The NEWS Agglomerated

 August 15, 2013 by sagarmedia.

Anti-government protests rock Bahrain

Police have used tear gas and birdshot to contain long-planned protests in the Gulf State of Bahrain. The country’s Shi’ite majority is demanding a greater say in the political decisions of the Sunni-ruled country.
The long-planned protests mark two-and-a-half years since the unsuccessful uprising in the oil-rich state during which protesters called for the abdication of King Hamad, who has been in power since 1999.
Despite a ban on public demonstrations, throngs walked through capital Manama shouting “Democracy! Democracy!”, as police erected barriers and checkpoints through many of the main streets.

California high court refuses to halt same-sex weddings

California’s state supreme court refused to stop same-sex weddings on Wednesday in a one-sentence order. The court’s response was prompted by supporters of a 2008 gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8, who had appealed after the US Supreme Court ruled back in June against an appeal following the law’s repeal by a San Francisco federal judge. The legal wrangling has been ongoing since the gay marriage legislation was passed by voters in California, later ruled unconstitutional. Two days after the US Supreme Court ruling in June, a federal appeals court allowed gay marriages to resume in California, and a wave of ceremonies began immediately. Andy Pugno, an attorney for a pro-Proposition 8 group called ProtectMarriage.com, said the state Supreme Court’s ruling “leaves grave doubts about the future of the initiative process in our state.”

14 killed in twin road blasts in Iraq

Twin roadside bombs in Baquba, Iraq have killed at least 14 people and injured 26, police announced. The first bomb exploded near a café while the second one hit an ice cream shop, both in the centre of Baquba, 65km north of Baghdad. The blasts follow a series of attacks across the country during the holy month of Ramadan. Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past week.

Navy chief DK Joshi briefing media on INS Sindhurakshak submarine

The blast happened on the INS Sindhurakshak around midnight and was shortly followed by a massive fire. The sailors on board the submarine reportedly managed to jump off to safety, but more than a dozen are feared trapped inside the hull. The vessel partially submerged after the fire. Several people have reportedly been rushed to hospital following the incident.Fire brigades were battling the blaze for almost three hours to prevent the fire spreading to other vessels docked nearby. There was no immediate comment on the status of the sunken submarine’s torpedoes and other weapons.

“Lot of things are in very close proximity, there is fuel, there is hydrogen, there is oxygen, there are weapons with high explosives on board,” retired Indian navy chief Arun Prakashs said. “So a slightest mistake or slightest accident can trigger off a huge accident.”

The INS Sindhuratna, which was docked close to the Sindhurakshak, was pulled away to safety.

Although it’s believed that the explosion onboard the Indian submarine was likely an accident, an investigation was launched to establish the exact cause, the navy said.

INS Sindhurakshak submarine,on 4 June 2010, the Indian Defence Ministry and Zvezdochka shipyard signed a contract worth US$80 million to upgrade and overhaul the submarine. After the overhaul, it returned to India from Russia between May and June 2013. A fire broke out aboard Sindhurakshak while the vessel was in Visakhapatnam in February 2010. One sailor was killed and two others were injured. Navy officials reported that the fire had been caused by an explosion in the submarine’s battery compartment, which occurred due to a faulty battery valve that leaked hydrogen gas.After the fire damage in 2010, Sindhurakshak was sent to Russia for a two and a half year refit, overhaul and upgrade. In August 2010, Sindhurakshak arrived at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Russia. The submarine was modernised, repaired and retrofitted under Project 08773, and after the upgrade the sea trials started in October 2012. The upgrades included improved electronic warfare systems, an integrated weapon control system and a new cooling system, and were expected to extend the service life of the submarine by ten years.The Club-S (3M54E1 anti-ship and 3M14E land attack) missiles, USHUS sonar, СCS-MK-2 radio communication systems and Porpoise radio-locating radar, and other safety-enhancing features were incorporated. The submarine was handed back to the Indian Navy on 27 January 2013, after which it sailed back to India, under Commander Rajesh Ramkumar. This was the first time an Indian submarine had navigated under ice condition.

A day of crisis,14 August 2013, the Sindhurakshak sank after series of explosions caused by a fire onboard when the submarine was berthed at Mumbai. The fire, followed by a series of ordnance blasts on the armed submarine, occurred shortly after midnight. The fire was put out within two hours. It is unclear exactly what caused the fire. Due to damage from the explosions, the submarine sank at its berth with only a portion visible above the water surface. Sailors on board reportedly jumped off to safety. Navy divers were also brought in as there was a possibility that 18 personnel were trapped inside. Defence Minister A. K. Antony confirmed that there were fatalities.

Due to the explosion, the front section of the submarine was twisted, bent and crumpled, and water had entered the forward compartment. Another submarine, INS Sindhuratna, also sustained minor damage when the fire on Sindhurakshak caused its torpedoes to explode. Official sources said it was “highly unlikely” the submarine could be returned to service.

INS Sindhurakshak incident as a “catastrophe”, Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi on Wednesday indicated there was little hope of survival of 18 personnel on board the submarine, which exploded and sank at the naval dockyard.

“We hope for the best and are prepared for the worst,” he told reporters at the Western Naval Command headquarters. He, however, said three other sailors, who were on the “upper casing” of the submarine when the tragedy occurred, survived, sustaining “only minor injuries”.
“They have been discharged (from the hospital),” he added. “Miracles do happen… There may be some air pocket or some may have got access to breathing sack,” he said when asked if there could be survivors among the 18 including three officers.
Responding to a query, the Navy chief did not rule out the possibility of a sabotage but said indications at this time do not support such a theory.
“A board of inquiry has been ordered which will bring out all the details,” he said. The inquiry is expected to be completed in four weeks.
“We do not have answers to what caused the fire,” he said, adding “There are several ingredients (on a naval vessel) that contribute to or cause fire, including explosives, fuel, oxygen bottles. “We hope to determine what caused this catastrophe,” Joshi, who accompanied Defence Minister A K Antony to the naval dockyard, said.
“So far, the Navy divers have been able to open the main hatch,” Joshi said when asked about the rescue efforts, but added “there has been no communication with the staff inside, regrettably.”
Of the 18, two officers and six sailors were married, the Navy chief said.
The submarine had undergone extensive refurbishing in Russia last year and had over 1000 hours of diving after that, he said.
To a query about the submarine being involved in a similar accident when it was docked in Visakhapatnam in February 2010, the Navy chief said, “there is no connection between the two incidents.”
“We are unable to point out our fingers at what could have gone wrong,” he said. The fire was preceded by a a smaller intensity explosion, he said.
“We are gathering forensic evidence,” he added. Joshi said three other personnel who were on board the vessel but not inside, were too shocked to make a statement.
Divers were looking for the missing personnel, but without any success so far, he said.
Earlier, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who accompanied Antony, said the state government has kept the J J hospital here on standby to treat the injured.
He expressed “deep sympathy” to the Chief of Naval Staff and families of the affected personnel on behalf of the Maharashtra government “in this hour of tragedy”.
(PT-15/08)
Submarine sinks after serial blasts, 18 navymen still missing
In one of the worst disasters to have struck the Indian Navy, a series of explosions rocked its submarine INS Sindhurakshak at the dockyard in Mumbai around midnight, sinking it partially in the shallow sea, in which 18 personnel including three officers are feared killed.
A smaller intensity explosion was followed by two massive blasts, causing a major fire in the Russian-made submarine, Admiral D K Joshi, Chief of Naval Staff told reporters after visiting the dockyard in Colaba.
Joshi, who accompanied Defence Minister A K Antony, did not rule out the possibility of a sabotage but said, “Indications so far do not support such a theory.”
The diesel-electric submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1997 at a cost of around Rs 400 crore and had gone through a Rs 450-crore extensive upgrade in Russia under a contract signed in 2010.
The warship rejoined the navy on 29^th April, this year. It was fully armed at the time of the mishap, navy sources said.
With the 18 navy personnel still missing nearly 17 hours after the mishap, Joshi said, “While we can hope for the best, we have to be prepared for the worst.
“Miracles do happen. There might be air-pockets (to aid their survival). We know that so much time has gone by,” he said.
Joshi said three other personnel who were on board the vessel but not inside, jumped to safety but were too shocked to make a statement.
A board of inquiry has been constituted to probe the reason behind the blasts and it is expected to submit its report within four weeks, he said.
Divers from the navy, Joshi said, have been able to cut through the vessel, as all hatches had fused due to the fire, and were looking for the missing personnel, but without any success so far.

Hezbollah claims responsibility for Israeli army blast

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his organization was behind the blast that wounded four Israeli Special Forces soldiers on the Lebanese border last week. Nasrallah told Al-Mayadeen television that one pre-planted device was triggered when Israeli troops crossed several hundred meters into Lebanon, and a second explosion was set off when reinforcements arrived. Nasrallah said Hezbollah “will not accept these territorial violations” into Lebanon

Doctors Without Borders leaves Somalia after 22 years due to ‘extreme attacks’

Leading international medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has ceased all operations in Somalia, closing 11 separate sites, following persistent hostile actions from radicals. “The closure of our activities is a direct result of extreme attacks on our staff, in an environment where armed groups and civilian leaders increasingly support, tolerate, or condone the killing, assaulting, and abducting of humanitarian aid workers,” said MSF president Unni Karunakara. The president said that 300,000 people had been treated by MSF staff this year alone. Upon the release of the news the Islamist Shebab group stormed one of the organization’s compounds and took all property belonging to the MSF.

​Talks re-start between Israel and Palestinians

Officials from Israel and the Palestinian Authority have begun peace talks in Jerusalem, following concessions on both sides. PA president Mahmoud Abbas dropped a demand to freeze construction of all Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory ahead of the talks, while Israel released 26 Palestinian prisoners. The two sides went through relatively fruitless US-backed negotiations in Washington last month.

Ex-congressman Jessie Jackson Jr. gets 30-month behind bars

A Washington court has sentenced former Illinois congressman, Jesse Jackson Jr., to 30 months in prison for misuse of campaign funds. The 48-year-old has previously pleaded guilty of spending about $750,000 in campaign funds on luxuries such as fur capes, celebrity memorabilia, mounted elk heads and a Rolex watch. “I misled the American people,” he said at the hearing. Jackson’s wife, Sandi, a former Chicago city council member, will also spend a year behind bars for falsifying tax returns that failed to report the campaign money as income.

New York Times website inexplicably down

The New York Times website is presently inaccessible after going down late on Wednesday, providing viewers with a “Http/1.1 Service Unavailable” message. Additionally, emails sent to New York Times email addresses are being returned, marked as ‘undeliverable.’ Spokeswoman Danielle Rhodes Ha told AP that the newspaper was examining possible causes, but did not offer any further details. “The New York Times Web site is experiencing technical difficulties. We expect to be back up shortly,” the newspaper tweeted just before 12pm local time on Wednesday. An internal email, which could apparently be accessed, stated that the outage was the result of an “internal issue, which we expect to be resolved soon.”

UK opposition leader Ed Miliband pelted with eggs

Britain’s Labor party leader Ed Miliband has been pelted with eggs during a campaign visit to a street market. A man, who had been following Miliband and journalists with him, suddenly began throwing a volley of eggs at his back. At least one egg hit Miliband on his head and jacket, the Telegraph reported. The opposition leader, who was campaigning in East Street market in Walworth, south London, sought to make light of the incident.

Egypt declares month-long state of emergency

The Egyptian presidency has declared a month-long state of emergency across the country and has ordered the armed forces to help enforce security. The move, announced on state TV, follows clashes that erupted Wednesday as security forces moved in with tear gas to dismantle protest camps of supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo, amid reports of dozens of protesters killed.

New Proton rocket launch planned for Sept 15

Russia’s Federal Space Agency is planning its next launch of a Proton space rocket with the Astra 2E satellite for September 15 – just over two months after the previous launch failed in July. The International Launch Services’ Failure Review Oversight Board concluded its review of the July 2 incident, in which three GLONASS navigational satellites were lost, on August 13.

Syria denies reports of firing on Assad’s home, Russian, Iranian diplomatic missions

The Syrian government has denied reports that President Bashar Assad’s home in Damascus, as well as the diplomatic missions of Russia and Iran, have come under fire. Officials at the Russian Embassy did not confirm that the building of the Russian trade mission was fired upon, Itar-Tass reported Wednesday. The building is in the city’s Malki district, a secure neighborhood where Assad used to live before the conflict began.

Russia’s ‘Breivik’ pleads guilty to killing 6 office co-workers

Pharmaceutical company lawyer Dmitry Vinogradov has pleaded guilty to murdering six of his office co-workers in Moscow last November, but added that he wasn’t fully accountable for his actions during the shooting. Experts have previously assessed Vinogradov as mentally competent to stand trial, but say that he was suffering from a mental disorder that clouded his judgment while committing the crime. The 29-year-old, who is on trial for murder and public calls for extremist activity, is facing life in prison.

Libya repeals sentence on 2 Russians, pending new trial

A Libyan military court’s sentence on Russian citizens Aleksandr Shadrov and Vladimir Dolgov, convicted for alleged collaboration with the former government of Muammar Gaddafi, has been repealed. Now a civilian court will take up their case, a source in the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Tripoli told Interfax. During the appeal hearing held Wednesday, the court changed the status of the Russian citizens from “convicted” to “detained,” the source said.

Pilot, co-pilot killed in UPS cargo plane crash in Alabama

The pilot and co-pilot of a large UPS cargo plane were killed in a crash Wednesday morning near the airport in Birmingham, Alabama, city mayor William Bell said. They were the only occupants of UPS flight 1354, which was en route from Louisville, Kentucky, to Birmingham when it crashed on approach about 6 am (10:00 GMT), Reuters quoted Bell as saying. No bystanders were hurt in the incident, which took place near Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.

China: 10 people attempt to commit mass suicide over Railway Ministry’s abolition

A group of 10 people in China on Wednesday attempted to commit suicide together by drinking pesticide. They were reportedly protesting against the government’s decision to abolish the Railway Ministry, which is under investigation as its former minister goes on trial on corruption charges. The people were rushed to nearby hospitals after a passerby noticed them lying on the floor with froth coming out of their mouths in a street near Beijing West Railway Station. Some of the people wore T-shirts bearing the logo “Harbin Railway Bureau.” The Railway Ministry was merged with the Transport Ministry, sparking fears of job cuts.

North, South Korea agree to reopen industrial park

North and South Korea reached a five-point agreement Wednesday to reopen a shuttered joint industrial park, the South Korean government in Seoul said. “The agreement was signed by Kim Ki-woong, Seoul’s chief delegate, and his North Korean counterpart Park Chol-su,” Yonhap quoted a Unification Ministry official as saying. The deal was reached after day-long negotiations in the North’s border city of Kaesong. The joint complex has been closed since early April when the North pulled out all of its 53,000 workers from 123 South Korean factories, amid rising tensions.

Crew saved as cargo ship sinks in typhoon off Hong Kong

Helicopter teams helped to save all 21 crewmembers from a cargo ship that sank off Hong Kong on Wednesday in a typhoon that generated waves of up to 15 meters. The crew abandoned the 190-meter-long ship as the bulk carrier Trans Summer tipped on its side and sank 80 kilometers southwest of Hong Kong, AFP reported. Two helicopter teams were dispatched after an emergency distress call at 02:39 GMT and found some crewmembers on life rafts, while others were floating in the water.

1 killed, 20 hurt in Bangladesh protests

Clashes between Bangladeshi police and supporters of an Islamic opposition party left one man dead and about 20 injured Wednesday as a nationwide general strike continued for a second day. Protesters belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami party tried to stage a march in Dhaka’s southern Jatrabari suburb. The party called the strike to denounce a court decision that its registration with the Election Commission was invalid.

Manning likely to break silence as WikiLeaks trial nears end

Bradley Manning, the US Army soldier convicted of providing secret files to WikiLeaks, could break his long-held silence on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Manning has said almost nothing since the trial began on June 3. Chief defense attorney David Coombs is expected to conclude his case for a lenient sentence on Wednesday after calling a dozen witnesses. Judge Colonel Denise Lind could sentence Manning immediately after the defense finishes at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Japanese minister to visit Russia’s Kuril Islands

Ichita Yamamoto, Japan’s state minister in charge of territorial issues, will visit Russia’s Southern Kuril islands on September 19-23. Yamamoto will hold discussions with local officials and inspect infrastructure, Kyodo reported, citing a government source as saying Wednesday. He will travel to the islands, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and as the Northern Territories in Japan, along with former Japanese residents under a visa-free program aimed at promoting exchanges with Russian islanders.

1 killed, 32 wounded after gunfire on Pakistan’s Independence Day

At least one person was killed and more than 30 wounded in Karachi on Wednesday as hundreds of people fired guns in the air to celebrate the 66th anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence Day. Officials say at least 33 people were brought to Jinnah Hospital in Karachi after being wounded by stray bullets, AFP reported. Flag-raising ceremonies were held in Islamabad and all four provincial capitals as well as in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

North, South Korea restart talks on reopening industrial park

Officials from North and South Korea resumed talks Wednesday about reopening a shuttered factory complex the two countries jointly ran until April. Six rounds of unsuccessful talks on restarting operations in the industrial park in North Korea’s third-largest city, Kaesong, have been held so far. The factory lies just across the heavily armed border from Paju, South Korea and combines South Korean finance and technology with cheap North Korean labor. Seoul has been pushing for Pyongyang to provide guarantees that it won’t unilaterally shut down Kaesong if tensions flare up again.

Director of ‘Innocence of Muslims’ film released to halfway house

The man behind “The Innocence of Muslims” film that stoked anti-US protests has been moved from prison to a halfway house, federal officials say. Egyptian-born Coptic Christian Mark Basseley Youssef, 56, will serve the remaining weeks of his sentence for probation violations stemming from his role in making the video. He previously served time for a 2010 bank fraud conviction and was sent back to prison last year after admitting to breaching the terms of his probation, Reuters reported. Youssef is due to be freed on September 26 but will remain under the supervision of probation officials for the next four years, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross said.

IDF claims to hit terrorist sites in Gaza

Israel has carried out air strikes against alleged concealed rocket launchers sites in Gaza, the IDF said. No civilian casualties were reported as direct hits were confirmed. The strikes were initiated in response to the rocket launched by Hamas militants at the Sha’ar HaNegev regional council on Tuesday evening. The IDF also promised to “safeguard Israel’s civilians, and combat terror and its infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.”

BP files lawsuit against US government for enacting ban on new business

BP has filed a lawsuit against the US government following a ban on new federal contracts for the oil company, enacted after the company plead guilty to charges stemming from its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest spill in American history. In November of 2012 the US Environmental Protection Agency cited BP’s “lack of business integrity” in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon incident that left 11 workers dead, and millions of barrels of oil spread into coastal waters. Though the suspension only impacts new contracts and not existing ones, BP has argued in its suit that the ban causes the company “irreparable harm.” BP has incurred about $42.4 billion in charges related to the April 20, 2010 oil spill, reports Reuters. “We believe that the EPA’s action here is inappropriate and unjustified as a matter of law and policy, and we are pursuing our right to seek relief in federal court,” said Geoff Morrell, BP’s head of U.S. communications.
Media agencies