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Indefinite curfew continues in Baramulla, Sopore, four dead

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Baramulla, July 01: An indefinite curfew continued in this and Sopore town of north Kashmir for the third day today as fresh violence erupted, in which a youth was killed and a woman was injured critically.

With this, a total of four youth were killed in security force and police firing.

Official sources said Aamir Rashid, who was injured in security force firing on June 28 evening, died in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKMIS) at Soura this morning.

New AIDS vaccine ready for trials

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Toronto, July 01: The Canadian University of Western Ontario has developed a new HIV/AIDS vaccine that is ready for human trials.

The vaccine called SAV001H has been developed by the university at London, about 160 km from here, in collaboration with Sumagen Canada, a subsidiary of the Korean pharmaceutical company.

In a statement Tuesday, Sumagen Canada said it has submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin the first phase of trials of the vaccine on human beings.

Large number of IPS posts lying vacant in UP

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Lucknow, July 01: Even when law and order is on top of the priority of Chief Minister Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, the majority of the posts directly related to internal security of the state are lying vacant.

Not only this, out of 84 posts of IPS cadre which are lying vacant at present, a large number were created by Ms Mayawati herself to improve the policing and give security to the citizens.

Life in Kashmir remains crippled due to strike

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Srinagar, July 01: Life remained crippled for the second day today’s due to a three-day strike called by the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) in the Kashmir valley.

The HC had appealed to people to observe a complete strike from yesterday, for three days, to protest the killing of two youth in a security force firing on peaceful demonstrators at Baramulla, the government’s failure to arrest those involved in the Shopian incident of rape and murder of two women, and other alleged human rights violations in the valley.

7 years on, farmers yet to get relief for acquired land

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Faizabad, July 01: Seven years after their land was acquired for Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) camps in Siddarthnagar district, poor farmers in the terai border region are yet to get any compensation. Left landless and with no jobs at hand, they are fighting to earn a living for their families.

The state government had in 2002 acquired hundreds of acres of land, all agricultural fields, for a permanent camp of the SSB, a paramilitary force guarding the Indo-Nepal border, in Siddarthnagar district that shares about 15 km of open border with Nepal.

Michael Jackson’s death gives birth to new wave of fans

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Pune, July 01: Twenty-eight-year-old Subaassh Chavaan was never a big fan of Michael Jackson. After the sudden death of the pop star, Chavaan has been showing interest in the life and times of the pop legend and has bought an audio-CD of Thriller, for the first time.

The city book stores and music shops are recording a rush of people, including first-timers like Chavaan, and sale of books and CDs of Michael Jackson is going up.

After showers, city under water

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Ludhiana, July 01: The first pre-monsoon shower in the city has highlighted the Municipal Corporations’ preparedness for the rains. A patch of Chandigarh road caved in on Tuesday morning. This road was constructed about a year ago. Now, temporary repair work is being done on the spot.

Besides, water-logging was reported in many areas. Field Ganj, Kitchlu Nagar, Purana Bazar, Kareempura and Talaab Bazaar remained water-logged for more than four hours.

In most areas, overflowing sewers added to the problem. Chocked sewer lines, sources said, cause the overflow.

Govt finally fulfills its promise, toppers get award money

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Ludhiana, July 01: The state government finally lent a helping hand to Punjab School Education Board Class XII topper Prabhjot Kaur. The topper was awarded a cheque of Rs 1 lakh by Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg today.

Neha Sharma, who ranked third in the state and first in the district in the PSEB Class X exams, too was handed over a cheque of Rs 25,000. Both the achievers needed financial support to pursue their dreams.

While Prabhjot aspires to be a fashion designer, Neha wants to be an engineer.

Ready action plan to meet power crisis, CM tells BSES

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New Delhi, July 01: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today asked power distribution company BSES to pull up its socks and submit a detailed action plan with a point-wise description to bring the system back in gear on Wednesday.

“I have asked the BSES to file a plan of action for the next 15 days by tomorrow in writing,” Dikshit said after a review meeting with MLAs on Tuesday morning.

The BJP did not attend the meeting, with Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Malhotra saying they had not been informed about the meeting.

‘Violence can’t be stopped by imposing ban’

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Kolkata, July 01: The CPI’s tirade against the Left Front government in Bengal continued with party MP Gurudas Dasgupta saying the continuous violence that has rocked several districts following the Lok Sabha polls, including Lalgarh, cannot be stopped by imposing bans.

Last week, the CPM-led LF government had agreed to implement the Centre’s ban on the CPI-Maoist party.

Make Liberhan report public: Maya

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Lucknow, July 01: Chief Minister Mayawati has demanded that the Centre makes public the Liberhan Commission report without any delay.

She also blamed Congress and BJP for the demolition of the “disputed site”. Mayawati said this while addressing mediapersons on Tuesday.

The chief minister said the Commission taking 17 years to complete its probe is not in the interest of the people.

After the stick, Buddha’s babus camp in Lalgarh with carrots

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Kolkata, July 01: After the deployment of security forces in Lalgarh, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is now sending senior IAS officers as a confidence-building measure among the people. Out of the first batch of eight officers, six left for Ground Zero on Tuesday.

They will be divided into three groups and stationed in Ramgarh, Lalgarh and Pirakata.

Come December, you can track your PF account online

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New Delhi, July 01: Beginning December, the over 4 crore Provident Fund subscribers will be able to track their accounts online, a Labour Ministry official said.

This comes eight years after the Employees Provident Fund Organisation began computerising its operations. EPFO covers over 5 lakh firms and a corpus of Rs 2.22 lakh crore. Since April 2009, a test-run is being implemented at EPFO’s office at Karnal, Haryana.

Army’s special forces to be used for NSG hubs: PC

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Chennai,July 01: Special forces of the army will be used to set up anti-terror hubs in Bangalore and Jodhpur, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the second National Security Guard hub in Chennai, he said setting up of NSG units did not mean there was an increase in terror threat to the country.

“We are also using special forces of the army. Bangalore hub is by the special forces of the army. I am trying to set up a special forces of the army in Jodhpur and one in Guwahati using the Border security force”, he said.

Taliban scrap peace deal in Pak

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Islamabad, July 01: Taliban militants in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan say they have pulled out of a peace deal with the government, raising the prospect of wider unrest as the Pakistani army extends its efforts to eliminate insurgents.

The militants in North Waziristan blamed continuing U.S. missile strikes and army offensives against the Taliban for their decision, which was announced in the wake of a Taliban ambush that killed 16 soldiers.

Red-hot Venus, Serena close in on Wimbledon final

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London, July 01: Wimbledon braced itself for a fourth all-Williams singles final on Tuesday after Venus and Serena stormed into the semi-finals as their outclassed opponents melted in 33-degree heat.

Five-time champion Venus eased to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska while Serena, a two-time champion, saw off Belarusian eighth seed Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3.

The sisters have made 12 Wimbledon finals appearances and there were few signs today that the family monopoly is about to be broken.

Dikshit in House: water shortage ‘politicised’ by BJP

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New Delhi, July 01: A day after taking stock of the water shortage in the city, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit told the Delhi Assembly today that the water crisis is not as bad as has been made out to be in the last few days.

Responding to a discussion initiated by BJP MLAs Sahib Singh Chauhan, O P Babbar and Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal, Dikshit claimed that while there is a shortage of water supply, the whole issue has been ‘politicised’ by the BJP in the Assembly.

Patient jumps off hospital window, dies

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New Delhi, July 01: A patient at Batra Hospital in Southeast Delhi allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the hospital’s second floor in the early hours of Tuesday. The deceased, Ravti Prasad, 40, was reportedly suffering from a kidney ailment and had been admitted in the hospital on June 27.

The family of the deceased, however, suspects foul play on the part of the hospital authorities and claimed that the patient was unable to walk on his own and thus could not have committed suicide.

Undergrad dental course in Jamia Islamia

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New Delhi, july 01: Jamia Millia Islamia will soon be the first central university to have an undergraduate dental college in Delhi.

The newly-opened four-storied, state-of-the-art Faculty of Dentistry at the southern tip of the university’s cricket ground will soon house fifty students of dental surgery. Plans are on to offer postgraduate courses as well.

Designed by architect Romi Khosla at the cost of Rs 45 crore, faculty member Dr Sabina Sachdeva says the biggest advantage for students is that the college’s facilities are not being shared with other medical students.

Ankle healed, Yuki clinical in win

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New Delhi, July 01: The last time Yuki Bhambri visited the DLTA Complex, he was a spectator cheering his sisters on from the sidelines as they played their matches during a women’s ITF tournament, making sure his injured ankle wasn’t put under too much strain.

On Tuesday, during his own match at the $15,000 ITF Futures tournament, a mere onlooker was what his opponent Ashwin Kumar was reduced to as the 16-year-old gave away just two games in his first-round 6-2 6-0 win.

Rail budget: Fare revision, vendor passes likely

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New Delhi, July 01: Nominal passenger fare revision, incentives on freight transport, enhanced funding for security and seasonal passes for vendors at Rs 20 are likely to be the highlights of the Railway Budget to be presented on July 3.

Besides, economic meals at stations and more Janata trains are expected to find mention in the budget as also expediting work on railway coach factory in Rae Bareli and putting the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) on fast track.

‘My baby will die here, I need food’

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Lalgarh, July 01: In a small village in Katapahari paralyzed by fear and deserted by its men fleeing the fallout of the government’s crackdown on Maoists, ‘hope’ came alive in the dead of night yesterday — helpless and despairing.

Jashomoni Mandi, one of the scores of tribal women forced to flee their homes, gave birth on the verandah of the Narcha village primary school building in the heart of Lalgarh’s battle zone and lay in her blood with her baby in her arms for a full seven hours before a village midwife arrived from Chotopelia to cut the umbilical cord.

Party forces Sibal to eat some of his bold words

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New Delhi, July 01: While BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have come out in support of Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal’s educational reforms proposals including optional Class X board examinations and a uniform board for the entire country, the minister is isolated within his own party.

At least five Congress-ruled states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Assam — have expressed reservations against his proposals. Many have also raised concerns about the Foreign University Bill whose passage is on Sibal’s priority list.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link named Rajiv Gandhi Setu

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Mumbai, July 01: The Bandra-Worli Sea Link, which was inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Mumbai on Tuesday, will be named as ‘Rajiv Gandhi Setu’.

The proposal for the same was mooted by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after the formal inauguration and immediately accepted by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

Recalling the late Prime Minister’s contribution in India’s progress as an Information Technology giant, Pawar said it was Rajiv who infused scientific temper in the new generation.

Sonia calls on Dilip Kumar at Lilavati

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Mumbai, July 01: Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday paid a visit to veteran actor Dilip Kumar at the Lilavati Hospital. According to sources, she had earlier planned her visit to the actor who is recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on the sixth floor of the Bandra-based hospital.