El Nino – a phenomena which sparks global weather extremes – could be transporting and spreading waterborne diseases such as cholera thousands of miles across oceans, with significant impacts for public health, a new study has found.

Researchers from the University of Bath in UK found that illnesses caused by waterborne bacteria reported in Latin America seem to be moving in tandem with when and where warm El Nino waters make contact with the land.

El Nino describes the unusual warming of surface waters along the tropical west coast of South America. These events tend to occur every 3-7 years; something many suggest have become more regular and extreme in recent years, as a result of climate change.

Most significantly, drawing on new data derived from whole genome sequencing of bacterial strains, they suggest there are links between organisms that are causing illnesses in Asia with those that emerge in Latin America.

Over the past 30 years, coinciding with the last three significant El Nino events in 1990/91, 1997/98 and 2010, new variants of waterborne pathogens emerged in Latin America.

These included a devastating cholera outbreak in Peru in 1990, leading to over 13,000 deaths, as well as two instances in 1997 and 2010 where new variants of the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus led to widespread human illness through contaminated shellfish.

“Through our findings we suggest that so-called vibrios – microscopic bacteria commonly found in seawater – can attach to larger organisms such as zooplankton to travel oceans,” said lead author Jaime Martinez-Urtaza, from the University of Bath.

“Numerous previous studies have shown how such vibrios bind to and use these larger organisms as a source of energy and through this mechanism, we suggest, they are essentially able to piggyback to travel such enormous diseases, driven by ocean currents,” Martinez-Urtaza said.

“The effects of El Nino events and their impacts on local weather, fisheries and the risk of more extreme meteorological events are already well-documented,” he said.

“Now understanding the role the ocean currents are also playing in transporting these disease has huge significance for public health campaigns in those countries,” he said.

“An El Nino event could represent an efficient long-distance ‘biological corridor’, allowing the displacement of marine organisms from distant areas,” said Craig Baker-Austin from the UK Cefas Weymouth laboratory.

“This process could provide both a periodic and unique source of new pathogens into America with serious implications for the spread and control of disease,” said Baker-Austin.

The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.PTI

Intense Russian air strikes battered rebel bastions across Syria today, a monitor said, just hours before a midnight deadline for a landmark ceasefire in the country’s five-year civil war.

With the ceasefire due to take effect at 2200 GMT, US President Barack Obama has warned Damascus and key ally Moscow that the “world will be watching”.

Both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the main opposition body have agreed to the deal — which allows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and other jihadists.

The agreement brokered by Russia and the United States marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end Syria’s violence, but has been plagued by doubts after the failure of previous peace efforts.

Members of the 17-nation group backing the process were to meet in Geneva today to work out further details of the so-called “cessation of hostilities”, which is then expected to be endorsed by the UN Security Council, diplomats said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said Russia and the regime had launched a wave of attacks on non-jihadist rebel areas ahead of the deadline.

“It’s more intense than usual,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Russia launched air strikes in Syria last September saying it was targeting “terrorists” but critics have accused Moscow of hitting rebel forces in support of Assad, a longtime ally.

The Observatory said there had been Russian strikes overnight on rebel bastions including the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, the north of Homs province and the west of Aleppo province.

There were at least 26 air strikes on Eastern Ghouta including 10 on its main city of Douma which was facing heavy regime shelling, he said.

One Douma resident told AFP that “the bombing is very heavy” while another described “very big explosions” in the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Moscow would continue targeting “terrorist groups”.

“The decisive fight against them will, without doubt, be continued,” Putin said in televised remarks.

“We understand fully and take into account that this will be a complicated, and maybe even contradictory process of reconciliation, but there is no other way,” Putin said.

The intensified attacks prompted Turkey, a key supporter of opposition forces, to express worries over the viability of the ceasefire.

Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s mother today launched a no holds barred attack on HRD Minister Smriti Irani, accusing her of resorting to “blatant lies” while talking in Parliament about her son’s suicide and that “life imprisonment” will not be enough for her and others “responsible” for his death.

Radhika Vemula, flanked by her other son Raja, said BJP will be “decimated to the ground” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not take any action against Irani and her ministerial colleague Bandaru Dattatreya who had written multiple letters to her seeking action against Rohith, alleging anti-national activities.

The proposal to set up India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai announced in today’s Railway Budget will provide a big support to the automobile industry, facilitating transportation of vehicles from manufacturing plants to respective destinations, say carmakers.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu while presenting the budget for 2016-17 today in Parliament said, “To capture the automobile traffic, we will soon inaugurate India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai.”

Reacting to the announcement, Hyundai Motor India Ltd Senior Vice-President (Sales & Marketing) Rakesh Srivastava told PTI, “Last mile connectivity, reduced logistic costs and time, (are) addressed in one big infrastructure move enabling mass transportation of vehicles with the Auto Hub at Chennai giving a big support to the auto industry.”

Expressing similar views, Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney said India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai will facilitate transportation of cars from manufacturing plants to respective destinations as the city is “a growing automobile hub and is being regarded as ‘Detroit of the East'”.

Welcoming the proposal to develop rail side logistics parks and warehousing in PPP mode, he said, “This is indeed a welcome move as it will bring in significant efficiencies and reduction in logistic costs for many automobile OEMs in and around the Chennai region, including us.”

In his speech, Prabhu said inadequacy of warehousing and transportation facilities was also one of the causes that kept potential customers away from the railways.

“In order to complete the chain of transportation, it is proposed to develop rail side logistics parks and warehousing.

These logistic parks and warehouses would be created in PPP mode to bring the required efficiency and investment but also help attract greater traffic to the railways,” the minister said.

He further said, “With the coming in of TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics Company of India, we will be witness to a paradigm shift in our role as a national logistics provider.

The focus will be on providing last mile connectivity for freight business and significant reduction in logistic costs.

At least 10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC in 2016-17.”

Nissan India Operations President Guillaume Sicard said the announcement to create a rail auto hub in Chennai is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to the Make in India initiative.

“Chennai is one of major auto hubs in India and needs efficient and cost-effective infrastructure and logistics support. Now, with the rail auto hub, it will be a much-needed shot in the arm for economical, timely and efficient transportation of our cars to the port and will aid our export strategy immensely,” Sicard said.

Nissan India is one of the largest exporters of passenger cars and has reached the landmark export figure of six lakh cars recently.

“We welcome all initiatives to provide better and efficient infrastructure,” Sicard added.PTI

Rahul Mukerjea was also allegedly facing threat from his step mother Indrani which he had conveyed to his father Peter Mukerjea through an email sent about a year before the murder of his girlfriend Sheena Bora.

CBI which is probing the murder of Bora has attached this conversation in the supplementary charge sheet which mentions that Peter knew that his wife Indrani has allegedly issued threats to his son Rahul and her daughter from her first marriage Sheena, sources said.

Fearing threats, Sheena and Rahul had taken a backup of all the mails, messages, documents for safekeeping, they said.

In the mail dated April 13, 2011, Rahul told Peter, “On several occasions, we have received threats from Indrani…I have protected myself and Sheena by documenting mails, history, conversations and messages included.”

He wrote that he had put these for safekeeping and threatened to make them public “should anything happen to either Sheena or me”, the mail alleged.

CBI has alleged that Peter was actively involved in the conspiracy to murder Sheena which was hatched by Indrani, her second husband Sanjiv Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai who all have been arrested by the agency.

Peter was also told by Rahul that he was not sure if messages coming from his father’s phone were actually sent by him or not.

Rahul had accused his father of allegedly using the email accounts of Indrani and Khanna’s daughter Vidhie to send mails to Sheena, it alleged.

“Please also remember that you yourselves involved young Vidhie in all of this by using her email account to send emails in the first place and by giving her the phone when Sheena wanted an explanation from Indrani,” he said in the mail.

Rahul had told Peter that Indrani was “bad-mouthing” him and also pressuring a media company where he was trying.

“After all the things your wife has said about me, and all the threats she has made, and after all the attempts she has made to disrupt my progress, telling a load of lies about me and trying to have me thrown out from my flat. Then also pressuring the (media company) people,” he had told Peter in his mail which has been attached by CBI in the charge sheet.

CBI had mentioned in the supplementary charge sheet that both Peter and Indrani wanted separation of Rahul and Sheena who were in a relationship.

The agency has submitted the charge sheet, running into 500 pages and listing 52 witnesses.

“We have mentioned in the charge sheet that the process of separating Sheena and Rahul had started since 2009 and as they did not budge, the duo (Indrani and Peter) planned to kill her,” a CBI official said.

Peter was arrested on November 19 for his alleged role in the murder conspiracy. He was in CBI custody for two weeks. Indrani is the prime accused in the case.

On November 19, CBI had filed a charge sheet against Indrani, Khanna and Rai for murdering Sheena and disposing of her body.

As per the charge sheet, Indrani and Peter were unhappy with Sheena and Rahul’s relationship, and they had told their friend Pritul Sanghvi that ‘this relationship was not correct’.

Sheena (24), Indrani’s daughter from an earlier relationship, was allegedly strangled in a car by Indrani on April 24, 2012 and her body was burnt before it was dumped in a forest in adjoining Raigad district.PTI

The Indian Consulate in Sydney has refused to make public records related to alleged fake passport issued to Chhota Rajan which enabled his stay in Australia, citing four exemption clauses from the RTI Act without giving any reason to substantiate them.

Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative had sought from the Indian High Commission in Australia details of the passport issued to Rajan on the basis of forged identity.

The application was forwarded to the mission in Sydney where the travel document was issued to Rajan.

The Mission refused to divulge the details citing Sections 8(1)(a), (e), (g) and (h) of the RTI Act.

“… The First Appellate Authority has sent the email that the CPIO rejected my RTI application under Sections 8A, 8E, 8G and 8H. There is no attachment or email form the CPIO that was supposedly sent to me. To which email address, I am not sure,” Nayak claimed.

Section 8(1)(a) alone covers seven grounds to deny information — sovereignty and integrity, defence, strategic, scientific, economic interests and foreign relations of the state and incitement to commission of crimes. Section 8(1)(e) relates to fiduciary relationship, 8(1)(g) exempts information from disclosure which may endanger the life and safety of any person and 8(1)(h) the disclosure impede the investigation, prosecution process or arrest of the offenders.

Several high courts have given orders that mere invoking exemptions is not enough and the public authority must give sufficient reasons to justify denial of information.

“This reply from the Sydney Consulate amounts to shielding officers who may have issued the passport without due diligence or perhaps even through corrupt means. The CBI has already registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against unnamed officials in this case. So there is a great amount of public interest in making the identity of these officials public instead of protecting them,” Nayak alleged.

A forged RTI reply furnished seven years ago from his office triggered harassment of a public information officer of Delhi government who finally found refuge in the CIC which has ordered the Chief Minister’s Office to inquire into the matter.

The then Public Information Officer Harjeet Singh, who processed RTI responses at ADM, North District here, had to use the Act to clear himself of the serious charge levelled against him.

In 2008, a response was issued from his office to L D Chopra even when no RTI application was filed. The response was unsigned saying that certified copies of a will have been provided without due process of law.

On the basis of this unsigned response, Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi government started proceedings against Singh who had now moved as an administrative officer in Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

Singh started filing RTI applications seeking details of the RTI response which triggered action against him but no reply was furnished to him. Even earlier orders of the CIC did not help. Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu took stern view on it.

“The reply served its purpose to help land grabber and its serious side effect was that one responsible officer of public authority suffered humiliation and insults as he faced investigations for no fault of him causing mental depression to entire family members,” he said.

Acharyulu said it is not clear till now which public servant has issued the letter dated SPIO/DC/(N)/RTI/5/ID No.360/928 dated February 14, 2008 which is fabricated.

“It appears that officer who signed the letter is known to others, but all of them are shielding him by putting forward the ‘non traceable’ plea. The Government has responsibility to probe this through an appropriate investigating authority,” he said.
“The Commission finds this as a very bad case of non-

response to RTI request, where the appellant is not a common citizen, but an officer of the same government, who became the victim of a falsely generated RTI response in the absence of any RTI request,” Acharyulu said.

He noted in the order that neither the PIOs nor the ADMs of north and central districts, have cared to take serious note of Commission’s orders in this case, which reflects misuse of RTI by officers.

“The appellant had suffered prolonged humiliation, harassment and insults with different kinds of investigations by police, ACB and others. In spite of many notices, the PIOs did not attend,” he said.

Issuing showcause notices, the Information Commissioner asked ADMs of central and north why a penalty should not be imposed on them and why disciplinary action cannot be recommended against each of them.

“The Commission also requires that the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi to take serious note of this criminal act of falsification of record and then hiding the crime under the cover of illegal excuse that ‘RTI record not traceable’,” he said.

The Commissioner said if for any jurisdictional issue, the GNCTD finds it is not within their purview to investigate this, they should request the Union Home Ministry to take up the investigation.