One killed, thousands displaced in Assam floods

By IANS,

Guwahati : At least one person was killed and 30,000 displaced in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Assam’s Lakhimpur district. A vast stretch of the internationally-famed Kaziranga National Park has been inundated, officials said Friday.

A government spokesperson said floodwaters of Drupang and Sessa rivers, both tributaries of the Brahmaputra river, entered at least 40 villages and forced residents to take shelter on higher ground and railway tracks.

"There has been a breach of about 20 to 30 metres in two embankments and that led to floodwaters entering settlements," a district official said.

"One person drowned while trying to escape the surging floodwaters," he added.

Measures are being taken to plug the breaches in the mud embankments.

"We have sounded maximum alert and have already kept disaster management teams on standby. We are also taking stock of essentials and other commodities in the district," the official added.

The 2,906-km-long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers and traverses its first stretch of 1,625 km in China's Tibet region, the next 918 km in India and the remaining 363 km through neighbouring Bangladesh before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.

Haryana approves setting up of cow commission

By IANS,

Chandigarh : The cow may be an important political and religious issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but the ruling Congress in Haryana Tuesday took a lead in setting up a cow commission in the state.

The Haryana Gau Seva Aayog Bill, 2010, was passed by the Haryana assembly here Tuesday, on the concluding day of its monsoon session. The bill was moved by Animal Husbandry Minister Paramvir Singh.

A state government spokesman said a cow commission is being set up for the preservation, welfare and development of cow species in the state on modern and scientific lines, besides managing the use of bio-products generated by the cattle.

It will also help in maximisng the use of organic manure in agriculture.

The commission will have 12 non-official members, including its chairperson and vice-person. The chairperson will be nominated by the government, and he non-official members will be chosen from among people engaged in cow welfare.

The commission will work for proper implementation of laws for prohibition of slaughter and cruelty to cows and suggest improvement in existing laws for making them more effective.

It will also supervise work of the institutions for scientific use of cow dung and urine to enhance their utility in agriculture, including soil fertility, bio-energy, bio-gas, bio-fertilizer, bio-pesticide and domestic use, the spokesman added.

The commission will take into custody the abandoned, stray, confiscated or seized cows from local organisations to maintain them.

Over 550 people embrace Islam in Abu Dhabi

By IANS,

Abu Dhabi : A total of 559 people from various nations including India living in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embraced Islam in 2010.

The number of new converts increased by 25 percent in the first half of 2010 compared to the like period last year, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) said in a statement.

There were 486 people who embraced Islam in the first six months of 2009.

People from the Philippines topped the list, which also includes India, US, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Australia, France, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Russia, Britain, Spain and Norway, among others.

BJP hints at fighting Assam polls on its own

By IANS,

Guwahati : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday hinted at fighting next year's assembly elections in Assam on its own and claimed it would put up a better performance compared to the past.

"We are keen on going alone and putting up a good show in the elections with the help of the youth of Assam," party MP and newly-appointed election in-charge for Assam, Varun Gandhi told journalists.

Gandhi arrived in Guwahati on a three-day visit, aimed at chalking out strategies for the 2011 assembly polls.

"Definitely broad strategies would be worked out during his stay," BJP MP from Guwahati Bijoya Chakraborty told IANS.

Gandhi addressed a training camp of BJP youth leaders soon after his arrival.

"I want to take the youth of Assam along with me to bolster the party's prospects," he said.

"Varun Gandhi's visit would surely inspire and attract the younger generation towards the BJP. The enthusiasm of the youths was evident the moment he landed here," Chakraborty said.

Meanwhile, Assam's main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Tuesday claimed to have finalised a regional front comprising smaller parties to fight the poll.

"We have almost concluded discussions for a regional front comprising smaller regional parties, although we are keeping options open for seat adjustments with some national parties (meaning Left parties)," AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary told IANS.

The AGP had pre-poll understanding with the BJP in the 2001 assembly polls and again in the parliamentary elections last year - the AGP-BJP combine was routed by the Congress party in 2001, while in the parliamentary elections, the AGP fared poorly although the BJP managed to up its tally at the expense of the regional party.

"We are committed to working towards overall development of the state if given the mandate," Patowary said.

UAE to suspend Blackberry services from Oct 11

By IANS/WAM,

Abu Dhabi : United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecom authorities Sunday said Blackberry services in the Gulf region will be suspended from Oct 11, citing security concerns.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said the Blackberry messenger, e-mail and web-browsing services in the UAE will be suspended because of the "failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring Blackberry services in line with UAE's telecommunications regulations".

The decision was based on the fact that due to technical configurations, certain Blackberry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing "judicial, social and national security concerns".

The region's telecommunications operators - Etisalat and du - were informed of the decision Sunday, TRA Director General Mohamed Al Ghanim said.