SINGAPORE, Apr 9: An Indian national here was sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in hiding the evidence of a crime by helping his friend to dispose of his murdered wife’s body.
Gursharan Singh, 27, yesterday admitted to helping compatriot Harvinder Singh evade punishment and failing to report to police the murder of latter’s wife in December 2013, The Straits Times reported today.
The court heard that Gursharan agreed to help Harvinder move “some belongings” on December 11, 2013.
Harvinder, 35, who is now on the Interpol wanted list, had packed a black canvas bag which was then moved from his rented room to a river in a nearby public housing estate.
Gursharan realised that there was a body in the bag only when he had helped Harvinder lift it near a pedestrian bridge. The bag was disposed in the Whampoa River.
Subsequently, Harvinder had told him his wife, Jasvinder Kaur, 33, had died after he had punched her on her neck during a dispute.
Harvinder had stuffed the body into the bag and wanted to dispose it “so that no one would know what he had done to her”, Assistant Public Prosecutor Prakash Otharam said.
Kaur’s body was found floating in the waterway on the morning of December 12.
Gursharan faced a jail sentence for up to 10 years and a fine for causing evidence of an offence to disappear.
District Judge Siva Shanmugam said Gursharan’s action were intended to pervert the administration of public justice.
Even after learning that Harvinder intended to dispose of the bag with the body in it, Gursharan continued to “actively assist him”, the Judge noted.
“The accused had screened Harvinder from the law knowing that he had committed murder,” Shanmugam said. (PTI)
Indian gets 30-month jail for helping to dispose of body
Celebrating Homoeopathy Day
Dr Satish Kumar Attri
World Homoeopathy day is celebrated globally on 10th day of April as the founder of homoeopathy Dr. C F S Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was born on this day. A Conscientious German Allopathic M.D. Over two hundred years ago, established this method of treatment after un-satisfaction from Allopathy. Born to a poor family of a porcelain Painter, he worked diligently and was a master of about a dozen of languages. He was the first to talk about genetic origin of diseases and discussed about presence of micro-organisms behind the diseases, years before even when Father of bacteriology Robert Koch was not born. Since then the system has been verified experimentally and clinically tested to be most effective. It has been serving suffering humanity for over two centuries and has withstood the upheavals of time and has emerged as a time-tested therapy. The scientific principles propounded by Dr.Hahnemann are natural and well proven and continue to be followed with success.
Homoeopathy in J&K:- Homoeopathy in J&K got an official recognition & patronage of state Govt with the passing of the J&K Homoeopathic practitioners Act-2003 and consequently The J&K Board of Homoeopathic System of Medicine was structured in 2004 to regulate the practice of Homoeopathy.
Homoeopathy is being practiced by many people in J&K since olden times. As per some people, Homoeopaths Late Dr. M M Singh Rajan was the first to start his practice in Jammu in 1945. At present there are only 31 medical officers in the whole state and more than150 unemployed qualified Homoeopaths Need of Hour:- Special Employment policy to appoint homoeopaths in chc’s and phc’s. Separate wings in every Hospital. Recruitment of part-B registered as pharmacists along with medical officers.In J&K homoeopathy is under Deptt of ISM&H since it recognition and is still in infancy stage even after 10 years and lot of efforts are needed from Govt. side to promote it via free camps. Establishment of Homoeopathic Medical College & hospitals, library and Research centers for doctors, Regular CME’s at Govt. level for the practitioners. Ensuring the representation of Homoeopaths in the Govt. health societies and AYUSH councils is needed for development of homeopathy.Till date homoeopaths didn’t get what they deserve as Homoeopathy is an equal component of AYUSH. Homoeopaths of J&K have lot of hopes from the present Health Minister as he has a big hand behind homoeopathy in J&K.
Approach in Homoeopathic treatment:- Homoeopaths around the world are finding great success in genetic disorders with homoeopathy.Treatment in homeopathy is on individualized genetic basis and holistic. Homeopathic practitioners select remedies according to a total picture of the patient, including not only physical symptoms but lifestyle, emotional and mental states, and other genetic factors. Homoeopathy cures the whole person mentally and physically. Homoeopathic treatment of pregnant mother and children help prevent familial diseases and tendency of an individual towards certain diseases can also be prevented by this treatment. Even surgeries can be avoided with homoeopathic treatment in some cases Homoeopathy is also very effective in treatment of genetic disorders and advanced stages of all diseases and yield miracle cure in hopeless & incurable labelled diseases. Right homoeopathic treatment stimulates the genetic code to guide the immune system for removal of disease complex in the body. Remember it’s the scientific art & observation of Homoeopathic doctor which is utmost needed to cure the patient and not only the homoeopathic medicines. Homeopathic medicines are prepared mostly from natural sources. Thus homoeopathy is a natural method of treatment & its based on such principles which are universal.
One doctor for all problems:- Homeopathy treats the patient as a whole, not the specific disease. That’s why a homeopathic specialist can treat and cure any sort of diseases, whether it has concern with skin, diabetes, kidney, and heart or with cancer, psychiatric diseases or neurological diseases. So all with one doctor-one medicine and on one place.So this is the beginning of the real healing science, which will make all the incurable diseases, well within the curative aspect of man.
(The author is Consultant Classical Homoeopath)
Obama telephones US senators to discuss Iran nuke agreement
WASHINGTON, Apr 9: President Barack Obama called the chairman and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to further discuss a framework agreement aimed at keeping Iran from being able to develop a nuclear weapon.
Chairman Bob Corker, a Republican and Ben Cardin, the top Democrat, are working on legislation that would give Congress a say in the implementation of any final deal the US and its partners can reach with Iran in coming weeks. The committee is to vote on the bill on Tuesday.
Obama objects to the bill as it’s written and has promised to veto it.
Josh Earnest, the president’s spokesman, says Obama yesterday discussed with Corker the commitments Iran had made to limit its nuclear program.
Earnest says Obama praised Corker’s handling of the issue and reiterated that the emerging deal is the best way to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The tentative agreement has to be finalised by June 30. Corker’s office confirmed the telephone call but declined to discuss details. Cardin confirmed that he spoke with Obama for about 15 minutes. (AGENCIES)
Obama lands in Jamaica, first US presidential visit since ’82
KINGSTON (Jamaica), Apr 9: US President Barack Obama landed in Jamaica, becoming the first sitting US president to set foot on the island since 1982.
He waved after emerging from Air Force One late yesterday and then descended to greet a long line of people including Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, whom he embraced.
Obama then headed to a helicopter along with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.
The first sitting presidential visit since Ronald Reagan was on the island 33 years ago comes as the island nation is navigating a fiscal crisis.
Obama is scheduled to meet the CARICOM regional block of Caribbean nations and possibly offer them an alternative to cheap Venezuelan oil amid a spat with Caracas. He is also slated to meet with Simpson-Miller.
Later today Obama heads to Panama, where he may have a landmark meeting with Cuba’s communist President Raul Castro during a meeting of regional nations. (AGENCIES)
French TV5Monde channel hit by pro-Islamic State hackers
PARIS, Apr 9: French television network TV5Monde has said it had been hacked by individuals claiming to belong to the Islamic State group, bringing television broadcasts to a halt and taking over its websites and Facebook page.
“We are no longer able to broadcast any of our channels. Our websites and social media sites are no longer under our control and are all displaying claims of responsibility by Islamic State,” the broadcaster’s director general Yves Bigot said yesterday.
The hackers posted documents on TV5Monde’s Facebook page purporting to be the identity cards and CVs of relatives of French soldiers involved in anti-IS operations, along with threats against the troops.
The attack began at around 10:00 pm (local time), but the global French-language broadcaster appeared to have regained control of its Facebook page by midnight and TV broadcasts by 1:00 am (local time) today. Its websites were still offline, however, displaying an “under maintenance” message to visitors.
“Soldiers of France, stay away from the Islamic State! You have the chance to save your families, take advantage of it,” read one message on TV5Monde’s Facebook page. “The CyberCaliphate continues its cyberjihad against the enemies of Islamic State,” the message added.
It also accused French President Francois Hollande of having committed “an unforgivable mistake” by getting involved in “a war that serves no purpose”.
“That’s why the French received the gifts of Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher in January,” it said, referring to the twin attacks by Islamist gunmen in Paris that left 17 people dead over three days and deeply shocked France.
France is part of a US-led military coalition carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, where the jihadist group has seized swathes of territory in recent months and declared an Islamic “caliphate”.
Paris-based TV5Monde is broadcast in more than 200 countries worldwide. (AGENCIES)
2 conscripts killed, 3 others injured in Sinai explosion
CAIRO, Apr 9: Two conscripts were killed and three others injured after a bomb went off near Sinai University in el-Masa’aed district in Arish, a medical source said.
The bomb, which was planted by unknown terrorists, targeted an army vehicle killing the two conscripts and injuring three others, the source said.
The ambulances rushed to the place of the explosion and transferred the dead and injured to the Al-Arish Military Hospital.
Security forces are probing the matter and have launched a manhunt to track down the terrorists, the source added.
Egyptian governorate of North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Over 500 security personnel have been reported killed since then.
The military has launched frequent security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip. (PTI)
Canadian planes carry out first strikes in Syria: army
OTTAWA, Apr 9: Canada carried out its first air strikes in Syria the military has said, expanding Ottawa’s contribution to the US-led coalition against Islamic State, after parliament approved a larger role in the conflict.
Two F-18s using precision-guided munitions struck a IS position near the Syrian city of Raqqa yesterday, before safely returning to base, the military announced.
The strike near Raqqa, an IS stronghold, was carried out with a group of 10 aircraft, including six US planes.
Canadian strikes had been limited to Iraqi territory, but at the end of March Canadian lawmakers narrowly passed a measure to allow the country’s aircraft to target IS targets in Syria.
Opposition lawmakers argued Canada should not deepen its involvement in the long-running and complex war.
Canada first joined the anti-IS coalition in November and it has also deployed about 70 special forces troops to train Kurds to fight IS in northern Iraq.
Despite a sustained air campaign and ground advances in Iraq, the radical group still holds large swaths of territory straddling Syria and Iraq. (AGENCIES)
Prime Minister’s word to the Judges
B L Saraf
Keeping aside the point whether an official function should be held on a religious occasion , this year’s Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and the Chief Justices will be noted for a couple of issues flagged by PM Narrandra Modi. Speaking at the Conference Prime Minister said the common man’s expectation from the Judiciary were huge and ” the Judiciary should be cautious about delivering perception – driven verdicts, especially when perceptions were sourced from Five – Star activists.” PM may have a point that, in some cases , over activism of some individuals has been a drag on the economic development of the country. It is, also, true that despite the economic growth, registered after 1990, by opening up the economy and the decline of the communist ideology, India is not completely free from the Luddite culture of the past. For their existence, some political forces still prop up the remnants of that dead ideology. But we must remember that courts go, only, by the evidence not by ‘perceptions’.
Yes , there are some hyperactive activists who act as ‘rage boys’ and rush to the courts to vent out their’ perceived rage’. Some do so as fashion statement and some do it on prompted motivation – occasionally on a foreign cue. We see it in J&K and North – East how these ” rage boys’ get on the nerves of the Armed Forces and try to impede their fight against the elements up to destroy territorial integrity of the country. It would, however, be imprudent to paint all activists with the same brush. Many, among them, are genuinely driven by a desire to see things right for the people and do take up their issues before the courts. A distinction has to be made between the genuine activists and those who are driven by the considerations not necessarily for the good of the people and do it on the bidding of vested interest.. Fortunately, the courts are seeing through the game and are coming down heavily on a ‘professional activist.’
There may be some merit in the statement that judiciary is slow in delivering justice and seeking justice has become a nightmare for the common man. Luckily, the judiciary is conscious of the problem and, as far as possible, measures are being taken to address the problem. But Government has do much in this regard. Because, at every stage the judiciary has to approach Governments-Central or State – to come to its aid. Its dependence on the state is total. The biggest hurdle in this regard is its financial dependence. Financial stronghold is so severe that, for want of funds, courts have, often, to work without basic necessities. In the Conference, this matter was raised when the Chief Justice Of India sought autonomy for judiciary to “re-appropriate finances allotted to it by the Government.” PM has to act fast in this direction. Required financial autonomy must be granted to the highest Judiciary.
True, courts are over burdened. Who has clogged them? Time has come to find an answer to the question. The main culprits, if one could say so, in this case are the Governments. Number of the courts remains same but laws get added to the statute book. Nobody in the Government ever pays thought that a new legislation may, also , require addition to the number of the courts. laws, enacted , are prone to be misinterpreted and give birth to the avoidable litigation . Has anyone in the authority ever thought of reducing judge -population ratio in the country? We have just 12 judges for a million of population. While as in US and European countries there are 120 judges for the million. In some countries the judge number is higher.
There are numerous state actions which are, patently, capricious and arbitrary that the affected person is left with no course than to approach the courts for a redressel. We see a highly absurd spectacle of two departments of the same state litigating, in the courts, against each other. The practice has irked the Apex Court, so much , that it has deprecated it and told the Government to devise in- house mechanism to resolve the inter – departmental matters. But, no heed has been paid to this advice ,and we see this unsavoury practice going on , unabated. In some case, the Government and its officials ‘inspire’ litigation. Finding itself unable to accommodate competing interests or wanting not to take decisions, Government and its instruments compel people to approach the courts for getting a job done. Here, it will be pertinent to recall an incident of the emergency era narrated, though in a diffirent context, by Falli . Nariman – noted Advocate-in his book The State Of The Nation- Hay House India. He Writes ” ……. A Constitution Committee , which included three prominent Lawyers, was set up by the Centre to clip the wings of the high courts by proposing drastic changes in Article 226 : The Committee chairman , Swaran Singh (a Minister in Indira Gandhi’s Government ) told his colleagues that when he was himself a minster in Punjab he found, as a minister, it was not possible to render justice in individual cases because of pulls and pressures of party politics and it was far better that courts were left to the job and that is why Article 226 was left to remain in the Constitution…. .” P . 179 . Courts get overburdened when state abdicates its duty.
Judicial reform is , undoubtedly, a need of the hour. A holistic approach is required: that may include reforming police and other connected agencies, also . Patch work won’t do. All the stake holders must put heads together. Blame game must stop.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
horoscope
Friday Apr 10-2015
Aries : There is all likelihood today of things not shaping up as you desired. It may seem you made all the wrong investments, as the benefits may be very less. However, Ganesha indicates that life is full of unexpected happenings. There is a chance that you may meet an old friend which will make you very happy.
Taurus : There is an indication that you will be perturbed due to some unpleasant developments that may take place today, predicts Ganesha. You will need to labour hard to complete your pending assignments at the workplace. Nostalgia will engulf you and your beloved as you spend time with each other tonight.
Gemini : You will be faced with difficult situations and circumstances today. You will become sentimental as a result. You will be able to extricate yourself only when the time is right from these adverse circumstances. You will receive co-operation from your colleagues. This will ease some of your burden, says Ganesha.
Cancer : A chance of misunderstanding likely with anyone, says Ganesha. Not the time to take a decision, whereby you repent later. Transfer to a new place, or auspicious function at home are indicated. Ganesha sends his blessings.
Leo : Your day will be filled with interesting activities. You will be able to put across and prove your point of view today. In the afternoon you will be able to finish your work. You ought to make the most of the day, says Ganesha.
Virgo : Your thinking will be very sharp today, and at the same time you will feel passionate about work. In the afternoon, you can afford to unwind a bit. Those in the public sector will feel inspired and have an agreeable day. Your no-nonsense attitude will be very apparent, says Ganesha.
Libra : Today, it’s a straight path to success, thanks to your straightforward manner. Ganesha foresees some small things that may trouble you in a big way early on in the day. But negotiate around them, and then it’s all smooth sailing from there on. On the business front, expect to roll in money from diverse sources. It’s all thanks to your own abilities and efforts that you are getting this positive reception.
Scorpio : Social circles will be buzzing with your name and reputation today. At work, you may evoke jealousy in some people, and Ganesha advises you to be extremely cautious. Remember to vanquish the enmity and not your enemies, says Ganesha.
Sagittarius : Those into aerobics and callisthenics will find themselves on the top of their game today. Expect a sudden turn of events sometime from afternoon. Ganesha sees you prowling the corridors of power at work today. You shall synchronise your career and family superbly.
Capricorn : You will carve a niche in the area of your interest and will be recognised for your hard work, says Ganesha. For the enterprising lot, long-standing disputes with rivals will come to an end, and you will not only learn to take criticisms in your stride but will also respect your opponents’ opinions. They, on the other hand, will realise that you have an edge over them in terms of strategy and resources.
Aquarius : Artists, orators, musicians, your talent may finally see recognition. Even criticism won’t ruffle you a bit. At work, you will remain your enthusiastic and exuberant self. Ganesha says it’s your moment, and you should bask in it.
Pisces : A nice, smooth day is in the offing. You will meet some people today who will turn out to be reliable and trustworthy in the long run. No conflicts ought to arise to trip you, and you will probably end up rounding off the day basking in the affection of your near and dear ones, says Ganesha.
Renault forays into MPV segment with ‘Lodgy’
NEW DELHI, Apr 9: French auto major Renault today forayed into the multi purpose vehicle (MPV) segment in India with the launch of ‘Lodgy’ at an introductory price starting at Rs 8.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The vehicle will compete with the likes of Toyota’s Innova, Maruti’s Ertiga, Honda’s Mobilio and General Motors’ Enjoy, which are priced in the range of Rs 5.99 lakh to Rs 15.8 lakh.
“Lodgy would fuel our next phase of growth in India. With this vehicle, we will define multi purpose vehicle segment in the country,” Renault India Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here.
The vehicle will come in seven variants, priced between Rs 8.19 lakh and Rs 11.79 lakh.
Besides Lodgy, the company also plans to introduce a small car this year, a move aimed at achieving 5 per cent market share in India by the end of next year, Sawhney said.
The company had a market share of just over two per cent in the country last year.
At present, Duster is Renault’s volume driver and a key pillar for its growth in the country. Renault India has so far sold 1.25 lakh Dusters in the country.
The company is also looking at expanding its sales network across the country with a target of over 200 touch points by the end of this year.
“As of today, we have 157 outlets across the country. By the end of this year we aim to have 205 sales outlets and 280 touch points by the end of next year,” Sawhney said.
The company is also getting into the used car business in order to fuel growth in the country. (PTI)