Mangalore-origin archbishop Ambrose Madtha dies in Ivory Coast accident

[email protected] (Agencies )
December 9, 2012

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Ivory Coast, December 9: The papal envoy to Ivory Coast, Indian Archbishop Ambrose Madtha, has been killed in a road accident in the west of the country, the Ivorian church announced.

 

Madtha was travelling back from the north-western town of Odienne to an ordination ceremony in the country's west on Saturday evening when his car collided with another vehicle.

 

“Unfortunately the apostolic nuncio died on the spot,” said Mathieu Tehan, spokesman for the western diocese of Man where the ceremony was to take place.

 

President Alassane Ouattara, in a statement read on national television, expressed his “deep regret” at the death and sent condolences to the church and Madtha's family.

 

Madtha was born in Belthangady near Mangalore, India in 1955 to the late Joseph Madtha and May Madtha. He was the brother of Fr Henry Madtha and Rev Srs Theresa Madtha SCB and Bridget Madtha FMM.

 

He was an MA in Economics from Nagpur University and did his B Ed from Lucknow University. He studied Philosophy and Theology at St Charles Seminary Nagpur and obtained doctorate in canon law from Urban Univeristy in Rome.

 

He was ordained a priest in 1982.

 

Ambrose Madtha entered diplomatic service in June 1990 and had served apostolic nunciatures in Ghana, El Salvador, Georgia, Albania and Republic of China (Taiwan).

 

He became the doyen of the Ivorian diplomatic corps after arriving in 2008.

 

He tried to play a behind-the-scenes mediating role during Ivory Coast's 2010-11 political crisis when the previous ruler, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down even though Ouattara was declared winner of presidential elections.

 

The Catholic church was put in a delicate position since some of the country's bishops favoured Gbagbo, who comes from the country's majority Christian south. Ouattara is from the largely Muslim north.

 

Last month Ouattara, accompanied by his Christian wife, met Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. Ivory Coast and the Vatican agreed on “the role that the Catholic Church can offer for the good of the country, by encouraging and promoting human rights, dialogue and national reconciliation”, the Vatican said in a statement at the time.

 

Gbagbo is now awaiting trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

 

Around 40 percent of Ivory Coast's population is Muslim and 40 percent Christian. Some 20 percent are believers in native religions.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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