October 2023 – Page 852 – Safir News Agency

Armenian parliament votes in favor of joining ICC despite Russia's warning

admin Oct 3, 2023 0

Armenian lawmakers attend the session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 3, 2023. (Photo via AP)

Armenia’s parliament has ratified the founding Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, subjecting the country to the jurisdiction of The Hague-based ICC amid strained ties with Russia.

According to a spokeswoman for parliament, 60 deputies voted in favor of ratifying the founding treaty of the ICC, and to adopt a statement on retroactive recognition of ICC jurisdiction during the Tuesday session.

Twenty-two mainly opposition lawmakers voted against joining the ICC which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes during the war in Ukraine. Moscow has consistently described the arrest warrant as outrageous and legally void.

Last week, the Kremlin had warned that Armenia’s plans to sign up to the International Criminal Court would worsen a growing rift with Moscow.

Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that in light of the ICC warrant for Putin’s arrest on war crimes charges, joining the international legal pact would be seen as “extremely hostile” toward Russia.

“Armenia knows very well that we are not parties to the [Rome Statute], and Armenia is well aware of the difficult decision adopted on the basis of this statute,” he cautioned.

Relations between Russia and Armenia have been badly strained over the war in Ukraine. Yerevan also says Moscow failed Armenia by not providing more assistance to avert the crisis over Karabakh.

Armenia’s neighbor Azerbaijan took full control of the breakaway region last month following a 24-hour military operation against pro-Armenian forces. Azerbaijan cited “systematic” shelling, “reconnaissance activities,” fortification of defensive positions, and “high-level of combat readiness” by Armenian-backed troops for its operation.

Karabakh, acknowledged as a part of Azerbaijan by the international community but populated by Armenians since 1992 when a separatist war broke out, has been at the center of a dispute between Baku and Yerevan for more than three decades.

Hyderabad

KTR assures major beverage unit in Jagtial

admin Oct 3, 2023 0

IT Minister KT Rama Rao said on Tuesday that a unit of either PepsiCo or Coca-Cola would be established in Jagtial to help mango farmers if Dr Sanjay Kumar MLA was re-elected with a thumping majority.

Published Date – 05:30 PM, Tue – 3 October 23

KTR assures major beverage unit in Jagtial

Jagtial: IT Minister KT Rama Rao said on Tuesday that a unit of either PepsiCo or Coca-Cola would be established in Jagtial to help mango farmers if Dr Sanjay Kumar MLA was re-elected with a thumping majority.

The Minister, who handed over double bedroom houses to beneficiaries apart from inaugurating the District Police Office and the Integrated veg and meat market, said he would take the initiative to set up a soft drink manufacturing unit of either of the two companies since mango crop was being produced in a big way in the district.

Addressing a public meeting in Jagtial later, Rama Rao praised local legislature Sanjay Kumar for striving hard for the development of Jagtial constituency. Responding positively to requests made by the MLA, the Minister assured to prepare a Jagtial town master plan without any losses for farmers and also to lay an underground drainage network in the town. Though Jagtial was made a municipality in 1956, the condition of the town was in bad shape due to negligence of Congress leaders, he said.

Paddy was being cultivated in a big way in the district and it was routine practice to get water from SRSP canal by arranging motors. During the Congress regime, electricity officials used to cut off electric wires and throw motors into the canal leaving farmers in distress. Now, the situation has changed. The SRSP canal in the district was like a perennial river with reverse pumping of water from the Kaleshwaram project made possible by spending Rs.1,000 crore.

Stating that Jagtial was developed on all fronts, Rama Rao said there were earlier incidents of people waging agitations for junior and degree colleges. Now, besides sanctioning a separate district, a medical college was also sanctioned to Jagtial.

As senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy failed to develop the constituency, local people had elected Sanjay Kumar as the MLA, Rama Rao said, assuring more development if the legislator was reelected.

World

Trio win physics Nobel for illuminating electrons

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The Nobel Academy said their studies had given humanity new tools for exploring the movement of electrons inside atoms, where changes occur in a few tenths of an attosecond – a unit so short that there are as many attoseconds in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe.

The prize, which was raised this year to 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million), is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

“The ability to generate attosecond pulses of light has opened the door on a tiny, extremely tiny, time scale and it’s also opened the door to the world of electrons,” said Eva Olsson, member of the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee.

It was once thought that these changes in electrons could not be seen, but the use of attosecond pulses has changed this, Reuters quoted her as citing.

In an example of possible applications, the field held promise in areas such as a new in-vitro diagnostic technique to detect characteristic molecular traces of diseases in blood samples, the academy said.

MP/PR

Sports

Tough test awaits Bajrang Punia; Aman, Antim strong contenders for medals

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First, it was Bajrang who sat on a dharna against the WFI chief and then witnessed sit-in protests organised against him in the villages of Haryana when he accepted exemption from the selection trials.

Published Date – 06:07 PM, Tue – 3 October 23

Tough test awaits Bajrang Punia; Aman, Antim strong contenders for medals

Hangzhou: Entering the Asian Games after copping widespread opprobrium for accepting a direct entry, Bajrang Punia‘s mental fortitude will be put to a stern test when he jumps straight to a high-level competition without real ‘mat-time’ in the last one year.

First, it was Bajrang who sat on a dharna against the WFI chief and then witnessed sit-in protests organised against him in the villages of Haryana when he accepted exemption from the selection trials.

The family of Vishal Kaliraman, who won the 65kg Asian Games trial, and the several panchayats were of the opinion that Bajrang should not go without competing in the trials.

Now that he has chosen to enter the Games without accepting the challenge of Kaliraman, the pride of the 2018 champion will be at stake.

More than that, the fact that he has not competed since the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade in September, Bajrang is terribly short of quality mat time. Competitions are crucial in testing fitness, skills and endurance and Bajrang would enter the Games without any real assessment.

His leg defence was already a ‘work in progress’ and it remains to be seen if the 18-day training stint in Kyrgyzstan in the run up to the Hangzhou Games has readied him enough for his title defence.

He will begin with a bout against Philippines’ Ronil Tubog and if he gets past him, Bajrang is expected to meet Bahrain’s Alibeg Alibegov in pre-quarters.

Bajrang’s category has quality performers, including the reigning Asian Champion and 2022 World champion Rahman Amouzadkhalili from Iran, against whom he is likely to meet in the semifinals.

“We worked hard in Kyrgyzstan. We practised with the national team of Kyrgyzstan. But nothing can replace the competition experience, so it will be a tough competition,” Sujeet Mann, Bajrang’s personal coach, told PTI.

“There are at least 4-5 wrestlers who are in top-8 in the world. Also the fact that smaller nations have now imported strong wrestlers and most of the wrestlers now train in Russia, the competition in wrestling has become really tough,” he added.

While Bajrang will be under pressure, Deepak Punia, who barely managed to win the trials, will also be watched keenly in the 86kg competition. He has also not done much after winning the 2022 CWG gold.

Aman Sehrawat will be a genuine medal contender in the 57kg category. His rise has been phenomenal in the last two years. He became the first Indian U23 world champion and is reigning Asian champion.

The wrestling competition begins from Wednesday with Greco Roman style, where India have not won a medal since the 2010 edition.

Ravinder Singh and Sunil Rana were the last Indian Greco Roman wrestlers to have climbed the podium in the premier continental event.

India can expect a good show from the women’s wrestlers. Led by Antim Panghal, the women’s squad is packed with strong contenders.

Panghal has been in red-hot form. After winning back-to-back U20 world championships, the 20-year-old from Hisar has already locked Paris Olympics quota after winning a bronze at the senior world championship.

Poja Gehlot and Mansi Ahlawat had also impressed in the selection trials. In the 2018 edition, India had won 2 gold through Bajrang and Vinesh Phogat while Divya Kakran had won a bronze.

Indian’s squads:

Greco Roman: Gyanender (60kg), Neeraj (67kg), Vikash (77kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Narinder Cheema (97kg) and Naveen (130kg).

Women’s freestyle: Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Antim Panghal (53kg), Mansi Ahlawat (57kg) Sonam Malik (62kg) Radhika (68kg) and Kiran (76kg).

Men’s freestyle: Aman Sehrawat (57kg), Bajrang Punia (65kg), Yash (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg) Vicky (97kg) and Sumit (125kg).

Rain Washes Out India's Second ODI World Cup 2023 Warm-Up Match

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India vs Netherlands: Rain Washes Out Indias Second Cricket World Cup 2023 Warm-Up Match

India’s second World Cup warm up match against Netherland was washed out due to incessant rain at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The game was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The hosts’ first warm up game against England also met with a similar fate in Guwahati last week. India is thus the only team that heads to the World Cup without batting or bowling in the warm up matches. India will open their campaign against Australia in Chennai on Sunday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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