Quicktakes

US ban on Indian shrimps to continue
WASHINGTON: The United States will not revoke the ban on imports of shrimp from India unless Turtle Excluding Devices TEDs are used by Indian fishermen while fishing shrimp, the US State Department announced on Friday. The US has taken the decision despite a Dispute Settlement Body DSB of the World Trade Organisation ruling against the law barring shrimp exports to the US unless commercial shrimp boats used TEDs.

ESMA on nurses
NEW DELHI: In a muscle-flexing move aimed at crushing the indefinite strike by government nurses, the Delhi government on Friday notified the Essential Services Maintenance Act ESMA, to be effective from Saturday, and recruited 160 nurses on contract posting them across the city hospitals. As health services stayed crippled for the fourth straight day despite a 24-hour ultimatum to nurses to rejoin duties, Delhi Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan once again asked the nurses to either return to work or face action.Boattragedy LUCKNOW: Eleven people were killed when a boat carrying 26 people sank in the river Ganga in Sant Ravidas Nagar district on Thursday. Ten bodies were fished out on Thursday night and one body was recovered on Friday. Fifteen people were rescued by villagers, a spokesman said.

3 Santhals killed
GUWAHATI: Three Santhals have been killed and seven others injured in police firing in a marketplace, while large scale arson was reported from five villages in violence-hit Kokrajhar district in Assam. Of the ten persons injured, three died in hospital. In another incident, five abandoned villages under Gossaigaon police station area of the district were set ablaze. No casualty was reported.

Poonch firing
JAMMU: At least one person was killed when police opened fire to disperse a rampaging mob which torched several government buildings as fresh violence rocked Poonch town of Jammu region on Friday forcing reimposition of curfew and a flag march by the Army.

Dravidreturns
MUMBAI: While Sachin Tendulkar and six others returned from Sharjah last month have been rested Rahul Dravid, all-rounder Robin Singh, leggie Sairaj Bahutule, medium-pacer Debashish Mohanty and opener Gagan Khoda are been included.