The quake, at a depth of 10km (6 miles), hit 68km southwest of Panguna.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami warning was in effect for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 was recorded off Papua New Guinea's remote Bougainville Island on April 11, but there were no reports of damage.
The announcement of Modi's nomination filing date has ended days of speculation with media reports claiming that Modi would file nomination on April 22 as astrologically this is the day that suits Modi the most.
However, talking to media persons on Saturday at state BJP headquarters, Shah said that Modi would be filing his nomination papers on April 24.
Shah, who was flanked by co in charge of BJP Sunil Bansal, said that once Modi files the nomination from Varanasi, the winds of change that were blowing until now would turn into a Tsunami.
Interestingly, Modi would be filing the nomination on the last day of the nomination date for the phase which would also be the last in UP.
Shah claimed that in the first two phases of the elections held so far in UP, as per his report, BJP is all set to get 18 out of the total 21 seats that went to the polls.
Taking a dig at Congress party, Shah said that the Congress party has dearth of relevant issues and hence it was making personal attacks.
The announcement of Modi's nomination filing date has ended days of speculation with media reports claiming that Modi would file nomination on April 22 as astrologically this is the day that suits Modi the most.
However, talking to media persons on Saturday at state BJP headquarters, Shah said that Modi would be filing his nomination papers on April 24.
Shah, who was flanked by co in charge of BJP Sunil Bansal, said that once Modi files the nomination from Varanasi, the winds of change that were blowing until now would turn into a Tsunami.
Interestingly, Modi would be filing the nomination on the last day of the nomination date for the phase which would also be the last in UP.
Shah claimed that in the first two phases of the elections held so far in UP, as per his report, BJP is all set to get 18 out of the total 21 seats that went to the polls.
Taking a dig at Congress party, Shah said that the Congress party has dearth of relevant issues and hence it was making personal attacks.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid Masood was arrested after the police raided a lodge in the old city and rescued a 13-year-old girl from a poor Muslim family.
Six other people including two brokers and a 'qazi' (priest) were also arrested by the police. They were taken to Bhavaninagar police station, where they were being questioned.
The Oman national, aged around 50, allegedly paid money to the girl's parents, brokers and even the 'qazi' to perform the marriage. The family members of Gousuddin, the 'qazi', however claimed that he is innocent as the girl's age was shown as 19 in the documents given to him.
The parents of the girl were also unable to give a convincing reply to the police about whether the marriage was performed with their consent. Masood reportedly gave Rs 40,000 each to the two brokers to arrange the marriage.
Many cases of aged Arab nationals marrying young girls from poor families in the old city have come to light during the last few years. In 2012, the police had busted a racket involving a 'qazi' who had performed marriages of foreigners with girls from poverty-stricken families.
According to police, these foreigners use local brokers and even 'qazis' to entice the parents of the girls with money.
Officials laid wreaths and the group said prayers at the monument to the Ghetto Heroes on Saturday.
Next, they walked to the former Umschlag Platz, where in 1943 Nazis had loaded ghetto residents on cattle wagons to take them to the Treblinka camp.
About half a million Warsaw's Jews died there.
When it was clear that all residents were to be sent to death, some 750 untrained and poorly armed Jews in desperation put up resistance on April 19, 1943. Within weeks, the Nazis crushed the revolt, most fighters were killed and the ghetto was razed.
The court held that the dying declarations of the victim were contradictory and not enough for the conviction of 42-year-old Akaram Malappa Aaivale, who was in jail since being held guilty in April 2007 by a Kolhapur sessions court for the death of Vijaymala, his wife of 22 years. Also, it said, the evidence could not rule out suicide.
He too had sustained 10 per cent burn injuries in the incident which occurred in 2006. Being aggrieved, he filed an appeal in the high court which set him free two days ago, by giving him the benefit of doubt on account of "weak evidence".
"In our opinion, the conviction of the appellant cannot be sustained on the basis of dying declaration alone. All other witnesses, including the daughter of the appellant and mother of deceased Vijaymala, did not support the prosecution and were declared hostile," said a bench headed by Justice P V Hardas.
The court also took into account the evidence tendered by the mother of deceased that on account of the demise of Vijaymala's son-in-law, the latter had become mentally disturbed.
"In such a situation, therefore, according to us the possibility of deceased Vijaymala committing suicide on account of trivial quarrel between the appellant and Vijaymala cannot be ruled out," said the judges.
Moreover, the judges held that Dr Shashikant Dhumale has admitted that injuries sustained by the appellant were possible in an attempt at dousing the flames.
The possibility of Vijaymala committing suicide is certainly rendered probable in the light of the dying declaration as recorded in medical case papers, the bench observed.
The entire evidence rested on two declarations given by the deceased to Nayab Tehsildar Ranjeet Desai and head constable Dinkar Kawale.
According to the prosecution, the husband had killed his wife as he suspected her character.
However, the court held that in the dying declaration recorded by the head constable, there is no reference to the appellant suspecting the chastity of Vijaymala prior to the day of the incident.
"It is unbelievable that the appellant after more than 22 years of the marriage would suddenly start suspecting the chastity of his wife on the day of the incident and set her ablaze," the judges observed.
In the dying declaration recorded by the constable, Vijaymala had stated that she had been set ablaze by the appellant as he was suspecting her character. She said that the appellant had poured kerosene from a container and lit a match-stick and set her ablaze.
However, in the history narrated and which is found in medical case papers in another dying declaration recorded by Nayab Tahsildar, there is a total absence of any averment about the appellant setting Vijaymala ablaze, the bench noted.
"All that is stated is that Vijaymala had sustained burns at 4.45 p.m. or one hour prior to her admission in the hospital," the bench said.
Vijaymala had an opportunity of informing the Medical Officer that the appellant had set her ablaze. In fact, the statement that she was set ablaze by the appellant had been scored out in medical case papers, the judges said.
"The prosecution has made no attempts at explaining the reason for scoring out the said part of the sentence. It would thus be seen that if Vijaymala was really conscious and as per the medical evidence she indeed was conscious, she would have disclosed to the Medical Officer that it was the appellant who had set her ablaze", the bench observed.
"In fact, Vijaymala makes a reference to the kerosene from the stove and does not refer to kerosene being poured by the appellant from a container. There is a total absence of the statement that the appellant had poured kerosene and had set Vijaymala ablaze", the bench said.
The disclosure made to Medical Officer, which is the Vijaymala's first dying declaration, runs counter to another declaration given to the constable, the bench said.
JAIPUR: Seven people, including two policemen, were injured when members of two communities indulged in arson after incidents of eve-teasing.
Stones and acid bottles were hurled and three motorcycles set ablaze in Lodhon-ka-chowk area here last night after parents of some girls objected to certain indecent remarks passed by boys of another community, Deputy Commissioner of Police A Deep Singh Kapoor said today.
The girls, who had allegedly been facing eve-teasing for past some time, were returning home last evening from their classes when the boys again passed remarks at them.
Following this, both groups started pelting stones at each other in which cops, who had rushed to the spot from different police stations, got injured, the DCP said.
Station House Officer of TP Nagar police station Babulal Vishnoi and constable Prabhu Dayal were among the seven injured, he said, adding that the injured were rushed to a government hospital where they were given medical treatment.
Two FIRs from either sides, and third one from police were lodged with the Motidungari police station. Ten persons of both sides were mentioned in the complaints.
Two companies of Rajasthan Armed Forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order, Kapoor said, adding that the situation was now under control.
"Forty-eight bodies, including children, women, men, have been recovered from inside the base. The bodies of 10 attackers have been found outside the base. The total death toll is 58, but that could increase as over 100 people were wounded, some of them very seriously," the top UN official in the country, Toby Lanzer, told AFP.
The investigators had earlier arrested nine Muslim men, however the NIA, after it took over the probe, found that the blast was the handiwork of a Hindu extremist organization.
In its application filed this week before the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Court's judge Y D Shinde, NIA has said the accused Manohar Singh has no right to be heard (locus standi) in this issue.
"As per provisions of law, co-accused has no locus standi in the discharge application filed by any other accused," NIA has said.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had arrested Noorul Huda Samsudoha (28), Shabbir Ahmed Masiullah (41), Raees Ahmed Rajab Ali Mansuri (35), Dr Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi (40), Dr Farogh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi (38), Mohammad Ali Alam Sheikh (42), Asif Khan Bashir Khan alias Junaid (35), Mohammad Zahid Abdul Majid Ansari (31) and Abrar Ahmed Gulam Ahmed (38) in connection with the two blasts.
But NIA claimed that the blasts were carried out by a Hindu right-wing group, and arrested Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Manohar Singh and Rajendra Choudhary. They were charged.
The aforesaid nine Muslim men got bail, and filed application for discharge, which is being heard.
The Hindu group came under the scanner following a confession of Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case.
Two blasts in Malegaon, a communally sensitive town in Nashik district, killed 37 people on September 8, 2006.
There is no immediate word of damage or casualties and seismologists have not yet issued a calculation of its power or its epicentre.
Mexico City is vulnerable even to distant earthquakes because much of it sits atop the muddy sediments of drained lake beds that quiver as quake waves hit.
The magnitude-8.1 quake in 1985 that killed at least 6,000 people and destroyed many buildings in Mexico City was centred 250 miles (400 kilometres) away on the Pacific Coast.
Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Southampton have discovered a new section of the boundary wall of the ancient Roman port of Ostia. This newly discovered area enclosed three huge, previously unknown warehouses - the largest of which was the size of a football pitch.
Previously, scholars thought that the Tiber formed the northern edge of Ostia, but this new research, using geophysical survey techniques to examine the site, has shown that Ostia's city wall also continued on the other side of the river.
The research team, led by Cambridge's Professor Martin Millett and Professor Simon Keay (Southampton), has been conducting a survey of an area of land lying between Ostia and another Roman port called Portus - both about 30 miles from Rome.
In antiquity, the landscape in this recent study was known as the Isola Sacra and was surrounded by a major canal to the north, the river Tiber to the east and south, and the Tyrrhenian sea to the west.
At the southernmost side of the Isola Sacra, the geophysical survey revealed very clear evidence for the town wall of Roman Ostia, interspersed by large towers several metres thick, and running east to west for about half a kilometre.
In an area close by, known to archaeologists as the Trastevere Ostiense, the team also found very clear evidence for at least four major buildings.
Professor Keay added "Three of these buildings were probably warehouses that are similar in layout to those that have been previously excavated at Ostia itself, however the newly discovered buildings seem to be much larger. In addition, there is a massive 142 metre by 110 metre fourth building - composed of rows of columns running from north to south, but whose function is unknown. "Our results are of major importance for our understanding of Roman Ostia and the discoveries will lead to a major re-think of the topography of one of the iconic Roman cities in the Mediterranean."
The researchers have been using an established technique known as magnetometry which involves systematically and rapidly scanning the landscape with small handheld instruments in order to identify localised magnetic anomalies relating to buried ancient structures.
These are then mapped out with specialised computer software, providing images similar to aerial photographs, which can be interpreted by archaeologists.
The work has been undertaken as part of the Southampton led 'Portus Project', in collaboration with the British School at Rome and the Soprintendenza Speciale per I Beni Archeologici di Roma.
Millett said "The results of our work completely transform our understanding of one of the key cities of the Roman Empire. The enormous scale of the newly discovered warehouses will require a rethinking about the scale of commerce passing through the port. The results also illustrate yet again the power of contemporary survey methods in providing important new evidence about even very well-known archaeological sites".
Director of the Portus Project, Professor Simon Keay, said "Our research not only increases the known area of the ancient city, but it also shows that the Tiber bisected Ostia, rather than defining its northern side. The presence of the warehouses along the northern bank of the river provides us with further evidence for the commercial activities that took place there in the first two centuries".
The names of 400 electorates were removed from the roll by the Election Commission for different reasons and a revised list was sent to the centre, official sources said.
When these electorates went to cast their votes, they were asked to return following which they created ruckus.
On receiving the information, AAP party candidate Rajeev Agarwal also reached the spot and joined the protest.
Station officer of Sunghari Atul Pradhan took the AAP candidate and his supporters to the police station, sources said. However, the district administration denied that they were taken into custody.
Selvaganapathy was local administration minister in the Jayalalithaa cabinet in 1995 when the cremation shed scam came to light, following a report from IAS officer Umashankar. He later joined the DMK, and is at present member of the Rajya Sabha. Now that he has been convicted, he stands to lose the post immediately after the order is conveyed to the speaker.
The case pertains to corruption and misappropriation of funds allocated under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana and the plan to build 100 cremation sheds in Nagapattinam district in 1995. Besides Selvaganapathy, another AIADMK minister, SD Somasundaram, and some officers were cited as accused in the case.
IX additional sessions judge S Malathi who is also the special judge for CBI cases, convicted Selvaganapathy and ordered him to remain in jail for two years along with a fine of Rs 25,000. Apart from Selvaganapathy, two IAS officers — JT Acharyulu, the then special commissioner rural development and M Sathiamoorthy, director of rural development — were cited as accused. Of the three other officers cited as accused, one died during trial.
The special judge said, "Prosecution adduced reliable and satisfactory evidence beyond reasonable doubt," and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 each. The CBI had invoked provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to CBI, in 1995-96 under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana scheme, a high level meeting was held by Selvaganapathy in which it was decided to construct 100 cremation sheds for Adi Dravidars in Nagapattinam. While the Centre would contribute 80%, the state would contribute 20% as its share.
The contract was awarded to Karungulam Carpentary and Blacksmith Worker Industrial Society in Nagapattinam and Rs 30 lakh was distributed. Later, inspection revealed that the sheds were of substandard quality and had no utility value.
The CBI alleged that the five accused had caused Rs 24 lakh loss to the government.
Selvaganapathy was local administration minister in the Jayalalithaa cabinet in 1995 when the cremation shed scam came to light, following a report from IAS officer Umashankar. He later joined the DMK, and is at present member of the Rajya Sabha. Now that he has been convicted, he stands to lose the post immediately after the order is conveyed to the speaker.
The case pertains to corruption and misappropriation of funds allocated under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana and the plan to build 100 cremation sheds in Nagapattinam district in 1995. Besides Selvaganapathy, another AIADMK minister, SD Somasundaram, and some officers were cited as accused in the case.
IX additional sessions judge S Malathi who is also the special judge for CBI cases, convicted Selvaganapathy and ordered him to remain in jail for two years along with a fine of Rs 25,000. Apart from Selvaganapathy, two IAS officers — JT Acharyulu, the then special commissioner rural development and M Sathiamoorthy, director of rural development — were cited as accused. Of the three other officers cited as accused, one died during trial.
The special judge said, "Prosecution adduced reliable and satisfactory evidence beyond reasonable doubt," and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 each. The CBI had invoked provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to CBI, in 1995-96 under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana scheme, a high level meeting was held by Selvaganapathy in which it was decided to construct 100 cremation sheds for Adi Dravidars in Nagapattinam. While the Centre would contribute 80%, the state would contribute 20% as its share.
The contract was awarded to Karungulam Carpentary and Blacksmith Worker Industrial Society in Nagapattinam and Rs 30 lakh was distributed. Later, inspection revealed that the sheds were of substandard quality and had no utility value.
The CBI alleged that the five accused had caused Rs 24 lakh loss to the government.
The names of 400 electorates were removed from the roll by the Election Commission for different reasons and a revised list was sent to the centre, official sources said.
When these electorates went to cast their votes, they were asked to return following which they created ruckus.
On receiving the information, AAP party candidate Rajeev Agarwal also reached the spot and joined the protest.
Station officer of Sunghari Atul Pradhan took the AAP candidate and his supporters to the police station, sources said. However, the district administration denied that they were taken into custody.
And ministry of defence's group captain Tarun Kumar Singha, chief public relations officer, Kolkata, features the regiment from Kolkata. Times of India got access to his article authored from Kolkata, and it reads: "Among all battalions of the Rajput Regiment, 17 Rajput has a unique place in present day history of the Indian Army. It was raised during the period of Quit India Movement in 1942. It was also among 10 other Rajput Battalions that were raised following outbreak of World War-II from 1940 to 1943."
In so far as its historical significance is concerned, 17/7 Rajput as it was then known, was the only 'War Raising' battalion by any Indian officer who was none other than Lt col KM Cariappa, OBE, popularly called 'Kipper' who went on to become the first Indian commander-in-chief and later the chief of army staff. He was also conferred the highest rank of field marshal on April 28, 1986.
Popular in the army as the barhe chalo battalion, a motto coined by the first commanding officer to spur his troops, it was meant to convey 'get cracking on'. The battalion continues to crack on regardless in pursuit of glory as one of Indian Army's proudest and finest fighting outfits in recent times.
17/7 Rajput was raised at Fatehgarh on April 15, 1942 as the Machine Gun Battalion of the erstwhile 7th Rajput Regiment. A distinctive colour of maroon and blue was adopted for the new outfit. On August 1, 1942, the battalion was converted into a Regiment of Indian Armoured Corps (IAC) and designated 52nd Rajput Regiment IAC (Bawanja Risala) and moved to Lahore.
On September 15, 1942, the battalion was converted into a 'Lorried Battalion' and moved to Secunderabad to form part of 268th Lorried Brigade. On March 16, 1943, Kipper was transferred and succeeded by Lt Col G.B. Macnamara. In May 1944, 17/7 Rajput moved to Kohima and later deployed at Imphal.
Informed readers may know that Rajput Regiment is one among the senior most regiments of our country. It must therefore, logically, rank higher in the hierarchy of the nomenclatures. Then why the seventh standing?
Evidently, Maj Gen Parr, who had commanded the 7th Rajput in Mesopotamia during world war-I desired that the Regiment to which his battalion belonged be named 7th Rajput Regiment. The suffix '7' was adopted and remained so for all battalions of the Rajput Regiment between 1920 till Independence, where after it was dropped altogether.
In the redesignations that followed, Barhe Chalo became 17th Battalion of the Rajput regiment on May 1, 1948. Later when its founding father, Lt Gen KM Cariappa became Army Chief on January 15, 1950 (commemorated as Army Day), an honour was bestowed on the battalion. The distinct maroon and royal blue hackle of the unit was now adopted by all Rajput Regiment battalions. In 1965, Barhe Chalo participated in Op Riddle as part of 7th Infantry Division, where it successfully executed its task of capturing Bedian bridge. The unit also participated in Op Cactus Lily in 1971 as part of 86 Infantry Brigade in Dera Baba Nanak sector, where it captured Khokherke and Sadhuwan posts of enemy and provided a firm base for Op Akal. The unit was also successful in capturing a crucial enemy post for which Capt Nawal Singh Rajawat and Late Sep Satyawan Singh were awarded VrC.
In 1982, the battalion underwent a change in class composition and reorganised to include Rajputs, Gujjars, Brahmins, Bengalis, Jats, Ahirs and Muslims in equal percentage composition. If ever anyone needs to see the secular credentials of an Indian Army's fighting unit, one need not go beyond Barhe Chalo whose war cry - Bol Bajrang Bali ki Jay! Hanuman ki Hunkare! - yelled by one and all can easily curl any enemy's guts.
The battalion was also the first unit of Rajput Regiment to be inducted in Siachen Glacier in 1991. The unit had a successful tenure without having a single fatal casualty, which indeed is a unique achievement.
Among the wars and major operations that Barhe Chalo participated include world war-II, between May to August 1944, Indo-Pak War of 1965 between September 1965 to February 1966 and Indo-Pak War 1971, from October to December 1971. Among the various military operations include Operatons Orchid, Rhino, Vijay, Rakshak and Parakram.
Glory to the Barhe Chalo has been brought through its gallant officers and soldiers through 2 Military Cross, an OBE and PVSM each, 7 Kirti Chakras, an AVSM, 4 Shaurya Chakras, 3 Vir Chakras, 12 Sena Medals, 3 VSM, 6 Mention-in-Despatches, 38 COAS, 7 VCOAS and 33 GOC-in-C Commendation Cards including several other gallantry certificates.
The battalion is presently serving at an undisclosed high altitude location standing vigil under Eastern Command. The Barhe Chalo battalion is presently being commanded by Colonel Balbir Singh Siwach, a second-generation army officer, commissioned in December 1990.
Officials said the bombs were recovered by a joint squad of CRPF and state police from a place under Vishnugarh police station area which goes to polls tomorrow.
The squad was on an anti-Naxal operations task, they said. The bombs, kept in cans as Improvised Explosive Devices, were later destroyed, they said.
Officials said the bombs were recovered by a joint squad of CRPF and state police from a place under Vishnugarh police station area which goes to polls tomorrow.
The squad was on an anti-Naxal operations task, they said. The bombs, kept in cans as Improvised Explosive Devices, were later destroyed, they said.
The blast took place at Shuangma Chemical Plant in Rugao City, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Ten people have been rescued from the scene and sent to hospitals, while seven others remain missing, it said.
Firefighters have extinguished the flames, and the search for the missing is under way.
Established in 1997, Shuangma Chemical Plant mainly produces stearic acid, fatty acid and glycerol.
The voting time in Agiyaon and Terari Assembly segments in Ara, and Jehanabad and Makhdumpur in Jehanabad will now be from 7:00am to 4:00pm, additional chief electoral officer R Lakshmanan told reporters here.
The DM and SP of Ara and Jehanabad had sent proposals to the EC to curtail the polling period in the two Maoist-hit areas.
"The EC today approved them. We are publicizing the changed timings among the voters there," Lakshmanan said.
Former Union home secretary RK Singh is in fray in Ara on BJP ticket.
With the latest change in polling schedule, 11 Assembly constituencies figuring in the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will witness curtailed timing for voting.
In rest of the places electors would exercise their franchise from 7:00am to 6:00pm.
The first phase of voting in the state on April 10 in six seats in Maoist-affected areas had witnessed killing of two CRPF personnel in a blast and later an ambush in Munger.
Can bombs, IED and explosives were found in Gaya and Aurangabad districts the same day when Maoists gave a poll boycott call.
Seven Lok Sabha seats — Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Nalanda, Jehanabad, Munger, Ara and Buxar — are going to polls in the second phase in the state tomorrow. Over 1.22 crore electors will decide the fate of 117 candidates in these seats.
Meanwhile, the EC dispatched polling and security personnel along with EVMs to 11,846 polling stations for tomorrow's poll.
According to an FIR filed by his relatives, victim Indresh Parashar was attacked last night by the three accused when he was returning from his clinic. The trio, Nishu, Rahul and Mayank assaulted him with metal rods, sticks and clubs, police said.
Parashar ran to a nearby gymnasium to save his life but the assailants got hold of him there as well and beat him within an inch of his life and escaped thereafter, they said.
The police later reached the spot and took the grievously injured victim to a nearby nursing home where the doctors declared him dead.
One of the accused Nishu has been arrested and hunt is on for the remaining two, police said.
The assailants were sons of the victims' neighbour Ashwini Sharma in Ganganagar and used to often harass Parashar's daughter. The doctor on Monday went to Sharma'a house and complained about the three, following which he was attacked, the complaint said.
"I have decided to withdraw myself from election in favour of sitting Congress candidate to check split of minority votes," JD(U) candidate Akhtarul Iman said.
Congress candidate Maulana Asrarul Haque is seeking re-election from the minority dominated Kisanganj Lok Sabha seat.
Iman had recently crossed over to JD(U) from RJD and had resigned as MLA of that party from Kochadhaman in Kisanganj district. He was among 13 RJD MLAs to rebel against the party and seek separate status.
He was rewarded by Nitish Kumar with Lok Sabha ticket from Kisanganj.
With the withdrawal of Iman, Kisanganj will witness a direct contest between Asrarul Haque (Cong) and D K Jaiswal (BJP). The seat will go to voting on April 24.
Iman said he tried to contact the chief minister to acquaint him with his decision to withdraw from the race, but could not get through him. "I have acquainted JD(U) leaders in Kisanganj about the decision," he said.
"My purpose to enter the field was to defeat communal forces represented by Narendra Modi...I decided to withdraw from the race to strengthen the secular forces " he said.
Iman, however, said he would remain in JD(U). Sources in Kisanganj attributed the withdrawal to lack of support he was getting from the chief minister.
JD(U) cannot put a replacement for Iman as last date for filing nomination for April 24 poll ended on April 9.
The bad news from Kisanganj came to Nitish Kumar close on the heels of another party candidate Shabir Ali pulling him out of the race from Sheohar Lok Sabha seat.
JD(U), however, was able to field state minister Shahid Ali Khan from Sheohar Parliamentary seat.
Later Shabir Ali left JD(U) for BJP, but soon he was out of the saffron party because of strong resistance from BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Nitish Kumar on Tuesday suffered a jolt as JD(U) candidate from Kisanganj withdrew in favour of Congress nominee in the parliamentary election.
"I have decided to withdraw myself from election in favour of sitting Congress candidate to check split of minority votes," JD(U) candidate Akhtarul Iman said.
Congress candidate Maulana Asrarul Haque is seeking re-election from the minority dominated Kisanganj Lok Sabha seat.
Iman had recently crossed over to JD(U) from RJD and had resigned as MLA of that party from Kochadhaman in Kisanganj district. He was among 13 RJD MLAs to rebel against the party and seek separate status.
He was rewarded by Nitish Kumar with Lok Sabha ticket from Kisanganj.
With the withdrawal of Iman, Kisanganj will witness a direct contest between Asrarul Haque (Cong) and D K Jaiswal (BJP). The seat will go to voting on April 24.
Iman said he tried to contact the chief minister to acquaint him with his decision to withdraw from the race, but could not get through him. "I have acquainted JD(U) leaders in Kisanganj about the decision," he said.
"My purpose to enter the field was to defeat communal forces represented by Narendra Modi...I decided to withdraw from the race to strengthen the secular forces " he said.
Iman, however, said he would remain in JD(U). Sources in Kisanganj attributed the withdrawal to lack of support he was getting from the chief minister.
JD(U) cannot put a replacement for Iman as last date for filing nomination for April 24 poll ended on April 9.
The bad news from Kisanganj came to Nitish Kumar close on the heels of another party candidate Shabir Ali pulling him out of the race from Sheohar Lok Sabha seat.
JD(U), however, was able to field state minister Shahid Ali Khan from Sheohar Parliamentary seat.
Later Shabir Ali left JD(U) for BJP, but soon he was out of the saffron party because of strong resistance from BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Nitish Kumar on Tuesday suffered a jolt as JD(U) candidate from Kisanganj withdrew in favour of Congress nominee in the parliamentary election.
According to reports reaching here, the boy was playing near the borewell in a farmland when he accidentally slipped into the seven-and-half inch wide abandoned borewell. Neither the owner of the farmland nor the contractor who drilled the borewell had taken necessary safety measures when they abandoned it, the reports said.
The rescue team started to dig a parallel pit in an attempt to rescue the boy. The boy is said to be stuck at a depth of 40 feet in the borewell.
The condition of the boy was not known. District collector (Tiruvannamalai) A Gnanasekaran was overseeing the rescue operations. This is the third incident of a child falling into an open borewell in the last 10 days in the state.
A four-year-old boy, G Harshan, was pulled out of a borewell after a six-hour operation in Tirunelveli district on Monday. The boy fell into a 400-foot borewell in Kuthalaperi village near Sankarankoil at 10am and was stuck at a depth of 17 feet. Fire and rescue services personnel dug a parallel pit and rescued the boy from the borewell at 4pm.
A three-year-old girl in Villupuram district who fell into a 500-foot open borewell and rescued after 19 hours in a severely asphyxiated condition was not so lucky. R Madhumitha died at a government hospital in the district on April 6.
Dhowan, who has been the acting Navy chief since Joshi's exit, was in contention for the top job along with Western Navy Commander Shekhar Sinha and Eastern Commander Anil Chopra.
Vice Admiral Sinha is the seniormost among the three but he has been edged out of the race, apparently because majority of the 14 mishaps, including two major submarine accidents, took place under his command during the last 10 months.
"The Defence Ministry has recommended the name of acting chief Vice Admiral Robin Dhowan for the appointment and the Prime Minister's Office will go through the file before taking a final decision on the matter," top government sources said here.
If confirmed by the Prime Minister, 59-year-old Dhowan will have a tenure of 25 months as Chief of Naval Staff.
Admiral Joshi, who had 15 months left in service, resigned on February 26 in the wake of a mishap involving submarine INS Sindhuratna in which two Navy officers lost their lives and several others were left injured.
A few months earlier, another submarine Sindhurakshak had drowned, killing 18 personnel on board.
The sudden resignation by Admiral Joshi resulted in the change in the line of succession of the Navy. Had he retired in August next year as per his tenure, Southern Navy Commander Vice Admiral Satish Soni would have become the next chief.
In the new circumstances, National Defence College Commandant Vice Admiral Sunil Lamba is expected to be the successor of Dhowan in May 2016.
"I admit that we suddenly resigned. In Vidhan Sabha everyone saw them (BJP and Congress) disrupting the proceedings and we resigned immediately. But no one expected us to resign and this came as a shock to the people", Kejriwal said.
"The decision of resigning was right because we resigned on principles. If we had gone to the people consulting them for 3-4 days, asked or convinced them then people would have understood. Communication gap was a mistake. We should have talked to the people and this is the mistake we did," Kejriwal said during a 'Google Hangout' conducted by Rajdeep Sardesai.
He said that the decision to quit was a collective one and taken at the PAC meeting.
He admitted that after a gap of one and half month since his resignation, people have now changed their mind and have started supporting the party.
Kejriwal also clarified that he did not take gangster turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's support in his fight against Narendra Modi in Varanasi. The Mhow strongman has withdrawn from the electoral race in Varanasi to avoid "division" of secular votes.
"We have not taken support of Mukhtar Ansari, nor did we have any meeting with him. He has also not given us any support.
"He has just said that he is not contesting the election. That is entirely upto him. So, there is no question of taking (his) support. We are not going to have any communication with Ansari.
"I admit that we suddenly resigned. In Vidhan Sabha everyone saw them (BJP and Congress) disrupting the proceedings and we resigned immediately. But no one expected us to resign and this came as a shock to the people", Kejriwal said.
"The decision of resigning was right because we resigned on principles. If we had gone to the people consulting them for 3-4 days, asked or convinced them then people would have understood. Communication gap was a mistake. We should have talked to the people and this is the mistake we did," Kejriwal said during a 'Google Hangout' conducted by Rajdeep Sardesai.
He said that the decision to quit was a collective one and taken at the PAC meeting.
He admitted that after a gap of one and half month since his resignation, people have now changed their mind and have started supporting the party.
Kejriwal also clarified that he did not take gangster turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's support in his fight against Narendra Modi in Varanasi. The Mhow strongman has withdrawn from the electoral race in Varanasi to avoid "division" of secular votes.
"We have not taken support of Mukhtar Ansari, nor did we have any meeting with him. He has also not given us any support.
"He has just said that he is not contesting the election. That is entirely upto him. So, there is no question of taking (his) support. We are not going to have any communication with Ansari.
"I admit that we suddenly resigned. In Vidhan Sabha everyone saw them (BJP and Congress) disrupting the proceedings and we resigned immediately. But no one expected us to resign and this came as a shock to the people", Kejriwal said.
"The decision of resigning was right because we resigned on principles. If we had gone to the people consulting them for 3-4 days, asked or convinced them then people would have understood. Communication gap was a mistake. We should have talked to the people and this is the mistake we did," Kejriwal said during a 'Google Hangout' conducted by Rajdeep Sardesai.
He said that the decision to quit was a collective one and taken at the PAC meeting.
He admitted that after a gap of one and half month since his resignation, people have now changed their mind and have started supporting the party.
Kejriwal also clarified that he did not take gangster turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's support in his fight against Narendra Modi in Varanasi. The Mhow strongman has withdrawn from the electoral race in Varanasi to avoid "division" of secular votes.
"We have not taken support of Mukhtar Ansari, nor did we have any meeting with him. He has also not given us any support.
"He has just said that he is not contesting the election. That is entirely upto him. So, there is no question of taking (his) support. We are not going to have any communication with Ansari.
It is the second high-profile terror trial to be heard by a Manhattan jury since Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and former Al-Qaeda spokesman Suleiman Abu Ghaith was convicted on March 26.
Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, better known in Britain as Abu Hamza al-Masri, is blind in one eye and lost both arms, blown off above the elbow, in an explosion in Afghanistan years ago.
His trial will begin with jury selection on Monday and is the culmination of a 10-year legal battle.
On its second day, Tuesday, he will celebrate his 56th birthday. Abu Hamza was first indicted in the United States in 2004 and served eight years in prison in Britain before losing his last appeal in the European Court of Human Rights against extradition.
In the US, authorities lost no time removing his trademark prosthetic hook that he wore in the place of one hand.
He is charged on 11 counts, over the 1998 kidnapping in Yemen of 16 Western tourists, of whom four were killed, and of conspiring to set up an Al-Qaeda-style training camp in Oregon in late 1999.
He is accused of providing material support to bin Laden's terror network, of wanting to set up a computer lab for the Taliban and sending recruits for terror training in Afghanistan.
Born in Egypt, Abu Hamza moved to London aged 21 to study engineering before he morphed into an anti-American preacher at the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London.
The mosque has been dubbed a breeding ground for terrorism and was frequented by Richard Reid, serving a life sentence in the US for trying to blow up a transatlantic jetliner in 2001.
Abu Hamza, who has asked to be addressed during the trial by his real name Mustafa, has pleaded not guilty.
"I think I am innocent," he told a pre-trial conference.
Dressed in a blue prison uniform and without prosthetic arms, his hair thick and white, a bearded Abu Hamza has closely followed all pre-trial debates in the Manhattan federal court.
In a recent letter to US District Judge Katherine Forrest, written with a special prosthesis hand, the defendant also said that he wants to testify.
"I pray that the Almighty the Creator inspires you wisdom and patience to leave no stone unturned till the truth," he wrote.
Abu Hamza referred rather pompously to the "historians, researchers, investigative journalists and analysts" who would be "waiting anxiously" and following proceedings.
Forrest has said the trial should last four weeks. The prosecution is expected to bring several experts and a large number of audio and video recordings, particularly of Abu Hamza's hate speeches justifying terrorism in the name of God.
Prosecutors also want British terror convict Saajid Badat to testify by video link from Britain. Badat already appeared on screen at the trial of Abu Ghaith last month.
But Forrest asked Badat to come in person. He refused, given that he faces arrest on US soil for plotting to blow up a passenger jet with a shoe bomb in collusion with Reid.
Abu Hamza was arrested in August 2004 in Britain at Washington's request, and sentenced in a British court to seven years in jail in 2006 for inciting murder and racial hatred.
He went to the European Court of Human Rights to avoid extradition, but lost his final appeal in October 2012 and was flown immediately to the United States.
In the 1998 hostage-taking, he is accused of providing the kidnappers with a satellite phone, acting as an intermediary and dispensing advice by telephone from home.
Two of the kidnapped tourists were Americans. He is also accused of providing material support to Al-Qaeda, and just days before the 9/11 attacks he allegedly discussed plans to open a computer lab for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
He is accused of giving a co-conspirator 6,000 British pounds ($10,000 under today's exchange rate) to lease a building to house the computer lab and pay for some of the start-up expenses.
As in the first phase of polls in six seats in naxal-hit areas, two helicopters would be in service in the second phase of voting also, Sinha told reporters.
Accompanied by director general of police Abhyanand, he said 152 companies of central forces and 74 Bihar Military police would be on duty on April 17 polling.
Of the central security forces, 35 companies would be of BSF, 12 ITBP, 12 CRPF, 34 SSB (Shahastra Seema Suraksha Bal), CISF 5, RPF 15 and 20 companies of SAP (Special Auxiliary Police) of Madhya Pradesh.
To ensure peaceful polling, altogether 44,136 arrests have been made.
Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Munger, Ara and Buxar would witness voting on April 17 in Bihar.
Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, her two uncles Ramkripal Yadav and Ranjan Yadav, former Home Secretary R K Singh and real estate baron Anil Sharma were trying their luck from different constituencies.
Some areas in Jehanabad, Munger, Lakhisarai and Patliputra have witnessed naxal activities in the past.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The Center said the warning was issued based on the magnitude of the quake, and is was not known whether a tsunami had in fact been generated.
The USGS said the quake — which it had initially assessed at 7.7 — occurred at 11.36pm local time (12.36 GMT) at a depth of 35km, 111km south of Kirakira in the Solomon Islands.
It said the likelihood of casualties or damage was low. A 7.6 magnitude quake had woken the residents of the Solomons capital Honiara early today.
It struck at 7:14 am, about 300 kilometres from the capital, and was followed 10 minutes later by a 5.9-magnitude aftershock.
The US Geological Survey measured the undersea quake at around 29 kilometres deep.
Honiara resident Dorothy Wickham said the national disaster council was warning people to stay away from low-lying areas as the islands experienced high waves.
"People are moving away from the coasts and are going up into the hills, but I have not heard of any damage," she said.
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission put out a tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea following the Sunday morning quake, but later cancelled the alert.
The Solomons were hit by flash floods 10 days ago which left more than 20 dead. Several more are still missing in Honiara after the city's main river burst its banks following days of heavy rain.
The Solomons are part of the "Ring of Fire", a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
A 6.1-magnitude tremor hit the Solomons yesterday and a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake and 6.7 aftershock struck off Papua New Guinea's Bougainville island on Friday, to the west of the Solomons.
Mayor Martin Walsh and police commissioner William Evans on Saturday said more uniformed and undercover officers will be deployed along the marathon's Boston route.
Authorities also have installed more than 100 cameras along the Boston portion, together with 50 observation points that will help monitor the crowd.
Thirteen ambulances will be deployed, together with 140 emergency medical service workers on foot patrol, bicycles, utility vehicles and in medical tents.
Officials urge spectators to leave backpacks, strollers and other large items at home.
In a written complaint filed on Saturday night, Bhaya alleged that the TV channel during its prime time show yesterday first ran a ticker saying that Singh would win by over a margin of two lakh votes, followed by a ticker saying that Bhaya had already accepted defeat.
He also claimed the people called for discussion on the show were only talking about the defeat margin.
Bhaya demanded action against the TV news channel and its head for "paid news", besides registration of a police complaint for defaming him.
In a written complaint filed on Saturday night, Bhaya alleged that the TV channel during its prime time show yesterday first ran a ticker saying that Singh would win by over a margin of two lakh votes, followed by a ticker saying that Bhaya had already accepted defeat.
He also claimed the people called for discussion on the show were only talking about the defeat margin.
Bhaya demanded action against the TV news channel and its head for "paid news", besides registration of a police complaint for defaming him.
"So far, there are at least 11 fatalities from the fire," police official Colonel Fernando Bywaters told Radio Cooperativa.
Two of the dead are women.
