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Archives for October 2018

Khaleda Zia’s jail term doubled in orphanage graft case

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A Bangladesh court on Tuesday doubled the jail term of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia from five years to 10 in an orphanage graft case following an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

On February 8, a special court sentenced Khaleda, the chief of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to five years in jail for embezzling funds of around $200,000 meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, reports bdnews24.

A bench of the Bangladesh High Court comprising Justices M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman pronounced the decision on Tuesday.

“Khaleda Zia was the key suspect in the case, which is why we demanded increasing her punishment. The High Court granted our appeal scaling up the punishment to 10 years from five. As a result, all defendants have the same punishment — 10 years. The bails for other defendants were also rejected,” Khurshid Alam, a lawyer for the ACC, said after the verdict.

Khaleda’s son Tarique Rahman and four others were also sentenced for 10 years.

On Monday, she was sentenced to seven years in jail in a corruption case.

The temporary court set up at the old central prison here found Khaleda and three others guilty of using their political clout to raise funds of around 31.5 million taka ($375,000) from unknown sources for the Zia Charitable Trust.

The case was filed against Khaleda by the ACC eight years ago.

IANS

Blast in Meghalaya

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A low intensity blast using improvised explosive device (IED) took place in the East Garo Hills district headquarters in Meghalaya late on Monday, police said on Tuesday.

However, no one was injured in the Williamnagar blast.

“The explosion occurred around 10.35 p.m. in front of a shack behind the State Cooperative building where some carpenters were sleeping,” district police chief Ringrang Momin told IANS.

This was the third such explosion in the area, he said.

The explosion site was about 50 metres away from the office of the Superintendent of Police in-charge of the district.

“The blast was of low intensity and no one was hurt. The shack which is made of corrugated galvanised iron sheets was also not damaged apart from a small dent due to the explosion,” Momin said.

A probe was underway. “A motive is yet to be established. Search parties have intensified patrolling,” Momin said.

IANS

6.1-magnitude quake jolts New Zealand

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An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted New Zealand’ North Island on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which occurred at 2.13 a.m., was initially centered at 39.0541 degrees south latitude and 174.9766 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 227.28 km, reports Xinhua news agency.

There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

IANS

Poll ranks India the world’s most dangerous country for women

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India is the world’s most dangerous country for women due to the high risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labour, according to a poll of global experts.

Afghanistan and Syria ranked second and third in a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of 548 experts on women’s issues, followed by Somalia and Saudi Arabia.

The only western nation in the top 10 was the US, which ranked joint third when respondents were asked where women were most at risk of sexual violence, harassment and being coerced into sex.

The poll was a repeat of a survey in 2011, in which experts saw Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, India and Somalia as the most dangerous countries for women.

Experts said India moving to the top position showed not enough was being done to tackle the danger women faced, more than five years after the rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus made violence against women a national priority.

“India has shown utter disregard and disrespect for women … rape, marital rapes, sexual assault and harassment, female infanticide has gone unabated,” said Manjunath Gangadhara, an official at the Karnataka state government.

“The (world’s) fastest growing economy and leader in space and technology is shamed for violence committed against women.”

Government data shows reported cases of crimes against women in India rose by 83% between 2007 and 2016, when there were four cases of rape reported every hour.

‘It’s everywhere – in factories, in the bedroom’: fighting India’s gender violence – podcast
The survey asked respondents which five of the 193 UN member states they thought were most dangerous for women and which country was worst in terms of healthcare, economic resources, cultural or traditional practices, sexual violence and harassment, non-sexual violence and human trafficking.

Respondents also ranked India the most dangerous country for women in terms of human trafficking, including sex and domestic slavery, and for customary practices such as forced marriage, stoning and female infanticide.

India’s ministry of women and child development declined to comment.

Afghanistan fared worst in four of the seven questions, with concerns over healthcare and conflict-related violence.

The country’s public health minister, Ferozuddin Feroz, said the deteriorating security situation was making life difficult for women, with large parts of the country still in Taliban control after nearly 17 years of war.

“Nowadays, suicide bombings and armed conflict are the third [highest] cause of deaths and disability in Afghanistan,” he said.

“Instead of focusing on maternal health, on nutritional status, we spend it on trauma.”

The seven-year war drove Syria into third place in the survey, amid concerns over access to healthcare and both sexual and non-sexual violence.

“There are so many dangers for girls and women,” said Maria Al Abdeh, executive director of Women Now For Development, which supports women’s centres in Syria.

“There is sexual violence by government forces. Domestic violence and child marriage are increasing and more women are dying in childbirth. The tragedy is nowhere near an end.”

Somalia, where more than two decades of war has fuelled a culture of violence and weakened institutions meant to uphold the law, was again named as one of the five most dangerous countries for women.

Saudi Arabia ranked fifth, with analysts saying there had been some progress. But the recent arrests of female activists ahead of the lifting of the driving ban on women showed more needed to be done.

“One of the worst laws that prevent women from having equal opportunities is guardianship – because every woman is subjected to a male guardian. She cannot get a passport, cannot travel, sometimes she cannot work,” said Ahlam Akram, founder of British Arabs Supporting Universal Women’s Rights.

“We need to completely obliterate this system. I think change is coming, but it takes time.”

Experts said the surprise addition of the US in the top 10 came down to the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns against sexual harassment.

“People want to think income means you’re protected from misogyny, and sadly that’s not the case,” said Cindy Southworth, of the Washington-based National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Others in the top 10 were Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen and Nigeria.

India, Libya and Myanmar were considered the world’s most dangerous nations for women, who were exploited by human traffickers in a global crime worth an estimated $150bn (£114bn) a year.

“In many countries the simple fact of being female creates a heightened risk of becoming a victim of slavery,” said Nick Grono, chief executive of the Freedom Fund.

Respondents included aid professionals, academics, healthcare staff, non-government organisations, policy-makers and social commentators.

This article originally appeared on the Thomson Reuters Foundation site.

 

 

 

India, Pakistan declared joint winners of Asian Champions Trophy

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Indian and Pakistan were declared as the joint winners of the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 hockey tournament after the final was abandoned due to bad weather conditions here on Sunday.

India were looking to defend their title which they won back in Kuantan, Malaysia in 2016 when they beat arch-rivals Pakistan 3-2 in the Final.

However, the weather conditions here played spoilsport as heavy rainfall made it difficult for both the teams to start the Final here at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

World No. 5 India had earlier secured their passage through to the Final of the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 after remaining undefeated in the competition with five wins and a draw in their six matches; defeating hosts Oman 11-0, Pakistan 3-1, Japan 9-0, drawing 0-0 against Malaysia, and South Korea 4-1 in the round robin stages; whereas beating Japan again with a margin of 3-2 in the Semi-Final.

The Indian team were also the highest scoring team in the competition as they scored a total of 30 goals in six matches.

The tally consists of 11 different goal-scorers. India’s Harmanpreet Singh scored the most goals for his team with six goals, while forwards Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh scored five each.

Earlier on Sunday, it was Malaysia who finished at the third place as they defeated Japan 3-2 in Penalty Shootout after the scores remained 2-2 at the end of regulation time in the bronze medal match.

IANS

Tata Steel unveiled as official partner of men’s hockey World Cup

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Steel manufacturing giant Tata Steel was on Monday announced as an official partner of the men’s hockey World Cup, to be staged at the Kalinga Stadium here from November 28 to December 16.

Tata Steel, the 10th-largest steel producer in the world, signed the agreement with the quadrennial event to continue their efforts of promoting development through sports across the country.

Welcoming Tata Steel as an official partner, Hockey India CEO Elena Norman said: “We are thrilled to announce Tata Steel as an official partner for the prestigious World Cup. It is an important tournament for everyone involved with the sport of hockey, and we are delighted to have the support of the steel-making giant.”

Reiterating the organisation’s commitment towards the sport, Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, “Over the years, we have created infrastructure for every sports discipline, including hockey, that is popular in and around our areas of operation. Tata Steel is the first private sector company in India to start a hockey academy.”

The upcoming 14th edition of the FIH World Cup will be the third time that India will be hosting the prestigious competition after having played hosts in 1982 in Mumbai and in 2010 in New Delhi.

A total of 16 nations will take part in the tournament which will see each team play three matches during the league stage over a span of 12 days before four cross-over matches take place on December 10 and 11.

The knockout matches will take place on December 12, 13, 15 and 16 as the teams will look to become the Champions of the prestigious quadrennial event which was won by Australia in 2014.

Vishal bags gold, Raegan settles for silver in Egypt  

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 Vishal Rajveer Shah won the mini cadet boys singles’ title at the Egypt Junior and Cadet Open table tennis tournament after he outclassed local boy Badr Mostafa in straight games.

Vishal dominated the match from the very beginning as he defeated Mostafa 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 to clinch the yellow metal.

However, another Indian Raegan Alburquerque, the No.4 seed, failed to go past the final hurdle as China’s Ding Shixian defeated the Indian 11-8, 10-12, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11 in the Junior Boys singles.

The unseeded Chinese, making his maiden international appearance, conceded the second game before wrapping it up for an excellent career beginning and forcing the Indian to settle with a silver medal and a cash prize of $150 on Sunday night.

After beating host nation’s Marwan Abdelwahab 11-7, 14-12, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12 in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon, Raegan was expected to make use of the opportunity later in the evening.

Though his start was not as good as he would have wanted, but he did manage to take the second game. However, the 14-year-old Chinese, playing cautiously and maintaining his form, won several crucial points to upset the Indian’s attacking style of game.

India to bat vs West Indies in 4th ODI .

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India won the toss and elected to bat against West Indies in the fourth One-Day International match at the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday.

India made two changes to their team. Skipper Virat Kohli brought back Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav in place of leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Rishabh Pant.

The West Indies, on the other hand made only one change, bringing in Keemo Paul for Obed McCoy.

Teams:
West Indies: Kieran Powell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope (w), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Keemo Paul

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, K. Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah

IANS

India in SAFF U-15 football championship semis

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India advanced to the semi-finals of the SAFF U-15 Championship as they blanked Bhutan 4-0 in their last Group league match played at the ANFA Complex in Kathmandu on Monday.

For India, Shubho Paul scored a brace while Subba Kushang and Xalxo Aman scored one apiece. India led 1-0 at half-time.

The Indians got off to a perfect start as the first goal came as early as the 4th minute when Shubho converted from the spot – placing it to the right of the rival goalkeeper Gyeltshen Dorji.

The rivals did manage to sneak into the Indian box on a couple of occasions, especially immediately after resumption.

The Indians’ perseverance soon paid dividends as the second goal came in the 66th minute, and it was all wrapped in individual brilliance. Receiving a loose ball in his own half, the irrepressible Subba ran past the entire rival defence, dribbled past three, entered the box and placed into the far corner.

The third goal came in the 83rd minute as Shubho completed his brace. It was a build-up which started in India’s half and after some casual exchanges, Shubho followed up a vicious long ball, sped past all and put it in.

Aman completed the rout in the 89th minute when he tapped into an empty net after the rival goalkeeper misread a Harsh Patre free kick.

Sabarimala temple open to all: High Court

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The Kerala High Court (Devasom Bench) on Monday ruled that the Sabarimala temple was not only for Hindus but it had a tradition of welcoming people from all faiths.

The ruling, in response to a petition filed by Hindu activist and BJP fellow traveller T.G. Mohan Das, came as the Kerala government decided to step up the security in and around the temple when it opens next month.

Das petitioned that the high court should rule that the temple should be open to only devotees. The court did not accept this and pointed out that the Sabarimala temple was open to everyone.

The court, however, asked the Kerala government and the Travancore Devasom Board to file their affidavits on the issue and posted the case after two weeks.

The court also pointed out that there was no rule that all devotees who go to the temple should carry the sacred kit on their head.

But it said this was a must for the pilgrims who wish to mount the 18 steps that lead to the sanctum santorum.

In a second petition that came up before the Devasom Bench of the High Court, four women, including two women advocates, sought the protection of the court for praying at the temple.

The state government said if the pilgrim was a devotee, all the necessary arrangements would be provided for safe pilgrimage.

Satisfied with the reply, the court told the women that the court had nothing to do in this regard as the government had assured safe pilgrimage.

According to the latest figures, the total number of people arrested for creating trouble in the temple town and other places between October 16 and 22 as of Monday morning has touched 3,505. A total of 529 cases have been registered in various police stations.

The police have until now released pictures of 420 people whom they claim incited or took part in violence and unrest. On Monday morning, pictures of another 210 people were released, implying more arrests were on the cards.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Police on Monday decided to increase the number of top officials who would be posted in the temple town to oversee security arrangements when it reopens.

They would include two Additional Director Generals, four Inspector Generals besides other officers, overseeing a total of about 5,000 policemen and women.

The temple will open for a day on November 5 and then again on November 16 for almost two months for the routine annual pilgrimage.

In a related development, senior Congress legislator K. Muraleedharan urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to call an all-party meeting to discuss the Sabarimala issue.

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