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Indian-origin scientist Ramakrishnan honoured with knighthood

London, Dec 31 (PTI) Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, India-born US citizen whose pioneering work in molecular biology won him the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry, has been honoured with a knighthood by the royal establishment here in a rare recognition of achievements by foreigners based in Britain.
58-year-old Ramakrishnan, known to most as Venky, is based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He has been conferred knighthood for services to molecular biology in the New Year Honours List 2012, according to an official announcement here. After the list was released early today, Ramakrishnan said that honouring him with a knighthood reflects the contribution made by immigrants to British society.
In a statement to PTI, he said: In the current debate about immigration, it is worth noting that this award is yet another example of the numerous contributions that immigrants make to British society.
Indeed, many of the founding members of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology were immigrants themselves, and they helped to revolutionise modern biology. Ramakrishnan said: This is an honour that reflects the quality of science supported by the Medical Research Council, in particular at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. In my case, credit should go to the numerous dedicated postdocs, students, associates and colleagues who made crucial contributions to the work.
It is rare for foreign citizens to be honoured with knighthoods. Such individuals do not use the style 'Sir', but are often called 'Sir' in popular parlance, such as 'Sir Garfield Sobers' in the case of the legendary West Indies cricketer.Besides Ramakrishnan, two other foreign-born Nobel Prize winners based in the UK have been conferred knighthood in the 2012 honours list.
They are Russia-born Professors Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov based at the University of Manchester, who were involved in the creation of graphene, a sheet of carbon just one atom thick. They won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010. Unlike foreign citizens who were conferred knighthood in the past such as Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany, President Francois Mitterrand of France and Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York, Ramakrishnan, Geim and Novoselov are based in the UK.
Born in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan studied at Baroda University, Ohio University and the University of California, San Diego.
Ramakrishnan was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2010. In the 2010 New Year Honours List, Indian-origin Mota Singh, Britain's first Sikh judge, was honoured with a knighthood.
Other Indian-origin individuals to be honoured in the 2012 list include Professor Dinesh Kumar Makhan Lai Bhugra, lately president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, for services to Psychiatry.
Anant Barodekar, founder of Club 25 for Young People, has been honoured for services to young people, while Kulvinder Bassi, Community Rail Team Leader, Department for Transport, has been honoured for services to Transport. Also honoured are broadcaster Surjit Singh Ghuman, founder of Panjab Radio, Dr Hasmukh Joshi, Dr Raman Kapur, Madhurika Patel, Harbans Kaur Singh, Bakhshish Singh Sodhi and cricketer Umesh Valjee (for services to Deaf Cricket).

India offers scholarship to students in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 31 (PTI) India will offer meritorious students from Malaysia scholarships to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate degrees, or research at Indian universities during the 2012-13 academic year. However, the scholarships, under India's General Cultural Scholarship Scheme' (GCSS), will not be offered for medical studies for MBBS, BDS or for medical research leading to a Ph.D degree, a statement issued by the High Commission here said. Priority will be given to students who have never studied in India before, the statement said. India is also offering two scholarships for Post-Graduate courses under the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Scholarship scheme. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will administer the scholarship programme, the statement said. About eight per cent of Malaysia's population is ethnic Indian and many like to pursue higher degree education in India. PTI JB SAP 12311522

Indian student shot dead in Canada

 Toronto, Dec 31 (PTI) An Indian student, working part time at a convenience store, was shot dead in the western Canadian city of Surrey, in a shocking Christmas Day attack. Alok Gupta, 27, had volunteered to work the afternoon shift to allow the store owners celebrate Christmas together, and was killed by an unidentified gunman. It is not yet clear whether Gupta was shot during a robbery attempt. Police is yet to make an arrest in connection with the case, but say they do not believe it was gang-related. The victim was working Christmas Day as a good deed to the owners who wished to celebrate Christmas together, said Sgt Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. Gupta sought help at a nearby residence and was taken to hospital. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later, Pound was quoted as saying by the 'Vancouver Sun' newspaper. Although it appears that the victim died from a gunshot wound, the cause of death will ultimately be confirmed through an autopsy, she said. Gupta's brother-in-law Nitin Bhutani said his family is in a state of shock since they were informed of the shocking death. Bhutani said Alok, who was studying Master's in Business Administration at Kwantlen University, was getting excellent grades and was close to the top of his class. The family's main concern is that police arrest Gupta's murderer, Bhutani told CTV News from Germany. We want that Alok should get justice and the guy who is at large, who did that, should be put behind bars.

Couple in trouble for religious conversion

AHMEDABAD: Kaushangini Kadia and Altaf Mirza are suffering for committing a mistake of not following procedure of obtaining permission from authority for religious conversion.
Altaf is in jail for past nine days along with the maulvi who converted the Hindu girl to Islam before her marriage with Altaf. The couple got married in October last year as per Islamic rituals. Before the marriage, the maulvi in Navtad mosque near Ghee Kanta converted Kaushangini into his fold.
However, the woman's family members were against this union and filed a complaint against Altaf with Vejalpur police. Kaushangini appeared before Gujarat high court (HC) to testify that the boy had not committed any crime. HC quashed the FIR and ordered police to escort the couple to Altaf's home in Behrampura. However, Kaushangini's mother Bhavika Kadia filed another plaint with the Karanj police last month against Altaf and the maulvi for illegal religious conversion. As per the amended Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, a person is required to obtain permission from the district collector before converting to other religion. In this case, this permission was not obtained. On December 22, Altaf and the priest were arrested and a local court sent them to judicial custody. Their bail applications were rejected by a magisterial court. Now Kaushangini is pursuing the case before the city sessions court, where the proceeding is scheduled on Monday. She claims that she had filed an affidavit before her marriage that she was not forced into conversion. "I maintain that I did not convert under pressure. I did it on my free will. We were living happily, but my father does not want us to stay together. Even policemen are harassing us and force me to give statement of their liking," she said, adding that she plans to challenge the conversion law.

Indian cities dominate 'sex' search online; Pak leads list but 7 Indian cities in top 10

NEW DELHI: Given the size of our population, one would have thought Indians get enough sex.
But that still doesn't stop us searching for more. Data collected by Google through its search engine shows that in 2011, seven Indian cities featured in the list of top 10 cities worldwide where the "sex" query was particularly popular. The rankings might come as a bit of a surprise. Lucknow and Kolkata - cities which pride themselves on their high cultural values -- came in at No. 2 and 3, respectively. Pune was at No. 5, New Delhi at 6, Bangalore at 7, Chennai at 8 and Mumbai at 9. The only non-Indian cities in the list were Colombo, which topped the chart, Lahore at No. 4 and Hanoi at 10. In short, every single city in the top 10 was from Asia. Expect the demographic dividend to last for a while. The famed Indo-Pak rivalry spilled over to this sphere as well, with Pakistan emerging as the country from where Google received the maximum number of search queries for "sex" in 2011. Pakistan had topped the list in 2010 as well.
The data, which is part of Google's Trends application, also reveals that Pakistan tops the all-time list - which maps the period ever since the search engine started collecting the data - while India comes in third behind Vietnam. Though Google says "Trends provides insights into broad search patterns" and "several approximations are used when computing these results," the data mirrors the volume of actual search queries. To rank regions and cities, the web firm "calculates the ratio of searches for the term coming from each city, divided by total Google searches coming from the same city." The Trends data is not the only indication that people in India and Pakistan have sex on their mind. A few weeks ago Google had released its Zeitgeist report, which takes a look at the top search queries of the year. In India, "How to kiss" topped the list of the most popular "how to..." searches. The same query topped the list in 2010 as well. "How to flirt" and "how to love" were the 10th and 11th most popular queries. The "how to kiss" query was equally popular in Pakistan in 2011. India and Pakistan share some basic intincts - which could add a whole new dimension to the phrase, "Make love, not war".

Ex-girlfriend makes a comeback in Sallu's life

Mumbai, December 30: Sangeeta Bijalani was a very prominent part of Salman’s guest-list at his birthday binge. Says a guest from Salman’s celebration, “Sangeeta was very much a comfortable part of Salman’s family. She mingled freely with the guests and was an integral part of the Khan family. Salman has reached that comfort zone with Sangeeta where she can blend with the family without being attached to Salman. ” Interestingly the guest-list at this year’s birthday party included very few female guests, corroborating the growing belief that Salman is now looking at a serious permanent relationship.
Says the guest, “Besides Sangeeta Bijalani who was there as part of Salman’s family, the only recognizable female guests were Kangna Ranaut, Shriya Saran, Diane Hayden and Mughda Godse. Salman kept a distance from the ladies and danced the night away with his buddies. ” Anil Kapoor was not only there with his brother Boney Kapoor, Anil broke into his 1 2 Ka 4 dance number from Ram Lakhan on the dancefloor with Salman. (And we thought Anil had said he was mourning for his father! ).
Says the guest, “Every time a song played, the relevant star was pulled to the dancefloor by Salman. Imran Khan who was there with his wife Avantika joined Salman for a jig when Pappu can’t dance came on. ” Salman and his close friend Sajid Nadiadwala were constantly in serious conversation. Shirish Kunder who will be directing Salman in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick was there with his wife Farah Khan. Clearly the couple’s friendship with Shah Rukh Khan is over.
The highlight of the night was Salman and Sonu Sood’s joint efforts on the dancefloor to the sound of Munni badnaam. Apparently Salman pulled out all stops and danced as though there was no tomorrow. Says the guest, “He was very comfortable in male company, polite and aloof with the ladies.
This birthday Salman was clearly in a mellow and guarded frame of mind. We suspect he’d be married by the time the next birthday is around. ” Salman played the perfect host. “He looked after us so wonderfully. On his earlier birthdays he would just be there while we made ourselves comfortable at his farmhouse. But this time he looked after every guest personally, right until Wednesday afternoon when the party ended.
Salman made sure every guest stayed for the breakfast of parathas. He told all of us we couldn’t leave without tasting the ‘brilliant parathas’ that are made on his farm. No one refused. You can’t say no to Salman. ” Interestingly Farhan Akhtar, fresh from his collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan, was also present at Salman’s birthday bash in Panvel. Salman, we hear, is seriously considering a film for Farhan and Ritesh Sidhwani’s banner.
Sonu Sood who flew down for just 5 hours on Tuesday night from Hyderabad said it was a trip worth making. “Not everyone gets a call from Salmanbhai to come to his birthday. I couldn’t refuse. I flew out of Hyderabad at 9 pm on Tuesday, reached Salman’s farmhouse in Panvel by 12. 30, stayed for four hours and flew back to Hyderabad in the morning. I’d do the same again. But only for Salmanbhai.”

Vidya bags best actress for 'The Dirty Picture'

New Delhi, December 30: Ekta Kapoor's "The Dirty Picture" has been named best picture, while Vidya Balan has been adjudged best actress for the same film at The Eighteenth National Media Network Film and TV awards. The awards, instituted by National Media Network and Akhil Bharatiya Swatantra Patrakar Avom Lekhak Sangh, an association of freelance journalists and writers, will be given Jan 21 here where TV czarina Ekta will also be honoured for being a successful film and TV producer in Indian film and TV industry.
On the other hand, Ajay Devgn has been named the best actor for Rohit Shetty's "Singham", while Farhan Akhtar will be conferred with best director award for "Don 2 - The King Is Back". Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, veteran lyricist Gulzar and T.P. Aggarwal, chairman, Film Federation of India will be given lifetime achievement awards, according to Daya Nand Vats, general secretary of the Sangh. The hero of all-time hit award goes to actor Anil Kapoor. NDTV has been named the best Hindi news channel, while Asian Academy of Film and TV has been named the best institute for film and TV.

OPEN LETTER TO ANNA HAZARE

OPEN LETTER TO SRI ANNA HAZARE, R/o. Ralegaon Siddhi, Maharashtra :
Dear Anna ji.,
Namaskar.
We know you are an Agent of RSS/BJP.. but there is nothing wrong with that.. Please acknowledge it.. and move on., BJP/RSS/VHP/BajrangDal (The Hate Parivaar Criminals)., are taking undue advantage of the gentlemanliness of P.M. Manmohan Singh and Smt. Sonia Gandhi.
Anna and RSS must be met with the style of Indira Gandhi. Let the Govt. fall. Let there be new elections. So be it.
Corruption is endemic in India. Computerise Revenue Records to reduce corruption in revenue dept. Remove the permits/licence Raj of the Municipal Corporations thru-out India. Municipal Offices are the FOUNTAINHEAD of corruption. Remove the damn powers of these criminal Govt. Servants., to stop corruption. POWER KHEENCH LO. Empower the Aam Citizen. Disempower the Municipal Corporation Inspector.
CHRONIC DHOKEBAAJ BJP: It doesnt want a powerful Lokpal. Sirf Drama hai. Because BJP is as bad (if not more) than Congress when it comes to corruption. Paisa is the weakness of all... and all Parties (colours) agree in the DARK. Andhere mein sab colors ek hain. Sab ek hamaam mein nangey hain.
MMS and SONIA are a blessing for India., and these RSS criminals are taking undue advantage of their decency..
ARREST TOGADIA - SINGHAL - RITHAMBHARA., and PLACE THEM B4 THE FIRING SQUAD., OR HANG THEM. ALSO HANG AFZAL GURU AND KASSAB ALONG WITH THEM.
OBVIOUSLY, Gujarat does not have a Lokpal or a Lok-Ayukta. How about Anna Hazare starting his demand for a LOKPAL from Gujarat / Why does Anna., not hold his dharna in BJP-ruled states ?
Corruption is bad. Be it Congress-corruption., or BJP (RSS) corruption. But he is selectively targeting Congress ! Therein lies the achille's heel of his movement. It has a political agenda to it.
RSS wants to grab power thru the backdoor. Utilising the public anger / sentiment / emotion against corruption of public (Govt) officials., and channelling that into electoral gain. Add communal cyanide to it., and you have a FASCIST regime in all its glory. In short., Hindutva Taliban in power in Delhi., to destroy and destruct India at its core.
BJP is Dhokebaaj personified. It filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India that it will honor the status-quo of Babri Masjid in 1992 ! And in broad daylight demolished it. In Dec 1992, it was "ek dhakka aur do - babri masjid tod do". In Dec 2011., it is "ek dhakka aur do., bharat kaa constitution / sanvidhaan tod do".
IN 1977, RSS used anger against Indira., and utilised the services of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan to grab political power. The Janata Party experiment failed on the issue of dual membership.. RSS was the villian of the piece. After that, the bad-naam (ill-famed) Janasangh came in its new Avatar., the BJP ! RSS is using the same trick now. Instead of JP we have Anna. Instead of hatred for Indira Gandhi and Sanjaya., the villian today is the corrupt govt. servant / bureaucrat / politician - goonda ! Bring a symbol (JP in 1977, Anna 2011) - use it - garner votes - win elections - grab power - make money - destroy Indian Republic. That is the Grand RSS design.
WHILE THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IS COMMENDABLE AND MUST BE SUPPORTED, the means are as important as the end.
While fighting corruption, we cannot install Hindutva-Taliban in power in Delhi., to destroy the Republic of India.
IF ANY GOVT. SERVANT ASKS FOR BRIBE., JUST BEAT HIM BLACK AND BLUE... THEN AND THERE. GOVT. SERVANT / REVENUE OFFICIAL / MUNICIPAL INSPECTOR /POLICEMAN., MUST NOW BE AFRAID OF THE INDIAN CITIZEN (AAM AADMI) and not the other way round. The days of DHAUNS (forced fear) of the Police are over... and must be flushed-out a.s.a.p.
cc : Smt. Kiran Bedi IPS (Retd), Sri. Arvind Kejrival I.R.S (Retd).
NB1 : Kiran, Arvind : While your INTENT may be honourable., you dont realise the long-term implications of this movement. It may lead to the dismantling of the system we have. No matter how corrupt, it exists. I am aware it is rotting... but in an effort to fight corruption., do not bring the whole system down. Fight for the empowerment of the citizen. Strengthen the tools. RTI... RTE... and now RTF.. + MGNREGA. These are great schemes. STRENGTHEN THEM. Give confidence to the AAM AADMI to fight a corrupt bureaucrat / lower level Govt. employee. Replace the FEAR in the hearts of an Aam Aadmi (for a Plice Inspector / Municipal Inspector)., with CONFIDENCE.

UAE employees to get 5.7% pay hike in 2012

Dubai, December 30: Salaries increased by an average of 5.5 per cent across all industries in the UAE during 2011 compared to 4.4 per cent the previous year, according to Towers Watson research.
“Next year, we expect pay increases to be approximately 0.5 percentage points higher than 2011,” said Billy Turriff, Business Leader for Data, Surveys and Technology at Towers Watson Middle East.
These finding were announced at the company’s annual Middle East HR Forum, where it also predicted that salaries in the UAE are expected to rise by a further 5.7 per cent in 2012. According to Towers Watson, of the GCC countries in 2011 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had the highest average salary increase of 6.2 per cent, followed by Qatar (5.8 per cent), Kuwait and the UAE (5.5 per cent), Oman (5.3 per cent), and Bahrain (5 per cent). Egypt led the way in the MENA region with a 10 per cent growth, while Bahrain saw the smallest increase at 5 per cent.
The research shows private sector salary increases were higher overall in 2011 than the previous year, and the number of companies in the region freezing salaries dropped significantly compared to the previous two years. “The data provides some interesting insights into rewards and compensation trends, particularly how salaries have continued to increase despite the economic and political turmoil that has affected many countries in the MENA region,” added Turriff. “With overall remuneration levels increasing in 2011, more organisations are using bonuses and allowances to differentiate their rewards offerings against the competition,” he said. The data quoted is based on a sample of over 20,000 employees working across 171 multinational and local companies.

Indonesia Hindus, Muslims unites on Ritual war

Jakarta, December 30: Promoting tolerance and mutual understanding between Muslims and Hindus in West Lombok district in southern Indonesia, hundreds of people participated in centuries-old tradition of a so-called ritual war of topat that symbolizes brotherhood between the districts’ different faiths.
“It’s the world’s only war of brotherhood and tolerance that is waged without hatred and victims,” West Lombok regent Zaini Arony told The Jakarta Post on Monday, December 26.
Every year, Muslims and Hindus gather at the complex of Pura Lingsar, a historic temple in Lingsar village, West Lombok. Participants from all ages, male and female, are separated into two groups, one in the yard of Pura Gaduh, a Hindu prayer house, and the other in the yard of Kemaliq, a sacred place for the ethnic Sasak Muslim community. Getting the start sign at 5 pm, participants start perang topat, or the war of topat, by hurling boiled rice cakes in coconut leaves in a centuries-old tradition in Lingsar village.
When the fight is over, the remaining rice cakes are always taken home to be strewn over paddy fields for soil fertility or placed in shops for profit. The Hindu-Muslim gathering is not limited to the hour-long event. Two-days before the event, Hindus and Muslims slaughter two buffalos as a sacrifice which unites them in one banquet “As cows are sacred in Hindu belief, and Muslims are forbidden to consume pigs, buffalos have been chosen. So all offerings in Pura Lingsar must only be chicken or buffalo meat,” said Suparman Taufik, chief of Kemaliq in Pura Lingsar. “If violated, there could be grave consequences.”
The topat ritual was followed by a three-day reflection by both Hindus and Muslims in Pura Gaduh and Kemaliq. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim state with Muslims making up around 85 percent of its 237-million population. According to CIA factbook, the country is home to a Hindu minority that represents 1.8% of its population.
Attractive District
Promoting harmony between local Muslims and Hindus, the event attracts tourists who find the district comfortable. “India, with its Hindu majority, has the Taj Mahal as Muslim heritage and Indonesia with its Muslim majority has Borobudur and other temples, so there’s no reason for disharmony,” Arony said.
“This reflects the colors of culture,” he added.
This year, a lot of domestic and foreign tourists witnessed the ritual.
“Perhaps only in Lingsar can they find Hindu and Muslim celebrations held on the same date and in the same place, although we have different versions,” said Kemaliq chief executive Suparman Taufik.
Every year, the celebration falls on the 15th of the seventh month of the Sasak-Lombok calendar, called full moon of the 7th month, or the 15th of the sixth month of the Hindu-Bali calendar, known as full moon of the 6th month, which this year fell on Dec. 10.
On that day, Hindus also celebrated the anniversary of Pura Lingsar while Muslims commemorated the great services of Raden Mas Sumilir, an Islamic scholar from Demak, Central Java, who was in Lombok in the 15th century. “Through generations, we’ve been practicing this tradition after bumper harvests, by which we express our deep gratitude to God and anticipate soil fertility in the current planting season,” said Sahyan, 36-years-old, a Lingsar resident managing the Kemaliq house. “It’s also a means of strengthening relations with fellow Hindu villagers,” he added.

Was India A.Q. Khan's mysterious fourth customer?

Washington:A US arms control expert has made the astonishing claim that India may have been the mysterious fourth customer of Pakistan's notorious nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, dubbed father of Islamabad's nuclear bomb.
Journalist Joshua Pollack, a US policy wonk who has done work on nuclear proliferation, makes the assertion of all places in Playboy that Khan "provided the shortcut to a nuclear weapon" to India besides Iran, Libya and North Korea.
The evidence he provides is pretty thin: "Only three countries are known to operate centrifuge technology similar to Pakistan's. Two of them, Iran and North Korea, are already accounted for among Khan's customers".
"The third and last country on the list: India, Pakistan's foe," concludes Pollack, suggesting that it was "an overlooked possibility, previously ignored because it seemed too absurd to consider, but it might be the most compelling answer to the fourth-customer mystery".
Although India, which conducted its first nuclear test May 18, 1974, "had beaten Pakistan to the bomb, they had done so through mastery of plutonium production - a different route to creating a nuclear weapon," he said.
"India's ability to enrich uranium remained limited. New Delhi started a centrifuge programme in the 1970s, but the Indians weren't ready to break ground on their main enrichment facility until 1986."
"By that point, Pakistan had been churning out weapons-grade uranium for at least three years," Pollack claimed.
India's enrichment programme progressed slowly, but at some point before 1992 the Indians began experimenting with supercritical centrifuges, devices that can withstand very high rotational speeds, he said.
Documents the Indians gave potential suppliers for centrifuge parts "provide strong clues about where New Delhi's supercritical centrifuge technology came from," Pollack said.
"Despite some changes, the design is recognisable to the trained eye: It almost mirrors the G-2 centrifuge, a design that Khan stole from URENCO in the 1970s and later reproduced as Pakistan's P-2 centrifuge," he said.
Centrifuge specs are not the only apparent link between India's enrichment programme and Khan's operation, Pollack claimed.
The cast of characters also overlaps, starting with Gerhard Wisser, a German living in South Africa, who also supplied India's centrifuge programme with specialised equipment, starting in the late 1980s, he said. -(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

70,000 UK children are roofless: Report

London, December 28: According to UK government figures 69,846 homeless children across England are living in temporary accommodation, the Housing and Homeless Charity Shelter says.
Remarking on the data supplied by the Department for Communities and Local Government, Kay Boycott, the charity's director of communication, policy and campaigns said, "It's simply not right that in an affluent nation like ours, thousands of children will wake up on Christmas Day wanting nothing more than a permanent roof over their head.”
Boycott Referred to the negative impact of homelessness crisis on children's lives, warning, “They often miss out on vital schooling because they are shunted from place to place and many become ill by the poor conditions they are forced to live in.” Slamming the UK government for inaction, the British Shadow Housing Minister Jack Dromey said, "Any action to tackle homelessness is welcome, but the Government appears to be in denial and out of touch with what is really happening to people.”
Furthermore, the new deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Anas Sarwar, supported a “No room at the inn” campaign, calling for “tough new minimum standards” for temporary accommodation.
“As the number of Scots living in temporary accommodation hits a record high, it is more important than ever that we drive up standards,” he added.
However, the UK Housing Minister Grant Shapps insisted, "Statutory homelessness remains lower than in 28 of the last 30 years, and I am determined that we pull out all the stops to ensure that every household knows help is at hand.

Every 23 Britons chase one job

London, December 30: A new report has warned that there is only one job opportunity for every 23 people in Britain, where the economy is 'heading inexorably towards recession'.
The report, by the recruitment website Totaljobs.com, has said that the British are engaged in an intense fight for employment, with the private sector failing to hire redundant State workers in sufficient numbers.
It said that almost 4 million people are looking for jobs and the jobs that draw the attention of most applicants are the ones, which require no professional skills.
The number of applications for each job vacancy has jumped by more than 50 percent for customer service, secretarial and retail roles over the past year, the report said.
On average, the report said 46 people apply for each customer service job, 45 for each secretarial job and 42 for each retail job.
“The omens for 2012 are pretty grim. For starters, we are heading inexorably towards recession with no real end in sight”, said John Salt, director of Totaljobs.com, one of the country's largest recruitment websites.
Overall, the website says there are 23 applications for each job, but the reality is far worse in some parts of the country.
For example, there is an average of 33 applications for each job in the South East, compared with only ten in East Anglia.
“Since March, the whole market has frozen, with companies reluctant to risk a rise in head-count when consumer confidence is taking a battering - and uncertainty around the future of the euro threatens to pull the whole economy back into recession”, said Salt.
“The UK jobs market in 2012 will be weaker than at any time since the recession of the early 1990s”, said John Philpott, chief economic adviser of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
“The combination of worsening job shortages for people without work, mounting job insecurity and a further fall in real earnings for those in work may test the resilience and resolve of the UK workforce far more than it did in the recession of 2008/09”, Philpott said.
He added that there is a 'serious risk' of a surge in private sector redundancies 'given the fragile state of business confidence', but added that there is currently no sign of this happening.

Unemployment rises in Italy

Rome, November 1:Â Italian unemployment rose slightly in September as uncertainty about prospects in the eurozone’s third-largest economy discouraged hiring by companies. Difficulty in finding work was particularly pronounced for the country’s youth.
The jobless rate rose to 8.3 percent in September from 8 percent in August. Unemployment rate among youth – defined as people between 15 and 24 years of age – increased 1.3 percentage point to 29.3 percent, according to preliminary data published Monday by national statistics agency Istat.

Separately, unemployment for the 17 countries that use the euro currency rose to 10.2 percent in September from 10.1 in August, according to a report released by European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg. Joblessness for the 27 members of the EU was 9.7 percent last month.

The value of Italy’s economic output rose 0.3 percent in the second quarter from the three months through March, when it increased 0.1 percent. The slow growth prompted the three major ratings agencies to downgrade Italy’s ability to pay off its 1.9 trillion debt.

The number of unemployed totalled 2.08 million in September, 3.8 percent higher than in August and 3.5 percent more than the same month in 2010, Istat said.

New US jobless claims rise

Washington, December 30: The number of people filing initial applications for unemployment benefits rose last week by 15,000 to 381,000, the US Labor Department said Thursday.
But the rolling four-week average of new claims, viewed as a better gauge of underlying trends, fell 5,750 to 375,000, its lowest level since June 2008.
A four-week average below 400,000 is seen as a positive indicator. New jobless claims were running at around 700,000 a week when President Barack Obama took office in January 2009.
The number of people receiving state unemployment benefits rose 34,000 during the week that ended Dec 17, to 3.6 million, while the ranks of recipients of state or federal jobless aid increased by 79,385 to 7.23 million.
State benefits generally run out after 26 weeks, but the worst economic slump since the Great Depression prompted lawmakers to approve federal emergency programs that provide jobless benefits for up to 99 weeks.
The US economy lost 8.4 million jobs between December 2007 and June 2009, when the recession officially ended.
The Labor Department’s November jobs report, released Dec. 9, showed the unemployment rate dropping from 9 percent to 8.6 percent as the economy added 120,000 net new jobs. The rate now stands at its lowest level in 2 1/2 years.

Indian-origin T&T PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar to visit ancestral Bihar village

Patna, December 30: Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whose ancestors migrated from Bihar to the Caribbean islands in the 19th century, will visit the state’s Bhelupur village in January to trace her roots, officials said Friday. An official in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s office said that Persad-Bissessar will visit Bhelupur in Itarhi block of Buxar district, about 125 km from here, Jan 11.

Her ancestors are said to have migrated as Girmitiya labourers to Trinidad and Tobago, then a British colony in the Caribbean islands.
According to officials, Persad-Bissessar, the first woman prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, will also meet her relatives during her visit. “The district authorities have been making full preparations to welcome her and provide all possible comfort,” Buxar sub divisional magistrate Nishitha Verma told IANS over phone. Verma said a team of district officials visited Bhelupur Wednesday to take stock of the road conditions and work on a helipad for landing of her chopper. Four years ago, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam had visited his ancestral village in the state’s Bhojpur district, about 60 km from here, in search of his roots. A large number of people from Bihar migrated to Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, Suriname, South Africa and other places in the 19th century to serve as indentured labourers on sugarcane and rubber plantations.

Hindus in Russia celebrate Gita verdict; brace for possible appeal

New Delhi/Moscow, December 29: As Hindus in Russia celebrated their legal victory over efforts to have the Bhagavad Gita banned, they are bracing to counter any move by Tomsk city state prosecutors to appeal against the Siberian court verdict dismissing the plea to brand the revered text as “extremist” literature.
With the Leninsky district court Federal Judge G.E. Butenko rejecting the petition of Tomsk city state prosecutors to ban the Gita, Hindus and Krishna devotees in Russia and members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in India held celebratory sessions at their temples and held prayers to express their happiness over the verdict.

“We are very happy with the judgment of the Tomsk city court. To express thanks and our joy, several thousands of Hindus in Russia and Iskcon devotees gathered at the Krishna temple in Moscow and other Iskcon centres in 80 cities of Russia to celebrate and hold prayers,” Sadhu Priya Das, a leader of the Iskcon movement in Russia, told IANS over the phone from Moscow.
In India too, Krishna devotees visited the Iskcon centres and temples to hold celebratory prayers, according to Vrajendra Nandan Das, director and vice president at the Iskcon committee in Delhi.
“In fact, we are planning to hold Bhagavad Gita distribution campaigns in the national capital over the next two days to mark this victory in the Russia court case,” Nandan Das told IANS.
The Tomsk court verdict came about after India took up the matter with Russia, following an IANS report on the case caused a political storm in parliament, with MPs calling for the government to protect the rights of Hindus in Russia. Meanwhile, Hindus in Russia are watchful of the Tomsk state prosecutors as the law provides for them to appeal in the supreme court of Russia in their case seeing a ban on “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” written by Iskcon founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhapada and declare distribution of its Russian translation in Russia illegal. “The state prosecutors do have a right of appeal against the Tomsk city court verdict in the Russian supreme court. But we will get to know if they will appeal only after the 10-day holiday to usher in the New Year. We will also get a copy of the Tomsk court verdict only after the holidays,” Sadhu Priya Das said. He said personally, he was hopeful the state prosecutors may not appeal, as there was no private party in the case that was aggrieved by the judgment. “It is a state prosecutors’ case. So they may decide against appealing. We hope they decide against it,” he added.
Legal eagles from India too warned of possibilities of Tomsk state prosecutors appealing against the lower court’s judgment in the Russian supreme court. K.V. Dhananjay, a Supreme Court of India lawyer and leader of an advocates’ coalition wanting to implead in the Siberian court case earlier, said there were legal provisions under the Russian federal law on countering extremist activity for an appeal.
“Article 13 of the Federal Law on Counteracting Extremist Activity assures an appeal against any decision on the inclusion of materials in the federal list of extremist materials,” he pointed out.
“The prosecutors may still appeal to the supreme court of the Russian Federation against the decision of the Leninsky district court to refuse declaring the ‘Bhagavad Gita As It Is’ as extremist literature for the purpose of Article 1 of their federal law. “We hope that good sense will prevail upon those prosecutors and they will realise the blunder they just committed. This decision of the district court may even help the cause of religious freedom in Russia that has come under increasing attack in recent years by overzealous prosecutors,” Dhananjay added.

Year-end review of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for 2011

New Delhi, December 30: 2011 was an eventful year for Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with several Labour and Social Security agreements signed with foreign countries for protection and betterment of Indian workers and professionals. An equally large number of initiatives were taken for constructive and mutually beneficial engagement with the Indian Diaspora.
Some highlights are given below.
Bilateral Labour Agreements for Migrant Workers
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has entered into Bilateral Labour Agreements with UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Malaysia. Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has taken several initiatives for safeguarding the welfare and protection of Indian workers going abroad. The Bilateral Labour Agreements include: (i) Establishment of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the Indian Missions to provide immediate relief to the Indian workers in need and distress, (ii) Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) at New Delhi. This centre has 24×7 helpline and walk-in counseling centre to provide information and to handle workers problems. This centre uses 8 Indian languages and has a toll free number. (iii) Bilateral Social Security Agreements (SSA) for protection of the interests of Indian professionals going abroad and (iv) Indian Workers Resource Centre (IWRC) at Dubai for providing information to the Indian workers and to handle their problems.
Revised MoU on Manpower with UAE
A revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on manpower was signed in September 2011. The MoU will strengthen the symbiotic relationship and mutual cooperation between the two countries. The revised MoU will boost the initiative of the Ministry in implementing Web Based Attestation Procedure for employment contracts for emigrant workers in UAE by the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi. A need has been felt over the years to revise the MoU, which was signed between India and the UAE in December, 2006 to address various problems faced by the Indian emigrant workers in the UAE. The MoU in the field of manpower between India and the UAE provides: (i) Facilitation of the recruitment of Indian manpower for working in the UAE (ii) Broad procedure for employment of workers; Responsibilities of the employers and workers (iii) Exchange of knowledge and experience in job-creation and generation of employment opportunity (iv) Protection and welfare of workers under the labour laws and regulations of the host country (v) Authentication of the work contract between the Employer and the employee by the Ministry of Labour, Government of UAE (vi) and (vii) Constitution of a Joint Committee comprising of at least three Members each from both the Governments to implement the provisions of the MoU.
Social Security Agreements
The Ministry has concluded the Social Security Agreements (SSA) with Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark. A comprehensive SSA was signed with Germany at Berlin in October, 2011. The SSA between India and France came into force with effect from 01.07.2011 and the SSA between India and Luxembourg came into force with effect from 1st June, 2011. The administrative Arrangement of the SSA between India and the Republic of Korea was signed at Seoul in July this year. A Norwegian Delegation and a Japanese delegation visited New Delhi this year for finalization of forms of the SSA. Countries with which India has already signed SSA but the agreements have not come into force due to finalization of forms being under process are; Netherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic, Norway. The Government is in negotiations on Social Security Agreements with Portugal, Canada, Finland, Austria, Sweden, Australia and Japan. The bilateral Social Security Agreements protect the interests of Indian professionals by providing following benefits:


Exemption from social security contribution for the posted (detached) workers (provided the worker is covered under the Indian social security system and continues to pay his contribution to the Indian system during the period of contract). Exportability of benefits in case of relocation to India or any other country after having made social security contribution. Totalization of the periods of contribution pertaining to both countries for the purpose of assessing eligibility for benefit/pension under the legislation of each country. Social Security Agreements provides for pension and insurance benefits to Indian workers working abroad in the countries with whom India has entered into an SSA.
9th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the flagship event of the Ministry organized every year in January since 2003, with a view to connect India to its vast Indian diaspora and bringing their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform. The 9th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention was held in New Delhi from 7th to 9th January, 2011. The Convention was inaugurated by the Prime Minister and the valedictory address was delivered by the President. The President also conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to the eminent Overseas Indians. The theme of the event was “Engaging the Global Indian”. Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor General of New Zealand was the Chief Guest for 9th PBD.
Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Canada
The fifth Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) was held in Toronto from 9th and 10th June 2011 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The theme of the Conference was “Building bridges: Positioning strategies for the Indian diaspora”.
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra
The Ground-breaking ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK) was held in April 2011 and the construction work of building has been commenced. The PBK will be the prominent centre for Overseas Indians. It will serve as the focal point of the institutional framework to benefit from networks with and among overseas Indians. The Kendra will develop into the hub of activities for sustainable, symbiotic and mutually rewarding economic, social and cultural engagement between India and its Diaspora. The Kendra would have the facilities such as library/research centre, flexible capacity meeting rooms, Indian Cultural Centre, art auditorium and fully fledged business centres etc. The PBK will be established on three plots of lands, measuring about 9800 sq. mts. at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
Unveiling of Memorial plaque at Kolkata
A Memorial plaque in honour of Indian Indentured Labourers was unveiled at Kidderpore Dock, Kolkata Port to commemorate the thousands of indentured Indian workers who sailed from Kolkata Port between 1834 and 1920, to lands far away, seeking better livelihoods for themselves and their families. This memorial symbolizes the deep emotional connect the descendants of those Indians, who are now living in different countries of the world. During the indenture system, which lasted from 1833 to 1920, more than 1,190,000 Indians were sent to work to different parts of the world. About 453,000 went to Mauritius, 239,000 to British Guiana, 144,000 to Trinidad and 152,000 to Natal, South Africa. This is the first ever Memorial established in India in honour of Indian Indentured Labourers that travelled from India in the 19th & 20th centuries. The Kolkata Memorial recognizes and honours the indomitable spirit and heroism of all Indians who left the shores of their motherland from 1833 to 1920 to embark a long and hazardous journeys to far away
Web-Based Attestation Procedure for Overseas Indian Workers 
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs announced to implement a web-based attestation procedure for the benefit of Indian workers going to the UAE for employment. The Web Based Attestation Procedure will include registration of employers, online filing of the demand, online receipt of documents from Indian Missions, filing of details of employees selected and finally the Emigration Clearance of the Protector of Emigrants (POE). This system will provide access to all data/information related to the recruitment of Indian Emigrant Workers in the country of destination to the Indian Mission, the employer, the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) and the Protector of Emigrants (POE). Thus, the system will provide a data bank of the employer, the Indian worker, contract validation, control on recruitment and grievance redressal and the resolution of labour disputes.
6th Head of Missions Conference
The 6th Annual Conference of the Head of Missions was held in New Delhi. Heads of Indian Missions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as Jordan, Yemen, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Iraq attended the conference. The Agenda of the Conference was, the new initiatives in the Emigration Policy being framed by the Ministry, review of various welfare measures at the Mission level, strengthening Grievance Redressal Mechanism at the Mission level, follow up on the Joint Working Group meetings’ decisions, pursuant to labour MoUs with five GCC countries etc. The two day Conference was an important institutional initiative to discuss various issues and problems relating to the Overseas Indian Community, especially the expatriate workers and to further develop an institutional framework and operational mechanism to effectively address the concerns of Overseas Indians.
4th Consultation meeting with State Governments
The 4th Consultation Meeting with State Governments on Emigration Management held in New Delhi. The two-day consultation meeting is being organized to discuss various emigration and Diaspora related matters and how best the Ministry can partner with the State Governments to provide required support and guidance in effectively addressing the concerns of Overseas Indians. The aim of this consultation meeting was to take this engagement of the States to the next level in Emigration Management. This meeting is an important initiative of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) for providing a platform for the State Governments to make suggestions and recommendations to the Government of India in the matter of emigration and overseas Indians.
Know India Programme
35 participants from 12 countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, New Zealand, Peru, Suriname, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, UK and Zimbabwe) participated in the 16th Know India Programme from 5th- 26th January 2011. A group of 24 diaspora youth from seven countries attended 17th Know India Programme (KIP) from 28th April to 18th May, 2011. The Programme was conducted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. The 18th Know India Programme (KIP) of this Ministry held from 21st September, 2011 to 11th October, 2011 with partner State of Rajasthan. 28 Diaspora Youth in the age group of 18-26 years (12 girls and 16 boys) from six countries (Australia, Fiji, South Africa, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Malaysia) took part in the progrmme.
The Know India Programme, by the Ministry of Overseas Indian affairs is organized for diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years is conducted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. The programme is held in partnership with one or two State Governments with a view to promoting awareness on the different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields e.g. economic, industrial, education, science & technology, communication and information technology and culture.
-Courtesy: PIB

Seven Indian bootleggers in Dubai escape death sentence

Dubai, December 30: Ten bootleggers including seven Indians have escaped death sentence after a court modified charges of premeditated murder and re-charged them with beating their rival which led to his death, says a report in Arab News.

According to the report, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the ten persons – seven Indians, two Pakistanis and a Bangladeshi – to two years in jail each followed by deportation. The prosecutors had accused them of pre-meditatedly murdering their Indian rival by attacking him with wooden bars and iron clubs. The court did not agree with the prosecution’s accusation and motive that the defendants intended to pre-meditatedly kill the victim and decided to cancel the premeditated murder charge and re-charge the defendants with beating the victim AK which led to his death.
The report states that the incident happened between two bootlegging groups competing for the jurisdiction of selling and providing liquor to residents. The first defendant led a group of bootleggers and fought with AK and his group members.

Indians in UAE urged to exercise Right to Information

Dubai, December 30: Indians in the UAE have been asked to exercise Right to Information (RTI) to address issues back home, says a report in Emirates 24/7.

Musthafa Zafeer O V, a senior lawyer and Managing Partner of Musthafa and Almana, has said that “NRIs can avail of the RTI Act to seek answers with regard to skewed charges by government departments, hospitals, university admissions and other issues in their home country.” Speaking during Indo-UAE legal lectures, Asaf Ali, Director-General of Prosecution and State Public Prosecutor of the Kerala High Court was quoted as saying: “There are many challenges that NRIs face when they apply for building permits and loans. Things may be inordinately delayed.” He added: “NRIs can seek justice by asking questions under the RTI Act. But the number of NRIs who file RTI applications is still small.”

Virus sickens 110,000 in Vietnam, kills 166

30 December 2011 Vietnam says an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease has infected more than 110,000 people this year and killed 166, most of them children under 5 years old.
HANOI(AP),2011,December 30: Vietnam says an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease has infected more than 110,000 people this year and killed 166, most of them children under 5 years old.
A Health Ministry official said Friday that the infection rate was slowing from a September peak of 3,000 per week to about 1,500 per week in December. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
The virus typically infects up to 15,000 children per year in Vietnam, killing 20 to 30 of them. Most people recover quickly from the illness after little more than a fever and rash.
The official says this year’s figures cannot easily be compared to previous years, because the government has only collected thorough data on this disease in the past year.

Russia hands over Nerpa nuclear sub to India

 MOSCOW (AFP),2011,December 30: Russia has handed over the nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India following more than two years of delays, a senior naval official was quoted as saying Friday.
“The signing ceremony happened yesterday at the Bolshoi Kamen ship building facility in the (Far East) Primorye region where the Nerpa is now based,” the official in the naval chief of staff told ITAR-TASS.
The report said an Indian crew would sail the Akula II class craft to its home base at the end of January after receiving it on a 10-year lease, in a deal that has angered India’s arch-rival Pakistan.
“All of the naval tests and performance checks have been completed,” the Russian official said.
“The crew will begin making themselves feel at home on board the craft after New Year and start sailing it to India in the latter half of January.” The Nerpa will be the first nuclear-powered submarine to be operated by India in nearly two decades after it decommissioned its last such Soviet-built vessel in 1991.
India is currently completing the development of its own Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarines and the Nerpa’s delivery is expected to help crews train for the domestic boat’s introduction into service next year. The Russian Pacific port ceremony was held on the same day that a shipyard fire engulfed the Northern Fleet’s Yekaterinburg nuclear-powered strategic submarine in the Murmansk region on the opposite side of the country. The Nerpa had initially been due to be handed over to India in 2009 but experienced various problems during testing. It suffered a mishap during trials in the Sea of Japan in November 2008 that killed 20 sailors when a fire extinguisher released a deadly chemical that was accidentally loaded into the system. Media reports said that some of the ship’s equipment malfunctioned during testing and that the weapons navigation system did not work to India’s specifications. The 8,140-tonne vessel can fire a range of torpedoes as well as Granat cruise missiles that can be nuclear-tipped. India has promised not to arm the submarine with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles under its obligations to international treaties it adopted after conducting a series of atomic tests in the 1990s.
But the craft’s delivery has still angered Pakistan.
“Rest assured, there will be no compromise in terms of maintaining the credibility of our deterrence,” Pakistan foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit was quoted as saying by The Asian Age newspaper this week. The submarine is due to be commissioned as the INS Chakra in India under a 2004 agreement that had seen seen the South Asian giant pay $650 million in construction costs.
Newspaper reports in India said New Delhi may end up paying as much as $900 million under the terms of the deal. Russia supplies 70 percent of India’s military hardware but New Delhi has been unhappy about delays to arms orders from Moscow and looked to other suppliers including Israel and the United States in recent years.

India increases borrowing plan

MUMBAI,2011,December 31: India increased its record borrowing programme for the year by 8.5 per cent to narrow a budget shortfall as a slowing economy damps tax collections.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government will sell an additional Rs400 billion ($7.5 billion) of bonds in the year ending March 31 raising an unprecedented total of Rs5.1 trillion, the central bank said in a statement on Friday. Indian 10-year benchmark bond yields have jumped the most in Asia after Vietnam, as the government sold more debt to meet its target of keeping the budget gap to 4.6 per cent of gross domestic product. The rate on the 8.79 per cent note due November 2021 climbed two basis points today and 20 this week to 8.57 per cent, according to the central bank’s trading system. “The market is already burdened by supplies,” Debendra Kumar Dash, a fixed-income trader at Development Credit Bank in Mumbai. “However this increase was expected, and so while we could see yields rising in early trades on Monday, they will settle down soon.” The 10-year bond yield could rise as high as 8.70 per cent, according to Development Credit Bank and IDBI Bank following the increase in the bond-sale plan. The Reserve Bank of India has said the government must rein in borrowings to help check price gains and boost economic growth. The $1.7 trillion economy may miss the central bank’s growth estimate of 7.6 per cent for the 12 months ending March 31, Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on December 22. The government increased its borrowing plan by Rs528.7 billion in September. The nation’s indirect tax revenue rose 16.9 per cent in the eight months through November from a year earlier, S.K. Goel, chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, said on December 9. That compares with a target for a 17.3 per cent increase this fiscal year.

Kerala CM promises all help to non-resident Keralities

 TRIVANDRUM,2011,December30: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has promised to actively consider an idea mooted by non-resident Keralities (NRKs) to set up a commercial bank and a university exclusively for the NRKs.Responding to the suggestion made by Dubai-based NRK businessman M A Yusuf Ali in this regard during a face-to-face programme at the Global NRK Meet that concluded here on Friday, he said that the state government would take up the proposal with the concerned federal agencies.
“We need clearances from Reserve Bank of India for the NRK bank and the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) for the university. Both are good ideas that will be pursued in all seriousness”, he added. Yusuf Ali, who is also the vice-chairman of Norka-Roots, the field agency of the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department, suggested setting up of the NRK University with NRK participation. He wanted the state government stake in both ventures limited to 26 per cent.
The chief minister who spent nearly two hours listening to the NRKs, who came mostly from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, said a senior official of the Norka would be sent to the Gulf countries to study the problems faced by the Keralites living there.
The official will gather details regarding Keralites languishing in jails and people with terminal illness and the victims of fly-by-operators, especially the women stranded in the Middle East. “We would begin repatriation of prisoners who have exceeded their prison term long back very soon”, Chandy said.
The chief minister said that the government will start repatriation from Saudi Arabia with the help of the Indian mission there. Delegates from the country have also extended their support to the government in this regard.
Chandy appealed to the Kerala groups in other countries to inform him immediately how many prisoners they can send back similarly. He said that the government will expand the Norka Cell by including an Inspector General of Police and a Deputy Superintendent of Police to find solutions to the problems faced by the Non-Resident Keralites. He expressed the hope that most of the problems faced by the NRKs could be solved after the enactment of the Right to Services Bill his government has mooted. Chandy said that all the suggestions made by the delegates at the meet will be examined carefully and action taken on that. Norka Minister K C Joseph, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala, Planning Board member G Vijayaraghavan and Norka-Roots director C K Menon participated in the programme.

Andhra to go ahead with land acquisition for nuclear plant

 HYDERABAD,2011,December31: Despite widespread public protests, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to go ahead with land acquisition for the 6,000 MW nuclear power plant at Kovvada in the north coastal district of Srikakulam.The state government has issued an order to acquire 1000 hectares of land from farmers in the region including 775.5 hectares for the power plant, being set up by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), and another 125 hectares for an integrated township.
The move comes in the backdrop of raging protests over the Kudankulam plant in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The government constituted a eleven-member team and appointed 28 officials on contract for the purpose of land acquisition. The NPCIL will pay for the land and salaries to the acquisition staff while the state-run AP Power Generation Corporation will be the nodal agency to oversee the entire project.
The proposed nuclear plant has raised the hackles of local farmers, opposition parties and environmentalists who argue that it would cause pollution and large-scale displacement. “The proposed nuclear reactors at Kovvada are untested and could be unsafe. It is unfortunate that India has embarked on a nuclear adventure by opening the floodgates to foreign reactors, without ensuring that matching arrangements exist for an independent regulatory oversight. The centre has shown utter disregard to public opinion,” said EAS Sarma, a former Union Energy Secretary and noted environmentalist. Ironically, Kovvada was among the first set of four sites identified by the government last year for setting up nuclear plants as part of the civil nuclear agreement with United States. The ambitious Rs600 billion plant involves construction of six nuclear reactors with the capacity of each unit varying from 1000 MWe to 1250 MWe. Being developed with US technical know-how, the project requires a whopping 9,000 acres of land. The other three sites identified by NPCL for establishing nuclear parks are Pati Sonapur (Orissa), Haripur (West Bengal) and Kutch (Gujarat).

UK police apologise to Indian shooting victim’s father

 LONDON(AFP),2011,December30: A British police force apologised on Friday after it confirmed that the father of an Indian student shot dead in Manchester found out about his son’s murder on Facebook.
Anuj Bidve, a 23-year-old postgraduate student, was shot in the head at close range early Monday in Salford as he walked into Manchester city centre with Indian friends.
The murder is being treated by detectives as a “hate crime” which may have been racially motivated.
Greater Manchester Police have offered a £50,000 ($78,000, 60,000 euros) reward for information.
Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said Subhash Bidve, the victim’s father, read a post on the social networking site before officers were able to contact him by more conventional means.
“That is not the way anyone should have to find out something so devastating and we completely understand how upset the family are,” she said.
“Social networking is instantaneous and we have no control over when and what people post on such sites, but no one should hear such tragic news in this way.”
Earlier, the father told BBC radio: “Nobody official from the UK government or consulate or the Indian government called us and told us about this. “I am really surprised because they confiscated his phone and must have known his father’s or mother’s number.
“They could have called us and told us what had happened to him.” Police said a 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys arrested over the murder have been released on bail. Two men aged 19 and 20 remain in custody. Bidve, from the western Indian city of Pune, was studying micro-electronics at nearby Lancaster University and had been on a short break in Manchester with eight Indian friends when he was shot.
Police said the students were walking from their hotel towards the city centre when they became aware of two men on the other side of the street. A white male walked across the road and after a brief conversation with the victim produced a gun and shot him at close range, before running off. Bidve died in hospital a short time later. Police have not revealed what the conversation was about.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle, who is leading the investigation, said the reward was issued at an early stage because of the seriousness of the murder.
“It is an extremely unusual, savage and motiveless attack, an absolutely horrific crime, which is why we are taking the step of issuing it (the reward) a bit earlier than we normally would.
“We absolutely understand the need to take whoever is responsible for this off the streets.”

FZ staff told not to work outside zone

Employees of companies in free zones should only work in those areas where their work permits are valid, Humaid bin Deemas, the Ministry of Labour, clarified.

DUBAI,2011,December,31: Employees of companies in free zones (FZs) should only work in those areas where their work permits are valid and not in the main commercial centres in the country, Humaid bin Deemas, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour, clarified during an Open Day here on Thursday. He said this when the owner of a free zone company applied for an exemption from paying fines imposed as some of his workers were found working outside the free zone. The application was rejected. Bin Deemas said: “They are not qualified to work in the main areas of the UAE. The conditions in the free zones are liberal and there is no fair competition as requirements for workers in other areas differ.” The owner of another company requested for a reduction in fines imposed on his firm because his service agent, who was responsible for official matters, did not inform him of some pending penalties as he had died two years back. Bin Deemas accepted his request saying: “The company wasn’t informed about these fines, and he brought in a death certificate as evidence. In such cases, we accept the fine reduction request.”Employees of companies in free zones (FZs) should only work in those areas where their work permits are valid and not in the main commercial centres in the country, Humaid bin Deemas, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour, clarified during an Open Day here on Thursday.
A woman came with her teenage daughter with an interesting request. She claimed her daughter was the owner of the shop she worked in and asked for an exemption from a fine of Dh9,000 slapped on the firm. The woman said she did not have any income to support herself except from her job at the wedding arrangement shop purportedly owned by the minor girl. Bin Deemas refused to reduce the fine and informed her that it was the owner’s responsibility to pay the fine or file a complaint at the ministry. When informed that the owner was her teenage daughter, he said: “This case is closed and does not make any sense. How can a teenager own a company and hire her/his father/mother to work in it? There is something wrong.”
Another employer came with a request to give permits to employ 50 more workers by his firm as the Labour Ministry office in Dubai has only given him permits for only five workers. After reviewing the office’s report, which said the owner had not provided suitable housing for 50 workers, Bin Deemas said: “If there are new contracts requiring more workers and the owner has arranged suitable housing, we can approve such requests.”

Police wait for forensic report

 The Sharjah Police are awaiting the forensic report to conclude the investigation into the alleged molestation of an Indian kindergarten girl by a school bus supervisor.
SHARJAH ,2011,December31: The Sharjah Police are awaiting the forensic report to conclude the investigation into the alleged molestation of an Indian kindergarten girl by a school bus supervisor, who has been detained.

Police sources said the alleged incident took place last week. The four-year-old girl’s parents lodged a complaint with the police on Monday that the 35-year-old bus supervisor molested their daughter and that they took her to Al Qasimi Hospital for a medical check-up.
The parents said when their daughter returned home after school, they noticed semen stains on her dress. When they enquired from her what had happened, she described the incident.
The police source said they are still interrogating the suspect and that they are waiting for the forensic report. The bus supervisor had been working in the school for more than two years. Sharjah Indian School authorities confirmed that he had a clean record and that there had not been any complaints against him. The issue would be investigated by the legal authorities, they said.
Al Qasimi Hospital confirmed that its emergency section received the girl and conducted a medical examination. The report has been handed over to the police.
In another development this week, the Indian parents of a four-year-old boy lodged a complaint with the Al Ghareb police station that an Indian watchman of their building tried to rape their son. The watchman allegedly dragged the boy into his room, tried to assault him but let him off when heard someone’s footsteps. When the boy got home, he informed the parents about the incident. The police arrested the watchman and are investigating the case.
In Dubai, three men were charged with molesting a four-year-old girl in a school bus last year, but they were acquitted by the court. The alleged incident sparked a furore with the community members expressing their concern on the transportation of children in school buses and proposed the appointment of woman supervisors in buses to prevent such incidents. Some schools have already started posting women staff in school buses.

Free health camp for workers on Jan 6 in Dubai

 DUBAI,2011,December,31: The Dubai-based DM Healthcare Group has joined hands with the Indian Ladies Association (ILA), Dubai, to host a free health camp for the underprivileged Indian workers in the UAE.
The Consulate-General of India has extended its support to the initiative, offering its premises for the camp. The health camp will be held on January 6, 2012 from 8.30am to 11.30am. The camp is meant for those who are not covered by insurance and fall in the income bracket of a monthly salary of Dh2,000 and below. Eligible people can register by calling on 050 1152021 or 056 6945125 on January 2 and 3 between 10am to 1pm only. Those who are diabetic and above the age of 40 would be required to come in fasting and bring previous medical reports if any.

3 critically hurt in tanker fire off Fujairah

FUJAIRAH,2011,December31: An empty oil tanker docked at the ships waiting area opposite the Marbah shores in Fujairah caught fire on Thursday leaving three persons critically injured, while 124 others escaped unhurt. Captain Mossa Murad, Director-General of the Fujairah Seaport, said the operations room at the Fujairah Seaport was informed on Thursday evening about a massive fire had erupted in an oil tanker anchored off the Marbah coast.
The Indian-flagged ship, From Diba, sailed from the Karachi port in Pakistan and was heading to the Ras Tannura port in Saudi Arabia. Some 26 of the ship crew members, mostly Indians, and 101 technicians tasked with maintenance works were onboard the ship at the time of the fire, Captain Murad said.
“After getting the information, we deployed two towing rescue engines from the Fujairah port to help smother the fire,” he said, adding that the blaze erupted as a result of a welding operation carried out in the empt y oil tank as part of the maintenance work.
Some fishermen who were a few nautical mile away from the fire scene said that they saw the flames and heard explosions.
Khamis Al Yamahi, a fisherman, said: “I was six miles away from the ship, but heard the strong explosion and calls for help from top of the ship.”
“We sailed towards the fire and we could rescue most of those onboard the tanker,” Al Yamahi said, adding that some of the crew members sustained injuries and some others were traumatised.

New York’s Museum of Modern Art to showcase Raj Kapoor’s classic films

New York, December 26: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is going to exhibit eight films by Indian filmmaker Raj Kapoor including ‘Awara’ and ‘Bobby’. The exhibition, titled ‘Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema’ will run from January 6 through January 16. It will showcase Kapoor’s eight legendary films, presented in newly struck 35mm prints, offering an “introduction to one of the most ravishing and influential periods of world cinema.” “Largely unknown in North America—except to millions of fans of South Asian descent actor, director, and mogul Raj Kapoor is revered not only in India but throughout the former Soviet world, the Middle East and beyond for the films he made during the golden age of Indian cinema,” MoMA said.

The exhibition will open with Kapoor’s ‘Awaara’, followed by ‘Barsaat’, ‘Boot Polish’, ‘Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai’, ‘Shree 420′, ‘Meera Nam Joker’ and ‘Bobby..
The exhibition is being curated by artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox Noah Cowan, who also wrote the introductory text and film descriptions for the exhibition.
MoMA also said that Kapoor took the latent romanticism of pre-war Indian commercial cinema and made it frank, intense, and personal, creating a new idiom for the expression of emotion that had little place in traditional Indian literature and drama.
Quoting film critic Elliot Stein, MoMA said, “Kapoor’s singular and gargantuan talent subsumes a variety of influences and affinities— (Charles) Chaplin, Frank Capra, Orson Welles—with even a touch of Russ Meyer apparent in the later work. “At times, his oeuvre recalls the work of a 19th-century European literary giant whose sympathy for the underdog, protean activity, inexhaustible energy and penchant for excess earned him fame and a national reputation as early in life as Kapoor. Yes, Raj Kapoor is—to a degree—the Victor Hugo of Indian cinema.”

International Hindi Festival in Delhi from Jan 10-12

International Hindi Utsav is being organized from January 10 to 12. The programme will start on the occasion of World Hindi Day on January 10 and will end on January 12. The event is organized by Pravasi Duniya, Aksharam, Hansraj College, Delhi University, and is being supported by Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Vishnu Prabhakar Janmstabdi Committee.World Hindi Day – The programme of World Hindi Day will be held in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhawan on January 10 evening at 5.30 at ICCR. Various Delhi-based ambassadors and aficionados of Hindi will be invited in this programme.
Dr. Suresh Goel, Director General, ICCR will be the chief guest of the event. Dr. Namwar Singh, Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik and Dr. Ashok Chakradhar will be the main speakers. India’s ambassador to Fiji will be the special guest to the event. Dr. Ratnakar Pandey, Shri Madan Lal Madhu (Russia) and United States-based Sudha Om Dhingra, editor, Hindi Chetna, Dr. Padmesh (UK), editor Purwaai will be key speakers during the event.
International Hindi Festival
January 10 to 12, 2012
Programme
January 10, 2012, Azad Bhavan, ICCR, ITO
Time 5.30: Opening Ceremony
Subject: Global role of Hindi
Cultural programme
Awara Messiah
Author – Vishnu Prabhakar
Concept- Anil Joshi, Writer & Director – Ramji Bali
January 11, 5.30 pm
Hansraj College Auditorium, University of Delhi
Awards ceremony
Felicitation of Smt Chitra Mudgil, ( Writer) Dr Devendra Raj Ankur( Dramatist) Sheen Kaf Nijam( Poet) Kailash Pant ( Hindi Sevi) Manoj Shrivastav( Eminent Writer) Dr Mahesh Chandera Gupta, President, Delhi Hindi Sahhitya Sammelan)
Poetry Recitation Convention
Special Award –UK Hindi committee, working for past 20 years for Hindi in UK
January 12, 5.30 pm
Hansraj College Auditorium, University of Delhi
Academic Session:
January 11, 2012; Location: Hansraj College Auditorium, University of Delhi

 Main auditorium Auditorium Seminar Room
January 11, 10 am
Opening of the academic sessions and Seminar on
Smt. Sudha Om Dhingra, Dr Anita Kapoor, Dr. Pdmesh Gupta, Ms. Divya Mathur, Suresh Shukla, Norway
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January 11, 1:45 pm
Hindi abroad – Language, literature and media
Smt. Sudha Om Dhingra, Dr Anita Kapoor, Dr. Pdmesh Gupta, Ms. Divya Mathur, Suresh Shukla, Norway
Hindi Literature – Contemporary prespective (Dedicated – Sri Vishnu Prabhakar)
Official Language – Challenges and Prospects
January 11 at 3.15 pm
Popular Books
Pravasi Sahitya
Hindi and New Media
January 12, 10 am
‘Hindi and Indian languages ​​in 2050
Speaker – Rahul Dev, Asghar Wajahat, Kailash Pant, Anil Joshi, Shail Agarwal
Hindi and Information Technology
Devanagari script – status and prospects
January 12, 1.45 pm
Teaching of Hindi Abroad
Bhartiya Vandgmay-International Perspectives
Poet Seminar
12 January, 3.45 pm
Literary dialogue with prominent litterateur
Hindi in the field of Knowledge and Science
Children’s Literature
The Pravasi Today Group – which includes magazine like Pravasi Today and portals like pravasiduniya.com, pravasitoday.com, and events like Pravasi Film Festival – through various platforms, connects with the Indian Diaspora. Pravasi Today was launched in the House of Lords, UK in June 2005. With the organisation of Pravasi Film Festival its reach widened internationally. Pravasi Film Festival turned as a milestone in connecting the Diaspora community with their homeland. Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, Prakash Jha, Satish Kaushik, Basu Chatterjee, Rahul Rawail, Manoj Bajpai and many other distinguished filmmakers took part in the film festival. With time, pravasiduniya.com and pravasitoday.com have become the most favoured sites amongst the Indians staying abroad.Programme and speakers’ list is constantly being updated.
Aksharam – For the past ten years, Aksharam has brought Hindi into the national and international platform. Through events like International Hindi Festival and Hindi Knowledge Competition, Aksharam has been bringing renowned Hindi persona from all around the world on a common platform. Each year, from January – February, during the International Hindi festival and various other programmes in the country, well-known poets, authors and journalists like Dr. Karan Singh, Kunwar Narain, Ashok Bajpai, Prabhash Joshi, Prabhakar Srotriya, Ashok Chakradhar, Ravinder Kalia, Giriraj Kishore, Kedarnath Singh, Gyan Chaturvedi, Kamleshwar, Chitra Mudgal, Raji Seth, Narendra Kohli, Ramdarsh Mishra, Rahul Dev, Ved Pratap Vaidik, Uday Prakash, Dr. Satyendra Srivastava, Susm Bedi, Madan Lal Madhu, Naresh Bharatiya, Divya Mathur, Usha Raje Saxena, Kanhaiyalal Nandan participate. Under the umbrella of Hindi Knowledge Competition, a Hindi Knowledge Competition is also held in Europe. The selected students are invited to visit India in the month of August. Through quarterly Aksharam magazine, it has built a bridge between the Indian and overseas Indians.
Hansraj College – Hansraj College was founded in 1948. The college is counted among one of the most reputed colleges of Delhi University. Here, there are various faculties for different branches of studies. The college has 18 science laboratories and a book bank for needy students. Indoor sports facilities as well as electronic shooting range has also been developed in the college. Along with this, there are projectors, LCD and 200 computers in four computer labs. The college has air-conditioned conference room with a seating capacity of 100 people. Some of the famous students from the college include Shah Rukh Khan, Naveen Jindal, etc. There are many famous culture societies in the college, which includes Swaranjali Music Society, Dance Society, Dramatic Society, Debate Society, etc.
Patron
Dr. Ratnakar Pandey (former MP), Dr. Ashok Chakradhar (Vice President – Central Hindi Institute of Learning), Mr. Suresh Goyal (Director General – Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Dr. V. K. Kawatra (Principal – Hansraj College), Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik, Rahul Dev, Dr Prabhakar Srotriya, Santosh Taneja, Virendra Prabhakar
Guide
Dr. Ramdarsh Mishra, Dr. Maheep Singh, Dr. Narendra Kohli, Chitra Mudgal, Raje Seth, Himanshu Joshi, Dr. Arvind Kumar, Bal Swarup Rahi, Dr. Ajit Kumar, Dr. Sitesh Alok, Dr. Satyendra Srivastava, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Mahesh Chand Sharma, Govind Vyas
Consultant
Dr. Lakshmishankar Bajpai (Director – AIR – Delhi), Ajay Gupta (Editor – Gagnanchal -), Brajendra Tripathi (Deputy Secretary – Sahitya Akademi), Rajendra Mishra (former Director General – World Hindi Secretariat), Omkareshwar Pandey (Editor – The Sunday Indian)
International Committee
Dr. Padmesh Gupta, Divya Mathur, Dr Nikhil Kaushik, Jay Verma, Shail Agarwal, Pran Sharma (UK) Dr. Pushpita (Holland), Suresh Shukla (Norway) Dr. Dhananjaya Kumar, Sudha Om Dhingra, Dr Anita Kapoor Mrs. Mridul Kirti, Mrs. Sudarshana Priyadarshini (US) Mrs. Meena Chopra, Mrs. Sneha Thakur, Indira Dheer Vadhera (Canada), Alka Dhanpat (Mauritius)
National Committee
Dr. Dauji Gupta, Dr. Navin Lohani, Kailash Pant (MP), Anant Ram Tripathi (Maharashtra), Shri BD Sharma, Kumud Bansal, Haryana, Ashok Anand, Amar Kharbanda (Uttarakhand), Raj Kamal and Ram Swaroop Rawatsre (Rajasthan) , Mrs. Bharati (Karnataka), Shri Jawahar Kanarvat (Gujarat)
Organising Committee
Chairman – Vishwanath Jee, Vice President – Gopal Agarwal, Narendra Verma, Suman Dhir, Atul Prabhakar, Saroj Sharma, Secretary – Alka Sinha, Shashi Kant, Harsha Arya, Praveen Shukla, Dayashankar Pandey
Academic Committee
Speaker – Dr. Vimlesh Kanti Verma, Divik Ramesh, Dr. Harjendra Chowdhury, Dr. Prem Janmejay, Dr. Harish Naval, Secretary Dr. Chaitanya Prakash, Dr Kamal Kumar
Action Committee
Raghubir Sharma, Satya Tripathi, Geeta Joshi, Mahendra Prajapati, Bhudev Sharma, Vinay Kumar Jha, Ila Kumar, Anil Verma – Meet, Rajamani, Vinay Mishra, Rekha Rohatgi, Vigyan Vrat, Saroj Srivastava, Brajmohan, Nitish Kumar.
Anil Joshi, Chief Coordinator: 09899552099
Dr. Rama Singh, Coordinator: 09891172389
Coordination Committee

Naresh Shandilya      Dr. Narayan Kumar        Chaitanya Prakash        Awadhesh Kumar Singh
098303565                    09268766150                  09350564273                   09868228699
 Participants Form
1. Name:
2. Address:
3. E-mail:
4. Phone No.:
5. Brief Biography:
Ideological and literary sessions and participation in cultural events is free. But for three days, participants will have to pay Rs. 1000 for refreshments and food. Participants must arrange their own accommodation.
Cheque or draft may be sent in the name of Pravasiduniya.
Address – Pravasi Duniya, 51 Second Floor, Rani Jhansi Road, Jhandewalan, Paharganj, New Delhi-55
Anil Joshi
Email- hindiutsav@gmail.com
Tel – 09899552099

117 Indian workers in Nigeria denied salary by firm

Abuja, December 29: A total of 117 Indian workers at Delta Steel Company PLC in Nigeria say they have not been paid by their employer for nearly a year and forced to live like destitutes.
The workers have approached the Indian High Commission at Abuja and Ministry of Indian Overseas Affairs and other concerned agencies in India.

“We are entitled for monthly salary, living allowance, leave travel allowance and other medical and educational expenses,” a spokesman for the workers Dinesh Yadav said. He alleged that the workers are being kept in the country like bonded labourers without any living allowance and salary for last 11 months.
According to the workers, they have no transport facility, proper food, electricity, security or medical cover. They said they were recruited by Global Steel Holding from India and posted to Nigeria’s southern state of Warri to work for the steel company in 2005. “We are entitled for monthly salary, living allowance, leave travel allowance and other medical and educational expenses,” a spokesman for the workers Dinesh Yadav said. He alleged that the workers are being kept in the country like bonded labourers without any living allowance and salary for last 11 months. According to the workers, they have no transport facility, proper food, electricity, security or medical cover. They said they were recruited by Global Steel Holding from India and posted to Nigeria’s southern state of Warri to work for the steel company in 2005.

Indian taxi driver charged for killing two passengers

Melbourne, December 29: Kuljeet Kang, an Indian taxi driver has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving after he slammed his taxi into a tree which killed two passengers he was carrying on the Christmas Day.

Twenty-five-year-old Kuljeet Kang of Spotswood in Melbourne’s inner west, was charged in an out-of-sessions court in Geelong and has been remanded to appear in Local Magistrates Court yesterday, according to media reports here. The double fatality occurred on Sunday afternoon when the car left the road and hit a tree at Princetown. Police alleged that Kang was over the legal blood-alcohol limit and lost control of his taxi before slamming into a tree. The accident killed both of his passengers. Police opposed bail, citing previous cases where Indian nationals have fled from Australia while facing driving charges. The magistrate released Kang after he agreed to surrender his passport and report to police three times a week. He will reappear in court next year.

Programme Schedule of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012

TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
DAY 1 : Saturday, 7th January, 2012

TIME EVENT VENUE

1000-1600 hrs Seminar on Social Entrepreneurship: Water A C Hall (Basement)
Birla Auditorium
1000-1600 hrs Seminar on Solar Energy : Investment and R&D Art Gallery Hall (basement)
Birla Auditourium
1000-1600 hrs Seminar on health Birla Auditorium
1500-1700 hrs Session on Youth Maharana Pratap Auditorium
1900-2000 hrs Cultural Programme by ICCR City Palace
2000-2130 hrs Dinner by EAM City Palace


DAY 2 : Sunday, 8th January, 2012
TIME EVENT VENUE
0900-0945 hrs Inaugural Session Main Hall Birla Auditorium
1015-1130 hrs Plenary Session-I Main Hall Birla Auditorium
1145-1315 hrs Plenary Session-II Main Hall Birla Auditorium
Lunch
1430-1600 hrs Plenary Session-III Main Hall Birla Auditorium
1630-1745 hrs PBD Oration Main Hall Birla Auditorium
1900-2000 hrs Rajasthani Folk Dances SisodiaRaniBagh
2000-2130 hrs Dinner by CM of Rajasthan SisodiaRaniBagh

DAY 3: Monday, 9th January, 2012

TIME EVENT VENUE
0930-1130 hrs Plenary-IV Main Hall Birla Auditorium
1200-1300 hrs Parallel State Session Birla Auditorium
1430-1600 hrs Concurrent Sessions Birla Auditorium
1700-1800 hrs Valedictory Session Birla Auditorium
1900-2030 hrs Hindi Film Classics / Modern Indian Dance Extravaganza Jai Mahal Palace
2030 hrs Dinner by Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs & Civil Aviation