The Shillong Times

NICOSIA (Cyprus), March 25: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Wednesday sought to downplay security concerns surrounding the upcoming Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, insisting that safety measures and contingency plans are in place to deal with extreme scenarios.Cyprus is geographically close to West Asia, which is currently in the middle of a military conflict that []

Tiger Woods of the Jupiter Links Golf Club plays a shot from a bunker on the eighth hole, during final day of TGL golf tournament in Palm Beach Gardens. (PTI)

Bergamo (Italy), March 25: When Fabio Cannavaro raised aloft the golden World Cup trophy inside Berlins Olympic Stadium in 2006, few could have imagined the pain footballs biggest event would inflict on Italy over the next two decades. In 2010, the Azzurri put up a woeful title defence, not even winning a game in an []

New Delhi, March 25: Nepal-born defender Abneet Bharti has joined the Indian senior mens team camp in Kochi ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, the AIFF said on Wednesday. The development comes a day after Ryan Williams was named in the squad for the same fixture. As things stand, India now []

Kuala Lumpur, March 25: Iranian club Tractor FC is set to travel to Saudi Arabia for a playoff against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai for a place in the Asian Champions League Elite quarterfinals against Buriram United of Thailand. The Asian Football Confederation held the draw Wednesday to determine the quarterfinal pairings, a day after []

Liverpool, March 25: Liverpool star Mohamed Salah announced that he will leave the English club at the end of the season, marking an earlier-than-planned departure for one of the clubs greatest-ever scorers and footballs biggest names. The 33-year-old Egypt forward, who has scored 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool, reached an agreement to quit []

Mal (Maldives), March 25: The India U-20 mens team will begin their SAFF U20 Championship campaign with a high-octane clash against Pakistan at the National Football Stadium in Mal on Thursday. An India-Pakistan encounter always carries added intensity, and with crucial group-stage stakes on the line, the opening fixture promises both drama and significance. Understandably, []

By Our Reporter Shillong, March 25: In a remarkable achievement for the state, young athlete Anrisha Klein clinched the bronze medal in the Under-20 high jump event of the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, marking a significant milestone in her budding career. What makes the feat even more noteworthy is the fact that []

From Our Correspondent JOWAI, March 25: The West Jaintia District Wrestling Association (WJDWA) conducted a selection trial for wrestlers across various weight categories on Wednesday. The trials included both male and female participants and were held as part of preparations for the National Games to be hosted in Meghalaya in 2027. The selection trials took []

MUMBAI, March 25: Indian stock markets rallied for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, driven by a drop in crude oil prices and hopes of de-escalation in the West Asia conflict. The BSE Sensex surged 1,205 points (1.63%) to close at 75,273.45, while the NSE Nifty gained 394.05 points (1.72%) to end at 23,306.45. UltraTech []

DUBAI, March 25: Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American plan to pause the war in the Middle East and launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including an assault that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait International Airport. Irans defiance came as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and Washington deployed paratroopers and more []

Washington, March 25: The Pentagon declared cybersecurity and digital networks as central to modern warfare, telling lawmakers that its digital backbone is now a weapon system critical to how US forces fight, decide, and win future conflicts. At a Senate Armed Services cyber subcommittee hearing, Department of Defence Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies said the []

TEHRAN, March 25: Irans Naval Commander Alireza Tangsiri has informed that a merchant vessel, SELEN, bound for Karachi with food was turned back from the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Naval Commander, The container ship SELEN was turned back by the IRGC Navy due to failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of []

War against Iran has been won, asserts US President WASHINGTON, March 25: US President Donald Trump said Iran agreed never to have a nuclear weapon and sent a significant prize related to the Strait of Hormuz even as he declared victory in the three-week war. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump []

Budapest, March 25: Hungary will gradually cut off gas supplies to Ukraine until Russian oil deliveries resume through the Druzhba pipeline, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. Hungarian natural gas exports play a key role in fulfilling the energy needs of Ukraine, now in its fourth year of war with Russia. Russian oil supplies []

KABUL, March 25: Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, on Wednesday stated that UN experts have called for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into the Pakistani airstrikes on the Kabul rehabilitation centre. On March 16, Pakistan launched airstrikes on Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul that killed []

New Delhi, March 25: For Pakistans Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, countering the pro-Iran Shia mobilisation in the country is increasingly becoming a headache. For Pakistan, countering this mobilisation is important as it is threatening to become bigger. However, the dilemma the establishment faces is that it cannot use its official machinery to take []

Dhaka, March 25: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has termed the genocide of March 25, 1971 as a pre-planned massacre and appealed to build a state and society of equality, human dignity and social justice, in the spirit of the Liberation War. Calling it as one of the most disgraceful and brutal days in the []

Maiden Shillong Intl Film Festival has 18 curated films from NE, Bhutan and Vietnam By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma outlined the vast opportunities that the film industry offers for the youth of the state, who possess immense talent but lack the platform and ecosystem to showcase it. He was []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: Peeved with the prolonged inaction over the Meghalaya-Assam border issue, residents in the disputed areas have refused to participate in elections conducted in Assam for years now, maintaining that voting would create the impression of accepting Assams jurisdiction even as their demand for the re-transfer of Block I to []

Truck drivers association demands licence freeze From Our Correspondent JOWAI, March 25: The Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Drivers Association (MCTODA), Jaintia Unit, has expressed concern over an RTI reply from the JHADC revealing that 43 non-local transporters are currently operating in the region. Speaking after a meeting at Mihmyntdu on Wednesday, MCTODA spokesperson Wanchwa []

LPG crunch amid West Asia War hits Shillongs most vulnerable By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: For the first time in years, the hearth at Aahar has gone coldits silence carrying the weight of a crisis that stretches far beyond Shillong. After 3,858 days of uninterrupted service, the community kitchen was forced to suspend operations []

From Our Correspondent TURA, March 25: The Bolwarigisim Clan of Bolwarigre Aking has alleged illegal land encroachment and unauthorised development on disputed land in Tura, citing a legal battle that has been pending since 1987. The clan claims that large portions of their land have been encroached upon and developed by government departments and private []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: In a push to support community-driven initiatives, Governor CH Vijayashankar on Wednesday distributed financial aid to 23 institutions and organisations across Meghalaya under his Discretionary Grant. The total assistance amounted to Rs 99.70 lakh benefiting a wide spectrum of recipients including cultural groups, academic institutions, social organisations, community bodies []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: Family members of candidates who faced rejection during the recent police recruitment by the Central Recruitment Board (CRB) have demanded a fresh medical examination, alleging unfair disqualification during the selection process. A group of family members on Wednesday visited the office of the Director General of Police (DGP) and []

State of Indias Bats 2024-25 report released By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: The Shillong-based North Eastern Regional Centre (NERC) of the Zoological Society of India (ZSI) released the State of Indias Bats 2024-25 on Wednesday in collaboration with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Bat Conservation International (BCI). The thrust of the report, a []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 25: Following a controversy over the inclusion of Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) Chairperson Agatha K. Sangmas name in the list of star campaigners for the National Peoples Party (NPP) for the Assam Legislative Assembly elections and a by-election in Nagaland, the party has now written []

From Our Correspondent JOWAI, March 25: The District Tuberculosis Office, West Jaintia Hills, observed World Tuberculosis Day on Wednesday by declaring 12 villages TB-free and launching a new state-wide awareness campaign. The event, held under the theme Yes! We Can End TB, featured a rally from Tpep Pale to the District Library Auditorium in Mynthong. []

TURA, Mar 26 In view of the prevailing law and order situation, the District Magistrate of West Garo Hills, Vibhor Agarwal, has imposed a night curfew across the district under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. According to the official order, the curfew will be in force daily from 8:00 PM to 6:00 []

Tura, Mar 25: The Department of Agri-Business Management and Food Technology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Tura Campus, in collaboration with Incubation Centre (LBI-MSME) inaugurated a five day training cum workshop on Advanced Food and Water Quality Analysis. The programme is sponsored by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government []

DUBAI, March 24: The spokesman of Irans top military command said on Tuesday that its armed forces will fight until complete victory. The comments by Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters appeared to be related to US President Donald Trumps announcement that there were negotiations ongoing between Tehran and Washington. []

DUBAI, March 24: Hopes for a slowdown in the Iran war rose after Donald Trump said the US was holding productive talks with Tehran and delayed planned strikes on Iranian power plants by five days. He also extended a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran denied any negotiations were taking []

Palestinians inspect the wreckage of an Iranian missile that landed in the West Bank village of Kifl Haris on Tuesday. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, March 24: As the Iran war enters its fourth week, Donald Trump has offered a new and shifting explanation for how the conflict began, suggesting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first to advocate military action. Speaking in Tennessee, Trump said Hegseth urged him to strike Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear []

NEW DELHI, March 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on March 24 to discuss the ongoing situation in West Asia and the strategic importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. The discussion comes amid rising tensions following the February 28 US and Israeli strikes on Iran, []

NEW DELHI, March 24: A senior Trump administration official, Elbridge Colby, said India is indispensable for peace, stability, and a favorable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific amid geopolitical shifts. During his visit to New Delhi, he highlighted expanding India-US defense cooperation, including advanced technologies, joint military capabilities, maritime awareness, anti-submarine warfare, and co-development of []

New Delhi, March 24: Australian-born forward Ryan Williams could make his much-anticipated India debut after being named in head coach Khalid Jamils 23-member squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier against Hong Kong on March 31 in Kochi. Williams was included in the squad after FIFA cleared his change of association, paving the way []

New Delhi, March 24: Lakshya Sen, fresh from his All England runner-up finish, will spearhead Indias challenge in the Thomas Cup, while former world champion PV Sindhu and rising star Unnati Hooda will lead the womens team in the Uber Cup next month. The Badminton Association of India has largely retained the core of the []

Tangier (Morocco), March 24: Bhowneesh Mendiratta will aim to put the Paris Olympics heartbreak behind him when he leads the Indian charge at the season-opening ISSF Shotgun World Cup here, eyeing a strong start to a busy calendar that features the Asian Games and the World Championships later this year. Trap shooter Bhowneesh, who had []

Christchurch, March 24: New Zealand batter Tom Latham has been ruled out of the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at the Hagley Oval on Wednesday with a thumb injury. Latham was struck on his left thumb by South African fast bowler Nqobani Mokoena during the third T20I at Eden Park on Friday. NZC []

Bhubaneswar, March 24: Seasoned Tamil Nadu athlete Baranica Elangovan smashed the overall national record in womens pole vault event in a stunning performance, clearing a height of 4.22m on the opening day of the National Indoor Championships here on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Baranica, a three-time national outdoor champion, cleared 4.22m to better the earlier national []

Groundsmen work at the at the Gaddafi Stadium in preparations for upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League, which will take place in empty stadiums due to the recent spike in oil prices, in Lahore, on Tuesday. (PTI)

Bhubaneswar, March 24: Young shot putter Omkar Prasad Nanda resorted to using a worn-out shoe, while runner C Priyanka relied on her experience of training on a curvy track, as athletes and officials adjusted to an unfamiliar setting at the inaugural National Indoor Championships, which began here on Tuesday. Nanda was among the fortunate few []

New Delhi, March 24: The Cyprus Chess Federation chief has termed Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpys withdrawal from the prestigious Candidates Tournament as a bad move, saying it spreads unfounded concerns and reflects a lack of respect for both players and organisers. Criton Tornaritis, president of the CCF, strongly criticised Indias two-time World Rapid champion Humpy []

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that develops during childhood and affects 610 per cent of children and 26 per cent of adults. People with ADHD may present with predominantly inattentive symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating, predominantly hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, such as speaking or acting without thinking, or a combination of both. Two []

On March 19, Ras Laffan, the worlds largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which supplies one-fifth of the worlds super-chilled fuel, was hit by Iranian missiles and drones. The Qatari terminal suffered substantial damage in the strikes fires were raging across the gas-to-liquids facility within the complex, which covers 295 square kilometres, roughly the []

Governor gives assent to ADC Rule amendment to bar non-tribal candidates from contesting council polls Our Bureau SHILLONG/TURA, March 24: With history being rewritten following the Governors approval of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) amendment, making Scheduled Tribe certificates mandatory for all MDC poll aspirants, the Meghalaya government has decided to seize the []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 24: With the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) adopting a historic amendment making Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for candidates contesting its elections, a delegation of pressure groups, church leaders and citizens from Garo Hills on Tuesday met Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar at Lok Bhavan on Tuesday, pressing for []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 24: Voice of the People Party (VPP) supremo Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit on Tuesday said sustained public protests had brought the NPP-led MDA Government to its knees, while crediting multiple stakeholders for the decision to make a Schedule Tribe (ST) certificate mandatory for candidates contesting Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) []

By Our Reporter SHILLONG, March 24: In a huge relief to hundreds of parents and students, the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) has decided to continue its school bus service, reversing its earlier decision to discontinue operations from April 1, following strong objections from parents across Shillong. The decision comes after a section of parents, whose []