The Assam government has sounded an alert after heavy monsoon rains covered more than 300 villages; displace an approximate 200,000 people in the last two days.
Four districts of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat and Nagaon have been most affected.
Most of the displaced people are now stuck at temporary shelters on raise embankment.
Details are awaited.
In an important move the Delhi High Court (DHC) has legally recognized gay sex with a condition that "the provision of section 377 IPC will continue to rule non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non vaginal sex involving minors".
Section 377 of the IPC so far criminalized homosexuality among agreeable adults. The DHC call this aspect of the section against the fundamental rights. "We declare section 377 of IPC in so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of Articles 14, 21 and 15 of the Constitution," a Bench comprising Chief Justice A. P. Shah and Justice S. Murlidhar said.
The court clarified that "by adults we mean everyone who is 18 years of age or above".
In its 105-page judgment, the DHC clarified the position of Law and Constitution on the issue, "In our view Indian Constitutional Law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconception of who the LGBTs (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) are.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday smooth the way for Mohammad Asif's comeback in the national team for the Champions Trophy later on this year after punishing the controversial fast bowler Rs 1 million for his connection in a drug case in Dubai.
The PCB said it had fined Asif on the recommendation of a three-member search committee that found him responsible of bringing the country and Pakistan cricket into disgrace last year when he was locked up in Dubai for ownership of 0.23 grams of hashish.
Asif spent 19 days in custody in Dubai in June last year while returning from India after playing in the opening Indian Premier League where he had also failed a dope test.
"The fine of Rs 1 million is for his bad behaviour and possession of hashish in Dubai. But Asif will be clear to play for Pakistan once he complete his 12-month ban for the failed dope test," PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf told PTI.
The drugs committee of the IPL for failing a dope test banned Asif for 12 months. His ban started from September last year although the pacer had appeal his suspension be considered from July when the PCB had also stopped him from playing cricket.
In so far one more racial attack on Indian students in Australia, a 22-year-old Sikh youth was battered by a group of six teenagers, who tried to take out his turban and cut his hair.
Resham Singh, a student of hospitality course who came from Punjab six months ago, became the 20th victim within a month when he was attacked yesterday at Dandenong Station in Melbourne.
Singh, who could not speak English properly, said in Punjabi: "They first physically abused me and left and then again came back with more people and also got a pair of scissors along with them. They tried to remove my turban and cut my hair."
"My friends tried to save me," he said, adding, "The education agent back in India never gave me any information of how hard life will be here."
A Yemenia Air plane going from the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen to the Comoros Islands has crashed in the Indian Ocean, a Yemen airport official said on Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on the situation of anonymity, said that most of the passengers on the Airbus 310 were believed to be Comoros residents returning from Paris.
The Comoros Islands lie between the southeast African coast and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
There were 150 people on board the ill-fated plane, including crew members. The official decline to comment on the fate of those on board or the cause of the crash.
| असम के राज्यपाल शिव चरण माथुर का दिल का दौरा पड़ने से निधन हो गया. 83 वर्षीय माथुर का पिछले सात दिनों से एस्कॉर्ट्स हार्ट इंस्टीट्यूट में इलाज चल रहा था. उन्हें गुरुवार सुबह अस्पताल से छुट्टी दे दी गई थी, लेकिन शाम को उन्होंने बेचैनी की शिकायत की. असम के स्थानीय कमिश्नर देवेंद्र कुमार ने बताया माथुर को फोर्टिस अस्पताल ले जाया गया, जहां उन्होंने रात सवा आठ बजे अंतिम सांस ली. माथुर ने चार जुलाई 2008 को असम के राज्यपाल का पद ग्रहण किया था. उनके परिवार में उनकी पत्नी हैं. वह दो बार 198।-85 और 1988-89 के दौरान राजस्थान के मुख्यमंत्री भी रह चुके हैं. | ||
US President Barack Obama has invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Washington later on this year to enable them to talk about the global economic circumstances and regional security issues.
US National Security Adviser James L Jones conveyed the invitation to Mr Singh during a meeting here on Friday.
"Gen Jones conveyed President Obama's invitation to Prime Minister Singh to visit the White House this fall. The forthcoming visit will be an prospect to continue the discussions the two leaders held during the G-20 meeting in London, focus on the global economic situation, trade, energy and climate change, and regional security issues," a US embassy statement said.
The next G-20 Summit is scheduled to be held in Pittsburgh in the second half of September and Mr Singh is likely to attend it. He may use the occasion also for an official mutual visit to Washington.
The Centre on Friday slam Orissa government for the 'failure' to contain the 'unfortunate and condemnable' Kandhamal violence for over a month since it erupts in August last year.
"What happened on August 23 and thereafter was unfortunate and condemnable. Moreover, it was the failure of the police for 30 to 40 days," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Chidambaram, who is on a two-day visit to the state, said the situation in the riot-torn district was returning to normal.
"Now the situation is returning to normal but we cannot lower our guards," he said.
About increasing activities of Naxals in the state, Chidambaram said, "our response to Left wing extremism is that there is no room for violence.
"I have assured Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of all help. A plan has been drawn up to handle Left division radicalism," he said.
Four men in Chattarpur, Madhya Pradesh, set a girl on fire after she resist their advance.
The 14-year-old girl suffered 60 per cent burns and is struggling for life in hospital. The men had been harassing the girl – a student of Class 7 – over the phone.
Angry that the girl had complain to her mother, the men barged into her house. While three of them hold her, the fourth poured kerosene and set her on fire.
A case of attempt to murder has been registered against the accused, which are all escaping.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a weird lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday, the Los Angeles. He was 50.
Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma. Jackson had been taken ill at his home and found not breathing by paramedics who rushed him to a hospital.
The singer suffered a cardiac arrest. Jackson’s family, or spokespeople did not immediately confirm the news of his death for them.
Known as the "King of Pop," for hits that included "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," Jackson's dramatic, one-gloved stage presence and innovative dance moves were imitated by legions of fans around the world.
But Jackson's belief that "I am Peter Pan in my heart", his first choice for the company of children, his friendship with a chimp, his high-pitched voice and numerous plastic surgeries also earned him critics and the nickname "Wacko Jacko."
Jackson, who had lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation, had been scheduled to launch a comeback tour from London next month.
India is facing a severe economic war being against it by Pakistan using fake currency notes. According to official estimates, around 1,98,000 fake notes worth Rs 2,000 crore are in flow in India. The fake notes could be of any denomination - 100, 500 or 1000.
The Reserve Bank of India has issued an advice to all banks, saying that notes starting with serial no 2 AQ & 8 AC are suspect.
The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad has seized 345 fake 1000-rupee notes starting with the numbers 2 AQ and 8 AC.
The RBI has confessed that fraudsters have access to single security quality such as Optically Variable Ink and Colour Shift Security Thread. These are being used to print the fake notes.
The RBI has alert banks to use note sorting machines or CVPS machines to spot the fake notes.
A Delhi couple was in the middle of five persons who tested positive for swine flu on Wednesday as the total number of cases in the country mounts to 73.
One case each was report from Madurai,
In Delhi, a 40-year-old man and his 39-year-old wife, who travelled from the US transiting Germany, tested positive for the virus.
With this, the number of cases in Delhi has rise to 31. On Tuesday, three persons tested positive from the city, which has reported the maximum number of swine flu cases in the country so far.
Others who tested positive were an eight-year-old boy, who travelled from the US and reached Madurai on June 13, a 19-year-old computer science student, who came to Chandigarh from the US on June 20 and a 15-year-old girl, who travelled from Hong Kong transiting Singapore and reached Hyderabad on June 19.
Health Ministry officials said the situation of a 66-year-old woman in Delhi, who was put on ventilator a few days ago, was stable.
According to sources, Out of the 73 cases, 43 people have been discharged while rest of the patients remain admitted to the identified health facilities across the country.
Oscar Award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire's 21-year-old actor was arrested for supposedly extorting money and threatening to kill a casting director by pretending him as brother of underworld don Chhota Shakeel.
The victim, who is also production-head of Ramanand Sagar production, was threatened by accuse over phone, seeking roles in his serials, they said.
The actor, recognized as Ajit Pandey, had played a character called 'Javed Goon' in the Oscar winning movie. He has also acted in a number of serials.
Introducing himself as Irfan Husri, brother of Chhota Shakeel, he threatened the victim to give roles to his friend Ajit Pandey. However, police search exposed that it was Ajit Pandey, who made threatening calls in the name of Husri.
According to sources "On May 24, Pandey phoned the victim introducing himself as Husri. He said that he is a brother of Chhota Shakeel and told the victim to provide good roles to actor Pandey, who is his close aide”.
Ajit pandey produced in a local court which remanded him to police custody till June 27.
Government may possibly raise petrol cost by Rs 2 a litre and diesel by Re 1 per litre except excise duty on the two fuels is cut to neutralized the impact of firming international oil rates.
State fuel retailers Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum lost Rs 135 crore per day on sale of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene and their annual revenue loss for current fiscal is approximate to be at Rs 38,700 crore.
The basket of crude oil India imports has averaged $70.49 per barrel in the second fortnight of June against the May average of $58, sending alarm bells ringing.
Petroleum ministry official said,
"We have to act to save our PSU," he said. "The burden (of rising global oil prices) has to be shared equally between the companies, the government and consumers."
PSUs lose Rs 2.96 a litre on diesel and Rs 6.08 per litre on petrol. "One-third of this or Rs 2 per litre on petrol and Re 1 on diesel can be passed on to consumers," he said.
The rest of the losses would be covered by issue of government bonds to the retailers and subsidy sharing by upstream firms like ONGC.
"If the finance minister Pranab Mukhejree cuts excise duty on the two fuels, customers can be out of danger from price hike," he said. Petrol attracts an excise duty of Rs 11.35 per litre and diesel Rs 1.60 a litre. Besides, Rs 2 a litre road cess is levied on the two fuels.
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