The incident took place as residents and visiting soccer fans from around the world thronged the centre of Moscow on a balmy summer evening.
The pressure on India to take a hostile attitude towards Russia and China was not subtle, but it was guarded, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan after Monday's 2+2 ministerial meeting in Washington, DC.
'It did not vote against America, or for Russia.' 'If we had voted for the American motion, it would have spoilt our relationship with Russia without any change in Russia's behaviour.'
'Frankly, India has no role to play.' 'This is a showdown between the US and NATO on one hand and Russia on the other.' 'That said, the outcome of this titanic struggle in Central Europe will remould the world order and affect India profoundly,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
A Germany footballer who was playing in Paris in November when suicide bombers launched an attack outside the stadium has barred his family from Euro 2016 matches due to security concerns. "My family and my children will not come to the stadium. The risk is too big," Jerome Boateng, who will play for his national side at the European Championship that starts in France on Friday, told Sport Bild magazine. "It is sad having to deal with such issues but many things have happened that make you think about it," the central defender said.
IMAGES from Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park on Friday
Despite putting unprecedented security measures in place for Euro 2016, France remains deeply concerned over the jihadists' ability to strike a soft target. Millions of foreign visitors and the world's press are set to descend on the country for a month of sporting action from Friday -- creating endless nightmares for its overstretched security services. "From the point of view of preparation, we have done as much as possible. Everyone has been mobilised: police, paramilitaries, many soldiers," a senior counter-terrorism official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. But, he said, "to be totally honest, I'm worried." President Francois Hollande acknowledged the threat on Sunday, though he tried to put a brave face on it. "This threat will last for a long time, unfortunately, so we must do everything to ensure that the Euro 2016 is a success," he told France Inter radio. Hollande's government introduced a state of emergency in the wake of last year's jihadist attacks in Paris, allowing police to raid homes and place people under house arrest with minimal oversight.
Images from Day 4 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Thursday.
With thousands of people receiving ransom messages from cybercriminals every day, Devangshu Dutta explains how you can defeat the hackers.
These images from across the globe tell that it is a crazy world out there!
Images from Day 1 of the US Open in New York, on Monday.
Images from Day 3 of the 2020 US Open in New York, on Wednesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances