W O R L D

When lawmakers went to Parliament by boat!
Colombo flooded by record rain
The Sri Lankan capital has received its heaviest rainfall in 18 years, paralysing the city and inundating the Parliament complex where lawmakers had to be ferried in boats and armoured vehicles.

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK! Lankan lawmakers are ferried in an amphibious armoured personnel carrier to Parliament, situated just outside Colombo, on Thursday. — AFP

US army gets 1st Sikh enlisted soldier in years
Washington, November 11
Simran Preet Singh Lamba today became the first enlisted Sikh soldier in the US army in more than two decades to complete basic training after getting a rare religious exemption for his turban and beard because the military wants his language skills.

Simran Lamba carrying the unit flag of Alpha Company of the 34th Infantry Regiment’s Third Battalion during his basic training graduation ceremony at at Fort Jackson in South Carolina on Wednesday. — AP/PTI

The biggie: Male tortoise AJ, weighing 215 kg, eats some watermelon at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. Five Aldabra tortoises, the second largest land tortoise in the world, moved into their brand new exhibit at the Zoo. — AP/PTI

India has highest TB burden in the world: WHO
Geneva, November 11
India carries the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world with 2 million new cases in 2009, though the government and NGOs have “remarkably scaled up their intervention”, the World Health Organisation said today.

Former Pak Prez wanted his photo on currency
Islamabad, November 10
As President, Pervez Musharraf was keen to have his photograph replace Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s on Pakistan’s currency notes, former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has disclosed. Jamali told Geo News on Wednesday night that the change in the currency note didn’t happen as he refused it.

Suu Kyi’s appeal rejected
Yangon, November 11
Myanmar’s Supreme Court has refused democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against her house arrest, an official said today, but hopes for her imminent freedom remained.

When lawmakers went to Parliament by boat!
Colombo flooded by record rain
Chandani Kirinde in Colombo

The Sri Lankan capital has received its heaviest rainfall in 18 years, paralysing the city and inundating the Parliament complex where lawmakers had to be ferried in boats and armoured vehicles.

The record rainfall of 440 mm in 12 hours brought the capital to a virtual standstill and displaced around 60,000 persons. The Parliament house remained inaccessible to normal vehicles and naval boats and armoured vehicles were used to take the Speaker and MPs to attend the meeting in a submerged Parliamentary complex built in the middle of an island in a man-made lake.

The water-logged Parliament complex had to restrict its session to eight minutes.

With the power supply disrupted and ground floor under three-feet high water, electric torches were used to lead the parliamentarians inside.

During the brief session held in darkness, the parliament approved Rs 15 billion to expedite development projects in the country.

“Entrance area and the ground floor of the parliament were under three feet high water this morning and the power supply to the building was also disrupted,” parliament officials said.

“Personal security officials had to use electric torches to lead the parliamentarians in to the chamber”.“The midnight shower displaced around 60,000 persons, majority of them in the western province” Disaster management Minister A H M Fowizi said.

He said Rs 15 million has been allocated for relief operations. The unusually heavy rains forced schools to close and semester exams were postponed, educations officials said. Heavy traffic was seen on almost all roads leading to Colombo as they were flooded and disruption of power supply paralysed the traffic lights system.

Nearly 2,000 soldiers from all three forces have been deployed to assist the people affected by the floods, military officials said. “The navy had to deploy boats to rescue people stranded and distribute essential items,” a navy spokesman said.

The highest rainfall in 18 years recorded 440 mm in Colombo early this morning. Many other parts of the island were also affected, Meteorological department said.

(With inputs from PTI)

US army gets 1st Sikh enlisted soldier in years

Washington, November 11
Simran Preet Singh Lamba today became the first enlisted Sikh soldier in the US army in more than two decades to complete basic training after getting a rare religious exemption for his turban and beard because the military wants his language skills.

Recruited by the army in 2009 through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest programme for his language skills in Punjabi and Hindi, Lamba completed basic training with his turban and unshorn hair at Fort Jackson outside Columbia and became a US citizen. "I am thrilled to serve with my fellow soldiers and serve the US," 26-year-old Lamba said.

Present US Army policy still excludes Sikhs who maintain their turban and beard. Sikhs in the US military may maintain their religiously-mandated turban and unshorn hair only if they receive an individual exemption to do so.

Lamba was initially told that his Sikh articles of faith would likely be accommodated. But, in March 2010, his formal request for a religious accommodation was denied. Lamba appealed the decision, and his appeal was accepted in September 2010.

Contrary to the concerns of some, Lamba was able to meet all the requirements of a soldier during basic training.

In 1981, the army banned "conspicuous" religious articles of faith, including turbans and unshorn hair, for its service members. The ban was enacted despite a long history of Sikhs serving in the US military with their religious identity intact. — PTI

India has highest TB burden in the world: WHO

Geneva, November 11
India carries the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world with 2 million new cases in 2009, though the government and NGOs have “remarkably scaled up their intervention”, the World Health Organisation said today.

Out of 1.3 million people who died from TB in the world last year, India accounted for 2,80,000 lives. The mortality rate is higher in patients with HIV/AIDS-related TB.

In its latest comprehensive report, Global Tuberculosis Control 2010, WHO said although there were significant improvements in tackling this deadly but curable disease, new forms of multi-drug-resistant TB are causing havoc in countries like “Russia, China, and India.” “India has the highest TB burden in the world and despite spectacular interventions there were 2 million new cases in India,” Director, Stop TB Department in WHO, Dr Mario Raviglione said. — PTI

Former Pak Prez wanted his photo on currency

Islamabad, November 10
As President, Pervez Musharraf was keen to have his photograph replace Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s on Pakistan’s currency notes, former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has disclosed. Jamali told Geo News on Wednesday night that the change in the currency note didn’t happen as he refused it.

Responding to a question, Jamali said Musharraf was ready to hand over disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan to the US in 2004. An American plane had even arrived in Islamabad for taking Khan to the US, but Jamali said he blocked the move. “I informed my cabinet that we cannot hand him (AQ Khan) over to the Americans,” the channel quoted him as saying. — IANS

Suu Kyi’s appeal rejected

Yangon, November 11
Myanmar’s Supreme Court has refused democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal against her house arrest, an official said today, but hopes for her imminent freedom remained.

Suu Kyi’s lawyers expect the Nobel Peace laureate to be released on Saturday, days after a rare election in which the junta’s proxies claimed a landslide win, but they had hoped she would also be acquitted to prove her innocence. — AFP