Terror strikes Uttar Pradesh; 15 killed in six blasts (click here)
Lucknow, Nov 23: Terror struck on Friday in Uttar Pradesh when militants triggered near-simultaneous blasts in court premises in Varanasi, Faizabad and the state capital killing 14 people, some of them lawyers, and injuring over 50 others. UP police has released the sketch of a suspect behind the bomb blast in Faizabad.
Six bombs -- three in Varanasi, two in Faizabad and one in Lucknow -- some planted on cycles, went off within a span of 15 minutes in the crowded court complexes between 1310 hours and 1325 hours.
A near stampede broke out in and around the blast spots with many injured bleeding profusely running for their life while several other wounded lay on the floor crying for help.
Police immediately rushed to the spots and cordoned off the area and helped people in rushing the injured to various hospitals.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, security was put on high alert in several parts of the country including the Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
S B Shirodkar, Senior Superintendent of Police in the temple town of Varanasi, which was the target of a terror strike last year, said nine people were killed and 45 others injured, some of them seriously, when two bombs planted on cycles went off in quick succession....
LUCKNOW: Serial blasts on Friday rocked three cities of Uttar Pradesh killing ten people, including two lawyers, in Faizabad and Varanasi while injuring two in state capital in explosions triggered by terrorists apparently targeting lawyers. The blasts, which took place between 1300 and 1330 hours, claimed seven lives in Faizabad and three in Varanasi. In both the places the dead included one lawyer each. Superintendent of Police (City) in Varanasi Rajeev Malhotra said 20 people were also injured. Those dead in Varanasi were identified as Bodh Raj Verma (advocate), Yagya Narain Singh, Moolchand Singh and a 11-year-old boy Sanjeev Kumar. Two seriously injured persons in Faizabad have been rushed to King George Medical College hospital in Lucknow for treatment, District Magistrate Anil Garg said. In all about 25 people were injured in Faizabad. In the state capital, the blast took place when a bomb kept in a cycle exploded, sources said adding the intensity of the blast here was not much....
Blasts’ motive to shake legal system: Jaiswal (click here)
Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, Nov 23: Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal stated on Friday the purpose of the serial blasts was to disturb communal harmony and also to shake the country’s legal system. Jaiswal has not ruled out terrorist involvement. However he has not confirmed it as yet. He said that as per the information that the authorities in the capital received from the Uttar Pradesh government, there have been three explosions. And unconfirmed reports also say that Faizabad was rocked by twin explosions. Some people are belived to have died and some are reported injured. Jaiswal on being asked refused to give any figures at this juncture. The minister also remarked that this was a well-planned conspiracy. He has appealed to the affected state and the whole nation to be united the face of this incident and this he said should be a solid reply to the same. On being questioned, the minister refused to call it an intelligence failure at this point.
Pakistan is in disarray with a coup leader as a president-general. It has no right or vehicle, as most of it's competent attorneys are in prison under emergency order, to dispute any treaty with India.
Pakistan objects to power projects in Jammu and Kashmir (click here)
23 Nov 2007, 1849 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has objected to hydel power plants proposed to be set in Jammu and Kashmir although the projects are in compliance of the water treaty signed between the two countries, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. "Pakistan has raised objections on Indian power projects being set up Jammu and Kashmir," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a written reply. Under the Indus Water Treaty, 1960 between the two nations, India is required to furnish information in respect of new run-of-river projects and storage projects on Jhelum, Chenab and Indus rivers, he said. "Information in respect of the projects have been sent to Pakistan. Pakistan has raised objection on each of the projects. In India's view, the design of each of the projects is in compliance of the provisions of the treaty," Shinde said....
Kashmir Valley reels under intense cold wave (click here)
23 Nov 2007, 1830 hrs IST
SRINAGAR: Kashmir Valley continues to reel under an intense cold wave as seven out of 10 outbound flights from the international airport here were cancelled on Friday in view of poor visibility caused by fog, official sources said....
...Meanwhile, the intense cold wave gripping Kashmir valley is on a record breaking spree as the night temperature dipped half-a-degree further below on Thursday at minus 3.8 degrees Celsius.
It was the coldest night of this winter so far. The mercury has been slipping for the past three days with Thursday recording 3.3 and Wednesday recording 3.2 degrees Celsius below zero.
The night temperatures have been more than three degrees below normal for this time of the year, an official of meteorological department said, adding they are expected to dip further over the next couple of days due to open skies in the day and extended dry spell this winter.
The days continue to be warmer than expected with a maximum temperature of 14.3 degrees Celsius recorded on Friday.
The dry spell continued in the valley causing common illnesses like fever, cough and cold and throat irritation.
Doctors have advised the residents to drink boiled water and avoid going out early morning or late evening.
