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- British Scientist invents All Terrain Wheelchair
- TV show aims to curb domestic violence
- Mukesh Ambani re-affirms as Richest Indian Billionaire
- The Dark Tale of Women’s Day
- Man gifts wife One Million Roses this Women’s Day
- ITC partners with farmers to improve Village Economy
- Bihar Boy selected for International Moot Court
- Bengalis Celebrate Holi with Dol Yatra
- Women attempts Suicide on Women’s Day after being abandoned
- US shivers amid India’s ban on Americal Poultry
| British Scientist invents All Terrain Wheelchair Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:51 PM PST
The Action Trackchair is made by Action Manufacturing in Marshall, Minnesota, and is specifically designed to go off-road, the Daily Mail reported Thursday. It can power across mud, rocky terrain and even in water. It has a top speed of eight kilometres per hour. The man behind the world’s toughest wheelchair, Tim Swenson, came up with the idea after his son, Jeff, was paralysed in a car accident, the Mail said. The ability to go off-road doesn’t come cheap, though. An Action Trackchair costs $9,000 (5,700 pounds) and is currently sold in the US, Canada, Norway and Australia. Also See
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| TV show aims to curb domestic violence Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:46 AM PST “Saubhagyavati Bhava”, a TV show which seeks to highlight the plight of women who face domestic abuse, has tied-up with an NGO to encourage men to curb the social evil. The show, which airs on Life OK, has joined hands with Breakthrough, a human rights organisation, which uses the power of popular culture, leadership training and community education to transform public attitudes. “Saubhagyavati Bhava” is the story of Jhanvi, a newly-wed middle-class housemaker. Her husband Viraj suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and the character is both — abusive and charming at once, leaving Jhanvi physically, mentally and emotionally tortured. To get the message across beyond the small screen, and to help alleviate the pain of women suffering this torture in everday life, the channel has come together with Breakthrough’s Bell Bajao initiative. The campaign encourages men to be catalysts in bringing down cases of domestic violence. “Domestic violence is a persisting problem in our society, and it’s only through such powerful initiatives can we try and change this. The tie-up is symbiotic, and we hope to reach out to our viewers, including men, to help us in bringing about this change in society,” Ajit Thakur, general manager of Life OK, said in a press statement. As part of this tie-up, awareness camps will be hosted to educate people about domestic violence and its impact on society. In addition, the channel will use the NGO’s resources to train people from diverse backgrounds to convey knowledge, share ideas and to reshape individuals. The footprint of this initiative is spread across seven districts in Uttar Pradesh and five districts in Delhi and Karnataka. “For us human rights must live in every home so that women enjoy equality and freedom,” said Sonali Khan, vice president, Breakthrough India. “‘Saubhagyavati Bhava’ is entering people’s homes and raising the issue of domestic violence and is trying to shake people out of their inertia. We believe that this partnership with Life OK will help spread ‘Bell Bajao’s’ message to a large audience. I am sure that this serial will get people to think and hopefully act to stop violence,” added Khan. Also See
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| Mukesh Ambani re-affirms as Richest Indian Billionaire Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:45 AM PST Mukesh Ambani, The Chairman of Reliance Industries has retained his status as the richest Indian Billionaire despite being the 19th richest person in the World. The Antella owner has a net worth of $22.3 billion emerged as the world’s richest Indian in the Forbes list of billionaires featuring 48 Indians. India’s top ten included Savitri Jindal & family (world rank 80), Sunil Mittal & family (113), Kumar Birla (116) Anil Ambani (118) Dilip Shanghvi (124) Shashi & Ravi Ruia (133) and Kushal Pal Singh (153). Ambani, despite losing $4.7 billion in the past year, was ranked 19th richest person on the planet with Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim retaining his position at the top for the third year in a row with a fortune estimated at $69 billion. Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, 56, held on to second spot on the world list with a net worth of $61 billion. He was followed by US investment guru and head of the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate Warren Buffett, 81, with a net worth of $44 billion. Over a third of all the world’s billionaires saw their net worth drop last year. India’s steel king Lakshmi Mittal, who took the second spot among Indians, was the biggest “loser” from the previous list. The owner of the world’s largest steel company saw his fortune fall by $10.4 billion to $20.7 billion, knocking him out of the top 10 for the first time since 2004. He finished 21st on the world list. Wipro chairman Azim Premji with a net worth of $15.9 was named the third richest Indian with a world ranking of 41. A record 1,226 billionaires made the list this year, up from 1,210 in 2011, with an average net worth of $3.7 billion. With a total net worth was $4.6 trillion, up $100 billion from last year, they came from 58 countries, with most hailing from the US, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East and Africa. This year’s list includes 104 women, among them Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton, the world’s richest woman and No. 11 overall with a net worth of $25.3 billion. There was plenty of movement on the list, with 128 billionaires entering for the first time and 117 dropping off. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, 27, continued his rise up the ranks with a net worth of $17.5 billion, making him the 35th richest person in the world. The most notable people to leave this year’s list were Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Jim Balsillie, former co-chief executive of Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry Also See
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| Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:39 AM PST Bordered by barbed wires and huge iron gates, a dilapidated amphitheatre in old Delhi’s Kabir Basti is home to over 30 mentally ill women who have found their way from dump yards and streets to the shelter home called ‘Sudinalaya – a house of memories’. The green rooms of the amphitheatre are now bedrooms for the abandoned women, and the only performance it has seen are heart-wrenching stories of mentally ill and abandoned women who struggle to piece together their past. As the world observes International Women’s Day Thursday, the occasion comes across as a bunch of elusive English words to the women at Sudinalaya. Amid talk of policies for women, Sudinalaya is a stark reminder of the most basic rights not fructifying for women in the country. Hundreds of mentally ill women who were abandoned by their family, abused by people, raped, or left to die on streets by their own children have come and gone from the shelter in the last three years. “Sudinalaya has come from a hard fought legal battle. Even now the shelter is surviving under a severe crunch of money, resources, going on donations of clothes and essentials that come from goodwill,” says shelter director Sreerupa Mitra Choudhary. Books have been written and political dignitaries have come visiting, but not an iota has changed in the lives of women who found refuge at this shelter set up in 2009. “When women are rescued from streets, they are in the most critical stage of mental illness. We have been running shelters for abandoned women for over two decades, no change at all,” the former journalist told IANS. “They are denied the most basic right to housing, right to food and right to dignity. They are poor, mentally ill and women to top it all – what else does one need to say of the state’s criminal negligence of these women?” asked Mitra, who runs shelters for women in other parts of Delhi. As Mitra introduces the IANS correspondent to other inmates, a frail and seemingly calm Kamla squats away in a corner. Five years back, Kamla was found in a heap of garbage at the Yamuna Pushta dumpyard in east Delhi. “She was lying upside down in the garbage and her head was infested with hundreds of maggots. She mumbled words to herself, and was later found to be HIV positive also,” Mitra recalled. While there are still no clues about Kamla’s origins, the coordinator at the shelter says she turns violent because of frequent mood swings. The women have been living with hallucinations, split personality, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, emotional withdrawal and remain on heavy psychotropic drugs when the emotional outbursts are hard to control. “They have created a world of their own. They dream of a life they would like to live and a world they belong to. They have desires…,” Mitra said, adding that women are re-named once they come to Sudinalaya. Speeding away from their forgotten past, the women get a basic three-time meal, clothing and the company of other women at the shelter. Watching TV and sharing stories with the coordinators and confidantes keep them engaged. Those who show response to medical treatment indulge in cooking and other daily chores. Chhaya comes rushing, clad in a blue suit, after a long cleaning session at the house. She tells the correspondent to write a letter to her brother. But the bitter reality is that her brother has not made any move to take her back. “I have written to him 10 letters till now. He is in America, so maybe he did not receive them,” she said. “I am from a well-educated south Indian family. I have given my address details to them (caretakers),” she said in fluent English and some jumbled words. Her friend Imli can’t recall where she came from. Seemingly in her 20s, Imli is known as the “soul of Sudinalay”. “Imli is so traumatised because of what she must have faced in the past that she has not spoken a word ever since she was brought to Sudinalaya. She keeps gazing at people and hides away when she hears someone shouting or fighting,” Mitra said. Soon they are joined by Anju, Sonam, Urmila, Saloni and many others who have woven a present out of their tormented past. Living in the shadow of bare walls, the women wait for someone from somewhere to come and take them home, understand their dreams, desires, tales of love and longing and the jumbled words they put together every time they meet a visitor at the shelter. (Writer’s note: The shelter is in dire need of donations and those interested can contact Mitra Choudhary.) (Madhulika Sonkar can be contacted at madhulika.s@ians.in) Also See
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| Man gifts wife One Million Roses this Women’s Day Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:50 AM PST Based on a romantic pop hit from Soviet times, a Kazakh man has ordered one million red roses for his wife The man had a spat with his wife and sought to make up to her, according to the Express-K.kz news website. The order for one million Dutch-grown roses was placed with a florist in Kyzylorda city in Kazakhstan and is to be delivered Thursday. Local prices for roses on International Women’s Day ranged from 500 to 2,000 Tenge ($3 to $13) per flower, which means the one-million order could cost the caring husband between $3 million and $13 million. The “Million Roses” song was popularised by Soviet pop diva Alla Pugacheva in 1982. The song, which tells a story of an artist trying to win a woman’s heart through the gift of flowers, sold over six million copies as a single. Also See
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| ITC partners with farmers to improve Village Economy Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:44 AM PST ITC in Munger has partnered with several farmers to boost the village economy under its flagship program of Mission Sunehra Kal . It will benefit over 30000 farmers in the District. It will include steps like forming, Milk Producer’s Group, Dairy Cooperative Societies, promotion for cattle loan facility through regional rural banks and installation of bulk milk chillers. Mission Sunehra Kal, aims to ensure substantial increase in farm output and resultant income, livestock improvement, watershed management and development of dairy as alternative livelihood. “The mission is also to empower rural women and improve access to education for local populace,” an ITC official said. The social development initiatives of ITC have so far benefited 65,000 families of farmers. Besides, according to ITC statistics, 3465 women benefited from the schemes meant for women. Improved agriculture practices on 300 acres of land in four blocks of Munger have borne fruits as the yield has gone up, the ITC official said and added the watershed development programme was going on in 21 villages whereas primary education scheme covers 57,000 students. Considering that livestock is an important source of regular income for farmers, ITC has been working for productivity increase through an integrated package of animal husbandry services comprising genetic improvement to ensure disease-free and resistant animals. In partnership with NGOs, ITC is running 33 cattle development centres that provide animal husbandry services across 430 villages. Also See
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| Bihar Boy selected for International Moot Court Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:36 AM PST Bihar Boys have again shined in the World. Kushagra Sinha from Patna has been selected for International Moot Court competition. He was selected at the national level competition held in Delhi last month. Twenty-year-old Kushagra, an ex-Michaelite, is son of Brahmarshi College, Ara, principal Kanhaiya Prasad and Snigdha Prasad, a teacher of Arvind Mahila College, Patna. The International event is being organized by the Frankfurt International Investment Moot Court Competition from March 12-16. Also See
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| Bengalis Celebrate Holi with Dol Yatra Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:07 AM PST
The Santiniketan campus in Birbhum district was a picture of mirth and gaiety as people danced on the streets to the strains of Tagore songs that exhorted everyone to mingle in joy. The spirit of Tagorean culture seemed infectious, as the darkness of the night was dispelled with girls and boys of Visva-Bharati, accompanied by their teachers, going around the campus urging people through songs to open their doors (“Ore grihabasi, khol dwar khol, laglo je dol”) and usher in the spring festivities. The girls, resplendent in golden sarees and garlands of fragrant flowers, and boys in traditional kurta-punjabi, took part in a song and dance routine at the Ashram Math (university main ground). The function ended with everyone smearing the other with abir. The curtains would come down on the festivities in the evening, with the rendering of Tagore’s dance drama ‘Mayar Khela’ by the university students. The festival was a marriage of north Indian and Bengali cultures in this metropolis. While those from north India celebrated it in their traditional style, the Bengalis exchanged sweets and pleasantries. As the morning progressed, the youngsters moved around their neighbourhoods in groups, throwing water missiles and smearing coloured powder on one another. Security was tightened across the state, especially in sensitive areas of the city, Santiniketan and Mayapur to prevent any untoward incidents. “There are no reports of untoward incidents till now. Situation is absolutely peaceful. There is a huge police presence on the roads to prevent any breach of peace,” city Police Joint Commissioner (headquarters) Jawed Shamim told IANS. An officer manning the state police control room here said that peace prevailed in the districts. In parts of the state, the festival is marked by placing the idols of Krishna and Radha on a picturesquely decorated palanquin, which is carried by the devotees around the town. People dance around and sing hymns in joy, and spray coloured water and smear gulal on each other. At Nadia district’s Mayapur, about 130 km from here, thousands of devotees from various parts of the world congregated at International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) global headquarters to celebrate the day as the birth anniversary of Vaishnav saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Devotional songs and cultural programmes, discourses about the life and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu marked the day at Mayapur. Also See
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| Women attempts Suicide on Women’s Day after being abandoned Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:56 AM PST While the world celebrated International Women’s Day, a helpless woman attempted suicide Thursday after her husband abandoned her on a highway in Kashmir. Without giving her any idea about where she was, the husband literally threw her out of a truck on the Srinagar-Leh highway at Wussan village in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The husband, a truck driver, had brought her to Ganderbal from Baramulla district nearly 110 kilometres away from his home. The story of Tahmina (name changed) is an eye-opener for all who celebrate International Women’s Day and the rights “granted” to women in a male-dominated World. Tahmina had been brought to the Valley from Kanpur some three years back after her uncle arranged her marriage with a local driver who lives in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. This was after receiving a heft sum of money from the groom. The uncle vanished and the 35-year-old woman was left to the mercy of her husband. “He brought me here in his truck and dropped me down. Without looking back, he drove back to his home. I want to die because I have nowhere to go,” Tahmina told the locals who had reached in time to save her as she tried to hang herself from a tree. All she owns now are the clothes she is wearing and a small bag. The bag also contains her Nikahnama. “The cruel husband has placed a divorce paper in the woman’s bag which she showed to us,” said a local in Wussan village. Police in now investigating the case. “Her husband will be questioned. We are trying to establish the facts,” they said. Given the disclosures by some locals, Tahmina might not be the first nor the last such non-local woman to face the tragedy. “Women with relatively poorer backgrounds from outside the state are being ‘sold’ by their relatives to locals. While some are living happily with their husbands, the less fortunate ones like Tahmina are abandoned after the husband loses interest in the wife. It is as simple as that,” said a local Imam who did not want to be named. Also See
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| US shivers amid India’s ban on Americal Poultry Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:16 AM PST President Barack Obama had long pressed for a curb on the outsourcing to India, but a single ban by India on Americal Poultry has made United States shiver on the grounds Americal companies of losing the market. Leading U.S. software and technology companies on Wednesday pressed President Barack Obama’s administration for quick action on a new Indian government policy that they said threatens U.S. exports to the fast-growing economy. The Business Software Alliance, Telecommunications Industry Association and other groups said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that they were “deeply concerned” by a plan that would require the Indian government to give domestic electronic goods preferential treatment in its purchases. The plan by India’s Department of Information Technology’s also covers “products that have undefined ‘security implications’” and potentially software, the groups said. “Most troubling, however, are the (Indian government’s) plans to use its regulatory power to force government licensees to purchase domestic electronic products in a manner clearly inconsistent with the letter and spirit of India’s WTO (World Trade Organization) commitments,” they said in the letter. They appealed for Kirk’s urgent assistance in addressing a development that could have a “devastating” impact on U.S. companies’ competitive stance in a key market in India and damage U.S.-India trade. A copy was also sent to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who is leading a trade mission to India later this month to explore opportunities for U.S. companies to take part in infrastructure projects. The United States has run increasingly large trade deficits in advanced technology products in recent years, unlike the surpluses that were typical in the 1990s. Last year, the advanced technology trade gap was $99.3 billion. While India is a growing market for variety of U.S. exports, imports from the sub-continent have grown even faster. The U.S. trade deficit with India hit $14.54 billion in 2011, as exports rose to $21.63 billion and imports to $36.17 billion. The coalition released the letter a day after the Obama administration filed a WTO case against India for its ban on imports of U.S. poultry meat, eggs and other farm products. The United States says the ban, which India says is needed to stop the spread of bird flu, is not based on sound science. More than 100 countries currently import U.S. poultry. The White House has made enforcement a major part of its overall trade agenda. Obama, who is running for reelection this year, recently created a new interagency trade enforcement unit to crack down on unfair foreign trade practices. Also See
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