Australian Blake Johnston surfs for 40 hours to smash world record

 The 40-year-old former surfing pro broke down in tears after smashing South African Josh Enslin's previous record of 30 hours and 11 minutes.

                        Australian Blake Johnston surfs for 40 hours to smash world record

SYDNEY: Australian Blake Johnston on Friday shredded the world record for the longest surfing session, dodging swarms of jellyfish to ride hundreds of waves across 40 punishing hours.

The 40-year-old former surfing pro broke down in tears after smashing South African Josh Enslin's previous record of 30 hours and 11 minutes.

Johnston surfed back to shore in the evening to rapturous applause from the hundreds of supporters who had gathered at Sydney's Cronulla Beach to watch.

Wearing a black cowboy hat and draped in a thermal blanket, he was carried off the beach on his friends' shoulders after finally hanging up his surfboard.

Johnston raised more than Aus$200,000 (US$133,000) for mental health, taking on the record to mark 10 years since losing his father to suicide.

He rode more than 700 waves in setting the record, braving pitch-black seas that are home to many species of shark.

"I've still got a job to do. I said 40 (hours) so I'll go and give it a crack," he told reporters earlier in the day, after passing the previous 30-hour record.

"I'm pretty cooked, yeah, but we'll push through."

Johnston eventually surfed for more than 40 hours -- he started at 1:00am on Thursday, using large spotlights to illuminate the water -- but his official record time was not immediately known.

Under the rules of the attempt, he was allowed to sporadically leave the ocean so he could soothe his eyes with eyedrops, refuel with snacks and lather himself up in sunscreen.

Medics would check his heart rate and blood pressure before he dashed back into the swell.

With Sydney in the grip of a minor heatwave, the water temperature has been hovering around a balmy 24 degrees Celsius (75F), lessening the risk of hypothermia.

'Only 30 hours' 

Johnston had originally planned to raise money by tackling a 1,000-kilometre run (620 miles), but settled on surfing when he saw the previous record was "only" 30 hours.

"I thought I could just do it," he said before the attempt.

"I push myself to the limits with my adventures and to prove to myself that I'm worthy and can get through hard times, and that's when my lessons are learnt."

He anticipated infected ears, dehydration and sleep deprivation would push his body to its limits.

Johnston's brother Ben said they had also prepared for the possibility of a shark attack, but it wasn't something that had worried them.

"I surfed at two in the morning with him and the lights actually went out so it was pitch black," he told national broadcaster ABC.

"There was a whole bunch of jellyfish out there, so it was interesting to say the least."

It is not Johnston's first time taking part in a marathon test of human endurance.

In 2020, he ran 100 kilometres along the rugged coastline south of Sydney -- covering the vast majority of the trek in bare feet.

BJP Won't Let Rahul Gandhi Speak In Parliament Without An Apology: Sources

 Mr Gandhi has said he wants to respond to allegations against him inside the house, but the BJP sources said they wouldn't let him speak until he apologises first. 

                          BJP Won't Let Rahul Gandhi Speak In Parliament Without An Apology 

New Delhi: Amid chaos in the parliament, leading to adjournment of both houses for the second consecutive day, sources in the BJP today said they won't let Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speak in the house unless he apologises for his remarks on Indian democracy in London.

Both houses of the parliament were adjourned again today amid loud sloganeering from the BJP, which is demanding Congress MP Rahul Gandhi apologise for his remarks at Cambridge University, and opposition parties demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenberg row. Audio of the proceedings were muted while chaos ensued inside the parliament. Congress, repeating Rahul Gandhi's charge that microphones of opposition leaders were muted in the parliament, took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Earlier, the mic used to be turned off, today even the proceedings of the House were muted. The house is mute for PM Modi's friend," the grand-old-party tweeted in Hindi.

Rahul Gandhi was seen in the Lok Sabha for the second time today since the row erupted over his comments, but the house was adjourned till next week before any business could be done. Mr Gandhi has said he wants to respond to allegations against him inside the house, but the BJP is adamant that he apologises first.

Calling Mr Gandhi's remark "egregious and gravely offensive", BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Mr Gandhi should apologise outside before seeking recourse in the parliament.

"It is sad that the EGO on 1 Parivar is above INSTITUTION OF PARLIAMENT (sic)?

Rahul has made an egregious & gravely offensive remark against our sovereignty by demanding foreign intervention on foreign soil

If he is serious about Parliament he should have apologised immediately outside before seeking recourse in Parliament

You cannot undermine Parliament & then seek its recourse

Pehle Maafi Maango Desh se (first apologise to the nation)," he tweeted.

Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, referring to Rahul Gandhi's "unfortunately, I am Member Of Parliament" slip-up yesterday, said he is truly an unfortunate MP because he is defaming the same parliament that he is a part of. He also demanded an unconditional apology from him.

"He does not know that the House is run by procedures, and policies. I had also brought the booklet of rules for him. If he attended the parliament, he would understand. He does not read, and rarely comes to the parliament. Telling one lie after another has become his habit. You lied, and tried to show that you are bigger than the parliament, bigger than the country. He should apologise unconditionally," Mr Thakur said.

Several BJP ministers have slammed Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading lies and maligning India's image abroad. While Law minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress leader was speaking the language of "anti-India forces", BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has called for the formation of a special committee to look into Mr Gandhi's statements, which, he said, should help end Mr Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership.

BJP National President JP Nadda on Friday said that Rahul Gandhi has become a permanent part of the "anti-nationalist toolkit".

"It's unfortunate that the Congress party is indulging in anti-national activities. After being repeatedly rejected by the nation, Rahul Gandhi has now become a permanent part of this anti-nationalist toolkit," Mr Nadda told news agency ANI. He also asked what Mr Gandhi's intention was when he "demand the intervention of another country in the internal matters of India".

During an event in the UK, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions.

Ex TCS Chief On Plans For "Next Phase Of Life" After Surprise Resignation

 K Krithivasan, the current global head of the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) business, has been appointed as the CEO Designate of the Tata Group company with effect from March 16 this year. 

                        Mr Gopinathan will continue with the company till September 15, 2023.

New Delhi: In a surprise leadership change at India's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), it announced on Thursday that Rajesh Gopinathan, who has been the CEO and MD of the company for six years, is stepping down four years before his tenure ends, to pursue other interests.

"Mr Gopinathan will continue with the company till 15th September 2023 to provide transition and support to his successor," it said.

K Krithivasan, the current global head of the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) business, has been appointed as the CEO Designate of the Tata Group company with effect from March 16 this year.

"Krithivasan has been part of the global technology sector for over 34 years, having joined Tata Consultancy Services in 1989. During his long tenure at TCS, he has held various leadership roles in delivery, customer relationship management, large program management and sales," a media release from TCS said.

In his six years as the top boss of the tech giant, Rajesh Gopinathan, who said he "thoroughly enjoyed" his "exciting 22-year tenure at TCS", added over $10 billion in incremental revenues and over $70 billion increase in market capitalisation.

"I have been harbouring a few ideas on what I want to do in the next phase of my life. After deep reflection and in discussion with the Chairman and the Board, we decided that the end of this fiscal year is a good time for me to step aside and pursue those interests," Mr Gopinath, who was re-appointed last year as TCS's CEO till February 20, 2027, said.

TCS chairman N Chandrasekaran said Rajesh Gopinath has "always distinguished himself with exemplary performance in various roles, including his former role as the Chief Financial Officer," adding that he was "deeply appreciative of Rajesh's enormous contribution to TCS".

Two pilots killed as Indian Army chopper crashes in Arunachal

 A search operation was carried out by the Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and police after the crash.

The wreckage of the chopper crash.

GUWAHATI:  Two pilots on board Indian Army’s Cheetah helicopter were killed after their copter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.  The helicopter was on an operational sortie from Missamari in Assam’s Sonitpur district to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

However, it encountered inclement weather in West Kameng district and was returning to Missamari when the mishap occurred. 

The deceased have been identified as Lt Colonel V V B Reddy and co-pilot Major Jayanth A. 

Guwahati-based defence spokesman Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said that five search parties of the Indian Army, SSB and ITBP were immediately pressed into service and the wreckage of the aircraft was found near Banglajaap village, east of Mandala in West Kameng district.

A Court of Inquiry has also been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. 

West Kameng Superintendent of Police B Bharat Reddy said they got information about the crash at around 12.30 pm.  Arunachal has a history of aircraft crashes. Thursday’s crash is the 16th such incident since 1995. Over 100 lives have been lost in the incidents. 

Kim Jong Un and daughter oversee North Korea's ICBM launch

 State media also released images showing the Earth from space, purportedly taken by a camera mounted on the ICBM.

                               Kim Jong Un and daughter oversee North Korea's ICBM launch

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter, personally oversaw the recent test-firing of the country's most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, state media images showed Friday.

The launch on Thursday -- Pyongyang's second ICBM test this year -- involved a Hwasong-17 missile, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, adding that it was fired in response to "frantic" US-South Korea joint military drills.

Photographs in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim watching the black-and-white Hwasong-17 -- dubbed a "monster missile" by analysts -- blast off into the sky.

Some of the images showed him watching the launch with his daughter -- never named by state media but identified as his second child Ju Ae by South Korean intelligence.

State media also released images showing the Earth from space, purportedly taken by a camera mounted on the ICBM.

KCNA said the launch "confirmed the war readiness of the ICBM unit", adding that it "had no negative impact on the security" of neighbouring countries.

South Korea had previously said the missile was fired on a lofted trajectory -- up instead of out, typically done to avoid overflying neighbouring countries.

Last year, North Korea declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power, and Kim recently called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including tactical nukes.

Overseeing the Thursday launch, Kim said North Korea would "react to nuclear weapons with nukes" and called for "irreversibly bolstering up the nuclear war deterrent", according to KCNA.

He also highlighted the country's "rapid response posture... to cope with any armed conflict and war", KCNA said.

ICBM threat In theory, the Hwasong-17 ICBM can reach the continental United States, and with this latest launch, North Korea is trying to emphasise the advanced level of its weaponry, analysts said.

"With the photos of the Earth, Pyongyang seems to be trying to show that it can accurately hit any target the regime wants with its ICBM," Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute, told AFP.

The next step will likely be North Korea firing the missile "at a normal angle", he said, which would demonstrate it can survive reentry into the atmosphere.

The Thursday launch -- Pyongyang's third show of force this week -- came as Tokyo and Seoul sought to thaw long-frozen ties to counter an increasingly aggressive North Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol flew to Japan Thursday to meet Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first such summit in 12 years.

North Korea fired two cruise missiles from a submarine on Sunday, followed by two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, as South Korea and the United States staged major military drills.

The allies have ramped up defence cooperation in the face of growing military and nuclear threats from North Korea, which has conducted a series of increasingly provocative banned weapons tests in recent months.

"The fact (that) North Korea has almost normalised ICBM tests over the last year is a concern," Joseph Dempsey, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told AFP.

Soo Kim, a former CIA Korea analyst, said that Kim's regime "has essentially desensitised the international community to its weapons tests," she told AFP.

"We've reached a point where an ICBM test draws no greater attention than a short-range missile test," she said.

"We'll continue to see North Korea advancing and expanding its suite of weapons capabilities in the days to come."