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Pakistan Pakistan turns turns Poll gives thumbs down to govt’s Lokpal Bill ‘new ‘new front front line’ line’ of ofwar waron onterror terror and the judiciary should be under the purview of the proposed Lokpal bill.

2G 2Gscam scamclaims claimsanother another Sonia Gandhi undergoes surgery at Sloan-Kettering inquits city minister: minister: Maran Maran quits

New Delhi: Congress president that Sonia had travelled abroad.

Sonia Gandhi on Thursday underTehelka news magazine hadLokpal Bill in the constituency of went surgery at New York’s Me- reported on microblogging site Twitter HRD minister Kapil Sibal, Chandni morial Sloan-Kettering Cancer that Sonia, 64, was admitted on ThursChowk, Delhi. An overwhelming Center for an undisclosed ailment day to Sloan-Kettering, the world’s 85% of respondents, they claimed, which will keep her out of India largest private cancer hospital. Repreferred the Jan Lokpal Bill - or the for a month. nowned oncologist Dr Dattatreyudu one drafted by civil society memCongress spokesperson Janard- Nori, director of the cancer centre at bers - to the government version. han Dwivedi said in Delhi that “We the New York Hospital Medical Center Hogwash, said the Congress, have information that the surgery of Queens, was said to be attending on claiming that the referendum was was successful and her condition Sonia. Her daughter Priyanka, besides done only among BJP supporters is satisfactory.� He added that in Rahul, is with Sonia in the US. Rahul in Chandni Chowk. Sibal himself Sonia Gandhi’s absence, she had will fly back soon to India to look after was dripping sarcasm - he thanked appointed a four-member group to the affairs of the party.

Team Anna for not giving itself a Anti-corruption crusader Anna handle the day-to-day running of Italian-born Gandhi is the widow Hazare burns symbolic copies of 100% in favor. the party -- including her son Rahul of assassinated former premier Rathe Lokpal bill to denounce the The Times of India decided to find The secrecy about Congress Gandhi, who is increasingly being jiv Gandhi and widely seen as Inproposal in its current form. out whether the referendum really president Sonia Gandhi’s seen as a future prime minister. dia’s most powerful politician, with New Delhi: On Monday, Team reflected the popular mood and deailment the fact that Union Union Textiles Textiles Minister Minister Dayanidhi Dayanidhi Maran Maran is second is second DMK DMK minister minister toplus exit to exit The Congress party’s announce- her key power-broking position as Sloan-Kettering is a cancer Anna released the results of a “ref- cided to do a poll itself on the net. government government in the spectrum spectrum scam. scam. ments caught the country by Manmohan surManmohan Congress president.in the center gives rise to speculation 53 53 percent percent of terror of plots worldwide since since 2004 2004 involved involved jihadists, jihadists, erendum� carried outterror byplots it on theworldwide Lokpal Continued on page 4 prise because there was no inkling Sonia Gandhi Continued on page 4 that she may have cancer. likelike Tehrik-e-Taliban Tehrik-e-Taliban andand LeT LeT cadres, cadres, trained trained in Pakistan. in Pakistan.

While thethe government government andand thethe showed showed complicity complicity in the in the scam. scam.

New NewDelhi/Chennai: Delhi/Chennai:Union Union While Congress party party diddid notnot comment comment on on Thursday’s Thursday’sturnturnof ofevents eventsis is Textiles Textiles Minister Minister Dayanidhi Dayanidhi MaMa- Congress #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % ! % & # ! % & # # ( % ) &% ' ( % # # $ # ( % ) &% ' ( % # # $ resistance to to thethe country’s country’s governgovern-ranran Toronto: Toronto: Pakistan Pakistan is is now now thetheresistance bigbig political political development, development, an an likely likely to to impact impact both both thethe shape shape of of resigned resigned Thursday Thursday following following thethe # + # # + # % ' % % ' % $% # ! & ( % $%& %$ $% # ! & ( % $%& %$ ment, thethe draconian draconian imposition imposition of ofallegations new new front front in the in the warwar on on terror terror as it as itment, emboldened opposition opposition described described impending impending cabinet cabinet shufe shufe andand delideliallegations of of involvement involvement in in thethe emboldened Sharia lawlaw andand thethe waging waging of of warwar2G2G hashas become become a new a new safesafe haven haven forfor al- al-Sharia it “too as “too little little tootoo lateâ€? lateâ€? andand sought sought cately cately poised poised relations relations between between thethe spectrum spectrum scam, scam, becoming becoming thethe it as a month, of party president Sonia theand party as aDMK. possible fuagainst NATO NATO forces forces in Afghanistan. in Afghanistan.second Qaeda, Qaeda, says says thethe Canadian Canadian media media a aagainst resignation of Home Home Minister Minister P. P.outside Congress Congress and thethe DMK. secondDMK DMKminister ministerafter afterA. A. resignation Gandhi has provided the clearture Congress prime minister, will Because Because of of these these militant militant outďŹ ts outďŹ ts dayday after after thethe country country blacklisted blacklisted thethe Chidambaram, Chidambaram, who who they they alleged alleged 2G2G scam scam continued continued on on page page 4 4 Raja Raja to exit to exit thethe cabinet. cabinet. est sign of his growing clout attend the party’s core committee Pakistanhashasbecome become“the “themain main Pakistani Pakistani Taliban Taliban andand started started withwith-Pakistan in the country’s oldest political meetings and those of leaders of stagingarea areaforforterrorist terroristplots plots drawal drawal from from Afghanistan Afghanistan Tuesday.

Tuesday. staging outfit. In a statement she issued the ruling United Progressive Alaround thethe world world andand - despite - despite thethe “The “The warwar on on terror terror hashas shifted, shifted,around from the US where she is being liance (UPA).

United States’ States’ assassination assassination of Osaof Osaandand Pakistan Pakistan is its is its new new front front line,� line,�United medically treated, Sonia Gan“Rahul’s selection should not mama binbin Laden Laden in Abbotabad in Abbotabad - a -new a new said said thethe daily daily National National Post.

Post. dhi nominated Rahul and three be a surprise to anyone,� political safe-haven safe-haven for for al-Qaeda.� al-Qaeda.� “These “These twotwo events events (blacklisting (blacklisting long-time loyalists -Defence analyst N. Bhaskar Rao said, addQuoting Quoting a study a study by by the the New New of of thethe Pakistani Pakistani Taliban Taliban andand thethe Rahul Gandhi has been taking up Minister A.K. Antony, her poing his importance was known for America America Foundation, Foundation, the the paper paper more and more responsibility in start start of withdrawal of withdrawal from from AfghaniAfghaniFinishing her term, Indian ambassador Meera Shankar received Congress party, and is likely to litical secretary Ahmed Patel years -at least since he became a said53 Hillary 53percent percent of ofterror terrorplots plots New stan) stan) encapsulate encapsulate a shift, afrom shift, not not only onlysaid billion), billion), believes believes former former chief chief secsecencomiums Secretary of State Clinton.

New Delhi: Delhi: TheThe eventually occupyretary the prime and another general secretary general secretary. worldwidesince since2004 2004involved involvedvaluables forfor Canada, Canada, butbut forfor all all other other na-na-worldwide retary of Kerala of Kerala CP CP Nair.

Nair. valuablesfound foundin inchair. minister’s Janardhan Dwivedi.

A Congress leader who did not a reception to Pakistan, bid her farewell Washington: The ‘celebrated jihadists jihadists trained trained in in Pakistan, comcom-thethe tions tions on on thethe front front lines lines of of thethe warwarhosted perper a report, a report, Thursday, Thursday, thethe secret secret cellars cellars of of As As It immediately struck 26 to July, was byandKerala’s Newfamous Delhi: BySree naming her bureaucrat sonbureaucrat tenure’, in For theFor of Secretary pared pared six to which six percent percent in attended Yemen in Yemen and on on terror. terror. awords number a number of of years, years,on former former claims claims thatthat thethepolitical pun- want to be identified underlined Kerala’s famous Sree ditsvalue and Congress watchers that she that the younger Gandhi was almembers US Adminisand party general secretary Rahulmarket of State Hillary Clinton, ofshifting Meera three three percent percent inofIraq. inthe Iraq.

Pakistani Pakistani ji- ji-Padmanabhaswamy those thoselines lineshave havebeen been shiftingsenior estimated estimated market value of the of the treatreaPadmanabhaswamy had excluded most of the old guard. ready “discharging important reand other keydirected Ambassadors.

Gandhi as one of four people who Shankar as the ambassador of India hadi hadi groups groups have have directed 44 44 per-per-Temple southeast, southeast, from from Afghanistan Afghanistan to totration sures unearthed unearthed from from thethe temple temple Templein inThiruThiru- sures Only Only ďŹ ve ďŹ ve of the ofsponsibilities the sixsix secret secret cellars of Padmanabof PadmanabThe Sonia decision means that incellars the partyâ€?.

Meera Shankar herself also called oversee the Congress while to the US came topaper ansaid. end July 31 cent cent of of the the terror terror plots plots since since then, then,v will Pakistan,�

Pakistan,� thethe paper said. makes it the it the richest richest temple temple in in thethe a vn aa nn at hn at hp aupr ua m r a m makes haswamy haswamy Temple Temple have have been been opened, opened, yielding yielding page 4 the Secretary State in her # & # &#% * # ! $! #&$% office. she isbe away fromRs India for almost Rahul, 40, widely seen within and Rahul Gandhi Continued on amid aIt round receptions. according according to the toof the paper. paper. #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % # & # &#% * # ! $! #&$% It #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % said said theof the Tehrik-e-Taliban Tehrik-e-Taliban is ison world. could could be worth worth Rs world.

Gold Gold idols, idols, ornaments ornaments and and other other valuables. valuables. & % % ' % & % % ' % Meera Shankar Continued on on page 4 45 ' # $ The U.S. Department State WarWar on * on terror terror continued continued page * ' # $ $ % ! %&# $ % ! %&# very very dangerous dangerous as ' $% # its as ' $% # “stated its of “stated goal� goal� is # is # Kerala Kerala treasure treasure continued continued on on page page 4 4 lakh 5 lakh crore crore ($100 ($100

Meera Shankar bids farewell to Washington

Sonia signals that Rahul matters

Kerala Keralatemple temple treasure treasurecould couldbe be worth worth$100 $100billion billion

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

Mangano seeks private Coliseum developers Mineola: County Executive Edward P. Mangano pressed the reset button Tuesday on the 77-acre Nassau Coliseum site, urging private developers to pitch redevelopment plans in an effort to keep the Islanders from departing when the team's lease expires in 2015.

As some potential suitors expressed interest in luring the National Hockey League franchise, Mangano sought to reframe the issue a day after county voters defeated a referendum that would have permitted borrowing of up to $400 million to build a new arena and a minor league ballpark.

Nassau will consider leasing or selling the land. Mangano called for preliminary proposals to be submitted by Aug. 12.

The plans must address job creation, revenue and quality of life, he said.

"This is a call to action," Mangano said. "If you have proposals, bring them forward. The

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and New York Islanders owner Charles Wang (background) after the referendum to build a new Nassau Coliseum did not pass Aug. 1. county will be moving forward."

His remarks came as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed hope that the Islanders can remain on Long Island.

Islanders owner Charles Wang,

Kangana Ranaut to be Grand Marshal at NJ parade

The 7th India Day Parade on Oak Tree Road, NJ, will be held on next Sunday, August 14, by the Indian Business Association with the support of New Jersey Federation of Indian Associations and other associations. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, known for her gritty roles in films like ‘Fashion’ will be the Grand marshal. After the parade, a cultural program will be staged at St Cecelia Church parking Lot at Oak Tree Road, in the area called the Little India.

3

who said Monday night he was "heartbroken" by the defeat of the referendum, has said that if a new Coliseum isn't built, he would move the team after its lease expires.

IALI to showcase Indian culture at 21st Indiafest in Long Island Melville, NY: The India Association of Long Island (IALI) will host a day-long cultural program on Aug. 7 at the Huntington Hilton Hotel in Melville, Long Island. The 21st Indiafest 2011, a showcase for India's culture, will include classical, folk and Bollywood dances and songs; a fabulous fashion show by designer Sushma Patel; arts and crafts vendors, designer clothes and jewelry, various types of delicious foods, games for children and raffles with exciting prizes, as well as Mehndi demonstrations.

The organizers also said in a press release that Manu Narayan, lead actor of the Broadway show ‘Bombay Dreams’ is scheduled to make a special appearance and give a performance.

About 10,000 persons are expected to visit this event. Attendees can get free health screenings, meet social and political leaders and partic-

Indian American actor Manu Narayan is scheduled to make an appearance at the event. ipate in honoring Indian-American community leaders.

19 Indians indicted for $60 mn medical fraud Washington, DC: US Federal prosecutors have charged 26 people, including 19 Indians, with participating in a scheme to defraud government Medicare and Medicaid services for the elderly of nearly $60 million in unwarranted prescriptions.

An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Babubhai 'Bob' Patel, 49, a Canton Township pharmacist, of using his ownership in more than 20 Michigan pharmacies to facilitate the fraud, according to Detroit News.

Prosecutors allege that Patel used kickbacks and other inducements to convince physicians to write prescriptions that were filled at his pharmacies 'without regard to the medical necessity of those prescriptions and services'.

Since 2006, prosecutors allege that Patel Pharmacies

wrongly billed Medicare for more than $37.7 million in prescriptions and Medicaid another $20.8 million.

'Health care fraud steals funds from programs designed to benefit patients, and we all pay for it,' US Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement.

In addition to the pharmacists and doctors, those charged include a psychologist, an accountant and several business associates from the area.

According to prosecutors, Patel allegedly also used recruiters to find patients who, in exchange for kickbacks, would allow the pharmacies to bill their insurance for drugs and other services.

The pharmacies were in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield, Warren, Taylor, Berkley, Pontiac, Troy, Hazel Park, Oak Park, Waterford, Livonia, Commerce

Township, Roseville, Bay City, Saginaw and Kalamazoo.

All of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 23 of the 26 were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

In addition to Patel, those named in the 34-count indictment include physician Paul Petre, pharmacists Dineshkmar Patel, Anish Bhavsar, Ashwini Sharma, Pinakeen Patel, Kartik Shah, Viral Thaker, Hiren Patel, Miteshkumar Patel, Lokeh Tayal, Narendera Cheraku and Chetan Gujarathi.

Arpitkumar Patel, Sumanray Raval, Harpreet Sachdeva, Ramesh Patel, Rana Naeem, physician Mustak Vaid, psychologist and patient recruiter Sanyani Edwards and business associate Komal Acharya have also been named in the indictment.

4

National Community

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Ground Zero ‘mosque’ launches 9/10 fund drive, tweaks name New York: With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on the horizon, things are chugging along at the World Trade Center site in preparation.

The mayor has announced that both President Obama and former President George W. Bush will be joining him at the ceremony. Two short blocks away, Sharif El-Gamal is rushing to meet his own September deadline. The developer of the Park51 community center that sparked a furor last year is still struggling to raise funds for the project.

Last week, Park51 launched a fundraiser aimed at raising $7 million over the next month and a half. The deadline for the funds is Sept.

10, which El-Gamal called “a motivational deadline,� its proximity to the 10th anniversary merely a coincidence.

Last November, when the project sought $5 million in 9/11 grants, it caused quite a stir, so any fundraising attempts could prove fraught. The geometric project is expected to cost $100 million.

Meanwhile, the project’s name has been changed to PrayerSpace, but that appears to simply be the name of the 2,000-seat chapel planned for the 15-story community center, ÂżUVW NQRZQ DV &RUGRED +RXVH DQG PRUH ZLGHly called the “ground zero mosque,â€? while the overall project is still Park51.

In his impassioned speech to donors last Friday, El-Gamal said Park51 is “an opportunity to show the world who we are, and what we believe in, and what our practice is, and what our faith is.�

Sonia Gandhi Continued from page 1

their good wishes for her early recovery.

Congress headquarters had also received reports of prayer meetings and ‘havans’ conducted in different parts of the country, wishing Sonia a speedy recovery.

In January 2009, current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent heart bypass surgery at theAll India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has ruled India for most of its post-independence history, with three members of the family becoming Prime Minister.

Sonia Gandhi holds total sway within the Congress and is credited with crafting the strategies that gave the party back-to-back general election victories in 2004 and 2009.

She will miss the start of a crucial session of parliament for the scandal-plagued government which intends to introduce draft laws on a range of key areas, including corruption, land acquisition and food security.

Sonia Gandhi’s absence for the opening of the new session on Monday was noted in the Indian media but explained by an apparent “viral infection� she was said to be suffering IURP +HU ODVW NQRZQ SXEOLF HQJDJHPHQW ZDV her 24-hour visit to Bangladesh from July 24.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Sonia and wished her a speedy recovery. Lok Sabha Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj of BJP and Gujarat Chief Minister 1DUHQGUD 0RGL ZHUH DPRQJ WKH ÂżUVW WR VHQG

Rahul Gandhi Continued from page 1 In recent years, Rahul Gandhi, who was HOHFWHG WR WKH /RN 6DEKD IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH WZR years ago, has played a key role in election campaigns, and in rejuvenating the Youth Congress and the party’s student wing.

Some in the Congress said no deep meaning should be read in the exclusion from the four-member group of Finance Minister and veteran Congressman Pranab Mukherjee or RWKHU KLJK SURÂżOH OHDGHUV OLNH 'LJYLMD\ 6LQJK K. Sreekumar, another political analyst, said the rise of Rahul was a natural choice for Sonia but he coming weeks will pose a major challenge for him. “The country will watch how he hanGOHV EXUQLQJ LVVXHV OLNH $QQD +D]DUHÂśV WKUHDWened fast and developments in parliament.â€?

Predictably, Rahul’s appointment sparked criticism from the opposition. “What other announcement could we expect from Sonia Gandhi?� asked Javed Raza, general secretary of the Janata Dal-United. “For years the party has been handled as a private property of the Nehru family.�

Lokpal Continued from page 1 And the results were stunningly similar to Team Anna’s referendum. As many as 23,499 netizens responded to the poll and there was near unanimity that the PM, MPs, the judiciary and all levels of the bureaucracy should be under the purview of the proposed Lokpal bill. :KLOH LWœV GLI¿FXOW WR WHOO KRZ PDQ\ RI WKH respondents know the exact proposals of the two drafts of the Bill, it’s clear that the government’s credibility is low and Team Anna’s high. On the question of whether the Lokpal should cover all bureaucrats rather than just *URXS $ RI¿FHUV VDLG ¾\HVœ The same proportion asserted that if a citi]HQœV ZRUN LV QRW GRQH RQ WLPH ¿QHV PXVW EH LPSRVHG RQ WKH JXLOW\ RI¿FHU $Q HTXDOO\ LPSUHVVLYH IHOW WKH FRQGXFW RI 03V LQ 3DUOLDment should be covered by the Lokpal’s brief.

6HW DJDLQVW WKRVH QXPEHUV WKH ZKR said the PM should be covered by the Lokpal DQG WKH ZKR IHOW WKH MXGLFLDU\ VKRXOG DOVR come under it seems almost anti-climactic. The message, however, remains clear - the Lokpal must have teeth and the breadth of jurisdiction to be effective. The winner of the perception battle is clearly the Gandhian and his mates.

7KDWÂśV D PDVVLYH YRWH RI QR FRQÂżGHQFH LQ the government version of the Bill and a clear endorsement of the views of Team Anna.

Shankar hosted two receptions on 25th July 2011 and on 28th July 2011 for the Indian American community and her American interlocutors respectively. The Indian American community was represented by all the leading associations in the Greater Washington Area and from across the country. The Governors of Maryland andAlabama also sent special citations to Ambassador Shankar for promoting ties between India and their states.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Being regular readers of your reputed ‘The South Asian Times’, we cordially wish to congratulate all your team members for their sincere efforts in making this diverse publication endeavor a GRAND success in the hearts of Asian Indian community and the Agricultural scientists like us. The quality articles/news covering various Indian communities are very informative and are always inspiring.

Dr. Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao

University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred, FL

Meera Shankar Continued from page 1 $W WDW PHHWLQJ +LOODU\ &OLQWRQ VDLG Âł2Q behalf of the American people and the Obama Administration, I extend my best wishes to you as your celebrated tenure as the ambassador of India comes to an end. I thank you for your service and remain deeply grateful to you for helping to strengthen the important partnership between our two countries. “The new Indian ambassador to the US,Nirupama Rao (previously Foreing Secretary) is expected to take RIÂżFH LQ :DVKLQJWRQ '& ODWHU WKLV PRQWK The Indian Community of the Greater Washington Area hosted a reception for the Ambassador on 24th July, at which Robert Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Bureau was the keynote speaker.

Ambassador Blake highlighted the immense contribution made by his friend, Amb. Shankar, in serving India’s interests in Washington in an energetic and innovative manner. Amb. West Coast Correspondent: Pooja Jain, pj@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

Another Tri-Valley: North Virginia University raided Virginia: The University of North Virginia (UNVA) is in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb of Washington. The university is reported to have 2,400 students of which 90 per cent are from India and an overwhelming majority are said to be from Andhra Pradesh. Like the TriValley University earlier, UNVA was raided on Thursday by investigating and law enforcement agencies on charges of visa fraud. However the US administration has assured that it would protect the interests of hundreds of Indian students in the university.

Sources said the UNVA was authorised to issue I-20 form to about 50 students but had issued and enrolled a much larger number.

"Today, officials from ICE's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) served UNVA with a notice of intent to withdraw (NOIW) UNVA's authorization to admit foreign students," ICE spokeswoman Cori W Bassett said in a statement.

In a day-long exercise, dozens of officials from different federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), entered the Annandale campus of the university and took away with them a large number of boxes full of documents and computer hard drives from its administrative division. However, based on the experience of the Tri-Valley case, and given that India had strongly objected to the manner in which its students were treated, US authorities are believed to have informed their Indian counterparts that they would handle this case and follow-up action in a different manner.

Unlike Tri-Valley University, the focus of investigations here is not the students but the school. Officials made it clear that there would be no arrest, detention or electronic monitoring of students. They also said that the university would not be immediately shut down, it had been given a month’s notice to

90 per cent of 2400 stdents at UNVA are reportedly from India explain. The university declined to make any comment; it did not communicate with its students and staff either, except for a notice posted at the entrance that said the university was still open but students had the choice to move to other varsities or look for other options, if they so wanted.

The present students would have one of the three options: continue at the University while it functions, seek transfer to another university and seek voluntary return to India.

In another major relief, visa status of the students would not be terminated, they would remain valid for their present duration, which would also provide time for seeking transfers while continuing in a valid visa status.

In another notice, ICE has informed the UNVA students that they have two choices continue to attend classes and maintain their active status, seek transfer to another SEVPapproved institution.

"UNVA students must immediately depart the country if they are unable to continue to attend classes and maintain their active status in a manner required by the regulation or if they are unable or do not wish to seek transfer to another SEVP-certified institution," it said. UNVA officials no longer have access to SEVIS and not be able to manage non-immigrant students records in SEVIC, the notice said.

Kal Penn returning to TV

Kal Penn will be in CBS comedy 'How I Met Your Mother,' as Kevin, the love interest for Cobie Smulders' lovelorn Robin

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Washington, DC: Indian-American actor Kal Penn, who is best known for his role in the 'Harold and Kumar' movies, is ready to return to television after a couple of stints in Obama's White House. Penn, who served in White House's Office of Public Engagement as an associate director, has taken on a major recurring role on the CBS comedy 'How I Met Your Mother,' as Kevin, the love interest for Cobie Smulders' lovelorn Robin, according to TVLine. Penn resigned that post on June 1, 2010 to fulfill his commitment to film the latest, Christmas-themed 'Harold and Kumar' film installment.

Second Annual Mela Teeyan Da 2011 was held on Saturday, July 30 from 10:30am - 5:00pm at 120-23 Atlantic Avenue, NY. Organized by Kiirpa Heritage, the day long events included Lil' Miss Punjaban, Miss Punjaban and Mrs. Punjaban contests. The event was sponsored by T Mobile and managed by AWMobile of Hicksville. In photo with Punjaban of the year is Ms. Kawal Sahni, Sales Director of AWMobile which has 25 T Mobile corporate stores. The winners received Blackberry 9780 each. More than 1200 women attended the mela.

$1.5 million Gates grant for Columbia’s Chandran New York: Kartik Chandran, and develop practical techn an associate professor of Earth ologies that will be of great and Environmental value around the world,” the Engineering at Columbia Indian American researcher University, has been awarded said. $1.5 million from the Bill & Chandran and his team aim Melinda Gates Foundation for to develop a bioprocess techhis project to develop a revolunology to convert the organic tionary new model in water, compounds present in fecal sanitation, and energy. sludge to biodiesel and Working with his partners methane, two potent sources Ashley Murray, founder and of energy, and thus convert a director of Waste Enterprisers, waste-processing facility into and Moses Mensah, a chemia biorefinery. cal engineering professor at Prof Kartik Chandran is devel- The biorefinery will not Kwame Nkrumah University oping an innovative technology only be an economical source of Science and Technology, for “Next-Generation Urban of fuel, but, by minimizing Sanitation Facility" Chandran is developing an discharge of fecal sludge into innovative technology to transform fecal local water bodies, it will also contribute to sludge into biodiesel and create the “Next- improved human health and sanitation.

Generation Urban Sanitation Facility” in Chandran says that potential outcomes of Accra, Ghana. his work will also include integrating the bio“We are especially pleased that the Gates process technology component into a social Foundation has recognized the critical impor- enterprise business model that will further tance of sustainable sanitation by investing in promote widespread implementation of this our pioneering project,” Chandran said in a approach and technology across the globe, press release. especially in developing economies.

“Thus far, sanitation approaches have been Chandran has been associated with Ghana extremely resource and energy intensive and for two years as the faculty advisor for the therefore out of reach for some of the world’s Columbia University Engineers without poorest but also most at need populations. Borders Ghana team and expects to involve This project will allow us to move forward them in this project as well.

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Tristate Community

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

South Asians reflect on ten years post 9/11, look for solutions Passaic and Teaneck, NJ pass anti-bullying and anti-bias resolutions Jersey City, NJ: Over 70 community members gathered for a hearing called "South Asians in New Jersey: Ten Years After 9/11" to reflect on the decade since the 9/11 tragedy, and to provide recommendations for moving forward. The hearing, held on Saturday, July 30, 2011 in Jersey City, New Jersey, was organized by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national nonprofit organization, as part of its campaign - An America for All of Us - to mark the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.

Community members affected by backlash after 9/11, as well as policymakers, shared stories and examples of positive solutions. Notably, the hearing happened a day after the Board of Education in Passaic, NJ unanimously passed an anti-bullying resolution presented by SAALT. The resolution calls on the Board of Education to enforce the New Jersey AntiBullying Bill of Rights, institute a bullying

prevention program; and train students and employees around cultural and religious practice sensitivity, among other requirements. Just a week earlier, the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey also passed an antibias resolution presented by SAALT. Divided into three panels, the New Jersey hearing addressed the ongoing struggles of communities impacted by discrimination, racial profiling, Islamophobia, immigration enforcement and hate crimes. A Sikh community member, Rajinder Singh Khalsa gave a disturbing account of how, following the 9/11 tragedy, he was accosted by individuals who insisted that he remove the "dirty curtain" on his head.

In response, the second panel of advocates provided recommendations on how communities can strengthen their voices and take action.

The third panel of policymakers stressed the importance of community involvement.

IITians to gather in NYC for biennial global conference New York, NY: More than two thousand Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumni, comprised of distinguished business executives, government officials, and leading entrepreneurs from around the world, will descend upon New York City for the first-ever global IIT conference to be held in “the city that never sleeps” from September 30 to October 2, 2011, at the New York Hilton Hotel. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the inception of the "IIT System.”

The seven IITs--each built on the pattern of MIT in India--are globally recognized as the premier engineering and science universities and regularly make the Top 50 list in global rankings. The IIT graduates have come to represent India's capacity for excellence in education,technology, and human capital around the world.

“We believe it is imperative to continue to build upon this positive image of the IITs and present it to a global audience,” says Kumar Shah, one of the organizers of the event and an IIT Bombay graduate. “We also want to give our alumni plenty of opportunities to network with each other and industry leaders. Today, we find that the United States and India are on a path of major collaboration in multiple platforms, including healthcare, commerce, and entertainment; IITans are very much integrated in building that bridge. Thus, the theme of this conference is: ‘SOLUTIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD.” Featured keynote speakers in this conference include MIT Media Lab Chairman Nicholas Negraponte, renowned Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and Grammy-nominated Chandrika Tandon; also invited are: Vice President Joe

Biden, Sec. Hillary Clinton, Sec. Steven Chu, Andrew Liveris (CEO, Dow Chemical), and Mukesh Ambani (CEO, Reliance), just to name a few. In addition to keynote speeches, a number of panel discussions are planned in areas of finance, healthcare, geopolitics, academia, investments, entrepreneurship, and alternative energy.

More than 50 thousand alumni make their home in the United States. They constitute a model immigrant community: extraordinarily well-educated, high-achieving, creating businesses and opportunities, generating wealth, and contributing to their adopted nation.

The 200,000+ alumni of the IITs (about 25% in the USA) have reportedly created about 20 million jobs; have created $500 billion of economic value; control annual budgets of $1 trillion; serve on the boards of over 50% of the 500 largest companies in India; 9% of alumni are entrepreneurs, and 40% of them have founded more than one company. In the U.S., IIT alumni achievements include: Creation of more than 200,000 jobs; Pioneering such technologies as cellular communications and HDTV; 60% of Silicon Valley startups have an IIT graduate as a CEO or a founder; Leading executive positions, including CEO, at firms such as Citicorp, Hartford Financial, Harman International, Google, Cisco, Microsoft, and Rohm & Haas; Deans of leading universities such as Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT and Director of the National Science Foundation; Honored by the U.S. Congress (HR227) for contribution to the creation of industries, jobs, and intellectual properties in America.

Community members engaging with the panelists.

All pictures by William Hollingsworth Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, Mohammed Hameeduddin, spoke about the importance of building strong partnerships with other communities to address these issues.

City Council President of Hoboken, New Jersey, Ravi Bhalla also discussed the importance of getting involved at the local level, and urged community members to become civically engaged. Amardeep

Policymakers panel (L-R): Salim Patel, Commissioner of the Board of Education, Passaic, NJ; Mohammed Hameeduddin, Mayor, Teaneck, NJ; Ravi Bhalla, City Council President, Hoboken, NJ; Amardeep Singh, Commissioner, White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Singh, Commissioner from the White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, was present and heard complaints from the community regarding post-9/11 discrimination.

Commissioner of the Board of Education in Passaic County, Salim Patel, asked parents to come forward to raise issues that their children face in schools.

Satish Tripathi to co-chair Regional Development Council in NY Buffalo, NY: Satish K Tripathi, president of University at Buffalo, has been named a regional co-chair of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, one of 10 region- based councils charged with allocating economic development funds within their regions. Tripathi's appointment, and that of cochair Howard A.Zemsky, managing partner of the Larkin Development Group in Buffalo, was announced July 26 by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo was joined by Lt.Gov. Robert Duffy, local officials, business leaders and community members for the formal launch of the Western New York council at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.

The council will coordinate economic development for Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

Tripathi was quoted as saying in a press release from the university that by creating the regional councils, Cuomo "is addressing the specific economic development needs of each area of New York state."

The governor acknowledged as much. "For too long, Albany has imposed one-size- fits-all economic

development plans across the state, ignoring the unique assets and challenges of each region," Cuomo is quoted as saying in the release. "This approach is exactly what western New York needs to rejuvenate its economic climate. Under Lt. Gov. Duffy's leadership, the Western New York Regional Council will work to ensure that residents and businesses from Niagara to Erie to Chautauqua counties are able to build a healthy business climate for the region, including leveraging the resources of the higher education institutions in the area," Tripathi said.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

Democrats slam Haley for listing herself ‘white’ Washington, DC: Democrats have accused North Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley of listing her race as "white" in her voter registration form in 2001 and playing on it for political convenience.

The local Post and Courier reported that the state Democratic Party, which first obtained the public record in this regard, is challenging whether her inconsistency on the card might have made her ineligible to voter under the state's new Voter ID law.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian said whether Haley listed her race as white or not doesn't really matter to him, but the issue is that the governor has shown a pattern of such actions.

"Haley has been appearing on television interviews where she calls herself a minority -- when it suits her," Harpootlian was quoted as saying.

"When she registers to vote she says she is white. She has developed a pattern of saying whatever is beneficial to her at the moment," he said. "She can't even tell the truth about her racial heritage."

North Carolina Governor Nikki Haley There was no immediate response from Haley's office. The state Election Commission gives people the choice of declaring their race as white, black/African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American or other, the agency's spokesman Chris Whitmire said.

Statistician C R Rao receives UK’s Royal Society award New York: Penn State's C R Rao an Indian American, Emeritus Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Statistics and one of the world's top statisticians, has been honored with the Royal Statistical Society's Guy Medal Award in Gold the highest award given to a statistician by the United Kingdom.

The ceremony took place on 29 June. He has is recognized for his fundamental and innovative contributions to statistical theory and methodology.

Rao laid the foundation of modern statistics, with multifaceted distinctions as a mathematician, researcher, scientist and teacher.

His contributions to

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C R Rao

mathematics and to the theory and application of statistics during the last six decades have become part of graduate and postgraduate courses in statistics, econometrics, electrical engineering, and many other disciplines at most universities throughout the world.

Rao's other awards include 32 honorary doc-

toral degrees from universities in 18 countries on six continents.

In addition, Rao was honored in 2010 with the India Science Award. In 2003, he received the first Mahalanobis International Award in Statistics from the International Statistical Institute and the Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal from the Indian National Science Academy. In 2002, he was honored by President George W. Bush with the National Medal of Science, the highest award given to an American scientist for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research.

In 1989, the American Statistical Association awarded him the Wilks Medal.

Preeta Bansal to leave Obama administration New York: Preeta Bansal, senior policy advisor and the general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, is leaving the administration to join an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military or technology issues and probably return to private practice.

Bansal is among several Indian Americans who are leaving the administration after two years and more due

to the demanding schedules is what is considered a natural turnover.

Bansal led the Obama-Biden legal transition team for six months prior to its inauguration and was a part of the president's campaign team of outside advisers since the start of 2007.

In 2009, Bansal was mentioned as a possible nominee for U.S. solicitor general, after Elena Kagan left the post after being named to the Supreme Court.

US warns Indian students about 'predatory visa fraud rings' Washington, DC: As another US university came under the scanner, the United States asked Indian students to be alert to the existence of 'predatory visa fraud rings and fraudulent document vendors.'

'We are looking into this matter, we're following the case closely, and we're in communication with the Government of India officials on it,' State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday, a day after a raid on the University of Northern Virginia.

Based in Annandale, a Washington suburb, the unaccredited, for-profit private university has some 2,400 students of which 90 percent are from India, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, registered at three locations in northern Virginia.

The US embassy in New Delhi has briefed the Ministry of External Affairs and the US Department of Homeland Security and the State Department have been in contact with the Indian Embassy here, Toner said.

Declining to give details as an investigation is ongoing, the spokesman said 'it's important to note that a hundred thousand Indians are receiving a good education at certified US institutions each year, and we certainly welcome the contribution of Indian students wishing to study in the United States.'

'And of course, as always, we caution them to be alert to the existence of these socalled predatory visa fraud rings and fraudulent document vendors,' he said.

Asked how US consulates or embassies in India issued visas for study at such insti-

tutions, Toner again declined comment in view of 'an ongoing investigation'.

'They've taken action against this school, and we're in close coordination with the Indian Government as we move forward. But beyond that, I don't want to comment on details,' he said.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has warned the Northern Virginia University that it could withdraw the school's authorization to admit foreign students.

Agency Spokesperson Cori Bassett, however, would not say why the action was taken, saying it is part of a pending investigation.

The school remains open and certified and will have the chance to rebut the government's allegations.

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National Community

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mitul Desai to lead US efforts to expand ties with diaspora

Mitul Desai has been named Senior Advisor for Outreach at State Department’s South Asia bureau Washington, DC: Mitul Desai, an Indian American international finance and law expert, has been brought in to State Department's South Asia bureau to lead its efforts to expand 'partnerships and engagement with the private sector and diaspora groups' in the US. Announcing the appointment of Desai at an India Donor Roundtable here last week, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake said 'The US-India relationship has never been stronger,' thanks to the 'important role' that the Indian community has 'played in creating and strengthening these ties.'

'Indeed I have made it a priority for the South and Central Asia Bureau to expand our partnerships and engagement with the private sector and diaspora groups here in the US,' he said.

Desai, who has been named

Senior Advisor for Outreach, comes from a private sector career in international finance and law, where he worked on many issues, including global health, Blake noted.

'He also has extensive experience working with diaspora communities. I know he is very excited to work with you in his new capacity,' he said.Desai received his BA in Chemistry and Philosophy at Rutgers University and his JD from the Boston University School of Law. He was born in Kankakee, Illinois, and lived in South Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before moving to Succasunna, New Jersey, where he spent most of his childhood.

His parents, Indirajit and Surekha Desai who hail from Gujarat, came to the US in the 1960s, when they were both in their early 20s. He has a younger brother, Amit.

Indian origin scientist designs nanosized batteries Washington, DC: A team led by an Indian origin scientist has packaged lithium ion batteries, which power mobiles and smartphones, into a single nanowire. The breakthrough could be a valuable power source for new generations of nanoelectronics.

Pulickel M. Ajayan, who did his B. Tech in metallurgical engineering from Banaras Hindu University in 1985, India and Ph.D. from Northwestern University US in 1989, had been inching towards single nanowire devices for years.

These researchers at Rice University first reported the creation of 3D nano batteries last December, the journal Nano Letters reported.

"The idea here is to fabricate nanowire energy storage devices with ultrathin separation between the electrodes," said Arava Leela Mohana Reddy, study coauthor and research scientist, according to a university statement.

The team's experimental batteries are about 50 micrometres tall, as thick as a human hair and almost invisible when viewed edge-on, Reddy said.

Theoretically, the nanowire energy storage devices can be as long and as wide as the templates allow, which makes them scalable.

The nanowire devices show good capacity. The researchers are fine-tuning the materials to increase

Pulickel M Ajayan leads the team of researchers at Rice University their ability to repeatedly charge and discharge, which now drops off after about 20 cycles.

A nanometre is a billion of a metre.

Why packing on pounds is riskier for Indians Toronto: Packing on pounds is riskier for Indians and other South Asians than white people, says a study.

While white Caucasian people store their extra body fat in their waistlines, Indians and other South Asians carry this extra fat into their internal organs like liver and abdomen affecting their normal functioning.

It is this disruption of normal organ functions among Indians and South Asians that triggers diabetes and heart problems, says the study conducted by a young IndoCanadian researcher.

Sonia Anand, who is professor of medicine and epidemiology at McMaster University, says that the

prevalence of diabetes and coronary diseases among South Asians is due to their body adding " the organhugging fat" that leads to these diseases.

"South Asians have less space to store fat below the skin than white Caucasians. Their excess fat, therefore, overflows to ectopic compartments, in the abdomen and liver where it may affect function," says Anand. She says this visceral fat is associated with metabolic problems such as elevated glucose and abnormal lipids which lead to coronary artery disease.

Her study support previous research which shows that, even with the same body mass index (BMI) as Caucasians, people from

the Indian subcontinent have more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including type 2 diabetes, low 'good' cholesterol, and more abdominal obesity.

Arya Sharma, director of the Canadian Obesity Network and a co-author of the study, added, "This study helps explain why South Asians experience weight-related health problems at lower BMI levels than Caucasians. For the clinician, this also means that individuals of South Asian heritage need to be screened for the presence of heart disease and diabetes at lower BMIs." The study by Anand and Sharma appears in the medical journal PLoS ONE.

Rolls Royce used by an Indian maharaja up for sale in US London: The glorious Rolls Royce car used by an Indian maharaja during the British reign is to be sold in US next month by Bonhams auction house.

According to a foreign news agency, the car which was commissioned by Umed Singh II, the maharaja of Kotah, is expected to sell for up to 1.6 million dollars.

Bonhams said that the car's eight-litre, six-cylinder engine with a low gearing ratio allowed "it to creep powerfully through the roughshod jungles of Rajasthan." "It was more for a show but everything would be ready and then they would then go and take this Rolls Royce up to a point or the hills and from there shoot the tiger that was already captured by their servants," the BBC quoted Pran Nevile, a writer and expert on India's colonial history as saying.

A handout picture obtained from Bonhams auction house press office in London shows a 1925 New Phantom Rolls-Royce car customised with mounted guns and searchlights.

A 1925 Rolls-Royce car customized with mounted guns and searchlights and used by an Indian maharaja to hunt tigers will be put up for auction in the United States. The New Phantom was commissioned by Sahib Bahadur, officially known as Umed Singh II, the maharaja of Kota, from the British motor manufacturers. (AFP Photo)

Reception hosted by the Indian-American community to bid farewell to Ambassador Meera Shankar on July 24, 2011.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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August 6-12, 2011

OFBJP hosts national council meet in Chicago Chicago, IL: Vijay Jolly inaugurated the OFBJP National Council Meeting held in Chicago, IL from July 22-24, 2011 at Holiday Inn, Rolling Meadows, IL. Over 60 plus delegates across the nation attended the 3 day National Council meeting while over 200 Indian Americans attended the public program. The special emissaries of national BJP was represented by Vijay Jolly-Convener of Overseas Affairs; and Shri ShanmuganathanAdditional Secretary of BJP Parliamentary Party; the invited guests were Kishen ReddyPresident of AP State BJP; Mrs. Poonam Mahajan- National Vice President of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM); and Suresh Chavunke- Chairman of Sudarshan TV and Sai channel. Dr. Adapa Prasad, the President of OFBJPUSA presided over the convention and Amar Upadhyay, OFBJP-USA General Secretary was the conven-

L-R: Poonam Mahajan, Vijay Jolly, Mahesh Mehta, Shanmuganathan, Adapa Prasad, Yash Desai er of the meeting in Chicago.

The event started in the evening of Friday July 22nd, with informal gathering and introductions. Dr. Adapa Prasad introduced the guests and the delegates. Dr Prasad regaled the audience with his expe-

Pakistani mangoes arrive on the US shores Washington, DC: The first shipment of Pakistani mangoes reached the US market last week at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on July 28. After a quick trip to Iowa for electron beam irradiation (for food safety), the fragrant chaunsa mangoes returned for their coming out party at the Palmer House Hilton following Saturday afternoon.

Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani presided over the mango party, which he said was the culmination of “two years of strategic dialogue” with the late ambassador Richard Holbrooke and others officials about ways they could improve relations “relatively easily.”

Although the mangoes won’t be in stores for a few weeks and there’s no definite price yet, the ambassador said that he has already sent boxes to Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Mark Kirk, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

He further said a box should be arriving at the White House on Monday.

“We have been waiting for this for the past 20 years for

Chaunsa mangoes made a debut at a mango party hosted by Pakistan ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani Pakistani mangoes to come here,” said Samina Khattak to Chicago Tribune. “We have been eating the Mexican and Indian mangoes but they are not the same.”

Haqqani said that the chaunsa is one of more than 200 Pakistani mango varieties and he expects more growers with different varieties to meet U.S. import requirements in the near future.

As the biggest importer of mangoes in the world (with $250 million in mango imports) America was a ripe market for the Pakistani mango, Haqqani said.

rience in running and administering OFBJP. Vijay Jolly has enthralled the audience with his inspirational speech and exhorted the delegates to step up and work for the OFBJP with renewed vigor.

He conveyed the best wishes of

Nitin Gadkari, the President of BJP to OFBJP. He ascertained that there is only one OFBJP in USA that is being represented by the current National Executive Committee headed by Dr. Adapa Prasad.

Jolly stressed on the need for OFBJP-USA to interact with US federal and local lawmakers to educate them on various Indo-US bilateral issues and matters that affect these issues and the views of BJP. He stressed upon the implementation of performance audit and set the agenda for OFBJP for the next six months, that includes workers training sessions in the five zones across the nation. He appreciated the work done by OFBJP in reaching out to the larger Pravasi Bharatiya community and wanted the OFBJP membership and support base expanded in the coming months.

Kishen Reddy, in his speech touched upon the topics of terror-

ism, corruption and nation building. He asked the delegates to help their brethren in India as well as in USA that are in need of help. He asked OFBJP to do some social service as well in addition to its mandated activities.

He cited the example of the plight of Tri Valley students and how OFBJP-USA helped them by taking up their cause with Indian Embassy, US state department and white house and governor of California.

Poonam Mahajan gave a brief speech on the power of youth and women and said that India is young and it will remain young for many decades to come. She urged the OFBJP youth to be the ambassadors of India.

Shri Shanmuganathan talked about the importance of discipline in karyakartas and observed that OFBJP leadership is carrying out a good work.

US-India state-to-state engagement begins in New Delhi Washington, DC: Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs Reta Jo Lewis landed in New Delhi Saturday to begin a trip throughout India as part of a plan for U.S.-India state-to-state partnerships. This initiative engages Indian state and local leaders throughout the country in a discussion of topics of mutual interest and partnership with their counterparts in the United States, such as trade and investment, infrastructure, education, science, and technology.

Special Representative Lewis will travel

to several cities within the Indian states of Assam, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra to meet with chief ministers, mayors, and panchayat leaders, as well as with leaders in the business and academic communities.

This initiative follows the momentum for bilateral engagement built by Secretary Clinton, who returned from the second round of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue just a few weeks ago.

Since the inaugural Strategic Dialogue in 2010, the U.S.-India partnership has flourished, result-

ing in advances in nearly every area of human endeavor.

Special Representative Lewis has worked on similar state-tostate initiatives in Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, and most recently China; however, this is her first visit to India.

Special Representative Lewis explained that her goal for the trip is “to listen and to learn how state and local leaders in India hope to engage their U.S. counterparts.

I’m very excited about this stateto-state engagement, but I need [their] vision for linking together regional leaders.”

Dr. Navin C. Nanda was presented the “Father of Modern Echocardiography” award by the Chinese Ultrasound Doctor Association in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China in May 2011. This is the largest physician organization in China.

Seen here Dr. Nanda (left) receiving the award from Dr. Jian Yang, Vice-President of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association. On June 17, Dr. Nanda was honored by an appointment as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease by a Special Resolution of The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. A Professor of Medicine and Director of the Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, Dr.Nanda is also a senior scientist in the centers for Health Promotion, Aging, Minority Health Behavior and Cardiovascular Biology.

Dr. Nanda is the first physician of Indian origin to receive this appointment in the University of Alabama system.

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US Affairs

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Debt ceiling now permanent weapon in politicos’ hands Washington: The very real threat of forcing the nation into a first-ever financial default — along with the potential for economic calamity — will forever be a powerful tool used by lawmakers and presidents alike, reports New York Times “Never again will any president, from either party, be allowed to raise the debt ceiling without being held accountable for it by the American people and without having to engage in the kind of debate we’ve just come through,” Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, said moments before the Senate vote on the deal he worked out to raise the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion.

President Obama had argued repeatedly during the last several weeks that holding up a debt ceiling increase amid partisan political bickering was the equivalent of a hostage-taking, with the global economy at stake.

“The debt ceiling should not be something that is used as a gun against the heads of the American people,” the president said.

But by McConnell’s way of thinking, the risk of default was a clarifying kind of moment for lawmakers, who too often refuse to tackle hard problems. He said the just-ended debate in Washington created “an entirely new template” for future attempts to raise the debt ceiling.

“This kind of discussion isn’t something to dread; it’s something to welcome,” Mr. McConnell said. “And while the president may not have particularly enjoyed this debate, it was a

debate that Washington needed to have.”

Thanks to the legislation that McConnell and Obama helped to negotiate, there won’t be another such debate during the president’s current term. The $2.1 trillion boost in the debt ceiling should make another increase unnecessary until March of 2013.

But in the long term, it may be impossible for Washington to put the debt ceiling genie back in the bottle. Why? Because in the end,

hostage-taking works.

Future Republicans will no doubt look back on the debt ceiling fight of 2011 as a success.

Whether conservative members got everything they wanted or not, it is hard to argue that they did not get more than they would have without the threat of holding up the debt ceiling increase.

Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, disagrees with President Obama that holding up a debt ceiling increase was the equivalent of hostage-taking

Obama signs debt bill, ending a fractious battle Washington: The Senate voted Tuesday to raise the government’s debt ceiling and cut trillions of dollars from its spending, concluding a long and fractious partisan battle just hours before the government’s borrowing authority was set to run out.

The bill, which passed 74 to 26, was immediately signed by President Barack Obama, who took a final shot at his Republican opposition for what he called a manufactured — and avoidable — crisis. “Voters may have chosen divided government,” he said, “but they sure didn’t vote for dysfunctional government.”

Voters will render their verdicts on the merits of divided government next year, but its impact is now abundantly clear: the agenda of the 112th Congress will be dominated by continuous fighting over spending priorities and regulation, with a high bar for big debates on foreign policy and other domestic issues coming to the fore. In the seven months since the change of power in the House, the Washington discourse has shifted almost completely from the decades-long battle between both parties over how to allocate government resources to jousting over the moral high ground on imposing austerity, with seemingly none of the political or practical motivations that have historically driven legislation.

Republicans, though controlling only one-

third of the process through their majority in the House, appear to have firmly snagged the upper hand in the legislative dynamics, largely because of their unwillingness to sacrifice ground even when their stance threatens both the government’s ability to operate and pay its debts, and their own prospects for retaining their jobs.

Democrats, hamstrung in part by Congressional procedures and hewing to more traditional methods of compromise and negotiation, allowed Republicans to pull the center of debate much closer to their priorities.

“The compromise over the debt ceiling, which the House passed on Monday, has been denounced by Democrats as being tilted too heavily toward Republican priorities, mainly because it does not raise any new revenues as it reduces budget deficits by at least $2.1 trillion in the next 10 years. But it attracted the votes of many Democrats, if only because the many months of standoff had brought the country perilously close to default.

The wrangling in Congress also laid bare divisions within both parties, with the final passage in the Senate relying on the votes of the remaining center of each party — 28 Republicans, 45 Democrats and one independent voted aye — with the most right- and leftleaning members left ultimately on the side-

Cheers and applause broke out on the House floor as Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), still recuperating from a shot in the brain, returned to Washington DC to vote for the debt limit compromise bill. lines.

In the Senate, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Mike Lee of Utah, both Republican freshmen blessed by the Tea Party, voted against the bill, mirroring their counterparts in the House, including a third of that chamber’s freshmen.

On the left, six Democrats and one independent rejected the bill, arguing that it placed too much burden on middle- and lower-income Americans. Among the Democrats who opposed the measures were reliable liberals like Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, but also Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who voted in contrast to the senior member from her state, Senator Charles E. Schumer.

Pentagon sounds alarm on threat of budget cuts Washington: The Pentagon pushed back aggressively on Wednesday against what senior officials warned was the prospect of $1 trillion in military budget cuts and thousands of layoffs, furloughs and reductions in military programs over the next decade.

Less than 24 hours after President Obama signed a debt-ceiling bill calling for trillions of dollars in reduced government spending, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and top Pentagon officials said that large cuts to the Pentagon budget — which has more than doubled since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 — would imperil the nation’s security.

In a letter to Defense Department personnel posted Wednesday morning on the Pentagon’s Web site, Mr. Panetta warned that if a Congressional panel could not reach agreement on cuts to the nation’s deficit, “it could trigger a round of dangerous across-the-board defense cuts that would do real damage to

the Defense Department was its opening salvo in what are certain to be many months of battles over military spending and how much the Pentagon should have to give up in a new era of austerity. No one in the building disputes that the huge military buildup since the Sept. 11 attacks is coming to an end, but the Pentagon is already drawing a line about how far it is willing to go.

On Wednesday, that line was $400 billion in military cuts over the next decade — and no more.

Although White House officials estimate that an immediate $1 trillion in cuts called for in the debtceiling bill will take $350 billion from the Pentagon over the next decade, the Pentagon official said that as he measured it, the cuts amounted to $400 billion.

Muslims loyal to US, hopeful: Poll Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta fears that large cuts to Pentagon budget would imperil the nation’s security. our security, our troops and their families, and our ability to protect the nation.”

Mr. Panetta’s letter was followed by a briefing to reporters by a senior Pentagon official who said that while he did not want to alarm peo-

ple in the Defense Department, he saw the possibility of involuntary separations — or the laying off of military personnel — as well as layoffs and furloughs of civilians who work for the Pentagon.

Wednesday’s sound of alarm from

Washington: A decade after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a Gallup poll released on Tuesday found that the vast majority of Muslim Americans say they are loyal to the US and optimistic about the future, even though they are more likely than other religious groups to say they recently experienced discrimination.

Nine out of 10 Muslim Americans said that their co-religionists in the US were not sympathetic to Al Qaeda, the group held responsible for the 2001 attacks. Majorities in other religious groups agreed that Muslim Americans did not sympathize with Al Qaeda, but the percentages were much lower.

India Newswire TheSouthAsianTimes.info

11

August 6-12, 2011

Gowda new Karnataka chief minister Bangalore: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda took oath as Karnataka chief minister succeeding scam-hit B.S. Yeddyurappa, whose prosecution in a graft case was approved by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj.

The 58-year-old Gowda was elected the BJP legislature wing leader in a secret ballot amid high drama that exposed cracks in the ruling party that took power for the first time in Karnataka in May 2008.

He defeated Rural Development Minister Jagdish Shettar narrowly.

Gowda got 63 votes and Shettar 55 as 118 legislators took part in the voting to decide a successor to Yeddyurappa, who quit Sunday after being indicted for corruption by the Karnataka ombudsman, N. Santosh Hegde.

Soon after the election Gowda met Bhardwaj and staked claim to form the government. The gover-

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh offering sweets to D.V. Sadananda Gowda (right). Gowda is former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s yes man. nor accepted the claim. He took oath alone as differences have cropped up in the party in the wake of a bitter fight to be the party's second chief minister in a little

over three years.

Gowda, a known Yeddyurappa loyalist, will be the BJPs' second chief minister in a little over three years and will have 22-months in

Delhi CM cornered over CWG scam New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has found herself in trouble after a leaked Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report indicted her of involvement in irregularities in contracts related to Commonwealth Games and the opposition demanded her resignation.

An angry Dikshit retaliated by saying that her government has not "done anything wrong". "We have not done anything wrong. Everything was done keeping in mind the national interest and prestige.

We were entrusted with certain responsibilities and we delivered them," Dikshit said.

Earlier in the day, a senior Delhi government official defended the government. Delhi Chief Secretary P.K. Tripathi said media reports quoting the CAG report "does not give facts accurately".

"The reportage of the CAG report does not give the facts accurately and we would like to correct it so that the image of the government is not maligned," Tripathi told mediapersons in a hurriedly called press confer-

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

ence.

"The media reports said that for street lighting four parties were selected of which one was selected later on directions of the chief minister. We want to make it clear that at no stage did the chief minister give any such directions.

"It was decided by the board of assessors who made recommendations.

At first Spaceage (company give the contract) was not selected and later they made a representation.

The CM has simply marked it to the engineerin-chief and did not even make any recommendation.

"The Works Advisory board is headed by the principal secretary of PWD. The board rejected

Spaceage. It was after being rejected by the Works Advisory Board that the company went to the court and then the court ordered that they have to be included.

So their inclusion is at the behest of the high court and not on the directions of the chief minister," added Tripathi.

The CAG report leaked faulted the Prime Minister's Office for letting Suresh Kalmadi run the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

The report, yet to be tabled in parliament, also said that the Delhi government and civic agencies overspent Rs.100 crore on streetscaping and Rs.31 crore on street lightning.

office as the assembly's term expires May 2013.

A two-time Lok Sahba member and two-time assembly member, he will be the second chief minister from coastal Karnataka after M. Veerappa Moily, now the corporate affairs minister in the central government.

The voting to choose between Gowda and Shettar took place after a stormy two-hour meeting of the legislators. Speaker K.G. Bopaiah and a nominated member did not vote. As Gowda is not a member of the state assembly, he will have to get elected to the house or get nominated to the council within six months.

Gowda was backed by the Yeddyurappa faction while Shettar had the support of the faction led

by Bangalore South Lok Sabha member Ananth Kumar and party's state president K.S. Eshwarappa.

Yeddyurappa is facing five cases

of corruption and illegal land deals filed by two Bangalore advocates.

On July 28, the BJP parliamentary board decided that Yeddyurappa should go. Party leaders said he was damaging the BJP's image. On Yeddyurappa's prosecution, a communique from Raj Bhavan said: "The governor recommended the Karnataka Lokayukta to initiate criminal proceedings against Yeddyurappa ... on the basis of the ombudsman's investigation report on illegal mining. "The governor also directed the ombudsman to take action against Yeddyurappa through the Lokayukta police and conveyed his decision to the registrar of the Lokayukta."

In his final report on the mining scam, Hegde recommending the prosecution of Yeddyurappa, four cabinet ministers and scores of officers found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Raja, PM exchanged 19 letters on 2G New Delhii: The prime minister and former telecom minister A Raja exchanged 19 letters on the issue of 2G spectrum and licences in about four years between 2006 and 2010.

It included a four-page detailed explanation of Raja on allegations against him on the controversial January 2008 allocation of 2G spectrum and licences, which is now under multiple investigations and for which Raja and several others are in jail.

The explanation was sent

by Raja on April 21, 2010, almost six months after CBI filed its FIR against unnamed persons in the 2G scam. Raja rubbished the allegations as "motivated and malafide, exhibiting a deliberate attempt to malign me".

The minister told the PM that the allegations of Subramanian Swamy, in his write petition before the Delhi High Court, were all taken from a newspaper, "which is the party magazine of BJP". The minister called the allegations "malicious", and told the PM about the defamation case he had filed against a Tamil bi-weekly, Junior Vikatan, for carrying similar articles.

Raja also told the PM that Green House Promoters and Equaas Estates, both companies accused of being

The prime minister Manmohan Singh with former telecom minister A Raja. his fronts, had filed criminal complaints against the allegations in the media. "It is clear that there are some 'vested interests' including the above named petitioner in filing the case against me before the Delhi HC and they are bent upon bringing down my image as well as the image of the government of India on such false news and premises," Raja told the PM. The PM replied on April 26 to Raja's explanation with a terse reply, "I have received your letter of 21 April, 2010 regarding" the case filed by Swamy. He signed off with "warm regards" to Raja. In fact, most of the PM's letters to Raja were such terse confirmations of Raja's missives.

The 19 letters were provided by the PMO in response to an RTI plea filed by New

Delhi-based advocate and RTI activist Vivek Garg.

While 11 of the letters were from Raja to the PM, eight were from the PM to Raja.

However, it was not the last communication between the two before Raja resigned in November 2010 from the Cabinet. The last letter between them was from the PM on July 7, 2010, "I have received your letter of 2 July, 2010 regarding the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on spectrum management and licensing framework." Raja's last letter to the PM on July 2, 2010 said the new recommendations on spectrum management and licensing framework from TRAI should be decided by a new empowered group of ministers or the Cabinet itself.

12

India Newswire

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Team Anna burns copies of Lokpal Bill New Delhi: Team Anna began burning copies of the government's version of the Lokpal Bill that was tabled in Parliament on August 4.

Team Anna said the symbolic protest would continue till August 16 when Gandhian Anna Hazare will go on fast to protest the exclusion of several recommendations made by civil society members on the bill.

The proposed legislation introduced in the Lok Sabha doesn't cover the Prime Minister within the purview of the ombudsman during his or her term in office. But once the Prime Minister demits the office, he or she may be investigated for any wrongdoing during the term.

It also excludes the judiciary and any action of an MP in Parliament or committee.

"To protest the unilateral, high-handed decision of the government, the copies of the bill will be burnt from today," said civil society member Arvind Kejriwal.

Having both investigation and prosecution powers, the ombudsman once created will

Supporters of Anna Hazare burn copies of Lokpal Bill in New Delhi on August 4.

have a chairperson and 10 members, half of them judicial.

The institution will be appointed by the president on the recommendation of the selection committee consisting of the Prime Minister, Speaker, leader of the House of which Prime Minister is not member, minister of home affairs, leader of opposition in both Houses, judge of Supreme Court, chief justice of a high court, President of National Academy of Science, and cabinet secretary (secretary of committee).

According to the draft bill, the ombudsman will have powers to investigate all corruption cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

It covers MPs, ministers, 'Group A' officers, any 'Group A' officer in a company or body owned by the government, any officer of a society or trust that is financed by the government or gets funds under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 or gets funds from the public.

Growth with moderate inflation needed: Pranab New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has assured parliament all possible steps to tame inflation and said there was no need to temper growth even as an amendment motion to condemn the government over price rise was defeated 320:51.

The Lok Sabha first passed a motion moved by the opposition with government consent that expressed concern over price rise.

But an amendment moved by the Left parties seeking to censure the government over high inflation was defeated in a division.

"That despite repeated discussions on price rise in the house, the burden of price rise on the common man is continuing," Meira Kumar said, reading the motion which was moved by Bharatiya Janata Party's Yashwant Sinha and Janata DalUnited's Sharad Yadav.

"Expressing deep concern over price rise, this house calls upon the government to take immediate effective steps to check inflation that will give relief to the common man," the speaker added.

She later put to division an amendment to the motion, moved

by Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta, seeking to incorporate into it "failure" of the government to control inflation. This amendment was defeated 320 votes to 51. Earlier, replying to the debate Thursday, Mukherjee sought to assure parliament that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government was taking all possible steps to tackle price rise, but said there was no need to moderate growth in a bid to tame inflation.

"There is no inherent contradiction between inflation and growth," Mukherjee said in reply to a debate in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, on the opposition motion that expresed deep concern

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrives for the Monsoon Parliamentary Session in New Delhi. over price rise. The finance minister said in the 1980s, India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth had averaged slightly above 5 percent and around 6 percent in the 1990s which were low when compared with the growth of around 8-8.5 percent now.

"Was inflation low at that time?

No!" Mukherjee said, adding several steps were needed to tame inflation and that the house -- both the members of the treasury and opposition -- must collectively ensure these measures are allowed to be taken. "India was never known to have a high growth rate. We have brought inflation down from 22 percent to around 8 percent," he said, noting the previous Lok Sabha had debated the price rise issue eight times and the present Lok Sabha had discussed it four times.

His comments came against the backdrop of India's annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices inching up to 9.44 percent for June from 9.06 percent for the week before and the opposition's demand that the government either tames price rise or quits.

India Newswire TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

Govt to pump Rs 1,732 crore into Air India New Delhi: In a bid to pump cash into the financially-troubled Air India, the government Thursday cleared a Rs 1,732 crore package for the flag carrier, that was struggling even to pay salaries to its staff. The decision was taken at a meeting of the federal cabinet here, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had assured parliament a day ago that swift steps will be taken to help the carrier clear the backlog in the

wage bill.

The package calls for Rs 1,200 crore as equity and Rs 532 crore as the fare for VVIP travel and evacuation services rendered by the airline, so that the carrier can meet both its immediate needs and also raise funds on its own for its other operational and fleet expansion program, official sources said.

The airline is laden with a cumulative debt of Rs.40,000 crore it incurred over aircraft acquisition

and as short-term loans to maintain its operations.

The cash-strapped carrier is also seeking a total infusion of Rs.17,000 crore, which includes Rs.5,000 crore for this fiscal year alone.

Earlier, the government had infused Rs.4,000 crore in the previous two fiscals. The airline was also promised another tranche of Rs.2,000 crore this year in the union budget.

Special cell takes up issues of Indian workers abroad New Delhi: A recently set up special cell takes up parliament members' complaints regarding problems faced by Indian workers aboard, the government said on Thursday. "A cell has been set up in the recent past.

Any complaints by the MPs are addressed by the secretary," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha regarding 17 Indian laborers stranded in Malaysia.

He was replying to a suggestion for setting up a special cell to address situations where Indian workers face difficulties abroad.

"Usually the workers face difficulties, but they are not able to get in touch with the ambassador there.

They then approach their families, which approach

13

MPs or MLAs (legislators) and then we come to the minister," Congress member P.J. Kurien said.

Some other members also suggested a mechanism to be developed in India, wherein the families of the workers can approach authorities.

The minister first said he will consider the suggestion but later said the overseas Indian affairs ministry was already there to take care of the issue.

Replying to the question on 17 Indian workers from Jharkhand being stranded in Malaysia after being denied the promised wages, the minister said the workers were with the Indian high commission in Kuala Lumpur and the issue was being taken up by the authorities.

Acharya Lokesh gets Communal Harmony Award New Delhi: Vice President Hamid Ansari presented the prestigious National Communal Harmony Award for 2010 to Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni, founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, in a function held at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi recently. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni being presented the Singh, Home Minister National Communal Harmony Award by Vice P. Chidambaram and President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi.

Home Minister (State) Jitender Singh were views and Acharya Lokesh is a peralso present at the event. Acharya fect principle of this. This award to Lokesh has been selected for his him is just an expression of gratiremarkable contribution in the field tude towards his great contribution of peace, communal harmony and for the country, he added. non-violence.

Acharya Lokesh Muni, 50, is a On the occasion, the prime min- writer, orator and social worker. He ister said secularism does not mean is the chief functionary of Ahimsa being irreligious but on the con- Vishwa Bharti, a Delhi-based voltrary, it is an index of religiousness untary organization that aims at and spirituality. The more a person promoting non-violence, peace, is religious, the more he is secular. communal harmony, working The vice president said that prin- against female foeticide and drug ciple of “Anekanta� is the strongest addiction, providing help during medium of mutual exchange of natural calamities, etc.

14

Diaspora

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Australian radio host calls India 'shit hole', Ganga a 'junkyard'

India urged to issue global white paper on mining Toronto: With the Karnataka mining scam making news in Canada, Indo-Canadian honchos have urged New Delhi to address concerns of foreign investors eyeing the Indian mining sector.

Lack of information about policy goals and current negative news about this sector are not 'the way to position India's mining sector' in the global market, Hari Panday, who started the ICICI Bank in Canada, said.

Canada is the 'mining guru of the world' and India should lose no time in explaining its mining policies to this country as well as Australia and South Africa, he said. 'Last year, 70 percent of the world's mining funds were raised here at the Toronto Stock Exchange. India should issue a white paper at this mining centre of the world to tell global players about their mining policies. Carry out road shows across Canada to woo investors, professionals, regulators and stock exchanges which are clueless about Indian policies,' said Panday who is currently president & CEO of Toronto-based PanVest Capital Corporation which promotes two-way investments between India and Canada.

He said Indian mining delegations come here regularly each year, but 'these visits are meaningless unless you tell global

investors that India means business.'

The Kanpur-born honcho was also critical of Indian policies which create stumbling blocks for its companies trying to raise money abroad.

'Currently, any Indian company wishing to list on the Toronto stock exchange should be first listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Worse still, the BSE is not even an accredited exchange at the Toronto stock exchange. It means if Canadian investors buy and sell Indian equities, their capital gain is hundred percent taxable.

This is not the way do business,' Panday said.

He said India should allow foreign investors to take their money back and forth.

Hemant Shah, sales director at the Canadian mining equipment leader Cubex Ltd., said, 'Canada can be India's one-stop mining shop as it has the all global mining companies listed here. In Toronto, you can raise money not only from Canada, but also from all over the world.'

Shah, who has been selling mining equipment to India for three decades, said, 'Indian bureaucrats come here but they have failed to sell India. Instead, ministers should visit here to assure companies which are jittery about investing in India.'

Sydney based Indians seek apology from radio station Melbourne: An Australian radio show host is facing criticism from the Indian community over his reportedly derogatory comments on India and Hinduism, in which he called river Ganga a 'junkyard'.

A Sydney-based Indian group is seeking an apology from the radio station following a report that host Kyle Sandilands made antiIndia comments on his "Kyle and Jacky O" show.

According to a report by a local ethnic TV program 'Desi Kangaroos', Sandilands said "India is a shit hole" and went further to describe river Ganga as a 'junkyard'.

The Council of Indian Australians (CIA) lashed out on Sandilands for the "insulting" remarks, and has said it would take up the issue with Australia's media regulatory body if it was not amicably resolved.

"Sandilands made insulting comments against India and ridiculed River Ganges which is a sacred river in Hinduism. His ridicule involved some of the practices of the followers of Hinduism," CIA president Yadu Singh said in an official statement.

Singh said he found Kyle's comments "insensitive, insulting, hurtful and unwarranted" and that he was upset and angered by them.

"Indian Australian community is a peaceful and tolerant community... It does not attack any

Indian leads spiritual healing project in Britain healers, who are recruiting 200 London: Hospitals in Britain patients suffering from bowel condiunder the National Health Service are offering patients tions. The patients are divided into two groups - one which receives five 'spiritual healing' under a projsessions straight away and the other ect led by an Indian-origin after a three-month delay. man. The 205,000-pound The group that has had the treatresearch project features 'healers' who pass their hands over ment will then be compared to the one that has not. A patient, however, the patient's body to channel said she refused to join the trial. 'healing energy' to affected 'How a person running their hands areas in a 20-minute session.

'The healing is based on over you can make a difference, I Sukhdev Singh, a consultant the Buddhist spiritual really don't know. I think there is a in gastroenterology is coordipractice of Reiki certain amount of pandering to peonating the research. He said he has been encouraged by the results so far. ple's desperation,' she said. 'The healing 'For many of the individuals we see, conven- appeared to be based on the Buddhist spiritual tional treatments do not provide the complete practice of Reiki, which is ironic when Christian answer. By being able to offer healing therapy, doctors and nurses are warned about praying for we are able to offer complementary methods of their patients,' she said. treatments which have been showing good The Healing Trust, Britain's largest healing results,' Singh was quoted as saying by the Daily organization, healing works by correcting 'enerMail. Though supporters of spiritual healing gy flow imbalances'. It said the therapy is usualclaim the energy can lessen pain, critics have ly 'non touching', and patients remain clothed.

Alternative medicine such as healing or branded the theory as 'voodoo'. homoeopathy have been gaining acceptance in They say the healing has 'no scientific basis'.

For the two-year study, the NHS Good Hope Britain. Several NHS units allow volunteer healHospital in Sutton Coldfield has employed three ers to operate in hospitals.

Kyle Sandilands nation, national group or religious practices of any group. It is obviously not happy when others attack them or their belief system," he said.

The body has written to his radio station, demanding an apology from it and from Sandilands.

It said it will pursue the matter and will seek a satisfactory resolution, failing which the matter will be pursued with Australian Communication & Media Authority (ACMA).

Amul to Manipal, expat Goan documents Indian success Panaji: India's growing potential is the subject of admiration for Eugenio Monteiro, a Goan-based in Portugal, who has just authored a book focusing on India's rise as an economic power.

The book, being released Friday, is called 'The Rise of India'. It was earlier published in Spanish as 'El despertar de la India'.

Monteiro sees India as 'a country vast and diverse like its challenges', and goes about seeking to explain its many facets in the book. He sees a 'miracle' in the recent economic changes in India, and the entrepreneurial energies unleashed owing to them.

His overview is meant to introduce an understanding of India, from the

Cover page of the book "The Rise of India" (inset) Expat Goan author Eugenio Monteiro 1600s to the East India Company's stay, right down to the economic changes India has seen in recent times.

With the skill of an engineer, Monteiro describes

how, despite lack of resources and a large population, initiatives are being offered in fields like healthcare and education in India.

Besides pointing to some prominent industrial groups, the book looks at successful initiatives like India's first private university, the Manipal University.

Monteiro also dwells on the milk cooperative Amul, telephony solutions, philanthropy-based private hospitals, Bangalore-based Devi Shetty's revolution in healthcare, the 'Jaipur Foot', an artificial limb, the Madurai-based Aravind Eye Care System, which has made eye care affordable to poor and the like.

Fashion TheSouthAsianTimes.info

15

August 6-12, 2011

India Jewelry Week fuses traditional with modern he second edition of India International Jewellery Show (IIJW) was a dazzling affair, held from 31st July to 4th August, 2011 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Conceptualized by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council in 2010, IIJW met with a mega success in year one itself. The second edition had a score and more leading jewelry designers/design houses displaying their collections and masterpieces to a niche audience.

India’s topmost models and Bollywood stars, past and present, sashayed down the ramp wearing the premium designer jewelry.

From Day One at the IIJW, it became clear that jewelry designers were fusing the traditional with the contemporary. There was a heady dose of bling, expensive gems, sparkling rocks and spectacular gold jewelry along with a generous splash of divas at the IIJW. While actor and brand ambassador Sonam Kapoor sported resplendent pearl ornaments as she inaugurated the event, minister for tourism, Subodh Kant Sahay, was also present with his

T

Actress Zarine Khan sported designs by Johra Jewels.

Kangana Ranaut sported tribal jewelry in heavy gold for Amrapali at IIJW. daughter.

At the Gitanjali show, precious jewels shared the limelight with Bollywood divas such as Bipasha Basu, Soha Ali Khan and Riya Sen. The emphasis was on traditional designs set in a contemporary pattern. Actor Kangana Ranaut was seen sporting tribal jewelry in heavy gold at the Amrapali show — a trend that

C. Krishniah Chetty & Son showed ornaments for men too. won praise from the audience.

Gehna jewelers showed some brilliant cuffs in their collection and Sangam chains had gold chains and bubble bangles on display. The Tanishq show also saw beautiful, wearable and functional jewelry.

IIJW is an initiative to showcase India's finest in jewelry, be it design, innovation, craftsman-

A model walking the ramp with Gehna jewlery ship, technology or quality to the customers around the globe.

India, the world diamond leader, is today burgeoning with energy and passion when it comes to jewelry.

Tanishq show saw elegant yet wearable jewelry.

Buyers' resolute thumbs up to Delhi Couture Week

Bollystar Sonam Kapoor walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra couture show as a surprise showstopper

Actor Shradha Kapoor walked for designer Anju Modi

New Bollywood sensation Sonakshi Sinha walked the ramp for Shantanu And Nikhil

A model displaying an eye-catching design

by Rohit Bal

he Synergy1 Delhi Couture Week (DCW) that concluded Aug 1 with an impressive showcase by veteran designer Rohit Bal was a huge hit with buyers and has opened up new business opportunities, the man behind the show says.

"Manish Malhotra's entire collection was bought by designer boutique Karma. The new store 'Evoluzione' purchased the outfits of almost all the designers. Varun Bahl's line was taken by Ensemble, Aza and Ogaan.

These are just some examples of an event

that was a successful venture," said Sunil Sethi, president of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).

The second edition of the couture week, held at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi was all about extravagant fashion, glamour, luxury and of course Bollywood with stars like Aishwarya Rai, Sharmila Tagore, Madhuri Dixit, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Shradha Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Zayed Khan, Soha Ali Khan,Jacqueline Fernandez, Arjun Rampal and Urmila Matondkar graced

the event with their presence.

Leading designers like Varun Bahl, JJ Valaya, Meera & Muzaffar Ali, Manav Gangwani, Suneet Varma, Adarsh Gill, Anju Modi, Ashima-Leena, Shantanu & Nikhil, Manish Malhotra, Gaurav Gupta and of course Rohit Bal, showcased their haute couture line. With new title sponsor, the organizers made sure that the fashion extravaganza proved to be an ideal business platform for all the participants to widen their customerbase. Sethi also believes that it is necessary

for the designer brand to be the part of the couture week, especially those who are known to be the best couturiers.

Designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil, who showcased a collection titled "Perfume", were amazed at the response they received after the show.

"It was a consumer event which went amazingly well. The timing of couture week was apt because the bridal season will now kick off. At out show, we had at least 70 percent of our clients," Shantanu said.

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Ultimate Bollywood

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

'Aarakshan is not anti- or pro-reservation' An interview with director Prakash Jha by Parveen Chopra rakash Jha isn’t displeased with the controversies over his new sociopolitical flick ‘Aarakshan’ that dared to tackle the combustible topic of reservations in educational institutions in India.

The acclaimed director, having tasted box office success with his last film ‘Rajneeti’ (Politics) may not admit it but controversies usually help sell cinema tickets.

When asked whether opposition by some vociferous and influential pro-reservation critics of the film will delay its release (scheduled for August 12), he says, “No delays, as the Censor Board has already passed it. These people have been talking to the press not to me.”

‘Aarakshan’, Jha clarifies, is neither anti- not pro-reservation. “It tries to understand the system, the pain of living with it, and communicating it.”

He even insists that the story goes further to underscore the commercialization of education, where those who can pay the capitation fee get into good schools and colleges. Reservations helps some others get in. The losers are those who are neither moneyed nor belong to reservation system’s beneficiary castes.

Speaking to the SATimes on the phone from Mumbai, Jha agreed that the divide

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Prakash Jha directing Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Aarakshan’, who is said to have copied Jha's look for his role. between haves and have-nots is growing would be in my next movie which is about into a serious problem in India, giving rise the development of the country.” ‘Satsang’ to Maoist violence in Bihar, to which Jha is another project about religion and gurus belongs, and surrounding states. that he would take up later.

Jha denies reports that Ajay Devgan was The bearded director disagrees that to initially essay the role that went to Saif Devgan would have been more suited to Ali Khan. “Ajay was not available, but he play a Dalit man in ‘Aarakshan”, arguing,

“Please don’t underestimate Saif who has given a new dimension to that role.”

The director who has been making films for almost 25 years and has received many awards, does not deny that starting with Rajneeti (2010), the big star cast (Devgan, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor) has helped him hit the bull’s eye, but would like to thank the big stars (in ‘Aakarshan’ they include Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone) for agreeing to work in his projects.

He also points out that Gangajal (2003) and Apaharan (2005) too met with modest commercial success.

When asked about his connection with the pro-Dalit Lok Janshakti Party, founded

by Ram Vilas Paswan in Bihar, on whose ticket he contested the Lok Sabha election in1999, Jha says, “I was never a member of the party. I applied to the public that I want to serve in Lok Sabha, but my application was rejected. Now I am done with politics.”

Now for the last five years he has been involved with development initiatives in Bihar-- spearheading growth in infrastructure, healthcare and vocational training facilities in the state through his NGO Anubhooti.

'I Am Kalam,' a message The stork comes visiting B-town without preaching ome are busy changing

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A scene from the movie 'I Am Kalam.' he boy is a dreamer. One look at the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on television and Chotu decides to call himself Kalam. Kalam believes every child has the right to education.

Without the least display of pity or preachiness, debutant director Nila Madab Panda creates a world of infinite hope and minuscule joys for his precocious unlettered but smart protagonist Chotu.

The wispy but firm-handed narration weaves through Chotu's relationships with various characters in his life… his uncle, the dhaba owner Bhatti, which is played with endearing warmth by Gulshan Grover, the jealous Bachchancrazy recruit at the dhaba Laptan (Pitobash, natural in his unsophisticated meanness), the free-spirited

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French tourist Lucy (Betarice ordeix), and above all, Chotu's rapport with the Rajasthani royalty Ranvijay Singh (Husaan Saad), a kind lonely aristocrat boy who eagerly befriends Chotu to share his luxurious but solitary life with.

The shared moments between Chotu and his motley crew of compelling characters are tender and genuine. The characters are never slotted or allowed to become stereotypical. They convey a kind of free-flowing casualness that makes them real and yet dramatic in a subtle way.

The film's social message of education-for-all is underlined but never italicized. It's left to the boy protagonist Harsh Mayar to bring out the theme's inherent message without making the plot heavy or didactic.

nappies, others are preparing to welcome their first child: motherhood is the buzzword in tinseltown! While Aishwarya Rai and Lara Dutta are in the family way, Konkona Sen Sharma, Mandira Bedi and Preeti Jhangiani are relishing playing hands-on moms to their newborns.

The much-awaited news of Aishwarya's pregnancy was broken to the fans and film fraternity by her father-in-law, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, in June. The Bachchan household was overjoyed with the news - with papato-be Abhishek thanking everyone for their "love, support and blessings".

In a recent interview, Abhishek said: "I want a daughter who will look like Aishwarya".

Meanwhile, work has taken a backseat for Aishwarya, who was been replaced by Kareena Kapoor in Madhur Bhandarkar's ambitious project "Heroine".

Lara, who married tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi in February, is the latest to confirm her pregnancy. "We are excited about the baby," tweeted Lara, who had tied the knot in a church wedding in Goa amid close family and friends. In the meantime, it's celebrity mothers like actressturned-TV host Mandira, Preeti and Konkona, who are making the most of the joys of motherhood.

Actor Lara Dutta, who married tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi in February, is the latest to confirm her pregnancy.

Married to filmmaker Raj Kaushal, Mandira had a son on July 17, after 12 years of marriage. They are proud parents of a baby boy, whom they have named Vir. The excited father had taken to Twitter to share his joy. He posted: "Ladies and gentlemen..the czar of our lives Mr Vir Kaushal has arrived," while Mandira wrote: "And here starts an exciting new chapter of my life! " Preeti and her husband, Parveen Dabbas, who are gearing up for the release of their debut production and direction venture "Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande", respectively, also joined the list of new celebrity parents with the birth of their son in April.

Another celebrity couple sharing parental responsibilities these days are Konkona and Ranvir Shorey.

Within six months of their marriage, Konkona gave birth to baby boy Haroon in March. They were in a relationship for over three years, and solemnised their wedding in a low-key, private ceremony.

The stork also visited other Bollywood celebrities in the first half of this year! Actor Manoj Bajpayee's wife, Neha (real name Shabana Raza) had a daughter in February. They named her Ava Nayla. It was the "most memorable day" for Manoj, who will soon be seen in Prakash Jha's "Aarakshan".

Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info

17

August 6-12, 2011

Saif, Deepika to appear on KBC 5 ctors Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone will appear as special guests on the fifth season of the game show "Kaun Banega Crorepati", which starts off August 15 with megastar Amitabh Bachchan as the host.

"One interesting candidate and the entire anxiety of the working of the show just flies past .. we had a few today and tomorrow is another day .. let us hope that all goes well .. the second episode towards the evening

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will have invites to Saif and Deepika .. who come to promote their film and mine as well 'Aarakshan' !!!"Amitabh posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com.

"In many ways, the philosophy of the film and that of KBC is quite similar. Given opportunity, even the lesser privileged shall prosper. Or at least have the capacity to prosper," he wrote.

However, Mumbai rains played spoilsport as the production unit had to stall the shoot-

Bips wraps up first Hollywood film or the past few weeks, Bipasha Basu’s personal life has been grabbing headlines.

Daily stories of her break-up with long-time beau John Abraham flood the news, but the actor insists, “I have nothing to say.

Enough has already been spoken about it. Right now, I am enjoying life.”

Keeping her distracted are multiple movie projects, including her first Hollywood flick, Roland Joffe’s Singularity, which the actor just finished working on.

“Yes, I have wrapped up work on Singularity,” says Bipasha with a smile. “And now, the film is in Roland’s hands. I think he is busy with the post-production. Honestly, I’m proud to have done the movie at a time when global filmmakers are finding India exciting.”

The actor plays Tulaja Naik, a Maratha warrior, in the film that’s set against the backdrop of the first Anglo-Maratha war in 18th century colonial India. The story revolves around the romance between Tulaja and British soldier James

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ing of the show several times due to the noise of the rain.

"The rains have been incessant.. and so harsh that we had to stop shooting KBC at times, because of the noise factor. But all in all a most satisfying day … harsh and hard, but satisfactory," Amitabh said.

Saif had previously appeared with actress Preity Zinta in the second season of the show, while Deepika came as a guest last year although she didn't play.

Actors Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.

I'm nervous about TV debut: Dutt anjay Dutt is excited about his TV debut with reality show "Bigg Boss 5", but admits he is nervous too!

"I'm pretty nervous doing it. I've never done it, I don't know what it will be but I know one thing that it will be very different," Sanjay, who turned 52, said.The actor, who is said to be teaming up with Salman Khan for the controversial show, reveals Salman won't be with him throughout the season.

Nevertheless, he promises to try to make it fun.

"Salman will introduce me in the

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Sanjay Dutt.

show and will do two episodes with me and then I'll be on my own. Salman asked me to do it and I thought I should do it. It's something new for me. It's a good platform. I'm going to have fun. That is the way I am. I will not make it serious," he added.

"Bigg Boss" is a reality show where celebrity contestants stay in a single house for about three months, with no connection to the outside world. They are overseen by a mysterious person known as "Bigg Boss", whose only presence in the house is through his voice.

Now, 'Big Brother' for Pamela Bipasha Basu.

Stewart, played by Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor, 2001, Sin City, 2005).

“As an actor, it was a very challenging film,” she says. “Working with Roland has been a novel experience.” And although Singularity is over, “life continues to be hectic” for Bipasha, who says with a smile, “But I am not complaining. That’s the way I love it.”

fter setting the "Bigg Boss" house in India on fire, "Baywatch" beauty Pamela Anderson has now decided to feature on the British version of the reality show "Big Brother".

The 44-year-old is on the brink of signing up for the show, which will go on air Channel 5 this month, reports dailystar.co.uk.

"I am very excited. I will just be myself and have fun with the contestants in the house," she said.

Anderson has an edge over her rivals as she has already been on the show.

In 2008 she joined the Australian "Big Brother".

Last year she spent three days on India's "Bigg Boss".

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Pamela Anderson.

Kareena says no to 'Mandakini' act! areena Kapoor may have said 'yes' to play Mandakini's character in Milan Luthria's Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Part 2, but little did she know what being Madakini really meant. Apart from playing the don's girlfriend, the role as envisaged by the filmmaker required Kareena to get wet under a waterfall a la Madakini style. This technically means the actress had to wear a white saree and sit under the gushing water as done by Mandakini in her 1985 superhit film Ram Teri Ganga Maili, produced and directed

by Kareena's grandpa, the legendary (late) Raj Kapoor.

This scene, however famous, has

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Kareena Kapoor.

not gone down too well with the modern day Mandakini, Kareena.

A source revealed, "Madakini is remembered for that scene in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Milan didn't ask Kareena to go so bold. However, the scene that he had envisaged was quite titillating and demanded a certain amount of exposure. Kareena was not comfortable with it." The scene in question was meant to be Kareena's introductory scene in OUATIM Part 2. The actress has refused to do the scene point blank.

Kareena told Luthria politely but in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't do such a outrageously wild scene even if it weren't to the effect of what

Mandakini did.

Explaining, Luthria's desire to have the scene in the first place, our source said, "See, there's no denying that OUATIM Part 2 is a story based on the dreaded underworld don Dawood and his friend-turned-foe Chhota Rajan. And Kareena plays the role similar to that of Mandakini, who was allegedly very close to Dawood at a point in time. Luthria, simply wanted to establish the connect."

The film will go on floors in January. "Work is in progress.

Luthria and Bebo are working around it. Whatever is done or changed will have to suit Kareena's sensibilities," added our source.

18

Tourism

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Chandigarh to shine bright at night

The illumination of the Punjab and Haryana Civil secretariat building at the Capitol Complex in Sector 1. aving had the reputation of a The city's 'Capitol Complex' in Sector 1, 'sarkari' city that goes dead at night, which houses the buildings designed by Le Chandigarh is all set to give itself Corbusier and his team in the 1950s and an image makeover after darkness falls. 1960s, will see buildings like the Punjab The city's administration is planning to pro- and Haryana civil secretariat complex, mote night tourism by illuminating the assembly complex and the Punjab and city's buildings and monuments.

Haryana high court complex being illumi"Chandigarh Tourism has planned to pro- nated.

"Visitors and tourists would now be able mote night tourism in the city to add a new dimension to its product. Architectural edi- to get an opportunity to marvel at the archifices and monuments of Le Corbusier tectural edifices of Chandigarh during the (Chandigarh's founder-architect) shall be evening and night time also. The illuminailluminated keeping in view their prime tion of these architectural buildings shall be importance in the city's history," Arvind done in such a manner that there will be a Malhotra, GM-tourism, Chandigarh high visual effect. The illumination of these Industrial & Tourism Development buildings would give a boost to night tourism in Chandigarh," Malhotra said.

Corporation (CITCO), said.

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Chandigarh, a union territory, is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana states. The city, with a population of nearly one million, attracts a lot of tourists since it is the gateway to states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

"Having evolved as a big commercial, educational and healthcare centre in this part of the country, Chandigarh gets a lot of visitors. Many foreigners come here to study the city's architectural concepts and marvel at the city itself," Vikas Handa, who runs a travel agency, said.

To make the night tourism experience better, Chandigarh Tourism even plans to conduct evening sightseeing tours on the city's double-decker 'Hop on Hop off' buses to the city's tourist attractions and monuments.

The administration has already initiated a plan to landscape and light up entry points to Chandigarh on the peripheral routes at Mullanpur, Mohali and Panchkula.

Tourism officials say that they want to change the image of Chandigarh being just a transit getaway for visitors.

"They should come here and enjoy the city during the day and night. Chandigarh offers so much with the Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and Rose Garden, the beautifully landscaped parks and green belts, maintained roads, Panjab University campus and much more," a tourism official said.

The administration has also decided to

The Open Hand monument of Chandigarh illuminated at the Capitol Complex in Sector 1. enhance the ambience of the Rock Garden, a unique place created by Nek Chand from waste materials like broken bangles, ceramic items, broken lights and switches and other discarded material, with a plan for lighting up of the famous attraction.

The illuminated structures at Chandigarh's famous Rock Garden.

Travel TheSouthAsianTimes.info

19

August 6-12, 2011

Mumbai beyond Gateway of India Historical places lie undiscovered in this city, beyond the usual tourist traps.

Learn the stories behind these lesser-known spots. ix decades since India's independence, does the nation know this city beyond Gateway of India and CST Station?

Still present in its many lanes, and lost among the many skyscrapers and bursting population, is a bit of history, hoping to be discovered some day. While others may be demolished or lost forever due to lack of care or general wear and tear, these edifices continue to tell stories of the city's past.

Now, Varsha Shirgaonkar, professor and head, department of history, SNDT Women's University and Rahul Chemburkar, conservation architect, both advisory members to the department of archaeology and museums, Maharashtra, take Mumbaikars back in time to help them find some hidden gems within a busy and teeming metropolis.

1. Kala Ghoda statue is not located at Kala Ghoda * This statue was erected sometime in 1870s in the Fort area. It was moved to its present location inside Jijamata Udyan, Byculla in 1865. * Made of black granite stone, it shows a king mounted on a horse. * The king, who is depicted in the statue, was King Edward VII, also known as Prince of Wales.

Edward VII was King of the UK and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from January 22, 1901 until his death on May 6, 1910.

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Kala Ghoda, at Jijamata Udyan,Byculla in Mumbai. * The popular annual Kala Gho- ed at the corner of the Oval (Veer da festival of Mumbai is held in Nariman Road) before being the art district named after this moved to its present location. statue.

3. This fountain that sits inside 2. Reay Road is named after a a church was imported from man who was the Governor of England Bombay between 1885 and 1890 * Sir Cowasji Jehangir's Foun* This statue of Lord Raey at the tain is located inside St Thomas JJ School of Arts compound is Cathedral's compound at Veer Nadedicated to a man after whom an riman Road and has a Gothic style area in South Mumbai and a rail- two-tier structure in Portland way station are named. stone with a pinnacle. * It shows a man in the attire of * The fountain was constructed a knight, reading a book while in England and sent through shipseated on a chair. ment on board the ship called Ba* The entire structure is made in yard. bronze and was made by Sir Al* It was donated by Parsi phifred Gilbert in 1895. The height of lanthropist Sir Cowasji Jehangir, the statue is 2.4 meters. There is who also gifted 40 fountains to the no plaque but the visible letters city, to be placed inside a church say 'Broad and Son, Founders- premise.

London, England'. * The fountain was placed with* The original statue was erect- in the church at a cost of Rs

13,777 on May 22, 1866. The fountain's upper tier has four decorative bowls supported on circular pillars. The lower tier has a circular pattern, which intersect at intervals 4. A mini Gateway of India that is not at the Gateway * The Gateway of India replica is located at Gamdevi and is a part of a whole stone model of Gateway of India * Yashwantrao Harishchandra Desai, who also worked on the original monument and was a contractor, built it. He was an alumnus of JJ School of Arts and worked on several other projects like The General Post Office and The Prince of Wales Museum. The stone used in both the monuments is the same. * The structure today stands forgotten and defiled near Desai's home in memory of the man who built the iconic gateway on the shores of the port city.

5. These memorial stones tell stories of ancient warriors * These six paliyas or memorial stones seem to have been set in front of a temple, which stood on the top of the pond bank in the Eksar Village of Borivli, a site afterwards taken over by a Portuguese granary. * All, except one, which is broken, have their tops carved into large funereal urns, with long heavy ears and hanging bows of ribbon, and floating figures bring-

Sir Cowasji Jehangir's Fountain is located inside St Thomas Cathedral's compound at Veer Nariman Road. ing chaplets and wreaths. The faces of the slabs are richly cut in from two to eight level belts of carving; the figures in bold relief chiselled with much skill. * Each stone records the prowess of warriors. * In each case the story begins with the lowest belt and works to the top.

So you've got your backpack ready, your visa done, numbers and addresses all in a book and ready to catch that flight for the all Euro trip but do you have a good plan for a small thing known as Forex?

Money Matters while visiting Europe Ready to catch that flight for the all Euro trip? Here are a couple of things you should know and take care of before you depart for your journey. f you are anything like me, clumsy and horribly bad with money... here are a couple of things you should know and take care of before you depart for your journey.

Non-Euro using countries: While most of Europe has switched to single currency 'Euro', there are still some countries like Switzerland, Scandinavia and Eastern European countries, which are still operating with their former currencies.

Traveler checks: Okay, they maybe touted as an easy and safe way to carry money however practically they do not make much sense as finding a bank to exchange checks for money can be quite a harrowing experience. Remember banks have a closing time.

Usage of cards: Debit and credit cards are a better way of spend-

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ing in Europe primarily because of two reasons. One, the rates offered while using a debit card are marginally better, second, you can withdraw money anytime and anywhere from an ATM. Preferred cards: Widely accepted in Europe are Visa cards, followed by MasterCard and Maestro. If you have an American Express card, leave it at home, because majority of places do not accept them.

Cash Transactions work better: Paying by cash will help you avoid charges your bank will slap you with for each transaction you do using their debit or credit card. Expenses from travel, stay, food and leisure activities are all fixed so you can always pay for them by cash.

Where to get the best deal: Avoid buying currency from the airport, train or bus stations. You

will get the worst of exchange rates from here. The sure shot place to get the best of currency deals are the local post offices, especially in the UK. They do not charge any commission. However, if a PO is not available it is best to rely on ATMs over currency kiosks as the banks will give you better rates.

Avoid touts: Do not get tempted by the oh-so-lovely rates they offer, more than not, it is a way to dupe you.

Pick pocketing nightmare: As unfortunate as it is, you do not want to be stranded in a foreign country without your things, one, your verification details and two, money. Pick pocketing is seen in countries like Spain, Italy and Greece so keep your wallet safe.

Do not carry too much cash and if you have to split the money keep it in different places.

20

Subcontinent

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

China to up anti-terrorism cooperation with Pak Beijing: China will step up its anti-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan to ensure regional peace and stability, Xinhua reported. “China and Pakistan have forged excellent cooperation in anti-terrorism," Foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a press release, while vowing that China will continue to strengthen its cooperation with Pakistan and jointly crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Praising the achievements that Pakistan has made in fighting terrorism thus far, the foreign ministry spokesman said the country is an important frontline state in the international fight against terrorism and has made outstanding contributions in the area.

China had blamed terrorists trained in P a k i s t a n f o r a n a t t a c k i n i t s f a r- w e s t e r n Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that left six people dead and 15 injured.

State-run Xinhua news agency stated a group of religious extremists led by "culprits trained in overseas terrorist camps" were behind the weekend attack on civilians in the Xinjiang

China had blamed Pak- trained terrorists for an attack in Xinjiang that left six people dead. region.

The initial probe has shown that the heads of the group had learned skills of making explosives and firearms in overseas camps of the terrorist group "East Turkistan Islamic Movement" (ETIM) in Pakistan before entering Xinjiang to organize terrorist activities, the government of Kashgar city said in an online statement.

Aug 13 to decide Nepal PM's fate

Nepal Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal.

Kathmandu: Though he survived a threat by his largest ally, the Maoists, to withdraw support to his five-month-old government, reprieved Nepal Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal now faces a new acid test 11 days later when he says it will be his "moral duty" to quit.

The communist leader, who pacified the Maoists by inducting nine new ministers named by them despite stiff resistance by his own party and the opposition, now says if his government fails to create an environment of trust by Aug 13, he will step down as prime minister.

"This government will fail to prove its necessity if by Aug 31 it fails to execute the main tasks of the peace process and create national consensus in an environment of trust," Khanal said in a "special appeal" after swearing in new ministers. "If by Aug 13 we fail to execute the main tasks of the peace process and create an environment of trust, then I shall ... take new steps ... and step down as my political and moral duty."

However, with another crisis looming close Aug 31, the declaration is more a ploy to win over the opposition Nepali Congress than expressing real commitment to resign. The Nepali Congress began a blockade of parliament last month, vowing to keep it up till Khanal resigns.

By saying he will resign after Aug 13 and not now, Khanal is taking a calculated risk: that none of the major parties would like to be held responsible for the fall of the government days ahead of a crisis and he will be able to survive once more. The government has to unveil a new constitution Aug 31 or lose legitimacy. Nepal's parties failed two earlier deadlines to get the statute ready and now the Supreme Court has warned the government that it cannot go on extending the constitutional deadline endlessly.

With the parties frittering away more than three years fighting for power, Khanal is now saying that the preliminary draft of the constitution can be ready by Aug 31.

India warns US of funds misuse by Pak New Delhi: India said it has urged the US to devise proper benchmarks to prevent the diversion of funds provided to Pakistan for military build-up targeting its interests.

"The government has consistently drawn the attention of the US and other countries to the need for proper benchmarks and accountability to prevent the diversion of assistance provided to Pakistan for use in its military build-up against India," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told the Lok Sabha.

"Government has also stressed the need for constant vigilance as also close monitoring of such assistance being provided," Kaur added.

The US has conveyed that it will seek to ensure that its security assistance to Pakistan is used to counter terrorism and is not

utilized against India, said Kaur.

Last month, the White House announced that it would withhold some $800 million in assistance to Pakistan's armed forces, indicating a fraying of ties between Washington and Islamabad following the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

However, India thinks the cut will not substantially affect funds at the disposal of the US and will not constrain Pakistan's capacity to indulge in anti-India activities.

The US will provide $1.2 billion to Pakistan under the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund, while the reimbursements under the Coalition Support Fund are likely to continue at the level of approximately $800 million to $1 billion per annum, Kaur informed the Lok Sabha.

India asks Pak to act against Saeed, LeT New Delhi: A week after talks with Pakistan, India said it wanted to have "constructive relations" with its neighbor, but Islamabad must ensure "an environment free from terror" and take "credible" action against 26/11 terrorists and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. In a statement to the Lok Sabha on talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar last week, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna sought to dispel the impression that during the talks India had gone soft on 26/11 terror trial in Pakistan.

Krishna stressed that he had asked Pakistan "to investigate the linkages with some elements in the Pakistani security agencies that had emerged from the evidence presented in the Tahawwur Rana

Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. trial in the United States".

"I called for credible and effective action against jihadi leaders such as Hafiz Saeed and terrorist groups such as Jamaat-ud-Daawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba, who continue to incite violence and hatred

against India," said Krishna.

He told parliament that Pakistan's foreign minister had requested India to "have patience, trust and confidence in the process" of the Mumbai terrorist attacks trial.

Zardari to US: Need clear terms of engagement Islamabad: The terms of engagement between the US and Pakistan in the war against terror should be clearly defined so that conflicting positions and unilateral actions do not adversely impact ties, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

The president made the remark during his meeting with US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Ambassador Marc Grossman.

President's spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said Pakistan-US bilateral relations, the war against militants and the regional situation with special reference to Afghanistan were discussed during the meeting.

Ties between Islamabad and Washington were considerably strained following the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad city. The daring raid

by US commandos had been carried out without informing Pakistan, which left the establishment red-

faced.

Babar quoted Zardari as saying that in the absence of well-defined and documented terms of engagements, wrong plugs may be pulled at the wrong times by any side that could undermine the bilateral relations, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The president said that terms of engagement should be clearly defined and specified so that any dispute could be settled amicably through the available institutions.

Babar said the president also emphasised that a long-term, sustainable and multi-dimensional relationship with the US should be based on mutual interest, trust and mutual respect.

He said Pakistan had rendered unparalleled sacrifices in its struggle against terror and was determined to continue this fight till its logical conclusion.

International TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

Mubarak pleads 'not guilty' Cairo: Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak has denied charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters at the start of his historic trial in Cairo.

"I categorically deny all the charges," Mubarak said at his first court appearance. The ousted president spoke from a hospital stretcher where he lay inside a cage for defendants in the court.

The spectacle, in a temporary court at the police academy in the capital, aired live on state television.

Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat later adjourned the trial, announcing that proceedings would resume on August 15.

It was the biggest humiliation for Egypt's former president since his ouster nearly six months ago after an 18-day uprising. But it went a long way to satisfy one of the key demands that has united protesters since February 11, the day he was toppled. Mubarak faces charges including premeditated murder, the killing of protesters, the failure to use his power to stop abuses against civilians, and his collusion with other individuals in the misuse state funds. Mubarak's

Hosni Mubarak faces charges including premeditated murder, the killing of protesters, the failure to use his power to stop abuses against civilians, and his collusion with other individuals in the misuse state funds. two sons, Gamal and Alaa, who are also on trial for corruption, denied the charges against them as well.

They accompanied their father inside the metal defendants cage, both wearing white prison uniforms.

Ramzan begins amid troubled Middle-East Cairo: More than a billion Muslims across the world begin observing this week the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and prayer which this year coincides with deadly turmoil in the Middle East.

Arab governments are bracing for increased tensions in the region which has been rocked by unprecedented pro-democracy uprisings that have brought down autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

In Syria, where a bloody crackdown on dissent nears its fifth month, authorities fear that protesters will rally against the

21

regime when they emerge from mosques after nightly "taraweeh" prayers.

Facebook group The Syrian Revolution 2011, a driving force of the protest movement wrote: "The regime is afraid of Ramadan and the taraweeh prayers," and has called for "retaliation protests".

In Libya, rebel fighters locked for months in deadly battles with strongman Moamer Kadhafi's regime, told AFP there was no question of stopping what they see as their march on Tripoli.

"If it's war and we're tired, we'll eat. But if we remain in a defen-

sive position, we will fast. God is with us," said Hatem al-Jadi, a 24-year-old fighter in the western desert hamlet of Gualish, south of Tripoli.

But in Cairo, where massive streets protests overthrew the 30year rule of president Hosni Mubarak in February, demonstrators camped out at the emblematic Tahrir Square suspended their sit-in for Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar when Archangel Gabriel revealed the Koran -- Islam's holy book - to the Prophet Mohammed in 610 AD.

US "parasite" on global economy: Putin

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Moscow: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States of living beyond its means "like a parasite" on the global economy and said dollar dominance was a threat to the financial markets.

"They are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy," Putin told the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi while touring its lakeside summer camp some five hours drive north of Moscow.

"They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar," Putin said at the open-air meeting with admiring young Russians in what looked like early campaigning before parliamentary and presidential polls. US President Barack Obama earlier announced a last-

ditch deal to cut about $2.4 trillion from the U.S. deficit over a decade, avoid a crushing debt default and stave off the risk that the nation's AAA credit rating would be downgraded.

The deal initially soothed anxieties and led Russian stocks to jump to three-month highs, but jitters remained over the possibility of a credit downgrade.

"Thank god," Putin said, "that they had enough common sense and responsibility to make a balanced decision."

But Putin, who has often criticized the United States' foreign exchange policy, noted that Russia holds a large amount of U.S. bonds and treasuries.

"If over there (in America) there is a systemic malfunction, this will affect everyone," Putin told the young Russians.

Meet the real Anders Behring Breivik Oslo: Even as he languishes in solitary confinement in a prison that fittingly was once a Nazi concentration camp, Anders Behring Breivik continues to wage his demented war against Islam.

Having murdered 77 innocent victims, he is now entering the propaganda phase of his 21st-century crusade. Confined to his cell, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that he spends his waking hours writing speeches or making bizarre requests to the authorities.

A narcissist and a fantasist, Breivik, 32, refuses to have his prison “mugshot” taken to ensure that the carefully stage-managed photographs he took of himself – in full Masonic regalia or clutching his rifle – are not replaced by more humbling images.

Having been refused permission to wear a combat uniform, he has demanded to wear a red Lacoste sweater for his public outings to court or to the police station. He will not wear anything else.

Eight days after the attacks,

A narcissist and a fantasist, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, refuses to have his prison “mugshot” taken to ensure that the carefully stage-managed photographs he took of himself. clothes and looks remain as for the Eurovision song contest. important as ever to Breivik, prin- “Everything that happened after ciples of dress code laid down in the bomb went off at 3.26 on the 1,516-page manifesto emailed Friday afternoon has followed his to alleged followers in the hours plan. My biggest fear now is that before he struck. “Nothing over he is still playing us – the media, the years I knew him, or what I public opinion – like a piano. have since read in his so-called “He wanted to get caught. He manifesto, suggests that he is has admitted everything. He wrote crazy or disturbed,” says Peter [in the manifesto] that the propaSvaar, a former schoolfriend, jour- ganda phase starts at the arrest.” nalist and one-time press officer Another former schoolfriend

was quoted as saying that Breivik’s attention-seeking was evident a decade ago. “I remember we were at a party,” recalls the former friend, “and he told me he had had his nose and chin operated on by a plastic surgeon in America. It was a bit weird, but he was hanging around at that time with a group of people obsessed by their bodies.”

For Breivik – even at the age of 21 – a nose job was the logical next step in his desire for physical perfection. He had a drastic solution, too, for curing what he saw as the ills of multicultural Norway. He would slaughter government workers and the children of the Norwegian socialist elite as the opening salvo in a new crusade against what he perceived as the creeping Islamification of Western Europe. His plan was laid down in his manifesto, 2083: A European Declaration of Independence. The year 2083 signals when Breivik was convinced the civil war he hoped to start

would be over.

In his manifesto, Breivik says several of his friends were Muslims, including a boy called Faizal Rafique, and that he had spent his time with a gang of Pakistani boys, whom he later accused of robbing and intimidating white children.

Tracked down by The Sunday Telegraph, Mohammad Rafique, Faizal’s father, who still lives on the estate, paints a different picture. His son was younger than Breivik and barely knew him. “He has tried to turn opinion against Muslims by killing his own [Norwegian] kids,” says Mr Rafique, recipient of a medal from the Norwegian royal family for service to the car industry. “Why would he do that to innocent children? There was never any tension here. When he was growing up he had no problems.”

His father, a wealthy doctor, was too upset to talk last week about him. The family is terrified of being dragged into the mire.

22

Business

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

HSBC to cut 25,000 jobs by 2013 London: The HSBC bank will cut about 25,000 jobs globally by 2013 despite its good performance in the first half of this year, reports said.

The bank reported a pre-tax profit of $11.5 billion for the first six months of 2011, up three percent year-on-year, and 45 percent higher than the second half of 2010.

HSBC said earlier this year that it would cut 5,000 jobs in Latin America, the US, Britain, France and the Middle East. "There will be further job cuts," HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver said. He estimated that around 25,000 staff would leave by the end of 2013.

The total cuts took up about 10 percent of HSBC'S overall work

slash costs and focus on Asian operation. The bank said it will sell $195 US branches to First Niagara Financial for about $1 billion in cash, and would shut down 13 more. It also intends to sell its US credit card portfolio, which has

Barclays to cut 3,000 jobs

HSBC said the impact on India will not be of a big scale. force around the world. The cuts

BSE Sensex slips on US debt crisis

The Bombay Stock Exchange.

Mumbai: A benchmark index for Indian equities markets fell to a six-week low, below the 18,000mark, and a bearish trend gripped broader markets as the crisis in the US over its high debt levels spooked global bourses.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,970.19 points, closed at 17,940.55 points, down 169.34 points or 0.94 percent from its previous close at 18,109.89 points.

The 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also ended in the red at 5,404.8 points, down 0.95 percent.

According to data available with

over $30 billion in asset.

HSBC said it will close its retail banking operations in Russia and Poland as well as sell three insurance businesses so as to free up $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion by 2013.

the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), foreign institutional investors sold stocks worth $18.7 million.

After the US Senate approved an increase in the US debt ceiling, which will also require the government to reduce public spending, credit rating agencies downgraded or assumed a negative outlook on the country's sovereign debt.

China, which is the largest holder of US bonds, saw one of its major credit rating agencies Dagong Global Credit Rating Co., Wednesday downgrade US sovereign debt and warn of further such moves. The repercussions were felt in Asia.

London: British bank Barclays warned it could cut a total of 3,000 jobs in 2011 as part of an ongoing drive to reduce costs.

Chief Executive Bob Diamond told reporters on a conference call that there had been a net reduction in headcount of 1,400 during the first

half.

He added that although Barclays did not have a precise overall job cuts figure in mind, the first-half trend was likely to accelerate in the second half.

"You should assume this trend to continue and increase somewhat," said Diamond.

form part of Gulliver's plan to

NRI IT professionals move back to India New Delhi: With declining wages abroad, an increasing number of non-resident Indian IT professionals are moving back to their home country, says a survey.

IT and IT-enabled firms in India hired 28 percent more non-resident Indian (NRI) professionals in the first quarter of 2011-12, according to the survey conduced by recruitment consulting firm MyHiringClub.com.

Among 11 surveyed industries, IT and IT-enabled services registered highest growth, with 28 percent increase year-on-year in the first quarter of the current fiscal. It is followed by pharma and healthcare, up by 20 percent, automobile and manufacturing, up by 18 percent, telecom, up by 14 percent, banking and financial services, up by 10 percent and FMCG, up by six percent.

"The high economic growth in India with many good opportunities has fuelled the NRI thought process to head back. In addition to that, many US companies are opening their offices in India and hiring more to target the growing market in Asia," Rajesh Kumar, CEO of MyHiringClub.com, said in the survey report.

He said an increasing number of high value NRI pro-

IT and IT-enabled firms in India hired 28 percent more non-resident Indian (NRI) professionals in the first quarter of 2011-12. fessional recruitment is likely to take place in the coming years as wage gaps have declined sharply.

"Increasing number of people are now returning because now the advantages of returning back to India outweigh the disadvantages by far," said Kumar. The highest number of NRIs who returned home found jobs in Bangalore, followed by Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

India to grow at 8.2 percent: PM panel New Delhi: Inflation will ease to around 6.5 percent by the end of this fiscal, the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council said, projecting the country's growth at 8.2 percent for 2011-12.

Headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor C. Rangarajan, the council said while agriculture and industry will grow at a lower rate compared with the previous year, services will expand faster in the current fiscal."The inflationary situation and investment slowdown have necessitated a downward revision. The projected growth rate of 8.2 percent, though lower than

the previous year, must be treated as high and respectable, given the world situation," the council said in its economic outlook for 201112.

India's GDP had expanded by 8.5 percent in 2010-11 and 8 percent the year before. For agriculture, industry and services, the council projected a growth of 3, 7.1 and 10 percent for this fiscal respectively.

The panel said as overall inflation would continue to be high, at 9 percent in the July-October quarter, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would have to continue with monetary tightening measures.

"RBI will have to continue to follow a tight monetary policy till inflation shows definite signs of decline," it said, adding that inflation would start to taper only from November.

It also said that achieving the fiscal deficit target of 4.7 percent, as set out in the budget for 2011-12, would be difficult.The government needed to "redouble efforts to collect larger revenue, resolve cases to reduce tax arrears. "The high subsidy outgo, especially on account of petroleum products, is placing a serious stress on the centre's budgeted fiscal position."

Sports TheSouthAsianTimes.info

23

August 6-12, 2011

England Test series: Yuvi, Bhajji out London: Injuries to Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh ruled them out of the remaining two cricket Tests against England and in their place batsman Virat Kohli and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha will be joining the India squad.

Yuvraj fractured his left index finger while Harbhajan, who is struggling with form, sustained an abdominal strain during the second Test match at Nottingham that India lost by 319 runs. India are 0-2 down in the four match series and are struggling with injuries and form. “Harbhajan Singh has a grade-I abdominal muscle strain. Yuvraj will take around four weeks to recover and Harbhajan is likely to recover in three weeks. Both Kohli and Ojha will join the Indian team at the earliest," N. Srinivasan, secretary of the Indian cricket board, said in a statement.

Yuvraj, who made a Test comeback and scored a gritty half-century in the first innings of the Trent Bridge Test, was injured Monday by a short pitched delivery of Tim Bresnan in the second innings.

The southpaw immediately went to a hos-

Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh. pital in the neighboring county of Derby, where doctors referred him to a specialist in London.

Harbhajan bowled just 13.4 overs in the

Akram defends Dhoni London: Bowling legend Wasim Akram feels it is too early to write off the captaincy skills of M.S. Dhoni, who is at the receiving end after India's two consecutive losses in the Test series against England.

Akram said India have done well under Dhoni in most parts of the world and judging him after two losses is like jumping the gun.

Under Dhoni, India have won the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup,

achieved the No.1 Test status and won the World Cup earlier this year after 28 years.

"You cannot write him off on the basis of two losses. He has won the World Cup for India and has also done well in most parts of the world.

"Yes, one thing that Dhoni needs to take care are his keeping skills. We can't say that he has failed, rather we can just say that it is a wake up call for him," Akram was quoted as saying.

second Test and grabbed one wicket for 69 runs. He returned with figures of one for 218 in the first Test at Lord's.

Kohli was dropped from the England

squad following poor performance on his debut Test series in the West Indies.

Kohli scored only 76 runs in the three Tests in the Caribbean.

The Delhi boy, who has carved out a regular place for himself in the One-dayers with consistent performance, will be looking to make the most of the opportunity. Ojha last played in a Test against New Zealand at Nagpur last year. In 11 Tests he has taken 42 wickets.

He was set to join Surrey for the County Championship and the CB40 one-day competition, but will join the Indian side.

The good news for India is that Virender Sehwag arrived here Wednesday morning and went straight to Northampton where the team will play a two-day warm-up game against Northants starting Friday.

Sehwag missed the first two Tests and the West Indies tour since he was recuperating from a shoulder surgery.

Opener Gautam Gambhir and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who missed the second Test, are also expected to be fit for the third Test at Edgbaston starting Aug 10.

Sachin's intervention led to Bell's recall London: Sachin Tendulkar played a significant role in the Indian decision to recall Ian Bell after he got run out in a bizarre fashion in the second cricket Test at Trent Bridge, it is learnt. A report in Daily Mail revealed that it was Tendulkar's intervention that led to the reinstatement of Bell, who was adjudged run out after he started walking towards the dressing room thinking that the umpires had called for the tea break.

That prompted England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower to go to the Indian team's dressing room where they urged the opposition captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to withdraw the appeal.

But the report said that it was Tendulkar who was keen on getting Bell back on the ground. "Dhoni was asked three times on the field whether he was appealing and each time he said yes," the source close to the England team was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"Then when Flower and Strauss went to see Dhoni

Ian Bell. and Fletcher they said their captain insisted the decision would stand. Tendulkar was the voice in the dressing room that got Bell reinstated."

Subsequently, the Indian team received a standing ovation from the Nottingham crowd for upholding the spirit of the game.

FIA to inspect Indian Grand Prix track

An artistic impression of F1 circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

New Delhi: The International Automobile Federation (FIA) will inspect the Formula One Indian Grand Prix race track on Sept 1.

The organizers Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) claimed that work is in full swing and the track will be completed by the second week of September for the inaugural race scheduled for Oct 28-30.

The FIA team led by race director Charlie Whiting will have to clear the 5.14 km Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida near here.

The homologation was earlier expected to take place in the first week of August but the FIA, organisers JPSI and the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) agreed to have it done in September.

FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok said the FIA team will first visit the circuit for Korean Grand Prix and then come to India.

The race in Korea (Oct 14-16) will take place two weeks before the Indian GP. "The FIA have decided to go with the September date. Mr. Whiting and his team will first visit the Korea circuit in Yeongam

and then head to India via Europe," Chandhok, who is here to oversee the race preparations, said.

The work at the circuit is still in progress with a little over two months left for the country's biggest event since the Commonwealth Games last year.

While Chandhok was quick to deny that homologation was moved to September due to the pending work around the circuit, a source in JPSI told IANS the FIA changed the date as they wanted to inspect the track in dry weather.

"There are finishing touches to be given to the track and the FIA people wanted to visit the area in dry weather. So, we jointly went with a later date (Sep 1)," the source said.

The JPSI official claimed that the all the work around the circuit will be completed by the second week of next month.

"The track should be done by the first week (September) and the infrastructural work including the pit building, team building, grandstands and temporary spectator stands will be completed by the second week."

24

Op Ed

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Corruption battle in peoples’ court

By Rajdeep Sardesai n this monsoon of political turbulence, when should a minister resign from public office?

A few years ago, I posed the question to former railway minister Lalu Prasad in a TV debate. There had been a terrible rail accident and it was suggested that Lalu follow the example of a distinguished predecessor Lal Bahadur Shastri and step down as rail minister. Lalu, never at a loss for words, shot back: “People have elected us to take responsibility as ministers, not to run away from it!” Sure enough, Lalu stuck to the chair.

In hindsight, Shastri’s resignation as railway minister in 1956 after an accident was an extreme step, but it was, as Pandit Nehru reminded Parliament, a tribute to a “man of the highest integrity”.

That, of course, was a different age: a period when the notion of ‘integrity’ had genuine meaning, and was not the self-righteous proclamation it’s been reduced to today.

The new political morality suggests that even prima facie evidence is not enough; a minister

I

The ‘guilty till proven innocent’ mantra is a hazard that the power elite will have to live with. Yes, we must guard against becoming a lynch mob that delivers verdicts without offering a fair hearing, like in the case of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa. will only resign when he or she is convicted by a court of law. Since the process of prosecution and conviction is long and cumbersome, most politicians continue in their ministerial office even while the case drags on for years in courts. Which is also why most of them get away by simply saying, ‘the law will take its course’.

The battle is now being fought in the peoples’ court where perception matters more than legal niceties, a perception magnified by the ‘Sab neta chor hai’ slogan.

In normal times, an A Raja would not have had to step down on the basis of a Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report. After all, CAG reports often ‘indict’ ministers and officials. But in the case of Raja, the report only confirmed the widespread suspicion of a deliberate misuse of the telecom ministry for personal benefit.

Similarly, former Commonwealth Games chief Suresh Kalmadi was deemed guilty even before a chargesheet in the case because there was a general ‘per-

ception’ that he had manipulated Games contracts. By contrast, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit stays on in office even after the Shunglu panel probing the Commonwealth Games scam indicted her government because she is ‘perceived’ to be an honest, hard working chief minister.

The ‘perception’ factor in public life is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be a rough check of the system, forcing normally brazen politicians to resign under the sheer weight of public opinion. A Yeddyurappa may seek a Nobel prize for fighting illegal mining, but once a crusading lokayukta has charged him with corruption, he loses credibility. An Ashok Chavan could argue that he was forced to quit as Maharashtra CM over the Adarsh housing scam even before an FIR could be filed in the case, but the emotional quotient attached to Kargil war widows made him a political liability.

On the other hand, an uncontrolled war of words can lead to instant character assassination where lines get blurred between fact and allegation, truth and hype.

Take the case of former Union minister Shashi Tharoor. There

was no legal charge against him, and yet, he was summarily removed on grounds of ‘perceived’ impropriety. That he had no real political base perhaps made him an even softer target. Contrast his situation with that of a Vilasrao Deshmukh who remains a Cabinet minister even after having strictures passed against him in the Supreme Court. A Tharoor was ‘dispensable’, a Deshmukh is a political heavyweight.

Which brings us back to our original question: when should a minister resign? Systemic credibility demands that the bar for someone in public life must be legally and morally much higher than that of a private citizen. An ordinary citizen will never be subject to the microscopic examination that those in power will be confronted with.

The ‘guilty till proven innocent’ mantra is a hazard that the power elite will have to live with. Yes, we must guard against becoming a lynch mob that delivers verdicts without offering a fair hearing.

But let’s not allow the lynch mob argument to prevent us from enforcing more rigorous standards of accountability.

India-Pak ties: Good looks insufficient

By Amulya Ganguli very new initiative to improve IndiaPakistan relations generates a faint stirring of hope. If anything, it underlines the deep desire for peace between the people of the two countries. If the expectations are higher this time, the reason cannot but be what has been described as the glam quotient of the photogenic new Pakistani foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar.

That the Indian media had been bowled over by her was evident from headlines like "young Hina bewitches India" or "Pakistan casts Hina spell on India". There was a similar reaction across the border. "HRK conquers India" gushed the newspaper The Nation. Khar's appointment itself was intended to present a "soft image" of the country, as stated by President Asif Ali Zardari.

The compulsion to change the image from that of a country in the grip of bearded, Kalashnikov-wielding, brainwashed killers to an alumnus of Massachusetts University as its for-

E

improvement in mutual ties, there will be no end to the depredations of the jehadis.

Aware of the favorable impression she has created in India, Khar said, "I think I drew attention not because of my personal profile but because of the country I came from, Pakistan."

In all probability a diplomatic first, the Indian external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna, paid a compliment to her "personal profile" by saying that "half of India, which is your age, looks towards you not just for your good looks but also dynamism and the fresh approach that you have brought".

Time will show the reality of the new approach, but words are currently the only sign of a changed scenario. Following up on Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao's perception of For any improvement to take place, it is not a changed attitude in Pakistan towards terror, the "soft image" projected by Pakistan's new Khar said in New Delhi that she had brought foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar that the "message of a mindset change in Pakistan". will be of any help, but its determination.

If the belief that her appointment has the blessings of the Pakistan Army is true, the imeign minister is understandable. It is also in the fitness of things that her first major foreign trip portance of her observation is undeniable if should have been to India for, unless there is an only because the last ministerial meeting be-

tween Krishna and the then Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in Islamabad had a disastrous ending apparently because of the army's intervention.

Her observation in Islamabad after a meeting with Yasin Malik that the Kashmir problem had to be solved in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolutions indicated a traditional rather than a changed mindset.

It is evident, therefore, that the road to peace will be bumpy. It is perhaps a realization of this ground reality which made the two sides to focus on relatively non-controversial issues like augmenting trade and facilitating cross-border traffic in Kashmir during the New Delhi talks.

For any improvement to take place, it is not the "soft image" projected by Pakistan's new foreign minister which will be of any help, but its determination, and especially that of its army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to eliminate the terrorist groups which they have been nurturing for years as a second line of offence and defense against India.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

Eye Witness TheSouthAsianTimes.info

25

August 6-12, 2011

Prableen Kaur, 23, is deputy leader of the youth wing of Norway's Labor Party. She was caught in the shooting on Utoya island by the 32-year-old White Supremacist Anders Behring Breivik which claimed over 90 lives.

She escaped by playing dead and eventually swam to safety. This blog entry is dated July 26, 3 days after the terrible tragedy.

First person account of Norway massacre by Sikh girl Norway: I woke up. I cannot sleep any more. I’m sitting in the living room. Feeling grief, anger, happiness, God, I do not know what.

There are too many emotions.

There are too many thoughts. I’m afraid. I react to the slightest sound. I will write about what happened on Utøya.

What my eyes saw, what I felt, and what I did. The words come straight from the gut, but I will anonymize many names out of respect for my friends.

We had a crisis meeting in the main building after the explosions in Oslo. After that there was a meeting for members of Akershus [a county bordering the capital] and Oslo. After the meetings there were many, many people around and inside the main building. We consoled ourselves that we were safe on an island. No one knew that hell would break out with us too.

I was standing in the main street [of the island] when panic broke out. I heard shots. I saw him shoot.

Everyone started to run.

The first thought was: “Why are the police shooting us? What the hell? “I ran into a little room.

Everyone ran. Screamed. I was scared. I managed to get into one of the rooms at the back of the building. There were many of us in there. We all lay on the floor together. We heard several shots.

We became more afraid. I cried. I knew nothing.

I saw my best friend through the window and wondered if I should go outside and bring him to me. I did not. I saw fear in his eyes. We were lying on the floor inside the room for a few minutes. We agreed not to move out in case the killer came.

We heard several shots and decided to jump out the window.

Panic broke out among us.

Everyone in the room rushed to the window and tried to jump out. I was the last and thought: “I am the last to jump out the window. Now I’m going to die. I’m sure, but it might be okay and then I will know that the others are safe.”

I tried to climb down, but lost my grip. I landed hard on the left side of my body. A boy helped me up. We ran into the woods. I looked around. “Is he here? Is he

shooting me? Can he see me?”

I went down to the water. I sought cover behind a sort of brick wall. There were many of us. I prayed, prayed, prayed. I hope that God saw me. I called Mum and said that it was not certain we would meet again, but that I would do anything to stay safe. I said several times that I loved her. I heard fear in her voice. She cried. It hurt.

I sent a text message to my dad telling him I loved him. I sent a text message to my best friend. He did not answer. We heard several shots.

We were snuggled together. We did everything we could to keep warm. There were so many thoughts. I was so scared. My dad called and said he and my brother would welcome me when I reached the mainland, or they would come to the island. We switched to texting for fear that the killer would hear us.

I updated Twitter and Facebook to say I was still alive and that I was “safe”. I wrote that I was waiting for the police. People jumped into the water and started swimming. I was lying down. I decided that if he came, I would play dead.

I would not run or swim. I cannot describe the fear that took over my mind, what I felt.

A man came. “I’m from the police.” I was lying there. Some shouted back that he had to prove it. I do not remember exactly what he said, but the killer started shooting. He charged. He shot those around me. I was still lying there. I thought: “Now it’s over. He’s here.

He’s going to shoot me. I’m going to die.”

People screamed. I heard that others were shot. Others jumped into the water. I was there. Holding the mobile phone in my hand, I lay on top of a girl’s legs. Two others lay on my feet. I was still lying there. The mobile phone rang several times. I was still lying. I played dead. I lay there for at least an hour. It was completely quiet. I gently turned my head to see if I could see someone alive. I looked around. I saw blood. Fear. I decided to get up. I had been lying on top of a dead body. Two dead bodies lay on me. I had a guardian angel.

I did not know if he would come back again. I hurried down to the water. I took off my large sweater.

I thought it would be difficult to swim with it. I considered whether I should bring my mobile phone or leave it again. I put it in my back pocket and jumped into the water. I saw several others in the water.

They had swum far. I saw that someone had gathered around a floating lifeboat or something like that.

There were many who followed those who swam out. I swam, swam, and swam towards the inflatable boat. I screamed. I thought of when I would drown. It became harder and harder but I kept swimming.

My arms were tired. I decided just to use my legs to swim. I sank.

I started to swim normally again.

After a while I thought the group who were clinging on to the

“I have seen the corpses of my friends. Several of my friends are missing. I am glad that I can swim. I am glad that I am alive. God watched over me. There are so many emotions, so many thoughts. I think of all my family. Of all I lost. Of the hell that is – and was – on the island.”

dinghy were moving away from me. I screamed. Begged them to wait for me. I must have seen visions. I swam at least a few hundred meters before I reached them.

We talked a little together. Who we were, where we came from.

When the boats passed us we started shouting for help, but they picked up the others who were still swimming.

A man in a boat came to us. He threw out several life jackets. I got hold of one. Got it on me. I held on to the dinghy for a long time, until the same man came back to pick us up. We all got into it. He began to head towards the shore. After a little while his boat started to take in water. I did everything I could to get as much water out as possible.

I used a bucket. I was exhausted.

Another girl in the boat took over.

We reached the shore.

We were given blankets. The tears would not stop. I cried more.

A woman hugged me. It was so good. I sobbed. A man lent me his phone. I called my dad, “I’m alive.

I made it. Now I am safe.”

We had to walk a bit.

Completely unknown people took us into their cars and drove us to the Sundvollen hotel. I ran in to see if I could see my best friend. I could not find him anywhere.

I walked around, looking for friends. My heart pounded. I cried more. I gave my details to the police, then looked through all the lists. I did not know if my best friend was alive. I looked through all the lists. I could not find his name anywhere. I was scared.

I got a duvet. I took off my wet socks. I was half naked. Got a jacket. Contacted my parents again. My dad and brother were on their way to fetch me. I drank some cocoa. Thought. Wept. So many friends.

I borrowed a computer. Updated Facebook and Twitter again to say that I was safe. I was at the hotel for several hours before my family came.

I looked for familiar sights. I talked to a priest. I told them everything I had seen. It was a good conversation. A man from the Red Cross saw all my wounds.

Cleaned them.

Time passed. I was with some of my friends. We all talked about the

Prableen Kaur same things: how we survived and what had happened. I asked several if they had seen my best friend.

No one had seen him. I was scared.

I thought that it was my fault because we had not managed to stay together. A friend got the key to a hotel room. We sat there, looked at the news. There was anger, sorrow, so many emotions.

My dad called, they had come. I took the elevator down. Ran out to them. Hugged my brother and my dad a long time. I wept aloud. My brother was crying too.

I saw a boy who looked like my best friend. I shouted his name. He turned around. It was him. We hugged each other for a long time .

Both crying, we asked each other how we had managed.

After a while, I spoke again to the police and we drove home.

Several people had gathered at my home. They would not leave until they had seen that I was fine.

We talked a little bit. I drank juice.

Ate a yogurt. Talked some more with my mum and my family. She said: “I was not sure if I would ever get this phone call.” Tears started again. It was 3am. Mum refused to let me sleep alone, so we slept together.

It has now been several hours since all this happened. I’m still in shock. Everything has not fallen into place.

I have seen the corpses of my friends. Several of my friends are missing. I am glad that I can swim.

I am glad that I am alive. God watched over me. There are so many emotions, so many thoughts.

I think of all my family. Of all I lost. Of the hell that is – and was – on the island.

This summer’s most beautiful fairy tale is transformed into Norway’s worst nightmare.

Source: Sikhnet & Prableen Kaur

26

Lifestyle

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Lady Gaga’s dad helped her overcome hard drugs ady Gaga served as co-host and performer on The View on Monday morning, and sat comfortably, in a houndstooth patterned dress, next to Joy Behar and Elizabeth Hasselbeck.

The day’s hot topics included Amy Winehouse’s death, which prompted Barbara Walters to ask the 25-year-old about her own past addictions.

“I’m just so devastated and so sad,” she said of Winehouse’s death.

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“I really couldn’t speak for…48 hours straight. I was in such shock.”

“The most unfortunate thing about it all is the way that the media spins things, like we can learn things from Amy’s death,” she continued. “I don’t feel that Amy needed to learn any lessons. I felt that the lesson was for the world to be kinder to the superstar.”

“Everyone was so hard on her, and everything I knew about her is that she was the most lovely, and nice,

and kind woman," she added.

Winehouse, who struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol, had two things in common with Gaga: huge success and addiction. Lady Gaga, however, is handling her fame with composure, and she credits her father for helping her beat her addictions to hard drugs.

“I did hard drugs,” she said. “I was so embarrassed. My dad sort of called me out about it one day. I don’t do any hard drugs anymore,

Lady Gaga (left) discussed Amy Winehouse’s death on ‘The View’ [but] I am a little part of the green club,” she quipped.

“My dad was like, ‘I know what you’re doing. Just so you know, I did it, and I lost every friend, and everything I ever had while I did it,’” she said. “He shared with me his life story and his struggle, so that was what ultimately changed my life.”

“Honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me [because] I never went back.”

Home: it's the better office

new survey reveals that the fringe benefits of working from home may override the desire for more money, with workers saying they’d opt for a pay cut to stay at home. In addition, telecommuters reported feeling happier, healthier, and “more balanced” with their lives.

According to a new small-scale survey by Staples Advantage, the business-to-business division of the international office supply company, of some 140 telecommuters from different industries, 40 percent of employees said they would take a pay cut to work from home, with 20 percent offering up 10 percent of their salary.

Reported in BusinessNewsDaily, at-home workers say they also feel more productive and better about their jobs. Telecommuters reported that the ultimate benefit of working from home was freedom, with survey respondents saying they’d swear off their favorite food (40 percent) and forgo an extra hour of sleep (54 percent) rather than go back to an office.

A US study published last year also suggests that telecommuting can not only increase efficiency of workers but boost their job satisfaction. While personal interaction with co-workers is a social benefit, the researchers noted that office politics can stress workers and reduce their performance.

A

28

Humor

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Dogs are enjoying the good life y wife, Malathi, loves dogs. She calls them "Sweetie." She also calls me "Sweetie." I don't know whether to smile or wag my tail.

It's really confusing. The other day, Malathi said, "Dinner is ready, Sweetie." I rushed to the kitchen, along with the dogs. "Silly dogs," I thought. "You're not getting any of my dinner."

The meal looked delicious, and I would have complimented my wife, had she not placed it on the floor.

The two dogs got to the food before I could.

Their heads, unfortunately, are closer to the floor. That allows them to quickly slurp food and anything else that looks remotely like food, such as dirty socks or tofu. If you own a dog, you may not need a vacuum cleaner.

Within a minute, the dogs -- a Labrador and Golden Retriever -had licked their bowls clean and were looking up at us with expressions that said, "Come on, folks.

When are you going to feed us?"

Even if they've just eaten a big meal, they want to keep eating.

They're a lot like me. Except that

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I'm too proud to beg. When the dogs are wolfing their food, I try not to sit in front of them and drool.

Unfortunately, they never extend the same courtesy to me. I can't eat anything without enduring their sad-eyed expressions that say, "Oh please, we haven't eaten any food since last summer, when we ate all your tennis balls. If you don't feed us, we'll fill your entire home with drool."

The dogs aren't ours. We're just dog-sitting, until their owners return from vacation.

Dog-sitting is a lot like baby-sitting, except for three major differences: (1) babies have trouble catching food with their mouths; (2) babies are usually uglier; and (3) babies are nicer to trees.

Most dogs in America are so

lucky. They're fed and treated better than many children around the world. And they never have to do the dishes. You can't even get them to take the trash out. They must have a powerful union.

My wife knows a lot about dogs.

She's a veterinarian specializing in epidemiology. It took me three weeks to learn how to spell "epidemiology" and another three weeks to learn how to pronounce it.

I still don't know what it means. All I know is that Malathi loves animals, especially dogs. She kisses them and pets them and talks to them, making me wish I had four legs.

I think she likes dogs partly because they're better listeners than men. When she's telling one of her long stories -- usually about something amazing she heard on NPR (National Public Radio) -- the dogs will just sit there and listen attentively. I know what they're thinking: "If we sit still and act interested, maybe she'll feed us." Dogs are smarter than they look.

I don't mind Malathi babying the dogs, but I wish it weren't so confusing. The other night, she said,

"Are you coming to bed, Sweetie?"

I rushed to the bedroom, along with the dogs.

"Silly dogs," I thought. "You're not snuggling in bed with us. Not until you learn to use mouthwash."

The Labrador jumped on the bed before I could. I looked at my wife.

She looked at me with a puzzled

expression that said, "Did someone call YOU to bed?" Then she petted the dog.

"He's going to be with us for only a short time," she said.

"OK, Sweetie," I said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said.

"I was talking to the dog," I said.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah

Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.

Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tech Life This robot can walk on water WASHINGTON: An aquatic micro robot can walk or run on water, mimicking the amazing abilities of the 'water strider' -- a long legged insect that effortlessly skims across pond and lakes surfaces. The bionic bot is a vast improvement over previous devices of this kind that position it as a prime candidate for military spy missions, water pollution monitoring and other applications, the scientists say.

Even though the micro robot weighs as much as 390 water striders, it does not sink when placed on water but stands, walks and runs effortlessly on its surface, the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces reports.

"Walking on the water surface is a dream of humans but it is exactly the way of life for some aquatic insects," says Zhejiang University associate professor of chemical engineering Qinmin Pan, who has achieved this rare feat.

Other scientists have made tiny aquatic devices based on the water strider. But until now, no one has found a way to make water-walking robots that are practical, agile and inexpensive, according to a Zhejiang statement.

The new robot has a body about the size of a quarter; 10 water-repellent, wire legs; and two movable, oar-like legs - propelled by two miniature motors.

Your mobile can help you manage diabetes WASHINGTON: A new study by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers has indicated that an interactive computer software program appears to be effective in helping patients manage their Type 2 diabetes using their mobile phones.

The study, one of the first to scientifically examine mobile health technology, found that a key measure of blood sugar control - the amount of hemoglobin A1c in a person's blood - was lowered by an average of 1.9 per cent over a period of one year in patients using the mobile health software. The findings support the further exploration of mobile health approaches to manage many chronic conditions, including diabetes.

"These results are very encouraging," said Charlene C. Quinn, Ph.D., R.N., an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of

Maryland School of Medicine and the principal investigator.

"The 1.9 per cent decrease in A1c that we saw in this research is significant.

Previous randomized clinical trials have suggested that just a 1 per cent decrease in A1c will prevent complications of diabetes, including heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure," added C.

Quinn.

The study indicates that using mobile phones, the Internet and other mobile communications technology to keep patients healthy may have broad applications to help patients and their physicians manage many health conditions.

"Mobile health has the potential to help patients better self-manage any chronic disease, not just diabetes," explained Quinn.

People with Type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin to convert sugar into energy or their cells ignore the insulin. A key measure of blood sugar control is the amount of hemoglobin A1c in a person's blood. A1c is a molecule in red blood cells that binds itself to blood sugar. The higher the level of sugar in the blood, the higher the level of A1c. The study is detailed in the journal Diabetes Care.

Astrology TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 6-12, 2011

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

Stars Foretell: August 6-12, 2011 Aries: This week do not spend on others just to impress them. Your expenses would rise and it would be difficult for you to save. Avoid spending on things that are not necessary. You would have plenty of social gatherings to attend to, and you would make new and important contacts. You would easily impress members of the opposite sex and win approval and confidence of your clients. Do not let others make investment decisions for you or losses are almost certain.

Taurus: Maintain a positive outlook to grab the best of this week. Travelling would help establish important and long lasting relationships. Financial gains would pick up later in the week, which would take care of pending bills, jobs and proposals. This period also seems good for taking a break from your recent hectic schedule and relax and spend loving moments with family members. Don’t be harsh in your speech if minor differences may arise.

Gemini: This week if you mix business with pleasure, and socialize with colleagues and important clients, then you would certainly stand to gain. Your expenses are likely to rise and you would find that money slips through your fingers rather easily, but rapport and trust that you would build now would go a long way in improvement of your career. Transfers and promotions for some. Residential moves and renovation during this period will prove auspicious. Keep an eye on your weight, avoid overeating and be regular towards your exercise.

Cancer:Domestically this period would be sensitive therefore be careful how you handle your family members. Difference of opinion would create an uneasy atmosphere at home making you tensed most of the time. Avoid confrontations and arguments, as it would lead to nowhere. Contacts that you make during this week would teach you new things, some of which you can put to use to your benefit. Property or vehicle transactions seem quite likely for some. Keep away expensive and injurious tools and equipment from the reach of children.

Leo: Insincere gestures of friendliness are likely to occur. Try to stay away from individuals whom you find difficult to get along with.

Obstacles that have been pulling your morale down recently seem to get over. Try not to overspend on visitors and guests, although gifts and presents during this period would be plenty.

Family members will be supportive and caring. Do not sign any legal documents or papers without consulting a lawyer.

Virgo: This week travel would entice you, however your tendency to overspend would create problems at home. Fresh business opportunities would come through most unexpected sources. Making decisions after discussing matters would help you build a better rapport with colleagues, co-workers and partners. Opportunities to go out with friends will be informative and pleasurable. Its time to look after the needs of your children as they will look forward to you for knowledge and assistance.

Libra:This week your professional approach to your work is going to enhance your position and bring you immediate gains. Past efforts will result in unexpected gains, add to your new income, and keep you financially comfort-

29

able. Your ability to come up with quick solutions will keep you in the forefront. A relatively good period to enter into new business alliance or to finalize a real estate deal. New relations and attachments will develop as a result of vacation and other recreational activities.

Scorpio: This week don’t expect people to perform miracle for you rather make you own plans and decisions and you shall never regret. Empty promises are certain from people whom you trust the most, but don’t let this effect your moral and lower your work performance. Set yourself new goals, and rewards will come with time. Overseas news and business offers for some.

You will find travelling benefiting and highly motivating.

Sagittarius: This week take care of any medical problems that you or one of your family members may have been ignoring for some time. You would have sufficient time for yourself therefore you should not ignore your health and looks at any costs. You can always fall back on your family members for some advice. Do not take any hasty decision and stay away from any form of gambling and speculation. Yoga and meditation will improve physical as well as mental health.

Foreign related matters would take shape.

Capricorn: This week concentrate on your work as someone at a higher position is keeping an eye on you. Your morale and spirits seem to be high and if you show results as expected monetary gains and other, benefits cannot be ruled out. Expand your circle of friends by joining new clubs and participating in social activities. A visit to a religious place or a religious person is high on the cards for some of you. Take extra care while driving.

Aquarius: This week meeting people in your trade would be beneficial. Children and spouse would provide care and love.

Guests and visitors will bring you gifts in cash and kind. Going out with friends will be exciting and you will learn new and different skills. Your enthusiasm and energy will make you a star at social gatherings. Avoid committing yourself into any new joint ventures Pisces: This week expenses rise but help from others will take care of your needs.

Romance clouds your mind and you will find it extremely difficult to concentrate on important work. Pleasure trips for some will be educating.

Little time for meditation and yoga will be important for mental as well as physical gains. Investment needs to be handled with care. Someone close to you will get easily upset if behave insensitive to their needs. Do not overspend just to impress others.

Before you consult... i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date, Time and Place of birth is accurate. ii) Careful: Did you check background of the astrologer before disclosing your secrets. iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, don’t feel shy. It’s his business. iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week Aug 06: Influenced by number 6 and the planet Venus. You are independent, ambitious, charming and love peace and harmony. You possess a remarkable personality and you can easily make friends with your helpful nature, but you need to check your tendency to behave moody, spendthrift and careless at times. The year ahead promises to be a blend of both the good and the bad. Some exciting changes would take place in the organization that you work for. Your colleagues would be a support and a source of enjoyment, but seniors would be demanding and their erratic behaviour would add pressure to your mind. Financial gains are likely from more than one source. You would also gain if you invest in property and bonds. New friendships might seem promising but would ultimately live short of expectations. You are likely to be more inclined towards religious as well as spiritual activities. The months of October, January, February and April will be highly eventful.

Aug 07: Governed by number 7 and the planet Neptune. You are brilliant, quick, confident, vigilant and shrewd. You are blessed with remarkable imagination and can easily win over your rivals, but you need to check your tendency to behave stubborn, jealous and unreliable at times. An excellent period which would improve your name and bring you enormous fame. Investments will reach new heights and improved finances would make you spend more on luxuries and other comforts. Romantic entanglement would be pleasant and chances to enter into a matrimonial alliance would be strong. Religious feeling would arise making you seek blessing of a spiritual person or embark on a pilgrimage later in the year. Expect gifts and goodies both in cash and kind. The months of August, November, February and May will especially improve prosperity.

Aug 08: Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn, you are practical, disciplined, systematic, original, and authoritative person. You are of very charitable nature and you like to spend your money and time for noble cause, but you need to control your tendency to behave pessimist, adamant and nervous at times. This year new sources of income would generate for you. You are likely to be unsatisfied with your present employer and would prefer to go for a change of job. Chances for a new job would brighten around the month of May. Your new job, although very different from your present one, would give you job satisfaction and a better growth prospective. Family members would be supportive but at the same time your opinions and actions might be faced with strong resistance and criticism, leading to arguments and confrontations. Your spouse would be your major support and the two of you would enjoy many exciting social events together. Fresh investment needs to be made with extreme care. The months of August, September, March and May would be result oriented.

Aug 09: Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars, you are active, aggressive, dashing and enthusiastic and trustworthy person. You are fond of reading and acquiring new skills and techniques, which you ultimately use to your benefit. You possess a charming and charismatic personality, but you loose many great opportunities due to your erratic and impatient behaviour. You could be very dissatisfied with your employer, but do not leave your present job till you have another one in hand. You need to remain very conservative, especially this year and try to save as much as possible. This year your romantic relationship would suffer because of your preoccupation with other important work. Although you

would spend little time with each other, but your understanding would strengthen and you would appreciate each other’s concerns. Frequent travel would be undertaken by most of you, which would bring desired results. Good period for investment in real estate and selected stocks. The months of Aug, October and February would be highly eventful.

Aug 10: Ruled by number 1 and the Sun. You are independent, confident, intelligent and highly enthusiastic person.

You have a knack for negotiating things to your advantage. People in your group consider you an asset, but you need to check your tendencies to behave, moody, extravagant and reckless at times. This year you would be opposing many of your employer’s policies and methods. It would be extremely difficult for you to keep your thoughts to yourself, which would create problems for you at times. You need to behave in a very tactful manner to avoid arguments and confrontations. Your earnings would increase but you need to control your spending. You and your beloved would reach a new level of understanding. You would also accomplish a lot together which would bring happiness and peaceful atmosphere at home. Health of someone close in the family would be a matter of serious concern. The months of September, December, March and May would be productive.

Aug 11: Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are imaginative, warm-hearted, friendly and hard working person. You are of very fond of arts and artistic things and your talents usually bring you lot of appreciation and rewards, but you lose out the good opportunities because of your introvert and arrogant behavior at times. Businessmen would get new opportunities but they need to be extremely judicious while lending credit. New job opportunities for professionals would bring higher earnings and better working environment. Religious ceremonies and functions would be performed quite frequently. A sudden influence of a person from the opposite sex will give a new and interesting twist to your life. Do not share your business secrets with your colleagues or casual friends. Avoid lending and borrowing money. The months of August, September, January and April will prove to be highly significant.

Aug 12: Ruled by number 3, and the planet Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified, philosophical, methodical and systematic person. You are very devoted to the one you love and you go out of your way to please and keep the person happy. You are smart and talented, but you need to check your tendency to behave jealous, extravagant and moody at times. Bad phase of your career seems to be getting over, but you are advised to take every step with extreme precaution. Some of you could also consider a change in job, later in the year. Financially this seems to be a very rewarding period and most of your investments would multiply and yield good profits. Romantic relationship would strengthen and matrimonial alliances for some lovebirds seem certain towards the yearend. Businessmen would benefit from new contacts. Garment, hardware, provisions traders and suppliers would prosper. The months of October, November March and June will prove highly significant.

Free Consultation Learn about the fair value of diamonds & precious stones.

To the readers of The South Asian Times by an expert gems dealer.

For appointment, please call 516 390 7847 or email consult.gems@gmail.com

30

Spiritual Awareness

August 6-12, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

EE ION R F ISS M AD

Experience the Experience of the Experienced, whose one message can change the destiny and direction of your life.

Shree Vishva Sant Brahmrishi Guruvanand Swamyji "Gurudev" has invoked his Kundalini and acquired all Siddhis, a spiritual practice mastered by just a few.

Here’s why it matters to you.

As revered Saint Shree Yogiraj Devraha Baba predicted, "Gurudev" is a born Satguru who is using his divine energy to serve humanity and to show the path of true religion that is making a positive difference in the lives of millions of people. This is your opportunity to experience his divine presence to uplift your intellect and soul.

Gurudev is a renowned spiritual leader, a philosopher, and humanitarian. People all over the world revere him for his humility and divine aura. He has traveled to over 160 countries to spread his message of spirituality and service to humanity.

Gurudev spent over 40 years of his life in rigorous sadhana & deep meditation and attained the highest degree of divine power. He is using this spiritual power to heal hundreds of thousands of people who are in physical, mental and spiritual distress.

Gurudev has participated in several international religious conferences including the "All Religion World Conference" where he has been honored with "The Best Personality" gold medal numerous times.

Take a few hours from your busy schedule and attend Gurudev’s discourses in your area and experience the experience of the experienced. Don’t miss this lifetime opportunity.

NEW JERSEY

Saturday, August 20, 2011, 4:00 pm

Followed by Aarti and Prasad

SHREE DWARKADHISH TEMPLE

717 Washington Road, Parlin, NJ 08859 Tel: (732) 254-0061 www.dwarkadhishtemple.org Mr. Jas Patel (551) 998-5887 Mr. Bhavesh Dave (848) 565-5282 Mr. Rajendra Kankaria (201) 921-6129

For further information call Prabha Bhandari at (347) 276-2393 brahmguru@gmail.com

Aug 13 - Aug 16 Aug 16 - Aug 18 Aug 23 - Aug 29 Aug 30 - Sep 2

Gurudev Guruvanand Swamy

NEW YORK - LONG ISLAND

Saturday, September 10, 2011, 5:30 pm

ASA MAI HINDU TEMPLE

80 East Barclay St, Hicksville, NY 11801 Tel: (516) 254-0061 www.afghanhindu.com Mr. Rakesh Bhargava (516) 484-0018 Mrs. Ashima Jain (631) 935-4915 Mr. Vijay Gupta (718) 347-5752 Mr. Shudh Parkash Singh (516) 852-2000

Dayton/Cincinnati Memphis Los Angeles / San Jose Miami

Sep 3 - Sep 7 Sep 11 - Sep 13 Sep 16 - Sep 19

Detroit Washington D.C. Chicago

August 13 & 14, 2011 11am – 8pm Naperville IL

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more details & program

www.veggiefestchicago.org