IIM-K hikes fee to Rs 3 lakh for PG programmes

Kozhikode, Mar 31 (PTI) The IIM-Kozhikode has decided to revise the annual fee structure for its two-year post-graduate programmes by over a lakh rupees from next academic year following hike in fee structure announced by IIMs in Ahmedabad and Bangalore. "In principle, it has been decided to hike the fee to Rs three lakh for both first and second year for the batch joining in June 2008," IIM-K Director, Prof Krishna Kumar told PTI.

While the institute, was at present charging Rs 1.90 lakh and Rs 1.

95 lakh for the first and second year respectively, fee structure would now be uniform for both, he said. "The Board of Directors have taken a decision to hike the fee to be in line with the other IIMs in the country," he said.

Asked about the over 100 per cent hike effected by leading business school IIM-Ahmedabad, with different fee for first and second year, he said IIMs had arrived at a decision after reviewing their cost structure. IIM-A has hiked its fee from Rs 2.

5 lakh for both the years to Rs 5.5 lakh for the first year and to Rs 6 lakh to the second year from the coming academic year. For More Info

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…,” said Coleridge in his poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. Though the lines were not written in the context of lack of drinking water in general, but the sense conveyed would become a reality if the depletion of fresh water supplies continues at the current pace.

Today, over 1.1 billion of the world’s total population use potentially harmful sources of water every year to meet some of their very basic needs, including quenching thirst. In clearer statistical terms, almost two in every 10 persons on this earth have no source of safe drinking water. This indirectly leads to a humanitarian crisis which causes death of nearly 3,900 children everyday across the world, according to the United Nations. In 2000, over 2.2 million human lives were lost due to waterborne diseases (related to the consumption of contaminated water) or drought.

These are just some of the startling figures which highlight the existing ‘water crisis’. However, this is the crisis which ‘exists’, in the present. What’s going to come in the future is much more scary and grave.

One-fifth of world`s TB cases in India

New Delhi, March 24: In a grim statistics for the country, India has reported nearly 1.4 million TB cases in the year 2006 contributing to one-fifth of the total global cases. In 2005, more than 3.2 lakh deaths were reported due to tuberculosis in the country, a report said.

The country continued to report high morbidity and mortality due to tuberculosis and as many as 1.39 million cases were reported in 2006, according to a report on tuberculosis in the Southeast Asia region by the WHO.

The pace to control the disease slowed slightly in 2006 majorly due to India and China which accounted for 63 per cent of the new cases in the past year, the report released on the occasion of World TB Day said today.

According to Nani Nair, India is not really lagging behind as far as reporting TB cases was concerned. "In India a large number of patients are getting treated from private practioners whose number goes unrecorded".

There is an increase from 9.1 million cases in 2005, due to population growth. India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria rank first to fifth respectively in terms of absolute number of cases.

The African region has the highest incidence rate per capita, the report said adding there were an estimated 14.4 million prevalent cases of TB in 2006.

An estimated 1.5 million people died from TB in 2006. In addition, another 2,00,000 people with HIV died from HIV-associated TB, the report said. For More Info

Dalai Lama blamed for Tibet riots

Beijing, March 18: As the deadline issued by China to the Tibetan protestors neared, Premier Wen Jiabao defended China`s crackdown in Tibet on Tuesday, accusing the Dalai Lama of organising the rioting which has left several dead. "There is ample fact and plenty of evidence proving this incident was organised, premeditated, masterminded and incited by the Dalai clique," Wen told a news conference.

"This has all the more revealed the consistent claims by the Dalai clique that they pursue not independence but peaceful dialogue are nothing but lies."

The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959, has denied Chinese accusations that he incited the rioting. Monk-led pro-independence protests -- the biggest in almost two decades -- erupted in the Tibet`s regional capital, Lhasa, last Monday and have spilled into nearby Chinese provinces populated by Tibetans.

Chinese Soldiers Swarm Tibet's Capital, Finding Shops and Cars Set on Fire by Protesters

BEIJING — Soldiers on foot and in armored carriers swarmed Tibet's capital Saturday, enforcing a strict curfew a day after protesters burned shops and cars to vent their anger against Chinese rule. In another western city, police clashed with hundreds of Buddhist monks leading a sympathy demonstration.

The violence erupted just two weeks before China's Summer Olympic celebrations kick off with the start of the torch relay, which passes through Tibet. China is gambling that its crackdown will not draw an international outcry over human rights violations that could lead to boycotts of the Olympics.

Downfall In Sensex

Sensex 15375.55 -752.43
NIFTY 4630.70 -241.30
NASDAQ 2243.87 -11.89

MUMBAI: Selling pressure continued unabated with no fresh buying whatsoever, despite the drop in share prices as global and domestic uncertainties prevailed.At 3:10 pm, the Sensex was down 800 points or 4.6 per cent at 15,326.91.

Goa Police crack Scarlett Keeling’s murder mystery

In a major breakthrough, the authorities investigating British teenager Scarlett Keeling`s murder case claimed to have solved the mystery behind the British girl’s death on Thursday, after Samson D`Souza – the first person held in the case – confessed his role. According to reports, Samson D`Souza has also revealed the names of four others including drug dealer Placido Carvalho alias Shannaboy, who was arrested late night on Wednesday.