Shohei Ohtani makes baseball history as he enters 50-50 club
Shohei Ohtani has become the first baseball player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a major league season.
The Japanese superstar reached the landmark with his second home run of the night in the seventh inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani hit number 51 in the final innings – his sixth hit in six at bats during the game – as he also became the first player to hit three home runs and steal two bases in a match.
He had hit number 49 in the previous inning, having reached the half century of stolen bases in the first innings.
Ohtani added another stolen base to his tally in the second.
Only five players had previously managed 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the season.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers from the Los Angeles Angels in a 700 million dollar (£527 million), 10-year deal having starred as a pitcher as well as with the bat during his six years in Anaheim.
He has not pitched since joining the Dodgers after elbow surgery, playing solely as a designated hitter.
His 50th home run set a new Dodgers franchise record for a single season.
Bomb drones deployed by warring tribes in India’s forgotten civil war
Ngangbam Ingo’s life fell apart earlier this month when his wife was shot and killed in an attack by a tribal militia in northeastern India, part of the escalating ethnic conflict that has riven the state of Manipur in two.
While sporadic clashes between two ethnic communities in the state have led to a steady trickle of deaths since the conflict began 18 months ago, a new and worrying escalation emerged this month with the first use of weaponised drones – until now both sides have been wielding basic firearms like hunting rifles and improvised weapons.
On 1 September, Ingo’s wife Ngangbam Surbala, 36, and their 11-year-old daughter Ngangom Rojiya were on their way back from visiting their son, Mahesh, 14, at his boarding school when they found themselves in the crossfire of an attack by suspected Kuki militia.
“My daughter wanted to visit her grandmother, and that’s when they were attacked,” Ingo tells The Independent. At 1.50pm that day, Ingo received a frantic call from his wife.
“She told me there was heavy gunfire. I was worried and told them to take cover, to just hide,” he recalls while speaking in local Manipuri language as his voice shook with emotion. Just three minutes later, he received another call – this time, with devastating news. “My wife had been shot, and my daughter was injured, a local told me, calling from their phone,” he says, choking back tears.
The latest outbreak of violence this month reportedly claimed at least 11 lives, adding to the mounting toll of arond 225 from fighting between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities that began in May last year. Death tolls are pieced together from media reports as the Indian government, which has come under sustained criticism for its failure to restore peace to the region, does not maintain a tally that is available publicly.
The 1 September attacks killed two, while subsequent rocket strikes on 6 September left one dead and six injured, including a teenager.
Villager Laishangthem Romen alleges that state law enforcement abandoned their posts as soon as the shooting began on 1 September in Koutruk.
“The firing went on non-stop for about 20 to 25 minutes starting at around 2pm, when the woman was killed,” he says, referring to Surbala. As volunteers tasked with “defending” the village took position in bunkers they have dug themselves, the first bombs started dropping.
He does not remember how many drones were dropping bombs, but he claims there were more than one. “Because when the volunteers gathered in my house to take shelter, we heard simultaneous bomb dropping sound from every corner of the village”.
“We are used to defending the village using mortar shells but were not prepared that Kukis would use this much technology to attack us.”
He alleges that India’s paramilitary Border Security Forces (BSF), permanently stationed to protect the village, also abandoned it as the bombs started dropping. “That was the most shocking,” he says. “I was worried that today our village would be completely burned down and we would have no option but to run away.”
BSF did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.
While at least five homes in the village were burnt down in the sporadic attacks that started around 3pm, going on till 8.30pm, he is grateful that his home “is only partially damaged” and that he was able to send away his wife, children, and mother soon after the firing began.
Romen lambasts the federal and state governments over their inability to contain the violence. “They have totally failed to control this conflict, even though they could do it.”
Another villager, Thangminlun Mate, is still waiting to receive the body of his father Limlal Mate.
A resident of Kangpokpi, the 21-year-old learnt about the killing of his father on 8 September through a disturbing video circulating on social media. “My father had ventured out to buy hardware for their home in Motbung, just 100-200m away in the afternoon. When he did not return by 6pm, I began looking for him.
“It was around 5.30am in the morning, I received a video in one of the groups showing his bleeding body. He was clearly beaten to death.”
A police investigation suggests that the 64-year-old ex-serviceman was abducted by the armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol after he unintentionally crossed the buffer zone between the two communities entering into a Meitei-controlled area, reported The Print.
“It has left me sad and shocked,” Mate says as he desperately waits to receive his father’s body that remains at a hospital morgue in state capital Imphal. Though the hospital is only 43km from his home, as a Kuki he is forbidden to enter for he knows he would himself be killed for crossing into the Meitei-dominated territory.
The Manipur police say they are investigating the new use of drones, and say it points to the involvement of trained professionals. A high-level government committee has also been formed that is racing to understand this “unprecedented” development, calling it a “significant escalation”.
Delhi is pushing to resolve the long-standing tensions between the two communities, home minister Amit Shah announced, after days of violent student protests and internet suspensions in some areas of the state.
“We hope that we will be able to bring the situation under control,” Shah said at an event this week discussing the first 100 days of Narendra Modi’s third term in power, adding: “If both (ethnic groups) do not come to an understanding, there won’t be a resolution to the matter.”
More than two weeks on, Ingo still struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife. “Every time I come home, I expect her to call out to me, to greet me.
“I miss her simple words: ‘Dinner will be ready.’ She was the one who got our children ready for school every morning. I miss her terribly, especially in the mornings and evenings. The silence is deafening, and not hearing her voice is unbearable,” he says.
Ingo’s daughter was shielded from the news of her mother’s death for 10 days. “When she finally learned the news, she was devastated,” he says. “She’s been crying incessantly, struggling to eat, and grappling with the loss. We’re trying to console her, explaining that her mother sacrificed her life for Manipur, that she’s a martyr. We want her to find strength in that.”
Japanese schoolboy stabbed to death in China on 1931 anniversary
A 10-year-old schoolboy from Japan was fatally stabbed near his school in Shenzhen in southern China on Wednesday in the second knife attack near a Japanese school in recent months.
A 44-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene, police in the city said in a statement.
The boy was attacked by the man about 200m from the gates of the school in Shenzhen, according to China’s foreign ministry.
The boy’s father is Japanese, while his mother is a Chinese citizen, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press briefing, adding that the attack was an “individual” case.
The attack took place on the anniversary of an incident on 18 September 1931 that triggered war between China and Japan, a sensitive date at a time when diplomatic relations are in danger of deteriorating.
The 1931 Mukden Incident, also known as “918”, was the beginning of the invasion of Manchuria which ignited the long-standing conflict between the two countries.
“The fact that such a despicable act was committed against a child on his way to school is truly regrettable,” Japan’s foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters on Thursday.
“We take this incident extremely seriously, and we have once again requested that the Chinese side ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.”
The victim died in the early hours of 19 September, Ms Kamikawa told reporters. Japan has requested China to provide a comprehensive account of the facts and to implement robust safety measures, she added.
While Chinese authorities did not specify a motive, reports suggest that anti-Japanese sentiment in the country has been rising. A similar attack occurred in June when a Japanese mother and child were stabbed in Suzhou.
Ahead of the “918” anniversary, Japan’s foreign minister said “we had just made a request to the Chinese foreign ministry to take thorough measures to ensure the safety of Japanese schools, so we are extremely disappointed that this incident occurred in this situation”.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said they were investigating the case. “China will continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners in China.”
Coldplay announce dates for Asia tour including India, Seoul and UAE
Coldplay have officially announced the Asia dates for their Music of the Spheres world tour.
Here is what you need to know to get your hands on tickets.
Which countries are Coldplay performing in?
According to the announcement made by the band on social media, Coldplay will be playing at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 11 January 2025 followed by two shows in Mumbai’s DY Patil Sports Stadium on 18 and 19 January.
The band will then head to Hong Kong to play at the Kai Tak Stadium on 9, 11 and 12 April 2025, ending the tour with shows in Seoul’s Goyang Stadium on 16, 18, 19, and 22 April.
When will tickets go on sale?
Fans can try their luck with tickets at presales for the Abu Dhabi, Seoul, and Hong Kong dates. Fans heading to Mumbai will only have the general sale to look forward to.
For Seoul, the presale will start on 24 September at 12pm local time and the general sale on 27 September at 12pm local time.
Hong Kong will have the presale on 7 October at 10am local time as well as an opportunity to buy the Klook package experience on 8 October at 10am local time. General ticket sales begin for the city on 10 October at 10am local time.
General ticket sales for Mumbai begin on 22 September at 12pm local time.
How can you register for the presale and get access?
Fans can register for the presale on Coldplay’s official website here before 9am BST on 23 September.
They will receive an email granting them access to the presale the night before it begins in each nation.
How many tickets can you buy?
There is a limit of four tickets per buyer.
Where can you buy the general sale tickets?
Tickets for Mumbai will be sold on the tour’s official ticketing partner Book My Show.
Abu Dhabi, Seoul, and Hong Kong tickets will be available on the respective country’s Live Nation website.
Coldplay release a limited number of “infinity tickets” for every show, priced at the local currency equivalent of £20. The catch is the seats are completely random and can be anywhere from the floor to the back row and will only be disclosed during ticket pickup on the day of the show.
Infinity tickets are only available to buy in pairs and at a maximum of two tickets per person.
This will be Coldplay’s first performance in India after the 2016 show at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. They will be returning to Hong Kong for the first time since 2009 and last performed in Abu Dhabi in 2016 and Seoul in 2017.
The announcement makes mention of a mystery guest at each show. Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna was announced as a support act for Abu Dhabi, while the mystery performers for other Asia dates have not been revealed yet.
The new dates follow the release of Coldplay’s 10th record, Moon Music, scheduled for release on 4 October.
Coldplay have also announced that 10 per cent of the band’s proceeds from the sale of tickets for their shows in London and Hull in 2025 will be donated to the Music Venue Trust, a charitable organisation that supports UK grassroots music venues and emerging artists.
The band pledged to power the production for their Wembley shows with 100 per cent solar, wind and kinetic energy, collected at the venue and elsewhere in the UK and delivered by a specially designed electric battery system.
In June, Coldplay revealed that their Music of the Spheres show had, at that point, produced 59 per cent less CO2 emissions than their previous stadium tour between 2016 to 2017.
Woman rescued from 13ft python after being trapped in its coils
A four-metre-long (13ft) python coiled around a 64-year-old woman in Thailand for about two hours in her home before help arrived.
The snake bit her multiple times and wrapped itself around her, squeezing tighter as Arom Arunroj struggled to free herself, according to Thai media reports.
Despite her attempts to grab the snake’s head, it didn’t let go, Ms Arunroj said.
She was washing up after dinner around 8.30pm local time in her home in Samut Prakan, a province south of Bangkok, when she first felt the bite.
“I looked at it and it was a snake,” she was quoted as saying by Koha News. Ms Arunroj said that she tried to fight the snake and called for help, but no one heard her.
She tried to grab the snake’s head in an attempt to free herself, but, she said, “it kept strangling me”.
After about two hours, a neighbour heard her faint cries and called for help.
“She had probably been strangled for a while because her skin was pale,” Sgt Maj Anusorn Wongmali Anusorn said.
“It was a python, a big one. I saw a bite mark on her leg but knew there might be some elsewhere too.”
The snake reportedly weighed around 20kg.
Police were assisted by members of the She Poh Tek Tung Foundation, a rescue organisation, and Ms Arunroj was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Khaosod English reported that everyone was shocked to find the woman with a giant python wrapped tightly around her midsection.
It took over 30 minutes of intense effort to free her from the snake’s grip. Once the python was pulled off, it swiftly slithered into a nearby forest, escaping capture as rescuers prioritised giving Ms Arunroj first aid and rushing her to the hospital.
“I tried calling out to my neighbours and anyone nearby, but no one heard me. I thought I wouldn’t survive and would surely become the snake’s meal. In a final attempt, I shouted as loud as I could until someone passing by heard me and quickly called the police and rescue unit for help. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,” Ms Arunroj told Khaosod English.
While pythons are not venomous, their bite can lead to infection. They kill their prey by coiling around and suffocating it. These massive snakes can grow over 10m long.
Ms Arunroj is a housekeeper at a children’s hospital in Bangkok and has been renting a room in Samut Prakan where the incident occurred. Her husband died in November last year and she has been living alone since then.
Behind her room is a bamboo forest with a pond.
About 12,000 people in Thailand received treatment for venomous snake and animal bites in 2023, as reported by the national health security office. Government data shows at least 26 people died from snake bites through the year.
Last month, a python bit a man’s testicle as he was sitting on the toilet.
He reportedly grabbed the snake to stop it from escaping into his home and tried to pull it out, hitting its head with his hand and a toilet brush, until a neighbour came to help.
India’s methane emissions are set to double – but it can be put to use
India’s methane emissions from coal mining could more than double by the end of this decade, new research warns, calling for urgent action that could potentially also reduce its reliance on imported gas.
A report by global energy think tank Ember released on Thursday projects that by 2029, methane emissions from India’s coal mines could exceed 1.6 million tonnes annually, more than twice the levels recorded in 2019.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, capable of trapping over 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in the short term, making it a major cause of the climate crisis.
India plans to ramp up coal production to meet growing energy demand as the pace of electricity consumption outstrips the growth in renewables.
Though solar and wind are projected to drive two-thirds of India’s power generation growth by 2032, according to Ember, the country is pushing to expand coal mining, including a tripling of underground operations.
The underground mines are a major source of methane emissions, with the gas escaping through ventilation systems, cracks, and open pits during extraction.
The planned expansion could result in a sharp increase in emissions, the report says. If mitigated, however, it could potentially open economic opportunities for India.
Ember’s analysis shows that with the right technologies, India could reduce methane emissions from coal mines by up to 35 per cent a year by 2030. Additionally, it could reduce its reliance on costly imported gas, saving over $1bn (£756m) per year by 2029.
Techniques like pre-mine drainage, which involves extracting methane from coal seams before mining starts; ventilation air methane oxidation, which captures methane from mine ventilation systems; and flaring, which burns off methane and turns it into less harmful carbon dioxide, can help capture methane and convert it into a useful energy source, according to Ember.
The captured methane could be used to generate energy, replacing around 1.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas that India currently imports to meet its energy needs.
“Gas is gas. Methane emitted from a coal mine can be captured proactively through wells and at a ventilation shaft in an underground mine. From there it’s just a matter of finding the best use case for that gas,” said Chris Wright, Ember’s climate strategy advisor for coal mine methane.
This shift could result in substantial savings, the report estimates, potentially up to $980m (£741m) over the next five years, by offsetting the need for foreign gas purchases and turning wasted methane into an energy resource that the country can use locally.
“This is the low-hanging opportunity we have to slow climate change, reduce surface ozone, and complement efforts to cut carbon dioxide,” said Rajasekhar Modadugu, Ember’s analyst for climate and energy in India. He said there is a need for policies that incentivise the capture and use of methane before it escapes into the air.
India is the world’s third-largest methane emitter. While much of its methane emissions come from livestock, coal mining is becoming an increasingly critical source. Despite this, the Indian government has not yet signed global pacts like the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
“With India’s coal production goals set to increase through 2030, capturing and utilising methane emissions from both active and abandoned mines is critical. The necessary technologies and international support are available for India to take immediate action,” Felicia Ruiz, director of International Methane Partnerships and Outreach at the Clean Air Task Force, told The Independent.
The Ember report notes that mitigating methane emissions also addresses safety concerns for coal miners, as methane explosions in underground mines pose significant risks.
Methane-related incidents have accounted for more than half of all coal mining deaths in India since 1980. By capturing methane, India could improve safety for its mining workforce.
As India continues to expand coal mining, experts warn that the country is at a critical point.
“Methane is like an electric blanket on our climate. It also creates ground-level ozone pollution. Reducing methane is one of the best ways to avoid additional heating in the next decade, and decrease air pollution at the same time,” Mr Wright told The Independent.
A recent report from the Global Carbon Project shows that methane emissions are rising at the fastest rate in recorded history, despite global pledges. The report warns that if these emissions are not cut, it will be almost impossible for the world to meet its climate goals.
The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List on 25 September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online.
They spent 30 years boycotting elections. Now they want Kashmiris to vote
As an armed rebellion against Indian rule raged in Kashmir through the 1990s and 2000s, Jamaat-e-Islami, an influential socio-religious group, called for a boycott whenever an election was held, claiming the exercise was aimed at legitimising what it would describe as New Delhi’s occupation of the Himalayan region, which is also claimed in part or full by Pakistan and China.
But as Kashmir votes in the first regional election in a decade starting on Tuesday, the Jamaat has itself entered the political fray, backing at least 10 candidates in the election. It is a remarkable turnaround for a group that remains banned under India’s anti-terror laws and was once regarded as the mothership of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen.
After Narendra Modi’s government altered India’s constitution in 2019 to do away with the symbolic autonomy of the administrative region of Jammu and Kashmir, it cracked down hard on the separatist movement, jailing thousands of people. The Jamaat, having long been at the vanguard of the movement, was a prime target. Schools associated with the group were ordered shut and the properties of many members were seized in an attempt to curtail its reach and operational capabilities.
As recently as February, the Indian government said that the Jamaat was “continuing to be involved in fomenting terrorism and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir, which is prejudicial to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India”.
This is what makes the Jamaat’s participation in the election perplexing, and even experts in the region are divided over what it means. Noor Baba, a renowned Kashmiri political scientist, says it could be a tactical move on the part of a minority within the movement – contesting the election as independents in the hope of “protection or rehabilitating themselves after the suffering they have endured”.
The decision to join the fray, he suggests, may not have involved the group’s jailed leadership. As a result of internal divisions in the past, Prof Baba says, the Jamaat has suffered at the hands of both the Indian authorities as well as the militants. Similar divisions may have cracked open again.
“There are many questions,” he tells The Independent. “Is the top leadership, which is in jail, on board with this or is it not?”
Another theory is that the decision stems from the Jamaat’s desire to have the anti-terror ban lifted. There have been reports about conversations between the Jamaat and intermediaries of the Indian government such as Altaf Bukhari, head of a local political party.
Ahead of this election, Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of the former state, had urged the Narendra Modi government to lift the ban on the Jamaat to enable its participation in the assembly election. Mehbooba Mufti, another former chief minister and president of the People’s Democratic Party, said she would be “happy” to see the Jamaat return to the electoral arena.
Indian political analyst Apoorvanand Jha, however, sees a more sinister play at work. He says fielding independent candidates is part of a broader strategy of Modi’s BJP to weaken mainstream political parties such as the National Conference and the Congress and reap the dividend.
“The BJP’s aim is to install a government headed by a Hindu chief minister. That can be achieved by securing as many seats as possible in the Jammu region and fielding as many independents as possible in the valley [of Kashmir], making them win and then taking their support to form the government,” he tells The Independent.
The BJP is seeking to control Kashmir politically by creating chaos, he says. “To achieve that,” he adds, “the BJP can do anything. It can go to any extent, play any game, collaborate with the radicals, collaborate with separatists.”
The Independent has contacted the BJP for comment.
India has long held up Kashmir, its only majority Muslim territory, as a symbol of its secularism. But when the BJP government revoked the territory’s autonomy, Kashmiris accused the Hindu nationalist party of trying to change its religious demographic by settling Indians from elsewhere in the region.
Jha says the BJP wants to win the election in order to show its core Hindu base that “see, this is a Muslim-populated area which we have now annexed”.
The candidates backed by the Jamaat maintain that their election participation is about local issues.
“Ideologies work in time and space. We have to be accommodative and flexible,” Talat Majeed, who is contesting the Pulwama constituency, told reporters recently.
Another candidate, Sayar Ahmad Reshi, says their participation in the election is necessary to fill a political vacuum created by regional parties such as the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party.
The Jamaat’s participation seems to have enthused some pro-India factions in Kashmir. “This election is unique in recent times because the banned Jamaat-e-Islami is openly backing and campaigning for independent candidates owing allegiance to it,” Mr Abdullah said in an interview with the Hindustan Times. “This is a huge change from previous elections. Otherwise, ever since I have seen politics here from 1996 onwards, the Jamaat has been at the forefront of trying to stop people from voting.”
Ali Mohammad Watali, a former police chief of Kashmir, isn’t as enthused. The Jamaat was “pro-Pakistan and pro-terrorism”, he was quoted as saying by Frontline magazine. “Now they have changed their stance suddenly. It looks like this is being done by the agencies so that the BJP can form a government here with the help of new political fronts, including the Jamaat-e-Islami.”
“Agencies” is a catch-all term used in Kashmir for the intelligence, security and surveillance apparatus of the Indian state.
The Jamaat candidates have indicated their willingness to form alliances, before or after the election, with any party that works to “restore dignity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Prof Saddiq Wahid, a senior visiting fellow at the Centre for Policy Research think tank in New Delhi, tells The Independent the BJP’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of its autonomy have been aimed at creating confusion and chaos. “How is Jamaat suddenly into the picture?” he asks.
He fears that the political landscape of Kashmir is being manipulated to dilute local representation and prevent self-governance.
“They do not want the people of Jammu and Kashmir to have a government that will allow them to govern themselves,” he says, referring to the Indian government.
The fundamental question, though, is whether people will trust the candidates backed by the Jamaat, Prof Baba points out. “How many people will vote for them, support them?”
Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo denies making pagers used in Lebanon attack
Taiwanese electronics maker Gold Apollo has denied producing the pagers used in Tuesday’s deadly attack in Lebanon, which killed at least nine people and injured nearly 3,000.
Gold Apollo founder and president Hsu Ching-Kuang said the devices were manufactured by BAC Consulting, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, licensed to use the Taiwanese brand.
“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” Mr Hsu said.
Pictures of the destroyed pagers analysed by Reuters showed similarities with Gold Apollo’s devices, but the company maintained it had no involvement in the design or manufacturing of the AR-924 model. “We clarify that this model is produced and sold by BAC,” it said in a statement.
A Lebanese security source claimed that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Gold Apollo. Mr Hsu said his company had no knowledge of the pagers being rigged to explode.
Gold Apollo’s president offered a frank reaction to his company being associated with the pager attack. “We may not be a large company, but we are a responsible one,” Mr Hsu said. “This is very embarrassing.”
The beepers were rigged with explosives by Israeli operatives and detonated remotely, the New York Times reported.
Hezbollah, which has been engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, has started a “security and scientific investigation” into the attack.
Hezbollah had reportedly ordered its members in February to stop using mobile phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.
While the Israeli military has declined to comment, experts told Reuters that the Israeli spy agency Mossad may have planted the explosives in the pagers months earlier, possibly after infiltrating the supply chain.
A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press the beepers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.
The official said the handheld pagers heated up and exploded, killing at least two Hezbollah members. The rest of those killed were reported to be civilians, including a young girl.
One of those killed was Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar’s son. “This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” Mr Ammar said. “The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.”
Additional reporting by agencies