New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) The Congress found itself cornered by a united opposition in parliament Tuesday over Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's speech in Lalgarh questioning the manner in which Maoist leader Azad had been killed and the BJP demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervene in the issue.
Both houses of parliament witnessed vociferous demands to take up the issue and the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon as soon as it met after witnessing noisy exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
At the rally in Lalgarh in West Bengal Monday, Banerjee slammed the killing of Cherukuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, in Andhra Pradesh July 2, suggesting it was a staged shootout.
Azad, who carried a reward of Rs.12 lakh on his head, was a member of the central committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). He was gunned down along with a freelance journalist, Hem Chandra Pandey.
"A senior minister of the ruling alliance openly calls the killing of Azad wrong and the home minister is accepting it. The prime minister should intervene," BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
"Why is the prime minister quiet on the issue," Prasad asked, adding: "He has been quiet for the whole of this session."
The Mamata bashing, in fact, served to unite, for once, the BJP and the Left in the Lok Sabha.
When deputy leader of the BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde tried to raise the issue during question hour, Trinamool Congress MPs vigorously protested, prompting the Left party MPs to support Munde.
There was a heated exchange of words between Munde, who was also supported by his party MPs, and Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
Bandyopadhyay charged that the Left and the BJP were in alliance.
As the uproar continued, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said: "They (the opposition) do not want question hour to run."
With Congress MPs on their feet demanding the smooth functioning of question hour, Bansal pointed out that "Munde has not give notice" to raise the issue.
The Congress had said Monday that its West Bengal unit had extended "moral support" to the Lalgarh rally.
Answering queries, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said party leader K. Keshava Rao, who is in-charge of West Bengal, had received an invitation from the rally organisers, who comprised intellectuals like writers and poets.
Asked about pro-Maoist tribal body People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) extending support to the rally, Ahmed said if some people were coming forward for the cause of peace, there was nothing wrong. "How can we stop them?" he asked.
He said the government and the party's policy to deal with the Maoist problem emphasised both development and security aspect.
"If there are any grievances or wrong perceptions, these should be addressed and if there is lack of development, it should be done. However, violence must be dealt with firmly," Ahmed said.
He said the Congress did not take part in the rally as it had its own programmes on the day related to the party's history and freedom struggle.
Sitting down for hours could invite cardiac disaster
London, Aug 10 (IANS) Hours spent sitting on chairs could invite cardiovascular disaster, says a study.
Men who sit for 23 hours a week have a 64 percent greater chance of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who spend only 11 hours sitting.
US research published in Circulation found an 11 percent increased risk of death from all causes for every extra hour of TV viewing (i.e. sitting down) a day, reports The Daily Mail.
How can this be? US researchers have found that lipoprotein lipase - a molecule that helps the body process fat - is released only when leg muscles are tensed, for example when you are standing or walking.
The implication is that when you sit, a crucial part of your metabolism slows down.
"Even if someone has a healthy weight, sitting for long periods still has an unhealthy influence on their blood sugar and blood fats," says Professor David Dunstan, who authored the study.
This means you can run for an hour every morning, but if you spend the rest of the day slumped in your seat, many of the health benefits are cancelled out.
The news was worse for women; those who sat more than six hours a day were 37 percent more likely to die than those who sat for fewer than three, regardless of physical activity at other times.
The equivalent figure for men was 18 percent. Any prolonged sedentary behaviour seems to pose a risk to health. As a result, some doctors are calling for a new recommendation to be added to the health advice that urges us to exercise and stand up more.
"If you stand up, you're far more likely to walk around," says James Levine, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the US.
Even standing still takes effort.
That's because you tense your leg muscles and use back muscles to keep yourself upright. You shift your weight from leg to leg. You stretch and fidget. Standing burns 10 to 20 percent more energy than resting.
For those used to sitting down all day, it's a pain in the neck. Literally.
Efforts on to combat oil spill hazards off Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 10 (IANS) Environment disaster loomed large over coastal Mumbai, Raigad and surrounding areas Tuesday, the day after oil stopped leaking from the sinking Panamanian ship MSC Chitra.
An estimated 2,000 litres of oil has spilled from the grounded ship over three days since its collision with a St. Kitts vessel, MV Khalijia-III Saturday.
The twin ports, Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port, also continued to remain closed for the fourth day and maritime economic activity came to a standstill in the country's two largest sea ports, an official said.
The dangers of many of the 120-odd cargo containers floating in the sea also proved real when one container banged into a sand barge near the Elephanta Island here Tuesday morning.
The Coast Guard and other security agencies managed to rescue at least 10 sailors aboard the sand barge, officials said.
Besides the oil and chemical pollution, the authorities are now confronted with the stocks of edible and non-edible material that have now started floating out of the ship.
Large quantities of milk powder, tea dust, packed foods, and other stuff was found floating near the seashores in Uran, Raigad and south Mumbai.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is likely to hold a meeting with the Coast Guard officials in the afternoon to discuss cleaning up operations of the sea water.
The Coast Guard continues to closely monitor the situation, especially since the presence of hazardous and inflammable chemicals laden containers in the water continues to pose a danger to maritime traffic.
Due to the numerous containers bobbing around in the main navigation channel, normal shipping activities have been suspended at the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, the country's largest and busiest ports handling nearly 70 percent of all maritime trade.
The marine disaster was caused by the collision between MSC Chitra with MV Khalijia-III Saturday morning, barely five kilometres from Mumbai island.
While MV Khalijia-III sustained severe damage to its bow and has been grounded inside the port, the hull of the sinking MSC Chitra was breached near the No.2 cargo space on the port side.
Built in 1980, MSC Chitra with a tonnage of 33,113 tonnes has about 1,200 tonnes of fuel oil in the ruptured tanks on the port side and the remaining in her starboard side which is out of the water. There is 2,700 tonnes of fuel oil and 300 tonnes of diesel oil on board.
Of the total 1,219 containers it was carrying at the time of the accident, 512 were loaded on the deck, including the ones containing hazardous material, and the remaining 707 were below the deck.