Four tourists from Punjab attacked in Manali

MANALI: With hundreds of tourists being threatened, beaten and outraged every year, domestic and foreign tourists are not feeling safe in Manali. According to sources, very few victims lodge a police complaint to avoid the long legal procedure hundreds of kilometers away from their homes.

In a recent case, four youths from Ropar, Punjab, were attacked with a sword by a car driver on Saturday evening. The injured have been admitted to Lady Willingdon hospital.

According to a statement by Naresh Kumar, one of the victims, he and his his friends — Sone Surinder Singh, Hem Raj, Devender Singh and Desh Raj — were staying in a hotel in Manali. "We came out of the hotel for dinner when a car with registration number HP02K-0636 almost hit us. When we asked driver to drive safely, he came out with a sword and attacked on us," he said.

Sources said there is nothing in the name of tourist safety in tourists' spots of Manali. Even adventurous games like paragliding, horse riding, skiing and snow scooter riding are organized without any appropriate safety measures. Many tourists sustain injuries but none complains against the service providers for fear of being assaulted.

A tourist from Ludhiana, Manjeet Singh, said, "Tourists are not safe here. Manali is a tourist place and security should be provided to all the tourists."

Another tourist from Delhi, Jaheer Ali Ansari, added, "We have been to Solang, Naggar and many tourist spots of Kullu-Manali but have not see any policemen around. Many people providing their services in Solang valley have no sense of talking and seem ready to assault tourists all the time."

Meanwhile, police have registered a case under Section 324 of IPC Act against the accused, who is now absconding. "We are taking the matter very seriously. The accused will not be spared at any cost," Manali deputy superintendent of police Sanjeev Chauhan said.

Immigration: Ottawa unveils new criteria for skilled worker program

OTTAWA — The points system used to decide who can immigrate to Canada is getting a makeover.

The new judging criteria for the federal skilled worker program will award more points to younger immigrants and will change the way the government looks at work experience and education.

The way points are allocated for language ability will also change.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney unveiled the new system on Wednesday after first introducing a plan for it in the government’s March budget.

“For too long, too many immigrants to Canada have experienced underemployment and unemployment, and this has been detrimental to these newcomers and to the Canadian economy,” Kenney said.

“Our transformational changes to the (skilled worker program) will help ensure that skilled newcomers are able to contribute their skills fully to the economy as soon as possible. This is good for newcomers, good for the economy, and good for all Canadians.”

APPLICATIONS ON HOLD

The government had stopped accepting new applications under the skilled worker program in July in advance of rejigging the system.

That followed a decision in the March budget to wipe out the existing backlog in the program by returning thousands of applications.

The program is expected to re-open in May when the new changes are to take effect.

There will also be a cap on the number of applications being accepted, though that number has not yet been released.

AGE RANGE SHIFTS

The points system sees would-be immigrants graded on a scale of 100, with points awarded for language ability, age, education, work experience and adaptability to Canada.

The pass mark is 67, and that won’t change under the new system.

What is being amended is the way the points are allocated and also how language and education credentials are assessed.

For example, the maximum number of points awarded under the age category was 10 and that was given to anyone between the ages of 21 and 49.

Under the new system, the maximum number of points awarded for age is 12, with 18- to 35-year-olds eligible under that category.

LANGUAGE FOCUS CHANGES

When it comes to language, the new system mandates a minimum level of language proficiency and adjusts the number of points allocated accordingly to favour those with a strong command of either English or French.

But being bilingual will have less weight, with the ability to speak a second official language given fewer points.

PROFICIENCY TEST REQUIRED

An analysis of the program changes published in August for public consultation said research has suggested that there’s no evidence indicating speaking a second official language has any bearing on positive economic outcomes for applicants.

Applicants will also have to pass a language proficiency test.

Under the education component, applicants will have their credentials assessed ahead of time to see how they compare to the Canadian system, and then points will be allocated to match.

EXPERIENCE DISCOUNTED

Meanwhile, the number of points allocated for work experience will be reduced.

“Foreign work experience is largely discounted by Canadian employers when the immigrant first enters the Canadian labour market, and it is a weak predictor of economic success,” the analysis said.

“These changes will reflect the relative value Canadian employers place on foreign work experience, and redirect points to language and age factors, which are better indicators of success in the Canadian labour market.”

THREE-PRONGED STRATEGY

The overhaul of the points system is part of a three-pronged review of the skilled worker program carried out by the government over the past two years.

The other two elements are the introduction of a new immigration stream for skilled trades and changes to the Canada Experience Class, which allows people already working or studying in Canada to get permanent residency sooner.

All three are expected to generate some $90 million in increased revenue to Canadian businesses from a system that better meets their needs, the analysis said.

NRI Bollywood: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar dies at 92 in Ca...

NRI Bollywood: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar dies at 92 in Ca...: Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar has died in a hospital in the US, aged 92. His family said he had been admitted to the Scripps Memori...

Software giant McAfee arrested in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY: Software company founder John McAfee was arrested by police in Guatemala on Wednesday for entering the country illegally, hours after he said he would seek asylum in the Central American country.
The anti-virus guru was detained at a hotel in an upscale Guatemala City neighbourhood with the help of Interpol agents and taken to an old, three-storey building used to house migrants who enter the country illegally, said Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla.
It was the latest twist in a bizarre tale that has seen McAfee refused to turn himself in to authorities in Belize, where he is a person of interest in the killing of a neighbour, then go on the lam, updating his progress on a blog and claiming to be hiding in plain sight, before secretly crossing the border into Guatemala.
“He will be in danger if he is returned to Belize, where he has denounced authorities,” said his lawyer in Guatemala, Telesforo Guerra. “His life is in danger.”
Guerra said he would ask that a judge look at McAfee’s case as soon as possible. “From them moment he asked for asylum he has to have the protection of the Guatemalan government.”
Earlier Wednesday, McAfee said he had formally requested asylum in Guatemala after entering the country from Belize, where he says he fears for his safety because he has sensitive information about official corruption and refused to donate to local politicians.
“Yes, we are presenting this, and I want it to be clear, because of the persecution, not because of the murder,” he told the AP about his asylum bid.
The police in Belize deny they are persecuting McAfee and say there is no warrant for his arrest. The country’s prime minister has even questioned McAfee’s mental state. Since there are no restrictions on his travels, it’s unclear why McAfee would need any special status in order to stay in Guatemala.
The 67-year-old went on the run last month after officials tried to question him about the killing of Gregory Viant Faull, who was shot to death in early November on the Belize island where both men lived.

IK Gujral, the former Prime Minister of India passed away on Friday

Govt. declares 7-day mourning on IK Gujral's death, cremation today at 3 pm

Former Prime Minister I K Gujral, who headed a rickety coalition government in the late 1990s, died on Friday after a brief illness.

Gujral, 92, breathed his last at 3.27 PM in a private hospital after a multi-organ failure. He was admitted to the hospital on November 19 with a lung infection, family sources said.
The former Prime Minister, who was ventilator support, had been unwell for sometime. He was on dialysis for over a year and suffered a serious chest infection some days ago.

He will be cremated in nearby Delhi tomorrow.

IK Gujral with Chandrashekhar and the then Delhi Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj in May 1998.

Gujral, who migrated from Pakistan after partition, rose to become the Prime Minister with a big slice of luck after he came up through the ranks - starting as Vice President in NDMC in the '50s to later become a Union Minister and then India's Ambassador to the USSR.

Gujral, an intellectual who propounded the 'Gujral Doctrine' of five principles for maintaining good neighbourly relations, left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late-1980s.

He became Minister of External Affairs in the V P Singh-led National Front government in 1989. As the External Affairs Minister he handled the fallout of the Kuwait crisis following Iraqi invasion that displaced thousands of Indians.

Gujral had a second stint as External Affairs Minister in the United Front government under H D Deve Gowda, whom he later replaced as Prime Minister after the Congress withdrew support in the summer of 1997.

He emerged as the consensus candidate after serious differences developed among the UF leaders including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh and others as to who will become the Prime Minister.

It was another matter that his government survived only for a few months as Congress again became restive in the wake of Jain Commission report on Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

Born on December 4, 1919 in Jhelum town now in Pakistan, Gujral belonged to a family of freedom fighters and had actively participated in the freedom struggle at a young age and was jailed in 1942 during the Quit India Movement.

Educated at DAV College, Haily College of Commerce and Forman Christian College, Lahore (now in Pakistan), Gujral took active part in student politics.

He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in April 1964 and was considered part of the 'coterie' that helped Indira Gandhi become Prime Minister in 1966.

He was the Information and Broadcasting Minister when Emergency was imposed (on June 25, 1975), which brought in arbitrary press censorship, but was soon removed.

Gujral was a Rajya Sabha Member twice between 1964 and 1976, a member of the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 1991. With Lalu Prasad's help, he became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1992 after his election from Patna Lok Sabha constituency was countermanded.

He was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 1998 from Jalandhar in Punjab as an independent with help from Akali Dal.

A controversial decision of his government was its recommendation for President's rule in Uttar Pradesh in 1997, which the then President K R Narayanan refused to sign and sent it back to the government for reconsideration.

His wife, Sheila, who died in 2011, was a poet and author and his brother Satish Gujral is a prominent painter and architect. He leaves behind two sons, one of whom Naresh Gujral is a Rajya Sabha MP and now an Akali Dal leader.

Aam Aadmi Party launched

New Delhi, November 26
The latest entrant on Indian political scene, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was formally launched today in the presence of thousands of supporters amid voluntary donations and offers of premises for party offices by newly-inducted members.

Kejriwal was accorded traditional felicitations by supporters from across India, a siropa and kirpan from Punjab, a Jaapi (traditional Assamese headgear) and a folk dance from Karnataka at the first public rally at the Sansad Marg here.

The venue with an impressive turnout of people from all walks of life reverberated with slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and fluttering Tricolours. Kejriwal declared the party “result of struggle against corruption”. He administered four oaths to his supporters -- I will never give or take bribe; I will never sell my vote for a liquor bottle, money or saree; I will exercise my franchise in every election and I will not vote according to my caste or religion.

As speaker after speaker forwarded support to the newly found party, Kejriwal’s colleague Kumar Vishwas kept the rally alive with references to corporate connections and Swiss bank accounts of other parties vis-à-vis AAP’s dependence of public support. Allegations were also made by some AAP members of the government’s “gag orders” on media against the coverage of the rally.

Kejriwal, Pankaj Gupta and Krishna Kanth were appointed as the national convener, the national secretary and the national treasurer of the AAP, respectively. The constitution of the new party was released by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, while Manish Sisodia declared the name of the party and announced the names of the other 23 members of the national executive body, which includes Sisodia along with Prashant Bhushan, Dinesh Waghela, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai and Vishwas.

Kejriwal said he would tour the country for the next year to "expose" the Congress and the BJP while trying to convince people why they should support his outfit.

Dehradun: Travel

DEHRADUN
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Dehradun, also known as the 'Abode of Drona' is the capital of newly created state of Uttaranchal or Uttarakhand. Set amidst the Great Indian Himalayan ranges, the charming city of Dehradun attracts thousands of tourists from Indian and abroad as well. Situated in north-west corner of the state, Dehradun is bounded on the north and north-west by Uttarkashi district, on the east by Tehri Garhwal and Pauri-Garhwal districts and in the south by Saharnpur district (Uttar Pradesh).

One of the oldest cities of India, Dehradun had been mentioned in Ashoka's inscriptions that dates back to 250 BC, which you can even today find outside the city. Dehradun remained an important centre for Garhwal rulers later the British captured the area and developed it as a hill station. Apart from a hill resort, Dehradun is also the headquarters of several National Institutes and Organizations such as ONGC, Forest Research Institute, Survey of India etc. Dehradun is home to some of India's noted educational and training institutes like Indian Military Academy, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) etc.

Whether you are an adventure seeker, a common traveller or looking for a spiritual vacation, Dehradun offers everything according to your choice. So, visit the beautiful hill station of Dehradun this vacation to surrender yourself completely to mother nature and enjoy a holiday of lifetime.

POPULAR PLACE

Tapowan
Tapowan is located 5 kms away from the city bus stand on the Dehradun - Rajpur Road. Set amidst the beautiful natural surroundings, this place has an interesting legend linked to Guru Dronacharya.

Tapkeshawar Shiv Temple
Situated in the Garhi Cantt. area, Tapkeshawar Temple is an ancient place of worship. Just 5.5. kms away from city bus stand, the temple is easily accessible by road. Large number of people visit the temple during the occasion of Shivratri to participate in the fair and pay their obeisance to the presiding deity.

Chandrabani
A famous temple, Chadrabani Temple (Gautam Kund) is situated at a distance of 7 kms from Dehradun on the Dehradun - Delhi road. Legend has it that this place was inhabited by Maharishi Gautam, his wife and daughter who are even today worshipped by the people. Every year thousands of devotees visit this temple to take a holy dip in the Kund.

Indian Military Academy
Indian Military Academy is situated at a distance of 8 kms from the city centre on Dehradun-Chakrata Road. A premier training institute for Army Officer, the Indian Military Academy is functional from 1st October 1932. Main tourist attractions include War Memorial, Museum, Library. Shooting Demonstration Room, 18 holes Golf Course and Arms and ammunition.

Tibetan Temple (Buddha Temple)
Just adjacent to the Sai Darbar Temple is the Tibetan Temple. Dedicated to Lord Buddha this temple is also visited by tourists and locals in large number.

Robber's Cave (Guchhupani)
Located 8 kms away from the bus terminal, the Robber's Cave is a perfect picnic spot. To visit this place you have to take local bus up to Anarwala village, from where a trek of one kilometre will take you to this spot.

Malsi Deer Park
Just 10 kms away from Dehradun, Malsi Deer Park is a beautifully developed mini-zoological park. Set at the foothills of the Shivalik range, Malsi Deer Park also has a children's park flanked by splendid natural surroundings.

Sai Darbar Temple
Sai Darbar Temple is located 8 kms away from the town along the Clock Tower on Rajpur Road. Due to high cultural and spiritual importance, Sai Darbar attracts large number of tourists from India and the world as well.

Sahastradhara
A major tourist attraction, Sahastradhara is located 11 kms away from Dehradun. Sahastradhara is an ideal picnic spot and it is thronged by people in large number. The waterfall at Sahastradhara is 9 mts high, the river Baldi and caves provide it a spectacular view. The Sulphur spring is another attraction here, people believe that the water of the spring possess medicinal properties and cure skin infections.

Laxman Siddh
Laxman Siddh is a popular temple which lies 12 kms away from Dehradun. According to a legend a sage underwent penance over the temple site. Large number of people visit this temple, especially on Sundays.

Santala Devi Temple
A popular tourist destination, Santala Devi Temple is situated at a distance of 15 kms from Dehradun. You can take a bus till Jaitunwala, then take a jeep drive to Punjabiwala, from where you have to take a trek of 2 kms to reach the temple. Santala Devi Temple is a place of religious and cultural significance and it draws people from far and near.

Forest Research Institute
One of the biggest forest based training institute in India, Forest Research Institute is located 7 kms away from Clock Tower on the Dehradun-Chakrata road. Established in the year 1906, the Forest Research Institute is one of the oldest institute of its kind and highly acclaimed all over the world. Situated in a lush green estate of over 450 hactres, the Forest Research Institute houses a Botanical Museum for the tourists.

How to Reach

By Air
Dehradun has its own domestic airport, Jolly Grant Airport which is 25 kms away from the city centre. Flights are available to and from Delhi airport, which is the nearest international airport. Delhi airport has flights from major Indian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai etc and foreign countries.

By Train
Dehradun railway station in the main railhead which has trains from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. A number of important trains also connect Dehradun with Varanasi, Lucknow and Mussoorie. If you are visiting Dehradun from Delhi then Shatabdi Express is the best option for you, other good option is the Mussorie Express.

By Bus
National Highways, State Highways and good motorable roads connect Dehradun with rest of the country. Regular buses ply to Dehradun from Delhi and other important cities of Uttaranchal. Distances of few major cities from Dehradun are Delhi (235 km), Agra (381 km), Jaipur (493 km) and Lucknow (582 km).

Kasab executed at Pune's Yerwada jail after President rejects mercy petition

Pune 21 November, 2012 - Ajmal Kasab was hanged at Yerwada jail in Pune at 7.30am on Wednesday after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition, according to reports. President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday rejected the mercy petition filed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, according  to reports.

The decision came two months after the Home ministry rejected Kasab's mercy petition addressed to the President. Venu Rajamony, press secretary of the president confirmed the decision.

Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's recommendation to the President was in line with the recommendation of Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayan and the no-mercy-for-terrorists principle laid down by his predecessor P Chidambaram.
Ajmal Kasab and nine fellow Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had sailed into Mumbai on November 26, 2008 from Karachi and gone on a shooting spree that killed 166 people. Kasab was the only one captured alive by security forces.

Fearing defeat, Sheila delaying DSGMC poll: Badal

Jalandhar/Chandigarh, November 18
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today hit back at his Delhi counterpart Sheila Dixit saying that she was deliberately delaying elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC). Talking to newsmen at Khiala village near Jalandhar, Badal accused the Delhi Chief Minister of helping DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna whose defeat in the next DSGMC poll was inevitable. He said that as it would have an impact on the Delhi Assembly elections, Sheila wanted to delay elections to the Sikh institution. In a separate statement, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) took a strong note of the remarks of the Delhi Chief Minister asking her Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal to “keep off Delhi gurdwara affairs”. The SAD described her reaction as irrational and indicative of the fact that Dixit was not aware of the history of the DSGMC. The SAD said that it was strange that the Congress leader was asking the founding fathers of the DSGMC to become mute spectators to the denigration of the management committee responsible for the maintenance of historic Sikh shrines in the national capital. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Will someone please go and tell her that Sikh affairs are very much a business of the Sikhs, and of the Sikhs alone, and that she or her government should stay away from the internal religious matters of the Sikh community. “Let her instead use her position to ensure better law and order in Delhi. By openly talking about an issue which concerns our shrines, Dixit has only confirmed Parkash Singh Badal’s observation that the Congress government in Delhi is indeed interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs,” he said.
Party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema reminded the Congress leader that it was in 1970 that the then SAD president Sant Fateh Singh led a ‘morcha’ in Delhi demanding a similar democratic body on the pattern of the SGPC for the management of Sikh shrines in Delhi.
“Parkash Singh Badal, all his senior colleagues and 16,000 other SAD leaders and workers went to jail in this morcha,” added Cheema.
“So the present DSGMC came into being in 1971 as a result of the sacrifices made by the Sant Fateh Singh, Parkash Singh Badal and other SAD workers,” he said.

NRI’s energy drink under lens for 13 deaths in US

WASHINGTON: A high-caffeine energy drink which has propelled an Indian-American businessman to the billionaire's club — and arguably to the top of the wealthiest NRIs in America list — is under scrutiny after being cited in 13 deaths over the last four years.
Lucknow-born Manoj Bhargava, whose "5-hour Energy" drink has a cult following in the US, particular among truckers, traders, party hoppers, students and other late-night types, is at the centre of Federal Drug Administration (FDA) filings examining links between energy drinks and serious fatalities such as convulsions and heart attacks.

Since 2009, 5-Hour Energy has been mentioned in some 90 FDA filings, according to media reports, which add that the filing of an incident report with FDA does not necessarily mean that a product was responsible for a death or an injury or contributed in any way to it.

Still, the filings have invited scrutiny of the multi-billion dollar energy booster market in which Bhargava's 5-hour Energy, introduced in 2004, got a head start and has never looked back even as other industry giants have tried to catch up. A Forbes magazine article earlier this year said that Bhargava may be the wealthiest Indian in America, and some estimate put his net worth at $4 billion.

Bhargava moved to the US with his parents as a teen and grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, as his father pursued a post-graduate degree at Wharton. A math whiz, Bhargava Jr enrolled at Princeton but dropped out in his freshman year, returning to India in search of a spiritual education and living as a monk and mendicant in ashrams across India. He took on a variety of jobs, working as a construction labourer, cleaning contractor, accounting clerk, taxi driver, printing press operator and business manager, before starting a plastics raw material company in 1990 called Prime Conduit which he grew to $20 million in sales and then sold it to a private equity firm.

Early last decade, Bhargava founded the consumer products company Living Essentials, and in 2004, introduced 5-hour Energy, a caffeinated and vitaminized energy booster that he developed. Sold in two-ounce shots in stores across US, the drink became a monster hit, racking up a billion dollars in sales within seven years.

In that time, new competitors, including other established beverage giants, have tried to muscle in on the market with similar drinks (and arresting names such as Monster, Full Throttle, Relentless, Semtex etc). Bhargava has fended them off with aggressive tactics, suing imitators such as 6-Hour Power and 8-Hour for trademark infringement. Meantime, the industry itself has been under scrutiny for misstatements about the ingredients and overstating claims about its effectiveness and benefits.

At a personal level though, Bhargava has earned a reputation as a philanthropist, signing up with Bill Gates-led Giving Pledge by billionaires to donate 50% of their wealth. A minimalist who does not believe in excessive personal consumption, he plans to offload as much as $1 billion in charity in India over the next decade through a non-profit foundation he has established.

For now though, his energies are being consumed by the FDA scrutiny of the product that brought him the billions

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray passes away; funeral on Sunday

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, who was critically ill for the past few days, passed away at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra today.

He was 86. "He had suffered a cardiac arrest. We could not revive him despite our best efforts. He breathed his last at around 3.30pm," Dr Jalil Parkar, who treated the Sena supremo, told reporters after emerging from Thackeray residence this evening.

Thackeray had been suffering from respiratory problems and pancreatic disease. He is survived by sons Jaidev and Uddhav, who is the Executive President of the party.

Senior party leaders and Bal Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray along with family and other political leaders rushed to Matoshree.

Meanwhile, security has been stepped up in the metropolis in the wake of Thackeray's death. The police also made the mediapersons move to a distance from Matoshree.


Earlier, senior Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi had said: "We cannot say that he is recovering fast. It is a slow recovery, but he is slightly better now."

Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna' today said that "Thackeray is recovering and there is no need to worry. Our warrior is fighting.

Media persons and Sena workers stationed outside 'Matoshree' realized around 4 pm that there was some development as several senior leaders from Sena, BJP and other parties started arriving and police were seen to have become more alert.

As the speculation rose, Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Raut, Diwakar Raote accompanied by Dr Jalil Parkar, who had been treating Thackeray for the last three years, came out around 5 pm to announce Thackeray's demise.

On hearing the news, a frenzied mob of Shiv sainiks tried to enter Matoshree by raising slogans "Bal Thackeray Amar Rahe' while police tried to prevent them from going inside and enhanced security allover.

Many of them in the crowd broke down on hearing the news about their leader's death.

Thackeray's health kept fluctuating since last few days with his son and party executive president Uddhav Thackeray appealing to Sainiks "to maintain calm and pray for his father" on Thursday night.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Thackeray was being treated by doctors from Lilavati Hospital — Jaleel Parkar, Prakash Jindani and Samad Ansari - with assistance from Sena MLA Dr Deepak Sawant. No medical bulletin was issued, but Sena leaders briefed the media daily.

The condition of the 86-year-old Sena patriarch worsened on Wednesday night when he had to be put on life support. He was taken off life support later after showing signs of improvement.

Liquor baron Ponty Chadha and brother killed in shooting at farmhouse in south Delhi

NEW DELHI: Liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother, Hardeep, were shot dead on Saturday allegedly by each other in a crossfire during a meeting which was held at their farmhouse in Mehrauli in south Delhi to sort their ongoing property dispute.

The incident was reported around 1pm when gunshots rang at Chadha's sprawling farmhouse. Sources said the meeting began peacefully but soon an argument ensued between them. The argument turned nasty after both brothers whipped out guns and so did their supporters which were with them, said a senior police officer.

Soon, they opened fire in which bullets hit both brothers in the chest area.

There were conflicting reports about the firing. Some of the witnesses told cops that Hardeep whipped out a gun after which Ponty's security guards opened fire even as Hardeep fired too. Senior cops however said it was too early to say anything as the statements had to be recorded, verified and cross-checked to ascertain the exact sequence of events.

As per witnesses, guards tried to intervene but they also suffered injuries in the incident.

Both the brothers were rushed to the hospital where they were declared dead after initial attempts to revive them failed.

Police were informed around 1.10pm and soon senior officers rushed to the spot.

The crime and FSL team rushed to the scene of crime and lifted finger prints and other evidence. Empty cartridges have been recovered and the cops are trying to ascertain the weapons used in the firing.

Investigation is in progress and a case under appropriate sections is being registered.

Gaurang Kanth, Hardeep Chadha's lawyer, in a statement said, "There was a dispute over the property after their father's demise. I don't know how to react as I spoke to Hardeep at 12.15pm where we discussed about the dispute. He told me he was anticipating he will lose control over some of the properties which were over his control."

The police is questioning the security guards and several people including the ones working at the farmhouse have been detained for questioning.

The cops will recreate the scene of crime to ascertain the exact sequence of events and to determine who fired at whom first.

Hospital sources said Ponty Chadha may have sustained at least 10-12 bullets while his brother is suspected to have been shot at least four times. Exact details will be ascertained in the post mortem.
Chadha's business empire constitutes distilleries, multiplexes, sugar and paper mills, real estate, poultry and films. He was producer of the Sunny Deol starrer Jo Bole So Nihaal.

He is one of the prominent names in liquor business in Uttar Pradesh and was granted the sole distributorship for liquor under the Mayawati regime.

Punjab to acquire 12,500 acres in Patiala district

Patiala, October 30
With a view to develop industry and boost the manufacturing sector, the Central government and the Punjab government along with private investors will acquire 12,500 acres of land in 33 villages of Ghanaur and Rajpura tehsil, to set up a National Manufacturing and Investment Zone.
Since 1980, manufacturing in India has only contributed 15 to 16 per cent to our GDP growth whereas in other Asian countries, it has been around 25 to 35 per cent. The government is looking to set up these zones with a view to boost the manufacturing sector and bring its share in the GDP up to around 25 per cent in the next ten years.
General Manager of District Industrial Centre Harjinder Singh Pannu said they had already sent a report to Chandigarh in this regard. “We held meetings with village residents to find out what they thought about the project. Villagers seem to have no objections to it. Their only concern is that they should get good compensation for their land and that the government should ensure their rehabilitation. They have sought jobs from the government once the zone was developed. The land would be acquired only after their consent,” he said.
Asked why the government chose this particular area in Patiala district, he said the area had good connectivity, which was a must for the development of industry. The airport is nearby and the area is very close to the GT road, he added.
Meanwhile, residents of as many as 33 villages of Ghanaur had decided to formulate a committee to protect the interests of the people. The villagers refused to divulge anymore information on the subject.
Project details Govt to set up a National Manufacturing and Investment Zone
Since 1980, manufacturing in India has only contributed 15 to 16 per cent to our GDP growth
Step taken to bring the contribution of manufacturing to around 25 per cent in the next ten years
Residents of 33 villages of Ghanaur to formulate a committee to protect the interests of the people

Ex-Barnala MLA Malkit Keetu shot dead

Monday, October, 29 2012 - 08:31

SANGRUR: Ex Barnala MLA Malkit Singh Keetu has been shot dead allegedly by his nephew Harpreet Singh. The incident took place around 9 am on Monday morning after the two had some altercation.

Keetu was a prominent Akali leader and an MLA from Barnala. He was also the president of the Punjab Truck Union. Although various factions of the truck union have fierce rivalry among themselves, police have ruled out that angle to the murder.

Hapreet is believed to have been inclined towards Congress while Keetu was a staunch Akali. The two are said to have had an altercation over their respective political affiliations. Further details are awaited.

Immigration: Canada should follow U.S. lead in locking up its borders

It is a truism that we all (except for a statistically insignificant Native American segment) are immigrants. Whether our families came here centuries ago or just deplaned at Pearson International Airport, we are "immigrants." Somehow that sociological irrelevancy is supposed to make citizens more understanding of those seeking to live in our country, regardless of how they got here. We are the fortunate — just lucky to have beaten the rush and consequently should be humble over our sanguine circumstances and more respectful of the "rights" of those arriving without benefit of hidebound visa bureaucracies.
Sorry about that.
What is it that dewy-eyed human comfort stations don't understand about illegal?  That is I-L-L-E-G-A-L, as in having no right to be here — Having broken the law by their presence and having no respect for the designated procedures and regulations of the country whose bounties they seek to receive.  They are trespassers, queue jumpers, and by definition criminals.
The very first requirement for a nation state is to secure its borders.  This is not the 18^th century when unfettered wanderers could blithely cross the North American continent.  Effective border control is the essence for addressing the immigrant issue.  Hence, efforts — that could be much stronger — across the U.S. southern border are imperative not just to thwart economic migrants but more importantly to combat massive drug smuggling. There should be comparable concern in Canada. Having a border sufficiently porous to permit terrorists to enter Canada and then slip/side into the United States benefits neither country. The U.S.-Canada border is no longer a wink-and-a-nod transit zone, but it is still far from secure with illegal drugs and weapons moving south and north respectively.

Nor should Canadians be dismissive about the 12 million (but who's counting?)  illegals in the United States. Were there to be a comparable number, say 1.2 million, in Canada, one expects that Ottawa would not be amused. It is an immense problem in every dimension that has virtually paralyzed California's finances by attempting to provide social services for these illegals.
We need to set aside the anguished cases of illegal immigrant parents facing separation from legal citizens. We need to ignore these "oh so sad" stories of small child-with-life-threatening-illness used as anchors to rationalize permitting parents to stay. Just who asked these individuals to enter our country illegally? And then to have children?
The only "right" those arriving illegally should have is to be taken to the border humanely and returned to their countries of origin.
Indeed, it is very hard to find diplomats that have issued visas who sympathize with "illegals." They have seen the patient efforts of foreign citizens working through the regulations, adhering to mandated requirements, taking medical exams and language tests, and waiting/waiting/waiting for their opportunity to arrive. Every illegal immigrant has done the equivalent of giving a "Trudeau salute" while sneering "Sucker!" to those that have played by the rules. If for no other reason than keeping the faith with legal immigrants, we must be punctilious about finding and expelling illegal immigrants.
It is absurd that the United State should have a "wet foot; dry foot" rule permitting any illegal boater-rafter that reaches dry land to stay. It is absurd that any individual reaching a Canadian customs post can claim refugee status — and accorded government subsidies while the claim is processed — an effort often taking years.
But we need to be honest.  The immigration dilemma didn't explode overnight.  For a generation there has been a silent conspiracy between Republicans that wanted cheap labor for farms and industry and Democrats that wanted these individuals unionized so eventually they would become voters.  But it is a canard that if there were no illegals, economies would grind to a stop.  With over 8 percent official unemployment, there are individuals that can do the "jobs that citizens won't take."  You either pay to get these jobs done; if they are important enough to do, money will be found to do them.  Or if they are not done, so what?  Every California lawn doesn't need its own manicurist.  Every middle-class working woman doesn't need a nanny/housekeeper.  And real labor shortages will prompt greater efficiencies and technological innovation.
Such an approach hardly implies "shutting the door."  But immigrants are a distinct societal expense, and should be accepted only to the degree that they benefit our economies.  It is a rare privilege to gain access to a first world, human rights respecting democracy.  We should not hesitate to limit access strictly.

Read also: New citizens improve Canada and benefit the economy

Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal demands drought relief package

Chandigarh, October 19

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said if Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi really loved Punjab, he should "force" the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister to release the central package promised to the state.

He was apparently referring to the assurance given by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that the Centre would sympathetically consider giving relief to Punjab farmers for the extra cost borne by them to raise their paddy in near-drought conditions.

Addressing a press conference here, along with ministers Bikram Majithia, Sikander Singh Maluka and Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Sukhbir said a high-powered team led by Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had visited the state and promised a package for the loss suffered by the farmers which had been calculated at Rs 5,112 crore.

Sukhbir said the SAD would raise the issue in the winter session of Parliament and urged Punjab Congress MPs to express their feelings on the issue to the party high command "if they have the guts."

Asked whether the Agriculture Minister had told the state that it would no longer need its paddy, he said this might be the case but the Centre should not be a fair weather friend. " "Only two years back the Centre had expressed its gratitude to Punjab for filling the national coffers in time of drought."

Sukhbir said the Punjab farmer needed money for diversification which could only happen gradually. He said the Centre could support the state farmers by giving them minimum support price (MSP) for alternative crops.

FARIDKOT ABDUCTION CASE

Sukhbir promises action against erring officers
Chandigarh, October 19

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the government would take stern action against police officers who had shown laxity in the Shruti abduction case even as he accused the Congress of giving a political hue to the abduction case.

The Deputy CM was talking to mediapersons here. He was accompanied by state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini. He claimed that he was closely monitoring the case and that the main accused, Nishan Singh, would be arrested “at any cost”.

He said the Home Department was examining the conduct of officers involved in the investigation and that action would be taken against anyone found to have committed lapses.

Saini admitted that there had been laxity in the investigation in the initial stage. He said two police officers (then Deputy Inspector-General Paramraj Singh Umranangal and Senior Superintendent of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon) had been transferred for their lack of sensitivity in handling the case involving a minor.

“We have received directions from the government to be sympathetic to the girl and her parents”, he said, indicating there was no pressure on the police to help the accused as claimed by the Congress.

Sukhbir said his government was fighting a war against drugs and had put peddlers on the backfoot with record seizures in the last six months. He said the survey quoted by Rahul was conducted in 2006 when Capt Amarinder Singh was Chief Minister. Moreover, it was a sample survey of drug addicts and 70 per cent were young boys and girls.

The Deputy CM said for the first time, he had appointed an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) as head of the anti-narcotics cell. Similarly, a special operations cell had been opened in Amritsar which had the authority to check narcotic activities all over the state.

He said drugs, including heroin and smack, had been seized in large quantities and his government had urged the Congress-led Rajasthan Government to stop the open sale of poppy husk.

Reward for info on key accused

Chandigarh: Sukhbir Badal has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone facilitating the arrest of Nishan Singh, the main accused in the Shruti abduction case. Nishan Singh,19, is at large. Search teams have been sent to Rajasthan and Nepal to track him down.

The Deputy Chief Minister has also directed the authorities to attach the properties of Nishan Singh's family. 

Hijack scare as AI pilot presses the panic button

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19
The woman pilot of an Abu Dhabi-Kochi Air India flight set off the hijack alarm in panic after agitated passengers allegedly stormed the cockpit here today. Six passengers were detained for questioning.

Passengers of Air India Express flight 4422 entered into a heated argument with the pilot after it was diverted to the capital due to poor visibility at Kochi, causing a delay by nearly nine hours, airport sources said.

Some passengers forced their way into the cockpit at which the pilot pressed the alarm button, setting off a flurry of activity with airport security personnel surrounding the plane with 200 passengers on board, airport officials said.

Six passengers were detained and questioned by CISF personnel when the plane landed at Kochi. They were later let off. The passengers were questioned after Commander Rupali Waghmare complained that some passengers had barged into the cockpit and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not take the flight to Kochi.

The flight landed in Kochi with a new crew. The co-pilot, who travelled to Kochi as a passenger, identified the six and they were questioned. The police said no FIR was registered.

Passengers claimed that they were treated badly and asked to leave by road to Kochi. This infuriated them and they refused to disembark at Thiruvananthapuram.

“When we protested, attempts were made to foist false cases on us,” one of the passengers said.

Tanya, another passenger, said it was a “terrible situation as there were a lot of women and children on board. We were not given food.”

Mystery Of William Coyman's Death On Train Platform, And $180,000 Bag Of Cash Solved

NEW YORK -- The mystery began when a Boston ex-con dropped dead on a New York train platform with a backpack stuffed with $180,000.

It has ended with the government getting most of the money.

The former bank robber-turned-aspiring-movie producer who tried to claim it is back to prison.

And the source of the money? Prosecutors won't comment, but a defense attorney and a Philadelphia entertainment promoter say it was connected to a failed concert deal.

The 75-year-old bagman was William Coyman, a longtime resident of Boston's Charlestown section who had been a fixture at a union local once known for organized crime ties and for shaking down movie producers in New England. He died of a heart attack in New York City.

Just what Coyman was doing with so much cash was unclear. His family told investigators he had been delivering the money for a company called 180 Entertainment, which listed a Philadelphia home as its business address.

Federal prosecutors went to court in February and asked to keep the money, saying they suspected it was related to narcotics trafficking. They had little hard evidence, except that a drug-sniffing dog had detected something in Coyman's luggage. But they cited Coyman's decades-long criminal record, which included prison time for a department store heist.

Another Charlestown native and ex-con, Joseph Burke, filed legal papers claiming the cash.

Now 48, Burke went to prison in 1988 after admitting to sticking up at least 18 banks and armored cars in several states. He got more time tacked onto his sentence when he was caught trying to organize a cocaine ring from behind bars. He was finally released on a combination of probation and parole in 2010.

When The Associated Press first wrote about Coyman and his mysterious $180,000 package in May, Burke's lawyer declined to tell the AP what the cash was for or where it was headed.

He also wouldn't discuss 180 Entertainment. But public records show that the company's business address was a house owned by a friend of Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the onetime boss of the Philadelphia Mafia. Merlino and Burke were incarcerated together at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., in 2009 and 2010.

Last month, a federal court in New York approved a settlement in which Burke agreed to forfeit $143,984 of the money found on Coyman. He got to keep the remaining $35,996. Federal prosecutors in New York declined to comment on the settlement.

No criminal charges were filed in connection with the cash, but Burke was sentenced to eight months in jail for violating the terms of his probation.

His offense: In March, Burke flew to Europe to meet with another old prison buddy, Zvonko Busic, a Croatian nationalist who served 32 years for hijacking a jet and planting a bomb that killed a New York City police officer.

In a brief interview with the AP last week, Burke's lawyer, Steven DiLibero, insisted there was nothing nefarious about his client's visit to the former terrorist, now 66. The men had simply become close friends in prison.

Burke and Busic were both in the federal prison in Lewisburg, Pa., from 1989 to 1995, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. They also spent time together at the prison in Terre Haute from 2007 to 2008, when Busic was paroled.

A more complete explanation of the trip came from Burke's partner in 180 Entertainment, Anthony Fedele.

Fedele, a former business associate of the late Philadelphia music producer Stephen Epstein, told the AP in a phone interview Tuesday that he was interested in transitioning into the movie business, and had gotten interested in Burke after hearing about him from Merlino, a longtime friend.

The two talked. Fedele was impressed. They decided to make movies together and thought that Busic would make a good film subject.

"This guy has a great story. And it would be a great story to get out there," Fedele said. "It has love, romance, tragedy, triumph, you name it."

In 1976, Busic, his American-born wife and two accomplices seized a TWA jet leaving New York and ordered it to fly to Paris in an attempt to draw attention to Croatian nationalists who wanted independence from communist Yugoslavia.

The hijackers used fake dynamite to take the jet, but the group also had put a live explosive in a locker in Grand Central Terminal. The device later detonated accidentally while police officers were examining it at bomb squad facility in the Bronx, killing a police officer.

Fedele said Burke had persuaded Busic to give them the film rights to his story.

Unfortunately, the ex-con never cleared the trip with his probation officer. The investigation into Coyman's death caused additional complications.

As for the $180,000 in cash, Fedele insisted it was not drug money and didn't have anything to do with organized crime or with Merlino.

Burke had been working on a concert-promotion deal, but it had fallen through, and he was trying to return the cash to a North Carolina business associate, said Fedele and DiLibero, Burke's lawyer.

Why didn't Burke just send a check?

"He went to jail when he was 23, so, his process is ... He does things the way he would have done them back then," Fedele said. "Joe has a primitive way of thinking."

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said Burke's projected release date is December. Fedele said he still hopes to find a producer willing to make an independent film about Busic, although he acknowledged that any movie about a protagonist responsible for the death of a police officer is a challenge.

"There are some sensitive things. I'm figuring it out," he said.

As for Burke, Fedele said, "He's going to be out in a few weeks, and we're going to get back to work."

Maruti Alto 800 wait gets over; ready to hit the road today

New Delhi: India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to regain lost ground in the small car segment with the launch of a completely new version of its erstwhile best-selling model Alto on Tuesday.

The new version, called as 'Maruti Alto 800', is likely to be priced at around 2.5-3 lakh, allowing it to compete with Tata Nano and Hyundai EON.

The company will launch the all-new Alto 800 on Tuesday (October 16) and is set to replace the existing Alto as the company seeks to overcome tough market conditions, especially high petrol price and interest rates that have hurt small cars sales.

It is also offering CNG option in the new Alto 800.

The company is banking on Alto 800's improved fuel efficiency of 22.74 kmpl, which is 15 percent higher than the previous model, to be one of the key factors to create customer pull, apart from its new design and other features like improved gear shift and more leg room for rear passengers.

Let’s have a look at some of the interesting facts about new Maruti Alto 800.

-Car Variant: The car will come in six variants — three in CNG and three in Petrol.

-Mileage: Petrol variant is expected to give a mileage of approximately 23 kilometre per litre while the CNG version will give a mileage of around approximately 31 kilometre per litre.

-Interiors: Fashionable and trendy, the car is likely to sport stylish headlamps, better headroom and legroom.

-Colours: The car will come in six vibrant colours.

-Price: The petrol version is likely to be priced between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh while the CNG version will be priced between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh.

Sales of the Alto have declined 34.83 percent in the April-August period to 89,000 units as compared to 1.22 lakh units in the year-ago period. The model has been MSI's best selling model for many years until Swift overtook it earlier this year.

Last year, the company had sold 3.08 lakh units of Alto and the year before it stood at 3.4 lakh units.

Hit by the declining sales of its smaller cars, specially Alto, MSI's share had gone down below 40 percent in the Indian passenger vehicles market which stood at 10,49,961 units in the April-August period this fiscal.

Launched in 2001, the Alto sold a total of 20 lakh units in the domestic market and exported another 2.47 lakh units.

MSI and its vendors have spent Rs 470 crore in developing the new Alto 800, which is based on the platform of the previous model.

Italy's secret anti-mob weapon

ROME (AP) — A woman who dares to cooperate with police in the fight against a dreaded Italian mob network is murdered, her body dumped in a barrel of acid in the countryside near Milan. Her 17-year-old daughter steps forward and testifies, helping to send six people to prison for life.

The lurid 2009 murder and the court verdict delivered in April gave a rare peek into Italy's secretive witness protection program, which marked its 20th anniversary this year and is considered Italy's single most important window into the secretive world of organized crime. Hundreds of mobsters have been given new identities in exchange for information that helped put longtime fugitive leaders behind bars, including the "boss of bosses" Salvatore Riina.

The use of insiders has combined with the seizure of mob assets to help Italy achieve a once unattainable goal: crippling the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. "It has advanced immensely the fight against organized crime," said Felia Allum, a British academic who studies organized crime.

Italy's famed anti-Mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino had fought in the 1980s to establish the two anti-mob weapons, arguing that criminals needed some incentive to step forward and turn state's evidence. They were killed by mob bombs within two months of one another in 1992, but not before they'd laid the foundations for a crime-fighting system that has largely tamed, if not defeated, the Mafia.

Living under state protection does take exact a heavy toll on witnesses. A major problem is that most mobsters in the program are from Italy's underdeveloped south, and they are generally exiled to what they see as a hostile environment in the prosperous north, because it's easier to hide them there. There have been suicides. Some return to crime when their collaboration with the state comes to an end.

"They are given a new identity and a lump sum of money to start their new life but they are not helped as much as they should be to reintegrate back into society," said Allum. The dead woman in the 2009 murder, 36-year-old Lea Garofalo, had left the government program "feeling uneasy" about her protection, her lawyer Vincenza Rando said, adding that she was subjected to unwanted sexual advances from her police guards. "She didn't feel well protected and risked it on her own."

Garofalo's daughter Denise felt that her mother's decision had cost her life, so she decided to put her trust in the program. She was the key witness in the trial and now lives with a new identity in an undisclosed location. The contrasting fates of mother and daughter underscore how critical it is for witnesses in mob cases to obtain new identities. Without one, experts say, turncoats like Lea Garofalo become sitting ducks for inevitable revenge killings.

Denise Garofalo is one of nearly 4,700 people in the program -- about 1,000 so-called "collaborators" who have turned state's evidence and the rest family members, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press on figures up to 2010. It is believed to be the second largest program after that of the United States. Most have been witnesses in cases against the Sicilian Mafia, the Neapolitan Camorra and the Calabrian 'ndrangheta --the crime syndicate in the Garofalo case.

Prosecutors say that no one who has followed the protection rules has been harmed. Those who stray do so at their own peril, like the son of a Camorra boss who returned to his hometown and was slain. Changing immigration patterns and the spread of international terrorism have led authorities to open the program to eastern Europeans, North Africans and several other nationalities, according to the Interior Ministry report to parliament.

Lazhar Ben Mohamed Tlil, a Tunisian who became an Islamic militant and was trained in Afghanistan to kill Americans, entered the witness protection program after providing information to Italian investigators about several detainees at Guantanamo, his court-appointed lawyer, Davide Boschi, told The Associated Press.

The lawyer has said that Tlil, considered an important witness by both Italians and Americans, would not talk to prosecutors without firm guarantees of a new identity, documents, a job, medical coverage and a visit to his parents in Tunisia.

An Interior Ministry report to parliament acknowledged criticism of the way the program works due to a "large, unexpected influx of people" into the program recent years. Witness protection costs some €100 million (more than $100 million) a year. It often fails to help former criminals return to normal life. And foreigners in the program face tough bureaucratic roadblocks to creating decent lives in Italy.

Still, criminal experts give the program high marks despite the headaches it faces in determining who may be lying, creating new identities and trying to hide the turncoats in Italy, where authorities have fewer options than in the much larger United States.

"By demonstrating that its institutions are standing as one in facing the Mafia, Italy is setting an example for the world against organized crime," Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble told a convention on organized crime in Sicily over the summer.

Until Italy established the program in the early 90s, the most famous witness, Tommasso Buscetta, needed to be sheltered abroad. He helped convict some 350 mobsters in the 1980s before being given a new identity in the United States in the American witness protection program.

While the release of criminals with blood on their hands has been contentious, Alfonso Sabella, a former Palermo prosecutor defended Italy's witness protection program in an interview with the Turin newspaper La Stampa.

It was, he said, a "necessary choice — when it was clear that the Mafia couldn't be brought to its knees through traditional means."

Pussy Riot members face tough life in penal colony

Imprisoned women wait to be escorted for work at a women's prison outside the city of Orel, central Russia. Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot will serve their sentence in a penal colony far from Moscow 

MOSCOW (AP) — It's a far cry from Stalin's gulag, but the guiding principle of the Russian penal colony -- the destination of two members of punk band Pussy Riot -- remains the same: isolate inmates and wear them down through "corrective labor."

Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk bullying from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or under orders to pressure them.

"Everyone knows the rule: Trust no one, never fear and never forgive," said Svetlana Bakhmina, a lawyer who spent three years in a penal colony. "You are in no-man's land. Nobody will help you. You have to think about everything you say and do to remain a person."

Alekhina, 24, Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for an impromptu performance in Moscow's main cathedral as Putin headed into an election that handed him a third term as Russia's president. The women insisted their protest was political. But many believers said they were deeply offended by the sight of the band members dancing on the altar in balaclavas.

Imprisoned women stand during a morning inspection at a women's prison in a town of Sarapul, central Russia. Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot will serve their sentence in a penal colony far from Moscow that is like what a former inmate describes as a "nasty Girl Scout camp.”

An appeals court released Samutsevich on Wednesday, but upheld the two-year prison terms of the others. The presiding judge said that "their correction is possible only in isolation from society." In colonies for women, inmates live in barracks with 30 to 40 to a room. They begin the day by shuffling outside for compulsory exercises at daybreak, in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter. After roll call and a breakfast of gruel, they spend seven to eight hours a day at work, usually hunched over sewing machines working on uniforms and other clothing.

Since there is only one women's penal colony near Moscow, female prisoners from the capital are commonly sent to Mordovia, a swampy, mosquito-infested province on the Volga River. Defense lawyers said Alekhina and Tolokonnikova would be transported to a penal colony within two weeks, after receiving copies of their sentences. The location was not yet known.

Despite the harsh conditions, many prisoners nonetheless prefer the colonies to the pre-trial detention centers, where they are kept in cramped, sometimes spectacularly unhygienic cells and only allowed out for an hour a day. The three Pussy Riot members were held in such a center since their February arrest.

Russian inmates are kept in a system that Russia's own justice minister has described as "monstrously archaic" and whose purpose has changed little for hundreds of years. Czarist Russia sent prisoners to remote Siberian colonies where labor was in short supply; the system was inherited and expanded by the Soviet Union, which worked millions of prisoners to death in the gulag. Russia incarcerates more people than any country in the world bar the United States and China, according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.

There have been other high-profile penal colony inmates in Putin's Russia. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned head of the Yukos oil company, served part of his 14-year sentence in an Eastern Siberian colony. Once Russia's richest man, he served his time making mittens. Arrested in 2003, Khodorkovsky was convicted in two cases seen as punishment for challenging Putin's power.

Bakhmina, who once worked for Khodorkovsky, said you have little free time to yourself in the prison colony, where guards often compel prisoners to attend classes or participate in cultural activities. In a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks in 2010, former Ambassador William Burns recalled visiting a women's prison where inmates put on a "bizarre fashion and talent show" for American officials.

"Boredom doesn't exist in the colony. It's too good a concept for it. You just regret the time you spend," Bakhmina said. "A normal person can't even imagine that environment — you have to get used to it and people have to get used to you. It takes several months, maybe half a year. It's all about how you behave — you have to not be conceited and respect other people."

Prisoners are typically paid the equivalent of about $10 a day, which they can use to buy food, cigarettes, and toiletries. Those whose families don't send them supplies scrape through on the unofficial labor market, cleaning up the facilities or doing work for wealthier inmates. Cigarette packs are the colony's internal currency.

Alekhina and Tolokonnikova, both university graduates, are unlikely to have much in common with their fellow inmates. "I didn't think there even were people like 90 percent of the people I met," Bakhmina recalled. "I never had any idea there were so many drug addicts, or so many people with speech impediments."

Spouses are allowed three-day conjugal visits four times a year. Prisoners who show especially good behavior can even be given two weeks' leave outside the camp. Bakhmina became pregnant while serving her term and was released several months after giving birth to a daughter. She saw her two older sons only twice during her three years in the penal colony, afraid it would be too traumatic for them to see their mother imprisoned.

Mothers with children under the age of 3 can keep them in centers on penal colony grounds, or in the case of one colony in Mordovia in their barracks. Alekhina's 5-year-old son and Tolokonnikova's 4-year-old daughter will live with relatives.

The two punk band members can be punished with up to 15 days in solitary confinement for minor infractions such as failing to make their beds or to put their hands behind their backs at roll call or to greet guards quickly enough.

Perhaps the greatest danger for the band members, however, will be posed by their fellow inmates. Physical violence, while a danger, is relatively rare in comparison to men's colonies. But the psychological pressure can be greater, said Vitaly Borshchyov, head of the Public Monitoring Commission, a human rights organization that works with the government to improve prison conditions.

"Colonies are all-consuming for women," he said. "Having a large group of women together in a single space is a recipe for tension and conflicts. You might get beaten up, sexually humiliated or forced to be someone's lover, especially if you're a young woman."

The Pussy Riot members' lawyers and supporters also fear that Orthodox believers may attack them, either inspired by the extremely negative coverage of their protest on state television or egged on by state officials.

"When things get worse on the outside, it gets transferred into the colonies," said Lev Ponomarev, a Soviet dissident who runs the Defending Prisoners' Rights foundation. "Scoundrels think they can get away with more. The authorities are totally indifferent."

The band members have vowed to remain defiant. "We will not be silent," Alekhina told the appeals court Wednesday. "And even if we are in Mordovia or Siberia we will not be silent ... however zealously you try to smear us."