Saturday, January 7, 2012

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Visa row: Indian military team's China visit called off

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India has called off the visit of a 30-member military delegation to China after Beijing refused a visa to a senior Indian Air Force officer who belongs to Arunachal Pradesh, a defence ministry source said Friday.

"I can confirm that the visit has been called off," the source said.

Group Captain Panging, identified by his surname only, was part of the team scheduled to travel to Beijing from Jan 10, but his visa was denied by the Chinese embassy here without any reasons, the source said.

The 30-member team of the IAF, the army and the navy was to travel to China on a four-day visit for a bilateral defence exchange programme.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and has been denying visa to those hailing from the northeastern state despite protests by India.

The denial of visa came close on the heels of a controversy over threats to two Indian traders involved in a financial dispute in the Chinese city of Yiwu.

Sources said the visa was denied by the Chinese embassy here without any reasons. The team was expected to be in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and has been denying visa to those hailing from the northeastern state despite protests by India.

Beijing has also been denying visas to Jammu and Kashmir residents, sparking a diplomatic row between the two sides.

This is the second time that India has called off its military delegation trip to China. In 2010, the Chinese embassy had denied a visa to then Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal, then head of the Northern Command because he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir.

The visit of the military team Jaswal was leading was cancelled and India also temporarily called off its defence exchanges with China.

However, the defence exchanges resumed after India sent a delegation in June last year.

The defence team was visiting China as part of confidence building measures between the two sides and comes after a similar one by the Chinese military commanders last month.

Two Indian traders, who were holed up in a hotel in Yiwu, were released Wednesday after the Indian consulate intervened. They had been held captive by locals in Yiwu, a trading hub of China, as their Yemeni boss was absconding after erring on payment of dues running into millions of dollars.


Bhanwari Devi case: Ashes sent for DNA tests, Maderna's custody extended

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A team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Friday sent the ashes collected from a site in Jodhpur to New Delhi for a DNA test to ascertain if they were the remains of Rajasthan nurse Bhanwari Devi, while a court extended the custody of sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna, arrested for his alleged role in her disappearance.

Bhanwari Devi, allegedly shown in a compromising position with Maderna in a CD, had gone missing Sep 1, 2011.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) produced Maderna before the additional chief judicial magistrate, who extended the ex-minister's judicial custody till Jan 20.

Parasram Bishnoi, the other accused and a Congress legislator's brother, was also presented in court and his judicial custody was also extended till Jan 20.

Parasram is the brother of Luni legislator Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, who has also been arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the case.

Meanwhile, a team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Friday recovered some items from a canal suspected to be belonging to the accused who disposed of her body and the nurse herself, sources. The item include two guns, a gunny bag, a bat and some bone parts.

The CFSL sent ashes and these items collected from Jaloda village in Jodhpur to New Delhi for a DNA test to ascertain if they were the remains of Bhanwari Devi, sources said.

Bhanwari Devi's body was allegedly burnt by a gang of criminals led by Bishnaram Bishnoi in 30-feet deep carter near Jadola Sep 1.

A court here Thursday has remanded Bishnaram Bishnoi and his aide Kailash Jakhar to CBI custody till Jan 16.

Bishnaram Bishnoi was arrested near Pune in Maharashtra Wednesday while Jakhar, believed to be the owner of a jeep used to dispose the body, was nabbed in Rajasthan Tuesday.

The CSFL team arrived in Jodhpur Thursday along with CBI director A.P. Singh after the investigators Wednesday identified the spot where the nurse's body was allegedly disposed after her abduction Sep 1.

It is alleged that Bhanwari was burnt and her remains were then dumped in a nearby canal.

The forensic team has collected some ashes believed to be the remains of the nurse, sources added. The canal was also being examined by divers.

The CBI had taken Omprakash Bishnoi, an arrested accused, to a place near Jaloda village where the nurse's body was reportedly burnt.

In a chargesheet filed by the CBI, it was alleged that three men kidnapped the nurse from Jodhpur's Bilara area Sep 1, killed her and then handed over her body Bishnaram Bishnoi.

According to sources close to the CBI, Maderna and Malkhan Singh were hand-in-glove in the conspiracy as the nurse was blackmailing both of them.

Maderna was believed to be blackmailed on the basis of a CD showing him in a compromising position with the nurse.

The two politicians allegedly roped in Sahiram Bishnoi, who hired Sohan Lal, Balia and Shahabuddin for the task of kidnapping the nurse.

Apart from Maderna and Malkhan Singh, the three kidnappers and Sahiram along with Amarchand, husband of Bhanwari Devi, have been arrested by the CBI.

The CBI also arrested Malkhan's brother Parasram Bishnoi as well as two others - Umesharam and Omprakash Bishnoi.

Chinese look to Harry Potter to put magic in genetics

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A Chinese university medical school is casting a Harry Potter spell over a genetics course in an attempt to entice students to study the discipline. The Sun Yat-sen University in the southern province of Guangdong has introduced the likes of evil Lord Voldemort, the Weasleys, Dobby, Aberforth Dumbledore and sneak thief Mundungus Fletcher to better illustrate the role genetics play in social behaviour.



"Genetics greatly influence how a mother reacts during her pregnancy and how she rears her children. In Harry Potter, we can find such cases in Harry and Voldemort, who are both suspected of having some of the same genes as Slytherin, and who live in a similar environment," said course lecturer Chen Suqin.

"Why is it Harry and Voldemort have totally opposite characters? Was it because Harry was surrounded by his mother's love when he was first born, while Voldemort's mother was full of hatred during her pregnancy?" she added.

A myriad of Potter plots will also be used to show how hereditary genetic-make up determines how people -- and fantasy creatures -- react in different situations. "Genetics is often viewed as very boring and a dry topic by students. But if they are Harry Potter fans, this course will help raise their curiosity and aid them remember what they have learnt," added Chen, a self-confessed avid Potter admirer.

Since waving the magical Potter wand over the once shunned elective course, which runs for 36 hours and offers two degree credits, students numbers are now heavily oversubscribed, Chen said. The university is not the first to introduce J K Rowlings' wizardry into its curriculum. Durham University's education department offers students a 30-credit Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion module.


Mother drowns baby, boyfriend watches online

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Yasmin Chaudhury killed her 1-yr-old by plunging her into bucket of water; claims boyfriend asked her to do it

A mother drowned her baby daughter in a bucket while her boyfriend watched live over the Internet.
Norwegian Yasmin Chaudhry killed the one-year-old by plunging her into a bucket of water during a Skype video call with her British partner.


Monster Mom? Yasmin says she only committed the crime to teach the
child some discipline and did it on her boyfriend's saying. Representation
pic

Chaudhry (26) said she had just wanted to discipline her baby for waking up and 'disobeying her'.
She told paramedics that the baby had fallen into the bucket by accident. The girl was pronounced dead the next day.

But after being arrested on suspicion of murder, Chaudhry claimed that her boyfriend -- who is not the child's father -- told her to do it. Both she and the Briton, who she met over the Internet, deny wanting to kill the baby."They have the same story, but with some differences," said police prosecutor Kristin Rusdel.

"She says he instructed her to do it, whereas he says that they more or less figured it out together after talking about how to discipline her. He says the intention was never to kill the child. They were both very scared and decided to cover it up."

Rusdel added that he was her Internet boyfriend. "They met once in real life and carried on the relationship over the net for about a year." Officers from Oslo flew to Britain just before Christmas to question the boyfriend -- who has not been named -- with the help of Scotland Yard.

Chaudhry's five-year-old son was taken into care following the horrific episode in October 2010. Yesterday she was remanded until February 4. Rusdel confirmed a preliminary murder charge had been filed against the British man and said police were discussing extradition.


Posted by Harshad at 7:42 AM

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