship committee.

Gulf Arab states including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia -- all of which outlaw homosexuality -- routinely censor films that contain LGBTQ references.

Most recently, they banned the latest Spider-Man animation in June, reportedly over a scene that includes a transgender pride flag.

However, "Barbie", which has taken more than $1 billion worldwide, is being shown in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.

In Lebanon, Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada said  he had asked authorities to ban "Barbie" for purportedly "promoting homosexuality", though the film does not contain any overt references to same-sex relationships or queer themes.

"Talk to Me", which is shown in Emirati and Saudi theatres, features Australian transgender actor Zoe Terakes but no explicit LGBTQ references.