Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Suranjoy ends India's 15-year gold drought in Asian boxing Zhuhai (China), June 13 : Manipur's Suranjoy Singh gave India its first Asian Championship gold in 15 years while Thokchom Nanao Singh and Jai Bhagwan settled for silver medals as the country's boxers rounded off a 27-year-best performance in the elite event here today. India ended their campaign with a gold, two silver and four bronze medals, which went to Jitender Kumar (54kg) Vijender Singh (75kg), Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Paramjit Samota (+91kg). The team was placed third in the overall standings behind hosts China and Uzbekistan. The performance this time is a marked improvement from 1982 championships held in Seoul where the country's boxers notched up two gold, an equal number of silver and a bronze medal. The last gold medal for India in the Asian Championship came in the 1994 edition in Tehran where Rajkumar Sangwan finished on top in the super heavy weight category. And today, it was a fly weight (51kg)...

Women groups seek dialogue to end northeast’s insurgencies New Delhi, June 13 : Several women’s groups working in the northeast Saturday called upon the educated women in the region to come together and pressurize the government into “sincere dialogue” with the insurgent groups to end recurring armed conflicts. Several lawyers, academicians, social activists as well as teachers from the northeastern states met at a conclave Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace in the national capital. The event was organised by the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN). “The reason we are talking among ourselves is to reiterate that in 50-odd years of armed conflicts in the region, the role of women has always been sidelined. But we can participate and push for a change. Many women groups are working on same issues but separately. Here we have come together to share our experiences and ideas,” Binalakshmi Nepram, MWGSN founder, told IANS on the sidelines of the conclave. “Most of us are bas...

BNP seeks international censure on Tipaimukh dam Dhaka, June 13 : BNP is urging the international community to speak out against India's construction of the Tipaimukh dam, saying it is a 'death trap' for Bangladesh. The opposition party also urged the government once more to protest in strongest possible terms against the dam to the Indian government. "The Tipaimukh dam is a death trap for the people of Bangladesh. We appeal to the international community to ask India stop construction," BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain told a press conference on Saturday. "The Awami League government must protest against the move immediately, or BNP along with the people will be forced to take whatever action is necessary to stop it," said Delwar. Former water resources minister and BNP vice president Hafizuddin Ahmed, in a written statement, said the government must act instead of playing the 'blame game'. He said all parties except the ruling ...