4.4 M quake hits Athens
A moderate but shallow 4 point 4-magnitude quake jolted Athens today.
The national observatory and experts said the quake had a depth of just five kilometres and an epicentre 24 kilometres northeast of the Greek capital.
It was followed by weaker aftershocks.
It was followed by weaker aftershocks.
The earthquake was felt across the capital and as far as Lamia and Corinth. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.
Greece and Turkey sit on significant fault lines and have been regularly hit by earthquakes in recent years.
Romanian PM Mihai Tudose resigns
Romania’s left-wing Prime Minister Mihai Tudose resigned today after losing the backing of his party due to internal power struggles, barely seven months after his predecessor suffered the same fate.
He handed in his resignation after senior members of the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) voted to withdraw their support at a leadership meeting.
The move heralds fresh turmoil for Romania, one of the European Union’s poorest countries, and comes on the eve of a historic visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
It is the second time in a year that the PSD has torpedoed its own government.
Tudose’s resignation will have to be signed off by centre-right President Klaus Iohannis.
He also needs to approve the PSD’s new Prime ministerial nominee, to be chosen at a party meeting tomorrow.
Stock Exchange Floor of Jakarta collapsed
Floor of stock exchange building in Jakarta has collapsed, injuring at least 77 people.
Police say a mezzanine walkway fell into the lobby shortly after noon on Monday.
Local media report the exchange was closed at the time for the lunch break, but that some employees and visiting university students were inside.
Germany to increase elite unit
Germany’s elite paramilitary unit will be increased by a third, and a second base will be opened due to increased terrorism threats, AP reported. In addition to the GSG-9’s base near Bonn in western Germany, another base, likely in Berlin, will be added, according to the unit’s head, Jerome Fuchs. The GSG-9 unit was created in response to German security services’ failure to prevent the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The actual number of the unit’s members is not public, but is estimated currently at 400.
ChinNuke submarines in East China Sea
Japan accuses China of sending nuclear-powered submarines to disputed isles>
Tokyo has said that a Chinese naval submarine spotted in waters off flashpoint islands in the East China Sea was one of its new nuclear-powered attack vessels, AFP reported on Monday. The statement comes on the same day that China announced that three of its“coastguard vessels conducted a patrol in territorial waters off the Diaoyu Islands,”Beijing’s name for contested isles called Senkaku in Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Monday that the submarine has been determined to be “China’s Shang-Class nuclear-powered attack submarine,” which he said can be equipped with long-range cruise missiles. “The submarine’s underwater passing through our country’s contiguous waters is an act that unilaterally increases tension,” he added. Beijing has not confirmed whether it had sent a submarine.
Tokyo has said that a Chinese naval submarine spotted in waters off flashpoint islands in the East China Sea was one of its new nuclear-powered attack vessels, AFP reported on Monday. The statement comes on the same day that China announced that three of its“coastguard vessels conducted a patrol in territorial waters off the Diaoyu Islands,”Beijing’s name for contested isles called Senkaku in Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Monday that the submarine has been determined to be “China’s Shang-Class nuclear-powered attack submarine,” which he said can be equipped with long-range cruise missiles. “The submarine’s underwater passing through our country’s contiguous waters is an act that unilaterally increases tension,” he added. Beijing has not confirmed whether it had sent a submarine.
UN WTO: Spain to replace US as 2nd tourism destination
Spain is expected to replace the US as the world’s second biggest tourism destination, while France has retained the top spot, the UN World Tourism Organization said on Monday.
Spain could take second position with some 82 million visitors last year, AFP quoted UNWTO Dhief Zurab Pololikashvili as saying. John Kester, head of tourism trends at the UN agency, said that “everything indicates” that France would retain its top spot in 2017, which was a good year for the industry as the number of global tourists leapt 7 percent compared to 2016, the largest increase in seven years.
Turkish president hosts Qatari Emir
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held talks in Turkey on Monday with his chief ally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as tensions again surged between the emirate and its regional foes, AFP reports.
The talks were announced only hours in advance and took place at Erdogan’s presidential palace in Ankara, according to the Turkish presidency. Erdogan has been a major supporter of Doha in the crisis that has left Qatar diplomatically and economically isolated.
On June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar. The latest meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Qatar came as the UAE accused Qatar of “intercepting” two Emirati passenger planes en route to Bahrain.
Arbaaz Khan starring ‘Nirdosh’ will bring Back Gripping Entertainers!
Nirdosh starring Arbaaz Khan, Manjari Fadnis, Ashmit Patel, Maheck Chahal and Mukul Dev is the talk of the town since the entire cast was witnessed in Delhi. Arbaaz Khan along with the cast interacted with media and revealed the details of his upcoming flick. Nirdosh is Bollywood’s first suspect thriller and it promises to be one of the most entertaining films so far.
As per the details revealed by the cast, Nirdosh is a story of Gautam Grover (Ashmit Patel) and his wife Shinaya Grover (Manjari Fadnis) who live in Mumbai and has a picture-perfect family. Gautam is shocked when Mumbai police arrest his wife Shinaya on a murder charge. Court grants remand of three days for Shinaya. A strict officer in crime branch- Inspector Lokhande (Arbaaz Khan) is given the charge of the case. During police interrogation, Arbaaz’s character investigates and unfolds the truth.
Producer Pradeep Rangwani is all excited about his first Bollywood venture and he is sure that the movie will bring back the age of edge-of-the-seat entertainers in Bollywood that will hold the audience’s attention until the end.
Well, for teh same, Director Pradeep Rangwani says “There are lots of twists and turns in the story. All the characters seem to have layers as the story moves ahead. Every character has a different story to tell which keeps the guessing game on. ”
The film is produced by UV films and directed by Pradeep Rangwani and Subroto Paul, slated to release worldwide on 19th January 2018.
Army : 7 Pak soldiers killed
As India celebrates its 70th Army Day, reports coming say that the Indian Army has carried out “retaliatory action” against Pakistan killing 7 soldiers and injuring 4 others in forward areas along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. Details awaited on this story.
Just this morning, security forces foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, killing five Jaish-e-Mohammad militants. A defence spokesman said that five militants were killed.Earlier, Director General of Police S P Vaid said four JeM militants were killed at Dulanja in Uri sector in a joint operation by the Army, police and other security forces.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat said today that the Pakistan Army has been continuously trying to help terrorists sneak into India along the LoC in J&K. “We are using our might to teach them a lesson. We will keep effectively retaliating to any provocative action by Pakistan. If we are forced, then we may resort to ‘other action’ by stepping up military offensive. We will not let anti-India activities succeed at any cost,” General Rawat said.
He also called out China saying disputes along the Line of Actual Control in the northern border (China) are continuing and transgressions are taking place. “We are working to stop them,” he said. Rediff
PM Netanyahu in India
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his wife Sara, were granted a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan ahead of his delegation level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Netanyahu was given a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those present during the ceremony. Talking to reporters after the ceremony, Israel Prime Minister said, his visit to New Delhi is the dawn of a new era in the friendship between India and Israel.
PM Mr Netanyahu said it began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Israel that created tremendous enthusiasm. Mr Netanyahu said it continues with his visit to India. He added that the flourishing partnership can bring prosperity, peace and progress for the people of both the countries.
Later, PM Mr Netanyahu laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi at Raj Ghat. It is the first visit of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to India. He yesterday arrived on a six-day visit. India, Israel likely to sign 8 MoUs today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding delegation-level talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in New Delhi. During the talks, both the leaders will discuss host of issues including defence cooperation, trade, innovation, counter terrorism, agriculture and water harvesting. Several MoUs are expected to be signed in different areas after the talks. Mr Netanyahu will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind in the evening.
