Politics

Pakistan begins painful task of burying its dead after school carnage

Peshawar, Dec 17 (ANI): Pakistan woke up to a day of mourning on Wednesday after Taliban militants killed 141 people, nearly all of them children, at a school in Peshawat, near the border with Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Grief-stricken family members and friends buried Abdul Azam Afridi, a student of Grade 12 who was killed when Taliban gunmen stormed the school, taking hundreds of students hostage in the bloodiest insurgent attack in the country in years. At least 132 students and nine staff members were killed on Tuesday in the incident that lasted for more than five hours. Over 120 were injured, and the army said 960 students had been rescued. Sikander Azam, brother of the dead student, said they received news of the attack late in the morning. Iqbal Afridi, a relative of the victim, said security should've been heightened at the school which was on the Taliban hit list.

Dec 17, 2014

Modi warns MPs not to cross 'Lakshman Rekha'; politicos react

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): In a stern warning to BJP MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked them to refrain from making controversial statements. Modi asked his ministers not to cross the 'lakshman rekha' as it hurts the government and the party. Politicos reacted on the same.

Dec 17, 2014

Nobel Prize winner Malala 'heartbroken' by Pakistan school attack

Birmingham, Dec17 (ANI): Pakistani child education activist and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, said she was heartbroken by the news that at least 141 people, mostly children, had been killed in a Taliban attack on a school in northwest Pakistan. Malala, was shot in the head on a school bus by the Taliban in 2012 and won global acclaim for her passionate advocacy of women's right to education.

Dec 17, 2014

Barack Obama's India Visit: Lashkar May be Planning Terror Attack, Say Sources

Special attention is being paid to the five terror suspects who escaped from a prison in Madhya Pradesh in October last year and have still not been found

Dec 17, 2014

Uphill battle to tackle Indonesian shark fishing

Sharks are hauled ashore every day at a busy market on the central Indonesian island of Lombok, the hub of a booming trade that provides a livelihood for local fishermen but is increasingly alarming environmentalists.

Dec 17, 2014

Indo-Pak Affairs Expert condemns attack on school in Peshawar

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): Indo-Pak Affairs Expert Rahul Jalali on Wednesday condemned the attack on innocent school children in Peshawar which left more than 120 families of Pakistan in distress. Jalali said that the militant outfit which is said to be Pakistan's own militant group has expressed a rage over government's operation against tribal insurgents. He added that the militants' attacking school children shows their rage against child education.

Dec 17, 2014

Reactions flow after minor girl found dead in Vellore, Rape and Murder suspected

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): An 11-year-old girl was found dead near here today and is suspected to have been murdered after being raped by unidentified persons, police said. Reactions flowed on Wednesday condemning the act and demanding quick probe into the incident. DCW Chairperson Barkha Shukla said that quick probe must be ordered into the incident. BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said that such incidents against girl children are highly condemnable and unfortunate. The body has been sent to Vellore Government Medical College Hospital for autopsy. The autopsy would confirm whether it is a case of rape and murder, the police official said.

Dec 17, 2014

School children across India pay tribute to victims of Taliban attack

New Delhi/Jaipur/ Nagpur/Kanpur, Dec 17 (ANI): School children across India on Wednesday observed silence and paid tribute to the victims of Taliban attack on a school in Pakistani city of Peshawar, which killed 132 students and nine staff members. The attack took place on Tuesday when Taliban gunmen broke into a military-run high school attended by more than 1,100 people, many of them children of army personnel, and opened fire witnesses said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock and appealed to schools in India to observe two minutes of silence marking solidarity in the wake of the disgusting attack. The Taliban, waging war against Pakistan in order to topple the government and set up an Islamic state, immediately claimed responsibility of the attack.

Dec 17, 2014

Indian children protest Taliban attack on Pakistan school

Haridwar/ Vadodara, Dec 17 (ANI): Schoolchildren in India held protest against Taliban attack into a school in Pakistani city of Peshawar, which killed at least 132 students and nine staff members on Tuesday. The innocent children and staff members were killed on Tuesday after Taliban gunmen broke into a school and opened fire, witnesses said. More than eight hours after militants slipped into the heavily guarded compound through a back entrance, the army declared the operation to flush them out over, and said that all nine insurgents had been killed. Meanwhile, a student Rahul Sharma said that children should not be targeted by militants. Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil was also held in Haridwar.

Dec 17, 2014

Tourists enjoy fresh spell of snow in Nainital

Nainital/ Varanasi, Dec 17 (ANI): Fresh spell of snow in Nainital brought much delight to the tourists enjoying their vacation in the state of Uttarakhand. Tourists were seen throwing snowballs on each other as mercury dipped further with the snowfall. Several parts of Himachal Pradesh have also received snowfall that resulted in intense cold wave. Meanwhile, icy cold winds also swept through temple town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and intense fog affected normal life and train schedules. Located in the tropics, most of India witnesses a very hot summer and a largely temperate winter. Minimum temperatures even dropped to sub-zero level in higher altitudes in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dec 17, 2014

Fog delays flights, trains in Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): The operation of some flights and trains were affected in the national capital on Wednesday, as the visibility was reduced to 700 meters due to fog. According to Northern Railway around 14 Delhi bound trains including Mahananda express, Lichchavi expresss, Purushottam express and Mahabodhi express are reported to be running late due to foggy weather condition. Due to late arrivals of trains the Railway had to re-schedule the departure time of some trains.

Dec 17, 2014

India needs to be on alert in wake of Taliban bloodshed, says defence minister

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that India needs to be on alert in the wake of Taliban bloodshed in neighbouring Pakistan. Picking the softest of soft targets, the Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday launched a savage and cowardly attack on a school, essentially for children of military families, spraying machine-gun fire on kids behind desks and leaving 132 of them dead.

Dec 17, 2014

Peshawar attack: PM Modi calls upon schools to observe two minute silence

New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): In the wake of the dastardly attack in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to schools across India to observe two minute of silence on Wednesday as a mark of solidarity. Prime Minister Modi, earlier on Tuesday, also had a telephonic conversation with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif and offering deepest condolences and all assistance in the hour of misery. "In the wake of dastardly attack in Pakistan, I appeal to schools across India to observe 2 mins of silence tomorrow as a mark of solidarity," tweeted Prime Minister Modi. "Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif over the telephone. Offered my deepest condolences on the dastardly terror attack in Peshawar," he added. "India stands firmly with Pakistan in fight against terror. Told PM Sharif we are ready to provide all assistance during this hour of grief," he said in a series of tweets. Prime Minister Modi also hoped that the children who had witnessed the horrific attack and loss of their friends would come through this trauma through counselling.

Dec 17, 2014

Muslim clerics in India term Taliban assault on Pakistani school as inhuman

Bhopal/ New Delhi, Dec 17 (ANI): Muslim clerics in India denounced Taliban attack in a high school in Peshawar city and said it was time that Pakistan took action against militancy. At least 132 students and nine staff members were killed on Tuesday after Taliban gunmen broke into a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and opened fire, witnesses said, in the bloodiest massacre the country has seen for years. More than eight hours after militants slipped into the heavily guarded compound through a back entrance, the army declared the operation to flush them out over, and said that all nine insurgents had been killed. The attack on a military-run high school attended by more than 1,100 people, many of them children of army personnel, struck at the heart of Pakistan's military establishment, an assault certain to enrage the country's powerful army.

Dec 17, 2014

Sangai festival helps promote indigenous sports in Manipur

Manipur, Dec 17 (ANI): Polo, locally known as sagol-kangjei, is believed to have been originated in Manipur. Today a top favorite sport, Polo is preserved by many clubs in Manipur and across the world, who enthusiastically come to participate at the annual Sangai festival. Players from India, Poland, Thailand, United States, South Africa, England, Mongolia and France participated in the 8th edition of Manipur Polo International 2014 held at Mapal Kangjeibung. The international event was organized by Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association. A number of other indigenous games organized at the Polo Ground as a part of the Sangai festival attracted large number of visitors. The traditional Mukna Kangjei or Wrestling Hockey, which enjoyed the royal patronage in the past, is regaining popularity in the state. Many other indigenous sports like Thang-ta, Yubi Lakpi and Mukna were also organized during the Sangai festival.

Dec 17, 2014