Bus falls on rail tracks at Howrah station, Dozen dead
Howrah, 4 July : At least twelve people died after the mini bus in which they were travelling fell off a bridge on the rail tracks near the Howrah station.
The mini bus coming to Howrah from Nazirganj dashed against the railing of the flyover and fell 40 feet below when its driver lost control over the speeding vehicle, Howrah District Magistrate Sanghamitra Ghosh told Bengal Newz. She said that 12 passengers have been died and around 10 were seriously injured in the accident that occurred a little before 4:00 pm. Earlier, the police had said that 10 persons were feared killed in the accident and the injured were rushed to hospital.
Police and railway medical teams have rushed to the spot. “The bus fell between the two platforms (11 and 12). We have stalled operations in platforms from Platform No 10 to 23. But local trains are plying normally,” Eastern Railway’s chief public relations officer Samir Goswami told Bengal Newz. “Operations on those platforms have been stopped because we have cut the electricity supply following the accident,” Goswami added.
A number of long distance trains were held up. Railway minister Mamata Banerjee visited the injured at the hospital. န Phot : PTI
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Road accident kills 6 people in Rajshahi this morning
Rajshahi, 4 July : Six people were killed and eight others injured in a road accident at Daingpara intersection of Godagari upazila in Rajshahi today.
The accident took place at 12 noon while a Godagari bound truck rammed a shallow engine driven human hauler. Police seized the truck but the driver managed to flee. The injured were admitted to RMCH.
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3 suspected Maoists arrested near Ayodhya Hills
Kolkata, 4 July : Three suspected Maoists have been arrested in the Ayodhya Hills region of Purulia district. A gun, explosives, materials for laying mines, and some Maoist literature were found on them.
West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters at the State secretariat that the three - two men and a woman - were believed to be members of Maoist squads. “They are normally engaged in training people,” Sen said.
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Security forces reclaim more areas in West Midnapore
Lalgarh, 4 July : Security forces and police reclaimed two more areas from Maoists in West Midnapore district, officials said here on Saturday.
In a four-pronged attack, a team of security forces and police set out from bases in Binpur, another from Pirakata and one each from Salboni and Ramgarh to converge on Kalimudri and Madhupur villages, 8 km from these two villages, West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma who led the operations, told Bengal Newz.
The fifth-phase of the operation, entering its 16th day. "The operations began at 6:00 am and the forces reached Kalimudri and Madhupur by afternoon," he added. န Photo : PTI
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Bangladesh Confirms Two More Cases Of Swine Flu, Total 18
Dhaka, 4 July : Bangladesh confirmed two more cases of the deadly Influenza A (H1N1) virus on Saturday, taking the total cases to 18, health officials said.
The two newly identified cases were infected through close contact with people already suffering from the flu, Head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the Health Ministry Mahmudur Rahman reportedly confirmed. The two people infected on the day are residents of the capital, Dhaka and they are receiving treatment in the confinement of their own homes.
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Flood situation in Bangladesh likely to worsen due to continuing torrential rains

Dhaka, 4 July : Flooding in Bangladesh's northern and north-eastern districts is likely to worsen due to continuing torrential rains in the country and in neighbouring India, said officials on Saturday. Meteorological departments of both countries forecast more downpours over next 24 hours.

Bangladesh's Flood Forecast and Warning Centre said rainfall in the 24 hours up to 6am(BDST) on Saturday was recorded at 88mm in Sylhet, 60mm in Lorergarh, 62mm in Noakhali and 57mm in Comilla. The met department said the 24 hours from 6pm(BDST) on Saturday would see light to moderate rainfall in all six divisions of Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna and Barisal while some places may experience heavy to moderate rainfall. Meanwhile, heavy rains in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura in India over the past few days have already been causing rivers downstream in Bangladesh to swell. The FFWC said flood situation was likely to get more serious.
Water levels rose at 40 points of 73 measured in different rivers countrywide, declining at 22 points. The Surma river in Sunamganj was flowing 46cm above the danger mark on Saturday while Kangsha river in the same district was flowing 32cm above the red level, according to the Water Development Board. Water levels continued to rise in Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Padma–Meghna basins, though they were still below the danger mark for the time, said officials. န Photos : AFP

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Rail budget has ignored northeast, says Tripura's Left

Agartala, 4 July : The Left Front government in Tripura on Saturday voiced its unhappiness over the railway budget, saying Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee had ignored the northeast by announcing no new schemes or projects for the region.
"No new scheme or project was announced in the railway budget. The railways minister in her budget speech only reiterated the projects announced earlier," said Tripura Finance and Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury.
Industry and Commerce Minister Jitendra Chowdhury said : "The railway ministry during the past 25 years had announced 22 projects for the land-locked northeast India, but unfortunately so far only two projects have been implemented." န File Photo : Reuters

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'Bibhuti Express' derailed near Sitarampur station
Asansol, 4 July : The Varanasi-Howrah Bibhuti Express was derailed this morning near Sitarampur station in Asansol. One boggy skidded off the tracks. Though no injuries were reported, train services were held up temporarily due to the accident.

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Darjeeling highway-31 blocked after heavy landslides

Darjeeling, 4 June : Landslides following heavy rains have snapped road links between the hills of West Bengal and Sikkim.
Twenty houses along National Highway-31 near Sevoke have also collapsed. Several vehicles are stranded in the area. Landslides also occurred at Rambhi and Kalijhora. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) and the local administration are removing the debris to enable vehicular movement at the earliest. “Heavy rain in the night led to heavy landslides at seven places in Sevoke region causing great damage to roads. We have called in the local administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to help support us to remove the debris at the earliest. We have got the earthmovers working but we are not sure of when we can finish,” said Krishna Kanta Das, a police officer.
The landslides have also disrupted road link between India and China via the Nathu La Pass, which forms a part of National Highway-31. န Photo : AP

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Six family members killed in Habiganj heavy mudslide

Habiganj, 4 July : A family of six, including four children aged between one and 10, were killed as their house collapsed during a mudslide in Habiganj due to heavy overnight rains, police said on Saturday.
Nabiganj police chief Md Shahjahan told reporters the family of a day labourer was killed in the early hours as their mud home collapsed in the rain at Borogaon village in Panimouda union of Nabiganj.

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Leading Bengali author, poet Alauddin Al Azad dies

Dhaka, 4 July : Leading Bengali author, poet and playwright Alauddin Al Azad died at his home in Uttara on Friday night. He was 77.
The award winning man-of-letters received many accolades over his long life, including the Ekushey Padak in 1986 and the Bangla Academy award in 1965. Renowned as a poet and novelist, Alauddin was also celebrated as a skilled playwright, essayist and story-teller.
Born in Dhaka in 1932, Alauddin excelled from an early age in Bengali language and literature, becoming a professor in later life. He also served as first secretary of the Bangladesh High Commission in Moscow. Alauddin's major works include Tais Number Tailchitra, Shiter Shesh Raat and Basanter Prothom Din. His best known plays are Moroccor Jadukar, Dhanyabad and Mayabi Prahar.
His body will be taken to the Bangla Academy premises and the Central Shaheed Minar, where the public can pay their last respects. He will be buried at the Intellectuals Graveyard on Sunday.