FIJISUN MAR 2012

USA

19

Vol-22

Issue-2

Page-12

Hari Shankar speaks at Maha Shiv Ratri

Kareena is the new Munni Bai in Dabangg 2

Maha Shiv Ratari at San Bruno temple attract thousands for 3 day celebration March-2012

www.fijisun-usa.com

510-677-4488

Fiji’s radio personality Hari Shankar explains important features of the annual Maha Shiv Ratri celebration hosted by Sri Sanatan Manadir of San Bruno.

Looking on is.

The celebration began with an opening Bhajan by famous Bollywood singer AlkaBhatnagar

Fishermen's killing: Italian PM Mario Monti warns Manmohan

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti called his Indian counterpart Manomohan Singh on Wednesday, warning him against setting a "dangerous precedent" with the prosecution of two Italian naval guards in India. "Any attitude from the Indian side that is not fully in line with international law... risks creating a dangerous precedent for international peacekeeping and anti-piracy missions," Monti was quoted as saying to Singh.

"Missions in which Indian military are also involved," he stressed. "The alleged incident -- the circumstances of which still have to be clarified -occurred in international waters and jursidiction is therefore only Italian," Monti also told Singh, according to a government statement. Monti said he was following the case with "maximum attention and concern." Singh reportedly told Monti that he wanted "to avoid tensions between India and Italy" and that he would look into the possibility of "a transfer of the two naval guards from prison to a place of custody more suited to their status."

Italy's government has been heavily criticised for its handling of the escalating row, which started last month when the soldiers deployed to guard an oil tanker allegedly killed two Indian fishermen they mistook for pirates.

Pakistan possesses up to 110 nuclear weapons, report says

Kitchen volunteers

Page-32

Aggrieved mother, family plead Jennifer to return home

Bill Quirk for CA State Assemblyman The Board of Trustees keeps “the ball rolling”

(L-R ZuhalBahaduri, BillQuirk , Fiji Sun editor H. Koya and social worker page 2)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan possessed up to 110 nuclear weapons and spent a whopping $2.2 billion on its atomic arsenal last year, claims a report by an international NGO, prompting Islamabad to call it "highly exaggerated". In the report titled "Don't bank on the bomb", the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that Pakistan had between 90 and 110 nuclear weapons. "Its arsenal has grown substantially in recent years, from 60 to 80 nuclear weapons in 2008," it said. The report, issued this week, quoted sources as saying that Pakistan intended to double its arsenal in the next five to 10 years with the goal of having up to 350 weapons of varying yield. It further said Pakistan spent an estimated $2.2 billion on its nuclear weapons programme last year, up from $1.8 billion in 2010. "Expenditure is projected to increase substantially due to maintenance costs for its new plutonium infrastructure," the report said.

FIJI SUN IS NOW ON FACEBOOK FOR ALL

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March 2012 M H Koya (PhD)

Sanjna Chand (MA)

PO BOX 54691, Hayward, CA 94544 PHONE : 1-800-757-6619

Fiji Sun supports Bill Quirk of Hayward City for California State Assemblyman Editor-Publisher

M

y primary goal is to get Californians back to work. In the long term, the most important factor in job creation is education.

We need to create more revenue for K-12 and higher education.

That is why I will support the tem-

I

porary taxes the Governor has proposed for the November 2012 ballot. Another way to stimulate job creation is by simplifying regulations and streamlining the approval processes for businesses while still protecting consumers and the envi-

Your doctor is a salesman!

f you think that your medical doctors at your hospital there to help you recover from your health problems, you are dead.

Just look at your medicine cabinet since you started seeing your doctor. Perhaps you will find all the medicine called drugs are already there. The drug makers push them through the hospitals with newer brands- many them in the as a trial drugs- to make money. The doctors working as employees of a the hospitals are trained to prescribed those medications as part of the sales campaign. Most of these drugs have side effects. And if you take two or three of them, each one has side effects. Just think what is the accumulative impact of all them on you. Does your doctor care about it? No. Not at all She will

ronment. Hayward City Councilman Quirk's accomplishments, history, and leadership to our community enhanced my passion to take a lead in volunteering on his Assembly campaign. Mr. Quirk remained a role model to me

Email: fijisun@gmail.com www.fijisun.org

even whilst I was away pursuing my Bachelors at UCLA, he never left me with unanswered questions & always provided me opportunities to broaden my horizon. When the system failed my friend, it was Bill Quirk that instantly answered

my phone call and stood up for a voiceless citizen and protected her rights. This is just only one reason amongst a million others as to why he is the leader we need representing us in Sacramento.( Zuhol Bahaduri)

Hospital workers union gets political to change the excessive billing practices

OAKLAND- The hospital workers’ union is serious about getting a ballot to change the law how hospitals charge patients excessive amount of money for services and treatment. While the encouraged their members to stay healthy and take to exercising for self-fitness, the union officials argued that hospitals charging excessive amount of money to their patients. “This has to change,” insisted the trainers during as they trained council of stewards at their weekend seminars here Feb 27.

keep prescribing and changing your medications every so often because they do not cure.

Medications do not cure. At best they control, at worst they make a case worst.

TAKE CHARGE OF HEALTH

Do not drink coke and sods.

Take brisk walk daily Eat eggs ( do not let doctors fool you). It is a God given product that balances your cholesterol level.

Cleanse your system (read on the cleansing methods) for your liver to function right.

Eat meat with good green vegetables.

If you are beef eaterget the "grass-fed" beef.

Associate Editor

Union Dough (left) explains strategies at a training meeting to his union members.

Amitabh's health

In a recent KBC _" Kaun Banega Carorepathi", he said he does not eat rice at all obviously medical reason.

A recent report shows that the Big B has a serious bowel operation and his interest had to be cut out at various places. He used to drink a lot of Coke Cola.

He stopped advertising Coke Cola.

So watch you drink. Sodas and processed foods are addicting and harmful to you health.

Political wing of the union members at a training class in at Executive office in Oakland

March 2012

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March 2012

BUSINESS NEWS

March 2012

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USC Annenberg/California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships

March 5, 2012 Call for Applications! $2,000-$10,000 Reporting Grants, All-Expenses-Paid Mini Fellowship, At USC Annenberg When: July 22-26, 2012 Where: Los Angeles Deadline to Apply: April 16, 2012 USC Annenberg's California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships program is offering three different reporting grants this year to underwrite investigative or explanatory journalism projects on substantive health issues. The grants all include participation in The National Health Journalism Fellowships , which allow journalists

to step away from their daily routines to spend five days in Los Angeles exploring topics related to "Health and Place," or how neighborhood and work environments impact health and life expectancy.

This intensive mini fellowship will help you understand how community health, health policy, and the nation's growing ethnic diversity intersect. You'll come away from the experience with a multitude of story ideas and sources, new insights into what community influences contribute to personal health, and funds to pursue an important health-related reporting project.

Based at USC's Annenberg

School of Journalism, the National Fellowship is open to print, broadcast, and online journalists from around the country. National Fellows receive meals, travel, and lodging, plus a $2,000 stipend upon publication or broadcast of a major fellowship project on almost any domestic health issue.

The Hunt Fund (grants of $2,500 to $10,000) will support projects that examine the effects of a specific factor or confluence of factors on a community's health, such as poverty, health disparities, pollution, violence, land use, urban development, access to health care, and access to healthy food. And our

new Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health Fund (California journalists only) will provide grants of $2,000-$5,000 to underwrite projects focused on children's health issues. Competition for all the grants is open to both newsroom staffers and freelancers who contribute to print, broadcast, and online news outlets. The stipends and grants can be used to defray reporting and publishing-related costs such as travel, website development, database acquisition and analysis, environmental testing, translation services, and a journalist's otherwise uncompensated time.

Applicants must join

ReportingonHealth.org, a Web 2.0 community for health journalism and the official website for the Fellowships. To encourage collaboration between mainstream and ethnic media, preference will be given to applicants who propose a joint project for use by both media outlets. For more information, visit ReportingonHealth.org or e- mail Martha Shirk at Cahealth@usc.edu.

(To improve your prospects for success, we recommend that you discuss your project idea with us in advance.)

Visit Our Website email: cahealth@usc.edu web: http://www.reportingonhealth.org

Life Insurance: Can You Afford To Wait ? ANNOUNCEMENT

C

ritical decisions, such as buying a home, getting married or having children, require deliberate, thoughtful consideration. Indeed, the outcome of any one of these decisions can irrevocably change your life for better or worse. But, delaying the purchase of life insurance can be a costly mistake for you and your loved ones. Waiting just a few years can have a negative impact on several key areas of a life insurance policy.

WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE Financial Protection Plus Cash Value Accumulation In its simplest form, whole life insurance protects the people who depend on you for financial support — no matter what happens to you tomorrow. Aside from providing money to your beneficiaries to replace your income, whole life insurance also offers guaranteed* cash value accumulation on a tax-deferred basis, as long as the policy remains in force. If available, cash value can be borrowed against to fund a child’s education, supplement your retirement income, or meet an emergency cash need. Remember, policy loans accrue interest at the current variable loan interest rate and reduce the total cash value and total death benefit by the amount of the outstanding loan and accrued loan interest.

THE EFFECTS OF WAITING Since a portion of the premiums paid accumulates cash value each year, over the long term, cash value accumulation can be considerable, especially since taxes on the growth are deferred.

Generally speaking, the sooner you start paying policy premiums, the faster your cash value may accumulate. A whole life policy is also eligible to receive dividends, if and when declared by the insur-

ance issuer. Unlike cash values, dividends are not guaranteed. In addition, past dividends are not indicative of future dividends. As a policyholder, you have several options for dividends usage. For example, you can take dividend distributions in cash or apply dividends to add insurance coverage through the purchase of paid-up additional life insurance.

Paid-up insurance is also eligible for dividends, has cash value and requires no additional premiums.

Other dividend payment options may be available.

So, waiting in this case can cost you the opportunity to increase the benefit paid to your beneficiaries.

Although you’re healthy now, you decide to delay purchasing whole life insurance for five years. In five years, you may suffer an unexpected health condition, which may place your insurability in jeopardy. In the worst-case scenario, if you were to die in the next five years, the cost of waiting would be the death benefit your beneficiaries would not receive. Remember, purchasing life insurance is a major decision. So, it’s important to take the time to gather all the necessary information and choose the coverage that best suits your needs. While the decision is up to you, keep in mind that postponing your decision can prove to be costly. *Guarantees backed by the claims paying ability of the issuer.

This educational third-party article is being provided as a courtesy by Sanjesh Kumar.

For additional information on the information or topic(s) discussed, please contact Sanjesh Kumar at 39650 Libery Street Suite 200, Fremont, CA 94538.Ph: 510-469-4667, Email: skumar3@ft.newyorklife.com, Website: www.sanjeshkumar.com Sanjesh Kumar,Agent CA Ins. Lic #OH23014 New York Life Insurance Company

The Sandwich Generation: Caught Between Duty and Goals

T

he “Sandwich Generation” is the largely unheralded group of adults who find themselves raising and providing for young children while also caring and providing for aging parents. If you are a member of this generation, it might seem like there is no safe or reliable investment to protect your family and address your specific needs. But there are more options than you may realize.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

One of the greatest concerns for anyone with the responsibilities of caring for parents, children or spouses is, ‘What will happen to them if something happens to me?’ Fortunately, there are several precautionary steps you can take. First, it is important to prepare a will, and to update it as often as circumstances change. An estate-planning attorney can help you navigate your options. Another prudent step to think about is life insurance, which can be tailored to the needs of you and your family. For instance, a term life policy can provide affordable death benefit protection for a certain period of years. It may also be eligible for conversion to whole life policy at a future date, which can provide financial protection later in life. Additionally, the cash value of a whole life policy can be borrowed against* as needs arise.

There are some events you can anticipate and plan for, such as your own retirement and your children’s education. Caring for an elderly parent, however, can be unpredictable and requires a higher level of planning. While savings and investment accounts can provide some assistance, so can the right insurance.

Simply put, members of the sandwich generation do not need to go it alone. Term, whole life and long-term care insurance are three strong solutions that can help provide financial protection for their changing needs. This educational third-party article is being provided as a courtesy by Sanjesh Kumar.

For additional information on the information or topic(s) discussed, please contact Sanjesh Kumar at 39650 Libery Street Suite 200, Fremont, CA 94538.Ph: 510469-4667, E-mail: skumar3@ft.newyorklife.com, Website: www.sanjeshkumar.com * Loans against your policy accrue interest at the current rate and decrease the cash value and death benefit by the amount of the outstanding loan and interest.

Sanjesh Kumar,Agent CA Ins. Lic #OH23014 New York Life Insurance Company

FREE SEMINAR.

Re: Your mortgage. Why make payments when your tax $$$ already already paid your loan off. Upon multiple requests and very high damand, there will be a Seminar or Educational class given on this Sat. March 10th, 2012 at 320 Jackson St Hayward Ca 94544. At West Lake Restaurant. X st Sycamore. Extremely valuable information will be shared:

1) With all home owners who have mortgage loans on their home.

2) Those who have lost their homes in foreclosure 3) Those who are having tough times making the payments 4) Those who are trying to modify their loans

PS REVIEW THE ATTACHED FILES. VALUABLE INFORMATION. Please confirm via E mail Seating only with confirmation by 3/8/2012

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Fund set to launch new pension rate

March 2012

FIJI NEWS

Stay in Fiji for $1 a night!

AT least 3000 pensioners have yet to validate themselves a day away from the deadline. On March 1, the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) will introduce its new pension rates which starts off at 8.7 per cent. The new pension rates have been introduced to save the fund from insolvency. FNPF chief executive Aisake Taito said about 60 per cent of those validated had indicated their choice to purchase the pension products.

"We are encouraged to note that the new pension products are still popular choice among current pensioners. Life Pension continues to be the popular choice with most of our pensioners including the affluent pensioners," Mr Taito said.

For overseas pensioners, Mr Taito said the fund had validated about 30 per cent of the total 750 pensioners via Skype and at the Fiji Diplomatic missions abroad ù with more expected to be validated over the weekend and early next week.

With only two days away from the introduction of the new pension scheme, Mr Taito said the fund would like to encourage those pensioners who were yet to validate to do so immediately. FNPF has mobile counsellors deployed to various parts of Fiji including the Lau Group, Taveuni and the Lomaiviti

Group. "We have dispatched our mobile teams to the remote locations and have also visited pensioners who are immobile, to assist in their validation and counselling." Mr Taito reiterated the importance of validating by 29 February.

"Pensioners who have not validated by the stated timeline will not be able to transit into the new pension scheme, thus they would not be entitled to a pension option nor receive any pension payments from March onwards." "For current pensioners to access any pension option including lump sum payment, validation is mandatory." Pension counseling centres will continue to be open to validate pensioners until Wednesday. The cost of saving the Fiji National Provident Fund from insolvency will be no less than $410million. This was revealed by FNPF consultants Shauna Tomkins and Geoff Rashbrooke last year. Ms Tomkins was previously engaged by the FNPF to provide technical assistance on the reforms of the FNPF Act and Mr Rashbrooke is contracted to provide technical assistance on developing actuarial and data analysis capacity. At the end of June last year, the amount to be set aside (technical provisions) to support future pension payments of all pensions was $565 million.

Toberua Island Resort is offering guests a five night holiday in Fiji where you get an additional night for only FJD$1! The offer is available until 31 March 2012 and depending on how long you stay, you could end up saving up to 50 per cent on your holiday. Toberua Island Resort is a small privately owned resort that sits in the middle of a beautiful lagoon, off the eastern coast of Fiji’s main island - Viti Levu.

It’s an intimate and private resort where just 15 beach chalets sit along the white sandy beach.

Guests can spend their days at the resort playing golf, fishing, sailing or snorkelling and scuba diving the coral reefs. Also available are windsurfing, volleyball and a selection of trips and tours. Gourmet meals are served in the beachfront resort restaurant, which offers a changing menu daily, prepared by the resorts Fijian Chef. The resort also has its own recently refurbished spa, which offers an extensive range of massage and beauty treatments.

Therapists use the locally renowned Pure Fiji products to enhance the Fijian Massage experience. A five night stay at Toberua starts from £1,005 for a Tropical Oceanfront Bure and every additional night is only FJD$1.00. Rates include free use of snorkel gear, kayaks, windsurfers and catamarans, maid and evening turn down service.

THE Ministry of Health will now have its blood donation program made easier with the arrival of its new mobile blood donation bus yesterday. Funded by the government of Japan the blood bus which cost $US107,216 ($F188,131) is specifically designed as a mobile unit. "The mobile blood bus will enhance the Fiji National Blood Service in its effort to increase voluntary donors and organise street blood appeal drives more often from any part of Fiji accessible by road," Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma said at the handing over of the keys for the bus yesterday.

Currently, 27 million people are victims to the act of slavery worldwide, a practice that is stronger today than any other point in history, according to the International Justice Mission. For Phi Gamma Delta fraternity philanthropy chair John Pickering and IJM officers Darby Hess and Tori Luna, this number is unacceptable. They’ve decided to join the fight against slavery in a fundraising event called the Fiji Run. “Together, the Phi Gam brothers from Mississippi State and Alabama will be running from Starkville to Tuscaloosa, [with] each brother running one or two miles,” Pickering said. “All proceeds from the event will be donated to the International

Justice Mission.” International Justice Mission is an organization that fights against worldwide slavery, sexual exploitation and other violent persecutions. For Pickering, the purpose of the event is solely to promote IJM’s cause and raise money for the organization.

“One of the biggest obstacles to preventing these injustices is ignorance, apathy and a lack of funds,” Pickering said. “Therefore, this event is extremely important for IJM in order to raise awareness and funds to help prevent injustices in the world today.” Pickering said the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta are passionate about raising awareness for slavery, recognizing the dire need for assis-

A woman has been killed after she was struck by lightning while standing in a school yard with her daughter and other children watching, the Fiji Times reports.

Vakamoce Raijeli of Votualevu, east of Nadi International Airport, died instantly from the lightning strike while her five year old daughter Vika Soqo is in hospital with burns. Votualevu Public School manager Pramendra Nath Bharos said the woman and daughter were standing near a mango tree when lightning struck. "The woman and her daughter fell to the ground," he said. He said she died instantly. "The weather was fine. There were a few clouds but it wasn't raining. "Children were outside playing when it happened and it was really unusual," he said. Many children saw the strike. "They were all screaming and most of them were crying and I think they will be traumatised for quite awhile because of what they saw," Bharos said.

The Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund has reached the $2 million mark through the generosity of groups and individuals who continue to show support towards those affected from recent flooding in the Western Division. Since the launch of the appeal, private organisations, banks, government agencies, faith based organisations, foreign governments and institutions and individuals have made contributions to the appeal. “All the donations given will be going towards assisting those affected from flood stricken areas and I thank all the groups for the wonderful and kind donation”, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said. The second million in the PM’s fund coffers was attained after the taxi industry came out in full force to donate to the appeal. “I wish to offer my sympathy and prayers to all the victims of the recent floods Fiji wide and wish to let them know that we will stand together with your Government

New blood bus for Fiji

Lightning kills woman in Fiji

Slow economic growth a concern, says IMF report

Fiji's economy is growing at a slow pace, and that overshadows all other economic concerns, the International Monetary Fund report on the country after a mission last year said. In 2010, while developing Asia roared ahead at 9 per cent growth, Fiji contracted by 0.25 per cent, worse even than other Pacific Islands. And while growth should improve in 2011 and beyond, it seems unlikely, given political and economic constraints, to substantially exceed two per cent unless structural reforms are accelerated.

The IMF said the political context was complex and presented challenges for the economy. "The current government took power in a 2006 coup, relations with traditional donors are strained, and FDI has dropped sharply, though emerging donors remain engaged and have provided assistance. "Elections expected for 2009 did not occur, but the government has subsequently announced plans for an election in 2014 and provided an allocation in the 2012 budget for electoral preparations.

"Consultations on a new constitution have just been announced for 2012 and should be facilitated by lifting of the emergency regulation placing restrictions on the media and on free assembly," the report said. Growth in the medium term, the report said, appear to be relatively weak unless

structural reforms can be accelerated.

"Growth should slow in 2012, as the natural bounce-back from 2009-10 fades, and while trend growth could improve modestly thereafter, reflecting the reforms that the authorities have already put in place, moving to a significantly higher level of potential growth would require an improved business and political climate and a more aggressive structural-reform effort. "While there are new mining and other projects on the horizon, some of these have not yet been confirmed and will take time to produce results. "Risks around the outlook are tilted to the downside. "These relate to political uncertainties and structural weaknesses, but also the fragile global economy. "While disruptions in world financial markets would have little direct impact on Fiji's financial system, the resulting global downturn could slow Fijian growth to some extent, mostly through declines in tourism, remittances, and foreign direct investment, though concomitant declines in oil and food prices would soften the blow for this commodityimporting island nation. " Fiji also benefits from its close economic links with Australia, whose current growth is supported by idiosyncratic factors, such as a mining boom, which would be expected to be fairly resilient to a moderate global shock.

tance in the promotion of IJM’s cause. Pickering is also excited that his brothers from another chapter will be joining the Alabama students in the 83-mile run. “It’s a great way for us to come together as chapters and combine our resources to help the community and the world,” Pickering said. Tori Luna, the vice president of Alabama’s chapter of IJM, has enjoyed working with the fraternity in the planning process of the event. “It has been great partnering with Phi Gam. They actually approached [IJM] about the partnership,” Luna said. “I think it’s so cool that men on our campus and Mississippi State’s campus are rising up to fight for the oppressed.”

FIJI'S relations with the vast majority of countries in the United Nations has never been better, says Fiji's Ambassador to the UN Peter Thompson. He made the comments as Fiji's 14 heads of missions took part in the 2012 Head of Missions Consultations at Nasese yesterday. Mr Thompson said over the last two years, Fiji had formalised diplomatic relations with over 40 countries of the UN with the aim of strengthening co-operation with those countries. He said Fiji would look to formalise diplomatic relations with all UN countries. Speaking on the Head of Missions consultations, Mr Thompson said the heads of missions and high commissioners deployed overseas were discussing foreign policy and looking at ways to improve their performance.

Fiji Run for justice to take place Saturday

Envoys work to better foreign policy

PM RELIEF FUND REACHES $2M MARK

and our Fiji Taxi Association to assist them in whatever way possible,” Mr Rama Mudaliar, Managing Director of Southern Motors Limited, said. The Fiji Taxi Association donated $500, Regent Taxis and Southern Motors jointly gave $10,000 while Safeway Electronics provided a further $1000. Electronics shop D. Gokals donated $2000 and Neritak Limited, construction equipment industrial and electrical supplies outlet, gave $5000. The Non Governmental Organisation Poor Relief Society gave $501 and it was all these generous amounts that led to the fund reaching $2m. PM Bainimarama called the donations “wonderful” and thanked all the donors wholeheartedly. The PM has made regular visits to the Western Division, which was the most affected area during the recent floods, to see the rehabilitation and restoration work being carried out by Government officials and NGOs.

FIJI NEWS

Fijian students support AG in India expo tour

FIJIANS studying and living in India have turned out to support Attorney-General Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum's special tourist and trade mission to India this week.

In Bangalore, the delegation received a true Fijian welcome from Fijian students from Suva, Tavua, and Rakiraki studying in India on scholarships from the High Commission of India. According to a government statement, the students studying in India carry with them Fiji's uniquely rich culture, welcoming people, and familiar hospitality. The statement said the successful immersion of Fiji's younger generation into its AsiaPacific neighbour nations "inspires the natural curiosities that attract new visitors to the organic tourism in Fiji". "The delegation was joined

by Eroni Duaibe in Kolkata. He trav-

March 2012

eled seven hours by train to support the visiting tourism road- show.

Duaibe, a member of Fiji's military forces, is studying at Ravenshaw University in Orissa. "One student, Priyanka Ram, from Suva, will receive her Masters Degree in Social Work and Psychiatric Medicine from St Joseph's College in April, after which she intends to bring her specialisation back to Fiji and develop its mental health practices." The statement said Varun Chaudhary from Tavua will receive a Bachelors Degree in Computer Applications and will pursue a position in Fiji's growing IT sector.

Organised by Fiji Tourism, the trip's goal is to supplement the natural cultural exchange that occurs through international study programmes and other trade and business partnerships.

THE Land Transport Authority has refuted claims that there is an increase in illegal public service operators. LTA chief executive officer Naisa Tuinaceva stated this at the Fiji Taxi Association annual general meeting yesterday. "Hard evidence, data doesn't exist to support that argument," he said. "A reason, we can safely suggest for the increase in illegal operations, is the corresponding increase in demand for public service transportation from the public." He said there were factors influencing this demand like the urban drift, land area developments, and population increases in many areas because of recent establishments of housing schemes. Mr Tuinaceva said most illegal operators existed where a vacuum for PSV operations existed. "When booking illegal operators, we find there is no PSV or taxi

service in the areas they breached the law in because of poor road conditions." He said the behavior of taxidrivers also contributed to the increase in illegal operators.

"Taxidrivers are choosy about the kind of passenger they want, kind of cargo they are loading and as a result members of the public are forced to negotiate with private vehicle owners for a service," he said. However, he said the LTA was not turning a blind eye to illegal operators and would continue to prosecute illegal operators. "In the past five years, LTA has already booked and seized around 6,000 private vehicles that were involved in illegal PSV activities."

"18,000 첫 that's the total number of driving licenses cancelled, suspended or booked because of their involvement in illegal activities including PSV activities."

IF you understand your enemies well, then you will be able to defeat them. But if you don't understand them well, then they will certainly defeat you. This is more so as far as the safety of the food that you eat daily is concerned.

Considering that your health is in your own hands, the onus lies on each individual to ensure what he or she eats is safe and not poisonous or infected. FOOD-borne illnesses are of public health concern globally, regionally and even in Fiji.

Every year many individuals suffer the discomfort and pain resulting from food-borne illnesses. To prevent such illnesses, it is necessary for people to understand the bacteria that causes food poisoning.

The Ministry of Health's Food Unit head Samuela Bolalailai says if a person understands his or her enemy well, then they will certainly beat them.

But, he said, if a person could not understand his or her enemy, in this case the bacteria, then it would just kill them. Mr Bolalailai said the term food poisoning was generally used to describe illnesses caused by all types of food-borne micro-

organisms. He said although the symptoms were similar, food poisoning and food infection were different. "Confirmed food poisoning or food intoxication is caused by eating food that contains a toxin or poison because of bacterial growth in food," he said.

"The bacteria which produced and excreted the toxic waste products into the food may be killed but the toxin they produced causes the illness or digestive upset to occur."

He said Staphlococcus aureus and Clostridium botulinum were two species of bacteria that caused food poisoning. He said food infection was the second type of food-

borne illness caused by eating food that contained certain types of live bacteria which are present in the food. Once the food is consumed, the bacterial cells continue to multiply and grow in numbers, resulting in illness. Mr Bolalailai said Salmonellosis was a good example of food-borne illness.

He said Vibrio parahaemoliticus was another infection organism found primarily in shellfish from polluted waters. "Clostridium perfringens grows in warm food like stews or gravies and produces toxins. It also causes a food infection by continuing to grow and producing toxins in the intestinal track."

Attorney General and Minister for Tourism Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, standing fifth from left, with tourism officials and Fijian students in India.

were in breach of the law. "The regulations clearly state that all officers must behave in a civil and orderly manner when dealing with drivers."

Mr Ram, who was voted into his 14th consecutive year as general-secretary, said it was the first time they saw this type of behavior and would await the response of police before continuing further. Taxidrivers and operators at the AGM also raised the issue with Sergeant Ajay Nand of the Fiji Police Force during his presentation to them. Members pointed out to Sgt Nand that the differences between customer service of police officers was not good. Sergeant Nand said the force would look into the complaints against officer however, he said the Fiji Police Force had a zero tolerance policy toward traffic infringements. He said the officers were frequently trained to enforce traffic laws.

Taxi operators during the annual general meeting at Studio Six conference room in Suva.

Environmentally friendly factory

Fiji Industries Limited, Fiji's only cement producer is committed to meeting acceptable environmental and public health standards that concerns cement making. They aim to make the best cement not only in Fiji but also in the Pacific. This goal has not clouded the community concerns of cement making.

The extra measures they take in ensuring the safety and sustainment of the environment as well as the health risks on the community and to the country makes them the safest choice for all your cement and construction needs. To minimise severe air pollution from dust particles from the production of cement the Fiji Industries Limited imported and installed a state of art filtration system in the chimney - this is just one of the many measures they have taken in the safety and health concerns of the people of Fiji.

Established in 1958, Fiji Industries has attained ISO 14001 accreditation for its Environment Management system.

For over 48 years, Fiji Industries Limited is committed to providing valued customers with quality product and optimum service. Their cement boasts of this, having been accredited by TELARC to the standards of ISO 9001:2008. For testing Fiji Industries Limited is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 standards with International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).

Their cement is ideal for general use in ready-mix concrete, concrete blocks and pavers, mortars, grouts and any other cement based materials. It offers Portland cement for general use, such as in concrete, concrete blocks, pavers and pipes, and mortars, grouts, and other cement based materials. Fiji Industries Limited, a subsidiary of Fijian Holdings Limited supply cement locally and export to most Pacific Island countries including Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Wallis & Futuna, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Christmas Island and Nauru.

Association to lodge Authority refutes claims formal complaint

THE Fiji Taxi Association will lodge formal complaints with the Commissioner of Police on what it claims is the unprofessional behavior of police officers.

Association general-secretary Rishi Ram told the association's annual general meeting yesterday that the behavior of some police and even Land Transport Authority officers was unacceptable. "This is really bad, you know, the way some of these officers talk to us is like we are criminals," he said.

"These officers have no public relations skills, all they do when they want to book us is come and just ask for our license without giving us a chance to explain." "And this behavior is starting to get prevalent across the police force."

Mr Ram raised concern with the way officers dealt with cases, saying that under the Land Transport Regulations 2000, they

7

The enemy within

INDIA NEWS

All-India strike hits banking, transport services 8

March 2012

Millions of workers of all political hues have gone on strike across India on Tuesday to express their anger at soaring prices and to back demands for improved rights for employees, trade unions and political activists said. The strike, which includes workers from state-run phone companies, bus drivers and postal workers, is a new headache for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government as it grapples with weakening economic growth and faces elections in several states.

Workers linked to the ruling Congress party have also joined the protest and have promised further action if their demands are not met.

The protests are not expected to significantly affect banks and financial markets in Asia's third-largest economy, but traders said there could be some volatility in the bond market if volumes are lower than normal. "Volumes could be lower, but settlement should happen," said a senior dealer at a state-run bank.

The strikers have a long list of demands. Among them, they want the government to take measures to contain inflation, provide universal social security cover for workers in the vast unorganised labour sector, and to stop selling stakes in state-run companies. "We will have to think about our future course of action if the government does not come forward with proposals on how it will react to our demands," G. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, the ruling party's trade union, said.

Hit by high interest rates, stubborn inflation and a stuttering reform

agenda, India's economy is expected to grow by about 7% in the fiscal year ending March, compared with earlier expectations of about 9% growth.

Singh's government has faced a slew of protests since winning a second term in 2009, denting the Congress party's image as a defender of the poor. The party is currently fighting five state elections, including one in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state. Tuesday's strike will be the 14th general strike since India opened up its economy with major reforms in 1991.

UNIONS ON STRIKE

Strike hits normal life in Kerala

hour all India strike of various trade unions in Maharashtra on Tuesday.

However, the state government, railways and BEST (city public bus service) employees have not joined the strike on account of ongoing examinations while essential services have been kept out, one of the organisers in Maharashtra said. "The strike response is total, spontaneous and peaceful. This afternoon, thousands of striking workers shall march to Azad Maidan for a rally which will be addressed by top union leaders," All India Bank Employees Association secretary Vishwas Utagi said. The strike, which has secured the support of around 5000 unions affiliated to all the major trade unions cutting across party lines, is to protest against price rise, corruption, violation of labour rights, free market policies and disinvestment which would result in loss of jobs, Utagi said.

Normal life was disrupted in Kerala on Tuesday due to the country-wide strike called by central trade unions to protest the "anti-labour" policies of the UPA government.

Buses kept off the roads and shops were closed in the state. The strike also affected functioning of banks and offices as pro-Left unions in the state sector also joined the protest against the "neo-liberal economic and labour policies" pursued by the UPA Government at the Centre.

The Congress-led UDF Government in the state has enforced 'dies non' (no work-no pay) order against the strike in government offices. Early reports from across the state said in most places the mobility of people was hit as the impact of the strike was near total in the transport sector with buses, taxis and autorickshaws keeping off the road. The rail traffic, however, was not affected and no blockade was reported from anywhere in the early hours. There was no disruption in

Normal life on Tuesday remained largely unaffected in Kolkata due to the general strike called to protest "anti-labour" policies of the government, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee warning state government employees that absence from duty will be treated as a break in service.

State government-run buses, taxis, trams, trains and Metro rail services were normal though private buses were plying in fewer number.

Flight operations from NSC Bose international airport here were normal. All morning flights of Air-India and other private airlines left Kolkata

Employees of banks, insurance companies, central government and local bodies as well as workers in several private industries joined a 24-

In view of Tuesday's nation-wide strike called by a number of trade unions, Delhi government on Monday clamped the Essential Services Maintenance Act on all power companies in the city to ensure that there is no disruption in electricity supply in the national Capital. "Delhi government has clamped ESMA on all power companies including generation, distribution and other power companies in view of the proposed strike tomorrow," a statement issued by the chief minister's office said. It said the ESMA would remain in force for next six months.

Hindu Worshipers are covered in colourful powder thrown on them as they pray at the radha rani temple during the festival of Lathmar Holi in Barsana.

In a major step in bilateral ties, Pakistan on Wednesday took a major step to give India mostfavoured nation (MFN) status by year-end. New Delhi promptly welcomed the move aimed at normalising the trade ties, which will have positive effect on the bilateral ties.

A meeting of the Pakistan Cabinet chaired by Yousuf Raza Gilani unanimously approved the proposal to switch over to a negative list regime, which permits imports from India of all but

1,200 items. India granted Pakistan MFN status in 1996 but Islamabad failed to reciprocate because of some hardline political positions which believed that such a move could harm Islamabad's stance on the core issue of Kashmir. There have been considerable opposition from Pakistan trade lobbies, too, against India being given the MFN status.

A meeting of the Cabinet chaired

by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani "unanimously approved the

phasing out of the negative list" regime between Pakistan and India

by December, said a statement issued by the Premier's office.

There will now be the introduction of a negative list with slightly around 1, 200 items that cannot be traded with India. However, a media report said Pakistan's Ministry of Industries and Textiles Ministry, which have a crucial say in framing strategies to protect domestic manufacturers, have opposed the move.

was motivated by a Lashkar commander in the Valley, who is known as Usman. Usman asked him to get a passport in last quarter of 2011.

He was asked to get in touch with a Lashkar commander Javed, likely to

be a code name, in Lahore. “Javed arranged for Ahtesham’s training in arms, ammunition and bomb making. Interestingly, rather than being taken to a camp, his training took place in a house. He was the lone recruit getting training there.

“Ahtesham’s training shows that Lashkar’s jehadi infrastructure is intact and Pakistan will never walk the talk as far as dismantling of jehadi machine is concerned,” said a source. According to sources, Ahtesham’s father had sent him to Hazaribagh to keep him away from LeT operatives in Sopore as he was once arrested for links with local militants in 2007. Ahtesham’s mother is from Hazaribagh but distance could not keep him away Lashkar’s influence.

Two weeks after Italian navy guards’ firing off Kerala coast in which two Indian fishermen killed another mishap occurred in the early hours of Thursday claiming the lives of two fishermen. An unidentified ship collided with their vessel off Kollam coast.

Three fishermen are still missing.

According to initial reports the vessel ‘Don’ was carrying seven fishermen from Neendakara (Kollam) when the incident occurred, two swam to safety after the accident. Navy and Coast Guard ships were pressed into service to identify and capture the ship involved. The mishap occurred around 3 am on Thursday. Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy has ordered a probe into the mishap and asked senior police and civic officials to co-ordinate rescue operations. The deceased are identified as Francis Augustine and Xavior.

Tibetans protest IndiaChina border talks

About a dozen Tibetans, including women, today staged a protest outside the Hyderabad House here objecting to the border talks between India and China claiming that Beijing cannot discuss the issue before giving freedom to Tibet.

Draped in Tibetan flags and carrying antiChina placards, the protesters assembled in front of the Hyderabad House near India Gate in the morning where external affairs minister SM Krishna was holding bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Anticipating protests, a number of police personnel were deployed in the area and they immediately detained the demonstrators who were shouting slogans demanding freedom for Tibet. "We have detained the protesters, including women.

We have taken them to a nearby police station," a senior police official said.

Buses remain parked at the KSRTC bus station as services remained affected during a nationwide strike called by major trade unions to protest against price rise and other issues, in Mangalore on Tuesday. electricity or water supply and the health sector exempted from the strike.

Normal life unaffected by strike in Kolkata

airport as schedule, sources said.

"Everything has been normal so far.

Things are going on well. Tight security arrangements are in place with 400 police pickets set up in various parts of the city," City police commissioner R K Pachnanda said.

Railway sources said the train services in Howrah, Asansol and Malda division of Eastern Railway are normal. Major unions have called a countrywide strike to protest the "anti-labour" policies of the government, rising prices and disinvestment of PSUs.

Peaceful start to strike in Maharashtra

Pakistan to give India MFN status by year-end

SAS Geelani 'linked' to LeT terrorist, cops to question him The Delhi Police will question separatist Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who recommended alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Ahtesham Malik’s name for visa for Pakistan. Ahtemsham was arrested by the Delhi Police on Wednesday along with another LeT operative for planning and attempting to fire-bomb Chandni Chownk’s cloth market in Delhi and the State Bank of India branch in Srinagar.

“Ahtesham went to Pakistan from Wagah border in December 2011 on valid passport. For visa, Syed Ali Shah Geelani recommended his name. We would like to know in what circumstances Geelani made the recommendation and how he knew Ahtesham,” said a source.

According to sources, Ahteshsham

Delhi invokes ESMA on power companies

boat mishap: 2 Kerala fishermen killed, 3 missing

PAKISTAN NEWS

Pakistani Taliban says it killed Chinese woman

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for killing a Chinese woman in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Afridi said on Thursday the woman was targeted to avenge what he said were atrocities carried out by Chinese security forces in the heavily Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Peshawar police chief Imtiaz Altaf says that militants may have been behind the Tuesday shooting, but that no conclusions had been reached yet. Gunmen killed the woman in a bazaar in Peshawar along with a local man accompanying her. Peshawar is a hub of

Geo News satellite van set ablaze in Nawabshah

Officials and rescue workers look at dead bodies of a Chinese woman and a local man in a hospital on Tuesday in Peshawar. extremist activity and militant attacks there are common.

9

Pakistan rejects US pressure on gas project

March 2012

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has refused to budge on its decision, despite the United State’s pressure on the gas pipeline deal with Iran and has said that it will go ahead with the project. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said the project was in the interest of Pakistan. Khar was addressing a media briefing a day after the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the project was “inexplicable” and could invoke US sanctions that would further ‘undermine’ Pakistan’s ‘already shaky’ economy. Khar said that Pakistan and the US understands the importance of relationships based on the mutual respect. However, respecting one’s sovereignty was equally important, she added. Khar reiterated the stance that Pakistan would not allow anyone to use its territory against others. Talking about Afghanistan, Khar said that Pakistan stands with

the neighbouring country in the peace process. Pakistan favours the dialogue process between Afghan groups because the regional stability was directly associated with this process, she added. Khar expressed hope of resolving all out-standing issues with India, saying the bi-lateral trade was in Pakistan’s interest.

India praises Pakistan’s efforts to normalise trade ties

Earlier this week, Islamabad has decided in principle to phase out the negative list between the two countries by December 31, 2012, which will complete the trade normalisation process. Khar further said that normalising trade relations will help improve ties between the two neighbours.

Cross border shelling injures six in NW

NAWABSHAH: Unknown miscreants in Nawabshah tried to destroy the Geo News satellite van by setting it ablaze on Thursday, Geo News reported. According to sources, miscreants burnt the satellite van of Geo News while the driver and engineer got hurt while extinguishing the fire. The air conditioning system of the van got damaged due to fire. Police did not reach the spot even after the incident was timely reported.

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday welcomed Pakistan’s decision to phase out major restrictions on Indian imports by the end of this year, a move to normalise trade ties between the two neighbours.

India’s Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna thanked Pakistan for deciding to gradually scrap the “negative list” that prevents the export of hundreds of items from India. “Pakistan is moving in the right direction in terms of bringing economic content into the political relationship,” Krishna told reporters in New

Delhi.“This would certainly help

strengthen our bilateral ties.”

Islamabad has decided in principle to phase out the negative list between the two countries by December 31, 2012, which will complete the trade normalisation process.

India’s Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, a trade body estimated that the move will increase cross-border trade to over $6 billion by 2014. Direct trade between India and Pakistan currently constitutes less than one per cent of their respective global trade.

ISLAMABAD: Central character of the memogate scandal Mansoor Ijaz on Thurday reiterated that there was a serious threat of military coup in Pakistan after the May 02 operation last year, DawnNews reported. The commission, formed by the Supreme Court to investigate controversial memogate scandal, has released a 39 page recorded statement of the US businessman. Ijaz, however, refused to give away ‘secrete’ information about the Abbottabad operation on May 02 last year

by the United States, which killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The American businessman was being cross-examined via a video link from the Pakistani High Commission in London. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif’s legal counsels Mustafa Ramday and Rasheed A Rizvi are in London for this purpose. While, Hussain Haqqani’s counsel Zahid Bukhari and Ijaz’s counsel Akram Sheikh are attending proceedings at the Islamabad High Court. Ijaz said that there

was a serious threat to the government of a military coup and DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Shuja Pasha met with rulers of different countries to gain their support on the matter. Mansoor Ijaz further revealed that he recommended actions against the “dual policy” of Pakistan in the article he wrote a day after the Abbottabad operation which was agreed by the former Pakistani ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani. However, Haqqani refused to publically support his views, he added.

The incident took place in the Garlami area of North Waziristan.

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Afghanistan, Mohammad Umar Daudzai called on Foreign Minister Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar here on Wednesday and discussed the developments following the recently held Trilateral Summit in Islamabad on February 16-17.

The Ambassador said that President Karzai was pleased with his recent visit to Pakistan which provided an opportunity to exchange views with Pakistan’s leadership on a number of issues.

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting any foreign pressure on the bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Iran including energy sector, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said Pakistan being a sovereign state would do whatever was in its own interest. “We are a sovereign country and we will do whatever is in the interest of Pakistan,” Gilani said while responding to a question during “Prime Minister Online” programme, jointly hosted by PTV and Waqt News. He said Pakistan and Iran have bilateral relations and cooperation in diverse fields including energy, gas pipeline, electricity etc. The prime minister said there have been ups and downs in the Pak-US relations, adding, Pakistan wants to expand ties with the United

Ijaz reiterates ‘threat’ of coup after Abbottabad operation

Afghan Ambassador calls on Foreign Minister Hina

DATTAKHEL: Six mortar shells landed in the Dattakhel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, near the Afghanistan border, wounding six people, four of them children, security officials said.

According to official sources, the Nato forces had allegedly fired the mortars from the Afghanistan side in the area of Garlami of the tribal region. Two combat jets had on Wednesday violated the Pakistan’s airspace and remained in the North Waziristan’s region for 15 minutes.

Pakistan to do whatever in its interest, says Gilani

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) listens to Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (R) during a meeting at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad

States on partnership basis as well as on mutual interest and mutual respect basis. He said Pakistan and

US also have a common goal of success in the war against terrorism. Gilani, however added, the

United States should refrain from interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs, so that there is confidence building and the masses in Pakistan do not have any ill feeling about the US. The prime minister also referred to the recent Pak-AfghanIran Trilateral Summit held in Islamabad and said the issue of political reconciliation (in Afghanistan) was discussed in length with President Hamid Karzai.

He said since there was no military solution in Afghanistan, there was a need to find a political solution. The prime minister said Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States wanted to find a permanent solution, adding, the solution can be sought through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.

10

PACIFIC NEWS

Hit revival of ‘South Pacific’ thrives on powerful performances

March 2012

At the very moment that “Show Boat,” the 1927 Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein musical, is docked on the stage of the Lyric Opera, a touring production of the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, “South Pacific” — a re-creation of the Tony Award-winning 2008 Lincoln Center Theatre revival directed by Bartlett Sher — has arrived at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

The two shows share many qualties rooted in the deep humanity of Hammerstein. Both have scores that mix operatic and musical theater voices. And both are based on powerful books (in the case of “South Pacific,” a collection of stories by James A. Michener), that tell

panoramic stories, and feature three-dimensional adults caught up in complex situations involving love, friendship, interracial relationships and racial prejudice.

The intensity of “South Pacific” is further rooted in the fact that World War II is raging not far from the U.S. naval base where Ensign Nellie Forbush, the nurse from (segregated) Little Rock, Ark., falls for Emile deBecque, an older, expatriate French plantation owner who is the widowed father of two young children from a marriage to a Polynesian woman. And a sense of the racial divide that persists at home even makes an officer pause before answering the question of

whether it will be a better world if the Americans are victorious.

Sher’s production (re-created here by Sarna Lapine) also pulls no punches about the imperfections in other societies. While this tour might lack the heat and intimacy and lush orchestral sound of the Lincoln Center original, what emerges even more strongly here, is the deeply disturbing way the entrepreneurial Bloody Mary almost tries to “sell” her beautiful young daughter, Liat, into a marriage with the handsome young officer, Lt.Joseph Cable. Jennie Sophia (an understudy who has taken over the role of Nellie in Chicago), sings beautifully and brings an easy naturalness to the

role, while Marcelo Guzzo, an Uruguayan-born opera singer, uses his rich baritone to fine effect as Emile, but is a bit young-looking for the role and is a somewhat uneven actor. And the chemistry between the two is not exactly explosive.

Shane Donovan, hunky and macho, brings a refreshingly arrogant, unsentimental edge to his portrayal of Cable. And Cathy Foy-Mahi gets all the usual Bloody Mary laughs at the start, but turns into quite a sinister character along the way as she pushes Liat (Hsin-Yu Liao is delicate yet quite aggressive) into Cable’s arms. Christian Marriner brings enormous comic charm and wit to that irresistible seabee, Luther

Billis, the ever-mischievous class clown with the big heart — a man who hates being pinned down, loves “projects” and clearly has a crush on Nellie. Christopher Gattelli’s musical staging makes the choreography feel like a genuine extension of the storytelling. And Michael Yeargan’s handsome sets shift easily from shaded plantation, to beach-front military installation. As is often the case, Broadway in Chicago brings shows here long after their crucial moment. This revival of “South Pacific” clearly struck a chord as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were at their peak. And while its essential glory endures, the special heat of that moment has faded.

It's impossible to review the touring production of "South Pacific," now in the Loop, without a little history of personal frustration. The story begins in 2008 in New York's Lincoln Center and ends with my walk down the aisle of the Cadillac Palace Theatre on Thursday night, a peek in the orchestra pit, and the ugly sight of two Apple computers.

I'll never forget that Lincoln Center night, one of the great theater-going experiences in a life with a lot of theater-going. Along with Nicholas Hytner's "Carousel" and Trevor Nunn's "Oklahoma," director Bartlett Sher's sweeping, moving, transcendent, wise, all-the-rest-of-it production of "South Pacific" was one of the three best revivals of the great Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musicals I'd seen.

Please, let it come to Chicago something close to like that, I remember thinking.

Actually, it came to the Rosemont Theatre (now to be known, elegantly, as the Akoo Theatre) in 2009. The 30-piece orchestra was reduced, but only slightly, and the cast still was excel-

lent. But a number of innocent theatergoers got caught in a parking and front-of-house mess and the goregeous overture began with half the audience still in their cars. My blood boiled. This week, finally, the tour of Sher's production arrived in the Loop, where it should have come directly from Broadway.

There were no curtain delays; Broadway in Chicago saw to that.

But the actors are non-Equity, which means they have no Broadway credits, and I counted just nine human musicians along with those computers. That's justifiable, arguably, when you're playing Peoria (where this tour soon will be). But given this score and the roots of this production, that's an outrage in downtown Chicago. Man the barricades, I say. So you should just skip this, right, and go to the Lyric Opera's colossal "Show Boat" instead? Well, the contrast in size sure is striking, but not necessarily.

The good news is that Sher's production is so masterful in its fluidity and conception, there is still so very much here to enjoy, even with a flimsy orchestra.

Georgia cut diplomatic relations with Tuvalu, five months after this tiny South Pacific island nation recognized breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. A presidential order, cutting diplomatic ties, was issued on February 16, a year after Georgia established diplomatic and consular relations with Tuvalu. In September 2010 the Georgian government decided to allocate USD 12,000 in aid to the permanent mission of Tuvalu to the UN for covering the cost of “transpiration of medical cargo” from the United States to Tuvalu.

Tuvalu was among those 57 countries, which voted in favor of Georgia-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution in June 2011, reiterating right of internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In September 2011, after trip to Russia, Tuvalu’s PM Willy Telavi (PM’s second name is similar to the one of the main town of Kakheti region in eastern Georgia) visited Sokhumi and Tskhinvali and recognized these two breakaway regions.

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Paul Gauguin Cruises ( www.pgcruises.com ), operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, is proud to reveal the completion of a $7 million renovation - the largest in the ship's 14-year history. The renovation took place during the ship's 10-night crossing from Tahiti to Brisbane, Australia, as well as during the 11night drydock that followed, when extensive enhancements were made to both the interiors and exteriors of The Gauguin. Renovations throughout the ship include new flooring and replaced carpeting, elegant new furniture, new window treatments and decorative wall panels, and new signage, providing a lighter, brighter feel.

Additionally, all suites and staterooms feature new teak railings on the balconies and new bathroom flooring.

On the culinary front, La Veranda offers guests a redesigned entrance, refinished indoor and outdoor furniture, and solar shades throughout. Le Grill boasts new decorative partitions and divider walls, as well as a new

buffet area and new lighting. L'Etoile also features a redesigned entrance in addition to video equipment for conferences. Promenade Deck 5 boasts a new built-in banquette and expanded casino in Le Casino, and Deck 6 received a new integrated display case for books and art. La Palette features a decorative stone band along the front of the bar and an updated lighting system, as well as new outdoor furniture. Le Grand Salon and La Palette offer refurbished dance floors to provide the perfect venue to dance the night away. Guests now cruise aboard a vessel that has been thoroughly updated and redecorated for even greater luxury and comfort, reflecting Paul Gauguin Cruises' level of commitment to the ship and the importance of the overall guest experience. About Paul Gauguin Cruises Owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., French Polynesia's leading luxury hotel and cruise operator, Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the 5+-star cruise ship m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a deluxe cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific.

Pacific Union College in Angwin will host the Second International BountyPitcairn Conference in August. The conference will feature presentations by speakers from several countries about Pitcairn Island, a tiny isle in the South Pacific, and the famed mutiny on the ship H.M.S. Bounty in the late 1700s. Bounty’s mutinous sailors settled on the then-uninhabited island. Some of the conference speakers will be Pitcairn islanders addressing various island and world-related issues, while others will include authors, academics and specialists in conservation, philately, and linguistics, said Ted Cookson, president of the international Pitcairn Islands Study Group. “A focus of the conference will be tourism for Pitcairn Island, where the Bounty mutineers hid away undetected by the world for nearly two decades,” said Cookson. “In something of a role reversal, Pitcairn islanders are today asking all who will to come and enjoy the beauty and diversity of their history-rich island.”The conference, held Aug. 19-21, will also showcase products and crafts of Pitcairn Island, including rare, Polynesian-style tapa cloth.

Stocks fell worldwide for a second day and U.S. Treasuries rose after reports on the European and Chinese economies spurred concern about growth. Gold jumped, and the yen fell to a seven-month low versus the dollar. The MSCI All-Country World Index of equities retreated 0.4 percent to 329.17 at 4:08 p.m. New York time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index decreased 0.3 percent to 1,357.66. Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries declined six basis points to 2 percent. Gold futures climbed to $1,783.40, the highest price since Nov. 16. The yen weakened to 80.40 per dollar. European services and manufacturing output shrank in February, according to Markit Economics, while another report showed Chinese manufacturing may shrink a fourth straight month in February. The S&P 500 slumped after rallies in six out of the past seven weeks put it within 0.1 percent yesterday of 1,363.61, its highest closing level since 2008.

“We have a trifecta of worrisome news,” Alan Gayle, a senior strategist at RidgeWorth Capital Management in Richmond, Virginia, which oversees about $47 billion, said in a tele-

phone interview. “The softness in economic data suggests that global momentum remains muted. We have slower earnings growth and the market is facing some technical resistance.” Dell Inc. retreated 5.8 percent.

Its first-quarter sales forecast missed analysts’ estimates, dragged down by lackluster personal-computer demand from consumers and governments.

to 7.02 points on Feb. 17. The last time two- month futures were that high in relation to the index known as the VIX was July 2010. Energy companies helped limit the S&P 500’s loss today. Nabors Industries Ltd. rallied 7 percent and Range Resources Corp. gained 2.9 percent after they reported higher-than- estimated profit. The S&P 500 Energy Index rose 0.2 percent. Crude oil futures advanced to $106.28 a barrel, the highest settlement price since May 4.

An engaging 'South Pacific' despite the thin orchestra

Pacific Union College hosts ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ conference

Georgia Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Tuvalu

Paul Gauguin Cruises Completes $7 Million Renovation

Stocks Decline After Economic Reports; Gold Jumps, Yen Weakens

Homebuilders Drop

KB Home and Toll Brothers Inc. slumped at least 4.1 percent in U.S. stock trading.

The National Association of Realtors said sales of previously owned houses reached a 4.57 million annual pace in January, missing the median economist projection of 4.66 million in a Bloomberg News survey. The December figure was cut to 4.38 million from 4.61 million. Futures traders are pricing in the biggest increase in U.S. equity hedging costs since 2010 after the S&P 500 rose within 2 points of erasing last year’s slump. April futures on the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index settled at 25.15 yesterday, or 6.96 points higher than the level of the gauge. The gap widened

Treasury Auction

Treasuries rose for the first time in four days after the U.S. sold $35 billion of five-year notes. They drew a yield of 0.900 percent, compared with a forecast of 0.901 percent in a Bloomberg News survey of seven of the Federal Reserve’s primary dealers. The bid-to-cover ratio, which gauges demand by comparing total bids with the amount of securities offered, was 2.89, compared with an average of 2.9 for the previous 10 sales. Leon Cooperman, founder of equity hedge fund Omega Advisors Inc., said buying U.S. Treasuries is the least attractive investment in a world of “financial repression.”

South Pacific currencies climb as Greek optimism rises

Friday saw the dollars of Australia and New Zealand climb as Greece appeared en route to receiving funds from its second bailout since June 2010, Bloomberg reports.

News indicating the European Central Bank is set to swap Greek exchange bonds for new securities indicated the bailout tranche from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union soon will be disbursed.

The kiwi also climbed after the nation's central bank governor said the economic performance of New Zealand could be understated. "The Aussie has benefited from a period where sentiment is quite supportive ... volatility is very low... and the Reserve Bank of Australia (is) looking as if they won't cut policy as much as people had expected," strategist Hamish Pepper with Barclays Capital in Singapore told The Sydney Morning Herald. "You have here a very constructive story on the Aussie dollar."

Demand for the Aussie and the Kiwi also benefited from growth and development indications regarding the world's biggest economic system, that of the U.S. The value of the Australian dollar against the Japanese yen also benefited from the Bank of Japan monetary easing program, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

HEALTH

With cereal based foods,fibre value depends to a greater degree on how much has been stripped away in the milling and refining processes.

Fibre &Health

T

he middle-aged are being afflicted by a plague of modern Western illnesses,many of them being fatal.Those illnesses are not caught from germs or viruses-they seem to creep upon us gradually.They are known, collectively as degenerative diseases,the commonest cause of death in Western countries.The second great destroyer is cancer,cancer of lung,and cancer of bowel being the most common fatal,forms of cancer.Apart from these,there is a group of other degenerative diseases like diabetes,diverticulosis and other lessserious but still troublesome problems like varicose veins ,haemorrhoids and constipation.image The major factor that all these illnesses and health problems have in common is,that they are very rare among the "third world coun-

N

obody knows exactly,where or when,the first cup of tea wa brewed.According to folklore,Emperor "Shen Nung" who reigned over China in 2732 BC discovered the stimulating effect of tea accidently when wild tea leaves fell into his pot of boiling drinking water.Chinese have probably been drinking tea in some form or the other since the fourth century AD and considering that wild tea grew in many parts of Assam,it is not unknowingly that tea drinking in India too is as old as in China.The raw material for tea manufacture normally consists of two young leaves and an unopened leaf bud-the famous "two leaves and a bud" formula, but,plucking of longer shoots containing 3 or even 4 leaves is not uncommon.The freshly harvested tea shoots can be processed into the various kinds of tea,namely,black tea, green tea,oolong tea and instant tea.In the manufacture of black tea(the usual tea that we drink),the material undergoes "fermentation" while in the production of green tea,delicate and subtle in flavour,fermentation is purposely omitted.Oolong tea leaves get an intermediate treatment,considered to be "semi-fermented".Instant tea,like instant coffee,is a dehydrated product containing only the soluble constituents of tea.

There is hardly any drink that is not a food too,in terms of calo-

tries".Why?It has been found that these communities live on diets which contain a much higher percentage of carbohydrates obtained from cereals which have not been stripped off their dietary fibre,fibre-rich vegetables,legumes and fruits.Such findings have led to a surge of interest in dietary fibre-which for several years was considered to be just one of the unavailable sources of energy in the diet,incidentally hav-

ing a laxative effect.Dietary fibre is essentially of plant origin.All cereals,fruits and vegetables contain some dietary fibre,but,just as the calorie content of different food varies to a great degree ,so does the fibre content.With cereal based foods,fibre value depends to a greater degree on how much has been stripped away in

Is TEA

the milling and refining processes.But what exactly is dietary fibre?It can be best described as the carbohydrate material in plant foods that is not digested by man.It is a sponge like material,which absorbs and holds water as it is chewed in the mouth and passes down the gastrointestinal tract.This means that fibre-rich foods swell to a greater bulk,to fill the stomach,than any other foods.

Dietary fibre is the substance,which makes the waste matter(from the food we eat)pass through us and out of us at a desirable,speedy,natural rate.This is one of the main reasons why it is now considered to be such an important protective factor in saving us from diseases of bowel like cancer.The slow transit rate of fibre-depleted diet is thought to encourage the formation of cancer-forming substances (carcinogens)and other toxins within the body.A high fibre diet would pass through the alimentary canal quickly,giving these carcinogens and toxins very little time to interact in the intestines.The relationship between fibre and constipa-

ries it provides-tea is no exception.A cup of tea, containing 2 tbsp of milk and a tsp of sugar,yields about 40 calories.Milk contains casein,which makes the tannin in the tea insoluble,thus removing some of its astringency(acidic effect).Apart from the milk and sugar generally added,the tea infusion contains marginal quantities of vitamins and minerals,but no significant quantities of extractable proteins,carbohydrates or fats.

Tea is fairly rich in most of the B group vitamins.Apart from

tion is well known.A high fibre diet,thus,relieves a person from constipations and associated problems like haemorrhoids and diverticular disease.

Amongst all the risk factors :cigarette smoking, diet, sedentary living,stress-the strongest for coronary heart disease has been found to be smoking and the strongest protective factor,the intake of cereal fibre.The reason for the beneficial effect of dietary fibre is that it reduces the absorption of cholesterol. Diabetes involves a faulty insulin production.(Insulin is necessary to control the excess of sugar in the blood).Insulin response to the carbohydrates of the food we eat varies with the speed of absorption of the carbohydrates.Any dietary factor which delays the absorption of carbohydrates maybe regarded as beneficial and here again dietary fibre appears in a valuable,preventive and protective role.Carbohydrate foods rich in fibre are absorbed more slowly than those from which the fibre has been removed.Hence the popularity of gram flour(high in fibre)in diabetes.

After controlling all the degenerative diseases,fibre goes onto control the body weight too.The principle is simple.Fibre provides no calories,so the total calorie value of a high fibre diet will be less.Secondly,the water absorbing and swelling tendencies of fibre help to fill up the stomach faster and for a longer period of time,thus,the total dietary intake is reduced. The simplest way to incorporate fibre in the diet is to use more of whole pulses,unseived wheat flour,fresh fruits and vegetables in raw from(not peeling wherever possible)everyday.

Honey The Power Of

Harmful? these,it is also a good source of vitamin E and K and Betacarotene(changes into vitamin A in our body).Tea contains traces of minerals like Copper,Flouride and Managanese too.Flouride helps in avoiding cavities in the teeth.

The accumulating scientific data on tea and its constituents the vitamins,caffeine and tanninand on its antibacterial activity provides a new picture of this popular beverage.Over the past few decades,the list of physiological disorders for which tea is contraindicated has been steadily decreasing.On the other hand,caffeine is sometimes prescribed therapeutically for the treatment of hypertensive headaches and tea is a legitimate means of supplying this medication.Tannin destroys bacteria and virus, thereby inhibiting the growth of dental plaque.But at the same time,tannin inhibits the absorption of iron,calcium and zinc from the food,when tea is consumed along with food.

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March 2012

H

oney is a sweet thick fluid prepared by the honeybees from the nectar of flowers.Nutritionally speaking,honey contains about 7580% sugar and the rest is a mixture of water and minerals like phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, some acids and enzymes.So we see,that together with minerals,honey also gives us energy,about 300 to 320 calories per 100ml of honey.To put it simply,one tsp of honey would give us about 15 to 16 calories.image The enzymes present in honey aid in digestion of food especially raw sugars and starch.The difference between the commonly used sugar and honey is that,the sugars contained in honey are in a very simple predigested form and thus are directly absorbed by our body.Whereas the normal sugar

has to be broken down in our body into simpler forms to be digested and absorbed.Apart from giving nutrition,honey can be used as a sweetening agent in sweets and desserts. In addition to the excellent medicinal properties,honey is supposed to be a good thirst quencher.Arabs take honey and water across deserts.Another aspect of honey is its use in the beauty treatment.One of the most commonly used facepacks for aging skin,is a mixture of honey and cornflour and limejuice.It also acts as a good moisturiser and helps in most dry skin problems. So we see that honey is a pleasant,attractive,sweet item of food with plenty of other uses too.This does not mean that you can eat as much honey,as you like.We all know that excess of calories over and above what we require would make us fat and honey does have calories.Honey may improve your digestion but it should not be done at the cost of giving you a sweet tooth!

As Medicine:

One to two tsps full of honey in a glass of hot milk is said to be a good sedative.

For children the use of honey as a general tonic has been known from time immemorial.The reason being that honey acts as a disinfectant and an antiseptic.So a judicious internal administration of honey would render the digestive system aseptic and disease-causing germs would fail to thrive.

Honey is good for sore throats,coughs and colds.An age-old cough mixture still used in many homes consists of honey and limejuice in equal parts.

Honey is also reputed to be a good stimulant for a weak heart.

As far as constipation is concerned,honey is a very popular laxative.

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March 2012

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I can’t do

March 2012

Sonam most influential on

Twitter

Sonam Kapoor might have less followers than Amitabh Bachchan, SRK and Priyanka Chopra, but the fashion icon is still most influential on Twitter, if an online poll conducted by Pinstorm India is to be believed. The actor has bagged the top slot in the list of most influential Indians on Twitter beating Shashi Tharoor, Ram Gopal Varma and Hrithik Roshan among others. Sonam Kapoor has 1 million followers and over five thousand tweets. The rankings of the poll keep changing on daily basis. Many congratulations to Sonam!

Mindless films

V I DYA

Vidya Balan on her choice of movies and how action is not her cup of tea, in a chat with Madhureeta Mukherjee

H

Kangana Ranaut takes tips from

Rekha

Kangana Ranaut, who has already established herself as a youth style icon, will now take fashion cues from Rekha.

For her role as slain gangster Manya Surve’s girlfriend in Shootout At Wadala, the young star has been asked to draw sartorial inspiration from yesteryear Bollywood divas, including the late Smita Patil. “I play a Maharashtrian girl in the film, and since it’s set in the ’70s and early ’80s, I wanted to keep my style as authentic as possible,” says Kangana, who plays Vidya Joshi in the gangster film. “When I think of fashion, Rekha is one person who clearly appears in my mind. She was so outrageous for that time,” adds Kangana, who has been cast opposite John Abraham for the first time. The Force actor will play Surve in the film, which tells the story of the first registered encounter by the Mumbai police in 1982. Although the makers remain tight-lipped about the details, Kangana’s looks in the film will mirror her journey from being a regular college girl to becoming Surve’s moll.

“Since my character in the latter half is that of a 30-year-old woman, I need to be very sexy. So Sanjay (director Sanjay Gupta) gave me references of these actors because they were considered to be the hottest,” she says.

B A L A N

er 'dirty' days are behind her, it seems.

And she's embarked on a new mission - to find her missing husband.

Basking in the glory of her success (or let's just call it the 'pregnancy glow'), the actress spoke about the changing face of Hindi film heroines and emerging as the new 'hero' in a man's world! Read on...

You started the 'dirty' revolution in Bollywood...

Wow, I like the sound of that! Well, it was a big gamble. A lot of people appreciated it and I got more than I expected. But there were a few people that told me it was overthe-top and it wasn't my thing."

Sex symbol, pregnant wife and disgruntled sibling... don't you miss the glamorous roles? I've never evaluated a role on the terms of glam quotient the presence or lack of it.

Women have an innate strength and I've been lucky to play such powerful roles.

Some actresses would prefer simpler roles opposite Khans, with chiffon sarees, dancing in the rain...

Ha, ha, I've never missed that. Those films have nothing for me to do. As an actress, I need some meat to chew on. I can't do mindless films.

You're revolutionising the way people look at leading ladies of Bollywood...

Well, as women, we all work really hard to overcome beliefs. I hope I'm not jumping the gun, but this is a golden time for Hindi film heroines. We're being seen as human beings with strengths, weaknesses, failures and

successes. We're experimenting and enjoying the acceptance.

Another problem is, your roles are so strong, there's no space for a hero...

Yeah, I've been 'charged' with that, haven't I? Ha, ha... I think there's a lack of good scripts that have properly etched roles for two people.

One often ends up overpowering the other.

Rani was apparently upset for being nominated as the Supporting Actress...

No One Killed Jessica was offered to us as a two-heroine script.

That's how we worked, that's how it was written and perceived. So that answers your question.

How about trying an out-and-out action film?

Nah, it's not my thing.

I'm not an action girl. I love my drama, I need emotions. And as far as experimenting is concerned, I'll be doing my first comedy this year Ghanchakkar with Emraan Hashmi."

You're glowing... is it because of the 'pregnant' state of mind?

I decided I wanted to promote the movie with a baby bump, make the hunt for Arnab Bagchi more authentic!

So, have you decided on a name for the baby yet?

Well, it'll be something Bong. Hmm... a Bong surname perhaps. Roy? Ha, ha! Vidya recites Bong poetry, talks about Kolkata and naming her baby in this exclusive chat, only on B Tonite tonight at 10 pm only on zoOm - India's No 1 Bollywood channel.

Acting not on my

BOLLYWOOD

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AGENDA T

he poster girl of item numbers — Malaika Arora Khan — feels her husband-actor-producer Arbaaz Khan has a better sense of music than she does. That’s why, when it comes to taking decisions about what item songs to do, she relies on his opinion.

“Deciding on one number is a very difficult task for me. But I have to give credit to Arbaaz for that. Every time I’m contemplating doing a song, I ask him.As for me, I pretty much go with the fact that I like performing; and I also consider who I am going to be working with,” says Malaika, who after Munni badnaam hui in Dabangg (2010) sizzles with Anarkali disco chali in Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2.

Apart from the item song, the model divulges that she also has a cameo in the multi-starrer. “I’ve done a few scenes. They come at a very appropriate time in the film and take the plot forward.

The name Anarkali has been mentioned through the film.

Sometimes the characters speak about her, but no one knows

who she is, until she finally arrives in the song,” she adds.

Anarkali MalaikaThe former VJ, however, has no plans of getting into acting full time. “That was never on my agenda. Also, I think it’s a bit late in the day to decide whether I want to be an actor or not. I’m happy in my space as a producer,” adds Malaika, who last co-produced brother-in-law Salman Khan’s Dabangg along with her husband and Dhillin Mehta.

The sequel, Dabangg 2, will mark Arbaaz’s directorial debut.

As the makers prepare to take the film on the floors in the second week of March with Salman and Sonakshi Sinha, she adds, “There’s a lot of pressure, but it also pushes us to make a bigger and better film.

The story will be a continuation of sorts.” Will Munni return in the sequel with another number? “We have some fantastic songs. Music composers SajidWajid keep saying that one of them is made for me, but as of now we haven’t decided what we should do,” she says.

Madhuri inspires

Chitrangada's look!

Chitrangada Singh, who has done an item song for Shirish Kunder's Joker, says her look in the number is inspired by Madhuri Dixit's in the song Humko Aajkal Hai from Sailaab. "I don't like to call it an item song, it is a dance performance that I

have done for the film. It's calledKaafirana and it is very rustic, very 1980s in its look and it is a little bit of Madhuri from Sailaab, that's the kind of look that we have been inspired from," said Chitrangada. "It

Anarkali MalaikaThe former VJ, however, has no plans of getting into acting full time. “That was never on my agenda. Also, I think it’s a bit late in the day to decide whether I want to be an actor or not. I’m happy in my space as a producer,

has a bit of 'laavni' in it, it's fantastic," the 35-year-old said at the unveiling of the cover page of men's magazine FHM, which features her.

Chitrangada, who has adorned the cover page of various magazines, says print photo shoot is challenging, but at the same time comfortable also. "I think what's good about shooting a print picture is that you have to do so much more within that one frame or one shot. You have to look the part, you have to have the right expression, everything has to be perfect," said Chitrangada.

Chitrangada Singh in a still from Joker "But at the same time, I think there is a lot more control when you are doing print so you are lot comfortable. If there is something wrong you can get it fixed later, that is not the final thing going out. Whereas if you do a film, there is one long shot that you have to give and that's it," she added. Chitrangada was last seen in Desi Boyz and is currently working on I, Me Aur Main opposite John Abraham and a Sudhir Mishra film opposite Arjun Rampal

n Kareena will also be see in gyrating to item numbers n filmmaker Madhur Bha t darkar’s most talked-abou also film Heroine, where she plays the title role

T

he buzz has it that Kareena Kapoor will be replacing Malaika Arora Khan akka o will be ‘Munni’ in Dabangg 2. Beb in the seen doing an item number angg. sequel to 2010 smash hit Dab d pose com The item number will be Pandit. by either Sajid-Wajid or Lalit ers, the According to industry insid an pairing of Kareena and Salm h liked Khan in Bodyguard was muc for the and led to her being chosen the nd, item number. This time arou rently be role of Malaika would appa ucer restricted to being the prod seen only. Kareena will also be filmgyrating to item numbers in most maker Madhur Bhandarkar’s re whe talked-about film Heroine, she also plays the title role. item "Kareena will be doing two d numbers. One of them is calle kar ndar Halkat Jawani," Madhur Bha done a had shared. Bebo has also actormujra number for her beau coming producer Saif Ali Khan’s forth spy-thriller Agent Vinod.

Kareena is the new

'Munnggi'2 in Daban

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March 2012

WORLD NEWS Pakistani forces kill 17 militants in tribal region

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani forces have killed at least 17 suspected Taliban militants in Upper Orakzai tribal region in the northwest of the country, officials said on Wednesday. A security official said that 12 other militants were wounded in clashes with security forces.

According to security officials, militants ambushed a security forces post. The forces returned fire and killed 17 militants. Six foreigners were also among those killed in skirmish occurred late Tuesday in a remote area of the tribal agency, the official added.

BEIJING: A senior Chinese official on Wednesday said the militancy in Xinjiang province will not affect China's close ties with Pakistan, playing down allegations that some of the terrorists underwent training there. Violent activities by individual terrorists will not affect the close friendship between China and Pakistan, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Nur Bekri, chairman of Xinjiang regional government, as saying. China and Pakistan are allweather friends, and Xinjiang and neighbouring countries share the interests and objectives in fighting terrorism, Bekri, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC),

said at the ongoing parliament's annual session. "The Pakistani government has also expressed the willingness to maintain China's sovereignty and core interests in fighting terrorism against China," Bekri said.

Significantly, while highlighting Bakri's comments, Xinhua said: "a group of religious extremists led by militants trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan set fire to a restaurant and randomly killed civilians in Xinjiang's Kashgar in July last year, leaving six civilians killed and 15 others injured".

Kashghar is border town near Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. "An

Saudi Arabia shows second film publicly in 30 years

JEDDAH: For the second time in 30 years, a movie has been shown publicly in Saudi Arabia. "Journey to Mecca"-- the film, written & directed

by Bruce Neibaur, part funded and produced by the kingdom, was shown at the Jeddah Hilton on Sunday. The film premiere was held for the first time under the patronage of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz AlSaud and was attended by male and female guests, separated by a screen. "Journey to Mecca" reveals the story of 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta as he makes his way from his native Morocco to Makkah (Mecca) for the Hajj pilgrimage in AD 1325. The film had its official premiere on the first evening of the Jeddah Economic Forum.

Dignitaries from inside the kingdom and abroad attended the premiere. It was inaugurated by one of the film's key financiers, Dr. Abdulrahman AlZamil, chairman of Zamil Group, one

March 2012

21

Militant attacks in Xinjiang will not affect ties with Pak: China

Journey to Mecca� reveals the story of Ibn Battuta, 14th Century explorer, as he makes his way from his native Morocco to the Holy Makkah for the Hajj pilgrimage, in A D 1325. of Saudi Arabia's top industrial conglomerates. "Premiering the film in Jeddah is of great importance to the film's developers and producers, as it shows there is a market for such magnificent films," the producer of

the film, Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, said.

The last film to be screened in Jeddah was Ayman Makram's comedy, Menahi, produced by the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, in 2008.

Terror indictment unveiled Saudi diplomat killed in Dhaka An official from Saudi Arabia's embassy in Bangladesh for Norway massacre was fatally shot early Tuesday by unknown assailants,

OSLO, Norway: Norwegian prosecutors have formally indicted Anders Behring Breivik on terror charges, more than seven months after he confessed to attacks that killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage.

As expected, prosecutors on Wednesday charged the 33-year-old right-wing extremist under a paragraph in Norway's anti-terror law that refers to violent acts intended to disrupt key government functions or spread fears in the population. Breivik has confessed to the July 22 attacks but denies criminal responsibility.

police said. Khalaf Mohamamd S Al Ali was found with bullet injuries in his chest on a street in Dhaka's Gulshan residential area shortly after midnight, police official Kamrul Hasan said. He said Al Ali, 45, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. Al Ali was an official in the embassy's consular section, Hasan said. The motive for the killing was unclear, he said. Junior home minister Shamsul Haque said he asked police to fully probe the death. A Saudi official said a statement would be issued later on Tuesday.

investigation found that the group's leaders had learned how to make explosives and firearms in camps of the terrorist group East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Pakistan before entering Xinjiang to organise terrorist activities," it said.

The allegation last year sparked off speculation about China's growing impatience with its strategic ally over the growing militant attacks in the province, which is the home for Uighur Muslim minority. However, Chinese officials subsequently played it down saying that the charge was made by a local government and not by the central government. The attacks, however,

continued in the recent months and China stepped up deployment of its security forces to contain it. The violence escalated after 2009 riots in which over 100 people were killed.

"Anti-terrorism is a global task, as terrorism is threatening the lives of all people in the world," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Bakri said international cooperation is needed to combat against terrorism apart from domestic prevention and crackdown.

He said stability is the precondition for Xinjiang's development.

"Stability is an overwhelming task, as there won't be development without stability."

Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change

LONDON: A British survey has found that a third of teenage girls become victims of sexual violence by their boyfriends.

Experts fear that some do not even realise they are victims of a crime and others are too terrified or embarrassed to speak out, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who was helping to launch an unprecedented advertising campaign to stem the tide of abuse, told an audience of teenage girls Monday that the latest figures were shocking. Clegg said: "We've got such a highly sexualised culture at the moment and there are huge pressures. "Any parent of a teenage girl will tell you there's huge pressures on teenage girls to conform to behave in a particular way, and I just think it's really important we give them the protection they need that when they say 'no' it means 'no' and the law is on their side."

Based on research by the NSPCC, a child support charity, and the University of Bristol involving 1,353 teenagers, the Home Office says a third of girls aged 13 to 17 have been the victim of some form of sexual violence from a partner. And research shows that the problem is not just confined to girls, with 16% of boys also reporting that they have experienced some form of sexual violence from a boyfriend or girlfriend. It found that the highest proportion of sexual abuse - 66% is perpetrated by young people under the age of 18. It is thought that up to 900,000

Deputy PM Nick Clegg, who was helping to launch an unprecedented advertising campaign to stem the tide of abuse, told an audience of teenage girls Monday that the latest figures were shocking young women are victims of sexual crimes that are likely to leave them scarred for life.

Further research found the highest proportion of sexual abuse is perpetrated by under-18s. Officials discovered that while most teenagers know rape is wrong, many do not realise that sex without consent is always a crime. The advertisement - to be broadcast on TV, in cinemas and online urges young people to rethink their view of what constitutes rape. It will be screened to viewers of TV programmes popular with teenagers such as Skins and Hollyoaks.

Research has shown some boys think girls must have sex with them if they spend enough money on them. And campaigners say teenage girls often accept abuse in a relationship because they do not realise it is wrong or know how to stop it.

Japan missed tsunami wake-up call for change

TOKYO: Three months after Japan's March 11 triple disaster, a long-time expert on the country arrived in Tokyo to research a book he intended to entitle " Rebirth of a Nation."Months later, Richard Samuels is calling his work " The Rhetoric of Crisis." A year after a huge earthquake, deadly tsunami and the world's worst nuclear disaster in a quarter century jolted the country, it is clear that even a shock of such magnitude failed to snap it out of its economic and political torpor. "So far it seems there was more talk of change than change itself. It is all still being sorted out," said Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Japan's mammoth government debt keeps piling up while critical decisions get pushed back, referred to various panels, lodged in elaborate rituals of "consensus-building" or political horse-trading in a gridlocked parliament. Mainstream political

parties, torn by conflicting group loyalties, proved incapable of setting aside their differences and providing the leadership for which the public longs. Instead, politicians reverted to business as usual: parliamentary trench warfare and the annual "ditch the prime minister" exercise that gave Japan its sixth leader in five years and now threatens to block vital tax and welfare reforms. "I personally expected a kind of coalition government just after the earthquake to rescue the economy," says Takahide Kiuchi, chief economist at Nomura Securities. "It never happened and the opposition and the ruling party are still fighting each other. This is my biggest disappointment." That said, Japan has changed over those past 12 months -though in ways too gradual and unspectacular to grab headlines.

The main driving force: growing distrust of politicians and bureaucrats and public

indignation at their incompetence."I think it's all moved Japan on its axis slightly more than before. It has definitely made people less forgiving or believing in Japan Inc, the system," said Pelham Smithers, managing

director of a London-based market research firm, who has visited Japan several times since March 11. What remains unclear is whether the anger will force a radical overhaul of Japan's politics, econo-

my and society or deepen public apathy and frustration -- or somewhere in between.

So far, there are few signs that Japan's elites will be pushed to implement fundamental change any time soon. The optimistic scenario is that Japan will continue its quiet, slow transformation of the past two decades towards greater accountability of elected officials and its powerful bureacracy. The most palpable changes are the repercussions of reactor meltdowns at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima power plant.

Not only has ex-premier Naoto Kan, at the helm when the disasters struck, been transformed into a renewable energy apostle, but the whole nation is undergoing a radical rethink. Becquerels and sieverts are part of everyday vocabulary, Geiger counters are household items in parts of the country, saving electricity has become a year-round activity and the myth of clean and safe nuclear energy is dead.

India book ticket to London Olympics, thump France 8-1 in qualifiers 22

SPORTS

March 2012

NEW DELHI: Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh slammed five goals, including a hat-trick, as India qualified for London Olympics men's hockey after missing out the 2008 edition by spanking France 8-1 in the final of the qualification tournament on Sunday. Coming into the game with the memories of Santiago debacle four years ago still fresh in their minds, the Indians ensured that there was no repeat of the blunder this time around and toyed with the French defence throughout the 70 minutes to score the goals at will.

Sandeep, who witnessed the Chile debacle from close quarters, continued his goal-scoring spree to not only help eight-time Olympic champions India keep its date with London, but also emerged as the highest scorer of the tournament with 16 goals. The 18th ranked Frenchmen proved to be a mismatch for the erstwhile giants of the game as India scored three and five goals respectively in both the halves to dash the European team's London dreams. The Indians were right on the money with their game plan on Sunday as France found it impossible to counter the home team's consistent attacks.

The difference between the two teams can be gauged from the fact that both India and France earned as

many as seven penalty corners each, but the visitors failed to utilise a single one while the hosts converted six. The rout started with Birendra Lakra's field goal in the 17th minute after which it was a one man show as Sandeep (19th, 26th, 38th, 49th and 51st) converted five successive penalty corners for India to floor France. SV Sunil (43rd) and VR Raghunath (56th) were the other goal-getters for the hosts, while Simon Martin-Brisac (24th) scored the consolation goal for France.

With eyes firmly set on London, the Indians started the proceedings on the right earnest and controlled

Let Tendulkar decide when to retire, say former cricketers

NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Kapil Dev's view that Sachin Tendulkar should have retired from ODI cricket after the World Cup on Monday evoked sharp reactions from former cricketers who said that he was still the "main player" of the team and should be allowed to decide when to retire. Tendulkar's poor form with the bat during the tour of Australia had prompted Kapil to suggest that the champion batsman should give up one form of the game to prolong his Test career.

However, there were other cricketers who felt that Tendulkar could still contribute in the shorter format of the game and calls for his retirement are not warranted.

"Leave Sachin alone. He is still our main player. I don't agree with the people saying that he should retire. He has given enough to the Indian cricket. He deserves all the respect. Leave Sachin alone," former wicket-keeper Kiran More said.

Former Indian captain Gundappa Viswanath was in favour of allowing Tendulkar to decide when he should call it quits. "I have always said it's upto Sachin to decide on his career. I don't want to say anything else or comment on Indian cricket at this moment," he said. Former captain Bishen Singh Bedi also disagreed with Kapil that Tendulkar should have retired from ODIs after the World Cup. "That's Kapil's opinion. It is Tendulkar's prerogative when he has to call it a day. I don't think, any of us here is in a position to say when Tendulkar should retire," he said. Former opener Anshuman Gaekwad said Tendulkar should continue playing the ODI format as he is still performing and no youngster is ready to take his place. "Tell me one good reason why Sachin should retire from ODIs. Is it because he is playing

international cricket for more than 20 years? Or is it he has set high standards for so long? Or is it that his 100th international ton is approaching," Gaekwad asked. "Sachin has been scoring in 40s and 50s even now. Tell me a youngster who can replace him. Let the youngsters perform and push him out of the team.

Youngsters have been inconsistent and patchy," he added.

Kapil, in an article, was also critical of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, saying that captain should not only be fair but should appear to be so. Of late, Dhoni has given reasons to raise doubts about him, Kapil pointed out. More, however, felt there was nothing wrong in Dhoni's captaincy and there's nobody who can replace him now.

"There is nothing wrong in his captaincy. We just played poor, inconsistent cricket. It's a team game why single out the captain. We just didn't have international quality bowling attack to take 20 wickets and win us a Test," More said.

"Zak ( Zaheer Khan) was our only main bowler. But he didn't look up to mark to me. There was no other bowler to take four-five wickets consistently.

the game from the onset. As their world rankings suggest, India were by far the better side on display for most part of the match and mounted continuous raids on the rival citadel from the very beginning.

India got their first scoring chance as early as in the third minute when they were awarded a penalty corner but Sandeep failed to convert it.

Manpreet Singh then came tantalisingly close to giving India the lead in the 16th minute but his reverse shot from top of a very crowded circle was blocked by an agile French goalkeeper Mathias Dierckens. India then scored two goals within a span

of two minutes to take control of the match. India finally broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Lakra scored with a reverse hit after being fed by Manpreet's cross from the right. Sandeep then made the scoreline 2-0 from India's second penalty corner following a video referral after Shivendra was brought down inside the French circle.

Down 0-2, the Frenchmen came up with a stunning field goal just five minutes later when Martin-Brisac beautifully deflected home Sebastien Jean-Jean's quick cross from the right flank. But France's joy was shortlived as Sandeep scored his

Pakistan's disgraced pacer Muhammad Amir, who made a quiet return home on Monday, admitted that he remains uncertain and unsure about his future.

Amir, banned and jailed for spot-fixing, avoided speaking to media on his arrival at Allama Iqbal international airport and also at his home in Defence Housing Authority but he told 'Geo News' channel that he was not sure about his future."I am uncertain about my future. The last one and half year have been hell for me.

I have missed my family and now I just want to spend maximum time with them now that I am returning home," the 19-year-old pace bowler told the channel before boarding his flight from London for Lahore. The Pakistan Cricket Board has already made it clear that while it wanted the youngster to undergo rehabilitation and counseling, it had no plans to show any leniency to him and he would not be allowed to take part in any cricket activity at all. "He will not even be allowed to use any of our facilities anywhere in Pakistan even for training," a board official said. But insiders in the Board have told PTI that PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf and other senior members of the management wanted to find a way out to get the ICC to reduce the five year ban on Aamir. "The Board believes he can be reformed and still has a lot to give to Pakistan cricket as a player in the near future. The Board does not want to waste a precious talent like him," one source said.

DUBAI: It was grey skies in the city for much of Saturday; a mild sandstorm dropping a blanket of haze over the desert city.

Then, as the sun came down on a chilly March evening, with harsh winds blowing across the Aviation Club, a pair of Indians Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi provided the fireworks that lit up the night at the Dubai Duty Free ATP World Tour tournament. Bopanna and Bhupathi outpaced their opponents Poles Mariuz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski to clinch their first title as a team. Bhupathi and Bopanna, the number four seeds, came through 6-4, 3-6, 10-5, taking 70 minutes to stop their opponents. The winners take home a cheque of $120,850 and 500 points. While the money won't hurt, the points will help Bopanna, who celebrates his 32nd birthday on Sunday, to break back into the top-10 of the individual rankings when the new order is released on Monday "I have been in so many finals here, five I think, and this is how I remember Saturday night. We've always got great support here," Bhupathi said.

Bhupathi, the veteran pro in the partnership, said they felt a few jitters at the start of the final. "We did well to recover from the second set," the 37-year-old said, "the key to the match was starting off well in the super tie-break." After playing strongly to clinch the opening set, the all-Indian pairing slipped a touch when the powerful Kodava was broken in the second game of the second set. The duo had chances to break back, but failed to nail their returns, allowing the match to slip into the super-tie-break in which they produced a near flawless effort.

If Bhupathi was solid then Bopanna displayed crackling form. Outside of an overhead he buried into the net in the ninth point, the birthday boy was at his blazing best. A down-the-middle forehand in which he split the court to put his team ahead 7-3

Spot-fixing scandal: Amir returns home, admits uncertain future

second goal of the match two minutes later from India's third short corner. If the first half saw somewhat a keen contest between the two teams, penalty corner conversion was the order of the day after resumption of play as Sandeep ripped apart the French defence with his precision drag-flicking.

Sandeep showed why he is considered as one of the best penalty corner specialists in the world, converting three consecutive set pieces in a span of 14 minutes to pocket the match and book India's place in the London Olympics. In between, an unmarked Sunil scored a field goal after he was set up by Tushar Khandker and Danish Mujtaba.

Raghunath drove the final nail on France's coffin, converting India's seventh short corner with a powerful flick to the top of the French goal.

It was completely a one-sided affair and India could have won the match by a bigger margin had they not wasted numerous scoring opportunities that came their way.

The win not only ensured India's place in the London Games, but also made all the players richer by Rs 2 lakh each, while members of the support staff will pocket Rs one lakh each as promised by Hockey India and Lalit Group of Hotels.

Bopanna-Bhupathi win Dubai Open title

Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi of India celebrate after defeating Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland during their doubles final tennis match at the Dubai Open.

was one of the many bombs he sent across the net in the decider. The shot of the match came on the pair's first match point when Bopanna cracked the Fyrstenberg serve with a backhand that whizzed past a clueless Matkowski, who was stranded at the net. Bopanna, 6 ft 4 with a sledge-hammer serve, was particularly appreciative of his senior's partner's contribution in his development as a player, saying his experience counted especially in big matches when the situation got tight. "He has 17 years of experience on the Tour which is really huge," Bopanna said, "I've been part of the Davis Cup for 10 years now and he has helped me at every stage in my career, even before we became friends. He always kept in touch.

It's a good opportunity for me to play alongside Mahesh." Bhupathi said the partnership fed off a friendship in which communication was easy. "We speak a lot on the court," he said, "We are not afraid to tell the other when he's not doing the right thing.

We feed off our strengths and we are both aware of our strengths and weaknesses that makes us dangerous as a team."

TRAVEL

I

Caffeine buzz in melbourne

am in the brazenly modern Federation Square, a warren of exhibition spaces and galleries linked like a Rubik's Cube with triangular shards of glass, sandstone and zinc. Melbourne is a city with cutting edge fashion, art, architecture, food and music; where you have to be a forensic artist and delve deeper to ferret out its little secrets. Fiona Sweetman's 'Hidden Secrets' is an innovative attempt to guide visitors through the laneways of Melbourne -- narrow streets between the city's broad thoroughfares, filled with eateries, bars, shops and restaurants and offering a parallel city, so to speak.

I am taking the Café Culture walk, which is just not about coffee alone -- but brings you up-close with many independent businesses and local enterprises.

"Melbourne is a city founded on an entrepreneurial spirit and wealth from the Gold Rush, and even today small businesses are major players in sweeping in big changes," says Fiona. The city does not tolerate 'chains' and it's a telling point that Starbucks had to close three fourths of its shops in 2008, a few years after entering Australia!

Fiona speaks about how the Italian immigrants were the ones to introduce espresso in Melbourne.

And when they could not find good beans, they would even use ground chicory or acorns. There is the iconic Pellegrino's Expresso Bar, which imported the first Gaggia machine in the 1950s. Crossly Street is the lane of boutiques and small innova-

tive businesses. We peer in to the windows of Lucy Folk --a quirky jeweller who specialises in her 'foodie jewellry.

There are food-inspired pieces

ranging from popcorn and pretzels to tortilla chips. The mecca of the caffeine world is Degraves Street, lined with cafes with umbrellas and red plastic chairs. We have a coffee

here at Degraves Expresso, which uses recycled cinema seats and benches from a magistrate's court!

We swing past Hardware Lane, famous for its line of open-air cafés.

Royal Fiji Police Awards Night

SACRAMENTO –First Royal Fiji Poluce Wards Night is slated for March this year tentavely to be held in Sacramento. We are open to suggestions and all former police officers are welcome to call in with their ideas:

1800-757-6619

Awards Many police officers will qualify for certifcates and Diplomas based on their past performances and Civil Services Exams that equits with American college education. These awards are aimed at further enhancing their present career and desire to seek further education.

Recognition beyond belief

The recognitin of the Royal Fiji Police Awards will be backed with 100% professional evaluation and credential exceeding beyond what was limited to departmental suittability only. It will be a definate mark of honor.

March 2012

23

La Belle Miette is a French patisserie that serves divine macaroons in little boxes designed by a graphic artist. It's run by the daughter of a perfumer, who uses unusual scents to flavour the macaroons.

There are also small cafes with character, in large corporate buildings. There is Truffula Seed hiding in the Steel House building on Spring Street, a name inspired by Dr Seuss's book The Lorax! Their USP is the ethically sourced beans from the Social Roasting Company delivered on green bicycles and carry-home cups that you can reuse.

The Manchester Utility building is a beautiful Art Nouveau structure designed by the famous architect Marcus Barlow in 1932 and built in nine months to counter the effects of the Great Depression with the first escalator in Melbourne.

What we are here to see is the Switchboard Cafe, imaginatively run out of the closet space that housed the building's telephone system! The Tuck shop in the foyer of the NAB building at Bourke Street derives its name from the name given to comfort food at school lunches. It's a small café that serves a myriad salads and luscious hot dogs along with coffee.

Our walk ends in Manchester Press on Rankins Street -- one of the newest cafés located in an old printing press building and very popular with the young crowd -they have amazing open bagels. It's another link in a city which is using its old spaces imaginatively in new endeavours...

24

March 2012

Porn mogul offers 1 million dollars for sex dirt on US politicians, govt officials

Obama: 'Loose talk' of war plays into Iran's hands

Barack Obama takes a look at a flex fuel GMC vehicle during a tour of the automotive lab prior to speaking on energy policy and the economy at nashua community college in Nashua, N.H.

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says he does not want war but insists that he would attack Iran if that was the only option left to stop the nation from getting a nuclear weapon. "Loose talk of war" only plays into Iran's hands, Obama said on Sunday. On Monday, Obama sought to assure Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would always "have Israel's back" but said there was still time for diplomacy. Netanyahu, in a show of unity with an American leader with whom he has had a rocky relationship, said at the White House that both Israel and the US stood together on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "The bond between our two countries is unbreakable ," Obama said. The two men, sitting side by side and smiling at each other in the Oval Office, sought to present a united front in the Iranian nuclear standoff after weeks of mounting concern that Israel would preemptively strike Iran on its own. "We believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution," Obama said. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would be the "master of its fate" in deciding how to deal with Iran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state.

No warning for US before Iran attack: Israeli officials

WASHINGTON: Israeli officials say they won't warn the US if they decide to launch a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one US intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill. Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the US would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential attack.

The US has been working with Israel for months to convince them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran's nuclear program. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to high-level US visitors to the country, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the White House national security adviser.

Barack Obama to host G8 summit in Camp David in May: White House

WASHINGTON: Porn mogul Larry Flynt in a full page newspaper ad today offered USD 1 million for information about the sexual indiscretions of wellknown US politicians or government officials. Flynt's offer, appearing in the Washington Post newspaper, asked readers to phone their tips to his hotline, or to send an email to a dedicated on-line address at his "Hustler" porn magazine. "Do you have information about infidelity, sexual impropriety or corruption concerning a current United States senator, congressperson or prominent government official?" the ad asks in large, bold type. "Can you provide documented evidence of your claims? Larry Flynt and Hustler Magazine will pay you up to USD 1 million if we choose to used your material and publish your verified story," the ad said, adding that all correspondence would be kept "strictly confidential." It is just the latest of the famous porn publisher's sporadic forays into the realm of politics. Last year he offered disgraced US lawmaker Anthony Weiner a job, after the New York congressman resigned over a tawdry "sexting" scandal. He also offered a USD 1 million reward last year for anyone who could produce proof of illicit sexual liaisons by then-presidential contender Rick Perry. Flynt has fought several prominent legal battles involving the First Amendment -- the right to free speech guaranteed in the US Constitution -- and has unsuccessfully run for public office. He won a seminal free speech case in 1988 before the US Supreme Court. That case "Hustler Magazine v Falwell" came after he was sued by prominent US reverend Jerry Falwell in 1983 over an offensive ad in his porn publication that parodied the televangelist.

US Updates Poll: 63% voters back Obama's birth control policy

WASHINGTON: Nearly twothirds of Americans favor US President Barack Obama's policy requiring birth control coverage for female employees, including clear majorities of Roman Catholic, Protestant evangelical and independent voters, a poll showed on Thursday. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 1,500 adults showed public opinion breaking more strongly according to party affiliation than gender on contraceptives, with 83 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents and 42 percent of Republicans favoring the policy.

Sixty-three percent of Americans overall supported it, according to the data.

Adopted earlier this month as part of Obama's 2010 healthcare reform law, the policy requires most employers to provide health insurance coverage for women's contraceptives without co-pays or deductibles. Obama offered a compromise to religiously affiliated institutions, including Catholic-run hospitals and universities that oppose artificial contraception, by requiring insurers to cover the cost of birth control coverage for their employees. The rule does not apply to places of worship, including churches, synagogues and mosques.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will host leaders of the G8 club of rich nations on May 18-19 at his Camp David retreat instead of in his hometown of Chicago, the White House said on Monday. Obama still plans to host NATO leaders and partners in Chicago on May 20-21 for a summit that is shaping up as crucial to plans to transition international forces out of Afghanistan.

Iran court orders retrial of 'US spy' Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for spying handed down to former US Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati, Iranian media reported on Monday, quoting a top judiciary official. "The sentence was overturned by the SC... The case has been sent back to the court for retrial," prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said, ISNA news agency reported without elaborating.

Powerful storm system slams US Midwest, at least 9 killed

BRANSON: A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes lashed the US Midwest earlier today, laying waste to small towns in Illinois and Kansas. At least nine people were killed. An apparent twister rolled through Branson just before 1am, local time, and seemed to hopscotch up the city's main roadway, ripping roofs off hotels and damaging some of the city's famed music theatres dangerously close to the start of the heavy tourism season. More than 30 people were reported hurt, mostly with cuts and bruises. At least six people were killed in the southern Illinois town of Harrisburg after a storm levelled much of the community of 9,000 people.

In Missouri, one person was killed in a trailer park in the town of Buffalo. Two more fatalities were reported in other areas. The storms left much of the small eastern Kansas town of Harveyville in rubble. At least three people were critically injured. T he tornadoes were spawned by a powerful storm system that blew down from the Rockies yesterday and was headed across the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys toward the Mid-Atlantic region. Corey Mead, lead forecaster at the U.S. Storm Prediction Centre said a broad cold front was slamming into warm, humid air over much of the eastern half of the nation.

Email: masterpiecewindows@gmail.com

STAR AGE ARIES

March-21 to April-20

CANCER

June-22 to July-23

LIBRA

September-24 to October-22

CAPRICON

December-23 to Januar-20

Try not to get hypersensitive or over react to other people’s comments.

Sometimes you can just get yourself worked up about things that are not important. Try to give yourself some space to just wind down and be a bit more at peace if you possibly can.

You may not have a practical plan of what your next move or should be.

Today you may be too possessive about material things. Don't hang on too tightly. You do need to stand firm until you find the answers you are looking for, but then let go and roll with the flow.

You may be thinking of moving home.

Life may not be that exciting at the moment, but patience will help you build solid foundations for the future.

Don’t lose your sense of humour today. Sometimes, a joke can break the tension and lift everyone’s spirits in tricky situations. You may feel cut off from certain important people in your life, as if you are not getting all the support and encouragement that you expected.

Your need for security may be pushing you one way while your desire for extravagance pulls you the other.

Blame it on the Moon which makes you point in opposite directions at once. You want to be solidly protected, but you're also tempted to feed your body things that feel, smell and taste good, and they never come cheap.

TAURUS

April-21 to May-20

LEO

July-24 to August-23

SCORPIO

October-23 to November-22

AQUARIES

January-21 to February-19

Today, you will be much more emotional in public than usual, which does let other people see your vulnerable side. So you will attract more sympathy, and at the same time be more sensitive to what is going on around you at work. If you do overwork to excess at the moment you will find your body complaining.

Today, if there are tensions in relationships you need to find a way out of differences without making your actions too obvious. There is always a trick in finding a middle way. Not being too submissive and letting other people steamroller over you, nor being too pushy yourself.

There will be a few restrictions or setbacks today. You may feel a bit discouraged but the best tactic is to face up to duty and be conscientious. This is the time to make room for creative changes in your life. Try to let go of old patterns of behaviour that have been holding you back.

There could be a point today where you get yourself all stewed up about something that isn't as important as you're making it out to be. Your moods tend to chop and change fairly quickly with the Moon around in your own sign, one moment you are outgoing and the next in fast retreat. Highly sensitive to slights, you may over-react as well.

25

March 2012

A real attack of wandering feet will make it tricky to settle down to anything requiring concentration today. You really want to be flying round the world in your hot-air balloon, so just let your imagination soar.

But perhaps you need to learn about selfcontrol and setting limits in romance. Be not spontaneous, but practical and straightforward.

GEMINI

May-21 to June-21

VIRGO

August-24 to September-23

SAGITTARIUS

November-23 to December-22

PISCES

February-20 to March-20

It's a rather self-sacrificing kind of day, which means that you have to put aside your own needs and make sure that everyone else is getting what they want. Just polish your halo and console yourself with the thought that you'll soon get your reward. You will be in a much more secure position.

You want to be flamboyant and exuberant, to be in the spotlight. Clearly not a day to be keeping your feelings to yourself. So go flirt, have fun, play games with loved ones. Forget routine chores and duck out if you feel an order coming your way. This may be a difficult time to keep secrets since they seem to slide out into the open.

You won't feel much like socialising today. Anything mystical or spiritual will hold your attention since you are tuned into deeper levels of awareness. You will also be very helpful and compassionate as far as other people are concerned. You may have to be more supportive, both financially and emotionally.

The Planets

A Brief Introduction to Astrology

Sun

The Sun tells us of the actual core of a person, the inner self, of that which is of central concern. It also shows us the general vitality and the ability to assert oneself, it describes a general tone of being which colors everything else.

Sign equivalent: Leo Diameter: 1'390'000 km.

The Earth's orbit from Sun: 149'600'000km Periode Earth - Sun: 365.25 Days

WANTED ???

I wish to meet Mani my Rifle Range neighbor. Last I met him when he was a truck operator in the Bay Area 15 years ago Son of late uncle Pitambi - the cleanest Taxi driver in Fiji. His younger brother Anil Mani was a police officer who last work with me as detective in Labasa. I am told Anil is also here in USA somewhere. Please call me ASAP. Very important.

H.KOYA (Editor/Publisher)

FIJISUN.ORG 510-677-488

26

FIJI SPORTS

March 2012

Double blow for the Lions All teams gun for the top prize money

The Lions have been hit with a double blow in the front row as two of their props will miss next month of Super Rugby at least. The worst injury is to prop JC Janse van Rensburg who will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season after he tore his ligaments while CJ Van der Linde will miss the next four weeks. The Lions meet the Sharks at 3.05am on Sunday. On Friday the Crusaders meet the Chiefs at 6.35pm and at 11.05 the Force will play the Hurricanes.

Former SGS athletes team up for Marist 7s

Former Suva Grammar school athletes will team up for this weekend's Fiji Bitter Marist 7's tournament. The team will be known as Tribe Fusion. Semi Degei who plays for Northland and Semeti Walesi who is based in New Zealand are some of the renowned names in the team who made Suva Grammar proud in the Coca Cola games in the past. With them is young Eroni Cagi who ran in last year’s Coca Cola games in the 400 meters event. Other players in the team include Nemani Drova, Apisai Naevo, Ame Racule, Taniela Tuirabe and Sanaila Matua. Tribe Fusion is pooled with the Digicel Fiji Barbarians, Post Fiji Crusaders and Burenitu Votua. The Fiji Bitter Marist 7's will be held this Friday and Saturday at the National stadium.

‘Every participating teams in this weekend’s 36th Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens will try to walk away with the $10,000 prize money’.

That’s the word from Samurai Barracudas coach Sailosi Naiteqe Senior ahead of this weekend’s tournament. The Barracudas side will include two former national reps in the likes of Nasoni Roko and Epeli Dranivasa who will be trying to help the Waimanu based team

Barbarians team named for Marist 7s

A lot is expected from the 12 players that have been named in the Digicel Fiji Barbarians for the Fiji Bitter Marist 7's tournament this weekend. Captain Setefano Cakau, Nemani Nagusa, Apisai Naiyabo, Jimilai Naikadawa and Timoci Vakadranu are in the forwards.

Nikola Matawalu, Mitieli Nacagilevu, Joeli Lutumailagi, Sikeli Vuruna, Ilai Tinai, Isimeli Taqea and Joji Raqamate are in the backs. Other players like Waisea Nayacalevu, Lepani Botia, Avenisi Vasuinubu and Metuisela Talebula have been rested for this week’s tournament but will be considered for selection for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament. Fiji 7's assistant coach, Etuate Waqa said some new play-

Wardens ready despite losing key 4 Losing four key players to the Digicel Fiji Barbarians is not a problem for the Wardens Sevens side.The Naboro based team has lost Ilai Tinai, Joji Ragamate, Lepani Botia and Apisai Naiyabo who are in the 16 member national training squad preparing for the Hong Kong and Japan Sevens.Former national rep and Wardens coach Timoci Wainiqolo said their preparations are on track and he is looking forward to facing his players on the field.

There is an audio file attached to this story.

Please login to listen. The 36th Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens will kick off this Friday at the TFL Stadium and you can catch the live commentaries of selected matches on our sister station Viti FM.

Warriors shift concentration to the NZ leg

After beating the Junior Waratahs on Monday the Fiji Warriors is looking forward to the New Zealand leg of the Pacific Rugby Cup where they will meet Crusaders Knights this Friday. The Setefano Somoca led side scored two wins from three outings in Australia where they beat Brumby Runners and Junior Waratahs after losing to Queensland A in their first game. Meanwhile the Tappoo Group of Companies have signed another three years with the Fiji Rugby Union as the official energy and soft drink supplier.

Toma ready to restore lost pride

Nadi soccer team sensation Ratu Veresa Toma is aiming to restore lost pride for Nadi this year.

Ratu Veresa who scored some classic goals for Rewa to win some crucial tournaments recently has returned to play for Nadi this year and is looking to do the same for the Jetsetters.

He added the side’s performance has somewhat been on a see saw balance act for some years. There is an audio file attached to this story.

Please login to listen.

Meanwhile, Nadi will face Lautoka in the National Soccer League competition this Sunday at 3pm.

ers have forced their way in the team and this is being done to make a compatible team which will go to Hong Kong later this month. There is an audio file attached to this story.

Please login to listen. The Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens will be held this Friday and Saturday at the TFL National Stadium.

conquer the prestigious tournament. Coach Naiteqe said he will approach each game with a different game plan. There is an audio file attached to this story. Please login to listen. Samurai Barracudas is pooled together with Taisau, Uluinakau Babaas and Nailaga.

The Fiji Bitter Marist Sevens will kick off this Friday at 8am with defending champions Army Green taking on Bennet Exile.

Ba soccer team in for a double

The Ba soccer team will play two matches in the National soccer league this weekend. Ba hosts Rewa on Friday at 7pm and on Sunday Ba will travel to Thomson Park to face Navua at 3pm. In other matches this week, Labasa will host Nadroga on Saturday at 2pm and on Sunday at 2pm Savusavu will play Nadroga at Ganilau Park, at 3pm Nadi faces Lautoka at Churchill Park and at the TFL Stadium Suva will play Tavua.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

O

nce it started raining, it just wouldn’t stop. The sky wept great tears in an endless stream until the clouds had entered everyone’s hearts and made them feel as grey and weepy as the weather. But still it rained on and on.

Everyone stayed at home, gloomy and bored. "I wish we could DO something," moaned Geeti, "Nothing exciting ever happens to us" said Vikki.

Mummy wouldn’t let them go out but she tried to cheer them up by baking a cake. The children helped too. The cake was yummy and they ate it hot. The rest they covered and left on the table.

"I wonder what the animals and birds do?" asked Geeti thoughtfully.

"They must be cooped in their cages."

"No, silly, I mean the wild ones. The tigers in the jungles, the birds on trees, what do they do in all this rain?"

"At least they’re free. Think of the animals in the zoo. How awful for them."

And it was true. The animals in the zoo were worried and irritable. The wetness was terrible for the creatures big and small.

The more it rained, the more everything filled up with water. The moat around the lion’s enclosure filled up too. The lion watched. He was an old fellow, who had never been out of the enclosure. He had never seen anything like this before., As the water lapped the sides of the moat temptingly, the old fellow decided to make a go for it. He sniffed here, and he sniffed there. He put one paw delicately into

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 6. Guess (7) 7. Models (5) 9. After-bath powder (4) 10. Colossal (10) 11. A person addicted to luxury (8) 13. Nymph loved by Apollo (6) 15. Decorative case (4)

DOWN 1. Strong suit (10) 2. A dwarfed ornamental tree (6) 3. List of choices (4) 4. Grandeur (8) 5. Utilized (4) 6. Frightening (5) 8. A very attractive or seductive looking woman (7) 12. Choose (5) 14. Partially paralyzed (10) 16. Slander (7) 17. Government income (8) 21. Invisible (6) 22. Requires (5) 24. A Central American sloth (4) 25. 1 1 1 1 (4)

Lion On The Loose!...!...

the water and then, with one big breath, he jumped right in.

At first he sank. Then he panicked. He thought, for one awful moment that he was going to die. But he didn’t. His mighty head popped up and he paddled along until he could feel the wall just under his chin. Putting his big paws onto the wall, he heaved himself up. And then he was out.

Out and free. Free to walk around the world, just as he had seen hundreds of people do.

Now he, the mighty raja was going to have the adventure of a lifetime.

No one saw him for it was night and all the zoo keepers were fast asleep. Lion walked out, king of everything he saw. Softly, softly, he crept on padded feet to the enclosure next to him. He grinned in at the bear who woke up with a start.

He looked in at all the cages and thought how wonderful it was to be free.. Then he had an idea. He was going to be really free. What was the point of freedom if he was still within the four walls of the zoo? So, asking the way at every cage he passed, Lion reached the main gate.

He could smell a human. He carefully peered into the ticket booth. Sure enouch, the guard sat there. Lion was a clever old fellow and knew that the guard wouldn’t let him just

Catch-Words -03

17. Not our (5) 18. Scarce (4) 19. Voice box (6) 20. Pounding (8) 23. Turbulent (10) 26. X X X X (4) 27. Muse of love poetry (5) 28. What we blink (7)

Answer of Crossword-02

http://www.crosswordpalace.com/

walk out. So he waited and watched. The guard didn’t move. He snored gently. When lion was sure that the man was fast asleep, he padded his way past him gently.

"Hmmm – humph…" said a guard in his sleep. Lion almost roared in fright. But he didn’t, he waited quietly until he was sure that all was safe. And then he was FREE! Really free, for the very first time in his life.

He walked around, looking with wonder at the big, black, wet roads. He stared up at the high buildings and he sniffed at people huddled up, asleep in the driest corners they could find. One little child peeped out of his thin blanket and saw him. "Papa," he whispered, "there’s a lion on the loose!" "Yes. Yes," said his Papa sleepily, "he’ll go away, now get back to sleep."

And lion went on. This was the longest walk that he’d ever had. He was in the bazaar

now. But, of course, everyone was fast asleep. He peered into shop windows, fascinated by the glittering things that shone there.

He walked on and on. On and on. Until he was one very wet, hungry and tired lion.

He now suddenly caught the smell of freshly baked cake. He’d never smelled anything so invitingly warm or warmly inviting.

Sniff! Sniff! Sniff! He found the window to Geeti and Vikki’s room open. Quickly, quietly, he jumped right in. He saw the children asleep in their soft, warm beds. And he felt like getting in with them. But first to find out where that delicious smell was coming from. Sniff!

Sniff! Sniff!

Of course, with his sharp lion’s nose, he found the cake. And with his sharp lion’s teeth, he quickly gulped it down. It was delicious.

Not like the smelly raw meat he got.

And now, to bed. Slipping back into the children’s room, lion tried to get into Vikki’s bed. But it was too small for one big lion. So, he crawled under the bed and found it wonderfully cosy and just right for one big lion.

Soon he was fast asleep.

Next morning, mummy woke up to find the cake missing.

"Did you eat the cake?"

"No mummy."

DO THE COLORING

Coloring pages are fun, but they also help children develop many important skills.

These skills, eye-hand coordination, color concepts, picture comprehension, form the foundation for early learning success!

PUZZLE

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March 2012

"Then who could it have been?"

"It must have been the lion!" said Geeti.

"What lion? Geeti, don’t be silly."

"She’s not being silly" said Vikki.

"There’s a lion under our bed!"

"What?" shouted mummy as loudly as she could. And she rushed right away to look for the lion under her children’s bed.

She looked, but there was no lion there.

"Oh children," she said crossly, "You gave me a fright. Of course there’s no lion there."

"But there was mummy," protested the children. "Look, there are lion paw prints on the carpet."

"And a big wet patch on our beds."

"And lion hair on my sheet!"

Mummy had to believe them then, but try as they might, they couldn’t find the lion any more. And do you know why? The lion had a good snooze and decided to get back to his cage before there was any fuss. So he had slipped away at dawn and no one saw him going. He slipped past the guard who still lay asleep and swam back into his cage. What an adventure it had been! But he was glad to be home.

As soon as the rain stopped, Geeti and Vikki went to the zoo. They stood outside the lion’s enclosure and whispered to each other.

I’m sure that our lion recognized them too, and let out a big rumbling ROAR of a thank you to his little friends.

Maybe, next time it rains very hard, Lion may come to YOUR house, so remember to give him some freshly baked cake!

JOKES Wife in anger..

Wife in anger: I was mad when i accepted your marriage proposal shortly..

Hubby: Yes honey, but I was in love so i could not cared for that.. ______ friend got cheated..

Man to his fast friend: Dear, yesterday I bought the air-condition of 2 ton but...

Friend: But What?

Man: I got cheated, i weighted it and it was just 40 KG only!! ______ Marriage is like..

Marriage is like public toilet..

Those who waiting outside, are desperate and curious to get in..

But those who inside, are desperate to come out!! ______ Best resale value..

How does a miser reaches his workstation of 20 miles far?

He acts smartly and goes to office by walk so that he could be offered best resale value for for his vehicle.. _______ Bathing for..

Man: How can people stay without bathing for couple of months?

Colleague: I don't know but why are you asking this question?

Man: Because I got rashes in just 25 days.

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LOCAL NEWS

March 2012

Dear Steve, Jon Streeter, President of the California Bar*, invites you to a reception and discussion with Senator Loni Hancock and Senate Judiciary Chair Noreen Evans on The Future of our Courts – the Third Branch of Government. Please join them to help re-elect Senator Hancock and participate in a discussion about the future of our courts and justice system in these difficult times.

WHEN: Sunday, March 11th from 4:00 5:30 pm WHERE: the home of Jon and Dorine Holsey Streeter, 3125 Claremont Ave., Berkeley SPECIAL GUEST: Senator Noreen Evans, Chair Senate Judiciary Committee now and support Senator Hancock's reelection to the State Senate.

Or – If you can’t attend, please to Senator Hancock's campaign. Senator Loni Hancock has a record of standing up for those who defend our rights: As Chair of the Budget

Subcommittee on Corrections and the Judiciary, Senator Hancock is working to protect our courts; Senator Hancock's 2011 legislation would replace California’s death penalty with life imprisonment without parole; it is being circulated as an initiative for the November 2012 ballot. Senator Hancock was one of only six legislators who voted against former-Governor Schwarzenegger’s workers compensation “reform.” She has continued to fight for injured workers and carried legislation to remove the draconian cap placed on occupational therapy and medical treatment in workers' compensation cases. For more detailed information on Senator Loni Hancock's record, see below. For more information on this important discussion about the future of our courts with Jon Streeter, Senator Loni Hancock and Senator Noreen Evans, please call Cynthia Brantly Pierce at 510-704-1657 or email Cynthia@cpierce.com. *For identification only

SENATOR LONI HANCOCK

WORKS TO IMPROVE THE CA JUDICIAL SYSTEM

As the Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Corrections and the Judiciary, Senator Hancock is the Senate's point person on criminal justice policy, while working to address the current impacts of budget cuts on access to the judicial system. Under her leadership, the state has an opportunity to improve California's criminal justice system, reduce what it spends on prisons and break the cycle of incarceration and recidivism.

REHABILITATION: Senator Hancock is working to protect rehabilitation programs -- in prisons and in the community. Last year she was able to restore funding for many of the community-based programs, and this year's Governor's Budget will restore funding for needed rehabilitation opportunities in prisons.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Senator Hancock is leading the effort to increase the transparency and accountability of California's prisons. Her legislation would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide more user-friendly information about which prisons have successful programs and are reducing prison violence and recidivism and which are not -- similar to the 'report cards' the state now requires of all our public schools and community colleges.

DEATH PENALTY: Senator Hancock introduced SB 490 which would replace the death penalty with permanent imprisonment

without the possibility of parole (and save California over $180 million a year) -- now heading toward the November ballot as an initiative.

COURTS: As Chair of the Budget Subcommittee, Senator Hancock worked to minimize Governor Brown's $200 million reductions in trial court funding. She will continue to seek ways to address the impacts of these cuts on access to the judicial system and move toward needed reinvestment in our courts. This spring, she and Senator Noreen Evans, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will co-chair a joint hearing on the Future of California's Courts.

WORKER'S COMP: Senator Hancock was one of only six legislators who voted against former-Governor Schwarzenegger’s workers compensation “reform.” She has continued to fight further reductions in benefits and carried legislation to remove the draconian cap former Governor Schwarzenegger placed on occupational therapy and medical treatment for injured workers.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: This year, Senator Hancock will be introducing a package of bills that address some of California's most pressing criminal justice system issues including pre-trial confinement, adequate rehabilitation, improved inmate assessment and placement in programs, and how realignment money will be allocated to counties.

KOYA MEMORIAL NIGHT

This night dedicated to the memory of the late Hon. S M KOYA is slated for early next year. Everyone is welcome share their thoughts, comments and memories. If you stories and pictures etc., you want to share you are most wel come do so.

The man who fulfilled the journey crafted by one of the most learned and seasoned politicians of Fiji the late Hon. Mr. A D Patel. THE KOYA MEMORIAL NIGHT will be dedicated to celebrate the memories of tails of former leader of opposition the Late Hon. S M KOYA

FIJI AMERICAN IDOL SHOW A unique, exciting and professional FIJI AMERICAN IDOL SHOW is in the planning process and due to be launched early next year.

MISSION AUDITION JUDGING

TO LOCATE AND PROMOTE NEW AND BUDDING TALENTS FROM THE FIJI AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THERE WILL BE AN EARLY AUDITION WITH $10 DINNER CHARGES. WILL BY A PANEL OF SUPERSTARS !

NO PUBLIC JUDGING AT ALL.

Call: 1-800-757-6619

FIJI AMERICAN IDOL SHOW

March 2012

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March 2012

LOCAL NEWS

PRAYER

By Pastor Hendry

T

hrough out ages mankind has looked into ways and methods to pray. Most people pray and wonder when God is going to answer their prayer. The question is "does God answer prayer"? 1 John 5:13-14 Jesus said that if we are going to ask anything according to his will God hears us. John 16:23-24 Jesus said " and in that day ye shall ask me nothing, verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name, ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full". [King James Version]. The answer to the above question is that God does answer prayer and He wants to meet all our needs but the way He does is different from what we think. Gods ways are different. If you look at the above scriptures you will find out that Jesus has set some powerful method by which our prayers can be answered much faster. Lets look at some of it.

1. Pray in faith. Faith is something we believe. The best way to believe is, believe what Jesus said.

2. Pray to God the father in the name of Jesus.

Jesus said "if you ask anything in my name I will do it". John 14:14 3. When you pray believe that God will answer your prayer according to His will or according to His word.

4. When you pray believe that you receive the answer according to Mark 11:24. You may not see the answer physically but as you trust God, the answer will come at the appointed time.

5. Thank and praise God for the answer.

If you have prayed so far and it seems that your prayers are not working do the above method.

Believe that it will work for you. Jesus said. "all things are possible for the person who believes" Mark 9:23 God Bless You Pastor Hendry

Stay away from harmful colours on Holi Holi, the festival that heralds the arrival of spring was traditionally played by making colours from flowers and herbs that had therapeutic value and were even beneficial to the skin.But, over the years, these natural colours have been replaced by synthetic ones with oxidised metals or industrial dyes (like those for dyeing our clothing). All these are toxic and can result in anything from skin allergies to cancer, eye irritation to blindness and much more. Here's a three-point plan to keep you safe while you play: Eye care: "A high-speed balloon/stone can be very dangerous with cornea and lens and even retinal injury. It may even cause rupture of the globe," says Dr Keiki Mehta, surgical head and director of an eye hospital.

Send in pictures of your kids for our Kid’s Page at: EMAIL fijisun@gmail.com: Call toll free 1-800-757-6619

(Fiji Sun pictures by Ms. Prasad)

PHOTO GALLERY

MAHASHIV RATARI

March 2012

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March 2012

COMMUNITY NEWS

Editor honored as guest speaker at URI South SFO Chapter

By Staff writer (South San Francisco URI leader Margret Joan places a lapel pin on editors’ shoulder as a token of respect for his recent presentation. Other members of the leadership look on). Islamic Spirituality – a rarely spoken subject in Islam- was ably handled by the editor in his two-hour presentation last Monday March 5, 2012 at the URI venue at New Vision Methodist meeting room in Millbrae. The presentation comprised of two parts consisted of Islamic Spirituality and a contrast of Sunni, Shias and Ahmadi Muslims The editor explained that while other thinkers would have you believe that just as you can reach a mountain following different paths the various religions also lead you to God. He argued that the theory does not hold good as not all mountains are assessable by various roads as usually there is only one pathway and often times a mountain cannot be climbed from all sides. Typically a mountain would have deep cliff. The editor reasoned that the onus is on a religion to offer and define the path that leads to God. He shared the information that in Islam the path is called SEERTUL MUSQEEMA – the straight path, the path of righteousness and the path of those on whom the blessings of God descended, not of those who went astrayor those on whom God’s wrath came. When one follows such a clear path filled with promises of rewards and blessings, the followers are bound to be righteous, peaceful and loving to all.

I

Family pleads Jennifer to RETURN HOME

am writing this as an appeal to all mothers, my daughter is missing. Jennifer, sweaty if you are out there, please give your family a call. We all love you and miss you very much. We constantly worry about you and how are you doing. Please give us a call, let you know that you are alright, let us know you are working, or in school. We will not stop hoping for your return, and we hope that if you do read this, that you will be able to contact us. We gravely miss you and hope the best for you and pray that you are safe and okay. We are all praying and hope to hear from you soon.

We love you very much Jennifer.

From Mom, Raizmoon Niash