Tag Archives: georgia
Phailin leaves trail of destruction
Phailin leaves trail of destruction (Agencies) / 14 October 2013 Massive evacuation of one million people reduces number of casualties; cyclone death toll in Odisha 15. Daybreak revealed a trail of destruction across coastal areas of eastern India on Sunday after the strongest storm to hit the country in 14 years, but the loss of life appeared limited as more than half a million people had taken cover in shelters. “Damage to property is extensive,” said Amitabh Thakur, the top police officer in Odisha’s Ganjam district worst-hit by the cyclone. “But few lives have been lost,” he said, crediting the mass evacuations. Cyclone Phailin packed winds of more than 200 kmph as it made landfall from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, tearing apart dwellings and uprooting trees, but it lost momentum as it headed inland and was expected to dissipate with about 36 hours. The government of the state of Odisha said the death toll stood at 15. Eight bodies were on Sunday found from Ganjam district, the worst-hit from Phailin in Odisha. Police said two bodies each were found in Berhampur town, Purosottampur, Ganjam town and Rangelilunda areas. Besides, a large number of people have been injured in Ganjam district. Seven people were killed on Sunday due to heavy rains and high-velocity winds in Odisha before the cyclone made landfall last night, including two at Polasara and Khalikote areas of Ganjam district. The cyclone was one of three major storms over Asia on Sunday. The smaller Typhoon Nari was approaching Vietnam and Typhoon Wipha loomed over the Pacific. At least 550,000 people in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh spent the night in shelters, some of which were built after a storm killed 10,000 in the same area in 1999. Others took refuge in schools or temples, in what the National Disaster Management Authority called one of India’s largest evacuations. Truck driver Jayaram Yadav, who had been transporting eight cars halfway across India, huddled in the cab of his 28-tonne vehicle as wind howled around him on Saturday night. “I was just thinking: it’s going to topple over — and then it did,” said Yadav, who survived unscathed as his cargo of vehicles was scattered across a coastal highway. Television images showed cars flipped on their sides and debris-strewn streets in the silk-producing city of Brahmapur, one of the hardest hit areas. A few trucks and motorbikes returned to city streets as residents emerged to survey the damage. Winds slowed to 90 km per hour early on Sunday and the rain eased. But large swathes of Odisha, including its capital, Bhubaneshwar, were without electricity for a second day after the storm pulled down power cables. Officials said it was too early to give an accurate damage assessment. Soldiers and rescue workers in helicopters, boats and trucks fanned out across the two states. Airlines changed flight paths on the route between Mumbai and Bangkok, and between Bangkok and the Middle East, the Business Standard reported yesterday, citing an air traffic controller it didn’t identify. Indigo, India’s biggest domestic carrier by market share, canceled some flights to and from Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, the company’s external communications agency said in an e-mailed response to questions yesterday. Ragini Chopra, a spokeswoman for Jet Airways (India) Ltd., didn’t respond to an e-mail. All train services between Howrah and Visakhapatnam remained cancelled on Sunday for the second day in view of cyclone Phailin which hit Odisha coast Saturday night. East Coast Railway and South Central Railway have cancelled more than 70 train services, including express and passenger trains, due to the damage to railway tracks in coastal Odisha and also in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. All trains between Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar and Puri were cancelled. An official of East Coast Railways said all trains originating and terminating at Bhubaneswar and Puri stood cancelled. Many long distance trains from Chennai and Mumbai heading towards Howrah were either cancelled or diverted. Major trains which have been cancelled include Bhubaneswar-Tirupati, Puri-Tirupati, Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad, Tirupati-Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai and Tirupati-Bhubaneswar express trains. The authorities have also cancelled Vijayawada-Raigadh, Machilipatnam-Visakha, Vijayawada-Visakha and Kakinada-Visakha passenger trains. In Mogadhalupadu, a fishing village in Andhra Pradesh, where some people had refused to leave their boats and nets, the damage was less than feared. Seawater surged into huts made from coconut palms near the beach. “People have come back to the village now,” said village chief Jagdesh Dasari, saying winds that gusted through the night had dropped off and the rain was light. Phailin caused widespread damage to infrastructure and crops in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and claimed one life. People in north coastal Andhra heaved a sigh of relief with the cyclone turning weak and the intensity of rains and winds also coming down since Sunday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has withdrawn its cyclone warning for Andhra Pradesh. Srikakulam district remained without electricity on Sunday as a number of electricity towers were toppled by the strong winds. Communication towers were also damaged in large numbers while fallen trees on the roads cut off access to many towns and villages. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the national highway connecting Srikakulam to Odisha. The commissioner said electricity supply in Srikakulam district would be restored in two days. Coconut trees standing on hundreds of acres of land were uprooted while other crops were also damaged. Officials said enumeration of damage to houses, crops, roads and railway tracks was on. The district authorities, however, remained on alert against floods due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers. The Met Office has forecast more rainfall during the next 24 hours. Continue reading
Temple stampede in Madhya Pradesh kills 105
Temple stampede in Madhya Pradesh kills 105 (IANS) / 14 October 2013 More than 100 people injured in the tragedy at the Ratangarh temple, located in a forested part of Datia district. In one of the worst tragedies of its kind, a horrific stampede at a Durga temple in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday left at least 105 people dead, Chief Secretary Anthony Disa said on Sunday. Witnesses and officials said more than 100 others were injured in the tragedy at the Ratangarh temple, located in a forested part of Datia district, 390km north of the state capital and 55km from Datia town. Officials admitted that the death toll could rise as many of the injured were in critical condition. Most of the dead were women and children, crushed by an army of pilgrims who began to flee a bridge over the river Sindh following a rumour that it was collapsing. Some pilgrims, however, contended that the tragedy happened after police used batons to regulate the tens of thousands who had gathered on the last day of Navaratri festival. An estimated 2.5 lakh people had massed all around the Maa Ratangarh Wali temple, a police officer said. About 35,000 people were at the site of the tragedy alone. Just how the stampede happened was in dispute. But once it happened, the religious event turned bloody. A large number of people jumped in panic into the Sindh river from the bridge to escape getting stampeded. Survivors complained that it took three to four hours for any help to reach the temple area. Thick crowds all around the temple made the task of transporting the injured to hospitals difficult. Some were rushed to a hospital at Datia and others to Gwalior. Deputy Inspector General of Police D.K. Arya told IANS that many pilgrims were critically injured. He added that some were missing after falling off the bridge. Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Antony Disa pledged to take action against those responsible for the stampede. He said more than 20 bodies had been flushed out of the river. A judicial enquiry has been ordered into the disaster. Some devotees complained that the number of policemen deployed to control the crowds was grossly inadequate. One account put the number of policemen at less than 10. But after the disaster, more police personnel were rushed to the temple area, partly to tackle the mob ire. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a compensation of Rs1.5 lakh to the kin of each of those killed. Datia legislator Narottam Mishra, who is also the state government spokesman, blamed the stampede on a rumour that the bridge on the river near the temple was collapsing. An angry crowd later stoned police personnel, injuring 12 men, including two officers. Congress leader Ajay Singh alleged that many of the victims died because they remained without medical help for a long time. A near similar tragedy in 2006 left 49 people dead in the temple area. It was then that authorities built a bridge over the Sindh river. Ironically, that bridge was involved in Sunday’s stampede. Continue reading
The Dubai Dilemma
The Dubai Dilemma Marie Nammour (mary@khaleejtimes.com) / 8 October 2013 Dubai, a cosmopolitan city where people from around 180 to 200 different nationalities converge, reflects an interesting image of a modern city that lives up to the expectation of any western tourist. At the same time the country has succeeded in keeping its conservative and traditional beliefs very much alive and takes pride in them. However, in the past few years Dubai has been the scene of several criminal cases related to sex and alcohol abuse, involving European, American and other foreign expatriates who have found themselves caught in the web of legal trouble. This is mainly due to the lack of knowledge about the laws and the fine line between a luxurious lifestyle and the violation of laws due to abuse of personal liberties. And, these foreigners would most probably continue to face the same trouble unless certain misconceptions are corrected. Counsel Hani Hammouda believes the culture of every society takes decades and even centuries to become firmly rooted. It is like a huge tree that needs space of its own to grow and flourish so that it can provide a shadow that covers everyone who lives in it. For Hammouda, who works for Kefah Al Zaabi Firm for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy, the solution would start by distributing leaflets at airports and by airline companies to newcomers to Dubai, introducing them to the basic facts and principles about life and code of conduct in Dubai. That would help tourists and visitors seeking jobs keep out of legal trouble. “Embassies and consulates can play a key role in guiding their community here and foreigners could make use of the advisory information and abide by them fully realising that the laws could be different from their own country. For example, the use of drugs is strictly prohibited in the UAE while it could be allowed in some European countries. The installation of information boards in malls and public places could also prove beneficial. Holding seminars and lectures are also necessary to raise the foreigners’ awareness about the traditions and norms. “While it is said that ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’, learning about the host country’s laws and rules upon arrival is a basic need as the ignorance about laws is no excuse to spare law violators the legal accountability,” Hammouda stressed. Misconceptions about cultures This intriguing mosaic of the 180 to 200 nationalities certainly needs a clear set of rules which should be made available to foreigners. The culture of any society takes hundreds of years to be rooted and instilled in generations. However, even if this culture as a whole cannot reach all outsiders, at least the basic minimum components of that culture should be respected, stressed Hammouda. “A simple example of this is that some European countries banned the veil and subjected every woman, who was spotted wearing a veil in public, to fines simply because it did not go well with the cultures of those countries. However, here we still see expats walking along the streets in shorts and in other outfits which could quite hurt the feelings of the conservative local Arab and Muslim families,” said Hammouda. Scantily dressed women and men are often seen walking in malls he said and wondered why every mall does not have information boards with the dress code placed at the entrance itself. “The mall’s owner must be strolling around very often so why doesn’t he pay attention to the excesses of taste and value? At the end of the day, a certain culture would shape up from this combination of cultures. How would we expect it to be? “There is no room here for a reverse thinking that the society here is open to all cultures and that it would be wrong to interfere in other’s liberties. Even in European and American states, one would be punished for an indecent and obscene public act.” According to Adel Awad Jr, a lawyer with over 18 years of experience in law and practising in New York, the image about Dubai abroad is deceiving. “The media projects Dubai as a modern city, which is a fact. But according to that image, there is an unlimited exercise of freedom with no restrictions. So to begin with, westerners head to Dubai with a different picture,” he pointed out. Referring to Dalelv’s case (Norwegian Marte Deborah Dalelv, who was accused of illicit consensual sex after reporting rape), Awad Jr. said: “It is her fault. Even in Europe, a woman should be careful not to stay in the same room with a stranger at night. The alcohol was also a circumstantial element. She lost her sobriety and will.” Proving that a woman was raped is complicated. “Injury marks resulting from struggle with the rapist should be there. If there are no such marks then she would be thought of as a consenting party. If it is proven that she was drunk at the incident time then she will be thought of as an unwilling party and that the sex was forced upon her.” Awad Jr suggested that an introductory code of conduct be enclosed to the employment contract when sent to an expatriate. That way, he (she) would be advised on what would await him in the country he would become a resident of. “Tourists could as well make use of the same information so it would be recommendable that airline and travel agencies enclose it to the travel package they offer to their customers. This code of conduct will give a list of the Dos and the Don’ts in the host country. This code of conduct will help reduce the crimes as it will clear everything out all along.” In July this year, Norwegian Marte Deborah Dalelv who was jailed for having illicit sex and giving false reports to the authorities about being raped, was granted pardon. The 42-year-old Dalelv, who works as an interior design executive, was at first sentenced by the Court of Misdemeanours to 16 months in jail, followed by deportation, for falsely reporting a rape, having sex-out-of-wedlock and consuming alcohol. She claimed to the police and prosecutors that her Sudanese boss raped her in his hotel room in Bur Dubai in March, taking advantage of the fact that she was under the influence of alcohol. The man was sentenced to 13 months in jail and deportation. She was on a business trip with him when the incident happened. Marte’s case created media frenzy in the west after she told her story to the press recounting her ordeal and shock over being held in custody for reporting a rape. She claimed that during the interrogation, she changed her testimony and falsely confessed she had consensual sex in a desperate bid to get a reduced sentence. In February, the Court of Appeals reduced the jail terms of an expatriate couple (an Irish man and a British woman, who had sex mary@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
