UAE shuts down two foreign NGOs - India

31 mar 2012

Abu Dhabi (CNN) -- Two nongovernmental organizations that worked primarily on promoting democracy abroad were shuttered by the government of the United Arab Emirates this week.

The Dubai office of U.S.-based National Democratic Institute was shut down Wednesday, followed by the closure of the Abu Dhabi office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, an organization based in Germany, the next day.

Both pro-democracy groups saw their offices raided and shut down last year in Egypt.

Egyptian authorities accused the organizations of international interference that was stoking continued protests against the current military-led government.

According to the NDI, while the organization has a regional office in Dubai, it does not have any programs in the UAE.

"Our office was simply a regional hub which supported programs in places like Qatar and Kuwait," said Les Campbell, NDI regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Campbell said that authorities -- he's not sure from where -- came to their office and announced that NDI's license was canceled, effective immediately.

"While we are disappointed at this turn of events and disturbed by the arbitrary behavior in Dubai, we do not have programs in the UAE, so it has no serious ramifications for our work," he said.

The German organization, described as a think tank associated with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), reacted with even more surprise.

"We can only react with utter disbelief to the unexpected and sudden developments in Abu Dhabi. We have not been given any viable reasons.

"After the experiences in Egypt, we not only regret this decision. We would see it as an alarming signal if nongovernmental organizations and political foundations are not welcome in the Arab world," said Hans-Gert Poettering, head of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation.

UAE officials have not yet commented on the closures.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is in the region, said Saturday she regretted the UAE decision.

"We are ... strong believers in a vibrant civil society, and both NDI and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation office play a key role in supporting NGOs and civil society across the region, and I expect our discussions on this issue to continue."

Meanwhile, press freedom group Reporters Without Borders on Friday condemned the government of the UAE for cracking down on bloggers and other online activists.

"March has seen a wave of arrests, attacks and acts of intimidation. We urge the government to abandon these methods," the group said. "The authorities must stop arresting 'netizens' and bloggers for what they post online and must guarantee their safety."

Human rights groups of late have also stepped up their criticism of the UAE.

According to Samer Muscati, Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch, at least three online activists have been detained in recent weeks.

"It seems that the government is still frighted by the events transpiring in the Middle East and are trying to do what it takes to keep the Arab Spring from reaching its shore, regardless of how small that possibility might be," he said.

Unlike many other nations in the region, the UAE was never affected by Arab Spring inspired protests. Nonetheless, the government has been quick to pursue activists who call for reform.

Last year, the citizenship of seven activists -- known as UAE 7 -- was revoked by UAE. The seven pro-democracy activists with ties to Islamist groups were found to be a threat to national security.

Also last year, five activists were arrested, tried and convicted for publicly insulting top UAE officials, committing acts that pose a threat to state security, undermining public order, opposing the government system and instigating others to break laws.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan pardoned all five one day after they were sentenced to prison terms.

According to Muscati, there was hope that the pardoning of the five activists last year was a signal of change to come, but that has not been he case, he said.

"These recent arrests are just a continuation of attempts by the authorities to silence critics and other dissenting voices," said Muscati of Human Rights Watch.

Ahmed Mansoor, an engineer and blogger, was one of the five prosecuted activists.

"I strongly disagree and condemn any acts that violate the basic human rights and freedom of opinion and expression," Mansoor told CNN. "The latest arrests and harassment of activists are directly related to the exercising of these basic rights."

Mansoor said the government is worried about the ripple effect of the Arab Spring. "This crackdown does not help anybody; not the social peace and unity nor the country image in the international level."

Anna Hazare now part of school syllabus - India

30 mar 2012

Anna Hazare’s campaign for a jan lokpal bill is now part of school curriculum. Several CBSE-recognised schools here have included a chapter on the anti-graft activist in their general knowledge textbooks for Classes 7 and 8. Some have given him the flattering epithet of ‘India’s second Gandhi’.

“Hazare is an Indian social activist recognised for his participation in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement,” says a book written by Dhiren M Joshi and brought out by a private publication. This introduction is followed by a fill-in-the-blanks exercise on Hazare’s life and his agitation.
Another chapter describes the salient features of the bill: “An institution called lokpal at the Centre and lokayuktas in states will be set up and these will be independent of the government and no minister or government official will be able to influence investigations in corruption cases.”
The CBSE said it prescribed no such book. “The CBSE and National Council for Educational Research and Training recommend books, define syllabus but can’t dictate terms to schools,” said an official.

Gaddafi family assets worth 1.1 billion Euros seized in Italy - India

28 mar 2012

Gaddafi family assets worth 1.1 billion Euros seized in Italy

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Milan:  Italian tax police said on Wednesday it had seized Italian assets worth more than 1.1 billion euros belonging to members of the Gaddafi family.

In a statement, the tax police said the assets include stakes in Italy's largest bank UniCredit, Italian oil and gas giant Eni, Italy's defence group Finmeccanica, carmaker Fiat, truck-maker Fiat Industrial  and Turin-based soccer club Juventus.

The police said the seizure has been ordered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Strauss-Kahn charged in prostitution vice ring - India

27 mar 2012

Disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been charged with involvement in an organised vice ring that procured prostitutes for top-class clients, lawyers said.
Prosecutors said the 62-year-old former Socialist finance minister and one-time presidential favourite had been  released on $135,000 bail following the charges on Monday.
Strauss-Kahn was called in by investigating magistrates in the northern French city of Lille two days earlier than expected and charged with an offence that could carry 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
"He firmly declares that he is not guilty of these acts and never had the least inkling that the women he met could have been prostitutes," said Richard Malka, one of Strauss-Kahn's counsel.
"Dominique Strauss-Kahn was placed under judicial control and was forbidden from contacting defendants, civil plaintiffs, witnesses and the press regarding the procedures," prosecutors said in a statement.
Strauss-Kahn's name came up as police were investigating a pimping operation that saw sex workers from brothels over the Belgian border being brought to France for orgies in high-class hotels in Lille and Paris.
Strauss-Kahn admits that he took part in some of these parties, one of which was said to involve women being flown to Washington to entertain him while he was still managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
But, through his lawyer, he has denied knowing the escorts were paid.
Using prostitutes is not illegal in France, but prosecutors are seeking proof that Strauss-Kahn was aware the parties were arranged by an organised pimping ring and paid for by other guests misusing company funds.
Strauss-Kahn told police he did not suspect the women were prostitutes because he was introduced to them by senior police officers.
lawyers will also be in court on Wednesday in New York for the first hearing in a civil case brought against him by Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel maid who alleges he sexually assaulted her.    

14-crore bribe offered to Army chief: Many missing pieces of information - India

26 mar 2012

14-crore bribe offered to Army chief: Many missing pieces of information

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New Delhi:  In the morning, the Army chief disclosed that he has been asked for a 14-crore bribe by a retired defence officer in 2010. By the evening, the controversy had expanded to question why General VK Singh had not shared this earlier, or filed a case against the man who offered him the bribe, or blacklisted the company on whose behalf the kickback was allegedly offered.

The General has not named the man who visited him in his office in 2010. But sources say, the deal in question was related to Tatra and Vectra Ltd., which provided trucks to the Army via a contract. The bribe was allegedly offered to convince the Army chief not to introduce competitive bidding. The truck manufacturers had allegedly worked out that if that happened, they would save 40 lakhs per truck. So to clear the consignment of 1600 trucks, General VK Singh was allegedly offered almost Rs. 88,000 per truck, adding upto 14 crores.   

In his interview to The Hindu newspaper, the General said he'd been offered the money to clear sub-standard trucks. But the Defence Ministry has pointed out that nobody from the Army has ever complained about the performance of the trucks supplied by Tatra, which is a Czech company. "We have never received any complaint from the armed Forces," Joint Secretary (Land Systems) in the Defence Ministry Rashmi Verma said.

The government has ordered a CBI inquiry, but both the Congress and the BJP have said the Army chief should have filed a case against the retired officer for trying to bribe a government servant. "It was not like he was giving me bribe in my hand. This was an indirect method and that is why no arrest was made," was the General's explanation.

Though the General has not named the officer who met him, earlier this month, in a press release, the Army targeted former Lieutenant General Tejinder Singh for trying to create a rift between the government and the Army chief. Tejinder Singh had also served as chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency. The Army chief said he had been interrogated earlier about purchasing off-the-air interceptors without required clearances. The Army's statement added that Tejinder Singh had offered bribes on behalf of a company named Tatra and Vectra Ltd., which supplies vehicles to the Army.

Former Army chief VP Malik said to NDTV, "There was a need to take strong prompt, ruthless action. The Army Chief should have pursued the matter. I would have taken action against person offering bribe."

Meanwhile, Lt Gen Singh earlier today denied the charges of bribing the Army chief. Speaking to NDTV earlier today, he said, "I do not think VK Singh has said that I made or did not make this sort of offer." He also said that he met with the Army chief once after he retired, but said he would disclose the circumstances of that meeting later. He further said that he would initiate "legal action against the people concerned". 

The retired officer has also been allotted a flat in the Adarsh Society, a high-rise building in Mumbai whose apartments were intended for war veterans and widows, but were instead given to politicians, bureaucrats and defence officers.

The government and the chief will now have to answer whether the company was blacklisted once the bribe was offered, and why it has taken so long to commission a formal inquiry.

The Congress today suggested that the Army chief's own actions were wanting. "If someone offered him a bribe, as a government servant, he should have filed a case against the person under the Prevention of Corruption Act," said the Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

The Congress-led coalition at the Centre has been entangled in a maze of financial scandals, with the opposition accusing it of serving as a "government of scams" and of creating an environment that lends itself to graft as the Standard Operating Procedure.

In January, General Singh became the first serving military chief to take the government to court. He wanted the Defence Ministry to accept that he was born in 1951 and not 1950 - records with the Army list both years. The Defence Ministry had refused the General's claim, stating that he had accepted many promotions on the basis of his seniority as established by the documents that showed he was born in 1950. The chief withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court after the judges, through their remarks, indicated they would not side with his claim. He is scheduled to retire at the end of May.
 

Japan to push anti-terror measures at nuclear plants - India

25 mar 2012

Japan to push anti-terror measures at nuclear plants

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Tokyo:  The U.S. had repeatedly warned Japan about vulnerabilities at its nuclear plants in case of a September 11-style terror attack. It turned out Washington was right about the soft spots, but wrong about the enemy that would strike them.

When nature unleashed its own fury on Japan last year with a devastating tsunami, a list of U.S. recommendations proved highly prescient. The elements Washington identified as most vulnerable in an attack - spent fuel pools, cooling systems, backup electricity - were the ones worst hit in Japan's disaster.

Tokyo had ignored the recommendations, which were implemented at U.S. nuclear sites, because Japanese officials thought the chances of terrorist-flown aircraft striking its plants were remote.

But as leaders from around the world head to Seoul for a major summit this week on nuclear security, Japan's disaster at its Fukushima plant has provided a salient example of how solid protections against terrorist attacks go hand in hand with protections against natural disasters.

The summit is primarily about ways to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists, but the Japanese government plans to propose a series of Fukushima-inspired measures to enhance emergency power backup systems and advocate a closer link between anti-terror security and general safety issues.

"We have to imagine the unimaginable," Kensuke Yoshida, the director of the arms control and disarmament division of Japan's Foreign Ministry and a member of Japan's delegation, told The Associated Press.

"Once an incident happens, the consequences will be extremely grave, whether caused by a natural disaster or terrorists," Mr Yoshida said.

Japan had been slow to make that connection.

Documents made public since Japan's nuclear crisis began last year suggest the scenario that played out in Fukushima was by no means unforeseeable - it was simply ignored.

After the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a number of directives to the domestic nuclear industry based on a review of what might happen if an airliner hijacked by terrorists was crashed into an atomic plant.

It expressed concern that such an attack could cripple a plant's power system, and proposed portable diesel-driven pumps, portable power supplies and hoses be made readily available so that reactor cores can be kept cool to prevent them from going into dangerous, radiation-spewing meltdowns. It also suggested measures to provide backup cooling water to the vulnerable spent fuel pools.

The suggestions were passed on to Japan several times, but Tokyo dismissed them because it regarded the recommendations as a terrorism issue and did not think it faced a significant terrorist threat, according to Tetsuya Endo, a former diplomat and vice chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan.

"The agency that got the recommendations just put them in their pocket. No one else knew anything about it," said Mr Endo, who is on an independent fact-finding commission that recently released a scathing review of Japan's response to the crisis.

"We are an island nation with an island mentality. We see ourselves as free from the possibility of terrorist attack," he said.

Last year's March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the very systems that the NRC had found to be weakest. Fukushima experienced the electrical blackout that it warned of, and three of its reactors went into meltdowns, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as plant workers struggled to find ways to keep them cool.

In recent testimony before a parliament-appointed investigative panel, Haruki Madarame, a nuclear physicist and head of Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission, acknowledged that Japan should have taken the U.S. findings more seriously.

"Even though we were aware of the issue and knew that they were taking steps, we didn't do anything," he said. "When other countries were discussing the problems, we only wasted time trying to find excuses why we didn't have to do it."

Edwin Lyman, a nuclear terrorism expert with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Japan's crisis is a good case-in-point for experts who have long warned that anti-terrorism measures need to be enhanced.

"The Fukushima accident has certainly illustrated the dependence of nuclear plants on electrical power supply, both off- and on-site, and how core damage can occur solely as a result of a prolonged loss of power in the absence of timely intervention," he said.

But he said the disconnect between policymakers who are primarily concerned with anti-terror measures and those focused on mitigating natural disasters continues to be a major problem.

Mr Lyman said the United States' post-9/11 recommendations, which were made public in May to support the NRC's argument that the U.S. was prepared for a Fukushima-type event, reflected that imbalance.

"The measures were specifically intended to help plants survive the impact of a single aircraft, and not to survive other types of initiating events, like earthquakes and floods," he said. "In fact, the U.S. guidance specified that such equipment did not have to be seismically qualified."

Because of the Fukushima example, he said, the NRC is now updating its measures to take into account a wider variety of challenges.

Raja Bhaiyya suspends jail superintendent, deputy jailor in Lucknow - India

24 mar 2012

Raja Bhaiyya suspends jail superintendent, deputy jailor in Lucknow

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Lucknow:  Uttar Pradesh minister for jails Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya today suspended the jail superintendent and the deputy jailor of a prison in Lucknow as the food in the jail was found to be below the specified standards.

Mr Singh also inspected two other jails in Lucknow.

In a surprise visit of "nari bandigrah", Mr Singh found the food being provided to the inmates below the specified norms and standards, sources said.

The minister also took a serious note of complaints that the inmates were not being provided things of their daily requirement in the prison, sources said.

The Kunda MLA ordered the suspension of jail superintendent Amita Dubey and deputy jailor Anjani Kumar Gupta.

The minister also found anomalies in the construction and sanitation works in the other jails, and directed officials to ensure that the inmates are provided with proper facilities.

PM to unveil India's plan to meet nuclear terror threat - India

23 mar 2012

PM to unveil India's plan to meet nuclear terror threat

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New Delhi:  Amid global worries about threat of nuclear terrorism and concerns over safety, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unveil before the world the steps conceived by India to meet these challenges when he attends the Nuclear Security Summit in South Korea on Monday.

Mr Singh, who leaves on Saturday on a four-day visit to South Korea, said on Friday that he will also underline India's continuing support to a world free from nuclear weapons.

In his pre-departure statement, he noted that the Seoul Summit follows the one convened by President Barack Obama in Washington in April, 2010, to focus the attention of countries with considerable nuclear capabilities on the threat posed by nuclear terrorism.

"This remains a continuing concern," Mr Singh said.

Pointing out that India is expanding its nuclear power programme to diversify its energy mix and enhance energy security, he said that in order to retain public support for harnessing the benefits of nuclear energy, "we must be able to assure them of the highest levels of nuclear security and safety."

This, he said, is "even more important" after the Fukushima accident in Japan last year.

"India has prepared a national report which will be shared during the Summit," the Prime Minister said, adding he would highlight the high priority India attaches to nuclear security, safety and non-proliferation and its impeccable record in this regard.

Mr Singh said he expected the Seoul Summit to review actions that countries have taken to strengthen nuclear security since the last meet and recommend further steps to enhance the global nuclear security architecture.

The Seoul Summit, to be attended by US President Barack Obama and 57 other world leaders, will review the progress made since the first Summit.

"The main objective of the Summit has been high-level attention on the global threat posed by nuclear terrorism and the measures that are required to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from gaining access to sensitive nuclear material and technologies," Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had told reporters yesterday while briefing the media on the visit.

During his visit to Seoul, Mr Singh is scheduled to hold talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and leaders of some other countries.

An agreement on simplifying issuance of visas between India and South Korea would be signed after talks between Mr Singh and Mr Lee.

"I look forward to my bilateral meeting with President Lee to undertake a comprehensive review of our relations with the Republic of Korea, and identify new steps for the future," the Prime Minister said in the statement.

Describing South Korea as a strategic partner and an important pillar of India's "Look East" policy, he noted the two countries have a vibrant trade and investment relationship and partnership in science and technology, education and energy holds enormous promise.

Mr Singh would also seek to strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two countries, strengthen cooperation in the field of science and technology, and also coordinate the thinking on matters relating to regional security and international events.

Soumitra Chatterjee named for Dada Saheb Phalke award - India

21 mar 2012

Soumitra Chatterjee named for Dada Saheb Phalke award

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who has portrayed a versatile range of lead characters in films by Satyajit Ray, has been selected for India's highest film honour - the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2012.

Confirming the news, Chatterjee told IANS that he was "extremely happy" at the honour.

"I am extremely happy. Till this evening I had not thought of this award. But after I got the news I am extremely happy," Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee, one of India's most talented actors, made his debut in 1959 with Ray's super-hit movie Apur Sansar. The film gave him the much needed platform, and he never looked back.

Chatterjee soon became Ray's favourite, and became the lead actor of most of the movie maker's classics including Sonar Kella, Charulata, and Ghare Baire.

Chatterjee's association with Ray is often compared with the chemistry between famous actor-director duos of the world such as Akira Kurosowa-Toshiro Mifune and Marcello Mastroianni-Federico Fellini.

Apart from Ray, Chatterjee has worked with all internationally acclaimed directors of his time, including Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Tarun Majumdar.

Some of his notable movies are Jhinder Bandi, Koni, Kaapurush, Akash Kusum, Aranyer Din Ratri, Joy Baba Felunath, Teen Bhubaner Pare, Ganashatru and Sakah Prashakha.
The Padama Bhushan awardee has also worked with other famous directors such as Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.

Besides films, Chatterjee is also known for his passion for the stage where he has both acted and directed plays. He is also one of the all-time best elocutionists of Bengal.

He has also received The Officier des Arts et Metiers, the highest award for arts from France and lifetime achievement award from Italy.

Cycling Salman Khan stalls traffic - India

19 mar 2012

Cycling Salman Khan stalls traffic

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  Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

   

   

Salman Khan was spotted once again on his cycle, pedaling away in the fast lane on the Western Express highway near Santa Cruz in Mumbai on Saturday, March 17.

At first not many could recognise the man on the white wheels, wearing a cap with his gaze fixed on the road ahead, guarded by two men on bikes. But a closer look revealed the identity of the actor who caused a mini jam on the highway.

Salman who is shooting at Kamalistan Studios for his upcoming movie Dabangg 2, was perhaps cycling home to Bandra.

Sentenced for life, 80 year old Dr. Chisty deported to Pakistan - India

19 mar 2012

Putting an end to a case that caught the attention of rights activists as well as the Prime Minister, the Government of India has granted clemency to Mohammad Khalil Chisty – the 80-year-old Pakistani virologist undergoing life imprisonment in a murder case in Ajmer jail – and deported him to Pakistan. 

Senior counsel U.U. Lalit made this submission in the Supreme Court on Monday.

On February 24, a Bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J. Chelameswar issued notice to the Union of India and the Rajasthan government on a petition filed on behalf of Dr. Chisty by Mr. Lalit seeking his release. The court had granted two weeks for the Centre to respond. 

On Monday, Mr. Lalit said that in view of the deportation, nothing survived in the petition. Recording the submissions, the Bench disposed of the matter. 

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 History:

Dr Chisti, an 80-year-old Pakistani virologist, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Ajmer after 19 years of trial. Burney said the Karachi University professor was arrested on charges of the murder of one man Idris. The murder allegedly took place during a group clash on the premises of the shrine of the sufi saint Khuwaja Moinuddin Chisti Ajmeri in Ajmer, Rajasthan on the March 14, 1992
What appeared to be an altercation among cousins at the Baitul Salim Manzil reportedly turned bloody and Idris died after he sustained serious wounds from a gunshot.
Burney said after a case was registered in the Ganj police station in Ajmer, Dr Chisti, was put on a prolonged trial along with three others — Yasir Chisti, Akil Chisti and Farooq Chisti — under Sections, 307, 302, 324, 323 of the Indian Penal Code and then sentenced to life imprisonment.
Later an appeal for suspension of sentence was moved by Dr Chisti in the Rajasthan High Court, and was rejected on the ground that he is a Pakistani national and “no leniency” could be shown in his case.   The suspension plea for the sentence of the other three accused was granted.
Dr Chisty was in the jail hospital located in the premises of the Ajmer Central Jail.
 He is unable to walk or stand so someone has to carry him to the bathroom. He also has fractured his left hip and is also showing symptoms of palsy and is a heart patient.
Burney appealed to Ms Patil and Mr Singh to consider the case on humanitarian grounds in the light of the goodwill generated between India and Pakistan over the release of Kashmir Singh and Gopal Das, Indian nationals who were facing death sentences in Pakistan.
 Indian Constitution gives Governors powers to grant pardon, reprieve, respite or remission of punishment, including life sentence to any person. Dr Chisti was to be released under the provisions of the Rajasthan Jail Manual, Part 5, Rule-3.

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Narendra Modi may pose challenge to Rahul Gandhi: Time - India

17  mar 2012

Narendra Modi may pose challenge to Rahul Gandhi: Time

Washington Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi may pose a challenge to Congress's young scion Rahul Gandhi in India's next parliamentary elections, Time magazine said. Modi, who figured on the cover page of the latest issue of the Asia edition of the prestigious magazine, which hits the stands yesterday could put up a challenge to Gandhi in particular after the recently held Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where Congress fared poorly.
"With two years left before the next national election in 2014, Congress hopes its young scion, Sonia's son Rahul, will refresh the party, but a resounding loss in a recent state election makes him look vulnerable," Time said.
"Modi Means Business. But can he lead India?" says the headline on the coverage which has a blown up picture of a serious looking bearded Modi who has ruled Gujarat for more than a decade now.
"Modi, 61, is perhaps the only contender with the track record and name recognition to challenge Rahul Gandhi," says the cover story by Jyoti Thottam, which includes an interview of Modi.
"Many Indians recoil at any mention of a man whose name is indelibly linked to Gujarat's brutality of 2002; choosing him as India's leader would seem a rejection of the country's tradition of political secularism and a sure path to increased tension with Muslim Pakistan, where he is reviled," it says.
"But when others think of someone who can bring India out of the mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency – of a firm, no-nonsense leader who will set the nation on a course of development that might finally put it on par with China – they think of Modi," Time says.
The cover story highlights the achievement of Gujarat under his Chief Minister ship. "What's certain is that during his 10 years in power in Gujarat, the state has become India's most industrialised and business-friendly territory, having escaped the land conflicts and petty corruption that often paralyze growth elsewhere in the nation," it said.
"Gujarat's USD 85 billion economy may not be the largest in India, but it has prospered without the benefit of natural resources, fertile farmland, a big population center likeMumbai or a lucrative high-tech hub like Bangalore. Gujarat's success, even Modi's detractors acknowledge, is a result of good planning -- exactly what so much of India lacks," the magazine said.
But Time does point out towards the 2002 riots, the victims of which are yet to get justice. "In the decade since that carnage, dozens of individual rioters have been convicted, but the state has never had to answer accusations that it failed to halt the violence: no top officials have been held accountable or had conspiracy charges proved against them," it said.
"One case naming Modi remains open, a notorious incident in which nearly 200 people were killed while taking shelter in the home of a Muslim politician, Ehsan Jafri, whose desperate calls to government officials for protection were ignored. Modi denies ever hearing from Jafri, who was dismembered and killed. If this case also ends without any charges being brought, the last remaining obstacle between Modi and national office will fall," the weekly wrote.

Webcam spying case: Clementi's gay partner describes verdict on Ravi as 'just' - India

17 mar 2012

Webcam spying case: Clementi's gay partner describes verdict on Ravi as 'just'

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New York:  With Indian-origin student Dharun Ravi convicted in the webcam spying case, the family of his Rutgers roommate Tyler Clementi, who had committed suicide, say the case brought pain to many people and should serve as an example that others should be treated with respect.

Mr Ravi, 20, was found guilty by a jury yesterday on all 15 charges of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and witness tampering that he faced for spying on Mr Clementi's sexual encounter with his male partner.

Mr Clementi's partner identified as MB, who was among the 30 witnesses to testify in the trial, issued a statement calling the verdict "just." MB said "for him to heal within and be a better person the redemption would have to begin and end within his own mind and heart.

"But we must be mindful that when one person truly hurts another, society must have the right to demand justice for all. And if that means that Ravi should be reminded that his type of conduct must be deterred, then so be it."

Mr Clementi had committed suicide in September 2010 after he found out that Ravi had seen him kissing another man, known in court records only as MB, and had then texted his other friends to watch the encounter online.

Mr Ravi will be sentenced on May 21 and faces a possible 10 year prison term and subsequent deportation to India. Mr Ravi sat expressionless in a packed New Jersey courtroom as the jury read out its verdict in the case, which has generated massive interest across the country and was being closely followed by the American media.

Mr Ravi's attorney Steven Altman has said he plans to appeal in the case.

After Mr Ravi's conviction Joe Clementi, the father of Tyler Clementi, read a statement to reporters in which he thanked the prosecutor's office for remaining sensitive to the family's concerns, and ensuring the privacy of his son and the protection of his friend MB.
"The trial was painful for us, as it would be for any parent who must sit and listen to people talk about bad and inappropriate things that were done to their child," Mr Clementi, accompanied by his wife, Jane and son James, said.

"We were here every day because we wanted to be here for our son and because we believe the trial was important because it dealt with important issues for our society and for our young people today."

He said his message to young people in college and high school is that "You're going to meet a lot of people in your lifetime. Some of these people you may not like. But just because you don't like them, does not mean you have to work against them. When you see somebody doing something wrong, tell them, "That's not right. Stop it."

"You can make the world a better place. The change you want to see in the world begins with you," he added.

The family set up a foundation in their son's name and hoped that the attention the case has got will help their efforts to sensitise young people "in the important areas of respect, privacy, responsibility in a digital world."

MB said the case has caused much hurt to too many innocent people. "Tyler was a good person and seeing his family go through the tortures of the trial was painful," he said.

He said he had hoped that a trial could have been avoided but it was Mr Ravi's decision to defend himself in court and now "he will have to live with it."

He added that even though he had testified in the case, he bore no malice or hatred toward Ravi.

Big B busy composing music - India

16 mar 2012

Big B busy composing music

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is spending his free time composing music.

"I have been busy with yes, music. And once it starts it's a different world. Singing, composing, arranging and providing instrumentation all by myself can be arduous, but so fulfilling," Amitabh tweeted.

The 69-year-old has been off work for sometime after undergoing abdominal surgery last month. Although the actor says he is recovering well, he is still in pain.

"All is well... I repair well, and gradually... but had to miss gym... urgh ! hate it when that happens... one surgical pain reappeared !" he said.

Clooney arrested in protest at Sudanese Embassy - India

16 mar 2012

Clooney arrested in protest at Sudanese Embassy

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Actor George Clooney and his father have been arrested at a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.

The protesters accuse Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, of provoking a humanitarian crisis and blocking food and aid from entering the Nuba Mountains in the county's border region with South Sudan.

Clooney and others, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia and NAACP President Ben Jealous, were arrested after being warned three times not to cross a police line outside the embassy.

They were handcuffed and placed into the back of a U.S. Secret Service van.

Clooney said earlier that he hopes to draw more attention to the issue and that if action is not taken in the next three to four months "we're going to have a real humanitarian disaster."

Hindu girls are forced to marry Muslims: Zardari's sister - India

15 mar 2012

slamabad Acknowledging that Hindus face a lot of challenges in Sindh, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari said in Pakistan's parliament today that Hindu girls were being forcibly kept in madrassas in the province and are forced to marry Muslims.
The remarks by Azra Fazal Pechuho, a lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, came against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's recent directive to authorities to produce three Hindu women who were allegedly kidnapped in Sindh.
Two of the women, Rinkle Kumari and Lata Kumari, have told magistrates they voluntarily converted.
Speaking in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament on the issue of Rinkle Kumari, Pechuho said Hindus faced a lot of challenges in Sindh.
She stressed the need for laws to protect the rights of minority communities and to end forced conversions.
Nafeesa Shah, another lawmaker from Sindh, endorsed Pechuho's stand and said parliament should introduce legislation on forced conversions.
Media reports had said that non-Muslims were being forced to accept Islam, she said.
"Protection of the minorities should be ensured as enshrined in the Constitution," Shah said.
Minority parliamentarians, including Lal Chand and Mahesh Kumar, too expressed concerns at the kidnapping and forced conversion of Hindu women.
They said it was the right of every person to follow any religion but nobody can be forced to convert, they said.
In his statement, Minister of State for Interfaith Harmony Akram Masih Gill, a Christian, said the government has taken several steps to empower minorities.
The steps included a five per cent quota in government jobs and declaration of August 11 as Minorities Day, he said.
PML-N lawmaker Araish Kumar raised the issue of minorities being forced to attend classes on Islamic studies.
"Our students are being forced to study Islamiat in government schools...If they refuse to study Islamic studies, they are struck off by the school administration," he
contended.
The remarks by the lawmakers came at a time when a report said almost three-quarters of women from Pakistan's minority communities have faced sexual harassment while 43 per cent complained of religious discrimination at workplaces, educational institutions and neighbourhoods.
The report, prepared by the National Commission for Justice and Peace, states that about 74 per cent of the women faced sexual harassment.

Asian woman, kids beaten up in Britain - India

15 mar 2012

Asian woman, kids beaten up in Britain

London:  In what is being termed as a racial attack, a woman of Asian origin was beaten up and her three daughters ill-treated by three people who tried to steal a packet of crisps from her shop in Britain.

Saly Chowdhury was left with a black eye and facial injuries after being bashed up by two men and a woman at her shop, the Hendon Valley Stores, in Sunderland, the Daily Mail reported.

The incident took place last week when 31-year-old Chowdhury, a mother-of-four, ran after the thieves and accidentally locked herself out of her shop.

The trio hurled racist abuses at her. They allegedly spat on her four-year-old daughter Ousha, shoved her seven-year-old daughter against the wall and thumped her 13-year-old daughter in the face, the report said.

They then allegedly punched Ms Chowdhury in the face, tore out chunks of her hair and choked her with her scarf.

She managed to free herself and get her children inside to safety.

"I'm not letting them do that to me again. It was scary and it's worrying going back to work but there is no need for this behaviour. I have many great customers who know me and I know them. If this is all about stealing, then please speak to me first and we can see if something can be sorted out," she said.

Police said the incident "simply won't be tolerated".

Prince Harry: Royal life no fairytale; sometimes William and I wish we were normal - India

14 mar 2012

LONDON - Prince Harry has told a TV interviewer that sometimes he and Prince William wish they were just normal instead of royals.

He spoke to CBS News after a 10-day trip to the Caribbean and South America representing his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The successful trip marked Harry's first extended solo tour on behalf of the queen.
Harry's comments received wide attention in the British press Wednesday when he noted that it would be hard for a potential serious girlfriend to put up with his royal role. He said it would be difficult to find someone willing to take on the challenge.
Asked if royalty lived up to the fairytale, Harry said: "No, not at all. As any girl would ever tell you. It's sort of, 'Oh my God, he's a prince.' But no. The job that it entails - I mean look at me, I'm 27 years old, and not so much searching for someone to fulfil the role, but obviously, you know, finding someone that would be willing to take it on."
Harry said he and William know they were born to great privilege and also have serious responsibilities.
"There's a lot of times that both myself and my brother wish, obviously, that we were just completely normal," he said, adding that he and William hope to use their charitable work to help the less fortunate.
Harry praised the queen and said her grandchildren might take her out for a night on the town to mark her Jubilee.
The son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is receiving advanced combat helicopter training.

Paan Singh Tomar set for Gulf release on popular demand - India

12  mar 2012

Paan Singh Tomar set for Gulf release on popular demand

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

After doing successful business at the home box office, Paan Singh Tomar is set for screening in the Gulf region Thursday and that too on popular demand. In fact, the film was first premiered at the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Film Festival and had got an overwhelming response.

"Demand for Paan Singh Tomar has now reached a peak and it is just the right time for us to do an extensive release in the Gulf," said Amrita Pandey, senior vice president, international distribution and syndication, UTV Motion Pictures.

Director Tigmanshu Dhulia shot the film on location in Chambal Valley with Irrfan Khan in the lead role, and their hard work paid off rich dividends when it hit the screens March 2 after much dilly-dallying. Made at a mediocre budget of Rs.4.5 crore, the saga of the former national steeplechase champion-turned-bandit Paan Singh Tomar struck the right chord with the audiences and earned over Rs.10 crore in one week.

Pandey says they rely on word of mouth when it comes to the promotion of movies without star cast.

"For high concept movies that are not traditionally released overseas due to lack of a big star cast or content that is different from the mainstream, our strategy is to allow for word of mouth from India to spread and for audience demand to build up, so that it becomes impossible for distributors and exhibitors to ignore our content," Pandey said in a statement.

"It helps us get better distribution and showcasing for these movies overseas, and we have followed the same strategy in the past for some of our other path-breaking content like A Wednesday and Welcome to Sajjanpur," she added.

Madhuri Dixit' s website goes live - India

11  mar 2012

Madhuri Dixit' s website goes live

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Madhuri Dixit 

Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, who was in London to unveil her wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum, is here and asks her fans to check out her official website.

"Back in Mumbai! Home sweet home," the 44- year-old tweeted. "Check out my website...madhuridixit-nene.com. The blogzine link and connect are active. The other features will go live soon. Enjoy."

Panna success story: Hand-reared tigress gives birth to two cubs - India

10 mar 2012

New Delhi In what is being touted as an unprecedented success story, a hand-reared tigress has given birth to two cubs less than a year after it was released “into the wild” at the Panna tiger reserve.
Terming it as the “biggest win so far”, the field director of Panna tiger reserve, R Srinivasmurthy, said: “There is poetic justice in this happening at Panna where the entire tiger population was lost.” The tiger population at Panna is now up to over 13, after being completely wiped out three years back.
The hand-reared tigress from Kanha reserve, identified as T-4, was released in Panna on March 27 last year. Its sibling, T-5, was also released in Panna on December 13 last year. While T-4 gave birth to the cubs in mid-November last year (the exact date is not known), T-5 is also doing well, said officials.
Both T-4 and T-5, along with a male cub, were born to a radio-collared tigress, called No. 9, in Kanha around 2004-05. When they were less than a month old, the mother was mauled to death by the dominant male in the area. The cubs were then retrieved and kept in a cabin, and only a forest guard was allowed near them. Even the vet needed the field director’s permission to check on the cubs.
Talking to The Sunday Express from his Bhubaneswar home, the then Kanha field director, Khageswar Nayak, said: “I would also not go near the cubs because we did not want them to become too familiar with humans. We tried giving them hunting lessons by introducing live animals. It was a disaster initially. When we introduced a live chicken, the three cubs huddled in a corner and the chicken, seeing three tigers, collapsed and died.”
Eventually, the cubs were shifted to a five-six hectare enclosure in Ghorela. “We would chase kills into it and watch what the cubs did from machans,” said Nayak.
When the forest department officials thought that the cubs were ready for the wild, Sariska was the first choice. But after considering the climate and other factors, T-4 and T-5 were transferred to Panna, a move which raised a lot of protests from conservationists at that time.
“When the release was mooted, even I opposed it. But the births have opened a new window in conservation,” said Srinivasmurthy., “T-4’s survival was not without hiccups. In the initial days, she lost about 15 kgs from her 134-kg frame, so much so that her radiocollar fell off. But she is well now, and so are the cubs.”

“This has huge conservation implications and is unprecedented. In Africa, big cats are released, but most of them are wild animals who are returned to the wild, and even then they are kept in massive enclosures. Panna is the first case of hand-reared animals surviving in the wild,” said H S Paola, who retired as the chief wildlife warden of Madhya Pradesh last month. The experience opens the possibility of a planned programme of introducing tigers born in zoos into the wild through careful planning.

Whitney Houston's daughter inherits everything from will - India

09 mar 2012

Whitney Houston's daughter inherits everything from will

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Whitney Houston has left everything in her will to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

The legendary singer - who was found lifeless in a bathtub in her Beverly Hilton Hotel suite on February 11 - has willed her entire estate, including all of her money, cars, furniture and other personal effects, to her 19-year-old daughter.

According to a 19-page court document obtained by Inside Edition, the will was first set up in 1993, but later amended in 2000 - when she was still married to Bobby Brown - and while the singer is mentioned in the will, he will receive nothing.

The money will be placed in a trust until Bobbi Kristina turns 21 in 2014, when she will receive a chunk of her inheritance.

A further portion will then be obtained on her 25th birthday, with the final segment delivered when she hits the age of 30.

The I Will Always Love You hitmaker's mother, Cissy Houston, is executor of the will, while her brother and sister-in-law are named as trustees.

Whitney - whose marriage to Bobby Brown came to an end in 2006 after a turbulent 14 years, which saw the relationship marred by a battery charge and him reportedly introducing the singer to illegal substances - signed a prenuptial agreement in 1992, banning her then-spouse from accessing her will.

It stated: "Houston shall have the right to dispose of her Separate Property by Last Will and Testament in such manner as she may, in her own uncontrolled discretion deem proper.

"All future earnings, income, and accumulations resulting from each of the party's respective personal activities, skills, efforts and work (including but not limited to each party's respective earnings, income and accumulations derived from recording contracts, movie contracts, other media contracts, concert tours, endorsements, personal appearances....shall remain separate."

Pakistan possesses upto 110 nuclear weapons - India

07 mar 2012

'Pakistan possesses upto 110 nuclear weapons'

Islamabad:  Pakistan possessed up to 110 nuclear weapons and spent a whopping USD 2.2 billion on its atomic arsenal last year, claims a report by an international NGO, prompting Islamabad to call it "highly exaggerated".

In the report titled "Don't bank on the bomb", the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that Pakistan had between 90 and 110 nuclear weapons. "Its arsenal has grown substantially in recent years, from 60 to 80 nuclear weapons in 2008," it said.

The report, issued this week, quoted sources as saying that Pakistan intended to double its arsenal in the next five to 10 years with the goal of having up to 350 weapons of varying yield.

It further said Pakistan spent an estimated USD 2.2 billion on its nuclear weapons programme last year, up from USD 1.8 billion in 2010.

"Expenditure is projected to increase substantially due to maintenance costs for its new plutonium infrastructure," the report said.

Reacting to the report, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said it was "highly exaggerated and part of an insidious propaganda campaign."

"Pakistan's strategic programme was modest (and) aimed at maintaining a credible minimum deterrence to ensure national security," Mr Basit said.

He said Pakistan's primary focus was on economic development and the welfare of its people.

"Pakistan was opposed to an arms race in South Asian or in any other part of the world," he said.

Porn domain on Internet touches alarm buttons - India

06 mar 2012

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Within three months of the launch of the Internet "pornography" domain ".xxx," 10 cases have been launched against Web pirates registering sites on it using the names of reputable companies and people, insiders said on Monday.

Sources at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reported that among complainants to its dispute resolution system over .xxx -- usually called dot-triple x -- were banks, a jewelry business and an online shopping operation.

One individual complaint, against a site called femjoy.xxx, was brought by someone named George Streit, according to WIPO's dispute website. But the sources could not say if this was George Strait, the U.S. country music singer. WIPO officials could also not confirm whether the slightly different spelling was a typographical error.

WIPO, whose Director General Francis Gurry reported on Monday that cases of Web piracy, commonly called cybersquatting, rose 2.5 percent last year involving a record 4,781 sites with nearly 90 percent resolved in favor of complainants.

Many world-famous personalities, such as film star Tom Cruise and soccer player Wayne Rooney, and major corporations and brand names like Barclays Bank and Nestle, have in the past won cybersquatting cases in WIPO.

But these have all been brought against owners of sites registered under well-known and long-established domains such as dot-com, dot-int and dot-org, or the national suffixes identifying countries, including France's dot-fr.

Cyberquatters often register at a nominal fee using commonly known names or brands with the aim of selling them at a profit to the real name-owners. But they also use misleading sites to attract Web surfers to their own products or services.

Dot-triple x came into operation on December 6, 2011, after years of debate within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), on how to control the spread of pornography on the Web and make it manageable.

AID TO PARENTS
Supporters of the idea of a special domain argued that it would enable parents and employers to control more easily the sites to which their children and employees had access by cutting off a single domain rather than separate sites.

Critics said most pornographic site providers might register under dot-triple x -- named after the X used in the past to rate films with sexual content -- but would keep their sites also under dot-com or whatever domain they had used before.

The first case over a site on dot-triple x was brought less than three weeks after it opened with the Turkish online shopping company Markafoni, owned by giant South African multimedia company Naspers, complaining to WIPO over the site markatoni.xxx.

The others have followed this year, with several of them involving more Turkish companies, a major Swedish real estate portal HemNet Sverige over a site called hemnet.xxx and Polish bank BGZ.SA over bgz.xxx.

WIPO officials, who have been running their dispute settlement system for more than a decade, say they expect an additional surge of cases when a range of new domain names approved by ICANN come into use in the coming months and years.

They declined to give details of the cases, apart from the names of the registered complainants, until the expert judges -- usually one per case -- have made their rulings, generally within three months after the case has been filed.

I don't think I am good looking: Neha Dhupia- India

05 mar 2012

I don't think I am good looking: Neha Dhupia

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Neha Dhupia

Grounded is the only word that strikes the mind when one comes across Neha Dhupia.
This glam diva absolutely carries no air and offers a warm smile to the people she interacts with. During her recent visit to Ahmedabad, the actor admitted to being touched by the compliments on her beauty.
However, Neha said that the sobriquet really embarrasses her. "I don't think I'm that knowledgeable. I don't think I am that good looking even. I feel embarrassed when people say these things to me," said Neha while interacting with the press.
A disciplined life is what has made all the difference in her life, according to her. And all thanks to "her upbringing", the actor feels she is able to lead a good life. "Thanks to my upbringing, I lead a disciplined life, which is very important," said Neha who feels, "Education is equally important in one's life. You have become an actor doesn't mean that you no longer need to study."
Neha, who's created a niche for herself in Bollywood feels she should have given more time to nurturing the natural athlete in her. "I was majorly into sports - especially, badminton; was very good at it.
On hindsight, I feel I should have given more time to sports. But I really got bitten by the acting bug," says Neha whose favorite sportspersons are Kumar Sangakkara and Rafael Nadal.
Neha, who rose to fame with her movies 'Qayamat', 'Julie' and 'Singh Is Kinng' is currently occupied with her upcoming next 'Maximum' opposite Sonu Sood, brand endorsements and social work.

Indian women clinch Kabaddi World Cup championship - India

04 mar 2012

Indian women clinch Kabaddi World Cup championship

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Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Patna: India clinched the first women's Kabaddi World Cup championship title, defeating Iran 25-19 in the final played at Patlipura sports complex at Kankerbagh on Sunday.

In a thrilling encounter, the Indian eves held upper hand throughout the match and led their Iranian counterparts 19-11 at the half time.

Cheered lustily by the fans at the jam-packed stadium, the Indian women held out a strong challenge by the Iranian in the second half, on course to a resounding win.

Earlier in the day, India outclassed Japan 60-21 while Iran defeated Thailand 46-26 in the two semifinals to set up a summit clash.

Before the semifinals got underway, a clash broke out between a section of spectators and police outside the stadium after some people carrying invitation cards were denied entry into the stadium.

The protesters pelted stones at the policemen who then resorted to baton-charge.

After the final, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi gave away the trophy to India captain Mamata Pujari and medals to all members of the winning team.

Cinestar-turned-politician, Shatrughan Sinha, MP from Patalipura, handed over the runners-up trophy and silver medals to Iran, while state Education Minister P K Shahi and the International Kabaddi Federation ( IKF) President Janardan Singh Gehlot gave away bronze medals to Thailand and Japan.

Yuvraj is a fighter and will be fine: Kevin Pietersen - India

04 mar 2012

Yuvraj is a fighter and will be fine: Kevin Pietersen

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Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New Delhi: England's Kevin Pietersen has wished Yuvraj Singh a quick recovery and was quoted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India's website as saying that the Indian cricketer 'is a stong bloke.'

Stating that he was looking forward to renewing his on-field friendship with Yuvraj, Pietersen said it was sad to see a fellow professional suffer from an illness. "It’s tragic what’s happened to Yuvi. He’s going through a tough time and it’s not fair to talk about him in terms of cricket at the moment. Right now the only important thing is for him to get back to full fitness as soon as possible."

Yuvraj recently completed his second cycle of chemotherapy and Pietersen said that the flamboyant south paw would be fine. "The man’s a fighter; and he’s one of the most talented cricketers that India has produced. I am in touch with him regularly. He’ll be okay,” he said.
Yuvraj Singh is in Boston where he is being treated for a rare germ cell cancer. He recently tweeted that he was touched by the support from fans and fellow cricketers.