Maharashtra's flood toll rises to 730

     Mumbai: As rain subsided in country's financial capital Mumbai, rescuers today dug through rubble to recover the bodies of an estimated 100 people buried under an avalanche of mud in Saki Naka, a crowded slum dwelling in the suburbs. At least 36 bodies have been recovered. Firefighters say they had to walk for over half kilometer through the serpentine lanes leading to the jam-packed cluster carrying loads of medicine, blanket and masks. The bulldozers came hours later and had to run over a few homes to reach the site. People were caught unawares when the landslide happened. "There were seven people. We were about the come out. As we were thinking of coming out, suddenly the ground gave away," said Subrati, an injured man. At least 18 people died in the rain-ravaged city when rumours a lake had burst its bank triggered a stampede, taking the death toll after two days of monsoon flooding in the region to nearly 730 on Friday. A landslide at a slum near the city's suburb of Andheri killed at least 67 people, and efforts continued to retrieve dozens more bodies believed to be buried in the mud.

18 killed in Mumbai stampede following tsunami rumour (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Already battling the damaging after effects of the heavy downpour of the past few days, and the tragedy of the fire at Mumbai High North (MHN), Mumbai, India's commercial capital faced another tragedy late on Thursday night, when at least 18 persons were killed in a stampede caused by rumours of a tsunami wave attack hitting the city. The stampede incident took place in Nehrunagar and Subhashnagar slum in north-west Mumbai, and 17 people have been arrested for spreading the rumour that lead to the commotion. City Police Commissioner A N Roy told reporters today that the police force will take the strictest action against rumour- mongers if such incidents come into light in future. Rumours of a reservoir burst and Tsunami scare lead to the stampede in which 18 people, including six children and seven women, died on Thursday night.

14 injured in Srinagar militant attack, encounter still on (Go To Top)

     Srinagar: At least 14 people were injured today in a militant attack in city's busy Lal Chowk area this evening. They included five mediapersons, four securitymen and one woman. Al Mansuriyan and Jamait-ul-Mujahadeen have reportedly taken responsibility for the attack. According to the police, unidentified militants first hurled grenades, setting a police gypsy on fire. They then exploded an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). They also opened fire at a Border Security Force (BSF) armoured vehicle stationed near the Dashnami Akhara where the sacred Charhi Mubarak is kept. Charhi Mubarak is carried to the famous Amarnath cave shrine at the closing ceremony of the pilgrimage. The security personnel retaliated and a heavy exchange of fire took place. Police sources said that at least two militants were suspected to be holed up in the area. Two buildings adjacent to the Akhara have been surrounded by the security forces as the encounter is still going on. Injured mediapersons included four cameramen and two press photographers who were covering the encounter following the grenade attack. Three BSF personnel and a police constable also suffered injuries in the encounter. Five civilians were also injured.

Suspected militants kill five Hindus in Rajouri (Go To Top)

     Jammu: Suspected militants have killed at least five people in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri District on Thursday night. All the victims were Hindus. VK Singh, the deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch area, told reporters that militants stormed the Dhar Sakri area in Kandi Tehsil, kidnapped five Hindus and slit their throats in a nearby forest. "The victims have been identified as Kannel Singh, Dharam Singh, Swaran Singh, Ashok Singh and Shambar Singh," the police official said. In another incident, unidentified ultras slit the throat of Seema Akhtar, a recident of Jaglanu village last night.

No compromise on strategic needs: PM (Go To Top)
by S Roberts

     New Delhi: Taking the Opposition and the Left head on in Parliament over their criticism of the recently signed nuclear cooperation pact between India and the United States, Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh asserted that his government would never compromise the country's fundamental and strategic needs. In a 25-minute-long address in the Lok Sabha, Dr. Singh categorically asserted that he had not compromised India's fundamental and strategic needs by reaching an agreement on nuclear energy cooperation with the United States. ''I venture to think that my visit to the US has opened up new opportunities and possibilities for promoting our energy security and pathways to accelerated social and economic development,'' he said in his suo motu statement. ''Our inheritance gives us confidence, our experience gives us courage and our belief gives us conviction to assert today that our nation stands on the threshold of an even better future," Dr. Singh said, adding " Our autonomy of decision making will not be circumscribed in any manner." He further went on to say that the joint statement that he had issued along with U.S.President George W Bush on July 18 clearly referred to identifying and separating India's civilian and military nuclear facilities in a phased manner. Making it clear that New Delhi will not accept discrimination, Dr. Singh said: " There is nothing in the joint statement that suggest limiting or inhibiting our strategic nuclear weapons programme over which we will retain unrestricted, complete and autonomous control."

CPI-CPI-M difference over BHEL disinvestment (Go To Top)
by Pankaj Yadav

     New Delhi: The "differences" between the CPI and the CPI-M over the BHEL dis-investment issue came to the fore today once again when the Marxists scuttled senior CPI member Gurudas Dasguptas move to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha. Dasgupta made at least three attempts to raise the issue through a calling attention motion, but the CPI-M members joined RJD MPs in the latters high-pitched demand for the resignation of BJP chief and Leader of Opposition LK Advani, after a fresh charge- sheet being filed against him yesterday in relation to Babri demolition case. But, every time the officiating chairpersons had to adjourn the House following din in the House. While RJD and CPI-M members demanded Advanis resignation, BJP members demanded Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadavs scalp over yesterdays bomb blast in Shramjeevi Express and also him being a "tainted minister". The CPI-M members, including Muhammad Salim and Rupchand Pal, joined the RJD members, including Devendra Prasad Yadav, Ram Kripal Yadav, Alok Kumar Mehta, and Krishan Vijay, who were adamant on their demand for Advanis resignation. Despite pleas from officiating chairpersons " Charanjit Singh Atwal and Varkala Radhakrishnan " that the BHEL was utmost sensitive and must be allowed to be raised, CPI-M members didn't relent, and continued demanding Advani's resignation while thwarting Dasgupta's attempt to raise the BHEL issue. Later, BJP spokesman VK Malhotra claimed that the CPI-M had made a secret understanding with the Congress that they will not raise the BHEL issue inside the Parliament, and not bring any embarrassment to the UPA government.

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