Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepal's freedom fighter and political hero, who played a major role in ending the Maoists' decade-long People's War and restoring peace in the country, is no more.
The Nepali Congress president, who served as Prime Minister four times and as head of state once, died on Saturday at the age of 86. He had been suffering from chronic asthma and Common Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. His health deteriorated recently and he had to be hospitalised. He had been unconscious since morning and breathed his last at the house of his only child, daughter Sujata Koirala. Thousands of party cadres, leaders of different parties, and diplomats gathered there to pay their last respects.
His body will be kept at the Dasharath Stadium on Sunday morning for the public to pay their homage. The funeral will take place in the evening and his daughter will perform the last rites.
The government has announced a national holiday; the national flag will fly at half-mast for three days. Realising his contribution made for national reconciliation, the government had a few months ago decided to recommend his name for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Haiti raises quake death toll to 217,000
The Haitian government said the death toll in last month’s earthquake had risen to 217,000, backtracking from conflicting earlier statements of even higher totals.
“There are people that say in the January 12 earthquake 230,000 people died,” Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime said on Wednesday. “We say it is a little more than 217,000. These are the correct numbers.” Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive had said the death toll was 212,000, but then government figures unexpectedly jumped to 270,000 before being corrected Wednesday.
The exact death toll in the magnitude-7 quake would likely never be known because many people were buried in mass graves and bodies still remain under the rubble.
The United Nations said Wednesday in Port-au-Prince that 1.2 million Haitians remained homeless from the quake and 460,000 have left the capital for the provinces. The World Food Programme is distributing aid to 1.1 million people.
“There are people that say in the January 12 earthquake 230,000 people died,” Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime said on Wednesday. “We say it is a little more than 217,000. These are the correct numbers.” Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive had said the death toll was 212,000, but then government figures unexpectedly jumped to 270,000 before being corrected Wednesday.
The exact death toll in the magnitude-7 quake would likely never be known because many people were buried in mass graves and bodies still remain under the rubble.
The United Nations said Wednesday in Port-au-Prince that 1.2 million Haitians remained homeless from the quake and 460,000 have left the capital for the provinces. The World Food Programme is distributing aid to 1.1 million people.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Michael Jackson’s doctor charged with ‘involuntary manslaughter’
Michael Jackson’s doctor pleaded not guilty on Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star at a brief hearing that had all the trappings of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.
Dr. Conrad Murray appeared in court in a gray suit as Jackson’s father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy watched from courtroom seats behind prosecutors.
Neither Dr. Murray nor the Jacksons showed much emotion as Dr. Murray entered his plea through his attorney Ed Chernoff.
“We need justice,” Joe Jackson said outside court.
Earlier, several people shouted “murderer” as Dr. Murray walked past a crowd of hundreds of reporters and Jackson fans on his way to a courthouse adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport.
Dr. Murray, 56, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died June 25, entered his plea just hours after he was charged.
Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz set bail at $75,000, three times more than the amount most people face after being charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors had been seeking $300,000 bail for Dr. Murray, who was taken into custody by deputies but not handcuffed in public. He was expected to be released later in the day.
The judge told Dr. Murray he could travel throughout the United States after posting bail but must surrender his passport and not leave the country.
Lines were formed to gain admission to the courtroom, and the Jackson family was escorted in separately and seated before anyone else arrived.
Despite the precautions, the upcoming proceedings promise to be the focus of widespread attention.
Jackson, 50, hired Dr. Murray in May to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous series of comeback performances.
Officials said the singer died in Los Angeles after Dr. Murray administered the powerful general anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep.
Dr. Murray is accused of the single felony count in a five-page complaint that said he “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson” by acting “without due caution and circumspection.”
The complaint contains no details on Jackson’s death, but authorities have said the singer died after Dr. Murray administered the anesthetic and other drugs. Dr. Murray has said he did nothing that should have caused Jackson to die.
If convicted, the doctor could face up to four years in prison.
“We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell,” Mr. Chernoff said before the charge was filed.
Dr. Conrad Murray appeared in court in a gray suit as Jackson’s father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy watched from courtroom seats behind prosecutors.
Neither Dr. Murray nor the Jacksons showed much emotion as Dr. Murray entered his plea through his attorney Ed Chernoff.
“We need justice,” Joe Jackson said outside court.
Earlier, several people shouted “murderer” as Dr. Murray walked past a crowd of hundreds of reporters and Jackson fans on his way to a courthouse adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport.
Dr. Murray, 56, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died June 25, entered his plea just hours after he was charged.
Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz set bail at $75,000, three times more than the amount most people face after being charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors had been seeking $300,000 bail for Dr. Murray, who was taken into custody by deputies but not handcuffed in public. He was expected to be released later in the day.
The judge told Dr. Murray he could travel throughout the United States after posting bail but must surrender his passport and not leave the country.
Lines were formed to gain admission to the courtroom, and the Jackson family was escorted in separately and seated before anyone else arrived.
Despite the precautions, the upcoming proceedings promise to be the focus of widespread attention.
Jackson, 50, hired Dr. Murray in May to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous series of comeback performances.
Officials said the singer died in Los Angeles after Dr. Murray administered the powerful general anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep.
Dr. Murray is accused of the single felony count in a five-page complaint that said he “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson” by acting “without due caution and circumspection.”
The complaint contains no details on Jackson’s death, but authorities have said the singer died after Dr. Murray administered the anesthetic and other drugs. Dr. Murray has said he did nothing that should have caused Jackson to die.
If convicted, the doctor could face up to four years in prison.
“We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell,” Mr. Chernoff said before the charge was filed.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Jyoti Basu dies of multi-organ failure
Jyoti Basu, who strode the political arena like a colossus for over six decades, died here on Sunday of multi-organ failure after being struck by pneumonia 17 days ago.
Left Front chairman Biman Bose, who together with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee rushed to the hospital, broke down while announcing “I have a sad announcement to make. Jyoti Basu is no more with us.”
Mr. Basu’s personal physician Dr. Ajit Kumar Maity said that he breathed his last at 11:47 a.m. at the AMRI Hospital where he was admitted with pneumonia on January 1.
The former West Bengal Chief Minister was 95 and is survived by son Chandan. His wife Kamal pre-deceased him four years ago.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who was in the city rushed to the hospital, and said “We have just learnt that Jyoti Basu, formally known as Jyoti Babu, has passed away.
“He strode like a colossus on the Indian political scene for several decades. He was a great patriot, a great democrat. He lived a full life,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
“For the last fortnight, he suffered a lot. The West Bengal government has provided him with the best medical care in the country. We are deeply sad at his passing away.I offer my sincere condolence to his family and the people of West Bengal.
A political legend, Mr. Basu became the longest serving chief minister of West Bengal for 23 years from 1997 at the head of CPI(M)-headed Left Front government.
Mr. Basu had suffered multi-organ failure and was put on a temporary pacemaker late last night.
He had been put on Slow Low Efficiency Daily Dialysis (SLEDD), but it was stopped after he was unable to tolerate it beyond seven-and-a-half hours on Saturday.
Mr. Basu’s son, Chandan, daughter-in-law Rakhi, grand daughters Payel, Doyel and Koyel were at the hospital.
Left Front ministers, Pratim Chatterjee, Kiranmoy Nanda, Sudarshan Roychowdhury, Ranjit Kundu were at AMRI.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, veteran Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh and a host of Left Party leaders visited the hospital.
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat was among other leaders who visited the hospital.
Mr. Basu’s body will be taken to funeral parlour Peace Haven at 2:00 p.m. from the hospital, party leader Shyamal Chakraborty said.
He said people were flocking to the hospital after learning of Mr. Basu’s death. “But there are other patients here who will be inconvenienced if the body is kept here. So we have decided to take his body to Peace Haven.”
Other arrangements would be decided later, he said.
