Rising mercury levels threaten eco-system – the pioneer – 21.4.11

IANS | London

Traces of mercury found in albatross feathers up to 120-years-old have helped determine how much sea birds and global systems are being threatened by pollution.

Researchers found that toxic levels of methylmercury, the metal’s poisonous organic form in the sea bird, have steadily increased since the onset of man-made mercury emissions.

Feathers from black-footed albatross specimens stored in two US museum collections between 1880 and 2002 showed alarming increases of mercury concentrated in bodies of birds that had eaten contaminated fish, reports the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research has shown that levels of methylmercury have been increasing in endangered species for more than a century and the pattern closely mirrors that of rising man-made mercury emissions, reports the Daily Mail.

Scientists believe the findings serve as a warning of the mercury threat not just to sea birds, but to vulnerable species in all the world’s ecosystems.

The black-footed albatross forages throughout the Pacific. Michael Bank from the Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study, said: “Methylmercury has no benefit to animal life and we are starting to find high levels in endangered and sensitive species across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.”

Mercury pollution is chiefly caused by coal-fired power stations and incinerating waste material.

The metal drops out of the air into the sea, where it works its way up the food chain. At each step, as larger species feed on smaller ones, levels of mercury in the body increase. Consumption of mercury-tainted fish has been linked to impaired neuro-development in children.

Methylmercury attacks the central nervous system, leading to numbness and unsteadiness, tiredness, ringing in the ears and problems with vision.

Car bombs in central Baghdad kill nine—the pioneer – 19.4.11

HAMID AHMED/AP | BAGHDAD

Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-packed cars on Monday outside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, killing at least nine people and wounding 23, officials said.

The blasts marked the start of a violent day in the Iraqi capital, where another bombing and a jewelery heist left two more dead and 13 wounded. The twin suicide car bombs rattled windows across Baghdad shortly after 8 am. The cars blew up just outside a security checkpoint on a heavily traveled road leading into the Green Zone from Baghdad’s international airport.

Pieces of charred flesh were still scattered at the scene hours later as a tow truck hauled away a wrecked Iraqi Humvee and other bombed-out cars.

Baghdad military spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi said the bombers appeared to be targeting the motorcades of two senior Government officials — one from the military, the other from the Cabinet — who were headed to work. He declined to elaborate.

The explosion set ablaze some of the cars that were waiting to be cleared into the Green Zone, which houses Iraq’s Parliament and Ministry offices, as well as several foreign embassies.

Two police officers and an official at al-Yarmouk hospital said nine people, including five Iraqi soldiers, were killed and 23 people were wounded in the attack. Al-Moussawi put the number of dead at six, with 14 wounded, but added that “this is not a final death toll.”

Conflicting casualty numbers are common in the immediate aftermath of attacks.

A few miles (kilometers) away, two more roadside bombs exploded a few minutes later in what appeared to be an unrelated strike. Police said nine passers-by were wounded in the attack outside a restaurant in Jadriyah, a mixed Sunni-Shia neighborhood.

Violence has ebbed across Iraq since the worst days of sectarian fighting just a few years ago that brought the country to the brink of civil war. But deadly bombings and shootings still occur on a near daily basis as insurgents seek to highlight Iraq’s continued instability as US troops prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.

By mid-morning, attackers hit another frequent target in the capital: jewelery stores.

Officials said two carloads of robbers stormed two jewelery shops in Baghdad’s eastern al-Amin area, sparking a shootout with police. A shop owner and a customer were killed, and police also shot dead one of the robbers before the attackers fled with a bag of gold and gems.

Four passers-by were also wounded, according to police and an official at al-Kindi hospital. Authorities believe insurgent groups increasingly are turning to robberies and other crimes to fund terrorist activity.

Government workers also are commonly attacked, and an Iraqi Central Bank adviser escaped an assassination attempt Monday morning when his convoy hit a roadside bomb on an eastern Baghdad highway. The adviser was not hurt, but two of his guards were wounded, police and hospital officials said.

Racket to remove uteruses of young ladies unearthed—the pioneer – 19.4.11

Pioneer News Service | Jaipur

A major racket by private hospitals to remove the uterus of young ladies has been unearthed in Dausa district. Though no arrest has been made so far, licenses of five private hospitals have been cancelled.

According to information sought under the Right to Information, over a period of six months, between March 2010 and September 2010, the uteruses of at least 226 women were removed, often without their knowledge, and the women were charged anything between `12,000 and `15,000 for such "operations", according to Durga Prasad Saini, secretary of an NGO, Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat, which got this information, through the RTI. Most of these women were between the age of 25 and 35 years, according to the information made available.

"Records of these hospitals have been seized and a committee of doctors has been formed to investigate the matter," RS Jakhar, District Collector of Dausa, said.

Talking to The Pioneer, Health Minister Duru Miyan said the Rajasthan Government was keen to curb such unethical practice by certain private hospitals and doctors.

These operations were carried under the cover of Janani Surkasha Yojna, a Government scheme under which a pregnant woman is entitled to get `1400 if she opts for delivery in a hospital and not through mid-wives in the rural areas.

Initially, this scheme was limited to only Government hospitals but some time back certain private hospitals were also brought under it. "This was done as at times all necessary facilities were not available in every Government hospital and the patients preferred a private hospital," a senior official of the health department explained.

"Soon after the delivery these women were told that if their uteruses were not removed they would suffer serious complications in near future,” Saini said. In some cases non-pregnant women were admitted for some other operation but later they found their uteruses had also been removed," Saini claimed. According to him, most of these operations were carried out in Dausa and Bandikui.

According to him, agents of these hospitals are roaming in the rural areas to get patients for such operations. For each such case they are paid `2,000 to `3,000 by the hospital management.

Celebrated author Chetan Bhagat praises Modi—The pioneer—18.4.11

PTI | Ahmedabad

Saying that there was a dearth of good leaders in the country, best-selling writer Chetan Bhagat on Sunday called on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to play a bigger role in the national politics.

Bhagat was speaking at a seminar organised by Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI), attended by the Chief Minister and Dileep Modi, President of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), among others.

Bhagat, the author of novels such as `Five Point Someone' and `2 States', said the Chief Minister was the best orator and he was feeling nervous speaking in Modi's presence.

"When I came to Ahmedabad, I felt Gujaratis possess many qualities but they don't market it well. They remain quiet. But it should be spread," Bhagat said.

"But CM sir, you are doing well here, this is only one state and 27 are still left. We wish there could be many good leaders, but we don't have....IPL is IPL, and country's team is country's team. You think over it, rest of the things you will understand anyway," Bhagat said.

The ASSOCHAM president described Modi as a father figure and an icon. "Modiji is a true icon that people look forward to follow. He is a true icon for the India's youth," he said. Both Dileep Modi and Bhagat were conferred with the first GCCI Youth Icon Awards.

Responding to the praise, the Gujarat Chief Minister said in a lighter vein that he did not know what would happen to Bhagat and Dileep Modi (now that they had praised him).

Expressing displeasure over the criticism of those who praise him or the state, Narendra Modi said, "This is a matter of concern... In which direction the country is going is unclear. Why can't difference of opinion be honoured?"

The problem is not only faced by Anna Hazare (for praising Modi). Some are waiting for opportunity (to criticise Gujarat) while some have announced that if you entered into an MoU with the Gujarat government, you shall face the music in the form of raids by Income Tax department," he said, adding that there must be a limit to "shamelessness".

IT Department recently sought details of high-investment MoUs that Gujarat government had signed during Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Almost 20% candidates have criminal record: NGO – The Pioneer – 18.4.11

Pioneer News Service | Kolkata

Even as the Election Commission has earmarked almost half of the poll booths in West Bengal as sensitive, a study done by an NGO has found that almost 19 per cent of the candidates in the fray in the first phase of elections have a criminal background in the sense that they all have cases pending against them.

According to the EC, about 28,000 booths in the State are sensitive. There are 51,919 booths in Bengal. The Commission has also found that out of the 28,000 booths 23,300 booths are highly sensitive.

The EC has appointed 13 police observers of the ranks of DIGs and above to supervise the elections.

The NGO studied the records of 253 candidates and found that 49 had criminal cases pending against them. Apart from that, 143 candidates in the first phase have not filed their income tax returns. There are candidates who have not filed I-T returns notwithstanding owning assets more than one crore rupees, sources said.

Interestingly, out of the candidates participating in the first phase, 29 have PG degrees, the NGO said, adding more than 50 per cent of the candidates in the fray were more than 50-years of age.

Though elections in Bengal always a political sensitive State have been an exciting affair no less thrilling than Durga Pujas or the great Kolkata Book Fair this time round it has a special appeal particularly against the backdrop of a wave for change blowing across the State.

Meanwhile, sources in Jalpaiguri administration said that, though the security forces were ready to thwart any kind of unfair practices the electioneering could take a beating after reports of raids by wild elephants in parts of Alipurduar.

"The people are afraid of coming out in these parts of the sub-division", a source said. He added it was the mating season for elephants and the animals could turn violent on seeing queues of voters and the resultant din. The jumbo scare reportedly even came in the way of poll campaigning in the past couple of days, sources added.