Rocket attack in Kabul during President's Eid speech
Kabul, Aug 21 : At least one rocket struck Kabul on Tuesday, followed by several explosions, during an address to the nation by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ahead of Eid al-Adha.
The rocket struck the Afghan capital at 9 a.m., without causing any casualties, followed by a series of unidentified blasts, police spokesperson Hashmat Stanekzai told Efe.
The sound of the blasts could be heard as Ghani spoke live on television.
"If they (militants) think this nation would bow under the rocket attacks, this is a brave, and standing nation and forever will defend its sovereignty, independence and Islamic values," Ghani said after the explosions.
He assured that Afghan security forces "have full readiness and this (explosions) and other incidents will be controlled".
"This war, suicide attacks and explosions have no religious justification," Ghani said, adding that according to a recent survey 93 per cent of Afghans favoured peace.
On Sunday, the Afghan President had proposed a ceasefire from August 20 to November 20, however, it remains in limbo pending a response from the insurgents.
If implemented, this would be the second ceasefire by the Afghan government during the 17 years of conflict, following one earlier in June during the Eid ul-Fitr festivities.
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Advocate finds copy of century-old Thane court order in mango theft case
Thane (PTI): An advocate has stumbled upon a copy of an order pronounced by a court in Maharashtra's Thane 100 years ago in a case of theft of mangoes, providing a glimpse of the legal proceedings at that time.
In the order dated July 5, 1924, the then magistrate TA Fernandes convicted four persons of mango theft and released them after admonition, considering they were all young men and he did not want to ruin their life by sentencing them.
Advocate Poonit Mahimkar told PTI on Sunday that while shifting from his previous house in Thane city, he found a bag lying unattended in the mezzanine for years, possibly left by the earlier house occupants.
When he opened the bag, he found some old property papers and a copy of the magistrate's order.
The order was pertaining to the case titled 'Crown Vs Anjelo Alwares and 3 others', charged under sections 379/109 of the Indian Penal Code for the theft of "185 green mangoes".
The judgement, by magistrate Fernandes, recounted the prosecution's case alleging the accused were caught red-handed while plucking mangoes from a field belonging to Bostiav Ellis Andraden.
Witnesses testified to seeing the accused selling the stolen mangoes to a local dealer, prompting Andraden to reclaim his property (mangoes) and seek legal action.
The defence argued claiming innocence, but the magistrate convicted the accused of theft.
"Considering the whole evidence, I am satisfied that accused are guilty of the offence of theft. But they are all young men and I have no wish to ruin their life by sentencing them, and they have moreover no previous conviction. Accordingly I convict them under section 379/109 and release them after due admonition," the magistrate said in the order.
Mahimkar said he now plans to preserve the document.
