One arrested for attack on Indian student in Australia

Melbourne/New Delhi: The Indian consulate in Melbourne is in touch with police and kin of an Indian student who was attacked and is in coma in a hospital. One suspect has been arrested. The Indian ministry of external affairs said Tuesday in New Delhi that its consulate is in touch with the hospital, the police and the brother of the attacked student, Manriajwinder Singh, 20.

Singh was with two friends when he was assaulted by a group of eight men and one woman over the weekend at Princess Bridge in Birrarung Marr park in Melbourne. The Melbourne police have arrested one suspect who has been produced before a judicial magistrate for remand. Two more suspects have been identified, the ministry said.

Singh, a Bachelor of Commerce at a Melbourne university, was punched, kicked and thrown to the ground by the attackers. He was also allegedly beaten with a stick after he fell unconscious. He is under coma at the Alfred hospital, Melbourne. His brother Yadwinder Singh urged the Australian government for the perpetrators to be "caught and punished so innocent people like my brother and his friend don't get bashed like this". (IANS)

One arrested for attack on Indian student in Australia

Melbourne/New Delhi: The Indian consulate in Melbourne is in touch with police and kin of an Indian student who was attacked and is in coma in a hospital. One suspect has been arrested. The Indian ministry of external affairs said Tuesday in New Delhi that its consulate is in touch with the hospital, the police and the brother of the attacked student, Manriajwinder Singh, 20.

Singh was with two friends when he was assaulted by a group of eight men and one woman over the weekend at Princess Bridge in Birrarung Marr park in Melbourne. The Melbourne police have arrested one suspect who has been produced before a judicial magistrate for remand. Two more suspects have been identified, the ministry said.

Singh, a Bachelor of Commerce at a Melbourne university, was punched, kicked and thrown to the ground by the attackers. He was also allegedly beaten with a stick after he fell unconscious. He is under coma at the Alfred hospital, Melbourne. His brother Yadwinder Singh urged the Australian government for the perpetrators to be "caught and punished so innocent people like my brother and his friend don't get bashed like this". (IANS)

Five gizmos that rocked (2013 in Retrospect) (Special to IANS)

Have we really invented most of what there was to invent? Unlikely. But big new products have gotten fewer and far between. And in 2013, various big tech launches landed with varying thuds. Both hardware (HP's Chromebook 11, Nintendo's Wii U console, the Surface tablet) and software. BlackBerry's much-awaited BB10 operating system was launched in January, but fizzled out, crushed by unexciting, overpriced products. Windows 8, launched the previous year, flopped, and in an ever-so-unrelated move, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer announced that he would step down next year. Yet there were some great gadgets this year: Many new-and-improved ones, and a few all-new products. Here's a pick of five that rocked:

THE iPad Air

The Air shows us what 2013 was mostly about: improvements. If Apple's new iPhones were totally underwhelming, it made up with the iPad Air. This is an overhauled iPad that looks like a big iPad Mini. It's the lightest 10-inch tablet around. It's super-thin, though at 7.5 mm it's beaten by the FTV-model-like Sony Xperia Tablet Z (6.9 mm).

Sadly, the iPad Air is way overpriced, at Rs.51,900 in India for the 32 GB cellular model. And it retains its 5 Mp camera, instead of moving up to the iPhone 5's 8 Mp. But it's stunning (complete with Retina display), packs iWorks and other great software, and works superbly well - retaining its 8-10 hour charge despite the smaller battery.

THE SMARTWATCH

"Wearables" in the form of smartwatches were the rage in tech shows. The crowd-funded PEBBLE was first off the mark, backed by 69,000 people pledging $10 million. It sold about 100,000 smartwatches.

And then Samsung launched the GALAXY GEAR. This watch runs apps, handles voice calls and text messages, and takes pictures and videos, working as a companion to a few Galaxy smartphones. That's limiting, but it's still the first smartwatch from a big brand, and Samsung quickly claimed 800,000 shipments (many were returned).

It's very early days. This gear is expensive at Rs.23,000, has poor battery life, glitchy software, and very few apps. It's in many "flops of 2013" lists, but it's too early for that. Just wait for the Gear 2, expected next March, and many more.

NOKIA LUMIA 1020

Smartphone cameras have gotten very good over the past two years. There are impressive cameras in the iPhone 5 (8 Mp) and Samsung Galaxy S4 (13 Mp). To prove that it isn't about megapixels, the HTC One has a great 4 Mp, low-light camera. The big leap forward was the Nokia Lumia 1020. Its whopping 41 Mp camera could have set off another megapixel rat race, but it isn't about the megapixels behind that Carl Zeiss lens, but how well they're used. Even with low-resolution everyday photos.

Or you can take high-res photos and later crop and zoom digitally without decreasing image quality. And the 1020 now supports the uncompressed RAW digital format preferred by pro photographers. As smartphone, overall, the Lumia 1020 is far from the top. It runs Windows, which is still rather challenged on the apps front, even with Instagram and other popular apps added. But if you want a great camera with a phone, or if you're a photographer looking for a backup camera and a backup phone, this is it.

THE MACBOOK AIR

Apple's 2012 Air, which I'm writing this on, was already the sexiest notebook around. What the 2013 Air did was to take this stunning device and double its battery life to 12 hours for the 13-inch model, with higher performance and a lower price. Inside it, Intel's thrifty new Haswell chip helped a lot. At about Rs.62,000, the 11-inch Air is now great value. Especially with all the free software: Pages, Numbers and Keynote, included. No Microsoft Office required.

Sure, for that price you might squeeze in more specs into a Windows notebook, but that's missing the point. The Air makes a statement like no other on this side of the Rs.100,000-mark, and it works superbly (even with Windows, if you should choose to install that). It's fast, and uses solid-state storage. The MacBook Air is the benchmark other notebook vendors will still be looking to in 2014.

GOOGLE GLASS

This is the converged future: eyewear meets personal computing, Mission Impossible meets real life. 
You wear it like spectacles, and see a smartphone-like display in front of your eye. You can speak to it, telling it to do things. Next year, it should be integrated with regular glasses and sunglasses.

It's a product from Google X, the search giant's mystery division that's worked on other future tech such as driverless cars. Glass is not a mass-manufactured product yet, but a proof of concept-now being tested among selected buyers, in its Explorer Edition ($1,500). Glass should reach store shelves some time in 2014--changing the wearables market forever.

(INS)

Five gizmos that rocked (2013 in Retrospect) (Special to IANS)

Have we really invented most of what there was to invent? Unlikely. But big new products have gotten fewer and far between. And in 2013, various big tech launches landed with varying thuds. Both hardware (HP's Chromebook 11, Nintendo's Wii U console, the Surface tablet) and software. BlackBerry's much-awaited BB10 operating system was launched in January, but fizzled out, crushed by unexciting, overpriced products. Windows 8, launched the previous year, flopped, and in an ever-so-unrelated move, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer announced that he would step down next year. Yet there were some great gadgets this year: Many new-and-improved ones, and a few all-new products. Here's a pick of five that rocked:

THE iPad Air

The Air shows us what 2013 was mostly about: improvements. If Apple's new iPhones were totally underwhelming, it made up with the iPad Air. This is an overhauled iPad that looks like a big iPad Mini. It's the lightest 10-inch tablet around. It's super-thin, though at 7.5 mm it's beaten by the FTV-model-like Sony Xperia Tablet Z (6.9 mm).

Sadly, the iPad Air is way overpriced, at Rs.51,900 in India for the 32 GB cellular model. And it retains its 5 Mp camera, instead of moving up to the iPhone 5's 8 Mp. But it's stunning (complete with Retina display), packs iWorks and other great software, and works superbly well - retaining its 8-10 hour charge despite the smaller battery.

THE SMARTWATCH

"Wearables" in the form of smartwatches were the rage in tech shows. The crowd-funded PEBBLE was first off the mark, backed by 69,000 people pledging $10 million. It sold about 100,000 smartwatches.

And then Samsung launched the GALAXY GEAR. This watch runs apps, handles voice calls and text messages, and takes pictures and videos, working as a companion to a few Galaxy smartphones. That's limiting, but it's still the first smartwatch from a big brand, and Samsung quickly claimed 800,000 shipments (many were returned).

It's very early days. This gear is expensive at Rs.23,000, has poor battery life, glitchy software, and very few apps. It's in many "flops of 2013" lists, but it's too early for that. Just wait for the Gear 2, expected next March, and many more.

NOKIA LUMIA 1020

Smartphone cameras have gotten very good over the past two years. There are impressive cameras in the iPhone 5 (8 Mp) and Samsung Galaxy S4 (13 Mp). To prove that it isn't about megapixels, the HTC One has a great 4 Mp, low-light camera. The big leap forward was the Nokia Lumia 1020. Its whopping 41 Mp camera could have set off another megapixel rat race, but it isn't about the megapixels behind that Carl Zeiss lens, but how well they're used. Even with low-resolution everyday photos.

Or you can take high-res photos and later crop and zoom digitally without decreasing image quality. And the 1020 now supports the uncompressed RAW digital format preferred by pro photographers. As smartphone, overall, the Lumia 1020 is far from the top. It runs Windows, which is still rather challenged on the apps front, even with Instagram and other popular apps added. But if you want a great camera with a phone, or if you're a photographer looking for a backup camera and a backup phone, this is it.

THE MACBOOK AIR

Apple's 2012 Air, which I'm writing this on, was already the sexiest notebook around. What the 2013 Air did was to take this stunning device and double its battery life to 12 hours for the 13-inch model, with higher performance and a lower price. Inside it, Intel's thrifty new Haswell chip helped a lot. At about Rs.62,000, the 11-inch Air is now great value. Especially with all the free software: Pages, Numbers and Keynote, included. No Microsoft Office required.

Sure, for that price you might squeeze in more specs into a Windows notebook, but that's missing the point. The Air makes a statement like no other on this side of the Rs.100,000-mark, and it works superbly (even with Windows, if you should choose to install that). It's fast, and uses solid-state storage. The MacBook Air is the benchmark other notebook vendors will still be looking to in 2014.

GOOGLE GLASS

This is the converged future: eyewear meets personal computing, Mission Impossible meets real life. 
You wear it like spectacles, and see a smartphone-like display in front of your eye. You can speak to it, telling it to do things. Next year, it should be integrated with regular glasses and sunglasses.

It's a product from Google X, the search giant's mystery division that's worked on other future tech such as driverless cars. Glass is not a mass-manufactured product yet, but a proof of concept-now being tested among selected buyers, in its Explorer Edition ($1,500). Glass should reach store shelves some time in 2014--changing the wearables market forever.

(INS)

US to proceed with prosecution of Devyani, no question of apology

NEW YORK: US is proceeding with the prosecution of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade and has no intention to withdraw the case of visa fraud against her.US sources here said today that more evidence was being gathered against the 39-year-old diplomat before the indictment is filed. The deadline for indictment is January 13.

There is no question of apology to India over the arrest of Khobragade, the then deputy consul general of India, in New York on December 12 which has led to strong protests by the Indian government and widespread indignation in India.
The Indian government has demanded withdrawal of the case and an apology for the treatment meted out to the diplomat.

The sources said that the US government intended to proceed with the prosecution of Khobragade. The indictment will be brought, they emphasised.
They said that everything with regard to the Indian diplomat had been done by the book and that there was no nefarious motive.

The sources replied in the negative when asked if Khobragade, who has been transferred from the Indian Consulate to the country's mission to the UN subsequent to her arrest, enjoyed full diplomatic immunity at present.

They conceded, though, that if she gets UN immunity the diplomat cannot be prosecuted or brought to court for the period of the immunity. The case will be in 'suspension' but will not be dismissed, they said. After getting the UN immunity if she went back to India and then again comes on a visit to the US, she could face arrest since the charges would stand, the sources added. PTI

US to proceed with prosecution of Devyani, no question of apology

NEW YORK: US is proceeding with the prosecution of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade and has no intention to withdraw the case of visa fraud against her.US sources here said today that more evidence was being gathered against the 39-year-old diplomat before the indictment is filed. The deadline for indictment is January 13.

There is no question of apology to India over the arrest of Khobragade, the then deputy consul general of India, in New York on December 12 which has led to strong protests by the Indian government and widespread indignation in India.
The Indian government has demanded withdrawal of the case and an apology for the treatment meted out to the diplomat.

The sources said that the US government intended to proceed with the prosecution of Khobragade. The indictment will be brought, they emphasised.
They said that everything with regard to the Indian diplomat had been done by the book and that there was no nefarious motive.

The sources replied in the negative when asked if Khobragade, who has been transferred from the Indian Consulate to the country's mission to the UN subsequent to her arrest, enjoyed full diplomatic immunity at present.

They conceded, though, that if she gets UN immunity the diplomat cannot be prosecuted or brought to court for the period of the immunity. The case will be in 'suspension' but will not be dismissed, they said. After getting the UN immunity if she went back to India and then again comes on a visit to the US, she could face arrest since the charges would stand, the sources added. PTI

Goa bus owners to boycott Modi rally

Panaji: Goa's biggest bus owners association has decided to boycott BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi's rally here Jan 12 and has said their buses will not be used for ferrying people.

All Goa Bus Owners Association general secretary Sudip Tamankar told IANS Monday that the decision was taken at an executive body meeting of the association, which he claims controls 1,000 out of Goa's public carriers registered with the state transport department.

'The BJP's decisions have been harsh on us. The abolition of VAT on petrol last year by the Goa government means commuters use their two wheelers instead of buses. This decision is taken in protest of the decision,' Tamankar said. 
However, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said nearly 1.5 lakh people would attend Modi's meeting.

Tamankar also complained that transport department officials were harassing the bus owners and that constant appeals by the association to the government to probe corruption in the department had fallen on deaf ears.

Goa bus owners to boycott Modi rally

Panaji: Goa's biggest bus owners association has decided to boycott BJP's prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi's rally here Jan 12 and has said their buses will not be used for ferrying people.

All Goa Bus Owners Association general secretary Sudip Tamankar told IANS Monday that the decision was taken at an executive body meeting of the association, which he claims controls 1,000 out of Goa's public carriers registered with the state transport department.

'The BJP's decisions have been harsh on us. The abolition of VAT on petrol last year by the Goa government means commuters use their two wheelers instead of buses. This decision is taken in protest of the decision,' Tamankar said. 
However, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said nearly 1.5 lakh people would attend Modi's meeting.

Tamankar also complained that transport department officials were harassing the bus owners and that constant appeals by the association to the government to probe corruption in the department had fallen on deaf ears.

Pakistan Shariat court gets first woman judge

Islamabad: Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan Monday administered the oath of office to Justice Ashraf Jehan, the first woman judge to be appointed to the Federal Shariat Court in the country. The ceremony was held at the Sindh High Court in Karachi, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Among those present at the ceremony were Sindh High Court Chief Justice Maqbool Bakar, judges and senior lawyers, including the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, members of the Bar Council, Bar Association and deputy attorney generals. The Federal Shariat Court was established by a presidential order in 1980 and Justice Jehan is the first woman judge in the institution's 33-year existence.

Pakistan Shariat court gets first woman judge

Islamabad: Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan Monday administered the oath of office to Justice Ashraf Jehan, the first woman judge to be appointed to the Federal Shariat Court in the country. The ceremony was held at the Sindh High Court in Karachi, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Among those present at the ceremony were Sindh High Court Chief Justice Maqbool Bakar, judges and senior lawyers, including the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, members of the Bar Council, Bar Association and deputy attorney generals. The Federal Shariat Court was established by a presidential order in 1980 and Justice Jehan is the first woman judge in the institution's 33-year existence.