A 27-member Pakistan cricket contingent left for India to take part in the Twenty20 World Cup, finally ending days of uncertainty over their participation in the mega event.
The team will be reaching Kolkata via Abu Dhabi.
The Pakistan squad including 15 players, 12 officials and support staff reached the Allama Iqbal international airport amidst tight security and boarded a flight hours after the Pakistan government finally gave the PCB the green signal to fly to India to take part in the ICC event.
Due to a long stay in Abu Dhabi the squad will reach Kolkata later this evening.
Head coach Waqar Younis, before departing for India, left a message on his Twitter account calling for unity in the team.
“Come on together we can do it,” he tweeted a message aimed at motivating the players.
He told the media that though the departure of the team for India had been hit by uncertainty and security issues, the focus of the players now would only be on cricket and doing well in the world event.
“We know that in India we will get a lot of hospitality because many of the players and officials have been to India before and they have seen this,” he said.
Waqar said that he had told the players to only focus on cricket an leave security issues to the boards and experts.
“We will take one match at a time and we are not thinking right now about the match against India on March 19. First we have to play Bangladesh and get past them. They are a very improved side now and have been hard to beat at home,” he said.
The Pakistan contingent includes manager Intikhab Alam, the experienced former Test captain and a high profile security manager.PTI
High altitude areas including the famous ski resort of Gulmarg today experienced fresh snowfall while steady rains lashed Srinagar, resulting in a considerable drop in temperatures.
Gulmarg recorded about three inches of snow – much to the delight of tourists who are enjoying their holiday in the famous hill resort, officials said.
They said about five inches of snow was recorded in the peripheral areas of the hill station including Kongdoori and Aferwath.
Gulmarg, which is still covered by a thick layer of snow, is attracting tourists in good numbers and the fresh snowfall is expected to further boost footfall.
Reports of moderate snowfall were also received from Z-Gali in Kupwara district, Sonamarg and Zojilla pass along Srinagar-Leh National highway in Ganderbal district, Peer Ki Gali along Mughal road in Shopian district, Amarnath cave shrine and adjoining hills in Anantnag district and upper reaches of Yousmarg in Budgam district, officials said.
While the Srinagar-Leh road and the Mughal road, which is being developed as alternate road link between Srinagar and rest of the country, remained closed for vehicular traffic owing to ongoing snow clearance operation, the all-weather Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained open despite rains all along 125-km Srinagar-Banihal stretch, they said.
Officials said the fresh snowfall might delay the early opening of 434-km strategic Srinagar-Leh highway which usually remains closed during winter.
The road normally opens by April-end but because of low snowfall this season, it was expected that the highway would be thrown open later this month.
Meanwhile, steady rains lashed the plains including Srinagar since early morning, but the water level in Jhelum and other water bodies remained unchanged so far.
Srinagar recorded rain of 7 mm till 2:30 pm while Kupwara district recorded highest rainfall of 15 mm, the MET office said.
The weather office has predicted more rainfall for the next three days.PTI
The fifth edition of half Marathon here will kick off tomorrow from the Sports Authority of Goa ground, Campal, organised by the El Shaddai Charitable Trust in association with the Goa Athletic Association, Council of the City of Panjim and the Goa Tourism Development Corporation.
It will attract more than 5,000 marathoners from across the country.
Similar to previous years, the marathon features four races the 21-km Half Marathon, 10-km Run, 5-km Dream Run and the School Run for children under 14 and 16 years of age.
The 10-km run and the School run continues to be large crowd pullers.
The half marathon has attracted runners from all over India and overseas with the international runners who will be giving stiff competition to the Indians both in the men and women’s open category.
The 21-km will be flagged off at 6:00 AM from the Campal Ground with runners progressing across the streets as they experience the rustic charm of Old Goa, turning around at St Peter’s Church and back to the start point.
The 10-km run is seeing locals from Goa participating in large numbers. The run will be flagged off at 6:15 AM from the Campal Ground and will progress along the banks of the scenic Mandovi River moving towards Raibandar and back to the start point.
The Dream Run (5-km) have several groups participating from the corporate sector.
The participants include companies like Novotel, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort, BresMed Health Solutions Pvt Ltd, Teva Pharma and Diebold Systems Pvt Ltd.
The Marathon is also drawing in participation from runners groups all across the country including the Susegaddo Runners Group, Aamhi Antruz Runners, Fitness Freaks from Goa, Goa Toastmasters group and many other small groups too.
With its reputation of having one of the most scenic marathon routes, the event continues to draw the participation of several professional distance runners and locals.
Sponsors of the marathon include Central Bank of India, Dziners, Real Drinks, Carasid, Oakleaf and Quality Foods.
Funds raised through the event will be used to repair and re-build homes for families in need of decent housing and to alleviate the suffering of the homeless and street children.
Matthew Kurian, Founder Trustee El Shaddai Charitable Trust said, “the Goa Marathon is mainly organised to create awareness about health in Goa and encourage more people to run as a habit. Apart from this we are also seeking to create awareness and raise funds for the work of our organisation of addressing the needs of the poor in society.PTI
In a goodwill gesture, Pakistan today repatriated nearly 86 fishermen and a person from Jammu and Kashmir.
All the prisoners crossed over to India through the land transit route of Attari Wagah border on the basis of Emergency Travel Certificate issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, officials said here.
The moment the group of the fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and neighbouring states, crossed over to India, they kissed Indian soil.
After the repatriation, the medical examination of all prisoners was conducted by the team of Indian doctors, they said.
All the Indian nationals were freed from the Landhi Jail in Karachi earlier.
The fishermen had strayed into Pakistan while fishing in the Arabian Sea and were held captive by the Pakistani coast guards for “illegal” fishing.
The fishermen said it was difficult to differentiate the territorial waters and they slipped into Pakistani territory.
Pakistan today confirmed that it had shared intelligence with India on possible terror strikes in Gujarat ahead of Maha Shivratri festival.
“Sharing of intelligence among various nations of the world is a routine practice and this happens around the world.
However, this time it was somehow leaked to media. But this showed Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism,” Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said in response to a question on whether Pakistan had provided intelligence to India on impending terror strikes.
According to Indian media reports, Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Lieutenant-General Naseer Khan Janjua passed on the intelligence warning to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Saturday following which NSG special forces were deployed to Gujarat to back up state police.
Intelligence inputs from Pakistan of a possible 26/11-style fidayeen attack on religious sites and processions in Gujarat during Maha Shivratri celebrations yesterday and today prompted authorities to order a massive mobilisation of state police personnel and National Security Guard (NSG).PTI
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said Karti is being targeted only because he is his son but “the real target is me” and rejected as “malicious and totally false” allegations that he has undisclosed assets abroad.
Chidambaram also said that if the Government is of the view that Karti has alleged undisclosed assets he would ask it to make a list in this regard and his son will voluntarily execute any document necessary to transfer such assets to it for a nominal consideration of Rupee 1.
He was reacting to a recent media report about the alleged investments of Karti in real estate across the world.
“A few days ago, a news report was published containing wild and reckless allegations against my son, Mr Karti Chidambaram, and by implication against me. It was obvious to everyone that it was a planted story.”
“If the Government is of the view that Mr Karti Chidambaram has undisclosed assets, I would ask the Government to make a list of such alleged undisclosed assets. Mr Karti Chidambaram will voluntarily execute any document necessary to transfer those assets (allegedly undisclosed) to the Government for a nominal consideration of Rupee 1. Let the Government become the owner of the alleged undisclosed assets.
The media report alleged that Karti has built a huge empire for himself in different parts of the world by making investment in real estates and engaging in other business activities in 14 countries and that this had come to light through documents recovered during raids by Enforcement Directorate and investigation wing of Income Tax in the Aircel-Maxis scam.
“I am issuing this statement on behalf of all the members of my family. We know that Karti is being targeted only because he is my son and the real target is me. I understand the political motive behind the accusations and the timing of the story. I have nothing but pity for those who make these false accusations. Ultimately, truth will prevail,” Chidambaram said in a statement.
He said Karti runs a legitimate business, apart from managing inherited property, adding he has been an income tax assessee for many years.
Chidambaram also said that Karti has duly and regularly filed his income tax return, including a statement of assets and liabilities, every year and that the assessments have been completed upto Assessment Year 2013-14 by the Income-tax department..PTI
The one-man judicial commission of inquiry that went into the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots has concluded intelligence failure and laxity on the part of police led to the violence that left 62 people dead but is silent on the role of the Akhilesh Yadav government in the conflagration.
The Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission, whose 700-page report was tabled in the state assembly today, also accused the media of putting out exaggerated reports and spreading rumours that fuelled violence.
Referring to the case lodged against BJP MLA Sangeet Som and 229 others in connection with uploading “objectionable” video on YouTube, the commission said it was of the view that under article 20(2) of the Constitution, which says no person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once, no other penal action could be taken against them.
Similarly, penal action could not be taken against the then BSP MP Qadir Rana and others for using objectionable language at Fakkarshah crossing on August 30, 2013, it said.
BJP has, meanwhile rejected the Sahai panel report as “incomplete” and demanded a CBI inquiry into the riots.
“The inquiry report tabled in the Assembly is a mix of of several semi-truths,” BJP Legislature Party Leader Suresh Khanna said in a statement issued here.
He alleged that it was one-sided and did not highlight real culprits, reason, cause of provocation and how it spread.
UP Minister Azam Khan also targeted the media for the riots, saying “Media had a big role in over-exaggerating the riots. In America you can’t show dead bodies and bloodshed.”
The commission said polarisation along communal lines following the murder of two young men by a youth from minority community in Kawal town on August 27, 2013, was the trigger behind the riots.
It said failure of the intelligence unit was an important reason behind the violence.
The panel said the riots took place as the the then Inspector of intelligence unit Prabal Pratap Singh failed to give exact figure of people going to attend a Mahapanchayat at Mandaur. The Hindus, particularly Jats, returning from the Mahapanchayat were allegedly attacked by the minorities, fuelling tensions further.
The proceedings of the Mahapanchayat were not recorded and there was laxity on the part of the then SSP Subhash Chandra Dubey, due to which violence spread to Saharanpur, Shamli, Baghpat and Meerut, the panel said. Apart from the killing of 62 people, the riots saw thousands rendered homeless in these districts.
The panel also agreed with the suspension of the then Senior Superintendent of Police Dubey and departmental action against him. It questioned the then District Magistrate Kushal Raj Sharma’s decision of not videographing the proceedings at Mahapanchayat.
Though the report did not mention anything against the Akhilesh Yadav government, leaders of opposition parties said the Chief Minister cannot escape the blame as law and order was a state subject.PTI
El Nino – a phenomena which sparks global weather extremes – could be transporting and spreading waterborne diseases such as cholera thousands of miles across oceans, with significant impacts for public health, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Bath in UK found that illnesses caused by waterborne bacteria reported in Latin America seem to be moving in tandem with when and where warm El Nino waters make contact with the land.
El Nino describes the unusual warming of surface waters along the tropical west coast of South America. These events tend to occur every 3-7 years; something many suggest have become more regular and extreme in recent years, as a result of climate change.
Most significantly, drawing on new data derived from whole genome sequencing of bacterial strains, they suggest there are links between organisms that are causing illnesses in Asia with those that emerge in Latin America.
Over the past 30 years, coinciding with the last three significant El Nino events in 1990/91, 1997/98 and 2010, new variants of waterborne pathogens emerged in Latin America.
These included a devastating cholera outbreak in Peru in 1990, leading to over 13,000 deaths, as well as two instances in 1997 and 2010 where new variants of the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus led to widespread human illness through contaminated shellfish.
“Through our findings we suggest that so-called vibrios – microscopic bacteria commonly found in seawater – can attach to larger organisms such as zooplankton to travel oceans,” said lead author Jaime Martinez-Urtaza, from the University of Bath.
“Numerous previous studies have shown how such vibrios bind to and use these larger organisms as a source of energy and through this mechanism, we suggest, they are essentially able to piggyback to travel such enormous diseases, driven by ocean currents,” Martinez-Urtaza said.
“The effects of El Nino events and their impacts on local weather, fisheries and the risk of more extreme meteorological events are already well-documented,” he said.
“Now understanding the role the ocean currents are also playing in transporting these disease has huge significance for public health campaigns in those countries,” he said.
“An El Nino event could represent an efficient long-distance ‘biological corridor’, allowing the displacement of marine organisms from distant areas,” said Craig Baker-Austin from the UK Cefas Weymouth laboratory.
“This process could provide both a periodic and unique source of new pathogens into America with serious implications for the spread and control of disease,” said Baker-Austin.
The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.PTI
Intense Russian air strikes battered rebel bastions across Syria today, a monitor said, just hours before a midnight deadline for a landmark ceasefire in the country’s five-year civil war.
With the ceasefire due to take effect at 2200 GMT, US President Barack Obama has warned Damascus and key ally Moscow that the “world will be watching”.
Both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the main opposition body have agreed to the deal — which allows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and other jihadists.
The agreement brokered by Russia and the United States marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end Syria’s violence, but has been plagued by doubts after the failure of previous peace efforts.
Members of the 17-nation group backing the process were to meet in Geneva today to work out further details of the so-called “cessation of hostilities”, which is then expected to be endorsed by the UN Security Council, diplomats said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said Russia and the regime had launched a wave of attacks on non-jihadist rebel areas ahead of the deadline.
“It’s more intense than usual,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Russia launched air strikes in Syria last September saying it was targeting “terrorists” but critics have accused Moscow of hitting rebel forces in support of Assad, a longtime ally.
The Observatory said there had been Russian strikes overnight on rebel bastions including the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, the north of Homs province and the west of Aleppo province.
There were at least 26 air strikes on Eastern Ghouta including 10 on its main city of Douma which was facing heavy regime shelling, he said.
One Douma resident told AFP that “the bombing is very heavy” while another described “very big explosions” in the city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Moscow would continue targeting “terrorist groups”.
“The decisive fight against them will, without doubt, be continued,” Putin said in televised remarks.
“We understand fully and take into account that this will be a complicated, and maybe even contradictory process of reconciliation, but there is no other way,” Putin said.
The intensified attacks prompted Turkey, a key supporter of opposition forces, to express worries over the viability of the ceasefire.
Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s mother today launched a no holds barred attack on HRD Minister Smriti Irani, accusing her of resorting to “blatant lies” while talking in Parliament about her son’s suicide and that “life imprisonment” will not be enough for her and others “responsible” for his death.
Radhika Vemula, flanked by her other son Raja, said BJP will be “decimated to the ground” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not take any action against Irani and her ministerial colleague Bandaru Dattatreya who had written multiple letters to her seeking action against Rohith, alleging anti-national activities.
Recent Comments