Who is Mallika Sagar, the IPL’s first female auctioneer?
Mumbai, India – Mallika Sagar’s introduction to the world of auctioneering came when, as a teenager in her hometown Mumbai, she read a book with a female auctioneer as its protagonist. “And, perhaps, a bit frivolously, I thought: ‘That’s what I want to be,’” she recollects with a chuckle. Three decades on, Sagar finds herself at the helm of making history. After a successful 23-year career in art auctioneering, she is set to become the first female auctioneer at the richest franchise cricket league in the world when she takes the stage at the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2024 auction in Dubai on Tuesday. More than 300 cricketers will go under the hammer during the daylong event, which will be a breakaway from a trend that has seen only men – Welshman Richard Madley, Briton Hugh Edmeades and India’s Charu Sharma – spearhead the event. “It’s extremely exciting to be asked to conduct an IPL auction,” Sagar told Al Jazeera during an hourlong chat at her Mumbai office last week. Sagar was born into a business family in the capital of India’s Maharashtra state and has lived in the city since her return, from the United States, where she graduated with a degree in the history of art. Now a specialist in modern art and an auctioneer at a privately-owned Mumbai-based auction house, she has long been a pathbreaker on the global art auctioneering circuit. In 2001, she became the first female auctioneer of Indian origin at the international art and luxury business Christie’s. ‘All about personality and skills’ Clad in a yellow drop-waist dress and with a cup of green tea in hand, Sagar explained how auctioneering is more down to personality and skills than gender. “You could be the most engaging male auctioneer, the most boring female auctioneer or vice versa – it’s about personality and skills.” The 48-year-old has been responsible for wielding the gavel at both the player auctions for the Women’s Premier League (WPL), India’s IPL-style five-team franchise tournament for women. “Sport is gendered, so to be part of something where women cricketers have a platform at the highest level and the chance to be financially independent doing what they love, was really special.” Being one of the few female auctioneers in India, Sagar acknowledged that the inaugural WPL auction in February may have been an unwitting stepping stone to bring her to the IPL auction, a far more scaled-up affair than its WPL equivalent. Learning the ropes – with kabaddi Sagar’s first stint at sport auctioneering came at the eighth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), an Indian men’s professional franchise kabaddi tournament that ranks second behind the IPL most-watched sports league in the country. She admits sport auctioneering “was a new world” for her, given her longstanding association with art. “It did take a little bit of training, largely to change my approach,” she said. So what does it take to make a good auctioneer? “Depending on what you’re selling, you have to learn the mechanics of the auctioneering process and blend it with math, theatre and drama – all wrapped up in a smile!” The PKL experience, she said, warmed her up for the cricket auctions. Despite a foray into sport, steering a cricket auction at the WPL proved to be a different ball game. The scale of operations, including the requirements of catching the producer’s cue in the ear during live broadcast, added a different dimension to the job. [embedded content] ‘Can’t let your nervousness take over your job’ Sagar describes a usual auction as an “unknown” as it unfolds in real time. The ones in cricket often come with last-minute mic-ups or touchups with the makeup, frenzied bidding wars traversing multiple parties or, something as seemingly easy-to-do as figuring out where the franchises are seated based on the draw that allots them their order. Their dynamism warrants significant focus and flexibility. “You have to be alert and adaptable,” she said. “At times, despite your best efforts, there can be mistakes. You may get a syllable wrong when calling out hundreds of names. It’s best to acknowledge the error, apologise, fix it, and move on. “Regardless of the situation, you can’t panic. You cannot let your nervousness take over your job. Having composure as part of your skillset is a must.” Sagar swears by exercise and yoga to refuel quietude and strength of body and mind. “There’s nothing a downward dog or a headstand doesn’t fix,” she quipped. On auction eve, she retires early to avoid mental exhaustion during the all-important hours on the job the next day. The bedrock of a well-run auction, in her view, is being as even-keel as possible as an auctioneer, no matter the stature of the players on offer. “It’s important to present a newcomer with the same amount of energy as you would a star player,” she said. Among the other non-negotiables, Sagar places the utmost premium on knowing the subject – the order of the sets of players, similar to pieces of art. “You’ve got to pace out each name well and give it enough time,” she said. “Especially, when there’s a flurry of bids for them. “And when the frenzy slows down, give it a few seconds and ask the room, ‘Everybody sure? Last chance if you’d like to bid?’ Whether in art or cricket, rapid changes such as a last-minute raise of the paddle or a new entrant coming in are a given. It’s your job to factor them all in.” Has her preparation for the IPL auction been any different from the WPL’s? “No, because the basic formats are the same,” Sagar explained. “The key is to make sure you are familiar with the names. You don’t want to destroy someone’s name who’s coming up on a platform as prestigious as this – it’s their moment of glory, after all.” On Tuesday, as Sagar reels off over 300 such names, it will be as much her moment in the sun as
Iran points at Israeli-linked group as cyberattack disrupts fuel network
Tehran says Israel-linked Predatory Sparrow group is behind the disruption. A cyberattack has disrupted services at around 70 percent of Iran’s fuel stations, according to reports. The Israel-linked group Predatory Sparrow, or Gonjeshke Darande in Persian, claimed on Monday it was behind the disruption, according to Iranian state TV. Israel media outlets also reported the claim. “This cyberattack was carried out in a controlled manner to avoid potential damage to emergency services,” Predatory Sparrow said in its statement quoted by the Iranian media. A statement on the attack was shared from a new account with the group’s name opened in early December on X. Iran’s civil defence agency, which is responsible for the country’s cybersecurity, said it was still considering all possible causes for the disruptions as it investigated. Iranian state media added that the hacker group has in the past claimed cyberattacks against Iranian petrol stations, rail networks and steel factories. The fuel outages are the first such incident since 2021, when a major cyberattack in Iran disrupted the sale of fuel, causing long queues at stations across the country. Pump prices in Iran are heavily subsidised. Iran accused Israel and the United States of being behind those attacks. People wait at a gas station during gas station disruption in Tehran [Majid Asgaripour via Reuters] Stations operating manually The disruptions began early on Monday and were especially acute in Tehran. Many petrol stations have been forced to operate their pumps manually, Iranian media reported. “At least 30 percent of gas stations are working, with the rest gradually resolving the disruption in services,” Oil Minister Javad Owji said. Reza Navar, a spokesman for Iran’s fuel stations association, had told the semiofficial Fars news agency that a technical issue was behind the disruption. “A software problem with the fuel system has been confirmed in some stations across the country and experts are currently fixing the issue,” Navar said. Navar added that there was no fuel supply shortage but called on drivers to not go to fuel stations. The Ministry of Petroleum earlier told state TV that the disruption was not linked to plans to increase the price of fuel, a policy that caused widespread protests in 2019 and led to violent repression. State TV said petrol stations were seeking to provide fuel manually and that it would take at least six to seven hours to resolve the problems. Israel has not yet commented on the cyberattack. Israel’s unit on cyberattacks on Monday said Iran and Hezbollah were behind an attempted cyberattack on a hospital in northern Israel about three weeks ago. It said that the attack was thwarted but that the hackers were able to retrieve “some of the sensitive information stored in the hospital’s information systems”. Adblock test (Why?)
Why Chileans rejected conservative constitution, and what’s next?
Chileans on Sunday voted to reject a proposed conservative constitution, dismissing for the second time in a little over a year a replacement for the dictatorship-era charter. A progressive draft, which attempted to enshrine environmental protections and Indigenous rights, was rejected last September. The proposed constitution would have reinforced property rights and free-market principles. But the rejection wasn’t out of an abundance of love for the current document – which was seen as enabling some of the main structural issues dogging the South American nation. So, let’s take a look at the latest vote, why Chileans wanted to replace the current constitution, and what next. What was Sunday’s vote about? The proposed constitution was drafted by a committee dominated by the conservative Republican Party. Its tenets comprised reinforced property rights and free-market principles in addition to limits on immigration and abortion. After all the votes were counted, nearly 56 percent of Chileans were against the proposed constitution to replace the existing charter drafted during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, who oversaw the mass abduction and execution of his left-wing critics between 1973 and 1990. The country’s leftist president, Gabriel Boric, said the results showed that the country had become polarised and divided. “The country needs everyone,” Boric, who became Chile’s youngest-ever leader in 2021 at 35, said. What was the need for a new constitution? The three decades of democracy that replaced Pinochet’s rule have brought about political stability and economic growth, but rising inequality has frustrated many. Large-scale protests broke out in 2019, bringing students, pensioners, Indigenous peoples and women’s rights activists to the streets who were disillusioned with weak representation by traditional parties. They demanded a new constitution because policy changes were seen as unable to fully address their concerns. In October 2020, four out of every five Chileans voted for elected delegates to write a new constitution. Most of the 155 delegates were affiliated with the leftist political movement but were more closely aligned with social movements rather than established political parties. Many of them had never run for office before, let alone being elected. Half of them were women and 17 seats were dedicated to Indigenous representatives in line with parity rules. The result was a progressive text that mostly focused on social and economic rights, and also tried to improve gender equality and the environment. It was put to vote in September 2022, but was rejected even more resoundingly than Sunday’s text, with only close to 39 percent in favour. Almost all of the 15 million Chileans eligible are believed to have voted on both proposed texts as voting is mandatory. At the time, Chile found itself grappling with a worsening economic outlook and rising inflation amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and conservatives also used the opportunity to work against the proposed text, claiming it would, among other things, undermine property rights. [embedded content] Why was the new text rejected? “Unlike its predecessor, the new proposed constitution would move Chile to the right,” Jennifer Piscopo, a professor of gender and politics at the Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), said. Piscopo said the text failed to reflect the views of most Chileans as it didn’t address underlying demands for greater social equality and economic opportunity that had sparked the constitutional process in the first place. The draft was tough on crime and immigration and did not create a framework for broader rights while it was seen as limiting hard-fought gains for women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. It was also rejected by Indigenous representatives. “By many accounts, this draft would have been more socially and economically conservative than the 1980 dictatorship-era constitution that Chileans are attempting to replace,” Piscopo said. “Still, the vote against the second draft does not necessarily mean that Chileans have clear or unified policy views for or against particular policy issues, whether it’s healthcare or abortion,” the RHUL professor said. “The two reject votes are as much expressions of discontent with what they perceive as unrepresentative processes as they are specific statements about policy.” Boris van der Spek, a Chile-based journalist, said the new text was too “radical” for Chileans, whose social and political needs are not being fully met and who remain divided between the political elite. “Chileans are fed up with their institutions and their politicians, so basically everything they propose gets rejected, regardless of whether it’s a right-wing or left-wing proposal,” he told Al Jazeera. He said the divide over Sunday’s vote was roughly the same as when Boric was elected with 55 percent of the vote, beating the candidate of the Republican Party that later devised the latest proposed constitution. “So, Chile is still divided over the same things, but the main reason [behind Sunday’s results] is that this proposal was just not adjusting to the reality of the Chileans,” said van der Spek. Chile voted today to reject the second proposed constitution, leaving in effect the current constitution that was drafted by Pinochet and has been amended ~50 times. Here are my observations from the field. 🧵 #PlebiscitoConstitucional2023 pic.twitter.com/XU26mZevTq — Dr. Sally Sharif (@Sally_Sharif1) December 18, 2023 Will there be another vote? President Boric had pledged before the vote that instead of opting for yet another vote, he would focus on long-term development. Another vote seems highly unlikely before his term ends in 2025. RHUL’s Piscopo said there’s voter fatigue and it’s unclear whether voters or political elites will have the appetite for yet another test at the ballots, but much will depend on the presidential election. “This election will likely pit Jose Antonio Kast, leader of the Partido Republicano, against a centrist or centre-left candidate. If the right wins the presidency and/or enough seats in Congress, they likely will enjoy enough veto power over regular political reform that they see no need to reopen the constitutional conversation,” she said. “If the left wins, they face more incentive to try – but will run up against voter fatigue, reducing the odds they can stir up sufficient
President el-Sisi declared victorious in Egypt election
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has secured a third term as leader of the Middle East’s most populous nation, officials said, after the counting of votes in the election held on December 10 was finalised. Sisi won 89.6 percent of the vote, the National Elections Authority said on Monday. Polling had closed on Tuesday in Egypt after the three-day election in the Arab world’s most populous country. The vote, the result of which was in little doubt, took place as Egypt dealt with various crises, including the Israel-Hamas war in neighbouring Gaza and the country’s worst-ever economic crisis. The results strengthened Sisi’s power, which he took over after the 2013 overthrow of the country’s first popularly elected president, Mohamed Morsi. He was re-elected in 2018. In both previous elections he won with 97% of the vote. International monitors have criticised Egypt’s human rights record under Sisi’s rule, accusing the government of repressing political freedoms during a crackdown, in which rights groups say tens of thousands have been jailed. This is a developing story. More updates to follow. Adblock test (Why?)
Parliament Winter Session: 78 Opposition MPs, including 45 from Rajya Sabha, suspended
Earlier, 33 opposition MPs, including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan, TMC’s Saugata Roy and Kalyan Banerjee, and DMK’s TR Baalu, A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remaining part of the winter session for “misconduct” and not obeying the directions of the Chair.
Covid subvariant JN.1: Centre issues advisory to states after first case reported in Kerala
“Considering the upcoming festive season, there is a need to put in requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk in transmission of the disease by adherence to maintenance of respiratory hygiene,” the advisory noted.
ED issues fresh summons to Arvind Kejriwal for questioning on Dec 21 in Delhi excise policy case
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were earlier arrested in the excise policy case.
Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor lying in repose at Supreme Court
Former Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is set to lie in repose Monday at the Supreme Court so the public can pay their respects Monday morning ahead of a funeral service tomorrow at the Washington National Cathedral. The Supreme Court said a private ceremony would be held at 9:30 a.m. ET before O’Connor will be viewable from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. inside the building’s Great Hall. O’Connor, who was the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died in Phoenix on Dec. 1 at the age of 93. The Court said O’Connor passed due to “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.” O’Connor is remembered as a history-making woman, a pragmatic conservative, a keen legal mind and a beloved mother and grandmother. SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR, FORMER SURPREME COURT JUSTICE, DEAD AT 93 She was appointed to the Court in 1981 by former President Reagan. O’Connor stepped down in 2006 from the bench, but she remained an active and public voice for a variety of causes, including judicial independence and civics education. In 2018, the then 88-year-old revealed in a letter released to the public that she was in the early stages of dementia. REAGAN HISTORIAN LOOKS BACK AT O’CONNOR APPOINTMENT Following her death, current Supreme Court Justices hailed O’Connor as being a trailblazer, an “American hero” and “hugely influential.” “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor,” Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. said in a statement. “I mourn the passing of another American hero. When Sandra Day O’Connor, the ‘cowgirl from out west,’ became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, she changed the world and made history,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor added. “Indeed, her entire life was pathbreaking. She served in all three branches of government, was a brilliant champion of women’s rights, and promoted civic education in a way that transformed how children learn about our shared responsibility as citizens.” Fox News’ Bill Mears, Shannon Bream and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Georgia’s second-largest school system ordered to redraw districts after judge deems map discriminatory
A federal judge has ruled that school board districts in Georgia’s second-largest school system appear to be unconstitutionally discriminatory and must be quickly redrawn ahead of 2024’s elections. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross on Thursday forbade the Cobb County school district from using a map supported by the current board’s four Republican members, finding in an preliminary injunction that the map is “substantially likely to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” The Cobb County district on Friday asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to step in immediately and set the order aside, saying the district has been unfairly excluded from the litigation. The district warns that if the appeals court doesn’t act quickly, the “plaintiffs’ scheme to use the courts to overthrow the will of Cobb County voters and replace the duly enacted redistricting map with one that advances their own political goals — without opposition — therefore will succeed exactly as plaintiffs envisioned.” GEORGIA PLAINTIFFS CRITICIZE PROPOSED VOTING DISTRICT MAPS AS ‘MOCKERY’ OF FEDERAL LAW Ross ordered state lawmakers to draw a new map by Jan. 10, which will be unlikely unless Gov. Brian Kemp orders a special session. Lawmakers don’t convene until Jan. 8 and normal legislative rules don’t allow a bill to pass in three days. The district called the deadline “impossible,” saying it takes away the legislature’s rightful chance to fix the problems. That means Ross could draw a new map, or could accept a map proposed by the plaintiffs, a group of Cobb County residents and liberal-leaning political groups. Four board seats are up for election in 2024. Any new map could upset the 4-3 Republican majority on the board. The 106,000-student district has been riven by political conflict in recent years, with the GOP majority often imposing its will over the protests of the three Democratic members. GEORGIA’S REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL MAP NEARS PASSAGE AS SPECIAL REDISTRICTING SESSION APPROACHES LIKELY END “The court’s decision is a resounding victory for voting rights,” said Poy Winchakul, senior staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which represented the plaintiffs. “Fair maps are essential to the democracy process and ensure Cobb County voters of color have an equal voice in schools.” But the district alleges the plaintiffs are pursuing a Democratic takeover of the board through the lawsuit. “This scheme is destined to facilitate plaintiffs’ political seizure of the board as the overriding goal in this litigation,” the board wrote in its appeal. The lawsuit alleges that Republicans illegally crammed Black and Hispanic voters into three districts in the southern part of the suburban Atlanta county, solidifying Republicans’ hold on the remaining four districts. Ross agreed, finding the people who drew the map relied too much on race. The lawsuit is unusual because the school district was dismissed earlier, leaving only the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration as a defendant. That body, like the county commission, is controlled by Democrats, and decided to settle the lawsuit. The decision to settle, which set the stage for Ross’ order, prompted the school board in October to accuse the elections board of colluding with “leftist political activists,” giving them “considerable and inappropriate influence to interfere with the lawfully established” maps. GEORGIA SENATE GOP PROPOSES MAP WITH 2 BLACK-MAJORITY DISTRICTS TO ADDRESS VOTE DILUTION CONCERNS The district calls the elections board and its director “sham defendants” and wants the appeals court to put the district back in the case. It’s also asking the appeals court to overturn all the recent orders, including the preliminary injunction and re-open discovery “giving the district a fair opportunity” to oppose the plaintiffs. It says Ross “completely ignored” its recent arguments. The plaintiffs on Dec. 6 asked the appeals court to dismiss an earlier version of the appeal, saying the school district wasn’t a party to the case and there was no final order ripe for appeal. Oral argument in the appeal is set for Jan. 30, but the district is seeking a quicker decision, saying Ross may impose a map by then. The school board has spent more than $1 million defending the lawsuit, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found.
Covid subvariant JN.1 in India: Know 5 big updates here
The variant, which was already spreading to other countries like China and the US, was discovered in a Kerala woman, as part of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium’s routine surveillance program.