The Indian Panorama

Year: 2013

  • Crippled Carnival Triumph Cruise Ship Reaches US Coast

    Crippled Carnival Triumph Cruise Ship Reaches US Coast

    ALABAMA (TIP): More than 4,000people are disembarking from acrippled cruise ship that reached landfour days after an engine fire knockedout its power.Unloading all 3,200 passengers isexpected to take hours. Food, blanketsand mobile phones await them in theterminal, a Carnival official has said.Passengers had reported sewage onthe floors, poor sanitation and accessto toilets, and lengthy queues for food.Some lined the decks as the 900-ft(275m) ship docked, waving andcheering at people on shore.Chants of “Let me off, let me off !”could be heard coming from the shipas they waited to disembark.Carnival Corp which operates theship, was also the owner of CostaConcordia, the cruise ship that ranaground off the Italian coast and sanklast year, killing 32 people.

    ‘Nightmare’
    After the ship reached port ataround 21:15 (03:15 GMT), CarnivalCorp said it would take as long as fivehours to get all the passengers off.They have already been cleared bycustoms officials.On disembarking passenger, ClarkJones, told the BBC the last day wasparticularly hard as tugs took severalhours to tow the stricken ship the lastfew miles to port.”Today has been especiallynightmarish because we knew we wereso close to land and getting off,” he toldthe BBC.Once passengers are off the ship,they will be taken by bus either toGalveston, Texas, which is about sevenhours away, or to New Orleans, wherethe firm said it booked 1,500 hotelrooms.

    New Orleans is two hours away.Hospitality staff will be sent onearly holiday with full pay ortransferred to other ships, dependingon the length remaining in theircontracts, Carnival Senior Vice-President Terry Thornton toldreporters.Passenger Janie Baker told NBC byphone on Thursday that conditions onthe ship were “extremely terrible”.There was no electricity and fewworking toilets, she said.Ms Baker described using plasticbags to go to the toilet and that she hadseen a woman pass out while waitingfor food.The stench from overflowing toiletsand drainpipes made some cabinsuninhabitable and many people sleptin corridors while others took beddingout into the open to escape the heatand foul smell.

    Past mechanical problems
    Ms Baker said she and her friendsslept with their life vests one nightbecause the ship was listing.Passengers will be offered a fullrefund and discounts on futurecruises. Carnival announced onWednesday they would each get anadditional $500 (£322) in compensation.But the firm has disputed theaccounts describing the ship as filthy,saying employees were doingeverything they could to ensure peoplewere comfortable.Carnival has cancelled more than adozen planned voyages aboard theTriumph, while acknowledging thatthe crippled ship had othermechanical problems in the weeksbefore the fire.

    Spokesman Vance Gulliksen saidTriumph had an earlier electricalproblem with the ship’s alternator butthat repairs were completed by 2February. He said there was noevidence linking the previous problemto Sunday’s fire.The National Transportation SafetyBoard has opened an investigation intothe fire. No-one was injured in theblaze, but one passenger with a preexistingmedical condition was takenoff the ship as a precaution.

  • Maldives Slams ‘Mediator’ India

    Maldives Slams ‘Mediator’ India

    MALE (TIP): India’s effort to playpeacemaker between Maldivianpresident Waheed Hassan Manik andhis deposed predecessor MohamedNasheed has left the Indian HighCommission in the Maldives capital avirtual war room.From the outside, the Indianmission on the Indian Ocean islandremained closed and deserted onThursday, but diplomatic circles wereon an overdrive, as the Malegovernment hit out at India, saying inits statement about Nasheed, who’shiding in the mission to escape arrest,that India was “underminingMaldives’s democratic institutions.

    “Later in the day, Indian externalaffairs minister Salman Khurshidspoke to his counterpart Abdul SamadAbdullah in a bid to defuse thesituation, but by Thursday evening,India was seen more as a protector ofNasheed than a mediator fordemocracy. Nasheed’s MaldivianDemocratic Party, meanwhile, hasstated that its leader would remain inthe Indian High Commission tillWaheed is replaced by a caretakergovernment to ensure a free and fairelection in September.What appears to have infuriated theMaldivian government is India’schoice of words while stating that ithas taken up Nasheed’s matter withthe Maldivian authorities. Referringto Nasheed, MEA spokesman SyedAkbaruddin, who was in Delhi, saidthat “presidential nominees ofrecognized political parties should befree to participate in the electionswithout any hindrance.

    “The Maldivian government reactedangrily, saying its electioncommission had not announced thecandidates for the elections. “It isunfortunate that the government ofIndia has decided to comment on thetypes of candidates that could contestthe upcoming presidential elections inMaldives scheduled for September2013 …” … The elections commission ofMaldives is fully capable of evaluatingand deciding eligibility of nomineesin the elections and carrying forwarda credible electoral process. Topresume otherwise would beundermining the democraticinstitutions of the country and theprogress achieved by the Maldives inconsolidating its democracy.” It addedthat the Indian authorities had notheld talks with it.

    While India chose not to issue apublic retort, Nasheed went on theoffensive against Waheed. “The eventsof the past year – mass arrests, policebrutality, politically motivated trials -demonstrate that Waheed cannot betrusted to hold a free and fairelection,” he said on the website of hispolitical party.Nasheed’s party colleagues said hewould not leave the Indian HighCommission despite the Maldiviangovernment’s assurance that he wouldnot be arrested. Nasheed took refugeat the Indian mission in Male onWednesday afternoon fearing arrestfollowing a warrant by a local court inconnection with the alleged detentionof the chief judge of a criminal courtduring his presidency in January2012.Nasheed, who became the firstdemocratically elected president ofMaldives in 2008, was ousted last yearin what he called a coup, followingprotests against the judge’s arrest.Waheed, then the vice-president,succeeded him.

  • Vidya Willing To Lose It For Farhan

    Vidya Willing To Lose It For Farhan

    The actress is working hard on sculpting herself back to shape for her next with the athletic actor. There was a particularly heart wrenching scene in The Dirty Picture, in which Silk, who has abused her body after being rejected in love, struggles to fit into her clothes. Vidya Balan, who had put on 12 kilos to essay the role of the buxom actress, looked chillingly convincing as her love handles and jelly belly refused to be contained by the tight clothes.

    The Dirty Picture was followed by Kahaani (where Vidya played a pleasantly plump pregnant woman) and recently Ghanchakkar, but the weight stuck on to Vidya as did the tag of one of the most successful actresses.

    Fresh from sweeping almost all the major awards, the actress tolod about her determination to lose that extra flab and fit into yet another challenging role. At a Bandra cafe, taking dainty sips of her black coffee and nibbling on cracked wheat and ragu with pepper, she looks radiant and as we realise, slimmer than we had last seen her. And then we learn: Vidya has already lost 9.5 kg in less than five weeks.

  • Obama Says Public Deserves To Know More On Drones

    Obama Says Public Deserves To Know More On Drones

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama saidon Thursday that Americans needed more than just hisword to be assured he was not misusing his powers inwaging a secret drone war overseas.The president was asked about the debate over thedeadly tactic, a backbone of the US campaign againstAl-Qaeda, and whether the Constitution allows the useof drones against Americans who have turned againsttheir country.”It is not sufficient for citizens to just take my wordfor it that we are doing the right thing,” Obama told anonline forum sponsored by Google.The president, who has said he is working withCongress to provide more oversight of the clandestinedrone war against Al-Qaeda, was also asked what was tostop the US government from using unmanned aerialvehicles at home.”There has never been a drone used on an Americancitizen on American soil,” Obama said in the GooglePlus “Fireside Hangout.”

    “The rules outside the United States are going to bedifferent than the rules inside of the United States inpart because our capacity, for example, to captureterrorists in the United States is going to be verydifferent than in the foothills or mountains ofAfghanistan or Pakistan.Debate about the use of drones has slowly beenmounting following the September 2011 killing in Yemenof cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a senior Al-Qaeda operativewho was an American citizen.The president said that he was working with Congressto ensure that the public was also able to understand theconstraints and legal rationales of the US drone war.”I am not somebody who believes that the presidenthas the authority to do whatever he wants, or whatevershe wants, whenever they want, just under the guise ofcounter terrorism,” he added.

    “There have to be checks and balances on it.”Some observers, including prominent senators, areconsidering whether a special court should monitor thesecret drone war.Missiles fired from unmanned aircraft have becomethe Obama administration’s weapons of choice in itswar against Al-Qaeda.The administration’s legal rationale for the targetedkillings was leaked to the media ahead of Senatehearings last week on the nomination of Obama’s topcounterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head theCIA.The guidelines allow the use of drone strikes againstUS citizens suspected of being senior Al-Qaedaoperatives, even if there is no evidence they are activelyplotting an attack.Some administration critics have questioned thelegality of drone strikes against US citizens, whileothers fear that raining death from the skies may domore harm than good in increasing anti-US sentiment.

  • Deepika to don a new look in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

    Deepika to don a new look in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani

    After playing the hot Veronica in Cocktail and steaming the screen with her hotness in Race 2 Deepika plays a complete new avatar.

    Now she will be seen in a girl next door avatar in her upcoming movie Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.

    For the first time Deepika will be seen wearing spectacles onscreen. Although she has been seen in specs a lot of times in real life specially while travelling but this is the first she will be seen wearing them onscreen.

    Source from the movie say, She is carrying off the look very well.

    Deepika is playing the lead role opposite Ranbir Kapoor, in Yeh Jawani hai Deewani directed by Ayan Mukerji.The movie has just completed shooting in Kashmir.

  • Italian PM Assures ‘Correct Governance’ Of Finmeccanica

    Italian PM Assures ‘Correct Governance’ Of Finmeccanica

    ROME (TIP): Italian PrimeMinister Mario Monti hassaid that his governmentwould guarantee the “correctgovernance” of statecontrolleddefence firmFinmeccanica followingarrest of its chief executiveon corruption charges in theRs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopterdeal with India.”The government was ableto intervene with somemeasures to guarantee thecorrect governance of thecompany and the wholegroup,” Monti said. The primeminister had earlier promisedto do “whatever necessary toclean up” Finmeccanica. Healso assured that theprosecution would do its dutyin the case of Finmeccanica’sjailed ex-chief executiveofficer Giuseppe Orsi.

    “I am sure that theprosecution in this case willdo its duty as in other similarcases,” he told reporters. Orsiwas arrested by Italianagencies on Tuesday as partof their probe related tointernational corruption in acase involving the payment ofbribes in the Rs 3,600 croredeal for 12 VVIP helicoptersto India.In February 2010, India hadinked the deal to acquire the12 three-engine AW-101helicopters fromAgustaWestland for IAF’selite CommunicationSquadron, which ferries thePresident, PM and otherVVIPs.

    The deal came under thescanner of Italian agenciesafter allegations of kickbacksgiven in India surfaced.Finmeccanica, Italy’sbiggest defence contractor,appointed Alessandro Pansaas the new CEO to succeedOrsi.Earlier, economy ministerVittorio Grilli had said thathis ministry was working tomake sure thatFinmeccanica adopts asystem of governance thatprovides managementcontinuity, protectsshareholders’ interests andguarantees transparentdecision-making.

  • Sunny Leone Files Fir Against Krk

    Sunny Leone Files Fir Against Krk

    Actress Sunny Leone is “emotionally and mentally disturbed” after Kamaal R. Khan (KRK) claimed that she had made the controversial statement – “Rape is not a crime, it’s just a surprise”. The actress has now filed an FIR against KRK. “Sunny is emotionally and mentally very disturbed with the false allegations levied by Kamaal Khan against her, and the cheap and demeaning jokes that he is continuously posting on his twitter account in her name, thereby outraging her modesty openly on a public platform,” Rizwan Siddiquee, lawyer of the actress, said.

    “Resultantly, she has been crying inconsolably and is not in a proper frame of mind to even talk to the media with regard to such built-up controversies surrounding her.”

    He added: “As the acts committed by Kamaal Khan are largely cognizable, to protect her legitimate rights and interest we have filed an FIR under Sections 500, 504, 509 of the Indian Penal Code together with Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act 2000.

  • 17 Indians On Death Row Return After Uae Court Frees Them

    17 Indians On Death Row Return After Uae Court Frees Them

    AMRITSAR (TIP): The 17 men whoreturned to India on Tuesday after asgood as cheating death in the UAE couldneither praise god enough nor controltheir emotions on seeing their families.Convicted in the 2009 murder of aPakistani national, they could get awayonly because crores were paid as ‘bloodmoney’ for their pardon.They and their family membersthanked SPS Oberoi, a Dubai-basedbusinessman who contested their casesand ensured their safe return.The men, most of whom had paidhefty amounts to agents to secure’highly paid’ jobs abroad, were arrestedin Sharjah for the murder of Misri Khanand for injuring one Mushtaq Ahamdduring a brawl over the sale of illegalliquor.

    A court later sentenced them todeath.But following the intervention ofOberoi, president of the Sarbat Da BhalaTrust, Khan’s family agreed to accept Rs8 crore in Pakistan currency as bloodmoney in return for pardoning them. InJuly 2011, compensation was also paid toAhmad’s family.All the men denied they had a hand inKhan’s death and claimed they had beenimplicated in a false case.”I was so shocked I started tremblingwhen the judge pronounced the deathsentence; it seemed the end for all of us,”said Dharmapla Singh of Jhoke TehalSinghwala in Ferozpur district.

    Hisfamily had paid Rs 1 lakh to an agent forgetting him a job in Dubai. “None of uswill ever cross the Indian border again,”said Dharampla, a father of two. “It ishell out there if one goes illegally.”Kashmir Singh of Rattukae village inTarn Taran district went to Sharjah toensure a better future for his twodaughters. “I am thankful to be alive,” hesaid. “It is better to have two meals hereand live with one’s family than to be injail under constant threat of the noose.”Kuldeep Singh of Kukrana village inMoga district said: “My elder brotherdied of shock when he heard about mydeath sentence. It was a tough time forthe family, but now I am back to takecare of them.”

  • Telecom Firms With Cancelled Permit To Stop Operations Immediately: SC

    Telecom Firms With Cancelled Permit To Stop Operations Immediately: SC

    The bench also directed to immediately put on fresh auctionthe entire 2G spectrum for the licences cancelled by it

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The SupremeCourt held that telecom companieswhich were unsuccessful in availingfresh 2G spectrum and those which didnot participate in the auction processwill cease to operate “forthwith”.However, telecom companies whichwere successful in the fresh auctionheld on November 12 and 14, 2012 willbe asked to start their services in therespective circles immediately, thecourt ruled. “The telecom companieswhich have been unsuccessful in thebidding and those after the cancellationof the licences did not participate inthe fresh auction are directed to ceasefrom continuing from operationforthwith and the successful bidderswill immediately start in theirrespective circles,” the court said.

    A bench comprising justices G SSinghvi and K S Radhakrishnandirected that those telecom companieswhich were allowed to continueoperation after scrapping of theirlicences by February 2, 2012 judgementwill have to pay the reserved pricefixed for the licences in the first roundof the auction held in November 2012.The apex court by its interim ordershad extended the deadline for them tocontinue with the operation.The bench clarified that the apexcourt’s Feb 2, 2012 judgement will notbe applicable on telecom companiesholding the spectrum with 900 MHzband.’The February 2, 2012 order will haveno bearing on litigation relating to 900MHz band,’ the bench said, adding thatit (900 MHz band spectrum) was not thesubject matter before it.The bench also directed toimmediately put on fresh auctionentire 2G spectrum for the licencescancelled by it.

  • 26/11 Accused Lakhvi Enjoys Vvip Treatment In Pak Jail

    26/11 Accused Lakhvi Enjoys Vvip Treatment In Pak Jail

    NEW DELHI (TIP): It’s not only theLashker-e-Taiba (LeT) top boss Hafiz Saeedwho roams freely in Pakistan, but even hisnext-in-command Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi,imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for hisrole in the 26/11 attacks,moves out of theprison from time to time to visit his familyand friends. Lakhvi, who is treated as a VVIPwithin the confines of the high-securityprison, enjoys these outings under a thicksecurity cover facilitated by the jailauthorities, sources in the Indian securityestablishment have told TOI.Lakhvi, who was the prime motivator ofthe 26/11 attack module, monitoring thecarnage from the LeT control room in Karachiand giving blow-by-blow instructions to theterrorists, is using as many as five differentcellphones inside the jail to communicate withLeT commanders and cadres.

    According tointelligence sources, he freely makes calls tokeep tab on the outfit’s operations and givespep-talks to his terror associates.According to a senior official of the securityestablishment, Lakhvi’s detention in AdialaJail is even better than a house arrest. While aperson under house arrest cannot leave thepremises of his detention or receive anyvisitors unless authorized by the detainingauthority, Lakhvi not only has a smooth trafficof visitors — most of them terrorcommanders seeking his guidance and advice— but is also allowed to use vehicles andsecurity for meeting his family and terrorassociates outside the jail premises.

    It is suspected that the child that Lakhvireportedly fathered during his incarcerationwas thanks to these “outings”. Abu Jundal, the26/11 handler who was deported last year andis on trial here, had told his interrogators herethat Lakhvi, during one of their meetings inAdiala Jail, had informed him that the prisonauthorities had allowed his wife to visit him inprison in 2010 to perform conjugal rights,following which their son was born.The secretly-arranged “paroles”notwithstanding, Lakhvi’s stay at the jail is noless comfortable. His “cell” in Adiala Jail isreally a well-appointed suite with all modernfacilities, including a television set. He hasaccess to newspapers and moves within thejail without any restrictions.

    “He is kept ingood humour by the jailors and prison staff,under what the security agencies believe arestanding instructions from Pakistani stateagencies like the ISI,” a senior intelligenceofficer told TOI.In fact, the jail authorities even arranged abirthday celebration for their most-covetedprisoner sometime last year.Agencies here believe that Lakhvi wasarrested as Pakistan was under pressure fromthe Western nations to bring the 26/11masterminds to book. Arresting Saeed, whoenjoys the confidence of both the PakistaniArmy and the ISI, was not an option. So, aconvenient arrangement was worked out toshowcase Lakhvi’s arrest as Pakistan’scommitment to bring 26/11 perpetrators tobook, while ensuring that he was not isolatedfrom his family or his ‘work’ as a terrorcommander.

  • Movie Review-Murder 3

    Movie Review-Murder 3

    Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Loren
    Direction: Vishesh Bhatt
    Genre: Thriller
    Duration: 2 hours 1 minute

    STORY: A wildlife photographer’s girl mysteriously goes missing. He’s quick to move his new love into his eerie home. One who holds the key to the mystery.

    MOVIE REVIEW: Love, always, is a question of life and death. And if it’s a Bhatt enterprise – Death it is! Swifter and slicker! Devoid of remorse, regret or redemption. Exposing the obsessive in the romantic; the fear in fantasy. Love bloodied with lust and lingerie, sin and satin.

    With bare bodies caught between hot-beds and cold coffins. So there, the ‘Murder’ franchise is back – to kill love the third time over. Vikram (Randeep) a hotshot wildlife photographer (shoots ‘wild’-live women too) woes and seduces a waitress Nisha, (Sara) who moves into his huge, haunting home.

    He’s passionate by night and philosophical by day, brooding and bedding with intensity. Nisha, the damselin- daze, is flustered by Vikram’s cryptic conversations and supernatural sights and sounds in the house.

    The vital signs are cliches, like windows clattering, strange vibrations, and flickering lights. More often, the bathroom scenes steams up the suspense and waters it down just as quickly. But there’s a bigger mystery lying here. Vikram’s ex-girlfriend, Roshni’s (Aditi) sudden disappearance makes him the prime suspect in the case, with cops tracing the ‘body of evidence’.

    With more mystery than grisly murders, debutant Vishesh Bhatt works around a story (a remake of a Spanish thriller) that’s ‘fleshy’ enough (minus the sex and eroticism of a ‘Murderesque’ series) creating an eerie setting, with sombre moods and suspicious characters.

    He solely relies on the strength of the story without glossed-over effects and style, which is commendable. The first half ghost-walks into a comfort zone (with songs, romance et al); while the second half terrifyingly twists, with raging emotions and shuddering shock value. Randeep smoothly builds tension with his silent and mysterious performance.

    Aditi’s deranged act and traumatic breakdown at betrayal is impressive. Sara only adds beauty to the horror. The lilting music (Pritam) intonates the thriller. ‘Murder 3’ is a decent remake, the story stands out in this genre. It thrills in spurts but bleeds in parts.

    This one’s no bloody Valentine, but watch it if you like it twisted.

  • President Pranab Mukherjee May Turn Down 5 More Mercy Pleas

    President Pranab Mukherjee May Turn Down 5 More Mercy Pleas

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Union homeministry is learnt to have recommendedrejection of mercy petitions in five morecases as it seeks to speedily dispose of allthe cases of death row convicts pendingwith it.Seeking to have a swift closure on thecases of those who have filed mercy pleasagainst capital punishment awarded tothem, the ministry has sent all the pendingfiles to President Pranab Mukherjee for afinal call.Sources said that seven cases involvingthe fate of nine people have been sent to thePresident, with the ministryrecommending rejection of the mercy pleasin five cases. It has and left the tworemaining ones open for commutation ofdeath sentence to life imprisonment withthe rider that the life term means jail forthe entire life of the convict and not just 20years or 14 years in prison.

    The President had sent the files to Unionhome minister Sushilkumar Shinde onOctober 30 for his review and opinion.Shinde sent the files back within 100 daysin a major shift from the pattern wheredecisions on mercy petitions wereindefinitely delayed with files shuttlingbetween the home ministry and theRashtrapati Bhavan.Though the case-wise recommendationsfor convicts were not known as both thehome ministry and Rashtrapati Bhavancontinue to remain tightlipped on mercypetition files, the seven cases relate tomultiple murders, including one in which arape convict out on bail killed five membersof the victim’s family.

    While two files were sent to RashtrapatiBhavan on February 9 (the day ParliamentHouse attack case convict Afzal Guru washanged), the remaining five files weredispatched last month.The mercy files, which have beenpending for years while moving to and frobetween Rashtrapati Bhavan and the homeministry, saw unprecedented movement oflate, resulting in two quick hangings(Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru) within lessthan three months. Mukherjee had rejectedthe mercy plea of Kasab on November 5,and Guru on February 3.The files, which are now with PresidentMukherjee, include the longest pendingcase of Gurmeet Singh of Uttar Pradesh,who was convicted for killing 13 membersof a family on August 17, 1986.

    The otherscases are of Suresh and Ramji, also fromUP, who were convicted for killing fivemembers of their brother’s family andDharampal from Haryana, who hadmurdered five members of the family of agirl he had raped in 1993. He had murderedthe family while on bail in the rape case.The other cases are of Sonia, daughter ofa former Haryana MLA, and her husbandSanjeev, who drugged and killed eight ofher family in Hisar in 2001, including herparents. Sunder Singh from Uttarakhand isconvicted for rape and murder on June 30,1989, Jafar Ali from Uttar Pradesh who wasconvicted for killing wife and five daughterin 2002 and Praveen Kumar of Karnataka,convicted for killing four members of afamily on February 23, 1994.

    Mukherjee has so far disposed of mercypetitions of eight death row convicts in fivecases.The President has also rejected themercy petitions of Saibanna NingappaNatikar (Karnataka: convicted for killingwife and daughter) and mercy petitions ofslain forest brigand Veerappan’s associatesGnanaprakash, Simon, ‘Meesai’ Madaianand Pilavendran, who were sentenced todeath for killing 22 police personnel in 1993.However, the mercy petition of Atbir(Delhi), who was convicted for murder ofhis step-mother, step-sister and step-brotherover property, was commuted to lifeimprisonment by the President.

    Strained mercy:
    1,455 persons awarded death penaltyin India from 2001 to 2011Sentences for 4,321 persons werecommuted from death penalty to lifeimprisonment during the same period.Highest number of death penalty wasimposed in Uttar Pradesh (370)followed by Bihar (132), Maharashtra(125), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (95each), Madhya Pradesh (87),Jharkhand (81), West Bengal (79),Delhi (71), Gujarat (57), Rajasthan (38),Kerala (34), Odisha (33), Haryana (31),Assam (21), Jammu & Kashmir (20),Punjab (19), Chhattisgarh (18),Uttarakhand (16), Andhra Pradesh (8),Meghalaya (6), Chandigarh and Daman& Diu (4 each), Manipur and HimachalPradesh (3 each), Tripura andPondicherry (2 each) and Goa (1)No death penalty imposed inArunachal Pradesh, Mizoram,Nagaland and Sikkim and UnionTerritories of Andaman & NicobarIslands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli andLakshadweepSentences of 4,321 persons werecommuted from death penalty to lifeimprisonment in the country during2001-11.

  • Vayalar Ravi Apologises As Activists Fume At Comment

    Vayalar Ravi Apologises As Activists Fume At Comment

    NEW DELHI (TIP): OverseasIndian Affairs Minister VayalarRavi apologised after hiscomment with sexist innuendoagainst a woman journalist fromKerala landed him in troublewith women activists and the BJPdemanding his resignation.“I’m sorry for the comment. Ihave already conveyed my regretfor the remark to the TV channelin which the journalist works,”Ravi said. But NationalCommission for Womanchairperson Mamta Sharma saidthe commission would probe thematter.

    “Coming from theposition of power and maturity, itis really highly deplorable that hehas made such a sexistcomment,” said rights activistRanjana Kumari.She said the issue should beraised in parliament as “this hasbecome almost a habit of thepolitical class”. “If he lostcontrol, definitely apology isjustified,” said BJP spokespersonNirmala Sitharaman.Information and BroadcastingMinister Manish Tewari saidRavi has apologised for hiscomments and the matter shouldrest there.

    The woman journalist hadsought Ravi’s reaction on demandto make Rajya Sabha DeputyChairperson P J Kurien standtrial in the Suryanelli sex scam.Ravi responded with a swipe atthe reporter, asking if she had apersonal grudge against Kurien.“Do you have anythingpersonal against Kurien? I’m sureyou do. Has something happenedbetween you and him in thepast?” Ravi said as his commentswere caught on camera.

  • Explicit Keira Knightley’s Chanel Ad Banned

    Explicit Keira Knightley’s Chanel Ad Banned

    British actress Keira Knightley’s Chanel advert has been discontinued during children’s programming and termed as unsuitable for viewing by younger viewers. Keira, 27, who shot to fame in the hit 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, is the face of Chanel perfume Coco Mademoiselle.

    The ad for the perfume shows Keira photographed on a bed and the photographer unzipping her clothes after which she is shown covered by a bed sheet and lying near the photographer. Chanel defended the ad, saying it was common in perfume ads to show sexual content.

    Keira is an Oscar nominated actress and one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood.

  • China Urges Calm After DPRK Nuclear Test Announcement

    China Urges Calm After DPRK Nuclear Test Announcement

    BEIJING (TIP): A Foreign Ministryspokesman called for calm andrestraint from all concerned partieson Thursday after the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)vowed to conduct “a higher-levelnuclear test.””It is in the common interests of allparties concerned to maintain peaceand stability on the Korean Peninsulaand achieve the denuclearization ofthe peninsula,” spokesman Hong Leisaid at a regular news briefing.”(We) hope all concerned partieswill keep calm and act in a cautiousand prudent way, as well as refrainfrom taking any action that could leadto the progressive escalation oftensions,” the spokesman said.

    The DPRK National DefenseCommission issued a statement inresponse to a resolution adoptedTuesday by the UN Security Councilthat condemns a DPRK satellitelaunch that took place in December2012.”We will not hide the fact that avariety of satellites and long-rangerockets will be launched and a nucleartest of a higher level will be carriedout during the next phase of the anti-U.S. struggle,” said a statementcarried by the KCNA news agency.The 15-member UN SecurityCouncil on Tuesday unanimouslyapproved Resolution 2087, whichrequires the DPRK to comply with allrelevant resolutions approved by theSecurity Council and to refrain fromusing ballistic missile technology forany launches.The resolution also suggests seeking apeaceful, diplomatic and politicalsolution for related issues and advocatesthe renewal of the six-party talks.

    TheNational Defense Commission alsodeclared that the six-party talks, as wellas a related Sept. 19, 2005 jointstatement, will “no longer exist,” addingthat the UN Security Council “has beenreduced to an organization bereft ofimpartiality and balance.” Hong said thesix-party talks are still an effectivemechanism to realize thedenuclearization of the peninsula.The six-party talks, a negotiationmechanism that includes the DPRK,the Republic of Korea (ROK), theUnited States, China, Japan andRussia, were launched in 2003, butstalled in December 2008. The DPRKquit the talks in April 2009.

    Hong said all concerned partiesshould boost dialogues in order toaddress their concerns, as well asimplement all of the goals set in theSept. 19, 2005 joint statement.In the joint statement, the DPRKcommitted to abandoning all nuclearweapons and existing nuclearprograms and returning, at an earlydate, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons andto International Atomic EnergyAgency safeguards.The United States affirmed that ithas no nuclear weapons on the KoreanPeninsula and has no intention toattack or invade the DPRK withnuclear or conventional weapons. TheROK reaffirmed its commitment notto receive or deploy nuclear weaponsin accordance with the 1992 JointDeclaration of the Denuclearization ofthe Korean Peninsula, while alsoaffirming that no nuclear weaponsexist within its territory.”China is ready to make joint effortswith the international community toachieve these goals,” Hong said.

  • Drew Barrymore’s Slimming Secret Revealed

    Drew Barrymore’s Slimming Secret Revealed

    Drew Barrymore, who is looking trim after giving birth to her first child Olive just four months back, revealed her slimming secret while attending the New York City Ballet’s Annual Luncheon Benefit on Thursday.

    The 37-year-old actress flashed a pair of Spanx’s control underwear under a skirt, when she was walking into the Manhattan theatre, the Daily Mail reported.

    At first, her long, floaty skirt, with a black-and-white tie-dye pattern, appeared to keep everything covered but as she walked, its thigh-high slit became glaringly apparent, so did her black Spanx.

    The curve tightening-underwear can be used to hide bumps and bulges, but it appeared that Barrymore wore hers as a kind of slip as she feared revealing too much.

  • Helen Marshall Honors Consul General Of Japan

    Helen Marshall Honors Consul General Of Japan

    Queens Borough President Helen Marshall pinned Queens pin on AmbassadorShigeyuki Hiroki, Consul General of Japan, during his visit to Borough Hall, Thursday,February 7th. Ambassador Hiroki, who visited the Rockaway Peninsula after superstormSandy, talked about common problems and how to cope in the wake of natural disasters.He also asked Marshall to join him in an upcoming event to support post-Sandy reliefeffort for Queens library system.

  • Brook Flaunts Hot Look In Lingerie Shoot

    Brook Flaunts Hot Look In Lingerie Shoot

    Kelly Brook has unveiled her hottest look yet in a new sizzling lingerie photo shoot. The 33-year-old model, who is allegedly dating her former beau Danny Cipriani, showed off her deep dark tan and luscious sleek locks in a series of the sultry snaps, as she revealed her new Valentine’s Day range of underwear for New Look, the Daily Mail reported.

    In one of the picture the brunette beauty can be seen relaxing on a sofa wearing a blue and white polka dot two piece set with lace embroidery, while in another image she is spotted showing off her curves in a bright red basque. The model also sported other underwear with sexy lace bras in navy and red hues, which took inspiration from the 50s with high waisted knickers.

  • Snow in Hyderabad. Unheard of?

    Snow in Hyderabad. Unheard of?

    Last month, several villages in three mandals of Rangareddy in Andhra Pradesh were completely transformed as snow covered the entire area after a violent bout ofhailstorm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for people living in seven villages in Chevella, Moinabad and Shankarpally as hailstones, some as large as boulders, startedfalling from the sky for the second day in continuation. Several animals were killed.

  • Movie Review-Zero Dark Thirty

    Movie Review-Zero Dark Thirty

    Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong
    Direction: Kathryn Bigelow
    Genre: Drama
    Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes

    STORY:
    How one CIA agent tracked down Osama bin Laden and ended the largest manhunt in US history.

    REVIEW:
    When you first meet Maya (Chastain), she’s a recruit fresh off the plane from Washington, stepping into one of the CIA’s Black Sites where detainees are being interrogated (read: tortured) to give up the location of al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden. Her fellow officer Dan (Clarke) is persuasive and experienced enough to make the tough calls and wonders if Maya has what it takes.

    He needn’t have worried. By the time the Bush administration gives way to Obama’s and Dan returns to Washington, she is doggedly pursuing any and every lead that can bring her closer to her target. Personal losses, two attacks on her life notwithstanding, she single-mindedly trudges on and on till the very end.

    Jessica Chastain deserves to win every award she’s nominated for this year. That’s how good her performance in the film is. The supporting actors impress as well, and that’s rare to see. Backed by a winning script by Mark Boal (who also wrote Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker), Chastain strides through in a splendid role.

    Kathryn is the film’s other star. Beginning the film in the dark with voices amplifying the terror that was 9/11, she matter-of-factly tells her story, in chapters which might just as well have been a visual dossier of the bin Laden killing, but is elevated by the human element. However, overindulgence is what truly mars the effort. The film could’ve been much shorter.

    Clocking in at close to three hours, the film’s premise is based on a series of events that spanned close to a decade, but the suspense is built, almost in real time, on slow-burn. It gives you the feeling of being there ‘as it happens’. That’s not always something your audience wants.

    Note: You will not like this movie if scenes of torture and foul language disturb you.

  • Afzal Guru Hanged

    Afzal Guru Hanged

    New Delhi (TIP): AfzalGuru, convicted of plottingthe Parliament attack 11years ago, was quietlyexecuted at Tihar jail earlyon February 9. The hangingwas carried out indramatic secrecy amidfears that it could revivestreet protests in Kashmir.Guru was convicted ofplotting and providinglogistic support to the fiveJaish-e-Mohammedterrorists who stormedParliament on December13, 2001. The attack was foiled, the terrorists killedand a packed House oflawmakers saved, but notbefore eight securitypersonnel and a gardener losttheir lives. A tenth victim, ajournalist, died of injuries afew months later.The hanging is being seenas Congress’ renewedattempts after the party’srecent Jaipur conclave toappeal to the urban middleclass.

    As the UPA governmentdithered on taking a decisionon his mercy plea for years,Afzal came to symbolise whatthe BJP called the Congress’soft approach on terrorism.The hanging of Afzal, andbefore him 26/11 killer AjmalKasab last November, bluntsthis attack.On February 9 morning, aquiet but unrepentant Afzalwas hanged in Jail No. 3 ofTihar prison at 8am, less thana week after President PranabMukherjee rejected the mercypetition filed by the convictand his wife more than sixyears ago. Home ministerSushil Kumar Shinde andhome secretary RK Singhseparately stood in front ofTV cameras to announce thehanging.“Afzal Guru was hanged at8am. All legal procedureswere followed,” Shinde toldreporters.

    He was later buriedon the jail premises.RK Singh said Tiharauthorities had intimatedAfzal’s family in Kashmir ofthe rejection of his mercy pleathrough Speed Post andregistered post and the DG(director general of Jammu &Kashmir Police) had been toldto check with them whetherthey had got it or not.The BJP was quick towelcome the hanging. Leaderof Opposition Arun Jaitleysaid: “Though belated, justicehas been done.”

    Gujarat chiefminister Narendra Modi, whohas often used Afzal to attackthe UPA, tweeted: “Der aayedurust aaye (better late thannever).”Information andbroadcasting minister ManishTewari insisted in Chennaithat politics did not haveanything to do with theexecution, a point the homesecretary also made in Delhi.In Sopore, Afzal’s hometownin north Kashmir, and manyother places in the Valley,security forces imposedcurfew, detained separatistleaders and shut down cableTV networks. Chief ministerOmar Abdullah appealed forpeace and ordered police toexercise restraint in handlingstreet protests. By evening, 36people — mostly policemen —had been injured in strayviolence.

  • Allahabad Stampede Kills 36 Kumbh Mela Pilgrims

    Allahabad Stampede Kills 36 Kumbh Mela Pilgrims

    ALLAHABAD (TIP): A stampede ata railway station in Allahabad killedat least 36 Hindu pilgrims onFebruary 10, the busiest day of theKumbh Mela at which some 30 millionhad gathered to wash away their sinsin the sacred Ganges river.Twenty-seven of the dead werewomen, mostly elderly and poor. Aneight-year-old girl was also crushed todeath. A Reuters witness saw a womanweeping at the train station,surrounded by six bodies dressed inbrightly coloured saris.Up to 100 million pilgrims andHindu ascetics are expected to attendthe two-month long Kumbh Mela,world’s largest religious festival,which comes to an end next month.

    It is held every 12 years in atemporary city covering an arealarger than Athens, spread over awide sandy river bank in Allahabad atthe point where the Ganges andYamuna rivers meet the Saraswati, amythical river.The festival grows in size everytime it is held and is considered theworld’s largest temporary gathering ofpeople. Officials said some 30 millionvisited the site on Sunday, consideredthe most auspicious day to bathe inthe river.Officials gave contradictoryversions of what caused the crush. Arailway official told Reuters police hadbeen using batons to control thecrowd, triggering panic.

    A stategovernment official said a footbridgehandrail collapsed, sending peopleslipping down the stairs and starting astampede.A spokesman for Indian railwayssaid authorities had found 36 bodiesand 30 people were injured. Theinjured were being treated at hospitalsin Allahabad.”Since there were huge crowds anda lot of panic, it took time before thebodies could be extricated,” saidanother official, R. M. Srivastava,the top security official in UttarPradesh.Deadly stampedes are common atIndia’s vast pilgrimages andreligious festivals. In 2008, 145 peopledied when a panicking crowd pushedpeople over a ravine near theHimalayan temple of Naina Devi.

    Thousands of police andvolunteers are used for crowdcontrol during the Kumbh Mela,manning the river bank when thepilgrims and naked, dreadlockedascetics dash into the water to bathe.The festival has its roots in aHindu tradition that says the godVishnu wrested a golden pot fromdemons containing the nectar ofimmortality.In a 12-day fight for possession,four drops fell to earth, in the citiesof Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain andNasik. Every three years a KumbhMela is held at one of these spots,with the festival at Allahabad theholiest of them all.More than 2,000 years old, thefestival is a meeting point for Hindu”sadhu” ascetics, some of whom livein forests or Himalayan caves andwho belong to dozens of inter-relatedcongregations. The sects have theirown administration and electleaders, but are also known forviolent clashes among themselves.

  • Fire Breaks Out At Kumbh Mela; One Killed, Several Tents Gutted

    Fire Breaks Out At Kumbh Mela; One Killed, Several Tents Gutted

    ALLAHABAD (TIP): One personhas died in a fire that broke outearly on February 15 morning atthe Maha Kumbh Mela inAllahabad. An amateur eyewitnessvideo shows a raging blaze and thetrail of destruction it left behind atthe Nirmal Akhada in sector 4 ofthe mela venue.Almost 30 make-shift tents set upto house pilgrims were gutted bythe fire that broke out at around 2am. It has since been doused.

    “Assoon as we saw the fire break out,we all rushed out of our tents. Thathelped keep casualties to theminimum,” an eyewitness said.Two people have sustained minorinjuries.Senior Superintendent of PoliceRKS Rathore said that prima faciethe fire was caused by a shortcircuit and the person who gotkilled was “probably fast asleep andcould not run out of his tent beforegetting engulfed by the flames”.

    Lakhs of devotees are present atsangam – the holy confluence of theGanga, Yamuna, and mythicalSaraswati rivers in Allahabad – onthe occasion of Basant Panchamitoday, an auspicious day to take aholy dip or snan. This is also thelast of the three auspicious shahisnans at this edition of the MahaKumbh.

  • Govt Blames Nda For Vvip Copter Mess

    Govt Blames Nda For Vvip Copter Mess

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Apportioning blame on the AtalBehari Vajpayee-led PMO, the Ministry of Defence todaysaid specifications in the VVIP helicopter deal weremooted in 2003, while it separately asked AgustaWestlandto categorically state its financial transactions withagents in India.The letter to AgustaWestland is the first indication thatthe deal is to be cancelled with imposition of financialpenalties on the helicopter maker and recovery of allmoney with interest, sources said.

    India had ordered 12 helicopters for VVIP use fromAgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The Rs3,500-crore deal was signed in February 2010 and the firstlot of three helicopters was delivered last December. Thedelivery of the remaining nine, which were scheduled tobe delivered in batches by March 2014, was put on holdyesterday. Allegations of bribery surfaced after Italyarrested the Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi and theMoD ordered a CBI probe on February 12.

    Today, the defence ministry issued a seven-page“factsheet”. It narrated how the operative requirements(specifications) were changed following the observationsof Principal Secretary to PM (Brajesh Mishra) inNovember 2003. It also exposed former IAF Chief SPTyagi’s claim that “no specifications were changed in mytime as Chief ”.The MoD note said the new specifications weredeliberated between the IAF, Special Protection Group,PMO and MoD between March 2005 and September 2006and the changes were incorporated. SP Tyagi was IAFChief between December 31, 2004 and March 31, 2007.

    The factsheet says: “The Principal Secretary to the PMobserved on November 19, 2003 that his main concernwas the framing of the mandatory requirements had ledinto a single vendor situation. The PM and Presidentrarely visit places involving flying at an altitude beyond4,500 metre. It was decided to make the mandatoryrequirement for operational altitude 4,500 metre. Thehigher flying ceiling of 6,000 metre and cabin height of1.8 metre could be made desirable operationalrequirements. It was observed that with these revisions,several helicopters which otherwise met allrequirements but had been rejected due to the altituderestriction, would now come into the reckoning.” One ofthem was AW 101 of AgustaWestland, which was laterselected.In the first global tender issued in March 2002, onlythe Eurocopter EC 225 was found suitable foracquisition. The AgustaWestland helicopter was notcertified to fly at 6,000 metre while the Russian M-17-2did not meet mandatory requirements.

    This made it asingle vendor situation — not permitted under defenceprocurement rules.“On December 22 , 2003, the Principal Secretary to thePM asked to draw up realistic mandatory requirementssatisfying operational, security and conveniencerequirements and also set in motion a fast track processfor selection and acquisition,” the note says.In May 2004, the NDA lost the elections and the UPAwas voted to power. Now President, Pranab Mukherjeewas the Defence Minister between May 23, 2004 andOctober 24, 2006.The note now explains: “The Acceptance of Necessity(AON) for the procurement of 12 helicopters wasaccorded by the Defence Acquisition Council under the‘buy’ category on January 3, 2006.

    The request forproposal (RFP) was issued to six vendors on September27, 2006.”Besides AgustaWestland, Sikorsky of USA and.Russian MI-17-2 responded to the RFP. The StaffEvaluation Report found the AW-101 to be fully compliantas a VVIP copter. The Technical Oversight Committeeconstituted on August 6, 2008, found that the fieldevaluation trials and selection of vendors were doneaccording to prescribed procedures.

  • Events Calendar

    Events Calendar

    The ( YIPNY )Young IndianProfessionalsNew York
    Sunday February 24 , 2013
    2 P.M. to 5 P.M.
    27 west 24 Street, New York
    City, NY 10010
    The Young IndianProfessionals New York(YIPNY) holds monthlymeeting on third Sunday ofevery month for Young IndianProfessionals between theages of 23 years and 40years. The purpose of themeeting is to provideopportunity for net workingof the Young Indianprofessionals and to meetsocial , cultural andeducational aspects on thedifferent needs of life .Those interested to attendmust send email to YIPNY atwww.yipnyevents@gmail.comto register before the eventand get the details to attend.

    AmericanDiabeticAssociation
    Health Expo
    Saturday,
    March 9, 2013
    9 A.M. to 4 P.M.
    The New York State Academyof Dentistry will be conductingcomplimentary Oral cancercheck and Oral healthawareness program in thehealth expo.For any details for the Healthexpo , please call Dr. Verma at718 699 8268. He can also bereached atwww.implantdoc2004@yahoo.com

    The Hindu TempleSociety Of NorthAmerica
    SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
    CELEBRATIONS
    ESSAY COMPETITION
    For College Students :
    Ages 18-25
    ESSAY TOPIC: ‘Life & Influenceof Swami Vivekananda on me'(length of essay – 1500 words)The entrants to thecompetition may please sendthree copies of their essays.Entrants must also give theirparticulars including;NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONENo. on a separate sheet andtheir current academicstanding by NO LATER THANMARCH 2nd 2013.A panel of three judges hasbeen established to adjudicateon the entries.1ST PRIZE WINNER : $300.00 o2ND PRIZE WINNER : $200.00Entries must reach Dr. UmaMysorekar either by bringingdirectly to the Temple Counter,or by mail :
    The Hindu Temple
    Society of North America 45-
    57 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY
    11355. Or, email:
    hts@nyganeshtemple.org
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
    PLEASE CONTACT THE
    TEMPLE: (718) 460-8484 ext.112

    The HinduTempleSociety OfNorthAmerica
    SWAMI VIVEKANANDA CELEBRATIONS
    Saturday, March 16, 2013
    1: 00 PM
    Auditorium
    45-57 Bowne Street, Flushing,
    NY 11355
    Tel: (718) 460-8484
    Fax: (718) 461-8055
    Email:
    hts@nyganeshtemple.org
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE TEMPLE:
    (718) 460-8484 ext. 112