Bollywood 16
Business 23
Lifestyle 26
Spiritual Awareness 30
NEW YORK EDITION Vol.4 No.6
May 28-June 3, 2011 60 Cents
Sarah Palin readies for the race with a film US Affairs, Page 9
Karachi attacks: Chilling echoes from 26/11 Op Ed, Page 13
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Jonai Singh: Helping young and young at heart Profile, Page 18
Indian diplomat’s daughter sues NYC for $1.5 M over unlawful arrest Even as India has taken up the matter with the US, attorney Ravi Batra wants Mayor to give key to the city to plaintiff Krittika Biswas to amend the pain inflicted upon her by the school system and police. By Parveen Chopra New York: Eminent attorney Ravi Batra announced at a press conference Tuesday attended by the mainstream and the Indian ethnic media that his client, Indian diplomat’s teenage daughter Krittika Biswas is suing New York City for a whopping $1.5 M because she was falsely arrested in a cyberbullying case despite her diplomatic immunity, denied access the Indian consulate, and was suspended for a month from her school in Queens despite the district attorney exonerating her and expunging her arrest record. The wide coverage in the US as well as the Indian press to Krittika’s abominable treatment has since been reverberating in New Delhi and Washington. The Indian government has “very seriously” taken up the matter with the US even as the US state department claimed that family members of diplomats do not enjoy immunity. As for Batra’s suggestion to Mayor Bloomberg that Diplomat's daughter story continued on page 15...
Ravi Batra, attorney for Krittika Biswas, a Queens student, addressing a press conference on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan.
IPL struggles to maintain explosive growth Sports, Page 24
Kalyan Banerjee takes over as Rotary International President 2011 New Orleans: Kalyan Banerjee, an eminent Rotarian and businessman from Vapi, Gujarat, is set to take over as President of Rotary International, one of the largest humanitarian service organizations in the world, on July 1. As President, for the Rotary year July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, Banerjee will lead a global network of 1.2 million business and professional leaders from more than 200 countries and geographical regions who, through volunteer service, help meet the needs of communities worldwide. Banerjee, a member of Rotary since 1972, is the organization’s 101st President and its third President from India. He believes that Rotary’s strengths include its Continued on page 11..
Kalyan Banerjee with wife Binota at the just concluded Rotary convention in New Orleans, LA.
Unsealed papers in Rana trial show ISI stamp on 26/11 Chicago: The Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was more in control of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks operation in 2008 than was earlier known, show US prosecution case ordered unsealed on Wednesday by a Chicago court trying Tahawwur Rana. David Coleman Headley, who is deposing in the trial as a government witness was met with by Major Iqbal — an ISI operative — after every visit to India. In fact, the two met before Headley could meet his Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers. The unsealed documents — known as Santiago Proffer — show Pakistan’s role in the attacks more clearly than previously known. ISI
A recent courtroom sketch of David Headley. didn’t simply play host to the Continued on page 3...
Life Time Achievement Award: For Leadership, Dedication, Caring and Creativity was presented to 4 distinguished business owners by Business Resources Group (BRG), a non-profit business networking organization at a lively event in Legislative Chambers of Nassau County on May 26. Seen in the photo: Salil Zaveri - President of BRG, Kamlesh Mehta - Chairman The South Asian Times, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Dr. Leena and Dr. Nitin Doshi of Doshi Foundation and William Sirias of Quesos La Ricura.
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AIF to honor leading Business Resources Group honors 4 philanthropists at NY gala with Lifetime Achievement awards New York: At its Annual Spring Awards Gala, the American India Foundation (AIF) will celebrate its 10th anniversary by honoring world renowned philanthropist Shiv Nadar, Chairman of HCL Technologies, and the Citi Foundation, for their continued philanthropic leadership and their outstanding efforts in creating solutions for persistent social issues the world over. The Gala, to take place on June 8, will highlight AIF’s successful first decade as an organization committed to accelerating social change and economic growth in India, will also award three outstanding members of the Indian-American community with the Leadership in Philanthropy Award: Suri Sehgal, Chairman of the Sehgal Family Foundation and the Institute of Rural Research and Development; Raj B. Vattikuti, Chairman of Vattikuti Ventures; and Romesh Wadhwani, Chairman of Symphony Technology Group. Each of these awardees has demonstrated a lifetime of generosity, and their recognition before an audience laden with dignitaries from the US and India will make for a truly memorial evening. Held at Cipriani’s in downtown New York, the event will exhibit a performance by 2010 Grammy Award nominee Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon. TV host Tinku Jain Rana-Headley court case continued from page 1 conspirators, it might have masterminded it. Santiago Proffer is an outline of the prosecution’s plan — mostly used in the trial of corruption or criminal cases — connecting witnesses, evidence that is given to the court. It’s usually kept confidential. After he was told to travel to Mumbai by his Lashkar handlers in 2006, Headley met Major Iqbal. “Major Iqbal was already aware of Headley’s assignment, despite the fact that Headley had not yet told Major Iqbal about it,” the proffer said. While Headley’s deposition was expected to yield nothing new in terms of information about the planning of the attacks, it has brought out into the open what had only existed in confidential but leaky files. Every word uttered by Headley over the last four days that he has deposed has come as an indictment
By Parveen Chopra
Shiv Nadar will be the evening’s host. AIF will be highlighting the highly successful Digital Equalizer program (DE), which bridges the educational and digital divides in India by preparing children in government schools to compete in the digital economy. Targeting children in grades six and above, DE provides computer and internet education to teachers and students and helps teachers to be more effective by implementing project-based learning methodologies. Currently, DE has trained over 24,000 teachers and 750,000 children in 2,077 schools across India. Since its founding in 2001, AIF has raised and deployed over $70 million to support its programs in the areas of education, livelihoods and public health. As a result of its work, more than 1.5 million of India’s poorest and marginalized people have taken their first step up the ladder of economic opportunity. and reiteration of Pakistan’s role as a global terror hub, which also was home to Osama bin Laden. The discovery and killing of bin Laden in Abbottabad, where he was, as US officials like to put it, “hiding in plain sight”, shocked and horrified many Americans and experts and lawmakers called for drastic action. Rana’s trial is keeping Pakistan firmly in that dock. And the proffer is bringing out more dirt. Major Iqbal took over the planning of Headley’s India cover completely, from financing it to deciding the logistics for it. The cover was to be a branch of the First World Immigration Services, a company owned by Rana. ISI’s role in the attacks was suspected by India from day one. It was confirmed by Headley during seven days of his questioning here by officials of the National Investigation Agency of India in June 2010.
Mineola: The recently constituted Business Resources Group’s well-attended inaugural event may 26 in association with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano at the county’s Legislative Chambers was a lively, engaging and useful affair, true to the non-profit business networking group’s mission to fire up, educate, motivate and help small business owners and professionals. In his address, Mangano highlighted the importance of small businesses to Nassau county and Long Island. He also spoke passionately about the public referendum on his Economic Development and Job Creation Plan slated for August 1, 2011. The plan includes building a world-class sports-entertainment destination center in the heart of Nassau County including a new sports arena and a minor league ballpark. This will also help keep the ice hockey team NY Islanders, the only professional team training in Long Island. Hon. Mangano then gave away Life Time Achievement Awards (For Leadership, Dedication, Caring and Creativity) to Dr. Leena and Dr. Nitin Doshi of Doshi Foundation, Kamlesh Mehta, Chairman of The South Asian Times, and William Sirias of Quesos cheese Hicksville. The most lively part of the evening was QA sessions with the honorees conducted by Donna Drake of LiveItUp TV show. In Q&A session, Dr Leena and Dr. Nitin Doshi, a recent recipient of Ellis Island Medal of Honor, shared their journey to become one of the largest Radiology Services provider in the nation. Kamlesh Mehta spoke on his ethics and value based vision behind the publication and success of The South Asian Times which was publicly endorsed and appreciated by many community leaders in attendance. William Sirias spoke about his mother's sucThe US’s case unsealed Wednesday comes as a reaffirmation of Pakistan’s role through the ISI, with more details — the US has had Headley in its custody for far longer than the limited access granted to India. “Major Iqbal instructed Headley to travel to India, but not to go through Pakistan,” said the prosecution’s case document. Later, the ISI operative would instruct Headley on the targets to be surveyed on his subsequent visits. “Like Sajid, Major Iqbal instructed Headley to take detailed footage of the Taj hotel,” the document said. “Major Iqbal told Headley that he had discussed Headley’s assignment in Mumbai with Sajid.” Major Iqbal was as deeply into the operation as any of the Lashkar operatives, from start to the finish. And even after, asking Headley to return to survey more targets, elsewhere in India.
Honorees Dr Leena and Dr Nitin Doshi during the QA session with TV host Donna Drake.
Honoree Kamlesh Mehta during the QA session with Donna. (Photos: Parveen Chopra) cess of kitchen to 25 state wide cheese business in less then 20 years. Presentations followed, the most useful being the one by Walter Reid, business adviser at Small Business Development Center in Farmingdale, NY. Salil Zaveri, President of Business Resources Group, introduced his core group of 13 businessmen and professionals.
Supreme Court upholds law penalizing businesses for hiring illegal immigrants Washington: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Arizona law that penalizes businesses for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. The decision applies only to the Arizona statute licensing businesses, and does not directly impact the challenge to the more high-profile Arizona immigration law requiring police to check the immigration status of individuals in certain circumstances. Nevertheless, the 5-3 decision rejects arguments that states have no role to play in immigration matters, offering a possible preview of how the court may come down if and when it rules on that second, more controversial law, which is already working its way through the federal courts. Under the less controversial Arizona law upheld Thursday, employers could
lose their business licenses if they are found to have hired illegal immigrants. The law, McClatchy notes, also requires Arizona employers to use a federal program called E-Verify to check the immigration status of would-be workers. Those voting to uphold the law: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas. Those voting against: Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayro. Justice Elana Kagan did not participate because of her prior role as President Obama’s solicitor general. The decision is seen as a blow to both the Obama administration and the politically powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce, both of which had opposed the law.
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New airports to come up in Rajasthan By Prakash Bhandari/SATimes Jaipur: Jodhpur and Ajmer would have new airports soon. While Jodhpur’s existing airport belongs to the defence services, there was no airport at Ajmer to cater to the needs of the large pilgrims visiting the holy city. The proposed airport at Jodhpur would come up on JodhpurNagaur Road on a large area with state-of-the art facilities, while the Ajmer airport would come up near Kishangarh. The Rajasthan government has identified the land, which after acquiring would be given to the Airport Authority of India to build
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an airport there. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, whose hometown is Jodhpur, is keen that a separate airport should be built as currently the airport is located on an Indian Air Force base and has a lot of operational hazards as the airport is primarily for defence purpose and commercial operations have to be limited on this airport. The Rajasthan government would leverage the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), which is within 150-200 km of the National Capital as a part of the key initiatives to achieve sustainable growth of economy and to overcome the bottlenecks for freight movement between the industrial regions and major ports of the country. Rajasthan is strategically located with regards to DMIC - nearly 39 percent of the total length of this corridor passes through Rajasthan and 46 percent of the total DMIC Project Influence Area (PIA) falls in Rajasthan. “The DMIC presents a major development opportunity for the state. Development of appropriate infrastructure along the DMIC would be the key to driving industrial development and growth in the region. We have decided on a Greenfield airport to be set up in the region. This would be an entirely private sector initiative and it would be developed on Delhi-Jaipur national highway. This Greenfield airport would include an airport, business park, logistic park, cargo warehousing park, distribution centres, information technology complexes, wholesale merchandising marts, tourism and educational parks, residential and other infra-
Jaipur airport is hobbled by limitations structure located in and around air- meeting any emergency requireport,” said chief minister Ashok ments. No cargo processing facility, Gehlot. warehousing, cold storage chains, Rajasthan government is the first etc, are possible in the existing scestate in the country that has includ- nario.Large settlement of population ed the development of the along the boundaries and the surGreenfield airport as part of its new rounding infrastructures of road and industrial and investment promo- railway network make any kind of tion policy. Greenfield Airport expansion impossible.But the decimeans a new airport which is built sion of the Rajasthan government from scratch in a new location. for inviting investment proposals The proposed airport will use its for the Greenfield airport has given location to position itself as a multi- a rude jolt to the Rajasthan modal logistics hub with a key focus Aviation Infrastructure (India), a on cargo. The airport will be flanked Delhi based company which by the dedicated freight corridor claimed that the Union government (DFC) the one side and the National has accorded ‘in-principle’ approval Highway 8 on the other. DFC will to it for setting up a greenfield airprovide the port connectivity. port at Viratnagar, 67 km from At the Jaipur international airport Jaipur. The in-principle approval also a new terminal has been added was granted by the Union ministry recently. This Airport faces a critical of civil aviation in February this challenge of being severely limited year after a steering committee, in the physical infrastructure cap- comprising representatives from the ping the possibility of any kind of ministries of civil aviation, defense, future expansion. Moreover there is home affairs, economic affairs and just a single runway without even a revenue, as well as those from the parallel taxiway that limits the max- meteorological department, Airports imum number of aircrafts which can Authority of India, directorate genbe handled.The parking space eral of civil aviation, and the state makes this an important alternate governments, had approved the airairport to Delhi. But ill-suited for port .
“No, Rajasthan Aviation Infrastructure do not have land for the project. So, we have started afresh and made the whole process more transparent where large players could participate as an investment opportunity. The airports are not built in air, but on land,” explained Gehlot. Rajasthan Aviation wanted to make it the first no-frills airport that could offer faster landing, lower parking charges, and lower refueling charges. Since it will largely cater to cargo, the airport does not plan to add any frills like air-conditioning, LCD panels, expensive lounges. Typically, cargo airports can be 4060 per cent cheaper to build than those meant for passengers. The airport was yeing low-cost carriers like Air Asia, which is looking for a hub in India, or SpiceJet, which plans to soon launch its international operations. However Nikhil Gupta, the MD of Rajasthan Aviation, said the proposed project would be implemented as on schedule. “We have got approvals from the Union government for the airport project and the Rajasthan government will help us in project implementation. I do not know what green field project Rajasthan government was talking of. We are going full stream on our project. In the first phase, the airport entails an investment of Rs 500 crore. It will be funded by a debt-equity mix of 70:30. The promoters were investing around Rs 50 crore and hope to raise the rest by diluting equity to strategic investors and banks,” Said Gupta.
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Asia Society appoints first ever co-chairs, in US and Asia New York: The Asia Society, headed by one of the most influential Indian Americans Vishakha N Desai, has for the first time named two leaders of the board, one based in the United States and one in Asia. Henrietta Holsman Fore, a former chief of the United States Agency for International Development, and Ronnie C. Chan, a real estate developer in Hong Kong and China, will assume joint leadership of the board on June 10, taking over from Charles R. Kaye. Ms. Fore is the first woman and Mr. Chan the first Asian, to lead the board. Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai said the institution would pursue new directions and set new priorities in the context of key global trends. "With their extensive experience and broad knowledge, our Co-
Chairs in Asia and the United States will guide our work to create truly global partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding across cultures, disciplines, borders, and continents," Dr. Desai said. The creation of a joint chairmanship is the latest in a series of milestone changes for Asia Society as it implements its ambitious expansion plan. The organization is also building new multimillion dollar centers with museum and public programming facilities in Hong Kong and Houston, complementing the renowned cultural and thought leadership role of its New York headquarters. Next year the Asia Society will open a new $52 million center in Hong Kong, which will include a museum, theater, cafe, event spaces and offices.
SACSS honors Sarina Jain, Angelo Dias, Arthur Gianelli Flushing, NY: South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) hosted its Annual Gala at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Manhattan on May 21. SACSS was created to empower underserved South Asians to actively engage in the civic and economic life of New York. NYC Comptroller John Liu presented the three honorees of the evening with SACSS awards. Agnelo Diaz, Director, Mental Health Clinic, Communilife, was honored for his vision and inspired leadership in creating a lifeline for South Asians with mental health needs, Arthur Gianelli, President and Chief Executive Officer
(L to R) Sudha Acharya, John Liu, Agnelo Dias, Sarina Jain, ArthurGianelli, Runi Mukherji Ratnam of the Nassau Health Care Corporation, for his outstanding leadership and dedication to providing quality healthcare to the underserved, and Sarina Jain, creator of the Masala Bhangra Workout for her tremendous creativity and making health and fitness accessible and fun for all.
SACSS also paid tribute to the South Asian direct victims of 911 and their families on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy. Honoree Sarina Jain gave a spirited 15 minute demonstration of her Masala Bhangra workout and had the entire audience participate in the exercise.
Prominent Indian American community members met up with Consul General Prabhu Dayal in New York to discuss various issues regarding surrender of Indian passport.
Swami Narendracharyaji on North America tour New Jersey: Jagatguru Ramanandacharya Shri Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj from Nanijdham, India will visit various cities in the US and Canada from May 27 to June 5. At each location his 2-3 hour long program will mainly consist of an hour long Pravachan followed by personal problems / Samasya Nivaran session.
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In the past couple occasions that he was in the US many people availed such opportunities of his blessings and personal problem advocation. In New Jersey area these programs will be one at Durga Mandir, Princeton and another in Edison. There are couple more programs in Queens, and Long Island, NY.
Kerala Center celebrates 21st anniversary
Hempstead Town Councilmen Anthony J. Santino and James Darcy with the Kerala Center Board and the newly established Youth Group. New York: The Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center was launched in April 1990 and bought its current premises in Elmont in November 1993. The center held its 21st anniversary celebrations on Saturday, May 14. The evening program was compered by the Kerala Center Youth Group which was officially established at the anniversary celebrations. In his address, Center’s Chairman of Board of Directors Gopalan Nair paid rich tributes to several individuals who have contributed
their time, energy, talents and resources to the growth of the Center. The keynote speaker for the evening Captain Stanley George of New York City Police was introduced by Sergeant Thomas Antony of New York City Police Department. Captain George provided an account of the Indian American contribution to the American society, at the same time called upon the community to participate in the civic and political affairs of the society. Captain George is the highest ranking Indian American in the New York City Police Department.
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Two Indian American students Multi-million dollar pay day for Pandit in win top State Dept award New Jersey: A website “Cultural Diplomacy with the Muslim World” has been chosen a winner by the Department of State for its 2011 Doors to Diplomacy Award, which is cosponsored by Global SchoolNet. The awards recognize the web projects that best teach young people about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Participants, ranging in age from 11 to 18, included 341 student teams from 30 countries. This site is built by 12th graders Aparaajit Sriram and Avanti Dabholkar, both from West WindsorPlainsboro High School North in Plainsboro, New Jersey. It explores the role that culture plays in international diplomacy. Each student member of the two winning Doors to Diplomacy Award teams will receive a $2,000 scholarship. In addition, the winning coaches will each receive a $500 cash award. Judging was performed by student peers and educational professionals, with the final selections made by a team of Department of State judges from the Bureaus of Public Affairs and Educational and
A facebook pic of Aparaajit Sriram and Avanti Dabholkar whose website won “Doors to Diplomacy” award Cultural Affairs. The winning sites will be linked from the Department of State's youth site. Aparaajit was born in Bahrain, lived parts of his childhood in Singapore and Mumbai, India, and then settled in the U.S. Through his experiences abroad, he witnessed the diversity of the world's cultures and societies, each with its own political and artistic qualities; while Singapore showed him order and system-
atization, Mumbai showed him urban clutter, chaos, and charisma. Through his time in the U.S., he came to appreciate the power of a nation of immigrants, and expanded his horizons by learning more about the numerous cultures that make up that one distinct, uniquely American culture. In charge of much of the content on the site, Aparaajit led the research effort. A lover of all things urban, he is an aspiring urban planner, and wants to return to India someday to develop organized cities. This summer, Aparaajit will be traveling to Turkey to learn Turkish as part of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' NSLI-Y language exchange program. Avanti, an aspiring architect will join a university architecture program in the coming fall. The design half of this Doors to Diplomacy team, Avanti applied her skills in design and organization to pull together this educational website. Involvement in this project has helped Avanti diversify her interests to include cultural diplomacy and the study of the Muslim world.
Citi turnaround
New York: Vikram Pandit, who in 2010 voluntarily chose a $1 pay packet, could receive over $16 million over the coming years if Citigroup meets certain long-term performance targets.In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, Citigroup chief Vikram Pandit Citigroup revealed that Pandit had received de- come for a specified period being ferred stock valued at $10m, which at least $12bn.Richard Parsons, will vest over three years starting chairman of Citigroup, said in a in December 2013 providing he statement: “Vikram has done an meets goals related to regulatory outstanding job since coming on considerations, organizational cul- board as the financial crisis began. ture and talent development.Pandit Under his leadership, the manageis also eligible to receive $6.6m ment team has navigated Citi under the key employee profit through the crisis, returned Citi to sharing plan. This is contingent on profitability and is executing a Citigroup's cumulative pre-tax in- strategy for sustainable growth.”
At 21 Samip Joshi runs for Democratic primary
Dr. Ajay Lodha and group of doctors are seen with Council Member Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) during a press conferene at Town Hall, New York.
New Jersey: Samip Joshi, 21 may be one of the youngest candidates to run in the Democratic primaries for Edison Town Council but that hasn’t stopped this desi lad from aiming high. The primaries are on June 7. Joshi graduates from Rutgers University this year and he launched his campaign in March. Another Indian American, Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad, an internist, is an incumbent. He is among the three candidates on the ballot who are incumbents, the other two being Robert Kara-
Samip Joshi has worked full time as Edison township employee since 2005
binchak and Wayne Mascola. Joshi and Michael Lombardi are the two new candidates. The four top vote-getters will be declared the winners of the primary. Joshi has worked full time as a township employee since 2005, in different departments including in the Communications Bureau of the Edison Police Department. Most recently, he was unanimously appointed as the alternate for the Fair Rental Housing Board by the mayor and council, according to his Facebook profile.
Dharun Ravi pleads not guilty Six to be honored at to hate crime IALI Annual New York: A former Rutgers, New Jersey State University freshman, Dharun Ravi, 19, accused of driving his roommate to suicide by secretly streaming his dorm-room tryst with another man pleaded not guilty to a hate crime and other charges, according to media reports. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge - bias intimidation, which says that Ravi committed the callous crime
because his roommate Tyler Clementi was gay. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge Sep 22, 2010 after his secret was revealed. Ravi has also been indicted on numerous other charges, including invasion of privacy. Clementi's death after the webcam incident sparked a national conversation about the brutal bullying many young gays and lesbians endure. "Our family is grateful for
the active work of the prosecutor's office in this case," the New York Post cited Clementi's parents as stating. "We are eager to see the criminal justice process move forward." Earlier, Ravi's alleged accomplice, Molly Wei, 19, worked out a deal with prosecutors to dodge jail by agreeing to testify against her high school pal and co-defendant. Clementi's parents approved that plea deal. Wei has since dropped out of Rutgers.
Fundraising Dinner New York: The India Association of Long Island at its 32nd Annual Dinner Gala on June 12 will honor six prominent Indian Americans. The event, to be held at the Long Island Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Uniondale will have Consul General of India in New York, Prabhu Dayal as the chief guest. The honorees include Haridas Kotahwala, President, Rajasthan Association of North
America; Kanak Golia, President & CEO, Perfume Center of America; Shudh Prakash Singh, President & CEO, J Group of Companies; Jonai Singh, serving the community; Kishor Kuncham, superintendent of schools, Freeport Public Schools; and Dr Vinni Jayam, St Francis Hospital. Apart from the award function, the highlight of the evening will also be a live concert by ITV fame Gita Setia.
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Secretary Napolitano visits India to further Indo-US strategic ties
Children of recent immigrants dominate ‘Junior Nobel Prize’ Washington, DC: According to a new analysis a majority of America's top high school science competitors are children of new immigrants. The report, released Monday by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy, found that about two-thirds of the finalists at the Intel Science Talent Search -the Nobel Prize of high school science -- were born to parents who hailed from either China or India. Only 12 of 40 finalists at this year's competition -- a national contest based on solutions to scientific problems -- had parents who were born in America. "The benefit America derives from the children of immigrants in science and math is an additional advantage the country reaps from being open to talent from around the
world," said author Stuart Anderson, director of the organization and a former head of policy at the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The largest number of Intel finalists -- 16 -- had parents who hailed from China. Ten were born to Indian parents. Of the finalists' immigrant parents, almost all came to the United States on H-1B visas, which allow highly skilled foreign nationals to work here. Most H-1B visa holders hold at least a bachelor's degree, and many have advanced degrees. Three of Silicon Valley's 2011 finalists were born to parents from India: Amol Aggarwal of Saratoga; Rohan Mahajan of Cupertino; and Nikhil Parthasarathy of Mountain View. One local finalist, Andrew Liu of Palo Alto, has parents from China.
Mumbai: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano visited Mumbai on May 24-25 to meet with her Indian counterparts and law enforcement officials—a critical step forward in the ongoing U.S.-India strategic partnership to coordinate counter-terrorism and law enforcement efforts between the two countries and ensure the safety and security of U.S. and Indian citizens. Secretary Napolitano met with Maharashtra State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Home Minister R.R. Patil, and Commissioner of the Mumbai Police Arup Patnaik to discuss best practices for effective policing in large cities of both nations—including the development of analytic capabilities, training for frontline and investigative personnel, and expan-
Indian American shot dead in Sacramento California: An Indian American and his wife were shot at by an unidentified assailant in Sacramento, California on Thursday. While Balbir Singh Dhami, 50, was killed, his wife Kuldip Kaur Dhami was taken to the area hospital for treatment of "critical injuries", according to the Sacramento Police Sergeant Norm Leong. The couple were shot inside their Marla Way home in North Laguna Creek.
John Singh Gill, a family friend, identified the victims on reaching the scene of crime. Preliminary police investigation said it was neither a random or hate crime. The suspect was described as a dark skinned and short male of a thin build. He had short hair and was wearing a yellow sweatshirt. He fled the scene in a gold-colored vehicle. Dhami was the owner of Sahota truck shop in Sacramento. The shooting happened just after
10 a.m. in the 7900 block of Marla Way, located near Highway 99 and south of Calvine Road. "I heard a shotgun, then pop, pop, pop," neighbor Tyrone Hammonds said. According to Sacramento county court documents, Balbir Singh Dhami was arrested in 2008 for helping his son, Amadeep Dhami flee the country. Court records show Amadeep Dhami is wanted in connection to a Sikh temple shooting that killed one person.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented first Sri Chinmoy Peace Prize Tacoma, WA: Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu was presented the first Sri Chinmoy Peace Prize in Tacoma for his courage and dedication to fostering the ideals of peace in the hearts and lives of millions worldwide. Archbishop Tutu delivered a talk entitled “Be the Spark” during which he encouraged 15,000 mostly
young people “to be God’s partner” in bettering the world.Archbishop Tutu, 79, proudly posed with The Jewels of Happiness, a newly published book by Sri Chinmoy for which he wrote the introduction. The South African peace legend then held aloft the torch from the global World Harmony Run which Sri Chinmoy founded in 1987.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano visited Mumbai and Delhi sion of law enforcement efforts to detect, prevent and respond to violence and terrorism—as well as continued collaborative
counter-terrorism efforts between the United States and India. Secretary Napolitano also commemorated Indian law enforcement personnel who lost their lives in the devastating Nov. 26, 2008 terror attacks in a wreath laying ceremony at the Mumbai Police Memorial. Secretary Napolitano continued her visit to India in New Delhi on May 25, where she jointly launched the U.S.-India Homeland Security dialogue—a critical new component of the U.S.–India Strategic Dialogue that will increase communication and information-sharing between the U.S. and India on counter terrorism and other issues that affect our security— with Indian officials, including the Indian Ambassador and Home Minister P. Chidambaram,.
Ricky Gill to bid for congressional seat
Ricky Gill
Desmond Tutu with Late Sri Chinmoy
California: A 24-year-old Indian American UC Berkeley law school student has announced his candidacy for 11th Congressional District. The congressional seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney. If elected, Gill will barely meet the age qualification for the House of Representatives. House members must be at least 25 years old. Ricky Gill of Lodi, a registered Republican, is centering his campaign around giving San Joaquin
County "a seat at the table and a voice in American politics." The Princeton University graduate served on the California State Board of Education after being appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and worked for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. He hopes to curb regulations that restrict farmers and small businesses, raise education standards and rein in medical malpractice insurance costs. Both of his parents are physicians.
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Rajat Gupta lived a double life: Report Washington, DC: Rajat Gupta, former MD of McKinsey & Co, accused by US regulators of inside trading "has lived a double life," a leading US daily has suggested. Government wiretaps and phone records show that Gupta called Rajaratnam nine times in 2008 and 2009, giving the hedge fund manager information to make trades for his Galleon Group. Gupta, 62, who divides his time between Connecticut, Manhattan and Florida, has lived a double life, the Washington Post suggested Sunday. For 34 years until 2007, he worked for McKinsey, one of the world's most trusted and prestigious consulting firms. As a philanthropist, Gupta raised millions of dollars for education and health care, especially in India, where he was born and to which he wanted to give back, the Post noted. "He has done charitable work with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. Friends describe him as brilliant and humble," it said. "At McKinsey, a firm known for keeping secrets, Gupta harbored a few of his own," the Post suggested. But as the managing director and then as senior partner of McKinsey
for four more years before he retired, he ran his own consulting business on the side, it said describing it as a violation of McKinsey rules. He and Anil Kumar, a former McKinsey partner who last year pleaded guilty to passing confidential information to Rajaratnam, set up their own firm. Gupta also independently advised Genpact, a Gurgaon, India-based firm that manages business processes for other companies. "That work, too, broke McKinsey's rules," the Post said. In December 2006, two years before he reached McKinsey's mandatory retirement age of 60, Gupta co-founded private-equity firm New Silk Route Partners with investors, three of whom had paid fines to settle SEC actions against them. Among the three was Rajaratnam, whose Galleon Group paid $2 million in a fine and forfeited profits to the government in May 2005 to settle an SEC complaint that it had made improper trades. The Kumar conviction and the SEC action against Gupta have been a blow to McKinsey's elite image, the Post said.
Yale professor conferred Sardar Patel Dissertation Award California: A Yale University professor, Tariq Thachil has been honored with the 2010 Sardar Patel Dissertation Award during an event on May 14 at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Covel Commons. A grant of $10,000 has been bestowed upon him for his extensive work on the function of social services provided to lower caste voters during elections. The award was presented by Sanjay Subrahmanyam, chairman of the Sardar Patel Dissertation Award Evaluation Committee and director of the Center for India and South Asia. The event was structured by the UCLA Center for India and South Asia and The Friends of Sardar Patel Award Association. The Sardar Patel Award was
Tariq Thachil’s work examines how political parties engage in social services to expand electoral base in India
instituted in the year 2000, and grants $10,000 annually to dissertation authors by the Friends of the Sardar Patel Association. The award is administered by the UCLA Center for India and South Asia. Tariq Thachil is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Political Science at Yale University, a Research Fellow at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, and a Faculty Affiliate of the South Asian Studies Council. His research focuses on political parties and party-voter linkages, social movements, ethnic politics, and South Asian politics. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the Government Department at Cornell University, New York in 2009. His dissertation examines how religious nationalists in India use social services to expand their electoral base among the poor, and was awarded the 2010 Gabriel A. Almond Award for best dissertation in comparative politics by the American Political Science Association.
Academic scholar encodes Tirhuta script into digital media Michigan: A faculty member of Michigan University, Anshuman Pandey, has completed an ambitious project of encoding the `Tirhuta' script (original Maithili script) in the Universal Character Set. Pandey's work will assist in the preservation of 'Tirhuta' script, which is nearly obsolete in India, even amongst Maithili speaking people in Bihar and Narayani and Janakpur zones of Nepal. To preserve the traditional script of Maithili, Pandey has been pursuing this
project for the last five of years. This project was made possible, although only partly, by a grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities which funded the Universal Scripts Project. The Maithil Brahmin community has used the script for maintaining `panji' or genealogical records since the 14th century. Devanagari replaced Maithili in the late 20th century. However, Maithili is still used for producing genealogical records, religious texts and letters.
3 Indian American scholars join policy research center as members Cambridge: Three Indian American scholars have been included to the list of the members of American Academy of Science and Arts, founded in 1780 and headquartered here. American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy is one of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies
and a leading center for independent policy research. Shree K. Nayar, Amita Sehgal and Vishva Dixit are among the total 212 new members selected to join. K. Nayar has received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in 1990. He is currently the T. C. Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia
University. Amita Sehgal, is the Professor of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, department of Neuroscience School of Medicine. She has expertise in neurosciences, cognitive sciences, and behavioral biology. Vishva Dixit, the Vice President at Genentech has expertise in medical sciences which includes physiology and pharmacology, clinical medicine, and public health.
US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tornados strike as far as California but Missouri was worst hit New York: This record setting tornado season became even more remarkable with the rare appearance of tornados as far away as northern California. The National Weather Service reported several tornadoes touching down in some counties there on Wednesday The Joplin tornado that has already claimed 125 lives was the eighth-deadliest in US history. evening, although no injuries were os. already received 1,580 home reported. claims -- 600 of those total loss or A total of 81 tornadoes have been major structural damage -- and reported on Wednesday from Texas 1,300 automotive claims as of midthrough the Mississippi River val- night Tuesday. The Joplin tornado ley to Ohio and on to western New is expected to cause insured losses York State. of between $1 billion and $3 bilMeanwhile, in Joplin, MO, lion. which took the worst hit on The Joplin tornado was the deadSundya, the death toll rose liest single twister since the Wednesday to 125. The estimated National Weather Service began number of injured climbed to more keeping official records in 1950. It than 900. was the eighth-deadliest in US Meanwhile, State Farm Insurance history.
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May 28-June 3, 2011
Sarah Palin bracing for a run Washington: Sarah Palin may yet catapult herself as the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race. The Undefeated, a two-hour, million-dollar epic made at the request of Palin’s camp, is set to release in Iowa in June and later nationwide. The documentary chronicles Palin’s record as governor of Alaska reportedly shows her as a Joan of Arc-like figure. Palin is also fortifying her small staff of advisers, buying a house in Arizona — where associates have said she could base a national campaign — and reviving her schedule of public appearances. The moves
Sarah Palin are the most concrete signals yet that she is seriously weighing a
Republican presidential bid. While it is by no means clear that she would be willing to give up her lucrative speaking career and her perch as an analyst on Fox News to face the scrutiny and combat that would come with her entrance into the race, she is being pressed by supporters for a decision and has acknowledged that time is running out. From the current, limited number of Republicans in the race, she seems to be the better known and charismatic. Whether the party head honchos like him and whether she can defeat Barack Obama is a different matter.
Scotty crowned 10th American Idol Los Angeles: Scotty McCreery is the new "American Idol." His win followed an evening of star-studded performances by Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Judas Priest, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett and Bono singing alongside "Idol" contestants. It was the first-ever, all-
country final in "American Idol" history, with Lauren Alaina taking on McCreery for the crown. The real winner this season, however, has been the show itself, whose popularity and ratings show no sign of waning 10 years on and change of judges,
Scotty McCreery
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India Newswire
May 28-June 3, 2011
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India in touch with France on terror link
Pak rejects list of 50 dreaded terrorists Islamabad: Two glaring errors in the 'Most Wanted' terrorists' list, that India prepared and handed over to Pakistan, left New Delhi in an embarrassing state last week. Now, the Pakistani interior ministry has rejected that, saying it should first probe if those named in the list were living in that country, a media report said. India had handed over the list to Islamabad during the home secretary-level talks between the two countries in March. Two men on the list were found to be in India - one out on bail in Thane and the other in a Mumbai jail. In a letter addressed to the Foreign Office, the interior ministry said India should first probe if the people named in the list have been living in that country, as it turned out that two of them have been living there, the Online news agency reported quoting sources. After reviewing the list, the ministry has sent it to the foreign ministry to return it to India, the report said. It added that the list will be handed over to the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan within a few days. The list includes runaway don Dawood Ibrahim, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and the masterminds of November 2008 Mumbai attack and other
Home Minister P. Chidambaram had earlier admitted that there were multiple errors in the list given to Pakistan. terror strikes in India. Earlier, Home Minister P. Chidambaram admitted that there were multiple errors in the list. He said there was no need to apologize to the men who were mistakenly named as fugitives. The Indian government ruled out any possibility of withdrawing the list even as authorities were reviewing it.
'Selective abortion widening gender gap in India'
New Delhi: With France arresting an Indian national over terror links, India said it was in touch with the French authorities to obtain details, but ruled out seeking consular access to the arrested man. France arrested Mohammad Niaz Abdul Rashid, who is from Tiruchirappali in Tamil Nadu and was an activist of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), on May 10 for operating a terror network and recruiting French nationals for his group. Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters here that from the initial reports received by the government, Rashid had not recruited any other Indian national into his group. But he had recruited eight French nationals of Moroccan, Tunisian and Pakistani-origin in his outfit, which was part of a network in Pakistan-Afghanistan
axis. Chidambaram said Rashid is a mechanical engineer, well acquainted with technology and well trained, with a militant bent of mind. He had gone to France in 2008 and within six months of his stay there he was able to create a nucleus of jihadis, he added. French police have arrested six other Islamic militants, along with Rashid, on the suspicion that the group was recruiting volunteers for joining a Pakistan-based terror outfit. "It is reported that Rashid admitted that he was part of a network which is recruiting people for jihad in the PakistanAfghanistan region," Chidambaram said. "Further investigation is under way and we are in close touch with French authorities," he added.
Baloch movement not fueled by India: US New York: The separatist movement in Pakistan's Balochistan province is fueled by the country's domestic policies and not India, a top US official has said. "I don't think that the existence of a terrorist or a separatist movement in Balochistan is fueled by Indian financing or anything like that," US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert
Blake said. "I think it's fueled by domestic issues that are internal to Pakistan," Blake said in his interaction with Defense Writers Group in Washington. Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of supporting the rebels in Balochistan in order to destabilize the country. India, however, has categorically denied the allegations.
Karnataka Governor Bhardwaj to stay In Indian families in which the first child has been a girl, more and more parents with access to prenatal ultrasound testing are aborting a second female in the hope that a subsequent pregnancy will yield a boy, said the study in 'The Lancet.' Paris: Sex selection of foetuses in India has probably because of persistent son preference led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to combined with decreases in fertility,” the age six, a gender gap that has widened by authors say. The mean number of children per more than a million in a decade, according to Indian woman fell from 3.8 in 1990 to 2.6 in a latest study. In Indian families in which the 2008. Selective abortion of female foetuses first child has been a girl, more and more par- accounts for two to four per cent of female ents with access to prenatal ultrasound testing pregnancies in India, roughly 300,000 to are aborting a second female in the hope that a 600,000 per year out of 13.3 to 13.7 million subsequent pregnancy will yield a boy, said carrying a girl in 2010, the study found. From 2001 to 2011, the practice increased at the study, published in 'The Lancet.' The increasingly lopsided ratio of girls to a rate of 170 per cent, slowing from 260 per boys is larger in wealthy households than cent over the previous decade. In the study, researchers led by Prabhat Jha poorer ones, the researchers reported. Between 1980 and 2010, they estimate, four of the Centre for Global Health at the to 12 million girls were aborted because of University of Toronto, analyzed census data their sex. “Selective abortion of female foe- from 2011 and earlier. The also examined over 250,000 births from tuses, usually after a firstborn girl, has increased in India over the past few decades, national surveys to calculate the difference in and has contributed to a widening imbalance the girl-boy ratio for second births in families in which the first-born child had been a girl. in the child sex ratio,” they conclude. They found that this ratio fell from 906 girls The female shortfall for the zero-to-six age bracket was 6.0 million in 2001, and 4.2 mil- per 1,000 boys in 1990 to 836 girls per 1,000 lion in 1991. boys in 2005, an annual decline of a half of a “Increases in selective abortion of girls are per cent.
New Delhi/Bangalore: Home Minister P. Chidambaram has rejected Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) demand to recall Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj while Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa received rousing reception in Bangalore. "There is no question of recalling the governor. The governor performed his duty. And we took our decision," Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi, a day after the central government rejected Bhardwaj's recommendation to dismiss the Yeddyurappa ministry. However, Yeddyurappa reiterated the BJP's demand for Bhardwaj's recall or resignation immediately. Drum beats and slogans by dozens of party workers greeted Yeddyurappa at the Bangalore International Airport on his arrival from New Delhi. Many ministers were present to greet him.
Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. Talking to reporters, Yeddyurappa thanked the central government for rejecting Bhardwaj's recommendation. Chidambaram said the central government did not find grounds to dismiss the Yeddyurappa ministry and impose president's rule as sought by Bhardwaj. "We are mindful of the legal position. The power to impose president's rule is a very restricted. And we think
that the facts placed before the CCPA (Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs) did not enable us to reach conclusion that the condition of (article) 356 (of the constitution) are attracted," the home minister said. Bhardwaj had recommended president's rule in the wake of the Supreme Court restoring membership of 11 BJP rebel legislators and five Independents.
India Newswire TheSouthAsianTimes.info Kalyan Banerjee Story Continued from page 1 ability to attract leaders from different vocations around the world as well as its role in promoting peace. “My goal is for Rotary to become the preferred organization for today’s generation to join and participate in to make the world better, safer and happier,” he said in a recent interview. Banerjee has served Rotary as a Director, Rotary Foundation Trustee, Committee and Task Force Chair, International Assembly Group Discussion Leader, President’s Representative, and District Governor.
Group of distinguished Rotarians (From Left): Charter President Kamlesh Mehta, District Gov. Ravi Bhooplapur, Honorary Rotarian, Consul General of India Amb. Prabhu Dayal, Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee and Past dist. Governor Sammy. Second row; Rotarian Ajit Singh and Davendra Singh.
US backs India’s 50 Most Wanted list Washington: The Obama Administration on Thursday supported India's move to submit the list of its 50 most wanted fugitives to Pakistan, saying this is part of the ongoing dialogue between the two neighbors. “I think submitting this list is part of this dialogue that they have ongoing between their Home Secretaries about steps that Pakistan can take to again reduce the threat from Pakistan based terrorists against India. Obviously we support that. We haven't really coordinated on that list itself, though,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said. Lauding India's decision to hold talks with Pakistan, he said, “One of the important decisions that the Indians made earlier this year was to reengage on this full comprehensive dialogue that they're now engaged on. Even though the Pakistanis had not fully resolved many of the Indians' concerns. “Their two conditions that they had established previously were that those who had been responsible for the Mumbai bombings had to be brought to justice and the trials had to be completed; and then that there had to be visible progress by the Pakistanis to stop cross-border infiltration,” Blake said. “I think the Pakistanis have made some efforts in that regard, but the Indians would be the first to tell you that they haven't fulfilled all of what the Indians were hoping for. But nonetheless, the Indians understood that they have, like the United States, a strategic interest in helping to stabilize Pakistan,” he said.
India's poverty programs troubled: World Bank New Delhi: India spends more on programs for the poor than most developing countries, but it has failed to eradicate poverty because of widespread corruption and faulty government administration, the World Bank said Wednesday. “India is not getting the ‘bang for the rupee’ that its significant expenditure would seem to warrant, and the needs of important population groups remain only party addressed,” John D. Blomquist, lead economist at the World Bank, wrote in a 400page study, reports New York Times. India spent 2 percent of its GDP, or $28.6 billion last year, on social programs to alleviate and prevent poverty, the World Bank said, a higher percentage than any other country in Asia and about three times China’s spending. The programs, central to the Congress party’s platform, include food distribution and health insurance initiatives that are supposed to reach hundreds of millions of households. The report was written at the “request of the government of India” and with full participation from various government bodies, the report said.
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May 28-June 3, 2011 Banerjee has served as a member of the International PolioPlus Committee for many years and has attended international meetings with the WHO and UNICEF in that capacity. As the past Chair of the Southeast Asia Regional PolioPlus Committee and member of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee, he spearheaded many of Rotary’s novel initiatives, which have given a new push to the polio eradication program in India. In December 2009, Kalyan Banerjee, then RI president-elect, flew to New York to present charters to the Rotary clubs of
Hicksville South and Jericho Sunrise, both with predominantly Indian American members. Ravi Bhooplapur was District Governor then, Kamlesh Mehta was charter president of Hicksville South Rotary and Vimmi Sikka president of Jericho Sunrise.Banerjee is a Director of United Phosphorous Limited, the largest Indian agrochemical manufacturer, and Chair of United Phosphorous (Bangladesh) Limited. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Kalyan’s wife, Binota, is a social worker and Inner Wheel club member. They have two children and four grandchildren.
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Kanimozhi should not get concessions: Jaya Chennai: DMK MP Kanimozhi should not be granted bail in the 2G spectrum case just because she is a woman, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has said. "It's a wrong argument for bail. In politics, no concession is given because you are a woman. The same applies for criminal activities," she said at a press conference here. Kanimozhi's lawyer Ram Jethmalani had earlier argued before the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in New Delhi that she should be granted bail as she was a woman and was not involved in the day to day operations of Kalaignar TV. The CBI named Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar as co-conspirators in its April 25 supplementary chargesheet after it traced an illegal money trail of Rs.214 crore in the
scam to the channel, majority-owned by the family of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi. Both have been in Delhi's Tihar Jail since May 20. Referring to the 2G scam, Jayalalithaa said that people had regained faith in the judicial system. "Finally, the law is taking its course," she said. The AIADMK chief, who was sworn in as chief minister May 16, condemned the recent petrol price hike and the likely increase in the prices of cooking gas, diesel as it has cascading effect. She said it has been just a week since her government assumed office and it was yet to take a decision of reducing sales tax on petrol and diesel. Discussing the acute power crisis, Jayalalithaa promised good news after two weeks. On the fiscal front, Jayalalithaa said her
government would study the state's financial position and, if warranted, come out with a white paper. She said her party was against the revival of the legislative council, something the previous DMK government was keen on. Whenever the DMK comes to power, Jayalalithaa added, it tries to revive the upper house. And when the AIADMK comes to power the proposal is scrapped. "Our policy is that the Legislative Council need not be there." Regarding promises she made in the AIADMK manifesto before the elections, she said a number of announcements would be made in the governor's address in the assembly on June 3. DMK MP Kanimozhi is currently housed in Tihal Jail in New Delhi.
In a first, Mauritius gives Air Ambulance crashes into house, 10 die Faridabad: Staring at the mangled remains of the aircraft and the pile of bricks that once was a house, the black money details nightmare seemed far from over for shocked residents New Delhi: Yielding under "pressure", Mauritius has for the first time provided bank details of a person being investigated by the Income Tax Department (ITD) for tax evasion and money laundering. "They (Mauritius) have given information related to a person being probed by ITD who had remitted funds from that country to India," an official said. While the official refused to provide any further details, he said it is "a major breakthrough" in the government's effort to track and collect proof against tax evasion and bring back the unaccounted money stashed in tax havens. "There was lot of pressure exert-
ed on Mauritius by Indian government and finally they provide the required information. It is for the first time we have been able to get information from them," he said. Indian agencies are said to have increased their vigilance after they noticed a significant surge in venture capital funds coming into the country from Mauritius in sectors like telecom and real estate. Fund flow from tax havens have been under close scrutiny in recent times for money laundering. Mauritius accounted for about 42 per cent or $54.22 billion of the total $130 billion worth of FDI in the country since April 2000.
of Parvatiya colony here. A flash of light in the sky, a thunderous sound, erupting flames... it was a night they will remember forever. A nine-seater chartered aircraft crashed into a house in the residential neighborhood, killing 10 people, including seven on board. "It was really scary. We woke up to a thunderous sound and saw flames erupting outside our house. The crashed aircraft had also damaged the grills of the boundary wall of our house," said a resident of Parvatiya colony here. "Fire brigade vans reached the spot late as they faced difficulty coming through the narrow streets of our colony." The plane was hired from Delhi-based Air Chartered Services India Pvt Ltd by Delhi's Apollo Hospital as an air ambulance. It was carrying a 20year-old student, Rahul Raj, who was critically ill and was being shifted from Patna to Apollo Hospital. The aircraft fell on a two-storey residential building
US homeland security chief visits India
US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano paying a tribute to 26/11 victims in Mumbai.
Mumbai: Paying tribute to the victims and martyrs of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano laid a wreath at a police memorial in south Mumbai. Napolitano observed a brief period of silence to express her solidarity with those who lost their lives in the attack. The police memorial was built to commemorate the 16 policemen who lost their lives while fighting terrorists during the three-day attack in November 2008. In New Delhi, Napolitano and Home Minister P. Chidambaram jointly launched the US-India Homeland Security dialogue. According to a US embassy statement, she met Indian officials and private industry to share best practices to promote homeland security and coordinate counter-terrorism and law enforcement cooperation.
Delhi on high alert after blast New Delhi: Delhi Police sounded a high alert across the capital after a low intensity blast occurred in the parking lot of the Delhi high court on May 25 afternoon. "We have given a security alert across the city, particularly to all the markets and crowded areas. Security has been
beefed up in crowded places and extra personnel have been deployed," Dhermendra Kumar, special commissioner of police for law and order, said. According to police, the low intensity explosion caused by a crude bomb occurred around 1.15pm close to a
Ford Figo car in the parking outside the high court, close to the ruins of an old monument. There was no casualty or damage, officials said. "A small packet was kept outside a car in the parking near gate number seven of the Delhi high court," Kumar said.
Bystanders gather around the wreckage of an air ambulance after it crashed in Faridabad late on May 25. in Parvatia Colony, Sector 22, killing 10 people. Three of those killed were residents of the house. The owner of the house is Shobha Ram. He and his son are said to be safe but his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law who were sleeping in the verandah perished.
Mamata for better implementation of welfare schemes Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met officials and discussed issues linked to development, the public distribution system and law and order, and directed a revamp of the system for implementation of policies, a minister said. "The district magistrates and police superintendents have given a detailed report on development issues, ongoing government projects, public distribution system, law and order situation and others. Banerjee has given orders to run the systems smoothly," said Commerce and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee at the state secretariat. The chief minister has given a special thrust to the public distribution system to provide food grain to poverty-stricken people in remote areas, including Junglemahal (Maoist-affected forested areas in western part of the state). All problems raised by the district
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. officials have been discussed with the secretaries of the department concerned and officials have been asked to submit status reports on government schemes and projects, said Chatterjee. "We have also discussed the schemes like rural job guarantee and other social security schemes and asked the officials to improve their implementation," said Chatterjee.
Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 28-June 3, 2011
The formation of our global partnership is the beginning of a golden era in US-India relations. From defense to trade, from Africa to Asia, from education to health, we will collaborate on the major challenges of the day, use our collective strengths and lead the world toward peace and prosperity.
Yes, together we can By Timothy Roemer fter two years as a diplomat in this beautiful country, I have had a chance to reflect on the road we have traveled together during the formation of this global partnership. During my confirmation hearing to become the US ambassador to India, I said that the real test of the US–India partnership will be how we work together on global challenges of our era like terrorism, economic development, renewable energy, and poverty. Our two democracies have risen to almost every challenge and, in a postOsama bin Laden environment, there are more opportunities to bring peace and stability in the region. The revelations of al-Qaeda’s continued global ambitions to create mayhem reaffirm the need to remain vigilant. Groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and the Haqqani network have increased
A
interest in regional recruiting and global targets. These threats strengthen President Barack Obama’s focus on partnering with the international community for global security. As he said, such partnering to forge cooperation with 21st century centres of influence must include India as a respected power. Our new Security Partnership has reached unprecedented heights in the past two years. Our Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative, signed in July 2010, has expanded our security cooperation to megacity policing, maritime security, law enforcement collaboration, and forensics training. Our intelligence-sharing, including access to David Headley, has benefited both countries. Our armed forces have regular exercises that are increasing in size and complexity as our militaries become more familiar with each other. This increased security coopera-
tion is a by-product of India’s arrival on the global stage and the world’s need for India to play a constructive role in meeting the many global challenges. Such recognition was the impetus behind President Obama’s historic announcement in the Indian Parliament that he looked forward to a reformed United Nations Security Council “that includes India as a permanent member”. Our economic partnership has made significant progress in the past two years on the trade and commercial front. Our vibrant economies are taking advantage of many opportunities in infrastructure, clean energy, mining, and technology for oil refining, and realizing the president’s vision of increased cooperation between the US and India that “will be a winwin proposition for both nations.” In 2010, two-way trade was up almost 30% and India is now our 12th largest trading partner, up
Timothy Roemer, US Ambassador to India, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New Delhi.
from 25th in 2000. With its high growth rates, booming middle class, and world class companies, I hope to see India in the top seven within the next several years. While we were deeply disappointed in the MMRCA combat fighter decision, this multi-faceted partnership has moved beyond the next ‘single big idea’ and is no longer defined by any one deal. We have a potential pipeline of $8-10 billion in defense sales including the pending sale of C-17 aircraft that will create 30,000 jobs in the US as well as broaden the capabilities of India’s armed forces, and strengthen our bilateral military relationship. There have been some uncomfortable moments. While American officials haven’t officially commented on WikiLeaks, we have seen positive outcomes. The reporting in India of these purported cables has shown that the US has a broad-based strategic vision
for India and displayed a similar concern for terrorism spilling over from Pakistan. Our reported privately expressed opinions have been consistent with our public message. Ultimately, our global partnership is only as strong as our people-to-people ties, the foundation of what we have accomplished to date and what we will accomplish together in the future. Throughout my travels in India, I have seen examples of the shared values between our countries. The formation of our global partnership is the beginning of a golden era in US-India relations. From defense to trade, from Africa to Asia, from education to health, we will collaborate on the major challenges of the day, use our collective strengths and lead the world toward peace and prosperity. (Timothy Roemer is the outgoing US ambassador to India. The views expressed by the author are personal.)
Karachi attack: Chilling echoes from 26/11 By Brahma Chellaney akistan, the world's leading terror sponsor and haven, loves to calls itself a victim of terrorism, with President Asif Ali Zardari going to the extent of saying his country is "perhaps the world's greatest victim of terrorism." More than $3.2 billion in annual US aid has not been enough to persuade Pakistan to sever its rogue links with terrorists or slow down its rapidly expanding rogue nuclearweapons program. Instead, Pakistan has created a convenient narrative of victimhood at home to help cloak its self-deception. The terrorist assault on Pakistan's main naval air base is a chilling re-minder that those who play with fire will get burnt and, ultimately, be consumed by fire. The attack was carried out in the coldblooded, professional style taught by Inter-Services Intelligence to its proxies, including those that struck Mumbai in November 2008. Having created a terrorist manual and a sprawling terror infrastructure, the Pakistani military and its spy agency are now reaping a bitter harvest. The Pakistani Taliban, which staged the attack on the naval air base in Karachi, is the illegitimate child, like the Afghan Taliban, of
P
Wreckage of a P-3C Orion aircraft is seen at the Pakistani naval air base in Karachi. the Pakistani military establishment. The difference is that the Pakistani Taliban has become the principal nemesis of the Pakistani military, whose favorite proxies now are the Afghan Taliban headed by the oneeyed Mullah Omar, Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the eponymous network aligned with the Afghan Taliban, and Hafiz Saeed
and his Laskhar-e-Taiba. While continuing to provide succor and sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani military has waged offensives in Bajaur, Mohmand, Buner and other tribal districts against the Pakistani Taliban. It was at Pakistan's instance that a US missile strike killed that group's chief, Baitullah Mehsud,
in August 2009 - a slaying that prompted his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, to orchestrate a suicide bombing of a CIA base in southeast Afghanistan in late 2009 that killed five agency officers and two American contractors. The more the Pakistani military has gone after the Pakistan Taliban, the more the latter has retaliated against the former, staging daring attacks on Pakistani military and ISI facilities across the country, including on the army headquarters in 2009. More importantly, these attacks, including the latest, have been aided by elements within the Pakistani military establishment. Without such insider support, the attackers simply would not been able to deeply penetrate the naval air base, easily locate key targets, and systematically wreck installations and aircraft, including two P-3C maritime surveillance planes. The P-3C aircraft, along with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and F-16s, have been supplied by the US to help counterbalance conventional Indian military power... Nuclear weapons are for deterrence, they are not an answer to failed national-building, which is what Pakistan confronts. Yet Pakistan values nuclear weapons more for their political utility than their military utility.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
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Diaspora
May 28-June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian held in France for aiding terror New Delhi: An Indian techie from Tamil Nadu, Mohammad Niaz Abdul Rashid was arrested by French Police along with six other suspected Islamic militants on May 10 and French authorities suspect that he was recruiting volunteers there for joining a Pakistanbased terrorist outfit. India said it was in close touch with French authorities over the arrest. Home Minister P Chidambaram ruled out any immediate move to seek consular access to Rashid, saying India was awaiting the result of the investigations underway by French authorities. "It is reported that Rashid admitted that he was part of a network which is recruiting people for jihad in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region," Chidambaram said at a press conference
in Delhi. Contending that Rashid has been under the radar of Indian intelligence agencies too, Chidambaram said the Mechanical Engineer had reportedly a "militant bent of mind" and had joined a SIMI-affiliated organization at 21. Chidambaram said Rashid is an educated man and believed to be a mechanical engineer, who is acquainted with technology. "It is stated that at the age of 21, he joined a SIMI-affiliated organization based in Tamil Nadu. He first arrived in France in 2008. He was already a trained activist with a militant bent of mind," he said. The Home Minister said in a short span of six months, Rashid has been able to set up a nucleus of like-minded people of jehadis in France.
Queen's apology sought for Jallianwala massacre London: An Indian-origin Labor Party MP has asked the British monarch to formally apologize for the massacre of Indians at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and other killings during the Raj. Virendra Sharma, MP from Ealing Southall in London, told online newspaper Asian Lite: "I do feel strongly that as we are now in 21st century, a century of reconciliation, the Queen should apologize for the atrocities committed during the British Raj, especially (at) Jallianwala Bagh." The statement follows Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Ireland's Garden of Remembrance where she bowed her head at the memorial to Irish patriots killed in the struggle for freedom from British rule. On April 13, 1919, British officer Reginald Dyre ordered troops to fire on a peaceful crowd celebrating Baisakhi at the Jallianwala Bagh ground in Amritsar city. Over 1,600 rounds were fired inside a walled enclosure with only one exit. Officials put the death toll at 379 but unofficially it is believed that
Jayant Patel to lodge appeal in Australia court Melbourne: Indian-origin surgeon Jayant Patel is expected to lodge an appeal in the Australian high court over his manslaughter convictions within days. Lawyers of the 61-yearold Patel were quoted in Australian media as saying that they were in the process of drafting the appeal. They would seek
an extension of time because of the complexity of the case as the deadline for lodging the appeal had expired last week. Solicitor Kerry SmithDouglas said she and barrister Ken Fleming also needed extra time. The appeal will likely focus on the argument that trial judge Justice John
Byrne had incorrectly interpreted the legislation under which the crown ran its case. Patel was sentenced last July after a Brisbane Supreme Court jury found him guilty of the manslaughter of three persons as well as guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to another.
Tagore birth anniversary to be celebrated in Egypt and Mizanur Rahman, Cairo: The Indian embassy will organize a special funcBangladesh's ambassador to tion here May 28 to mark the north African country, are the 150th birth anniversary among others who will attend of India's Nobel laureate the function. Rabindranath Tagore, who Rabindranath Tagore. won the Nobel Prize for It will be organized at the Maulana Azad Centre for Literature in 1913, became Indian Culture in Cairo. the first Asian Nobel laureate. Egyptian economist and Tagore was a master of several literary forms. He was a writer, Galal Amin, will give a talk titled: The event in honor of the Nobel poet, a novelist, a short-story ' R e m e m b e r i n g Laureate is organized by Embassy writer and a playwright. The event is being organized in Rabindranath', the Indian of Bangladesh and Egypt’s embassy said in a statement. cooperation with the cultural ministry It will be followed by a embassy of Bangladesh in rendering of Rabindrasangeet. R. Cairo and the Cultural Development Fund of Swaminathan, India's ambassador to Egypt, Egypt's cultural ministry, the statement said.
An artist's impression of the massacre in 1919. more than 1,000 men and women were killed. Many jumped into wells to escape firing and died. "Building on the Queen's visit to Jallianwala Bagh in 1997, I would argue that an official apology from the British monarch for the atrocity is now appropriate and timely," Sharma said.
Indo-Canadian honcho dons army fatigues Toronto: In a first for the million-strong community, a top Indo-Canadian honcho has donned military fatigues by joining the Canadian armed forces as an honorary lieutenant colonel. Hari Panday, who launched ICICI Bank in Canada eight years ago and currently heads PanVest Capital Corporation, has already undergone tough training with Canadian armed forces as part of his new role. A known Indo-Canadian face in corporate Canada, Kanpur-born Panday landed in Canada in 1975 with just $5 in his pocket. "It is a unique honor from Canadian armed forces for me as a visible minority and for the Indo-Canadian community that I am the first person to be given the title of honorary lieutenant colonel. I have already undergone training with 25 Service Battalion which is a reserve force based in Toronto," Panday said. Asked what prompted a top corporate honcho to don the army uniform, he said: "When I saw Canadian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan coming back home in body bags, I felt the pain of Canadians lining up to welcome their heroes. I felt we visible minorities should stand shoulder to shoulder with our Canadian brothers and sisters to honor these brave men and women. I just wanted to do something for our military men and women." Panday said he got in touch with armed forces chief General Rick Hillier (now retired) who then decided what civilians like him could do for the country's armed forces. "First, I got involved in regimental support group and got to know the army's work...that's
Hari Panday (right) undergoing training with Canadian soldiers how my involvement with the military began. Basically, I wanted to be seen with these brave people and know their sacrifices." In this role, the corporate executive said he is undertaking many initiatives for rehabilitating retired and disabled Canadian soldiers. "We are mounting an Indo-Canadian initiative to establish scholarships to help children of soldiers who died serving Canada. We are also creating a venture capital fund for returning and retired soldiers to help restart their life," he said. "Right now, I am helping three former soldiers find employment. Since we IndoCanadians have not yet acted as sons and daughters of soil, I am undertaking these things for our soldiers," said Panday. He said he is headed next to harsh military exercises in freezing North Arctic regions of Canada.
Tristate TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Krittika innocent, so no need for diplomatic immunity Ravi Batra responds to US State Department’s remark that family members of diplomats do not enjoy immunity. 1. I was notified of the injustice the morning of February 9, 2011 by Amb. Prabhu Dayal, the I Indian Consul General in New York. That same morning, they presented a Note Verbale to our State Dept's Office in NY. I arrived at Queens Criminal Court about 12 noon, met the DCG and other consuls and parents of Krittika Biswas (KB). They gave me a copy of the Note Verbale. I then had a very warm meeting with DA Richard A. Brown. I gave him the copy of the Note Verbale, and that India was asserting "diplomatic immunity," but that I didn't need it as Krittika was "actually innocent," as she was in the Mall shopping, and there are witnesses in addition to security cameras of the Mall that after being subpoenaed, will confirm. DA Brown, in an act of great legal insight, strength, wisdom and compassion, decided, in the exercise of the soundest of prosecutorial discretion, to dismiss the charges and "seal" the file, such that the Krittika’s arrest was "expunged" and she can legally say she was never arrested! I was then granted access to KB, while the paperwork was done, and couple of hours later, I was able to release her from Central Booking into the freezing, but "free" American air and into the worried and relieved arms of her parents and Consulate ‘Uncles.' 2. Immunity vs. what I call "International Miranda Rights" under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention. These two different topics are "apples" and "oranges," but are being put together to make a confusing fruit salad. So, to be clear, every foreign national, diplomat or regular passport holder, enjoys the benefits of Art. 36. They are what I call the International Miranda rights to every human being, so long as their country is a signatory to that Convention. KB's rights under Art 36 were illegally not given. India's rights of access and communication to one of its citizens was also not given. As for Diplomatic Immunity, I would really want it if I was the lawyer for Raymond Davis in Pakistan, as well as having him granted, even in a nunc pro tunc manner, diplomatic status, as he did do what he was
charged with under Pakistan's local law. However, in this case, I represent KB, who is actually innocent, as we proved with forensic evidence, so I don't need diplomatic immunity to fight my case. I do think that there is some unresolved confusion that all governments have a need to clarify the rules of engagement, because reciprocity is the mother of all rights! I do, however, agree with the State Department spokesperson Mark Toner that "an ambassador," is granted greater "immunities and privileges" than a "consular post," as in CGI, NY, and hence, he is right that diplomats come with different rights, immunities and privileges based upon the status conferred upon them by the "sending" state. 3. We cracked the case. Gave the John Bowne High School the "key" on March 11, and three days later they used our key to track down the real culprit, and on he confessed, apologized, and obviously, was never intending to carry out the perverse acts of sexual violence upon the teacher or her 7 year old kid. Our case is "gift wrapped," and unshakeable. The defendants must lose. 4. While I agree with the school in not arresting the kid that was actually guilty of sending these criminal emails, that stands in stark contrast to how they treated an Indian kid, who despite her innocence, was put through the "ringer" in the Twilight Zone. A jury made up of hardworking New Yorkers will slam the City school system for such incompetence, discrimination, and constitutional malice. KB’s math teacher Jamie Kim Ross may be guilty of crimes, for she filed false reports to get her arrested and locked up, and then later, suspended and sent to reform school. Kim Ross lied in her charges and devalued intentionally KB's record and deceptively hid the fact that Kim Ross had only been too happy to write a letter of recommendation for KB to attend a Honors College program! As the jury that convicted Rajaratnam prayed for his family, I too pray for the families of Kim Ross and Principal Howard Kwait.
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May 28-June 3, 2011
India backs Krittika, US admn doubts immunity claim New Delhi/Washington: The Indian government has come out in support of Krittika Biswas, the daughter of the Indian diplomat, who was arrested and spent 24 hours in New York jail on false charges of sending obscene emails to two of her teachers John Bowne High School in Queens. Expressing India's concerns, Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, said, "We have, subsequent to her release also, expressed our concerns to the US government about the way in which she was treated. It's a case which obviously concerns all of us." Krittika, the daughter of
Debashish Biswas, vice consul (administration) at the Indian Consulate General in New York , has sued New York City for $1.5 million for her wrongful arrest. Krittika said her claims of diplomatic immunity were ignored when she was cuffed and locked up for more than 24 hours on February 8, 2011 after a shoddy probe by administrators into alleged obscene emails sent to teachers in her school. The US government has, however, said that family members of the diplomat don't enjoy diplomatic immunity. "My understanding is that as a family member of consular offi-
cer, rather, she does not enjoy immunity from jurisdiction or inviolability," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Wednesday. Toner acknowledged that diplomats' family members carry a diplomatic passport, "but again, our understanding is that these provisions, however, don't apply to their family members and that this is different for consular officers versus those in the embassy". The spokesman insisted that the incident would not affect US ties with New Delhi saying, "The USIndian relationship, I would counter, has never been stronger."
Diplomat's daughter story Continued from page 1 he give a “key to the City to Krittika as a token of heartfelt sorrow for the unbecoming pain inflicted upon her”, Bloomberg reportedly just shrugged it off. Ravi’s reaction: "Unfortunately, [Bloomberg] hasn't stepped up yet because he thinks this is going to go away. But it's actually mushrooming." Batra explains his key to the city brainwave thus: New York is city where lots of diplomats come and live and where the UN is. So the ill-treatment meted out to a diplomat’s daughter reflects badly on the city, which stands to lose if the diplomats go away. The case, Batra told SATimes, has opened a can of worms, also reflecting badly on our schools and the defective disciplinary system which failed to follow a simple email audit trail. The Notice of Claim Batra filed on May 6 on behalf of Krittika, 18, seeks at least $500,000 and $1 million in compensatory and punitive damages, respectively, as well as the termination of Howard Kwait, principal of John Bowne High School, in Flushing, where honors student Krittika studied, and her math teacher Jamie Kim Ross. It all began some time in December last year when threatening and obscene emails were received by Kim Ross and Ivan Cohill, the Gym teacher. The suspicion fell on two students, Krittika and Aman: because both teachers taught them and the two students lived in the same building and the IP address of the two threatening emails came from that very building, claimed school officials. "The problem is that there is no such thing as an IP address for a building! In addition, the building is not a one family house, but an apartment building with 270 apartments," Batra clarified at the press conference. Moreover, the e-mails were sent from an IP Address associated with the network of
Painful memories of her ordeal made Krittika Biswas break down at the press conference, and she was consoled by Ravi Batra and his wife Ranju. After a while, she regained her composure and answered reporters’ questions, admitting that she is not sure she now wants to study any more in the US. "Earthlink, Inc, with IP address 24.239.172.20. Krittika’s computer IP is from Road Runner with the address 72.229.54.162.” “The basis for this targeted inquiry was as criminally malicious as it was reckless,” Batra said. Anyway, the school considered Krittika main suspect because she knew "French," and one word in the offensive e-mails was in French. On February 8, she was told that additional emails were received on February 6 and that the police had been called. She was also informed that the school was aware of her Facebook postings about Kim Ross' playing favorites in class, and sometimes being dumb struck with math problems. The police officers tried to extract a confession from her—handcuffing her hard to hurt her was their illegal way. She did point out her diplomatic status and diplomatic passport and asked that her father or the Indian consul general be informed of her arrest and whereabouts, which was ignored. She was first taken to 107 Precinct, and placed in a detention
cell. She was again handcuffed and taken to Queens Central Booking, where she remained confined from till the next day, February 9, before Batra got her freed and exonerated by the District Attorney. Yet, as per the notice of claim, Principal Kwait and teacher Kim Ross suspended her on February 10 and filed disciplinary charges, and sent her to a "reform" school where "alleged criminals" go for their constitutionally mandated education. Batra and the Krittika’s family then hired a forensic software engineer named Gleb Liferenko, from Vermont, who certified that the offensive emails did not originate from Krittika’s computer. On March 15, the principal said he was dropping all charges against her. A City Law Department spokeswoman declined to discuss any specifics of the case, releasing a statement instead. "Once we are formally served with the claim, we'll evaluate Ms. Biswas's case thoroughly," it said. The full text of the Notice of Claim is available on our website: www.thesouthasiantimes.info.
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Ultimate Bollywood
May 28-June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dabangg, Ishqiya shine at National Awards alman Khan-starrer Dabangg has got a National Film Award for being the year's most popular film. Vishal Bharadwaj's Ishqiya's music too were rated among the best for the 58th National Film Awards that were announced on May 19. Dabangg got the Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment. However, it was Malyalam film Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, son of Adam) which bagged the Best Film Award for the year 2010. Known for playing comical roles Adaminte Makan Abu's actor Salim shared the Best Actor award with Dhanush (Aadukalam), son-in-law of Rajinikanth, for his raw, nuanced portrayal of a cocky young man who learns lessons about life the hard way. The best actress award too had two winners – Tamil actress Saranya Ponvannan (Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru) and Marathi heroine Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar (Baboo Band Baaja). The Feature Films jury was headed by J.P. Dutta, NonFeature Films jury was headed by A.K. Bir and Best Writing on Cinema jury was headed by Ashok Vajpeyi.
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Dabangg and Ishqiya bagged important awards at the 58th National Film Awards.
Best film: Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam ) Indira Gandhi Award for the best debut film of a director: Baboo Band Baaja (Marathi) Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment: Dabangg (Hindi) Nargis Dutt award for Best Film on National Integration: Moner Manush (Bengali) Best film on social issues: Champions (Marathi) Best film on environment conservation: Bettada Jeeva (Kannada) Best Children's film: Hejjegalu (Kannada)
Best Direction: Aadukalam (Tamil) Best Actors: Dhanush (Aadukalam) and Salim (Adaminte Makan Abu) Best Actress: Saranya Ponvannan (Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru) and Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar (Baboo Band Baaja) Best Supporting Actor: Mynaa (Tamil) Best Supporting Actress: Namma Gramam (Tamil) Best Child Artist: Harsh Mayar (I am Kalam), Shantanu Ranganekar and Machindra Gadkar (Champions)
and Vivek Chabukswar (Baboo Band Baaja). Best male playback singer: Suresh Wadkar (Mee Sindhutai SapkalMarathi) Best female playback singer: Rekha Bharadwaj (Ishqiya). Best Cinematography: Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) Best screenplay: Aadukalam (Tamil), Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) Best audiography: Ishqiya (Hindi), Chitrasutram (Malayalam) Best editing: Aadukalam (Tamil)
Best production design: Enthiran (Tamil) Best music direction: Ishqiya (Hindi), Adaminte Makan Abu (Malayalam) Best lyrics: Thenmerkku Paruvakkatru (Tamil) Best choreography: Aadukalam (Tamil) Special jury award: Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (Marathi) Best costume designer: Namma Gramam (Tamil) Best make-up artist: Moner Manush (Bengali) Best Special effects: Enthiran (Tamil)
Trouble between I have dated Ranbir: Angela Malaika, Arbaaz? W hen Arbaaz K h a n s h o u l d have been on cloud nine with Dabangg bagging Best Film at National Awards, trouble with his wife Malaika Arora Khan has left him gloomy. Apparently, the matter is so severe that the Munni babe has moved out of his house. After an awful scuffle with her husband, Malaika has shifted to her mom's place, reportedly. Buzz doing the Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan. round has suggested Salman Khan's role This is just a ridiculous rumor. We behind the split. Salman doesn't are like any other healthy couple approve of Malaika's lifestyle and and people should just be conapparently both of them don't cerned about what we do profesinvite each other at their respective sionally and not interfere in our events. personal lives. I and Malaika are However, Arbaaz has denied very much together. There is no these reports. such situation between us that "I don't understand where all this would cause her to move out. news comes from. Everything is Kindly ignore this gossip," Arbaaz well between me and my wife. said.
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hile she's more famous for being Ranbir Kapoor's arm candy at recent events, Angela Jonsson is also a calendar girl. Her link-up to the Casanova actor recently made headlines as did her tryst with Shahid Kapoor. Angela says, "I have always refrained from commenting on my personal life so far but the news reports that have been doing the rounds have caused immense and unnecessary stress to my family and to me. Therefore I need to set the record straight once and for all. Yes, Ranbir and I have dated. We have gone out to dinner like two normal adults in the city. As any
Angela Jonsson.
Butt-pads for Vidya idya Balan, who will be seen in a sleazy avatar in Ekta Kapoor's ‘Dirty Picture’, will use butt-pads to get a well-rounded bum. Ekta apparently wants a 'fuller' look for the Ishqiya actress in the Silk Smitha biopic. Vidya is playing south siren Silk Smitha's character in the film which required her to gain weight. While the buzz was doing round that actress will have to
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use prosthetics to increase her bust line, now she will have to follow her once 'special friend' Shahid Kapoor's footsteps and go for butt-pads to get a bulky look for her hips as well, reported Mumbai Mirror. Producer Ekta has made AD Shahana and make-up artist Vikram Dada in charge of her Silk Smitha look, reportedly. The movie is scheduled for a Vidya Balan.
gentleman would and should, he asked me out for the record. Since winning the Kingfisher Calendar Hunt, my modeling career has done better than I ever expected. None of the successes can be attributed to anyone other than to my hard work and that of my agents." On Shahid, Angela says, "I have met Shahid socially and haven't spoken much to him at all. I've met him at Anushka Sharma's birthday, which Ranbir took me to and again at Ranbir's house party as well. I do not have his phone number and have never texted him." Ranbir remained unavailable for comment.
Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info
17
May 28-June 3, 2011
A romance, gone wrong yaar ka Punchnama is about three chronic bachelors who see their life go into a tizzy when they fall in love. It doesn't take long before they begin to miss the guy bonding and realize that girls are truly from Venus, which for them must be the most unfriendly, irrational planet in the solar system. The film has an interesting premise. It tries to investigate the basic incompatibility of the yin and the yang through a set of urban yuppies who try to build and unbuild relationships in the harsh metropolis. The gender bias and miscomprehensions have an interesting twist as the three young bachelors give up their carefree camaraderie to cope with the unending demands of their girlfriends.
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A still from ‘Pyaar ka Punchnama.’
Ash's 'pretty face' sparks controversy or years, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been consistently invited to the Cannes Film Festival in France. When asked about this, actor Saif Ali Khan justified that it possibly because 'she is a pretty face'. Needless to say, quite a few controversies were sparked. There have been plenty of speculations ever since, about the cause of the remark being the alleged rivalry between Aishwarya Rai and Saif's girlfriend Kareena Kapoor. In fact, many even dug up the past to the days when the relations between Kareena's sister
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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes 2011.
Karisma Kapoor and Ash's husband Abhishek Bachchan had soured, reported Mumbai Mirror. However, Saif is shocked at the misinterpretation of his statement and has cleared the air saying, “I was asked about the relevance of Ash going to Cannes and I said she is the international face of India. I said we should be proud about her beautiful face. One website quoted me verbatim, complimenting Ash, which is what I meant in the first place. But others have misquoted me. I would never say something like that about her.”
SRK eyeing Aamir’s director hah Rukh Khan eyeing Salman Khan's Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap is old news now. However the King Khan has not changed his ways. The superstar now has his eyes on another big director who was worked under another Khan Camp. Shah Rukh Khan recently met Abhinay Deo, who has directed Delhi Belly starring Imran Khan and produced by Aamir Khan. It seems like, all the buzz that the film has generated ever since its first promo was aired, has also caught the notice of Shah Rukh Khan. If the buzz is to be believed, Shah Rukh met Abhinay Deo, just after the promo launch of Delhi Belly that happened last week. "Abhinay is a popular adfilmmaker and Shah Rukh's
company Red Chillies produces several ads. So perhaps that could also be one of the reasons that the actor met the director", reasons an industry insider.
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But so far, so good. The film has two major problems which make it somewhat tedious viewing. First, it stretches a paperthin story to inordinate lengths and becomes a real test of patience. The plot doesn't seem to move ahead from the fightand-make-up sequences between the three ill-matched couples. The fights become repetitive and you end up wishing they just give each other a break.... And you, a break too. Secondly is the appalling gender skew. Okay, relationships go wrong, but is it right to blame all the misdeeds on the foul female species. Doesn't seem fair, really. The film had promise and does have a few funny sequences. But by and large, it's a case of promises unfulfilled.
John miffed with Bips
John Abraham and Bipasha Basu. ctor John Abraham is upset with the way Bipasha Basu is going on about the break-up! The love story between John Abraham and Bipasha Basu was over a few months ago. However, the couple decided to maintain a dignified silence about it, for both professional and personal reasons. John and Bipasha have signed a product endorsement together, and news about their break-up would only hamper a multi-crore deal. And second, they both needed to respect their years of togetherness. However, only recently, Bipasha
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Basu spilled the beans of the breakup to the press, and John Abraham, who has maintained a silence till now, is apparently very disappointed with the way she has gone to the press speaking about the separation. Friends close to John say, "Their silence about the break-up was understood. Now suddenly going to the media and being the only one to talk about it, doesn't seem to be the right thing to do. But John is a good guy. He is upset with the way Bipasha has gone public with the news. He felt, even if she wished to speak about it, there was a way of doing it together."
I don’t resemble Pattinson: Imran mran Khan resembles Twilight sensation Robert Pattinson is what most of Imran's female fans believe. However, the Bollywood heartthrob thinks otherwise about the comparison. "I get that a lot. Many girls feel I do look like Robert Pattinson but I don't think that's true. It's definitely a compliment considering he is good looking and enjoys massive female fan following" said Imran with a smile. In the looks department, Imran may not have those chiseled features and messy hairdo but one cannot deny he does bear some resemblance to the British actor. For all Indian filmmakers who have been thinking of making a Bollywood adaptation of Twilight, you know whom to pick!
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Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
Imran Khan.
18
Profile
May 28-June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Noticing that South Asians, otherwise education-oriented, were keeping away from activities in their children’s schools, Jonai Singh got involved and went on to become Co-President of the Searingtown PTA and Co-President of Herricks Council of PTAs. Noticing another need in the community, she helped start MILAN, a program for seniors citizens. For her service, Jonai was inducted in the Women Roll of Honor by the Town of North Hempstead in March 2010
Jonai Singh By Robert Golomb ife in America was to become full of surprises and challenges for Jonai Singh, who in 1992 left the comforts and security of her middle class life in Calcutta, India to move to New York for what she candidly admits was for solely one reason—love. Tito, her boyfriend in India, had left two years earlier to enroll at St. John University in Queens, NY, and Jonai, who had just recently graduated from the prestigious St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta, decided to follow him to NY. It did not take long for the couple to begin living the American dream. After Tito graduated from St. John’s, the new American immigrants married and quickly embarked on their careers – Tito in international media and Jonai in the fashion industry. With the birth of the couple’s first daughter, Disha, and their second daughter, Roshni, three years later, Jonai left her career to become a full time mother, moving in 1998 to Searingtown in Nassau County, where she began raising her two young daughters.
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At opening Day of MILAN Senior Program on May 22, 2009, Jonai Singh with Board Members of Herricks Indo US Community, TONH Supervisor Jon Kaiman, TONH Councilman Angelo Ferrara, Nassau County Legislator Judi Bosworth, Commissioner of Community Services Kimberly Corcoran Galante, and community leaders. It was a few years later when her children were in their early grades in the Herricks’ school system, that Jonai faced her first surprise and accompanying challenge. An active member of the PTA, she observed that many of the predominately South Asian immigrants seemed to be hesitant to become engaged with the activities in their children’s schools and
Jonai Singh with daughters Roshni and Disha, and husband, Tito.
also reluctant to become involved in the political issues affecting the quality of their children’s education - most significantly the hot button battle over the school budgets. “A reduced budget means a reduced quality of education for our children… this is a point that in the recent past had not been considered by many South Asian parents, who, ironically, had moved to Herricks for the quality of its schools”, Jonai explained to me in a recent interview. Elaborating on the complexities and importance of the school
budget, Jonai continued, “As expenditures are a vital issue to heavily taxed homeowners, the Herricks School District has justifiably contained costs… but it reaches a point where ‘containing costs’ simply results in negatively impacting upon the quality of education our schools provide… As the education oriented South Asian community became aware of the importance of the school budget process, they became active in the on-going battle to secure a budget that will enable Herricks to continue to provide its
MILAN Seniors dressed in Diwali spirits with Jonai Singh.
students with the highest quality education.” With the Herricks’ school budget voted upon in extremely close and highly contentious elections every May, this is a battle in which Jonai, who moved from parent activist to be elected to the positions of Co-President of the Searingtown PTA and CoPresident of Herricks Council of PTAs, continues to fight. As it turned out, this was not the only challenge that Jonai was destined to meet. Continued on page 25...
The "Young at Heart" engaged in dancing to Bollywood music
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Subcontinent
May 28-June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Major Iqbal' chief plotter of 26/11: Headley
Washington: The way David Headley describes him, Major Iqbal was a serving ISI officer, cold, calculating operational mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 terrorist attack who handled its logistical aspects, including forking out the money, choosing targets, and liaised with other shadowy ISI operatives and terrorist outfits. From the time US Department of Justice attorneys named the mysterious "Major Iqbal" in their indictment following Headley's disclosure during investigations that he was his principle ISI handler, investigators have struggled to get a fix on him. Who did Major Iqbal report to? Where is he now? What is his full and real identity? And most importantly, will Pakistan
David Headley told the court that “Major Iqbal” disclosed to him that a previously scheduled attack on Mumbai in September 2008 had to be abandoned after terrorists deployed for the purpose lost their moorings. identify and extradite him – or will
it hide him as it has done with
'Rana a mere pawn in Headley's hands' Chicago: Pakistan-born Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, accused of providing support to Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was a mere pawn in the hands of David Coleman Headley, his lawyers have suggested. Questioning star prosecution witness PakistaniAmerican Headley aka Daood Gilani, a self-confessed key plotter of the Mumbai attack, Rana's attorneys sought to paint their client as a good guy who was merely manipulated by a trusted friend. "He was your friend, but he didn't do what you were doing?" asked Rana's defence attorney Charles Swift, the third day of Rana's trial in a Chicago federal court. "Yes," answered Headley, who has pleaded guilty to scouting targets for the Mumbai attack to escape
This sketch shows Tahawwur Rana, foreground, during a hearing in Chicago. the death penalty. US-born Headley, who was raised by his Pakistani father in his native country, met Rana at a top military school in Pakistan and stayed in touch as adults. Headley described Rana as a top student who attended medical school and adhered to strict religious beliefs, including no drinking alcohol or dating. Headley said he, on the other hand, used and smuggled drugs and dated multiple women. When asked to describe him-
self as a student, he simply said, "Very bad". Headley told attorneys he had tried to persuade Rana to join LeT, but his one-time friend declined because he said he did n0t espouse the beliefs of the ultra-conservative group. Rana's attorneys also questioned Headley's claims that he met regularly and received money from one "Major Iqbal" from Pakistani spy agency InterServices Intelligence (ISI) and his LeT handler Sajid Mir.
Sena activist admits meeting Headley Mumbai: Shiv Sena activist and insisted that at one point Rajaram Rege, named by of time he began suspecting Pakistani-American David Headley. Headley, who has Coleman Headley as a contact, admitted to being one of the admitted meeting the terror planners of the Mumbai terror activist twice in 2008 but said attack, told Judge Harry D. he had no idea who the man Leinenweber in a Chicago was. court that he knew Rege, callDavid Headley, who scouted ing him a Shiv Sena public the Shiv Sena headquarters, tesrelations officer (PRO). tified that there was a plot Rege said he could not involving his handlers in remember the dates he met Pakistan's Inter-Services Headley. A professional comIntelligence (ISI) and the terror puter software and hardware Shiv Sena supremo Bal outfit LeT to assassinate Shiv engineer, Rege said he offered Thackeray. Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. his voluntary services in the Rege said he had not concealed his link- Shiv Sena's party headquarters in a bid to ages with Headley from Indian authorities resolve people's problems.
many wanted terrorists? In his testimony, Headley revealed that "Major Iqbal" was also known by the name "Chaudhery Khan." Exhibits presented by the prosecution showed Headley corresponded with him using a Yahoo ID. It was Khan aka "Major Iqbal" who recruited him, walked him through the Mumbai plot, and set him on his way with $ 25,000 to begin surveillance and identifying targets in Mumbai. Headley says "Major Iqbal" disclosed to him that a previously scheduled attack on Mumbai in September 2008 had to be abandoned after terrorists deployed for the purpose lost their moorings -and their boat. He also advised Headley to befriend influential
people "who live in military facilities" in India, and while he was thrilled with the advances the Pakistani-American made in infiltrating Shiv Sena, he was disappointed that Headley did not scout the Mumbai airport as a target. Headley also revealed that his principle ISI handler directed that the Jewish community center Chabad House be added to the list of targets because he believed it was being used as a front for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. Chillingly, his associate Sajid Mir, who is also believed to be ISI official, told Headley that they had no compunctions killing women at Chabad House because Israeli women served in their army on account of mandatory draft.
Headley visited N-plant in India Chicago: Pakistan American David Coleman Headley visited a nuclear power plant in India ahead of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, court documents revealed. The self-confessed key plotter of 26/11 terror strike, who is appearing as a key witness in the trial of his one-time friend Tahawwur Rana, again testified that he was trained in espionage by the Pakistani spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The prosecution's star witness in the terror trial, Headley also admitted that while he was training with Pakistan based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), he was still officially listed as an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. According to unsealed court documents, Headley aka Daood Gilani, visited a nuclear power plant in India in April 2008 at the direction of his ISI handler in Pakistan, Major Iqbal, who also gave him Indian currency notes for his operation in India. According to the 57 pages of documents, Headley returned to Mumbai in April 2008 and as instructed conducted surveillance of potential landing sites, and took boat rides around the Mumbai harbour, using the GPS and making videos. "Headley also performed surveillance of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) train station. Additionally, based on instructions from Major
David Coleman Headley. Iqbal, Headley visited a Headley traveled to Chicago nuclear power plant in India and stayed with Pakistan to conduct surveillance. born Canadian businessman "After completing these Rana. Headley told Rana surveillance activities, about about the surveillance Headley returned to Pakistan in Mumbai, his boat trips, as and met with Zaki, Sajid, well as the meetings with Abu Qahafa, and another Sajid, one of his LeT hanLashkar member," it said. dlers, and others regarding The nuclear plant was not the attackers' planned identified. ingress by sea and the recAbu Qahafa downloaded ommended landing points. the contents of the device Headley told Rana about and used Google Earth to LeT operation commander view images of the locations, Zaki's idea of having the it said adding that Headley attackers land in front of the recommended a landing Taj Mahal hotel. He also told point for the attackers near a Rana about Major Iqbal's small fisherman's bay on the request that Headley percoast of Mumbai. form surveillance in Delhi "As before, Headley also and as cover open an office reported to Major Iqbal of First World Immigration about what he had done, also service operated by Rana. providing to him copies of After visiting Chicago, videos that he had made. Headley returned to Pakistan Further, Headley related to and met several times with Major Iqbal the discussions Sajid and Abu Qahafa. Sajid that he had with Lashkar instructed Headley to return regarding the planning and to Mumbai again and preparation for the attacks," returned the GPS device to the documents said. Headley with a long list of In the summer of 2008, targets.
Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 28-June 3, 2011
Pak siege rattles army, raises questions Karachi: The Pakistani army, which was left red-faced after the US raid that killed Osama, had more embarrassment in store when Taliban militants attacking a naval aviation base in Karachi, fighting off commandos for 17 hours. It took about 100 commandos, rangers and marines to kill four militants and recapture the base. Two militants are believed to have escaped. The attack calls into question the military's ability to secure the country's borders and nuclear weapons. How did the militants get into one the country's most heavily guarded bases and hold off commandos and soldiers for so long? Some security officials said it must have been an inside job because of the obstacles to entering. The attackers probably traveled along a dirt lane running beside cinder block shacks at the rear of the base. In order to get in, they had to cross a long, thick sewage path, elude guards in towers, set up a ladder, scale a
It took about 100 commandos, rangers and marines to kill four militants and recapture the base. Two militants are believed to have escaped.
Fingerprint links Qaida man to US plots Washington: The FBI has a fingerprint and forensic evidence linking al-Qaida's top bomb maker in Yemen to a trio of explosive devices used in recent attacks on the US, tangible reminders that Osama bin Laden's death has not eliminated the threat from the group's most active and dangerous franchise. Investigators have pulled a fingerprint of Ibrahim al-Asiri off the bomb hidden in the underwear of a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, US counterterrorism officials said. Investigators also determined that the explosives used in that bomb are chemically identical to those hidden inside two printers that were shipped from Yemen last year. Al-Qaida's Yemen branch has become so wellknown in the US that some commentators speculated in the days after bin Laden's death that the radical US-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki would succeed him. But US officials say that's extremely
12-foot wall, and cut through barbed wire. The security official said the assailants were dressed in black with night-vision goggles and armed with Russian hand grenades, rocket launchers, assault rifles and suicide vests. They fired rocket-propelled grenades at aircraft. Within a short time, a rapid reaction force from the base tried to engage the raiders, but they retreated to a main building at the sprawling base where they would hole up for the rest of the siege. Who were these militants? The security official said the militants looked foreign, with fair complexions, perhaps Chechens or Uzbeks. Foreign militants tied to Al-Qaida's international network are known to train in Pakistan's unruly tribal areas. The militants' plan was direct: Kill, and be killed. Pakistan officials say the main operation to retake the base was over by 9.30 am, followed by a search and clear operation lasting until the afternoon. There was scattered gunfire throughout the day.
China rejects Pak's naval base request
Gwadar port in Pakistan. Ibrahim al-Asiri, the key Al-Qaida bomb expert. unlikely, given his US citizenship, his relative newcomer status, his 1997 arrest in San Diego on solicitation of prostitution.
Mullah Omar killed? Taliban says no killed, while he was Kabul: Taliban leader Mullah Omar has been on his way from Quetta to Waziristan, killed in Pakistan, an as claimed by the Afghan TV channel claimed. The Taliban Afghan intelligence agency and a section promptly denied this. of the media report"Mullah Omar was ed," Geo TV said. killed on way from According to the Quetta to North Waziristan," Xinhua US National Terrorism Centre, cited Afghanistan's Mullah Omar, TOLO television as Mullah Omar's the Taliban chief. Taliban regime in reporting. However, it did not provide details Afghanistan sheltered Osama bin on how he was killed and by whom. Laden and his Al Qaeda network in A security official too confirmed the the years prior to the September 11 killing, saying: "It is correct that attacks. Osama was gunned down on May 2 by US commandos in Mullah Omar has been killed." Mullah Omar was Afghanistan's Pakistan's Abbottabad city. Although Operation Enduring de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001. Soon after the news about Freedom launched post-9/11 Mullah Omar broke, the Pakistani removed the Taliban regime from Taliban said the reports were not power in Afghanistan, Mullah Omar true. "Tahreek-e-Taliban has strong- was at large. The US has a $10 milly denied that Mullah Omar was lion award on him
Pakistan Taliban claim Peshawar attack Miranshah: The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a police station in Peshawar that killed two people, saying it was to avenge Osama bin Laden's death. "We claim responsibility for the attack in Peshawar," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan was quoted as saying. "We will further step up these attacks to avenge Osama bin Laden's martyrdom," he said. Ehsan added: "These attacks will continue until the US drone strikes and ongoing Pakistani military operations are stopped in the tribal regions."
Beijing: Apparently jolted by the Taliban attack on Pakistan's naval base, China indicated it would not invest funds on creating another naval base in that country. Chinese foreign ministry said it had not seen any proposal to build a naval base in Pakistan. The statement amounts to a rejection of Pakistani defense minister Ahmad Mukhtar's claim that his government was pushing Beijing to build a naval base near the Gawdar port. "China and Pakistan are friendly neighbors. Regarding the specific China-Pakistan cooperative project that you raised, I have n o t h e a r d o f i t , " J i a n g Yu , Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said. This is a reject of Mukhtar's claim that China had "acceded to Pakistan's request to take over operations" of the Gwadar port. " H o w e v e r, w e s h a l l b e m o r e grateful to the Chinese if they agree to build naval base at Gwadar," the Pakistani defense minister said last Saturday. Jiang's statement is significant because it comes after the Taliban attack on a naval base in
Pakistan, and the four-day China tour by the country's prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. "It's my understanding that during the visit last week this issue was not touched upon," Jiang said. The Gwadar port was built in 2007 with Chinese assistance amounting to $200 million. Pakistan has since been asking Beijing to put more money for expanding the capabilities at the port. Pakistan's purpose is to show the United States that it has an alternative source of funding if Washington cuts off aid. The strategy has been punctured by the statement by the Chinese foreign ministry, which has rejected funding both for port expansion and the naval base. Jiang also indicated China's assistance program was mainly aimed at welfare of the people rather than military assistance. "For a long time China has done its utmost to provide help to Pakistan and we hope this can help improve the livelihood of the Pakistani people and promote economic and social development, and we will continue doing this," she said.
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International
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Volcanic ash disrupts European airspace Reykjavik: Just over a year after Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded thousands of flights across Europe another volcano, Grimsvotn, has erupted. Grimsvotn, Iceland’s most active volcano located at the heart of its biggest glacier Vatnajoekull, erupted this week, sending a plume of smoke and ash as high as 14 miles into the sky. Although Iceland’s meteorological office says the volcano is more powerful than last year’s blast, it’s effect on air travel is still not clear. Iceland has shut down its main airport and all Trans-Atlantic flights were being diverted away from Iceland. Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano have threatened air traffic in Scotland, Britain, France, Spain
The Grimsvotn volcano erupted on May 21, sending an ash cloud over 10 kilometers into the air. and other parts of Europe. Xinhua quoted Europe's air traffic control organization Eurocontrol as saying
Stranded passengers waiting for news at Glasgow Airport. that around 500 flights were canceled from the approximately 29,000 that were expected to fly
across Europe. Area of high ash concentration were over northern Britain, the
Brussels-based organization quoted the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in London as saying. Meanwhile, weather and aviation officials said on May 25 that the volcano has stopped belching ash. The Grimsvotn volcano is only blowing out steam and concerns over the impact on aviation from ash contamination are easing, they said. "There are indications that it's ceasing really. There's no plume detected since 0300 GMT and the last plume was around 0210 and since then there seems to be mainly steam coming from the crater," said Hrafn Gudmundsson, a meteorologist at the Icelandic met office.
Murder trial for Mubarak, sons Israel to be generous in Palestine has been blamed for a conCairo: Egypt's public deal: Netanyahu troversial deal to supply prosecutor has referred former president Hosni Mubarak to stand trial in a criminal court for his alleged role in the killing of anti-government protesters during the country's uprising. The charges included "intentional murder, attempted killing of some demonstrators ... misuse of influence and deliberately wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profits", the prosecutor said in a statement on May 24. The prosecutor also
Hosni Mubarak referred Mubarak's two sons, Ala'a and Gamal, and a close confidant, Hussien Salam, to stand trial in a criminal court as well. Salam, a businessman,
Israel with gas at lower than usual prices. He has fled the country. Reports say that there is a list of charges against the former president but the most severe charge includes the direct involvement in the killings of the protesters. The charges include allegations that the former president gave the ok for senior officers of the police force as well as the former interior minister to use force in trying to suppress the protesters.
Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 24 that Israel would be generous with the size of a Palestinian state, but would not return to the 1967 borders or divide the city of Jerusalem. "Israel will be generous on the size of the Palestinian state, but will be very firm on where we put the border with it. This is an important principle," he said in a landmark address to the US Congress. "We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, to be independent, to be prosperous." But he warned that Israel could not return to the "indefensible" borders which existed in 1967, as US President Barack Obama has insisted should be the basis for negotiations. "Any peace deal must take into account the dramatic demographic changes that have
Japan: Holes feared in N-reactors
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Tokyo: Two of the damaged reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan may be riddled with holes, according to the facility's owner. The holes may be as big as 7 to 10 centimeters ( 2.8- 3.9 inches), Tokyo
Electric Power Co. said in a 225-page document submitted to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. In the report, Tokyo Electric says the containment vessel of reactor No. 1 may have developed a hole as big as 3 centime-
ters in diameter 18 hours after the quake. Fifty hours after the quake, the hole may have widened to 7 centimeters, the report said. In reactor No. 2, the containment vessel may have developed a hole as wide as 10 centimeters 21 hours after
the quake. The nuclear plant has suffered cooling problems and radiation leaks since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The hydrogen explosion four days after the crisis began may have led to the formation of a second hole in reactor No. 2, as wide as 10 centimeters in diameter. "This report is not conclusive. No one has entered these areas and we cannot confirm this as fact," TEPCO said, adding that the report is making preliminary assumptions about what happened inside the reactors. A hole in the reactor's containment vessel means there is a high probability of the leakage of radioactive material into the reactor building.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the US Congress. occurred since 1967. The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and greater Tel Aviv. "And he further warned: "Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel."
Drought hits millions in China
The partially dried-up Honghu Lake in China's Hubei Province. Beijing: Nearly 10 million people in China's central Hubei province have been hit by a severe drought that dried up water sources and destroyed thousands of hectares of crops. A survey conducted by the provincial civil affairs department showed that some 9.8 million people were reeling under the drought, Xinhua reported. Hubei has received 50 percent less rainfall in the last 200 days as compared to the rainfall figures during the corresponding period.
The provincial government declared a state of emergency on May 23. About 26,000 hectares of crops have been already lost and an additional 88 million hectares are in danger due to lack of water, the government said. The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power project in Hubei, has been releasing water to mitigate the situation. The water levels in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze have risen recently, official figures show.
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India unveils $5 bn Africa package Addis Ababa: Rejecting any race with China, India has announced a massive $5 billion credit line for Africa for the next three years and unveiled a host of new institutions for training and capacity building, setting the stage for forging a "contemporary and modern" partnership with the resource-rich continent. Seeking to consolidate "a partnership that is unique, special and between equals," India and Africa backed each other's "rightful claim" for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and for their place in institutions of global economic governance. Striking a note of Afro-optimism, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Africa as "a major growth pole of the world" and sought "a new solidarity" with developing African countries for pushing the reform of global institutions, including the UN Security
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi during a bilateral meeting in Addis Ababa on May 23. Council for which India is a lead- Manmohan Singh told leaders of ing contender. 15 African countries representing "Africa possesses all the prereq- the continent at the opening session uisites to become a major growth of the two-day 2nd Africa-India pole of the world in the 21st centu- Forum Summit. Pointing out that India and Africa ry. We will work with Africa to enable it to realize its potential," are on "the right side of history,"
Probe into BlackBerry misguiding shareholders Toronto: A US law firm is probing whether BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) deliberately kept its shareholders in the dark about its problems in releasing new smart phones to replace its old devices. RIM shares tanked after the Waterloo-based Canadian wireless giant slashed quarterly outlook on sluggish sales of high-end devices, forcing market analysts to downgrade its stock. Though co-CEO Jim Balsillie called the revised outlook "hyper turbulence" in the smart phone market and unveiled BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 - the thinnest and most powerful smart phones ever - a week later, investors have not stopped dumping the RIM stock which is hovering around $42, the levels seen not since late
2006. Investors are jittery as new RIM devices will hit the market - where it is fast losing share to Apple and Google Android devices - until next year. The Atlanta firm Holzer Holzer & Fistel, LLC says it is investigating whether RIM misguided its shareholders about problems in replacing its aging handset line-up.
Manmohan Singh said: "We will offer $5 billion for the next three years under lines of credit to help achieve development goals in Africa." The announcement marks an increase of $1.6 billion in Indian lines of credit on the $5.4 billion announced by India at the first forum summit in New Delhi in 2008 for the period 2009-2014. India has already spent $2 billion on a slew of projects in Africa. Manmohan Singh also announced a host of initiatives designed to expand India's footprint in Africa that included $300 million for the development of a new Ethiopia-Djibouti railway line. With capacity building and human resource development being the core of India's developmentcentric engagement with Africa, Manmohan Singh announced the establishment of new institutions at a pan-African level. These include
an India-Africa Food Processing Cluster, an India-Africa Integrated Textiles Cluster, an India-Africa Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, an India-Africa University of Life and Earth Sciences and an India-Africa Institute for Rural Development. With India's trade touching $50 billion and a vast potential that remains to be tapped, Manmohan Singh suggested an India-Africa Business Council that will bring together chief executive officers of major corporations from both sides. The prime minister also offered to increase the access of African airlines to Indian cities to help expand business and people-topeople linkages. Backing African solutions for African problems, Manmohan Singh also pledged $2 million for the African Union Mission in Somalia.
Infosys in B1 visa misuse row Bangalore: The ongoing backlash in the US against India's $70-billion outsourcing industry gained further momentum when a district attorney in Texas asked Infosys to clarify on allegations of visa misuse by one of its employee Jack Palmer . The district attorney has launched an independent investigation on the use of B1 visas based on an ongoing case filed by Palmer in a district court in Alabama. Earlier this year, Palmer, who has been working with the company as a principal consultant since August 2008, filed a complaint saying Infosys was illegally sending employees on B1 visas to work full time in the US, though the visa was only meant for visitors who come for meetings, conferences and business negotiations. Infosys CFO V. Balakrishnan has said the company would co-operate with the district attorney's request and provide the needed documents. A spokeswoman for Infosys said in an email response that her company takes the legal compliance obligations very seriously. "As we have announced, on May 23, 2011, we received a subpoena from a grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The subpoena requires us to provide information to the
grand jury regarding our sponsorships for, and uses of B1 business visas. We intend to comply with the subpoena and to cooperate with the grand jury's investigation," she said. The US is the biggest market for Infosys from where it draws over 60 percent of its revenues. Infosys has 15,000 employees in the US and is growing this number rapidly. The use of visas by Indian IT firms has been a controversial issue and the US government last year doubled the fee of H1B visas, used to send temporary workers to the US.
Indian consumers most optimistic: Survey Mumbai: India's consumer confidence has remained consistent over the last five quarters, despite high inflation and rising fuel prices. The country has topped the global consumer confidence level for the fifth straight quarter, according to a global online survey by The Nielsen Company. Justin Sargent, managing director (consumer), Nielsen India, said that India's consumer confidence was driven by strong economic growth and an optimistic job market. Nielsen conducted its global survey through an online poll of 28,000 people from 51 countries, out of which 500 people were from India.
According to the survey, Indian consumers continue to remain the most optimistic globally, but their confidence levels have not risen from the last quarter of 2010 and remains at 131 index points. Saudi Arabia jumps up eight notches to come in at second place and Indonesia holds third spot. Seven out of the top ten optimistic countries hailed from Asia Pacific, while European markets dominated nine out of the top ten most pessimistic nations. Indians were more concerned about rising food prices than job security, employment prospects or the state of their finances in the first quarter of the 2011 calendar year. However, when it
According to a Nielsen survey, Indian consumers continue to remain the most optimistic globally, but their confidence levels have not risen from the last quarter of 2010.
comes to job prospects in the next twelve months, Indians continue to be the most optimistic globally. Indians have maintained their optimism about employment opportunities at 91%, followed by Singapore (76%) and Saudi Arabia (74%) which rank number two and three respectively as nations most optimistic about their job prospects in the next twelve months. Indians list savings as a top priority with 65% Indians intending to save spare cash after meeting their essential living expenses. India ranks fourth globally for a country that puts its spare cash into savings, behind Singapore (73%), Indonesia (72%), and Hong Kong (66%).
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Dhoni's men first to enter IPL final MUMBAI: MS Dhoni’s side, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending IPL champions, thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a nail-biting match on May 24 to win by six wickets and two balls to spare and entered the final to be played in Chennai on May 28. Chasing 176, they seemed down and out, but Suresh Raina 73 not out (50 balls, 4x4, 6x6), the ultimate warrior and limited-overs finisher, played a great T20 knock and Albie Morkel 28 runs (10 balls, 1x4, 3x6) showed why he is so highly rated by his franchise to finish things off. It all seemed very uphill for CSK after Zaheer Khan had got Mike Hussey out for a duck and S Aravind dismissed Murali Vijay cheaply. Zaheer bowled a miserly first spell (3-0-11-1), but sadly, like the World Cup final, it was his second spell that turned out to be the spoiler as Raina carted him for two
sixes off the 17th over and Dhoni struck another maximum to start the turnaround. The southpaw then trained his guns on S Aravind as he belted the left-armer for three more sixes in the 19th over that went for 21.
Earlier, Abhimanyu Mithun too went for 23 runs in one over. With 12 needed off the last over from Vettori, Morkel hit a four, two and six off the RCB skipper to break Bangalore's hearts in a match worthy of a final.
Warne announces IPL retirement
Suresh Raina plays a shot during the first qualifier match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mumbai on May 24.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Chennai & Bangalore ! Royals captain We need your help !!!!", Shane Warne has Warne wrote on the social networking site said that the ongoTwitter. He confirmed ing season of the IPL will be his last that this meant he one as a player. He would not play any is likely to be more professional cricket matches after associated with this IPL. "A big thank Rajasthan as a coach or advisor in you to everyone that the future. has helped me - sup"Yes this is my ported me through all Shane Warne. last year playing the ups and downs IPL — please come down and hope you have enjoyed watching support RR last 2 home games v me play," he added.
IPL considering CLT20 qualifying stage French Open: Somdev crashes out New Delhi: The IPL governing council is considering holding an additional qualifying stage for the 2011 Champions League T20 a few days before the main event, which would give a fourth IPL team a chance to play in it. "Fourth team may have the opportunity to play CLT20," Sundar Raman, the IPL chief executive, tweeted on May 22. "But they need to play a qualifier tournament a few days before CLT20 with 3 other teams." According to Raman's twitter feed, the tournament proper is scheduled to be held from September 23 to October 9 in India. The qualifying event - if it gets the green light - will have to be shoe-horned into the tightly packed international schedule, in the week following India's tour of England, that ends on September 16. When contacted, Raman did not confirm or deny there were plans for a qualifying tournament, saying in an email, "We will inform the
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings have already qualified for the 2011 Champions League. media on the developments around CLT20 soon", but a member of the Champions League governing council said that the tournament would be formally confirmed at the end of the governing council meeting in Chennai on May 29.
Paris: The red clay of Roland Garros is not one of Somdev Devvarman's favored surfaces. It proved to be true as he crashed out in the first round of the French Open, losing in straight sets to Croat Ivan Ljubicic in a little over two hours on May 24. To play the bigserving Ljubicic is never easy. To counter his explosive serves, one's own must be up to the mark. That's what let the 26-year-old Indian down. Going by statistics, Somdev could only manage to get 47 percent of his second serves as compared to the Croat's 70 percent. The 2006 semifinalist also served six more aces than Somdev's four. Somdev could only look on helplessly as Ljubicic beat him 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at his own style of play. The world No. 37's baseline game was far superior than Somdev's as he hit 40 winners
Somdev Devvarman. compared to his opponent's 23. Last year, Somdev had lost in the first round in Paris and has never gone beyond the second round in a Grand Slam.
IPL struggles to maintain explosive growth New Delhi: The Indian Premier League has been as noisy and flamboyant as ever, but some experts believe it has suffered a poor year caused by its ballooning format and cricket overkill following the World Cup. The event has revolutionised cricket since it burst onto the scene in 2008 with a heady mixture of international stars, swashbuckling Twenty20 action and Bollywood glamour tapping India’s immense market for the sport. But there were signs this year that its novelty factor may be wearing thin with falling spectator and television audience figures causing concern. According to the latest study by UK-based consultancy Brand Finance, the IPL’s brand value has dropped by 11 per cent since last year. Currently, the IPL is valued at $3.67 billion, against last year’s
The IPL has also encountered problems since the 2010 edition with the sacking of its founder and supremo Lalit Modi, who personified the event’s brash and extrovert nature. $4.13 billion. agency. Television viewing numbers Much of the blame has been put were down 22 per cent for the first on “cricket fatigue” after India won 26 games across six key markets, the six-week World Cup at home, according to TAM Media triggering wild celebrations across Research, India’s leading ratings the country.
Others have pointed to superstar players, such as Yuvraj Singh, disappointing loyal fans by switching between sides that have been trying to build up a passionate following from scratch. Official figures have not been released but many stadiums were not sold out for games, despite being scheduled in the evening. The addition of two new sides to the competition also attracted criticism that the event was becoming bloated and out of control. “There’s an overkill of cricket,” said Bunty Sajdeh, chief executive of Cornerstone, a Mumbai-based sports management company. “For any Indian fan, winning the World Cup was the pinnacle. Anything after that is of little value. Other than that, the changes in team’s composition have been a major factor. “Fans find it difficult to accept a
new player in their local team who has played for the rival team in the past few seasons.” The IPL has also encountered problems since the 2010 edition with the sacking of its founder and supremo Lalit Modi, who personified the event’s brash and extrovert nature. Siddharth Mallya, co-owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise, compared the IPL without Modi – who faces criminal charges on corruption allegations – to “sugarfree candyfloss”. “It looks the same, tastes the same but you know something is missing,” he told reporters in Mumbai on Monday adding that “Modi had a vision.” The wealthy Indian cricket board, owners of the IPL, did their best to keep fans happy with the usual razmatazz of cheerleaders, thumping music and designer-clad Bollywood actresses in the stands.
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May 28-June 3, 2011
Urinary tract infection he kidneys, urinary bladder, ureters (tube connecting kidneys to the bladder) and the urethra (tube draining the bladder) constitute the urinary tract. Bacterial Infection occurring in any part of the urinary tract is called urinary tract infection or briefly UTI. Bacteria are not normally found in the urinary tract. When introduced in the bladder or kidney will cause urinary tract infection. Commonly it remains limited to the bladder causing cystitis, but when it involves the kidney it is more serious and called pyelonephritis. Both are treated with antibiotics but simple steps can be taken to prevent it altogether. Common bacteria causing UTI are E coli found in your large intestine and stools. Common symptoms of UTI are: * frequent urination * burning urination * fever * back or flank pain * blood in the urine or cloudy urine. * urge to pass urine but unable to do so. * Foul or strong smelling urine.
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Risk factors for infection include: A. Female gender - Women are more prone to UTIs than men due to the anatomy of the female urinary tract, in which the urethra (the external opening of the urinary tract) is closer to the anus and bac-
teria have a shorter distance to travel. Also women lack the defense of prostatic secretions which is bacteriostatic (i.e. inhibits bacterial growth). Pregnant women are also at risk since the pregnant uterus may press on the bladder and make complete emptying of the bladder impossible leading to stagnation of urine and infection. Post menopausal woman lack estrogen which makes the urinary tract vulnerable to infections B. Sexual Activity/intercourse- Sexually active women have a higher incidence of UTI. 7590% of bladder infections in young women are related to sexual activity. The term “honeymoon cystitis” describes frequent UTIs during early marriage. Use of spermicide increases the risk of UTI in women. C. Presence of urinary catheters - Placement of urinary catheters frequently seen in hospitalized patients or patients with strokes who are unable to control their bladders also predispose to UTI. D. Diseases such as diabetes suppress the immune system (the body’s disease fighting system) of an individual and predispose to infections. E. Structural abnormalities In the elderly, male and female have equal incidence of UTI since elderly men have usually enlarged prostate which leads to incomplete emptying of the bladder. The resid-
ual urine in the bladder then acts as a good medium for bacteria to grow in. Hence obstruction, be it kidney stones or enlarged prostate or other structural abnormalities like vesicouretral reflux seen especially in children predispose to UTIs UTI are usually easily treated with antibiotics without residual complications. But if left undiagnosed or untreated can lead to kidney damage which may be permanent. To reduce your risk of urinary tract infection drink plenty of liquids, especially water. This helps flushing bacteria from the urinary tract before it can cause infection. After using the toilet wipe from front to back. This prevents bacteria from the anal region to spread to the urethral opening. Women should empty their bladder soon after intercourse and avoid use of irritants such as douches, spermicidal creams and other products which can irritate the urethra. Diagnosis is usually made by history of symptoms, physical examination, analysis of the urine and a urine culture which helps identify the bacteria causing the infection and the antibiotics it is most susceptible too. The latter though is done for more severe, chronic infections. On occasion if the patient has recurrent infections or an obstruction is suspected one may need to image the urinary tract either with a sonogram ,CT scan or a pyelogram
which involves injecting dye into the urinary tract and taking pictures to visualize potential blockage or abnormalities. If these tests are inconclusive one may need to have direct visualization of the urinary tract with a procedure called cystoscopy. UTI is treated with antibiotics. The course of antibiotics may vary depending on severity of disease. If uncomplicated it maybe as short as 3 days. Treatment will be longer for resistant and frequently recurring
infections. Patients who are sicker or have pyelonephritis may need hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. Take the antibiotics for the duration prescribed. Do not stop antibiotics as soon as you start feeling better. Call or see your doctor immediately if you have an infection and are pregnant, older than 65 years of age, have diabetes, kidney disease, have a weak immune system, or have fever, nausea/vomiting or back pain.
The author of this article, Dr. Moyna Kapoor, M.D. is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine for Internal Medicine and Nephrology. She has offices in Brooklyn and holds consulting privileges in various hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens.
Atlantic Dialysis Management Services, LLC (ADMS) provides new dialysis site development, day to day administration and management of dialysis services and related business development activities. Its business strategy is to produce economies of scale and maximize individual site results through consolidated activities. Central to the ADMS approach is the long term control of clinical services by nephrologists. In 2010, ADMS affiliates provided over 225,000 dialysis treatments to over 2,500 patients in New York City and Long Island.
Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is only for educational purposes. Please consult your personal physician for specific advice on these and any other health related matters.
Jonai Singh: Helping the young and the young at heart Continued from page 18 Believing that “our schools must provide students with a commitment to help others… for the young to reach out to senior citizens” she partnered with the town of North Hempstead’s Commissioner of Community Services, Kimberly Corcoran, to start a school/community outreach program, in which middle school classes perform musical and theatrical shows to non-ethnically affiliated, heterogeneously comprised senior citizen groups throughout Herricks. It was just as this program, which has received accolades from involved parents, senior citizens, students
and educators, was expanding that Jonai was presented with another challenge. Realizing that the demographics of Herrick’s had changed with the influx of young, commonly two working parent immigrant Asian families, who were often accompanied by their senior citizen parents and grandparents, Jonai observed that many of these seniors, particularly the widows and widowers, appeared to be living lives of isolation.“It was common to see these seniors engaged in daily walks, alone or in small groups, but they were rarely seen attending the many programs offered by the non-ethnically affiliated senior citizen programs whose good work I had come to know first hand through my role with the [middle school talent] outreach program”, Jonai explained to me. To her, the reason behind this isolation was simple. “These seniors stayed in the comfort zone of their own homes and refrained from interacting with other seniors because of linguistic and cultural barriers.’’ Seemingly indefatigable, Jonai, in addition to her work in the Herricks’ education system, served as the president of Herricks Indo US Community
(HIUS), a local organization formed in 2002 to assist Indian Americans. It was in this role that she began designing a proposal for a program calling for HIUS to form a partnership with the Town of North Hempstead’s (TONH) South Asian seniors to help address this isolation. Assisted by TONH Supervisor Jon Kaiman, who had helped start several successful senior citizen service programs in North Hempstead, Jonai completed the proposal, arranged to have several members of the HIUS board privately fund it, and ultimately won the approval of HIUS’ executive board to begin a six week trial program. The rest, as it is said, is history. Launched just two years ago in May 2009, the program was appropriately coined MILAN, the Indian word for “togetherness”. Still run by HIUS under the directorship of Doctor Nilesh Soni, MILAN, which started in its trial period with 30 seniors, has grown to have an attendance of more than a hundred primarily South Asian seniors, who meet in the community center of Clinton G Martin Park in New Hyde Park every Friday morning.
One Friday morning I met Jonai at the center. It must have been the look of awe-inspired incredulousness on my face as I watched in the center’s main hall almost 50 seniors majestically group dancing to Indian music in perfect rhythmic sync that caused her to say to me, “You look surprised. You shouldn’t be. Don’t let the age of these seniors fool you. They all might not be young in years, but they are all young at heart.” (I learned from Jonai that morning that these young-atheart senior citizens were her inspiration for her involvement in another related project: In December 2009 she formed the RAYS Foundation for Seniors, an organization that provides assistance for existing senior citizen groups of all ethnic origins and provides help for groups who want to start new ones.) I also spoke to several seniors that morning. They included the center ’s president, Nandlal Jethani; secretary, Suresh Mengharajani; the yoga teacher, Radha Vardhan; and the teacher of the pledge of allegiance, Prahba Chandra. I also spoke with members Sarvant Singh Sahota, Kesh
Berry, Rajinder Kaur and (both retired) Doctor Mahendra Shah and his wife Doctor Lila Shah. All of them said, in one way or another, that MILAN had made a great contribution to the quality of their lives. Most memorable was the comment made by Kesh Berry, the 65 year old widow who said, “Coming here makes me dress up, which I have always loved to do. I can’t wait for Friday to come to get here… because there is so much love, joy and happiness in this center that you can just about feel it.” Love, joy and happiness are words whose meanings should be easily understood by a certain Indian American immigrant who has dedicated so much of her own time, energy and love to help improve the lives of the young and the young at heart. Robert Golomb is an adjunct professor of graduate writing, education and school administration. He has served 20 years as an assistant principal and 10 years as an English teacher in New York City middle schools. He writes on a range of educational, political and cultural topics. He can be contacted at email: MrBob347@aol.com.
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Lifestyle
May 28 - June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
From royal past, itr makes fragrant comeback
New Delhi: Legend has it that Mughal emperor Akbar had 100 bottles of 'itr'. Jasmine, rose, kewda or mogra...the many splendored potion of the past, once edged out by international perfume brands, is unleashing its heady scents in India once again. Tagged as the purest non-alcoholic natural fragrance, itr is made with flowers and takes five to seven years to reach maturity. Packed into tiny colorful glass bottles, itr like wine gets better with time, says its growing tribe of aficionados. Deep Gupta, whose family has been in the business of making itr for the last 30 years, participated in The Itra & Sugandhi Mela organised by Delhi Tourism at Dilli Haat in
the capital. He says the first-of-its-kind fair attracted buyers from both India and abroad. Aaruti Kongo from West Bengal said the fair provided an ideal platform to take the business forward. 'Business-wise those three days were excellent. We sold itr worth Rs.4,000 per day and the profit was of 40 to 50 percent. People were curious to know about the making process and after-effects and we were there to guide them. There were about 40 stalls with opportunities for both trade and retail business,' she said. The most sought-after itrs were the Avadhi Scent Of Romance, the Fragrance of Lucknawi Petals and Part of the Mughlai
Computer games may be turning your child obese London: With a lot of teenagers taking to computer games literally as addiction, scientists claim these games are actually making the young ones hungry and prone to obesity. The games stimulate youngsters' appetites encouraging them to raid the fridge and cupboards for snacks, say scientists. Researchers have found that teenage boys consumed an extra 80 calories after playing computer games for an hour compared to those who did not, the Daily Mail reported Saturday. Experts believe this may explain why children who spend hours on games are often obese - it's not just because they don't exercise. Researchers, studying a group of 17-year-old boys who rested for one hour and played computer games for another hour the follow-
Study says games stimulate youngsters’ appetites ing day, collected blood samples every 10 minutes during each hour. They also measured how many calories they were burning off by asking them to breath into a
PETA hails Backstreet Boys for turning vegetarian London: PETA, the animal rights activist group, is impressed with the Backstreet Boys band for giving up meat. Nick Carter recently revealed he and his bandmates have adopted vegetarian diets in an effort to be in top shape for their summer tour 'As the Backstreet Boys make the switch to a vegetarian diet, they are sure to experience some of the many health benefits associat-
ed with it, including an increase in energy, but that's just the tip of the iceberg,' contactmusic.com quoted a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) spokesperson as saying. 'The boys join a growing number of public figures, from Carrie Underwood and Russell Brand to Bill Clinton and Natalie Portman, who have decided to think before they eat and turn away from meat,' the spokesperson added.
machine meant to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Once the hour of rest and hour of playing computer games was up, the teenagers were offered a plate of spaghetti. The Canadian and Danish researchers, who conducted the study, found that the boys burnt off just 21 extra calories during the hour they played computer games compared to resting. But they ate an extra 80 calories later - nearly 60 more than they would have burnt off. It meant that if a teenager played computer games for three hours a day, he would eat 180 more calories than needed, and over time would put on weight. The World Health Organization has named computer games as the single biggest cause of childhood obesity
Perfume. One has to shell out Rs.450 for 10 grams packed in exotic bottles. Until the 1960s, its making was restricted to a few family-run perfumeries. But with the government promoting it, many distilleries took the plunge. It is said that during ancient times, a princess' toiletry would be incomplete without itr. It was also a customary practice among the royals to offer itr to their guests while saying goodbye. Mirza Ghalib and Mughal emperor Akbar used to have 100 bottles of itr. Queen Noor Jehan too was known to use it.
First of its kind Itr fair in Delhi found buyers from India and abroad
An average couple bickers 2,455 times a year London: Ever wondered how many rows does an average British couple have? Well, a survey says couples bicker 2,455 times a year. The Sun cited the survey as saying that single biggest reason for an argument is not listening to what the other person is saying. This leads to around 112 rows a year. There are other reasons too. Getting annoyed over spending leads to 109 disputes and money in general causes further 108 arguments. Snoring provoked 102 rows while 80 verbal altercations were about a partner walking mud into the home, the media report said. There is more. Reasons not to be ignored are driving too fast and what to watch on television. They cause arguments more than once a week. Sex, either lack of it or the tim-
Rachel McAdams flaunts Indian jewels at Cannes New Delhi: Hollywood actress Rachel McAdams wore a Victorian rose cut diamond bracelet designed by Indian jewellery makers Amrapali on day two of the 64th Cannes International Film Festival. The Canadian actress teamed the bracelet worth $40,000 with a sequined golden corset and highwaist golden trousers for the premiere of 'Sleeping Beauty'. This was, however, not the first
time a Hollywood actress has sported jewellery made by Jaipurbased Amrapali. In the past, actresses like Megan Fox, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz too have adorned Amrapali jewels. Hollywood actress Rachel McAdams wearing Amrapali's bracelet worth $40,000 on Canne's red carpet
ing, leads to 88 conflicts a year. There are 69 arguments if one person has failed to say 'I love you' enough. The survey was of 3,000 people by esure home insurance. 'Bickering on a daily basis is all part of being in a normal, healthy relationship. The normal co-habiting couple will have to put up with each other's daily annoyances even if they can prove to be very irritating,' a spokesperson of the insurance firm was quoted as saying.
28
Humor
May 28-June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Humor with Melvin Durai
id you hear about the guy whose entire life seemed to be running on the quota system? To many outsiders, he appeared to be getting an easy ride through life, enjoying more than his rightful quota of happiness. His high school grades were nothing special –- he earned mostly ‘B’s –- but he somehow managed to convince his parents that ‘A’ stood for ‘Average’ and ‘B’ for ‘Brilliant.’ They rewarded him with a video game system, purchased with the bonus his father had received at the factory for exceeding the monthly production quota. His parents weren’t surprised when their “brilliant” son gained admission to one of the top universities in the country. It helped, of course, that he came from a disadvantaged community, one that was vastly under-represented at the university, making him eligible not just for a quota, but also a quota within a quota. And the university, as a result, was able to collect its annual quota of government grants. Soon after graduation, he got married and landed a job with a multinational company that prided itself
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The adventures of quota guy in having an original employment policy, hiring and promoting people based partly on their origins. Sometimes he performed his job well and his boss would say to the human resources director, “We need to promote him. He’s quite a guy.” Other times he did his job poorly and his boss would say to the human resources director, “We need to promote him. He’s quota guy.” About three years and two promotions later, he decided to move to America and received a job offer from a Boston firm called Gupta & Daughters Inc. But when he tried to apply for an H-1B visa, a lawyer gave him the bad news: the government’s annual quota for foreign workers had been filled. “Try again next year,” the lawyer said. “Just don’t wait until February.” Luckily a friend told him that immigrating to Canada was much easier. Thanks to his university degree, he had no trouble qualifying
under the federal quota for Englishspeaking skilled workers with no medical conditions. He and his wife arrived in the country bursting with optimism for a better life. But after months of submitting applications, he was unable to get a job in his field. To pay the rent, he reluctantly accepted a position at an electronics store, trying in vain to meet the weekly sales quota by convincing customers that buying a high-def TV without a Blu-ray player was like buying rice without dal. Still looking at employment ads, he spotted the perfect opening at a telecom company and quickly submitted an application by email. But he didn’t hear from the company and realized that his email account wasn’t working properly. “You need to delete some of your old emails and files,” the man at the Internet service company told him. “You’ve exceeded your disc quota.” Driving home from work the next day, he was pulled over by a police officer and slapped with a $150 speeding ticket. “But officer,” he complained, “I was only 5 km over the speed limit.” The officer just
shrugged and walked away, saying to himself, “Great. I finally made my quota.” His wife was sympathetic. She didn’t lecture him about the ticket, just patted him on the back. But
when he joined her in bed that night and began to kiss her passionately, she reached for her copy of Oprah magazine. “Sorry dear,” she said. “You already got your quota for the month.”
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
A phone that turns your palm into touchscreen L O N D O N : Researchers at Potsdam University in Germany have developed an 'imaginary phone' that lets you keep your phone in your pocket and use apps or answer calls by tapping your hand. Patrick Baudisch and his colleagues envision someone doing dishes when his smart phone rings. Instead of quickly drying his hands and fumbling to answer, the imaginary phone lets him simply slide a finger across his palm to answer it remotely. The concept relies on a depth-sensitive camera to detect where you are pressing on your palm. Software
interprets finger positions and movements and correlates it to the position of icons on a person's iPhone. The technology used is similar to that in Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing gaming system. The signal is sent to a computer that processes it and then sends the relevant command to your cellphone. To work effectively, however, you'd need to know precisely where the apps are on their physical phone and a technology that can sense where they are pressing on their hand so a computer can respond and send commands to your phone wherever it is, reports New Scientist.
Facebook, Twitter harm job prospects LONDON: Job hunters are being told to clean up their profiles or risk being overlooked for jobs by prospective employers - because the companies are watching, reports News . "Sites such as Facebook are being used increasingly by companies to screen candidates," said Marcus Sandmann, Michael Page's head of marketing for Asia Pacific. "Social media is all about an online public forum. What you put online stays online, and it opens you up to extra scrutiny. People looking for roles need to be mindful of that," he said. Scanning Facebook is not yet built into Michael Page's official recruitment process, but the company's 'more savvy consultants' always examine social networking profiles.
This is to better understand candidates and unearth any 'peculiar behavior.' Michael Page also uses professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to cross-reference candidate’s employment history and other details. "It is not just Facebook. We crossreference details on candidate’s LinkedIn profiles to make sure it matches up," said Sandmann. Another recruiter, Hays, found that almost half of all jobseekers thought social networking profiles should not be used to vet applications. "Most jobseekers believe their personal life is personal and their social-media profile should not be used as part of the decisionmaking process," said Hays regional director Peter Noblet.
"But it is in the public domain and, as a candidate, you don't have much control over whether it is used or not. It can no longer be argued that Facebook is purely social and LinkedIn is business. The lines have been blurred and companies are looking at those profiles more and more in the same way they Google candidates’ names to see what's out there," he added. Twitter, video-sharing sites such as YouTube and online forums or blogs are also being used to gather information about prospective employees. "We can no longer keep digging in the same hole to find talent. Social media is going to have a much greater influence on recruiting," said Rick Khinda, Adecco head of marketing.
Astrology TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 28-June 3, 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: May 28-June 3, 2011 Aries: This is a great week for working women. You will have the energy to achieve just about anything you set your mind to. Your concentration will be good and others will give you the respect you deserve. A mixture of romance, pleasure and entertainment is stored for you for the next few days. Income is likely to improve, but there will be a rise in expenses as well. Property matters will take final shape. Be extra cautious of colleagues who might try to distract you from your long-term goals. Taurus: When dealing with stubborn individuals, try to stay emotionally calm and avoid arguments. You will probably find that despite your best efforts, it is very difficult to change people who possess rigid and orthodox views. Take care of important tasks and correspondence that have piled up on your desk. This is also an excellent time for professional advancements, promotions and recognition. In the second half of the week you will build up new associations and contacts which will be long lasting and highly fruitful. A short pleasure jaunt towards the weekend cannot be ruled out. Gemini: This week your dominating attitude will cause uneasy moments with partners and colleagues. Difference of opinions will cause arguments and your opinion will face severe criticism. Flexibility, negotiation and compromise are the keys to maintain peaceful and harmonious atmosphere around you. Romance will be in the air, so make the best of it and avoid raising any issues that could start unwanted arguments. Your health might suffer if you don’t take care of yourself. Cancer : This week you will become very restless. You will be very hungry for something new and exciting, which is also challenging and will keep you entertained. You can look for some out door games, which will keep you in cheerful mood and also help you keep in perfect shape. It will be a rather slow week, but you should not neglect your responsibilities. Your interest in religious activities will bring you close to a spiritual person. Do not overspend on luxuries and entertainment. Leo: This week you will find special joy in creative activities. You will enjoy interacting with people who share your views and thoughts. You will be in a position to teach them what you know. Your ability to communicate effectively will help you enhance your reputation and make an invincible mark for yourself. Finances improve in the middle of the week as you benefit from past investments. However, your health will need some attention, especially if suffering from some serious ailment. Your interest in new cultures will lead you to different forms of entertainment. Virgo: This week housewives should look into ways to make extra money while staying at home. They can take classes of cooking, stitching, painting or even helping students with their schoolwork. Relationship with someone close to you might get strained over petty issues. You need to complete pending jobs before you start with new ones. Your unfinished workload will only lead to embarrassment. Middle of the week will be highly crucial for those unemployed, as they will receive a good offer. Libra: This week people will listen very attentively to what you have to say, so make the best of it. Your intelligence will make you shine.
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You will be able to impress others with your knowledge and your ability to handle complicated issues. Unexpected gains or losses are foreseen therefore investment needs to be done with extreme care. The end of the week sees you over occupied with social gathering and family functions. Children will need careful handling and proper guidance. Scorpio: This week you will have ample energy and will participate in competitive activities that interest you. Your creative talents and your ability to lead others will come in handy. However you need to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, putting your hands in many jobs will get you no where. Expensive household purchases are likely to be made towards the end of the week. Sudden romantic developments with a stranger will brighten up your days ahead. Sagittarius: People will take care of you and you will eagerly return their favours. You will share your belongings with your close friends and family members. A wonderful idea if given prompt response will yield immediate gains. Budding romance for those unattached will bring new excitement and cheerfulness in their lives. Health will be perfect, but you certainly need to take precautions in the changing weather. Capricorn: This week get ready to do some travelling. You need to associate with people who will show you new directions and goals. Although your financial position will improve in the next few days, the outflow of money will still create hindrance in executing your new plans and projects. Taking opinion from people who have experience and knowledge will be important. Health will be normal despite a busy and hectic week. A trip abroad is on the cards for some of you. Aquarius: Your erratic behaviour will frighten your loved ones. Even some of your closest friends will get annoyed after seeing you behaving this way. Get involved in activities that will help you build contacts with people who share similar interest. Selective speculation in real estate and stocks will be highly rewarding. Good week for students and professionals as they witness steady progress in their respective fields. Auspicious events and marriage proposals for some. Pisces: This week your energy is focussed on solving new issues. You will have a crystal clear sense of what needs to be done and what’s best for you. You will even use your recreation time in planning and preparing your next move. Home front will be peaceful and pleasant, and family members extend their full support. Avoid disclosing your plans and associating too much with strangers. Your expenses will show an upward trend.
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 May: 28 You are dominated by the number 1 and the Sun. The planet Moon, also has a strong influence on you. Will power and determination are striking traits of your nature. You will go all out to achieve, what you want to. The coming year, will bring prosperity in whatever projects you undertake. You will be able to complete these with full sincerity and dedication. You will spend a lot of your time, doing charity for the under privileged and the handicap, in the coming year. This will give you ultimate satisfaction. You are unable to express your emotions, and keep your feelings to yourself. Sometimes, this results in people misjudging you for being cold and reserved. Try to mingle more freely with your friends. You are also advised , to be careful with money matters. The months of June, August, February and April will be highly significant. May: 29 You are dominated by the planet Moon. You are also governed by the number 2. You are intelligent and are blessed with an aptitude for business. Your ability to think deeply and then take any action, will be an asset for you in the coming year. You will be blessed with good fortune and good money, in the year ahead of you. But, you will have to control your moody nature. You have to make the best of your courageous nature, which will allow you to overcome any obstacle that may come your way. But try not to take matters to the extreme. You must keep a balance in life and not get carried away by your emotions. The months of August, November and April will be highly significant. May: 30 You are governed by the number 3 and by the planet Jupiter. You are also influenced by the Moon. Your vivid imagination and a huge creative sense which makes most of you successful as a writer, actor or a musician. Those of you in the teaching and the writing line, could expect to see success, in whatever project you undertake, in the coming year. You will travel to distant lands in the year ahead of you. Travel to places of pilgrimage, is also not ruled out. Financially, it will be a good year, for most of you. Some of you can expect to inherit property from your ancestors. You will be full of energy and enthusiasm in your work and you will have the capacity to overcome any obstacle that may come your way. But sometimes, you tend to get restless and impatient. The months of July, December and March will be highly significant. May: 31 You are governed by the number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are also influenced by the Moon. Realistic and with a very practical approach to life, most of you are successful in your professional front. The coming year, will see you achieve newer heights of excellence, in whatever new project that you undertake. Sometimes you tend to get arrogant about your success. You will have to control this nature, otherwise your friends and relatives will misunderstand you. You will spend a lot of time doing charity work for the under privileged and the handicapped. The coming year, will be financially good for most of you. And with your will power and practical attitude, you will be able to make the most of the opportunities which come your way. You will travel far and near, both professionally and for pleasure, in the year ahead of you. The months of
June, August and May will be highly eventful. June 01: Governed by number 1, and the Sun, you are assertive, authoritative, dignified, determined and dashing person. You have lot of in built talents and you can easily impress others with your dedication and hard work, but you need to control your tendency to dominate and overspend. Your coming year sees you gain from the improving economy. New ventures and plans would improve your financial status. Your investments will multiply and yield good profits. Matrimonial alliance for some towards the end of the year, while others would find romance to keep them going. Children would win laurels and make you feel proud. Swimmers and athletes would scale new heights in their professional career. Pending legal matters would end satisfactorily, giving you mental relief. Chronic patients would need to take extra care of their health. Meditation and yoga would help immensely. July, November and February will prove highly significant. June 02: Influenced by number 2 and the Moon. You are active, smart, energetic, responsible, systematic and a friendly person. You are never satisfied until you achieve your dreams. You can really do wonders with the given opportunities but you need to check your tendency to behave stubborn and fickle-minded at times. New sources of income will improve your financial position. New contracts will be highly beneficial. Frequent and fruitful journeys will be undertaken bringing you desired results. A property transaction or acquiring a new vehicle during this period seems likely. Visit to a religious place or blessings from a spiritual person will be high on your agenda. Your outgoing nature will work to your advantage as you gain favors and benefits from important people. The months of October, November and March will bring prosperity. June 03: Governed by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You are a practical, energetic, business minded, brilliant and an optimistic person. You’re co-operative and helpful and enjoy great respect in your friend’s circle, but you need to check your tendency to behave jealous and stubborn at times. This year you are advised not to trust others on important issues. Sharing personal and secretive information will not be in your interest. The atmosphere at office will require you to handle important jobs with more responsibility. A sudden influence of a spiritual person will bring remarkable change in your life. Your spouse and family members will be supportive to your concerns and provide you with love and affection. Distant journeys, maybe overseas for some will fetch favorable returns. The months of November, January and April will prove to be significant.
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Spiritual Awareness
May 28 - June 3, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info