Was Ishrat a terrorist? CBI, IB await NIA reply

Was Ishrat a terrorist? CBI, IB await NIA reply IB Claims Headley Marked Ishrat As An Ultra Neeraj Chauhan & Deeptiman Tiwary TNN  New Delhi: On the back foot with CBI claiming to have enough evidence against its officer in the Ishrat Jahan “fake encounter” case, Intelligence Bureau (IB) has recently written to the agency claiming that Pakistani-American jihadi DavidColeman Headley’stestimony established Ishrat as a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)terrorist.     IB said that according to information received by from the US’FBI, Headley’s interrogation confirmed Ishrat’s affiliation as a member of LeT. According to the letter, 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi – under detention in Pakistan – had told Headley that top jihadi Muzammil Bhat had claimed to have recruited a female suicide bomber named Ishrat Jahan and had plans to attack several religious places in Gujarat. Sourcesin thehome ministry supportedIB’sclaim.     To verify the IB’s claim CBI has approachedtheNationalInvestigation Agency (NIA), which interrogated Headley in the US. It has, however, not received any cooperation from NIA,saysCBI. “We are yetto get any reply from NIA in this regard,” said a top official.     NIA claims it has not received any communication from the CBI on Headley. A senior NIAofficialsaid, “Noletter or official communication has been sent to us. Even if it is, there are legal complications and the statement of Headley cannotbeshared.”     CBI officials see this as a roadblock in their probe against IB special director Rajinder Kumar, who has been summoned for questioning as an accused in the alleged fake encounter.     Interestingly,IB’sclaims are not part of NIA’s interrogation reporton Headley.In April2011, theGujaratHChadsoughtclarification from NIA on media reports and in its submission before the court through a letter, NIAsaid, “(assertions) made regarding Headley making statement on Ishrat is purely in the nature of hearsay, it does not have any evidentiary value”. CBI sources, however, say these details are inconsequential to its investigation. “Focus of the agency's probe has never been theintelligenceinputwhichled to the controversial encounter. We are probing whether intelligence officers were active participants in the conspiracy which led to the killing of 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan in the incident,” said a senior CBI official.  CBI counting on Guj cops’ testimony New Delhi: A statement of senior Gujarat cops before a magistrate naming IB special director Rajinder Kumar in the Ishrat Jahan “fake encounter” case is a crucial evidence that the CBI has against the official. The statement under section 164 CrPC naming Kumar has been filed by a few Gujarat cops, who were part of the crime branch during the encounter in 2004, and are now witnesses against the official. CBI is likely to arrest Kumar soon. TNN

Blast outside Af top court kills 17

Blast outside Af top court kills 17 Kabul: A suicide car bomber on Tuesday rammed a bus packed with staff of Afghanistan’s top court, killing 17 and wounding 39 in the second attack in two days in the heavily fortified capital, police said.     The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had punished judges for “justifying the invading infidels” in sentencing to death Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government.     All those injured or killed in the powerful explosion outside the supreme court and near the US embassy were civilians and included women and children, officials said.      General Mohammad Zahir, head of Kabul criminal investigations, said the bomber rammed a bus carrying supreme court staff. Officials said it happened at around 4pm, the end of the working day in Afghanistan.      “A suicide bomb hit at the back of a Coaster causing lots of civilian casualties, dead and wounded,” Zahir said. AGENCIES

Shukla dies 17 days after Maoist attack

Shukla dies 17 days after Maoist attack TIMES NEWS NETWORK  New Delhi: Former Union minister and veteran Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla died on Tuesday in a Gurgaon hospital after losing a 17-day battle against debilitating bullet wounds inflicted during a Maoist ambush on a Congress convoy deep in the jungles of Bastar. The 84-year-old leader, who succumbed to multiple organ failure at 2.38pm, is the seniormost politician to be assassinated by the Maoists till date. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.     His body was brought to AIIMS for postmortem before being flown to Raipur for the last rites. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi drove to AIIMS to pay their respects to Shukla. The BJP-led Chhattisgarh government has declared a three-day mourning.      Shukla, as a close aide and a Cabinet colleague of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was part of the Congress brass which enforced the Emergency from 1975 to 1977.

CBI books ex-mantri Dasari, Cong MP Jindal in Coalgate

CBI books ex-mantri Dasari, Cong MP Jindal in Coalgate In Quid Pro Quo Deal Jindal Put 2.48Cr In Dasari’s Film Co TIMES NEWS NETWORK  New Delhi/Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed an FIR in the Coalgate case in which industrialist and Congress MP Naveen Jindal and former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao have been named. The CBI has alleged that Dasari was paid kickbacks for favouring coal block allocation to the Jindal firm.      Besides Jindal and Rao, the CBI has also booked companies Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), Gagan Sponge Iron Limited, Jindal's companies--Jindal Realty and ND Exim and Dasari's company Sowbhagya Media Ltd. Apart from them, unknown members of screening committee, which cleared the allocation, and unknown directors of accused private companies also figure in the FIR. CBI sources said H C Gupta, the then coal secretary, is among those under investigation. After registering the FIR, CBI sources said the agency on Tuesday carried out searches at 15 locations including residence and offices of Jindal in Delhi and that of Dasari in Hyderabad. Dasari was Union minister of state for coal between 2004-08.     CBI director Ranjit Sinha told TOI that ex-minister Rao is being probed in another Coalgate case too. The agency is also looking at the allocation of at least four more coal blocks to Jindal’s companies when Rao was in the ministry, another CBI official said. They said Naveen Jindal’s questioning was imminent. “We will call Rao soon but Naveen Jindal would be called later when he comes back from London,” said a senior CBI officer.     In its FIR, the CBI said there was a quid pro quo arrangement between Dasari and the Jindal companies. In return for Dasari doling out 7 coal mines for the Jindal Steel and Power Ltd company, the latter invested Rs 2.48 crore in the film production company of the coal minister, it said.     It is the CBI’s case that Sowbhagya Media Limited, Dasari’s film production and distribution company, received funds from New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd, Jindal’s company, on December 8, 2008. When Sowbhagya was selling for Rs 30 per share at the bourses, New Delhi Exim purchased the same at Rs 100 per share, that too in preferential manner. Jindal’s investment in Dasari’s company was in return for the favour that the coal minister doled out between June and October that same year by allocating coal blocks at Amarkonda Murgadangal in Birbhum, Jharkhand, Gare Palma IV (Chhattisgarh), Jitpur (Jharkhand), Ramchandi (Orissa) and Urtan North (Madhya Pradesh) in favour of Jindal Steel and Power Company Ltd.  PIT FALL     Raids at 15 locations including residence and offices of Jindal and Dasari in Delhi and Hyderabad     In return for Dasari doling out 7 coal mines for Jindal Steel, the latter invested 2.48 crore in Dasari’s film production company Sowbhagya Media     Jindal’s co New Delhi Exim bought 2 lakh shares of Sowbhagya at 100 when its market value was only 30

Organisers unsure of holding fish medicine event next year

Organisers unsure of holding fish medicine event next year Curtain Falls On Two-Day Event, Turnout Pegged At Over 2 Lakh TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Hyderabad: The two-day fish prasadam event, that draws thousands of asthma patients looking for a miracle cure by devouring live fingerlings, came to a close on Sunday. However, organisers said they were unsure of hosting it again next year.     The Bathini family’s dilemma stems from the umpteen hurdles they faced this year and the fact that the government seems to be in no mood to support them next year. They were first made to run from pillar to post to get a venue and were later dealt a blow when the Lokayukta criticized the government’s support saying the ‘fish medicine’ has not been scientifically proven. The Lokayukta relented for this year after it was informed that people had already turned up for the medicine.     Even as the High Court has stayed the Lokayukta order for this year, the Bathini family, which discovered the ‘cure’ several decades ago, is a worried lot. “We are hoping the government will support us in the future too. If not, it would be very difficult for us to provide this service on our own,” said Harinath Goud, a senior member of the family. “We do this service for free and we are very weak financially. How can we foot the bill for the arrangements and the venue?” he asked.     However, notwithstanding the legal tangles and the stampede that occurred last year, thousands of people from across the country turned up for the distribution this year. "Till I landed here, I did not know there was any controversy. For me and many others from outside the state, such things do not matter as we will come here for the medicine anyway. We believe that this medicine will cure asthma," said Surinder Singh from Delhi, who was here last year also.     The fisheries department said the turnout was more than last year, with 40,765 fingerlings supplied as compared to around 38,000 last year. “Apart from the fingerlings supplied by the fisheries department, there were a few private vendors who sold it at the venue,” Harinath said. This apart, many vegetarians opted for the medicine stuck into jaggery. “We had prepared the medicine for 3 lakh people and it is almost over,” said a Bathini family member. Others pegged the turnout at more than 2 lakh.     The medicine was administered by the Bathini brothers on the occasion of ‘Mrigasira Karthi’ from 1 pm on Saturday to 1 pm on Sunday. However the crowds swelled mainly in the early hours of Sunday as the rains lashed the city on Saturday evening. After the curtains fell at the Nampally event, the service was provided at the ancestral home of the Bathini family in Doodhbowli.     "This medicine cured me of the asthma. I had come even last year but it was utter chaos. I hope they conduct it at Exhibition Grounds in the future too since any other place would cause great inconvenience to the public,” Mahesh Kumar from Warangal.

Gunman on rampage in US, 6 dead

Gunman on rampage in US, 6 dead Washington: At least six people were killed as a gunman went on a rampage in southern California, before being shot down by the police at a college library, some three miles away from where US President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser.     According to Santa Monica police chief Jacqueline Seabrooks, the gunman was 25 to 30 years old and dressed all in black, wearing what appeared to be a ballistic jacket. Another person of interest is said to be in police custody.     “We are not convinced 100% that the suspect who was killed operated in a solo or alone capacity,” Seabrooks said at a hurriedly convened news conference.     It was not immediately clear where all the deceased victims were killed. In all six people — all women — were taken to two hospitals, including two in critical condition, one of whom died, local media reported.     Seabrooks said there were at least six incidents across the city ending in the Santa Monica College.     A witness said she heard a noise, realized it was a gunshot, then took off running. Then, in a hallway, she saw a dark-haired man whom she initially mistook for a police officer but later realized was the shooter. The man was quiet and walking casually. “(He had) a big shotgun,” the woman said. PTI

Thousands throng for fish prasadam

Thousands throng for fish prasadam 23,000 Take Fingerlings On First Day; Mela To Continue Till Today Afternoon TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Hyderabad: Thousands thronged the fish prasadam mela at Exhibition Grounds that started on Saturday afternoon. Asthma patients from across the country and abroad started queuing up for the tokens right from early hours of Saturday and by 8pm around 23,000 murrel fingerlings were sold. Vegetarians are given the same medicine mixed in jaggery.     No untoward incident was reported unlike last year when a person died in the stampede that also left several injured at Katedan. Elaborate arrangements were made for the 24-hour event that was guarded by 800 policemen and would continue till Sunday afternoon. The event is held on the occasion of Mrigasira Karti every year.     While the number of people seeking this traditional remedy for asthma has been dipping over the last few years with some officials saying that the recent court case further contributed to the fall in numbers this year, Saturday saw several patients who travelled long distances from across the country seeking the ‘miracle cure’ for asthma. Among the fish medicine seekers were people from Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jammu, Bhopal and UP.     “I took fish prasadam for three consecutive years and was cured. Ever since, I have been getting my friends and relatives who suffer from asthma to Hyderabad every year,” said R B Diamond, who came all the way from Korba, Chhattisgarh, along with seven members this time including four children suffering from asthma. “Many children cannot study properly because of asthma,” said Diamond, who is a teacher.     Saleem Bagwani, 60, from Pune travelled with his wife. Unable to stand in the long queue, Saleem, a severe asthmatic, was waiting in the shed for the crowd to thin to take the fish prasadam for the first time. “We stood in the queue for tokens for several hours from 8am,” said a breathless Saleem.     S G Koti, a driver with the road transport corporation hailing from Athani, Belgaum (Karnataka) got 15 people including eight women battling asthma in the hope of getting a cure. “I took the prasadam for three years and I don’t need to depend on inhalers and medication anymore,” said Koti, adding that before taking the fish prasadam, his monthly expenditure for the illness was around Rs 500 and but now he does not spend anything. According to Koti, from Athani alone three truck-load of people came to Hyderabad for the fish prasadam.     Tulasi Ram from Ghaziabad, who brought along his asthmatic son-in-law, was all praise for the arrangements at the venue. “Last year, we faced lot of problems at Katedan. This year, the arrangements are good,” said Ram.     Exhibition Society members said with the AP High Court quashing the Lokayukta order, they are not sure whether Bathini family would need to pay the rent of Rs 2.69 lakh.     Meanwhile, several NGOs and the water board ensured availability of food and water to make the stay of the people comfortable. District health officials, who deployed medical teams at the venue, said two asthmatics who developed complications were referred to Gandhi Hospital on Saturday.     “The event passed off smoothly. Compared to last year, there are more people this year. People from Middle East, UK and US have also come this year,” claimed Bathini Harinath Goud from the Bathini family that administers the fish prasadam

US govt looking at your FB, Skype, Gmail data

US govt looking at your FB, Skype, Gmail data TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Washington/New Delhi: The world woke on Friday morning to news that the US government’s surveillance of people is much wider than initially thought and extends beyond America.     For the last six years, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been able to access e-mails, videos, pictures, social networking details, and connection logs from the servers of Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Facebook, Skype and other leading US tech companies.     According to classified documents leaked by an insider in the government, a top-secret electronic surveillance US program named PRISM allows targeting of customers of major US tech companies outside the US. This pretty much means the entire world, since most of the world’s Internet infrastructure is based in US and most electronic communications also pass through the US.      While companies named in the leaks have denied the existence of PRISM or their cooperation with the program, Indian users would have no way to defend themselves if US agencies were to compel the firms to allow access to their data. Each message you send through Gmail or your iPhone in India, each call you make from Skype, each post you make on Facebook can be stored and monitored because they are routed through servers in the US.     Pavan Duggal, a cyber law specialist, said, “Indian users don’t have protection against US authorities seeking data from US companies. If a company is based in US, it can be made to share its data with US authorities even if the data belongs to a non-US user who doesn’t stay in the

Govt support to fish medicine only for this year: Lokayukta

Govt support to fish medicine only for this year: Lokayukta Bathinis Told To Procure Fishlings, Pay Rent To Exhibition Society TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Hyderabad: Making it clear that the state cannot sponsor or support superstitions, Lokayukta Justice B Subhashan Reddy on Wednesday directed the state government to stay away from the conduct of the fish medicine camp held annually by Bathini Harinath Goud. “Except the blind belief among people that this fishling stuffed with some substance would, when swallowed, cure asthma and ailments related to lungs, there is no scientific basis for the same,” the judge said.     However,the Lokayukta allowed the state government to extend logistic support like providing bandobast, water, toilets, ambulance, etc to the camp for this year alone. The Bathinis, however, were directed to procure fishlings on their own for this year’s event, to be held between 8 am and 8 pm on June 8 and 9. “No such support would be available to the organisers of this camp from next year onwards,” Justice Subhashan Reddy said and ruled that the organisers should make arrangements on their own from next year onwards.     The judge made this order after hearing petitioner Atchuta Rao of AP Baalala Hakkula Sangham who wanted the court to direct the organisers not to administer this medicine to children. The judge heard from the authorities of GHMC, police and revenue wings their side of the story on the reasons for their support to the event.     The judge in his nine-page order said that both the AP High Court and the city civil court had earlier held that this fish medicine had no medicine in it and there was no basis to show that this medicine would cure any ailments. However, the judge said that since the courts or experts who went into the issue earlier came to a conclusion that this substance was neither useful nor harmful to humans, he could not direct the authorities to prevent Harinath Goud from organising this camp. “He is not publicising the event and people come every year to avail this ‘medicine’,” the judge said. “It is like faith healing and Harinath can be seen as a faith healer,” he said. Justice Subhashan Reddy further ruled that the Exhibition Society which charges Rs 2.7 lakh for letting out the venue for the fish prasadam event, should collect the same from Harinath Goud. It can offer him the facility and amount can be collected in installments, he added.     Later, addressing the media, Subhashan Reddy said that the revenue authorities had informed him that the land that was allotted to Bathini Harinath Goud by the state in Hyderabad earlier was being taken back because the land was not put to use by him for the specified purpose so far.

BJP surges on Modi, Cong flounders, Nitish jolted

BJP surges on Modi, Cong flounders, Nitish jolted Saffrons Bag 6/6 in Guj, TMC Keeps Howrah TIMES NEWS NETWORK  New Delhi: The Lok Sabha and assembly bypoll results in four states offer no cheer to Congress, deliver a boost to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, bring succour to Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and present Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with a reality check.     Wednesday’s standout result was BJP’s clean sweep of two LS and six assembly seats in Gujarat. Modi immediately hailed the victories as a signal that Congress’s time in office is up. As the assembly seats were held by Congress,  they amplify BJP’s success.     Congress’s continued poor run will give the Opposition a leg-up ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament where it may be even less inclined to cooperate with the government. The poor results shrink Congress’s political capital, impacting its capacity for unilateralism.     The ruling party may not have the stomach for bold decisions on issues like Telangana and reforms as it will now have to focus on crucial elections in major states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.     Now, BJP holds 17 of Gujarat’s 26 LS seats and the results are bound to resonate at the meeting of the party’s national executive in Goaover the weekend where the debate over projecting Modi as PM is likely to crop up.     Congress turncoat Vitthal Radadia’s thumping win in Porbandar, hometown of Congress state chief Arjun Modhwadia, points to the party’s reduced fortunes. Spurred by a rising hype over Modi, BJP has reiterated its dominance in Gujarat.     Modi and Nitish Kumar were in Delhi on Wednesday at a meeting of CMs where they did not exchange a word.     The Bihar CM did not offer any reaction to rival RJD retaining the Maharajganj LS seat with a 137,000-vote margin.     RJD nominee Prabhunath Singh’s win is seen as a cause for some concern for Kumar, although the seat had been held by the rival camp. In 2009, RJD had scraped through on less than 3,000 votes.     It may, however, be premature to read the Bihar result solely as a result of Kumar’s growing estrangement with the BJP. The constituency has a good presence of upper castes with Rajputs backing the RJD nominee. The area is influenced by controversial former MP Shahbuddin and Yadavs continue to back Lalu Prasad.     In fact, some observers maintain, Janata Dal(U) might have benefitted had BJP put up a candidate as this could have split the Rajput and Bhumihar support for RJD in this election.  BYPOLL BOOST FOR BJP & MODI LOK SABHA Porbandar | BJP Vitthal Radadia defeats Cong candidate by 1.34 lakh votes Sabarkantha | BJP Haribhai Chaudhary defeats Cong’s Krishna Gadhvi by over 71 000 votes Maharajganj | RJD | RJD’s Prabhunath Singh defeats P K Shahi of JD(U) by 1.37 lakh votes Howrah (WB) | Trinamool | Prasun Banerjee beats CPM’s Sridip Bhattacherje by 27,000 votes  Assembly Dhoraji (GUJ) | BJP Pravin Mankadia defeats Cong’s Haribhai Patel by 11,497 votes Morva Hadaf (GUJ) | BJPNimisha Suthar defeats Cong’s Bhupendrasinh Khant by 17,716 votes Jetpur (GUJ) | BJPRadadia’s son Jayesh defeats Cong’s Jagdish Pambhar by 52,910 votes Limbadi (GUJ) | BJPKiritsinh Rana defeats Cong’s Satish Patel by 24,787 votes Yavatmal (MAHA) | Cong Nandini Parvekar defeats BJP’s Madan Yerawar by 15,233 votes Cong continues to lose ground in major states  New Delhi: On the whole, BJP is not seen to have been a significant factor while Prabhunath Singh – a controversial leader – is a heavy weight.     The Maharajganj outcome may not influence Kumar’s resolve to leave NDA if Modi is projected as the PM as it is not seen as a reflection of the JD(U)-BJP rift. But the results do underline the need for Kumar to account for discontent among influential caste groups like Bhumihars and tone up the state administration.     The failure of JD(U) candidate P K Shahi, a Bhumihar, to receive the support of his caste indicates that Kumar will need to re-calibrate his election strategy to account for a four-cornered contest in which he must grab a sizeable section of the minority vote.     The Bihar result brought cheer to Lalu Prasad, but this does not necessarily mean he is on the comeback trail. A more splintered vote where BJP puts up its nominee can spell trouble for him. At the same time, he can bask in his moment of success, particularly in the light of a large victory margin

Decorated J&K cop arrested for terror links

Decorated J&K cop arrested for terror links Sanjay Khajuria TNN  Jammu: AdecoratedJammu & Kashmir police sub-inspector (SI) was among two cops arrested on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in a grenade attack on a police post at Thathri in Doda district.      Sources said Shiv Krishan Sharma, a recipient of President's gallantry award for his role in anti-insurgency operations, was arrested on the basis of the disclosures of five men arrested for the attackon April27.His personal security officer, Mohd Ayub, has been arrested as well. Police had claimed to have solved the case on May 23 with the arrest of the five --Abdul Rashid, Akhter Hussain, Mohammad Rafi, Altaf Hussain and Mohammad Yaqoob. They told police that Sharma had given them weapons and explosives recovered from them.     Sources said the five were allegedly planning some political killings without elaborating further.  8 hurt in Kashmir grenade attack Srinagar: At least eight people, including two policemen, were wounded after a grenade aimed at an Army vehicle missed its target and went off on a street on Tuesday. TNN

Reds kill CRPF officer in fresh violence

Reds kill CRPF officer in fresh violence 50 Personnel Were On A Combing Op When Rebels Fired TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Raipur: An assistant commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was killed on Saturday in a Maoist firing at village Khallari, about 15km from Nagri town in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.     Police sources said CRPF assistant commandant S K Das was killed in the encounter.     Following a tip-off about the presence of rebels in the area, CRPF 211 battalion’s around 50 personnel were on a combing operation, when the rebels fired indiscriminately, leading to the encounter.      The attack comes a week after the mowing down of Congress leaders and their security personnel. One of them was Mahendra Karma’s personal security officer who died due to his wounds on Saturday, taking the toll up to 30.     “PSO Siyaram Singh, who received serious intestinal injuries in the gun fire, died of multiple organ failure at the hospital,” police sources said.     He had received bullet injuries which caused the infection.     Meanwhile, anti-insurgency operations in and around Darbha is getting hampered by booby traps laid by the Maoists.     Every inch of the land in the area gives an impression that there could be some sort of explosives which might take off if stepped on or even touched.     An example of a booby trap: an effigy of chief minister Raman Singh lay by a tree with a note, “Hamari jan adalat Raman Singh ko fansi ki saja deti hai (our people’s court orders Raman Singh to be hanged till death).     This was near Narayanpur area. Before the effigy could be taken down, a cow began grazing the area and when it got close to it, the effigy exploded, wounding the cow severely.     The effigy was stuffed with explosives.

Painkillers can up heart attack risk

Painkillers can up heart attack risk Kounteya Sinha TNN  London: Two of the world’s most common painkillers taken in high doses over a long period of time increases the chances of heart attack.     The painkillers Ibuprofen and Diclofenac, called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are used by millions of Indians. A study announced by the Lancet on Thursday showed that 11 out of 1,000 people who pop these pills regularly and in high doses will suffer a heart attack.     High doses of NSAIDs, researchers say, increases major vascular events (non-fatal heart attacks, strokes, and death) by around a third, mainly by increasing the risk of heart attacks.     Importantly, the risk is highest in those with a previous history of heart disease or people prone to high blood pressure or cholesterol.     NSAIDs have been used by people with inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. Earlier research has linked their use with an increased risk of serious gastrointestinal complications, while a new generation of NSAIDs (coxibs) developed to reduce these gastrointestinal side effects have come under scrutiny for increasing the risk of heart attacks and death.

‘Peer pressure driving students to suicide’

‘Peer pressure driving students to suicide’ Nikhila Henry TNN  Hyderabad: At least 17 students have committed suicide in corporate junior colleges in the last two years and more than a dozen students run away from their hostels every year, police records reveal. Peer pressure to excel in private residential colleges is said to be the main reason behind this.     The suicide of a 16-year-old Intermediatefirst-year studentof Narayana Residential Junior College in Madhapur on Wednesday underscored how academic pressure to study for 18 hours a day was forcing studentstotaketheextremestep.     “Suicides among students in Intermediate colleges could be due to a gamut of reasons starting with academic pressure. There are several cases of suicides caused due to failure in examinations,” Anurag Sharma, commissioner of police, told TOI.     Police had also lodged three attempts to suicide cases against students from three private colleges in the city in 2013, where scores of students have been trying to flee from residential facilities, where they are also forced to study for long hours, said the city’s top educationists and cops.     Alarmingly, it is not just Hyderabad which is getting rocked with these cases of suicides. According to police records collected from various districts in AP, where main branches of many private junior colleges are located, about 12 to 15 students go missing every year only to be sent back to the same college by their parents, who want them to prepare for competitive examinations.     For instance, Edupugallu, located between Vijayawada andGuntur,known as the coaching capital of Andhra region, had registered19 missing casesof junior college students, who had run away fearing examinations in 2010.     In another case, Vizianagaram, which hosts over 50 junior college coaching centres, has recorded about eight police cases filed by parents of missing children. Even in Hyderabad, the number of missing complaints filed by parents went up to six in the past two years.     The trend has been catching up for the past five years with the competition for admissions in IITs, IIITs and medical colleges becoming tougher year by year. The students usually go missing for just two to three days, however, indicating higher pressure on them.     The reason for this seemingly dangerous trend could be the pattern of studies in these colleges experts said.     “Students are admitted in bulk to these colleges but only those who fare well in the term examinations are given attention. The crème de la crème of students who join these colleges are given the assistance of best teachers to turn them into rank holders. The college management does not pay any attention to average or below average students,” said P Madhusudan Reddy, a city educationist.     In whatseemstobe a formof academic apartheid, students who join corporate colleges are screened during internal examinations and later on separated into groups.     “The best performers reach the central office campus of the private college where teachers give them much attention. Those who do not make it to this top list are left with substandard teachers,” said Achyuta Rao, a child rights activist.     Cause of suicides and the man missing cases could also be the rigorous schedule the students go through on a day to day basis, observers said. In residential facilities in colleges, students are made to study for about 18 hours including the classroom teaching sessions.     “Not all students can cope with this schedule,” a teacher from a private college in the city admitted. Junior college officials,however,saidthatin mostcases students who do not like the subject from the very beginning quit the course.  Times View Suicides by several young lives due to academic pressure to excel is a cause for serious concern. The government should immediately order an inquiry to find out the kind of pressure students are subjected to inside the residential colleges spread across Andhra Pradesh. Students who run away from campus must also be questioned to find out more about the grueling schedule.

more and more Indians stopped believing in God

‘More & more Indians have stopped believing in God’ Kounteya Sinha | TNN  London: The latest Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism has found that the number of non-religious people in India has risen.     As against 87% saying they were religious in the same survey in 2005, the percentage has fallen to 81% in 2013. In other words, a drop by 6% in seven years.     The survey also found a 1% dip in the number of people calling themselves atheists. In 2005, 4% people said they didn’t believe in God. In 2012, that had dipped to 3%.     Globally, the trend is similar. Religiosity has dropped by 9%, while atheism has risen by 3%. The report says there is a notable decline across the globe in self-description of being religious.      Pakistan is among the few countries which has seen an increase in the number of people who call themselves religious. The number increased by 6%.     Argentina, home to the present Pope, saw an 8% dip in people calling themselves religious.     South Africa has seen a 19% dip in those calling themselves religious, United States 13%, Switzerland and France 21% and Vietnam 23%.     A total of 51,927 persons were interviewed globally from 57 countries in five continents. In each country, a national probability sample of around 1,000 men and women was interviewed.     China has the highest number of atheists living in a single country with nearly 50% of its population describing themselves as nonbelievers compared to an average of 13% across the world.

Woman dies, delivers babe, returns to life

NEW LEASE OF LIFE Woman dies, delivers baby, returns to life Her Heart Stopped Beating 3 Weeks Before The Child Was Due, Revived After C-Sec Birth Houston: In a miracle, a 36-week pregnant American woman, who was technically dead as her heart had stopped, has delivered a ‘normal’ baby.     In February, Erica Nigrelli, a teacher at Elkins High School in Missouri City, was teaching English when she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to steady herself and then passed out.     Her colleagues immediately grabbed her. They kept her alive until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital.      Nigrelli’s husband, Nathan, also a teacher at the school, was just two doors down. He rushed into the room.     “I opened the door and walked in. Erica was lying on the floor, she was foaming and making gurgling sounds and just staring up,” he was quoted as saying by CNN affiliate KPRC.     “My wife is pregnant,” he said. “She’s having a seizure! The baby’s due in three weeks!”     By the time 32-year-old Erica was rushed to the hospital, doctors could not find a pulse. Her heart had stopped.     Doctors delivered the baby by emergency cesarean section. Technically, it was a postmortem delivery because Erica’s heart was not beating, the report said.     But then something remarkable happened. The doctors turned to Erica and soon her heart started beating again.     Now three months later, doctors said her baby — named Elayna — is getting healthier.     “She’s just a baby,” said Erica. “A normal baby.”     It's a miracle considering how Elayna came into this world, doctors said, adding Nigrelli technically died, gave birth, and was brought back to life.     “Nine times out of ten most people die from the initial collapse,” said Erica. “It was literally a ticking time bomb, it just happened when I was 36 weeks pregnant.”     Now, the mother and the baby are both home and doing great, the report said. PTI

Myanmar state sets 2-child limit for Muslim

Myanmar state sets 2-child limit for Muslims Yangon: Authorities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state have introduced a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families in an effort to ease tensions with the Rohingya’s Buddhist neighbours after a spate of deadly sectarian violence, an official said on Saturday.     Local officials said the new measure — part of a policy that will also ban polygamy — will be applied to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maundaw, are about 95% Muslim.     The measure was enacted a week ago after a government-appointed commission investigating the violence issued proposals to ease tensions, which included family planning programmes to stem population growth among minority Muslims, said Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing. The commission also recommended doubling the number of security forces in the volatile region. “The population growth of Rohingya Muslims is 10 times higher than that of Rakhine (Buddhists),’’ Win Myaing said. “Overpopulation is one of the causes of tension.’’     Sectarian violence in Myanmar first flared nearly a year ago in Rakhine state between the region’s Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya. Mobs of Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Muslims.     Since the violence, religious unrest has morphed into a campaign against the country’s Muslim communities in other regions.     Containing the strife has posed a serious challenge to President Thein Sein’s reformist government as it attempts to institute political and economic liberalization. It has also tarnished the image of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been criticized for failing to speak out strongly in defence of the embattled Muslim community. AP

Salwa Judum founder Karma killed by Reds

Raipur: In the most lethal attack so far in Chhattisgarh, Maoists on Saturday hit a Congress party convoy in Bastar, killing top party leader Mahendra Karma, the man who started the anti-Naxal campaign called Salwa Judum, as police counted 17 dead, many among them well-known state Congress leaders, and several injured. 
    Former Union minister and ex-Madhya Pradesh CM Vidya Charan Shukla was seriously injured with three bullet wounds. TV images showed Shukla on the ground, his face blood-splattered and huge blotches of blood on his abdomen. He was first taken to a hospital in Jagdalpur and later flown to Raipur where doctors described his condition as “very critical”. Local leadets said party vice-president Rahul Gandhi was expected to reach Raipur late Saturday night before Shukla is shifted to Delhi by an air ambulance.
    State Congress President chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh went missing from the spot after the attack and were suspected to have been abducted by the Maoists, sources said. They were travelling with Sukma Congress legislator Kawasai Lakma, who was injured in the attack. Nand Kumar and Dinesh jumped out of the car and were not seen thereafter.
    The group of Congress leaders and party workers were ambushed at Darba Ghati valley around 5.30pm as they were driving out of the rebel stronghold of Sukma in Bastar district towards Jagdalpur after attending a rally as part of Parivartan Yatra to kick off party’s campaign for the assembly polls. Police said that some cars leading the convoy hit land mines and then the entire convoy came under a hail of gunfire as more than 150 combatants ringed them.
    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the situation with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders. The PM called up chief minister Raman Singh to offer para-military reinforcements. The CM had returned to Raipur, cancelling his Vikas Yatra, to hold an emergency meeting of the state cabinet. Karmaji is no more. We don’t have any more details”, a close relative told TOI over telephone. ‘Cops were well aware of Naxalite threat’ 
Raipur: Sources said Karma was dragged out of his vehicle along with his PSO and shot dead. A local television correspondent Naresh Mishra, who was at the remote ambush spot, said he saw the bullet-ridden bodies of Karma, former Congress legislator Uday Mudaliyar and more than 10 others. It took security reinforcements several hours to reach the spot as they had to walk for fear of landmines on the road leading to the spot. It’s standard procedure for Maoists to plant mines in and around such spot of attacks to targetsecurity forces rushing for rescue and relief operations. Former MLA and prominent tribal leader Phulo Devi Netam was among the wounded.
    The attack on opposition Congress leaders came a day before the bandh called by the Maoists to protest againsttheMay17killings of eight tribals, including three children, by the security forces during an anti-Naxalite operation. Mahendra Karma, who had spearheadedthecontroversial anti-Naxalite movement Salwa Judum since 2005, was on Maoist hitlist and survived several attempts on his life. Few months ago, Karma escaped unhurt when Maoists triggered a powerful landmine blast targeting his vehicle.
    Meanwhile, Congress blamed the state government for the incident alleging that it did not provide adequate security to the ‘Parivartan Yatra’, despite having specific information that the Maoists could target mainstream political parties and its leaders’ political campaigns ahead of the next assembly elections.
    “Police was well aware about a possible Maoist threat to both Vikas Yatra by chief minister Raman Singh and Parivartan Yatra by the Congress leaders. Yet it did not provide adequate security to the opposition leaders,” senior Congress leader and former minister Satyanarayan Sharma said.