The Indian Panorama

Month: January 2013

  • Jacqueline Fernandez How Men Can Set Rules For Us

    Jacqueline Fernandez How Men Can Set Rules For Us

    Actress Jacqueline Fernandez spoke out on why men should not tell us how to dress up and behave. With the issue of violence against women and the need for a safer environment gaining momentum; fingers have been pointed and questions raised on the portrayal of women in Hindi films. Reacting strongly to such comments, actor Jacqueline Fernandez said, “I think it’s totally unfair to blame Bollywood for such a disgusting act.” Talking about the recent gang-rape case in Delhi she added, “Rape is not only inhuman, but also animalist. People here feel that they can do anything and get away with it.

    I think it is important for the government to make strict laws and stringent punishment so that people have the fear and think twice before committing such heinous crimes.” The actor also voiced her opinion on some of the recent statements made by politicians on how a woman should dress and that they should restrict themselves to doing household chores. “It’s really unfortunate that women are treated in such a manner. When we don’t set specific rules for men, how can they set rules for us?

    Today the main question is to punish the guilty,” she added. Going back to Bollywood’s portrayal of women, the actress said, “I strongly feel Bollywood lyrics should be modified to avoid vulgarity.” Jacqueline who has been linked to producer Sajid Khan in the past admitted that link-ups do not bother her. “I think link-ups are a part and parcel of our industry and one has to deal with it.

    We have a larger-than -life image. It is better to stay good and happy in your own space. Link-ups do not upset me at all.” The Sri Lankan origin actor, who has tried her hands with comedy and is now all set to do some action packed sequences in Race 2, admits that she enjoys both the genres. “Doing comedy is stress-free while action is physically challenging. I have been training with two Vietnamese martial arts experts for the movie and it was fun doing something new.”

  • India Tourism Woos Indian Diaspora; Incentives And A Conducive Environment Vital To Attract Investments

    India Tourism Woos Indian Diaspora; Incentives And A Conducive Environment Vital To Attract Investments

    KOCHI (TIP): Incentive investors and give them a conducive environment and smoothen the approval processes and witness the surge of investment in the tourism sector, both from overseas and domestic investors. This was the message that tourism professionals conveyed to the Government at a pre-PBD Seminar on Tourism on the occasion of the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Mr. A P Anilkumar, Minister of Tourism, Government of Kerala, said that there are immense investment opportunities in the tourism sector and the Indian Diaspora can venture into building of resorts and hotels, destination development, adventure activities, MICE facilities and human resource development. He mentioned that measures must be taken to strengthen the tourism sector in India and assured that he would play an instrumental role in developing the sector.

    Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO and MD, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, and former Tourism Secretary, Government of Kerala, said building brand India and putting India on the world tourism map would require focused attention on what he described as the 6Cs – civil aviation development, civic governance, capacity building, constant communication strategy, convergence with other sectors and community participation. Mr. Kant said that India needed to replicate the success of Indian-Americans who have collectively put up 21,000 hotels across America. “The Patels need to set up hotels in this country just as they have done so successfully in their host countries.” The multiplier effect of such investment in hotels in terms of creating jobs and other tourism-related infrastructure would be huge, he pointed out.

    Mr. Alkesh Patel, President, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), USA, underlined the need to tap the expertise of the members of AAHOA in setting up franchisee hotels in India. While commending India’s overseas tourism campaigns, Mr. Patel pointed out that such campaigns are not backed up by commensurate infrastructure, and India is thus unable to provide an experience to tourists that could be converted into a return visit. Mr. K Sudhakaran, Member of Parliament, stated that India is becoming a preferred destination for healthcare tourism as it has top-notch medical facilities with only one-fifth cost compared to the West. But there are some challenges such as poor management, lack of sound marketing strategies, communication gap, bad roads, gap between availability of manpower and supply which are hindering the growth of medical tourism.

    Mr. E M Najeeb, President, Confederation of Tourism Industry, Kerala and CMD, ATE Group, said, “Tourism promotion should be focused on the 30 million strong Indian Diaspora. A mere 5% materialization would change the dimension of Indian tourism. They are high spenders and respect the culture and environment of our country. So they are quality tourists.” He added, “The national carrier Air India should change the policy to focus and take care of the Indian travelers. That would make to the airline profitable. Special packages and programs should be tailor-made for the Indians abroad, particularly the second and third generation PIOs.”

    Mr. Najeeb suggested that tourism promotional campaigns should be aimed at them and called for appointing Indians as tourism brand ambassadors of Indian Tourism. According to a theme paper brought out on the occasion, the emerging new dimensions of tourism include Golf Tourism, Education Tourism, Domestic Tourism, Luxury Trains,Wedding, Eco- Tourism and Tea Tourism. The average growth of global tourism industry is expected to be four per cent during the next 10 years, but the increase is not dispersed equally. Emerging markets, primarily India, contributes a lion’s share of the expansion with an increase of eight per cent. Smaller cities are expected to lead air-traffic growth in the country; the Government is planning to build nearly 200 low-cost airports in the next 20 years in Tier II and III cities.

    This additional aviation infrastructure is likely to be developed through public-private partnership (PPP) model, paving the way for new business opportunities for infrastructure developers. The first phase of growth in the aviation sector was led by low-cost airlines, and the next phase would be driven by lowcost airports. The market size of the Indian medical tourism sector is likely to be more than double and reach USD 2.4 billion by 2015 from USD 1 billion at present. The inflow of medical tourists in India is also expected to cross 32 lakh by 2015 from the current number of 8.5 lakh. Medical travel, health and wellness tourism in India are projected as some of the most important avenues to improve tourism economy.

    The healthtravel industry is increasingly grounded in tourism. Currently, Indian healthcare market is growing at a rate of more than 30 per cent every year. India’s share in the global medical tourism industry is expected to climb to around 2.4 per cent by the end of 2012. India’s competitive edge in Healthcare Tourism is globally recognized with only one-fifth cost as compared to the West, far less or no waiting lines, super specialty hospitals and renowned medical practitioners. The top-notch healthcare facilities like cardiology, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, transplants and urology are some of the key factors which make India a preferred destination in terms of medical tourism. The states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi are fast emerging as India’s best medical centers with several hospitals and specialty clinics.

    India is also offering other medical services such as yoga, meditation and ayurveda, which are increasingly becoming popular as alternate, nonsurgical treatments for various ailments. Large numbers of medical tourists visit India from the Middle East, USA, and Europe and also from neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to avail high quality and low cost medical facilities. India’s topmost cities will see an addition of around 50,000 new rooms in the next 5-6 years.

    About 14,800 new hotel rooms are expected to add by the end of 2012, of which 2,000 rooms have already entered the market. The demand has been strong from both foreign as well as domestic tourists.With a total supply of 17,500 rooms in the next five years, the national capital region is expected to see the highest hotel room supply. Mumbai with 10,200 rooms and Bangalore with 9,400 rooms will significantly add to the existing inventory. The addition of new inventory will largely be in the potential growth areas around airports, commercial growth corridors, industrial corridors and special economic zones.

  • Neha Dhupia Opts Out Of Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster 2

    Neha Dhupia Opts Out Of Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster 2

    Neha Dhupia who was roped in for the item song for the sequel of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster has now opted out of the film. She is now no longer associated with Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming sequel to his 2011 film due to date issues. The actress was initially roped in to add oomph to the film. As reported earlier, Dhulia and producer Rahul Mittra were keen to include an item number and the shoot was scheduled for September in Jaipur, but it has been indefinitely delayed. Confirming the news, Neha tweeted,”Much against my wishes and the team of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster 2, I had to opt out of the item song as my dates did not work out.”

  • Teach Pakistan A Lesson Like 1965: Hazare

    Teach Pakistan A Lesson Like 1965: Hazare

    RALEGAN-SIDDHI (TIP): Social activist Anna Hazare demanded that India should “teach Pakistan a lesson” like it did in 1965 for the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir. “What they have done is simply unacceptable. How can they mutilate and take away the head of our soldier? This cannot be tolerated by any person,” Hazare told reporters here. “Pakistan seems to have forgotten the beating it took in the 1965 war with India. Don’t they remember how they begged for mercy when Lahore was bombed during that war? But on and off, it keeps raising its head against India. We want a repeat of 1965. Pakistan should be taught a lesson again,” Hazare said. The 75-year-old also expressed his willingness to go to the border and fight enemy soldiers. Hazare served in the Indian Army for 12 years before he was honorably discharged from service in 1975.

  • Hike In Rail Fares

    Hike In Rail Fares

    NEW DELHI (TIP): TRAVEL DEARER FROM JAN 21 MIDNIGHT – Revision after a decade
    The United Progressive Alliance government on January 9 announced an across-theboard hike in railway fares, putting an extra burden on passengers from the midnight of January 21. Ten months after withdrawing its Budget proposal to raise passenger fares under political pressure from the Trinamool Congress, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced that the decision taken after a decade would generate additional revenue of Rs 6,600 crore every year. Fares of ordinary second class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paise per km, while passengers will have to pay an extra 3 paise per km for non-suburban travel. Travel by second class mail and express trains will be costlier by 4 paise per km, while it will be expensive by 6 paise in sleeper class. Travelers in AC chair car and AC three tier will pay 10 paise more per km, first class 3 paise, AC two tier 6 paise and AC first class 10 paise more.

    The fares for first class, AC two tier and AC first/executive class have already been raised by 10, 15 and 30 paise per km, respectively, in the current year’s Budget. On the rationale behind the hike, the minister said it was necessitated by mounting losses, rising input costs and lower than anticipated earnings from freight that cross-subsidised passenger travel. “Basic fares were not revised in the past 10 years, except for the increase in respect of the first class, AC first and AC two-tier travel. “Losses in the passenger segment, which were Rs 6,159 crore in 2004-05, rose to Rs 19,964 crore in 2010-11 and were expected to touch Rs 25,000 crore in the current financial year,” the minister said. Stressing that cross-subsidy through freight business was no longer viable in view of growing competition, Bansal said by the end of December 2012, the Railways registered a shortfall of 13 million tones in carrying load. The decision to restrict the fare hike in the last Budget to the uppermost classes meant that additional resources could be raised from only 0.3 per cent of the total 2.30 crore passengers it carried, he added. This contributed just 10 per cent to the total earnings from the passenger segment.

  • Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    Cast: Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Shabana Azmi, Arya Babbar
    Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj
    Genre: Comedy
    Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes

    STORY:
    Haryanvi feudal Harry Mandola wants to sell village lands for malls – can Matru, Bijlee and ‘Mao’ stop him? MOVIE REVIEW:Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM) mirrors the dangers of self-indulgence – of texting and ghee, alcohol and directorial profligacy. The film is based on a little gem of a story – a drunken Haryanvi feudal Harry Mandola (Kapur) wants to sell villagers’ lands but is challenged by daughter Bijlee (Sharma), assistant Matru (Khan) and surprisingly, his own drunken self that turns softly socialist at the pour of a peg.

    Some lines are dazzlers – “Bachpan se dekh raha hoon, tum dono ki jodi jaise Mukesh aur Nita Ambani!”, Matru growling at Bijlee, “Apne andar ke jaali saaf karle – haunted house lagne lagi hai,”, sinister CM Choudhary Devi (Azmi) chiding brainless beta Badal (Babbar), “Yahi farak hai tum mein aur Rahul, Sachin aur Jyotiraditya mein!” Indeed, lines like gulabi bhains, sapnon ka Lokpal and the say-no-more pancho-pancho tickle you outside the theatre too.

    Quite like Kapur’s performance, as comfortingly elegant as a velvet dressing gown, his comedy silken as mumbling, drunken Harry, his anger tight like a cord as sober Mandola who dreams of money and won’t let reality stand in his way – even if that means pledging his darling Bijlee to a loveless life with baba-log brute Badal (Babbar, delivering to the dot). But here’s my angst – this movie could have been so much more. Like champagne gone flat, the film’s left lying about for too late, its plot meandering everywhere (including a plane ride through moon-lit clouds, ending in a Maoist meeting), the director so determined to have fun that often, the viewer doesn’t.

    Sure, there are hilarious moments involving pink buffaloes and deep wells, Shakespeare and Sheila Dixit, even a laal rang ka kachcha, and it’s all very clever – but where’s the self-control? With its intellectual foundation and dramatic potential, MKBKM needed disciplined direction, not wandering shots, predictable banter or dull crudity. On the upside, Azmi’s performance is effortlessly evil until the last swig. Anushka plays her now-familiar loud-spunky-sexy babe, unconvincing but attractive as an eccentric rustic. But despite her Pond-girl entry in see-through top and teeny shorts, Mandola’s heart-throb is Imran Khan who’s red-hot (literally), stubble and a sardonic air pumping his sex-appeal. With its Trilbys and tractors, malls and Maoism, its stretch limo and smart-boy! lines, MKBKM could have been such a fun ride.But sadly, director ka bhi man dola, rather too often.

  • Oscars 2013 Will Lincoln Snuff Out Life Of Pi?

    Oscars 2013 Will Lincoln Snuff Out Life Of Pi?

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): Torture. Terror. Depression. Revolt. Where’s Uggie the dog when you need him? The 85th Academy Awards season jolted into place on Thursday, as the heaviest number of Oscar nominations — including nods for best picture — went to “Lincoln”, about a president’s struggle with civil war; ” Life of Pi”, about a shipwreck survivor and a tiger; “Silver Linings Playbook”, a comedy, of sorts, about mental illness; and “Les Miserables”, filled with songs of the oppressed. Close behind were “Argo”, about political captivity; “Amour”, a French-language film about death; and “Django Unchained”, about slavery and retribution. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, about a child’s encounters with rising floodwaters in the South, and “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the murky pursuit of a national enemy, also scored heavily and were nominated for best picture.

    But the real surprise was a triple snub in the best director category: Neither Kathryn Bigelow, who directed “Zero Dark Thirty”, nor Ben Affleck, who directed “Argo”, nor Quentin Tarantino, who directed “Django Unchained”, were included among the five directing nominees. Those were Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”, Ang Lee for “Life of Pi”, Michael Haneke, for “Amour”, David O Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook” and Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The nominations were announced at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters in an early morning ceremony that paired the actress Emma Stone with the host of this year’s Oscar telecast, Seth MacFarlane.

    Hollywood now faces a somewhat longer-than-usual campaign period. A new digital voting system — despite its reported hitches — allowed the Academy to announce nominees two weeks earlier than last year, and more than six weeks before the awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on February 24. “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg, had gone into the morning as the picture to beat, and it remained a leader, with 12 nominations. But it barely outpaced “Life of Pi”, which beat the expectations by coming up second, with 11 nominations in all, even as ” Zero Dark Thirty,” an early favourite, picked just five. Spielberg’s directing nomination was his seventh (he has won twice), while Daniel Day-Lewis received his fifth best actor nomination, this time for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Though no slouch when it comes to importance, “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, may have been hurt by controversy, as several senators and a number of political critics tore into the film for its portrayal of the use of torture. nyt news service.

    007 stumbles
    again The latest James Bond movie “Skyfall” won five Oscar nominations on Thursday, the highest tally for a 007 picture, but the major categories including best picture once again eluded the franchise. Hopes had been raised that “Skyfall”, the first official Bond movie to make over $1 billion at the box office, would finally make its mark at the Academy Awards at the 23rd time of asking.

  • Asaram Says Rape Victim Should Have ‘Begged’, Gets Flak

    Asaram Says Rape Victim Should Have ‘Begged’, Gets Flak

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu was reported as saying that the Delhi gang-rape victim should have called her culprits brothers and recited the Saraswati mantra, provoking both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP to lash out at the comments as disturbing and condemnable. Asaram Bapu reportedly said “the victim is as guilty as her rapists” and that she should have “begged” in front of the culprits. “She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop. This could have saved her dignity and life. Can one hand clap? I don’t think so,” CNNIBN quoted Asaram Bapu as saying in a Jaipur-datelined report.

    “Had she recited the Saraswati mantra, she would not have boarded any bus after watching a movie with her boyfriend,” he added. The comment was slammed by India’s two main parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Such comments should be condemned as much as possible,” Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said. He was backed by party colleague Rashid Alvi who said: “Political leaders, including religious leaders, must give serious thought before they speak out.” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the comments were “regrettable and deeply disturbing and painful”. “We expect Asaram Bapuji to kindly introspect, reflect and withdraw the statement,” Prasad said.

    “I am sure he knows in the Hindu chintan (thought), woman of the country have been accorded a place of pride and dignity. Similarly in our constitution also, there is a clear provision of granting a status of equality to a woman and no discrimination. In this case, for him to make a statement in relation to a crime which has shocked the conscience of the country… Sorry, it is not acceptable,” he said. The 23-year-old woman was gangraped in a moving bus on the night of December 16, and brutally beaten. She succumbed to her injuries on December 29 in a Singapore hospital.

  • Govt Raises Financial Aid For Rural Housing

    Govt Raises Financial Aid For Rural Housing

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Centre has increased the amount for construction of houses for rural poor from Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 in plains and Rs 75,000 for those in hilly and difficult areas. The landless would get Rs 20,000 in place of the present Rs 10,000 for buying homestead land. The hike in Indira Awas Yojana came after Cabinet members on Thursday prevailed upon finance minister P Chidambaram who wanted to restrict the proposal from rural development ministry to Rs 65,000 per unit and opposed the hike for buying homestead land.

    The issue brought to the fore the difference between the two arms of UPA, with rural development minister Jairam Ramesh telling reporters that finance ministry was overruled by the Cabinet. “The Union Cabinet in its overall collective wisdom decided to increase the amount,” he said. Ramesh cited the agreement signed with Ekta Parishad that stopped marching tribals in Agra in October last year. The protestors were seeking land for the landless and the Centre agreed to bear 75% of the cost for buying homestead land in place of present 50%. There was overwhelming support in the Cabinet for increase in IAY unit cost with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Harish Rawat and Pavan Bansal pitching on other aspects of the debate. Water resources minister Rawat said Rs 75,000 was inadequate for IAY houses in the hills since land was scarce. He demanded that construction cost be decided according to the cost of land.

  • Movie Review:Gangster Squad

    Movie Review:Gangster Squad

    Critic’s Rating: Cast: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan
    Gosling, Emma Stone
    Direction: Ruben Fleischer
    Genre: Action
    Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

    STORY:
    In the late 1940s, post-Second World War, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will have to do what it takes to tackle the expansion of megalomaniacal boxer-turned-gangster Mickey Cohen’s crime empire in LA. A group of incorruptible officers are given orders to take down the vicious gangster in whichever way possible. The film is inspired by real events.

    Movie Review: Honest and fearless, John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) of LAPD is assigned the job of taking down gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). He is asked to form his own unit, comprising of like-minded, skilled men who can put an end to Mickey’s growing crime empire. He thus forms his own ‘gangster squad’.

    The only difference being, his squad will have to violently kill in order to restore order in the city. When acting heavy-weights like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling come together, one expects a mind-blowing effect, but that doesn’t really happen. Gangster Squad engages and entertains you with its occasional humour, sleek slow-motion action sequences and stylized gun violence but somewhere falls short of substance and depth. As certain righteous cops fight for honour and justice, you do not feel enough for the characters.

    Filmmaker Ruben Fleischer is known for comedy. True to his style, he infuses some good humour in a few scenes. However, in the very next scene, you see extreme bloodshed. The transition doesn’t seem too smooth here. That very style worked in his earlier film Zombieland (2009), owing to its genre, which was a comedy.

    Emma Stone as the gangster’s moll gets a weak role. Ryan Gosling as the ladies-man seems repetitive. In spite of drawbacks though, the film is high on style and keeps you hooked, thanks to some superb stunts and performances by Josh Brolin and Sean Penn who looks absolutely menacing as Mickey Cohen, his gaze and body language perfect for his character. Brolin is as brilliant as the heroic cop who relentlessly chases Cohen down. As far as stunts are concerned, car chases and fist-fight scenes are superbly shot. The 1940’s setting looks authentic too.

    If you like to witness the battle of good versus evil, mafia and mayhem, Gangster Squad has enough fire, guns and bullets to keep you engaged! But if you seek to explore the criminal underbelly, this may be a tad too simple for your liking.

  • Khap Leader On Save Girl Child Mission

    Khap Leader On Save Girl Child Mission

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): When khaps are being criticized for banning girls from wearing jeans and T-shirts, a woman khap leader of Haryana is busy collecting signatures to spread awareness against female foeticide. She has collected signatures of over 35,000 people, mainly youngsters, as part of her save the girl child campaign. An associate professor of Kurukshetra University, Santosh Dahiya, 45, wants to submit one lakh signatures to the President, demanding a curb on crime against women.

    She was nominated founder president of women wing of Haryana Sarv Jat Sarv Khap Mahapanchayat in a khap mahapanchayat held in Kurukshetra in 2009. According to Dahiya, the khap mahapanchayat is an umbrella body of 150 khaps of Haryana. Dahiya is also president of Haryana Women Boxing Association. As part of her save the girl child campaign, she approaches youngsters asking them to take an oath against female foeticide. Unfazed by the criticism of khaps by women organizations on the issue of honour killings, Dahiya said these bodies don’t order such crimes. “It is a conspiracy to defame khaps,” she insisted. “When I attended a khap mahapanchayat in 2009, I became convinced with the view point of khap leaders,” she said.

  • Delhi Gang Rape Accused Says Police Tortured Him

    Delhi Gang Rape Accused Says Police Tortured Him

    NEW DELHI (TIP): One of the five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman said police tortured him in custody and he and at least three of his co-defendants say they are innocent, lawyers said on. The five accused arrived in court for a closed hearing with their faces covered by scarves, and accompanied for the first time by defense lawyers. The physiotherapy student died on December 29, two weeks after being beaten and raped on a moving bus in New Delhi, then thrown bleeding onto the street. Nationwide protests followed against the government’s perceived failure to stem rising violence against women. One of the men, Mukesh Singh, the brother of a bus driver who police say was the leader of the gang, will base his defense on police brutality, his lawyer said.

    “Mukesh was illegally tortured in the custody of the police,” said the lawyer, Manohar Lal Sharma. The five face charges of murder, gang rape and abduction, prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. A sixth suspect is being investigated separately to determine if he is below the age of 18, as he says he is. The case has shone a light on a widespread problem of violence against women but also the failure of the criminal justice system to bring the guilty to justice in a country where official statistics show a rape is reported every 20 minutes.

    The bus driver and alleged gang leader Ram Singh said he was innocent during a two-hour meeting with his lawyer, VK Anand, in Delhi’s Tihar jail, the lawyer said. Two other accused, gym assistant Vinay Sharma and bus cleaner Akshay Kumar Singh, say they were falsely implicated, said their lawyer, AP Singh. ‘I will … prove their innocence,’ the lawyer said after the hearing. The fifth man has yet to be assigned a lawyer and it is not known what he has told court or how he intends to plea. Charges against the sixth member of the group have not been brought while police complete an inquiry to confirm his age. If he is found to be below 18 he will be tried in a juvenile court and if convicted will go to a correctional home, not a prison, to serve a maximum term of three years.

    GROUNDS FOR APPEAL?
    For days after their arrest, soon after the December 16 assault on the woman and a male companion, none of the men had a lawyer. Most members of the judiciary refused to represent them because of the outrage over the attack. Police conducted extensive interrogations of the men in the absence of any lawyer and they say they have recorded confessions. The hearings, which are closed to the media, are taking place in a court across the street from a cinema where the victim watched a movie before boarding the bus with a friend who was also severely beaten. Prosecutors say they have a large file of evidence, including statements and DNA samples taken from blood-stained clothing recovered by police. But legal experts had said the earlier lack of representation for the five suspects could give grounds for appeal if they were found guilty. Convictions in similar cases have often been overturned years later. The woman lived for two weeks after the attack but died in a Singapore hospital where she had been taken for treatment. She was identified by a British newspaper on the weekend but Reuters has opted not to name her. Indian law generally prohibits the identification of victims of sex crimes to protect their privacy in a country where the social stigma associated with rape can be devastating.

  • Jessica Alba Vows Never To Wear Hotpants

    Jessica Alba Vows Never To Wear Hotpants

    Jessica Alba has revealed that she will never wear hotpants again.

    The 31-year-old actress, who named ‘booty shorts’ as a fashion trend, asserted in a recent interview that she will never wear them again, the Sun reported.

    The mother of two, who has donned them on-screen – most famously in 2003 film ‘Honey,’ said that she is pretty confident about ditching hotpants.

    The Sin City star is also unwilling to go back to one aspect of 80s power dressing, as she asserted that she doesn’t like oversize shoulder pads.

  • Gang-Rape Case: Family Slams Move By 2 Accused To Become Witnesses

    Gang-Rape Case: Family Slams Move By 2 Accused To Become Witnesses

    BALLIA (TIP): The family of the Delhi gang-rape victim slammed the move by two of the six accused in the case to become State witnesses, saying this was being done to escape the death sentence and wanted the plea to be rejected. “It is not right to allow two of the accused persons as State witnesses as it is nothing but an attempt by them to escape the death sentence,” the brother of the 23-yearold girl told PTI at their native Medawar Kala village here. The father of the girl said there were enough witnesses in the case and there was no need to make the accused persons as witnesses. The girl’s grandfather and uncle – Lalji Singh and KP Singh, respectively – said the accused who have committed a heinous crime should not get relief of any kind or be made State witnesses.

    Of the four accused who were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Jyoti Kler inside her chamber in Delhi yesterday after expiry of their 14-day judicial remand, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma refused to take the service of legal aid counsel and expressed their willingness to become witnesses on behalf of the State in the gangrapecum- murder case. There are six accused in all, including a juvenile, in the case. Legal experts feel that an accused cannot hope to become a witness especially in a case of heinous crime like the brutal gang-rape to escape punishment.

    Usually in a case where investigators find it difficult to gather evidence, they could ask for an accused to become an approver to get crucial evidence and, in return, the accused could get a lighter sentence or escape punishment, the experts said. The girl’s brother also demanded that the jail term for rape cases be increased to 30 years from the current maximum punishment of life term. He also favored lowering the age of juveniles under the criminal justice system to 14 years from the present 18 years. Replying to questions, he objected to wrong names of the victim and her father being reported in a section of the foreign media. “Though the family has no objection in making the name of the girl and her father public, the names that come out should be correct,” he said.

  • Killed jawan’s father wants “befitting reply” to enemy

    Killed jawan’s father wants “befitting reply” to enemy

    BHOPAL (TIP): The distraught father of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh, who was one of the soldiers killed in an attack by Pakistan Army across the LoC, wants that the neighbouring nation be given a “befitting reply” for the dastardly act. “The government should respond to the dastardly act by the enemy (Pakistan Army) in a befitting manner. That will be the real tribute to my martyred son,” Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh’s father Sachchidanand Singh said after the cremation of his son yesterday. “Hamari iccha hai ki dushman ka datkar muqabla karke usko usi ki bhasha mein jawab dena chahiye,” (we want that the enemy should be dealt with in a befitting manner),” Singh told from Dadia village in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. “Sudhakar was our strength and was supposed to come to the village on February 15-16, but now everything is lost,” Singh said. The 30-year-old deceased soldier, the youngest of the four siblings, had joined Army on April 7, 2002.

  • Delhi Police’s Advice For Girls: Go Home Directly After School

    Delhi Police’s Advice For Girls: Go Home Directly After School

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Go home directly after school hours and inform parents if you are going out. This and few other advices are seen in posters by Delhi Police outside educational institutions in some areas of the national capital. The posters appeared in front of some colleges and schools in southeast Delhi only. Delhi Police headquarters said it has not authorized any such posters. The dos and don’ts poster came as an awareness campaign launched against the backdrop of the gangrape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus last month. She died on December 29. The poster advises girl students not to lose self confidence, inform police control room about any suspicious people and never remain silent over harassment. “After school, go home directly. If going out, inform parents. If going to any friend’s place inform parents. The bag should contain a piece of paper with their address and phone number. “Do not talk to strangers or take lift from them. Do not go out of school premises without teachers’ permission. Do not take food, cold drinks or gifts from strangers,” the posters said.

  • Rape Victim’s Dad Wants World To Know Her Real Name

    Rape Victim’s Dad Wants World To Know Her Real Name

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The 23-year-old Delhi gangrape victim’s devastated father says he wants the world to know his daughter’s real name as it will give courage to other women who have survived such attacks, a week after the brave heart succumbed to her gruesome injuries. Following the girl’s brutal assault in a moving bus in Delhi on December 16 by six men, the Indian media has refrained from naming her. She died on December 29 at a Singapore hospital where she was shifted to from Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital in an extremely critical condition.

    “We want the world to know her real name. My daughter didn’t do anything wrong, she died while protecting herself. I am proud of her. Revealing her name will give courage to other women who have survived these attacks. They will find strength from my daughter,” the victim’s 53-year-old father told ‘The Sunday People’, the Daily Mirror’s Sunday edition, in his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh.

    The girl’s family has retreated to their village to grieve away from their Delhi home. ‘At first I wanted to see the men responsible face to face but I don’t want to any more. I just want to hear that the courts have punished them and they will be hanged. ‘Death for all six of them. These men are beasts. They should be made an example of and that society will not allow such things to happen,’ the girl’s father said. What happened to her was ‘just gruesome and I hope no one ever goes through what she had to endure,’ he said. He now hopes mothers and fathers will teach their sons to respect women. ‘The police cannot handle this on their own. But parents need to keep an eye on their children too.’

  • Obama Nominates Jack Lew as Treasury Secretary

    Obama Nominates Jack Lew as Treasury Secretary

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama, in an effort to rejuvenate the battered US economy, on Thursday, January 10th, nominated his Chief-of-Staff and budget specialist Jack Lew to succeed Timothy Geithner as the next Treasury Secretary. Obama announced his nomination in the ornate White House East Room, flanked by Lew and outgoing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The two men and their backgrounds illustrate the nation’s changing economic landscape – Geithner a long time banking specialist with the Treasury and the Federal Reserve took office in 2009 at the height of the nation’s financial crisis and Lew, the budget expert as the government struggles with its debt and deficit challenges. Obama heaped praise on Geithner for addressing the Wall Street meltdown and shepherding an overhaul of financial regulations through Congress.

    “When the history books are written, Tim Geithner is going to go down as one of our finest secretaries of the Treasury.” Obama highlighted Lew’s past work on economic policy, from his days in the 1980s as an aide to then House Speaker Tip O’Neill to his work on the budget with President Bill Clinton. Obama said he felts “bittersweet” about losing Lew as his White House chief of staff but says “my loss will be the nation’s gain.”

    “I cannot think of a better person to continue Tim’s work at Treasury than Jack Lew,” Obama said, in a White House event announcing his nominations for the top cabinet jobs in his second term beginning January 20. “Jack knows that every number on a page, every dollar we budget, every decision we make, has to be an expression of who we wish to be as a nation,” Obama said. “So, I hope the Senate will confirm him as quickly as possible,” Obama said. “Jack Lew will bring an impressive record of service in both the public and private sectors for over three decades and economic expertise to this important role, and his deep knowledge of domestic and international economic issues will enable him to take on the challenges facing our economy at home and abroad on day one,” a White House official said, explaining the reasons behind Lew’s selection. “Throughout his career, Jack Lew has proven a successful and effective advocate for middle class families who can build bipartisan consensus to implement proven economic policies,” the official said.

    “As White House Chief of Staff, Jack Lew led the President’s team in tackling some of the toughest domestic and international economic challenges facing our nation in decades,” the official said, adding that that the challenges included strengthening nation’s recovery from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression to dealing with serious fiscal matters and challenges in the global economy.” “He also led the Office of Management and Budget under President Clinton and President Obama, negotiating a historic agreement with Congress during the Clinton administration to balance the federal budget and leading the negotiations of the bipartisan Budget Control Act in 2011, which brought discretionary spending to historically low levels,” the White House official said.

    As Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, in addition to managing the day-today operations of the Department, Lew managed the State Department’s international economic policy portfolio and travelled the world to advance our nation’s interest, said the official. “He also has a distinguished record leading private and public sector institutions and will bring strong relationships in the business community to his new role,” the official said.

    “At Citi, he was part of the senior internal management team of this global financial institution, serving as managing director and COO of Citi Global Wealth Management and then as managing director and COO of Citi Alternative Investments,” he said. A series of economic topics, including how to raise the USD 16.4 trillion federal borrowing limit to avert a first-ever default by the government and how to respond to China’s growing economic might, would await Lew at the Treasury Department, experts said.

  • It Was A Pre-Planned Operation: Dy GOC

    It Was A Pre-Planned Operation: Dy GOC

    RAJOURI (TIP): Brig JK Tiwari, Deputy General Officer Commanding of the 25 Infantry Division, said the gruesome killing of two soldiers by Pakistani troops in the Mendhar Sector on Tuesday was a pre-planned operation. Interacting with mediapersons after paying tribute to the two martyrs, Brig Tiwari termed the Pakistani Army’s action as most barbaric and inhuman. “It was a highly provocative act and pre-planned by Pakistan, which is highly condemnable,” he said. Explaining how the killings took place, Brigadier Tiwari said, “Our area domination patrol was moving from one post to another along the Line of Control (LoC). Mid-way, it came under heaving firing by a group of Pakistani troops who had crossed the LoC and intruded deep into our side. The firing continued for over half an hour,” he said.

    He said the soldiers were ambushed amid thick fog that greatly reduced visibility in the area, which has a thick forest cover and helped Pakistani troops intrude into India. “After the firing stopped, the patrol party started consolidation of the area and found two men of the advance patrolling party missing. After the search, the badly mutilated bodies of two soldiers were found. The head of one of the soldiers was taken away by the Pakistani soldiers,” he said. “They (Pakistani) are very desperate to send militants and their efforts have been successfully foiled by the Indian Army. That may be a reason for this action,” he said, adding that such an incident had not taken place along the LoC in the last eight to nine years. Earlier, Brigadier Tiwari laid wreaths on the bodies of Lance Naik Hemraj (29) and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh (28) at the ALC Ground in Rajouri followed by a guard of honour. Wrapped in the Tricolour, their bodies were sent to their villages in UP and MP. The Army also called a high-level meeting of the 25 Infantry Division where all senior officers were present.

  • Pakistan Stops Indian Trucks On LoC

    Pakistan Stops Indian Trucks On LoC

    JAMMU (TIP): Indian trucks carrying goods were barred by Pakistani authorities from entering Pakistan, citing the tense situation along the Jammu and Kashmir border. Pawan Anand, president of the Cross-LoC (Line of Control) Traders Union, told IANS that about 50 trucks were halted at the border in Poonch district. Anand said the trucks had reached the Pakistani gates on the LoC but Pakistani officials did not open them, saying the gates will remain closed “till the situation becomes conducive”. He said no trucks came from Pakistan too. The Pakistani decision follows escalating tensions along the LoC ever since India accused Pakistani soldiers of killing and beheading two Indian soldiers. Pakistan has charged India with killing two Pakistani soldiers. The LoC divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The cross-LoC trade began in December 2008.

  • Naxal Ambush: Bomb Found Inside Body Of Dead CRPF Jawan

    Naxal Ambush: Bomb Found Inside Body Of Dead CRPF Jawan

    RANCHI/NEW DELHI (TIP): A 1.5 kg bomb was planted by Maoists inside the stomach of a CRPF jawan killed in an encounter with the rebels in a brutal tactic perhaps used for the first time by Naxals in the country. The Naxals had surgically inserted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the body of the slain jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who was killed three days back in an ambush in Jharkhand’s Latehar district, police said. Taking note of the Maoist strategy that has come to light, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in New Delhi, “they are employing new new tactics.” Doctors conducting the autopsy of the CRPF troopers at a government hospital in Ranchi were shocked when they found a 1.5 kg unexploded bomb stitched inside the abdomen of 29- year- old Constable Babulal Patel who was among those killed in the encounter.

    Patel hailed from Allahabad. Jharkhand DGP G S Rath said the body of Patel with the IED implanted in it was recovered by patrol squads last evening from near the encounter site. ‘The doctors became suspicious when they saw the body ofthe CRPF jawan. The bomb disposal squad was then called and the body was placed in an open field,’ Rath told PTI in Ranchi. Police also said an X-ray showed a bomb. Later, the IED was defused by the bomb squad, a senior CRPF official said. The IED was a pressure bomb prototype which explodes on being disturbed, he said. Rath said doctors initially refused to conduct the postmortem after they became suspicious on seeing stiches on the abdomen. The IED placed in the stomach of the jawan air-lifted from the encounter site to Ranchi did not explode, Latehar Superintendent of Police Kranti Kumar said. ‘The IEDs were fitted in the stomachs of two personnel. The one in the body of CRPF jawan Baijanath Kisku exploded inflicting casualties,’ Kumar said.

    The death toll in the encounter rose to 14 with the recovery of the body of another civilian. In all, nine CRPF personnel, one personnel from the state’s special anti-Naxal force ‘Jharkhand Jaguars’ and four civilians were killed in the encounter that occurred on January 7. Rath said the Maoists planted explosives underneath the bodies which exploded when they were being removed. This tactic has been previously employed to inflict casualties but a bomb disposal squad expert said it could be for the first time the Naxals have planted an explosive inside a dead body. Kumar claimed nine Maoists were killed and several were injured in the encounter. The dead and injured were dragged away by the rebels leaving behind trails of blood, he added.

  • 2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Indian- Americans Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard were sworn in as members of the US House of Representatives January 4, much to the delight of the small but powerful community in the country.

    Born of immigrant parents from Punjab, California-based physician Bera is only the fourth Indian American to be a member of the US House of Representatives, while Iraq war veteran Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to win Congressional election.

    The 113th Congress commenced on January 3, 2013 with the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Members of Congress. The new Congress in session till January 3, 2015 has 43 African American members (all but one in the House of Representatives), a record high number of 100 female, seven LGBT members, and one member of the Kennedy family returning to elective federal office after a brief pause from public service from the family.

    Bera, 47, from seventh Congressional District from California and Gabbard, 31, from Hawaii’s second Congressional District, are reflective of the diversity of the new Congress. Both are from the Democratic Party of President Barack Obama. Hindus represent less than one per cent of the current US population.

  • Gang-Rape Victim Nirbhaya Wrote Names Of Rapists

    Gang-Rape Victim Nirbhaya Wrote Names Of Rapists

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Even through the trauma of a brutal gang-rape and murderous assault, Nirbhaya remembered the names of her rapists. As she lay in great agony in hospital, unable to speak, the 23-year-old braveheart correctly wrote down the names of four of the assaulters — Ram Singh, Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay. Nirbhaya had heard the names during the assault. She scribbled these in presence of the magistrate while her statement was being recorded under section 164 of CrPC. Other words she wrote on the paper were ‘rod se, lohe/wood’ and ‘kuch logon ko dekha, sources said. The paper was signed by the magistrate. Sources said the victim was asked questions in a way that she could reply in gestures.

    This was the time when a statement under section 164 was recorded through gestures, the sources added. While taking her statement, questions were also asked in a multiple choice format so that she could point to the correct option. Sources said Nirbhaya answered correctly many multi-option questions like the colour of the bus (white), the bus stand from where they boarded (Munirka), number of people in the bus (5-7), the fare charged by accused (Rs 20), time of the incident (around 9.30 pm) and so on. Before her statement was recorded, a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital had opined that the girl was conscious, cooperative, meaningfully communication oriented and that she responded to questions through gestures, the sources said.

    Sources said Nirbhaya preferred to write herself the answer to questions such as the names of the accused. The victim had given her statement twice, once in front of an SDM and then a Metropolitan Magistrate. Investigators say her answers were consistent on both occasions and also matched with the statement provided by her male friend. While Nirbhaya showed unusual courage, she appears to have received shoddy treatment at Safdarjung Hospital the night she was brought there. According to her medical status report dated December 20, she was brought to the hospital in a PCR van around 11.30pm on December 16 but was shifted to the ICU only around 5am — more than 5 hours later. Subsequently, when the cops sent the teeth samples of the accused to match with the bite marks on the body of victim, the hospital reportedly said it was not equipped to carry out that examination, sources said. The examination is now being conducted outside Delhi.

  • Treat Your Hair To Natural Oils

    Treat Your Hair To Natural Oils

    Here’s how you can use some natural oils according to your hair texture. Getting that natural lustre and gloss on your hair without leaving a dent in your wallet or going to snazzy salons is what most women crave for. Oiling your hair is that one secret that has been passed on from generation to generation. Be it the hot oil treatment or the various hair masks your granny recommended, natural oils have always been a friend to a woman’s hair.
    Thin hair
    Using rosemary oil for thin hair is a folk remedy. As thin hair attracts more dirt and impurities, this oil helps in cleansing the scalp. Used to prevent hair loss, rosemary oil is an aromatic oil that helps stimulate hair follicles. It is also known that this oil prevents premature graying. Being high on calcium, vitamin B and iron, this oil also helps the hair with conditions of the scalp like dandruff, oily scalp and brittle or frizzy hair.

    Thick hair
    If you have thick, coarse, unmanageable hair, olive oil is the best remedy. This oil has a high level of mono-unsaturated fat, which in turn helps dry and damaged hair. Olive oil also helps in strengthening and moisturising the hair.

    Fine hair
    Pomegranate Seed Oil is known to revitalise dull and dry strands of hair because of the content of punicic acid it has in it. Another advantage of this oil is that it protects the hair from chemicals and environmental impurities.Wavy Hair Sweet almond oil has been a natural remedy for hair for ages. Massaging the scalp with this oil stimulates blood circulation allowing oxygen in the hair follicles. It also helps add shine and lustre to ones hair.

    Damaged hair
    Avocado oil is rich in amino acids and proteins and thus helps deal with hair fall, dandruff and thinning hair.

  • Terrorism, Cyber Security Dominate Brics Meet

    Terrorism, Cyber Security Dominate Brics Meet

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India on January 10 hosted the first standalone meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations that featured discussions on a range of global issues, including terrorism, cyber security and piracy. The meeting was attended by India’s NSA Shivshankar Menon, Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai P Patrushev, Brazil’s Secretary for Strategic Affairs Ricardo Paes de Barros and South Africa’s Minister of State for Security Siyabonga C Cwele. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Menon said the BRICS NSAs have met on the sidelines of each summit.

    However, it had been felt that the NSAs should also hold meetings regularly to discuss cooperation among the five countries as well as to take stock of global developments. The five BRICS nations that represent nearly 43 per cent of the world population have maintained stable and fast growth on the whole thus becoming an important force in pushing forward the global economic agenda. The meeting also discussed major international security-related issues that the five nations’ top leadership will talk about during the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, in March. Menon said there was an in-depth discussion on the situation in Syria, Libya and Mali. The representatives of the five countries were of the view that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide their future without any outside interference. The international community should only play the role of a facilitator.