Indian News Briefly | DesPardes.com

DEC 16: Creative Technology Ltd. has introduced the new Creative WebCam Live! Effects in India, which will ship for an estimated street price of Rs. 4999.

The Webcam comes bundled with the Creative Advanced Video FX software for Video Instant Messaging (Video IM). The software lets users add fun mirrors, face morphs and special photographic effects during Video IM sessions. They can even hide their location with lively and intriguing backdrops.

Creative WebCam Live! Effects is a USB 2.0 Web camera, which can deliver video up to 30 frames per second at 640 x 480 pixel (VGA) resolutions. The USB interface enables users to capture fast, smooth, high-resolution video with more details.

The Webcam's VGA CMOS sensor also enables users to capture still photos at up to 1.3 MP with interpolation. The Creative Smart Face Tracking feature keeps the user's face in view and even tracks multiple users. It also features a four-way flexible base that allows the Webcam to be placed anywhere.

The Webcam is primarily targeted at high school students, college students and/or young adults who communicate frequently with family and friends via the Internet and would enjoy a Webcam that can liven up the Video IM experience. The secondary users include Internet beginners who want to experience Video IM and Web conferencing with a feature-rich and dependable Webcam.

The Creative WebCam Live! Effects is now available at a suggested retail price of Rs. 4,999. The standard package includes a WebCam Live! Effects with USB 2.0 cable attached, Creative lapel microphone for better voice clarity, Quick Start Booklet, Creative Stik-On for Webcams, as well as two CDs containing the following software bundle: Creative WebCam Center, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft VideoImpression, ArcSoft MultiMedia Email, ArcSoft Collage Creator and Yahoo! Messenger. (Source: IT News Online)

Dravid skips nets due to fever

DEC 16: Rahul Dravid, the India captain, did not attend the nets today in Ahmedabad ahead of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka on Sunday.

This was due to the after-effects of the antibiotics he took before the second Test in Delhi. The rest of the squad practiced today, including Punjab fast bowler VRV Singh who has been specifically asked to be with the team and bowl in the nets.

Both Virender Sehwag, the Indian vice-captain, and Dravid were hit by viral fever before the second Test. Whereas Sehwag was admitted to a local hospital on the eve of the match and subsequently couldn't play in it, Dravid, who had missed a net session then too, gamely shrugged off the nascent fever to open the innings.

India and Sri Lanka play their 3rd and final Test match on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

Air India tells Cabin crew to cut flab
DEC 15: Air India - India�s international carrier has threatened to ground overweight cabin staff unless they shed their excess pounds.

The airline�s 1,600 cabin crew workers have been given two months to shape up, or risk being assigned to ground duties.

The airline did not immediately say how overweight crew would have to be before being reassigned, and there was no word on whether any staff members had already been grounded.

Ganguly dropped from India test side
Dec 14 - Saurav Ganguly was dropped from India's test squad on Wednesday, all but ending the international career of the country's most successful captain.

The 33-year-old batsman was left out of the 15-man squad for the third test against Sri Lanka starting in Ahmedabad on Sunday after scoring 40 and 39 in the second test in New Delhi.

NRIs may get voting rights
Dec 13: Government today indicated that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) could get voting rights. "From all angles, we are getting ready for that but ultimately a decision has to be taken in the Cabinet", Minister of State for Overseas Indians Affairs Oscar Fernandez said in New Delhi. He said "things are on the right track and there is a possibility that it will happen".

On the dual citizenship issue, he said a decision on it has been taken in the past one year and the first dual citizenship certificate would be given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January seven.

Speaker takes serious note of TV footage
New Delhi, Dec 12 - Taking a serious note of a TV news channel showing MPs purportedly taking money for raising questions in Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, today asked these members not to attend the House till the investigation is completed, reports PTI.

"I have discussed the matter with leaders of different parties and also with Leader of the Opposition. All of them agreed that the matter should be looked into," the Speaker said in the House. "I shall certainly ask these members to explain what has happened," he said.

11 MPs 'accept cash to raise questions'
NEW DELHI, Dec 12: Members across the political spectrum have demanded stringent action, including expulsion, against 11 Members of Parliament, who allegedly accepted money to raise questions in Parliament as shown by a television news channel on Monday.

The Lok Sabha set up an inquiry committee to go into the charges and submit a report by 4.00 p.m. on December 21 and the Rajya Sabha referred the case of its lone member to the Ethics Committee.

MPs asked not to attend session

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee told the House on Monday that the 10 members were asked not to attend the session until the matter was looked into and a decision taken.

They were asked to submit their individual statement/explanation on the allegations made by television channel Aaj Tak before 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The members' statement/explanation would be placed before the inquiry committee that would comprise Pawan Kumar Bansal (Chairman-Congress), Vijay Kumar Malhotra (Bharatiya Janata Party), Mohammed Salim (Communist Party of India-Marxist), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and C. Kuppusami (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

The Committee, the Speaker said, was authorised to follow its own procedure and present the report before the House for its consideration.

The winter session of Parliament is scheduled to conclude on December 23.

Earlier, the Speaker made a statement as soon as the House assembled. He said he discussed the matter with leaders of different parties, including Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and they agreed that the matter was extremely serious if proved correct.

House is deeply concerned, says Speaker

"I have no manner of doubt that all sections of the House feel deeply concerned about it. I know that we should rise to the occasion and we should see that such an event does not occur ever in future and if anybody is guilty, he should be punished. Nobody would be spared. We shall certainly respond to it in a manner which behoves us."

Action demanded at the earliest

Leaders of various parties demanded action at the earliest. Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) said what was shown was a reflection on the parliamentary system. Harin Pathak (BJP) expressed anguish and announced that the party had suspended its MPs involved.

Mr. Bansal said it should be ensured such acts were not repeated. Prabhunath Singh (Janata Dal-United) said the acts had lowered the image of the MPs.Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M) said the incident had lowered the dignity of the House.

Indian Miss World-Asia Pacific
MANILA, Dec 11: Sindhura Gadde of India, has been chosen Miss World-Asia Pacific and vied with five other continental queens: Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir of Iceland (Miss World-Northern Europe), Sofia Bruscoli of Italy (Miss World-Southern Europe), Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos of Puerto Rico (Miss World-Caribbean), Dafne Molina Lona of Mexico (Miss World-Americas) and Nancy Abraham Sumary of Tanzania (Miss World-Africa).

Vilhjalmsdottir of Iceland, a 21-year-old anthropology/law student and part-time policewoman, walked away with the 55th Miss World crown contest held in Manila. No Filipina has ever won the elusive Miss World crown.

Indian-American arrested in NY for embezzling $5.5m

NEW JERSEY, DEC 10: Two former New York city workers were accused of defrauding the medical examiner�s office of millions of dollars provided by the federal government after the 2001 terrorist attacks, reports AP.

One of them is an an Indian-American Natarajan Venkataram, 41, from Queens, New York.

Both Venkataram and Rosa Abreu, 38, also of Queens, were arrested Wednesday on charges that they defrauded the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, authorities announced Friday.

Prosecutors said about $5.5 million in funds had been transferred at Venkataram�s direction to bank accounts in India, says the report.

The pair reportedly embezzled millions of dollars by submitting invoices for goods and services that were never provided or by inflating what was owed.

In a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, prosecutors said the pair was involved in a personal relationship when they began � even before Sept. 11, 2001 � to steer contracts to entities that did little or no work.

After the terrorist attacks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency forwarded millions of dollars to help the office buy computer hardware, software and support services to identify victims through forensic analysis of body parts and other means. Prosecutors said the defendants steered one $11.4 million contract to a company that was controlled by a close associate of Venkataram. Venkataram and Abreu were administrators in the medical examiner�s office, which has more than 700 employees.

The defendants made an initial court appearance Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck ordered Abreu held pending a bail hearing while Venkataram�s bond was set at $1 million, secured by $400,000 in cash. Venkataram also will be required to submit to electronic monitoring. Prosecutors said about $5.5 million in funds had been transferred at Venkataram�s direction to bank accounts in India.

Delhi's own Philadelphia man fight a losing battle

NEW DELHI, Dec 10 � Delhi and Philadelphia may find something in common. Forty-two-year-old Randhir Kumar is New Delhi's own Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks). Beckett's character of an Aids victim, who is sacked from job because he carries HIV virus in reel time story Philadelphia, may have fetched Hanks the world-wide accolade and an Oscar.

But for Kumar it is a real life story and he faces a worse than Beckett-like consequence. Kumar is HIV+ and is fighting a similar battle to retain his job. Kumar is a peon in a garment shop and was terminated from his service soon after he told his employers that he was carrying Aids.

However, look at the strange commonalities. Like Beckett, Kumar too was a great employee of his firm and enjoyed outstanding relationship with his employers that paid him bonuses and advances on time and looked after him well during festivals.

Kumar says: "I had a great relationship with my employers. I worked for 10 years with them. When I first found out about my HIV status, I was uncomfortable to talk about it to them. But when I needed extra medical attention, I thought disclosing it to my employers would help."

"But I was sent on leave immediately," Kumar adds. "First, I thought it to be a caring gesture. But it turned out to be a nightmare. When I tried to go back to them, they refused to let me enter office. I drew a salary of Rs2,700, with which I supported my family of wife and three children," he said.

Kumar approached a labor court here to get the National Industrial Disputes Act invoked and like Beckett's lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) in Philadelphia, he too got a compassionate hearing and support from lawyer Sangita Singh.

The National Industrial Disputes Act has a provision for an initial reconciliation between the employer and employee.

Hence, Kumar was taken back on the job in September 2005, but his story took a turn for the worse.

His employer refused to pay him the compensation and his earlier dues. Kumar was treated like a loner. "I'm asked to sit in a corner of the office and not touch files or other accessories. I'm being harassed. I cannot leave the job, as my entire family is dependent," Kumar says.

"They are pressurizing me to withdraw the case. If I would not have told them about Aids, they would not have known. My mistake was that I was honest and confided that I was diseased," Kumar said. It is a losing battle for Kumar, whose health is deteriorating fast. Is Tom Hanks listening? (Source: Khaleej Times)

'Keep watch on Togadia'
Togadia

PATNA, Dec 10 � Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leaders have asked their government to closely watch Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) Pravin Togadia during his visit to the state and make sure that he does not disturb communal peace.

Alarmed by the prospect of the VHP � a close ally of government partner BJP � trying to make inroads in Bihar, JD-U leaders have suggested that the government must be in the know of where Togadia goes and what he does. The leader arrived in Bihar three days ago to attend VHP functions in several places and is likely to attend a big event here before leaving tomorrow.

"The government must keep a watch on his activities because Bihar is a religiously sensitive state and any move to disturb communal harmony may prove costly," said JD-U's Upendra Kushwaha.

India tests surface-to-air missile

BHUBANESHWAR, DEC 8: India successfully tested on Wednesday a surface-to-air missile for the second time in five days from a coastal range in the east of the country. The domestically developed Akash missile was fired from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 125 miles northeast of Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar.

The 1,540-pound Akash, can track 100 targets simultaneously with onboard radar. It is able to move at a speed of 600 meters (yards) a second and deliver a 55-kilogram warhead across 27 kilometers in 50 seconds.

Study Predicts 100 Million India Web Users

DEC 7: The number of Internet users in India will shoot to 100 million in two years from the current 38.5 million, an industry study said. The number of Internet users has soared 54 percent from 25 million users in 2004-2005.

The catalyst for this growth was the rise in online shopping for airline and rail tickets, books and home appliances, Preeti Desai, president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India, said Wednesday.

Desai said the forecast was based on increasing use of e-commerce and online communication.

The e-commerce market was likely to grow to rupees 23 billion ($511 million) by 2006-2007 from the present rupees 11.8 billion ($262 million), the trade group study said.

The association conducted the survey in October and polled 882 people who shopped online from cyber cafes. It offered no margin of error.

The number of cyber cafes in cities and towns across India moved from 18,000 in 2001 to 105,350 this year, the study said. (AP)

Jagat suspicious of sequence of events

NEW DELHI, DEC 7 � Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh's son Jagat Singh refuses to name any individual as to how the Iraq oil-for-food scandal has ensnared his family, but says categorically that the way the controversy has unfolded is cause for "many suspicions".

In an interview with the BBC Hindi service before his father offered to resign from the union cabinet late on Monday, Jagat Singh admitted that both of them were passing through a difficult phase and added that he was confident they would come out clean.

"The way this entire issue has unfolded, it raises many doubts and the entire sequence of events leaves behind a trail of questions, raising many suspicions in our minds," he told BBC. He said he would not want to comment "at this point of time" on whether there was a conspiracy against his family.

The legislator from Rajasthan reiterated that they were ready for all kinds of probes.

Answering a question on whether he and his father were isolated in the party after former prot�g� and ambassador to Croatia Aneil Matherani's damning disclosures, Jagat Singh said: "We are not thinking about future and strategies at the moment. We are ready for all kinds of probes."

He added, however, that Matherani's utterances lacked conviction.

"Till 10 days back he was in India and was asked by Indian Express newspaper about the allegations. At that time he had said it was all baseless. Then 10 days later, he decides to speak to India Today (magazine) from Croatia over telephone and makes wild statements, then retracts later in the day."

Jagat Singh said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's Sunday night decision to remove Natwar Singh from the party's steering committee was her right.

"So far as the removal from the steering committee is concerned, it is party president Sonia Gandhi's prerogative whom she wants in the steering committee and whom she does not want! She is the authority, it is her decision and she has every right to decide."

According to Jagat Singh, it was "not fair" for Randeep Surjewala, the Youth Congress president, to say that he had not taken permission for his earlier trips to Iraq.