K E R A LA M O N I T O R  August 28 

International Education News       

A new report, The education of pupils with medical needs, found
a good quality of teaching and learning in the 12 Local Education
Authorities (LEAs) included in the study, and reports that pupils
were well behaved and had a positive attitude towards their work. Full Report

 39 Killed and 170 injured in Stampede in Nasik

Nasik, India - The collapse of a barricade set off a stampede of thousands of people at a Hindu religious festival Wednesday in western India, killing at least 39 people and injuring 125 more, an official said. When the stampede  took place  more than a million Hindu devotees were assembled for a religious bathing festival in the Godavari River outside the town of Nasik, about 110 miles northeast of Bombay. The injured were brought to Nasik hospitals in ambulances, cars and police vehicles.

"There were some 50,000 people behind one barricade and they were pushing. The barricade suddenly broke and they just fell down," said Chhagan Bhujbal, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state. "People at the back just began walking on them and that's how the stampede happened," said Bhujbal. "It was a tragic accident." After the stampede, tens of thousands of pilgrims continued worshipping at the festival area, which is spread across dozens of acres.

Stampedes are not uncommon at major Hindu religious festivals, which can attract millions of worshippers.The Kumbh Mela festival is held every 12 years, timed in connection with alignments of the Sun and Jupiter. While the main festival is held near the city of Allahabad, the Nasik festival is one of the "mini-Kumbhs" that are held more often.Some 60 million people are estimated to take part at various times during the festival, which started July 30 and ends Sept. 1. Police in Nasik said 1.5 million to 1.6 million people were attending the festival Wednesday. 


  7695 hectares of forest land sanctioned

Thiruvananthapuram : The Central Government sanctioned 7,695 hectars of vested forest land for diversion for the purpose of rehabilitation of landless tribal families in the State. Union Environment and Forest Minister T R Baalu formally handed over the approval letter to Kerala Forest Minister K Sudhakaran during a national seminar on 'Management and welfare of elephants in captivity- priorities for the 21st century.' Baalu said about 13,000 tribal families, comprising of 65,000 people, would get the benefit. He, however, made it clear that it was a one-time settlement on the part of the Centre. 

The issue of land for landless tribals, a poll-time promise by the Congress, has been a major controversy after tribals led by  leader C K Janu occupied the Muthanga forest area in the Wayanad Reserved Forest for more than 40 days. One tribal was killed in the police action to remove the tribals from the area in February this year. A CBI probe is underway into the police action. According to the  agreement between the Centre and the state government, 13,200 hectares of private forest would be brought under the state Forest Department against the mandatory compensatory afforestation. 7,695 hectors are evenly allotted in the districts of Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Palakkad and Malappuram. 

Talk on North Korean nuclear issue began

Beijing : Senior envoys from six countries today began talks here to peacefully resolve North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. China, the host for the meeting has  described the meeting as another "important step" to address the major security concern haunting Northeast Asia. Diplomats from North Korea, South Korea, US, Japan, Russia and host China arrived at the heavily protected Diaoyutai state guest house in western Beijing and were seated at a hexagonal table for the closed-door talks on the first day of the meeting, which is scheduled to last till Friday. Chinese vice-foreign minister Wang Yi, who is also the head of the Chinese delegation, said the Beijing six-party talks represent another important step toward the peaceful solution of the Korean nuclear issue. In his opening remarks as the host, Wang, said the six-party talks are not only the continuation and expansion of the trilateral talks held last April in Beijing, but also a new start, which represent another important step toward peacefully resolving the Korean nuclear issue. He noted that North Korea, China's closest ally, has made important decisions for the realisation of the six-party talks, and the US and other parties concerned have also made active efforts. The American side is led by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, James Kelly while the North Korean delegation is headed by its deputy foreign minister Kim Yong il. 

Mars comes more closer to Earth

Earth and Mars are coming as close as they desire in the wee hours of Wednesday during an historical event that is captivating the attention of sky watchers around the globe. The two planets will be separated by 34,646,418 million miles (55,758,006 million kilometers) at 5:51 a.m. ET (1051 GMT) on Aug. 27.Not since the Neanderthals shared this planet with early humans have the two worlds been so close. Despite rumors, there will be no chance of collision and no unusual or dangerous gravitational effects. Public interest in the event has soared recently as media around the world cover the story, which was first reported by (SPACE.com) last November. Mars rises in the southeast around sunset, your local time, shimmering like an orange star so bright it could momentarily be mistaken for an airliner on final approach. It outshines all other stars in the sky. Around 1 a.m. Mars is due south and high in the sky. It sets in the southwest at about sunrise.

Osama bin Laden may be hiding  in PAK tribal belt

Islamabad: Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden could be hiding in the country's tribal belt bordering Afghanistan says  US Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell.  Powell was inaugurating  a women police reporting room at a police station. She said US intelligence agencies in close coordination with Pakistani intelligence network and local law enforcement officials are trying to track down al Qaeda members. The US Ambassador also praised Pakistan's role in the US-led fight against terrorism. Speaking about the reporting room that she inaugurated, Powell said that it would help resolve basic issues of the "suppressed" womenfolk in the country. The victimised women, she said, would feel easy while lodging their complaint at this room.      
        
Attack on telephone exchange in Srinagar

 Srinagar: Militants attack telephone exchange complex in Srinagar and hurled grenades and opened fire on security guards posted here today evening.  However, it was not immediately clear whether the militants had managed to enter the complex or were operating from the nearby buildings. According to official sources,  the militants hurled grenades followed by firing on security guards posted near the main entrance of the Central Telegraph Office (CTO), a stone's throw away from the UNI office at Exchange road. There was again firing when a group of journalists went there to cover the incident. However, no one was injured. This was followed by another loud explosion and firing when security forces were sealing the area. A spokesman of the Al-Mansoorain has claimed responsibility for the attack.