An Indian ends life every 6th day in Oman - India

30 apr 2012

Dubai: In a worrying sign, an Indian living in Oman has been found to commit suicide every sixth day, owing to financial stress or personal issues, official data shows.
23 Indians had committed suicide in different parts of the Sultanate till mid-April this year. In January and February, eight Indians committed suicide in each month, while four ended their life in March. Three people had committed suicide till mid-April, Times of Oman reported, quoting data available with Indian embassy in Muscat.
Last week, an Indian mother of three was found hanging from the ceiling at her flat in Ruwi region.
50 Indians committed suicide in Oman in the year 2010, while another 54 in 2011, the report said.

India Against Corruption to stage human chain in Chennai on May 1 - India

28 apr 2012

India Against Corruption to stage human chain in Chennai on May 1

Chennai:  India Against Corruption, associated with Anna Hazare's anti-graft campaign, will stage a human chain in Chennai on May 1, demanding action against 16 MPs who allegedly have criminal backgrounds.

"We have currently gathered strong evidence proving criminal charges against 16 prominent MPs. With the support of Indians across the country, we demand that due action be taken and proper FIRs be filed against these 16 MPs," IAC Chennai said in a statement in Chennai.

The demonstration will be held at Marina beach here on May 1, it said.

Asha Bhosale's granddaughter makes her singing debut - India

24 apr 2012

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Music is all in the genes for this family. And they're actually starting young. Asha Bhosale's 10-year-old granddaughter Zanaya began lessons under her granny's tutelage as early as age four. No wonder, Ashatai thinks she's ready to play in the big league.

The pre-teen has sung on a track that also features the likes of Sonu Nigam, Mohit Chauhan, Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher and Sunidhi Chauhan. It's on anti-piracy and is called Salaami Ho Jaaye. Composed by Shamir Tandon, we learn that the young girl was there at Asha's insistence.

Says the proud grandmother, "I foresee Zanaya carrying our family's musical legacy forward and keeping our music's rich traditions alive for future generations. I am happy she has sung for Shamir, who is close to us (the Mangeshkars), alongside today's top singers. I wish all of them much success."

Zanaya muses, "I love music. I have been learning music from my gurus and from my grandmother Asha Aai. Recording with Shamir uncle was fun. He is kind and I felt very comfortable." Well, here's to seeing the girl blossom into as accomplished a singer as her famous granny!

Rupert Murdoch mocks UK government as he arrives for ethics inquiry - India

21 apr 2012

Rupert Murdoch mocks UK government as he arrives for ethics inquiry

Reuters

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

London:  Rupert Murdoch on Saturday mocked the UK government's "mad" plans to lend more money to the International Monetary Fund and criticised its energy, education and tax policies after arriving in London ahead of his appearance at a media inquiry next week.

The 81-year-old News Corp boss will appear before a senior judge in London's High Court on Wednesday and Thursday as part of an inquiry ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron to investigate standards in the British press.

Famous for his at times controversial outbursts, Murdoch wasted little time in criticising Cameron's coalition government in a series of messages sent via the Twitter website on Saturday.

His first target was Britain's pledge of nearly 10 billion pounds to help the IMF tackle any fallout from the euro zone crisis, as well as a new tax on hot takeaway snacks put forward by finance minister George Osborne.

"Back in Britain," Murdoch said in one message. "Govt sending IMF another ten bn to the euro. Must be mad. Not even U.S. or China chipping in. Same time taxing hot food."

The government has been criticised for its proposed "pasty tax", a new levy that means freshly baked hot food sold in any shop will for the first time incur the VAT sales tax.

There was no sign of Murdoch at his London flat, however. A News Corp spokeswoman had no comment on his arrival or messages.

In another comment, Murdoch waded into the political debate over whether the British government should support the building of wind turbines to generate greener energy.

"English spring countryside as beautiful as ever if and when sun appears! About to be wrecked by uneconomic ugly bird killing windmills. Mad."

He went on to criticise the state of publicly-funded education as a "crime against the young".

"Only one answer, really fix public education and give everyone equal opportunity," he Tweeted. Cameron, Osborne and many other government ministers were educated at fee-charging private schools.

Britain's Leveson inquiry into press standards has taken evidence from celebrities, politicians and crime victims whose phones were hacked to provide stories for Murdoch's newspapers.

The investigation is now turning its attention to the relationships between Britain's press and politicians.

Murdoch, who has courted successive British governments and still owns the Sun and the Times newspapers, closed his bestselling British title, the News of the World, after the phone hacking scandal provoked a public outcry last year.

The last time Murdoch was publicly called to account for the behaviour of the News of the World was last July, when a parliamentary committee investigating the phone-hacking scandal summoned him and James Murdoch to answer questions.

"Plenty to talk about here," Murdoch added in another message. "Ten lively energetic newspapers to consume."

Grass with Mahatma Gandhi's blood sells for £10,000 - India

17 apr 2012

Grass with Mahatma Gandhi's blood sells for £10,000

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

London:  A pinch of soil and blood-stained blades of grass from the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 sold for 10,000 pounds at an auction in London today that also saw many other Gandhi memorabilia going under the hammer including his iconic round-rimmed glasses that fetched more than twice the estimated price.

While the glasses sold for 34,000 pounds, the 'charkha' or the spinning wheel was sold for 26,000 pounds.

The soil and grass were kept inside a tiny glass-topped box in a small wooden casket, which had a letter of provenance by P P Nambiar dated September 24, 1996 saying that the recipient "... has today received the most sacred of all relics a fraction of the pinch of soil I collected on 30 January 1948 from the spot where the father of our nation M K Gandhi fell to the bullets of his assassin..."

Other Gandhi items that were sold at the "Historical Documents, Autographs & Ephemera" auction included an autograph letter signed in Gujarati (5,000 pounds), another autograph letter signed 'Bapu' in English to 'Dear Poduval' dated February 10, 1937 (6,600 pounds), a 10 inch, 78 rpm signed Columbia disc containing his spiritual message (2,200 pounds) and a typewritten letter to Sgt Poduwal in Rangoon (3,000 pounds).

Gandhi's glasses under auction were bought in London around 1890 when he studied Law.

The item is described as "corroded with age", and comes with the original felt bearing the name of H Cannam Optician 23 St Aldate Street Gloucester.

The 'charkha' is described as being in an 'as used' condition but still retaining its inner mechanism.

The identity of the buyers was not immediately known.

The announcement of the sale by auction house Mullock's earlier this month had evoked a lot of outcry from several quarters demanding its scrapping

US system not foolproof, says Irrfan about SRK's detention - India

15 apr 2012

US system not foolproof, says Irrfan about SRK's detention
Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Taking on the US authorities for detaining Shah Rukh Khan at a New York airport for over two hours, fellow actor Irrfan Khan today said their system is "not foolproof".

"Even our president had been stopped, and so was I at the immigration several times in the US at the airport. So whenever I go to the US I always think they will again stop me this time," Irrfan told reporters here.

Explaining the security check one has to go through in the US, the actor said, "Whenever you cross immigration counter and give your passport, they ask your purpose of visit. And then they suddenly check something on computer and then their perception changes".

"They take away your phone, you are not allowed to call anyone or talk to anyone. They call the police and take you to a room and (you) can't question them as to why they are taking you and where. When all verification process is properly done by them and they are satisfied, they let you go," he said.

Referring to Shah Rukh's detention, Irrfan said, "This is ignorance on their part. Their system is not full proof."

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie engaged - India

13 apr 2012

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie engaged
Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are engaged.

The couple have confirmed recent reports that Brad had proposed to his partner of seven years - with whom he raises six children Maddox, 10, Pax, nine, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, five and three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - although they have not yet set a date for their nuptials.

Brad's spokeswoman Cynthia Pett-Dante said: "Yes, it's confirmed. It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy. There's no date set at this time.

Angelina was spotted wearing her engagement ring this week and jeweller Robert Procop - who has previously worked with the actress - revealed he had designed the ring with Brad.

A spokesperson for Robert said: ""I can confirm that, yes, Robert Procop did indeed design an engagement ring for Angelina Jolie, designed in collaboration with Brad Pitt."

Robert added: "Brad had a specific vision for this ring, which he realised over a yearlong collaboration. He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect, so I was able to locate a diamond of the finest quality and cut it to an exact custom size and shape to suite Angelina's hand. Brad was always heavily involved, overseeing every aspect of the creative design evolution. The side diamonds are specially cut to encircle her finger. Each diamond is of the highest gem quality."

Brad was previously married to Jennifer Aniston while Angelina has been wed twice before, to Johnny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton

2G case: Government files presidential reference in Supreme Court - India

12 apr 2012

2G case: Government files presidential reference in Supreme Court

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New Delhi:  The government has filed a presidential reference in Supreme Court asking if its judgement in the 2G case makes auctioning of natural resources compulsory.

With many telecom companies challenging the cancellation of their licenses by the Supreme Court, the government wants complete clarity on that landmark judgement. The Department of Telecom feels that the judgement has ramifications on several other sectors. So the government has put together a list of questions that will be delivered to a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court where the matter will be debated. The queries include whether a process of auction has to be followed in the allocation of all natural resources, and if so, whether that amounts to the court interfering with the government's work by setting policy.

In February, two Supreme Court judges cancelled 122 telecom licenses issued in 2008 by then Telecom Minister A Raja. The judges said that Mr Raja had manipulated the rules to show undue favours to companies that he allegedly conspired with - he is in jail for selling licenses at throwaway prices to ineligible firms.  But while Mr Raja may have twisted the first-come-first-serve policy that was the rule at the time, the judges also said that this method of allocating natural resources like spectrum is "fundamentally flawed." Only an auction, they said, ensures transparency and fair pricing. The government was also told to re-allocate the cancelled mobile licenses within four months.

The Supreme Court admitted the government's review petition filed earlier seeking clarification on the process of auction to be followed on the cancelled licenses. But it rejected 10 other petitions filed by telecom companies seeking review of its February order.

The government's follow-up questions will be put to the Supreme Court in the form of a Presidential Reference - on the advice of the government, the President of the country seeks advice from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Cabinet cleared it on Tuesday evening, and it is expected to be filed soon.

The government wants clarity on whether the orders on an auction are equivalent to policy-setting and if so, it wants to know to what extent the courts can give directions that over-lap with the government's work.

The Presidential Reference also asks if licenses issued before 2008 have to be cancelled since they were not auctioned. The government also wants to know the impact of the judgement on the licenses given for 3G spectrum.

Dr Khalil Chishty walks out of jail - India

11 APR 2012

Dr Khalil Chishty walks out of jail

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Ajmer:  Dr Khalil Chishty, a Pakistani scientist who has been fighting a legal battle in India for two decades is finally a free man today. He walked out of the Ajmer Jail at 4:30 pm, after his brother Jameel Chishty furnished two bail bonds of Rs. 50,000 each and a personal surety of Rs. 1 lakh.

The 80 year old doctor from Pakistan entered the Ajmer Jail last January after being sentenced to life imprisonment.  This sentencing came after an 18 year trial, during which he remained mostly under house arrest.

Dr Chishty was accused of killing a man during a brawl in Ajmer way back in April 1992. He was visiting the Rajasthan city then to offer prayers at the famous shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Today walking slowly out of prison, the doctor said that the problems of prisoners should be considered sympathetically without looking at boundaries created by nations.

What will come as a big relief to the 80-year-old doctor is that the court had no other condition for him to travel to his home country, except those put forth by the Supreme Court.

When granting him bail on Monday, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear his plea to return to Karachi but had asked his lawyers to file a separate petition for this, now seen as a mere formality.

Sources said Dr Chishty's case was discussed at Sunday's lunch meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during the latter's one-day India visit. Pakistani officials have urged India to set Dr Chishty free, the sources said.
 

Noida taxpayers built Rs. 657-cr Maya dream park - iNDIA

10 APR 2012

The Rs. 657-crore Dalit Prerena Sthala - former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati's dream project - was funded by city's taxpayers, the Noida authority has said.

The money could have run the city, with a population of 7 lakh and a number of infrastructure problems, for one year.
"The authority is a self-sufficient and funded the entire project," said a senior officer.
The disclosure comes in a report that the state government sought on parks and memorials built during Mayawati's tenure. 
The report has been sent to the government, Anil Rajkumar, the authority's acting chief executive officer told Hindustan Times.
The parks, which were a constant target of the opposition, also generated a lot of heat during the recent state elections.
Mayawati was voted out, with 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav giving the Samajwadi Party a huge win and earning the chief minister's position.
"The authority could have built 20 underpasses with the money and solved the traffic mess," admitted an official on condition of anonymity.
The park's construction began in 2008. The very next year, Rs. 770 crore was spent on Noida's development.
"The budget of the proposed Noida-South Delhi Metro line is Rs. 874 crore. You can imagine what could have been done with such a budget," said another official, who, too, refused to be identified.
Connectivity is a big problem facing the city, which also struggles with traffic jams.
The 33-acre park - which has 15 statues of Dalit 'icons', including two of former CM, and 20 of elephants - was inaugurated by Mayawati in 2011 but is yet to be opened to public.
The elephant is the party symbol of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.

Madras HC quashes land grab case against Stalin, son - India

09 apr 2012

CHENNAI: In a big relief to former deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, and his film producer-son Udhayanidhi, the Madras high court has quashed the land grab case registered against them by the Jayalalithaa government. Justice T Mathivanan quashed the criminal proceedings against a total of seven persons, including the two, by pointing out that the person who had lodged the complaint against them had offered to withdraw the complaint stating that he had been given Rs 1.75 crore for the property in question, as an out of court settlement.

The state government, however, unsuccessfully pressed for continuation of the criminal proceedings, contending that mere withdrawal of the complaint would not obliterate the criminality of the action. The matter relates to 2.5 grounds of a house and land adjacent to Stalin's posh Chittaranjan Salai residence in Chennai. On August 10, 2008, during the DMK regime, the property was bought by P Venugopal Reddy for Rs 5.54 crore. The house was later leased to Udhayanidhi's film unit.

One year and three months later, after the AIADMK returned to power, the original owner N Seshadri Kumar lodged the complaint claiming that he was in fact threatened to part with the property. He implicated Stalin, Udhanidhi and Stalin's friend Raja Shankar among others in the case. While others moved the high court and obtained anticipatory bail, apprehending arrest, Stalin refused to seek anticipatory bail. He, instead, met the director-general of police and complained of malafide action.

The present petition to quash the entire proceedings was filed by Venugopal Reddy. During the pendency of the petitioner, on February 12, 2012, Reddy and Seshadri Kumar and others involved in the property transaction entered into an agreement. As per the pact, Reddy gave an additional sum of Rs 1.75 crore to Seshadri Kumar. In return, he offered to withdraw the complaint, and inform the high court of the same.

However, state public prosecutor I Subramanian objected to the out of court settlement, and said that merely because of that, the criminal proceedings should not be allowed to lapse. Rejecting the submissions, Justice Mathivanan said that the continuation of the proceedings would not serve any purpose sinec the dispute between the parties had been settled amicably 'in the presence of friends and well-wishers'.

Bruce Willis angry with Ashton - India

04 APR 2012

Bruce Willis angry with Ashton

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Bruce Willis is reportedly angry about pictures that show Rihanna making a midnight visit to Ashton Kutcher's home.

The 57-year-old Red actor - who was married to Ashton's estranged wife Demi Moore for 13 years before their divorce in 2000 - apparently feels the Two and a Half Men star shouldn't be moving on so publicly.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper: "Bruce's been trying to phone Ashton to tell him to be more considerate towards ex-wife Demi, but Ashton's ignoring his calls."

"Bruce isn't happy about the Rihanna pictures and wants to chat to him man to man."

Ashton and Demi split after six years of marriage in November following claims Ashton had been unfaithful. While he has already been linked to numerous women, including the S&M hitmaker, Demi has spent time in rehab for reported addiction problems and an eating disorder.

The heartbroken actress - who has three daughters from her marriage to Bruce - is now said to be "stalling" the divorce by refusing the sign the papers.

A source told Grazia magazine: Demi is stalling as she's so hurt and angry with Ashton right now. She keeps getting bits of information from mutual friends, which is making things even worse. She said that when she first filed for divorce, they both made a pact that they would be upfront with each other when their time came to move on, so Ashton's behaviour is making things even worse," a source told the British edition of Grazia magazine.

"Demi was close to singing the papers a couple of weeks ago, because of pressure from the lawyers, but in light of recent events she's not feeling so cooperative."