Seoul : One worker was killed and two were injured when carbon dioxide leaked at a Samsung Electronics chip plant on Tuesday, the South Korean company said.

The three were found unconscious in the basement of the semiconductor factory in Suwon just south of Seoul, the firm said in a statement.

A man aged 24 was pronounced dead in hospital hours later and two others, aged 26 and 54, remain unconscious, Samsung said.

All were employees of one of Samsung's suppliers and were inspecting the factory's gas-related facilities, it added. "It is believed that the cause of death is suffocation due to a carbon dioxide leak," Samsung said, adding it was investigating.

Samsung the world's top maker of smartphones as well as memory chips operates a vast semiconductor production compound in Suwon.

Fatal accidents at major companies have made frequent headlines in the South, which has struggled to improve poor safety standards in factories.

In January four workers suffocated due to a gas leak at a steel factory owned by Posco the country's top steelmaker in the southern city of Pohang.

In August last year four workers died when a fuel tank exploded in a vessel under construction at the headquarters of STX Offshore and Shipbuilding in the southern city of Changwon.

courtesy : moneycontrol.com

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New Delhi (PTI): Parliament early Friday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.

The Lok Sabha had on Thursday approved the Bill after over a 12-hour debate.

In Rajya Sabha, the Bill got 128 votes in its favour and 95 against after all the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected.

In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.

Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.

"The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular," the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board.

He, however, said the number of non-Muslims has been restricted to only four out of 22.

Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill.

"You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream," he added.

He said for 60 years, the Congress and others ruled the country, but did not do much for Muslims and the community continues to live in poverty.

"Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them," the minister said.

According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.

As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf boards is reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.

A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.

The Bill proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.

It stipulates that women must receive their inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.

The Bill proposes that an officer above the rank of collector investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.

It also proposes that non-Muslim members be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.