Jyoti Basu admitted in hospital, Condition stable now
Kolkata, 12 July : CPI(M) patriarch and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu was on Sunday admitted to a private hospital here following breathing problem and old age related complications. But the doctors attending to him said his condition is stable.
Basu, 96, was driven in an ambulance to the AMRI hospital near his Salt Lake residence Indira Bhavan a little before noon after he spent a restless night. "Basu apparently lost consciousness twice in the morning. He has weakness and giddiness. But now he is more stable," the hospital's medical superintendent Debasish Sharma said. He has been admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit and a panel of doctors has been formed for his treatment, he said. He was given oxygen on the way to the hospital but "now his oxygenation level is satisfactory", Sharma said.
"He is now better," the veteran leader's son Chandan Basu told reporters. န Birthday Photo : Reuters

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Tripura fast emerging as a major Tea exporting state
Agartala, 12 July : With its favourable agro climatic conditions, Tripura is fast emerging as a major tea exporting state in the region. The industry has evolved into a major business in the northeast.
The tea gardens here like the Manu Valley Tea Estate are in the process of modernizing production and are using the latest automatic machinery. The tea estate has also imported Japanese machinery for plucking of tealeaves and is one of the biggest factories for tealeaf drier in Asia. Last year, the 90-year-old tea industry in the state created history by exporting the beverage.
Despite the global economic meltdown, the tea industry in Tripura is reaping good profits in which 1 lakh Kg of tea named ‘Jewel Tips’ were exported to Iran, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan. There are over 57 tea gardens in the Tripura, with about 6,000 hectares under plantation. Currently, the state produces about 7.5 million kilograms of tea in a year.
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3 Day BDR-BSF talks begin
Dhaka, 12 July : A three-day Indo-Bangladesh border conference began Sunday at at the Bangladesh Rifles's Peelkhana headquarters in Dhaka.
The 24-member Bangladesh side was headed by BDR director general Maj Gen Mainul Islam while the Indian Border Security Force delegation was led by its director general ML Kumawat. The 18-member Indian team arrived in Dhaka on Saturday.
A statement issued by the BDR said, signing of the joint records of discussion (JRD) would take place at the BDR headquarters on 14 July. န Photo: Mustafiz Mamun

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Illegal constructions making Darjeeling hills area vulnerable to landslides
Darjeeling, 12 July : The massive construction of buildings, a majority of them illegal, has led to degradation of soil texture in the Darjeeling Hills area of West Bengal and making the place vulnerable to landslides.

A series of landslides hit Darjeeling and its surrounding areas in May, triggered by overnight torrents. Local builders, however, have ignored the threat of landslides or public concern. Geologists say that the construction of unauthorised buildings coupled with improper drainage systems has led to recent landslides.
“For the Since last 100 years, Darjeeling is witnessing an rapid increase in population. This migration of population has led to an increase in unauthorised constructions. This coupled with the lack of a proper drainage system in the Darjeeling Hills culminated in the recent catastrophic landslides,” said Subhir Sarkar, a geologist. န Photos : AFP

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Arms seized from Howrah-bound train in Burdwan Jn
PTI, Burdwan, 12 July : The Railway police have seized pipe guns and bullets from Howrah-bound Shaktipunj Express near here, police said on Sunday.
On a tip-off, the Government Railway Police (GRP) on Saturday night searched the train and recovered an unclaimed bag containing 4 pipe guns, 14 rifle bullets and 4 musket bullets from a general compartment. However, no one has been arrested, they said.