Month: October 2014

Nine UN peacekeepers from Niger were killed in an ambush in northern Mali Friday, the deadliest attack on the peacekeeping mission in Mali, the UN mission said.

The peacekeepers’ convoy came under direct attack from unidentified gunmen while travelling in the northeastern region, Xinhua reported citing the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali(MINUSMA).

MINUSMA’s core task is to support the political process in Mali, in close coordination with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Gujarat Government has refused permission to the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team to challenge the bail given to former Minister Maya Kodnani in a post-Godhra riot case.

Kodnani, who was given bail by Gujarat High Court, was convicted in the Naroda Patia riot case – in which 97 people were killed – and awarded 28-year jail term by the trial court.

At least 13 students from various city colleges were taken into preventive detention for staging protests to show solidarity with Jadavpur University students who earlier subjected to an alleged police crackdown.

The students had gathered around a Durga Puja marquee in Salt Lake area and were staging a street play and shouting slogans to extend support to Jadavpur students who have been demanding the removal of Vice Chancellor Abhijit Chakrabarty when they were taken into custody.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives today took the lead in a YouGov opinion poll for the first time since March 2012, following his party conference speech.

Cameron’s address on Wednesday promised tax cuts for 30 million workers if the Conservatives win the May 2015 general election and his speech was largely seen as a pitch to be returned to office.

The poll put the centre-right Conservatives on 35 percent, with the opposition centre-left Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband, on 34 percent.

Breaching the ceasefire for the first time since August, Pakistan Rangers Friday opened heavy fire on Indian positions in the international border in Jammu district, creating panic among scores of residents in border villages, officials said.

“After a woman was killed and four civilians wounded by Pakistani troops firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district earlier Friday, Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing at Border Security Force (BSF) positions in Arnia sub-sector of Jammu district in the evening,” a police officer told IANS here.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said that all citizens of India should work together for the progress of the nation and also maintain brotherhood in the country.

“Celebration of Dussehra is the symbol of victory of good over evil. Let us all work together for the progress of our nation and also maintain brotherhood in the country,” said President Mukherjee while addressing the gathering at Subhash Maidan near the historic Red Fort here.

The Governor of Kerala, P. Sathasivam, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday.

It was a courtesy call.

Sathasivam succeeded former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit as the Governor of Kerala following her resignation. (ANI)

At least 12 people were injured and about a dozen vehicles damaged after local people clashed with police over alleged inadequate arrangements for immersion of idols of Goddess Durga in Ugapur canal in Aurai area here.

The locals who arrived in processions with about 250 idols for immersion at the canal complained of lack of proper arrangements, Aurai circle officer Sukshm Prakash said.

DMK president M. Karunanidhi Friday said the Supreme Court had transferred several cases from one state to another and shifting the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu’s ex-chief minister J. Jayalalithaa was nothing new.

In a statement issued here, he said: “There have been instances where the Supreme Court has transferred cases from one state to another.”

The Indian medal count swelled for the last time here as their men’s and women’s kabaddi teams clinched golds in their respective finals to end the country’s campaign at the 2014 Asian Games Friday.

Later in a surprise, Manju Bala’s hammer throw bronze, won Sep 28, was upgraded to silver after China’s Zhang Wenxiu was stripped of the gold after failing a pre-competition dope test.

With the two golds, India jumped a place to conclude in eighth position in the standings with 57 medals – 11 golds, 10 silvers and 36 bronzes – eight shy of the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday congratulated the Indian men’s and women’s kabaddi teams for winning golds at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.

In a message Friday morning, Modi congratulated the women’s team for winning the gold.

“I congratulate them on winning the gold medal. A phenomenal accomplishment!” the prime minister said in a statement.

Later, as the men’s team also won a gold medal, the prime minister congratulated them as well.

“The good news in kabaddi continues and this time it is the men’s team. Congrats for the gold. We are delighted,” the prime minister said.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque handed debut call-ups to Valencia striker Rodrigo Moreno and Bayern Munich defender Juan Bernat Friday in his squad for the forthcoming qualifying games for the European Championships.

Spain will play away to Slovakia and Luxembourg Oct 9 and 12, respectively, and should be clear favourites to win both matches to build on the 5-1 victory at home to Macedonia in their opening match, reports Xinhua.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also returns to the squad after being left out of the last squad for alleged fitness reasons.

Chinese divers completed a clean sweep of 10 gold medals on offer at the 17th Asian Games when World Champions He Zi and Qiu Bo won the women’s three metre springboard and men’s 10m platform events on the last day of the diving competition here Friday.

China topped the diving medals tally with 10 golds and six silvers while Malaysia finished second with two silvers, three bronzes. Hosts South Korea have one silver and four bronzes, reports Xinhua.

Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong Friday scuffled with those opposing their movement in two of the four districts where the protesters have been gathered for almost a week.

The altercations occurred in the crowded shopping area of Mong Konk and in Causeway Bay frequented by tourists from the Chinese mainland.

The following are the Indian medallists at the end of Day 14 of competitions at the 17th Asian Games here Friday:

Gold:
Jitu Rai: Men’s 50 metre pistol shooting
Sandeep Kumar, Rajat Chauhan, Abhishek Verma: Men’s compound team archery
Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Kumar Kush: Men’s team squash
Yogeshwar Dutt: Men’s freestyle 65 kg wrestling
Seema Punia: Women’s discus throw athletics
Sania Mirza, Saketh Myneni: Mixed doubles tennis
M.C. Mary Kom: Women’s 48-51 kg boxing
Indian team: Men’s hockey

Government Girls Senior Secondary School from Hissar in Haryana advanced to the final of Under-17 section of the 55th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament with a 1-0 win over National Cadet Corps (NCC) from the North Eastern Region at the Ambedkar Stadium here Friday.

Santosh converted a penalty in the 14th minute to score the winning goal for the Haryana side.

In other matches, Kiyang Kasiya Memorial Tribal School from Assam downed YUWA, Jharkhand, 3-1. For the Assam school, Panchami and Takhsi (2) netted while Ponam Kumari scored for the Jharkhand school.

IANS)

Liberian authorities will take legal action against a citizen infected with the Ebola virus for lying under oath, a media report said Friday.

Thomas Eric Duncan is currently being treated in the US following his arrival on a flight from Liberia in September.

Liberian authorities asserted that Duncan will be prosecuted upon his return for lying under oath when he was asked at an airport checkpoint before heading to the US if he had been in contact with an Ebola patient.

Jeffrey P. Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon.com, Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official statement said.

Bezos, who is in India for a visit, had earlier termed India an amazing country, which is full of opportunities and boasts of people who are hard-working, vibrant and have a zest to succeed.

Amazon has high expectations from its Indian operations, he noted.

The US visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “extremely successful” and his summit talks with President Barack Obama gave both leaders an opportunity to share their vision for the bilateral relationship and energized the strategic partnership, the White House said.

During the private dinner that Obama held on Sep 29 for Modi, both leaders shared anecdotes. Phil Reiner, senior director for India at the National Security Council, said that Obama was looking forward to the dinner as it provided an “excellent opportunity to get to know each other better”.

FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi will have to stand trial on corruption charges after a judge in the Catalan town of Gava rejected the footballer’s appeal against having to appear, it was confirmed Friday.

Messi had alleged and had been backed up by the Spanish anti-corruption judge that he had not known the details of the economic activities of his father and representative, Jorge Horacio Messi, which are under investigation, reports Xinhua.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Friday said it has provided food assistance to more than 430,000 people affected by the Ebola crisis in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Under the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, WFP said it is ramping up its contribution to the humanitarian effort, Xinhua reported.

“We’re delivering food, logistic support, planes, helicopters, ships and building treatment centers,” Denise Brown, WFP’s regional director for West Africa, said in a statement.

The October 15 elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be the first in over quarter of a century when major political parties will slug it out in the poll arena sans erstwhile alliance partners.

The last time Shiv Sena and BJP fought separately was before 1989 – the year their alliance was sealed and for Congress and NCP, it was before 1999 the year the Sharad Pawar-led party was formed.

Medal standings of the 17th Asian Games after Friday’s competitions (tabulated under rank, country, gold, silver, bronze and total):

1. China 149 107 81 337
2. South Korea 77 71 80 228
3. Japan 46 73 76 195
4. Kazakhstan 28 22 32 82
5. Iran 21 18 17 56
6. Thailand 12 7 28 47
7. North Korea 11 11 14 36
8. India 11 10 36 57
9. Qatar 10 0 4 14
10. Chinese Taipei 9 18 20 47
11. Uzbekistan 9 14 20 43
12. Bahrain 9 6 4 19
13. Hong Kong 6 12 24 42
14. Malaysia 5 14 14 33
15. Singapore 5 6 12 23
16. Mongolia 5 4 12 21
17. Indonesia 4 5 11 20
18. Saudi Arabia 3 3 1 7

One civilian was killed while four others got injured as Pakistan resorted to ceasefire violation across the Line of Control (LoC) in Saujian area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector.

The ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Saujian area has been going on from the past two days.

Defence Public Relation Officer (PRO) Manish Mehta said that the Pakistani side used small arms and mortars, forcing the Indian side to retaliate.

Reflecting “solid” growth over the past two months, India’s domestic passenger traffic rose 7.4 per cent in August, recording the second highest growth rate globally after Russia’s 10 per cent, latest IATA data shows.

“Indian domestic demand climbed 7.4 per cent. Results for the last two months have been solid, perhaps an early sign of improvement as a result of the new business-supportive government regime,” the analysis of the data by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.