Page 582 - Disaster Accident
Kabul blast death toll jumps to 25: officials
The death toll in a blast which rocked western Kabul today climbed to at least 25, officials said, with fears it could rise further in the latest violence in Afghanistan's war-weary capital. The spokesmen for the interior ministry and health ministries both confirmed the toll and said at least 35 people were injured in the blast at an education centre in a Shiite area of the city.
Four men killed in road accident
Four men were killed when their car rammed into a stationary truck on Jaipur-Delhi highway here today, police said. The accident occurred under Paniyala Police Station in Jaipur rural area when the victims, all relatives, were on their way to their home in Gurgaon, they said. The deceased were identified as Parmanand, Harish, Mamchand and Pawan Kumar. Their family members have been informed about the accident, they said.
CIL arm BCCL incurs Rs 95cr loss on blending steel grade coal with inferior type: CAG
Coal India arm BCCL suffered Rs 95 crore loss due to blending inferior grade coal with superior steel quality dry-fuel, the government auditor CAG has said. Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), one of the fossil fuel producing subsidiaries of CIL, is engaged in mining, washing and distribution of coal to meet the energy requirement of its consumers and produces both coking and non-coking coal. "Steel grade coal is precious, fetches higher revenue and can be used directly by consumers in the steel sector. Due to relatively low ash content, it does not require washing. However, BCCL blended steel grade coal with inferior washery grade coal in its four washeries, instead of supplying the steel grade coal directly to customers and earning higher revenue," the CAG has said in its latest report. This has resulted in loss of Rs 95.09 crore to the company during 2013-14 to 2015-16, worked out on a conservative basis, it said. Coking coal having less than 18 per cent ash is termed as steel grade ...
Kochi airport shut till Sat, govt to ask centre to allow small aircraft to land at naval airport
The Cochin International Airport today suspended all flight operations till Saturday as water gushed the airport area following unabated rains and the opening of dam shutters in the Periyar river. Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan called an urgent meeting at the Secretariat and decided to seek permission from the Centre to allow small aircraft to land at the naval airport in Kochi. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which decided to suspend the arrival operations at 4 am to 7 am today as a precautionary measure, had earlier said the airport would be shut till 2 pm. It later issued another advisory saying the operations have been suspended till Saturday afternoon. A spokesperson of the airport said, "Kochi Airport operations have been temporarily suspended till Saturday 2 pm as the inflow of water is still on a rising trend. We are working hard to drain out the storm water." An official statement said the state government would soon approach the Civil Aviation Ministry ...
22 children dead in Nile boat accident: Sudan media
Twenty-two children drowned today when their boat sank in the Nile in Sudan while they were on their way to school, official media said. A woman also died when the vessel went down around 750 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum with more than 40 children on board, the SUNA news agency reported.
Heavy rain alert in Odisha
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday predicted heavy rainfall in several parts of Odisha for the next two days.
Aluminium makers face coal shortage: FIMI
Aluminium makers are facing shortage of coal to run their captive power plants which has hit their refinery and smelting operations adversely, the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) said. Captive power plants of aluminium makers are not getting coal even as availability of railway rakes for coal transportation is also a major problem, FIMI Secretary General R K Sharma said. "...members from aluminium sector are facing huge shortage of coal for their captive power plants which in turn is adversely affecting their refinery and smelting operations," the body said. The FIMI pointed that coal is usually allotted to primary aluminium smelters by Coal India Ltd (CIL) or its subsidiary through linkages by way of FSAs (fuel supply agreement). "However, both aluminium smelters and refineries being under non-core category, the supply of coal to aluminium sector is severely affected due to priority given to core sectors by CIL," it claimed. The industry body noted that it had earlier .
Blast rocks Shiite area of western Kabul, casualties feared: officials
A blast at an education centre rocked a minority Shiite area of western Kabul today, officials said, with casualties feared in the latest suspected attack in the war-weary capital of Afghanistan. "There are casualties unfortunately. The nature of the explosion is not known yet," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said. The interior ministry confirmed the blast and casualty fears.
Italy government demands resignations after bridge collapse kills 39
The Italian government on Wednesday demanded the resignation of the heads of the company that manages the country's highways, after the death toll in Genoa city's bridge collapse rose to 39, with rescuers continuing their search for possible survivors.
Karnataka rains: CM declares high alert in five districts
With heavy rains expected in many parts of the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on Wednesday directed collectors of various districts to be on their toes to combat any untoward situation.Out of 30 districts, as many as five districts namely, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga have been kept on high alert.The Chief Minister also urged the concerned officials in the said districts to review the situation in their vicinities and update the authorities in case of emergency.Torrential rains, which lashed the state on August 14 caused landslides and disrupted the normal life in the state.Indian Metrological Department (IMD) has also predicted high-alert of heavy rainfall in the region in coming days.In the neighbouring state of Kerala, 42 people lost their lives and around 17,000 people were displaced after their homes were washed away in the flash flood. The state has suffered an overall loss of Rs 8,316 crore.
Kochi airport shut till Sat, govt to ask centre to allow small aircrafts to land at naval airport
The Cochin International Airport today suspended all flight operations till Saturday as water gushed the airport area following unabated rains and the opening of dam shutters in the Periyar river. Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan called an urgent meeting at the Secretariat and decided to seek permission from the Centre to allow small aircrafts to land at the naval airport in Kochi. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which decided to suspend the arrival operations at 4 am to 7 am today as a precautionary measure, had earlier said the airport would be shut till 2 pm. It later issued another advisory saying the operations have been suspended till Saturday afternoon. A spokesperson of the airport said, "Kochi Airport operations have been temporarily suspended till Saturday 2 pm as the inflow of water is still on a rising trend. We are working hard to drain out the storm water." An official statement said the state government would soon approach the Civil Aviation Ministry ...
NTPC to set up a subsidiary for coal mining soon
State-run power giant NTPC will soon set up a subsidiary to handle its coal mining operations and also plans to enter commercial coal mining after meeting its requirement, an official said. The power sector behemoth also has a plan to list the coal subsidiary subsequently on stock exchanges. "The NTPC will set a coal subsidiary. It would cover operations of its all coal mines and will be run like a coal company. It will have a culture of coal mining. This will help in recruiting professional and have a different cadre which would eventually help in their career progression," the official said on the condition of anonymity. The power PSU has been allotted 10 coal mines to meet its fuel requirement of which work has been started in five mines. "NITI Aayog has already given its approval for setting up a separate subsidiary for coal mining business. Finance Ministry's approval has been sought for the purpose." The official further said that there is a possibility of commercial coal mining
Stalin demands CBI probe into TANGEDCO coal imports
DMK Working President M.K. Stalin on Wednesday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into a Rs 6,000 crore scam in coal imports by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO).
Two kanwariyas killed in road mishap
Two kanwariyas were killed and another seriously injured when a truck hit their bike at Pihani in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district, police said today. The accident took place yesterday when Amit (26), Atul (27) and Ankit were on their way to collect water from the Ganga, they said. While Amit and Atul died on the spot, Ankit was rushed to the hospital, where his condition is serious, they added.
Flight rights group takes Ryanair to court over strike compensation
BERLIN (Reuters) - German passenger rights company Flightright is taking Ryanair to court over whether it should pay financial compensation to passengers affected by strikes at Europe's largest low-cost carrier.
Flights affected due to temporary suspension of operations at Kochi airport
Domestic carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara, and some international airlines today announced cancellation and diversion of flights in and out of Kochi after suspension of operations at the Kochi airport till Saturday afternoon following incessant rains. The airlines said penalties on change in date or cancellation on all confirmed tickets have been waived off. The announcements were made on their respective Twitter handles. Air India informed the diversion of international flights to cities such as Mumbai, Coimbatore and Trivandrum from Jeddhar, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. It said that flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Trivandrum and Bengaluru have been held up at the respective places. "In view of suspension of operations at @KochiAirport , penalties on no-show, date/flight change or cancellations on all confirmed tickets to and from Cochin are waived off..." it tweeted. Kochi airport operations have been temporarily suspended till Saturday 2 pm since the inflow of water ..
Rain affects normal life in Odisha, trains cancelled
The normal life in Odisha has been severely affected as heavy rain continued to lash the state for the last three days and the IMD forecast more rains in the next 48 hours with the low pressure area intensifying into a depression today. While the state government has put the district collectors on alert in view of the rains, the East Coast Railway asked its employees to remain vigilant to possible flooding of tracks at different places. The well marked low pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal off north Odisha coast has intensified into a depression, which would trigger heavy rainfall in the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall tomorrow in one or two places in Baragarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts of Odisha. Sources in the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office said that the situation was worse in the districts like Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, ..
Anger grows in Italy as bridge toll rises to 38
A frantic search was underway today for survivors of a bridge collapse in Genoa as the death toll rose to 38 and the government blamed the company in charge of the country's motorways for the disaster. A vast span of the Morandi bridge caved in during a heavy rainstorm in the northern port city on Tuesday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto the railway tracks below. The victims include children aged eight, 12 and 13, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said today, adding that more people were still missing. The government said it intended to revoke the contract of Autostrade per l'Italia, a private sector company owned by Atlantia, and slap it with a fine of 150 million euros ($170 million). Deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio, who is due to arrive in Genoa on Wednesday morning, said the tragedy "could have been avoided". "Autostrade should have done maintenance and didn't do it," he said. Rescuers recovered three bodies overnight, fire official .
Death toll in Pakistan's coal mine blast surges to 15
The bodies of seven persons, including two rescue workers, were recovered from the coal mine explosion in Pakistan's Balochistan's province taking the toll to 15, officials said today. The authorities said that the bodies of all the 13 miners and two rescue workers were recovered last night. He said they did not expect any other casualties as the work to clear the mine was now complete. We have recovered 15 bodies since the rescue operation started Sunday including five more bodies which were taken out yesterday, Chief Inspector of Mines, Ifthikar Ahmed said. The Thirteen labourers were working in the 400-foot-deep mine in Sanjadi area, about 50 kilometres east of the provincial capital Quetta, when they got trapped and later killed after a methane gas explosion caused the coal mine to cave in on Sunday. All the 13 miners were trapped under the rubble when volunteers launched rescue work. While the bodies of eight miners were recovered on Sunday itself, the remaining five miners and ..
Govt sanctions nearly 500 additional posts for food regulator FSSAI
With food regulator FSSAI facing manpower shortage, the government has sanctioned an additional 493 posts for the authority to discharge its responsibility effectively for ensuring safe and nutritious food to people. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which currently has 356 sanctioned posts, will now be able to conduct food safety inspections, besides law enforcement for central licensees directly instead of being fully dependent on the states. Ministry of Health and Family has issued orders to create 493 additional posts for the authority, the FSSAI said in a statement. It has been functioning with merely 356 sanctioned posts and most of its staff is on short-term contract or on deputation. Thanking the government for creation of these posts, FSSAI's CEO Pawan Agarwal termed it as a "big milestone in the evolution of food safety system in the country". With increased staff and resources, he said the FSSAI will be able to discharge its responsibility more ...