The Indian Panorama

Year: 2013

  • Pakistan Taliban ‘Ban Vulgar Films, Viagra’

    Pakistan Taliban ‘Ban Vulgar Films, Viagra’

    PESHAWAR (TIP): The Pakistani Taliban havewarned shopkeepers in a popular market to stopselling “obscene films” and Viagra-style male potencypills.Shopkeepers said that they found handwrittenpamphlets containing the warnings after opening Feb09 in Karkhano market on the edge of thenorthwestern city of Peshawar.

    “Selling sex drugs, vulgar films and obscene moviesare against Sharia,” said copies of the pamphletdistributed in the name of Tehreek-e-Taliban Khyber.”All those involved in this business are warned toquit this occupation and start a lawful business orface the consequences,” it said.

    Those who received the threatening letter spoke toAFP on condition of anonymity because of fear ofTaliban reprisals.Dozens of shops in Karkhano openly sellpornographic films and male potency tablets,according to witnesses.The market borders the tribal district of Khyber,where fighting has recently intensified in a longrunningPakistan military operation against theTaliban and other Islamist militias on the Afghanborder.

    Shopkeepers selling music and films are routinelythreatened across the northwest, where hundreds ofDVD and CD shops have been bombed in the past bymilitants who deem their business un-Islamic.At least 10 people were killed and 26 woundedFriday when a bomb exploded near a DVD shop inKalaya, the main town of Orakzai tribal district.

  • Pak Court Orders Speedy Trial In Benazir Assassination Case

    Pak Court Orders Speedy Trial In Benazir Assassination Case

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A Pakistani court today directedan anti-terrorism court to conduct daily hearings in the2007 Benazir Bhutto assassination case and to concludethe trial within three months.The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore high courtissued the order after prosecutors from the FederalInvestigation Agency complained that the trial had notbeen completed though five years had lapsed sinceBhutto’s assassination.The two-judge bench heard a petition filed by the FIA,which asked it to direct the anti-terrorism court ofJudge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman to conduct dailyhearings.

    The FIA said Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack onDecember 27, 2007 and it was regrettable that the highprofilecase was in court even after the lapse of fiveyears.Special Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali contendedthat under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, the antiterrorismcourt is bound to hold daily hearings of casesfor their speedy disposal.

    Ali informed the Lahore High Court that the lawyersfor all the accused were using delaying tactics, whichwas evident from the fact that no other cases from 2007were still pending in the anti-terrorism court.Bhutto was killed by a suicide attacker shortly afteraddressing an election rally in Rawalpindi in December2007.Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman is also conductingthe trial of seven men, including Lashkar-e-Taibacommander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who have beencharged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorattacks.That trial too has been hit by numerous delays.

  • Chopper Scam Probe Should Be Under Parliamentary Committee: Venkaiah

    Chopper Scam Probe Should Be Under Parliamentary Committee: Venkaiah

    HYDERABAD (TIP): Rejecting a CBIprobe into the Rs 3600-crore VVIP chopperdeal, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leader M Venkaiah Naidu said that theinvestigation should be held either underthe supervision of the Supreme Court orthe Parliamentary Committee, and addedthat the Congress Party is notoriouslyknown for misusing the CBI.

    “BJP demands setting up of a SIT toinvestigate into serious charges aboutpayments made in AugustaWestland VVIPchopper purchase. The probe should beeither under the supervision of theSupreme Court or the ParliamentaryCommittee, because the Congress party isnotoriously known for misusing CBI,”Naidu told media here.

    “That’s why the BJP is not expectable tothis suggestion of CBI inquiry. Becausethe CBI has no credibility and thegovernment intention is also doubtful,because this issue was raised in 2011 inthe Parliament and also a letter waswritten to the Defence Minister, in spite ofthat the government did not act so far,” headded.He further said that the oppositionparty would corner the governmnet onthis issue in Parliament.

  • Foods That Make You Look Younger

    Foods That Make You Look Younger

    These balanced eating rules will help your body defy the effects of time . Growing older is inevitable, but looking your age is not — and slashing years off your aging body starts with eating the right foods. A healthy diet loaded with lean protein and whole grains will allow you to retain muscle tone but lose excess fat as you age, while plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies will help stave off those wrinkles. Here’s a list of simple to-dos to keep you younger-looking, younger-feeling:

    Say yes to whole grains
    The waistlines of middle-aged people who ate white bread and other white carbohydrates expanded three times more than those who ate wholemeal foods, according to an American research.

    See fish as your ally
    Fish is a great source of the protein leptin, which acts like a hormone in the body and controls your appetite so you don’t overeat. Oily fish such as salmon contains high levels of omega- 3 fatty acids, which are potent wrinkle-fighters at any age. In fact, the ‘fish facelift diet’ was created as a result of this.

    Bacteria buddies

    After you turn 35, levels of friendly gut bacteria drop significantly, leaving you at an increased risk of sluggish digestion and bloating. To combat this, have a probiotic drink or yoghurt every day.

    Moisturise from within
    As you get older your skin becomes drier and flakier as the oil glands produce smaller amounts of natural moisturiser. Your skin also becomes less elastic, causing fine lines to develop. Eating foods containing healthy, natural oils, such as avocado, nuts, seeds and olive oil can have a softening and plumping effect on skin.

    Ditch the biscuit
    For every decade you age once you turn 30, your body needs around one per cent fewer calories. The good news is you can easily drop these calories just by stopping your mid-morning biscuits or not having that extra slice of toast.

    Snack with care
    Treats between meals tend to have heaps of calories crammed into small mouthfuls and will ensure you pile weight on around your middle and thighs — a dead giveaway of your true age. Foods such as ice cream, crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks all fall into this category, so limit them to a twicea- week treat and snack instead on a platter of brightly coloured fruits.

    Go easy on the booze
    Reduce your alcohol intake to a small glass of red wine with dinner at weekends only. Not only is booze brimming with calories, drinking too much alcohol dehydrates skin and can age you prematurely.

    Stop skipping meals
    This is a habit women tend to hang on to all their life, but you can get away with it in your 20s. In your 30s and 40s, all those decades of emergency dieting will have slowed your metabolism down permanently, making it tough to stay slim. Never go without food for more than three hours.

    Antioxidant-rich foods
    Fruit, veggies and nuts contain powerful anti-ageing chemicals to keep you youthful.

    Slash your salt intake
    Too much salt is bad for your body, as it causes water retention, leaving you heavy and sluggish. Besides, with age, the body’s ability to shift excess fluid also slows down. Cutting down salt will decrease this bloating. Beware of hidden sources of salt — often found in ready meals, soups and bread.

  • Indian-Origin Person Charged In US Green Card Investment Fraud

    Indian-Origin Person Charged In US Green Card Investment Fraud

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US markets regulator SEChas charged an Indian-origin person of running afraud investment scheme, wherein Chineseinvestors and other investors were allegedly dupedof at least USD 150 million (over Rs 800 crore) inhope of green-card American residency.The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)said in a statement that a district court has grantedit a “temporary restraining order and asset freeze”against 29-year old Anshoo Sethi and two of hiscompanies involved in running this fraudulentscheme, as its investigations continue further.As per SEC’s charges, Illinois-based Sethi createdtwo entities, namely A Chicago Convention Center(ACCC) and Intercontinental Regional Center Trustof Chicago (IRCTC), and fraudulently sold morethan USD 145 million in securities and collectedUSD 11 million in administrative fees from morethan 250 investors primarily from China.

    Sethi and his companies duped investors intobelieving that by purchasing interests in ACCC,they would be financing construction of the”World’s First Zero Carbon Emission PlatinumLEED certified” hotel and conference centre nearChicago’s O’Hare Airport, SEC said.”Investors were misled to believe theirinvestments were simultaneously enhancing theirprospects for US citizenship through the EB-5Immigrant Investor Pilot Program, which providesforeign investors an avenue to US residency byinvesting in domestic projects that will create orpreserve a minimum number of jobs for USworkers,” it added.

    According to the SEC’s complaint filed in USDistrict Court for the Northern District of Illinois,the EB-5 program enables foreign investors topossibly qualify for a green card if they invest USD1 million (or USD 500,000 in a Targeted EmploymentArea with a high unemployment rate) in a projectthat creates or preserves at least 10 jobs for USworkers, excluding the investor and his or herimmediate family.

    SEC’s complaint further said that 29-year-oldSethi claimed to have “over fifteen years ofexperience in real estate development andmanagement”, while the project’s developer wasprojected as having experience of more than 35years of experience despite being set up only in2010.Sethi and his companies have also been accused offalsely boasting to investors that they had acquiredall the necessary building permits and that severalmajor hotel chains had signed onto the project.They also provided falsified documents to USCitizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — thefederal agency that administers the EB-5 program –in an attempt to secure the agency’s preliminaryapproval of the project and investors’ provisionalvisas.

  • God Particle Concept And Further Possibilities

    God Particle Concept And Further Possibilities

    The month of July 2012 will be knownfor finding of Higgs Boson, popularlyknown as God Particle. Commonmen sometime get confused about what thisGod Particle is? Those who have not studiedphysics also know that material convertsinto energy, as coal burns into heat. In 1905Einstein had given his famous equationE=mc2, which has mathematicallyformulated the conversion of mass intoenergy. In layman’s language we can saythat this mass converting in energy is’destruction’.

    If we can convert energy intomass, this will be ‘creation’. The CERNexperiment has for the first time given anindication that a particle is almost producedby energy. This particle can be consideredas the first particle of the universe so it hasto be present in all materials andresponsible for creation of this universe.That’s why this is called God Particle.Scientifically the name of the particle isBoson named after an Indian scientistSatyendranath Bose, emerging out of Higgsfield named after the British scientist PeterHiggs.

    CERN experiment has shown that atvery high velocity and energy (similar tothat of at the beginning of BIG Bang i.e.beginning of universe), a particle nature(with the accuracy of 99.99997%) is found inthe imaginary Higgs field. This is the firstexperimental proof of creation of mass inform of a particle.Now the question arises, can thediscovery of Higgs Boson be considered asfinal or we have cracked the puzzle of basicparticle of universe as the name GodParticle suggests. Among the euphoria ofreaching ultimate, if we look into history ofscientific discoveries we can find theanswer.

    In the 18th century when Newtongave his fundamental laws of mechanicsand gravity, it was assumed that themystery of nature is almost solved. In the19th century when John Dalton found atomsas fundamental particle the same feelingwas there, and it remained for a century.When electron was discovered in 1897,proton in 1919 and neutron in 1931, theentire concept of Dalton’s indivisible atombecame futile. In 30’s and 40’s scientistsbelieved that they were on the verge offinding the ultimate truth of nature. But, insubsequent decades the presence of somany sub atomic particles like Quark,Berion, Glucon, Meson etc were found. Thegreat Albert Einstein said that we werethinking that we have almost come to theend of the wall.

    “When I opened the windowI found vast ocean of uncertainties andpossibilities in front of me”. Einstein wascorrect. With the discovery of atomicenergy in 1945, the entire concept of atomas the final particle became foolishlyobsolete.The same euphoria of almost achievingthe ultimate is again visible in the 21stcentury. My intention is not to underminethis great achievement but to have thesecond thought on the infallibility of suchclaims. The present discovery can be epochmaking in the 21st century but may be quitefar from final truth.Some people may think how does itmatter in our daily life if the basic subatomic particle is found.

    I want to recallthat it was the discovery of sub atomicparticle like electron, proton and neutronwhich unleashed the energy of atom bombwhich is now affecting even our globalpolity. The Quantum theory given by MaxPlank in 1900 finally led to creation ofdigital signals and subsequent emergenceinto today’s age of communication frommobile to internet. So in the same mannerthis experiment can change the paradigm oftechnology in the coming century which wecannot foresee now.

    A great American-Japanese physicistMichio Kaku in his famous book ‘Visions’had said that based on technologicaladvancement civilizations can be of 3 levels.Level 1- That civilization which knows allthe energies in their planet and got thecapacity to use them.Level 2- That civilization which knows allthe energies of solar system & got thecapacity to utilize them.Level 3- That civilization which knowseven the energies in the galaxies anduniverse beyond the solar system and gotcapacity to use them.

    We got the capacity to utilize someof the latent energies of our planet (Earth),like coal, petroleum and electricity. We cansee the difference in our life and society inthe last 100 years. Still we do not knowmany of the latent energies of our planet.By this definition our civilization can betermed as almost zero level civilization.This discovery of Higgs Boson can be thefirst and a very small step of ourcivilization towards level 2 and level 3.Discovery of atomic energy has led us totravel in space, may be this discovery ofHiggs Boson may lead us to travel inuniverse.But the interesting point is the word ‘GodParticle’. With due respect, I want to saythat this concept is of western mindset.

    Thewestern materialistic mindset always triesto find everything in material.Unfortunately their search of God alsoreaches or comprehends in a particleJain philosophy has a concept that thereare fundamental particles named Pudgalwhich comprises the entire world. Amongthe 6 Vedic school of philosophical thoughtsthere is one school which explains theentire world on the basis of fundamentalparticles. This is called Vaisheshik Darshanpropounded by sage Kanad. This postulatesthat entire world is made up of fundamentalparticles called Anu . The properties andeven the measurements given in VaisheshikDarshan are interestingly very similar tothe properties and measurements of Atomfound by modern science.

    I am not prejudiced to prove science inthe ancient Indian text, but want that ourintellectual readers who sometime becauseof prejudiced western thoughts, lose sightof our religious scientific wisdom, see it forthemselves.Today, the date and time of solar or lunareclipse given by US physical observatory isexactly the same as in the Hindu Panchangwhich is in vogue for the last 2100 years. Onany eclipse day you can verify it. Everybodyknows that zero and decimal came fromIndia. We overlook the fact that thesemathematical discoveries were not done byany Indian scientists, but it is mentioned inVedas which are the religious texts. Most ofyou have heard about Vedic mathematics.

    Mathematics as part of religious text is avery unique quality of Vedic Hindureligion. Even medical science (Ayurveda),by name itself is the part of Vedas.The basic difference in Indian andwestern thought is that Kanad’s Anu is notthe final particle. It is manifestation ofdivine consciousness. West thinks thatparticle is ultimate. So they say that theparticle is God and we say that particle isbecause of God. Now who is correct?The CERN experiment has shown thatthere is a particle (Higgs Boson)fundamental particle of all the matterwhich originates from energy i.e. a differententity.

    If we extrapolate this logic we caninfer that in the same manner there has tobe the basic fundamental energy which isfundamental of all the energies of universe.Then the same question will arise fromwhere this entire energy came. Like HiggsBoson the fundamental energy has to beoriginated from a different entity beyondenergy. What is that? Science will be at itswits’ end to explain.There are 3 fundamental entities in thisuniverse. Matter, energy and consciousness.Since science which in its process ofevolution has reached from matter toenergy there still is a long way from energyto consciousness and its causative existencein supreme consciousness.

    I would like to conclude with a quote ofAlbert Einstein from his famous papers, in1905 which created a new paradigm bygiving fourth dimension of time, thuschanging the concept of universe fromspace to time-space form. The quote comesfrom the book ‘Einstein In His Own Words’.It reads: “The human mind is unable toconceive of the four dimensions, so how canit conceive of a God, before whom athousand years and a thousand dimensionsare as one.”

    (The author has a doctorate inMechanical Engineering. He can bereached at trivedi.sudhanshu@gmail.com)

  • Don’t Let Menopause ‘Pause’ Your Life

    Don’t Let Menopause ‘Pause’ Your Life

    Menopause is not your final innings. Debarati S Sen speaks to experts to find out ways to deal with the physiological and psychological changes. Yes, women do know it is inevitable, yet when the pre-menopausal or menopausal symptoms begin, the alarmed, ‘What’s happening to me’? is the usual reaction.

    The difficult part about this condition is that the changes women in their late 40s experience due to menopause, are not just physical but emotional and psychological as well. It signals the end of the natural fertility and periods. Gynaecologist Dr Suman Bijlani says, “Menopause is the transitional phase of a woman’s life when levels of the ‘female hormone’ estrogen plummets, leading to a myriad of effects in the female body.

    The reproductive system is of course, the most affected and apart from that, your hair, skin, bones, heart, memory, emotional health and sexual life may all undergo various changes, though not necessarily negative. All in all, women need to make many mental and physical adjustments along the way.” Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Aditi Parmar says, “When a woman enters this period the first and foremost thing to do is to accept it gracefully. Yoga, meditation, regular exercises etc can help.” If you are suffering from hot flushes, dry and painful sex or bone pains, you may be a candidate for hormone replacement therapy, say doctors. “If you have undergone surgical removal of the ovaries (abrupt menopause), your hormones may need to be replaced and a gynaecologist should be consulted for the same,” states Dr Bijlani.

    Apart from the day-to-day psychological irritants, serious medical problems in the form of osteoporosis and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke are important aspects to be tackled at this stage of life says Dr Aparna Buch.

    However, minor lifestyle adjustments can go a long way in preventing bone loss, aches and pains and the risk of heart disease, gynaecological diseases, stroke and fractures. “One of the most important things that every woman should keep in mind is that never neglect your routine doctor visits.

    The general body-checkup, yearly mammography, sonography and pap smear tests are extremely important,” says Parmar. Of course, there is no denying that this phase of a woman’s life isn’t simple to handle. However, following these simple tips can help you deal with it in a better way

  • As I See It : Hindu Terrorism

    As I See It : Hindu Terrorism

    Is there such a thing as ‘Hinduterrorism’, as Home MinisterShinde is heavily hinting at?Well, I am one of that rare breed offoreign correspondents – a lover ofHindus! A born Frenchman, Catholiceducatedand non-Hindu, I do hope I’llbe given some credit for my opinions,which are not the product of myparents’ ideas, my education or myatavism, but garnered from 25 years ofreporting in South Asia (for LeJournal de Geneve and Le Figaro).

    In the early 1980s, when I startedfreelancing in south India, doing photofeatures on Kalaripayattu, theAyyappa festival, or the Ayyanars, Islowly realized that the genius of thiscountry lies in its Hindu ethos, in thetrue spirituality behind Hinduism.The average Hindu you meet in amillion villages possesses this simple,innate spirituality and accepts yourdiversity, whether you are Christian orMuslim, Jain or Arab, French orChinese.

    It is this Hinduness thatmakes the Indian Christian differentfrom, say, a French Christian, or theIndian Muslim unlike a Saudi Muslim.I also learnt that Hindus not onlybelieved that the divine could manifestitself at different times, underdifferent names, using differentscriptures (not to mention thewonderful avatar concept, the perfectanswer to 21st century religious strife)but that they had also given refuge topersecuted minorities from across theworld-Syrian Christians, Parsis, Jews,Armenians, and today, Tibetans.

    In 3,500 years of existence, Hindushave never militarily invaded anothercountry, never tried to impose theirreligion on others by force or inducedconversions. You cannot find anybodyless fundamentalist than a Hindu inthe world and it saddens me when I seethe Indian and western press equatingterrorist groups like SIMI, which blowup innocent civilians, with ordinary,angry Hindus who burn churcheswithout killing anybody. We know alsothat most of these communalincidents often involve persons fromthe same groups-often Dalits andtribals-some of who have converted toChristianity and others not.

    However reprehensible thedestruction of Babri Masjid, noMuslim was killed in the process;compare this to the ‘vengeance’bombings of 1993 in Bombay, whichwiped out hundreds of innocents,mostly Hindus. Yet the Babri Masjiddestruction is often described byjournalists as the more horrible act ofthe two.We also remember how SharadPawar, when he was chief minister ofMaharashtra in 1993, lied about abomb that was supposed to have goneoff in a Muslim locality of Bombay.

    I have never been politicallycorrect, but have always written whatI have discovered while reporting. Letme then be straightforward about thisso-called Hindu terror. Hindus, sincethe first Arab invasions, have been atthe receiving end of terrorism,whether it was by Timur, who killed1,00,000 Hindus in a single day in 1399,or by the Portuguese Inquisitionwhich crucified Brahmins in Goa.Today, Hindus are still being targeted:there were one million Hindus in theKashmir valley in 1900; only a fewhundred remain, the rest having fledin terror.

    Blasts after blasts havekilled hundreds of innocent Hindusall over India in the last four years.Hindus, the overwhelming majoritycommunity of this country, are beingmade fun of, are despised, aredeprived of the most basic facilitiesfor one of their most sacredpilgrimages in Amarnath while theirgovernment heavily sponsors the Haj..They see their brothers and sistersconverted to Christianity throughinducements and financial traps, see aharmless 84-year-old swami and asadhvi brutally murdered. Their godsare blasphemed. So sometimes,enough is enough.At some point, after years or evencenturies of submitting like sheep toslaughter, Hindus-whom the Mahatmaonce gently called cowards-erupt inuncontrolled fury.

    And it hurts badly.It happened in Gujarat. It happened inJammu, then in Kandhamal,Mangalore, Malegaon, or Ajmer.It may happen again elsewhere.What should be understood is that thisis a spontaneous revolution on theground, by ordinary Hindus, withoutany planning from the politicalleadership. Therefore, the BJP, insteadof fighting over each other as to whomshould be the next party president, orwho will be their PM candidate for the2014 elections, should do well to put itshouse together.

    For, it’s evident that the Congresshas decided on this absurd strategy ofthe absurd, the untrue, the unjust, thetreacherous, only to target Mr.Narendra Modi, their enemy numberOne.It should also fight the Untrue withTruth: there are about a billionHindus, one in every six persons onthis planet. They form one of the mostsuccessful, law-abiding and integratedcommunities in the world today. Canyou call them terrorists? Let the BJPcompile a statistics of how manyHindus were killed by Muslims since1947 and how many Muslims byHindus. These statistics will speak bythemselves.

    (The author can be reached atfgautier26@gmail.com)

  • Narendra Modi is an Icon of Resurgent India

    Narendra Modi is an Icon of Resurgent India

    After playing a hat trick in Gujarat elections,Narendra Modi’s stock has considerably gone upand he has emerged as the most dominant,dynamic and charismatic national leader. His election asChief Minister of Gujarat has also exposed the diabolicaldesigns of deadly combination of Leftist-Islamicfundamentalist axis, anti-Hindu and anti-national forces;and has emboldened patriotic forces all over India.

    Theentire national political landscape has been completelytransformed. He is held in high esteem all over India.This election has proved beyond any shadow of doubt thatSonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are no match forNarendra Modi, the Man with Capital “M”.

    Narendra Modi is considered an icon of resurgentIndia. He is an epitome of vigor and vitality. He hascreated confidence and respectability in the mind of anaverage Indian about his glorious past which had beendescribed as dirty word in the lexicon of pseudosecularists.The idiosyncratic projection of Hindus as an enemy ofthe nation from within as made explicit by his ‘Hinduterror’ remark recently by no less a person than SushilKumar Shinde in his official capacity as the country’sHome Minister, has terribly offended the sensibilities of850 million Hindus and further popularized NarendraModi as the next nationalist Prime Minister of India.

    There have been several Hindu Muslim riots in UP,Maharashtra and West Bengal, but there has not been anyHindu Muslim riot or even a terrorist attack in Gujaratduring his tenure. This is a positive reflection on hiscapability to contain terrorism.That is the reason senior BJP leaders like YeshwantSinha, Ram Jethmalani, Mahesh Jethmalani, ShatrughanSinha, VHP Chief Ashok Singhal and several RSSleaders are openly supporting him to be the next PMcandidate.

    Narain KatariaPresident,
    Indian American Intellectuals Forum

  • Republicans Delay Chuck Hagel’s Defence Secretary Vote

    Republicans Delay Chuck Hagel’s Defence Secretary Vote

    NEW YORK (TIP): Republican senatorshave delayed a vote to confirm PresidentObama’s nominee for US secretary ofdefense.They say questions remain about SenatorChuck Hagel but have agreed to an up-ordownvote later this month.Mr Hagel’s backers say the US militaryneeds a leader in place while troops remainin Afghanistan and North Korea has justtested a nuclear device.Outgoing Secretary of Defense LeonPanetta is to remain in his post until MrHagel is confirmed.

    ‘Not without consequence’
    White House press secretary Jay Carneydenounced the delay, saying SenateRepublicans had put political posturingahead of America’s national security.”A clear majority in the US Senatesupports Sen Hagel’s confirmation, sotoday’s action runs against both themajority will of the Senate and our nation’sinterest,” he said in a statement.”This waste of time is not withoutconsequence. For the sake of nationalsecurity, it’s time to stop playing politicswith our Department of Defense and tomove beyond the distractions and delay.”

    But Republicans, who have agreed to avote following an upcoming 10-day recess,have said they need more time to weighoutstanding questions about Mr Hagel.South Carolina Senator Lindsey Grahamalso said he would continue to use theconfirmation vote as leverage in his effortto wring more information from the WhiteHouse about the response to the 11September attack on a US consulate inBenghazi, Libya.Mr Hagel was a private citizen at thetime of the attack.”There seems to not be much interest tohold this president accountable for anational security breakdown that led to thefirst ambassador being killed in the line ofduty in over 30 years,” Sen Graham said.”No, the debate on Chuck Hagel is notover. It has not been serious. We don’t havethe information we need. And I’m going tofight the idea of jamming somebodythrough until we get answers about whatthe president did personally when it cameto the Benghazi debacle.”

    One vote short
    On Thursday, Republicans forced thedelay with a parliamentary manoeuvreblocking the Senate Democratic leader’smotion to end debate on Mr Hagel’snomination and proceed to an up-or-downvote on confirmation.Even though the Democrats command amajority of 55 votes, Senate rules in thiscase require them to come up with 60 to enddebate. They fell one short.Mr Hagel, a decorated and twicewoundedveteran of the Vietnam War,served in the Senate for 12 years.But correspondents say he is seen bysome of his former colleagues as arenegade for breaking with Republicanranks on issues such as the Iraq War.He has also been criticised during theconfirmation process for comments hemade years ago claiming “the Jewish lobby”had too much influence over Americanpolicy.His remarks in 1998 that a nominee foran ambassadorial post was “openly,aggressively gay” have also raisedeyebrows. Mr Hagel has since apologisedfor that comment.

  • Ex-US Mayor Maureen O’connor ‘Gambled Stolen Millions’

    Ex-US Mayor Maureen O’connor ‘Gambled Stolen Millions’

    SAN DIEGO (TIP): A former mayor of San Diego hasagreed to repay millions of dollars pilfered from her latehusband’s charity to fuel a gambling addiction,prosecutors say.Maureen O’Connor, 66, mayor from 1986 to 1992, strucka deal with prosecutors to pay $2m (£1.3m) in restitutionand to settle tax liability.She must also receive treatment for her gamblingaddiction, prosecutors say.

    If she meets the conditions of the deal, prosecutorssay they will drop a criminal case against her in twoyears.Federal prosecutors said Ms O’Connor suffered arange of health problems following the removal of abrain tumour in 2011, and all parties agreed she wouldnot be well enough to stand trial.”However, no figure, regardless of how much goodthey’ve done or how much they’ve given to charity, canescape criminal liability with impunity,” US AttorneyLaura Duffy said.Ms O’Connor was married to Robert Peterson, founderof fast food chain Jack in the Box. He created acharitable foundation before he died in 1994, courtdocuments show.Friends say Ms O’Connor’s “grief gambling” beganaround 2001 and over the course of four years developedinto an addiction, the Associated Press reported.

    ‘$1bn won’
    Her preferred game was video poker.Prosecutors say that between 2000 and 2009, MsO’Connor won more than $1bn in casinos in Las Vegas,San Diego and Atlantic City, but took even bigger losses.She mortgaged or sold most of her assets to pay offher debts and to continue gambling.Between September 2008 and March 2009 sheembezzled more than $2m from her late husband’sorganisation and, despite taking in some significantwinnings, she “threw good money after bad” andcontinued to gamble, prosecutors said.The foundation was eventually forced into bankruptcyin April 2009.

  • Scientists Discover Youngest Black Hole In Our Galaxy

    Scientists Discover Youngest Black Hole In Our Galaxy

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nasa scientists have spotted the youngest black hole yet in the Milky Way galaxy, which is just 1000-years-old and only 26,000 light-years away from Earth. New data from Nasa’s Chandra Xray Observatory suggested a highly distorted supernova remnant may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy. The remnant, called W49B, appears to be the product of a rare explosion in which matter is ejected at high speeds along the poles of a rotating star, Nasa said in a statement. “W49B is the first of its kind to be discovered in the galaxy.

    It appears its parent star ended its life in a way that most others don’t,” said Laura Lopez, who led the study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Usually when a massive star runs out of fuel, the central region of the star collapses, triggering a chain of events that quickly culminate in a supernova explosion. Most of these explosions are generally symmetrical, with the stellar material blasting away more or less evenly in all directions. However, in the W49B supernova, material near the poles of the doomed rotating star was ejected at a much higher speed than material emanating from its equator.

    Jets shooting away from the star’s poles mainly shaped the supernova explosion and its aftermath. The remnant now glows brightly in X-rays and other wavelengths, offering the evidence for a peculiar explosion. By tracing the distribution and amounts of different elements in the stellar debris field, researchers were able to compare the Chandra data to theoretical models of how a star explodes. For example, they found iron in only half of the remnant while other elements such as sulfur and silicon were spread throughout.

    This matches predictions for an asymmetric explosion. “In addition to its unusual signature of elements, W49B also is much more elongated and elliptical than most other remnants,” said coauthor Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz of the University of California at Santa Cruz. “This is seen in X-rays and several other wavelengths and points to an unusual demise for this star,” Ramirez-Ruiz said. The authors examined what sort of compact object the supernova explosion left behind. Most of the time, massive stars that collapse into supernovas leave a dense, spinning core called a neutron star. Astronomers often can detect neutron stars through their X-ray or radio pulses, although sometimes an X-ray source is seen without pulsations.

    A careful search of the Chandra data revealed no evidence for a neutron star. The lack of such evidence implies a black hole may have formed. “It’s a bit circumstantial, but we have intriguing evidence the W49B supernova also created a black hole,” said co-author Daniel Castro, also of MIT.

  • Budget 2013: P Chidambaram Holds Pre-Budget Consultation Meeting

    Budget 2013: P Chidambaram Holds Pre-Budget Consultation Meeting

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Demands like doubling of existingincome tax slab, interest-free loan to small farmers andplugging leakages in the expenditure of funds for Leftwing extremism areas were made at a pre-budgetconsultation held by Finance Minister P Chidambaramtoday with AICC leaders.In his opening address, Chidambaram talked at lengthabout the financial constraints before the governmentbut expressed the hope that the growth rate will furtherimprove from the existing 5 per cent rate of GDP,sources said.

    The overall refrain in the consultationswas that the budget has to be people-oriented with equalfocus on farmers as well as the middle classes aselections are approaching.Amid indications that the budget will be a “please all”exercise, the finance minister told the AICC leaders thatthis budget, being the last one before the next Lok Sabhaelections, will be a major financial exercise. Touchingupon the issues of global meltdown and recessionparticularly in the Eurozone, Chidambaram underlinedthe importance of fiscal consolidation and howimprovements can be made in the current accountscenario.

    “The finance minister told us what are the difficultiesand how the Indian economy was kept at a balancedespite the tough global economic scenario. 32 of the 46office bearers present spoke on various issues like thoserelated to farmers, weavers, education, health andincome tax,” party general secretary Janardan Dwiveditold reporters after the meeting.

  • Wisconsin Scientists Help Search For Alien Life

    Wisconsin Scientists Help Search For Alien Life

    MADISON (TIP): Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are helping search for evidence of alien life not by looking into outer space, but by studying some rocks right here on Earth.

    Some of the rocks are up to 3.5 billion years old. The scientists are looking for crucial information to understand how life might have arisen elsewhere in the universe and guide the search for life on Mars one day. “There’s a story always hidden in rocks,” said geoscientist Clark Johnson, the lead investigator for the Wisconsin Astrobiology Research Consortium. “… It’s up to (geologists) to be clever enough to find the tools that we need to interrogate those rocks to find what story they preserve.” The project is funded through NASA, which provided a $7 million, five-year grant that started in January. It was the group’s second five-year, $7 million grant.

    The consortium includes about 50 staff, students and post-doctoral fellows from 24 institutions in five countries. About 25 of the participants are at UW-Madison. The consortium has been tasked with finding footprints of biological activity, or biosignatures, which are substances such as elements or isotopes that show evidence of ancient life.

    The scientists are looking for microscopic signs of life, including microbes, which are bacteria, and other tiny, one-celled organisms that are much more adaptable than more complex organisms.

    The team is also sending microbes into Earth’s orbit on the International Space Station to see how they react to radiation and a space environment.

    In the process, they are learning more about Earth’s history. They’ve found new details of microbial life that dates back 2 billion to 3 billion years, before the planet’s atmosphere contained oxygen.

    They’ve found that microbes then relied more on iron than sunlight for energy. Eventually their work will be used to interpret data brought back from Mars by the six-wheel spacecraft Curiosity, which landed in August on a two-year mission to determine whether the environment was ever favorable for microbial life.

    Their work will also be used to prepare for future Mars missions. “It may be that planets spent a long time in a microbial life condition and then only rarely evolved to advanced multicellular complex life,” Johnson said. “That’s one of the hypothesis we would test.” Edward Goolish, acting director at the NASA Astrobiology Institute, said the project supports one of NASA’s major goals to find life or the potential for life elsewhere.

    The project’s results will provide a quantitative understanding of how life is preserved, he said. “At the same time (Johnson’s team is) contributing an immense amount to the understanding of life on Earth, which is equally important to astrobiology and science in general,” he said.

  • Meteor Shower Sows Panic In Central Russia

    Meteor Shower Sows Panic In Central Russia

    MOSCOW (TIP) — A meteor shower rained down oncentral Russia, sowing panic as the hurtling spacedebris exploded in the air, blew out windows and leftseveral people injured, officials and agencies reported.”A meteorite disintegrated above the Urals (mountainrange in central Russia), partially burning up in thelower atmosphere,” the local office of the nationalemergencies ministry said in a satement, releasedFriday.

    “Fragments of the meteorite reached Earth, falling insparsely populated areas in the Chelyabinsk region,” itsaid.”According to preliminary information, four peoplehave been injured by flying glass,” it said.”At 11:00 am local time (0500 GMT) we receivednumerous calls of panic, power cuts and contusions,”Interfax cited the local government as saying.

  • India’s Cultural Arm In UK Faces Cash Crunch

    India’s Cultural Arm In UK Faces Cash Crunch

    LONDON (TIP):India’s flagship culturalcentre in London – theNehru Centre, is facing asevere cash crunch.Budgetary allocation tothe centre – the culturalarm of the Indian HighCommission, with theresponsibility ofportraying India’scultural heritage hasbeen steadily dippingover the past three years.In 2011, allocation by theministry of externalaffairs (MEA) was nearlyRs 5 crores which dippedto Rs 3.6 crores thefollowing year. Theallocation for 2012-13ended up even lesser ataround Rs 3.4 crores.Minister (culture) at theIndian High Commissionin London SangeetaBahadur said, “We havebeen told by the MEA toexpect a further 40% cutin allocations this year.”

  • Doctors ‘Freeze’ Baby To Save His Life

    Doctors ‘Freeze’ Baby To Save His Life

    LONDON (TIP): In a pioneering treatment, UK doctors have given a new lease of life to a baby suffering from a fatal heart condition by ‘freezing’ his body for four days. Edward Ives was born with a condition called supra ventricular tachycardia (SVT), which causes the heart to race dangerously fast with just a five per cent chance of survival.

    The baby survived, thanks to the ‘miraculous’ treatment at University College London Hospital, in which doctors dropped his core temperature by almost four degrees Centigrade, ‘The Telegraph’ reported. Edward’s heart was pumping at over 300 beats per minute at the time of his birth last August, double the normal rate of 160.

    Doctors wrapped the boy in a blanket of cold gel which dropped his temperature from 37 to 33.3 degree C, to slow his metabolism, to prevent damage to vital organs such as the brain. After two days they slowly raised his temperature – but his heart rate rose again so they chilled him for a further two days. “It was horrible to see him lying there freezing in nothing but a nappy. He was heavily sedated so didn’t move much, and he was cold to touch – it looked like he was dead, said his mother Claire Ives. “All I wanted to do was scoop him up and give him a warm cuddle. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was saving his life,” she said. During his treatment, Edward also received shocks from a defibrillator five times, to return his heart from a potentially fatal rhythm to a safer one.

    On the fourth day, his heart started slowing to more normal levels, after which the medics slowly increased the temperature by one degree every 24 hours. “As soon as his heart started beating normally everything began to improve. He had been really puffy because his kidneys weren’t working, but all of a sudden he looked like a normal baby again,” Ives said. A month later Ives and her husband Phillip were finally allowed to take him home.

  • Tests Find Horse Drug Has Entered Food Chain In EU

    Tests Find Horse Drug Has Entered Food Chain In EU

    LONDON (TIP): Europol – the Europeancounterpart of Interpol that is in charge oflaw enforcement over all European Unioncountries – has finally kicked off a massiveinvestigation into the horse meat scandalthat originated in the UK, after it wasconfirmed on Thursday that equine meatcontaining a dangerous drug had entered theEU food chain. Recent tests by UK’s Food andStandards Authority found the presence ofbanned drug phenylbutazone (bute) inhorses slaughtered in the UK.

    The FSA checked 206 horse carcassesbetween January 30 and February 7, 2013. Ofthese, eight tested positive for the drug, six ofwhich were sent to France and may haveentered the food chain. The FSA will nowwork with the French authorities to tracethem. From this week, all meat are beingtested for brute. The agency has nowdeveloped a testing regime which enablesresults to come through in 48 hours.Agriculture ministers have agreed on athree-month programme of DNA testing ofprocessed meat across the EU as the horsemeat scandal intensified.

    UK’s environmentsecretary Owen Paterson emerged fromWednesday’s talks in Brussels to announce athree-month, EU-wide DNA testing regime totrace horse meat and to check processedmeat on sale for “bute” – the powerful horseanti-inflammatory which could be a healthrisk if passed on to humans.Paterson after meeting Europol andEurojust (EU’s judicial division in theHague) said, “I’m very pleased that Europolis formally involved in the investigation onmeat fraud. I met Europol and Eurojust, whooffered their full support to the national lawenforcement agencies involved in meat fraudacross Europe. This is an incrediblyimportant step. It’s increasingly clear thatthis case reaches right across Europe. Aspresident of the EU Council of AgricultureMinisters, Irish minister for agricultureSimon Coveney chaired a meeting with theEU commissioner for health Tonio Borg andand ministers from member states directlyaffected by the serious disclosures ofmislabelling of processed meat products.

  • Basant Panchami Divine Occasion, Holy Awakening

    Basant Panchami Divine Occasion, Holy Awakening

    Basant Panchami, the fifth day of spring, is celebrated by propitiating Goddess Saraswati. As she symbolizes the constant flow of wisdom, she also represents the full blossoming of multi-hued Nature, kindling the light of inspiration and hope. During the eight phases of the day, Saraswati manifests through everyone’s speech at least once. Each one of us has experienced sometimes that what has been uttered by someone – even casually has come true. Engrossed as we are in the material world, we are unable to understand it.

    It is possible to attain this state where one’s speech is consistently governed by Kamalasana or the One who is seated on a thousand-petalled lotus each petal denoting a particular quality. Saraswati’s vahan or vehicle is the hans or swan. The swan has the ability to hold the mix of water and milk in its beak and spew out pure water from one side and milk from the other side.

    This is known as neerkshir vivek or the water-milk wisdom in Indian philosophy. A wise person is one, who, like the swan, picks out pearls of wisdom from a vast spread of knowledge.

    The veena that Saraswati holds in her hands has seven strings representing the body, food, humans, work, intelligence, religious and spiritual cultures. Besides these, the seven colours, glands, charkas, skies, rishis or holy wise men, and also the seven steps of consciousness are to be experienced and understood in the right perspective. Whosoever has accomplished these symbolic seven swaras or notes, will be safeguarded from drowning in the samsara sagara or worldly ocean by the two hollow tumbas or globes on either side of the veena.

    At least seven years is required to do penance or sadhna that leads to complete transformation, to manifest divine qualities. This is the message of Saraswati who is also known as Veena Vadini. The strings should be in perfect tune for us to hear and experience the sweet music of life. Saraswati holds a pen in one hand, the power to manifest truth through words.

    Gyan Yog or the path of wisdom is the force to dispel ignorance, foster the wise, compassionate, and the authentic in speech, and so is the incarnation of light, always victorious the cosmic mother. The Saraswati Gayatri Mantra is an invocation to the spirit of knowledge.

    Saraswati’s food is made up of the five magaz or seeds that provide essential nutrients for the brain banslochan or the nodes of the bamboo shoot, misri, nuts, elaichi or cardamom, lotus stems, and lotus seeds or makhanas. These fortify brain cells, increasing their potential. Goddess Saraswati is always shown clad in white, the colour of purity. A white sari with a red border also represents sensitivity and desires in life so that it can blossom creatively, to experience the joy of living.

    The tulsi mala or the rosary made of tulsi beads represents perseverance and consistency in sadhna or bhakti. The Vedas held in her hand signify knowledge and wisdom, which form the basis of the 64 art forms. These art forms express the evolved nature of our ancient civilization and culture.

    The colour yellow is of special import during Basant Panchami as it the coming of Spring after a long and arduous winter. It is the colour of the energy giving Sun; the mustard fields in bloom are a bright yellow, exuding the warmth of an imminent season of Basant or Spring. Fittingly, therefore, the radiance is associated with knowledge – symbolized by Goddess Saraswati.

  • Bhaja Govindam At The Kumbh

    Bhaja Govindam At The Kumbh

    At the Purnakumbh at Prayag, with its millions of pilgrims, Adi Sankara’s Bhaja Govindam verse 17 suddenly comes to mind: “One may go to the Ganga Sagar on pilgrimage or undertake severe fasts or perform charity. (However) all schools of thought hold that, without wisdom, such a person will not find liberation in a hundred births.” What is the jnana which Sankara deems essential for liberation? It is the discrimination that eventually leads one to the direct knowledge of Self, without identification with body. It is the growing awareness that one may really not be the body or mind, that one might be the spirit, an integral part of the universe, the atma in param-atma.

    Without this seed of awareness all pilgrimages are merely religious tourism, all charity just a balm for the heart. Often by strengthening the ego, these have an effect that is just the reverse of what is intended. What should be a matter of piety becomes a matter of pride. What then is the value of pilgrimages and charity? Are all the faithful merely wasting their time, money and energy to no effect? Not really.

    Pilgrimages have their value. Not every pilgrim wants to go on a pilgrimage in order to become liberated. Not every charitable person does charity because he wants to become enlightened. These things soothe the mind and engender goodwill. Often, they bring one closer to one’s ishta devta, one’s chosen diety, by making the mind focus on one’s faith in a special way.

    Pilgrimages have another advantage. The accumulated faith of hundreds of thousands of people in one place creates a milieu that is unique in its ability to transport the mind, at least for the duration of the pilgrimage, to a different plane.

    Like snow all around affects light in a very special way, mass faith affects the atmosphere in a special way, making it more conducive to bliss. Often this lambent feeling itself makes the pilgrimage worthwhile. To an enlightened person, the very wisdom makes it unnecessary to embark on any pilgrimage as he sees everything and everyone as his own self. There is no distinction between the subject and object.

    Everything becomes holy and the pilgrimage destination is wherever the enlightened person is. If this is indeed so, why did Sankara bother to write this verse? Who was he addressing? At the Purnakumbh, at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, I feel the presence of Saraswati, too. She smiles, as she must have smiled on Sankara when he was inspired to write this beautiful poem, and tells me: This verse is not for every pilgrim or everyone giving alms. Sankara wrote this for those misguided people who think that their pilgrimages and charity will advance them on the spiritual path.

    But without the quality of wisdom, humility and without true understanding of the meaning of pilgrimage and charity, even a hundred births will not move them closer to enlightenment. So, go on pilgrimages if you want to. Give charity if you are so moved.

    Just do not think that these will help you climb the spiritual ladder. To do so, wisdom is essential and this will not come through pilgrimages or charity. If you want to climb this ladder, your pilgrimage should be inward; perhaps helped by the grace of your guru or the imperatives of your own prarabdha.

    And, if you succeed in your pilgrimage, everything you do for anyone will be charity of the highest order but you will not think you are doing anything charitable.

  • Want US Out, Taliban Okay: Afghan Women Senators

    Want US Out, Taliban Okay: Afghan Women Senators

    Women senators from Afghanistan say they want US troops out of their country andwill not mind having the Taliban in the government if they respected the constitution

    NEW DELHI (TIP):Women senators fromAfghanistan have said they wanted US troopsout of their country and would not mind havingthe Taliban in the government so long as theyrespected the constitution.”We want the US out of Afghanistan, but asfar as Taliban is concerned, any one who is aresident of Afghanistan can be a part of thegovernment, if they respect the constitutionand women’s rights,” said Tayeba Zahidi,member of the upper house of Afghanistan,during an interaction with Indian journalists atthe Indian Women’s Press Corps.

    US PresidentBarack Obama has vowed that by the end of2014, the US war in Afghanistan would end, andUS troops would be pulled out.Senators from Afghanistan’s upper house arein India to participate in a training programmeorganised by the Bureau of ParliamentaryStudies and Training here. The senators saidthe incidents of the last few decades inAfghanistan have affected women, who havefought back and are emerging into their ownagain. “In past 35 years, lots of incidents haveoccurred which have affected women. ButAfghan women have fought back.

    Ourparliament and legal structure is fighting to ridsociety of violence and make things safe forwomen,” Sediqua Balbhi, another member ofAfghanistan’s upper house said. The womensaid more and more women are now gaining aneducation in Afghanistan.”Education plays an important role inempowering women. More and more girls arenow being enrolled in schools, completingcollege and also doing PhD degrees,” said NajibaHussaini.Women were barred from educationand work during the rule of the Taliban inAfghanistan, which started in 1996 and endedDec 2001.

  • Sahara Wants Pune Warriors India To Be Based Out Of Kanpur

    Sahara Wants Pune Warriors India To Be Based Out Of Kanpur

    CHENNAI (TIP): Sahara has expressed its desire to the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to move its Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Pune Warriors India, out of the western city due to ongoing tensions between franchise bosses and the Maharashtra Cricket Association. It is understood that members of the PWI management, who were in Chennai during the IPL auctions on Feb 3, have asked the BCCI mandarins that they want their franchise to be based out of Kanpur.

    According to Sahara sources, it is 80% certain that they “won’t play their matches in Pune”. There are, however, some logistical problems regarding Kanpur. Even though a section of the Sahara management is confident that the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur can become their new venue, the fact that it doesn’t have an airport might make things a little difficult. “The nearest airport is in Lucknow and it’s two hours away from Kanpur.

    So, it will be difficult even for the TV crew,” a source said. Therefore, a few other names like Nagpur, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and DY Patil are also being discussed. It is learnt that the name of the franchise might not be changed right away. “It’s not easy to build a brand.

    So they might go slow on the renaming of the franchise,” the source added. There has been a long-standing problem between Sahara and the MCA with the former moving Bombay HC against MCA for “wrongful termination of agreements” with regards to the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune.

    Pune sign J&K’s Rasool
    Pune have signed J&K off-spinner Parvez Rasool for the forthcoming IPL season. Rasool took 7-45 for Board President’s XI against Australia and has been snapped up by the franchise in an effort to boost its spin attack. “He is a bowling allrounder and we feel he can play an important role for us,” a Pune source said. Rasool will be the first player from J&K to play in the IPL.

  • Antony Took No Action On Bribery Charges

    Antony Took No Action On Bribery Charges

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Rs 3,546-crore contract for 12 AW-101helicopters, inked in February 2010,has emerged as a test case for defenceminister A K Antony, who has builthis entire political career on areputation for honesty, governmentcircles acknowledge.Although no finger has beenpointed at Antony, he is being blamedfor not moving swiftly enough whenthe first whiffs of a bribery scandalsurfaced over 11 months ago.

    The minister has been criticized forbringing in the CBI only this weekafter the top executives ofAgustaWestland and its parentcompany Finmeccanica were arrestedin Italy.Sources said the Congress veteranwas determined to get to the bottom ofthe bribery scandal threatening totaint his squeaky clean political trackrecord.A strong indication of Antony’sresolve came in the form of a six-pagefactsheet, issued by the MoD onThursday, which shielded him fromthe controversial decision to tweakthe technical specifications for thehelicopters.

    Government sources said outright cancellation of thecontract was no longer a far-fetched possibility. “If the contractsfor the Bofors howitzers and the HDW submarines in the mid-1980s could be terminated mid-way, even if they hit theoperational readiness and modernization of the armed forces ina major way, these are just choppers meant for VVIP travel,” saida source.The looming Budget session of Parliament, and theindication that the opposition is all set to feast on the latestscandal to hit the UPA, is proving to be a big push for a toughresponse.

    The session is set to start on February 21, and thereare indications that the MoD might not even wait for the CBI tosubmit a formal report.Defence secretary Shashikant Sharma, as reported by TOIearlier, has also asked the Indian ambassador in Italy toformally procure the Italian court documents detailing thealleged payment of 51 million euros to swing the contract forAgustaWestland.These documents obtained officially couldserve as a tool for action in case the government feels it cannotafford to wait for the CBI to give its findings. “We want to finishthe ongoing review of the contract and take a decision beforethe next delivery of helicopters…

    Proper documentation willensure there is no financial loss to India in the case ofarbitration or other proceedings at a later stage,” said a seniorofficial.Despite having inducted only three of the AW-101helicopters till now, with the remaining nine slated for deliveryin batches of three each in March,May and July, the defenceministry has already put on hold all further payments toAgustaWestland. India has paid a little over 50% of the totalamount to this UK-based subsidiary of Italian military giantFinmeccanica till now,while another tranche was to be paidlater this month.Both the contract and integrity pact inked withAgustaWestland contain specific provisions by which “strictaction including the cancellation of contract, recovery ofpayment, blacklisting and penal action” can be unleashedagainst the vendor.

  • ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius charged with murdering girlfriend

    ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius charged with murdering girlfriend

    JOHANNESBURG (TIP): South African “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, was charged on Thursday with shooting dead his girlfriend at his upscale home in Pretoria. Police said they opened a murder case after a 30-year-old woman was found dead at the Paralympic and Olympic star’s house in the Silverlakes gated complex on the capital’s outskirts.

    Pistorius, 26, and his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, had been the only people in the house at the time of the shooting, police brigadier Denise Beukes told reporters, adding witnesses had been interviewed about the early morning incident. “We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place,” Beukes said outside the heavily guarded residential complex.

    Police said a 9mm pistol had been found at the scene. Beukes said police were aware of previous incidents at the Pistorius house. “I can confirm that there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorious, of allegations of a domestic nature,” she said. Pistorius, who uses carbon fibre prosthetic blades to run, is due to appear in a Pretoria court on Friday. “He is doing well but very emotional,” his lawyer Kenny Oldwage said, but gave no further comment.

    A sports icon for triumphing over disability to compete with able-bodied athletes at the Olympics, his sponsorship deals, including one with sports apparel group Nike, are thought to be worth $2 million a year.

    South Africa’s M-Net cable TV channel said it was pulling adverts featuring Pistorius off air immediately after blanket coverage of the arrest in a country more used to honouring Pistorius as a national hero. “WE ARE ALL DEVASTATED” Steenkamp’s colleagues in the modelling world were distraught. “We are all devastated. Her family is in shock,” her agent, Sarita Tomlinson, tearfully said. “They did have a good relationship.

    Nobody actually knows what happened.” Pistorius, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the 400-metre semifinals in London 2012.

    In last year’s Paralympics he suffered his first loss over 200 metres in nine years.

    After the race he questioned the legitimacy of Brazilian winner Alan Oliveira’s prosthetic blades, though he was quick to express regret for the comments.

    South Africa has some of the world’s highest rates of violent crime, and many home owners have weapons to defend themselves against intruders, although Pistorius’s complex is surrounded by a three-metre high wall and electric fence.

    In 2004, Springbok rugby player Rudi Visagie shot dead his 19-year-old daughter after he mistakenly thought she was a robber trying to steal his car in the middle of the night. Before the murder charge was announced, Johannesburg’s Talk Radio 702 said the athlete may have mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar.

  • Mukerji To Succeed Puri As India’s Ambassador To UN

    Mukerji To Succeed Puri As India’s Ambassador To UN

    NEW DELHI / NEWYORK (TIP): Asoke KumarMukerji has been appointedas the next PermanentRepresentative of India tothe United Nations at NewYork. The announcementwas made in New DelhiFebruary 13.

    Mukerji replacesHardeep Singh Puri, whoretires this month after atwo-year stint during whichIndia also held a nonpermanentseat at theSecurity Council. Puri’stenure has probably beenthe most action packed andhistoric for any PR inrecent years. After theIndia-US Civil Nuclear deal,the most important issuehas been India’s push for a permanent seat on the SecurityCouncil It was during Puri’s tenurethat the issue got the maximumattention and support and, again, it wasduring Puri’s tenure that India waselected as a non permanent member ofthe Security Council at which Indiaalso presided.

    Handpicked by External AffairsMinister Salman Khurshid for one ofthe most important diplomaticassignments, Mukerji is presently aSpecial Secretary in the ExternalAffairs Ministry. He has served asConsul General in Dubai and as DeputyHigh Commissioner in London. He wasalso private secretary to ExternalAffairs Minister Salman Khurshidduring his previous stint as a Ministerof State.