| Ten
killed as bus plunges onto railway track from bridge in Kolkata Kolkata:
Atleast ten persons, including three women, were killed and 40 others injured
when a mini bus carrying passengers fell from the over bridge onto a railway track
of the Howrah station here on Saturday. Survivors of the accident have been rescued
and shifted to a nearby hospital. The mishap occurred around 4 p.m. this afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said the bus was trying to overtake another vehicle, when the driver
lost control and fell down to the tracks of platform number 12 of the railway
station, almost 50 feet below. The bus was plying on the Nasirganj-Kichripur route.
Sameer Goswami, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Railway, confirmed
the tragic event, but could not exactly reveal how many persons had been injured.
Railway traffic movement in the area has been disrupted, Goswami said, but added
that the authorities are working to resume it. The railway authorities have switched
off high tension power supply from platform number 10 to 23. Local train services
on platform numbers one to five are unaffected. Over
300,00 stranded as Assam flood situation turns grim Top Guwahati/Majuli
(Assam): Incessant rains in Assam's catchment areas have left over 300,000
people stranded. Reports said that most of the state's rivers are in spate and
flowing above the danger level. Official sources described the flood situation
in the state as very grim on Friday. The Brahmaputra river is flowing above the
danger level at several places, including Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Guwahati. Lakhimpur,
Dhemaji and Jorhat have been described as the worst-hit districts. Vast tracts
of land have been submerged by breaches in river embankments. In Majuli, the world's
largest inhabited river island, a breach in the embankment, has left over 100,000
people stranded in Jengraimukh, Nayabazar, Fuloni, Halodiati and Kherakotaunkh
areas. Personnel of the National Disaster Rescue Force have arrived in the area
to rescue the affected people. The situation in lower Assam districts of Baksa,
Barpeta and Udalguri is also grim following release of water from the Kurishu
dam in Bhutan. In Dhemaji, the Semen river has inundated vast tracts in Jonai
sub-division while the River Gai and Jiadhol are also in spate. Soldier,
two militants killed in Handwara forest encounter Top Handwara
(Jammu and Kashmir): One soldier and two militants were killed Saturday during
a major gunbattle in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara District. Preliminary reports
said that the encounter between the security forces and the militants was still
raging on in Rajwada forest area of the North Kashmir district. Sources quoted
security forces as saying that more militants are hiding in the forest. Army
discovers bodies of six terrorists found buried under an avalanche Gulrez (Jammu
and Kashmir): The army has recovered bodies of six terrorists found burried in
the snow in the Gurez sector of the state. According to army sources, the terrorists
had attempted to enter Indian territory in March this year, but heavy snow and
an avalanche claimed the lives of six to eight of them. They said that it had
taken them almost three months to recover the bodies because of inclement weather
and heavy snow. A search is on to locate the remaining bodies, they said, adding
that the dead terrorists were well equipped and clothed to infiltrate through
the snow laden ridge lines of North Kashmir. Six AK- 47 rifles have also been
recovered, they said. Mysore
shutdown evokes mixed response Top Mysore:
A dawn to dusk shutdown call given by the Hindu Jagaran Vedike in protest
against an attack on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth leader evoked a mixed
response here today. Normal life was partially affected by the shutdown. It may
be recalled that a mob armed with weapons attacked Giridhar, the President of
Mysore unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and his friend Wajid on
Friday evening. Giridhar is said to in critical condition at Mysore 's Apollo
Hospital . Police said that some persons have been arrested in connection with
the attack. Meanwhile, Karnataka's Home Minister V.S.Acharya is visiting Mysore
this evening to asses the situation and expected to visit the riot-hit areas.
Security forces
reclaim two more Maoist-infested areas in West Midnapore Top Lalgarh
(West Bengal): Security forces and police reclaimed two more areas from Maoists
in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Saturday. In a four-pronged attack,
a team of security forces and police set out from bases in Binpur, Pirakata, Salboni
and Ramgarh to converge on Kalimudri and Madhupur villages, West Midnapore Superintendent
of Police Manoj Verma told reporters. The fifth-phase of the operation, entering
its 16th day, was to clear the villages and forests by building a protective ring
after capturing key locations to prevent movement by Maoists who might still be
holed up. "The forces met with no resistance and flushing out operations were
conducted on an eight kilometer stretch," Verma said. "The operations began at
6:00 a.m. and the forces reached Kalimudri and Madhupur by afternoon," he added.
"We have been unable to enter the area in the last eight months. We are now receiving
cooperation from the people," Verma said. In Kolkata, State Home Secretary Ardhandu
Sen said three Maoists, including a woman, were arrested today from Ayodhya Hills
in Purulia district from whom explosives, a rifle and Maoist literature were seized.
The security forces, which began the operations in West Midnapore against Maoist-backed
tribals on June 19 after demolishing a human shield by tribals at Pirakata, took
over Lalgarh police station on June 20, Ramgarh on June 27, Kantapahari on June
29 and Dharampur on July one. The Maoist-backed tribals, who began their agitation
in November last year against 'police atrocities' had taken over the areas after
police withdrew from camps fearing that their firearms would be snatched. The
tribals went on the warpath after police raids on their homes following a landmine
blast by Maoists on November 2 at Salboni in the district, which Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two former Union ministers had narrowly escaped. Slumdog
child star gets a new home in Mumbai Top Mumbai:
Azharuddin Ismail, child star of the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire"
got his new home in an upmarket Mumbai suburb on Saturday. Ismail, who played
the youngest Salim in the movie Directed by Danny Boyle, was exuberant about his
newly allocated apartment. "I like it here, it is really nice. But I will miss
my old friends back in Bandra. Maybe I will go and visit them once a while," said
Ismail. Ismail and his family moved into the 250 square foot ground floor flat,
it is a short drive away from Juhu. The Jai Ho Trust, named after the film's award-winning
track and set up by the producers, bought the Rs.21 lakh home on Ismail's behalf
and will give it to him when he turns 18. "We really thank the organisation because
of which we have got this home," said Ismail's sister Pinky Shaikh. Meanwhile,
the child actor's neighbors said they were happy to see a star shifting to their
neighbourhood. "We are feeling really good that a star has come to reside as our
neighbour," said Kamini Patkar, a neighbour. Gilani
for US-Mexico like fencing along Pak-Afghan border Top Islamabad:
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has stressed on the need of fencing
the country's border with Afghanistan on the lines of the US and Mexico border
wall to stop terrorist infiltration and drug trafficking. Talking to US Secretary
for Homeland Security, Janet Napilitano, Gilani urged the United States to provide
immediate military assistance to help Pakistan tackle the rampant Taliban effectively
in the tribal areas. It may be noted that Napilitano, as governor of Arizona,
had initiated action to erect a boundary wall along the US-Mexico border to check
the extensive drug trafficking. Gilani also asked the Obama Administration to
provide Cobra helicopters and other military hardware, as well as financial assistance
to assist the Pakistan Army to establish their control over the Swat and Malakand
Divisions after the offensive in the region is called-off. Referring to the exodus
of over two million people in Swat due to the military operation, Gilani said
the international community should come forward and help Pakistan come out of
the crises. He said the aid received by Islamabad has proved inadequate so far,
and urged the US and international donors to deliver on their pledges made in
the Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting in Tokyo, The News reports. Led
Zeppelin may fill Jackson's 50-show O2 run with ABBA Top London:
'Led Zeppelin' have apparently been approached to alternate shows with Abba, and
fill in for the 50-show run previously planned for Michael Jackson at London's
O2 arena. AEG Live, promoters for the late King of Pop's slated comeback tour,
were said to be trying hard to woo both the bands to reform. "Only Michael Jackson
could sell out 50 nights at such a big arena, but Led Zeppelin and Abba combined
might just rival him. There is huge money on the table," British tabloid The Sun
quoted a source as saying. Jackson was due to begin his 'This Is It' gigs on July
13. His sudden death on June 25 has left the organisers facing a multi-million
pound black hole, if they are unable fill the slots. |
