The Indian Panorama

Month: December 2012

  • Real estate & housing finance cos allowed to raise $1bn from abroad

    Real estate & housing finance cos allowed to raise $1bn from abroad

    MUMBAI (TIP): The Reserve Bank of India has allowed real estate developers and housing finance companies to raise funds overseas for low-cost housing projects. Developers and housing finance companies will be permitted to borrow $1 billion in 2012-13 under the lowcost affordable housing scheme, RBI said in a notification on Monday.

    The regulator said it will review the borrowing limit every year. Developers with minimum five years of experience in residential projects and those who have not defaulted in any of their financial commitments to banks or any other agencies will be eligible to raise funds overseas.

    The project for which the builder is raising funds should not be involved in any litigation. RBI has also made it mandatory that the project should be in conformity with the provisions of master plan/ development plan of the area. “The layout should conform to the land use stipulated by the town and country planning department for housing projects,” RBI said. “All necessary clearances from various bodies including revenue department with respect to land usage/environment clearance, etc are available on record.” Housing finance companies that are registered with the National Housing Bank and have a minimum capital of Rs 50 crore are eligible to raise funds overseas, RBI said.

    Bad loans of such companies should not exceed 2.5% of the net advances and it should have minimum net owned funds of about Rs 300 crore for the past three years to borrow overseas.

  • Mahindra to buy US partner’s stakes in truck JVs

    Mahindra to buy US partner’s stakes in truck JVs

    MUMBAI (TIP): Utility and tractor manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has decided to buy the stake held by its US-based partner, Navistar International Corporation, in the truck and engine making joint ventures (JV) — Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd (MNAL) and Mahindra Navistar Engines Pvt Ltd (MNEPL) — for about Rs 175 crore. M&M will acquire the 49 per cent stake held in both the JVs by the Navistar Group and make them whollyowned subsidiaries.

    The JV for trucks was formed in 2005, while the JV for engines was formed in 2007. While neither of the companies explained the logic behind such a move, experts said that despite being in the market for over three years, the JVs did not witness the demand expected from them, forcing the US partner to reorganise its resources. The truck JV is yet to generate profits and M&M’s estimates of turning cash break-even this financial year remains bleak, due to the on-going slump in demand for heavy trucks in the domestic market.

    Following the stake buy, M&M would take complete ownership of operations and continue to sell MNEPL and MNAL products. The sale requires regulatory approvals in India, is subject to conclusion of definitive agreements, and is expected to be completed in early 2013, the Mumbai-based company said in a statement.

    The deal allows Navistar to continue sourcing components from India, while M&M would keep providing engineering services to Navistar. The US company would continue to support M&M through a licence agreement and extend necessary support to MNAL and MNEPL for the purpose of business continuity.

    As part of its ‘Drive to Deliver’ turnround plan launched in August, Navistar has been conducting an analysis of all of its businesses and programmes to determine their return on invested capital (ROIC) and identify areas for improvement. Based on this business environment, Navistar has determined that it needs to redirect its efforts to other initiatives that more quickly contribute to the company’s goal to improve its ROIC,” Navistar said in a release.

  • Foods That Help Burn Fat

    Foods That Help Burn Fat

    Forget fancy diets, the top flab busters can be found in your own kitchen. Metabolism is what converts food into energy. A slow rate means calories are more likely to be converted into fat. While exercise helps, and so does portion control, here are those foods that act as the the biggest metabolism boosters.

    Apples
    These are said to be nutrient-rich and contain enough fibre to keep the digestion healthy. A tip? Eating an apple just 20 minutes before your meal will make you eat lesser calories in your main meal.

    Turkey

    This is regarded as a good alternative to chicken as it is lower in calories and higher in proteins and nutrients. It’s said that 5 ounces of turkey contains just 175 calories and 10 grams of fat.

    Broccoli     Adding more broccoli to your diet can help you lose that weight as it is a lowcalorie food that can help you fill up quickly. A single cup of steamed broccoli gives you about twice the amount of vitamins C and K you need in a day. It also is a very good source of vitamins B6 and B2, phosphorus, magnesium, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

    Almonds
    Almonds can speed up metabolism like no other. They are also associated with with reducing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar.

    Peppers
    Bell peppers are great for weight loss.They can fill out any dish without adding the calories and have a small
    amount of fat burning capsaicin in them.

    Pulses
    Legumes or pulses like soya beans and kidney beans have key nutrients like iron, vitamins of B group and dietary fiber. Pulses help maintain regular bowel movement because the texture of the fibre helps it move through the digestive system quickly.

    Green tea
    Is another substance that can be added to diet that can increase the metabolic rate. Green tea has EGCG in its composition. This substance helps to increase the body and the rate that the nervous system functions. It in turn increases the metabolism.

  • New Space Suits For Advanced Cosmic Ventures

    New Space Suits For Advanced Cosmic Ventures

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nasa has developed a new gen-next spacesuit, for its advanced space ventures including the manned Mars mission, that can supply oxygen and protect the astronaut from extreme temperatures. The new space suit is called the “Z-1 Prototype Spacesuit and Portable Life Support System ( PLSS) 2.0”. Nasa’s current space suits, designed in 1992, were made for crews aboard the space shuttle fleet and those spending time at the International Space Station ( ISS). However, with the space shuttle fleet’s recent retirement and the country’s goals to go to Mars, an asteroid, and beyond, Nasa has recognized that it may be time to create more robust and technologically-equipped suits for astronauts. It is a rear-entry space suit that can do pretty much anything the actual spaceship does, from supplying oxygen , removing carbon dioxide , and protecting the astronaut from extreme heat or cold, the Daily Tech reported .

    The suit is made up of many hard elements on top of its fabric, and becomes flexible when inflated. There is a hatch and life support pack on the back of the suit, wheich allows the astronaut to attach to the spacecraft or a rover.

    It also has urethane-coated nylon and polyester layers to ‘maintain pressure’ and allows for greater flexibility in the limbs and torso. Astronauts get into the suit through a suitport, which is the combined hatch and life support pack. An airlock is not required to get in and out of the suit, meaning they can get in and out of the suit faster.

    This is because the suit operates at the same pressure as the spacecraft. The suit also packs a water membrane evaporation cooler that cools it through the same method as sweating instead of current techniques , which consists of a sublimator that only works in a hard vacuum.

  • Chew on this: Mealworms could be next best food

    Chew on this: Mealworms could be next best food

    LONDON (TIP): Edible insect protein from mealworms may prove to be a more sustainable alternative to foods like milk and chicken, according to researchers. Researchers compared the environmental impact of meat production on a Beetle larvae or mealworms farm to traditional animal farms using three parameters: Land usage, energy needs, and greenhouse gas emissions.

    They found mealworms produce more edible protein than traditional farms for chicken, pork, beef or milk, for the same amount of land used. Research led by Dennis Oonincx from the University of Wageningen, Netherlands, found that from the start of the process to the point that the meat left the farm, mealworms scored better than the other foods. Mealworm farms required less land and similar amounts of energy per unit of edible protein produced. Previous work by the team has already shown that mealworms themselves produce less greenhouse gases than other animals grown for meat. In this new study, the researchers elaborate on the sustainability of insect proteins as a food by showing that growing mealworms for animal protein requires less land and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions than chicken, pork, beef or milk.

  • Detected: 5 new planets close to Earth, 1 habitable

    Detected: 5 new planets close to Earth, 1 habitable

    MELBOURNE (TIP): Scientists using an intragalactic speed gun have detected five new planets, relatively close to Earth, and one of them is orbiting a star’s habitable zone, where conditions are suitable for life. It would take only 12 years to reach the planets when travelling at the speed of light. Scientists analysing about 6,000 measurements of the star Tau Ceti’s velocity, believe that slight inconsistencies in its speed and direction are being caused by the gravitational pull of other celestial bodies, The Australian reported. “We believe the star is going very slightly backwards and forwards and shows the evidence for doing that at five different periods,” said professor Chris Tinney of the University of New South Wales. “We think five different planets are going around that star tugging on it making it move backwards and forwards,” Tinney said.

    An international team of researchers from Australia, Chile, the UK and the US believe one of the five planets orbiting Tau Ceti is within the star’s habitable zone, where conditions are suitable for life. The planet in the habitable zone has a mass about five times that of Earth, making it the smallest known planet orbiting in the “Goldilocks” zone — where conditions are just right — of any Sun-like star.

    Experts closing in on dark matter?
    Scientists could be closing on to unravel the mystery behind the dark matter, who claim they may solve the puzzle soon by using exquisite techniques to tighten the constraints. A colloquium brought together over 100 cosmologists, particle physicists and observational astrophysicists in the hunt to determine what is dark matter.

  • Doomsday likely only after 4 billion years

    Doomsday likely only after 4 billion years

    BANGALORE (TIP): The human population on planet Earth is more than 7 billion years old. We share the planet with as many as 8.7 million different forms of life, according to what is being billed as the most accurate estimate yet of life on the planet. Earth was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface in the past 1 billion years. Scientists proved our planet has been rotating in the same direction for the past 4 billion years, and that the Earth’s magnetic polarity does change every few hundred thousand years.

    The last time there was a change in this polarity was about 400,000 years ago, but there is no evidence to suggest it’ll happen again anytime soon. With these staggering figures, it’s surprising to see rumours about Doomsday and the world will come to an end today. It’ll require a catastrophe of unimaginably huge proportions to snuff out planet Earth in a matter of a few hours or as doomsayers’ predict, ‘in a day’. However, scientists worldwide agree that life on Earth will end one day. The good news is that this is unlikely to happen for another 4 billion years or so. It’d be safe to say we can go about our daily routine and make plans for the coming holiday season and the New Year and beyond.

  • Nasa spoofs Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’

    Nasa spoofs Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nasa’s Johnson Space Center has released its own spoof video of singer Psy’s cross-over Korean pop hit, in one of the newest in line of ” Gangnam Style” parody. The space centre’s parody, “Nasa Johnson Style,” uses footage from the International Space Station and scenes from the center itself to highlight some of the work researchers do on the campus, which is home base for Nasa’s astronauts. Some astronauts have even made cameos in the parody video.
    Astronaut Mike Massimino — a veteran of two space shuttle missions, both of which visited the Hubble Space Telescope, is seen giving the Psy impersonator a disapproving look for a little less than two minutes, ‘SPACE.com’ reported.

    Clayton Anderson, a member of the Expedition 15 mission to the International Space Station, can be seen dancing, while Tracy Caldwell Dyson, who lived aboard the station for 174 days in 2010, pops up a few different times lip synching from inside a space capsule.

    A couple of the other guest stars include astronauts Michael Coats and Ellen Ochoa. This isn’t the first time the US space agency has participated in a viral video phenomenon.

    Earlier this year, Nasa’s JPL Curiosity team released their own take on LMFAO’s “People of Walmart (Sexy and I Know It)” with the much more subdued, “We’re Nasa and We Know It (Mars Curiosity).” The original “Gangnam Style” music video first went viral a month after its release in August, and since then has been watched more than 900,000,000 times, overtaking Justin Bieber’s “Baby” as the most viewed video ever on YouTube near the end of November, the

  • World Kabaddi Cup a Step in the Right Direction

    World Kabaddi Cup a Step in the Right Direction

    The ancient game of Kabaddi is enshrined permanently in the mind of every son of the soil Punjabi. In olden times, it used to be played on the dusty grounds of village common land. There used to be no hard and fast rules of the game. Sometimes the raiders indulged in tactical cheating during chanting of words “Kabaddi Kabaddi” or “Kaudi Kaudi”. In Punjabi style one raider was the attacker and one defender used to stop him. A deliberate touch by a raider targeting two attackers resulted in the point going to the defenders. In a reverse situation, if two stoppers tried to stop the raider one after the other or simultaneously, the point went to the raider.

    Throwing the opponent, raider or defender, out of the ground resulted in a point. This has always been the game of strength, stamina, lung power and agility on the part of the raiders and the defenders. Prior to the independence of India, this game was quite popular in all the five administrative divisions of the Province of Punjab. It was more popular in Lahore and Jalandhar divisions and least popular in Ambala division.

    But now it is popular all over the Indian Punjab and is played equally passionately across the Radcliffe Line in Pakistan’s Punjab. Needing just a pair of shorts and not even requiring formal shoes, this used to be and still is a very inexpensive game. But in order to stay physically fit, the player has to be given strength and stamina building diet and exercise. In olden times a lot of stress was laid on eating butter.

    This culture still prevails, but now some of the athletes are eating a lot more diverse diet. During the nineteen fifties, a lot of Sikh youths settled in the United Kingdom. At about the same time and a decade and two later, Sikh Diaspora spread to Canada also. These expatriate Sikhs passionately love Kabaddi. When they visit their ancestral homes in India, they want to see Kabaddi being played in their respective villages. In order to see that they spend quite a considerable amount of money to arrange Kabaddi tournaments in their mostly non-descript villages. These impromptu tournaments have become very popular in the rural areas of the Punjab.

    In the last two decades there were hundreds of such tournaments held in villages all across Punjab during the six month window from October to April. As the game is flourishing, rules are also getting defined and enforced meticulously. Now the raider has to return to the dividing line in half a minute. Crossing to one’s own side after touching a defender at any spot, other than the designated return line, results in a point being awarded to the defender.

    Slapping the opponent, raider or the defender, results in point being awarded to the opponent. Sensing the enormous popularity of Kabaddi, the Punjab Government in India decided to embrace it. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal started the first edition of World Kabaddi Cup in 2010 in a grand style. The matches were held over several venues all over the Punjab. Kabaddi is now played regularly in Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. India won the inaugural cup and a handsome amount of money.

    The tournament was telecast by PTC TV channel all over India and in several countries, where PTC’s footprint exists. Last year (2011) saw more teams participating. Nice arrangements were made for board and lodging of the teams. Italy was a surprise entry into the semifinal. Several players from the United States and the Canadian teams were disqualified after being found positive in dope tests. In addition to men, several women’s teams were also invited to participate. This created gender equality in this hitherto rural sport. India had a decisive edge in women’s group. In the year 2012, the “Third World Cup Kabaddi Tournament” was held from the first to the 15th of December. The matches were spread in several locations all over the state.

    A glittering several hours long opening ceremony was held in Bathinda on December 1st. The other venues included the holy and premier tourist city of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Chohla Sahib (Tarntaran), Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Mansa, Sangrur, Ropar, Bathinda and Ludhiana. In the men’s category in addition to the host nation India, Argentina, the USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Norwey, Italy, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Srilanka accepted the invitation to participate.

    In the women’s section, USA, Canada, England, Denmark, Malaysia, Turkmenistan and India participated. Nepal eventually failed to show up for the matches. The winning team in men’s section in 2012 was offered two crore of rupees and the runners-up team was offered a prize of one crore of rupees. The team finishing at number three was offered half a crore of rupees. These are indeed huge prizes unseen in the history of the game. There have been some problems in the organizational structure of the tournament.

    The buildings of the stadiums are quite good, but the playing fields left much to be desired. Barring a couple of stadiums in Amritsar and Ludhiana, rest of the playing fields were devoid of a decent grass cover and the soil was very hard. Kabaddi players in the European and American countries are used to play on lush green grass turfs. When they are made to play on hard dry soil, their performance level suffers. That is one reason as to why the Canadian and the American teams could not perform to their capacity.

    The teams that entered the semifinal included three teams from Asia. These are Iran, Pakistan and India. The fourth qualifier was the Canadian team. The team from the USA was narrowly beaten by Iran. Both India and Pakistan toyed with their semifinalist rivals. Indian crushed Iran and Pakistan mauled team Canada. In the women’s group also the competition in 2012 was of a much higher level. The Canadian and the Malaysian teams consisted of mostly players of Indian descent. The out of practice Canadian girls played poorly, but the hard working Malaysians covered themselves with glory and entered the final. Two European teams, the English and the Denmark teams also were impressive. Turkmenistan team was very good too. But the Indian players were outstanding.

    This successfully conducted tournament is likely to boost the economy of Punjab. A lot of tourists have been visiting the state to watch this tournament. Some of the participating teams are staying behind in Punjab to play in several village level tournaments to be held in the months of December and January. The two African teams Kenya and Sierra Leone are also staying behind to get more match practice and to master the finer points of the game.

    Both finals and the grand closing ceremony were held in the multipurpose Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on the night of Saturday December 15th. In the men’s final India crushed arch rivals Pakistan by 59 points to 22. Canada crushed Iran on December 13th in Jalandhar to win the third place and a prize of one hundred thousand dollars. In the final of women’s category on December 15th, in a one sided encounter India toyed with Malaysia.

    The third place in women’s group was won by Denmark by defeating England on December 13th. This was a very closely contested match. The young school and college going girls from Denmark impressed everyone. The dazzling closing ceremony was dominated by the film industry of Bollywood. Katrina Kaif was the star of the night. Film and pop singers Diljit Singh and Sukhvinder Singh kept the jam-packed stadium entertained. Punjab’s most popular TV anchor Satinder Satti was the master of ceremony. In the end there was an impressive show of fireworks. At the end the flame was extinguished, with a promise to hold another edition in 2013. Katrina Kaif and troupe entertain at one of the venues

  • Mistakes you make while running

    Mistakes you make while running

    When you run, it’s obvious that you can’t see yourself. Unless, of course, you’re running next to a full length mirror. Therefore, it becomes difficult to see if your posture is correct. Have you suddenly started getting back pain? Are you running correctly? Here are five of the most common issues runners patients face…

    Asymmetrical running pattern
    This means landing harder on one side of the body than the other and is one of the first things you need to recognise. Listen to the sound of your running. The sound can tell you a lot about the way you run. If you come down harder on your right side than the left, or vice versa, it could signal an inbuilt mechanical flaw of the running style, which can cause you pain.

    Inward knee collapse
    Many people often face the problem of knees, which collapse inward when they run. This is caused by weak gluteus muscles. Remember, when you run, your knees are supposed to stay in line with your hips. However, if your hip muscles are weak and don’t support your body weight, the weight will go to your knees and cause them to bow inward. To rectify this, you need to do exercises to build up the posterior gluteus medius and the gluteus maximus — two key muscles in your butt.

    Running on your fore-foot
    Are you a rear-foot runner or a fore-front runner? Rearfoot runners strike down harder on the rear part of the feet, while forefoot runners strike down harder on the front part of their feet. While neither running style is better than the other, the impact forces may be different between the two running styles. Rear-foot runners usually tend to have a higher amount of force exerted on their feet when they run as compared to forefoot runners. The problem with forefoot running sometimes is that many people don’t have strong enough feet to support their weight. So if you’re planning to change to forefoot or barefoot running, make the progression gradually so that you can increase the strength of your foot.

    Over-swinging
    Do you swing your arms wildly when you run/ jog? Over-swinging your arms can cause you back pain when you run. These movements in the long term can contribute to stress on your back. Even over-striding, which happens when the steps you take are too big for your body size, can cause excessive rotation since the pelvis and spine move in one direction more than the other.

    When you run, swinging one arm further back than the other also leads to back pain.

    Wear the right size shoes
    Wearing shoes that aren’t appropriate for your foot type can spell doom for your back, hips and knee. If you can’t go in for custom-made shoes, opt for special running shoes.

  • Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar dies at 92: World Pays Tribute

    Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar dies at 92: World Pays Tribute

    NEW YORK (TIP): Ravi Shankar, popularly known as Pandit Ravi Shankar, the revered master of the sitar who introduced Indian music to much of the Western world, died Tuesday, December11 in San Diego. He was 92. In New Delhi, Prime Minister of India mourned the music maestro’s death and described him as a “national treasure.” “An era has passed away with Pandit Ravi Shankar. The nation joins me in paying tribute to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility,” Singh said in his message.

    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid rich tribute to sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, who passed away at the age of 92 on December 11 in San Diego, USA, describing him as the “unsurpassable genius” who was India’s “one of the most effective cultural ambassadors across the world”. “An era has passed away with Pandit Ravi Shankar. The nation joins me in paying tribute to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility,” Singh said in his message. Mr. Shankar, whose health had been fragile for the past several years, underwent a surgery on Thursday, December 6 at the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California where he breathed his last.

    The music icon was admitted to the hospital last week when he complained of breathlessness. “It is with heavy hearts we write to inform you that Pandit Ravi Shankar, husband, father, and musical soul, passed away today,” his wife and daughter, Sukanya and Anoushka Shankar, said in a joint statement. “Mr. Shankar had suffered from upper-respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday. Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the 92-year-old musician,” said another statement issued by the Ravi Shankar Foundation and East Meets West Music. He is survived by his wife Sukanya; daughter Norah Jones; daughter Anoushka Shankar Wright and husband Joe Wright; three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

    A recipient of Bharat Ratna in 1996, Shankar maintained residences in both India and the United States. A three-time Grammy award winner,Mr. Shankar last performed in California on November 4 along with his daughter Anoushka Shankar. Mr. Shankar has also been nominated for the 2013 Grammys for his album The Living Room Sessions Part-1 and was pitted against Anoushka in the same category. In recent months, performing, and especially touring, became increasingly difficult for the musician.

    However, health couldn’t prevent Mr. Shankar from performing with Anoushka on November 4 in Long Beach, California. “This, in what was to be his final public performance, was in fact billed as a celebration of his 10th decade of creating music,” the foundation said. A Bengali Brahmin, he was born Robindra Shankar on April 7, 1920 in Varanasi, the youngest of four brothers, and spent his first 10 years in relative poverty, brought up by his mother. He was almost eight before he met his absent father, a globe-trotting lawyer, philosopher, writer and former minister to the Maharajah of Jhalawar. In 1930, his eldest brother Uday Shankar uprooted the family to Paris, and over the next eight years Shankar enjoyed the limelight in Uday’s troupe, which toured the world introducing Europeans and Americans to Indian classical and folk dance.

    As a performer, composer and teacher,Mr. Shankar was an Indian classical artist of the highest rank, and he spearheaded the worldwide spread of Indian music and culture, said writer and editor Oliver Craske, who provided additional narrative for Mr. Shankar’s autobiography ‘Raga Mala’. Mr. Shankar achieved his greatest fame in the 1960s when he was embraced by the Western counterculture. Through his influence on his great friend George Harrison, and appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals and the Concert for Bangladesh, he became a household name in the West, the first Indian musician to do so. “Ravi Shankar is the Godfather of World Music.”

    Nothing better sums up the stature of the sitar maestro perhaps than these words of George Harrison, the late Beatles member whose famous association with the Indian musician is a folklore in the world of music. While George Harrison called him the Godfather of World Music, violinist Yehudi Menuhin had compared Ravi Shankar with Mozart. “Ravi Shankar has brought me a precious gift and through him I have added a new dimension to my experience of music. To me, his genius and his humanity can only be compared to that of Mozart’s” were the words of Yehudi Menuhin who was a pupil too.

    But the man who celebrated music, also left behind his philosophy of celebrating life as it comes. So his personal life was as colorful, often controversial, as his musical journey that began in India where he was born in Varanasi on April 7, 1920. Ravi Shankar took his lessons under his illustrious guru Baba Allaudin Khan, whose daughter Annapurna was his first wife and with whom he had a son, Shubhendra Shankar who died in 1992. Allaudin Khan was the founder of the “Senia Maihar Gharana” or “Senia Maihar School” of Hindustani classical music. But it was at the age of ten that Ravi Shankar went to Paris with the dance group of his brother, choreographer Uday Shankar.

    By the age of 13 he had become a key member of the group and learned to dance and play various Indian instruments. He toured Europe and America with Uday Shankar’s dance troupe in the early to mid-1930s. It was this time that Shankar learned French, discovered Western classical music, jazz, and cinema. Few are aware that Ravi Shankar recomposed the music for the popular song “Sare Jahan Se Achcha” at the age of 25. He began to record music for HMV India and worked as a music director for All India Radio (AIR), New Delhi, from Feb 1949 to January 1956. Ravi Shankar was ahead of his times.

    According to his foundation official site, Ravi Shankar has written three concertos for sitar and orchestra, last one of which in 2008. He has also authored violinsitar compositions for Yehudi Menuhin and himself, music for flute virtuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, music for Hosan Yamamoto, master of the Shakuhachi and Musumi Miyashita – Koto virtuoso, and has collaborated with Phillip Glass George Harrison produced and participated in two record albums, “Shankar Family & Friends” and “Festival of India” both composed by Ravi Shankar. The Concert for Bangladesh, which was the name for two benefit concerts organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, on Aug 1, 1971 to raise funds for the relief of Bangladesh war victims, had drawn 40,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

    The concerts were followed by a bestselling live album, a boxed three-record set, and Apple Films’ concert documentary, which opened in cinemas in the spring of 1972. Ravi Shankar has also composed for ballets and films across the world. He had worked for films like “Charly,” “Gandhi,” and more famously the “Apu Trilogy” by Satyajit Ray, another Indian maestro from the world of film making. His musical composition for Tapan Sinha’s Kabuliwala won him the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury at the 1957 Berlin International Film Festival. Ravi Shankar was also famously associated with The Woodstock Festival. He performed at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969.

    However, in the 1970s Shankar distanced himself from the hippie movement. Ravi Shankar was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is a member of the United Nations International Rostrum of composers. Besides a Bharat Ratna in 1999, which India’s highest civilian honor, he got 14 doctorates, the Padma Vibhushan, Desikottam, Padma Bhushan of 1967, the Music Council UNESCO award 1975, the Magsaysay Award from Manila, Grammy’s, the Fukuoka grand Prize from Japan, the Polar Music Prize of 1998, the Crystal award from Davos, with the title ‘Global Ambassador’ to name some, according to his foundation’s official website. In 1986 Ravi Shankar was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament.

    His recording “Tana Mana”, released on the private Music label in 1987, brought his music into the “New age” with its unique method of combining traditional instruments with electronics. In 1989, this remarkable musician celebrated his 50th year of concretizing, and the city of Birmingham Touring Opera Company commissioned him to do a Music Theatre (Ghanashyam – a broken branch) which created history on the British arts scene. But his personal life was not without controversy and social scrutiny. Shankar separated from Annapurna Devi during the 1940s and had a relationship with Kamala Shastri, a dancer, beginning in the late 1940s. An affair with Sue Jones, a New York concert producer, led to the birth of today’s famous singer Norah Jones in 1979.

    In 1981, Anoushka Shankar, another talented musician, was born to Shankar and Sukanya Rajan, whom Shankar had known since the 1970s. After separating from Kamala Shastri in 1981, Shankar lived with Sue Jones until 1986. He married Sukanya Rajan in 1989. But while his personal life was under social scrutiny, his phenomenal talent eclipsed everything else. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh aptly sums up the contribution of Ravi Shankar when he calls him “a national treasure and global ambassador of India’s cultural heritage.”

  • Namdhari Sect Leader Jagjit Singh Passes Away

    Namdhari Sect Leader Jagjit Singh Passes Away

    LUDHIANA (TIP): Satguru Jagjit Singh, the head of the Namdhari sect of Sikhs, passed away at 6.38 pm on December 13. He was 92. Satguru was undergoing treatment at SPS Apollo Hospital here for the past three weeks following chest infection. He also had septicaemia and had been on ventilator ever since. Sensing a war of succession between family members and followers of Satguru Jagjit Singh, police force was moved to Bhaini Sahib. Sources said that claimants to the “gaddi” of Satguru Jagjit Singh had been camping at the hospital with armed men for the past 10 days.

    Asked about the declaration of the successor by Satguru Jagjit Singh, Harbhajan Singh, suba pradhan of the sect, said, “As of now nobody in the Namdhari community knows anything about his successor. His nephew, Uday Singh, or his son-in-law, Jagtar Singh, would be in a position to say something after his last rites.” Satguru Jagjit Singh was born in November 1920 at Bhaini Sahib, a township 35 km from Ludhiana. He was the fifth spiritual guru of the Namdharis who assumed the throne from Satguru Partap Singh in 1959. His wife, Chand Kaur, nephew Uday, sonin- law Jagtar Singh and his close associate Hanspal were at his side when he breathed his last. An exponent of Indian classical music, Satguru Jagjit Singh was internationally acclaimed for his vocal recitals, especially for his unique style of ‘gurbani’ that he recited in ragas. He also played the dilruba, a string instrument.

    Who are Namdharis?
    Namdharis (also known as Kukas) are members of a sect of Sikhism. The difference between Namdhari Sikhs and mainstream Sikhs is their belief in Jagjit Singh as their living Guru (as opposed to Guru Granth Sahib, the present guru of Sikhs). The followers of the sect are strict vegetarians, give equal importance to Guru Granth Sahib and the Dasam Granth, the holy book written by the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh.

    Their belief
    Namdharis are recognised through their white homespun clothing and by their method of tying the turban horizontally across the forehead. Around their necks, they wear a white woollen cord (mala), woven as a series of 108 knots and serving as a rosary. Namdhari Sikhs have equal faith in all Sikh gurus.

    History
    Balak Singh became the first Namdhari leader in 1812. The second Namdhari leader Ram Singh (1816-1885) was succeeded by Hari Singh (1819-1906), who passed on the leadership to Partap Singh (1890-1959).

  • Whites in US won’t be in majority by 2043: Report

    Whites in US won’t be in majority by 2043: Report

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The Whites could become a minority in the US by 2043, losing for the first time their majority status ever since the nation came into being, latest projections released by the Census Bureau has said. “The US is projected to become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043. While the non-Hispanic white population will remain the largest single group, no group will make up a majority,” the Bureau said.

    The population projections released on Wednesday by the Bureau also said, the US population will be older and more racially and ethnically diverse by 2060. Minorities, now 37% of the US population, are projected to comprise 57% in 2060, from 116.2 million to 241.3 million.

    The minorities comprise all but the single-race , non-Hispanic white population . The non-Hispanic white population is projected to peak in 2024, at 199.6 million, up from 197.8 million in 2012 and then will slowly decrease, falling by nearly 20.6 million from 2024 to 2060. The Asian population is projected to more than double , from 15.9 million in 2012 to 34.4 million in 2060, an increase from 5.1% to 8.2% of the total US population.

  • Susan Rice Withdraws As Nominee For Secretary Of State

    Susan Rice Withdraws As Nominee For Secretary Of State

    NEW YORK (TIP): Susan Rice withdrew from consideration for the secretary of State position on Thursday, December 13, citing Republican criticism of her record that had signaled a tough confirmation battle. In a letter to President Obama, Rice said she could have done the job “ably and effectively,” but added that “I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly — to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities.” Rice will continue as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In a statement, Obama praised Rice, while criticizing the “unfair and misleading attacks” on her by Senate Republicans and others over the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

    “Her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first,” Obama said. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other Republicans had criticized Rice over a string of Sept. 16 television interviews in which she attributed the Benghazi attack to the protest over an anti-Islam video. Officials later said organized terrorists carried out the attack that killed U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

    Rice also faced criticism for owning stocks in a Canadian energy company seeking State Department approval to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline in the United States. Others questioned her past support for controversial African leaders, such as Paul Kagame of Rwanda. Rice had been one of the leading contenders for the secretary of State slot soon to be vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

  • Wal-Mart Gets Notice From India Agency

    Wal-Mart Gets Notice From India Agency

    BANGALORE (TIP): Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s WMT +0.15% India unit said Thursday it has received a notice from a federal government agency as part of an investigation into allegations that the U.S. retailer violated the South Asian country’s foreign-investment rules. “We will be working to provide the authorities with relevant information,” a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. She declined to give any details of what the notice says. The Wal-Mart probe comes at a time when the company is planning to set up retail stores in India after the government in September changed foreign-investment rules to allow foreign supermarkets to set up retail outlets through joint ventures.

    Previously, foreign companies could operate only wholesale businesses in the multibrand segment. Bharti Walmart Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Wal-Mart and Bharti Enterprises Ltd. of India, operates 20 wholesale stores in India. The investigation follows a complaint by a politician, M.P. Achuthan, who wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September to say that in 2010 a Wal-Mart unit bought $100 million of convertible debentures in a company through which Bharti Enterprises controls the Easyday supermarket chain. Mr. Achuthan alleged that this was illegal, because he said the money was used by Bharti to fund investments in its supermarkets. Until changes unveiled by India’s government in September, foreign retailers were barred from investing in Indian supermarket operations.

    Mr. Achuthan offered no proof to back his allegation. The joint venture denied any violation of Indian laws. The prime minister’s office passed the letter to the Commerce Ministry, which in turn handed it to the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank. Last week, junior Finance Minister S.S. Palanimanickam told lawmakers in the upper house of Parliament that the Directorate of Enforcement began to probe the issue after the RBI referred the complaint to it. The enforcement directorate is an agency under the finance ministry that investigates financial irregularities. Officials in the enforcement directorate couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

    A violation of Indian foreign-investment rules carries a maximum penalty of four times the amount a company has invested. Word of the enforcement directorate’s notice follows the Indian government saying Wednesday that it will appoint a retired judge to conduct an inquiry into media reports regarding Wal-Mart’s lobbying activities in the U.S. Wal-Mart, in a recent disclosure report, said it has spent $25 million on lobbying over the past four years, including issues related to “enhanced market access for investment in India.” Lobbying of U.S. government representatives is permitted under U.S. law, and the disclosure was required by U.S. rules designed to promote transparent governance.

    The Indian government is pursuing the inquiry amid pressure from opposition lawmakers, who allege that Wal-Mart’s lobbying of U.S. officials in Washington to advance its India interests is tantamount to bribery of Indian officials. Wal-Mart has denied the opposition party’s accusation. “The allegation that a routine U.S. lobbying disclosure form reflects improper conduct on our part in India, is false. This disclosure has nothing to do with political or governmental contacts with India government officials,” the Bharti Walmart joint venture said in a written statement Wednesday.

  • 8 yrs old Traumatized for drawing Hindu Swastik by a Teacher Aid in USA

    8 yrs old Traumatized for drawing Hindu Swastik by a Teacher Aid in USA

    Abizarre incident took place at an Elementary School in Middlesex County of New Jersey on Dec. 4, 2012. As part of 3RD Grade School work children were asked to draw a symbol of a holiday they celebrate. Innocently an 8 yrs old drew a Hindu Swastik along with a Christmas Tree.

    When the class teacher saw the drawing she knew it what significance it has for Hindus. But an ignorant Teacher Aid took strong offense to it. According to the people familiar with the incident; despite few other staff members telling the Teacher Aid that it is not Nazi Swastika she was not prepared to listen to any one. She kept on saying she has been offended and her religious feelings have been hurt.

    It is hate towards her and her community. The Teacher Aid insisted that the 8 yrs old must get counseling right away and she was backed by the Principle. Without the knowledge and permission of the parents the child was counseled by the Counselor under racial bias.

    The poor parent in the evening could not figure out why their 8 yrs old is so traumatized, scared and throwing up. In bits and pieces they were able to get some story from the child. Further, the child, in a traumatized voice asked them what the child had done wrong.

    The parents were also lost why their 8 yrs old has been traumatized and harassed physically, emotionally and mentally in the name of Counseling for no reason that too without their knowledge and permission? Next day the couple met the Principle who told them that their child was doing a school project where a “staff member” got very upset for what was drawn on paper. The child got upset and was counseled but it was not on the directive of that “staff member.” The child must understand that “when you are out with other people they may see things differently”. What the child has drawn “Every where else it is used as a hate symbol”.

    The parents tried to explain that it is a universal fact Swastik is just as sacred for Hindus as a cross for Christians or a Star of David for Jews. Then the Principle stated that if any child had drawn other religious symbols such as the Star of David or Cross of Jesus, then they would have been counseled the same way! Parent protested still they should have been asked for permission first.

    Principle said that they are fully entitled to counsel any student for any reason without the permission of their parent. The parent told the Principle that only person that needed counseling is the staff member who they know was upset for no apparent reason because of ignorance and not prepared to understand the importance of Swastik for Hindus. On Dec.

    9th parent filed a Complaint with the School Board and County School Superintendent against the Principle, Counselor and the Teacher Aid; demanding proper investigation into the conduct of all 3 and Teacher Aid must give written apology and must seek counseling from a Hindu Priest or a Scholar. In case she refuses to give written apology she must be dismissed.

    It is very strange how come the Educators catering to the multi-religious society; Principle, Counselor and Teacher Aid are so ignorant about Hindu symbols? It was their basic responsibility as teachers to know that the Swastik symbol 3RD Grader drew originated in 2000BC and is not the symbol Swastika the right-facing and rotated distortion of Hindu Swastik, the Nazis has used. The one used by Nazi’s is markedly different and the differences are clearly visible to human eyes.

    Hindu Swastik is always drawn with red vermillion and can be drawn on any surface including human body, on the head after complete head shave off of a child as per Hindu rituals. It is a symbol of faith and auspiciousness and used for all religious ceremonies including Hindu weddings. On the other hand Nazi Swastika is drawn with black in a white circle within a red square and it is a symbol of hate.

    These Educators have also ignored the United States Supreme Court Ruling that “children cannot be viewed simply as miniature adults” because a child’s age is more than a chronological fact.” Rather, it is a fact that “generates commonsense conclusions about behavior and perception.’ “Children generally are less mature and responsible than adults.” “They often lack the experience, perspective and judgment to recognize and avoid choices that could be detrimental to them.” These Educators before traumatizing the 8 yrs old should have spoken to a Hindu Priest or the parent of the child concerning the matter for which they themselves are completely ignorant. This is a wake up call for the Indian community especially Hindus.

    This is not the first incident where underage children of Hindu parents have been racially discriminated by the Educators. Black and Hispanic students go through racial discrimination by the Educators and now the Indian kids. Not just in Middlesex County but in other County Schools of New Jersey as well.

    There is no accountability prescribed for the Educators and Administrators and it is so subjective that they can say anything and get away with it. In my mind the Board of Education is a puppet strung by the Superintendent, and have no idea of how students are treated, how teachers are evaluated but know how well to say Yeh or Nay or just keep shut. Respecting the Laws of the land concerning a minor and the wishes of the parent their names have been with held.

    It is our sincere appeal to the community rather than wasting their energy and time to find out the parent; they should send their support for them via e-mail under the heading “Dec 4 Swastik Incident” to Middlesex County Executive School Superintendent Samuel Stewart’s Secretary Debra Hudson 732 249 2900 press 1 + Ext 3425 at (debbie.hudson@doe.state.nj.us).

    Since Middlesex County is home to a large Hindu population; community must demand that all Educators in Middlesex County Schools must be educated about Hindu Religious Symbols keeping in mind that Hinduism is practiced by almost 1 Billion people around the world.

  • Cabinet clears Land Acquisition Bill

    Cabinet clears Land Acquisition Bill

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The controversial Land Acquisition Bill was cleared by the Cabinet on December 13. Highly-placed sources at the Rural Development Ministry said the Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament early next week. According to sources, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s recommendation for the consent clause to be kept at 80 per cent, as originally envisaged, has prevailed over the suggestion made by a Group of Ministers (GoM) to water it down to 67 per cent of land owners agreeing to an acquisition.Now, consent would be required from 80 per cent of displaced people for acquisition of land for private projects, while public-privatepartnership (PPP) projects would require consent from 70 per cent of the displaced people.

    On December 12, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had said, “It won’t be more than 80 per cent and it won’t be less than 67 per cent.” The consent clause has been a bone of contention, with industry and farmers holding diametrically opposite views in the matter. The industry fears that very high consent requirement would make acquisition almost impossible. Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej Industries and President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said he was confident the Government will address the industry’s concerns. “We should have a good land acquisition Bill. It should balance the needs of the farmers. But it should be fair to both sides,” he said, adding that it is quite possible to achieve this and many of the industry’s suggestions have been incorporated.

    Return Of Unutilised Land
    The new draft Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, which was presented to the Cabinet, also has provision for return of unutilised land. “When any land or part thereof, acquired under this Act remains unutilised for a period of 10 years from the date of taking over the possession, the same shall return to the Land Bank of the appropriate Government by reversion,” the Clause 95 of the Bill states. However, the new Bill will not come into effect on a retrospective basis and where land acquisition has been made under the old Land Acquisition Act, 1894, there will be no change. Nevertheless, where the award has been made but acquisition has not been completed, compensation will now be paid according to the provisions of the new Bill. Also, where acquisition of land has not taken place for five years since the award was made under the old Act, the process for acquisition will be deemed to have lapsed and the process for acquisition will need to be initiated afresh under the new Bill.

  • US military to boost Philippines presence; China tells army to be prepared

    US military to boost Philippines presence; China tells army to be prepared

    MANILA (TIP): US and Philippine officials are expected to agree on an increase in the number of US military ships, aircraft and troops rotating through the Philippines, Filipino officials said, as tensions simmer with China over its maritime claims.
    Though he made no direct reference to the territorial disputes, new Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping urged his military to prepare for a struggle. He made the comments during his visit to a South China Sea fleet ship in southern Guangdong province, but did not name any potential aggressor.

    Senior US and Philippine officials met on Wednesday in Manila to discuss strengthening security and economic ties at a time of growing tension over China’s aggressive sovereignty claims over vast stretches of the disputed South China Sea. Philippine defense and diplomatic officials said they expected to see more US ships, aircraft and troops for training exercises and disaster and relief operations. “What we are discussing right now is increasing the rotational presence of US forces,” Carlos Sorreta, the foreign ministry’s assistant secretary for American Affairs, told reporters.

    A fiveyear joint US-Philippine military exercise plan would be approved this week, he added. The size of the increase in the US military assets in the Philippines, a former US colony, was unclear. Pio Lorenzo Batino, Philippine deputy defence minister, said there were “substantial discussions” on a possible new framework allowing Washington to put equipment in the Southeast Asian state. “There has been no discussion yet on specifics … (these are) policy consultations and the specifics would be determined by the technical working groups,” he told a news conference, saying the new framework was discussed in the context of increasing rotational presence. US assistant sevretary of state Kurt Campbell said the two allies’ relationship was “in a renaissance”.

    The discussions come as the Philippines, Australia and other parts of the region have seen a resurgence of US warships, planes and personnel under Washington’s so-called “pivot” in foreign, economic and security policy towards Asia announced last year.

    Wary of Washington’s intentions, China is building up its own military. Its claims over most of the South China Sea have set it directly against US allies Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the mineral-rich waters. Xi, who assumed the role of military chief about a month ago, called on the 2.3-million-strong People’s Liberation Army to “push forward preparations for a military struggle”, state news agency Xinhua said. Xi, speaking during a three-day inspection of the PLA’s Guangzhou base starting last Saturday, did not say against whom the struggle might be fought.

    His remarks echo those he made a week ago and are a common refrain by Chinese leaders. Xi replaced President Hu Jintao as chairman of the Central Military Commission on November 15. Xi also said the army should “modernize” for combat readiness, but gave no specific details.

    Military bases
     US and Philippine officials say there is no plan to revive permanent US military bases in the Philippines – the last ones were closed in 1992 – and that the increased presence would help provide relief during disasters such as a typhoon last week that killed more than 700 people.

    “The increase rotation presence is in areas where we have been traditionally exercising,” said Sorreta. “There are other areas for example where we have been experiencing more disasters. So we might be expanding exercises there.” One US official said Washington was not ready to wade directly into the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and instead would focus on strengthening security ties with longstanding allies such as the Philippines. “I don’t think you’ll see any real movement on the South China Sea,” the US official said. “I’m sure it will come up, but we aren’t trying to step in and ‘solve’ that issue. We really want the solution to be done by the claimants themselves and are hoping the Code of Conduct discussions move forward,” said the official, referring to a Code of Conduct aimed at easing the risk of naval flashpoints. Sorreta told Reuters the Philippines also favored an increased deployment of US aircraft and ships “so we can make use of them when the need arises”, citing last week’s typhoon. He said they would also welcome more US humanitarian supplies.

  • PBD 2013 at Kochi

    PBD 2013 at Kochi

    NEW YORK (TIP): The eleventh edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is being held at Kochi, Kerala from 7th January to 9th January, 2013 in partnership with Kerala State Government, says a press release issued by the Indian Consulate here. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India will inaugurate this event and valedictory address will be delivered by Hon’ble President of India. The program focuses on seminars on “NRIs in the Gulf”, “Skill Development”, “Tourism”, and “Pure Sciences” apart from plenary sessions on the Indian Growth Story, Engaging the Diaspora etc.

  • Islamist Terrorism may end by 2030

    Islamist Terrorism may end by 2030

    WASHINGTON (TIP): A landmark US intelligence report released on Dec 10 says the “current Islamist phase of terrorism” might end by 2030, but violent terrorism itself is unlikely to die completely and might evolve into bloodless forms of economic and financial terrorism.

    Many states might continue to use terrorist group out of a strong sense of insecurity, although the costs to a regime of directly supporting terrorists looks set to become even greater as international cooperation increase, according to the report Global Trends 2030. But with more widespread access to lethal and disruptive technologies, individuals who are experts in such niche areas as cyber systems might sell their services to the highest bidder, including terrorists who would focus less on causing mass casualties and more on creating widespread economic and financial disruptions, it warned.

    The report has a dismal prognosis for Pakistan, widely considered the epicenter of terrorism, ranking the country 12th among 15 countries that have a high risk of failure in a list that is topped by Somalia and includes Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. Bangladesh, which was ranked 11th in the last such report issued in 2008, is now considered stable and has been moved out of the list.

    Although the report said South Asia would continue to face internal and external shocks during the next 15- 20 years, including tensions between India and Pakistan over resources, it saw New Delhi’s “power advantage” relative to Islamabad growing rapidly.

    India’s economy is already nearly eight times as large as Pakistan’s; by 2030 that ratio could easily be more than 16-to-1, it said. In fact, to the likely dismay of Indian planners who factor in Pakistan’s economic growth and stability for peace-making prospects, the country does not even find mention as a second level economy such as Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, that the report countsin a list of middle tier that will also rise by 2030.

    “Low growth, rising food prices, and energy shortages will pose stiff challenges to governance in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’s youth bulges are large — similar in size to those found in many African countries. When these youth bulges are combined with a slow-growing economy, they portend increased instability,” the report warns. India, the report says, is in a better position, benefiting from higher growth, but it will still be challenged to find jobs for its large youth population. Inequality, lack of infrastructure, and education deficiencies are key weaknesses in India.

    “The neighborhood has always had a profound influence on internal developments, increasing the sense of insecurity and bolstering military outlays. Conflict could erupt and spread under numerous scenarios,” the report warns, adding that conflicting strategic goals, widespread distrust, and hedging strategies by all the parties will make it difficult for them to develop a strong regional security framework.

  • Break In Midtown Mystery Slay: Cops Grill ‘Person Of Interest’

    Break In Midtown Mystery Slay: Cops Grill ‘Person Of Interest’

    NEW YORK (TIP): The NYPD pulled a person of interest in for questioning Wednesday, December 12 as the manhunt intensified for the ice-cold killer who gunned down a young father on a busy Manhattan street Monday. Cops took a 40-year-old man into custody Wednesday afternoon, but didn’t arrest him, a police source said. Investigators don’t believe he’s the shooter, but have not ruled out his involvement in what appeared to be a hit. The Queens man is the boyfriend of the woman who rented the getaway car, a Lincoln MKZ, according to sources. Officers from the 113th Precinct in Queens found the getaway car Tuesday night with the help of hightech license plate readers.

    The woman who rented the vehicle let someone else borrow it before the grisly slaying occurred, police said. Police got the license plate number as the sedan went through the Midtown Tunnel shortly after Brandon Woodard, 31, was killed about 2 p.m. Just moments before, a single gunman pumped a bullet into Woodard’s head and jumped into the passenger seat of the car. Police are pursuing the case “aggressively,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday. They’re paying particular attention to the three cell phones Woodard brought with him from Los Angeles. He left one in his luggage but was carrying two with him.

    The victim was looking down at one of those phones just moments before he died, like he was reading something. Video surveillance showed the getaway car pulled into its parking spot 20 minutes before Woodard was killed. Footage also shows the assassin casually leaning against the car door. He watches Woodard exit the Thompson Hotel, heading east. Woodward doesn’t react as he passes the waiting predator. The killer is then seen leaning into the passenger door of the sedan, like he’s speaking to someone inside. A few minutes later Woodard doubles back, this time headed west.

    Police suspect the street may initially have been too crowded, so the killer first let Woodard walk by unharmed. Then someone may have contacted him with a message that brought him back when the foot traffic cleared, a police source said. “Obviously, we are very much interested in what information was on the phone at that time,” Kelly told reporters Wednesday. Police may have also uncovered a link between Monday’s executionstyle murder and a triple homicide that occurred in Queens this summer, a police source said. The victims in that killing, three men, were parked in front of a friend’s house in Springfield Gardens, Queens, on July 7 after attending a soiree in Brooklyn thrown by a local party planner.

    The men had gotten into a fight with others at the party, who followed the victims to Springfield. The shooters sprayed them with a hail of AK-47 bullets as the men sat in their parked car. Cops said at the time that 63 shots were fired from the assault rifle. NYPD detectives have flown to Los Angeles to get a search warrant for the victim’s home and dig deeper into Woodard’s background. Police don’t have a clear motive for the killing but are investigating Woodard’s ties to the entertainment business and possible drug world connections. Woodard’s parents, unaware Wednesday afternoon that the NYPD had brought someone in for questioning, were overcome with emotion when they learned the news.

    The victim’s mother, Sandra Wellington, put her hand over her face and reached out to her husband for support. “We’re just hopeful that whoever did this will be brought to justice,” stepdad Rodney Wellington told the Daily News. “She’s very fragile right now,” he said. “Thank you. Thank you,” he said, grateful for the news. Police also interviewed a young woman Wednesday who was with Woodard for what turned out to be his last supper, on Sunday night. Kelly said Woodard landed at Kennedy Airport around 5 p.m. Sunday.

    He checked into the Thompson Hotel around 6:30 p.m. He watched a football game with the female companion, and then the two went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant, Kelly said. Woodard left his hotel Monday shortly before 1:30 p.m., and told the concierge he would return for his luggage. He never did. Police searched his room and his bags but found nothing to tell them why Woodard had come to New York. His family is equally mystified. Woodard, father to a 4-year-old girl, had an extensive criminal history, mostly stemming from drugrelated charges. A law student at the University of West Los Angeles, he had 20 prior arrests for drugs and robbery, among other things. He was charged with cocaine possession in California in June.

    Woodard was killed with a weapon that detectives determined was used in a random shooting in St. Albans, Queens, in 2009. His parents Wednesday were dealing with the sad details of bringing Woodard’s body home for burial. “Sandra Wellington is still in shock,” said family spokesman Fred MacFarlane. “At this juncture, the family doesn’t know any rationale for what happened, why it happened.” MacFarlane added that the family’s primary goal now is to shelter Woodard’s little girl from the tragic truth. “I don’t think that they have discussed this yet with the 4-year-old daughter. They’re trying to protect her,” he said.

  • Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Maid Settle Sex-Assault Lawsuit

    Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Maid Settle Sex-Assault Lawsuit

    NEW YORK (TIP): Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid who had accused him of sexual assault have settled the lawsuit she had filed against him for an undisclosed sum. Justice Douglas McKeon of the New York state supreme court in the Bronx announced on Monday that terms of the settlement reached between Strauss-Kahn and Nafissatou Diallo will remain confidential. Strauss-Kahn was not present at the hearing. After the heating, his lawyers said they were “pleased to have arrived at a resolution of this matter”.

    “We are grateful to judge McKeon, whose patience and forbearance allowed this agreement to be formulated,” Strauss- Kahn’s attorneys, William Taylor and Amit Mehta said. Diallo who was present at the hearing thanked “everyone” outside the court. “Diallo is a strong and courageous person who never lost faith in our system of justice. And with today’s resolution, Diallo can move on with the rest of her life,” her attorney Kenneth Thompson said.

  • Assad will not be a part of Syrian future: White House

    Assad will not be a part of Syrian future: White House

    WASHINGTON (TIP): With the opposition coalition gradually gaining ground in Syria and now being formally recognised by the United States, the White House has said the President Bashar al-Assad must go. “We certainly agree that Assad will not be a part of Syria’s future. We have noted, as the media has, the progress that the opposition has been making. We still believe that for the sake of the Syrian people, Assad ought to leave now,” the White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday.

    Assad ought to remove himself from power now because it is terrible what damage he has inflicted on the Syrian people, the lives that have been lost because of his brutality, he asserted. Carney said the United States would consult with its allies and others and evaluate the situation regularly. “But we believe that providing continuous support to the Syrian people as well as non-lethal support to the opposition is the right approach,” he said. “We’ve been very engaged in assisting the opposition unify itself.

    We recognised the Syrian opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, and we will continue to work with our partners to isolate Assad and to help bring about the day when the Syrian people can decide for themselves on a better future for their country,” Carney said. Explicitly condemning the use of missiles, Carney said it is just another demonstration of the “utter depravity” of the Assad regime and the lengths to which he will go to retain power.

  • Hanukkah Celebrated at the Indian Consulate

    Hanukkah Celebrated at the Indian Consulate

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Indian Consulate held a reception to celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish celebration. Hanukkah also known as Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts.

    The American Jewish Committee put together the event which was supported by Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. Speaking on the occasion, Consul General of India in New York, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal spoke of his friendly relationship with Jewish community in New York said this relationship had “grown from strength to strength”. Ambassador Dayal said that it was 20 years ago, in 1992, that India and Israel had established diplomatic relationship and over the years the relationship has grown and today Israel happens to be a India’s major partner in trade and military supplies.

    In fact, Israel is India’s second biggest arms supplier after Russia. He wished the Jewish community all happiness and prosperity on the auspicious occasion, Rabbi Marc Schneier led the prayers and the lighting of the menorah. Others to join him were the Israeli Deputy Consul General Shlomi Kofman, AJC Directors Patty Friedman Marcus and Nissim B. Reuben. India’s Consul General Ambassador Prabhu Dayal and his wife Mrs. Chandini Dayal also lighted the Menorah. The Jewish community that had turned up in strength was joined by a couple of Indian Americans who conveyed their greetings to the Jewish community.

  • Guatemala deports software pioneer John McAfee to US

    Guatemala deports software pioneer John McAfee to US

    MIAMI (TIP): John McAfee arrived in Miami on Wednesday night after Guatemala deported the computer software pioneer who is wanted for questioning in Belize over the murder of a fellow American, according to fellow passengers on the American Airlines flight. McAfee, 67, was escorted from the plane by airport security officers, passengers said.

    He had been held for a week in Guatemala, where he surfaced after evading police in Belize for nearly a month following the killing of American Gregory Faull, his neighbor on the Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye. Police in Belize want to quiz McAfee as a “person of interest” in Faull’s death, although the technology guru’s lawyers blocked an attempt by Guatemala to send him back there.

    Authorities in Belize say he is not a prime suspect in the investigation. McAfee has denied any role in Faull’s killing. A Reuters witness saw McAfee’s plane bound for Miami leaving Guatemala City just before 3:40pm (2140 GMT). The flight arrived in Miami soon after 7pm (0000 GMT Thursday).

    The goateed McAfee has led the world’s media on a game of online hide-and-seek in Belize and Guatemala since he fled after Faull’s death, peppering the internet with pithy quotes and colorful revelations about his unpredictable life. “I’m happy to be going home,” McAfee, dressed in a black suit, told reporters shortly before his departure from Guatemala City airport on Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve been running through jungles and rivers and oceans and I think I need to rest for a while.

    And I’ve been in jail for seven days.” Guatemala’s immigration authorities had been holding McAfee since he was arrested last Wednesday for illegally entering the country with his 20-year-old Belizean girlfriend. The eccentric tech pioneer, who made his fortune from the anti-virus software bearing his name, has been chronicling life on the run in a blog, www.whoismcafee.com.

    He said he had no immediate plans after reaching Florida. “I’m just going to hang in Miami for a while. I like Miami,” he told Reuters by telephone just before his plane left. “There is a great sushi place there and I really like sushi.”