High-voltage drama in Imphal over Manipur CM's 'resignation'
Imphal (PTI): High-voltage drama unfolded in Imphal after thousands of demonstrators blocked Manipur Chief Minister Biren N Singh's convoy from proceeding towards Raj Bhavan.
However, after women leaders came out of his residence and told the crowd that the CM has assured them that he is not resigning, the mob slowly dispersed from his residence.
Unconfirmed reports said that the CM had typed out a resignation letter but was persuaded by his supporters to tear it up.
Earlier in the afternoon, hundreds of youth wearing black shirts and women sat down in front of the CM's residence demanding that Biren Singh should not resign.
Sources said there were strong rumours in Imphal since morning that the chief minister was contemplating resigning from the post after renewed violence in the state on Thursday that claimed three more lives and left 5 injured.
Kshetrimayum Shanti, a women leader said, "At this critical juncture, the Biren Singh government should stand firm and crack down on troublemakers."
The toll in exchange of fire between security forces and suspected rioters in Kangpokpi district a day before, rose to three on Friday, with one more person succumbing to injuries in hospital, officials said.
Armed rioters had opened unprovoked firing at Haraothel village on Thursday. The Army said security forces personnel "responded in a calibrated manner" to tackle the situation, they said.
Members of the community to which two of the rioters belonged collected their bodies on Thursday and took out a procession to the CM's residence here, they said.
The demonstrators, led by women, even dared police to arrest them, and were also seen burning tyres in the middle of the road to prevent police movement, the officials said.
As security personnel stopped them from marching to Singh's residence, the processionists turned violent, prompting police to use tear gas shells and resort to lathicharge to disperse the mob.
More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state so far.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
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Chinese astronauts return to earth safely after six-month stint in space station
Beijing, Nov 4: Three Chinese astronauts who spent six months developing China’s low orbit space station returned to Earth safely early Monday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The capsule of the spaceship Shenzhou-18' carrying astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 am (Beijing Time).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 192 days, were all in good health and the Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.
He served as a crew member in the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022.
"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.
Another astronaut Li Guangsu said that they grew two types of plants -- cherry tomatoes and lettuce -- and they had harvested some lettuce leaves for food.
"Being able to eat fresh vegetables in space is truly a blessing. These green plants have also brought a touch of green and good cheer to our busy work," Li was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency.
China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship in April this year.
During the mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew utilised the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out dozens of experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Xinhua report said.
The three were relieved by another set of three Chinese astronauts, including a woman who docked with the orbiting space station on October 30.
China changes crew for the station every six months.
China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army, (PLA).
The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.
Early this month China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.
