Month: December 2012

Nearly 30 people have died in Somali when fierce clashes broke out between two rival clans over grazing and water rights.

The fighting took place in a village in Galgadud province Saturday. Over 20 others were injured, Xinhua quoted an official as saying Sunday.

“Elders are mediating between the warring Saleban and Duduble clan and a ceasefire has been established,” he said.

“We have been working since Saturday after the hostility started and by Allah’s grace we managed to put down the animosity,” Yusuf Alim, an elder from Balalder village, said.

Spanish king Juan Carlos left hospital Sunday nine days after his third hip operation this year.

The King underwent a hip replacement operation Nov 23 to solve the problems caused by his fall while on a controversial elephant hunt in Botswana in April, Xinhua reported.

The king had “very satisfactorily completed the first phase of his rehabilitation”, according to a statement from the hospital.

–IANS–

Workers’ strike over pay hike in America’s busiest ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach has lasted for sixth day Sunday without a solution.

The Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest container harbour facility, and second-ranked Long Beach together handled over $400 billion in goods arriving or leaving the West Coast by ship, according to Los Angeles port spokesman Phillip Sanfield.

In addition, the two ports directly or indirectly support roughly 1.2 million Southern California jobs — workers involved in moving freight to or from the shipping complex.

Ravindra Jadeja became the first Indian batsman and only the eighth in the first-class history to hit three triple-centuries as his career-best unbeaten 320 helped Saurashtra reach a mammoth 534 for six against Railways in a Ranji Trophy Group A match, here today. Jadeja, who had smashed 303 in the first match of the season against Gujarat, scored his second triple ton and third overall to become the only Indian cricketer to achieve such a feat.

Upset at Palestinians’ successful UN bid, Israel today said it will withhold nearly USD 115 million in taxes and other funds it collects for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. Israel said the money would be used to offset the debt Palestinians owe to Israel’s Electric Corporation. Israel’s cabinet today also unanimously decided to reject the UN decision to upgrade Palestine’s status stating that the UN General Assembly decision “will not serve as the basis to future negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and it cannot advance a peaceful solution”.

Wading into Congress affairs, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today targeted Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, saying the party wanted to make him Chief Minister, but had no courage to declare it openly. Patel had asserted yesterday, in response to Modi’s earlier insinuations, that he was not interested in becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In his election rallies in the state today, Modi said, “Ahmed Patel has been saying for past two days that he is not interested in becoming CM… What was the need to say this and why come to Gujarat to say this?

TRS president and Lok Sabha MP K Chandrasekhar Rao would attend the ongoing session of Parliament in Delhi. Rao and party MP Vijayasanthi, who had vociferously raised the separate Telangana demand in Lok Sabha on earlier occasions, would go to Delhi tomorrow, sources said today. Their separate statehood demand had resulted in disruption of the proceedings in the Lower House, where they found support in the main opposition BJP and even Congress MPs from the region for the cause.

Congress candidate from Maninagar, Shweta Bhatt, today appealed Keshubhai Patel-led Gujarat Parivartan Party to withdraw its candidate from the fray. Bhatt, the wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, is contesting the election against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from Maninagar. The constituency is considered to be a BJP stronghold. “I appeal to all the political parties which oppose BJP to support me in my political battle against the Gujarat Chief Minister… I appeal especially to GPP Chief Keshubhai Patel to withdraw his candidate,” Bhatt told reporters.

As many as 34 people, including 14 girls, were arrested at a rave party going on in a hotel in Jakhan locality here. The arrests were made late last night after a tip off, Circle Officer (City) Mamata Vohra said. Alcohol bottles and drugs were recovered from the spot, she said, adding that their blood samples have been sent for examination. Most of those held are students of various educational institutions in the city, while some belong to Delhi. A case has been registered under the Excise Act and they have currently been released on bail, Vohra said. PTI

Facing criticism after arrests of two Air India employees for their posts on Facebook, the city police has registered an FIR against the duo’s colleague whose previous complaint led to their arrest. Their colleague, Air India Cabin Crew Association’s (AICCA) assistant treasurer Sagar Karnik has been booked under Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh today said the time has come for people of Madhya Pradesh to throw the BJP out of power, since it came to power by making false promises, which are yet to be fulfilled. “The ruling BJP had promised to provide 24 hours power within 100 days of coming to power, but till date not a single district gets round-the-clock power,” he said. He was addressing the Vishal Kisan Mahaandolan, a farmers’ rally organised by the Congress in protest against the death of a woman farmer opposing land acquisition for the Welspun greenfield thermal power plant.

Egypt’s top court today suspended its work indefinitely to protest “psychological and physical pressures” by Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Mursi who prevented judges from entering the court house, worsening a conflict between the judiciary and the head of state. The Constitutional court was expected to rule on the case of dissolving the constituent assembly and the Shura Council. However, consideration of both cases has been postponed, with no new or follow-up sessions scheduled as of yet.

A local Hindu group has come out strongly against the police decision to allow Islamic Research Foundation president Zakir Naik to speak at a meeting in the communally sensitive Mumbra township near here. A delegation of Hindu Janajagurti Samiti will meet the District Collector and the Police Commissioner to submit a memorandum seeking cancellation of permission granted to him, district office bearer of the Samiti, Prasanna Dhage said.

A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator repeatedly slapped a 65-year-old private contractor over the alleged ‘delay’ in repairing a damaged water pipeline. The footage of the assault, which was telecast by news channels here yesterday, showed MNS corporator Nitin Nikam repeatedly hitting D G Patil over water shortage in Ganeshwadi locality in full public view. Patil is a private contractor in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in neighbouring Thane district.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today said if the revenue officials can render their duties properly, it can help in dealing with law and order problems, particularly in villages. “I think if lekhpals (revenue officials) get right, the law and order will stand better at some point,” he said while launching village newspaper “Gaon Connection” at Kanaura village here. S B Mishra is the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper while Neelesh Mishra is its co-founder and Editorial Director.

A five year-old girl was injured in an attack by a pack of stray dogs while she was playing near her house at Nagashettihalli, police said today. The child, who was bitten on her cheeks, neck and ears, was immediately rushed to hospital, police said. According to Parviz Ahmad Piran, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Department Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (city corporation), the girl will be under observation for 10 days.

Five youths drowned in two separate incidents in Visakhapatnam and Vizinagram districts of Andhra Pradesh today. In the first incident, a Bangalore-based techie M Venkatesh (24) and his friend M Srinivasa Rao, drowned in the Wadapalam beach in Visakhapatnam rural mandal where they had gone to take a bath. In another incident, three youths of Vizianagaram district drowned in Thotapalli barrage on the Nagavali river in Garugubilli mandal. The incident occurred when the trio ventured into the river at the barrage point and were swept away by strong currents.

A 21-year-old girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances at an open place near Vambay Colony under PM Palem police station limits on the outskirts of the city. The victim K Jayalakshmi first year BCom student of a local college was found dead at open place today. The police identified the girl based on her books and identity card were found at the spot. Jayalakshmi, a resident of Ootagedda near RB Beach road in the city informed her mother yesterday that she would go to college and return home in the evening, but she did not return last night.

The Andhra Pradesh government making all efforts to meet energy requirements of all consumers by approving policies to tap renewable energy and even purchase expensive power from outside the state, an official release today quoted chief secretary Minnie Mathew. Key objectives of the proposed programme include identifying suitable collaborative partnership models to promote, monitor, verify, reward and recognise energy efficiency initiatives, the release added. PTI

A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel allegedly committed suicide at the border outpost at Samarendranagar in South Tripura district by shooting himself from his service weapon, police said today. Bijendra Singh (36), hailing from Haryana posted in the 89th battalion of BSF committed suicide last night allegedly when he was refused leave, the police said. The body was sent to his home state today. However, BSF DIG B S Rawat told reporters that the BSF personnel who was a jawan had spent leave in September last and he did not have any leave to his credit this year.

Indian doubles tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi today said 2013 would be his last year on tour as he has retirement in mind. “I’ve had a great career. I don’t enjoy leaving my baby alone and going for tours so much. I am happy to call it a day,” Bhupathi, who has a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles, said here today. In the city for a promotional programme, the 38-year-old said, “I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside many great players… “From Todd Woodbridge to Max Mirnyi to Leander Paes to Mary Pierce to Martina Hingis, it has been a great ride for me,” he said.

Police ruled out any terror link to the radio set explosion at Kalegaon village in the district even as one person was arrested for planting the parcel on Maharashtra transport bus. Four persons were injured in the radio set explosion at Kalegaon village in the district on Friday. “There in no terror angle to the radio set explosion which occurred on Friday. It happened due to personal enmity,” Inspector General (IG) Ritesh Kumar told reporters in Beed tonight.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani today termed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a “role model” of development while appealing to states to imitate him. “Modi is undertaking great development work in Gujarat. He is a role model for chief ministers of other states on how to rule, govern and take care of even the poorest,” Advani said while addressing election rallies at Kalol and Mansa in Gandhinagar district. Praising Modi for introducing schemes for tribals and fishermen, Advani said “Prices have risen during the Congress regime while the Union government is facing corruption charges.

A car bomb rocked Syria’s third largest city Homs today killing 15 people, state media said, as the army hammered rebel positions around Damascus in a strategic assault aimed at securing the capital. Shell fire from Syria, meanwhile, hit a Turkish border town late yesterday, without causing casualties. It was the first cross-border shelling since Ankara requested that NATO deploy Patriot air defence missiles on the restive frontier.

A day after BJP leader Sushma Swaraj endorsed Narendra Modi as party’s prime ministerial candidate, senior party leader Gopinath Munde backed her saying the Gujarat chief minister is indeed a candidate for the post. “Modi’s name figures as the prime ministerial candidate…Gujarat has made tremendous progress under his leadership,” Munde told reporters at airport here tonight. Swaraj had yesterday said that Narendra Modi is capable of becoming the prime minister of the country. “He is fit for it,” she had said.