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Leaders shielded in Srinagar sex scandal

       Srinagar: Dozens of Dukhtaran-e-Milat activists took to streets in Srinagar on Friday alleging that many top leaders were being shielded in the explosive prostitution scandal that has rocked the Kashmir Valley. They also announced they would hold protests every Friday till the guilty were brought to the book. The Dukhtaran-e-Milat claimed the authorities were covering up the matter by making inconsequential arrests and implicated small names while the real culprits were still out of the noose. "From today onwards every Friday we'll have protests ...we'll call masses to join these protests...Insha Allah! We hope to keep up the pressure on the government. They should know that we know millions of rupees are being spent to cover up for the real guns and they (police) are now simply going for the smaller fish," Asiya Andrabi, chief of the Dukhtaran-e-Milat, said. The State has been rocked by a spate of protests and demonstrations, often violent, over a suspected prostitution ring allegedly involving local officials and top politicians. Last month, an angry mob had ransacked the house of Sabina, the woman suspected of running the prostitution ring, before razing it to the ground and setting fire to her belongings. The woman and three others were detained by police for questioning after pornographic videos and video clips on mobile phones showing nude Kashmiri girls were circulated in Srinagar. The incident is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after the Srinagar High Court stepped in, to probe accusations about senior officials being involved.

Ramdev's alleged attacker gets bail (Go To Top)

       Dharamsala: Gaurav Kapoor, who was arrested for breaching the security of Swami Ramdev, was granted bail after police ruled out links with any militant organisation. "He has been granted bail.. We have to call up his home in Jalandhar. Someone will have to stand surety and after that he can leave," said Mansa Ram Sharma, Gaurav's advocate. Gaurav had sparked off security concerns on May 27 when he came to Hamirpur in the same helicopter in which Ramdev travelled from Chandigarh along with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister V B Singh. He was arrested on suspicions that he belonged to a militant outfit.

46 cops hospitalised for food poisoning (Go To Top)

       Bilaspur: Forty-six constables belonging to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) fell ill after consuming food from a departmental canteen in Bilaspur on Friday. The constables had arrived from the Jammu and visited the canteen for snacks and drinks. Within ten minutes of taking the sweetmeats, 46 of them started showing signs of stomach-ache, vomiting and sickness. They were immediately rushed to the Railways' Divisional Hospital and provided treatment. "There were 100 constables in all who arrived here from Jammu and immediately after reporting to the office, some of them went to the Railway canteen for snacks. Soon after snacks and drinks, some of them began vomiting; others suffered from dysentery. Our Commandant immediately ordered them to be rushed to the Railway Hospital for treatment," said Eknath Thuke, RPF Inspector at Bilaspur. Railway authorities, meanwhile, seized and sealed the samples of food from the departmental canteen and for further investigation. "The samples of the food in the canteen have been taken and sealed for checking. As a precautionary measure, we have had the remaining food in the canteen destroyed," said RN Bartariya, Division Railway Manager, Bilaspur. RPF is a para-military force for the protection of railway property as also to provide safety and security to running trains and passengers.

UGC releases list of fake universities (Go To Top)

       Chandigarh: The University Grants Commission (UGC) here released the list of more than 20 fake universities and educational institutions operating across eight states and has warned students against seeking admissions in them. The Commissioner, Higher Education Department of UGC Anil Kumar released the list of fake universities operating in eight states -- Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu -- and advised students not to seek admission in these institutions.

    With as many as ten fake universities operating in the state, Uttar Pradesh (UP) tops the list of fake universities. Following in the footsteps is Delhi at second place with six such institutions. Mahila Gram Vidyapith and Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya and Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith are among the unrecognised universities located in UP. Delhi Bioinformatics Institute of India and St. John's University are among the black-listed varsities functioning in Delhi. The list also includes Maithili University and Vishwavidyalaya from Bihar, Kishanattam in Kerala, Raja Arabic University in Maharashtra, Kesarwani Vidyapeeth in Madhya Pradesh, Sanskirt University in Tamil Nadu, Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society and Handwriting University India in Karnataka. These institutions were detected by the UGC and found to be operating in violation of the Section 22 of the UGC Act, 1956 and consequently deemed as unrecognised universities. It was also observed by the UGC that these unrecognised universities with their startling names lure the gullible students through massive press publicity and other means.

Torrential rains lash Kerala (Go To Top)

       Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 21 people have lost their lives in Kerala due to heavy rains, flash floods, and inundation of low-lying areas in the state during the past six days. South-west monsoon rains in the state has left a trail of damage, destroying houses, uprooting trees and ravaging farmlands forcing thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps set up by the state government. In and around Thiruvananthapuram, a large number of people residing along the seashore had to be shifted to relief camps. "For the last 12 years we have been subjected to rough sea waves, but this year the thundershower made considerable damage to our properties," said Rosili, a local residing in the relief camp.

     With monsoon still lashing the region, coastal areas across Kerala are under threat of sea erosion and flooding and 150 relief camps have been set up for people displaced by the rains. In the state's Aalappuzha district some 7000 families had to be shifted to relief camps. The state government has so far announced six crore rupees for relief and rehabilitation of those affected by the monsoon. The annual monsoon rains hit Kerala a week ahead of schedule, this year.

    Rains have also lashed the states of Maharashtra and Goa along the western coast. Weather officials in April had forecast this year's rains at 93 percent of the long-term average, with a 22 percent probability of being deficient. Most years it covers the entire country by July 15. Analysts and traders have said the onset of the monsoon would have a positive effect, but its progress and spread over the four-month season would be the barometer to assess its impact on prices and the overall economy.

Koirala to visit India from June 6 to 9 (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will pay an official visit to India from June 6 to 9. A government spokesman said that Koirala is coming to New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He said that Koirala would be accompanied by a delegation comprising Ministers of the new Government and business representatives. Koirala was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on April 30, 2006, following the restoration of democracy in Nepal. The spokesman said that his visit would "provide the opportunity for discussing the entire gamut of issues between our two countries."

Maoists hold massive Nepal rally (Go To Top)

       Kathmandu: At least 200,000 people have gathered here to take part in the first rally there by Maoist rebels for three years. Streets have been hung with banners bearing communist slogans and posters of the Maoist leader, Prachanda. The Maoists have been demanding the dissolution of the government and elections to a new constituent assembly. Hundreds of youths in tee-shirts featuring the Maoist leader Prachanda are keeping the crowd orderly. Hundreds of public transport vehicles were allegedly seized from villages around central Nepal and people compelled to come. Some city hotels say they have been pressurised to let out rooms at reduced rates, or that young cadres have been putting up tents in their grounds. The government has tightened security in sensitive areas, and asked the demonstrators not to march towards the royal palace. The government and the rebels have recently agreed to continue the peace process and follow an agreed code of conduct. However, the rebels have already been accused of violating the code.