Assam’s Bogibeel Bridge opens today

  • The Bogibeel Bridge in Assam has a two-line railway track on the lower deck and a three-lane road on the top deck. It will reduce the Delhi to Dibrugarh train travel time by about three hours.
  • Foundation stone for Assam’s Bogibeel Bridge was laid in 1997, it is billed as India’s longest railroad bridge. The five-kilometre structure spans the waters of the mighty Brahmaputra River.
  • Designed like a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark, the Bogibeel Bridge is India’s only fully-welded bridge for which European codes and welding standards were followed.

Biting Cold and Pollution Force Delhi’s Homeless into Shelters

  • Delhi on Sunday recorded its lowest morning temperature in four years at 3.7 degrees celsius.    
  • Under the supervision of a Supreme Court-monitored committee, the Delhi government has developed an organised system of night shelters over the last five years.
  • There are now 248 night shelters in the national capital. Of these, 83 operate out of permanent buildings, 115 from porta-cabins while 50 run from European style fireproof tents.

Indonesia searches for tsunami victims; death toll hits 373

  • The death toll from a volcano-triggered tsunami in Indonesia has risen to 373, with more than 1,400 people injured, the national disaster agency said.

Tibet: More than 2,100 people evacuated after 5.8-magnitude earthquake

  • More than 2,100 people were evacuated after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Tibet early on Monday, Xinhua reported.
  • No casualties have been reported so far. Rural houses and livestock sheds were damaged, according to the county’s publicity department.