GoodKnight Mohan, Dhanush to come together with Seedan

GoodKnight Mohan, who had earlier associated with R.B. Chaudhary to produce films in Tamil under the Super Good Films banner and who had produced films in Hindi and Malayalam, including Kalapani, Gardish and Sphadikom, is now all set to make his comeback in Tamil. Mohan would be making his comeback with a Dhanush film titled Seedan, to be directed by Subramania Siva of Thiruda Thirudi and Yogi fame. Seedan will have Ananya as the heroine while the cast would also include Suhasini Mani Rathnam, Vivek, Ilavarasan, Ponvannan. After a long gap, yesteryear heroine Sheela plays a prominent role. Music for the film is composed by Dhina, while Srinivasan, a former associate of P. C. Sreeram handles the camera and Jackson is in-charge of art direction. A huge massive set resembling an ancestral Tamil style home has been erected at the Prasad Labs in Chennai for the film. Shooting for the film commences soon.

Namitha set to rock Kannada again

Namitha, who is currently the hot sensation all over the South, is all set to rock Kannada once again, with Hoo, her return vehicle to Kannada cinema
. It should be remembered that Hoo is directed by ‘Crazy Star’ V. Ravichandran, who had directed Namitha’s debut Kannada film, Neelakanta. Hoo, which is the remake of the Telugu blockbuster Vasantham, has Ravichandran himself as the hero and Meera Jasmine as the other heroine. It is heard that Ravichandran desires to present Namitha as an actress who knows how to perform than rather as someone for the oomph factorin Hoo . Meanwhile, Namitha’s debut film in Malayalam, Black Stallion, is also getting ready for release.

Venkatesh’s Namo Venkatesha
Victory Venkatesh is already on to his next, Namo Venkatesha, a really big- budget film which is in the making. Directed by Sreenu Vaitla, whose last film, the Nagarjuna film King was a hit, Namo Venkatesha would be the costliest film for Venkatesh. Though there has been no official intimations given out about the budget, it’s heard that the film has been made at about Rs. 25 crore. Trisha is the heroine. The film has music by Devi Sri Prasad. Namo Venkatesha is produced by 14 Reels Entertainment and is getting ready for release.

Sindhu Menon in Prema Pilustondi
Sindhu Menon plays the heroine in Prema Pilustondi. Directed by debutant Ajay Nathari, it has debutant Chanti as the hero. Others in the love story include Jayaprakash Reddy, Chalapati Rao, Brahmanandam, Venumadhav, Subbaraju, Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao, Suman Shetty, Rajyalakshmi, Sangeeta. It has music by Ghantadi Krishna.

Sudeep’s cameo in Aithalakkadi
Sudeep, one of the most enterprising of actors down South, is not new to making cameos in films, especially in song sequences. Most of these cameos he had done for friends in the industry. Sudeep, who is also a director worth reckoning, once again makes a friendly appearance in Aithalakkadi, starring Rangayana Raghu and Neethoo in lead roles. Sudeep makes his cameo in a song-dance sequence in the film for the sake of actor Bullet Prakash, who turns producer with Aithalakkadi. The song was shot recently at the Rockline Studios. A major highlight of Aithalakkadi is that actors V.Ravichandran, Jaggesh and Vijay Raghavendra too will make special appearances in the film.

Vijay Raghavendra’s lead in Radha
Vijay Raghavendra plays the lead role in Radha, directed by Telugu director Harikiran. The film, which will be an action flick, will have Tejaswini as the heroine. Radha will tell the story of a mechanic, who finds himself in the eye of a big fight during a trip to Andhra Pradesh. Since the crux of the action takes place in Andhra Pradesh, a major part of the film will be shot there. Chikmagalur and Bengaluru will also be there among the locations. Ravi Ala composes the music while Satya Babu is the cinematographer for this action flick.

Ahead of Chinese New Year, food and culture festival organized in New Delhi

In run-up to the Chinese New Year on February 14, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China organized a food and culture festival here on Sunday.

Buzz up!
On this occasion, various Chinese artistes added colour and joy to the event with their fascinating dance and music performances.


Also, during a special performance, Chinese models walked the ramp in colourful saris, the traditional Indian women wear, with Bollywood numbers creating the Indian feel.

Also present on this occasion was Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yan who said that the year 2009 was very successful for China, and that he expects the same for 2010 as well.

Yan also referred to India's diplomatic relations with China, which, though currently strained, are in their 60th year.

"2010 is also an auspicious year for China-India relationship. Two countries are going to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations," said Chinese Ambassador Yan.

Yan also said that the Chinese needed to work hard to develop their country into a moderate and prosperous society in all aspects. He further pointed out that China would be holding the World Expo at Shanghai this year, which would be the largest.

China is to organise Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China.

Three charged for torching church

Two brothers and their friend were charged in the Sessions Court here today with burning a church early this month.

Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24, his brother, Raja Mohamad Idzham, 22, and Azuwan Shah Ahmad, 23, pleaded not guilty.

They are alleged, together with several others still at large, to have caused mischief by burning the Metro Tabernacle Church at No.28, Jalan 4/4c, Desa Melawati, here at 11.50pm on Jan 7.

The trio, who work as dispatch riders, were charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine if found guilty.

Judge S.M Komathy Suppiah set bail at RM20,000 with one surety for all three but they had to only deposit RM10,000.

Judge Komathy set March 12 for mention to allow all three accused to appoint lawyers.

During the court proceeding, Raja Mohamad Faizal was seen to be in pain as his face and body were badly burnt and his trousers had several blood stains.

On this brother's left arm, there were burn marks and it was swollen. Azuwan had no burns.

All three looked weak and bewildered.

Deputy public prosecutor Anselm Charles Fernandis earlier had asked the court to set bail at RM20,000 for each person as the offence was a serious one and of public interest.

Raja Mohamad Faizal asked for bail to be reduced as his family was poor and he could not come up with the amount while Azuwan asked for bail to be set at RM5,000.

One of the tourist who's also taking part in the Kavadi Ritual for Thaipusam Festival yesterday.

Thaipusam festival will be held on 30th January 2010 at Batu Caves. But the procession will start on Friday evening 29th January 2010 from Petaling Street

Once a year, Batu Caves become the centre of a great religious procession. Almost 1 million people pay homage to the highly revered deity, Lord Murugan during the 3-day long festival. Thaipusam falls on the tenth day of the month of Thai in the Hindu Almanac and that would usually be in late January or early February. For those who want to be there in the thick of things next year, click on to Calendar.

The story

A long, long time ago- the world was torn apart by an infernal war between the Devas (celestial beings) and the Asuras (evil forces). Tired of constant attacks from the Asuras, the Devas paid homage to Lord Shiva and asked for his protection. Moved by their plight, Lord Shiva agreed to help the hapless Devas.

Lord Shiva opened the central eye on his forehead, radiating six sparks of fire. At the convergence of these sparks and through a series of celestial transformation, Lord Murugan appeared. He brought forward this powerful divine personality with elements of Himself and yet distinct from Him, powerful and brave enough to defeat the tyrannous Soorapadme - the meanest and most powerful of the Asuras. Armed with a Nyanya Vel (golden spear) presented to him by Lord Shiva, Lord Murugan went into battle with the evil force. A fierce battle ensued. Finally with one fatal stroke, Lord Murugan slayed Soorapadme. The divine converted one portion of the slain enemy into a peacock as his vehicle and the other portion into a cock adorning his banner.

Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva is considered the very manifestation of valour, beauty, youthfulness, vitality, masculinity, valour and the abode of happiness. Thaipusam celebrates the very essence of Lord Murugan and the power of good over evil.

It is 11.30pm on the eve of Thaipusam, a time when the crowd is manageable and the cool night air brings forth a concoction of dizzy, soothing, intoxicating scents to slip us into a mood for a long, invigorating night. (The KTM trains and LRT schedules have been extended to shuttle devotees to Batu Caves to prepare for the day). For others it is to witness the arrival of the silver chariot carrying Lord Murugan heavily adorned with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones. The deity is seated snugly on a bed of flowers encircled by burning incense on the chariot, which is pulled by two garlanded oxen and hundreds of devotees, also accompanied by religious dignities, musicians and dance (kolattam) groups. The silver chariot weighing all of 5 tonnes is transported through a 15km journey from town centre. The entourage leaves the Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown where for most of the year, the chariot and Lord Murugan's idol is housed for safekeeping. The journey takes 8 hours to complete. As the chariot arrives at Batu Caves, devotees carry Lord Murugan's idol up the 272 steps to the temple cave, an ascent of almost 185feet from the base of the steps.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the steps, devotees (and others who have come to earn some income) set up food stalls, fortune telling booths, paraphernalia counters, balloon stands and even shaving tents. One way of doing penance, especially for children is to shave the head (and facial hair for others). There are also other less obvious ways of fulfilling their religious obligations by means of preparing annadanam - food, generally rice and curry for devotees so that they don't go hungry. Or devotees can provide first aid or serve drinks and food and other essential services. The really serious pilgrims go all the way by carrying kavathi. There are a number of reasons as to why devotees would take a kavathi. Some seek to overcome bad karma, some as penance for their sins, and others to honour a vow. Those fulfilling a vow have, in the past asked for help such as birth of a baby, healing the sickness of a loved one, helping them pull through hard times and sometimes to help them through their studies. In return they have proposed to carry the kavathi if the request is fulfilled. There are, of course those who participate only to reaffirm their strength of faith.

We followed a group of students who have come here this year to fulfil their vows to Lord Murugan for having granted them with favourable results in their studies. It is believed that if the vow is not paid, then misfortune will befall the person. We thought it a great idea to follow one group from the start of their journey to the end so that we could learn and witness the entire procession through their eyes for a better understanding. We were told that preparations began long before the day of Thaipusam. Each participant had to physically, mentally and spiritually prepare himself through a 48day fast - eating only one meal a day (strictly vegetarian), conduct prayers at home and at the temple, observe abstinence from carnal pleasures, observing 'mounam'(silence) as far as possible and even endure personal hardships such as sleeping on bare floor. However many do not observe such long periods of purification and the more experienced pilgrims may fast for only seven days or so.

As the noise and sounds of the festival drew us into solidarity with the crowd, the Swami began his chants and prayers. The first student, a young man was put to the test. Swami clasped the devotee's head between his hands, continued his prayer and a flicked of his thumb on the student's forehead, between his brows and wham! The student stumbled back and was helped up by others - his facial expression, his movements, and his cries - transformed. Under a trance, he took on a manifestation of Lord Murugan's persona. Sometimes, even bystanders can fall into a trance and have to be coaxed out of this semi-conscious state by the swami. So be careful, the atmosphere could be so overpowering, It may overcome you!

As the initial trance subsided, it was replaced by a differing state of trance whereby the devotee seemed very aware of his surroundings but was reported to be in a 'form of heightened supercharged awareness'. We found it a little unnerving, watching each go under trance but at the same time we could only watch in admiration of such devotion. Having checked out the entire journey from the riverbank to the shrine - it was by no means a simple feat. Only the strong spirited will be able to complete the pilgrimage. And having seen the 'burden' of which some of them had with them, the task seemed almost impossible to us.

But there they were, all six of them - young, determined, physically fit, mentally alert and spiritually calm.

Once in a trance, trident-like spears, hooks and other sharp objects were skewered into the flesh of the devotee by the swami. The entire scene was almost surreal. The intoxicating scents of incense, the powerful mental and spiritual endurance, witnessing human being's ability to transcend to a different level of being where grisly, abominable self-mortification bears no suffering to the devoted.

For some, the Kavathi ('burdens' in Tamil) was placed on the shoulders of the devotee. The kavathi represents a miniature shrine in which Lord Murugan's idol or a framed painting of his Lord is seated. A jug of milk completes the kavathi. Chains are dropped from the central body of the kavathi and hooked onto the flesh of the bearer. The length of the spears had to be limited to a metre in consideration for other devotees. With almost a million people attending the procession, it would definitely be a grizzly affair if the lances got in the way of a jostling crowd. Others hook limes, oranges or coconuts onto their bodies.

Usually kavathi bearers will have two vels with them, one pierced through the cheeks and the other pushed through the tongue. This has a significant meaning; that the devotee has temporarily renounced the gift of speech so that he may channel his energy upon Lord Murugan and that under His protection, the devotee does not shed a drop of blood nor feel any pain.

Women carried a silver jug full of milk on their heads, some pierced vels through their cheeks and tongues and others not. The kavathi bearers were always accompanied by an entourage of relatives and friends to egg them on with dance parades, songs, musicians playing the melam(drum) and the natheswaram(flute) and the chants of 'vel,vel, vetri vel' - the symbol of the golden spear used to defeat the evil forces. The young men in the entourage formed a protective barrier round the kavathi bearers and the ones preceding the bearer engaged in dance rituals known as the 'kavathi dance', reflecting Lord Murugan's role as Lord of the Dance.

As they arrive at the shrine, the milk was poured over the golden vel and the kavathi lifted off the bearer. The Swami removed the miniature spears (vels), hooks etc, sprinkled holy ash on the slight nicks on the skin and the bearer was brought out of his trance. The vow was finally fulfilled. Faces of elation and relief all round, including bystanders like us. Feeling with them and for them through the 2 hour ordeal was indeed intense to say the least and watching them at the end of it all - their devotion, their spiritual accomplishment and the solidarity of the group and beyond has won our admiration. In spite of what we perceive as a gruesome demonstration of bodily mortification and sometimes to extremities, Thaipusam is what it is and will always be-a celebration of life, of spiritual attainment, of good presiding over evil and of Lord Murugan - the emancipator.

Thaipusam is celebrated at various sites in Peninsular Malaysia, namely;

1. Kuala Lumpur

At Batu Caves, procession starts on the eve of Thaipusam from the Sri Mariamman Temple in the town centre all the way to Batu Caves, 15km from city centre. Most activities happen at Batu Caves, so just get yourself to the caves if you're not into filming the entire procession for your home video collection.

2. Penang

Procession starts on the eve of Thaipusam from the Chettiar Temple in Penang Street where the silver chariot leaves on a journey to the Nattukkottai Chettiar Temple at Waterfall Road. You may want to skip Penang Street and head for the Sivan Temple at Dato Kramat Road where ablutions are performed, and trances and piercing of body are conducted.

Mum to twins of different dads

A Turkish woman has given birth to twins fathered by two different men with whom she had sex with on the same day.

The 24-year-old woman in Istanbul, identified only as CK, was reported to have sexual intercourse with her husband and lover on the same day when the twins were conceived.

Soon after giving birth, CK noticed that one of them looked like her lover and ran away in panic, leaving the twins with her husband.

The husband then requested for a paternity test on the children after neighbours alerted him over his wife’s betrayal.

A DNA test confirmed that the twins were fathered by different men, Turkey’s newspaper Sabah reported.

The article was picked up by Today’s Zaman website based in Istanbul.

According to the report, the man subsequently threw his wife and the baby conceived with the sperm of the other man out of the house.

CK attempted to return to her father’s house but the latter too disowned her.

She is currently seeking refuge in a women’s shelter while the government has taken custody of the child.

It was reported that CK had started a relationship with her lover, a married man with children, about six years ago.

When her family learned about it, they forced her to marry her current husband.

She, however, continued her affair with her lover.

The case of the twins is a rare phenomenon, known as heteropaternal superfecundation, doctors said.

Malls in the Klang Valley all dressed up to welcome the Year of the Tiger

THE association of the colour red with Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is said to have been brought about by the mythical monster Nian.

It is believed that the monster, which normally resided deep in the mountains, would attack the people every 365 days.

However, the ferocious beast had one big weakness — it feared the colour red.

Hence, the people came up with the brilliant idea of decking their homes with red decorations, and firing red fire crackers, to keep the monster at bay.

It was a success and from then on, people celebrated the victory as guo nian, or surviving the Nian.

Red lanterns, red spring scrolls, red drapes and assorted red ornaments are widely used to adorn houses during the Chinese New Year.

Even as the shopping malls in town get creative with their decorations, red remains the predominant colour to usher in joy, luck and prosperity.



Mid Valley Megamall

The centre court of Mid Valley Megamall has been fashioned into a blossoming lotus garden, complete with an intricate seven-tier pagoda and scholar rocks.

Gigantic red dragonflies hover above the enormous red lotus leaves and lotus flowers in full bloom, which make a beautiful backdrop for photographs.

For a taste of the rich Chinese culture, the mall has enlisted a group of skilful artisans from China to showcase their dexterity at the Spring Bazaar.

Among the art demonstrations are snuff bottle inner painting, wood-house carving, jade-carving, knotting art, paper-cutting, making of dough figurines, rainbow calligraphy, seal- engraving, portrait-drawing and even fortune-telling.

For the list of events that would staged until Feb 21, visit www.midvalley.com or call 03-2938 3333.

KL Sogo

KL Sogo is transformed into a land of vibrant red and gold this Chinese New Year.

The lanterns in red and yellow hues add to the festive atmosphere, while the long, translucent drapes hanging from high up unroll auspicious blessings for the Lunar New Year.

Flowers and flora motifs are heavily used in this year’s decoration, with rich big blooms in red and purple embellishing the shopping mall.

Beautiful plum blossom trees have also been placed strategically to complement the festivity.

For a list of Chinese New Year promo­tions, visit www.klsogo.com.my.



Sunway Giza

The newly-opened lifestyle neighbourhood mall in Kota Damansara is celebrating its first ever festival with a mini-outdoor bazaar offering Chinese New Year snacks, decorations and apparel.

The covered boulevard walkway is equipped with 12 environment-friendly electrical fans and is lit up with LEDs at night.

This fits aptly with the green theme advocated by Selangor Tourism, Consumer and Environment Committee chairman Elizabeth Wong, who launched the celebration recently.

“Red is associated with Chinese New Year but let’s remember to go green as we celebrate the festival,” she had said.

Keeping the less privileged in mind, the mall had also invited 30 children and old folks from the Lovely Nursing Home in Kelana Jaya to have fun together at the launch.

Over at the concourse area, tall stalks of pussywillow, pink and orange oval lanterns, and plum blossom lend a cheery festive touch to the mall.

Among the “roaring activities” that will be staged on weekends are Sichuan face-changing, Shanghai Trio and Chinese Acrobatic performances.

Suria KLCC

The special occasion of Lunar New Year coinciding with Valentine’s Day has prompted Suria KLCC to sprinkle romantic messages on its Chinese New Year decorations.

Its centre court is bedecked with eye-catching blooms of peony silk balls, as peonies are an omen of good fortune and happy marriage.

The bunches of red string were inspired by the Chinese folklore that the Chinese version of Cupid, Yue Lao, uses red strings to bind couples who are destined to be soulmates for eternity.

To hype up the festive mood, the mall has lined up an acrobatic lion dance performance, face-changing show, cultural dances, musical acts and martial arts performances for shoppers.

For details, visit http://suriaklcc.com.my

Sungei Wang Plaza

With the theme “Spring time Rhapsody”, Sungei Wang Plaza ushers in the Lunar New Year with replicas of tiger- and Chinese painting-inspired decorations.

As you enter the main entrance, you will see two beautifully crafted pavilions, each enclosed with red cloth draped across its rock-like structure. Rock formations and handmade pine trees are placed inside each enclosure to enrich the look.

The concourse level stage is painted in yellow, symbolising prosperity and wealth. Beautifully handcrafted Chinese pine tress are placed on stage as symbols of strength and longevity.

Life-like, life-size replicas of tigers sit handsomely on the rock platforms, which are created and positioned strategically to depict an epic Chinese wilderness landscape. Shoppers will be able to buy festive-related goods from the beautifully decorated kiosks such as silk products, paper-cutting, silk embroidery, calligraphy and painting, rainbow calligraphy, Chinese-knotting, tea, teaware, as well as take part in a fortune-telling session.

For more information, call the information counter at 03-21486109 or visit www.sungeiwang.com

South City Plaza

Several oriental ornaments are used to create the austere yet pleasant decoration at the centre court of South City Plaza.

The giant folding fans that dominate the stage are accompanied by the ubiquitous red drapes and red lanterns, which add a touch of auspiciousness.

White cages, encircled by exquisite plum blossom, on the other hand, dangle from the ceiling.

The God of Prosperity will be giving out sweets to shoppers on Feb 7 and Feb 21 for a sweet start to the brand new lunar year.

A Chinese New Year is incomplete without the uplifting and dynamic Lion Dance, and shoppers will get to enjoy the performances on Feb 7, 20 and 23, as well as a Chinese eight-drum performance on Feb 28.

For details, visit http://southcity.com.my.

Eight-year-old boy’s foot gets stuck in mall escalator

An eight-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after his left foot got stuck in a mall escalator.

Firefighters struggled for about an hour before managing to free him.

The incident occurred at about 11.30am yesterday when the boy was accompanying his mother to the shopping mall located near Bandar Utama.

The boy and his mother were taking the escalator heading towards the lobby when his foot got wedged in the space between the steps and he began shrieking in pain.

His mother and passers-by tried to help free the boy, using a screwdriver in a bid to open up the steps of the escalator, but to no avail and personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department had to be called in.

The boy was later rushed to the University Malaya Medical Centre, where he was reported to be in stable condition.

A witness, who declined to be identified, said she saw the mother looking on helplessly as the boy kept shouting for help with tears streaming out of his eyes.

“It was horrifying. Before the Fire and Rescue Department personnel arrived, some members of the public and the mall staff tried everything they could to free the boy’s foot.

“But whatever they did, the boy just kept on crying in pain,” she said, adding that she hoped the boy would make a full recovery soon.

Muslim rite goes hi-tech

A MALAYSIAN company has invented a machine it says will help Muslims purify themselves before prayers without excessively wasting water.

The ornate, green-coloured machine comes with automatic sensors and basins to curb water usage during wudu, an Arabic word used to describe the act of washing the face, arms and legs before prayers.

The wudu, or ablution, rite preceeds the five daily prayers Muslims are obligated to perform. There are more than 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, with the majority in Africa and the Middle East where water supplies are scarce.

Inventors AACE Technologies is counting on rich countries in these two regions to snap up the machines that will be available in the next six months and cost US$3,000-US$4,000 (S$4,233-S$5,645) a piece. 'Saving water is a motivation for people to adopt this system rather than the conventional methods, where there's a lot of water wastage,' AACE Chairman Anthony Gomez told reporters while launching the product in the Malaysian capital.

The device, which also emits recorded Koranic verses and is 1.65 metres (5 ft 4.96 in) tall, only uses 1.3 litres (0.3 gallons) of water compared to the conventional methods, which usually involve leaving faucets running for the duration of the washing ritual, which can last for several minutes, Mr Gomez said.

'During the Haj, two million people used 50 million litres water a day for wudu. If they introduce this machine they are saving 40 million litres per day,' he said, referring to the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

Beyonce wins 6 Grammys

R&B diva Beyonce dominated the 52nd Grammys here on Sunday with six awards, edging out country star Taylor Swift who finished the music industry extravaganza with four prizes.

Beyonce - who had topped the nominations with 10 nods - won the prestigious Song of the Year award for her hit 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)', which also earned her the best female R&B vocal award.

The former Destiny's Child singer also snagged Grammys for best R&B song for 'Single Ladies' and best contemporary R&B album for her chart-topping 'I Am ... Sasha Fierce' as well as best traditional R&B vocal performance for 'At Last.'

'Wow thank you so much. This has been such an amazing night for me,' Beyonce said after collecting the best female pop vocal performance, her sixth award of the night at the Staples Center.

However Beyonce - who dazzled the audience with an electrifying performance - was forced to share the honors in the other blue riband categories of Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

Swift scored a stunning victory in Album of the Year for 'Fearless' while the Kings of Leon looked as surprised as anyone else when they were named winners of Record of the Year for 'Use Somebody.'

Spurned NRI woman 'killed ex-lover' with ancient Indian poison

A scorned Indian-origin woman in London has been accused of killing her ex-lover by lacing his chicken curry with a poison that finds a mention in ancient Indian mythology.

Lakhvir Singh, 40, from west London, was driven to murder when she discovered that her long-term lover, Lakhvinder 'Lucky' Cheema, was planning to marry a 21-year-old woman he met at a temple in Southall, a court heard on Wednesday.

Counsel for prosecution said that the married mother of three killed Cheema on January 27 last year by sprinkling his chicken curry with aconite, known in Indian ancient texts as Halahal — the poison that mythology holds turned the Hindu god Shiva's neck blue after he consumed it.

Cheema and his lover Gurjeet Choough fell ill within minutes of eating the curry - their bodies went numb and they started to vomit. An hour after reaching hospital Cheema was dead.

Gurjeet fell into a coma but survived because she had eaten less of the curry, whereas Cheema had had a second helping.

"With perhaps jealousy, anger and revenge all playing their part she decided to poison both of them, using an extremely toxic and deadly poison, possibly brought especially from India," said Mr Edward Brown, appearing for the prosecution.

The court heard, Cheema told medical staff from his deathbed that he had suffered similar symptoms the previous month, when he spent a week in hospital after eating a meal cooked by Lakhvir shortly after announcing his engagement.

Lakhvir was accused of trying to "drive a wedge between Cheema and Gurjeet by suggesting to Cheema that the only reason Gurjeet wanted to marry him was to obtain residence in the UK and that as soon as she had done so she would leave him".

Lakhvir Singh denies the murder and the attempted murder.

NRI booked for abetment of suicide

A US-based NRI was on Saturday booked for abetting the suicide of a 22-year-old woman in this Punjab town, police said.

According to police, the body of Veerpal Kaur, a nursing student, was found inside Jagsir Singh's house on Friday.

"united states Jagsir was having physical relations with the woman for last many months. He had promised to marry her and take her along with him to the US. Even the family members of Veerpal were aware of this relationship," said a police officer.

"Veerpal's body was found in Jagsir's bathroom. After recording the statements of the deceased's family members, we have booked Jagsir on the abetment of suicide charge. He is absconding and we are making efforts to arrest him."

Veerpal's family members accused Singh of murdering her.

Satpal Singh, the elder brother of Veerpal, said: "Like on any other normal day, Veerpal had left home for her nursing classes yesterday (Friday) but she did not return. After waiting for her till late evening, we informed the police."

"We are sure that Jagsir has murdered my sister. He is a rich and well-connected man. So we are afraid that he might try to influence the police investigations," Singh said.

Moga, is around 200 km from capital Chandigarh.

Security beefed up near SRK's house

Security has been increased outside Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's residence here after Shiv Sena activists intensified their protests against the actor for his remarks favouring inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL, police said.

Adequate number of policemen have been deployed at actor's bungalow 'Mannat' in suburban Bandra after receiving information that Sena activists would hold protest against the actor outside his residence, they added.

"We have an information that a protest would be held by some activists of a political party outside the residence of Shah Rukh Khan. We have deployed our men to avert any untoward incident during the protest," said Joint Police Commissioner (Law & Order) Himanshu Roy.

"Those violating the law will be dealt with very strict action," he said.

Sena's senior lead Manohar Joshi said, "Shah Rukh should not interfere in the politics.This is the reason why we are protesting against the actor."

Ten US citizens were arrested in Haiti

Ten US citizens were arrested in Haiti on the charges of trafficking 33 children from the earthquake-hit nation, Press TV reported on Sunday.

The Americans were detained at Malpasse, Haiti's main border crossing with the Dominican Republic, after Haitian police found 33 children - aged between two months and 12 years - from their vehicle.

One of the detainees, who identified himself as a member of Idaho-based charity New Life Children's Refuge, denied they had done anything wrong.

The Haitian authorities said the suspects had no documents to prove that they had cleared the adoption of the children through any embassy, Press TV reported.

They also failed to produce papers showing that the children were made orphans by the magnitude - 7.0 quake that struck the the impoverished Caribbean country on January 12, the report said.

Haitian government early this month halted adoption process expressing concern that some aid groups may take children believed to be orphans out of the country for adoption without making enough effort to trace their parents.

Monica Belluci in Selva’s next film?

Kollywood was abuzz with rumours that Selvaragahvan’s new film with Vikram drew inspiration from K.Balachandar’s 47 Naatkkal, which was released 30 years ago. KB had introduced Chiranjeevi (who was then a rising actor in Tollywood) as the protagonist and Jayapradha played the heroine. The story was about an NRI who marries a girl from a village concealing the fact that he is already married to a foreigner. Chiranjeevi played the role of a sadistic husband to perfection.
Sources point out that Selva’s film also has a similar script and features three main characters — Vikram, Swathy and a foreign actress. According to the story, Vikram who lives in the USA marries a village girl (played by Swathy) and takes her with him to America. Selva had recently completed a 25-day schedule in the interiors of Ladakh where he found few villages that resembled the milieu of Tamil Nadu. With help from his art director, Selva transformed the region into a South Indian village and canned major portions featuring Vikram and Swathy here.
Clearing the air, Selva who was busy promoting the Telugu version of Aayirathil Oruvan in Hyderabad said, “I don’t get inspired that easily. It’s not true.” When asked about Vikram playing a role with shades of grey, Selva said, “Not really. Although it is a thriller, I have added commercial elements to it.” Selva also admitted that he had plans to rope in a popular Hollywood actress for a crucial role.
When probed about it, he joked saying, “I obviously cannot afford a superstar like Julia Roberts. But all said and done, I am considering someone like Monica Belluci of Malena fame. We are reworking the script to make it more appealing.” According to Selva, more than 70 per cent of the movie will be shot in New York.

Assam professor murders student

The sensational murder of a girl student by a Gauhati University professor in his official residence and then his attempt to commit suicide by consuming poison has numbed teachers and students at the premier educational institution in Assam.

A police spokesperson said Birlang Narzary, a reader at the department of Bodo language in Gauhati University, late Sunday murdered Jharna Goyari, a student in the same department.

"Around 9.45 pm on Sunday, the university professor Birlang Narzary reached the Jalukbari police station and said he committed a crime. The teacher was visibly sick and was vomiting as he narrated the incident after which we immediately shifted him to a local hospital," a senior police officer said.

Jharna, a boarder at the University hostel, was murdered inside the professor's official residence in the campus using some blunt object with injury marks visible on her throat and head.

She was a third semester postgraduate student at the Bodo language department of the university where Narzary taught.

"We are investigating the matter and not ruling out the possibility of a love angle in the incident," the official said.

The teacher after committing the crime consumed some poisonous substance and walked into the police station to confess the murder.

"Once the teacher is declared fit by doctors, we shall interrogate him to get more details into the incident," the official said.

Police have since arrested 32-year-old Narzary, a bachelor.

"We are shocked and numbed by the incident of a teacher murdering a student," another student said on condition of anonymity.

Indian taxi driver murdered in NZ

An Indian-origin cabbie was stabbed by an unknown assailant and was found dead in his taxi that crashed in New Zealand’s Auckland city.

Hiren Mohini, 39, was driving a taxi that veered off the road and hit a tree around 1.30 am (local time) following which, people who rushed to the spot found him dead.

A post mortem report found a stab wound to his torso, the New Zealand Herald reported. A homicide inquiry was launched following the death and the police is looking to interview a young male who was seen running towards Esplanade Road immediately after the crash, it said.

Investigators who spoke to witnesses described the man they are looking for as a “slimly-built, dark-skinned male in his mid to late twenties with long, greasy hair to the back of his neck”.

The police believes that the man had hired Hiren’s taxi 10 minutes before it crashed and they are assessing security surveillance footage for more information. The chairman of the Auckland Co-operative Taxi Society, Mr Ian Graham, said that the society was “deeply saddened by the tragic case of Hiren”.

“The company is in shock and anger that a young family man, working hard to support his family has been taken in such a senseless act of violence,” he said.

Mr Graham also added that some of Mohini’s fellow taxi drivers tried to rush to his aid but arrived too late.

Two Indians jailed in UK for car scam

Two Indian PhD students in the UK who carried out an elaborate car sale scam in the east Midlands, have been jailed and face deportation to India after completing their sentence.

Zubair Ansari and Sharif- Uddin duped unsuspecting buyers out of thousands of pounds.

They sold cars whose mileage meters were turned back, carried forged certificates, bogus service histories and false hire purchase reports.

Ansari, 33, has been jailed for 18 months after being convicted by the Leicester Crown Court of conspiracy to carry on a business for fraudulent purposes and Uddin, 33, was jailed for 12 months.

13 students killed at party in Mexico

Armed men stormed a party in a violent Mexican border city, killing 13 high school and college students in what witnesses thought was an attack prompted by false information.

The deaths in Ciudad Juarez were part of a total of 24 people killed across Mexico since Saturday in violence caused by ongoing turf battles between powerful drug cartels.

About two dozen teens and young adults were hospitalized following the late Saturday assault in Ciudad Juarez, one of the deadliest cities in the world located across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Grieving witnesses and family members told the Press on Sunday they thought the victims, mostly residents of the housing complex where the attack occurred, had no ties to drug traffickers.

"It must have been a huge mistake," said Martha Lujan, who lives at the housing complex.

The young adults had gathered to watch a boxing match, Lujan said, when two trucks pulled up loaded with armed men who opened fire.

Ten people were killed at the scene and other three died at local hospitals, Chihuahua State Attorney Patricia Gonzales said.

The bodies of the victims, whose ages ranged from 15 to 20, lay scattered around the house where the attack happened.

A witness said he was just outside when the gunfire broke out. Hector, who only gave his first name because he feared retaliation, said the party was an innocuous gathering of friends who must have been targeted incorrectly.

"I think there was some confusion," he said. "We're seeking justice."

Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million people, is home to several drug cartel bosses who are battling for turf as thousands of troops and federal police try to stop them. More than 2,250 people were killed there last year alone.

On Sunday morning in the border town of Nogales, just south of Arizona, state police found three bodies burned inside an abandoned vehicle in what appeared to be an execution, officials said.

Also early Sunday, three women and two men, all identified as Mexican citizens, were murdered while driving in their van with California license plates near the western Mexican city of Navolato.

The bodies of the five victims, including a 16-year-old girl, were found riddled with bullets, said Martin Gastelum, attorney general for the state of Sinaloa, where Navolato is located.

Violence also rocked the oceanside Mexican community of Lazaro Cardenas overnight. Police in the southwestern city said that just after midnight Saturday, about 20 heavily armed gunmen riding in trucks with tinted windows attacked a police station with grenades and assault rifles, killing a police officer and two civilians — a mother and her son who had come to pay a fine.

More than 15,000 people have been killed in Mexico in the past three years in cartel-related violence.

Internet web-cam saves man trapped in German sea ice

A man who got lost while walking on sea ice off the German coast has been rescued after an alert internet user hundreds of miles away noticed him on live web-cam images of a beach, the police confirmed on Sunday.

The man clambered into a 300-metre-wide belt of pack ice off St Peter Ording beach on the North Sea coast of Germany to take photographs of a sunset. After dusk, he could not remember in which direction land and sea were located.

He began flashing SOS signals with a pocket torch. A woman internet user in the Westerwald region of central Germany noticed the intermittent flashing in video images of the beach which tourist authorities provide around the clock.

She telephoned the area's police, who use the headlights of a patrol car to flash an answer to the man and guide him back to firm ground.

A police spokeswoman said the rescued man, aged about 40, declined to give his name and disappeared into the night. The police did not obtain the name of the internet informant either. The date of the incident was not disclosed.

After sea ice freezes, the wind and waves break it into chunks which wash up on beaches. The chunks off St Peter Ording are up to three metres high.

Lata’s purse lost at TTD function

Lata Mangeshkar on Sunday lost her purse containing cash, credit cards and flight tickets to Mumbai. This comes a day after she participated in the TTD’s Nada Neerajanam at Tirumala.

Sources said Ms Mangeshkar, after participating in the programme on Saturday night, returned to the Reliance guest house where her entourage was accommodated. She woke up in the morning and found that her purse was missing.

Her secretary and family members made enquires and came to the conclusion that the purse was lost at the Nada Neerajanam mandapam. When members of her entourage took up the matter with the TTD officials, none of them responded despite repeated calls. They were said to be busy with the Chief Minister’s visit.

Upset with the development, Ms Mangeshkar retired to her suite and started weeping. She was consoled by family members, a TTD staff said.

The entourage found itself in a fix as the purse contained flight tickets from Tirupati to Mumbai via Hyderabad. Their flight to Hyderabad was scheduled to leave the Renigunta airport at 12.30 pm. With help coming from no TTD officials, members of the entourage finally contacted the TTD executive officer, Mr I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, who arranged duplicate flight tickets.

The TTD EO, Mr Krishna Rao, said he was not aware of it. He said “duplicate flight tickets were arranged for the entourage” giving credence to the speculation that her purse was stolen.

Moily seeks laws for cyber crime

In an effort to curb the spurt in cyber crime incidents around the country, the Union law and justice minister, Mr M. Veerappa Moily, on Sunday advocated the enactment of separate laws and the creation of a specialised agency to deal with IT-related cases.

The law minister said that only amending the existing IT Act would not solve the problem. “I think instead of amending the IT Act, we should have separate laws for cyber crimes. It is a matter we need to deal with instead of tinkering with the IT Act from time to time,” Mr Moily said.

The law minister regretted that India did not have a specific enforcement agency to deal exclusively with cyber laws. “Countries like the United States and South Korea have created such agencies and are way ahead in investigation of such crimes,” Mr Moily said.

The country did not have skilled experts who could help the government tackle such crimes, he pointed out, saying “creation of a specialised agency will help us bring down IT-related crimes.”

Enacting laws only to deal with specific contingencies was “not a desired thing”, the minister said, noting that judicial officers too lacked the necessary training to be able to handle cases related to cyber crimes.

The minister, speaking at the launch of the Cyber Law Enforcement Programme, said even India’s IT industry lacked self-regulation in areas such as privacy and data collection.

Quoting 2005 data provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, he noted that American companies had lost at least $67.2 billion due to cyber crime.

The Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, speaking at the same function, suggested that the government should impose a ban on websites that exclusively display pornography and hate speeches.

“For local jurisdiction, there are problems on account of the structure of the flow of information over the Internet. End users can fake identities using proxy servers to misguide investigating agencies. The government can ban websites that exclusively circulate pornography and hate speech,” he said.

Gayatri’s kin to move court for 800kg gold

The heirs of the late Gayatri Devi, former maharani of Jaipur, have approached the Delhi high court to get back 800 kg of gold seized by the government in 1975 after her husband, the late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh, failed to declare it to the income-tax authorities as stipulated by the Gold Control Act 1968.

This law has now been repealed.

Following Gayatri Devi’s death on July 29 last year, her eldest son, Brig. Sawai Bhawani Singh (Retd), challenged the 1980 order by the gold control administrator in Delhi, and said in his petition to the court: “There is no reason for us to believe that the entire gold had not been declared under the Gold Control Act.”

The Union government counsel, Mr S.K. Dubey, however, told Justice S. Muralidhar that under the Gold Control Act and the Indian Defence Rules 1968, possession of raw gold was illegal and, if found, had to be sold to authorised dealers or a goldsmith within six months. Mr Dubey also said the family has violated both the legal provisions, so a fine of Rs 1.5 crore was imposed on them. It was later reduced to Rs 80 lakh. Mr Dubey’s arguments are likely to continue in court on Monday.

In his petition, Brig. Bhawani Singh drew attention to the fact that he had been awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for gallantry for his role in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, and sought the court’s intervention to have the I-T department’s confiscation order set aside and declared null and void. He said: “A person of such high devotion to the country’s cause would not go and break the laws of the country knowingly.”

US employment scene may cheer up in 2010, says survey

The employment scene in the US is likely to get better this year, with a majority of the firms planning to hire, a survey by global professional services firm Towers Watson says.

According to the survey of 118 large employers in the US and 459 firms globally, on the hiring front things are picking up and the percentage of firms planning to continue workforce reduction has reduced since the beginning of the financial crisis.

The survey found that 92 per cent of the respondents were planning to hire in 2010.

Moreover, the percentage of firms surveyed, which are planning targeted workforce reductions, has reduced to 36 per cent from 58 per cent.

While the survey found signs of optimism, especially predictions that employee productivity and engagement would improve over the next year, it also cautioned that the trend could result in slower hiring.

"While it's heartening - and a testament to employer focus and employee commitment - that productivity has increased, that's also part of the reason for slower hiring and more caution about increased investments in workforce programs," Towers Watson global rewards practice leader Laura Sejen said.

"As always, the question is how lean can companies run - especially as demand for products and services rises? Those slower to reinvest in their workforce could find themselves at a competitive disadvantage," Sejen added.

Moreover, given the employment patterns both pre and post crisis, 41 per cent of the survey respondents agree that it's easier to retain talent now than it was before the financial crisis, the Towers Watson survey stated.

However, 51 per cent firms covered in the survey think that retention would be more difficult a year from now.

Respondents also noted a rise in productivity over the past year, with over half (55 per cent) agreeing that employee productivity had risen compared with pre-financial crisis levels, and 48 per cent expecting it would continue to rise by next year.

Interestingly, the recession's impact on employee engagement has also been mixed, as 30 per cent report lower engagement, while 28 per cent believe employee engagement has risen since before the financial crisis.

For 2010, far more companies expect engagement to rise (39 per cent) than decline (5 per cent), the survey revealed.

The Towers Watson survey reasserted that past year had impacted employees severely in terms of pay and benefit cuts.

For instance, more than half (52 per cent) of respondents said percentage of their employees working past their desired retirement age is higher than it was before the financial crisis and 31 per cent expect it to be even higher next year.

About 32 per cent firms said their employees cost of health care coverage is higher now than it was before the financial crisis.

Toyota to stop sales of 8 models in US

Toyota, the legendary Japanese automaker whose vehicles are considered a byword for quality and reliability, has suffered a deadly blow to its reputation. The storied company has announced it will temporarily suspend manufacture and sales of eight of its models in US, including Corolla and Camry, hot-selling cars that catapulted the company to the world No. 1 in terms of sales, net worth, revenue, and profits.

The problem cited is a rare undiagnosed condition that causes the accelerator to get stuck, sometimes causing the vehicles to speed up. The glitch was initially ascribed to the gas pedal getting stuck under the floor mat, and Toyota recalled some two million vehicles last year to fix the problem after several deaths were reported. But it turns out that the issue remains unresolved. More accidents due to stuck accelerator were reported after that recall, including four deaths in a Toyota Avalon near Dallas in December despite its occupants having removed the floor mats.

"Helping ensure the safety of customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," the group's V-P and Toyota Division general manager Bob Carter said in a statement. This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. "We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible."

The company said that besides temporarily suspending production and sales, it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to fix the problem. Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position, it explained.

Toyota did not say why the problem was occurring. The development shocked auto buffs and sent long suffering dealers into further depression in an already down market.

The Wall Street Journal described the move as stunning and unprecedented. The vehicles involved are 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, Certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia. The recall is restricted to vehicles manufactured in five North American plants. No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids.

Toyota is not only the world no.1, but also US No. 1, a position it took by displacing GM in 2008. Indians in US swear by Toyota, going in droves for Corollas, Camrys, and Lexuses depending on what they can afford. Toyota's troubles began almost as soon as it reached the No. 1 soon after. Buffeted also by the financial crisis, it declared its first loss in 70 years in 2009.

647 million passengers

The Asia-Pacific region has overtaken North America as the world's largest air travel market with 647 million passengers in 2009, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.

By contrast, 638 million people flew on commercial flights in North America last year, IATA said at an aviation business conference on the eve of the Singapore Airshow featuring the world's leading aviation industry players.

Within Asia, China has eclipsed Japan over the past decade as the region's largest domestic market, with 1,400 aircraft compared with Japan's 540 and 5.7 million weekly seats against 2.6 million in Japan.

IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani told the conference that the Asia-Pacific market will continue to grow rapidly with an estimated 217 million additional air passengers a year in the region by 2013.

"While we see dynamism and diversity within the region, the aspect of Asia-Pacific that excites me most is its potential," said Bisignani.

"More than a quarter of the 2.2 billion people who flew last year, or 647 million people, flew within Asia-Pacific markets.

"It has eclipsed travel within North America as the traditional leader in traffic numbers."

IATA represents some 230 carriers that account for more than 90 percent of scheduled air traffic, but does not include many of the budget airlines credited with a boom in short and medium-haul travel in recent years.

Its members in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and North America recorded year-on-year declines in passenger demand of 5.0 to 5.6 percent in 2009, according to an earlier IATA report.

But Asian airlines staged a stronger recovery in demand in December, at nearly twice the global average, while travel on European and North American carriers stagnated or slipped.

China on Friday protested the US decision

China on Friday protested the US decision to sell $6.4 billion in weapons to Taiwan and warned of "serious" damage to relations and cooperation with Washington.

China's vice foreign minister He Yafei made an urgent official demarche to the US ambassador in Beijing, Jon Huntsman, in the early hours Saturday local time, Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told AFP.

"The latest US move to sell weapons to Taiwan, which is part of China, constitutes a gross intervention into China's internal affairs, seriously endangers China's national security and harms China's peaceful reunification efforts," Wang quoted the protest as saying.

"The US plan will definitely undermine China-US relations and bring about serious negative impact on exchange and cooperation in major areas between the two countries," he added.

China "strongly urges the US side to fully recognize the gravity of the issue, revoke the erroneous decision on arms sales to Taiwan and stop selling any weapons to Taiwan," he said.

China snapped off military relations with the United States temporarily after the last US arms package to Taiwan in October 2008.

Beijing considers Taiwan, where China's nationalists fled in 1949 after losing the mainland's civil war, to be a territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The United States in 1979 switched recognition to Beijing. But Congress requires the administration to provide Taiwan weapons for defensive purposes.

Wang said that the weapons deal violated the 1982 communique between China and the United States, which said the arms sales to Taiwan "will not exceed, in qualitative or in quantitative terms," the level in the years before that.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley earlier said that the arms sales were consistent with the three key communiques between the United States and China when they normalized relations.

Prince, Paris collect Jackson's lifetime award

The Grammys rode the 3-D wave on Sunday with a special-effects-laden tribute to the late Michael Jackson in an awards show that featured many big spectacle moments.

Jackson's children, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11 appeared after the tribute to accept a lifetime achievement award for the pop star, who died in June of a prescription drug overdose.

Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Usher performed in the tribute, mingling their voices with the voice of the late King of Pop against the backdrop of a 3-D film featuring Jackson's 1995 eco-friendly "Earth Song."

Free 3-D "Grammy" glasses were distributed at Target stores nationwide so viewers could watch the show in 3-D from their living rooms. The Grammys' 3-D effort follows the huge success of James Cameron's 3-D movie "Avatar", which just became the highest-grossing movie worldwide.

There were plenty of other spectacular moments during the Grammys telecast, which opened with the flamboyant Lady Gaga performing her hit "Poker Face" in a glittery green butterfly outfit, falling prey to a faux kidnapping onstage and then materializing to perform opposite Elton John.

Multiple Grammy winner Beyonce belted out "If I Were a Boy" while Pink sang "Glitter in the Air" scantily clad and suspended from the air on a rope above the audience.

Part of the Jackson film shown during the Grammys aired in the recent documentary "This Is It" which was shot during rehearsals for Jackson's comeback tour and showed the pop star looking fit just days before his death in June 2009.

Jackson had intended the environmentally themed song and film to be part of that tour, which was supposed to have begun in July 2009. He was considered one of the most commercially successful entertainers of all time whose music and videos transformed the art and broke down racial barriers.

The clip features a lush forest through the eyes of a young girl.

9 Things missing in Apple iPad

After three years Apple is back to what it is known to be best at -- launch new product. The computing giant launched iPad, a sleek table that aims to revolutionise the publishing business the same way as Apple iPod transformed the music industry and iPhone transformed the telecom industry.

But can iPad really do what iPod and iPhone could in their respective domains? While there are many who are going gaga over Apple's new launch and see it as a disruptive technology. There are others who are cautious and apprehensive.

The critics are lamenting the absence of some features which they feel are basic for any product of iPad's category. So what is it that is missing from Apple's big launch? Read on to find out. One big miss in Apple iPad is camera. Lack of camera seems disappointing especially since the device is said to be somewhere between a smart phone and laptop. And in today's smart phones presence of camera seems almost default.

Lack of camera means there is no option to video chat or even do video-conferencing.

In Punjab, matrimonial ads for UK migration soar

The temporary freeze announced by the UK on student visas from north India comes at a time when Punjabi newspapers have been flooded with advertisements seeking matrimonial alliances with Indian students studying in Britain, making no bones about the purpose — migrating there.

"An IELTS clear girl required for a 24-year-old boy. Only court marriage," reads an advertisement in the matrimonial section of a Punjabi language daily dated January 22. Another one says, "An IELTS 6 Band girl required for a boy to go to England/Canada or New Zealand. All expenditure (of going abroad even of the girl) by the boy. Only court marriage."

"Court marriage" is a euphemism for a just-on-paper marriage that enables the "spouse" to emigrate with the genuine student.

Earlier, these advertisements would appear only for Australia. The trend changed in the past few months after Australia made its visa rules stringent and UK announced relaxations. "Punjabi boys and girls want to move abroad to any country through any channel, legal or illegal. The paper marriages provide a twisted legal channel for immigration. After UK announced relaxation in norms for student visas, it came as a golden opportunity for those wanting to move abroad. This spoils the image of the state," said a prominent Jalandhar-based immigration consultant.

Such is the craze to settle abroad, said another consultant, that families would go to any extent to obtain a visa. "I came across an instance where a family showed marriage between two cousins so that two persons from the family could move to UK on one student visa," he said.

UK's Border Agency put an embargo on student visa in north India after 13,500 applications were received between October and December, 2009. This was a massive jump from the 1,800 applications in the corresponding period in 2008.

DiCaprio to testify against attacker

Leonardo DiCaprio is set to testify against a former model, accused of smashing a bottle into the actor’s face at a party. The Titanic star will be called as a witness Aretha Wilson appears in court.

Wilson, 39, is to be extradited to America from her home in Canada after five years on the run. “She is going to be coming back to LA, but I just don’t know when,” the Daily Express quoted Los Angeles district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison as saying.

She confirmed that DiCaprio has been cooperating with prosecutors in Los Angeles and is willing to give evidence in court.

Wilson allegedly attacked DiCaprio with a bottle at the party in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, in 2004. The 35-year-old star needed 17 stitches for a deep gash on the right side of his face.

Wilson, who had gatecrashed the party, which was being thrown by Pamela Anderson’s ex husband Rick Saloman, told police she mistook DiCaprio for an old boyfriend and had been drunk.

How did this man get a Padma?

A couple of days before the Padma awards were to be announced, The Indian Express reported that Sant Chatwal, the controversial NRI hotelier, was on the list. The Express listed Chatwal’s colourful background (a brief stint in jail in 1997, two charge-sheets, bank fraud cases etc.) and expressed surprise at his inclusion.

As Chatwal’s antecedents have long been the subject of discussion in the capital, the report caused a stir in political circles. And because the Express is a respected paper, taken very seriously by the PMO, I imagined that the government would rethink its decision to put Chatwal on the list.

No such luck.

When the awards were announced, Chatwal got his Padma Bhushan.

The reaction was instantaneous. The BJP denounced the award and demanded an explanation. The Times of India reported that Chatwal’s name had not been on the original home ministry list of awardees. Business Standard wrote a thoughtful editorial on the process of handing out these honours. At HT, my colleague, Amitava Sanyal, recalled how Chatwal would always dodge questions about the bank fraud cases. And soon every newspaper in the country — and most TV channels — focused on the award and the controversy it had engendered.

Stung by the bad press, the home ministry took the unusual step of issuing a statement defending the award. The statement referred to Chatwal’s role in swinging the nuclear deal. This was news to most people because the deal was pushed by George W. Bush whereas Chatwal is aligned with the Clintons who are bitter political opponents of Bush. At best, Chatwal may have influenced a few Congressmen or senators but this hardly seems enough to justify a Padma Shri, let alone a Padma Bhushan.

Intriguingly, the home ministry statement actually confirmed that Chatwal had been nominated by the PMO and listed the various cases against him arguing, however, that he had now been cleared.

The statement did nothing to quell the growing tide of outrage. One measure of the indignation was the response on Twitter. When I tweeted on Republic Day that the award sent out the wrong message (Rob a bank: win a Padma Bhushan!) there was enormous resonance and fellow Tweeter Pritish Nandy suggested we file an application under the Right To Information Act to find out how Chatwal got on the list. I agreed and on January 28, Pritish and I sent off our application by registered post.

But more was to come. On January 30, the Express revealed why the government could say “there is nothing adverse on record” about Chatwal. It turns out that, during the life of the UPA government, the CBI “rejected the advice of a string of investigators — including a Special Director and Joint Director — and decided not to appeal his discharge”. In other words, this government let him off.

In a meticulously researched story, the Express revealed that the cases against Chatwal for defrauding Indian banks in a multi-crore rupee scam had been on the CBI’s books for over a decade (Chatwal went to jail in 1997). But in 2007, under the UPA, the CBI ignored numerous recommendations (from a Special Public Prosecutor, a DIG, the Reserve Bank, a Joint Director, its Special Director, its Deputy Legal Adviser, its Additional Legal Adviser and many others) and went with the view of one man, S.K. Sharma, the CBI’s Director of Prosecutions, to bury both charge-sheets against Chatwal.

There is a pattern to this. Wrote Ritu Sarin in the Express, this is “remarkably similar to what happened in a string of politically sensitive cases”. Each time investigators wanted to prosecute a well-connected person, S.K. Sharma was wheeled out to recommend closing the case, over-ruling the investigators and protecting the powerful.

So now we know why Chatwal is not being prosecuted: this government dropped the case!

In the light of all this, you don’t have to look very hard to see why so many people have a problem with the decision to award Chatwal the Padma Bhushan. Even if we take the incredible position that Chatwal reached across the US political divide and somehow influenced the Bush administration to okay the nuclear deal, there is still no case for giving a man with his record a Padma Bhushan. Whatever his nuclear achievements — and in this case, they seem mythical — there is simply too much against him in his past.

I’ve dwelt at length on the Chatwal case because the government seems determined, for some mysterious reason, to brazen it out and it’s important to expose the hollowness of its claims.

But Chatwal is not the problem. He is merely a symptom. The real problem (as I wrote on this page two years ago) is the method by which we select the Padma awardees.

Do you know how it’s done? My guess is you don’t because successive governments have shrouded the process in needless secrecy.

Now, however, thanks to RTI applications, we have some idea of how the process works. We know now that the home ministry appoints a secret committee that is given a list of nominations and asked to choose. But it is only provided the background information that the government wants to provide (not a record of criminal cases against a nominee, for instance) and has only a few hours to choose from over a thousand names.

Besides, the home ministry has traditionally taken the line that even after this committee has met, the PMO can add or delete names at its discretion. Successive presidents have complained about the process. In 2004, A.P. J. Abdul Kalam wrote to the Vajpayee government expressing concern about the choices. And before that, when K.R. Narayanan was vice-president, he headed a committee that recommended cleaning up the system. Many of the committee’s recommendations were simply ignored.

So, the problem did not begin with Chatwal. Nor will it end with him. Some of the NDA’s awardees were also similarly undeserving. In fact, I would argue that Manmohan Singh’s essential decency has actually worked towards cleansing the system — except for such exceptions as Chatwal.

In Britain, the political system is cleaner than ours. Even so, the Honours system has been subject to intense scrutiny and even a Scotland Yard investigation in which the Prime Minister’s top aides were interrogated about dubious decisions.

I’m not suggesting that we need a similar investigation here. (Besides, who would conduct it? The CBI? Ha!) But what we do need is a measure of transparency in the system. We need to know how the winners are chosen and who makes the decisions.

Each year, dozens of deserving people get Padma awards. Most get them purely on merit without any kind of lobbying. But a single dodgy award given to a fraudster or a crook has the effect of diminishing all the genuine awards and making the deserving winners seem smaller.

A single insect can spoil a bushel of grain. A single crook can destroy the credibility of the awards.

(The views expressed by the author are personal)

AR Rahman wins two Grammy awards for Slumdog Millionaire

A.R.Rahman scored a double triumph at the Grammy Awards here, scooping two early honours for his music from the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his Jai Ho won in the best motion picture song category moments later.

"This is insane, god is great again," Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.

Rahman's rivals in the soundtrack category included Steve Jordan for "Cadillac Records," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds", and the producers of "Twilight" and "True Blood."

In the best song category Rahman's beaten rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song "The Wrestler", from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

The Grammy success comes after Rahman earned two Oscars for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" at last year's Academy Awards.

The talented music maestro picked up the best original score statuette before scooping the best song Oscar.

Cricket or “culture”, they tend to turn pitch dark without notice in Calcutta. A power failure blanketed the Book Fair at Milon Mela in black today,

Cricket or “culture”, they tend to turn pitch dark without notice in Calcutta.

A power failure blanketed the Book Fair at Milon Mela in black today, leaving one lakh visitors shocked and scared about security, publishers fuming and wary of thefts, and the organisers red-faced.

The lights that went off at 6.40pm across the fairground did not return in most stalls till the 8pm closure, while some others flickered back to life for about 20 minutes before darkness descended again.

After the Eden Gardens lights fiasco during an ODI last month, the police commissioner had threatened to stop floodlit matches there till the fault was corrected. It remains to be seen if the police will now withhold permission to the fair, an event close to the chief minister’s heart, using the same yardstick of public safety as they had done at the Eden where 50,000 people were present.

South 24-Parganas superintendent of police L.N. Meena merely said: “I will certainly order a probe.”

The West Bengal Trade Promotion Organisation (WBTPO), in charge of infrastructure at Milon Mela, claimed the ground’s transformer had tripped after too much power was drawn.

An Oxford University Press official said: “The stall was jam-packed when the lights went out; there was chaos and jostling. There could have been a stampede.”

What saved the day were the generator-run halogen lights illuminating the pathways. Tens of thousands came out of the dark stalls and stood helpless on the pathways even as stall owners scrambled to check their bags for possible theft at the exit points in semi-darkness.

“With a teenaged daughter and six-year-old son, I did not feel it safe to stay on,” said Gautam Bose from Behala.

A handful of stalls towards the eastern end, put up by publishers who are not members of the fair organisers, Publishers and Book Sellers Guild, suffered for about 20 minutes but ended the day with the lights on.

The WBTPO and the guild blamed each other. The trade organisation said the new transformer could only supply 1,250 kilovolt-amperes (KVA) but the fair had drawn 1,377KVA.

The guild said it was not aware it had drawn more than the 1,250KVA limit. “There may have been a problem; we are not sure what it was,” guild vice-president Suprakash Basu said.

WBPTO officials said they had written to the guild for funds to arrange for powerful generators but received no reply; the guild said it had replied but the WBPTO had prepared no back-up.

“In 2009 we had arranged for our own transformer (of 2,250KVA capacity) and there was no tripping. This is ridiculous,” guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee said.

“Who will compensate us for the loss of business? The guild?” asked Dipankar Acharya of Bikas Grantha Bhavan. “They call this an international fair?” said CU research fellow Sayanti Poddar.

The dancers at theme-country stall Mexico were changing between recitals when the lights went off. “The girls didn’t know how to react. Their Mexican co-ordinator was shocked,” a stall worker said.

An official of power supplier CESC said: “The transformer is not our responsibility.” Till late tonight, CESC and WBTPO engineers were trying to fix the fault.

No theft was reported but a salesman at a sweets stall said: “Many customers left in the dark without paying.”

It was, however, advertisement time for Microtek’s inverter stall. “See how our lights are providing back-up,” a salesman gloated, hoping the other stalls would now buy his products.
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