The Evening Wrap: Rafael Nadal wins Australian Open for record 21st Grand Slam

Rafael Nadal roared back from two sets down to win a titanic five-set duel with Daniil Medvedev and claim a record 21st Grand Slam men's title in the Australian Open final on Sunday. The Spanish great looked dead and buried as the Russian world number two carved out a two-set lead but Nadal surged home for one of his mightiest comeback wins 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 5hr 24min on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal came out on top in the physical war of attrition to move ahead of era rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the all-time list of men's major winners. Djokovic missed his chance to improve on his nine Australian Open wins when he was deported over vaccination issues on the eve of the tournament, while Federer is injured. It was one of the 35-year-old Spanish warrior's greatest title victories in his 29th Grand Slam final winning his second Australian Open, 13 years after his first in 2009. Nadal also became only the fourth man to win each of the four Grand Slams twice and the third oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title, behind Ken Rosewall and Federer. Pegasus case: take note of NYT report, Editors Guild tells probe panel The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has urged retired Supreme Court judge R. V. Raveendran, who is overseeing the expert committee probe into the Pegasus issue, to take cognisance of a New York Times report which claimed that the Indian government had bought the spyware in 2017. “We are writing this letter with reference to an investigative report that has been published by the New York Times on January 28, 2022, titled 'The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon', in which serious allegations have been raised with respect to purchase and use of the Pegasus spyware by the government of India,” it said. The EGI said the report was a detailed account of the history of NSO — the Isareli company that developed and owned the software — and how the Israeli government had used the spyware for diplomatic gains around the world, including with India. “We have attached the full copy of the report with this letter,” it said. The letter quoted an excerpt from the report which said: “The combination of Israel’s search for influence and NSO’s drive for profits has also led to the powerful spying tool ending up in the hands of a new generation of nationalist leaders worldwide. Though the Israeli government’s oversight was meant to prevent the powerful spyware from being used in repressive ways, Pegasus has been sold to Poland, Hungary and India, despite those countries’ questionable records on human rights.” ECI to review ban on physical rallies on Monday The Election Commission of India (ECI) will meet on Monday to assess the COVID-19 situation in the five poll-going States and decide on whether to continue the ban on physical rallies. The Commission may also decide on whether fresh relaxations can be extended to political parties and candidates in holding physical campaigning events. Citing the rise in COVID-19 cases, the poll panel had imposed a ban on physical rallies and roadshows when it announced the poll schedule for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur on January 8. During its last meeting on January 22, it had extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31 in the five states but had allowed public meetings with a maximum of 500 people in the constituencies going to polls in the first two phases and relaxed door-to-door campaign rules. Rakesh Tikait says farmers would observe ‘Betrayal Day’ on Monday Alleging betrayal by the Centre, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday announced a country-wide observance of "Betrayal Day" on Monday over farm issues. "A nation-wide 'Betrayal Day' will be observed on January 31 because of government's betrayal to farmers. The movement was suspended on the basis of a letter given by the government on December 9 but those promises have not been fulfilled,” Mr. Tikait said in a tweet in Hindi. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 4,10,89,120 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,94,131. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 30 JANUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Rafael Nadal wins Australian Open for record 21st Grand Slam Rafael Nadal roared back from two sets down to [win a titanic five-set duel with Daniil Medvedev and claim a record 21st Grand Slam men's title]( in the Australian Open final on Sunday. The Spanish great looked dead and buried as the Russian world number two carved out a two-set lead but Nadal surged home for one of his mightiest comeback wins 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 5hr 24min on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal came out on top in the physical war of attrition to move ahead of era rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the all-time list of men's major winners. [Spain's Rafael Nadal holds the trophy after winning against Russia's Daniil Medvedev in their men's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne early on January 31, 2022.]  Djokovic missed his chance to improve on his nine Australian Open wins when he was deported over vaccination issues on the eve of the tournament, while Federer is injured. It was one of the 35-year-old Spanish warrior's greatest title victories in his 29th Grand Slam final winning his second Australian Open, 13 years after his first in 2009. Nadal also became only the fourth man to win each of the four Grand Slams twice and the third oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title, behind Ken Rosewall and Federer. [underlineimg] Pegasus case: take note of NYT report, Editors Guild tells probe panel The [Editors Guild of India (EGI) has urged retired Supreme Court judge R. V. Raveendran]( who is overseeing the expert committee probe into the [Pegasus issue]( to take cognisance of a New York Times report which claimed that the Indian government had bought the spyware in 2017. “We are writing this letter with reference to an investigative report that has been published by the New York Times on January 28, 2022, titled 'The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon', in which serious allegations have been raised with respect to purchase and use of the Pegasus spyware by the government of India,” it said. [ ]  The EGI said the report was a detailed account of the history of NSO — the Isareli company that developed and owned the software — and how the Israeli government had used the spyware for diplomatic gains around the world, including with India. “We have attached the full copy of the report with this letter,” it said. The letter quoted an excerpt from the report which said: “The combination of Israel’s search for influence and NSO’s drive for profits has also led to the powerful spying tool ending up in the hands of a new generation of nationalist leaders worldwide. Though the Israeli government’s oversight was meant to prevent the powerful spyware from being used in repressive ways, Pegasus has been sold to Poland, Hungary and India, despite those countries’ questionable records on human rights.” [underlineimg] ECI to review ban on physical rallies on Monday The Election Commission of India (ECI) will meet on Monday [to assess the COVID-19 situation in the five poll-going States]( and decide on whether to continue the ban on physical rallies. The Commission may also decide on whether fresh relaxations can be extended to political parties and candidates in holding physical campaigning events. Citing the rise in COVID-19 cases, the poll panel had imposed a ban on physical rallies and roadshows when it announced the poll schedule for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur on January 8. During its last meeting on January 22, it had extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31 in the five states but had allowed public meetings with a maximum of 500 people in the constituencies going to polls in the first two phases and relaxed door-to-door campaign rules. [underlineimg] Rakesh Tikait says farmers would observe ‘Betrayal Day’ on Monday Alleging betrayal by the Centre, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday [announced a country-wide observance of "Betrayal Day"]( on Monday [over farm issues](. "A nation-wide 'Betrayal Day' will be observed on January 31 because of government's betrayal to farmers. The movement was suspended on the basis of a letter given by the government on December 9 but those promises have not been fulfilled,” Mr. Tikait said in a tweet in Hindi. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 4,10,89,120 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,94,131. [underlineimg] Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [[Watch | India's only athlete at the 2022 Winter Olympics] Watch | India's only athlete at the 2022 Winter Olympics]( [[Explained | Can a recipient decline a Padma award?] Explained | Can a recipient decline a Padma award?]( [[Explained | Can a Russia-Ukraine conflict be averted?] Explained | Can a Russia-Ukraine conflict be averted?]( [[The rich history of the Chalukya dynasty] The rich history of the Chalukya dynasty]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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