Arunachal Protests iPhone 4 Maps' China Tilt

Itanagar, Oct 4 : Arunachal Pradesh lodged a strong protest with the central government over US-based Apple's latest iPhone4 containing maps depicting the northeastern Indian state as part of Chinese territory.

According to reports, the latest smartphone launched in China contains maps showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China.

"This is yet another attempt at painting a wrong picture on the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh and we strongly protest this nefarious design," Takam Sanjay, Congress party MP in the Lok Sabha from Arunachal Pradesh, told IANS.

Sanjay said a formal protest over Apple's latest iPhone4 gaffe was lodged with the central government.

"We want Apple to immediately rectify the fault and ensure that Arunachal Pradesh is shown as very much part of India," Sanjay said.

This is not the first time that Arunachal Pradesh has been shown as part of China - twice in the past two years Google showed the northeastern state as part of China.

"Earlier this year, Google had sent an apology when I took up the matter with the search engine through the Indian government and rectified it. But the question is not about just an apology when everybody knows Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India," the MP said.
"I think this is nothing but a conspiracy and an appeasement policy by all these international technology giants, including the search engine Google," he alleged.

In 2009, Google maps for India marked areas of Arunachal Pradesh, including its capital Itanagar and Tawang, in Chinese. The maps showed the state with dotted lines, signifying its disputed status.

Google later admitted its mistake and rectified it for Indian users.

"Again I am saying, a simple apology would fail to undo the damage and hurt caused to the people of Arunachal Pradesh," Sanjay said.

The mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,030-km unfenced border with China. The McMahon Line, an imaginary border now known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), separates the Sino-Indian border along Arunachal Pradesh.

India and China fought a bitter border war in 1962, with Chinese troops advancing deep into Arunachal Pradesh and inflicting heavy casualties on Indian troops.

The border dispute with China was inherited by India from the British colonial rulers, who hosted a 1914 conference with the Tibetan and Chinese governments that set the border in what is now Arunachal Pradesh.

China has never recognised the 1914 boundary, known as the McMahon Line, and claims 90,000 sq km -- nearly all of Arunachal Pradesh. New Delhi accuses China of occupying 8,000 sq km of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has from time to time been warning New Delhi about Chinese incursions.

After the 1962 Sino-Indian War, tension flared again in 1986 with Indian and Chinese forces clashing in the Sumdorong Chu valley of Arunachal Pradesh.

NEHU Staff Locks Up VC's Office

Shillong, Oct 4 : Agitated over the vice chancellor's "illegal continuation" even after his term expired, teaching and non-teaching staff of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) today sealed his office.

In a statement, the Joint Action Committee of the NEHU employees condemned the attempt of the university to deliberately "misinform the public on the matter of illegal continuation of Pramod Tandon" as Vice Chancellor after the expiry of his term on September 12.

The JAC has locked up Tandon''s office and declared him as "persona non grata" accusing him of taking illegal and irregular financial decisions even after the expiry of his term.

Alleging that President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil has not communicated anything on the extension of term of the vice chancellor, JAC chairman S B Prasad said the university was banking on a communique from the lower rung of the ministry while extending Tandon''s term.

"The university is engaging itself in the indefensible act of justifying the unstatutory continuation of Pramod Tandon. The JAC has derecognised the incumbent Vice-Chancellor for this unstatutory continuation," Prasad said.

Tandon's term ended on September 12 but was he was asked to continue in the post till the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development would find a replacement.

The ministry had conveyed to NEHU registrar L Roy on September 9 that the university should follow its statute and allow the present vice-chancellor to continue in office till a successor was appointed.

Cyber Children on The Rise

Pune, Oct 4 : The number of gaming sites for kids is fast growing in the Indian cyberspace. One of the most recent entrants is Disney, whose Club Penguin launched an Indian website to widen its virtual world where users waddle around as penguins. They can play games, chat and decorate their igloos.

Club Penguin also actively promotes online learning by allowing its user base to create paper-mache artifacts, play memory card games and also encourages real-life interactions between children across the globe logged on to Penguin's site.

Rob Beeston, Asia-Pacific head of Disney Online Studios, explains: "These kids will need to use computers at work later on in their lives. So, why not give them an opportunity early on while they are young adults?"

Beeston is probably on the right track. By 2015, India is projected to achieve an internet penetration of 18 per cent. That translates into about 200 million internet users (according to consultancy Caris & Co). Already, social networking sites account for more than 44 per cent of the country's internet traffic, if the findings of online ad firm Tyroo Media are to be believed.

The new after-school activity

For young users like Urvika Bhatodia, an eight-year-old who studies at Marble Arch School in Mumbai, Club Penguin has become the favourite after-school activity. "I often meet my school friends on Club Penguin and we play games with each other and chat about teachers. We have also thrown parties for our pets on the Club Penguin site," she says.

Bhatodia's mother, Usha, a home maker, admits that she has to keep aclose watch on her daughter's online activity. "Her school work does require a lot of web surfing. But while she is playing on Club Penguin, I make sure I keep an eye on her activity and the games played," she says.

Club Penguin allows parents to designate the time of the day and even the length of time kids can be on the site. Also, they get to monitor the children's daily activity. Club Penguin is primarily a free-to-play site, but it charges Rs 199 per month for additional benefits and features for children.

In an independent research by Professor Jackie Marsh, head of the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Sheffield in England, Club Penguin was found to be the most popular online community among 52 per cent of children that reported using virtual world regularly.

Individual research showed that, after game playing, the most popular activity on Club Penguin was reading. In addition, children - particularly boys - reported being more motivated to read in Club Penguin than offline.

India's popular gaming website Games2Win, too, has launched an exclusive gaming world for children called Chimpoo. "It's a huge, yet unorganised, market in India. Chimpoo gets a hit rate of close to 300,000400,000 visitors each month," claims Mahesh Khambadkone, chief operating officer, Games2Win.

Just like other sites, Chimpoo remains free-to-play, but users can graduate to a subscription model that costs Rs 250 a month, or a virtual currency model which multiplies as users play games.

Then again, not every parent is convinced about the benefits of online gaming and the virtual world. Shipra Varkhi, a corporate communications head for a leading FMCG brand, and the mother of two kids aged nine and seven, says: "I wouldn't let my children be part of such virtual world sites as they are better off learning other skills from the computer."

Riyana Rizwi, an 11-year old Mount Mary High School student, who says: "I don't play on Club Penguin any more as my friends have moved on to sites like Togetherville and gaming sites like Zapak Girls, where we play dressup games with each other." Zapak Girls is a dedicated gaming section created by Zapak Entertainment, where users can play dress-up games, makeover games, fashion games, celebrity games and cooking games.

Kids learn the importance of keeping passwords, being accountable for online activities Many sites are available in regional languages, or soon will be Dynamic and ever-changing content dependent on local seasons and festivals Time spent online to surf, play and network needs to be monitored or planned by parents. Definitive parental controls should be pre-installed on home PCs to protect child's identity online.

Source: Business Standard

A Well-Heeled Race

An official world record was set at the event for the fastest ever 4x100m stiletto relay, which saw women in teams of four running in stilettos with a minimum height of 3 inches, to help raise funds to find a cure for breast cancer, in Sydney.

Competitors wait for the start of a heat in the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney on September 28, 2010.

Competitors pose for a photo on the start line prior to the final of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

A competitor has her leg shaved before the start of a heat in the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

Competitors prepare for a heat of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

A competitor runs her leg during the final of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

Model Erin McNaught (C), the official event scrutineer, checks the heel height of competitors in the final of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

Model Erin McNaught (C), the official event scrutineer, checks the heel height of competitors in the final of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

A competitor runs during a heat of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.



Competitors prepare for a heat of the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay".
 
Competitors leave the start line during a special group photo shoot, with the Harbour Bridge in the background, at the "Venus Embrace Closest Stiletto Relay" in Sydney.

Source: AFP

India Shines at Commonwealth Games

New Delhi, Oct 4 : India were off to a perfect start in the tennis event of Commonwealth Games with Rohan Bopanna demolishing Robert Buyinza of Uganda in straight sets in the men’s singles event here on Monday.

Bopanna was too good for a player, who has just one ranking point in the ATP charts, as he completed a 6 -- 1 6 -- 4 win in just one hour and two minutes in the first round.

Bopanna is scheduled to play a second match today when he pairs up with Nirupama Sanjeev against top seeded Australians Paul Hanley and Rodionova Anastasia.

He today dropped 114 places in the ranking chart to be at 587 but he was coming into the event after playing a crucial role in the Davis Cup tie against Brazil and was hardly troubled by the African player.

With two break of serves, Bopanna raced to a comfortable 5-1 lead in the opening set and sealed the lead in just 21 minutes.

Buyinza, ranked 1601, overcame the initial jitters and started to serve well in the second set but unforced errors continued to flow from his racquet.

After missing four break points, Bopanna converted the fifth to get his first break -- in the fifth game -- to be up 3-2 in the second set.

He had a chance to close the set in the ninth game but Buyinza played his best tennis to save that point. However, he could not stop the Indian from serving out the match in the next game.

But there was hardly any crowd to celebrate Bopanna's win at the Centre Court.

India's Poojashree Venkatesh, Rushmi Chakravarthy and the mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Leander Paes are also scheduled to play later in the day.

Source: PTI

Indian women paddlers beat Sri Lanka 3-0

Indian women paddlers started their campaign in the Commonwealth Games on a resounding note by blanking Sri Lanka 3-0 in Group D team competition at the Yamuna Sports complex today. Mouma Das started the host country''s domination as she thrashed Ishara Madurangi Darshika 11-4 11-5 11-4 before Shamini Kumareshan put India 2-0 in front by outclassing Nuwani Navodya 11-9 11-9 11-7.

Reigning national champion Poulomi Ghatak sealed the issue by getting the better of Kavindi Rukmali 11-8 11-8 11-7. The Indian eves, seeded second, have New Zealand and Ghana as their other opponents in the group and are set to take on the Kiwis, who are capable of putting up a better show than the Lankans, later in the day.

A total of 21 medals, including seven gold medals, are up for grabs in table tennis. Meranwhile, Australian women paddlers also started on a great note by beating Wales 3-0.

Militancy on The Rise in Assam: 10 Abductions in a Month

Guwahati, Oct 4 : It's been a month since two locomotive pilots of the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railways were abducted by Bodo militants in Assam. All police and military operations have so far failed to not only ensure their rescue but to restrain the outfit's activities.

And their family members are helpless. Deadline for paying ransom has expired but they are hoping against hope.

"Every four to five days they call asking for money and every 10-12 days they let me speak to my husband. That is all," said Sabita Singh Phukan, wife of one of the abducted pilots.

On the morning of August 29, Bodo militants from the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) launched a dramatic attack on a moving goods train carrying foodgrain from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh.

Locopilot A Singh Phukon and his assistant N C Borgohain were taken hostage. The demand was for a crore and half but negotiations are still going on.

"There is fear all over. The staff is scared and without security drivers are not moving out, so rail communication is totally disrupted," said A K Mishra, ADME, Northern Frontier Railways.
Ever since NDFB's anti-talk faction broke away from the ceasefire agreement this area along Assam Arunachal Pradesh border has reported an alarming rate of abductions.

In 2010 alone more than 30 persons were taken hostage against ransom; at least 10 are still in their custody.

Fresh threats have been issued by NDFB against railway staff. There is fear and panic amongst everyone there and now with announcement of Bihar elections security forces are being pulled out including Railway Protection force. The concern that was expected from the government is just not visible on the ground.

Harm-Reduction Strategies Proving Successful in Manipur

By Aarti Dhar

Imphal, Oct 4 : Manipur is the only State in India to have a policy on harm reduction to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the strategy seems to be yielding positive results.

According to the Annual Report of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society for 2008-2009, the prevalence rate of HIV infection among injecting drug-users has shown a decrease from 76.9 per cent in 1997 to 17.9 per cent in 2007.

Today, HIV/AIDS has become a household word in Manipur, with the knowledge of HIV/AIDS among adults, women and men being nearly universal (99 per cent) as per the National Family Health Survey-111 (2205-2006).

Earlier, the main route of HIV transmission was sharing of injecting equipment among the injecting drug users. However, the epidemic has penetrated through sexual activities too.

Manipur is one of the high prevalence States in India with HIV prevalence-rate among pregnant women being 1.3 per cent. More and more interior and hill areas are yet to be covered.

The State has the highest prevalence of HIV among the six high prevalence states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

The prevalence is four times higher, as against the national prevalence of 0.28 per cent. The cumulative reported number of HIV positives in Manipur until March 2009 was 31,972 while full blown AIDS (patients) is 4,363 and the number of recorded deaths due to AIDS is 625.

India is a Poor Super Power: Arundhati Roy

Jaipur, Oct 4 : Eminent writer and social activist Arundhati Roy today alleged India is witnessing a war within itself since independence and is actually a poor super power.

"Since the country gained independence there have been wars against tribals, dalits and others in several parts of the country leading to violation of human rights," she said.

"Now people are struggling for human rights more than justice," Roy told a conference "Attack on Life, Liberty and Democratic Rights by the State" here.

"Cases of police atrocities on dalits and tribals are increasing," she said terming Indian as a "poor super power".

"Our elite say we are a super power. Twenty five per cent of country's total wealth is with a hundred people and they say it is development. Tribal land is being acquired for industrialisation and the voice of tribals is suppressed if they protest. Is it a development?" asked Roy.

"When we talk of poor nations African countries are on top. But, the fact is that eight Indian states together account for more poor people than in 26 African nations, " she said.

"I visited Dantewara in the recent past and met local people. Thousands are forced to live in camps while many roam in forests due to atrocities by security forces. Those who speak against the government are dubbed as Maoist," Roy said.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan favoured simplification of the judicial procedure to clear pendency of cases.

He said a Commission should also be set up for hearing complaints against judges.
The conference was organized by the Rajasthan chapter of the People's Union For Civil Liberties.