The Congress party is again heading for a confrontation with the Mamata Banerjee government: this time over the farmers’ suicide issue.

At least 70 shanties were gutted in a major fire at Kaliakapur on the E. M. Bypass in the eastern part of the city this evening, creating panic among the locals.

Fifteen fire tenders are fighting th

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday said that Mamata Banerjee had failed to keep the promises she had made to the people of West Bengal in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Commenting on the state government’s failure to tackle grave issues like farmer suicides and crib deaths, Mr Karat termed it a “failed administration.” He was speaking after the conclusion of the four-day central committee meeting at Alimuddin Street party office in Kolkata.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has accepted the proposal of Calcutta University vice-chancellor (V-C) Suranjan Das to upgrade St Xavier’s College and accord it university status. Ms Banerjee also asked the V-C to prepare a blue print to turn this elite autonomous institution as a centre of excellence. These developments took place during the Fifth Convocation and Valedictory Programme of the college in Kolkata on Friday.

Vijay Singh-trained Snowscape was ably ridden by C. Alford to win The Indian Champagne Stakes, the main event of the races held here on Saturday.

Results:
1. The Andreno Handicap 1400 M: Social Netw

A pregnant woman on Thursday gave birth to a baby girl on the road after being denied admission by a state-run hospital.

With four more babies dying, the number of crib deaths in Malda district hospital rose to 15 in the past 48 hours even as a high-level task force for mother and child care set up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital on Thursday to assess the situation.

Vijay Singh-trained Snowscape is fancied to win The Indian Champagne Stakes, the feature event of the aces to be held here on Saturday.

Following is the card with our selections
1. The Andreno Handi

Learning lessons from their disastrous third Front experiment in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M) has abandoned plans of leading any non-BJP and non-Congress secular front. The party, however, is not averse to joining hands with and extending support to any like-minded secular forces in the states which are going to polls.

Barely a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that her government has been able to reduce infant death rate in West Bengal by two per cent, 10 more infants died in the Malda Medical College and Hospital within 36 hours. While minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya informed that seven infants reportedly died on Wednesday, the hospital sources claimed eight deaths.