north east online - north east india news: 02/01/2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

India-Myanmar to jointly fight northeast rebels

IMPHAL - India and Myanmar will conduct a ‘coordinated operation’ against northeast separatist outfits taking shelter and setting up base camps in the neighbouring country, Union Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said here.

“A coordinated operation by the joint forces of India and Myanmar would be conducted in the jungles of the neighbouring country to flush out northeast militants camps,” Pillai told reporters here Saturday night after holding a meeting with top Manipur government officials.

The strategy for the joint operation was discussed with Myanmar officials during Pillai’s visit to Yangon Jan 19-21.

“All camps (in Myanmar) which are acting against the interest of India would be targeted,” the home secretary said refusing to divulge details about the proposed joint operation.

According to Pillai, quite a large number of separatist outfits belonging to northeast India have their camps across the border.

Pillai was here to review the law-and-order situation in Manipur and the development work being undertaken in the state.

Three northeastern states — Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram — share a 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar.

“We have given detailed information about the insurgent camps with specific locations to the Myanmar authorities,” the union home secretary stated.

“If any extremist outfit abjures violence, it would be a great potential for talks,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his speech during the internal security meeting in New Delhi earlier this month pointed out that the almost unchecked trans-border movement of Indian insurgent groups and the continued existence of their camps in Myanmar posed threats to the internal security of Manipur and other northeastern states.

“It is no secret that most arms and ammunition used against our security forces are smuggled in from Myanmar. It is also known that whenever our army, Assam Rifles and the state police launch operations, the militant groups take shelter in neighbouring areas of Myanmar,” Singh told the meeting.

Highlighting the positive outcome of the home secretary-level talks Jan 19-21 at Yangon, the Manipur chief minister asked the central government to consult authorities in Myanmar for ascertaining the dates convenient for the first meeting of the proposed series of meetings between the border liaison officers.

Indian Air Force to showcase ‘Vayu Shakti-2010′ at Pokhran today

POKHRAN - The Indian Air Force will display its full combat power capability when ‘Vayu Shakti-2010′, its biggest firepower demonstration is unleashed at the Pokhran firing ranges this evening.

The whole of Pokhran will reverberate to the sound of fighter planes. For the first time ever, there will be a day-night practise and show of strength of the IAF.

About 70 planes of different variety like Sukhoi 30s, Mirage 2000, Jaguars, MIG 21, attack helicopters, UAVs and high-tech AWACS will display their full firepower.

This demonstration is to showcase the full range of IAF skills and capabilities.

The transport aircraft include AN-32, Embraer and IL-76, while Mi-17 4 and Mi-35 attack helicopters will constitute the rotary wing ingredients.

For the first time Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) will be used to monitor the mammoth exercise, while an unmanned aerial vehicle will stream live video images of the target destruction.

In addition to the 65 aircrafts participating from all IAF Commands, 30 standby aircraft in air and an equal number on ground will make it one of the biggest participation by IAF aircraft in any such FPD ever.

Mock radar sites, tanks, marshalling yards, terrorist camps, runway, BMP (infantry fighting vehicles), blast pens and convoys are among few of the targets that pilots will seek to destroy. Para-drop and troop insertion of Guard- IAF’s Special Forces to neutralize a terrorist camp will also be on display.

The other attractions will include aerobatics display by Surya Kirans and Sarang, display by IAF skydiving team-Akash Ganga and renditions by IAF Symphonic Orchestra.

The fire power demonstration is a collective display of skills and accuracy in weapon delivery by pilots at the end of their training year. The exercise also aids commanders and planners to ain better insight into the potential and deployment capabilities of aerial weapons. (ANI)

Naga rebel leader Muivah arriving in India Sunday

DIMAPUR - Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), arrives in New Delhi Sunday to carry forward the stalled Naga peace talks, union home secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said here Saturday.

“The NSCN-IM leaders have accepted the government invitation to resume the peace dialogue between New Delhi and the Naga organisation,” Pillai told reporters in the Nagaland city Dimapur after attending a passing out parade of paramilitary Assam Rifles.

“The NSCN-IM leader would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram next week.”

It is not officially known where exactly Muivah is based outside India. He had last visited India in December 2006 with NSCN-IM chairman Isak Chisi Swu and held talks with the government.

“Efforts are also on to include other Naga groups, including the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, as demanded by the Naga people. Naga communities have felt that for a permanent solution to the vexed ethnic conflict, holding of talks with all Naga factions are essential,” Pillai stated.

The centre earlier this month had appointed former petroleum secretary R.S. Pandey as its new interlocutor to facilitate dialogue with the major insurgent outfit, NSCN-IM, which had entered into a ceasefire with the Indian government in August 1997.

Replacing former chief negotiator K. Padmanabhaiah, Pandey has been chosen for the assignment as he has served as chief secretary in Nagaland and is said to have a good grasp of the issues that have led to the long spell of insurgency in the northeastern state.

The last round of inconclusive peace talks between the central government and the leading Naga separatist outfit was held in March 2009 in Zurich, Switzerland.

The NSCN faction led by guerrilla leader S.S. Khaplang entered into a ceasefire in 2001 but formal peace talks are yet to begin.

The NSCN-IM, one of the oldest and most powerful of about 30 rebel groups in India’s northeast, was earlier fighting for an independent homeland for the Nagas, but has scaled it down to a Greater Nagaland, proposed to be formed by slicing off parts of adjoining states that have Naga tribal populations.

The governments of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have rejected the demand for unification of Naga-dominated areas. The union government too had earlier rejected demands for unification of all Naga-inhabited areas.

Union Home Secretary in Manipur

Imphal, Feb 27 (ANI): Union Home Secretary, G.K. Pillai, has ruled out talks with any insurgent group in the northeastern states on issues of sovereignty, but expressed willingness to initiate peace talks to resolve the issue.

Addressing the media here on Friday, Pillai said: "If the groups are willing to abjure violence, I think there is great potential for talks. Because only through dialogue we can resolve the issue, violence will not solve the issue."

G K Pillai who is on a two-day visit to the State, accepted the emergence of several insurgent groups in the northeastern region in recent years but said the government was capable of handling them.

"We are quite prepared to handle all these groups. I think everybody realises that extortion is the biggest cottage industry in the northeast. And every group, which comes up, is really doing it for money," he said.

" It's very clear. Any four people can take up gun, and call themselves by any name they want, the situation being such that they are able to extort some money and get away with it. And that's what encouraged more and more groups to come," Pillai added.

Pillai's visit is aimed at reviewing the law and order situation in the state and also to take stock of the developmental projects being undertaken in the region, which are frequently being rocked by insurgent attacks and face other security problems.

He said the Central Government had suggested to the Manipur Government to pull out the policemen from VIP security and put them into police stations to ensure better safety of the citizens.

"One of the issues which we are suggesting to the state government is that please take out people who are guarding the VIPs and put them into the police stations so that they can guard the people." Pillai said.

Commenting upon the peace talks with the powerful rebel group- National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) - Issac-Muivah faction, Pillai said, the government will resume talks with the group in March this year and is likely to place a proposal to the outfit during the talks.

But Pillai ruled out the demand of integration of the areas inhabited by the Naga tribe.

"I won't be able to share the points of the proposal but I think it is very clear that issues like sovereignty or the integration are not feasible today, but we are open to discussion on all the ssues that have been raised." he said. (ANI)

Guwahati International Film Festival

Buoyed by the success last year , the Cine Arts Society , Assam (Cine ASA) organized the 2ND Cine ASA Guwahati International Film Festival recently. Famous Sri Lankan Director Prasanna Vithanage’s film ‘ Akasa Kusum’ was the inaugural film of the festival and many more of his famous films were screened.. The Festival featured a restrospective of films by noted Spanish Director, Pedro Almodovar. The Tribute section of the festival featured films by Soth Korean director, Kim Ki Duk. Many other acclaimed contemporary films from Asian as well as European countries, particularly French and Romanian , were screened . National award Indian feature films were also part of the festival. A seminar titled “ Future roadmap for films in NE India ‘ was also held in the sidelines of the Festival and was attended by eminent actors , directors , journalists and film critics.

Lamenting the absence of an environment that promotes good films, eminent filmmaker Jahnu Barua said that the best of cinema was not reaching the public.

“I do not know the exact reasons but the best of films are not reaching the people… we probably lack an enabling environment that inculcates a taste for good cinema among the people. We are not communicating with the people to make them see good films,” Barua said while addressing the concluding function of the 2nd CineASA Guwahati International Film Festival-2010 .

Bemoaning the neglect suffered by a powerful medium like cinema, Baruah said that the filmmakers in Assam and the North-East were doing a good job despite being plagued by constraints.

“A good filmmaker puts his best into his film and wants people to see it but that is not happening here… People are not realising how much they are losing by missing good cinema,” he said, adding that all concerned needed to do something to reverse the trend.

Barua also felt that notwithstanding the boom in the number of films across the country, the big question was “whether we are checking the quality” in making the correct choices for viewing.

“But despite the setback faced by good cinema we should be perseverant,” he said and added that film festivals were a welcome sign as they place a number of above-average films on a single platform for public viewing. “This process must be carried further,” he said.

Noted cinematographer from Mumbai Mazhar Kamran termed cinema as ‘literature in visuals’, saying that its purpose extended beyond mere entertainment and profit-making. “It relates to the viewer directly and is a reflection of our lives and times. Its language is universal, and therefore, can bridge boundaries,” he said. His well-received film ‘Mohandas’ was screened in the Festival.

The winners of the short film contest for upcoming filmmakers of the North-East were also announced at the function. While Taste of Hilsa directed by N Langsa won the award for the best director, Eye of an Eye by Chaoba Thyem got the best film award. Smile by Kashyap Barbora bagged the special jury mention award.

Noted filmmaker Gautam Bora who was one of the judges for the short film contest, lauded the young filmmakers for their sincerity and expertise in highlighting some of the burning issues in a poignant manner.

M Maniram, whose film ‘Mon Jai’ won the Rajat Kamal award in the National Film Awards , was also felicitated at the function.

Bringing Myanmar closer

An Imphal based NGO namely Indo-Myanmar Fraternal Alliance( IMFA) has decided to take tourists from NE to tour Myanmar from Moreh in coming March. IMFA President, R.K.Shivachandra said that such a tour is materialising after a hiatus of six odd years due to lifting of travel restrictions from the Manipur -Myanmar border by the Junta Govt. According to Shivachandra, the IMFA is organising this trip in collaboration with Diamond Palace Tourism Company of Myanmar.Shivchandra informed that 70 people from Manipur and Nagaland have already booked for this package tour. "Meities have their own blood and brothers in Myanmar. The same holds true for the Nagas. We appeal to the people of Assam to also join us as Tai Ahoms have very close links with the Shans. Mediapersons can come too but they have to book themselves as tourists, else they will not be allowed to travel inside Myanmar.In all we are expecting around 200-250 members to register for this trip.'', he said.
" The trip will start from Imphal and move through Tamu , Kalewa and Monywa in Myanmar to Mandalay. This will be a 7 day trip. With all fooding , 3star Hotel boarding , cruises and entertainment included it will cost Rs. 12,000 per head. But if there is wish and demand then from Mandalay we can arrange a day long trip to Psipaw(250 kms away from Mandalay), the place of the Shans for our Assamese brothers." "This initial tour will be a sort of root-tracing trip. We can explore so many other routes in Myanmar in future reaching right upto Yunnan in China. Touring with us from Imphal will be a much cheaper option than going by any other route." " Strong friendship and trade and economic relation can foster between NE India and Myanmar and neighboring countries like Thailand and Yunnan in China through people to people movement , understanding and collaboration. Opening of border tourism will pave the way for this understanding.", he said.
IMFA has also appealed to the Manipur Govt to allow Buddhist tourists from Myanmar and other SE Asian countries headed for Bodh Gaya in Bihar to come by Moreh-Imphal then take the land route via Assam for their destination. "We are not saying this but huge pressure is actually being applied from the Buddhists from the neighboring countries to make this a reality. Coutries like Myanmar are not exactly rich and it costs a religious tourist to Bodh Gaya around Rs45,000 for air travel via Kolkata. The same will come down to Rs 15,000 through Imphal. The affordability will also increase the volume of tourists hugely.'', said the President.
IMFA has also appealed to allow patients from bordering Myanmar like Tamu to undergo their treatment in Imphal which is at a distance of 100 kms, rather than moving to Mandalay around 500kms away. " This will not only be convenient but will also bolster friendship and ties.", said Shivachandra.
The IMFA was formed in 2003.

Telecom boost

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 250 crore for laying down an 800km optical fibre cable line in Assam to provide high-speed connectivity in the telecom sector.

This was announced by Union minister of state for communications and technology Sachin Pilot in Guwahati on 2nd February after holding a review meeting on the activities of information technology departments, rural telephony and quality of services in the Northeast.

The optical fibre cable network will be laid down by BSNL. “The Centre will provide all help to boost connectivity in Assam and the Northeast and this is the first step in that direction,” Pilot said, adding that efforts were on to make the region an investment hub for telecom sector.

Optical fibre cables have found wide application in long distance communication networks and have several advantages over copper-based cables like that of larger bandwidth.

Pilot said the Centre’s plan was not limited to providing best telecom facilities to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. It included providing services to rural India and regions like the Northeast where the teledensity is still very low as compared to big towns and cities.

In the coming year the BSNL will set up 843 mobile towers in the Northeast to deliver high quality telephone and broadband services to its remotest parts, he said. 40,000 new broadband connections will be provided. The planned fund outlay for this expansion is around Rs 384 crores. The number of telephone subscibers is expected to grow from 28.15 lakhs in December'09 to 32 lakhs by end of next financial year.

Pilot launched WiMax, BSNL’s high-speed wireless data services, at Chaygaon in Kamrup district to provide high-speed connectivity in the rural areas. High-speed Internet services will be available in an area of 15km with the launch of WiMax.

He said special emphasis had been laid on providing communication facilities in the border areas and those affected by insurgency.

Pilot also urged all BSNL staff and employees to remember their social obligation and maintain high quality of service.

On the same day Pilot visited Itanagar and announced a bonanza to spruce up telecommunication along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh to facilitate better co-ordination among the security forces manning the frontier.

“I am assuring 50 digital satellite phone terminals (DSPT) to the Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol (ITBP) jawans manning the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Our army and intelligence are faced with lack of proper telecommunication facilities in border areas. Altogether 245 mobile towers will be set up along the Indo-China border soon,” Pilot told in Itanagar.

He said the focus of the communication and IT ministry was to connect all urban and rural centres of the Northeast, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, with modern telecommunication within two to three years.

Pilot said his ministry would ensure that the fruits of telecommunication reach every nook and corner of the region, especially the border states.

A software technology park and an IT hub, which is one among the 51 hubs slated to come up in the country, is in the offing in the state and the Arunachal Pradesh government has promised to allot land for it, he added.

While tele-density is desired in urban areas, the ministry has also chalked out a road map to reach out to the rural areas, which are yet to be well connected through telephone and Internet facilities, within a span of two to three years.

Arunachal Pradesh has 1.72 lakh mobile subscribers and another lakh will be added to the number in 2011. Under a Union government scheme, eight of the total 299 post offices will be digitised in the state, he added.

Pilot said 140 jobs had been created for the Northeast circle of post office, and villages with a minimum population of 50 will be connected with broadband facilities soon.

Miss Mega North East

The 8th edition of the biggest and the most sought after beauty pageant of the NE, The Mega Miss North East, was held recently at the cultural hub of Guwahati , the Shilpagram . Since 2003 , the Mega Miss North East pageant has taken the region by storm. It has not only showcased the best beauties of the NE but has also highlighted that it is not physical beauty alone that matters but a good brain and caring heart are the requisites that makes a woman complete. To drive home this virtue , the Mega Miss Miss North East Movement has every year stood for a cause, right from its inception in 2003. This year it was Bharti Airtel group who became the corporate partner and title sponsor to back the cause of ‘promoting child care’.

22 young , beautiful and very talented girls from the different States of the NE descended down at Guwahati following clearance of tough preliminary auditions at their respective State level. The final pageant at Shilpagram , a a Mega Entertainment show in association with Rajbari Nattraj Troupe and Purnima Handicraft ,was a glittering affair that brought alive the beauty of North East unity as well as the vibrancy and delicate touch of its many hues woven around its simple ethnicity all through the medium of the 22 beautiful girls who sashayed down looking stunning in the best of sarees, gowns and traditional wear. The girls got impetus not only from a drooling and appreciative audience but also the bench of top class jury having in its fold the ultimate name in fashion designing in the country , Hemant Trivedi, former Mr. India World Kanwaljit Singh, Airtels North East Head , Sudipto Chowdhury and social activist , Nilakshi Baruah.

Punam Kalita of Assam was crowned the Airtel Mega Miss North’2010 while the Manipur duo of Soma Laishram and Sangreela Maisnam grabbed the first and the second runners up title respectively. The winner walked away richer by Rs1 Lakh , bagged a modeling contract with Mega Entertainment and became a member of the National Human Right Association ,Station NE. As per the contract the winner will visit different parts of NE all through the year to promote child care. A splatter of sub-titles were also given away during the glittering evenings programme. Catherine of Nagaland got the title of Airtel Loving and Caring Personality, Soma from Nagaland was adjudged the winner of Shilpagram Best Traditioal Costume, Sange of Arunachal was adjudged Miss Congeniality, , the Sky Aviation Miss Personality went to Sukanya of Assam, Sangreela of Manipur, apart from her 2nd Runners up title also walked away with the Kaya Clinic Beautiful Skin and Fast Track Miss Catwalk titles. Similarly Punam Kalita also had a memorable evening ….apart from being crowned the winner , she bagged Zoom Photogenic and Mega Entertainment Best Model titles.

Punam Kalita , a classical dancer, was ecstatic on winning the crown. She said that it was a great learning as well as emotional experience for her , being together with girls from all over the NE region. Her confidence showed when she said, “ I wanted to win . Felt I had it in me to win . The deserving candidate should become the winner …and I, think I was the most deserving.” She also was very excited after getting to showcase her talent and be part of the pageant in front of somebody like Hemant Trivedi.

She was also quite upto her responsibility saying that she will purposefully and diligently be the ambassador for Mega Miss North East and promote the cause of child care all through the coming year.

And last but not the least ,whenever one speaks of the Mega Miss North East and the fantastic journey that it has covered, going from strength to strength and thrilling one and all every year, one simply cannot complete the narration without mentioning and paying the due kudos to the man behind all this glory , Abhijit Singha. He is an ace designer himself who has worked in different parts of the country , that too with International brands like Dior. From conceptualizing the whole idea, living and realizing his dream of showcasing NE unity and nurturing his baby The Mega Miss North East , Abhijit has done it all with perfection and élan . Styled and powered by Abhijit , the Mega Miss North East has become not only the numero uno pageant of the NE but in its style and outlook an event that can match any of the best pageants in the country today.

* That the pageant highlights the essence of NE unity and its vibrant culture was embodied also in the scintillating presentation of the unique ‘Pung-Cholom’ dance from Manipur where the performers enthralled the audience with their acrobatic and rhythmic display with traditional drums as also the captivating Lion dance from Sikkim called ‘Singhi Cham’. Meghalaya band, NE Rempai also took the stage to bind the audience with a brief musical soiree. For the first instance in its 8 year history the pageant was not an event in itself but was part of the NE Shilpi Divas and lived upto the billing .
* Buoyed with the long success of Mega Miss North East, Abhijit treaded for the first time into different territory last year when he organized the 1ST Mega Mr North East,which was also turned out to be a huge success. He is now looking to hold the second edition of the same later this year as also a unique pageant for children. One can lie assured that the very talented young designer would leave no stones unturned to stamp his class in these forthcoming shows.
* Punam Kalita was crowned by last years winner , Delphine Marbaniang from Meghalaya
* The Punam Kalita part can be stretched and given in the form of an interview-----

Punam Kalita , the Guwahati girl , who also bagged Zoom Photogenic and Mega Entertainment Best Model titles was ecstatic on winning the crown. She talked briefly after being crowned the winner. Excerpts from this chat ---

Q. How does it feel winning the crown?

R. Obviously, I’m very happy. This title means so much to me.

Q. How was your whole experience like?

R. It was a great learning as well as emotional experience for me , being together with girls from all over the NE region. I learnt many things and made a lot of friends. Top names like Hemant Trivedi, who is perhaps the best in business and former Mr India World , Kawaljit Singh were there to judge the event . It would remain a lifetime experience and I consider myself lucky to be part of the pageant in front of such big and reputed names.

Q. Were you confident of winning or did the final verdict come as a pleasant surprise to you?

R. I wanted to win . Felt I had it in me to win . The deserving candidate should become the winner …and I, think I was the most deserving.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
R. I won’t look into look too distant a future but take things as they come. For the moment I must finish my studies. I am a dancer….Sattriya dance of Assam is my forte….I want to pursue it further and become more perfect. At the same time I cannot forget my responsibility after winning the crown. Going by the motto of ‘ beauty for a cause’ I will purposefully and diligently be the ambassador for Mega Miss North East and promote the cause of child care all through the coming year.

Functioning of government departments paralyzed as employee strike enters 40th day

The ongoing strike by government employees entered second month paralysing the working of government offices across the state.

The 60,000-strong body of government servants are on strike for the past 40 days demanding the implementation of the Sixth pay Commission recommendations of higher wages and perks.

The strike has also affected the common man with the health services also coming to a screeching halt after health department workers also joind the stir.

As a result functioning of almost all the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of the state and district level health centres was affected. The state-run JN Hospital in Imphal too was not functioning affecting the patients.

Further trouble is in store with employees working with essential services such as electricity and water supply departments announcing their intention to join the stir for higher wages.

“Employees of state secretariat and essential services such as electricity and water supply are also expected to join our strike from March 26,” Ch Chandramani,General Secretary of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Trade Union Council (AMTUC) and All Manipur Government Employees Organisation (AMGEO) told Hindustan Times on telephone.

“We understand that the move will inconvenience the general public, but the state government is responsible for it,” L Priyobartta, publicity secretary of the JAC added.

Denouncing the adamant silence of the government, he said if the government does not still responded then the employees of these hospitals will cease all work from March 2.

How can we compete with the central government employees who enjoy 6th pay commission benefits that include allowance for their children's education, said an employee of the state information office.

Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is yet to respond to the demand and has been pleading with the employees not to press the matter at a crucial juncture when the state plan was being formulated.

The state would need funds to the tune of Rs 2000 crore to pay the higher wages and arrears and another Rs 1050 crore to pay salaries. Pensions would cost the state government another Rs 250 crore per annum, he said.

It is not just the common people who are inconvenienced by the strike. The employees have also not received their salaries for the month of January.

The strike at the moment appears to be a long drawn one, as the government has not expressed any willingness to give into the employees demands.

A meeting of the striking employees had with the chief secretary DS Poonia recently failed to make any headway, sources said.

'Govt ready for talks with ULFA but operations to continue'

The government is ready to hold talks with the ULFA sans the sovereignty issue but there will be no immediate suspension of operations against the banned group, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, Gogoi told reporters "The
government is ready for talks with the ULFA but there will be no discussion on the sovereignty issue. Also there is no plan to suspend operations against the group now."

On participation of ULFA leaders in the talks, he said the government will try to bring everyone to the negotiating
table.

"We will even try to bring ('military chief') Paresh Barua. But if he does not come, we will go ahead," he said.

According to him, the indication from the ULFA is positive and the government is hopeful of initiating the
dialogue process soon.

But he did not specify any timeframe for the talks.

During the meeting with Chidambaram, Gogoi discussed modalities of the talks and also briefed the home minister
about the state's preparedness for the discussions.

Asked whether he had requested for an interlocutor specifically for the ULFA issue, Gogoi said P C Haldar has
been named to deal with all insurgent groups in Assam.

Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad X201 is the latest ultra portable business laptop from Lenovo and it is available both in standard form and one with a Wacom Tablet Screen. This is no meager powered iPad tablet that can only be used for some web based applications but it is powerful enough so that you can view HD videos on it without any problem or you can also play a 3D game on it, if you like so. The new X201 Tablet boasts the new Intel low voltage Core i7 CPU along with a 4GB of RAM. Before spending some $1,900 on the tablet, let us look closer into the tablet to find out if it has any deal breaking cons.
Performance

The system houses a 2.13 GHz Core i7 640 LM CPU and a 4GB RAM. Simply put, this is a powerhouse tablet. Though the Core i7 used here is alow voltage version and the performance of the processor is not like the standard desktop edition systems but it is more than enough to run a system like this. You can run many programs like iTunes, Microsoft Word, GIPM, Skype and at the same time switching between multiple tabs in Firefox does not break a sweat on the system. The 320 GB 5,400 rpm HDD is also fast enough so that launching programs won’t make you crazy. The graphics of this system is the integrated GMA 4500 MHD which is enough to runHD videos smoothly and perhaps some 3D games but does not have the performance like a dedicated GPU so don’t expect to run Far Cry at its highest settings on this machine. However, we don’t have any complain with that, after all, it is not a gaming laptop like Alienware.
Build and Design

The ThinkPad sticks to it original ThinkPad design elements. This means that it is a no frill notebook. There isn’t any noticeable design departure from the original ThinkPad root; there is the classic soft touch lid, square edges and the magnesium alloy chassis. The size of the notebook is as small as it can be keeping the standard size keyboard. However, if you consider its thickness, it is a tad bit thicker at 1.3 inches whereas the commonly available netbooks or tablets are merely 1 inch thick. The weight of four pounds also feels heavier especially as a tablet.
The hinge is perhaps the most important thing to look for before buying a tablet PC. This unit has a bi-directional 360 degree hinge that feels solid from the start. There is a latch that keeps it locked in place when positioned on top of the keyboard. Both the tablet orientation and the normal laptop like view operate smoothly on the device.
Display

The system packs a 12.1 inch 1280 X 800 pixels resolution display that is quite brighter than most other touchscreen tablets available in the market and there seems to be almost no lack of brightness due to the extra touchscreen layer on the screen. The viewing angles are surprisingly good and there is no graying on flipping the screen.
Touchscreen

The touchscreen works very good for both finger input and the stylus input. The capacitive touchscreen recognizes even the slightest touch of our fingers which makes multitouch least painful on the device. However, digging through Windows 7 menus is still a headache. Though there are not so many uses of it right now and you can do some two finger scrolling and pinching to zoom; there are also some Windows 7 touch games like scaring away the digital fish, if you like to spend some time with it.
Keyboard

The keyboard from the Lenovo ThinkPad series had been a pleasure for almost every model they have produced and this Lenovo ThinkPad X201 does not disappoint either. The keyboard is spill proof to incorporate some ruggedness into the keyboard. The keys are firm to push and have a good click effect when pushed. If you are planning to use this tablet’s keyboard for some longtime, there aren’t many competitors to this keyboard.
TouchPad and Pointing Stick

The inclusion of a touchpad in this lineup is always welcome but the size of the touchpad is very small. There are many among us (including me) who don’t like to use the pointing stick at all. This is why they have included the touchapad. Apart from the size, we don’t have any complaint against the smoothness of the touchpad or the clicking button.
Ports

The X201 Tablet has every standard port that you may need for general use. There are three USB Ports, Ethernet, VGA, Express Card 34 and the common headphone – microphone jack. The only thing we miss in this device is a HDMI Port. It would surely be a welcome feature on a powerful notebook like this. PlayingHD videos on my HDTV would be more pleasant than its 1280 X 800 screen. If the HDMI Port was present we might have forgiven the absence of the Card Reader slot.
Audio

This is not a multimedia system, so we did not expect hifi sound quality from the two speakers residing at the bottom of the device but to our disappointment, the quality of the sound was worse than many netbook speakers we heard. The tinny speakers only qualify to conduct a chat with a friend of yours and nothing else. You must use a good pair of headphones to listen to your favorite music collection.
Battery Life

The system comes with an eight cell battery that sticks its back almost an inch outside the laptop’s boundary. This does not look cool but does provide some decent battery life. The system can easily deliver six hours in normal condition but if you are a heavy user, it can provide at least four hours in the most extreme situations. Options for four cell battery will be available very soon but that won’t provide that much runtime.
Heat and Noise

Heating was one of our concerns when we heard that it would have a Core i7 processor. But the low voltage processor does not create that much heat to be worried about. The noise of the cooling fan was not audible even in a quiet room.
Pros

* Great Performance
* Display is very good for a Tablet
* TouchPad is there if you need it

Cons

* Underpowered integrated Graphics
* Heavier than other ultra lightweight notebooks

Conclusion

The Lenovo X201 is a device that really doesn’t have any cons that can be a deal breaking one. If an extra pound of weight is not a problem with you or you don’t want to play 3D games on it, you should do fine with the machine.

Rs.16 crore cut in budget for Delhi Police

NEW DELHI - The funds for Delhi Police have been cut by nearly Rs.16 crore for the coming fiscal in the 2010-11 budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday.

The force has been given Rs.125.20 crore for plan expenditure and Rs.2,833.93 crore for non-plan expenditure. Last year, the plan and non-plan expenditures were Rs.106.95 crore and Rs.2,868 crore respectively.

A senior Delhi Police official, however, said: “Last year we had to pay nearly Rs.325 crore in arrears following the Sixth Pay Commission. This year we do not have to pay this, so we see it as a hike of Rs.300 crore.”

Ford Figo Unveiled In India

CHENNAI, INDIA - After managing to stay afloat amidst the economic meltdown while it's US based rivals sank into bankruptcy, Ford Motors is planning to take the Indian car market by storm by launching technologically advanced models with lucrative prices. The company is going to launch its much touted model named Figo in the Indian car market before the end of March this year. This model is a compact car and with it, Ford is trying to snatch a share of the market hitherto dominated by Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors and Tata Motors.

The Ford Figo, when it is launched will lock horns with rivals like Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i10 and i20 and Tata Indica Vista. The exact price of the model is yet to be decided by the company. However, it will not be priced steeply as Volkswagen Polo and Chevrolet Beat, two recently announced models have been placed at competitive price points. Ford has tasted success inthe Indian car market with its midsized sedans like Ikon and Fiesta earlier. However, it is yet to make an impact on the fast growing compact car segment. It is betting high on the Figo.

2010 is going to be a crucial year for the leading car companies in Asian car markets including India. The Ford Figo will intensify the competition in the small car segment. It will be made in the company's Chennai facility in south India. To make things easier for the buyers, Ford India has opened as many as 28 new dealerships all over the nation.

Pranab Mukherjee to present Union Budget in Parliament today

NEW DELHI - Amidst high expectations Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will on Friday present the General Budget for 2010-11 in Parliament, but inflation and the rising fiscal deficit remains a concern for the government.

The common man will, however, hope that there is no further burden in terms of taxes and appropriate steps are taken by the Centre to control food inflation.he export sector, which has suffered the most due to global melt down, will also be looking forward for some relief.

The Economic Survey 2009-10 presented on Thursday favoured the gradual rollback of stimulus measures that were introduced following the global economic meltdown in late 2008.

However on the eve of the Union Budget, Mukherjee talked about the measures that would be taken by the government to deal with 17.85 percent food inflation and certain aspects of the economy. (ANI)

JD (U) MLA commits suicide after shooting wife and daughter

PATNA - Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Abhay Singh on Friday morning alllegdly committed suicide at his official residence inPatna after shooting his wife and six-month old daughter.

Singh’s father Narendra Singh is Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs in Bihar.

Narendra Singh, who was sleeping in another room at the time of the incident, fell unconscious after the incident and has been admitted in the ICU of Patna Medical College and Hospital with cardiac complications.

However, Abhay Singh’s elder daughter is reported to be safe as she was sleeping with her grandmother in another room.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition Rabri Devi visited Singh’s residence on getting the news of the incident.

Kumar said, “We are with the family members of Narendra Singh,” describing the whole incident to be a sad one.

Police said the Jamui legislator Singh allegdly shot dead his wife and daughter with a gun before killing himself around 2 a.m.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, added the police.

However, the reason behind the whole incident is still unknown. (ANI)

Rail Budget 2010-11: Mamta Banerjee focuses on aam admi

New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee presented the Rail Budget 2010-11 for next fiscal in Lok Sabha today. The Rail budget 2010-11 laid special focus on PSU’s network expansion, while keeping the freight rates intact. Mamata’s speech emphasized on social responsibility, laying emphasized on her commitment to the “aam admi”. Confirming that Railway will not be privatized, she appealed the business houses to join hands for building partnership.

Mamata introduced a futuristic 10 year project called Vision 2020 aimed at modernizing railway network. According to Railway minister a special task force would be set up for early disposal of the projects.

The Railway Minister vowed “I prefer social responsibility to economic responsibility,”

Here are some salient features of Railway budget 2010 addressing the needs of aam admi

* Village panchayats, hospitals and court would have a e-ticket counter. A railway counter might also be set up at the office of the District Magistrate.
* Ensuring safety measures a ”chowkidaar” would be placed at every railway crossing in the next five years
* Rs 1302 crores would be spent for the safety of passengers
* Multilayer parking and cheap drinking water
* 117 of 120 new trains to be flagged off in current fiscal
* 6 bottling plants to supply water to Railways
* Promises cleanliness ad better amenities on train

Tibetans-in-exile mark centenary of 13th Dalai Lama’s exile to India

DHARAMSALA - The Tibetans living in exile in India marked the centenary of the 13th Dalai Lama’s exile to India here today.

The 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Thupten Gyatso, took refuge in India from 1910 - 1911 following the invasion by Mancho China led by General Chao Er-feng.

The13th Dalai Lama with his followers fled Lhasa and sought refuge in the northeastern parts of India. After two years, when the Mancho Empire collapsed, the 13th Dalai Lama returned back to free Tibet.

So to mark the 100 years of the 13th Dalai Lama’s exile to India, a function was organised by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Tsuglagkhang, the main Buddhist temple in Dharamsala, which was attended by Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans, including young children.

Tibetan Prime Minister in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche and the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in-exile, Penpa Tsering, addressed the gathering of Tibetans on the accomplishments of the 13th Dalai Lama.

“100 year in which he first came into exile. So this is a form of commemoration of that important event,” said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson of Tibetan government-in-exile.

Samphel added that it is an occasion when Tibetans need to remember the great services rendered by the 13th Dalai Lama to the Tibetan people. (ANI)

Postal honcho caught taking Rs 2-crore bribe

The Chief Post-Master General of Maharashtra and Goa was today arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore to transfer government land meant for post offices to private parties. The CBI has called it the biggest catch in the last 60 years.

Manjit Singh Bali was apprehended by the anti-corruption wing of the investigative agency, officials said.

Bali, a 1978 batch civil services officer, is among the top 10 senior officers of the country.

Bali was caught accepting the bribe at one of south Mumbai's top restaurants. He allegedly demanded 1.5 crore for himself and Rs 50 lakhs for a middleman.

The CBI said a former municipal corporator helped them lay the trap.
The Enforcement Directorate has been intimated as the cash Bali had was above the permissible limit.

I make Rs 100 a day of posing nude

Sarita makes her money using her body and can’t tell her sons what she does.
She talks to Upneet Pansare about her life as a nude model in Mumbai

‘Every morning when I leave my house, I make it a point to dress up properly—hair combed neatly and a bag held in place. I want to look like any other woman in my neighbourhood on her way to work. When I reach work, I take off my clothes in front of a class of 50 art students.”

Shocking discovery
“It was the thought of my children that made me take up nude modelling. I was 24 years old when I was introduced to the job. My husband had recently died. He used to drink regularly and had been hospitalised twice. The third time, he died of cirrhosis of the liver. Although not much, up until then, his wages had been enough to meet our basic requirements. With him around, there had never been any need for me to work. Besides. I had no skills. I started working in people’s houses as a maid after my husband’s death, but I could never hold any of the jobs for long and spent several days at home, waiting.
“One day, when I was sitting at home, my maasi (aunt) took me to her college to show me what she did for a living. I had always assumed that she was a sweeper there. She took me to a classroom that had a board outside saying no one other than professors and students was allowed to enter. When we went inside, I saw about 30 students seated with canvas boards in front of them, pencils in hand. I followed my maasi on to the stage. Suddenly, she started undressing in front of all those people. Embarrassed and angry, I simply stared at her as she sat demurely on the couch. Then, the students began sketching her. I kept looking at the students, as they observed her with rapt attention, while she sat there, naked and unselfconscious. I tried gauging the students’ reactions, but there were none.

“After a six-hour session, she introduced me to a professor who asked me if I would be interested in working as a model. I was scared and was about to refuse, but my aunt egged me on. Finally, I agreed. I was then asked to undress and imitate my aunt’s pose. Hesitatingly, I took off my clothes. Needless to say, it was embarrassing and I wanted to leave immediately. But I thought about my children and how much I needed the money. I stayed on’

Cramps and drowsiness
“Posing nude can get very uncomfortable. I do get breaks in-between, but I often get cramps from sitting in a particular position for hours. I’m almost used to the pain now. I cannot change my position, as it distracts the students. There are times when my head starts drooping when I feel sleepy, but the students promptly wake me up. The worst days are when I have my periods. There have been times when my periods have clashed with important assignments or even exams. I have to put up with it for five days, as I can’t take a break during that time. I sit on a cloth to avoid staining.
But I have always believed that my pain and discomfort should not hinder the students. I think of the students as my children and the fact that they are benefiting from me makes me feel proud. I remember an instance wherein I had to attend the funeral of a relative and hence could not be there for a scheduled class. A peon from the university came to my hut in the slums of Kurla to convince me to report to work. I could have refused, but then I realised that the students would have to miss a day, and many of them came from faraway suburbs. So, I agreed:’

World-famous artists
‘I don’t feel self-conscious while posing anymore. It helps to know that the students and professors are not studying my person, just my body. And that’s only because the subject of human anatomy is an important part of an artist’s training. Also, they help me by explaining the importance of the poses I sit in. Many times, students ask me to imitate film star poses.
“I started with earning Rs 50 for seven hours of work. But now I am paid Rs 100. Despite repeated requests and applications to the government, there has been no hike for several years. In the 10 years that I have worked as a nude model, several students who have sketched me have gone on to become world- famous artists. But they treat me with respect whenever they meet me.”

Often misunderstood
“Apart from students and professors of the institute, nobody knows what my work actually entails. Those who don’t understand art obviously do not look at the work respectfully. A handful of the people in my basti who know what I do often taunt me and pass lewd comments. People have several misconceptions about my job and some even think that I’m a prostitute. I don’t blame them because initially, even I considered it to be prostitution.
‘For the rest of the world, including my neighbours and relatives. I am a housemaid or I do odd jobs at offices. When I am asked where I work,
I try to be as vague as possible. What matters most to me is that I am able to support my family. My sons believe I am a sweeper at a reputed art college in south Mumbai. The only reason why I m continuing with this job is because I have nothing else to fall back upon. Also, since the pay is so low, all other women who used to work as models have left. Out of solidarity, sometimes, the students give me money for my lunch or tea:’

Vacations too
“Life gets tough during the college vacations. I get a four-month break from work at a stretch. Sometimes I end up spending all the time at home without another job. Both my sons had to leave school because I could not pay their fees. They were forced to take up odd jobs. For now, I have no choice but to continue working at the art school. Apart from the money, my biggest worry is that one day, my sons will find out what I do and I know that like everybody, they, too, will never be able to accept me.”.

'Lame' mosquitoes to stop dengue

Scientists are breeding a genetically altered strain of mosquito in an effort to curb the spread of dengue fever.

The dengue virus is spread by the bite of infected female mosquitoes and there is no vaccine or treatment.

Experts say the illness affects up to 100 million people a year and threatens over a third of the world's population.

Scientists hope their genetically altered males will mate with females to create female offspring that will inherit a gene limiting wing growth.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists say their approach offers a safe, efficient alternative to harmful insecticides and could be used to stop other diseases spread by mosquitoes, like malaria.
They estimate that if released, the new breed could sustainably suppress the native mosquito population in six to nine months.

Researcher Professor Anthony James, of the University of California, Irvine, said: "Current dengue control methods are not sufficiently effective, and new ones are urgently needed.

"Controlling the mosquito that transmits this virus could significantly reduce human morbidity and mortality."

Grounded

The plan is to release genetically-altered male mosquitoes who will mate with wild females and pass on their genes.

The scientists have shown that females of the next generation who inherit the gene are unable to fly because it interrupts normal wing growth.

Male carriers of the gene remain unaffected.

Lead researcher Luke Alphey, of the University of Oxford and his own spin-out company Oxitec Ltd, said the approach was highly targeted.

"The technology is completely species-specific, as the released males will mate only with females of the same species.

"Another attractive feature of this method is that it's egalitarian - all people in the treated areas are equally protected, regardless of their wealth, power or education."

Dr Hilary Ranson, of the Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the work was a major step forward.

"This is a significant advance. It will be logistically challenging to make and release enough of the male mosquitoes and it's not going to be cheap. But it can be done with the right resources."

She said dengue fever was an ideal disease to tackle in this way because it is spread by only a couple of species of mosquito.

She said malaria would be harder to beat because of the variety of mosquitoes carrying the disease.

Actor Charlie Sheen enters rehab

Actor Charlie Sheen has entered rehab and will be taking a break from filming his popular TV series, Two and a Half Men, his publicist has said.

It comes two months after the 44-year-old was arrested following a fight with his wife, Brooke Mueller, at their home in Aspen, Colorado on Christmas day.

He was later charged with assaulting and threatening her and is due to return to court on 15 March.

Mueller is also in rehab seeking treatment, her lawyer said.

'Personal matter'

Sheen's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, said the actor will "take some time off" from filming his TV series. Sheen's decision to enter rehab was taken as a "preventative measure," he added.

"He has asked that his privacy be honoured. No further statements are planned," Mr Rosenfield said.

He did not provide details on what type of rehabilitation facility Sheen had entered.

CBS and the creator of Two and a Half Men said in a statement that they "support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment centre. We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter."

They confirmed shooting would be temporarily suspended.

Earlier this month, Sheen was charged with menacing, misdemeanour assault and criminal mischief against his wife.

The menacing charge covers the alleged use of a deadly weapon in a threatening manner.

He could face up to three years behind bars if convicted.

3G spectrum auction to be held on Apr 9

New Delhi, Feb 25: The 3G spectrum auction will finally be held on Apr 9 and application from prospective bidders will be invited from Thursday, Feb 25.

A government notification while announcing the date of auction as Apr 9, said that a notice inviting application will be begin from Feb 23 and the last date for submission of the application will be Mar 19.

The pre-qualification of bidders would take place on Mar 30, while on the 5th and the 6th of April a mock auctions would be held.

The auctions for the 3G spectrum have been postponed twice, despite the announcement of the auction dates.

While the announcement of the dates have brought relief to the most of the operators like Bharti, Vodafone, Rcom and Tatas, who are reportedly ready with the auction plans, they are waiting for NIA for confirmation.

The auctions had to be deffered owing to the differences between government departments regarding the pricing wireless radio spectrum and on the availability of spectrum to be auctioned.

However, Telecom Minister A. Raja said that the issues were resolved.

Whale kills trainer as horrified spectators watch

ORLANDO, Fla. -A SeaWorld killer whale snatched a trainer from a poolside platform Wednesday in its jaws and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her in front of a horrified audience. It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death.
Distraught audience members were hustled out of the stadium immediately, and part of the park was closed.
Trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, was rubbing Tilikum after a noontime show when the 12,000-pound whale grabbed her and pulled her in, said Chuck Tompkins, head of animal training at all SeaWorld parks. Park officials say the veteran trainer drowned.
Audience member Eldon Skaggs said Brancheau's interaction with the whale appeared leisurely and informal at first. But then the whale "pulled her under and started swimming around with her," he told The Associated Press.
Skaggs, 72, said an alarm sounded and staff rushed the audience out of the stadium as workers scrambled around with nets.
Skaggs said he heard that during an earlier show the whale was not responding to directions. Others who attended the earlier show said the whale was behaving like an ornery child.
He left with his wife and didn't find out until later that the trainer had died. The retired couple from Michigan had been among some stragglers in the audience who had stayed to watch the animals and trainers when the accident occurred.
"We were just a little bit stunned," said Skaggs' wife, Sue Nichols, 67.
Another audience member, Victoria Biniak, told WKMG-TV the whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off."
Two other witnesses told the Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed the woman by the upper arm and tossed her around in its mouth while swimming rapidly around the tank. Brazilian tourist Joao Lucio DeCosta Sobrinho and his girlfriend were at an underwater viewing area when they suddenly saw a whale with a person in its mouth.
The couple said they watched the whale show at the park two days earlier and came back to take pictures. But on Wednesday the whales appeared agitated.
"It was terrible. It's very difficult to see the image," Sobrinho said.
Because of his size and the previous deaths, trainers were not supposed to get into the water with Tilikum, and only about a dozen of the park's 29 trainers worked with him. Brancheau had more experience with the 30-year-old whale than most, and was one of the park's most experienced trainers overall.
"We recognized he was different," Tompkins said. He said no decision has been made yet about what will happen to Tilikum, such as transferring him to another facility.
A SeaWorld spokesman said Tilikum was one of three orcas blamed for killing a trainer in 1991 after the woman lost her balance and fell in the pool at Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia.
Steve Huxter, who was head of Sealand's animal care and training department then, said Wednesday he's surprised it happened again. He says Tilikum was a well-behaved, balanced animal.
Tilikum was also involved in a 1999 death, when the body of a man who had sneaked by SeaWorld security was found draped over him. The man either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water and died of hypothermia, though he was also bruised and scratched by Tilikum.
Later Wednesday, SeaWorld also suspended the killer whale shows at all of its parks, which also include locations in San Diego and San Antonio, to review procedures.
According to a profile of Brancheau in the Sentinel in 2006, she was one of SeaWorld Orlando's leading trainers. It was a trip to SeaWorld at age 9 that made her want to follow that career path. Dawn was the youngest of six children who grew up near Cedar Lake, Ind.
"I remember walking down the aisle (of Shamu Stadium) and telling my mom, 'This is what I want to do,'" she said in the article.
Brancheau worked her way into a leadership role at Shamu Stadium during her career with SeaWorld, starting at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium before spending 10 years working with killer whales, the newspaper said.
She also addressed the dangers of the job.
"You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you," Brancheau said.
Brancheau's older sister, Diane Gross, said the trainer wouldn't want anything done to the whale because she loved the animals like children. The trainer was married and didn't have children.
"She loved the whales like her children, she loved all of them," said Gross, of Schererville, Ind. "They all had personalities, good days and bad days."
Gross said the family viewed her sister's death as an unfortunate accident, adding: "It just hasn't sunk in yet."
Steve McCulloch, founder and program manager at the Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Program at Harbor Branch/Florida Atlantic University, said the whale may have been playing, but it is too early to tell.
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions," he said. "These are very large powerful marine mammals. They exhibit this type of behavior in the wild.
Tompkins, the SeaWorld head trainer, said of the whale: "We have no idea what was going through his head."
Mike Wald, a spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Atlanta, said his agency had dispatched an investigator from Tampa.
Wednesday's death was not the first attack on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.
In November 2006, a trainer was bitten and held underwater several times by a killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.
The trainer, Kenneth Peters, escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot orca that attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.
In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.
Wednesday's attack was the second time in two months that an orca trainer was killed at a marine park. On Dec. 24, 29-year-old Alexis Martinez Hernandez fell from a whale and crushed his ribcage at Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Park officials said the whale, a 14-year-old named Keto, made an unusual move as the two practiced a trick in which the whale lifts the trainer and leaps into the air.

Husain conferred Qatar nationality

NEW DELHI - India’s eminent artist M.F. Husain, who has been under attack from Hindu fundamentalists for his paintings of Hindu goddesses and has been living in Dubai and London, has been given Qatar nationality, it was reported here Thursday.

“I, The Indian origin painter M.F. Husain at 95 have been honoured by Qatar nationality,” the celebrated artist wrote above a line sketch of a horse, the leitmotif of much of his work. The black and white drawing was carried by The Hindu newspaper.

In a signed article, The Hindu editor N. Ram wrote that the artist had given him the news from Dubai “by reading out the few lines he had written on a black-and-white line drawing that he released to The Hindu”.

According to the report, Husain did not apply for the nationality but it was conferred on him at the instance of the emirate’s ruling family.

Photographer, designer and activist Ram Rahman, who is close to the Husain family, responded to the news by saying: “The citizenship has been offered by the sheikha, the wife of the sheikh ofQatar, and it has several implications.

“On a personal note, I feel it is quite clear that the man who is 95 years old and cannot return to his country to die, there is no point of him remaining anIndian citizen.”

“It would be a tragedy. He has not given up his Indian citizenship yet but if he decides to take up the Qatari offer, he will not remain an Indian citizen anymore. It is also a reflection of our legal system because the cases against him will drag on for 20-30 years…. so it is justified if he takes up the Qatari offer,” Rahman told IANS.

Toyota apologizes for safety problems, says electronics not cause of stuck gas pedals

WASHINGTON — The president of Toyota’s operations apologized for the company’s handling of safety issues Tuesday while insisting that electronic problems did not contribute to sudden acceleration of its cars. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood argued that such a possibility could not be ruled out.

Toyota’s James Lentz and LaHood presented differing views in prepared testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s investigative panel, the first of three congressional panels holding hearings on Toyota’s problems.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee, Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Michm, set the tone for sharp questioning ofLentz at the hearing’s outset.

“Toyota all but ignored pleas from consumers to examine sudden unintended acceleration events,” he said. “They boast in a briefing of saving Toyota $100 million by negotiating a limited recall. They claim that they first became aware of sticking pedals in late October of 2009 when in fact they had received numerous complaints many months and years earlier.”

“They misled the American public,” Stupak added, “by saying that they and other independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the electronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible cause of sudden unintendedacceleration when, in fact, the only such review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained by Toyota’s lawyers.”

Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues against conducting a “witch hunt.”

Sikh refugees demand Indian citizenship

AMRITSAR - Following the brutal beheading of two Sikhs by Taliban in Pakistan, refugee Sikhs, hailing from Peshawar in Pakistan living in Amritsar have demanded that they should be given citizenship so that they can live in India safely with their families.

The refugee Sikhs expressed that their families and relatives in Peshawar and other tribal areas are under severe threat from Taliban and repatriation will cost them their lives as well.

About 60 Sikh families from Pakistan have taken refuge in Amritsar for the last couple of years.

Fearing intimidation from Taliban, the minority community has asked for adequate security from the Indian Government.

“Our mother, father, brothers and sisters are still living in Peshawar. It has been almost 15-16 years that we have been living here in India. We are happy here but our relatives back home are facing a tough time,” said Sardar Singh, a refugee.

“It has been 15 years since we came to Punjab, but we haven’t got citizenship as yet. Thus we can’t even bring our relatives from Pakistan here,” he added.

A few Sikh families hailing from Pakistan, particularly from the rebel-controlled areas of Peshawar, have settled in India’s northern Punjab state and established their business here.

“People there tell our folks to leave and go to Punjab and people in Punjab say that you are foreigners. I ask which is my country. Am I a citizen of Pakistan, India or Afghanistan?” Sardar Singh questioned.

The Sikh refugees said that they approached the government several times and even sent request letters but many of them are still to get the Indian citizenship.

“We demand that the Indian government should give us citizenship so that we can bring our relatives here from Peshawar. We want them to live a safe and secure life, with their brothers here,” said Satbir Singh, another refugee.

Thousands of Sikhs living in Pakistan’s tribal belt adjoining Afghanistan have been trading in the region for generations.

In May 2009, the Sikhs joined an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Taliban stronghold of Swat Valley, when the army launched an offensive in as a peace pact with the militants broke down. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Aircel plans USD 1.4 billion investment this year

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Telecom service provider Aircel today said it plans to invest USD 1.4 billion (over Rs 6,474 crore) this year on expanding its operations and become a pan -India GSM operator by June.

"We plan to invest USD 1.4 billion this year for expanding our networks and on existing operations. By June 2010, we plan to have operations in all 23 telecom circles in the country," Aircel Chief Operating Officer Gurdeep Singh told PTI.

Talking about the company's future investment plans, Singh said Aircel will invest another USD 2.6 billion in the next two years (2011 and 2012).

At present the telco operates in 18 telecom circles across the country. It plans to launch its service in the remaining circles of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab by June, making it a pan-India operator.

13 IAS and two IFS officers face corruption charges

Raipur, Feb 23 (PTI) As many as 13 IAS and two IFS officers in Chhattisgarh have corruption-related cases registered against them in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), the State Assembly was informed today.

Of these officers, one has died, while six have retired from service.

In a written reply to a question by Devjibhai Patel (BJP), Chief Minister Raman Singh said the IAS officers are facing charges in six instances of corruption and the IFS officers in two.

They have been booked by the EOW under relevant sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act, he said.

Goa emerging as a destination for drugs and sex: GCCI

Panaji, Feb 24 (PTI) Goa is emerging as a "drug and sex destination", the state's apex commerce body has warned.

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in a pre-budget memorandum submitted to chief minister Digambar Kamat yesterday asked the government to shore up its act on tourism.

"Tourism in Goa of late is getting a bad name with Goa slowly emerging as a drug and sex destination. There is no basic tourism and entertainment infrastructure in the state.

Problems of law and order and garbage will spell doom for the state tourism," the memorandum signed by GCCI president Cesar Menezes said.

The GCCI delegation also asked the CM to encourage private participation in the development of tourism.

"There is need to encourage private participation in development of tourism infrastructure," the memorandum stated.

Highlights of Railway budget 2010-11 (Part- IV)

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the railway budget in the Parliament.

The highlights of the Railway budget 2010-11 are as follows:

New Express train between Ahmedabad-Udhampur

Extension of Kolkata Metro on priority

Railways spending seen at Rs 87100 crore in 2011

Achieve 1000 km electrification in 2011

54 new trains this year

Karmabhoomi special trains for those travelling on work

Matribhoomi special trains for women

Bharatpeeth train in the name of Rabindranath Tagore will travel to 16 destinations across India

Railways spending seen at Rs 87100 crore in 2011

Relief for cancer patients in sleeper class

1st track to connect Port Blair to Diglipur. (ANI)

Highlights of Railway budget 2010-11 (Part-III)

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the railway budget in the Parliament.

The highlights of the Railway budget 2010-11 are as follows:

Railways to set up Rabindra Museum in Howrah and Geetanjali Museum in Bolpur both in West Bengal to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore''s 125th birth anniversary

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works capacity to be augmented from 200 to 275 engines a year.

Wagon Repair Shop to be set up in Badnera near Amravati in Maharashtra

Integral Coach Factory in Chennai to be modernised and a new unit to be set up there

If land is available, Railways willing to set up a Diesel Multiple Unit factory in West Bengal

High-speed dedicated passenger corridors to be constructed; National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up.

Revenue from non-core business of Railways to go up from Rs 150 crore to Rs 1,000 crore

Allocation for construction of new lines increased from Rs 2848 crore to Rs 4411 crore

Rs 1,302 crore provided for passenger amenities in the 2010-11 railway budget against Rs 923 crore last year

Railways to develop ten automobile hubs

Funding for all metro projects raised by 55 per cent

To start rail link to Bangladesh

Kashmir role link to be extended to Sopore

Railways to have master plan for North Eastern region. (ANI)

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the second day over price rise

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI): The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as the opposition continued with their uproar over price rise forcing Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn proceedings in the House till noon.

The price rise issue rocked the House today with the entire opposition raising a hue and cry over the same.

S S Ahluwalia, the deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha shouted slogans against the government along with a host of other leaders of opposition in the House.

Nothing could be heard in the House as the opposition shouted against the scourge of escalating prices. (ANI)

Highlights of Railway budget 2010-11 (Part-II)

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the railway budget in the Parliament.

The highlights of the Railway budget 2010-11 are as follows:

Railways have earned net profit of Rs 1,328 crore

To set up more freight corridors

Private operators can run special freight trains

Dividend to state exchequer Rs 6608 crore in 2011

Ten more Duranto trains announced

Share Golden Rail Corridor project announced

Share No forceful land acquisition by Railways

Railways saved Rs 2,000 crore from austerity drive

Perambur, Chittaranjan plants to be upgraded

No forcible acquisition of land for freight corridor project

To sign agreement with Japanese company for Western Freight Corridor

Freight on food grain, kerosene cut by Rs 100 per wagon. (ANI)

Railway Budget comes with Vision 2020

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI): Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the ''Railway Budget 2010'' in the parliament even as the opposition continued with their protests, saying that her ministry has come out with ''Vision 2020'' to modernise the railway network.

"I prefer social responsibility to economic responsibility, she said.

Banerjee said, the railways need to catch up with the advanced western nations, adding that the policy guidelines would be made easier and hassle-free.

Railways will not be privatized, she said, adding that in the next five years the whiole country would be connected by rail.

Banerjee called on the India Inc to build partnership with the Railways.

The minister announced that the exams for the recruitment in Railway would be conducted in the regional languages as well, adding that English, Hindi, Urdu and other regional languages will be used for Railway entrance exams.

Banerjee said that we have kept our earlier promises and out of 120 trains that were proposed by our ministry, 107 trains were started on time.

She announced that six-bottling points would be set for manufacture of water that will be supplied, adding that the food that is provided to the passengers has also improved over the years.

Village panchayats, hospitals and court would have a e-ticket counter proposed Banerjee, adding that a railway counter would also be set up at the office of the District Magistrate.

Railway is all determined to ensure safety measures, she claimed adding that a ''chowkidaar'' would be placed at every railway crossing in the next five years.

Cleanliness of the railway has improved over the years, claimed Banerjee adding that Rs 1302 crores would be spent for the safety of passengers.

Railways would also set up five sports academy, she said adding that it would become link partners of the Commonwealth Games. (ANI)

Highlights of Railway budget 2010-11

New Delhi, Feb 24 (ANI: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented the railway budget in the Parliament.

The highlights of the Railway budget 2010-11 are as follows:

Plan to raise Rs 10,000-20,000 crore in the next one year

For cheap drinking water, plan to start six bottling plants

To earn revenues, Railways need to set up a business model

Larger section of population to get connectivity over next five years

Targeting 1000 km new tracks every year

Policies to be made easy, investor-friendly

Special Task Force to clear proposals for investments in 100 days

Focus on medium term goals, planning and funds

Our objective is to unite the country through rail connectivity

Social responsibility priority in my railway budget

Time to build partnership with private players

Rail exams to be held in regional languages

Concession for women and minority communities

Ten per cent of Budget for modernisation of tracks

Ministry needs Rs 14 lakh crore for vision 2020

E-ticketing mobile vans at hospitals, universities

Share Anti-collusion devices to be added to zonal Railways

Share 100-day window for investment clearance

Share Multi-layer parking at stations

Women RPF to be raised

Housing scheme for 14 lakh Rail employees

Sports academies to be set up in five cities

No hike in railway freight rates

Special trains for Commonwealth Games

Out of 120 new trains, 117 to be launched by March 31

Ex-servicemen for railway security

Five new coach factories to be set up

Railway research center in Kharagpur

Design testing unit to be set up in Bangalore

Railways to start work on Rae Bareilly coach factory in the next one year

Service Charge on AC class cut to Rs 20 as against Rs 40 earlier

Service charge on sleeper class reduced to Rs 10

101 new suburban trains in Mumbai

Railways to set up multi-functional hospitals

Houses for all Railways employees in the next 10 years. (ANI)

Railway Budget: List of trains

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that 54 new trains will be introduced.

Here is a list of the trains with their origin and destination points:

Tanakpur - Jauljobi
Bilaspur - Leh
Amethi - Shahganj via Sultanpur
Bahadurgarh - Jhajhar
Ajmer - Kota
Vyas - Kapurthala
Guwahati - Mumbai Karambhumi train
New Jalpaiguri - Amritsar Karambhumi train
Janambhumi trains will run once a week
Ahmedabad - Udhampur Janambhumi train
16 Bharat Tirth train between Himachal - Kanyakumari
Indore - Mumbai New Duranto
Sultanpur - Mumbai
Sultanpur - Ajmer
Kolkotta - Ajmer
Hardwar - Mumbai
Sambhalpur - Hawarh
Gwalior - Pune
Ahmedabad - Jodhpur
Kolkotta - Darbhanga
Gwalior - Chindwara
Hawarh - Shirdi
Trains will be named after great leaders
First rail line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to connect Port Blair to Diglipur, farthest town of North Andaman

How arsenic exposure triggers tumour growth

Washington, Feb 24 (ANI): Scientists have discovered the mechanism by which the environmental toxin arsenic leads to adverse health effects, including bladder cancer.

"In a collaborative investigation we found that arsenic, at environmentally relevant levels, is capable of activating the Hedgehog pathway and may represent a novel pathway of arsenic-associated diseases, such as bladder cancer," said Margaret R. Karagas, professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School.

"We provide important insight into the etiology of arsenic-induced disease, potentially relevant to the millions of people worldwide who are exposed to arsenic," she added.

While the correlation between exposure to arsenic resulting in human tumours such as those derived from bladder, lung and skin is well established, the molecular mechanisms driving this connection is unclear.

Karagas and colleagues examined the hypothesis that the secreted protein called Hedgehog, a key oncogenic signaling pathway, might be activated by arsenic. Activation might underlie the mechanism by which arsenic acts as a co-carcinogen.

Using experimental data from cell cultures and results of epidemiologic studies, the researchers found that arsenic activates the Hedgehog signaling by decreasing the stability of the repressor form of GLI3, which is one of the transcription factors that regulate Hedgehog activity.

Also, Karagas and colleagues found high levels of arsenic exposure associated with high levels of Hedgehog activity.

These study results are published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. (ANI)

Peru poison frog reveals secret of monogamy

The first monogamous amphibian has been discovered living in the rainforest of South America.

Genetic tests have revealed that male and females of one species of Peruvian poison frog remain utterly faithful.

More surprising is the discovery that just one thing - the size of the pools of water in which they lay their tadpoles - prevents the frogs straying.

That constitutes the best evidence yet documented that monogamy can have a single cause, say scientists.

Details of the frog's sex life is to be published in the journal The American Naturalist.
"This is the first discovery of a truly monogamous amphibian," says biologist Dr Jason Brown, then of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, who made the discovery with colleagues Dr Victor Morales and Professor Kyle Summers.

The monogamous frog species Ranitomeya imitator, known as the mimic poison frog, is already known to science.

In recent years, Dr Brown and his colleagues have extensively studied many of its habits, which were filmed by the BBC natural history documentary series Life in Cold Blood.

After mating, a female mimic poison frog lays her eggs on the surface of leaves.

The male frog then takes away the tadpoles that hatch, carrying them one by one on his back to pools of water which collect in bromeliad leaves high up in the branches of trees.

Each of half a dozen babies are put into their own tiny pool, which he then looks after.

When the tadpoles become hungry, the male calls to his female partner who arrives to lay a non-fertile egg in each pool, which the tadpole eats as food.

But while the male and female frogs appear to act in unison, new experiments have revealed the extent of their fidelity.
Many animals appear to be monogamous, with males and females forming pairs that can often last a lifetime.

But the recent explosion in genetic analyses has revealed many of these so-called monogamous relationships to be a sham.

While many animals might stay together and breed, they will often sneak off and cheat on their partners when they get a chance.

So Dr Brown and his colleagues decided to check out the mimic poison frog more closely.

They sampled the DNA of many pairs of adult frogs, and the subsequent generations of tadpoles they produced.

Of 12 frog families, 11 had males and females that remained continually faithful to one another, together producing all their offspring. In the twelfth family, a male frog mated with two females.

"Others have found evidence of social monogamy in amphibians where parents remain paired, however they didn't look at the genetics of these couples and their offspring to confirm this," Dr Brown told the BBC.

"Or they have looked at the genetics and observed that they are actually promiscuous."

So that makes the mimic poison frog the first confirmed monogamous amphibian.

That contrasts with another closely related frog called the variable poison frog, which the mimic poison frog imitates, having a very similar colour pattern.

Genetic tests on the variable poison frog (Ranitomeya variabilis) by the researchers show it is promiscuous.
Further research by the team has also revealed why the two frogs, similar in so many ways, are sexually very different.

The variable poison frog lays its eggs in much bigger pools of water, five times as large on average than those used by the mimic poison frog.

Also, the female plays no part in their raising, leaving their care to the male frog only.

When the researchers moved tadpoles from both species into different sized pools, they found that the tadpoles grew quickly in the larger pools, which contain more nutrients, but could not survive alone in smaller ones.

That strongly suggests that variable poison frogs don't need to stick together, as their tadpoles can survive in larger pools without feeding from their mothers.

Mimic poison frogs have been forced to take a different path, however.

Their tadpoles cannot survive without the care of both their father and mother, as there is too little natural food in their smaller pools.
So the adult frogs stick together.

Overall, the researchers believe they have found convincing evidence of an evolutionary chain of causation: changing the breeding pool size forced the mimic poison frog to change its system of parental care, with males and females working together. That then culminated in social and genetic monogamy.

If the pools were bigger, the frogs wouldn't have to remain faithful, as they wouldn't be tied by their need to work together to raise their brood.

"These frogs are truly devoted to their offspring, and to each other," says Dr Brown, who is now studying at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, US.

Cruise line spokeswoman says 300 passengers have stomach ailment on ship in Caribbean

Cruise line: 300 sick aboard ship in Caribbean

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A cruise line says about 300 guests have fallen ill with a stomach ailment aboard a cruise to the Caribbean that departed from South Carolina.

Celebrity Cruise spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said Monday night that passengers aboard the Mercury began complaining a day earlier of upset stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea. Martinez said a total of around 1,800 people are aboard. The ship left Charleston on Feb. 15.

She said the ship’s medical facilities were overwhelmed. Another doctor and nurse came aboard in St. Kitts in the British Virgin Islands. The ship made four other stops in the Caribbean.

It’s not clear what pathogen was involved, but samples were being dropped off in Puerto Rico for testing. The ship was scheduled to return to Charleston Friday.

‘The Hurt Locker’ wins six awards at BAFTAs

LONDON - Iraq war drama ‘The Hurt Locker’ has won the best film gong at the BAFTAs Awards.

The movie was the most successful, taking home six awards in total including best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

She is the first woman to win the prize.

Colin Firth won the best actor for his portrayal of a gay academic in Tom Ford’s ‘A Single Man’.

He thanked his director for leaving him “resuscitated, a little more worldly, better groomed, more fragrant and more nominated than one has ever been before”.

“What Tom Ford doesn’t know is I have the e-mail in my outbox telling him I could not possibly do this,” the BBC News quoted him as saying.

He added: “I was about to send this when a man came to repair my fridge.I don’t know what’s best for me so I would like to thank the fridge guy.”

Carey Mulligan bagged the best actress gong for her role in the UK film ‘An Education.’

MAIN BAFTA WINNERS

Best film: The Hurt Locker

Best British film: Fish Tank

Best actor: Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Best actress: Carey Mulligan (An Education)

Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Best supporting actress: Mo’Nique (Precious)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) (ANI)

THE POLITICS OF SHARINO A BED

Does the way we sleep reveal the true nature of our relationships, wonders Tim Dowling, while writers and celebrities reveal their bedroom secrets.
WHAT POSITION DO YOU SLEEP IN?

ACCORDING TO Evany Thomas, author of The Secret Language Of Sleep, there are 39 distinct sleeping positions, ranging from common or garden Spoons to the more exotic Stairway. It’s tempting to interpret these as manifestations of the nature of the relationship of the couple -— it’s hard to look at the Spring- loader, say, without thinking that somebody has some issues — but let’s not forget these people are unconcious,
individuals come Into relationships with odd sleeping habits of their awn, habits that must ultimately be accommodated. Finding a mutually satisfactory layout is usually a matter of trial and error.
No single arrangement is going to last for the full seven hours. For security’s sake, you may need to expand your reportaire experiment with the Scissors, the Zipper, the Koala and Tree. On some nights you may need them all.
That doesn’t mean the positions themselves aren’t interesting. Devotees of the Conjoined Twins formation might feel they have ahealthier relationship than Cliffhangur couples, though in reality they probably just have a much smaller bed. There are several positions — Starfish being the most obvious where one half of the couple is getting the worst of the bargain, and one may speculate whether these roles are replicated or reversed during the day.
Ironically the most peaceful arrangement has the most troubling name: Crime Scene. Here the couple lies side by side in the haphazard attitude of two shooting victims.
One thing is certain — any pair of people who falls asleep in that position must be contented. Or utterly exhausted.

Is the American Military Too Christian?

(Feb. 19) -- The Pentagon has been pushing religious tolerance for decades, but several separate incidents in recent months are reinvigorating advocates who worry that the U.S. military is being controlled by a small but powerful subculture of evangelical Christians.

Last year, former NFL player Terry Bradshaw starred in an official military video that espoused "the importance of faith" in combating post-deployment depression. In January, news broke that a Michigan company had been inscribing coded references to the New Testament on high-powered rifle sights sold to the U.S. military. Weeks later, a giant cross was placed in the center of a newly constructed pagan worship site at Colorado's Air Force Academy, built to accommodate practicing Wiccans.

And those are only the incidents that have gone on within our borders. In May, Harper's Magazine published a 13-page expose that included provocative details on war-zone religiosity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, advocates for religious equality in the military are speaking out over yet another incident. Focus on the Family, an evangelical group known for its recent Super Bowl ad featuring football star Tim Tebow, has had a lucrative arrangement with the Pentagon to host seminars and marriage conferences for personnel. Next week, at least two bases will partake in an all-day Focus on the Family simulcast being broadcast to 300 churches nationwide.

The simulcast, like any religious event, ritual or celebration within the military, is technically voluntary. But dozens of base members have complained about "aggressive" e-mails from chaplains and commanders who "strongly suggest" they attend.

In an e-mail, one unnamed base member wrote of Focus on Family: "This isn't just a religious organization, it's a political organization. At what point did it become appropriate or even remotely acceptable to use government facilities to promote a very specific political religious agenda?"

The ongoing events are part of a larger effort by Focus on the Family, called The Truth Project. It's become a core component of military efforts at reducing divorce rates among military couples. The "group curriculum designed to disseminate the Christian world view" is often taught on bases. Base members told AOL News that non-Christians and those who are Christian, but aren't evangelical, are "strongly encouraged" to attend.

Focus on the Family spokeswoman Caroline Inman confirmed the simulcast and the ongoing partnership. She said specific military bases "came to us and asked to participate" in Focus on the Family events.

Focus on the Family marriage therapist Mitch Temple said the group encourages everyone to attend. "We welcome and encourage non-Christian couples to attend this event. Though some of the content is based on Christian principles, there are many practical ideas presented in each session designed to help couples whether they are Christians or not," he told AOL in a statement.

Mikey Weinstein, a former JAG lawyer and the founder of the Military Freedom Foundation, said that events steeped in evangelical Christian ritual are commonplace on military bases. And their voluntary nature often comes with strings attached.

"If someone doesn't attend, even if they are Christian, they might be told they aren't religious enough, and that this makes them dishonorable, not courageous, not good people," Weinstein said. "And that's not just an unfortunate situation. These people are being religiously raped."

Weinstein estimates that about 88 percent of the U.S. military is either protestant or Catholic, with 4 percent representing other faiths, atheists and agnostics. According to Pentagon statistics, 22 percent of active personnel are evangelical Christians.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation counts around 16,000 members, including vets and reservists. Of those, 96 percent are Christian.

The Department of Defense has made several highly publicized efforts at greater religious accommodation, especially since 2005, when a football coach at the Air Force Academy posted a "Team Jesus" banner in the locker room.

At the time, NPR reported that the Academy would be hosting mandatory religious tolerance seminars for cadets. The Department of Defense has also proactively built worship facilities for those of minority faiths and improved pluralist training for chaplains. Still, of the 2,900 active chaplains with the military, two-thirds are evangelical -- and that number continues to rise.

Despite public efforts, Weinstein says the religious culture of the military keeps getting worse. "In 1972, when the military went from draft to voluntary, representation from wide swaths of the country soared," he said. "It's led to fanatical religiosity, mixed up with wrong-headed patriotism."

Strong Bonds pre- and post-deployment family retreats are another ongoing dilemma.These are often held at ski lodges or resorts, participants say, and the weekends feature a heavy dose of Christianity. Each attending service member recently received "Every Soldier's Battle Kit," imprinted with the name of a prominent evangelical ministry and its phone number. The kit also contained a tome written by pastor Gary Chapman, who is described on his Web site as "the leading author in biblical marriage counseling."

The Department of Defense Web site bills the weekends as religion-free, but it often shells out for Christian entertainment. One base spent $38,269 on Unlimited Potential Inc., an evangelical baseball ministry with the mission "to use our God-given abilities in baseball to reach those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

The top-down hierarchy of military units also means that troops on the receiving end of offensive material often feel helpless. Recently, dozens of service members complained about an e-mail sent around by command staff titled "Moses the Leader: How Would You Like to Lead 1,000,000 Whiners?" According to unnamed recipients, the e-mail contained derogatory references to Jews and promoted a prayer circle being led by command staff.

Wrote one service member: "The [e-mail memos have] already turned every Commander's Call into a mandatory prayer session, but this just seems to cross a line. ... And what recourse is there here? Is it even worth bothering with for someone who's PCSing [permanently relocating] in 30 days?"

But not every expert is convinced of Weinstein's interpretation. "I don't necessarily see this as a sign of growing conflict," said Robert W. Tuttle, a professor of law and religion at George Washington University Law School. "To me, this is a sign of growing openness, that people are willing to come forward about their discomfort or report misconduct."

Tuttle said he is hopeful that more efforts to accommodate diverse faiths will mitigate any sense of discomfort among non-evangelical troops. That includes space and time to practice a religion, as well as amendments to clothing restrictions so that Muslims and others can dress to reflect their beliefs.

One U.S. Navy veteran, who enlisted in 1979, disagrees. Akiva David Miller, a former evangelical Christian who has converted to Orthodox Judaism, recalls his military service as a time when religious imposition was impermissible. "We were trained not to cross those lines, and we didn't," he said.

After moving to Iowa City from Portland, Ore., Miller says he experienced ongoing anti-Semitism at a medical center run by Veterans Affairs. Finally, his medical coverage was denied, and Miller was forced to return to Portland for treatment of chronic kidney stones and PTSD.

Miller's complaints were confirmed by a military chaplain who later investigated the Iowa clinic.

The Department of Defense didn't respond to calls for comment. But in January, Air Force Academy spokesman John Van Winkle told the L.A. Times that tolerance was top priority. "It boils down to the key issue of respect -- respect for everyone's right to practice their faith as they choose," he said.

In the military, many ceremonies, speeches and events are mandatory, and include innumerable evangelical references. That's a violation of the First Amendment, Weinstein said..

"In the eyes of the law, everyone's got even playing status to celebrate their faith," he said. "That means no favored position, no special recognition, no gospel from one group bleeding into the others."

On that point, Weinstein, Tuttle -- and the Pentagon -- all seem to agree. This week, Weinstein will give a speech on religious tolerance at the Air Force Academy's annual National Character and Leadership Symposium. He says he's hopeful for continued progress, and that he's not after abolishing religion in the armed forces.

"We just refuse to accept fanaticism, we refuse to accept proselytizing" he said, "and we refuse to accept a military that our founding fathers wouldn't even recognize."

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