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India replaces British architect statue with independence hero

India unveiled a bust of an independence-era nationalist icon at the presidential palace on Monday, replacing a monument to British architect Edwin Lutyens in a symbolic break from its colonial past.Lutyens was the chief architect of New Delhi, the area that houses India’s power centre, and still often referred to as Lutyens’ Delhi.His bust was replaced with that of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, known as Rajaji, a towering statesman, jurist and writer who served as Governor General from 1948 to 1950, bridging the transition from British rule to the modern Indian republic.”This initiative is part of series of steps being taken towards shedding the vestiges of colonial mindset and embracing, with pride, the richness of India’s culture,” said President Droupadi Murmu in a statement.Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long sought to eliminate remnants of India’s colonial past by reshaping several key British-era relics with his own mega projects.In 2023 he inaugurated a grand new hexagonal national parliament, replacing a colonial-era building, also designed by Lutyens along with his British colleague, Herbert Baker.Modi said the move to replace Lutyens’ bust was part of initiatives to achieve “freedom from the mindset of slavery”.”Statues of British administrators were allowed to remain… but those of the nation’s greatest sons were denied space,” he said in a radio broadcast on Saturday. “Today, the country is leaving that colonial mindset behind.”In 2022, Modi’s government erected a statue of an independence hero venerated for taking up arms against colonial rule — but controversial for his collaboration with Nazi Germany’s war machinery.The statue of Subhas Chandra Bose was placed in a canopy near the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi on a long empty plinth that had once housed a statue of British monarch King George V.The canopy, too, had been designed by Lutyens.Lutyens’ great-grandson, British biologist Matt Ridley, said he was “sad to read that the bust of Lutyens (my great grandfather) is to be removed from the presidential palace he designed in Delhi”.

Pakistan warn England’s flaky batting to expect a trial by spin

Pakistan on Monday warned England’s inconsistent batting line-up to expect a trial by spin when the teams clash in the T20 World Cup Super Eights.Pakistan batsman Sahibzada Farhan told reporters that England struggled to 146-9 against Sri Lanka’s spinners on Sunday. Farhan said that England can expect more of the same from Pakistan’s spinners when they meet on the same Pallekele ground in Kandy on Tuesday night.Pakistan desperately need a win after their first match against New Zealand was washed out. A defeat would put England, who skittled Sri Lanka for 95 to win by 51 runs, through to the semi-finals with a game to spare.Pakistan would then need to beat Sri Lanka in their final Super Eights match and hope other results go their way to reach the last four.”What we saw in the Sri Lanka-England game was that the ball was gripping and England struggled against spin,” said the in-form opener Farhan on Monday.”Sri Lanka have one or two spinners but we have five in all so we will give England a tough time on a pitch that looks good and will grip,” said Farhan.Pakistan’s spinners have taken 26 wickets in the four matches so far. Their seamers have dismissed only seven batsmen.History will be against Pakistan as they have never beaten England in three previous Twenty20 World Cup clashes.”We are confident and our morale is high,” said Farhan, who scored an unbeaten 100 against Namibia in Pakistan’s final group match. “We are focused on this match to win and progress.”Farhan, who tops the T20 World Cup run-scoring chart with 220, said he was ready for the threat of England’s express pace bowler Jofra Archer.”Facing Archer will not be difficult because I have faced similar bowlers in Pakistan,” said Farhan. “So if he has plans against me, I also have plans against him.”Pakistan are likely to bring in spinner Abrar Ahmed in place of seaming all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.England may name an unchanged side for the fifth match in succession with Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid and Jacob Bethell providing their spin options.Sri Lanka and New Zealand are the two other teams in Pakistan and England’s Super Eights group. They face each other in Colombo on Wednesday.The top two teams will qualify for the semi-finals.

India battle for World Cup survival after ‘messing up on grand scale’

Defending T20 World Cup champions India need “two big performances” to reach the semi-finals after Sunday’s huge defeat to South Africa, said their assistant coach.India came into the T20 World Cup as hot favourites on home soil but were thrashed by 76 runs in the Super Eights as 80,000 fans at the massive Narendra Modi stadium were stunned into silence.In their first chase of the tournament, India’s batting came up woefully short in the face of some disciplined South Africa bowling. India collapsed to 111 all out in 18.5 overs in response to South Africa’s 187-7 as their 12-match win streak in the T20 World Cup came to a crashing end.The magnitude of the defeat has left India with a desperate net run-rate of -3.8 and likely needing to win their last two Super Eight matches convincingly to make it to the semi-finals.Anything less and India will need to rely on a combination of other results going their way.”Very disappointed in the performance,” said Ryan ten Doeschate.”When you set out to win a World Cup, don’t expect someone to come and deliver it to you halfway through,” the assistant coach added.”We’ve messed up on a grand scale and now the onus is on this group of guys to turn it around and put in two solid performances.”India are grouped with South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe in Super Eights, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.The West Indies face Zimbabwe on Monday night in Mumbai in their Super Eights opener. India next face giant-killers Zimbabwe, who have already beaten Australia and Sri Lanka, on Thursday in Chennai.South Africa play the West Indies the same day in Ahmedabad where Aiden Markram’s side could put one foot firmly in the semi-finals with another win.- ‘Cloak came off’ -“Obviously with the way the group goes, you need at least four points to get through now, and it’s going to need two big performances and a big bounce back from everyone,” said Ten Doeschate.India’s fragile batting was exposed against an in-form bowling attack led by left-arm quick Marco Jansen, who returned figures of 4-22 from 3.5 overs. Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 with his left-arm spin.India’s media tore into the team on Monday morning. “The night the cloak came off,” blazed a headline in the Indian Express newspaper.”Sloppy India reach point of no return,” said the Hindustan Times.India’s ultra-aggressive left-handed opening pair have failed to fire, leaving a shaky middle order to pick up the pieces. Ishan Kishan was out without scoring to Markram on Sunday, while the world’s top- ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma fell to Jansen for 15, his only runs of the tournament so far after three ducks.”It’s certainly not panic stations,” said Ten Doeschate, who hinted there could be discussions about India’s batting line-up.”If those guys (Ahbishek and Ishan) bat for six overs, the score is going to be 70-plus,” said Ten Doeschate.”So can we get them to temper the way they’re playing and be a little bit smarter?”Or do we just let them go on the way they are? “Or do we bring in a right-hander at the top and make a change somewhere in the middle?” Captain Suryakumar Yadav agreed India need to use their brains in the first six-over power play when only two fielders are allowed on the boundary.”Chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the power play, but you might lose it,” he said after his side stumbled to 31-3 after six overs, which became 43-4 a few balls later and then 51-5. “We lost too many wickets in the power play.” The 2024 champions also have the weight of history against them. No team has ever retained the T20 World Cup and no side have ever won the trophy on home soil.

‘I will go’: Bengalis in Pakistan hope for family reunions

Shah Alam travelled from his home in Bangladesh to Pakistan for a brief visit nearly three decades ago, but flaring hostility between the two countries and financial woes left him stranded in the megacity of Karachi.Now the 60-year-old, who makes a modest living selling dried seafood, is determined to return to his birthplace, having already missed the deaths of his parents and first wife in Bangladesh.Direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh — one nation until 1971 — finally resumed last month after a 14-year pause, reflecting a warming of once-frosty ties since a Bangladeshi student-led uprising ushered in new leadership in 2024.Shah Alam has already started planning his trip to be reunited with remaining family.”I will go,” he told AFP with teary eyes. “I am facing some financial issues but will certainly go with my son after Eid al-Adha,” referring to the Muslim holiday expected in late May.Shah Alam, who married again in Pakistan, still owns agricultural land and his family home in Bangladesh.”Everything is there. I was stuck here,” he told AFP in Karachi, near the well-known Bengali market where he peddles desiccated fish and prawns to make ends meet for $7 to $9 per day.”I wanted to go back, but there was no way. The relationship (between Pakistan and Bangladesh) was not good. I had no money as well to go back home.””Now, I want to see my elder brother and my married daughter who live in Bangladesh.”- Bitter civil war -Bangladesh and Pakistan, which are geographically divided by about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) of Indian territory, split after a bitter war in 1971.Hundreds of thousands were killed in the conflict — Bangladeshi estimates say millions -– and Pakistan’s military was accused of widespread atrocities.There are estimated to be over a million ethnic Bengalis now living in Pakistan, many of whom arrived during the war, after which East Pakistan declared independence and became Bangladesh.The vast majority of Bangladesh’s population of 170 million people identify as belonging to the ethnic and linguistic group, and tens of millions more Bengalis live across South Asia, mostly in neighbouring India.Bengalis have long complained that Pakistan, where they are a small minority, has never accepted them as citizens and that they lack access to education, business opportunities and the property market.Hussain Ahmed, 20, whose family lives in Machhar Colony, one of Karachi’s largest slum areas where most of the population is comprised of Bengalis, does not have Pakistani nationality or an identity card.”How can I go (to Bangladesh)? I want to go there,” the fish factory worker told AFP. “Even my father doesn’t have an identity card. How can I get it then?”Karachi has several Bengali neighbourhoods, mainly slums, which residents say have housed Bengalis since before East Pakistan became Bangladesh.Most Bengalis rarely venture outside their home areas owing to fear of being interrogated by law enforcement agencies to prove their “identities” as Pakistani citizens.”I am a Pakistani, but I don’t have my identity card,” another 22-year-old Bengali, Ahmed, told AFP.Ahmed says he has the required documents, but cannot prove that his family was living in what is now Pakistan before 1971.”They declare me a Bangladeshi, but I am a Pakistani,” he said.Like many others, Ahmed’s relatives live in Bangladesh, but he and his family have never had the chance to see them as they remain stateless.”We have our relatives there, but the (Pakistan) government doesn’t recognise us.”- ‘Cordial relationship’ – Last August, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Dhaka and met with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in the first Pakistani government visit to Dhaka since 2012, with Islamabad calling it a “significant milestone”.Yunus vowed to warm strained ties with Islamabad after he took the helm of Bangladesh’s government in a temporary capacity following the 2024 overthrow of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who fled to her long-time ally India — Pakistan’s arch-rival. The diplomatic thaw is widely expected to continue under Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who took office this month.Local politician Muhammad Rafiqul Hussain, who was born in Karachi, told AFP that Bengalis like him live across Pakistan and contribute to the economy like other Pakistanis.He is one of the seven elected leaders from the Bengali community in Karachi’s municipal government.”This is our fourth generation in Pakistan,” he said, adding there are more than 106 Bengali neighbourhoods in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city which is known as a multicultural melting pot. For Hussain, the “cordial relationship” between Pakistan and Bangladesh has made a big difference for Pakistani Bengalis.”Everyone is happy. It will boost both countries’ economies. It will encourage brotherhood like we had in the past.”However, community activist and lawyer Hafiz Zainulabdin Shah said Bengalis living in Pakistan have lost some of their identity by adopting local languages.”Bengalis who live in Karachi mostly speak Urdu,” he said, adding: “We don’t have our own culture now”.But despite Pakistan-based Bengalis living “with a sense of deprivation”, Shah said “they feel content with the newly developed relationship between the two countries”.”It should continue forever,” he said.

Afghans mourn villagers killed in Pakistani strikes

Afghans gathered around a mass grave on Sunday to bury villagers who died in overnight air strikes by Pakistan, which said its military operation killed dozens of militants.The overnight attacks left at least 18 people dead including children, Afghanistan said, and were the most extensive since border clashes in October that killed more than 70 on both sides and wounded hundreds. “The house was completely destroyed. My children and family members were there. My father and my sons were there. All of them were killed,” said Nezakat, a 35-year-old farmer in Bihsud district, who only gave one name.Islamabad said it hit seven sites along the border region targeting Afghanistan-based militant groups, in response to suicide bombings in Pakistan. A Pakistani security source told AFP on Sunday that the strikes killed “more than 80” militants, adding the death toll was expected to rise.AFP journalists in Afghanistan were not able to verify the toll, which was rejected by an Afghan security source. “The figure of 80 martyrs given by the Pakistan regime is false and imaginary,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Islamabad said its military targeted the Pakistani Taliban and its associates, as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group, an information ministry statement said.Afghan authorities have previously denied harbouring militants.Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said “people’s homes have been destroyed, they have targeted civilians, they have committed this criminal act” with the bombardment of eastern Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. Residents from around the remote Bihsud district in Nangarhar joined searchers to look for bodies under the rubble using shovels and a digger, an AFP journalist said. “People here are ordinary people. The residents of this village are our relatives. When the bombing happened, one person who survived was shouting for help,” said neighbour Amin Gul Amin, 37.Nangarhar police told AFP the bombardment started at around midnight and hit three districts, with those killed all in a civilian’s house. “Twenty-three members of his family were buried under the rubble, of whom 18 were killed and five wounded,” said police spokesperson Sayed Tayeeb Hammad. Strikes elsewhere in Nangarhar wounded two others, while in Paktika, an AFP journalist saw a destroyed guesthouse but there were no immediate reports of casualties. – ‘Calculated response’ -Afghanistan’s defence ministry said it will “deliver an appropriate and calculated response” to the Pakistani strikes.The two countries have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban authorities retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians between October and December, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan.Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, but the efforts have failed to produce a lasting agreement.Saudi Arabia intervened this month, mediating the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghanistan in October.The deteriorating relationship has impacted people in both countries, with land border crossings — crucial gateways for trade — largely shut for months.Islamabad said Sunday that despite repeated requests, Taliban authorities have failed to act against militant groups using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan, which Kabul denies.Islamabad launched the strikes after a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad two weeks ago and other attacks more recently in northwestern Pakistan. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing, which killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 160 in the deadliest attack in Islamabad since 2008. The militant group’s regional chapter, Islamic State-Khorasan, also claimed a deadly suicide bombing at a restaurant in Kabul last month. burs-rsc-je/sst

South Africa thrash India to end 12-match T20 World Cup win streak

South Africa ended India’s 12-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup with a crushing 76-run win in Ahmedabad on Sunday in the opening Group 1 Super Eights match.After a counter-attacking 63 by David Miller and some late hitting from Tristan Stubbs took South Africa to 187-7, the defending champions were all out for 111 in 18.5 overs, failing badly in their first chase of the tournament. Left-arm quick Marco Jansen finished with 4-22, while left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 as the South African bowlers exposed India’s fragile batting line-up.”Great performance. Very different type of wicket to what we’ve had here, so great to see the boys assess that pretty early and adapt their skills to execute their plans,” said South Africa captain Aiden Markram.”We’re really pumped for the bowling group. They’ve been working hard, started the comp a bit tough, but the way they rocked up tonight was a great effort.” Hot favourites to defend their crown on home soil, India will need to win their two remaining Super Eight games against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to have a chance of qualifying.But the magnitude of the defeat means they will take a poor net run rate forward and that could prove pivotal if their Super Eights group is tight.”We bowled really well, but we could have batted a little better,” said India captain Suryakumar Yadav.- Fans silenced -“Sometimes you’ve got to think, if you’re chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the power play, but you might lose it. “We lost too many wickets in the power play.” Both teams were unbeaten in group phase and the game was a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados, which India won.India’s unbeaten run in the tournament had stretched back to their defeat in the semi-final against eventual winners England in 2022.South Africa struck immediately in India’s chase when Markram opened the bowling and dismissed Ishan Kishan with his off-spin.Abhishek Sharma got his first runs of the tournament, after three ducks, with a four off Markram to get the 82,000 crowd on their feet in the cavernous stadium which has a reported capacity of 130,000.The joy of Indian fans was short-lived and they were silenced as left-arm quick Marco Jansen had Tilak Varma caught behind for one in the next over and removed the left-handed Abhishek for 15.India needed a partnership but Corbin Bosch dismissed Washington Sundar and Suryakumar, who toe-ended to midwicket, as the hosts slumped to 51-5.Left-arm spinner Maharaj took three wickets in one over to dismiss Hardik Pandya (18), Rinku Singh (0) and Arshdeep Singh (one) to shut the door on India.Shivam Dube made 42 at the end, but it was too little too late and when he fell, off Jansen, last man Jasprit Bumrah followed next ball.Batting first after winning the toss, South Africa slipped to 20-3 before Miller and Dewald Brevis, who hit 45, put on 97, to guide South Africa to 187-7.Tristan Stubbs had a late cameo that saw him crash an unbeaten 44 off 24 balls and launch the final two balls of the innings both for six off Pandya.India’s Jasprit Bumrah took 3-15.

Sri Lanka have to qualify ‘the hard way’ after England drubbing

Sri Lanka will have to do it “the hard way” if they are to make the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after a chastening defeat to England on Sunday, admitted their batting coach.The co-hosts were routed for 95 chasing 147 in Kandy, meaning they need to win their two remaining Super Eight games to have a chance of qualifying.Even that may not be enough as they now have a poor net run rate, something that could be crucial in a tight group.Sri Lanka are bottom of Super Eights Group 2 on zero points, below New Zealand and Pakistan on one point each after their match on Saturday was washed out.England are top on two points and can all-but qualify for the last four with a win over Pakistan at the same Kandy venue on Tuesday.For Sri Lanka, next up are New Zealand in Colombo on Wednesday, leaving little time to regroup.”We have no choice now but to win our next two games. We will do it the hard way,” Sri Lanka batting coach Vikram Rathour told reporters.Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka, a centurion against Australia, fell for nine exposing Sri Lank’s shaky middle order and they folded in 16.4 overs.”When your best batter is dismissed early, you tend to struggle and that’s what happened today,” said Rathour.Sri Lanka were never in the hunt after slumping to 34-5 inside the six-over power play as Jofra Archer took two wickets with extreme pace at one end and Will Jacks claimed three at the other with his off-spin.”Disappointing game, yes. We should have chased that down,” said Rathour. “It was a tacky wicket as it was under cover for a while. After losing a few wickets, it was tough to get back into the game.”

England rout Sri Lanka for 95 to win Super Eights opener

England routed Sri Lanka for 95 to give captain Harry Brook a perfect birthday present as they opened the T20 World Cup Super Eights phase with a resounding 51-run win in Kandy on Sunday.After England were asked to bat first and scored what looked like a below-par 146-9, Jofra Archer and Will Jacks took five wickets during the six-over power play to leave Sri Lanka’s top order in tatters at 34-5.”That’s a beautiful birthday present,” said Brook, who turned 27 on Sunday. “I thought we played exceptionally there. To get over the line and bowl them out for less than 100 is an awesome effort.”I didn’t think there were really any demons on the pitch. I think the spinners on both sides used the pace really well, and that’s what brought a lot of wickets.” It was England’s 12th win in a row against Sri Lanka and on a pitch that was sticky and slow after rain all week in Kandy.The margin of victory gives them a healthy net run rate advantage in a Super Eights group that could be further affected by weather, after the New Zealand-Pakistan match was washed out on Saturday in Colombo.”We’re buzzing with that,” said Jacks who was named player of the match for the third time in five matches in the tournament.”At the halfway stage, we were pleased to get up to 146, but obviously we knew we were going to have to bowl well and work hard.” The searing pace of Jofra Archer accounted for both openers, including the in-form Pathum Nissanka (9), who had scored a century and 62 in his last two knocks but failed to clear Jamie Overton at deep mid-wicket.Archer finished with 2-20 and Jacks 3-22, the latter accounting for Kusal Mendis (4) and Pavan Rathnayake (0) in consecutive balls.Dunith Wellalage staved off the hat-trick but lasted only 10 balls before also falling to Jacks, for 10.- Lone battle -Dasun Shanaka fought a lone battle scoring 30 off 24 balls before falling to Adil Rashid. The Sri Lanka captain took on the leg-spinner but Jacks took the catch and tossed the ball to Tom Banton before stepping over the boundary.”It’s one bad game which is not affordable in a World Cup,” said Shanaka. “But we need to bounce back in the next couple of games.”Sri Lanka earlier restricted England to 146-9 with left-arm spinner Wellalage taking 3-26.Phil Salt scored 62 at the top of the order but Sri Lanka, who are missing three of their frontline bowlers, contained the rest of the England batting line-up with regular wickets.Wellalage was introduced during the power play and trapped the out-of-form Jos Buttler (7) and Brook (14), both lbw, as England limped to 68-4 at the halfway mark.Salt was caught in the deep off Wellalage after facing 40 deliveries with six fours and two sixes.Jacks, with 21, was the only other England batsman to score more than 20.”Jacksie was pretty annoyed with the way he got out,” said Brook, who then explained why the new ball was tossed to the off-spinner. “He said to me he always bowls better when he’s angry, and thankfully he got off to a cracking start.” Left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka took 2-25 while Maheesh Theekshana took 2-21 with his offspin.

Brazil, India ink critical minerals deal as leaders meet

India and Brazil agreed to boost cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after talks in New Delhi with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.”The agreement on critical minerals and rare earths is a major step towards building resilient supply chains,” Modi said.Brazil has the world’s second-largest reserves of critical minerals, which are used in everything from electric vehicles, solar panels and smartphones to jet engines and guided missiles.India, seeking to cut its dependence on top exporter China, has been expanding domestic production and recycling while scouting for new suppliers.”Increasing investments and cooperation in matters of renewable energies and critical minerals is at the core of the pioneering agreement that we have signed today,” Lula said.The details of the deal were not immediately available but a senior Indian foreign ministry official said official discussions were underway.”President Lula gave a very detailed presentation on Brazil’s substantial critical minerals and rare earth reserves,” P. Kumaran told reporters at a media briefing.”He said only 30 percent of their reserves have been explored and that there is substantial scope for exploration, processing minerals and also using them.”- ‘Reflection of trust’ -Nine other agreements and memoranda of understanding were finalised on Saturday, covering digital cooperation, health, entrepreneurship and other fields.”Brazil is India’s largest trade partner in Latin America. We are committed to taking our bilateral trade beyond $20 billion in the coming five years,” Modi said.”Our trade is not just a figure, but a reflection of trust.”Lula, who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a summit on artificial intelligence, is accompanied by a delegation of more than a dozen ministers as well as business leaders.On Saturday, he was given a ceremonial welcome and paid tribute to India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, before holding the meeting with Modi.With China holding a near-monopoly on rare earths production, some countries are seeking alternative sources.Rishabh Jain, an expert with the Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water think tank, said India’s growing cooperation with Brazil on critical minerals complements recent supply chain engagements with the United States, France and the European Union.While these partnerships grant India access to advanced technologies, finance and high-end processing capabilities, “Global South alliances are critical for securing diversified, on-ground resource access and shaping emerging rules of global trade”, Jain told AFP.- ‘New momentum’ -India, the world’s most populous nation, is the 10th largest market for Brazilian exports, with bilateral trade topping $15 billion in 2025.Key Brazilian exports to India include sugar, crude oil, vegetable oils, cotton and iron ore.Demand for iron ore has been driven by rapid infrastructure expansion and industrial growth in India, which is on track to become the world’s fourth largest economy.Modi said that “our cooperation in the defence sector is also continuously growing,” hailing a “win-win partnership”.”When India and Brazil work together, the voice of Global South becomes stronger and more confident.”Speaking at a business forum later in the day, Lula said Brazil was ready to cooperate in one of the world’s largest global defence markets.”We do not want only to sell,” he said. “We want to buy, invest, and consolidate our presence in India, with technology transfer and training of personnel.”Brazilian firms have been expanding in the South Asian nation, with Embraer and Adani Group announcing plans last month to build aircraft in India.On Sunday, Lula will travel on to South Korea for meetings with President Lee Jae Myung and to attend a business forum.

South Africa’s De Kock says handling pressure key in India clash

Who “deals with the pressure better” will decide the India-South Africa Super Eights match, a repeat of the T20 World Cup final two years ago, said Quinton de Kock on SaturdayThe two unbeaten teams are familiar foes and both came through their T20 World Cup groups with perfect four-out-of-four records ahead of the clash in Ahmedabad on Sunday.Aiden Markram’s South Africa toured India late last year, losing 3-1 in a T20 series.”I think that’s what’s going to make for quite a good game tomorrow, because we’ve played against each other quite a bit over the last two months,” said South Africa opener De Kock.”And to be honest, the teams haven’t really changed much. “So, I think it’s more when you’re out there on the pressure side, who deals with the pressure better and wins the small moments in the game.”While South Africa looked strong in all departments in the group phase, the batting of the defending champions India has been inconsistent.Opener Abhishek Sharma has recorded three consecutive ducks, but De Kock did not read too much into it.”He’s the number one T20 batsman in the world at the moment, according to the rankings, so he must keep doing what he’s doing,” said de Kock of the 25-year-old Abhishek.”He’s obviously quite young, he’s bound to fail. So I’m sure at some point he’s going to play an important knock.”South Africa are being billed as strong contenders to meet India in the final in Ahmedabad on March 8.De Kock said there were no favourites in the T20 format.”I think the nature of World Cups, that it doesn’t allow favouritism. “At any moment, someone can win in a game out of nowhere. So that’s the thing, it’s quite a fickle game, World Cups, especially T20 World Cups. “Games can be changed in a matter of two to three overs just by one individual.”