EIAST UAE engineers prepare for shipping DubaiSat-1 to launch base in Kazakhstan--More news
Indian Industry create 300,000 US Jobs, Contributed $105 billion to the US economy- Western Double Standards on Vote Frauds--Philipino Maid Faces Death Sentance for Killing Employers 20 years old Daughter --British Architect Accuses Prince Charlese of Interference on London Project of Qatar--NRI student jailed in UK for public disorder--Iranian Law Makers Endorse Ahmedjijad--Israeli Authorities to Inquire into Visa Racket Affecting Indian Pilgrims --UAE-Bahrain Malayali Dupes Investors, Nabbed by Indian Police -Joseph Chacko Arrested in India for Selling Non Existent Projects to NRIs in UAE, Bahrain
SNC Lavlin Denies Bribing Pinarayi , Says Nothing to Hide
TORONTO - Canadian engineering company SNC-Lavalin, at the centre of a $60 million corruption scandal that has created political turmoil in India's Kerala state and divided its ruling Left party, has denied the charges of bribery and termed the accusations "offensive". In a Report, South Asian Affairs Canada said that in a chargesheet filed last week, India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named the Montreal-based company along with the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the alleged bribery scandal. The report said the chargesheet alleges the Canadian company was wrongfully given contracts for renovating three power projects in 1997 when Vijayan was the power minister."We have done nothing wrong since the beginning of the project," Gillian MacCormack, SNC-Lavalin vice president for global public relations, told IANS.Refusing to use the word "bribery", she said: "We have absolutely nothing to hide. In fact, we are very proud of our 50-year-old relationship with India and our numerous contributions to its economic development."
MacCormack said SNC-Lavalin has always executed its projects "properly and professionally and in compliance with Indian law"."We did rehabilitate three power plants on budget and on schedule in Kerala, and we have it in writing from our client that it is pleased with our work," she said.
Emphasising the company had a clearly laid-out statement on this issue, she said: "It remains unchanged since it was first drafted several years ago."MacCormack added her company was never approached by anyone over the alleged accusations "we keep reading about"."Nobody has ever contacted us... we find the innuendos and accusations against our company, its representatives and its good reputation offensive, inaccurate and totally unacceptable." Courtesy South Asia Focus
Worlds Richest Royals Lost $22 billion from Recession
According to Forbes magazine, real estate values at the Palm Islands of Dubai are down over 50%, and construction has stopped on further extensions. Even more embarrassing, Dubai had to approach fellow emirate Abu Dhabi with hat in hand to ask for a temporary bailout; in February, Abu Dhabi bought $10 billion in five-year bonds. The magazine said in a report on the impact of recession on royal around the world that Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's net worth is down an estimated $6 billion in the past year, making him the biggest loser on Forbes' annual list of the world's 15 richest royals. The Abu Dhabi Royals networth is down by $5 billion due to fall in oil revenue, Forbes said. Read the Full Report
Lal Salam --30 Years of Mohanlal in Indian films.
Dubai, June 18, 2009: The UAE is all set to celebrate the life and work of Mohanlal, the renowned Malayali actor, Beginning June 21, 2009 to June 27, 2009, the UAE will witness expressions of the life and work of the distinguished actor. The celebration is an official event of the Dubai Summer Surprises 2009. Executivebachelors.com, an event management and online media solutions company, in association with City Vision Advertising and Dubai Studio City, is celebrate a week-long festival marking 30 years of Mohanlal in Indian cinema.
Satyan Nair, Director, City Vision Advertising, said, “Mohanlal is one of the most illustrious actors in the Indian film industry. It is an honour for us to bring him to the UAE and pay tribute with the week-long activities culminating in the poignant show ‘Lal Salaam’. This is our attempt to honour the noted actor in a small way and express our admiration of him. Our aim was to create an opportunity where his numerous fans in the UAE could get to know the man personally. We thank our key partners Dubai Studio City and Dubai Summer Surprises for their support in celebrating Mohanlal.”
Mohammad Abdullah, Executive Director, Dubai Media City said, “Dubai Studio City offers cutting edge infrastructure and facilities that cater to the unique needs of the global entertainment industry. We are happy to support an event commemorating the achievements of one of the leading lights of Indian Cinema - Mohanlal. We hope that this event offers considerable entertainment value to Malayalees in Dubai, who form part of Dubai’s vibrant expatriate community. Dubai Studio City’s Location Approval Services has facilitated the shooting of a number of Malayalam movies and as part of our global focus we look forward to working with more Malayalam film makers and the Indian Film industry in general.”
The week’s activities will include an exclusive exhibition-cum-sale of caricatures and some rare photographs of Mohanlal to be displayed at The Dubai Mall. The celebrations will also include the launch of a limited edition coffee table book -- a biographic account of the actor’s life and career. The celebrations will culminate in a specially conceptualized musical show called ‘Lal Salaam’, which will showcase Mohanlal’s extraordinary journey in the Indian film industry. Directed by director T. K. Rajeev Kumar and produced by M.B. Sanil Kumar, ‘Lal Salaam’ commemorates Mohanlal’s journey in a unique rendition of monologue, visual clips, live dance and music. The show will be a treat to the innumerable fans of Mohanlal.
Being hosted by Mohanlal himself, through ‘Lal Salaam’, the actor will take his loving fans down the memory lane, re-living some of his most outstanding roles and moments in Indian cinema. The show will witness a live performance by the actor of a unique monologue musical to exclusive screenings of some of his best performances during the 30 years of his career. Singers Sujatha, Madhu Balakrishnan, Vijay Yesudas and Swetha, dancer-actors Lakshmi Gopalswami and Vineeth will join Mohanlal in reliving his most memorable moments in cinema. The UAE is the launch pad for this mesmerizing show, which will continue touring the world – USA, Europe and the Far East. The show will be held in Dubai at the Sheikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Center, on June 25, 2009 and at the National Theater in Abu Dhabi on June 26, 2009.
The exhibition will be held at The Dubai Mall for a week starting June 21, 2009. Caricature artist Suresh Babu has attempted to capture the essence of Mohanlal in his art, displaying 200 of the actor’s most vivid character roles over 30 years. The exhibition will also showcase an exclusive collection of photographs of Mohanlal by well-known photographer R. Gopalakrishnan. Part of the proceedings of the event is being contributed towards a charity for the welfare of people stranded in the UAE due to lack of funds.
Mohanlal was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001. Elected the most popular actor in the state of Kerala several times by different organisations, Mohanlal is known for his versatility as an actor and his unique style. Recognized and loved for his acting skill, he has won innumerable awards including the National Awards, Filmfare Awards, International Indian Film Academy Awards and the Kerala State Film Award among many others.
Over 30 years of his acting career, Mohanlal has delivered outstanding performances some of which include his unforgettable roles in Chithram, Kireedam, Bharatham, Devasuram, Iruvar, Vanaprastham Kala Paani, Company and Spadikam.
Joseph Chacko Arrested in India for Selling Non Existent Projects to NRIs
Joseph Chacko, a Malayali Non Resident Indian, wanted by Indian police for alleged cheating cases in the UAE and Bahrain has been nabbed by the West Bengal Police. Media reports said the culprit cheated many NRI investors by by luring them to invest in a non-existent hotel project in Karnataka two years ago. Joseph Chacko, aagainst whom non-bailable warrants were issued by a court, was arrested by a team of Bangalore Police, according to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Alok Kumar .
The Central Crime Branch police, who were searching for Chacko, were tipped off about his presence in a hotel in Chennai. But by the time a police team reached the hotel, Chacko had left for Kolkata by air. The team reached Kolkata and arrested Chacko, Kumar said.
Chacko and three others were accused of luring NRIs from Bahrain and United Arab Emirates to make investments for construction of "Crown Plaza International Hotel and Resorts", supposed to come up in Hennur. The investors were promised a seven-day stay in the hotel and also some share in the earnings of the resort. Chacko had advertised the project in the Gulf News daily. As many as 150 NRIs invested with 76 of them getting "sale deeds". The investors later realised they were being conned and filed a complaint with the then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in May 2007, which was forwarded to the city police.
The Economic Times repoted that about 40 cases against Chacko were registered in Hennur, Kothanoor, Hoskote, Nandagudi and Sulebele police stations. Three persons were arrested and police were searching for Chacko, facing non-bailable warrants in five cases.
Chacko, a PUC drop out, started as a painter and later went on to deal in real estate business. He developed contacts with NRI investors and got finances for his residential projects, more so from the NRIs. One such project was done by him in partnership with Atul Rao, an accused in Padmapriya suicide case in Mangalore.
The police said Chacko was taking land of poor farmers as a power of attorney, assuring them of a good value for sale. But he failed to pay the farmers even after the sale. He moved to Kuwait in 1995 and assumed an NRI status. He exploited the NRIs especially from Karnataka and Kerala, who wanted to settle down in Bangalore.
Chacko was giving NRIs an impression of fully developed townships and was selling barren land in villages far away from the city. He had forged documents and sold government lands as private layouts. One such layout was Elysium Township in Hennur, the police said. Chacko had 12 projects in Bangalore East, Bangalore South, Bangalore North and Hoskote taluks of Bangalore. Some of the projects were on the same land. The NRIs found it hard to check the genuineness of the projects because of the absence of proper government agencies, the police said. He had been convicted by the Higher Civil Court of Kingdom of Bahrain in a case of cheating of Rs 3.8 crore filed by M T Jose, an investor, in 2004, the police said.