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SriLankan earmarks Dubai route for increase in frequency

by K M correspondent.

Dubai, May 2004 : SriLankan Airlines has set its sights on double daily Dubai services to complement a growing Middle East and Gulf network.Barry Brown, the carrier’s regional manager for Europe, Middle East and the Americas, said: “Without doubt, Dubai is the most progressive tourism draw-card on any airline’s Middle East network, and as the city continues to expand, it is our intention to grow right alongside her.  “SriLankan and Emirates currently operate 27 flights per week between Colombo and Dubai, all on a dynamic code-share basis, and we plan to take this up to a total number of 34 flights in the near future.” Emirates is a 43.5 per cent stakeholder in SriLankan Airlines, and has a 10-year management agreement with the Asian carrier, whose majority shareholder is the Government of Sri Lanka.

 Brown explained: “We are capitalising on this airline partnership and use Dubai as a `gateway hub` to feed each other’s flights where either one of us may not have direct services. After all, in this day and age it is all about utilising effective synergies to create profits.” The airline also services Kuwait on a daily basis via Dubai and in a recent round of government bilateral talks, the airline was granted permission to add two more services a week between Colombo and Kuwait.  “We have not yet cemented our plans for these extra Kuwait flights but we are looking at operating from Colombo to Beirut via Kuwait, adding a new dimension to our Middle East network,” continued Brown.  SriLankan Airlines provides flights from Colombo to eight Middle Eastern cities: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat and Riyadh.

 “Under our Open-Skies policy with India we are now operating 62 flights per week from Colombo to 10 Indian destinations. Apart from India being our largest tourism trading partner, we also cater to a large number of migrant workers that travel from all parts of India to the Middle East. As a result we are adding our fourth Doha service in June specifically to cater to this market.”  SriLankan Airlines operates to New Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore, Trichy, Trivandrum, Bodh Gaya, Kochi and Hyderabad, and to Calicut from July 1. SriLankan Airlines has embarked on an aggressive growth plan that has seen it becoming more and more profitable, rapidly increasing its number of destinations around the world, and increasing frequencies to existing destinations.  With the launch of flights to Calicut, SriLankan Airlines will fly to 42 destinations in 21 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The fleet strength of this all-Airbus carrier has also been increasing rapidly to cater to its growing services. SriLankan Airlines recently entered into a codeshare agreement with British Midland that extended its services to more cities in England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. SriLankan also has codeshare flights with Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air and Swiss Air, as well as Emirates, and plans to resume codeshare services on Indian Airlines flights to provide even more services to India. The airline recently launched SriLankan Air Taxis, a domestic air taxi service that uses an amphibious Cessna Caravan Floatplane to fly to six destinations on the Indian Ocean island, landing at airfields and some of the many lakes and lagoons around the country.

The service is very popular with tourists, as it provides the convenience of hassle-free travel between resorts, and the low-flying aircraft gives them a breathtaking view of the panorama of the island known to visitors through the centuries as Paradise. SriLankan Airlines will make its entry into China in October 2004 with a thrice-weekly Beijing-Bangkok-Colombo service. SriLankan Airlines has won a string of global awards in recent times, which include the Skytrax Award for the Best Airline in Central Asia for four consecutive years since 2001, the TTG (Asia) Best Airline in South Asia Award in 2002, Skytrax’s World's Friendliest Cabin Crew Award 2002, First Runner-Up in the Skytrax Best Cabin Staff Award for 2003, Avion’s Best Inflight Entertainment Award 2003 for a Fleet Size of 20 or Less, and Reise & Preise magazine’s Best Airline in the 2003 survey of Economy Class service. Skywards, the frequent flyer programme of SriLankan and Emirates, won six “Freddie Awards” last year, the frequent flyer equivalent of the Oscars. These included the most coveted “Programme of the Year” award. SriLankan is also known for its high level of punctuality, among the highest among the world’s airlines and by far the best in the region.  

The airline is also involved in Adventure Tourism through SriLankan Adventures, and promotes the island as a prime location for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE tourism). It also organizes several international sports events in Sri Lanka, including surfing, horseracing, golf and rugby football tournaments that draw visitors from around the globe. SriLankan Airlines was established in April 1998 when Air Lanka, was privatised following the establishment of a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Emirates Airline. The agreement saw Emirates take a 40 per cent shareholding in the company and undertake a 10-year management agreement, during which time SriLankan has been established as southern Asia’s preferred international carrier. Following its transformation, SriLankan has won a string of international aviation awards including Best Airline in Central Asia from UK’s Skytrax Research for three years in a row,  (2001, 2002 and 2003), underlining its new reputation as a world-class carrier. In 2003, SriLankan was voted as having the friendliest cabin crew by Skytrax in the same year, and also won the award for Best In-flight Entertainment (for a fleet size of 20 or less) at the annual World Airline Entertainment Association’s Avion awards in the USA

.50% OF NAKHEEL & IFA “GOLDEN MILE” PROJECT SOLD IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS 

From left to right) Mr Wahid Attalla, Executive Director-Commercial & Operations, Nakheel, Mr Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel, Mr Jassim Al-Bahar, Chairman of IFA, Mr James Wilson, President and Chief Operating Officer. KM Photo.

5^th May 2004 Nakheel, developers of The Palm and IFA Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Kuwait-based International Financial Advisors (IFA), have announced that 50% of the 780 exclusive freehold apartments on Golden Mile, Palm, Jumeirah have been sold within less than 24 hours of going on sale at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The Golden Mile – an international shopping and residential destination which covers 60,000 square metres – is a flagship project on the prestigious Palm, Jumeirah, an offshore island being built off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. “This is an unprecedented response for a new project in Dubai and demonstrates quite emphatically how great demand is for properties on what will be one of the world’s most sought-after addresses,” said Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel. 

“The purchaser profile is international although there have been significant commitments from Gulf investors.” The Golden Mile, is a joint venture project between Nakheel and IFA, will feature the apartments in two waterfront buildings.  The properties went on sale yesterday at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai with prices ranging from US $250,000 for a one-bedroom, garden-view unit to US $550,000 for the high-end waterfront three-bedroomed properties. “The strength of demand has also been activated by the quality and location of the project as well as the new buyer financing package initiated jointly by Nakheel and IFA,” said Jassim Al-Bahar, Chairman & Managing Director, IFA. “As a ‘first’ for the Dubai real estate market, this package puts our joint venture clearly in a sector leadership position.” Under the new financing package, the joint venture will finance the purchase of freehold apartments for buyers over a 10-year period.  Buyers now have the option of paying for their apartments in instalments over tow years, as with other projects in Dubai, or repay the joint venture over a three-and-a-half or 10-year period.  Buyers have to pay a 30 per cent deposit up-front and make monthly repayments over their designated period.” “As the only apartments currently available on The Palm, Jumeirah, we anticipated an extremely keen response,” said Wahid Attalla, Executive Director – Commercial & Operations, Nahkeel. 

“The response to the Golden Mile properties mirrors the continuous demand for Palm homes and investments experienced since this unique project was initially launched.” The Golden Mile apartments have been designed to meet the high standards of construction and fittings which have now become a hallmark of IFA Hotels & Resorts’ properties.  The apartments will have stunning waterside views, iconic architecture, luxurious interior design and access to the beachside Palm Hotel & Resorts.  The units come complete with their own large, private patios and superb views. “IFA, which is now the main investor on The Palm, Jumeirah, has fast become the preferred developer on the Palm because of its full service approach which gives value-added benefits to buyers,” said James Wilson, President & COO, IFA Hotels & Resorts. Palm Golden Mile buyers benefit from an extensive range of services, including owners’ reception and concierge, housekeeping, maintenance, security and excellent maid and childcare services. Ends 

CYPRUS AIRWAYS TO ADD EXTRA, NON-STOP WEEKLY FLIGHT FROM DUBAI 

DUBAI - May 4, 2004 Cyprus Airways, the national flag carrier of Cyprus, is to add another dedicated non-stop weekly flight from Dubai to Larnaca from June, bringing the carrier’s total weekly flights from the emirate to three. The move follows increased demand for more capacity from the region, especially Dubai.  The news comes as Cyprus Airways reports increased passenger traffic on six of its eight Middle East routes for the first four months of this year. From January to April, Dubai recorded a spectacular 159.4% increase in passenger traffic over the same period last year. Increases were also recorded from Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Damascus and Bahrain. Cyprus Airways will operate an Airbus A320 on its new Dubai-Larnaca flight with 156 seats in a two-class, business and economy configuration. Flight CY 393 will depart Dubai every Tuesday at 04.40 hrs arriving Larnaca at 07.20 hrs, in time for convenient early morning connecting flights to European destinations.  

“The timing is ideally suited for business people who want to immediately get down to work in Cyprus or leisure travellers who want to make the most of their time on the island once they arrive,” said Stavros Kyprianou, Cyprus Airways’ Middle East and Gulf Chief. The airline currently has return flights from Dubai to Larnaca every Thursday, operated with an Airbus A319 in a two-class configuration with 12 business class and 114 economy class seats, and on Sundays, with an Airbus A320.  “We anticipate even more demand on this route from people wanting to attend the Olympic Games, in Athens this August. Cyprus Airways currently operates five daily flights from Larnaca to the Greek capital and provides a relatively seamless service in reaching Athens,” added Kyprianou. “Further developments, such as the impending opening of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s regional office in Dubai, will also give further impetus to marketing Cyprus as an attractive short-haul tourism destination especially for Middle Eastern visitors,” added Kyprianou.

 All Cyprus Airways’ regional destinations, excluding Jeddah and Riyadh, witnessed significant passenger traffic growth in the first four months of 2004 with Cairo recording 39.7%, Damascus 36.8%, Bahrain 6.7%, Beirut 2.4% and Amman a 1.1% increase. “This increased demand reflects the growing importance of Cyprus in the Middle East and international tourism market and as a natural progression, the development of Cyprus Airways into a world-class carrier,” said Kyprianou. Overall the Cypriot national flag carrier reported a 19.5% increase in passenger traffic for the first four months of 2004 over the same period last year. The imminent entry of Cyprus into the European Union (EU) has also given the airline the choice to operate flights to additional EU - it currently flies to 22 European airports. “Together with our fully-owned subsidiary Eurocypria, which operates mainly charter flights from European destinations to Cyprus, we also plan to add more cities to the route map,” said Kyprianou.   Cyprus Airways currently boasts a network covering 21 countries. The airline operates 16 flights a week to London Heathrow and seven additional weekly flights to other London airports, namely Gatwick and Standsted. In addition, the carrier operates four times a week to Manchester and two to Birmingham.Or visit the Cyprus Airways online at: www.cyprusairways.com

Doctors being selected to Saudi

 

Thiruvananthapuram May 6: Applications are invited through O.D.E.P.C in medical, surgical categories for consultant, specialist, Resident doctors from among muslims to work in Jiddah Al Noor Speciality Hospital and in Heera General Hospital in Al Aseema Al Mukhadeesa under Health Ministry of the government of Saudi Arabia. The interview for the posts will be conducted on May 30th in Bangalore.

For the consultant post, there should be foreign fellowship in the associated subject or foreign Ph.d and more than two years work experience after fellowship.For the specialist post, the applicant should have M.D , M.S, D.M, M.C.H and work experience of more than two years, and for the Resident doctor's post, applicant should have more than two years working experience and diploma in the related subject along with M.B.B.S degree. Those who are interested should apply before May 17th along with detailed biodata and originals and copies of certificates showing education, career experience, passport and one passport-size photo to the Managing Director, O.D.E.P.C Limited, Ambalathumukku, Vanchiyoor.P.O, Thiruvananthapuram-695035. -Keralamonitor.com

E-Mail facility for getting S.S.L.C Results

Thiruvananthapuram May 6: Those who have E-mail addresses can have the results of the S.S.L.C examination. This facility is available in the official government webportals - www.kerala.gov.in and in information and public relations site- www.prd.kerala.gov.in In order to receive the result soon after SSLC results are officially announced, those are interested have to register in these sites and give the register numbers to know results. Only three register numbers can be given under a single e-mail address. The Higher Secondary exam results would also be given in the same manner.

101 independent candidates among 187 candidates for elections

Thiruvananthapuram May 6: In the elections taking place in Kerala on May 10th in the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies and Vadakkanjeri Legislative Assembly, among the 187 candidates who are competing for elections, there are 101 independent candidates. In the Lok Sabha constituencies there r 117 candidates including 95 independent candidates and in Vadakkanjeri, there are 10 candidates including 6 independent candidates competing for elections. Among the 187 candidates competing, there are only 86 candidates from various political parties.

The largest number of candidates are competing from the Moovattupuzha Lok Sabha constituency- 16 candidates of which 13 are independent candidates. Following which is Thiruvananthapuram with 15 candidates of which 10 are independent candidates. The lowest number of candidates are competing from Manjeri, Ponnani and Ottapalam constituencies with 5 candidates each among which there are 1 candidate each.

CBI News

CBI should have independence and autonomy for effective investigation: Justice Verma

New Delhi May 6: The former Chief Justice of India and the former Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, Justice J.S. Verma today said that in the absence of faithful discharge of their role by all the law enforcement agencies, genuine rule of law is an illusion. He said that rule of law is the bedrock of democracy; hence its significance is evident. Justice Verma said that CBI should have the requisite independence and autonomy with insulation from extraneous influences in order to discharge its true function as an efficient instrument of investigation of sensitive crimes with the impartiality and integrity expected from it. He felt that the characteristics of independence and autonomy are as essential in all the law enforcement agencies as for the judiciary. Stating that the role of the judiciary comes in much later after the other agencies have performed their task of detection, investigation and prosecution of crime. Justice Verma said that unless these agencies are equally impartial and independent, the judiciary coming in later in the process of administration of justice can do no better.

He said that all the agencies involved in law enforcements are vital links in the integrated process of the rule of law. That is why all aspects of autonomy and the independence, including accountability and immunity from internal infirmities as well, which apply to the judiciary, must equally apply to all of them, Justice Verma said. The former Chief Justice of India said that there is a common perception that corruption in India has become a low risk and high profit business. Regretting that this belief is a sad reflection on the performance of all the law enforcement agencies, justice Verma suggested that unless acts of corruption are promptly detected, properly investigated and followed by diligent prosecution, the desired end -result of punishing the guilty in the justice delivery system cannot be achieved.

Stating that many acts of corruption go unpunished because of people's lack of faith in the will and efficacy of the law enforcement agencies, justice Verma wanted the public faith in these agencies restored. Director CBI, Shri U.S.Misra said, any Law and Enforcement Agency which directly works under the Government and accountable to Judiciary has a greater accountability to the perception of civil society towards it. He said that forces of organised crime and terrorism of different likes and multifarious other crime syndicates are threatening to destabilise our society and there is pressing need to meet the challenge of such forces by professional police role in the field of investigation and other related fields. Saying that when the law enforcement agencies are functioning directly under Government control and there are no institutional safeguards to protect law enforcement officers of integrity, Sh. Misra asked how the rule of law can be enforced in such a situation. Shouldn't the law enforcement agencies be answerable to the law and the courts alone like it is practised in some advanced countries, Sh. Misra questioned. Talking about CBI, Sh. Misra said that there is a notion that CBI has the power to investigate only corruption cases which is not correct. Under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, CBI can investigate any case but State consent under section 6 of the Act is the bottleneck for CBI to take over cases suo-motto, he said. The Director said that today CBI is the only Central Law Enforcement Agency which can investigate criminal cases as per Cr.P.C. like the general police and there is need to empower the investigating agency to take up suo-motto cases which have interstate and international ramifications. -Keralamonitor.com

CBI award for the best investigating officer and best detective constable of CBI

New Delhi May 5: Shri P.C.Sharma, Dy.Superintendent of Police, CBI, ACB, Silchar has been awarded the CBI Gold Medal for the Best Investigating Officer of CBI for his outstanding work. The award was given away on the occasion of the D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture at Vigyan Bhawan here today. Shri Sharma who joined CBI as a Sub Inspector during 1976 has shown exceptional investigating skills right from the beginning. Among the important cases that he has successfully investigated are the Insurance shipping frauds, Rape Seed Oil scandal of Arunachal Pradesh, HDW Submarine cases and the Housing Scam cases in which two former Union Ministers of Urban Development Ministry have been chargesheeted. Shri Sharma has also investigated a number of corruption cases against senior public servants including some IAS and IPS officers. The case of disproportionate assets against Shri Pathak, former DGP of Assam resulted in the conviction of the accused of three years R.I. and a fine of Rs. 30 lakh. His thoroughness of investigation besides speed and quality has even been appreciated by the Apex Court of the Country in the Housing Scam cases in which orders were delivered on 19th July,1996. The Supreme Court observed in its order "The report indicates excellent work done by the CBI in this matter. We place on record our satisfaction with the investigation done by the CBI".

During the year 2001, besides handling simultaneous investigation of five disproportionate assets cases, Shri Sharma also processed and got issued Letters Rogatory to Australia in Wheat Scam cases. Out of the five disproportionate assets cases, he completed investigation of two most complicated cases involving huge bank transactions and benami assets against a Senior IAS Officer and a senior IPS Officer. For his outstanding contribution to the investigating agency, Shri Sharma has been awarded Indian Police Medal on the eve of the Republic Day, 2000. On the occasion, Shri Naresh Kumar Sharma, Constable, CBI, ACB, Jammu was given the D.P.Kohli Best Detective Constable award. Shri Sharma who joined CBI on the 10th of May, 1996 has assisted in 20 trap cases within a short span of his service career and in all of them success has been achieved. Another successful trait that Shri Naresh Kumar Sharma has shown is in the field of execution of Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs). He has detected and apprehended a number of accused persons who were absconding. His execution of NBWs have been commended by the Special Judge, Anti Corruption, Jammu. The presence of mind of Shri Naresh Kumar Sharma has helped in a number of successful traps. In one trap case being laid by CBI at the Gandhi Nagar Market, Jammu on the busy main road, recently, the accused made the complainant to sit on his pillion and drove his scooter away suspecting that he was being trailed by CBI sleuths. Shri Naresh Kumar grabbed a scooter lying nearby and followed the accused and the complainant along with the shadow witness and caught the bribe taker on the nick of time. -Keralamonitor.com

CBI files chargesheet against Maharashtra police official inTelgi Case

New Delhi May 4: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a chargesheet against A.B.Sonwalkar, Assistant Police Inspector (API) of Maharashtra Police in the court of ACMM, 19th Court, Esplanade, Mumbai in the multi crore counterfeit Govt. Special Adhesive Stamps sold by accused Abdul Karim Ladsahab Telgi & others.

CBI registered a regular case on 24.3.04 against Abdul Karim Telgi & others following the Supreme Court directive to the Investigating Agency to take over 48 stamp related cases. The case was originally with the SIT, Mumbai from which CBI took over. The allegation against the accused were that they with common intention counterfeited Govt. Special Adhesive Stamps and knowingly sold counterfeit Govt. Stamps by putting forged signature and rubber impression of General Stamp Office for personal gain and thereby cheated Mahrashtra Govt. and the general public of Rs. 18.81 lakh. The case was originally registered against Abdul Karim Ladsaab Telgi, Inam Choudhary, Shailesh Gadre, Shehnaz Shaikh, Anil Bhamishali, Sujata Saxena and Raj Salim by the accused police official A.B.Sonwalkar at Cuffe parade police station on 4.9.95 who conducted investigation of the said case during the period 4.9.95 to 12.8.96.

CBI conducted thorough investigation of the case and established that by acts of Omission & Commission, the accused Assistant Police Inspector A.B.Sonwalkar aided and abetted accused Abdul Karim Ladsahab Telgi knowingly & willfully. He also conducted investigation of the said case in a perfunctory manner in order to save the accused Abdul Karim Ladsahab Telgi and his associates from legal punishment and in order to screen the offenders so that they could go scot free and continue with their illegal activities. Abdu Karim Ladsahab Telgi continued his illegal activities of counterfeiting possession and circulating of Govt. Stamps & stamp papers during the period 1995 to 2002. The accused police official, A.B.Sonwalkar submitted a report for classification of the said case as " final" i.e. true but undetected. A.B.Sonwalkar was arrested on 2.2.04 and presently in judicial custody.

In this case, three chargesheet were earlier filed by the state police on 6.5.2003, 17.7.03 & 19.11.03 against accused Abdul Karim Ladsahab Telgi, Shabbir Ahmed Musttaq, Ahmed Shaikh, Mohd. Sayyed, Mohd. Yasim, Ramratan Shriniwas Soni, Riyaz Ahmed Yusuf Mokashi, Mallesh Ballappa Dhulhanwar & Sanjay Jaiwant Gaikwad in the court and the accused persons are presently in judicial custody. -Keralamonitor.com

Interpol reaches milestone in global communications project

100 member countries are now connected to the I-24/7 system Lyon, France May 5: One hundred countries have now connected to Interpol's state of the art global communications system, I-24/7. Guatemala and Kazakhstan became the 99th and 100th countries to join the system, which was launched by Interpol in 2002 to replace an older electronic police communications network.

The I-24/7 system provides member countries with immediate access to critical police information around the globe. It enables messages about major crime threats to be shared more efficiently, and nominal data, fingerprints, identity documents and other materials to be verified in seconds.Interpol has made it one of its highest priorities to ensure that member countries possess the most effective tools available to combat international crime and terrorism.By communicating instantaneously beyond national boundaries, the world's police greatly increase their chances of preventing and detecting crimes which are often planned in one country, but carried out in another.

'The connections of Guatemala and Kazakhstan to I-24/7 are landmarks in the fight against international crime,' said Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. ' Asia and Central America can now count on an additional country in each of their regions to tackle crime and terrorism through the I-24/7 network.

'This system puts essential and accurate information in the right place at the right time, enabling police around the world to work more effectively together'.I-24/7 Programme Director Stanley Morris said: 'The wider the system is implemented, the greater the impact it will have on the fight against crime and terrorism around the globe.'Interpol plans to connect its remaining 81 member countries to the network as soon as possible. In particular, ambitious plans are being implemented to have more countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean connected soon and to provide financial assistance where necessary.'In addition to installation at Interpol's National Central Bureaus, several member countries have also chosen to extend their I-24/7 connection to national law enforcement authorities such as border control, customs and airports, enabling an even faster identification of criminals attempting to enter or flee a country.Interpol was founded in 1923 to foster cross-border police co-operation. It is now the world's largest international police organization, with member countries on all five continents. -Keralamonitor.com

Launch of "Diabetes Action Now"

New estimate of more than three million diabetes-related deaths every year

Geneva May 5: 3.2 million deaths can be attributed to diabetes each year according to a new publication released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) to mark the launch of their joint programme "Diabetes Action Now". Updated estimates suggest that six deaths can be attributed to diabetes or related conditions somewhere in the world every minute, a figure three times higher than previous calculations.1

"Diabetes is a major threat to global public health that is rapidly getting worse and the biggest impact is on adults of working age in developing countries," said Dr Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO Assistant-Director General, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. "In most developing countries at least one in ten deaths in adults aged 35 to 64 is attributable to diabetes, and in some the figure is as high as one in five." Diabetes has become one of the major causes of premature illness and death in most countries, mainly through the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diabetes Action Now is supported by a World Diabetes Foundation grant to the International Diabetes Federation and WHO funds. The purpose of “Diabetes Action Now” is to raise awareness about diabetes and stimulate and support the adoption of effective measures for the management and prevention of the condition in low- and middle-income countries and communities.

"Diabetes can be effectively managed and the risk of developing complications reduced substantially", said Professor Pierre Lefèbvre, President of the International Diabetes Federation. "Simple lifestyle adjustments such as a healthy diet and physical activity, often combined with medication, have been shown to be effective in promoting a full and healthy life with diabetes. In many cases, type 2 diabetes – accounting for over 90% of all cases of diabetes – can be prevented through lifestyle interventions alone."

Diabetes is a common condition and its frequency is dramatically rising all over the world. In 2000, there were 171 million people with diabetes worldwide, and by 2030 this figure is expected to more than double, to reach a total of 366 million. Most of this increase will occur as a result of a 150% rise in developing countries. For example, in India there were approximately 32 million people with diabetes in 2000, but by 2030 this number is expected to increase to almost 80 million. These figures appear in the booklet “Diabetes Action Now”, which contains details about the WHO-IDF programme, key facts and figures about diabetes, and profiles and statements from people with diabetes around the world. The booklet is available in print or via the Diabetes Programme web site.

1 These estimates are based on relative differences in risk of death between people with diabetes and those without. They include deaths where diabetes would have been the underlying cause of death or would have been mentioned as a contributory condition on the medical certificate of cause of death. -Keralamonitor.com

 

Bombay sisters offer special Swati Tirunal Jayanthi musical feast

Swathi Tirunal Dance-Music festival inaugurated

Special report and photographs by R S Priya (Content Editor and Reporter) More Reports

Thiruvananthapuram May 4: The popular Bombay Sisters -Saroja and Lalitha -filled the hearts of music lovers here with joy and refreshment with their beautiful vocal recital. With Sreekanth on Violin, Palladam Ravi on Mridangam and Sukanya Ramgopal on Ghatom there was more flavour to the Swathi Tirunal Jayathi, which was inaugurated here yesterday evening at the Karthika Tirunal theatre by the State Culture Affairs Minister G.Karthikeyan. The 2 and a half hour long classical recital by the Bombay sisters started with the Swati Tirunal Krithi, Kosalendra Maamavaamitha, in the Madhyamaavathi raagam. The Bombay sisters belong to Kerala, Even though their name is Bombay sisters, they belong to Kerala and stay in Madras. They had their music training in Madras. They are specialised in Swati Tirunal kritis and perform them wonderfully for music-loving audiences.

Sri Swathi Tirunal Sangita Sabha organized the event, during the 191th Sri Swati Tirunal Jayanthi which coincided with the 62nd Anniversary of the Sangeetha Sabha. The event would continue till 17th of May 2004, excluding 9th and 10th due to the Parliament elections. The 12 day long event would see performances by 110 artists from all over the world. There would be vocal and instrumental performances by renowned artists, lectures on music and mohiniyattom performance by Smt.Gopika Sarma.

Bombay Sisters with the organisers and the Minister.

Inaugurating the function, G.Karthikeyan, who was widely appraised by members of the Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha for arriving on time, in spite of the parliamentary election campaigning, spoke of the importance of music. The minister spoke of the importance of music in research for curing diseases and agriculture. Swati Tirunal, a great ruler and lover of art, has played a great role in encouraging artists, he said. Swathi Tirunal Jayanthi takes place every year in the month of Medam on the day of Chothi. Swati Tirunal Sangeetha sabha organizes music and dance events to commemorate the birthday of Sri Swathi Tirunal Maharaja who had been a great ruler, poet and art lover. His contribution to music and dance is well known. His krithis numbering around 300 are specially sung during the Swati Tirunal Music festival.

Saroja and Lalitha - Bombay Sisters.

Sri Swathi Tirunal Sangita Sabha has around 800 members who are specially invited for the events of the Sabha says Dr. J.Gourikutty Amma, Vice-chairperson of Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha. Dr. J. Gourikutty Amma, former chairperson of the Sangita Sabha is also the chief editor of Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha news bulletin. There would be various programmes throughout the year and this is one of the most important events of the year. “Every year the Bombay sisters start Swati Tirunal Jayanthi Festival. We believe strongly that if the event is started with vocal recital by Bombay Sisters, the whole event would go very well and that is why we call Bombay sisters to start the function every year,” says Dr. Gourikutty Amma. Every three years, there is election for the post of chairperson in the Sangita Sabha. The present Chairman of the Sangita Sabha is L.C.R.Varma and K.N.Sreekumar is the Secretary. Life long membership can be taken in the Sangita Sabha and there is special concession for music students to join music programmes regularly conducted by the Sangita Sabha.

Dr. J.Gourikutty Amma, Vice-chairperson of Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha

The ceremony would end with an award function on May 17th when the coveted 'Gayakaratnam award' will be present to violin maestro, Padmavibhooshan T.N.Krishnan by Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma. In the concluding ceremony Padmashree Neyyatinkara Vasudevan, Cherthala A.K.Ramachandran and Kadanad Gopi would be honoured. The function would also be attended by Prof. S.Guptan Nair, Dr. Sambasivan and students of Sri Chithira Tirunal College of Music (Keralamonitor.com)

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Americans face terrorist threat in the Gulf, all over the world.

Three-day event attracts official Middle East police delegations, Interior Ministry officials, security industry specialists $ 300 million Cost of the Project Nakheel & IFA Launch the Marketing of the "Golden Mile" Jumeirah ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET REGISTERS ‘UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH’ OVER 1,400 EXHIBITORS FROM 55 COUNTRIES MAKE 2004 EVENT LARGEST IN SHOW’S 11-YEAR-HISTORY