New Delhi: Sporadic violence broke out in India on Wednesday as labour unions began a two-day strike to protest rising prices and government policies to open the economy. Millions of factory and bank employees stayed away from work and public transport was shut down in most big cities after major trade unions called the countrywide strike. With autorickshaws and taxis off the roads and metro trains and buses packed to […]
olkata: Industry body Assocham today said the loss to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) due to the strike by central trade unions could be about Rs. 26,000 crore, higher than its initial estimate of Rs. 15,000-20,000 crore. “Against initial estimates of Rs. 15,000-20,000 crore, the GDP may be eroded by about Rs. 26,000 crore,” the industry body said in a release. “In the wake of a more than expected […]
An asteroid as large as an Olympic swimming pool will race past the Earth on Friday at a distance of just 27,700km (17,200mi) – the closest ever predicted for an object of that size. It will pass closer even than the geosynchronous satellites that orbit the Earth, but there is no risk of impacts or collisions. Its closest approach will be 19:25 GMT. For regions in darkness around that time, […]
The Indian army says that its troops have killed a Pakistani soldier who strayed over the border in the disputed territory of Kashmir on Thursday. He was killed in a gun battle after the Indian army opened fire when it detected “suspicious movement”, it says. Two Indian soldiers were wounded. Last month several deadly cross-border attacks plunged the neighbours into the worst crisis in relations in years. Claimed by both […]
MOSCOW—A meteor flew across the skies above Russia’s Ural Mountains Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring about 100 people, including many who were hurt by broken glass. Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement. Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said 102 people had called for medical assistance following the incident, mostly for treatment of injuries […]
Hong Kong: For many of the richest people in Hong Kong, one of Asia’s wealthiest cities, home is a mansion with an expansive view from the heights of Victoria Peak. For some of the poorest, like Leung Cho-yin, home is a metal cage. The 67-year-old former butcher pays 1,300 Hong Kong dollars ($167) a month for one of about a dozen wire mesh cages resembling rabbit hutches crammed into a dilapidated […]
New Delhi: With a spurt in swine flu cases, Delhi Government on Thursday directed 22 hospitals, including five private ones, to set up isolated wards to offer treatment to patients affected by the disease. A total of 60 cases of swine flu have been reported since January out of which three persons have lost their lives, Health Minister A K Walia said. He said 17 government-run and five hospitals have been […]
The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every three years, rotating between the four Indian cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjian. During the mela, or fair, Hindu devotees travel to holy rivers for ritual bathing. Pictured, women praying in the Ganges, Monday. Please follow and like us:
The areas around Charminar resembled a war zone after Friday prayers following incidents of stone pelting followed by lath charge and tear gas firing by the police. At least 10 people, including a policeman, were injured in the violent incidents. Trouble began at about 1.20 pm when the police stopped a group of devotees, who came out of Mecca Masjid, from proceedings towards “Chilla” abutting Charminar to offer “Salaam”. The mob went back towards Mecca Masjid while raising slogans against the police and demanded […]
(Reuters) – Two powerful earthquakes killed 250 people and injured around 1,800 in northwest Iran, where rescue workers frantically combed the rubble of dozens of villages throughout the night and into Sunday as medical staff desperately tried to save lives. Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the streets after Saturday’s quakes in fear of more aftershocks, 40 of which have already struck. Casualty figures are expected to rise, […]
