Storm cuts power to thousands of homes
One man died on a ski slope and at least 26 were injured across France on Wednesday in a storm that cut power to tens of thousands of homes, local authorities said. Emergency services said the skier was killed when a tree fell on him. Storm Eleanor, with winds of more than 140 kph, also fanned least three forest fires in Corsica and forced officials to suspend ferry lines between the island and mainland France.
'T.N. needs a strong leadership'
Music director AR Rahman addressing the media in Chennai on Thursday.
Oscar winner A.R. Rahman on Thursday batted for a strong leadership in Tamil Nadu, and welcomed ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth's plunge into politics. “I personally feel that the State needs strong leadership. Whoever comes in, whether it is Rajinikanth or not, must cater to the needs of the people in bettering infrastructure, music and arts, and make lives better for all the farmers. I feel that kind of a miracle should happen,” said Mr. Rahman.
Wartime sex slavery victims
In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Blue House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, meets with South Korean Kim Bok-dong who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military at a hospital in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday.
South Korea’s President on Thursday apologised to Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s imperial Army in World War II over what he called a flawed 2015 deal with Tokyo to settle long-running disputes over the issue. President Moon Jae-in issued the apology during a meeting with nine former sexual slavery victims, all of them now elderly women. It’s the first time that Mr. Moon has apologised over the deal, which was struck before he took office last May.
Prison riot in Indonesia's Aceh
A room ravaged by fire during a riot in the prison in Aceh province, Indonesia, on Thursday.
Indonesian security forces have retaken control of a prison in the country’s west after a riot on Thursday, an official said. The riot began when three inmates refused to be transferred to another prison, said Edy Hardoyo, head of Aceh province correctional office. Other inmates joined the protest before it turned violent.
Four killed in Mumbai flat fire
A woman looks out from the window of a residential building in Mumbai after it was partially damaged in an early morning fire that claimed four lives.
Four people were killed and five injured in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning in a residential building in Marol. According to Fire officials, the fire broke out on the third floor of the Maimoon Building near the Hasnath High School in Marol, Andher.
Yoga camp
Schoolchildren attend a yoga session on the last day of a week-long camp in Ahmedabad on January 4, 2018.
Yoga is now being taught as a compulsory subject not only from class VI to X in Central government-run schools but also as a training module in teacher education programmes.
All set for 'jallikattu'
Villagers place the 'panthakkal', a traditional ritual, to mark bull taming sport 'jallikattu', at Avaniyapuram, near Madurai, on January 4, 2018.
Three places in Madurai renowned for ''jallikattu'' – Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniapuram – are gearing for the ‘regular’ ''jallikattu'' during Pongal. The Tamil Nadu government enacted a special legislation to circumvent the ban on the sport after widespread protests last year. Read more
Bandh in Maharashtra
Cadres of the Dalit Panthers blcok the rail track, demanding the arrest of those involved in Bhima-Koregaon clashes , at the Thane railway station on January 4, 2018.
Ideological and caste differences over a 200-year-old battle brought several parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kolhapur and Nagpur, to a standstill on Wednesday, following a bandh called by organisations belonging to the Maratha and Dalit communities. Read more
Tension in Surathkal
BJP MPs from Karnataka, staging a protest demonstration against the murder of right-wing activist Deepak Rao in Mangalore, at Parliament house in New Delhi on Thursday, January 4,2018.
A 24-year-old right-wing activist was murdered at Katipalla on the outskirts of Mangaluru, leading to tension in Surathkal and its adjoining areas on Wednesday. Acting swiftly, the police stopped the car reportedly used by the attackers near Moodbidri by opening fire, and took four persons into custody. Read more
Assam meets SC deadline on NRC draft publication
A woman checks her name on the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Chandamari village in Goalpara district in Assam.
Assam met Supreme Court's December 31 deadline for publication of the first draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) on the midnight of December 31. State NRC coordinator Pratik Hajela allayed the fears of those whose names did not appear in the first draft, saying the verification was a tedious process and there was a possibility of non-inclusion of some names within a single family in the first draft. He appealed to people not to panic as the verification process was still on. Read more
Firefighters put out small fire at Clinton s' property
Police vehicles move in outside the property of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton after firefighters were called to put out a small fire in building on the compound in Chappaqua, New York, on January 3, 2018.
Firefighters put out a small fire in a building on the property of Bill and Hillary Clinton outside New York City. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill tweeted that the fire was in a building used by the Secret Service and not in the Clintons’ residence.
Ashes match at Sydney
Australian Captain Steve Smith spins the coin as his English counterpart Joe Root watches before the start of the first day of the fifth Ashes match in Sydney on Thursday.
England Captain Joe Root won the rain-delayed toss and chose to bat in the fifth Ashes match against Australia in overcast conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. The first session was washed out by light rain, and play is scheduled to start at 12:40 p.m. (0140 GMT) after lunch was taken early. Read more
(With inputs from Agencies)
