07:28
Karthick Dharman
Posted in: Female Sports PlayersFriday, 10 June 2011
Thursday, 9 June 2011
40 Illegal Indian Workers Held In UK
The British immigration authorities have arrested 40 Indian workers, found to be working illegally in the city of Leicester. They would now be deported back to India, the officials said on Wednesday.
Termed as one of the largest operations of its kind, the UK Border Agency had carried out raids at 12 textile businesses in Leicester on Tuesday and pulled out 40 Indian workers. They were found to have entered the UK illegally.
The law binds employers to carry out pre-employment checks on people they intend to hire, but many allegedly turn a blind eye as workers with questionable immigration status come cheap.
Britain's Immigration minister Damian Green described the raids as one of the largest in the area.
"This operation is one of the largest we have conducted in the Midlands and reinforces our determination to identify and remove more people with no legal right to work in this country," Green said.
Termed as one of the largest operations of its kind, the UK Border Agency had carried out raids at 12 textile businesses in Leicester on Tuesday and pulled out 40 Indian workers. They were found to have entered the UK illegally.
The law binds employers to carry out pre-employment checks on people they intend to hire, but many allegedly turn a blind eye as workers with questionable immigration status come cheap.
Britain's Immigration minister Damian Green described the raids as one of the largest in the area.
"This operation is one of the largest we have conducted in the Midlands and reinforces our determination to identify and remove more people with no legal right to work in this country," Green said.
Posted in: Breaking News
Les Paul: Google Honours Ace Guitarist With Google Doodle On 96th Birthday
Paul Polsfuss, by putting up an electric guitar doodle on the late guitarist-inventor's 96th birthday. Paul died in 2009.
The Google doodle can be played by moving the cursor over it like a guitar pick.
Born on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Les Paul was a country-jazz guitarist who had his own trio and performed with acclaimed artists like Bing Crosby. He followed the Fender and Rickenbacker model of going electric and designed his solid body guitar for Gibson in 1941. Prominent guitarists swore by the Gibson Les Paul and include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Slash, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Randy Rhoads, David Gilmour and Pete Townshend.
Les Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. At age 90, he won two Grammys in 2006.
The Google doodle can be played by moving the cursor over it like a guitar pick.
Born on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Les Paul was a country-jazz guitarist who had his own trio and performed with acclaimed artists like Bing Crosby. He followed the Fender and Rickenbacker model of going electric and designed his solid body guitar for Gibson in 1941. Prominent guitarists swore by the Gibson Les Paul and include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Slash, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Randy Rhoads, David Gilmour and Pete Townshend.
Les Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. At age 90, he won two Grammys in 2006.
Posted in: Breaking News
Pak Rangers Gun Down Unarmed Youth At Pointblank Range, Video Surfaces On TV channels
The Pakistani forces were embarrassed after their rangers were on Wednesday shown on national TV channels shooting dead an unarmed teen in Karachi.
In the video, the 19-year-old youth, pleading for mercy, can be seen being fired at from point blank range. The victim -- Sarfaraz Shah -- was shot dead inside Benazir Bhutto Park in Karachi.
However, the rangers defended their act claiming Shah was an "armed criminal" and was killed when he resisted efforts to capture him. They claimed Shah was shot dead after he fired at the security personnel. Ironically, the footage clearly shows that Shah was unarmed when he was shot.
The victim's family members protested the killing by security forces and demanded action against the culprits. Human rights activists also condemned the incident.
In the video, the 19-year-old youth, pleading for mercy, can be seen being fired at from point blank range. The victim -- Sarfaraz Shah -- was shot dead inside Benazir Bhutto Park in Karachi.
However, the rangers defended their act claiming Shah was an "armed criminal" and was killed when he resisted efforts to capture him. They claimed Shah was shot dead after he fired at the security personnel. Ironically, the footage clearly shows that Shah was unarmed when he was shot.
The victim's family members protested the killing by security forces and demanded action against the culprits. Human rights activists also condemned the incident.
Posted in: Breaking News
2G Scam: Kanimozhi May Seek Bail From Supreme Court
After her bail plea was rejected by the Delhi High Court in the 2G scam, DMK MP Kanimozhi is set to approach the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Both Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar have been lodged in Tihar jail since May 20. They were arrested after their names were mentioned in the CBI's supplementary chargesheet in the 2G scam.
The high court on Wednesday rejected Kanimozhi and Kumar's bail applications, saying there was prima facie evidence against them.
The judge said there was enough reason to believe that the accused received illegal gratification of Rs 200 crore in the account of Kalaignar TV and tried to hide the money trail.
The judge said that if released on bail, Kanimozhi and Kumar could influence witnesses, many of whom work at Kalaignar TV.
Both Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar have been lodged in Tihar jail since May 20. They were arrested after their names were mentioned in the CBI's supplementary chargesheet in the 2G scam.
The high court on Wednesday rejected Kanimozhi and Kumar's bail applications, saying there was prima facie evidence against them.
The judge said there was enough reason to believe that the accused received illegal gratification of Rs 200 crore in the account of Kalaignar TV and tried to hide the money trail.
The judge said that if released on bail, Kanimozhi and Kumar could influence witnesses, many of whom work at Kalaignar TV.
Posted in: Breaking News
BJP To Launch Anti-Corruption Campaign
Upping the ante, BJP, on Thursday, announced it would undertake a three-day mass awakening programme, including nationwide protests and meetings, from June 24 on the issues of corruption and black money.
This programme is to protest against the "wanton" attack on peoples' democratic right and to reaffirm the commitment against black money and bringing back corrupt money lying in foreign banks, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Bangalore.
"The more the central government is getting exposed in corruption, the more anti-democratic it's becoming in crushing people's protests," he said on the police action against Yoga instructor Baba Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila grounds.
"This most undemocratic repression was done only because the peaceful demonstrations were demanding strong action against black money and corruption," Prasad said.
The same government, he said, allowed separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to hold a meeting in Delhi.
Home Minister Chidambaram justified police inaction against Geelani saying he had freedom of speech and protest, he said. "However, any protest against corruptin is not being tolerated by the same government," he said. "Dr Manmohan Singh in the most shameful manner has justified this atrocity (against Ramdev and supporters) while Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are still maintaining a conspicuous silence".
This programme is to protest against the "wanton" attack on peoples' democratic right and to reaffirm the commitment against black money and bringing back corrupt money lying in foreign banks, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Bangalore.
"The more the central government is getting exposed in corruption, the more anti-democratic it's becoming in crushing people's protests," he said on the police action against Yoga instructor Baba Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila grounds.
"This most undemocratic repression was done only because the peaceful demonstrations were demanding strong action against black money and corruption," Prasad said.
The same government, he said, allowed separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to hold a meeting in Delhi.
Home Minister Chidambaram justified police inaction against Geelani saying he had freedom of speech and protest, he said. "However, any protest against corruptin is not being tolerated by the same government," he said. "Dr Manmohan Singh in the most shameful manner has justified this atrocity (against Ramdev and supporters) while Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are still maintaining a conspicuous silence".
Posted in: Breaking News
Baba Ramdev Declares His Assets
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday declared financial details of the trusts run by him and his aides.
Acharya Balkrishna, close aide of the Baba, said financial dealing of the trusts are transparent. "We have nothing to hide. Our assets are legal."
"The total capital of different institutions associated with Baba Ramdev is nearly Rs 426 crore," Balkrishna said.
In an attempt to silence his detractors, Ramdev disclosed the financial details of all companies associated with Patanjali Yogapeeth on its website.
Acharya Balkrishna, close aide of the Baba, said financial dealing of the trusts are transparent. "We have nothing to hide. Our assets are legal."
"The total capital of different institutions associated with Baba Ramdev is nearly Rs 426 crore," Balkrishna said.
In an attempt to silence his detractors, Ramdev disclosed the financial details of all companies associated with Patanjali Yogapeeth on its website.
Posted in: Breaking News
MF Husain Dead At 95
Legendary Indian painter Maqbool Fida Husain, popularly known as 'Picasso of India' who earned both fame and wrath for his paintings, died in London on Thursday at a hospital following over a month-long illness.
He was 95.
Husain breathed his last at 2.30 am local time (0700 IST) at the Royal Brompton Hospital where he was admitted after being in "indifferent health" for the last one-and-a-half month, family sources told PTI.
It was not immediately clear whether the artist, who was once a member of Rajya Sabha and had been decorated with nation's second highest award Padma Vibhushan, had any wish regarding his last rites.
The family sources said that funeral arrangements for the celebrated painter are yet to be finalised.
The painter, whose works fetched astronomical sums at the recent Bonham's auctions - the highest for any Indian artist, was living in self-exile since 2006 following a series of legal cases and death threats against him over his paintings depicting Hindu goddesses in nude.
He accepted Qatari citizenship in 2010 after surrendering his Indian passport and till the last was reticent on whether he would return to his homeland.
Born in Pandharpur in Maharashtra on September 17, 1915, Husain courted controversy over his paintings of Hindu goddesses.
His paintings on goddesses Durga and Saraswati invited the wrath of Hindu groups which attacked his house in 1998 and vandalised his art works.
In February 2006, Husain was charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
In the wake of legal challenges and death threats in his home country, Husain had been living abroad in self-imposed exile since 2006.
As he had not responded to summons from an Indian district court in Haridwar, his properties in India were attached as per court orders and a bailable warrant was issued against him by the court.
Three of Husain paintings recently topped a Bonham's auction here, going under the hammer for Rs 2.32 crore with an untitled oil work in which the legendary artist combined his iconic subject matters -- horse and woman -- fetching Rs 1.23 crore alone.
In 1952, Husain's first solo exhibition was held at Z?rich and over the next few years, his work was widely seen in Europe and the US.
In 1955, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree.
In 1967, he made his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter. It was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear.
Husain was a special invitee along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1971. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1991.
Between 1990 and 2011 Husain went on to become the highest paid painter in India.
He also produced and directed a few movies, including Gaja Gamini with his muse Madhuri Dixit who was the subject of a series of his paintings which he signed as Fida.
Husain's film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities was pulled out of movie theatres after some Muslim organisations raised objections to one of the songs in it.
The All-India Ulema Council complained that the Qawwali song Noor-un-Ala-Noor was blasphemous. It argued that the song contained words directly taken from the Quran.
The council was supported by Muslim organisations like the Milli Council, All-India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami.
Husain's son stated that the words were a phrase referring to divine beauty that were being sung by the central character played by Tabu.
He said there was no intention to offend.
Following the wave of protests the enraged artist pulled off his movie from the theaters. The movie was well received by the critics, however, and went on to win various awards.
Husain's autobiography was being made into a movie tentatively titled The Making of the Painter, starring Shreyas Talpade as the young Husain.
His name has also been included in the list of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World, issued by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan.
Artist Pranava Prakash said, "Artists such as Husain and Raza sell because of their PR machinery, not because of their artistic merit."
In the 1990s some of Husain's works became controversial because of their portrayal of Hindu deities in the nude.
The paintings in question were created in 1970, but did not become an issue until 1996, when they were printed in Vichar Mimansa, a Hindi monthly magazine, which published them in an article headlined "M F Husain: A Painter or Butcher".
In response, eight criminal complaints were filed against Husain.
In 2004, Delhi High Court dismissed these complaints of "promoting enmity between different groups ... by painting Hindu goddesses ? Durga and Sarswati, that was later compromised by Hindus."
In 1998 Husain's house was attacked by Hindu groups like Bajrang Dal and art works were vandalised. Protests against Husain also led to the closure of an exhibition in London, England.
The artist left the country stating that "matters are so legally complicated that I have been advised not to return home". He used to live in London and Dubai.
A recent Supreme Court order has suspended an arrest warrant for Husain.
He was 95.
Husain breathed his last at 2.30 am local time (0700 IST) at the Royal Brompton Hospital where he was admitted after being in "indifferent health" for the last one-and-a-half month, family sources told PTI.
It was not immediately clear whether the artist, who was once a member of Rajya Sabha and had been decorated with nation's second highest award Padma Vibhushan, had any wish regarding his last rites.
The family sources said that funeral arrangements for the celebrated painter are yet to be finalised.
The painter, whose works fetched astronomical sums at the recent Bonham's auctions - the highest for any Indian artist, was living in self-exile since 2006 following a series of legal cases and death threats against him over his paintings depicting Hindu goddesses in nude.
He accepted Qatari citizenship in 2010 after surrendering his Indian passport and till the last was reticent on whether he would return to his homeland.
Born in Pandharpur in Maharashtra on September 17, 1915, Husain courted controversy over his paintings of Hindu goddesses.
His paintings on goddesses Durga and Saraswati invited the wrath of Hindu groups which attacked his house in 1998 and vandalised his art works.
In February 2006, Husain was charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
In the wake of legal challenges and death threats in his home country, Husain had been living abroad in self-imposed exile since 2006.
As he had not responded to summons from an Indian district court in Haridwar, his properties in India were attached as per court orders and a bailable warrant was issued against him by the court.
Three of Husain paintings recently topped a Bonham's auction here, going under the hammer for Rs 2.32 crore with an untitled oil work in which the legendary artist combined his iconic subject matters -- horse and woman -- fetching Rs 1.23 crore alone.
In 1952, Husain's first solo exhibition was held at Z?rich and over the next few years, his work was widely seen in Europe and the US.
In 1955, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree.
In 1967, he made his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter. It was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear.
Husain was a special invitee along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1971. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1991.
Between 1990 and 2011 Husain went on to become the highest paid painter in India.
He also produced and directed a few movies, including Gaja Gamini with his muse Madhuri Dixit who was the subject of a series of his paintings which he signed as Fida.
Husain's film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities was pulled out of movie theatres after some Muslim organisations raised objections to one of the songs in it.
The All-India Ulema Council complained that the Qawwali song Noor-un-Ala-Noor was blasphemous. It argued that the song contained words directly taken from the Quran.
The council was supported by Muslim organisations like the Milli Council, All-India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami.
Husain's son stated that the words were a phrase referring to divine beauty that were being sung by the central character played by Tabu.
He said there was no intention to offend.
Following the wave of protests the enraged artist pulled off his movie from the theaters. The movie was well received by the critics, however, and went on to win various awards.
Husain's autobiography was being made into a movie tentatively titled The Making of the Painter, starring Shreyas Talpade as the young Husain.
His name has also been included in the list of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World, issued by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan.
Artist Pranava Prakash said, "Artists such as Husain and Raza sell because of their PR machinery, not because of their artistic merit."
In the 1990s some of Husain's works became controversial because of their portrayal of Hindu deities in the nude.
The paintings in question were created in 1970, but did not become an issue until 1996, when they were printed in Vichar Mimansa, a Hindi monthly magazine, which published them in an article headlined "M F Husain: A Painter or Butcher".
In response, eight criminal complaints were filed against Husain.
In 2004, Delhi High Court dismissed these complaints of "promoting enmity between different groups ... by painting Hindu goddesses ? Durga and Sarswati, that was later compromised by Hindus."
In 1998 Husain's house was attacked by Hindu groups like Bajrang Dal and art works were vandalised. Protests against Husain also led to the closure of an exhibition in London, England.
The artist left the country stating that "matters are so legally complicated that I have been advised not to return home". He used to live in London and Dubai.
A recent Supreme Court order has suspended an arrest warrant for Husain.
Posted in: Breaking News
