Assam violence: Death toll rises to 41; nearly 2 lakh displaced, many flee to neighbouring Bengal

July 26, 2012

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Guwahati, July 26: Assam is on an edge. There have been fresh clashes and cases of arson and more people have died in ethnic violence. Shoot-at-sight orders are in place in four districts. The exodus of people from villages affected by the clashes continues; they are taking shelter at about 120 relief camps set up by the government.

Here are the latest developments:

1. Six more people have died today in clashes between minority Bangladeshi immigrants and Bodos in four districts of lower Assam; 41 people have died in the ethnic strife since Friday, July 20.

2. Entire villages have emptied out after houses were burnt down. Buses, cars and schools were set afire too. In the last four days since clashes began, nearly 2 lakh people have had to flee their homes. Over 10,000 people have reportedly escaped into neighbouring West Bengal.

3. The Army today mobilised about 1000 troops to enforce peace in the areas. "The troops are also carrying out flag marches in these areas," officials said.

4. There has been curfew in the four districts since the weekend. Curfew was relaxed for few hours in Kokrajhar today, but has been reimposed indefinitely. Curfew has also been extended indefinitely in Chirang and Dhubri districts where night curfew had been in place so far.

5. Trains have been targeted and the entire North-East was cut off by rail for two days. Eight Assam-bound trains that were stuck in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district since yesterday are finally on their way to Dibrugarh as services resumed in the Alipuduar-Kokrajhar section. Special trains will run tomorrow to help stranded passengers; overnight trains will resume from tonight. The Army is helping to ensure that the tracks are clear. Union Home Secretary RK Singh said that 2,000 Central security personnel have been deputed to guard Guwahati-bound trains and railway tracks.

6. The Railways estimate that more than 30,000 train passengers were stranded in different places since Monday. Many of them have made alternative arrangements, some buying expensive air tickets. More than 10,000 passengers are, however, still stranded at stations, grateful for any food they can come by.

7. In Guwahati, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi held a meeting of government officials, including the chief secretary, to monitor the situation. Assam's police chief, J N Choudhury, visited the violence-hit districts and met top security officers.

8. Union Home Secretary RK Singh, meanwhile, directed the state government to book the ring leaders involved in the violence. "No one involved in the violence will be spared," Mr Singh said in New Delhi today.

9. The situation had been tense since early July when two migrants were killed. Two more were killed on July 19, but police failed to identify the killers. On Friday last (July 20) four former Bodo Liberation Tigers men were killed. The Bodos retaliated by attacking migrants.

10. The BJP today alleged that illegal immigration from Bangladesh was responsible for ethnic and communal discord and asked the government to seal the border with the neighbouring country.


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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: India's count of positive coronavirus cases reached 18,985 after 1,329 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.

Out of the total cases, 15,122 are active cases, 3,259 have been discharged or cured and one has migrated. With 44 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the toll stands at 603.

As per the evening update by the ministry, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state with 4,669 cases, out of which 572 patients have been discharged and cured and 232 deaths.

Delhi's total count of confirmed cases stand at 2,081, which includes 431 cured or discharged cases and 47 deaths.

Gujarat has reported a total of 2,066 positive COVID-19 cases, out of which 131 patients have recovered or discharged, while 77 patients have lost their lives.

Madhya Pradesh's count of COVID-19 cases stand at 1,540, including 127 cured or discharged cases and 76 deaths.

Rajasthan has so far reported 1,576 positive cases, out of which 205 patients have recovered or discharged and 25 people have lost their lives.

Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 figure has risen to 1,520, with 457 patients recovered and 17 fatalities. Uttar Pradesh has reported 1,294 cases, out of which 140 patients have recovered and 20 are dead.

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News Network
January 2,2020

United Nations, Jan 2: Nearly 400,000 babies were born around the world on New Year's Day with India recording the highest number of these births worldwide at 67,385, the UN children's agency said.

An estimated 392,078 babies were born around the world on New Year's Day, according to UNICEF. Of this, an estimated 67,385 babies were born in India, the most globally. China comes in second with 46,299 births.

The beginning of a new year and a new decade is an opportunity to reflect on our hopes and aspirations not only for our future, but the future of those who will come after us,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

As the calendar flips each January, we are reminded of all the possibility and potential of each child embarking on her or his life's journey—if they are just given that chance.”

Fiji in the Pacific most likely delivered 2020's first baby, while the US, the last of the New Year's Day. Globally, over half of these births were estimated to have taken place in eight countries - India (67,385), China (46,299), Nigeria (26,039), Pakistan (16,787), Indonesia (13,020), United States of America (10,452), Democratic Republic of Congo (10,247) and Ethiopia (8,493).

Each January, UNICEF celebrates babies born on New Year's Day, an auspicious day for child birth around the world, it said. However, for millions of newborns around the world, the day of their birth is far less auspicious.

In 2018, 2.5 million newborns died in just their first month of life; about a third of them on the first day of life. Among those children, most died from preventable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis. In addition, more than 2.5 million babies are born dead each year.

UNICEF said over the past three decades, the world has seen remarkable progress in child survival, cutting the number of children worldwide who die before their fifth birthday by more than half. But there has been slower progress for newborns. Babies dying in the first month accounted for 47 per cent of all deaths among children under five in 2018, up from 40 per cent in 1990.

UNICEF's Every Child Alive campaign calls for immediate investment in health workers with the right training, who are equipped with the right medicines to ensure every mother and newborn is cared for by a safe pair of hands to prevent and treat complications during pregnancy, delivery and birth.

Too many mothers and newborns are not being cared for by a trained and equipped midwife or nurse, and the results are devastating,” said Fore. “We can ensure that millions of babies survive their first day and live into this decade and beyond if every one of them is born into a safe pair of hands.”

India is projected to surpass China as the world's most populous country around 2027. According to UN estimates, India is expected to add nearly 273 million people between 2019 and 2050, while the population of Nigeria is projected to grow by 200 million. Together, these two countries could account for 23 per cent of the global population increase to 2050.

China, with 1.43 billion people in 2019, and India, with 1.37 billion, have long been the two most populous countries of the world, comprising 19 and 18 per cent, respectively, of the global total in 2019. Through the end of the century, India is estimated to remain the world's most populous country with nearly 1.5 billion inhabitants, followed by China with just under 1.1 billion, Nigeria with 733 million, the US with 434 million, and Pakistan with 403 million inhabitants.

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News Network
May 27,2020

New Delhi, May 27: With 6,387 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, India's count of COVID-19 rose to 1,51,767 on Wednesday, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

170 people have also died in the last 24 hours due to the infection.

Currently, there are 83,004 active cases while 64,425 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged and one has migrated. So far, a total of 4,337 deaths have taken place across the country.

Among all states, Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 cases with 54,758. Tamil Nadu has 17,728 cases with Gujarat at 14,821 cases. The national capital has 14,465 reported cases of coronavirus.

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