Ali Khan

A former councilor was today assaulted by women for allegedly eve-teasing girls in Sharda Nagar here, police said.

The councilor, Shyam Sundar Sachdev, was beaten up the women belonging to Sharda Nagar locality for eve-teasing girls passing by the Ambala road under Thana Qutubsher here, police said.

He was later arrested by the police and a case was registered under Section 356 against him in this connection, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Jagdish Sharma said.

The Army and IGNOU seems to have resolved the issue over grant of degrees to thousands of soldiers who are pursuing bachelor of science and commerce degrees through IGNOU’s community college programme.

Over four lakh soldiers had enrolled in the ‘Gyandeep’ scheme in 2012 to pursue studies and earn degrees which would help them land with a promising job after their retirement.

Most of the men in uniform retire after 35 years of age.

Young paceman Mustafizur Rahman yet again devastated the famed India batting line up with a six- wicket haul and promised to put up a better show in the third and final ODI against the two-time World Champions.

The 19-year-old left-arm paceman took six wickets and became first cricketer in ODI history to take 11 wickets in his first two matches.

It was on the back his stellar show that Bangladesh bundled out India for a mere 200 and then overhauled the target easily to seal the three-match series.

Vice President Hamid Ansari’s office said tonight that he was not invited to the Yoga Day event in the capital after his absence was questioned by senior BJP and RSS leader Ram Madhav.

Madhav had deleted a tweet questioning Ansari’s absence and then apologising to him saying he later learnt that the Vice President was unwell.

The Vice President’s office said that was not correct. “Vice President was not sick. He was never invited for the yoga programme,” it said, adding, “the Vice President only attends those programmes in which the Minister concerned invites him as per protocol”.

India today set two new Guinness World Records for Yoga with 35,985 participants performing asanas at one venue and as many as 84 nationalities joining in the official observation of International Yoga Day on Rajpath here.

“It is a matter of pride for India that we have broken two records on one day. First, 35,985 participants performed asanas at a single venue (Rajpath) and 84 nationalities participated in the event,” said Minister of AYUSH, Shripad Naik.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated all for the record and the successful conduct of the event.

India today slumped to a new low as they suffered their first ever ODI series defeat against Bangladesh following an embarrassing six-wicket defeat in the second cricket One-dayer that gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, here.

Young Bangladeshi paceman Mustafizur Rehman (6/43) yet again tormented the Indian batsmen with his second successive six-wicket haul as the visitors folded for 200 in 45 overs.

Ukraine today reported the death of two soldiers, while pro-Russian rebels accused Kiev’s forces of killing a civilian as fresh clashes preceded peace talks aimed at ending the 15-month war.

Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said two government troops were killed and six wounded in mortar fire and shelling across swathes of the eastern separatist Donetsk province over the past day.

Stating that countries now want to engage in business with India, Union Minister M Venkiah Naidu today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the country resurgent and regain its recognition.

Addressing a meeting here on the one year of the BJP-led NDA government, Naidu said when assuming office, it had “inherited” fiscal and current account among other “deficits” but introduction of radical reforms by the Modi government has steered the country’s economy back on track, he said.

India lost the second cricket One- dayer against Bangladesh by six wickets and conceded a 0-2 lead in the three-match series, here today .

Brief Scores:

India: 200 all out in 45 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 53, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 47, Mustafizur Rahman 6/43).

Bangladesh: 200 for 4 in 38 overs.(Shakib Al Hasan 51 not out, Litton Das 36; D Kulkarni 1/42).

Qatar’s gas reserves are so vast it can maintain production at current rates for another 138 years, according to an official report published today.

An “Economic Commentary” from the Qatar National Bank (QNB) said the vast reserves of the tiny Gulf country will ensure it maintains its prominent position in the hydrocarbon sector “for years to come”.

It added that “Qatar has enough gas reserves to maintain production at current rates for 138 years”.

“Looking forward, Qatar is expected to maintain its dominant role in the global hydrocarbon sector,” read the QNB report.

Five Trinamool Youth Congress workers were killed while four others injured when their SUV collided head on with a truck at Balapara area of Jalpaiguri district tonight, police said.

The nine persons from Haldibari had come to Coochbehar to take part in a political programme and were returning when the accident occurred.

While four were declared dead on arrival at the hospital, one of the injured succumbed there, district Chief Medical Officer of Health, Prakash Medha, said.

The condition of the four remaining injured was stated to be serious.

Four persons were today apprehended at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the city in a fake visa case, police said.

The four persons were identified as Satish Baldevbhai (24), Jaykishan Chaudhari (23), Nilesh Chaudhari (25) and a travel agent Bharat Chaudhari, Inspector of Sardarnagar police station K K Patel said.

“The immigration staff of the airport held three of them when they were trying to board Air India flight for Canada. The travel agent, Chaudhari, who had come there to drop his clients was also caught at the airport,” Patel said.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented new proposals to European leaders today aimed at ending his country’s debt crisis, on the eve of a summit that could determine whether Greece crashes out of the eurozone.

In a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Tsipras detailed a “mutually beneficial deal”, the Greek premier’s office said in a statement.

A Lebanese minister vowed today to bring to justice guards seen in online video clips beating Islamists detained in a notorious prison where imprisoned militants were once suspected of directing terror attacks.

Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouk told journalists that two guards whose faces are seen in the clips have been arrested and referred to military prosecutors.

“I condemn these violations and will not cease to pursue the case for one second,” he said.

A Srilankan Airlines flight from Colombo to Chennai with 168 passengers was diverted to Bengaluru due to heavy winds here tonight, airport sources said.

The flight was to have landed here around 2200 hours but could not do so due to heavy winds, the sources said.

The passengers would be accommodated at various hotels in Bengaluru, the sources said.

For Rehana Akhter, rebuilding her life after losing her leg in Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster is an uphill battle, but her struggle is eased slightly by digital technology.

The 25-year-old has an electronic bank account on her mobile, giving her access to financial services that have traditionally been out of reach for millions of poor in Bangladesh and other developing nations.

From the capital Dhaka, Akhter sends interest earned on her one million taka (USD 12,820) compensation from the disaster quickly and cheaply to her 10-year-old son and parents back in their village.

The iconic Times Square here today turned into a Yoga Square as some 30,000 enthusiastic people in colourful dresses performed the ancient spiritual practice, celebrating the first UN International Yoga Day.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who witnessed the yoga practice at Times Square described the day as “historic” and thanked the people for their participation and making the day a grand success.

“I congratulate you. It is a historic moment and you have made it doubly historic with your large presence,” she said in her remarks on the occasion.

Following the latest instance of arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for the release of 31 such persons along with their boats.

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav today stoked a controversy by questioning Vice President Hamid Ansari’s absence at the Yoga Day event in the capital but later apologised after he was criticised on the social media platform.

Madhav, a prominent RSS leader, also accused Rajya Sabha TV, the public service broadcaster run by Parliament’s Upper House, of blacking out the Yoga Day event “completely” despite being run on taxpayers money. As Rajya Sabha Chairman, Ansari is the controlling authority for the channel.

World and Olympic champions The Netherlands and world No 2 Australia posted contrasting victories in the women’s hockey World League Semifinals, here today.

World Cup holders The Netherlands were made to work hard for their 2-1 victory by the robust South Korean defence, while Australia thrashed Poland 9-0.

The Dutch women clinched their second successive win in Pool -A due to a defensive error by South Korean defender Oh Sun-soon in the last quarter.

A 21-year-old youth succumbed to his burn injuries at a hospital during treatment, five days after he tried to commit suicide by putting himself on fire allegedly due to family problems, police said today.

Bharat Bhushan of Mundia Kheda village succumbed to his burn injuries yesterday at PGIMS Rohtak, police said.

He was apparently distressed because his in-laws had been ill-treating him since he got married with Ruby about 15 months ago, they said.

However, police could not confirm the reasons behind his in-laws’ behaviour.

Belgium scored a fourth-quarter equalizer to hold Great Britain to a 2-2 draw in men’s hockey World League Semi-finals, here today.

Belgium, whose world No 4 ranking is one spot ahead of the rivals, failed to make an impression on the sound British defence in the Group B encounter.

The hosts were relieved to see Sebastian Dockier’s conversion from a penalty corner rebound in the 49th minute to equalize 2-2.

The Belgians took the initial lead in the 19th minute when Simon Gougnard’s diagonal pass into the circle was deflected in by captain John-John Dohmen.

The world’s second tallest building, Shanghai Tower, will soon open in the Chinese financial capital with a twist — a 120-degree twist, to be exact.

A softened triangular “outer skin” is literally twisted around a circular core, sending the glass and steel tower spiralling 632 metres into the grey sky above the city.

State-backed developer Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co views the modern design as a symbol of China’s future, a super-tall building in the city’s gleaming Pudong financial district, which did not even exist 25 years ago.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today urged the Centre to extend the time limit for petroleum exploration activities in the Barmer-Sanchor basin to beyond 2020.

In a letter to Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Raje said that in order to maintain crude oil production at 1.75 lakh barrels per day in the Barmer- Sanchor basin, it is essential that exploration work be continued there in the future as well.

Boatman Hem Gurung waits listlessly on the deserted banks of Lake Phewa in the shadow of Nepal’s spectacular Annapurna mountain range for tourists that do not come.

“Since the earthquake, Pokhara has been empty,” Gurung complained to AFP in the lakeside resort, which once thronged with tourists attracted by its Himalayan vistas and outdoor adventure activities.