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Buttler trumps Kohli in battle of IPL tons as Rajasthan win
Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten 100 to trump Virat Kohli's first century of the IPL season as Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets on Saturday.
England's Buttler reached his ton, from 58 balls, with a six in his 100th IPL match when Rajasthan needed one for victory in their chase of 184, with five balls to spare in Jaipur, AFP reported.
Buttler, who struck form after he scored 35 across the previous three matches, put on 148 runs for the second wicket with skipper Sanju Samson, who made 69.
"Had a little bit of luck, did not time it well, just got over the rope, delighted with the win," Buttler said of his winning hit over the deep mid-wicket fence.
"However long you've played the game, you still have those anxieties and stresses. The mind is a powerful thing, just keep digging in, keep working hard and you need a little bit of luck along the way."
Earlier, Kohli reached his eighth IPL ton -- the most by any batsman -- in 67 balls and finished on an unbeaten 113 to take Bengaluru to 183-3.
But his effort was not enough as inaugural champions Rajasthan remained unbeaten in the season with four wins as they took top spot in the 10-team table, ahead of second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders who have three wins in as many matches.
Buttler, who now has six tons in the IPL along with Chris Gayle, started slowly before he hammered Mayank Dagar for three fours and a six in a 20-run sixth over to set up the chase.
Samson also took on the opposition attack after he joined Buttler following the loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal to the second ball of the innings.
Both Samson and Buttler brought the crowd alive at their home venue with delightful strokeplay and 16 fours and five sixes between the two.
'Experience and maturity'
Rajasthan suffered a bit of a stutter after Samson departed and they lost two more wickets but Buttler stood firm along with Shimron Hetmyer, who made 11 off six.
Kohli, 35, hit the first hundred of the 17th edition of the IPL as he reached the three-figure mark with a single off Nandre Burger and took off his helmet and raised his bat to a cheering crowd.
"I don't want to be over-aggressive, want to keep the bowler guessing. They want me to go hard and get me out," Kohli said.
"It's just experience and maturity. I play the conditions and have the game ready."
Kohli hit his third fifty-plus score of this season as he put on an opening stand of 125 with skipper Faf du Plessis, who hit 44, to lay the foundations for the total.
Kohli reached his half-century off 39 balls with a six, hitting Riyan Parag down the ground.
Du Plessis fell to Yuzvendra Chahal as he gave a catch to long-on. Burger soon bowled Glenn Maxwell for one to check the surge.
Kohli stood firm and hit back as he finished with 12 fours, including three in the final over, and four sixes in his 72-ball knock.
The former India captain consolidated his position at the top of this year's batting chart with 316 runs in five matches.
Kohli is still awaiting his first IPL title with Bengaluru.
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Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island
Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.
A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.
Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.
Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.
The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.
Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.
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Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires meets with IEA deputy foreign minister
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Per Albert Ilsaas, on Saturday met with IEA’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, in Kabul.
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In addition to focusing on bilateral political, humanitarian, and other pertinent issues, the two sides expressed hope that continued engagement would lead to constructive solutions to related issues.
This comes two weeks after the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi expressed disappointment regarding the decision by the Norwegian government to downgrade diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.
Balkhi said in a post on X that such decisions should not be linked with internal affairs of other countries.
“Diplomatic engagement is most effective when it fosters mutual understanding and respect, even amidst differing viewpoints,” he stated.
“Access to consular services is a fundamental right of all nationals. We strongly urge all parties to prioritize this principle in the spirit of international cooperation,” he added.
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A new polio vaccination campaign is set to launch in Afghanistan
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
The “Afghanistan Polio-Free” organization announced that a new round of polio vaccinations will begin on Monday, December 23, in various provinces of Afghanistan.
The organization did not specify which provinces will be targeted or how long the vaccination campaign will last.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
On December 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reporting a 283% increase in polio cases in Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the number of positive environmental samples for wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan in 2024 reached 84, compared to 62 cases in 2023.
The Ministry of Public Health claimed in November 2024 that no new cases of polio had been reported in Afghanistan for the year.
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