Contact us

Tom Menino was the mayor to a city of champions

Mayor Menino and David Ortiz at Fenway Park during the 2013 AL Division Series.
Mayor Menino loved sports. Especially baseball.
The last time I saw him was in the Houghton Mifflin box at Fenway Park at the end of September, and he told me he was certain the Red Sox were going to re-sign Jon Lester this offseason. I told him that — with all due respect — he was out of his mind. We bet dinner on it, and when the mayor signed his book over to me, he wrote, “I can’t wait to have McDonald’s after I win the bet. Keep their feet to the fire. Tom Menino.’’
The mayor had third base loge box seats but in his later years, he was a regular visitor to the third level of Fenway Park. On many game nights, he could be seen walking past the EMC bar behind home plate on his way to the Reebok box.
In his final season attending Fenway, he walked with the aide of a 29-inch Louisville Slugger baseball bat cane, presented to him by local philanthropists Gary and Lynne Smith. The bat features an inscription touting “Mayor Thomas Menino” and “World Series Champions, 2004, 2007, 2013.”
“Those were the years I was mayor,’’ Menino would say proudly, holding his baseball cane aloft.
http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_371w/Boston/2011-2020/2014/10/29/BostonGlobe.com/Special/Images/meninoslider.jpg
Menino never got past the EMC bar walkway without being stopped by multiple Fenway patrons, all of them happy to be at the ballgame and delighted to bump into the mayor of Boston. I always made a point to get into his ear and ask how the Globe was treating him. He’d grimace and say, “Oh, the Globe is killing me.’’
Probably not. But the mayor was a sensitive guy. He demanded respect. He never forgave the Patriots when they tried to build a stadium in South Boston without his help back in the mid 1990s. He was not a fan of the Krafts and he wasn’t particularly close to the Yawkey Trust folks who ran the Red Sox through the end of the 20th century.
All of that changed when John Henry and friends bought the Boston Red Sox in December of 2001. (Henry also purchased the Globe in 2013.) The new owners of the Red Sox made it a point to include Mr. Mayor in virtually all decisions, and that love was returned tenfold. You don’t have to be Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein to know that there was a mutual love-fest between the Red Sox and Boston City Hall over the last 13 years.
Henry’s point person, Larry Lucchino, is a veteran of partnerships forged between cities and teams. A wily attorney, schooled at the foot of the great Edward Bennett Williams, Lucchino built Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego, and he understands the importance and delicacies of public/private partnerships.
Lucchino did not make the same mistakes that Bob and Jonathan Kraft made when they thought about building a stadium in South Boston. The Sox were intent on expanding and improving their ballpark, and the footprint around the park, and that required cooperation from the city.
So the “new” Red Sox consulted the mayor before doing anything. Anything. It sometimes felt as if Terry Francona was sending his lineups to City Hall before posting them on the clubhouse door at Fenway.
It made for a great relationship. The Sox took care of the mayor and he took care of them. Check out some of the Fenway footprint deals that were struck in the final days of the Menino administration.
It wasn’t all about baseball with Mayor Menino. He was part of the parades with the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. He was proud to be the mayor of the city of champions. He won almost all of those corny “bets” with mayors of other cities who were competing against Boston teams in championship rounds.
Menino came up big in our city’s moments of crisis after the Boston Marathon bombings. Mr. Mayor was at Brigham & Women’s Hospital with a broken leg when the tragedy unfolded, but he vaulted out of bed and got in front of the effort to make our city safe again.
His local sports malaprops are legendary. Mr. Mayor had “Varitek splitting the uprights,’’ and spoke of “Wes Wekler, Jim Lomberg, Donald Sterns, Vince Wilcock, Gonk, and KJ and Hondo (Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo).’’ He was always a good sport about it, even when ESPN featured him bollixing names of Hub sports heroes.
Details, details. It didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that he was the proud mayor of the City of Boston and he presided at a time when our town did something no town has ever done: win championships in all four major sports in a period of six years and four months.
The man was a Boston sports fans. Just like you. Rest in peace, Mr. Mayor.


19:34 | Category: , , , , | 0 comments

Apple’s Tim Cook says he is gay. Here’s a reminder that not everyone is pleased.
Now that Cook has come out, some people and groups who oppose LGBT rights have spoken out about Cook.
“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in a Bloomberg Business week essay, discussing his sexual orientation for the first time in public.
But the reaction to his announcement has mostly stayed true to the recent environment, in which high-profile coming-out statements are followed by a relative lack of controversy — perhaps a sign that LGBT orientations are no longer a viable wedge issue in the mainstream.
“The issue may no longer help opponents of gay rights to win elections,” Richard Socarides wrote in the New Yorker. He then quoted an e-mail from New York Times congressional reporter Jeremy Peters, who said: “Most Republicans are adopting what they see as a do-no-harm strategy: Don’t advocate for same-sex marriage, but don’t do anything to actively oppose it either.”
With a nod to his famously private nature, Cook wrote: “I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”
Some reaction.
Russian member of Parliament: “Ban him for life.”
Vitaly Milonov is pretty well-known for his anti-gay activism in Russia. He’s the author of a St. Petersburg homosexuality ban that inspired a national law. He fought with Stephen Fry. And in response to Tim Cook’s coming out, Milonov had things to say.
“What could he bring us? The Ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhea? They all have unseemly ties over there,” the elected official said, according to Buzzfeed’s translation. Milonov added: “Ban him for life.”
American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer: Media “lionized” Cook, “demonized” Mozilla CEO.


19:27 | Category: , , , | 0 comments

Pakistan won't allow India to resolve Kashmir dispute its own way: Aziz

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz blamed on Saturday India for wanting to resolve the Kashmir dispute in its own way, which he said Pakistan would not allow.
“India wants to resolve the Kashmir dispute in its own way and Pakistan will not allow this Indian attempt to succeed,” he said while speaking to reporters in Islamabad.
The adviser added that Pakistan is responding to Indian firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary in a befitting manner, adding that the Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be mistaken as its weakness.
The adviser on foreign affairs said Pakistan has been highlighting human rights violations by the Indian forces in Indian Kashmir where India has deployed 700,000 troops to suppress Kashmiris.
Referring to India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement disapproving of Pakistan’s recent move of approaching the UN to ‘internationalise the Kashmir issue’ and seeking the world body’s intervention, saying all issues could be resolved through bilateral talks, Aziz said, “UN resolutions on Kashmir cannot be ended in this way.”
“We are making efforts at an international level to make the UN Military Observers Mission more active,” he said while talking about cross-border firing by India.
“The government will send emissaries and delegations to different countries to inform them about the Indian aggression on Line of Control and human rights violations in occupied Kashmir by the Indian forces,” he added.
Kashmir to observe Black Day on Monday
Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over will observe Black Day on October 27 to convey to the world that India has occupied Jammu and Kashmir against their will, according to Radio Pakistan.
The day will be marked with a complete shut down in Indian Kashmir and rallies in world capitals as it was October 27, 1947 that Indian troops invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it.
A call for the shut down has been given by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Farooq criticised India for diluting the Kashmir dispute and delaying its resolution by raking up electoral and administrative issues.
Addressing a gathering at Charar-e-Sharief in Badgam he said, “Kashmir is a political issue concerning aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and unfulfilled promises on the right to self-determination by Indian leadership. Ironically, India is using all means to dilute the Kashmir dispute by linking it with electoral and administrative issues,” Kashmir Media Service (KMS) reported.
The APHC chairman said that delaying tactics by New Delhi vis-a-vis resolution of Kashmir would compound the longstanding dispute. ”If India thinks that its military approach can suppress the sentiments and aspirations of Kashmiris, it is mistaken as Kashmiris have rendered unparalleled sacrifices for securing their right to self-determination.”
He added that hostilities between India and Pakistan would only end with the resolution of the Kashmir conflict.
Mirwaiz also extended complete support for the planned Million March in London, on 26 October, by the Kashmiri's living in Britain and across Europe.
He said that on this day, the Hurriyet leadership on both sides of the Line of Control would submit a memorandum to the European Union and the British Parliament demanding their intervention in resolution of the dispute.
“British government has moral responsibility to resolve the Kashmir dispute as it was instrumental in creation of this problem in 1947,” he remarked.


09:32 | Category: , , , , , , | 0 comments

Real Madrid vs Barcelona, El Clasico: live

Real Madrid vs Barcelona, El Clasico, La Liga - Latest score, news updates, live match report and result as Cristiano Ronaldo faces Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi

 REAL MADRID 0 BARCELONA 1
17 mins: Barca with a bit more of the ball now, but they lose it and here are the Whites. Marcelo orchestrating the break, slides it out to Ronaldo who has a shot from distance that's easy for the keeper.
16 mins: Suarez hasn't seen much of it. Corner for Barca. Cleared.
14 mins: Dear me, the more you look a that goal. Terrible defending. Anyhow, Kroos with a run and a shot but straight at the keeper.
11 mins: Benzema has missed a sitter. Neymar has gone into the book for elbowing Carvajal. Real Madrid having all the ball, Ronaldo running the show and an equaliser feels very likely.
10 mins: Messi, that well known enforcer, has committed two fouls. He's slid in on Modric and then done the same to Kroos. Either one could have earned him a yellow, and he is booked for the second.
Poor Amit.
8 mins: Real Madrid took a while to get going but they are in it now. It's a very fine save from Brava to deny Benzema and then the Madrid stiker hits the post with the follow up!
5 mins: And now a chance for Madrid - ball slung into the box, the Barcelona centre halves posted missing, and Benzema should have done better with the opportunity.
GOAL! Barcelona have scored! Neymar. Suarez with the assist. The ball in from the right, Neymar picks it up and cuts inside. The Real Madrid defence back off, he's allowed to run across the pitch and then crack the shot at goal. Neymar with the strike from 20 yards.Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 1 (Suarez 4)
2 mins: Cagey start from both sides. Xavi getting plenty of the ball. Early touch for Suarez.
17.00 We kick off.
16.55 The players are out on the pitch warming up. Pleasant sunny afternoon in Madrid.
16.50 And we're spending those few minutes laughing about the quaint notion that you cannot watch football on Saturday afternoons in the UK. Meanwhile, John McEnerney writes
Hi Alan, this is the first Clasico in years where both sides are equal enough, RM have been super so far as have FCB but in the only big tests they've had up till today both lost, AM beating Real & PSG beating FCB in the CL. Surprised Ivan R isn't starting for FCB & Kroos will be the real star for Real, he's some player! Home win but a close one!
16.45 Just 15 minutes until the biggest game on the planet (other than tomorrow's Edinburgh derby, obviously) kicks off.
16.35 Will Suarez do something mad? Here are some of his best bits (best bites?) so far... Luis Suarez's career flashpoints - none of this please
16.30 And here is the interesting Who Scored.com website on the game. I like this site but it makes me feel old. Feels like it's done by people whose first exposure to football was through PlayStation. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
16.25 Here's Jon Liew on the futility of comparing Ronaldo and Messi.
On Wednesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo played against Liverpool at Anfield. After 63 minutes, Isco played an inch-perfect cross to Karim Benzema, who volleyed an inch-perfect lay-off to Ronaldo. Six yards out, and with only the goalkeeper to beat, Ronaldo’s low shot was saved by the feet of Simon Mignolet.
Real were 3-0 up. Ronaldo had already scored. The game was won. And yet as the shot was saved, his hands shot to his face in pure distress. He looked like he had just lost a close relative. Whatever the score, whatever the circumstance, this is what Ronaldo looks like when he misses a chance.
On Tuesday night, Lionel Messi played against Ajax at the Nou Camp. After 51 minutes, he played a one-two with Pedro, wriggled effortlessly in between two defenders, and got a strong low shot away from a tight angle. The ball rattled into the side netting.
Barcelona were 2-0 up. Messi had already scored. The game was won. And yet as the ball hit the side netting, he marched furiously over to the goal-line official in a futile attempt to convince him that the Ajax defender had got a touch on the ball. He looked like he had just been burgled. Whatever the score, whatever the circumstance, this is what Messi looks like when he misses a chance.
A few minutes later, both men were substituted. There is, after all, the small matter of El Clasico this weekend. Both games were won. Giving them a rest made eminent sense.
Both men looked like someone had just insulted their mothers.
16.22 So some half decent attacking talent on display, then.
Good luck picking the first goalscorer...
16.15 Weird and outdated broadcasting rules will deny Sky the right to show the first 15 minutes in Britain. More on that here.
16.11 Suarez starts.
Barcelona: Bravo, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Mathieu, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar, Messi, Suarez
Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Modrić, Isco, James; Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema.
16.10 Best two club sides in the world? If you're not Bayern Munich, then probably definitely. But which of them is better? There's only one way to find out!
FII----
Or, compare Real Madrid and Barcelona man-for-man in a picture gallery.
16.00 Afternoon all. How exciting! Madrid v Barca. Ronaldo v Suarez and Messi. Who will come out on top? Will Suarez do something bonkers?
And will it look anything like this if he does?
Alan Tyers will be here with build-up and team news ahead of a match that is so ridiculously flamboyant and excessive it may as well be Liberace facing Elton John in a showdown at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Good to Fabrice Muamba enjoying himself.
— fabrice muamba (@fmuamba) October 25, 2014
Instead it's Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos against Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Neymar and a fella called Luis Suarez who says all his bad days are now behind him ...
Luis Suarez, the Uruguay forward who has bitten opponents on three separate occasions during a four-year period in which he also racially abused Patrice Evra, has claimed "all the bad things" are now behind him.
But in an interview to promote his new autobiography, Suarez showed another flash of his notorious temper by complaining at being questioned about biting, vowing to his agent he would never give another interview.
Suarez, who will make his Barcelona debut against Real Madrid on Saturday after completing the suspension which followed his latest violent attack, said he is now on the right path, being helped by the "right kind of people". The striker is thought to have worked with anger management experts.
But his sensitivity over his behaviour flared up in the face of questions. Cutting the interview short, Suarez raged: "They have asked me about the bite 38,000 times. Never again. This is the last one of them (interviews)."



09:24 | Category: , , , , , | 0 comments

Jaylen Fryberg: Megan Silberger Was Hero Teacher Who Stopped His Massacre

Megan, a social studies teacher at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, heroically stopped the horrific shooting that took place in Washington on Oct. 24, by reportedly grabbing the 15-year-old gunman, Jaylen Fryberg’s, arm before anymore shots could be fired. According to a new report, she potentially saved dozens of lives. 
Social studies teacher Megan Silberger heroically confronted Jaylen Fryberg, 15, as he fired bullets across Marysville-Pilchuck High School’s cafeteria on Oct. 24, preventing what could have been a bigger massacre than it already was, according to witnesses.
Marysville Shooting: Hero Teacher Stopped Jaylen Fryberg
Megan allegedly ran into the cafeteria after hearing Jaylen shoot one student dead and critically wounding four others, according to Daily Mail. As the popular teenager went to reload his gun, Megan allegedly went over and grabbed his arm.
In a struggle, Jaylen allegedly pointed the gun at Megan before shooting himself dead.
Erick Cervantes, a student who called 911 during the attack, told KIRO-TV, “I believe [Megan Silberger] is actually the real hero. She’s the one that intercepted him with the gun. He tried either reloading or tried aiming at her. She tried moving his hand away and he tried shooting and shot himself in the neck.”
“It started off with an argument, but then I looked back and there was just gunshots and just people falling down. She heard the gunshots first and she came in running through the door, right next to it. It wasn’t [a] wrestle. She just grabbed his arm, and it lasted like two seconds, and I heard another shot,” Erick added.
The shot, he said, was the final one that killed Jaylen.
Megan, who is a first year social studies teacher and part-time soccer player, is now a hero.
Marysville High School Shooting: 4 Students Still In Critical Condition
Following the deadly shooting, which lasted just two minutes between 10:41 A.M. and 10:43 A.M., hundreds of students, teachers and parents gathered at a nearby church for a candlelit vigil on Oct. 24.
The four teenagers in critical condition, who were shot by Jaylen, are still being treated in the hospital.
Police are still searching for a motive, but students have told news stations that Jaylen was suspended from the football team in the weeks leading up the shooting. He also seemed to be experiencing some relationship troubles.
Our thoughts continue to go out to all those affected by this horrible tragedy.


09:17 | Category: , , , , | 0 comments

Only 12% of drone victims in Pakistan identified as militants: report
KARACHI: A recent research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that only 12% of drone victims in Pakistan have been identified as militants. Moreover, the research also stated that fewer than 4% of the people killed have been identified as members of al Qaeda.  
The research contradicts US Secretary of State John Kerry’s claim last year that only “confirmed terrorist targets at the highest level” were fired at.
The number of US drone strikes in Pakistan has hit 400 between June 2004 and October 2013.
Of the 2,370 people killed in these strikes, 704 have been identified, of which only 295 were reported to be members of some kind of armed group.

More than a third of them were not designated a rank, and almost 30% are not even linked to a specific group.
The Bureau has a project titled Naming the Dead, which has gathered the names and details of people killed by CIA drones in Pakistan since June 2004.
According to Mustafa Qadri, a Pakistani researcher for Amnesty International, the findings “demonstrate the continuing complete lack of transparency surrounding US drone operations.”
Responding to the Bureau’s investigation, US National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said that the strikes were only carried out when there was “near-certainty” that no civilians would be killed.
“The death of innocent civilians is something that the US Government seeks to avoid if at all possible. In those rare instances in which it appears non-combatants may have been killed or injured, after-action reviews have been conducted to determine why, and to ensure that we are taking the most effective steps to minimise such risk to non-combatants in the future,” said Hayden.
Leaked documents show that the US believes determining a militant is an imminent threat that “does not require the United States to have clear evidence that a specific attack on US persons and interests will take place in the immediate future.”
Moreover, according to the Authorisation for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) – a law signed by Congress three days after the September 11 2001 attacks — the president has the right to use “all necessary and appropriate force” against those behind the attacks on the US, wherever they are.
07:01 | Category: , , , | 0 comments

Nexus 6 Release Date, Specs, Design & Features: Google Officially Launches With Pre-Orders From October 29

Google Nexus 6/Nexus X Latest News
  • Nexus X AKA Nexus 6 Price & Specs Leaked By Retailer
  • Google Workshop Leaks Online – Fancy designing your own custom Nexus cases inside Google Play? 
  • Motorola Tasked With Building The Nexus 6 – The once-Google-owned handset maker is apparently hard at work building a Nexus phablet 
  • Nexus 6 vs. Nexus 5: What Changes Can We Expect? – How are the rumours currently stacking up? Will it be that different to the Nexus 5? We compare the rumours of the Nexus 6 with last year’s Nexus 5 to see how it will improve.
  • Nexus 6 Is Happening: Google "Still Invested In Nexus", says Android Engineering Chief – Don't worry, the Nexus 6 is still happening!
  • Get Android 5’s Performance Boost Now: How To Switch From Dalvik To ART – Fancy a taste of Android L on your Nexus 5 ahead of the OS' official release? Look no further
It’s official, most of the rumours were true. Google has unveiled the latest Nexus devices and its new Android 5.0 Lollipop software, with the latest smartphone being the 6in Nexus 6.
Google posted the announcement on its official Google Blog, saying “we work with hardware partners to build Nexus devices to help push the boundaries of what's possible. Nexus devices also serve as a reference for the ecosystem as they develop on our newest release.”
The Nexus 6 was indeed developed with Motorola, as per the rumours, and as per Google’s promotional material it does look a lot like a large Moto X 2014 edition. Google describes it as having a “contoured aluminium frame” and a “6-inch Quad HD display”, while imaging duties are handled by a 13MP camera (with f/2.0 aperture), and audio comes from dual front-facing stereo speakers. Google also teased the “Turbo Charger” Qi charging stand which can allegedly give you six hours of juice after a 15 minute top-up – the battery is a 3,220mAh setup.
Google has confirmed it will run Android 5.0 Lollipop and that this software will roll out to the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 “in the coming weeks”.
Additionally, the Nexus 6 has not yet landed on the Google Play store and we have no idea of pricing either. However, Google has set up an information page which details a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor clocked at 2.7GHz with an Adreno 420 GPU. The display is listed with a 5.96in size and a resolution at 2560x1440 pixels at 493 pixels-per-inch (ppi). A front-facing secondary camera is rated at 2MP and storage options for the phone include 32GB and 64GB models.
Here are Google's promotional videos for Android L:
Comes With Waterproofing
When the new Nexus products were announced, Google didn’t push the water resistant technology inside the Nexus 6. None of the marketing material from the big G explained whether it would be water or dust resistant, so we here at KYM assumed it didn’t.
Now we’ve heard directly from Motorola that the device does in fact have water resistant protection. Under the “Water Resistance” section on Motorola’s product page it says “Yes” but doesn’t give us what level of liquid it can handle.
Motorola’s Moto X 2014 comes with water-repellent coating that means it can handle a slight amount of splash damage but not full-on immersion. For now we’ll assume the same is the case for the Nexus 6 until we can test it out.
The Nexus 6 will be up for pre-order in “late October”, but you can already sign up to be notified, and The Verge reports pre-orders will actually start from October 29.

Following the Nexus 6 announcement, Motorola has released a statement about its involvement in the phone's production:
"At Motorola we’ve been big believers in Android since the very beginning. We love its power, its flexibility, and how it gives you the freedom to choose the experience that’s right for you. In fact, the only thing that would be better than Android is...more Android. That’s why we’re so excited to have been able to work with Google’s Android team to bring you the new Nexus 6, featuring Android 5.0 Lollipop.
"With Nexus 6, we’ve worked with Google to bring you a bigger phone with more everything. More screen. More speed. More power. And, it’s the best Android experience ever." 
Head over to page 2 for all the pre-launch rumours and details from the run-up to Google's announcement


10:26 | Category: , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

LoC tension live:

3. 10 pm: J&K chief minister called UNMOGIP a 'toothless organisation'
Voicing out his opinion on the LoC ceasefire violations, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said that stopping talks with Pakistan is not the solution. "Govt has said shelling will be answered by shelling. But I think nothing can be solved without talks," he said.
The J&K chief minister called UNMOGIP a 'toothless organisation', and said that it has never been able to stop any violence.
"If Pakistan wants a suitable situation then it can only happen if the guns go silent," he added,
3.00 pm: No flag meeting till Pak stops firing, says Amit Shah
Addressing a rally in Wardha, BJP leader Amit Shah said that government won't stand Pakistan's treachery. "When there was Congress government, Pakistan used to start and end firing. But now though Pakistan begins the firing, India finishes it," he said.
The BJP leader said that Pakistan is begging for a flag meeting, but India has said that no flag meeting unless firing stops.
12.45 pm: Pakistan will retaliate too, says official
A foreign official of Pakistan told Times Now that Pakistan will retaliate too.  "We are capable of retaliating too," she told the channel.
Pakistan PM Advisor Sartaj Aziz told CNN-IBN that there has been unprovoked firing from India's side for several days. "Pakistan is for peace and wants India to understand that," he added.
This comes after defence minister Arun Jaitley said that the Indian forces would be forced to give a 'befitting' reply that would make the cost of Pakistan's 'adventurism' too high.
11.22 am: We will make the cost of Pakistan's adventurism unaffordable, says Jaitley
Defence minister Arun Jaitley is out of hospital and is all guns blazing against Pakistan.
In comments to the media, his first official interaction since being discharged from AIIMS, Jaitley decried 'unprovoked' firing from Pakistan along the Line of Control, and said that Indian forces would be forced to give a 'befitting' reply that would make the cost of Pakistan's 'adventurism' too high.
"Pakistan, with these attacks, has clearly been the aggressor", Jaitley said, adding that our armed forces have only one option: to respond adequately and defend our territories".
The defence minister also ruled out talks with Pakistan until the firing stopped, and said that there was a connection between increased firing and infiltration bids from across the border.
10.22 am: Modi won't let India down, says Rajnath Singh
In the face of continued firing along the Line of Control, Indian union home minister Rajnath Singh has assured media that PM Modi 'will not let the nation down'.
"The PM is closely monitoring the situation along the border", Singh said in comments to the media. "He doesn't need to say anything on this as our jawans are giving a befitting reply to Pakistan. We are very satisfied with the response we have been getting".
PM Modi has been busy on the campaign trail in both Maharashtra and Haryana, but has reportedly been kept briefed on the situation in the border areas.
In his first comments on the incident he told media that 'everything will be fine soon'.
9:40 am: Five civilians injured in overnight shelling by Pakistan
At least five people were injured in overnight shelling by Pakistan Rangers on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
"Five civilians have been injured in Pakistani shelling during the night. Two people were injured in Ramgarh sector of Samba district while three injured in Kanachak area of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district," a police officer told IANS.
All the injured have been shifted to government medical college (GMC) hospital in Jammu city.
With these injuries, the total number of injured in Pakistani shelling has gone up to 60.
8.36 am: Three jawans injured in fresh firing
Three BSF jawans have been injured due to Pakistani shelling in the RS Pura sector, according to the latest reports coming in.
The incident had taken place at about 6.15 am today, according to a report on Times Now.
In addition to the jawans, five civilians were also injured in overnight firing along the border.
8.05 am: Onus of creating positive environment is on Pakistan, India tells UN
India and Pakistan have sparred at the UN over ceasefire violations along the LoC with India making it clear that its armed forces are "fully ready" to respond to "provocation".
India also said that the onus of creating a positive environment for normalisation of relations is on Pakistan.
War of words between the two countries over the situation at the Line of Control took place on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly where India said that it was a "matter of deep regret" that Pakistan violated the ceasefire, in which eight people were killed and several others injured.
"It is a matter of deep regret that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire and their unprovoked firing has led to loss of civilian lives on Indian side...Firing on innocent civilians by Pakistan will only hamper normalisation of relations.
"The onus of creating a positive environment is on Pakistan which is utterly failing to do so," senior official at the Indian Mission to the UN, Devesh Uttam said on Tuesday in his right of reply to Pakistan's remarks, further adding that India rejected all untenable and unsolicited remarks made by Pakistan.
7.40 am: Two more killed in Pak firing; death toll now at 8
The death toll in the firing after escalation of ceasefire violations by Pakistan for over a week rose to eight with the killing of a woman identified as Shukuntla Devi and her daughter-in-law Poli Devi. Fifteen more people have been injured in the firing taking to 75 the number of injured so far, officials said.
Government sources also said that India will continue to respond to Pakistan on the ceasefire violations according to the situation along the border and there won't be any flag meetings.
7.05 am: Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire; 7 Indian sectors targetted
If one thought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance that the firing along the Indo-Pak border would end soon, it certainly doesn't seem so.
Overnight, Pakistan has targetted seven Indian sectors that include 60 BSP border posts along the International Border, leaving three injured in Kanachak, news channelNDTV reported.
With the government coming under attack from the opposition parties over its handling of the string of ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Prime Minister Modi had said "everything will be fine soon" on the border.

Updates for 8 October end
9.30 pm: Pakistan resumes firing on BSF posts in three sectors
Firing from the Pakistani side has resumed at 8 pm targetting three Indian sectors of Akhnoor, RS Pura and Hiranagar in Jammu. The BSF has been retaliating with adequate fire.
9.16 pm: Pak PM Nawaz Sharif calls for meeting over border issue
According to Times Now reports Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for a meeting over the situation in LoC on 10 October.
Pakistan will also be assessing damages in the region due the the firings.
8.24 pm: Fresh firing from Pakistan side in RS Pura sectore, BSF retaliates
There has allegedly been fresh firing from the Pakistan side in the RS Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir today evening, report Times Now.
The incident, according to reports, took place around 8 pm and the BSF too allegedly retaliated.
6.44 pm: Everything will be fine soon, says PM Modi on Pak ceasefire violations
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was asked about the situation at the border with Pakistan, he said that everything will be fine soon.
Meanwhile, launching a counter attack on Congress for criticising the BJP over the issue party President Amit Shah said, "Earlier also there was firing from across the border and now also there is firing from across the border. Earlier, Pakistan used to start and also finish the firing. Now, Pakistan starts the firing but it is the Indian military which finishes it."
6.36 pm: Fully ready to respond to Pakistan provocation, India to UN
India and Pakistan have sparred at the UN over ceasefire violations along the LoC with India making it clear that its armed forces are "fully ready" to respond to "provocation".
India also said that the onus of creating a positive environment for normalisation of relations is on Pakistan.
War of words between the two countries over the situation at the Line of Control took place yesterday at the UN General Assembly where India said that it was a "matter of deep regret" that Pakistan violated the ceasefire, in which eight people were killed and several others injured.
"It is a matter of deep regret that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire and their unprovoked firing has led to loss of civilian lives on Indian side...Firing on innocent civilians by Pakistan will only hamper normalisation of relations.
"The onus of creating a positive environment is on Pakistan which is utterly failing to do so," senior official at the Indian Mission to the UN, Devesh Uttam said yesterday in his right of reply to Pakistan's remarks.
The Indian official stressed that everyone must be "assured" that India's armed forces and paramilitary forces are "fully ready and they will respond to provocation".
The Indian diplomat was responding to comments made by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Masood Khan when he raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the 21st plenary meeting of the General Assembly here yesterday.
Khan said that long-standing festering issues "cannot be swept under the carpet," reiterating Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's address to the UN General Assembly last month that the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir has to be be resolved through negotiations and in accordance with the wishes of its people.
5:00 pm: PM says no question of bending to Pakistan's tactics, says report
The Prime Minister has reportedly told the National Security Advisor that there's no question of succumbing to Pakistan's tactics, and the armed forces and border security forces will continue to have a free hand in dealing with it.
CNN-IBN quotes sources as saying that the PM has said there is no question of engaging in talks with Pakistan while the firing is on.
4:00 pm: Rahul tells Modi: Easy to promise tough stand on Pakistan, but difficult to deliver 
And it's not just in Pakistan, that Prime Minister Modi is coming in for criticism from. Even Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi made the most of the opportunity to criticise the government's handling of the situation.
"During his campaign he promised a tough stand against Pakistan," he said, asking what had happened to the promise.
The Congress Vice President noted that Modi had found it easy to make the promises but found it difficult to deliver on them.
But it's not just Modi facing the heat. Across the border, Imran Khan has been targetting Nawaz Sharif on Twitter:

3:00 pm: Pakistani media channels being gagged?
Times Now is quoting sources as saying that the Pakistani media has been muzzled from showing the damage inflicted due to Indian troops retaliating fire along the India-Pakistan border.
The reason? The channel says that the government has apparently been rattled by the response of the Indian troops and is therefore preferring that the damage not be shown.
2.41 pm: #CowardModi trend on Twitter in Pakistan
#CowardModi trended on Twitter as users in Pakistan accused India of violating ceasefire on Eid. Users took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raking up 2002 Gujarat Riots and asking him to explain his decision to refrain from wearing a skull cap at public function.
"#India exclusively presents first premier of the world summoned for killings & murders in #US that's #CowardModi ONLY good at ruining #Peace," tweeted @RJSadiaSattar. Some of the other tweets also criticised the Indian army, claiming troops were responsible for the violence in the valley.
"#ShameOnIndianArmy they have used rape and molestation as a weapon to humiliate the locals #FreeKashmirFromIndia #CowardModi," tweeted @Mariam_Jamali.
1.52 pm: Bilawal Bhutto likens India to Israel, brings up Gujarat riotsPakistan's new kid on the block Bilawal Bhutto, who has already generated mass outrage by saying that every inch of Kashmir belongs to Pakistan, has in a new tweet attacked both the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for LoC violations that he says are perpetrated by Modi.
In an obvious reference to the Gujarat riots, Bhutto also told Modi that Pakistan unlike his 'victims' were capable of retaliation.
The Pakistan government has been consistently saying that the Indian government is engaging in 'unprovoked' firing along the Line of Control.
In a statement the Pakistan Foreign Minister said,
“For seven days now, the Indian security forces have been firing and shelling across the Line of Control and Working Boundary. Yesterday was Eid day but the Indian forces, in complete disregard of the festive event, carried on the fire and put four innocent lives to death. The Eid day when Muslims celebrate the spirit of sacrifice, the Indian forces played havoc with the lives of four families whose dear ones embraced Shahadat. It is sad that the Indian government has not been able to restrain its forces despite strong diplomatic protest by Pakistan. We call upon Indian government to immediately cease fire and shelling and help us preserve tranquility."
12.30 pm: MHA calls for high level meet as fresh firing kills two
The MHA has reportedly called for a high level meet as violence along the LoC showed every sign of escalating.
The home secretary, IB chief, BSF representatives and Border Management representatives are reportedly due to attend.
The MHA has already determined that there will be no flag meet with Pakistan, until a cessation of firing along the border, and is reportedly waiting for Pakistan to make the first move.
"There is no question of a flag meet with Pakistan", Army Chief General Suhag said in comments to the media.
India's response to the ceasefire violations is reportedly being monitored at the highest level with the NSA Ajit Doval seeking hourly reports from the ground. Even Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, who was recently discharged from AIIMS, is monitoring the situation along the border.
"If we hit them hard, they will come to the negotiating table themselves. We are not going to sit back and suffer for the sake of talks," a BSF official told The Times of India.
Pakistan for its part, has blamed India for the violations.
"The government of Nawaz Sharif has been exercising utmost restraint and responsibility. We call upon the Indian government to immediately cease fire and shelling. It is sad that the Indian government has not been able to restrain its forces despite strong diplomatic protest by Pakistan," Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister, said.
12.15 pm: Pakistan UN envoy asks Indian govt to observe ceasefire
According to Times Now reports, the Pakistan envoy in UN  has called upon the Indian government to observe the ceasefire along the Line of Control.
Pakistan has already registered a protest with the Un monitoring mission, saying that India has been resorting to unprovoked attacks.
However the UN had reportedly told Pakistan that the issue needed to be resolved diplomatically.
11.42 am: Two people dead in fresh firing in Samba
Two people have been killed in fresh firing in Samba, marking the first time that casualties have been recorded in this region.
This takes the death toll since an escalation of violence began, to seven.
The BSF is reportedly retaliating strongly, and the DG BSF, asked people to stay inside their homes.
India has been told not to seek any flag meeting as of yet, reports said. CNN-IBN said that the government is waiting for Pakistan to make the first move.
11.30 am: Firing still on in seven sectors along international border 
Fresh firing is on in seven sectors along the LoC, according to fresh reports coming in from the area.
CNN-IBN reported that firing was on in a number of areas including Hiranagar, Samba and Arula.
Further updates were not immediately available.
11.05 am: Pakistan is Shaitanistan says BJP as fresh firing kills 1
Even as India vows not to back down until Pakistan stops firing along the Line of Control, BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Pakistan had become 'Shaitanistan' in escalating border tensions.
His comments come in the wake of news that fresh Pakistani firing had killed one woman and injured another six in Samba.
Meanwhile MoS PMO Jitendra Singh has visited affected border areas to take stock of the situation.
10.59 am: Air Chief expresses concern over deteriorating border situation
Air chief Arup Raha has said that India is looking for a quick resolution to the situation with Pakistan, where escalated firing has killed a number of civilians.
"This is a serious issue, the government is taking it seriously,we want a quick resolution", he said in comments to the media.
9.45 am: Indian forces asked to retaliate, reject talks with Pakistan
Indian forces have been asked to retaliate heavily to firing from Pakistan and reject talks until all firing stops at the border in Jammu and Kashmir, NDTV reported, quoting top government sources.
Indian forces have already begun firing in response to repeated Pakistan attack on BSF border outposts.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times,
India unleashed “massive retaliation” on Tuesday all along the 200-kilometre long International Border. The Indian attack targeted 37 Pakistani border posts, resulting in around 15 deaths, more than 30 injured and serious damage to outposts manned by the Pakistani Rangers, intelligence sources told HT.
"While India has no intention of escalating the situation on the Jammu border, there is no question that the Pakistanis will be allowed to go without punishment,” said a senior South Block official quoted in the HT report.
According to an Indian Express report, BSF officers also said they would not hold any flag meetings with Pakistan to lower tensions. This is an unusual move because India has held flag meetings with Pakistan every time the ceasefire was violated in the past.
BSF DG DK Pathak told the Express, “This time we are not going to speak to Pakistan nor ask them for a flag meeting. During the last flag meeting on August 24, it was decided by both sides to maintain peace along the border. They started (shelling) again after 35 days, and that too on Dussehra. We have decided to be aggressive and will retaliate effectively.”
9.30 am: Fresh firing in Samba sector kills 1, injures 6
Fresh firing in the Samba sector this morning has killed one person and injured 6 in the Chilyari village of the Samba sector.
Tensions showed no signs of easing, with firing continuing this morning, after a massive Pakistan attack which targeted 60 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets with heavy mortar shells in Jammu sector and LoC areas in Poonch district, leaving 12 people including a BSF jawan and a Jt Commanding Officer injured.
Pakistan's night-long mortar-bomb attacks and rattle of heavy guns have sent thousands of residents in border villages scurrying for cover. They fled their mud-houses on buses, tractor-trollies and bullock-carts to safer places in Jammu leaving behind deserted hamlets.
Military officials of India and Pakistan reportedly discussed the cross-border firing over the hotline but there were no signs of a solution.
Meanwhile the air chief Arup Raha reportedly expressed his concern at the 'deteriorating situation' along the international border with Pakistan.
8.30 am: Pakistan targets 60 border outposts
In escalating ceasefire violations that continued on Tuesday night, Pakistani troops targeted over 60 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets with heavy mortar shells in Jammu sector and LoC areas in Poonch district, leaving 12 people including a BSF jawan and a Jt Commanding Officer injured.
A woman was killed and 11 persons were injured in the incident.
Extending the ceasefire violations to new areas, Pakistan Rangers shelled border outposts (BoPs) and villages in Samba and Kathua along with Jammu during the night and the firing was continuing till this morning.
A woman was killed in the shelling in Jaladi village in Samba while 11 people, including three BSF personnel, were injured, a BSF spokespersons said today.
So far seven persons have been killed and nearly 70 injured in the escalation since October 1 with over 16,000 people migrating to safer areas in these districts.
"Pakistani Rangers again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and heavy firing on BSF posts all along International Border (IB) since 2000 hours last night," the spokesman said.
"As many as 50 BSF BoPs were affected by the fire from Pakistan side," he said, adding that firing and shelling targeted areas along IB in Arnia, R S Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal sub-sectors along IB in Jammu and Samba districts.
The three service chiefs met Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi and are understood to have discussed the prevailing security situation on the border.
Pakistani and Indian troops along the International Border(IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in J and K exchanged heavy fire on Tuesday night in which a Junior Commissioned Officer(JCO) and two other armymen were injured.
According to a senior Army official, shelling carried out by Pakistan along the LoC in the Sabjian area of Poonch district left one JCO and two armymen injured. The injured have been hospitalised, the official added.
Fresh firing from the Pakistani side was also reported in Kathua district along the IB apart besides in Jammu and Rajouri districts, police and BSF sources said.
BSF and Army troops are retaliating to the firing, the sources said.
"There was fresh ceasefire violations by Pakistan at Banwat and Hamirpur along LoC in Poonch. The firing started at 1620 hours with Small Arms and Mortars", Defence Spokesman Lt Col Maneesh Mehta said.

"Own forces responded effectively and appropriately. No casualty till last report came in," he added.
In another ceasefire violation earlier, Defence Spokesman Lt Col Maneesh Mehta said Pakistani troops opened fire with small arms in Balnoie forward belt along LoC in Poonch
district around 1420 hours.
03:32 | Category: , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments