Latest news with #Uzbek
Daily News Egypt
a day ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt exports first high-tech potato seeds to Uzbekistan after opening market
Egypt has exported its first shipment of locally produced, high-technology 'mini tuber' potato seeds to Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation announced on Wednesday , following recent efforts to open the Uzbek market. The head of the Central Administration of Agricultural Quarantine, Mohamed El-Mensy, said the shipment was part of a directive from Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk to enhance Egypt's seed production capabilities and establish the country as a seed exporter. El-Mensy added that a plant health unit had been assigned to prepare the technical file for the exported seeds. He noted that a video conference was held between Egyptian and Uzbek officials, attended by the Uzbek ambassador in Cairo, and was followed by round-the-clock communication to finalise the file in time for Uzbekistan's planting season. He said that procedures were currently underway to export the remaining shipments. The move follows a visit to Egypt in late May by a high-level Uzbek delegation to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector. At the time, Minister Farouk had instructed various departments to facilitate cooperation, including organising intensive field visits for the delegation to agricultural projects, research centres, and farms to share expertise.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
How tech, training became two Ts of India's table tennis future
Divyanshi Bhowmick recently fought off stiff competition from Asian powerhouses in Tashkent to bring home Youth TT gold medal after 36 years. A blink of an eye is too long in competitive table tennis. Some would say that's also about as long as India has managed to capture international attention with its performances at the sport's biggest arenas. So far. Because the country is busy now basking in the warm glow of potential. Its newfound optimism is thanks to a new breed of youngsters who achieved the near-unthinkable with a four-medal showing at the recent Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Dramatic as the tale is, it was not scripted overnight. For decades, table tennis in India has lived in the shadows -- lacking structure, exposure, and ambition. That, though, has changed over the last decade. With foreign coaches, robot-fed training drills and talent spotted early and nurtured scientifically, Indian table tennis has quietly orchestrated a revolution that spans dusty corners of state-run sports hostels and gleaming academies. It features not only cutting edge technology but also a dose of Indian ingenuity. And the results are showing. Young and ambitious Take 14-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick, the newly crowned Asian champion in the Under-15 category. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Her training includes sparring with robots that can keep throwing all kinds of balls tirelessly at a player. That ensured she was ready for everything that came her way in Tashkent. She is just one of the youngsters that made the 29th Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships a watershed moment for India. Apart from Divyanshi's gold, India returned with a silver and two bronzes from Tashkent. If Asian titles, Commonwealth medals, and global respect are now part of the vocabulary, it's thanks to the vision and resilience of tireless coaches and a generation that dares to believe. Add to that grassroots dreams and bold reforms and you have a posse of paddlers making waves on the youth circuit. Ankur Bhattacharjee is ranked world No.3 in the U-19 boys' category. He teamed up with Taneesha Kotecha for a U-19 mixed doubles bronze in Tashkent. Then there are the likes of Syndrela Das, PB Abhinandh, Sudhanshu Maini, and Sayali Wani. The juniors are walking on a new path paved by seniors like Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Payas Jain, Snehit Suravajjula, Harmeet Desai (among men); and Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Diya Chitale, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Ayhika Mukherjee (among women). Papic t o C ostantini Among the clear game changers for Indian table tennis is the injection of high-calibre technical coaching, something the country has lacked exposure to historically. The transformation began when the national TT body (TTFI) partnered with foreign coaches from countries like China, South Korea and Germany. In 2018, the appointment of Dejan Papic, a Serbian coach with stints in North America and Europe, marked a shift in mindset. His scientific approach to physical conditioning, tactical discipline, and long-term planning became a blueprint. Then came the Italian Massimo Costantini. His focus on mental conditioning, tactical flexibility, and international best practices helped bridge the gap between India and the world's best. Serving his third stint as national coach, Costantini has emphasised an individualised coaching model since his return in 2024. His methods include biomechanical analysis to optimise stroke efficiency and mental conditioning to handle high-pressure matches. 'Massimo understands the Indian system really well. We've had some great results under him and I hope that we can do even better,' says Ayhika Mukherjee, who won a historic bronze in women's doubles with Sutirtha Mukherjee at the 2022 Asian Games. Local knowledge A notable innovation involves hybridisation. Instead of copying the Chinese or European style wholesale, Indian coaches are aiming for a blend that brings out homegrown instinct. Players learn aggressive forehand loops and short-pip blocks, but also work on Indian-style wristy placements and deceptive spins. Massimo, too, has devoted attention to mastering spin, a hallmark of elite table tennis. Indian players, right from youth to the senior level, have developed versatile spin techniques, such as heavy topspin loops and defensive chops. The products Costantini is looking to turn into polished match-winners are increasingly getting their start at grassroots academies that have mushroomed around the country, many backed by former players. Stalwarts like Soumyadeep Roy, Raman Subramaniam, Sourav Chakraborty and Jay Modak have started nurturing batches of kids. So, it's not surprising to see Indian paddlers in their early teens who already have 5-6 years of structured, competitive experience under their belt. Investments at the grassroots level have also democratised access to advanced training. The Khelo India programme, backed by Sports Authority of India (SAI), has established modern training centres with high-tech equipment. Academies in several states use video analysis and ball-tracking systems (see box) to nurture talents like Divyanshi, whose 2025 Asian Youth title run was supported by SAI-funded training. Prime-time push Ask players and they might say that the most transformative force was the launch of the 'Ultimate Table Tennis' (UTT) league in 2017. Modelled after cricket's IPL, UTT brought together Indian and international stars in a franchise-based format. Matches are broadcast live to millions, giving Indian players, especially the younger crop, a golden opportunity to compete against world-class players on home soil. 'Just check our performances after the league started. Since then, we have won a bagful of medals at the Commonwealth Games, in 2018 as well as 2022. Our performance at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics was quite commendable, too,' said coach Sachin Shetty. 'With events like UTT, we get the exposure of staying, training and playing with or against top international stars. That has helped us a lot in ensuring that we stay almost, or as far as possible, on a par with the foreign players,' said Diya Chitale, who won mixed doubles gold at the 2025 WTT Contender event in Tunisia. The exposure is not only on TV but on the international circuit, too. Gone are the days when Indian youths played only domestic tournaments. Today, the calendar is bursting with international opportunities. That means players don't fear foreign styles anymore and learn to adapt -- playing a chopper from Korea one week and a topspin-heavy Swede the next. These experiences are turning rookies into seasoned performers by a young age. Every revolution needs faces, and India has its TT icons. If Achanta Sharath Kamal, a record-breaking multiple Commonwealth Games gold medallist, has inspired a generation, the emergence of the younger Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has sparked interest among the social media-savvy Gen Z. On the other hand, Manika Batra, with her historic 2018 Commonwealth Games gold, and bronze at the Asian Games the same year, has redefined what women's table tennis can look like – fearless, flamboyant, and global.
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Deccan Herald
Olympic boxing champion Mullojonov provisionally suspended for banned substance
The 26-year-old Uzbek tested positive for methasterone, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid associated with the promotion of rapid muscle growth, increased strength and power.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Kyrgyzstan faces deadly medicine shortages amid healthcare crisis
BISHKEK: Like many in Central Asia, Almagul Ibrayeva faces life-threatening medicine shortages in Kyrgyzstan. 'Women are dying because of a lack of medicine,' said Ibrayeva, a breast cancer survivor in her 50s. She relies on imports from Turkey or Moscow for her hormone treatment, exemestane. 'There are many medicines simply unavailable here. The patient has to look themselves and buy them.' Shortages, high prices, and substandard drugs plague the region's 80 million people. Central Asia heavily depends on pharmaceutical imports, leaving patients vulnerable. In 2023, adulterated Indian cough syrup killed 69 Uzbek children. 'Some people sell their homes, livestock, or go into debt just to survive,' said Shairbu Saguynbayeva, a uterine cancer survivor. Saguynbayeva founded 'Together to Live,' a Bishkek center supporting cancer patients. Women there sew traditional ornaments to fund treatments for 37 patients since 2019. While Kyrgyzstan has increased medicine supplies, Saguynbayeva calls them 'meagre.' Barakhat Saguyndykova received free cancer medicine only three times between 2018 and 2025. Dr. Ulanbek Turgunbaev from the National Oncology Center acknowledges the crisis. 'Sourcing medicine is a serious problem,' he said, urging early disease detection to cut costs. Kyrgyzstan lacks 5,000 healthcare workers, forcing prioritization of urgent cases. President Sadyr Japarov vowed to tackle medical corruption after the health minister was dismissed. New medicine factories offer hope, but 6,000 drugs may vanish by 2026 due to Eurasian Economic Union re-registration rules. State-run Kyrgyz Pharmacy aims to centralize orders and reduce prices, yet delays persist. 'A mother of three died because she didn't get medicine in time,' Saguynbayeva said. 'It's better to save a mother than build orphanages.' - AFP
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Boxing-Olympic champion Mullojonov provisionally suspended for banned substance
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Paris Olympic heavyweight boxing champion Lazizbek Mullojonov has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a prohibited substance, the International Testing Agency said. The 26-year-old Uzbek tested positive for methasterone, a synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid associated with the promotion of rapid muscle growth, increased strength and power, in an out-of-competition doping control collected on June 11. "The athlete has been informed of the case and has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample," ITA said in a statement on Tuesday. If the B-sample analysis is requested and confirms the result of the A-sample, the case will be considered as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation, it said. If the B-sample analysis is not requested, the case will also go ahead as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation, it said. "The athlete will have the opportunity to present his explanations for the result," it said. Reuters has contacted the Uzbekistan Boxing Federation for comment. Mullojonov also won bronze in the heavyweight event at the 2023 IBA World Boxing Championships, as well as a gold medal in super heavyweight at the 2022 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships. REUTERS
