The Indian Panorama

Year: 2014

  • Joe Biden calls Iraqi Kurdish leader amid oil conflict

    Joe Biden calls Iraqi Kurdish leader amid oil conflict

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Vice-President Joe Biden is urging the leader of Iraq’s self-ruled northern Kurdish region to work with the governments of Iraq and Turkey to resolve a conflict over the region’s oil. Biden called President Massoud Barzani on Thursday, the same day his Kurdish regional government announced it has unilaterally started sending crude to Turkey.

    Iraq’s government and ethnic Kurds in northern Iraq are locked in a long-running dispute over oil rights. The White House says Biden encouraged Barzani to talk with Baghdad to develop a way forward. Biden has been working the phones this week as violence flares in Iraq two years after the US pulled out troops. He has spoken twice with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and once with a leading Sunni lawmaker.

  • Edward Snowden leaks may be ‘lethal’ for troops: US lawmakers

    Edward Snowden leaks may be ‘lethal’ for troops: US lawmakers

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden’s theft of 1.7 million secret documents could potentially put US military forces in “lethal” danger worldwide, American lawmakers warned January 9 citing a confidential Pentagon report. The defense department prepared and sent to prominent members of Congress a classified paper analyzing the potential impact of revelations by the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor. The report itself was not made public.

    Snowden has disclosed details of US intelligence-gathering operations, but the lawmakers warned that Snowden’s illegal haul includes a large amount of classified military data. “This report confirms my greatest fears — Snowden’s real acts of betrayal place America’s military men and women at greater risk,” House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers said in a joint statement with top committee Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger.

    The actions by Snowden, who is currently in Moscow where he has found temporary asylum, “are likely to have lethal consequences for our troops in the field,” Rogers added. Snowden and his supporters argue that his revelation of details of secret US programs that hoover up vast amounts of telephone and Internet data on virtually every American was merely a mission to defend civil liberties.

  • Chinese tycoon wants to buy Wall Street Journal

    Chinese tycoon wants to buy Wall Street Journal

    BEIJING (TIP): Chinese tycoon Chen Guangbiao has reaffirmed his plans to buy an American newspaper after his failure to acquire the New York Times. “I am going to talk to the Wall Street Journal and find out if it is up for sale,” he told Sinovision, a New York-based Chinese TV channel, on January 8. Chen apparently enjoys the Communist Party’s backing as it is unusual for Chinese businessmen to announce such plans.

    The official Xinhua news agency usually describes him as a “high profile Chinese philanthropist”. “I am very good at working with Jews,” Chen said. He said he was aware that Jews own many American newspapers. “I can comfortably run an American newspaper because I have equally competent IQ and EQ compared to Jews.” Chen is believed to have circulated a business card in New York in which he describes himself as “the most influential person of China”, “China moral leader”, and “most well-known and beloved Chinese role model”.

    A photograph of the card, which includes his photograph, has gone viral over the Internet. The New York Times website is banned in China. But Chen had earlier said he wanted to own and work on “rebuilding its credibility and influence” by reforming its coverage of China. Chen blamed himself for ruining his chances of meeting New York Times shareholders by leaking his plans to the media.

    “I am entirely to blame for this,” he said. The tycoon made a name for himself by donating cash to victims of the 2008 earthquake. But he has been involved in a series of attention grabbing activities including distribution of cans of “fresh air” to beat the smog in Beijing and a half-page advertisement in New York Times saying the disputed Japan-controlled Diaoyu Islands belong to China.

  • AARUSHI TALWAR MURDER CASE

    AARUSHI TALWAR MURDER CASE

    It was a classic murder mystery that had the entire nation hooked. After a 15-month-long trial, which saw many twists and turns, a special CBI court in November sentenced the dentist couple, Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar, to life imprisonment for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj in 2008. But, while the court has pronounced judgment, not everyone is convinced the the Talwars are guilty ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.

  • 5 bullet-riddled bodies found near Sochi, Russia on high alert

    5 bullet-riddled bodies found near Sochi, Russia on high alert

    MOSCOW (TIP): Russia on Thursday launched a counterterrorism operation after five bullet-riddled bodies were found in a region bordering the Winter Olympic host Sochi, just weeks before the Games’ start. Two districts in the southern Stavropol region were placed on high alert after the bodies were discovered in parked cars, at least one of them apparently booby-trapped, the regional authorities said.

    “A counterterrorism operation has been launched from January 9 in the Predgorny and Kirov districts of the Stavropol region,” the regional administration said. The authorities launched the most sweeping security operation in Olympic history, a month before Russia’s first post-Soviet Games kick off on February 7. Russia particularly fears attacks by Islamist militants from the North Caucasus during the prestigious event, after two suicide bombings at a rail station and in a trolleybus last month in the southern city of Volgograd killed 34.

    As police examined a car in Stavropol which had the body of a local resident, an explosive device went off around 65 feet away. Officers then defused another device nearby. Two other bodies were identified as local cabbies and were found in the car’s back seat and in the boot. The remaining two bodies were found in a parked car, Interfax cited the FSB as saying.

  • INDIA’S MARS ODYSSEY BEGINS

    INDIA’S MARS ODYSSEY BEGINS

    As part of India’s first inter-planetary mission, the Mars Orbiter Mision lifted off on November 5. If successful, Isro would become the fourth space agency to reach Mars. Crossing a major milestone in the country’s space history, Mangalyaan ventured out of Earth’s sphere of influence for the first time in an attempt to reach the red planet’s orbit, and is on course ‘to encounter Mars after a journey of about 10 months around the Sun’

  • China has world’s most outbound tourists: Report

    China has world’s most outbound tourists: Report

    BEIJING (TIP): Nearly 100 million Chinese tourists visited foreign countries last year, and they are likely to extend their lead as the world’s biggest-spending travellers, state media reported on Thursday. A total of 97 million Chinese tourists left the country in 2013, up 14 million from the previous year, the state-run China Daily reported, citing official data from China’s National Tourism Administration. The figures underline the rapid rise in the numbers of Chinese travelling abroad, who numbered just 29 million in 2004.

    Chinese travellers spent $102 billion overseas in 2012, making them the world’s biggest spenders ahead of Germans and US tourists, and are almost certain to have surpassed that record last year, the report said, citing researcher Song Rui. China’s economy has boomed over the past decade, expanding the ranks of its middle-class who are hungry for foreign travel after the country’s decades of isolation in the last century. European Union and Asian countries have moved to ease visa application procedures for Chinese tourists in recent years, keen to cash in on their big-spending habits.

    “Chinese tourists spend so much abroad that some foreigners are calling us ‘walking wallets’,” Song, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying. Hotels and retailers around the world have stepped up efforts to woo Chinese visitors. London’s renowned Harrods department store says it now has 70 Mandarin-speaking staff and more than 100 China Unionpay terminals allowing direct payment from Chinese bank accounts.

  • RED TERROR

    RED TERROR

    The Maoists’ ambush of a Congress rally that led to the massacre of some leaders of the party’s Chhattisgarh unit represents a serious setback for the state as well as the Centre’s paramilitary campaign against left-wing guerrillas. The state continues to test the capacity of the central and state government to coordinate their counter-insurgency offensive. It was, however, heartening to see people coming out to vote in large number in the recently concluded state elections, defying the Maoist threat.

  • North Korea dismisses South Korean family reunion proposal

    North Korea dismisses South Korean family reunion proposal

    SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (TIP): North Korea on January 9 dismissed a South Korean proposal to resume reunions of families separated by war, but used an unusually mild tone that indicated it still wants better ties with its rival to help boost its struggling economy. The reunion program has been stalled amid tension between the rival Koreas since late 2010. The Koreas had agreed to resume the humanitarian program last September but North Korea abruptly canceled the plan.

    North Korea wants to link the reunions to a restart of a lucrative joint tourism project at its scenic Diamond Mountain, according to Seoul officials. But South Korea wants to deal separately with the tourism project, which provided a legitimate source of hard currency for the impoverished North before it was suspended when North Korean soldiers fatally shot a South Korean tourist there in 2008. South Korea offered this week to hold talks on Friday on resuming the reunions around the Lunar New Year holiday later this month, saying it could help improve strained ties.

    The Lunar New Year is celebrated by both Koreas and is traditionally a time when relatives get together. North Korea responded Thursday that the talks could take place “at a good season” if the South is willing to discuss “the proposals of our side,” an apparent reference to the tourism project. The North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea also said the reunions could not occur this month because of annual springtime military drills planned by South Korea and the United States, saying the separated families could not have “reunions in peace amid gunfire,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.

    However, North Korea’s statement did not include its typical harsh rhetoric against Seoul, and proposed that the countries could meet later if conditions are met. Analysts said this suggests that North Korea doesn’t want to completely cut off ties with South Korea because it needs outside investment and assistance to achieve leader Kim Jong Un’s vow of developing the economy and improving living standards. “It’s like rejecting the South Korean offer in a very euphemistic manner,” said Lim Eul Chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea’s Kyungnam University.

    “Cutting off ties with South Korea would be burdensome for North Korea.” North Korea urgently wants to restart the tourism project because “South Korean investment would set the tone for drawing other foreign investment,” said Chang Yong Seok of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University. South Korea expressed its regret over the North Korean decision. “The North must show its sincerity by actions rather than talking about improvement in South-North Korean relations only with words,” the unification ministry said in a statement.

    Last week, North Korean leader Kim called for better ties with South Korea in his annual New Year’s Day message, but also warned of possible nuclear war. Millions of families have been separated since the 1950-53 Korean War, which left the two Koreas divided by a tightly militarized border. The reunions are highly emotional because most participants are in their 70s or older and are eager to see their relatives before they die.

    Tensions rose sharply last spring when North Korea issued a series of threats of nuclear strikes against Seoul and Washington. Prospects for inter- Korean ties became uncertain last month after North Korea’s execution of Kim’s uncle, Jang Song Thaek, on treason charges, with South Korean officials saying the North might launch provocations against the South to boost internal unity.

  • SOME INTERESTING FACTS

    SOME INTERESTING FACTS

    ● It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
    ● Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust, even if it’s buried in the ground for thousands of years .
    ● Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end .
    ● If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
    ● Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
    ● Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
    ● Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
    ● The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
    ● Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.
    ● Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn’t smoke unless it’s heated above 450F.
    ● The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
    ● Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
    ● The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
    ● Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
    ● The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
    ● The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
    ● In ancient Greece , tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.
    ● Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
    ● Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
    ● A comet’s tail always points away from the sun.
    ● The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.

  • INDIA-CHINA MAKE PEACE, FOR NOW

    INDIA-CHINA MAKE PEACE, FOR NOW

    India and China inked the crucial Border Defence Cooperation Agreement in October to ease the strained relationship between the two countries. The agreement is the outcome of a series of talks following diplomatic tensions arising out of the Chinese troops pitching their tents at Depsang valley in Ladakh in April.

  • TANVI SHINDE-The Teen Talent

    TANVI SHINDE-The Teen Talent

    It was the great American poet, Robert Frost who once wrote the now famous lines: “Woods are lovely, dark and deep; But I have promises to keep; And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep”. Tanvi seems to be keeping those lines of Frost in her mind. Not content with a number of trophies and awards she has won, she told The Indian Panorama, in an interview, recently, “I want to continue on my journey with pageants because I believe that this is just the beginning; I still have a lot more to achieve in my life.

    I want to get a Bachelor of Fine Arts and become an astonishing creative director.” Look at all the honors she has got. Miss Teen India DFW 2012; Miss Popular 2012; Miss Teen South Asia Texas 2012; Miss Photogenic Miss Teen India USA 2012; Second runner up Miss Teen India USA 2012; Miss Over-All Photogenic winner 2013; Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013. As a child she wasn’t really aware of pageants, she had never even thought of being in one. But as a child she was involved in dancing and art. Her passion for dance and art began at a very young age. Her creativity comes from her dad’s side of the family.

    The Shinde family consists of great singers, artist and dancers. And this is what influenced her to become such a creative person overall. Tanvi’s father, Raj Shinde, is an accomplished creative director in advertising and mother is a teacher. Both played a key role in shaping their daughter’s ambition. However, it appears her father had a greater influence on her. She told The Indian Panorama, “In order to realize and achieve the goal I paid close attention to my father’s work since he himself is a phenomenal creative director. With his guidance and the company of my mom and her support I was able to experience and get more knowledge in the commercial field by acting in a few commercials and doing voice-overs.

    I made sure I was open-minded and ready to learn new things at every moment of my life.” In reply to a question as to what career she would like to adopt, she took no time to answer, “As far as career is concerned, I’ve always wanted to become a creative director and open up my own advertising agency. Along with that I also want to pursue modeling and acting.” When I congratulated her on her being one of the top 5 finalists in Miss India USA Pageant, she smiled, looked at her father and then said in a matter of fact style, “Success doesn’t come to you; you have to work hard for it.

    Nothing is impossible; if you can dream it you can achieve it. Be real, be yourself, be unique, be true, be honest, be humble and most of all is to be happy.” I asked her about the pageant- when and where it was held, how many participated etc. I love to quote her. “Several young women participated in the 32nd annual Miss India USA pageant which was hosted by IFC. It was held in New Jersey on November 23rd at Royal Albert’s Palace. Being the winner of the 2012 Miss Teen India DFW, I was a teen participant from Dallas, Texas. I represented Texas.


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    Tanvi Shinde (left)is crowned Miss Teen India USA

    I won the Miss Talented Miss India USA 2013 title in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant.” Visibly excited to recall the pageant, she continued, “The rounds that were included in the 2013 Miss India USA pageant were an Intro dance, Talent round, Indian Wear along with a self-introduction, Evening Wear, Top 5, and crowning. I was one of the top 5 finalists. She said, “I’ve always competed with the teens but this was my very first time competing with the miss girls, it was definitely a unique experience also a lot more challenging! Along with that I got to meet new people and make new friends.

    It also taught me several new things and increased my knowledge about the world of pageants. I would say that the 2013 Miss India USA pageant has impacted my life tremendously; it has brought great opportunities to me. It has given me a chance to help my community and be successful in my career. I couldn’t have gotten this far without my parents, and all of my family and friends; I would like to thank everyone with all my heart”. Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra India raised, and in Dallas, Texas USA, Tanvi is, to say the least, extremely talented. Imagine a young girl of 18 having command over such diverse aspects of talent.


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  • PAKISTAN VIOLATES CEASEFIRE

    PAKISTAN VIOLATES CEASEFIRE

    There was an unusual spike in ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts across the border this year. With some describing it as the worst bout of fighting between the two sides in the last 10 years, many Indian soldiers too lost their lives. Naturally, the Indian reaction is overwhelmingly one of anger, with the govt quite certain these violations could not take place without the tacit support of the Pakistan army.

  • AFZAL GURU HANGED

    AFZAL GURU HANGED

    Afzal Guru, the key collaborator of the Pakistani terrorists who attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001, was hanged on February 9, 2013, bringing a sense of closure to the audacious terror attack that could have wiped out a section of India’s top political leadership and brought the two nations to war. Afzal’s hanging was kept an ultra-secret affair in order to avert repercussions in J&K and dodge last-minute legal challenges.

  • Sikhs in Dallas Celebrate with Zeal Guru Gobind Singh’s Birth Anniversary

    Sikhs in Dallas Celebrate with Zeal Guru Gobind Singh’s Birth Anniversary

    Harjit Singh Dhesi DALLAS (TIP): Sikhs in Dallas area celebrated with fervor and zeal the birth anniversary of their Tenth Master, Guru Gobind Singh who had created Khalsa in 1699. At the Gurdwara Sikh Temple, as the tradition is, a 48 hour long recitation of the Holy Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib was done before the final celebrations. on Sunday, January 5. A large number of devotees visited the Gurdwara during the recitation period from Friday to Sunday, Service is a cardinal principle of Sikhism.

    Keeping it in view, Joga Singh Sandhu and family performed the service of Nishan Sahib and Chola while langar seva was taken upon by the congregation. The Bards sang the divine hymns and some others spoke at length about the life and teachings of Guru Gobind Singh and about the principles of the Sikh religion. Similarly, at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Richardson, Sikhs celebrated the Guru’s birth anniversary with great enthusiasm. Principal Baljit Singh spoke about the tragedies involving the lives of the Sahibzadas and about Guru Gobind Singh’s relentless fight against injustice and tyranny.

    He said the Guru sacrificed for his Sikhs even his family and exhorted the followers of faith to follow the path of righteousness and sacrifice shown by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In other Gurdwaras in Dallas also similar celebrations took place. In Gurdwara Euless, Gurdwara Akal Jot, Garland and at Gurdwara Niskam Seva, Irving , Sikhs gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.


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    Gurdwara Sikh Temple, Garland

  • PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS ENDS; PREZ HAILS NRIS’ CONTRIBUTION

    PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS ENDS; PREZ HAILS NRIS’ CONTRIBUTION

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas concluded on January 9 with President Pranab Mukherjee hailing the contribution of Non-Resident Indians in the growth and development of the country. “The government will continue to actively engage with the overseas Indian community and explore all possible avenues to make them valued partners in building a strong and prosperous India,” Mukherjee said at the concluding ceremony of the three-day meet. The President also gave away “PBD Samman Awards” to 13 eminent NRIs and organisations for their outstanding contribution to the country of their residence as well as to India.

    Those awarded included Ela Gandhi, grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi. She was conferred with the honour of enhancing India’s image and promoting ties with South Africa. Mukherjee announced that a Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra would be set up in Delhi to serve as a centre to commemorate contributions of the Indian diaspora. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launched the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 8, asking the Indian diaspora not to be unduly concerned about the future of Indian economy and social challenges. There was no reason to despair about the country’s present or worry about the future as the country was heading into better times, he said, addressing nearly 1,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from across the world.

    Observing that the country’s economy had done well over the past decade, the Prime Minister noted that in the last nine years since 2004, India had averaged a healthy growth rate of 7.9 per cent per annum. “There has been no doubt about a slow-down in the recent past, and we will probably end this year at the same level as last year with five per cent,” he said adding a number of international as well as domestic factors have contributed to this situation. However, it was once again clear that rich and the affluent NRIs from the West are seen at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas only at the inaugural and closing ceremonies and do not actively participate in regular sessions.

    As soon as the hour-long inaugural function was over, most delegates left the venue apparently to do networking or sight-seeing. The half-empty halls during the sessions on “India’s Growth and Development Agenda” and “India’s Soft Power” in which key senior government functionaries like Law Minister Kapil Sibal and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid participated, bore testimony to the fact that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is becoming more of a ‘tamasha’ than a businesslike meet. Few delegates took the trouble of even visiting the stalls set up by some state governments and public undertakings at the venue. The theme of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year is “Engaging Diaspora-Connecting across Generations” with focus on the young generation.

    President Pranab Mukherjee will address the concluding function tomorrow and give away “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman” to 15 eminent personalities. Addressing the session on “India’s Soft Power”, British entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria spoke about the remarkable performance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the recent Assembly elections in Delhi. “This (India) is where the real democracy is…where a party can start from nothing and in one year win a state election,” he said. Bilimoria said the evidence of India’s soft power could be gauged from the fact that there were some 10,000 Indian restaurants in Britain. Some of the delegates from the US were unhappy over the treatment meted out to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade.

  • GOVT REACHES OUT TO DIASPORA YOUTH AT PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS

    GOVT REACHES OUT TO DIASPORA YOUTH AT PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Making a strong pitch for greater connectivity with diaspora youth, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi on January 7 said partnerships between young Indians in the country and those residing overseas in industry and social sectors would create jobs and bring prosperity. He was speaking after inuagarating the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), India’s flagship annual event to connect with its global diaspora, which kicked off on January 7 with special focus on “engagement with the youth“.

    Referring to the opportunities for growth and development that India’s growing economy presents today, he said “the interactions should foster greater connectivity between Indian and diaspora youth, which should eventually result in economic cooperation leading to the creation of wealth, livelihoods and prosperity.” Ravi said that in this age of globalisation, there are greater trade and business links between nations. “Indian youth and their diaspora counterparts should come together in developing strong networks, which would lead to partnerships in trade, industry, entrepreneurship and social work,” he said. “This will lead to the creation of wealth and employment, which will benefit the masses at large.

    Our goal should be to build a strong global connect of youth for this purpose,” he said. This year’s theme is “Engaging Diaspora: Connecting across Generations” and this is the first time that the Youth PBD is being held on the first day of the event. “It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of our working population is between the age group of 18-35 years and are contributing immensely to the growth and development of our great country India,” Mr. Ravi said. The PBD will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday while Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Y B Datuk Seri Palanivel will be the chief guest.

    More than a thousand delegates are participating in the three-day event which is expected to open up horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India’s engagement with youth in all sectors. Youth Affairs and Sports minister Jitendra Singh, while talking about the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) schemes run by the government, urged overseas Indians to connect with the volunteers of these programmes and said that the government also will promote social entrepreneurship. Mr. Singh said, “I encourage the Overseas Indian community to connect to these (NYKS and NSS) networks and work with them.

    Some of the brightest NSS volunteers who have been chosen to participate in the Republic Day parade are present. It is an opportunity for the Indian diaspora to interact with them,” Singh said. He said the government promotes social entrepreneurship and provides annual investment for social entrepreneurs. This facilitates the setting up of social ventures in India by overseas Indians. “My ministry will work to create an institutional framework under which the overseas Indians will have an opportunity to come and work with NYKS and NSS and other social organisations in India and further strengthen their ties,” he added.

    Mr. Singh said that 27.5 per cent of the country’s population belongs to the 15-29 year age group, while 41.3 per cent are in the 13-35 year group. By the year 2020, the population of India is expected to have an average age of 28 years. This figure, when compared with 38 years in the US, 42 years in China and 48 in Japan, makes India one of the youngest nations in the world, he added. President Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory address on January 9 and will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards which will be given to 14 people this time. A special session on “Issues of NRIs in the Gulf” will also be organised this year to discuss the problems faced by them and their possible remedies.

    Speaking at another session of the Pravasi Bharati conclave, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the credit for holding the meet should go to the NRI community. He claimed that in this age of internet, border controls and visas have less significance as it was fast becoming a “seamless world“. “Internet represents the largest ungoverned space on planet Earth… The world is marked by two civilisations today — the physical civilisation and the virtual civilisation,” Mr. Tewari said. He expressed hope that the conclave will see a constructive and fruitful engagement between the diaspora, the Indian government and people. In reply to a question, the Minister accepted that there was a need for a more robust broadcast system to reach out to global viewers.

  • Beni Prasad dismisses AAP, says poll surveys are managed

    Beni Prasad dismisses AAP, says poll surveys are managed

    LUCKNOW (TIP): Union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma on January 9 said there was no threat to the Congress from the Aam Aadmi Party phenomena. Addressing a news conference at his Lucknow residence, Beni said, “All surveys can be managed these days,” referring obliquely to TOI-Ipsos poll. In the survey, conducted across eight major cities, 44% respondents said they will vote for AAP in Lok Sabha elections.

    Another 27% said their decision will depend on the candidate. Taking potshots at the Samajwadi Party government, Beni criticised the sheer extravagance at Saifai Mahotsava, especially in the wake of Muzaffarnagar riots. He said, “Children are dying in Muzaffarnagar and the SP leaders are enjoying in Saifai. The government has spent crores from the state coffers, instead of helping relief work. Nothing can be worse.”

    Referring to Mulayam as “two-faced,” the minister said it is not surprising that law and order is deteriorating in UP. “When governments are formed with the assistance of hooligans, they must pay back by protecting them. Mulayam may claim he will initiate action against any rouge elements in the party, but he is just being two-faced,” Beni said.

    The Union minister had recently described Mulayam as “UP’s Mussolini”. SP has given Lok Sabha ticket to mafia-turnedpolitician Atiq Ahmed from Sultanpur, a move that drew strong criticism from opposition. The party, however, claims that a candidate’s ability to win and not his criminal track record matters during the selection process. Taking a dig at the study tour of UP MLAs, Beni said according to tradition, the foreign delegation must be led by the Speaker. Since Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey pulled out of the 20-day tour, the “study tour” became meaningless, the minister added.

  • Don’t eat onions, SC tells petitioner

    Don’t eat onions, SC tells petitioner

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the government to regulate the prices of Onions and other vegetables. Stop eating onions, prices will come down, said the apex court bench headed by Justice BS Chauhan. The court told the PIL petitioner that it should not be burdened with such public interest suits.

  • Avalanche hits Army post in Kashmir, one killed

    Avalanche hits Army post in Kashmir, one killed

    SRINAGAR (TIP): An Army trooper was killed and another was missing after an avalanche hit an army post in Kashmir’s Kupwara district on January 9 evening. Army sources said the avalanche hit the Army post in Sonapendi Gali of Machil sector in Kupwara district burying two troopers under its debris.

    One of the troopers, identified as Sanatam Singh, was rescued immediately after the accident, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The other trooper was missing and the efforts were on find him.

  • Three students killed as bus collides with truck in Maharashtra

    Three students killed as bus collides with truck in Maharashtra

    BULDHANA (MAHARASHTRA) (TIP): Three school girls were killed and 14 others got injured when a speedy truck container hit a state transport bus near Malkapur in the district early on Friday, police said.The three teenaged girls were killed on the spot when the MSRTC bus, going from Kati to Malkapur, collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction, they said.

    The students were on their way to Chandak Vidyalaya in Malkapur and used to regularly take a bus to go to school. Police said 14 other bus passengers injured in the mishap were rushed to Malkapur and Buldhana civil hospitals.

  • Govt employees threaten to go on indefinite strike

    Govt employees threaten to go on indefinite strike

    KOHLAPUR (TIP): The state government employees have threatened to go on indefinite strike in February for their pending demands. The Rajya Sarkari Madhyavarti Karmachari Sanghatana (RSMKS), the state government employees’ association, made the announcement on January 9. The date of the strike will be decided at a meeting of the employees at Nashik in the third week of January. Anil Lavekar, secretary of the RSMKS, said, “There are around 20 lakh government, semi-government employees and teachers working at government-run schools. We have presented our demands to the state government several times since 2011.

    Whenever we agitate, the government assures us that they will look into the matter but has never taken any decision regarding our demands.” “Our demands are simple and the state government should not hesitate to accept them. This time, we will continue the strike till the government yields to our demands. This will be a state-wide strike, which will affect the functioning of the state when the machinery will be busy in preparing for Lok Sabha elections,” he said. The demands of the employees include, five-day week, increase the retirement age to 60 years, implementation of the Travelling Allowance and Educational allowance as applied to employees of central government and increase in the pension of the retired employees when they cross 80 years of age.

    “The state government recruits persons to fill up 50% of the total posts of naib tehsildar (NT) by direct recruitment through Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams and the remaining 50% through promotions. The union has demanded a rise in filling of posts of NT through promotions instead of recruitment through MPSC exams,” said Lavekar. “From the last three years, we are agitating in a democratic way by presenting our demands to state government.

    But we have received only assurance from them. Now, keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabah elections, we will go on an indefinite strike till our demands are accepted by the government. We have organised a meeting of the members of organisation in Nashik on the third week of January, where we will announce the date of our agitation,” he said. The other demands of the employees include hike in salaries, recruitment of persons for vacant posts, adequate stipend to employees doing overtime and regularization of work of contract as well as casual labourers.

  • Dhoom 3

    Dhoom 3

    STORY: Chicago is hit by a mysterious thief targeting one bank – can Mumbai cop Jai Dixit catch the shadowy chor? REVIEW: Straight up, Dhoom 3 makes you laugh, gasp – even sniffle. The most emotional of the Dhoom series yet, this is Aamir Khan’s show all the way. As revengeful circus star Sahir, whose father Iqbal (Shroff) dies after losing his beloved Great Indian Circus to a stonyhearted Chicago bank, Khan is terrific.

    The Dhoom series usually showcases brawn on bikes but in this one, mind meets machinery, Khan’s brain almost visibly ticking behind his eyes, calculating every second before he vrroooms off on a bike – across a wire stretched high between buildings, beneath a mega-truck, even underwater. Chicago forms a super backdrop for Sahir’s stunts, the grainy stone of its buildings the perfect texture against which those bikes purr past with velveteen growls. Scrawling ‘Teri aisi ki taisi’ on its vaults and scattering the bank’s money across Chicago’s skies, Sahir makes the local police look as intelligent as turkeys. But things change when Mumbai cop ACP Jai Dixit (Bachchan), with bike-and-babe-mad subordinate Ali (Chopra), arrive and figure out why – and how – Sahir is breaking the bank.

    Dhoom 3 rests on Khan’s magnetism, his actor’s eyes and jaw-line, his abs playing a part too. But the film is powered by its action.With WOL (whistle-out-loud) moments, this is super-slick and on an extravagant scale, using Chicago’s skyscrapers like sexy statues arching into the sky. Alongside, Dhoom 3 features the franchise’s tongue-in-cheek cheekiness, Ali, fida over blonde policewoman Victoria (as in ‘secret’), Jai telling him to focus not on Kamasutra but kaam. As circus star Alia, Kaif provides soft romance, her fitness and innate grace redefining sexiness, making even potentially risque sequences – she lands her job following a speedy striptease – look delicately sensuous.

    Alia’s charming beauty stops our protagonist in his tracks – but for how long? Clocking in at nearly three hours, Dhoom 3 is slightly extensive. But it holds advantages, the first, that sizzling Dhoom tune, all leather, boots and electric guitars, which straightens sagging scenes. The second – sharp performances by Khan, Bachchan (an underrated actor, whose ability to drawl languid lines with intense looks stands out) and Chopra, who sprinkles lightness and fun. And the third – Dhoom 3’s story with a twist wrapped around it, like the ribbon around a Christmas gift. Merrily unwrap – flying out of the Great Indian Circus, Dhoom 3 is great fun.

  • KAJOL DEMANDING RS 15 CRORE FOR TV DEBUT?

    KAJOL DEMANDING RS 15 CRORE FOR TV DEBUT?

    Buzz is, Kajol is no longer in contention for a TV show thanks to her astronomical fee. Even stars are not recession proof. There was a time when Bollywood A-listers stepping into the small screen would quote and get any price they wished. But in a failing economy, even television channels who want to oblige, are eventually forced to say “no”. A recent case in point is Kajol, who was on Rensil D’ Silva’s wish list for the 27-episode fiction show he was co-scripting with Priya Pinto.

    Kajol was reportedly bowled over by the woman-centric subject revolving around a single mother living in an extended joint family in Delhi. But her telly debut came at a premium. According to a source close to the development, the actress allegedly demanded a whopping Rs 15 crore plus. “After a long meeting with the channel and the producer, she was offered one-third the amount, but Kajol wasn’t willing to take the cut.” Last heard, there was talk of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being approached.

    The show’s producer Siddharth Malhotra however denied the development saying, “We have not approached Kajol for my show and we don’t know Aishwarya Rai personally. The show that Rensil has worked on has been put on hold since the past six months by the channel.”

  • SALMAN OFFERED ME MY FIRST FILM: DEEPIKA PADUKONE

    SALMAN OFFERED ME MY FIRST FILM: DEEPIKA PADUKONE

    After acting with popular actors like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone now wants to work with other superstars – Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan. “Every year I am asked this question (which Bollywood actor I would like to work with now), but I hope in the next one or two years I will get to work with Hrithik, Salman and Aamir,” Deepika, who has given four back-to-back hits this year, told reporters here at her success party.

    “Till now I have not worked with these actors (Aamir, Salman and Hrithik),” she added. There are reports that Deepika has been roped in opposite Salman in Sooraj Barjatya’s next, but Deepika denied and said: “That’s not true and I have not officially met Sooraj ji.” It’s not just Deepika who is eager to work with Salman. In fact, the Bigg Boss host has also expressed his desire to work with the actress and has been seen praising her on many occasions. Deepika said it feels great.

    “Definitely it feels great when Salman says such good things about me because if you all know he was the one who first noticed me,” said Deepika, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh in 2007 film Om Shanti Om. “I was doing an ad with his friends in Rajasthan. So, he noticed me first of all and he was the one who offered me my first film,” she recalled. Deepika, during her modelling days, had got an acting offer from Salman before she was chosen for Shah Rukhstarrer Om Shanti Om.

    However, the actress denied Salman’s offer as she felt she was not ready to face the camera. Currently, Deepika has films like Happy New Year, Finding Fanny Fernandes and Imtiaz Ali’s untitled film in her kitty.