Huge North Sea ship crash revelation as key failing before collision exposed

A fatal collision at sea has left a trail of destruction and unanswered questions. Delve into the preliminary report that sheds light on a crucial oversight.

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Washington DC stabbings: Grandmother and two granddaughters among 7 injured in attack

Police confirmed seven people had suffered stab injuries following the incident - a man has been arrested and was taken into custody

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Getting rid of dark spots

Dark spots can be annoying as they tend to make you look older and dull.

I’ve had a few queries, coming my way, about dark spots and how to get rid of them.

Well, these easy-breezy tips should help you lighten your stubborn dark spots.

• Potatoes:

Yes, potatoes do an excellent job of lightening dark spots. Grate half a potato into a pulp. Apply this pulp directly on to the dark spots and wash it off after 15-20 minutes. Using this mask regularly will help in reducing hyperpigmentation.

* Aloe Vera:

Scoop out some aloe vera gel from a freshly plucked aloe leaf and apply it to your face. Rinse it off after 15-20 minutes. With consistent use, your dark spots will start fading away.

• Oatmeal:

Mix 03 tablespoons of oatmeal, 01 tablespoon honey and 01 tablespoon milk together to form a paste. Apply this paste to your face and wash it off once it dries completely. You can apply this oatmeal face mask three times a week for clearer skin.

* Turmeric:

Mix 01 teaspoon of turmeric with 01 tablespoon of milk and 01 teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply this paste to your dark spots and rinse it off with water after 10-15 minutes. Repeat this process 02-03 times a week for stronger results.

• Green Tea:

Wet two tea bags and pop them in the freezer for about half an hour. Put these tea bags on your dark spots and let them sit for at least 20 minutes. This works against puffy eye bags, too.

*  Cucumber:

Cut a few slices off a cool cucumber and let it rest on your under-eye area for about 15-20 minutes before washing it off with water. Repeat this process 03-04 times a week.

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IPL 2025: Buttler 73* leads Gujarat Titans past Royal Challengers Bengaluru after Siraj derails former team

Mohammed Siraj’s fiery 3 for 19 against his former team, backed up by Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 73 off 39 balls, helped Gujarat Titans (GT) spoil Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)‘s homecoming and coast to an eight-wicket victory at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Playing against RCB for the first time after seven years with them, Siraj returned to Bengaluru with a point to prove. Bowling at speeds in excess of 140kph, he rattled the batters in the powerplay and also picked up a key wicket in the death overs. Despite Siraj’s efforts, RCB notched up 169 for 8, riding largely on Liam Livingstone’s fifty and cameos from Jitesh Sharma and Tim David.

With the ball, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were on the mark in the powerplay for RCB. But as the ball got older, the bowling also fizzled away. While Shubman Gill fell cheaply, Sai Sudarshan and Buttler added 75 off just 47 balls to give the chase impetus. Sherfane Rutherford then came in as Impact Sub and added an unbroken 63 off 32 balls with Buttler, as GT romped home with 13 balls to spare.

This was GT’s second win in three games, while RCB’s loss was their first of IPL 2025 after two stellar wins.

Siraj has done his siuuu celebration several times at the Chinnaswamy in the last seven years. Most times, it has been met with a roaring response. On Wednesday, he went on his celebratory run twice in the powerplay to pin-drop silence. Having not been retained by RCB ahead of the auction, Siraj, now playing for GT, had matters to settle. And he did it in style.

It was his spell in the powerplay that stood out. Operating at mid-140kph, Siraj was not just bowling heat but was also precise with his lengths. According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, of the 18 balls Siraj bowled in the powerplay, six of his deliveries landed on a length, off which he picked up two wickets. More importantly, eight of his deliveries finished in line with the stumps, which meant he barely gave the batters any room to work with. RCB managed a control percentage of just 50 against Siraj in the powerplay.

Siraj should have had Phil Salt in his opening over, but Buttler dropped a sitter behind the stumps. Soon after, Siraj had the zing bails flashing when Devdutt Padikkal waltzed down the track, missed, and saw his stumps in a mess. Salt thumped Siraj for a 105m six over midwicket in his next over, to which Siraj responded by flattening Salt’s off stump with a 145.9kph thunderbolt.

Siraj later returned and picked up the key wicket of Livingstone in the 19th over to finish with 3 for 19, sending down 14 dots in his four overs.

At 42 for 4 after 6.2 overs, RCB were in big trouble. Rajat Patidar had just fallen to Ishant Sharma, and the Chinnaswamy was silent. But Jitesh made his intentions clear quite early. He got going with a stylish pull off Ishant before going big. He first brought his wrists into play to loft Ishant over long-on, and dispatched him for two more fours as RCB collected 17 runs off the ninth over.

Livingstone, at the other end, was struggling to get away before finally walloping Rashid Khan over deep square leg. Livingstone was dropped twice, and also survived a missed stumping, and made the best of his luck. Jitesh and Krunal Pandya fell in quick succession to R Sai Kishore, who picked up 2 for 22 in his four overs, which included breaking a flourishing 52-run stand between Jitesh and Livingstone in the 13th over. He tossed one up at Jitesh, who ended up skying it to long-on.

Two overs later, Sai Kishore got Krunal when the ball seemed to hold on the pitch, and a leading edge went right back to the bowler. It was after that that Livingstone took over for RCB. He broke the shackles with a huge six over deep midwicket against Rashid, while David also hit a six and a four. Despite that, RCB were struggling on 129 for 6 after 17 overs. But Livingstone pumped Rashid for three sixes in the 18th to reach his fifty off 39 balls. In all, he smashed Rashid for 39 runs off 17 deliveries, with five sixes.

RCB tonked 64 runs in the last five overs, thanks largely to David’s hitting, as he thumped 32 off 18 balls. But 169 at the innings break looked under-par.

Buttler came into this IPL under pressure. He had just quit the England white-ball captaincy after a disastrous Champions Trophy, and he had not been among the runs either. He was going to a new IPL team after flourishing with Rajasthan Royals, and was going to bat at No. 3, having mostly opened previously.

But in just three innings, Buttler has proved that nothing has changed. He was coming into the game with scores of 70*, 8, 106*, 0, 0 and 100* against RCB since IPL 2022. On Wednesday, he shored up his record further.

Buttler came in to bat with GT struggling a touch. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar were making the ball talk, and not giving much away. Gill struck Bhuvneshwar over long-on but fell the next ball, caught at deep third. At that stage, GT were 32 for 1 after 4.4 overs.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 170 for 2 in 17.5 overs (Joss Buttler 73*, Sai Sudharsan 49, Sherfane Rutherford 30*, Shubman Gill 14;  Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-23, Josh Hazlwood 1-43) beat  Royal Challengers Bengaluru 169 for 8 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 14, Rajat Patidar 12, Liam Livingstone 54, Jitesh Sharma 33, Tim David 32; Mohammed Siraj 3-19, Arshad Khan 1-17, Prasidh Krishna 1-26, Ishant Sharma 1-27, Sai Kishore 2-22) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

Buttler took his time to settle. At one point, he was on 5 off 8 balls, but he targeted Rasikh Salam, and just like that got into his stride. Buttler struck Rasikh for 27 off just 12 balls, and everything fell into place.

Sudharsan, at the other end, was at his fluent best as he scored 49 off 36 balls, and put on 75 with Buttler. Once Sudharsan fell, Buttler went up another gear and raced to his half-century off 31 balls. Rutherford, who came in at No. 4, also got going quickly as GT raced towards their target.

Their quick partnership helped GT improve their net run rate with a thumping win. RCB’s loss, meanwhile, pushed them to third place behind Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals.

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Death sentence for three Americans over DR Congo coup attempt overturned

Three Americans convicted for their role in a failed coup in Democratic Republic of Congo last year have had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, the presidency has said.

They were among 37 people sentenced to death last September by a military court.

The three were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi last May.

The overturning of the sentences comes ahead of a visit to DR Congo by the newly appointed US senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos.

Boulos, father-in-law to President Donald Trump’s daughter, Tiffany, is expected to arrive in Kinshasa on Thursday on a trip that will also take him to Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.

The US has not declared the three Americans to be wrongfully jailed in DR Congo but the State Department said previously there have been talks between the countries over the matter.

The three were convicted of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, which they denied.

[BBC]

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Food Policy and Security Committee recommends importation of rice to ensure an uninterrupted supply

The Food Policy and Security Committee has recommended the importation of rice in the near future to ensure an uninterrupted supply for consumers.

A notable increase in rice prices has been observed in the market, along with reports of shortages of certain rice varieties, despite the current harvest season.

Given this situation, discussions were held regarding the need for the Cabinet to prioritize the maintenance of sufficient stock,  through rice imports.

The Committee, chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha and Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Vasantha Samarasinghe, convened for the fifth time at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday (01). The meeting aimed to formulate policy decisions to ensure food security.

During the discussions, it was revealed that due to excessive rainfall this year, crop damage occurred on two occasions, leading to a significant reduction in the expected harvest.

Furthermore, during the meeting it was stated that the improper use of rice for animal feed is another major reason contributing to the rice shortage. As a result, the Committee also focused on the importation of broken rice for animal feed and the use of alternative feeds to mitigate the impact on livestock production.

Accordingly, the Food Policy and Security Committee approved the formation of a Committee, led by the Director General of Agriculture, to oversee the importation of the required quantity of broken rice through proper mechanisms.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, and other members of the Food Policy and Security Committee, including Ministry Secretaries, participated in the discussions.

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Kandy beat CH 38-21 to enter Clifford Cup final

Kandy Sports Club booked their berth in the finals of the ongoing Clifford Cup knockout rugby tournament when they beat a fighting CH & FC outfit by 38 points 21 in a semi-final game worked off at Nittawela on Tuesday.

The winners collected their points through six tries and four conversions and led 26-0 at half time. CH could score their points only in the second half where they breached the Kandy SC defence thrice.

The try scorers for Kandy were Shahid Zumry (2), Diluksha Dange (2) Dinal Ekanayake (1) and Nigel Ratwatte (1). The try scorers for CH were Ramesh Fernando (1), Janidu Dilshan (1) and Anuk Fernando (1).

By A Special Sports Correspondent

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