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2nd Test: Harmer picks three as SA reduce India to 90/5 at Tea

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Guwahati, Nov 26: South Africa strengthened their grip to win the second Test as off-spinner Simon Harmer struck thrice, leaving India reeling at 90/5 in 47 overs at tea on day five’s play at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a historic 2-0 series sweep, South Africa took three wickets in the session and now sit just five away from victory with two sessions remaining. B Sai Sudharsan has faced 138 balls for 14 runs and has been engaging in a blockathon.

Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out) has also contributed to a fightback against the Proteas, but India’s chances of survival remain slim in terms of saving the game. However, the session belonged to South Africa and Harmer, who delivered a masterclass in flight, guile, and subtle variations to become the leading wicket-taker in the series.

In the morning, Sudharsan was dismissed by Marco Jansen but narrowly escaped when replays showed the fast bowler had overstepped, while Kuldeep Yadav had a reprieve when Aiden Markram dropped his catch at first slip.

Kuldeep’s nightwatchman duty ended at five when Harmer’s straighter delivery went through the gate to rattle the middle-stump. Three balls later, Harmer took another wicket when Dhruv Jurel looked to defend but got an outside edge and was caught by slip for two.

Rishabh Pant briefly lifted the hosts with his counterattack – hammering Keshav Maharaj for four, before dancing down the pitch to launch him for a towering six. But in an attempt to defend a slower delivery from Harmer, Pant was dismissed for 13 when extra bounce on the ball took the shoulder edge of the bat and lobbed to slip.

Harmer could have taken his fourth wicket if Markram hadn’t dropped a difficult catch of Sudharsan, who went on to be the third Indian batter to face over a hundred balls in this series, as another session dominated by South Africa drew to a close.

Brief Scores: South Africa 489 and 260/5d in 78.3 overs (Tristan Stubbs 94; Ravindra Jadeja 4/62) lead India 201 and 90/5 in 47 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 23 not out, B Sai Sudharsan 14 not out; Simon Harmer 4-23, Marco Jansen 1-16) by 459 runs

National News

Assam AN-32 crash: IAF transports fallen air warriors’ mortal remains to their homes

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Guwahati, June 14: The Indian Air Force’s C-130J aircraft, on Sunday, took off with the mortal remains of three of the five IAF personnel who lost their lives in the tragic AN-32 transport aircraft accident at Jorhat Air Force Station in Assam.

According to officials, the AN-32 transport aircraft met with an accident after landing at the Jorhat airbase on Saturday. The aircraft subsequently caught fire, prompting emergency response teams to rush to the site.

Squadron Leader Prashant Singh’s mortal remains are being flown to his hometown in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, while the mortal remains of Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar are being transported to his residence in Gaya district of Bihar.

The remains of Agniveervayu Danish Alam will be flown to his home in Bhojpur district of Bihar.

Meanwhile, a wave of grief swept through the Kayamnagar village in Bhojpur district after news emerged that 22‑year‑old Agniveer Vayu airman Danish Alam lost his life in the IAF aircraft crash.

Danish Alam was the only son of Mohammad Farooq Alam and Akhtari Begum. His father works in a private company in the Gaya district, while his mother is a homemaker. He is survived by his two elder sisters, Shagufta Parveen and Ghazala Parveen.

The accident took place at around 10 a.m. during what the Air Force described as a routine sortie.

Earlier, the IAF had confirmed the accident and said crash site management and preliminary inquiries were underway.

In an official statement issued hours after the crash, the IAF said: “The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the AN-32 accident at Jorhat in Assam. Squadron Leader Prashant Singh, Flight Lieutenant Shubham Kumar, Sergeant Jitendra Sharma, Agniveervayu Khemaram Kumawat and Agniveervayu Danish Alam made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.”

The IAF also conveyed its condolences to the families of the deceased.

“IAF extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief,” the statement added.

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Business

El Nino likely to impact food prices, inflation projected to settle in 5.2–5.5 pc range in FY27

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New Delhi, June 14: There is 80 per cent likelihood of an El Nino event during the June–August period and probabilities for this, to continue until at least November, are near or above 90 per cent, according to a new report. However, the reservoir level is more than normal storage (till June 11) in the country and the arrivals statistics of vegetables are also satisfactory.

“Only coming days will tell us whether the supply conditions are sufficient from any incipient shock from food and fuel on inflation or not”, said the Bank of Baroda Research note.

According to economist Dipanwita Mazumdar, CPI inflation is projected to settle in the range of 5.2 per cent–5.5 per cent in FY27, assuming some impact from El Nino and an average crude oil price of $90–100 per barrel.

Headline CPI inflation came in at 3.9 per cent in May 2026, lower than BoB Research’s estimate of 4.1 per cent and up from 3.5 per cent in April.

The increase was largely driven by higher food and fuel prices, with food inflation rising to 4.8 per cent.

Transport inflation accelerated following the recent petrol and diesel price hikes, while restaurant and accommodation services inflation also moved higher.

Core inflation (excluding food and fuel) increased to 3.9 per cent, indicating emerging underlying price pressures.

Looking ahead, BoB Research expects inflationary risks from higher fuel costs and weather-related uncertainties, particularly the likelihood of El Nino conditions impacting food prices.

“For food inflation, the spillover of higher fuel cost and likely increase in freight cost might feed into further high inflation in the near term. Hence the second-round pass-through needs to be closely monitored, especially when weather-related risks are elevated this year,” said the report.

Going forward, “we believe that upside risks to core will intensify as firms might pass through some degree of higher input costs to consumers amidst stable demand conditions. The risks on food inflation is also likely to intensify in the coming days,” the report added.

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Crime

MP ATS intensifies probe into radicalisation-spying network after mastermind arrested

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New Delhi, June 14: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Madhya Pradesh has intensified its crackdown on suspected anti-national activities, continuing raids for the second consecutive day and arresting alleged mastermind and senior agent Naeem Qureshi in a major development in the case.

The arrested accused was taken into custody from the Sarangpur area of Uttar Pradesh and later produced before the court, where he was remanded to four days of ATS custody for further interrogation.

He is accused of sharing sensitive information with foreign elements, training Bhopal resident Mohammad Faraz, and planning to send him to Afghanistan. Evidence of jihadist literature, suspicious documents, and calls to Afghanistan and Pakistan have been found.

Officials said that during the investigation, evidence, including suspected jihad-related literature, suspicious documents, and financial transaction records linked to religious institutions, was recovered.

ATS sources further stated that digital examination of the accused’s mobile phone revealed communication with numbers based in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Investigators also found evidence suggesting the accused used an application to communicate with foreign contacts.

The probe has also indicated that photographs and videos from multiple cities in Uttar Pradesh were allegedly being sent to Pakistan, raising concerns about a wider cross-state network.

Investigators suspect that the module may be spread across several states and could be operating in a sleeper-cell-like structure. Agencies are now working to identify additional members and establish the full extent of the alleged network.

A statement issued by the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said the operation also led to further arrests and detentions. It said ATS arrested Haji Azhar from Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) and also brought a suspect from Nuh, Haryana, to Bhopal for questioning.

The agency further alleged that a handler based in Saudi Arabia was inciting youths for jihad-related activities.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and further arrests are likely as agencies continue to examine digital evidence, financial trails, and communication records connected to the case.

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