The Indian Panorama

Year: 2013

  • Haryana IAS officer Khemka transferred again

    Haryana IAS officer Khemka transferred again

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who had ordered a scrutiny of land deals of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra last year, was Thursday shunted by the Haryana government to an inconsequential post. Khemka, presently managing director of the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation (HSDC), will now be posted as the secretary of Haryana Archives, which is responsible for preserving public and private records in the state. The latest transfer came after Khemka highlighted irregularities in the HSDC, leaving the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government embarrassed. Khemka has been transferred almost 45 times in his two-decade-long career as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

    He had hit national headlines October last year when he controversially cancelled a mutation of a multi-crorerupee land deal between Vadra’s company, Sky Light Hospitality, and realty giant DLF. The officer had even ordered a probe into all land deals done by Vadra and his companies in Haryana’s Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat and Palwal districts since 2005. After Khemka’s action Oct 8, the Hooda government went into overdrive to undo it. Within days, the district authorities of four districts in the national capital region (NCR) gave a ‘clean chit’ to the land deals done by Vadra and his companies.

    The Hooda government set up a committee of top bureaucrats to look into the action taken by Khemka. In its report, the committee held that Khemka’s actions as director-general of land consolidation were not in accordance with laid down procedures. Khemka, however, questioned the rationale of the committee in submitting its report without even seeking his views on the action taken in the land deals. An unfazed Khemka also claimed that action taken by him as director general of consolidation could only be reviewed by the high court and the state government did not have the jurisdiction to undo it.

    Khemka was removed from his post Oct 11 by the Hooda government which sought to project it as a routine transfer. Vadra and his companies had made land purchases of nearly 170 acres in Gurgaon, Palwal, Mewat and Faridabad districts since 2005.

  • Fighting with govt can put you in jail: Mulayam

    Fighting with govt can put you in jail: Mulayam

    LUCKNOW (TIP): Raking up the issue of misuse of CBI, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said fighting with the government is not easy as it can use CBI and put one in jail. “Sarkar se ladna asan nahi hai. Sarkar ke hazaron haath hote hain. CBI ka upyog kar sakti hai…jail me dal sakti hai” (It’s not easy to fight with the government. It has thousands of hand and can use CBI and put one in jail),” he told reporters here in reply to a question.

    Yadav had earlier also attacked Congress-led UPA government blaming misuse of CBI by it. “Congress used to take support by threatening. I supported the UPA government in bad times but Congress has put CBI after me,” the SP chief had told reporters here on March 29. Asked about socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia’s praise by BJP leader L K Advani in Chitrakoot, Yadav said that it is good if he has done so. “A lot of hue and cry was raised in the media when I appreciated Advani… Those who had done or are doing good should be appreciated. Should one who is doing good be abused ?” Yadav said after a meeting with his party’s district presidents. During the closeddoor meeting, Yadav asked the district presidents to remain prepared for Lok Sabha polls, according to sources.

    He told the party functionaries to work in their districts to redress the grievances of the common man and stressed on the need for strengthening booth committees. Yadav also asked them to remain cautious about the Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh which have been making allegations against the government. “Promises made in the party’s manifesto in 2012 Assembly polls are being fulfilled and a number of schemes including distribution of laptops have already started…The message that the SP government was working for the people should reach them,” he said.

  • Will welcome Rahul Gandhi as PM anytime: Manmohan

    Will welcome Rahul Gandhi as PM anytime: Manmohan

    NEW DELHI (TIP)Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 5 said that he would welcome Rahul Gandhi as PM anyday. Talking to reporters at the sidelines of a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan to give away Padma awards, Dr Singh, in a reply to a question on whether he welcomed Mr Gandhi as prime minister, said oh yes anyday. Gandhi, who was appointed as vicepresident of Congress in January, has been reluctant to join the government. Even yesterday he dubbed as “irrelevant” the questions over whether he would become the Prime Minister.

    The Prime Minister was also asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the CII yesterday to which he remarked, “excellent”. Manmohan also dismissed as a “useless” the debate over two power centres even as he did not rule out his accepting the third term. “This is the creation of the media. It is a useless debate,” he told reporters here when asked about the issue of two power centres coming into focus after senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh raked it up recently. Digvijaya Singh had said the two power centres — one the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and another the Prime Minister — had not worked well and should not be repeated. Congress officially rejected this contention of Digvijaya Singh and said it was an “ideal model” for future also. When asked whether he would accept the third term as Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh said, “it is a hypothetical question… We are yet to complete this term.” The current term of the government will end in May next year. Asked whether he was ruling himself out, he said, “I am not ruling it in, I am not ruling it out.”

  • NIA slap murder charges on marines; Italian PM talks to Salman Khurshid

    NIA slap murder charges on marines; Italian PM talks to Salman Khurshid

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Concerned over NIA slapping murder charges against two Italian marines, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti on April 5 called up External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who apprised him of the recent developments in the case. The call by Monti followed a meeting between Khurshid and Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan de Mistura who asked India to keep his government posted on the developments in the matter.

    The meeting comes in the backdrop of NIA registering murder case against the two Italian Marines for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast last year. The charge entails maximum punishment of death penalty. However, Khurshid, in Parliament last month, had ruled out that case will attract death penalty. “…according to well settled Indian jurisprudence, this case would not fall in the category of matters which attract the death penalty, that is to say the rarest of rare cases. Therefore, there need not be any apprehension in this regard,” Khurshid had said while informing Parliament about Italy reversing its initial decision of not sending the marines back. Khurshid provided Mistura an update of the developments since their meeting last month, including the lifting of travel restriction on the Italian envoy by the Supreme Court, official sources said. He also informed the Minister of the steps being taken in compliance with the Supreme Court directions at the last hearing and intentions of the government to inform the apex court on April 16 of the efforts made to constitute a Special Court, the sources added.

    Following the meeting, Italian Prime Minister, who is also holding charge of Foreign Ministry, had a telephonic conversation with Khurshid on the same subject, the sources said. The Supreme Court had on April 2 vacated its order restraining Italian Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving India following the return of the two Italian marines to face trial here as per his commitment to the court. A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir vacated its March 14 order by which it had restrained the Ambassador from leaving the country after the Italian government had refused to send back the marines.

  • Dutch tourist arrested for raping, murdering British woman in Srinagar

    Dutch tourist arrested for raping, murdering British woman in Srinagar

    SRINAGAR (TIP): A British woman tourist was found dead inside a houseboat in the Dal Lake in Srinagar on April 6, allegedly murdered by a Dutch tourist who was staying in a separate room in the houseboat. The 24-year-old Sara Elizabeth was found in a pool of blood inside her room in the houseboat. The suspect was arrested near Banihal tunnel, 100 Km from Srinagar, this morning while he was reportedly trying to flee. The police have registered a case of murder against the foreign tourist. They suspect that the victim might be raped before being killed as her clothes were torn.

    A team of FSL experts is at the spot and the body of the woman has been sent for postmortem.

  • UN tourism conference to be held in Hyderabad

    UN tourism conference to be held in Hyderabad

    NEW DELHI (TIP): United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) commission’s conference on sustainable tourism development and 25th joint meeting of the UNWTO commission for East Asia, Pacific and South Asia will be held in Hyderabad from April 12. Announcing this, Union Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi said the need of the hour is not the tourism growth alone but development of tourism in a sustainable manner. He said in this meeting international experts, delegates from the member countries of the UNWTO Commissions for South Asia and East Asia and Pacific, UNWTO, various state governments of India and tourism industry will participate.

    During the conference exchange of ideas will take place on the way forward to develop tourism in a sustainable manner. Asserting that India has been working with UNWTO closely for the cause of developing nations, Chiranjeevi said: “Our initiative at the international level to host the two events, no doubt, will go a long way in highlighting India’s role in promoting global and regional tourism in sustainable manner for the economic growth, employment generation and social integration”. He further said South Asian region has rich and varied tourism products to attract visitors from the world over – with heritage and culture dating back to thousands of years, architectural and natural marvels, an unmatched bio-diversity and home to almost all the world religions. ‘In spite of rich heritage, the market share of South Asia in World Tourist Arrivals is only 1.3 percent – which is a cause of concern. On a positive note the average annual growth in international tourist arrivals to the region during the period 2005 to 2011 has been 7.2 percent as compared to the world annual average growth of 3.5 percent during the same period,’ he added. Chiranjeevi further said the 25th meeting of the UNWTO Joint Commission will bring together tourism authorities from 27 member countries and two associate members and give them an opportunity to review the tourism performance of the two regions and deliberate upon measures and policies to be adopted for future.

  • WORLD’S FIRST SOLAR PLANE TO FLY ACROSS US

    WORLD’S FIRST SOLAR PLANE TO FLY ACROSS US

    HOUSTON (TIP): A first of its kind ultra-lightweight plane powered completely by the sun is set to fly coast-to-coast this spring. The Solar Impulse plane will stop in Dallas city in Texas during its historic cross-country journey that begins on May 1, its creators announced today. The plane, which requires zero fuel and relies solely on solar panels and battery power, would be the world’s first plane powered purely by solar energy. The two Swiss pilots of the plane, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, want to complete a flight from Moffett Field to New York City, after spending 10 years designing it. It is expected to arrive in the Big Apple by early July and will stop in Phoenix (Arizona), Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington DC and either Nashville (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia) or St. Louis along the way. “It carries only one pilot and no passengers, but it carries a lot of message,” Piccard said. “Today we can’t imagine having a solar plane with 200 passengers.

    But in 1903 it was exactly the same,” he said, noting the sense of impossibility that surrounded the first airplane flight that took place that year. “We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but we have to start and see where technology takes us,” he said. The US flight is the latest step towards the ultimate goal of Solar Impulse team; that of making a flight around the world by 2015. The plane uses creative engineering and physics to harness the sun’s energy for power even after the sun sets.

    It has a wingspan equivalent to a 747 jetliner, the weight of a stationwagon, and the power needs of a small scooter. The solar panels across its wings harness power from the sun during the day and lithium-polymer batteries store that energy for overnight trips. A carbon-fibre material formed in a honeycomb structure makes up the bulk of the plane, which allows for its feather-weight. In 2010, the Solar Impulse plane completed a 26-hour overnight flight and in 2012 flew from Switzerland to Morocco without any fuel. To fly around the world, the team needs to fly for five days continuously, which the current plane isn’t equipped for.

    They would also need to find more efficient batteries and motors, as well as improve the plane’s reliability, Borschberg said. “You have no time to do maintenance and no possibility to change parts,” he said of an aroundthe- world trip. Piccard is also known for his flying adventures: in 1999 he travelled around the world in a hot air balloon. In its current form, however, the Solar Impulse is far from having any major practical application. The plane travels at a leisurely cruising speed that is lower than the highway speed limit in the United States and can hold just one passenger in a cramped cockpit.

  • 3D PRINTING GIVES UK MAN A ‘NEW’ FACE

    3D PRINTING GIVES UK MAN A ‘NEW’ FACE

    LONDON (TIP): In a first-of-its kind procedure in the UK, doctors have employed a pioneering threedimensional printing technology to create a prosthetic face for a man who had the entire left side of his face removed after suffering from cancer. Restaurant manager Eric Moger, 60, lost almost the entire left side of his face during an emergency surgery to remove the cancer, including his eye, his cheek bone and most of his jaw, leaving a gaping hole where his features used to be. After taking scans of Moger’s left-over skull and using computers to visualize how his face would look like, doctors were able to use a new type of printer that builds up layer upon layer of nylon plastic to produce the exact components needed in the facelift.

    The procedure has transformed the father-of-two’s life, allowing him to drink his first glass of water and taste food for the first time since he underwent the surgery to remove the tumour. Until now he was given food and drink through a tube leading directly into his stomach. “I was amazed at the way it looks,” said Moger, who lives in Essex. “When I had it in my hand, it was like looking at myself in my hands. When I first put it up to my face, I couldn’t believe how good it looked,” Moger said. The three-dimensional printers were first developed by the manufacturing industry to help rapidly produce prototype components. Andrew Dawood, dental surgeon and implant expert, began using 3D printing a couple of years ago to help produce replicas of his patient’s jaw bones so that he could practise various surgical procedures. Moger was referred to him by surgeon Nicholas Kalavresos at University College London Hospital after carrying out the surgery to remove the tumour. Attempts to use plastic surgery to rebuild Moger’s face had failed due to the chemotherapy and radiotherapy he was receiving.

  • Now, your iPhone can double up as a hearing aid

    Now, your iPhone can double up as a hearing aid

    MUMBAI (TIP): Move over bionic ears and hearing devices, i-ears are here. A team from the University of Essex has developed a free mobile application that can turn the iPhone or iPod into a hearing aid. The free-to-download app, the BioAid app can be used by anyone without the need for specific tests. At present, hearing impaired persons have to take up expensives hearing aids or cochlear implants that are very expensive.

    The i-ears are, however, available free for iPhone\Pod users. The Essex university team said that while standard hearing aids amplified some frequencies more than others, their app could compress the loud sounds that can make social situations like going to the pub, cinema or a birthday party intolerable. In a release, the university said that people with hearing impairment often withdrew from public life. Even if they have a hearing aid, the technology is not sophisticated enough to offer a tailor-made solution to their impairment and in many cases people simply stop using them,” it said. The researchers believe that their app will help change the future of hearing devices. “It’s not inconceivable that we’ll wear phones on our wrist in the near future, or even as tiny devices behind the ear. With the BioAid algorithm and wi-fi technology, we could see dispensers able to remotely adjust the settings on a phone-based aid and even monitor use to ensure the user is getting the most out of it,” the researchers said.

  • Now, Contact Lenses To Restore Near Vision

    Now, Contact Lenses To Restore Near Vision

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Scientists claim to have developed new contact lenses that can restore age-related loss of near vision when worn by the user every night. Most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses.

    The emerging technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) may provide a new alternative for restoring near vision without the need for glasses, according to a study, For middle-aged patients with presbyopia, wearing OK contact lenses overnight can restore up-close vision in one eye, according to the study by Paul Gifford and Helen A Swarbrick from the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The study included 16 middle-aged patients (43 to 59 years) with agerelated loss of near vision, or presbyopia. Orthokeratology is a clinical technique to correct vision using specially designed rigid contact lenses to manipulate the shape of the cornea. Gifford and Swarbick evaluated a “monocular” technique, with patients wearing a custom-made OK lens in one eye overnight for one week. To preserve normal distance vision, the other eye was left untreated. In all patients, the monocular OK technique was successful in restoring near vision in the treated eye. The improvement was apparent on the first day after overnight OK lens wear, and increased further during the treatment week.

    Eye examination confirmed that the OK lenses altered the shape of the cornea, as they were designed to do. Vision in the untreated eye was unaffected, and all patients retained normal distance vision with that eye, essentially this gives the patient the dequivalent of ‘monovision’ that is usually done with contact lenses or surgery. To retain the correction in near vision, patients had to continue wearing their OK lenses every night. As expected, when patients stopped wearing their OK lens after the treatment week, presbyopia rapidly returned. By about age 45 to 50, most people need bifocals or some other form of vision correction to restore vision for reading and other up-close tasks, according to the study published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science. The new study suggests that overnight OK lenses are a feasible alternative for correction of presbyopia, “sufficient to provide functional near vision correction white retaining good distance visual acuity,” researchers said.

  • The Sikh Temple Of North Texas, Garland Organizes Sports Mela

    The Sikh Temple Of North Texas, Garland Organizes Sports Mela

    DALLAS (TIP): Despite bad weather conditions, the Sports Mela organized by the Sikh Temple of North Texas, Garland, March 30th, attracted a large number of sportspersons and sports lovers. It was the 13th annual sports event organized by the Temple management with the tremendous support of the 400 families strong congregation. The organizers had expected some 400 participants in about a dozen events. But weather played foul and held back some of them. However, hundreds of men, women and children participated in the events.

    Hundreds cheered the participants. Women seemed to be more enthusiastic and were seen constantly cheering up the participants, particularly, if the participants were members of their family. The sports included races, basket ball, skipping, volleyball, soccer, tug-o-war etc. The organizers had very thoughtfully created age groups for participants. It was sheer joy to see the participants vying for honors in the true spirit of sportsmanship. Among the more interesting sports were the three legged race and spoon in mouth carrying a ball. Kids really enjoyed the fun a lot. The prize winners were surely on the ninth cloud but their relations and friends were no less delighted. They were seen rushing to congratulate and hug the prize winners. Prizes were given away by senior citizens. Gurjit Kaur, a senior citizen, has been coming every year in the last 13 years to watch the sports.

    Her daughter Rashpal Kaur and her grand daughter Raman Kaur who is 8 were with her. They said they enjoyed the event immensely. Jarnail Singh, 40, had his three kids participating. His 15 year old daughter Charanpreet Kaur who participated in a race won 2nd position. Navjot Johl, 11 years old, won 2nd position in Jumps. His third daughter, 9 year old Pritpal Johal got a 3rd position. Jarnail Singh was very pleased and said to this reporter that it was worth the while to bring the kids for sports events. However, he had some suggestions for the organizers. First, he said, the organizers should have a time schedule for each sporting event. Second, there should be some entertainment also. It should be in the form of dances, like Bhangra and songs. A community event, it had full community support, according to Manjit Singh Sahota, President of Garland Sikh Temple. He gave credit for the success of the sports mela to the community and his colleagues on the managing committee.

    He had special word of appreciation and gratitude for the sponsors. He mentioned to me that almost every food item and medals for prize winners were sponsored. Nat Family sponsored medals in the memory of Jasjeet Singh Nat. Langar was sponsored by Noni Toor, Sodhi Toor and Toor family. Water and soft drinks were sponsored by Davinder Singh Toor. The much liked Kulfi was sponsored by S. Haripritam Singh of Karinas Kulfi and the delectable Jalebi by Lalli Sandhu. Others recognized included donors and senior citizens who were kind enough to come and give away the prizes. Mr. Sahota also recognized Vijay Handa for his services.

    The most appreciation was reserved for the sports committee that organized the sports mela. It included Noni Singh Toor, Avtaar Singh Parvagga,Mandhir Singh Bal, Balkar Singh, Rakesh Saini, Harjit Singh Randhawa, Shera Punjab Singh Randhawa, Jeeta Randhawa,Sodhi Singh Toor, Gurshant Singh,Paramjit Sodhi, and Manjinder Kaur Banipal. The managing committee members who call themselves sevadars, are Manjit Singh Sahota, Balbir Singh Dhillon, Manmohan Singh, Amrik Singh Grewal , Dyal Singh Saini, Mukhtar Singh, Gobind Dhiman, Rupinder Singh, Langar Sevadar Santokh Singh Nijjar, Ranbir Singh Bunti, Bahadhar Singh Sahota, Parpal Singh Malhi and Tajinder Singh Teji.

  • Pervez Musharraf barred from one Pakistani election constituency

    Pervez Musharraf barred from one Pakistani election constituency

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan’s election board barred on Friday former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting polls in one constituency and the Supreme Court agreed to look into a treason complaint against him, hurting his efforts to win back influence. The former army chief returned last month after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general election despite the possibility of arrest on various charges and death threats from the Pakistani Taliban. The Election Commission barred Musharraf from the polls in Kasur in Punjab province because of court cases against him, commission officials said. He could also face disqualification in the three other constituencies where he plans to run.

    The officials, who declined to be identified, also said the decision was based on a clause in the constitution which requires candidates to be of good character and the fact that he had not declared all of his assets. “Musharraf has been disqualified under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution, among other reasons,” an election commission official said, referring to clauses that require a candidate to be “of good character”, among other things. Neither Musharraf nor a spokesman for him were available for comment.

    Musharraf faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007. He also faces accusations in connection with the death of a separatist leader in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. He denies any wrongdoing. A petition which will be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday accuses Musharraf of committing treason when he sacked senior judges and declared emergency rule while in power.

    The current chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, was embroiled in a confrontation with Musharraf, who removed him from office in 2007 after he opposed plans to extend the general’s term in office. He was later reinstated. Musharraf had hoped to compete in the election. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the man Musharraf ousted in a coup in 1999, is seen as the front runner. Musharraf, a former commando, has been far removed from Pakistan’s troubles during his exile in London and Dubai, where he lived in a posh part of the Gulf Arab emirate.

    Pakistan’s military has ruled the nation for more than half of its 66- year history, through coups and from behind the scenes. It sets foreign and security policy, even when civilian administrations are in power. But current commanders have meddled far less in politics than during Musharraf’s era, preferring instead to let civilian governments take the heat for the country’s failures.

  • Terrorist attacks kill 2,050 people in Pak last year: Report

    Terrorist attacks kill 2,050 people in Pak last year: Report

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A total of 2,050 people were killed and another 3,822 injured in over 1,500 terrorist attacks across Pakistan last year, according to a report issued by a leading rights body on Thursday. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s annual State of Human Rights report said over 100 Shia Hazaras were killed in Balochistan province alone during 2012. At least 2,284 people died in ethnic, sectarian and political violence in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi during the period. A total of 87 people were listed as “missing” or detained without charge by security agencies. Of them, 72 people were subsequently traced or released by authorities, the report said. “At least 72 bodies were found in Balochistan of individuals who had gone missing in previous months,” HRCP co-chairperson Kamran Arif told a meeting at which the report was released. The report also noted that there had been a decrease in US drone attacks on Pakistan’s restive tribal areas, with the number of missile strikes falling from 74 in 2011 to 48 in 2012.

    “Estimates of casualties varied between 240 and 400,” the report said. Referring to major terrorist attacks, the report said hundreds of militants blew up the gates of a central prison in Bannu in March last year and succeeded in releasing 384 prisoners.

    The report said a total of 583 people were killed and 853 injured in 213 incidents of sectarian attacks by terrorists or sectarian clashes. In Karachi, at least six churches were attacked, two of them within a period of 10 days in October, it said. The report also highlighted the condition of jails across the country.

  • The Dragon Covets the Arctic

    The Dragon Covets the Arctic

    China’s lust for oil, minerals, rare earths, fish and desire for an alternative northern sea route boils the Arctic Geopolitics!
    Iceland is a small, sparsely populated island nation with a population of only 320,000 and area of 40,000 square miles. It is the only member of the NATO that does not have an army of its own. Icelandic banks were part of the 2008 global financial crisis and meltdown when they exposed the Icelandic government of huge financial risks by indulging in risky loans and speculative foreign currency transactions without having enough liquidity and capital reserves. The fiscal crisis led to a former Icelandic prime minister losing his job and being hauled to court of law for not supervising the banks enough. In an international capitalistic, mercantile system, if Iceland were a company, it was “sitting duck” for outright purchase and acquisition. Fortunately, foreigners are not allowed to buy any property or real estate in Iceland and need a special permit. And here comes the Peoples’ Republic of China, rich with $ 3.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves in its kitty.

    It has built a palatial embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland worth $250 million with only 7 accredited diplomats. China is negotiating a free trade area with Iceland, the first with any European nation. Former Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao even paid a state visit to Iceland for two full days in 2012. Other Chinese ministers and officials have also been very active in Iceland with bilateral visits and cultural events. In 2010, Huang Nubo, a “poetry loving” Chinese billionaire and former communist party official visited Iceland to meet his former classmate Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson, a Chinese translator with whom he had shared a room in 1970s in the Peking University. He expressed his intense love for poetry and put up $ one million to finance Iceland-China Cultural Fund and organized two poetry summits, the first one in Reykjavik in 2010 and the second one in Beijing in 2011.

    Last year (2012), Huang Nubo and his Beijing based company, the Zhongkun group offered to buy 300 sq km of Icelandic land ostensibly to develop a holiday resort with a golf course. This Chinese billionaire wanted to pay $7million to an Icelandic sheep farmer to take over the land and build a $100 million 100-room five star resort hotel, luxury villas, an eco-golf course and an airstrip with 10 aircrafts.

    A state owned Chinese bank reportedly offered the Zhongkun group a soft loan of $ 800 million for this project. The deal was blocked by the Icelandic Interior Minister who asked many pertinent questions but reportedly got no answers. Huang would not take no for an answer and has submitted a revised bid for leasing the land for $ one million instead of outright purchase. He makes an unbelievable assertion that there is a market demand for peace and solitude: “Rich Chinese people are so fed up of pollution that they would like to enjoy the fresh air and solitude of the snowy Iceland”. The current Icelandic government, a leftof- center coalition has given this proposal a cold shoulder.

    But, with elections due in April 2013 in Iceland, China is hoping for a more sympathetic government to approve the project. Iceland looks like an easy bird of prey for the wily red Dragon with insatiable appetite. China is showing generosity to another poor and sparsely populated, self-governing island of Greenland by offering investments in mining industry with proposal to import Chinese crews for construction and mining operations. Greenland is rich in mineral deposits and rare earth metals. China wants Greenland to provide exclusive rights to its rare earth metals in lieu of the fiscal investments. Under one such proposal, China would invest $2.5 billion in an iron mine and would bring 5000 Chinese construction and mining workers whereas the population of the capital of Greenland, Nuuk is only 15000.

    Arctic Council Membership:
    There are eight members of the Arctic Council that includes Canada, Denmark (including Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA. All these eight countries have geographic territories within the Arctic Circle. It was constituted in 1996 as an intergovernmental body but has evolved gradually from a dialogue forum to a geo-political club and a decision making body. There are continuing territorial disputes in Arctic Circle. Ownership of the Arctic is governed by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, which gives the Arctic nations an exclusive economic zone that extends 200 nautical miles from the land. Member countries signed their first treaty on joint search and rescue missions in 2011. A second treaty on cleaning up oil spills is being negotiated. The group established its permanent secretariat at Tromso, Norway in January 2013.

    Arctic Melting and Opening of Newer Sea Lanes:
    With global warming becoming a reality, the Arctic ice has started to melt rapidly opening the northern sea-lanes that were frozen earlier. In summer of 2012, 46 ships sailed through the Arctic Waters carrying 1.2 million tonnes of cargo. There are legal questions about the international status of the northern sea lanes.

    China’s Lust for Arctic Resources:
    The Arctic has 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30% of gas according to the US Geological Survey. Greenland alone contains approximately one tenth of the world’s deposits of rare earth minerals. China which already has a monopoly on world’s rare earth metal trade wants to continue controlling this global trade. China piously claims that the Arctic resources are the heritage of the entire mankind while insisting that the South China sea is its exclusive sovereign territory. In 2004, China set up its first and the only Arctic scientific research station, curiously named “Yellow River Station” on the Svalbard Island of Norway.

    China, so far, has sent 6 arctic expeditions. China plans to build more research bases. In 2012, the 170- meters long ice-breaker “Snow Dragon” (MV Xue Long) became the first Chinese Arctic expedition to sail along the Northern Sea Route into the Barente Sea. Incidentally, as early as 1999, this 21000 metric ton research ice-breaker Xue Long had docked in the Canadian North-Western territory unexpectedly. China is building another 120-meter long ice-breaker with the help of Finland while the Polar Research institute in Shanghai trains scientists and other personnel for Arctic expeditions.

    China’s Previous Use of Deception:
    There is no mandarin character for word transparency. China has been known to use duplicity and deception since the Art of War was written by Sun Tzu. China’s rhetoric of “peaceful and harmonious rise” and hegemonic behavior are predictably diametrically opposite to each other. China’s use of deception to camouflage its intentions in geopolitical matters is not surprising. While China joined the NPT in 1991, it provided 50 kg of highly enriched uranium to Pakistan, provided that country with a nuclear weapon design and supervised Pakistan’s first nuclear test at the Chinese nuclear testing site of Lop Nur.

    China purchased in 1998 an unfinished aircraft carrier from Ukraine after the break-up of Soviet Union ostensibly for developing a floating casino. The same “floating casino” is now China’s first aircraft carrier projecting Chinese naval and maritime power in the South China Sea. China’s Application in Arctic Council Membership: China currently has an ad hoc observer status with Arctic Council. China’s application for permanent observer-ship was denied by Norway in 2012 owing to bilateral dispute over awarding of Nobel peace prize to China’s Liu Xiabo in 2010. China still has a pending application to be decided in May 2013 Arctic Council summit in Sweden when Canada takes over the chair for the next two years. With a permanent observer status, China would get full access to all Arctic Council meetings. Permanent observers do not have voting rights in the council but can participate in deliberations.

    China is trying to distinguish itself from the rest of the applicants as a “Near Arctic State” on the perniciously clever but fallacious grounds that the northernmost part of China in the province of Manchuria (the Amur river) is only one thousand miles south to the Arctic circle. The fallacy is that Manchuria was a separate, independent country that was annexed by China after the Communist take-over. Manchus had ruled over China for centuries during the reign of Manchu dynasty and last Chinese Emperor Pu Yi was actually the last Manchu emperor. Chinese ownership and annexation of Manchuria (Manchu-Kuo) is still not settled. A disputed territory cannot be used by China to make a geo-political claim for being a “Near Arctic State”.

    Other Pending Applications:
    Other countries or non-state actors with pending applications for permanent observer-ship status include Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, European Union, and non-state actors like Greenpeace and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers. All these applications will be decided one way or the other in May 2013. The vote has to be unanimous for acceptance and how the US and Russia will vote is the crucial issue. In the past, Norway had vetoed China’s membership application. Some of the Arctic Council members may not approve European Union’s application because of EU’s penchant for restrictive and narrow rulings. Whereas Sweden, Canada, Iceland and Denmark may support China’s application, there are doubts about Norway, Russia and the US. Russia is currently the most vociferous member of Arctic Council that has serious reservations in expanding the Arctic club.

    Strategic Issues:
    China has voracious appetite for new territories and has been seeking new frontiers for the last three hundred years with Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, Xinjiang and Tibet. China’s list of “core issues” is ever-expanding, starting with Taiwan and Tibet. China has included the whole the South China Sea and its islands as a core issue. China is aggressively claiming sovereignty on these islands based on historical maps and manufactured mythological evidence. China has now a license from the UN for deep sea bed mining for minerals in the Indian Ocean and has developed naval bases in Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea ports. If China manages to get a toehold in Arctic Circle, its behavior will become as belligerent in Arctic as it is in the South China Sea. It might claim sovereignty over the whole of the Northern route sea lanes based on “historical evidence”. If in 22nd century, China decides that the Arctic Circle is its core national issue, one would be seeing Chinese aircraft carriers in the Arctic Sea and Chinese nuclear powered submarines in the Barente Sea along with military bases with “Chinese characteristics” in the Iceland and Greenland.

  • Obama faces choice on morning-after pill limits

    Obama faces choice on morning-after pill limits

    WASHINGTON (TIP): President Barack Obama supports requiring girls younger than 17 to see a doctor before buying the morning-after pill to help prevent unwanted pregnancies. But fighting that battle in court, after a new decision makes the pill available without a prescription, comes with its own set of risks. A federal judge on Friday ordered the US Food and Drug Administration to lift age restrictions on the sale of emergency contraception, ending the current requirement that buyers show proof they’re 17 or older if they want to buy it without a prescription. The ruling accused the Obama administration of letting the president’s pending re-election in 2012 cloud its judgment when it set the age limits in 2011. “The motivation for the secretary’s action was obviously political,” US District Judge Edward Korman wrote in reference to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who made the decision. The FDA had been poised to allow over-thecounter sales with no age limits when Sebelius took the unprecedented step of overruling the agency. If the Obama administration appeals the ruling, it could re-ignite a simmering cultural battle over women’s reproductive health, sidetracking Obama just as he’s trying to keep Congress and the public focused on gun control, immigration and resolving the nation’s budget problems. “There’s no political advantage whatsoever,” said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf. “It’s a side issue he doesn’t need to deal with right now. The best idea is to leave it alone.” Still, Obama has made clear in the past that he feels strongly about the limits.. “As the father of two daughters, I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine,” Obama said in 2011 when he endorsed Sebelius’ decision. The Justice Department said it is evaluating whether to appeal. The White House said Obama’s view on the issue hasn’t changed since 2011. “He supports that decision today. He believes it was the right common-sense approach to this issue,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday. Half the nation’s pregnancies every year are unintended. Doctors’ groups say more access to morning-after pills, by putting them near the condoms and spermicides so people can learn about them and buy them quickly, could cut those numbers. Appealing the decision could anger liberal groups and parts of Obama’s political base that are already upset with his forthcoming budget, which includes cuts to long-protected programs like Medicare health aid for the aging and Social Security pensions.

    But currying favor with conservatives who want the ruling to stand also is unlikely to do much to help Obama make progress on his second-term priorities. Also weighing on Obama is the unpleasant memory of previous battles over contraception, including an electionyear fight over an element of Obama’s health care overhaul law that required most employers to cover birth control free of charge to female workers as a preventive service.

    That controversy led to a wave of lawsuits and anger from Catholic and other faith-based groups. When Obama offered to soften the rule last year, religious groups said it wasn’t enough.

    Obama proposed another compromise on the rule in February, to mixed response. If the court order issued Friday stands, Plan B One-Step and its generic versions could move from behind pharmacy counters out to drugstore shelves, ending a decade-plus struggle by women’s groups for easier access to these pills. Women’s health specialists hailed the judge’s ruling, dismissing concerns that it could encourage underage people to have sex.

    But social conservatives, in a rare show of support for Obama’s approach to social policy, said the ruling removes commonsense protections and denies parents and medical professionals the opportunity to be a safeguard for vulnerable young girls. “The court’s action undermines parents’ ability to protect their daughters from such exploitation and from the adverse effects of the drug itself,” Deirdre McQuade, spokeswoman for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Absent an appeal or a government request for more time to prepare one, the ruling will take effect in 30 days, meaning that over-the-counter sales could start then.

  • Punjab Government needs to discipline Punjab Police

    Punjab Government needs to discipline Punjab Police

    Punjab Police have never been known to be decent. At best, it has been indifferent to people, to situations and to the state. However, strangely, no people’s government of Punjab has ever acted to discipline the obviously undisciplined force. In the recent case of police assault on a woman who had wanted to register a complaint at a police station in Tarn Taran, Punjab government seems to be dragging its feet.

    The assault was videotaped and Indian TV channels showed it time and again. Obviously, if the whole of India got to know how brutally the woman was assaulted, it is unimaginable that the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister who holds the Home portfolio was ignorant about the incident. The Tribune, Chandigarh has rightly said that the Punjab government seems to be bent upon embarrassing itself in the case of assault by the Tarn Taran police on a woman. All apparently out of a misplaced sense of solidarity with policemen who have plainly been seen behaving outrageously with a defenseless woman. Beginning with denial of any wrongdoing, to minimizing the loss of image, to obfuscating the matter with statements like there was another woman, the police have attempted to protect and then delay action against the guilty. The drivers involved in the fracas have conveniently been able to evade arrest.

    The woman has been accused of attacking the police. That begs a simple question: Why would a woman and her father, out attending a wedding, assault policemen in uniform without reason?

    The Supreme Court, which has taken up the matter suo motu and trashed a magisterial inquiry report submitted in this regard as a cover-up, has raised a pertinent question – were the woman and her father armed? Whatever wrong they may have committed, a whole bunch of policemen definitely did not need to assault them with sticks in public.

    The police has even claimed the father has submitted an apology for his mistake. In today’s world of media activism and public awareness, to even attempt this seems farcical on the part of the police. However, it must be admitted, the matter would never have become an issue had the assault not been recorded on camera, or the courts not intervened. What defies answer is why the police top brass and the government are trying to defend the indefensible. Perhaps they sincerely believe that the policemen were not wrong in acting the way they did because there was indeed instigation from the woman. This view is also evident from the inquiry report that has pointed out that such action is required for law and order. This assessment comes from a certain attitude that has its roots in the centuries of British rule and an even longer feudal approach to the masses, previously ‘subjects’. That attitude needs to change as India prepares for a global stature – development is not just expressways.

  • The ‘Epidemic’ of Sexual Harassmentand Rape-in Morsi’s Egypt

    The ‘Epidemic’ of Sexual Harassmentand Rape-in Morsi’s Egypt

    Since the “Arab Spring” came to Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood assumed power, sexual harassment, abuse, and rape of women has skyrocketed. This graph, which shows an enormous jump in sexual harassment beginning around January 2011, when the Tahrir revolts began, certainly demonstrates as much. Its findings are supported by any number of reports appearing in both Arabic and Western media, and from both Egyptian and foreign women. Hundreds of Egyptian women recently took to the streets of Tahrir Square to protest the nonstop harassment they must endure whenever they emerge from their homes and onto the streets. They held slogans like “Silence is unacceptable, my anger will be heard,” and “A safe square for all; Down with sexual harassment.” “Marchers also shouted chants against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails,” wrote Al Ahram Online.

    The response? More sexual harassment and rapes.
    One woman recently appeared on Egyptian TV recounting her horrific experiences. On the program, she appeared shaded, to conceal her identity-less because she felt personal shame or guilt at what happened and more to protect her and her family from further abuses. She recounted how she saw a Facebook notice that Egyptian women were going to protest the unsafe conditions for women on the Egyptian street and decided to join them on their scheduled march in Tahrir Square on January 25, the anniversary of the revolution. “I did not realize I would become the victim,” she lamented. When it started to get dark, her group heard that “strange looking men” were appearing and that it was best to leave the area. During some chaos she was lost from her group. One man told her “this way,” pretending to help her to safety-“I was so naïve to believe him!”-only to lead her to a large group of men, she estimated around 50, who proceeded to encircle and rape her. “This was the first time someone touched me” quietly recounted the former virgin: “Each one of them attacked a part of my body.” Several pinned her down while others pulled off her pants and stripped her naked, gang-raping her for approximately 20 minutes.

    She explained how she truly thought she was going to die, and kept screaming “I’m dying!” In response, one of her rapists whispered in her ears: “Don’t worry. Take it,” even as the rest called her derogatory names she would not recite on the air. Considering that in late November last year, when many Egyptians were protesting President Morsi’s Shariaheavy constitution and the Muslim Brotherhood responded by paying gangs and thugs to rape protesting women in the streets, anecdotes like the above are becoming commonplace. Indeed, to appreciate the regularization of sexual harassment and rape in Egypt, consider the words of popular Salafi preacher Abu Islam, who openly, and very sarcastically, blamed the victims: “They tell you women are a red line.

    They tell you that naked woman-who are going to Tahrir Square because they want to be raped-are a red line! And they ask Mursi and the Brotherhood to leave power!” Abu Islam added that these women activists are going to Tahrir Square not to protest but to be sexually abused because they had wanted to be raped. “They have no shame, no fear and not even feminism. Practice your feminism, sheikha! It is a legitimate right for you to be a woman,” he said. “And by the way, 90 percent of them are crusaders [i.e. Christian Copts] and the remaining 10 percent are widows who have no one to control them. You see women talking like monsters,” he added. No doubt some will argue that Abu Islam is just a “radical” who speaks for himself. Yet many more formal bodies made similar observations, including the new Egyptian parliament’s Shura Council’s “human rights committee,” whose members said that women taking part in protests bear the responsibility of being sexually harassed, describing what happens in some demonstrators’ tents as “prostitution.” Major General Adel Afify, member of the committee representing the Salafi Asala Party, criticized female protesters, saying that they “know they are among thugs.

    They should protect themselves before requesting that the Interior Ministry does so. By getting herself involved in such circumstances, the woman has 100 percent responsibility.” These sentiments are widely shared in Egypt. A study by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights said that 98% of foreign female visitors and 83% of Egyptian women have experienced sexual harassment. Sixty-two percent of men admitted to harassing women, while 53% blame women for “bringing it on.” Even non-Egyptian women are becoming increasingly familiar with this phenomenon. After describing her own personal experiences with sexual harassment in Egypt, Sarah A. Topol asserts that “Sexual harassment – actually, let’s call it what it is: assault – in Egypt is not just common. It’s an epidemic. It inhabits every space in this society, from back alleys to the birthplace of the newest chapter of Egyptian history.… For the 18 days of protest last year, for me, Tahrir Square was a harassment-free zone. I noticed it, everyone did. But as soon as President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, the unity ended and the harassment returned.”

    Journalists Sophia Jones and Erin Banco also elaborated on the epidemic of sexual harassment in Egypt:
    It’s difficult to write about sexual harassment and assault in Egypt without sounding like Angry White Girls. But as journalists, it is not merely our job to report in such an environment, it is an everyday psychological and sometimes even physical battle.We open our closets in the morning and debate what to wear to lessen the harassment-as if this would help. Even fully veiled women are harassed on Cairo’s streets. As one young Cairo-based female reporter recently remarked, “it’s a f-ked-up reality that we will be touched.”…. Like hundreds of other countries around the world, sexual harassment and assault happens every day in Egypt. It happens to both Egyptian women, and to foreign women. It happens at all times of the day, despite what some may think, at the hands of men-young boys, grown men, police officers, military officers, and almost everyone in between.

    The journalists then offer an all too familiar story:
    Nor is this merely limited to sexual harassment, but it often, under the right circumstances-few witnesses, the availability of dark allies-culminates into full-blown gang rape. For example, Natasha Smith a young British journalist covering Tahrir Square, was dragged from her male companion into a frenzied mob in the hundreds. “Men began to rip off my clothes,” she wrote on her blog. They “pulled my limbs apart and threw me around. They were scratching and clenching my breasts and forcing their fingers inside me in every possible way … All I could see was leering faces, more and more faces sneering and jeering as I was tossed around like fresh meat among starving lions.” All this is yet one more example of the true nature of the Obamasupported “Arab Spring.”

  • Team Bangalore Breaks Jinx Beat Mumbai At Home For First Time

    Team Bangalore Breaks Jinx Beat Mumbai At Home For First Time

    BANGALORE (TIP): Team Bangalore finally broke the jinx when they beat Team Mumbai at home, on their sixth attempt, in the IPL. In what was a heart-stopping finish, Bangalore squeezed out a two-run win after Kieron Pollard could manage only one off the final ball of the innings, bowled by Vinay Kumar.

    Mumbai needed 157 for a win and finished at 156/5 after Dinesh Karthik gave them hope with a 37- ball 60. Mumbai required 10 runs in the last over but Vinay Kumar was equal to the challenge, dismissing Karthik and Rayudu off consecutive balls to help Bangalore to a memorable win. Dan Christian’s fourth over changed the complexion of the match with Karthik hitting three straight sixes and a four.

    The over went for 24 and the required run rate came down to nine per over with 27 needed off the last three overs. But Mumbai were denied in the end. Some things don’t change too fast, do they? For all of Team Bangalore’s efforts to balance the side in the player auction earlier this year, their dependence on West Indian Chris Gayle appears a hard habit to shrug. And it became all the more evident in their IPL 6 opener.

    Tasked once again with lending stability to the Bangalore’s innings stifled by Mumbai’s attack led by young pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Gayle (92 n.o, 58b, 11×4, 5×6) braved a knee injury to carry his bat and guide his team to a respectable 156/5. Supported by wicketkeeper KB Arun Karthik’s steady 20 and a quick-fire 24 from skipper Virat Kohli, Gayle stole the show in telling fashion, finishing Bangalore’s innings with a six off Munaf Patel. Earlier, Mitchell Johnson justified Mumbai skipper Ricky Ponting’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss by scalping Tillakaratne Dilshan in the third over.

    The Sri Lankan opener completely missed the line of the ball and saw his stumps shattered. Next man up, Kohli then made his intentions clear, beginning with a boundary off Johnson before launching Patel for a huge six over long on. Things changed just as Kohli gave the impression that he had reserved his aggression for Mumbai’s impressive first-change bowler Jasprit Bumrah but lost his wicket while trying to hit him. Gayle then decided he would take his chances. The big Jamaican followed up a stand-and-deliver six over the sight screen off Bumrah in the ninth over with a massive effort over wide-long on that cleared the ropes by a mile in fellow Kieron Pollard’s 11th over that yielded 15 runs

  • Kkr Cruise To Easy Six-Wicket Win Over Delhi Daredevils

    Kkr Cruise To Easy Six-Wicket Win Over Delhi Daredevils

    KOLKATA (TIP): Kolkata Knight Riders started their title defence on a confident note as ‘Mystery Spinner’ Sunil Narine guided them to a comfortable six wickets victory over Delhi Daredevils in the opening encounter of the sixth edition of Indian Premier League in Kolkata on April 3. A clinical bowling effort saw KKR restrict Daredevils to a modest 128 in 20 overs and then they chased down the runs with eight balls to spare on a Eden Gardens strip where batsmen found difficult to score freely.

    Narine with brilliant figures of 4/13 kept Daredevils under tight leash while skipper Gautam Gambhir’s useful 41 kept the defending champions’ run-chase on track. Jacques Kallis (23) and Manoj Tiwary (23) were involved in small but useful partnerships as KKR always looked firm favourites to pull off the chase despite losing a few wickets towards the end. Ashish Nehra gave an early breakthrough removing Manvinder Bisla (4) but skipper Gautam Gambhir and elder statesman Kallis added 47 runs for the second wicket before the South African legend holed out in the deep as he failed to punish a rank long-hop from left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. Gambhir was off the blocks as he first slashed Irfan Pathan over point for a boundary and then lofted the bowler over long-on for a six. Kallis’s straight push and a ‘Nataraja shot’ off Nehra saw KKR score at a quick clip.

    Once Kallis was gone, Gambhir-Tiwary duo added another 41 runs before a quicker one from Johan Botha caught the lefthander on the wrong-foot. Gambhir’s 42 came off 29 balls with five fours and a six. Tiwary’s run-a-ball 23 came to an end when Nadeem (2/22) got his second wicket. Yusuf Pathan (18 no) and Eoin Morgan (14 no) completed the formalities with minimum fuss. Sent in to bat on a sluggish wicket, the Delhi franchise found strokemaking difficult and most of its batsmen threw their wickets cheaply in their bid to force the pace.

    The sole exception was skipper Mahela Jayawardene (66, 52b, 8×4, 1×6), who played a smooth knock and got out only in the penultimate over as he went for an uppish shot off Brett Lee and was taken by Narine in the covers. Jayawardene, who has completed 1,500 runs in the IPL, reached his half-century off 46 balls. Except Jayawardene and Warner (21), none of the Delhi willowers could reach double figures.

    The match had a sensational start, with Australian pacer Brett Lee straightaway dislodging the young Unmukt Chand’s off stump with a sharp away-cutter, much to joy of the packed crowd. Jayawardene and David Warner, however, repaired the early damage by scoring at a brisk pace as the Daredevils scampered to 41/1 after five overs. Warner looked in fine touch, picking up boundaries mainly on the leg side, with Jacques Kallis getting most of the stick. However, Caribbean offie Sunil Narine, who shone with 24 wickets in the previous edition of the tourney, saw the back of Warner (21; 19b, 4×4) by inducing an edge that finished at first slip, as the visitors stood at 44/2 in the sixth over. Wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals, as Manprit Juneja, Naman Ojha, Johan Botha and Irfan Pathan fell cheaply, even though Jayawardene anchored the innings at one end. For the Knights, striving to defend their title, Narine (4-13), Bhatia (2- 23) and Lee (2-40) were the main wicket takers.

  • Hero MotoCorp starts ops in Africa, LatAm

    Hero MotoCorp starts ops in Africa, LatAm

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The country’s largest twowheeler maker, Hero MotoCorp, said it had commenced operations in Africa, Latin and Central America. Pawan Munjal, managing director & chief executive officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We have started despatches to our new international markets in Central and Latin America and Africa. Our first consignments of twowheelers have already been shipped to Peru in Latin America, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in Central America and to Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in Africa.” The company is set to despatch the first lot of twowheelers to Kenya later this month. It has already appointed new distributors and channel partners in these markets, where retail sales of the Hero two-wheelers is likely to commence in the first quarter of this financial year. Hero motorcycles to be sold in these markets include a mix of models from the 100cc and 125cc range.

    Hero MotoCorp has earmarked Rs 1100 crore as capital expenditure for the current financial year. It includes an investment of about Rs 600 crore on the company’s upcoming fourth plant and global parts centre at Neemrana, and Rs 100-150 crore on a state-ofthe- art integrated R&D centre at Kukas (near Jaipur in Rajasthan). These initiatives are in line with Hero MotoCorp’s vision of reaching a total of 10-million unit volumes in a few years’ time, and garnering a million units — 10 per cent of that — from international business. The company currently registers around 2.5 per cent of its volumes from sales in overseas markets. To meet this objective, the company has already short-listed as many as 30 countries across Latin America, Central America, Africa and South East Asia. Colombia is the only country in Latin America where Hero MotoCorp currently exports to. The other international markets where Hero two-wheelers are sold include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

  • Singapore Favourable Investment Destination For Indian Companies

    Singapore Favourable Investment Destination For Indian Companies

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Singapore is increasingly popular becoming a popular destination among Indian companies keen on globalising their businesses. “Singapore is seen (by Indian companies) as home away from home for their business growth on the international front because Asia is booming,” according to Lee Eng Keat, International Director at Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB). So far, Indian companies have invested US$ 14.11 billion during 2008-09 and 2011-12 in Singapore, said Keat. Several IT companies will accompany the other Indian enterprises already operating out of the city state. In addition, an Indian pharmaceutical major plans to set up its regional office in Singapore this year. “This year we will be garnering more Indian IT investments into Singapore as well as potentially a pharmaceutical project as well,” said Keat.

    However, the name of pharma company was not disclosed. Keat was confident that more and more bio-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies would be locating their regional offices in Singapore. The advance levels of medical, diseases and drug researches undertaken by Singapore-based institutes would support Indian pharma companies’ global market plans.

    Singapore was inviting international corporations in the field of pharmaceuticals to set up operations and business here, Mr Keat added. “We do feel that there are groups of companies in India that are looking into innovative drug developments and formulation capabilities and delivery mechanism,” said Mr Keat. More than 4,500 Indian companies have set up operations in Singapore to globalise their businesses or trades, making it the largest business community in corporate Singapore, ahead of the Chinese, Malaysians and Indonesians. Indian companies are looking at advantages of Singapore’s free trade agreements with China, Australia and Southeast Asia.

    These treaties will enable them to lower the tariff for their exports of goods into these markets. Singapore offers basic financing need to these companies. Keat observed India was looking to increase its trade with China, and pointed out that Singapore offered one of the most competitive foreign exchange options, including Renminbi/Yuan (RMB). Singapore has recently been acknowledged asthe second clearing centre for RMB. China appointed the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Singapore branch as the clearing bank for RMB in Singapore in February 2013. Keat highlighted options of Singapore’s other financial capabilities including convertible bonds, currency hedging and participation in the equity markets.

    The top Indian companies operating out of Singapore, includes Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCL Technologies as well as infrastructure group Punj Lloyd, highlighted Keat. “These companies see Singapore as a home for innovation. They are actually creating new solutions for their global clients,” he added. These companies have also built their skilled manpower from the cosmopolitan workforce in Singapore and international operations, said Keat. TCS had recruited its top management from Singapore for setting up operations in China, he added.

  • Indian Railways Enter One-Billion Tonne Select Club

    Indian Railways Enter One-Billion Tonne Select Club

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Indian Railways achieved yet another significant milestone when it entered the one billion tonne select club in freight movement joining Chinese, Russian and USA railways. In 2012-13, Indian Railways have been able to achieve an originating freight loading of around 1010 million tonnes (i.e. one billion plus) which shows an incremental loading of 40 million tonnes (4.1% growth) over the last financial year. Pawan Kumar Bansal has congratulated Railwaymen for this achievement. In a message to them, he said it is really creditable to achieve this significant freight loading despite present economic scenario the world over.

    The Minister pointed out that Indian Railways will play the role of engine of growth for country’s economy. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had announced in his 2013-14 Rail Budget speech that Indian Railways is poised to enter the one billion tonne select club. Indian Railways did achieve this mile stone despite the present industrial growth in the country. The achievement is more than the revised target of 1007 million tonnes fixed for the year 2012-13. It may be worthwhile to mention that the economic growth in the country has been sluggish in 2012-13 and it is estimated that the GDP growth would be in the range of 5%.

    The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth during the period April-December in 2012-13 has been 0.7%. The growth in the INDEX OF 8 CORE INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRIES has been 3.3% during April-December, 2012-13. Demand for Railway transportation services is a derived demand with a direct co-relation to the IIP growth in the country, especially the growth in the core infrastructure industries.

    Under the freight loading strategy adopted by Indian Railways, special focus was given to enhancing evacuation of coal from Coal India Limited (CIL) sources and during the month of March’13, on an average 228 rakes/day were loaded from CIL sources. If the washed coal from coal sourced from CIL is included, on an average 247 rakes/day were loaded during March’13. Due to increased evacuation of coal by Railways, Coal India has been able to achieve an off-take of 465 million tonnes of coal, even though its production was only 452 million tonnes in 2012-13. There has been a draw down of 13 million tonnes of stocks with Coal India and its pithead stocks have reduced to 57.9 million tonnes as on 1st April 2013 as against 70.9 million tonnes as on 1st April 2012.

    Increased transportation of coal by Railways has facilitated building up of coal stocks with Thermal Power Houses in the country to 20 million tonnes as on 1st April 2013 as against 14.7 million tonnes as on 1st April 2012. Indian Railways also transported 39.29 million tonnes of foodgrains on Food Corporation of India’s account in 2012-13 as against 33.71 million tonnes in 2011-12

  • Pepper Chicken With Braised Zucchini

    Pepper Chicken With Braised Zucchini

    This exotic chicken recipe is surely a treat for your taste buds. The barbeque sauce and red wine enhances the taste of the meat but make sure that it’s well cooked as half cooked chicken will spoil the dish.A perfect recipe for a friends gettogether.
    3 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme,3 Tbsp olive oil ,1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic,2 boneless chicken breast halves (200gms each),Salt and pepper to taste,Zucchini cut into 4 round halves,30 ml white wine,2 stick Blanched asparagus,30 gm broccoli,40 gm Barbecue sauce,20 ml red wine
    Directions
    Get the grill started on medium high heat. While the grill is heating up, whisk together half of the thyme, oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the minced garlic in a shallow dish.
    Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken and add it to thyme mixture. Leave it for ten minutes.
    Saute garlic in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add zucchini and handful of chopped thyme. Let it cook uncovered on low flame.
    Heat a new skillet and add white wine. Reduce it to half and add zucchini. Cook for a minute and remove the pan.
    Grill chicken until brown for approx 5 minutes on each side.
    Blanch the broccoli and asparagus in hot water and keep them aside.
    Take barbecue sauce and dilute it with red wine. Add black pepper.
    Place the chicken on the bed of braised zucchini. Pour barbecue sauce and top it with broccoli and sauteed asparagus.

  • Tips To Cure Baldness, Dandruff

    Tips To Cure Baldness, Dandruff

    Recently, Lady Gaga joined the list of other celebrities to use anti-baldness cream as she feared she was losing more hair. It’s not just who are possessive about their mane beauty. All of us fuss about hairstyle which is what makes one stand out. Here are a few common hair-related problems we encounter and some tips to overcome them

    Dandruff
    Soak a few fenugreek (methi) seeds overnight in water and grind it to a fine paste in the morning. Apply the paste on the head for 30mins and wash off. This not just has cooling effect, but also keeps your hair dandruff-free.

    Hair fall
    Mix cocnut and gingelly (sesame) oil. Add an amla (gooseberry), a few leaves of white hibiscus and boil for 20mins. Let the mixture cool and apply this oil on your head and wash off after 20 mins. This will help prevent hair fall.

    Grey hair
    Soak henna in an iron vessel for at least 3 hours. Add sour curd and squeeze half a lemon to the paste and apply on the hair. Wash off after 2-3 hours. This will also keep the head cool.

    Lack-luster hair
    Take egg white and apply on the hair. Leave it for 30 mins and rinse with shampoo. Egg gives shine to the dull hair.

    Brittle hair
    If your hair is brittle due to over use of henna. Give your head an oil massage the day you wash the hair. This will not only enhance the hair colour, but also makes the hair smooth.

    Split ends
    Get an oil massage done on your head. Dip the ends of your hair in hot coconut oil and wrap a tower dipped in hot water around the head. After sometime, wash off with cold water.

  • Dental Signals And What They Mean

    Dental Signals And What They Mean

    Flat teeth are an indicator of untackled stress. Dental problems are not just a sign of neglected oral health. The problem is rooted much deeper — in stress levels, eating habits and even kidneys. Dentists say, reading these signs and tackling them at the earliest is key to maintaining not just your pearly whites but also a healthy body.

    Flat teeth
    ROOT CAUSE: HIGH STRESS
    Do you wake up with a pain in your jaw? Have the biting surfaces of your teeth become shorter? It’s possible that you suffer from bruxism, a disorder in which people grind their teeth, especially while sleeping. Dentist Dr Beenal Kuckian says, “People can clench and grind their teeth during the day and night without being aware of it. However, it is a bigger problem during the night because it’s difficult to control.” Long term grinding of teeth makes them flat, causing jaw tenderness, fatigue of cheek muscles, headaches and ear aches.

    Stress is one of the major causes of bruxism. “People tend to clench their teeth when stressed. Clenching becomes more pronounced in people with high stress jobs and is common among policemen, body builders (who clench their teeth while lifting heavy weights), bank clerks, or those suffering from depression and anxiety disorders,” she adds. Kuckian says, most young professionals do not realise that they are under stress. “The problem surfaces when they come to us with broken or flat teeth,” she says. The cure is stress management. “We also recommend mouth guards to patients whose teeth are still in good condition. The plates cover the entire surface the teeth and prevent them from rubbing against each other.” However, she warns, severely damaged teeth can only be fixed with a root canal with caps or artificial implants.

    Teeth sensitivity
    ROOT CAUSE: ACID REFLUX AND HEARTBURN
    The normal pH level of teeth is 5.5. When stomach acids — with a pH level of 2.2 — travel back to the mouth through the food pipe, they erode the enamel, increasing the teeth sensitivity. Those with sensitive teeth suffer a shooting pain when they eat something very hot or cold. “Those who suffer from frequent heartburns or acid reflux will invariably have eroded teeth enamel. Unhealthy eating habits such as eating large meals, lying down on the back right after a meal or snacking before bed time are some factors that cause the valve at the entrance of stomach to become loose and stomach acids to travel backwards,” says Dr Karishma Jaradi, an aesthetic dentist at Dentzz and brushing teeth gently will help.

    Dry mouth
    ROOT CAUSE: KIDNEY DISEASE
    “If you have persistent dryness in the mouth, it is probably a good idea to consult a nephrologist,” says Dr Dilip Deshpande, consulting prosthodontist and implantologist at Lilavati Hospital. The kidneys are responsible for forming and excreting urine, regulating fluid and electrolytes throughout the body, and excreting hormones into the blood stream. He says that a kidney infection causes an imbalance in the regulation of fluids and this shows up as a symptom in the mouth. Temporary dryness can be a sign of dehydration rather than a kidney disease.

    Tooth loss
    ROOT CAUSE: BONE PROBLEM
    Your teeth are held together by your bone quality.When that deteriorates, your teeth either become loose or fall. Conditions such as osteoporosis are one of the major causes of teeth loss. “The diseases can be detected early by identifying a receding alveolar process — the portion of the jaw bone which supports and anchors the teeth,” says Jaradi, adding that vitamin D deficiency, common among urban Indians, is also leading to tooth loss.

    Pain in upper molars
    ROOT CAUSE: SINUSITIS
    Jaradi says, she often gets patients who complain of acute pain in their upper molars, but examinations show healthy gums and teeth. Jaradi explains,”The cause of pain in such cases is sinusitis.When the maxillary sinus — air cavities within the cheek bones, above the upper jaw — becomes inflamed due to infection, it exerts pressure on the upper jaw. The roots of the upper molars are in close proximity with the sinus, and on being pressed they mimic pain of dental origin.”

    Pale gums
    ROOT CAUSE: LOW HAEMOGLOBIN LEVELS
    Pale gums accompanied by fatigue and an occasionally sore tongue are signs of haemoglobin deficiency. The haemoglobin is protein, which helps the blood carry oxygen to various parts of the body. Iron is essential for formation of haemoglobin in red blood cells. Sources of iron include egg yolks, leafy greens, dry fruits, beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans.

    Workout for happy teeth
    In 2012, 32-year-old Abhishek Balar had to visit Kuckian and undergo root canal in his lower jaw. He was told that his habit of regularly grinding his teeth during his sleep had caused the dentin – calcified tissue underneath the enamel — to erode right up till the gum line. Balar, a old businessman working with a real estate agency would work 10 hours a day and travel frequently to constructions sites. He didn’t realise that the stress of dealing with clients and managing property matters with government officials was getting to him. “I didn’t know I was grinding my teeth unconsciously,” says Balar.