7 dead, 85 injured in train collision near Chennai

At least seven persons were killed and 85 others injured when a passenger train from Chennai rammed into a stationary train near Arakkonam, about 75 km from here, late Tuesday night.
IG North Zone Syleendra Babu said seven persons were killed in the collision that saw both the trains coming on the same track. The toll may go up.
Additional Division railway manager in Chennai Usha Venugopal said seven bodies have been recovered from the three mangled bogies which were thrown off the track following the incident at around 9.40 pm.
Four other bogies of the two trains were also affected.
The staionary Arakkonam-Vellore passenger train was waiting for the green signal near Sitheri Station when the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) running between Chennai Beach and Vellore rammed into it from behind.
A railway spokesman said 85 injured people have been admitted to various government hospitals in Arakkonam and Vellore.
He said the injured have been rushed to local hospitals.
Several passengers have been trapped inside two bogies which derailed following the collision, railway police said.
Rescue workers used gas cutters to help pull out the trapped passengers from inside the derailed bogies.
Relief trains and two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been rushed to the accident site.
However, rescue and relief efforts were hit by heavy rains and darkness in the area.
Train traffic on the busy Chennai-Katpadi section has been disrupted and several trains leaving Chennai Central affected.
Several trains, including Coimbatore-bound Cheran Express, have been cancelled, railway sources said.

Rains lash Delhi: girl killed in collapse; roads waterlogged

Heavy showers drenched Delhiites on Friday, leaving many of them on the roads as traffic went haywire due to water logging while a minor girl lost her life when the boundary wall of a hospital collapsed.
It was raining heavily since early morning and the rain gauges measured 91.1 mm of showers between 4 am and 12 noon, leading to chaos on roads as improper drainage and uprooted trees led to traffic disruption.
The sun was nowhere to be seen as rains continued without a stop across the city.
The rain gauges measured 36.6 mm between 4 am to 8:30 am while another 55.1 mm was recorded in the next three and half hours, the MeT department said. September last year received the highest rainfall (332.9 mm) in ten years.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 25.1 degree celsius, normal for this time of the year, as against Thursday’s 26.1 degrees. The maximum was recorded at 34.2 degree celsius on Thursday.
The heavy showers led to the death of a minor girl when a boundary wall of an MCD hospital in Gautam Colony of Narela collapsed at around 7:30 am. Some children on their way to school were trapped inside, they said.
One of the girls was found dead inside the debris while two or three girls are feared to be trapped inside the debris.
Exposing the claims of civic bodies’ better preparedness this time to tackle rains, water logging and traffic problems were reported from across the city.
Vehicles were seen wading through water in almost all parts of the city.
As traffic went haywire, some commuters parked their vehicles at nearby Metro stations and boarded trains to their destinations.
“I generally take 25 minutes to reach my office in Gole Market from Jangpura but today it took more than an hour. There was water logging all around. Auto drivers were not ready to take passengers due to heavy water logging,” said Anindita Dasgupta, an official working in a government department.
“The water was waist-high from Ashram to Lajpat Nagar,” said a commuter Sonam Goel.
Traffic was affected due to water logging at Rail Bhavan near Parliament, Rafi Marg, Vikas Marg, Africa Avenue, GGR-PDR Road, Adhchini, Mayapuri chowk, Naraina road, IP flyover, Kalindi Kunj, Malviya Nagar and Yusuf Sarai.
Water logging was also reported near Patparganj flyover, Defence Colony flyover, Lala Lajpat Rai road, GTB road, Patel Chest to Daulat Ram College, Prahladpur, Keshav Chowk Railway bridge, DND flyover, Maharani Bagh and Govindpuri.
Ashram Chowk, Niti Bagh, MB road, Air Force Station, Pamposh Enclave, Nehru Place, Saket Court, Lado Sarai and Shivaji Stadium metro station were other places where water logging and traffic problems were reported.
A senior police official said traffic movement was also slow due to water logging from OP Marg to IIT as well as Loni road, Durga Puri chowk, Khajuri to Brijpuri, Kishan Ganj railway bridge, Azad Nagar to Shahadra, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Shanti Van, Janakpuri, Sagarpur and PHQ.

“Traffic movement is slow on Akbar road due to an uprooted tree. At CGO Complex on Lodhi Road, the entire approach road to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium metro station is water logged,” the official said.
Tilak Bridge, Mathura Road, Purana Qila, Laxmi Nagar metro station, Vikaspuri and Shahdra under pass are the other areas where water logging has been reported.
In east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area, water has entered many houses and pumps are being used to clear the water.

Minor earthquake in Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana

An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude on Richter scale today shook most parts of Uttarakhand including state capital Dehradun, triggering panic among people.

Tremors were also felt in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.

However, no loss of life or property has been reported from any part of the state, official sources said.

Met director Anand Sharma said the epicentre of the earthquake, that was felt at 1157 hrs, was at 30.5 N latitude and 79.4 E longitude.

Residents rushed out of their houses when they felt the tremor.

September 07 2011 was definitely a black Wednesday for Delhi. There were terrorist attack at the Delhi High Court followed by a earthquake in the capital. Btown celebrities too reacted to the bad news. Here is what they had to say.

Amitabh Bachchan: Hearts and prayers for those that lost loved ones earlier today in the blast .. and I do hope there have been no causalities on quake

Koena Mitra: Delhi We are all with you in spirit and heart .." Keep the Faith !!!

Dia Mirza: The atrocities of man and nature remind me that everyday n everyone is precious. Love. And let the one's you love know that you do.

Vijay Mallya: An earthquake following a terrorist attack. Deadly co-incidence but one could have been controlled and the other not.Be strong Delhi.

Sandhya Mridul: Horrible day for Dehi..Think i'll just go home #Miserable

Mahaakshay: “Blasts. Earthquake. Today is a particularly tough day. Sigh. Be safe, Delhi.” all in Delhi please take care

Mahadevan: All well after the Earthquake in Delhi it seems.. What a day for them. Phew.

Pooja Bedi: How awful! Delhi rocked by bomb blast in the morning and earthquake by night! A prayer for all the dead and injured!

Bhagyashree: Innocent lives sacrificed....anger rising...lets not sit back saying we will get over it.. we cant take things lying down.

11 killed, 91 injured as terror returns to Delhi

At least 11 people were killed and 91 injured when a powerful bomb concealed in a briefcase exploded at a crowded gate of Delhi High Court Wednesday morning.

A late night home ministry statement said that of the 91 injured, 17 were discharged after first aid at the Delhi High Court dispensary.

The explosion occurred around 10.15 a.m. when about 300 visitors were crowding Gate 5 for passes to enter the complex. Several people died instantly while others collapsed, screaming in pain.

As parliament adjourned after paying homage to the dead and security was scaled up across major cities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denounced it as a 'cowardly attack' and vowed to stamp out terror.

'This is a long war in which all political parties, all people of India have to stand united so that the scourge of terrorism is crushed,' he said in theBangladesh capital Dhaka.

The prime minister, who returned in the evening, drove straight to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital from the airport and met the injured.

The terror attack took place less than four months after a low intensity explosion at the parking lot of the court. No one was injured then but officials now believe that may have been a dry run.

The high court is located in the heart of Delhi, a short distance from the India Gate war memorial. The court adjoins the National Gallery of Modern Art.

The government quickly handed over the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which formed a core team of 20 and a support team of 17 officers.

NIA Director General S.C. Sinha said the agency was seriously looking at the role of banned terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) which claimed responsibility for the blast.

An email sent to two television channels by the Pakistan-based outfit demanded that the hanging of 2001 parliament attack convict Afzal Guru be immediately 'repealed'.

Within hours, Delhi Police released sketches of two suspects -- one in his mid-20s and another 50 years old.

The prime minister and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit together announced Rs.5 lakh each to families of the dead.

Citing information provided by Delhi police, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said 74 persons had been admitted to various hospitals in the city, including 55 in Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. He said four of the injured were critical.

Among the dead was 21-year-old Amanpreet Singh Kohli, who was training to become a lawyer.

His cousin Ravinder Singh was inconsolable. 'He would have been the first lawyer in the family. His mother is yet to come to terms with his death,' a moaning Singh told IANS.

U.K. Bansal, secretary (internal security) in the home ministry, said nitrate and pentaerythritol trinitrate (PETN) -- a powerful explosive -- seemed to have been used.

So powerful was the explosion that it left a crater two-three feet wide and one foot deep. Almost everyone who was killed seemed to have been in a small area around the concealed bomb.

The blast site resembled a scene from a horror movie.

There was blood everywhere along with severed limbs. Disfigured men, alive but in agony, were screaming hysterically, struggling to move.

Some lay dead. A few women wailed uncontrollably, unable to bear the sight around them.

Bhagwan Das, who was near Gate 5, recounted his 'close encounter' with death.

'I saw people lose their hands and legs. Some were drenched in blood. Oh my God, it was a terrible scene,' Das, still in shock as blood oozed from his arm, told IANS.

It was the worst terror attack in the capital after the five synchronized bombings of 2008 that killed 30 people and injured hundreds.

Most of the dead and injured were rushed to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where families of the victims were bitter as they were kept away from their kin when politicians came calling.

Some raised slogans against Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi when he visited the hospital.

Chidambaram admitted that the Wednesday attack took place despite heightened security to coincide with parliament's monsoon session.

'Intelligence pertaining to threats emanating from certain groups was shared with Delhi Police in July,' he said without elaborating.

The attack was widely condemned.

Visiting Israeli Minister Stas Misezhnikov called it the handiwork of a 'twisted mind' against a 'shrine of justice and democracy'.

The US offered assistance to bring the perpetrators to justice. Australian Prime Minister Julian Gillard said it was an 'act of senseless violence'.

India critical to US success: Republican aspirant

A Republican presidential hopeful has suggested that the US negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement with India to strengthen its relationship with a friend critical to America's success in the 21st century.

Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah, who resigned as US ambassador to China last April hoping to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012, Thursday proposed talks with India as part of his jobs plan and fix the US economy.

As 95 percent of the world's customers live outside US borders, and with the US party to only 17 of more than 300 trade agreements worldwide, he said 'opening more markets for American businesses should be a commonsense tool to spark immediate growth.'

Huntsman said he would make three trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama a top priority.

'Washington must also immediately start discussions with India to end in a bilateral free trade agreement strengthening our relationship with a friend who will prove to be critical to America's success in the 21st century,' he said.

Suggesting that Obama's economic record has been marked by failure, he said: 'As the Obama Administration has dithered, other nations are making the choices necessary to compete in the 21st Century.'

But much like Obama citing competition from emerging economies like India, China and Brazil, Huntsman said: 'In Brasilia and Beijing, New Delhi and Seoul, our competitors are making the hard choices that will help assure their children a better life,'.

'If we fail to do the same, we are robbing our children of an inheritance every previous American generation has had.'

Huntsman said he was running for President 'because I'm prepared to lead the American people to that better and brighter future.'

Magnitude-7.0 quake shakes Vanuatu

 A magnitude-7.0 earthquake shook the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. No tsunami alert was issued.

The 9:55 a.m. Sunday (2256 GMT Saturday) quake was deep, some 132 kilometers (82 miles) below the surface, the USGS said.

The USGS said the quake hit some 348 kilometers (216 miles) southeast of Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, and some 1,860 kilometers (1,155 miles) northeast of Brisbane, Australia.

Depression forces IIT- Patna student to jump five floors Her teachers and friends said Sweeya was a bright student who had taken admission in the institute after qualifying the IIT Joint Entrance Examination in 2009.

A student at the Indian Institute of Technology- Patna ( IIT- P) allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of her hostel building on Thursday.

The blood- splattered body of Yalavarthi Sweeya, a third year B. Tech student of computer science, was found on the ground floor of an apartment near Alpana Market under Pataliputra police station.

She was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her brought dead Sweeya used to live in room No. 401 of Sridev Apartment, which had been converted into a makeshift hostel for girls. The campus of IIT- P is being developed at Bihta, about 30 kilometres from Patna.

Authorities at the institute informed Sweeya’s family members about the mishap.

Patna’s senior superintendent of police ( SSP) Alok Kumar, who rushed to the spot, said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide.

The police, however, are looking into all possible angles in the case. They recovered Sweeya’s sandals, cellphone and glasses on the water tank of the building from where she allegedly leapt to death at around 9 am.

Her teachers and friends said Sweeya was a bright student who had taken admission in the institute after qualifying the IIT Joint Entrance Examination in 2009.

The police said Sweeya, a resident of Hyderabad, had been in a state of depression for some time.

Police sources said she was also on medication.

Some of her friends reportedly told the police that Sweeya had not done well in her semester examinations and was under considerable stress.

Soumitra Sen resigns ahead of Monday’s impeachment motion

Ahead of the impeachment motion against him in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Justice Soumitra Sen on Thursday resigned as judge of the Calcutta high court.
“I have decided not to go to the Lok Sabha and instead put in my papers,” Sen, who was to have appeared before the Lok Sabha on 5 September, told the news agency here.
“I have sent my resignation to President Pratibha Patil and a copy of it to the Lok Sabha Speaker,” he said.
In his letter to the President, Justice Sen has said that since Rajya Sabha has decided in its wisdom that he should not continue as a judge, he was resigning and wanted to live as a common citizen, his lawyer Subhash Bhattacharya said.
The Rajya Sabha had on 18 August overwhelmingly approved the impeachment motion against Justice Sen.
All parties except BSP were of the view that Sen was guilty.
Sen’s impeachment was the first in the Rajya Sabha after he was found guilty of misappropriating Rs33.23 lakh under his custody as a court-appointed receiver in the capacity as a lawyer, and misrepresenting facts before a Calcutta court in a 1983 case.
Impeachment proceedings followed motions moved by Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) and leader of the opposition Arun Jaitley after an Inquiry Committee, appointed by the Rajya Sabha chairman and headed by Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy, held Sen guilty of misconduct.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee said that he was very sad to learn that Justice Sen had resigned and felt that “justice was denied to him”.
Justice P. D. Dinakaran, Chief Justice of the Sikkim high court, against whom the Rajya Sabha chairman had set up a judicial panel to enquire into allegations of corruption, had resigned on 29 July this year, before impeachment proceedings could be initiated against him.
The first such case involved the impeachment motion in Lok Sabha of Justice V. Ramaswami of the Supreme Court in May 1993 which fell due to lack of numbers after Congress members abstained

Female students turn to prostitution to pay fees

Research by Kingston University in southwest London suggests that there has been a 50% rise in numbers over the past six years.

In a survey that asked 130 students whether they knew any friends involved in the sex industry, one in 10 said they knew of students who had stripped, lapdanced or worked at massage parlours and escort agencies to support themselves. Just over 6% said they knew students who worked as prostitutes.

The academics found that alcohol and mental problems led some women into stripping and lapdancing. But those resorting to prostitution were simply working to earn money.

University tuition fees, first introduced in 1998 at £1,000 a year, have risen to £3,000 this year at all but a few universities. The average student loan at graduation last year was £8,948, but NatWest Bank said that once private debt was factored in, students now in their first year could expect to graduate with liabilities of more than £14,700.

Dr Ron Roberts, a health psychologist who was the lead author of the study, said: “Our figures represent a 50% increase in the prevalence rates for student prostitution since 2000 . . . given the increasing financial problems experienced by students, this is in line with what we would predict.”

The researchers talked to students in different age and social groups and cross-checked descriptions to avoid double-counting sex workers who might be known by more than one respondent.

Roberts and his co-authors, Sandra Bergstrom and David La Rooy, called on education and welfare authorities to acknowledge the problem of increased costs forcing students into sex work.

According to a 2004 study, clients spend an estimated £534m a year on prostitutes — almost as much as Britons spend on going to the movies. The average cost per encounter was £55, more in London.

Last week one London escort said she had been working in the industry since 1999 to support herself through a masters degree and now a doctorate in international politics.

“In the agency lounge, we all had our books or our laptops,” said the escort, who would be identified only as Sophie. “We were all studying at night, then would take breaks to go out with the guys.”

Sophie said she could sometimes earn £2,000 for a full night’s work in 1999, but now competition from eastern European prostitutes had driven earnings down, while tuition fees had gone up.

Rally In Costa Rica To Support Women's Right To Dress As They Choose

Hundreds of women have rallied outside San Jose's Metropolitan cathedral on Sunday in Costa Rica's first "SlutWalk".

They gathered in the Costa Rican capital to protest against a call by Bishop Jose Francisco Ulloa for women to stop imitating men and to dress modestly.

Protesters, mostly women but some men too, started gathering at the square during the dominical mass and later walked around downtown.

Brandishing banners and signs with slogans against the church, sexism and in favour of women rights, they awaited for the end of the mass to start what they called the "SlutWalk".

Participants in the demonstration were dressed in a variety of clothing, from boots with fishnet stockings, to concealing black burqas.

One half naked woman draped herself in chains and lay on steps in the city in protest at Ulloa's comments.

Sara Fishel, one of the protesters, said she had seen a very diverse range of people at the protest.

"I'm very happy to see so many women here, little girls, I see elderly women too, even men, so yes, I'm very happy to see how the Costa Rican people are supporting their women," she said.

The Bishop of Cartago, Jose Francisco Ulloa, had called on Costa Rican women to dress "with modesty and decency" to avoid being raped.

A Mexican bishop visiting Costa Rica at the time Ulloa made those comments added more fuel to the fire, saying that women should not imitate men, referring to their attitudes and behaviours.

"SlutWalks" started in Toronto, Canada, after a police officer made remarks that women could avoid being raped or victimised by not dressing like "sluts".

Women around the globe rallied against his comments and marches took place in countries around the world, to demonstrate against the idea that a woman's appearance could explain or excuse rape and sexual harassment.

Points Mentioned By Prime Minister Manmohan Singh In His Speech On 64th Independence Day Of India

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Highlights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Independence Day speech:

* Without understanding and restraint, our security and integrity can get adversely affected.

* Some people who want to create disturbances in the country so that our progress gets stalled.

* This is the time 'to rise above our personal or political interests and build consensus on issues of national importance'.

* We have provided political stability and socio and economic progress.

* We have established an environment of communal harmony in the country.

* His seven years have seen rapid economic development.

* We have taken special care of the needs of our brothers and sisters from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and children.

* Promises food security legislation soon.

* The country is full of 'confidence and self-respect'.

* Corruption is a big obstacle in national transformation.

* Corruption should be discussed in a manner that 'should not create an atmosphere in which country's progress comes into question'.

* The government is taking strictest possible action in cases of corruption.

* There is no single big step which we can take to eradicate corruption.

* Corruption cannot be eradicated unless 'we improve our justice delivery system'.

* Want strong Lokpal to prevent corruption in high places.

* Hunger strikes and fast-unto-death will not help.

* Nothing should be done to dilute independence of the judiciary.

* Acknowledges 'misuse of governmental discretion in allocation of scarce resources'.

* Government taking steps to reduce corruption in government projects.

* Government will lay down principles and practices with regard to government purchases.

* No government has a 'magic wand' to eradicate corruption.

* We have to fight against corruption on many fronts.

* Compliments farmers on producing a record level food grains.

* We need a second Green Revolution.

* Acknowledges 'a phase of sustained high inflation'.

* Our government fully understands its responsibility to control rise in prices.

* International markets fuel inflation in India.

* Finding a solution to inflation will be our top most priority in the coming months.

* Land acquisition must be transparent and fair.

* Government will establish a new Education Commission to suggest improvements in education at all levels.

* 12th Five Year Plan should focus on health.

* Investment in infrastructure has grown more than one-and-a-half times in the last seven years.

* 'We want to make India slum-free...We want the slum dwellers to get ownership of clean houses.'

* 'Malnutrition in women and children is a matter of concern for all of us.'

* Declining sex ratio 'a matter of deep regret...essential to change the approach with which our society views girls and women'.

* Should not lower guard against terrorism; it is a long battle to be fought jointly by the central government, state governments and citizens.

* Will eradicate the very reasons which gave rise to Naxalism.

* Warns against climate change and promises 'an environmental assessment and monitoring authority to streamline the process of environmental clearances'.

* Acknowledges the younger generation's higher aspirations; institutions should tap our people's potential.

* 'Our entrepreneurs and businessmen should not feel constrained in their activities.'

* 'We should all stay away from tactics that create suspicion or apprehension among those connected with industry, business and investment.'

* Development should not increase inequalities.

* We have the collective capacities and the confidence to deal with tensions and conflicts in society.

'No Food, No Clothes, No Shelter'--After 64 Years Of Independent India...