Month: December 2014

Veteran journalist B.G. Verghese dead

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Veteran journalist B.G. Verghese, who in 1975 won the Ramon Magsaysay award for outstanding journalism, died in Gurgaon near here Tuesday. He was 87.

Verghese, a former editor of the Hindustan Times, passed away at 6 p.m. at his son’s residence, a family member said. His body will rest till the cremation Jan 1.

The former information advisor to prime minister Indira Gandhi leaves behind wife Jamila and sons Vijay and Rahul.

Friends described Myanmar-born Verghese as a tireless crusader for the underprivileged and an inspirational journalist.

Ashton Agar recalled to Oz squad for Sydney Test against India

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Australian left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has been recalled to the Test squad for the upcoming final Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Agar, who made a stunning replacement for Nathan Lyon for the first Ashes test at Trent Bridge, has been included in the squad after making a strong performance in the domestic Matador One-Day Cup tournament and modest start to the Sheffield Shield competition, News.com.au reported.

Car bomb explodes outside Libyan parliament in Tobruk

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A car bomb exploded Tuesday near a hotel where the Libyan parliament was in session in the eastern city of Tobruk, the parliament’s spokesman said.

Farraj Hashem, a spokesman for the House of Representatives, announced that a car bomb exploded near the rear gate of the Dar Al-Salam Hotel in the city of Tobruk, where the temporary headquarters of the Libyan parliament is located, while the parliament was meeting on the ground floor.

Ukraine, breakaway Donetsk leaders agree on ‘full truce’

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Representatives from Kiev and the leadership of independence-seeking insurgents from Donetsk region have agreed to sign a deal on “full truce” during their latest meeting, a senior Ukrainian defence official said Tuesday.

“Based on the results of the meeting (late Monday), a protocol on the complete cessation of hostilities is expected to be signed soon,” Xinhua quoted Vladyslav Selezniov, acting spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as telling reporters.

The deal on ending the fighting in Donetsk region is set to be inked later Tuesday, he said.

Lakhvi detained in new case; Indian parties seek action in 26/11

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Mumbai terror attack’s alleged mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was sent by a Pakistani court to two-day judicial remand in an fresh case Tuesday, a day after India strongly raised concerns over his imminent release.

Indian political parties and foreign policy observers however expressed dissatisfaction with Pakistan authorities slapping an abduction case against Lakhvi and termed it an eyewash. They said he should be prosecuted in the Mumbai terror attack case.

Lakhvi was detained late Monday after he was booked in the abduction case, media reports said Tuesday.

Military officers arrested in attempted coup in Gambia

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Several military officers were`arrested after a foiled military coup in the Gambian capital Banjul, military sources said Tuesday.

“The state house was attacked by the disloyal forces to the state between the hours of 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.,” the military sources, who declined to be named, told Xinhua.

“Residents outside the capital were not allowed entry and both commuters and commercial vehicles ordered to return, while those in the capital were also asked to close shops and offices for security reasons,” the sources said.

Four killed in Germany bus accident

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At least four people died and 40 were injured in a bus accident in Germany Tuesday, media reported.

The fatal accident occurred at about 10.30 a.m. on highway 4 in the eastern part of the German state of Hesse, Xinhua reported citing German media Focus Online.

After a car skidded and crashed into the tour bus with senior citizens from the German state of Baden Wuerttemberg, the bus driver lost control, got to the right of the highway and fell down a 50-metre deep embankment.

Rodemer, a police spokesman, told Focus Online that it was still unclear how many people were in the bus.

Naqvi urges MPs not to denigrate Parliament

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Stating that parliamentary democracy is the custodian of basic constitutional rights of the people, Minister of State for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday urged the elected representatives of the people not to denigrate the Parliament by their words and deeds.

Naqvi, who was addressing the participants of the 49th Youth Parliament Competition 2014-15 here, said that despite challenges from time to time, parliamentary democracy in the country withstood the test of times.

Jaswant Singh discharged from Army hospital

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Former BJP leader Jaswant Singh has been discharged from the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, four months after being admitted with severe head injuries.

According to reports, Singh was discharged in a minimally conscious state and will receive supportive care at home.

He was put on life support in August after sustaining severe head injuries after suffering a fall at his residence.

BJP accuses Congress of conspiring against Amit Shah

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Minister of State for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday accused the Congress of conspiring against Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) president Amit Shah, who has been acquitted in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

“This should have happened long back. The Congress had made up a false case against him without any evidence. They conspired against him. In fact one of its leaders had written that only if Amit Shah gets caught only then they will be able to reach till Narendra Modi, but their efforts went in vain,” said Javadekar.

Attack on ‘PK’ assaults freedom of speech and expression: Manish Tewari

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Congress leader Manish Tewari on Tuesday said the protests against Aamir Khan starrer ‘PK’ assaults the freedom of speech and expression, and questioned the silence of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government at the Centre.

“Attack on PK assaults the freedom of Speech and Expression The BJP govt is complicit in it’s silence Why are advocates of free speech silent?” he tweeted.

Several right-wing organisations today stepped up attacks on Aamir’s recently released PK by vandalizing film theatres in several places.

Dhoni’s Test career highlights

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Career highlights of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who Tuesday retired from Test cricket and relinquished his captaincy of the Indian team in the long form of cricket:

Test debut: India vs Sri Lanka at Chennai, Dec 2-6, 2005.
Matches: 90
Innings: 144
Not outs: 16
Highest Score: 224 (the highest by an Indian captain in Tests)
Average: 38.09
Balls Faced: 8,249
Strike Rate: 59.11
100s: 6
50s: 33
4s: 544
6s: 78 (Highest by a captain in the world cricket)
Catches: 256
Stumpings: 38

Captaincy:
2008-2014 – 60 matches, 27 wins, 18 losses, 0 tied and 15 drawn

Overseas:

NDFB(S) carnage “joint failure” of Centre and state: Gogoi

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Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said it was the “joint failure” of both the state and central governments to prevent the recent carnage of tribals by Bodo miltant group NDFB (Songbijit) in the state.

The Chief Minister also accused the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of leaking to the media its report on receiving prior information about NDFB-S attack “thereby exposing their own central government”.

To a at a press meet here, Gogoi said “if you say so, yes it was a joint failure of the state and central governments. There were lapses…I don’t deny it”.

CBI had acted against Shah under pressure from UPA: BJP

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BJP today welcomed the court ruling discharging its president Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case, saying the CBI had acted against him under pressure from the previous UPA regime.

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said justice finally prevailed as CBI had sought to implicate Shah based on hearsay and legally unsustainable evidence.

“It is a matter of great assurance that the hon’ble court has found the entire CBI case against BJP President Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin murder case as politically motivated.

Man gets seven year jail for raping infant

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A court has sentenced a 55-year-old man to seven years jail for raping a two-year-and-a-half-old baby, observing children are a “supremely important national asset”.

Additional Sessions Judge Illa Rawat also slapped a Rs.5,000 fine on Nepal resident Ram Singh, after convicting him under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and section 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of Indian Penal Code.

Sons conspire with tantrik, killed Mother for wealth

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In a shocking incident of alleged human sacrifice to propitiate the gods for money and happiness, two brothers conspired with a woman tantrik to torture and kill their mother to acquire wealth and prosperity.

The two brothers – Kashinath Dore and Govind Dore – of Dandval village of Thane district who approached woman tantrik Bachubai Khadke of Takeharsh village have been arrested.

The tantrik, accused of conducting the sacrificial rituals, is missing and on the run, police said Tuesday.

Don’t denigrate Parliament through words or deeds: Naqvi

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Underlining role of parliamentary democracy in protecting Constitutional rights, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today urged the MPs not to “denigrate” Parliament through their words or deeds.

He stressed that democracy should not be simply regarded as an instrument to attain power but as a solemn commitment to serve people.

The MoS for Parliamentary Affairs was speaking at an event organised to felicitate participants of 49th Youth Parliament competition here.

Boy and bats spread Ebola in West Africa, say scientists

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A young boy playing near a colony of virus-infected bats may have precipitated the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, scientists said Tuesday.

The two-year-old boy – described as the index case, or “patient zero” – became infected and was the first to die in the village of Meliandou in Guinea, the Daily Mail reported.

Before his death, he had been near a tree harbouring free-tailed bats, according to reports.

Subsequently, the Ebola virus spread to other areas of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal.

Shah’s discharge by Mumbai court “victory of truth”: BJP

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BJP today termed Amit Shah’s discharge in Sohrabuddin fake encounter killing case as a “victory of truth and a vindication” of its stand that Congress had “misused” CBI against its opponents for political gains and asked Sonia Gandhi to apologise from the nation.

A special CBI court in Mumbai discharged Shah in the case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing in 2005 holding there existed “no case” against him and that he had been implicated for “political reasons”.

Dhoni’s abrupt good-bye stunning, mystifying

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The suddenness with which Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket “with immediate effect” is as stunning as it is mystifying. Cricket captains who have led their country for as long as Dhoni has – 60 Tests, to be exact – don’t bid good-bye as unceremoniously and as instantly as he did at Melbourne on Tuesday. The words “immediate effect” say it all. After missing the first Test, did he have to go all the way to Melbourne to announce his decision?

Iran marks ‘9-Day Epic’ anniversary

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Iranians throughout the country attended ceremonies to mark the anniversary of Dec 30, known as the 9-Day Epic.

People across Iran mark the Dec 30 anniversary each year as a day which restored tranquillity to the nation after months of political wrangling and unrest.

On Dec 30, 2009, millions of people took to the streets in Tehran and several other major cities and condemned what they called the foreign-orchestrated unrest which erupted in the wake of the 2009 presidential election.

Iraqi forces recapture town from IS

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Iraqi security forces Tuesday retook control of a town in Iraq’s northern central province of Salahudin after days of heavy fighting with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, a provincial security source said.

The security forces, backed by Shia militias and allied Sunni tribesmen, seized the town of Dhuluiyah, some 90 km north of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, and raised Iraqi flags on main buildings in the centre of the town, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Dhuluiyah is home to the Sunni tribe of al-Jubour, which has been fighting IS militants for several months.

AirAsia QZ8501: Bad weather obstructing debris retrieval

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Bad weather and high waves have obstructed the retrieval of bodies from the AirAsia QZ8501 plane in the Java Sea, an official said Tuesday, two days after the jetliner went missing.

“Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will conduct evacuation process. The recent obstacles are the waves reaching two to three metres in height and bad weather,” Indonesia’s Antara news agency quoted National Search and Rescue Agency head Bambang Soelistyo as saying.

Foggy Tuesday in Delhi, 96 trains delayed

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It was a day of great chill and dense fog in the capital Tuesday, and caused 96 trains to and from the city to run behind tehir schedules. The weather office said there would be no respite from the cold Wednesday.

“There will be dense fog Wednesday morning, but the day will be clear. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 20 and 6 degrees Celsius,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department here.

‘PK’ part of scheme to discredit Hinduism: VHP

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Demanding a ban on Aamir Khan-starrer “PK”, right-wing group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Tuesday termed the film part of a larger scheme to discredit Hindu religion and rituals.

VHP spokesman Vinod Bansal told IANS that they have also demanded an overhaul in the film censor board which approved the movie, and a “change in its character” is needed.