| First
swine flu death in India in Pune: Victim is a 14-year-old Pune:
The first case of death due to swine flu was reported on Monday after a 14-year
old girl died of the influenza A (H1N1) virus here at a local hospital. Riya Shiekh,
a resident of Pune’s Camp area was a school student, was admitted to Jehangir
hospital on July 27 and had to be put on the ventilator on July 29. According
to an official, Riya was put on ventilator for the past many days at an Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) in a hospital in Pune. A Times Now report stated Health Secretary,
Naresh Dayal, confirming that the girl’s death was caused by the flu. Incidentally,
Riya’s was not an imported case of swine flu rather it was passed on from another
individual, the report stated. India has reported 551 swine flu cases of which
422 have been discharged. Maharashtra State being the worst hit, as it has so
far reported majority of the cases in the country. Test reports of two students
and a 26-year-old youth, who had returned from Germany , on August 2 confirmed
flu, the officials said adding they had been moved to an isolation ward at civic
Naidu hospital. The total number of confirmed cases of H1N1 virus are 101 in the
city, the report stated health officials as saying. As many as 64 cases of Swine
Flu in the city have so far been discharged after treatment. The total number
of H1N1 infection in Maharashtra now stands at 147. Flood
situation grim in Bihar and UP Top Sitamarhi
(Bihar)/Siddharthnagar (UP): Rivers and water channels breached embankments
in Siddharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh leaving thousands of people in need
of immediate help. Over 200 villages are reeling under the flood situation while
42 have been deserted. The floods have been caused by the release of water from
barrages following heavy rains in Nepal. And as a result Rapti, old Rapti and
Banganga river in the region have all been flooded. With floodwaters inundating
large areas of land, crops have been completely destroyed. People are worried
about their next meal. "Our village is submerged in water. There is no relief
for us. We don't have anything to eat. There have been neither officers coming
here nor is there any help from the government," said Malti, a flood-hit victim.
Meanwhile, in Sitamarhi district in Bihar, the swollen Bagmati River breached
its embankment, displacing at least a hundred thousand families. Roads are submerged
in water. Though relief work has started but the situation is yet to be brought
under control. People have been marooned and numerous villages are cut off. The
river had breached its embankment in a stretch of 40-50 metres at Tilakrajpur
area, inundating vast tracts across a number of villages. Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar had made an aerial survey of the district on Sunday and assured immediate
relief. Mamata
Banerjee proposes rail coach factory at Singur Top Singur
(WB): Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has said her ministry was ready to
set up a rail coach factory at Singur, if the land earlier acquired by the Tatas
to set up 'Nano' factory was made available. Banerjee was flagging off the new
Singur-Howrah 'Andolan' suburban train in Singur. Talking to reporters here on
Sunday, Banerjee said she wanted 600 acres of land for the proposed rail coach
factory, out of the 1000 acres acquired for the small car project and 400 acres
returned to the farmers. "If we are given the 600 acres of land, then under the
supervision of the railway ministry and if the central government declares it
as national policy... then we may set a rail coach factory as we need it. We need
to be prepared as the number of passengers increasing," Banerjee added. The announcement
from the rail minister comes a year after she launched a campaign in the region
against the acquisition of the land of the farmers for the Tata Nano plant in
Singur. The small car project of the Tatas was delayed due to land disputes at
its planned site in Singur and was later shifted to a new site in Gujarat. A
political conspiracy against me: Buta Singh Top New
Delhi: Targeting the CBI again, the Chairman of the National Commission for
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, Buta Singh, on Monday said that
he is being framed by the agency through his son Sarabjot Singh. Addressing the
media here, Buta Singh said: "It was I who approached the police and urged them
to approach the CBI in this (bribery) case. It is the CBI that is responsible
for masterminding this political conspiracy against me." The former Union Minister
said he has already briefed Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh about the case.
"I have briefed the Prime Minister regarding the facts. He has responded positively
and sought more details." On Sunday, Buta Singh had said that he was being victimised
by the CBI. "This is a political conspiracy done by a party. Me and my son are
being victimised and I am being attacked. The CBI instead of investigating the
case is preparing witnesses against me and my son. I won't name any party or element,
but this is definitely a political conspiracy against me," he said. Meanwhile,
the Enforcement Directorate (EC) has been roped in to help investigations of a
bribery case. Sarabjot was arrested on July 31 along with Anup Kumar Begi, Madan
Singh Solanki and Dhukh Singh Chauhan for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs one
crore from Patil to close a case registered against him under the SC/ST Act. Centre
not discriminating in Ambani gas row: Deora Top New
Delhi: Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 p.m. by the Speaker,
Meira Kumar, after members of the Samajwadi Party walked into the well of the
House to protest the UPA Government's biased stand on the distribution of gas
to a proposed Reliance plant in Uttar Pradesh. Angry SP members objected when
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora said on Monday that the Central
Government is not discriminating against Reliance Natural Resources Limited (RNRL)
in the Krishna Basin gas distribution row. Addressing members of Parliament on
the row over gas supply to the proposed RNRL power plant in Uttar Pradesh, Deora
said, "Gas to be produced from Reliance Industries' KG-D6 fields has to be utilised
in accordance with the gas utilisation policy approved by the government. Reliance
is producing 35 million standard cubic meters per day of gas from KG-D6 fields
currently; output to go up to 80 mmscmd. There is no discrimination against Uttar
Pradesh in the allocation of gas." "Anil Ambani Group's proposed Dadri power plant
would be taken up for allocating natural gas from KG-D6 fields along with other
similar upcoming gas-fired power plants. Bombay High Court judgment has implications
on Government's gas utilisation policy," he added. Deora's statement came in response
to Samajwadi Party members raising the issue in Lok Sabha on July 29, a day after
Anil Ambani accused the Oil Ministry of colluding with the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance
Industry Limited in its design to make a profit of Rs 50,000 crore. SP members
demanded Deora's resignation. They alleged that the Centre had committed an injustice
to Uttar Pradesh by denying gas to the Dadri Power plant and this in turn could
cost the national exchequer Rs 30,000 crore. The Anil Ambani owned Reliance Natural
Resources Limited (RNRL) has taken up the Dadri project. Kolkata
auto drivers protest against old vehicle ban Top Kolkata:
Protesting against the West Bengal Government’s decision to ban auto rickshaws
that were over 15 years old, auto drivers staged a demonstration here on Monday.
The Save Auto Committee urged the government to allow drivers to convert their
auto-rickshaws into LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) mode instead of stopping them
from plying altogether. "We will simply go there (Authorities) to submit a memorandum
for allowing the autos to ply in a particular mode that is LPG," said Sobhandeb
Chaatterjee, leader of the Save Auto Committee. Chatterjee said it was discriminatory
for the state Transport Secretary to allow only those autos, which are plying
since 2000 to remain on the road if they convert to LPG from petrol mode. He said
that according to Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) any auto using
the LPG kit could ply on the streets. He added it's not the years of a vehicle
but the technology used in it that makes the difference in emitting pollution.
“I don't understand from where they get 2000 why not 1995 why not 1996 the question
before us that whether that auto is making pollution or not. I understand that
according to ARAI there is no question of 15 years or 16 years or 20 years if
a particular technique used in an auto that prevents the pollution,” he said.
According to the sources, about 37,000 autos are not plying on the streets of
Kolkata since August 1 as the state govt. started a crackdown against the two
stroke autos and the commercial vehicles more than 15 year old. Delhi
college expels two students involved in ragging Top New
Delhi: The Kirori Mal College here on Monday decided to expel two students
for their involvement in a ragging episode. Two final year students, Akshay Chaudhary
and Hani Mohammad, allegedly ragged and vulgarly harassed first year student Ashutosh
in the college hostel on Sunday. Later, the victim complained to the hostel warden.
Acting on the complaint, the college summoned a meeting of its Disciplinary and
Anti-Ragging Committee on Monday and it was decided to expel the two students.
"We all are convinced that such ragging should not take place. But since it has
happened so we decided to expel those two boys immediately and at the same time
write to the police station of Maurice Nagar lodging an FIR leading to arrest
of the boys so that these two actions simultaneously go a long way in the history
of higher education of India," said Bhim Sen Singh, Principal, Kirori Mal College.
Most students supported strict action taken by the college management. "Simple
introduction with juniors is fine but so much of ragging is taking place. The
victims should get justice if they have faced ragging and the seniors involved
in ragging should be punished," opined Poonam Chaddha, a KMC student. However,
some senior students felt that the students involved in light ragging should not
be punished so harshly since ragging is a traditional way for the familiarisation
of the freshers. "If they have engaged in rude ragging or disturbed or irritated
some student, then they must be suspended. But if they ragged merely for introduction
or generally for enjoyment then they are at no fault and should not have been
suspended," noted Megha Kumar, another student. Ragging has long been an issue
of debate in Indian educational institutions. So much so incidents of ragging
compelled the Centre to enforce strict anti-ragging laws in the universities and
colleges. Sensex
surges 292 points to reach one-year high of 15963.36 Top Mumbai:
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark index Sensex on Monday surged by 292.62
points to reach a one-year high of 15963.36. The rise is being attributed to encouraging
corporate results and positive opening of European markets. The rise was also
led by gains in auto, realty and metals space Meanwhile, the National Stock Exchange’s
Nifty also had a similar status as it gained 85.10 points to end at 4721.55, as
it hit one-year high during the day of 4723.30. In the BSE, Maruti Suzuki gained
3.98 per cent to Rs 1,469.55, to close at its highest since it went public six
years ago. Biggest Nifty gainers were Hindalco Industries (8.42%), Mahindra &
Mahindra (8.01%), HCL Technologies (6.1%), Reliance Communications (5.86%) and
BHEL (5.46%). Suzlon Energy (-5.56%), Hindustan Unilever (-2.69%), Tata Communications
(-2.27%), GAIL (-2.24%) and HDFC (-2.17%) were the losers. Pak
Christians shut schools in Gojra following killings Top Islamabad:
The Christian community in the town of Gojra has closed all schools and colleges
in the area for three days as a mark of respect for the eight persons killed in
riots on Saturday. Hundreds of Muslims, apparently spurred by a banned militant
group, stormed a Christian neighbourhood in the eastern city of Gojra on Saturday,
burning dozens of houses after reports surfaced that some Christians had desecrated
a Quran. Six Christians died in flames, while two were killed by gunshots. Christian
leaders and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said an initial probe had debunked
the Quran defilement rumour. The clashes between the Muslims and Christians began
Thursday after reports that a copy of the Quran had been defiled. Hundreds of
Muslim protesters set fire to several Christians' houses in the first two days,
but the violence reached its peak Saturday. "We are closing the schools to show
our anger and concern," the dawn quoted Bishop Sadiq Daniel, as saying. "We want
the government to bring all perpetrators of the crime to justice," he added. Federal
Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said the attackers belonged to a banned
Sunni Muslim extremist group, Sipah-i-Sahaba. Paramilitary troops and other security
forces were patrolling the city Monday. Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Pakistan's
president, said a judicial panel will probe the incident. Christians and Muslims
usually live together peacefully in Pakistan, which is overwhelmingly Muslim.
However, Christians and other minority religious groups are vulnerable to discriminatory
laws, including an edict against blasphemy that carries death penalty for derogatory
remarks or any other action against Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Muhammad.
Anyone can make an accusation under the law, and it is often used to settle personal
scores and rivalries. |
