Tony Abbott is a one directional truck which has been piercing the Labor policies into pieces and has managed to drive news rather than vice versa. This ensured the Prime Minister never remained in the limelight and never drove the news agenda. Tony Abbott has been the focus of Australian domestic politics since the past 2 years

Look at the odds against him, he publicly acknowledged that he doesn’t know how to iron his clothes, he opposes Abortion and still does not believe that global warming is man made, he made a Shit Happens remark over the death of an Australian soldier in Afghanistan, and in spite of these goof ups, he has managed to survive.Tony Abbott has displayed rare skills in retaining the limelight. Abbott has widely traveled in India and has lived in Bihar which might have taught him rare survival skills. He did appeal to at least half of all Australians when he lost the bid to become the Prime Minister of this country. And there in lies his dilemma. Abbott has failed to make inroads in the other half of Australia, who are still keeping away from him.

Tony Abbott has peaked and his approval rating as per the latest opinion poll has stagnated to 41%. His disapproval rating has remained around 50%. This indicates he is appealing to his core group of supporters but has failed to expand his circle of approval to the rest of the voters (read Labour voters). The rise of Greens in this country is more to do with Tony Abbott than with Greens. There is a very big group of Labor voters who refuse to transfer their allegiance to Tony Abbott and have found Greens as an alternate remedy. Without appealing and getting these disgruntled Labor voters to his side, Tony Abbott can’t get the keys to the Lodge in Canberra. And here in comes the mild mannered, Malcolm Turnbull.

Turnbull saw sense in moving the Liberal voters away from Howard’s hardline stance on climate change and refused to succumb to the Liberal anti climate change lobby. During the past 2 years he has built an image of a pragmatic politician and has held to his views of initiating action on climate change.

Passage of Climate Change bill has stripped Tony Abbott of any further opportunity to embarrass the government. His statement that he will repeal Carbon Tax Legislation if voted to power is extremely reckless. Ever since he became Leader of the Opposition his statement have undermined business confidence and his negativity on climate change has irked corporate Australia. Consider this, that when corporates prepare their annual statement they take care of Carbon accounting in their accounts. So what is the fuss they ask. Time is fast running out for Abbott and also for Gillard.

If Gillard does not survive past Christmas, the independents could switch loyalty and refuse to support maverick Abbott or a recycled Rudd as a PM. That leaves the door open for Malcolm Turnbull to take over the reigns in Canberra, which is a much better option than having Abbott taking over as Prime Minister of this country.

 A key part of the Australian Institute of Criminology’s role is to provide a capacity to investigate new and evolving crimes and in the past two years, there has been significant interest in determining the nature and extent to which international students studying in Australia are victims of crime.

Detailed findings are provided from what is the most comprehensive student victimisation study ever conducted in Australia, based on an analysis of Department of Immigration and Citizenship international student visa records for more than 400,000 students matched with police crime victimisation records. In addition, supplementary analysis of the AIC’s National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP) database, as well as the Australian component of the 2004 International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS), are used to provide additional context to the AIC’s investigation.

The Australian Government takes very seriously any allegations that people are being criminally victimised. In 2010 the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, announced that the AIC would conduct independent research into crimes against overseas students with particular reference to crime rates against Indian students.

This is the first major study of its kind in Australia.

AIC Director Adam Tomison said: “This ground-breaking analysis data-matched 418,294 students from five source countries with police victim records over the five years. The nature of the data did not allow the AIC to engage in specific analysis of racial motivation. That said, there was nothing in the overall findings that lends support to the view that Indian students have been singled out primarily for racial reasons.”

Key findings show:

-     Rates of assault for Indian students were lower than or on par with rates for the general Australian population.

-     Rates of robbery against Indian students were higher than average for Australians in larger states for most years.

-     The proportion of robberies against Indian students occurring at commercial locations was approximately double   that recorded for students from other countries.

-  Over half of robberies against Indian students on commercial premises occurred at service stations.

“Robbery is an opportunistic crime. The higher rates of robbery against Indian students, compared with other international students, and Australian comparison populations, appeared to be more likely to occur because of a range of factors: in particular, differences in employment, with large numbers of Indian students working in higher-risk employment (taxi driving and in convenience/fast food stores and service stations), working evening/night shifts and use of public transport”, says the report.

Primarily, this research was designed to provide the best available estimation of the extent to which international students have been the victims of crime during their time in Australia and to determine whether international students are more or less likely than an Australian comparison population to have experienced crime.

This report provides the best available estimation of the extent to which international students have been the victims of crime during their time in Australia and has enabled the rate of recorded crimes experienced by international students from the five largest source countries (People’s Republic of China, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the United Stated) to be compared with the rate for Australian reference populations. While this research has not answered the question of whether attacks against overseas students are racially motivated, the findings from this research do point to other factors such as employment and the use of public transport, that influence the risk or likelihood of overseas students experiencing crime. This provides direction for crime prevention efforts to reduce the risk of crime for this population.

This report represents the culmination of the AIC’s research into crimes against international students.  The publication is available on the AIC’s website www.aic.gov.au.

In a report in Sydney Morning Herald, it was alleged that USMAN KHAWAJA is involved in an embarrassing bureaucratic bungle with India that has forced cricket authorities to step in to enable the batsman to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament next month. Officials from Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia are lobbying the High Commission of India after Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, was denied a visa to play in the lucrative event.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/pakistanborn-khawaja-refused-indian-visa-for-t20-tournament-20110809-1ikz4.html#ixzz1UakmMrAv

The following press release has been issued by the Indian consulate.

1. The Consulate General of India in Sydney has seen media reports alleging that (a) Mr. Usman Khawaja, cricketer, was denied a visa to India, and that (b) this was due to the fact that Mr. Khawaja was born in Pakistan.
2. These media reports are incorrect on both counts.
3. Mr. Khawaja’s visa application was originally submitted with incomplete and incorrect documentation. This has since been rectified by Mr. Khwaja, and his visa application is now under process.

The 2011Australian Alumni Excellence Awards were presented at an awards ceremony held in Chennai.

The awards showcase Australia’s education excellence and the achievements of alumni across a diverse range of fields, including Art and Culture, Sports, Business Leadership, Innovation and Research, Community Service, Alumni Service and honorary felicitation.

The evening also marked the South India launch of the Australian Government’s “Endeavours of Excellence” book – a publication celebrating Australia’s education ties with India and the South and South East Asia region. Seventeenalumnifrom India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are featured in the book.

2011 Australian Alumni Excellence Award Winners

Honorary Award

Mr N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor, Infosys Limited

The honorary award is to recognise and honourMr N R Narayana Murthy for the significant role played by Mr N R Narayana Murthy towards development of Australia – India relationship. Mr Narayana Murthy is the Chair of the Research Advisory Council of The IITB-Monash Research Academy, a joint venture between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Monash University. The IITB-Monash Research Academy is a showcase for collaboration between Australian and Indian Institutions in the field of scientific research and development. Mr. Murthy has been recently conferred with an honorary doctorate degree by Australia’s prestigious Monash University.

Alumni Award for Business Leadership

Mr Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director of National Aviation Company of India Limited

An alumni of Curtin University with an MBA in Strategic Management, Mr Arvind Jadhav is a part of the Indian Administrative Service. Mr Jadhav is currently the Chairman and Managing Director of National Aviation Company of India Limited, which runs Air India – The national carrier of India.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Mr Sahil Shroff

An alumni of Deakin University and Monash University with Bachelor of e-commerce, marketing and Masters in Applied Information, Mr Sahil Shroff has been associated with the media, advertising industry in India and Internationally. He has undertaken modelling assignments for Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and has been a brand ambassador for HCL Computers, Pantaloons.Mr Shroff has also been actively involved in representing Australian educational institutions as their ambassador in India.

Alumni Award for Innovation and Research

Dr Jayaraman Gowrishankar, Director & Staff Scientist, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting & Diagnostics, Hyderabad

A Ph.D. from University of Melbourne, DrJayaraman Gowrishankar, has exemplary research achievements in the field of microbial and molecular genetics; physiology and gene regulation. Dr Gowrishankaris actively engaged in a variety of science-related public activities in India, training and educational on intellectual property rightsand on Committees for evaluation of grant proposals, individuals, research institutions.

Alumni Award for Arts and Culture

Mr Raghav Sachar, singer, musician and actor

Raghav Sachar studied Music & Composition at the Monash University. In 2009, he formed his own record label called “Raghav Sachar Music”. His albums “Charming Lootera”, “Om Jai Jagdish” and “Vande Mataram” have been released under his own label. He has been part of several Bollywood films. Raghav was seen performing recently at the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi.

Outstanding Australia Awards Endeavour Alumni

Ms Ameeta Wattal, Principal, Springdales School, Delhi

Ms Ameeta Wattal was the recipient of an Australian Government Endeavour Executive Award in 2010. Her research investigated the importanceof Asia literacy and leadership development in Australian and Indian schools.Ms Wattal has actively fostered enduring education links with Australian schools through her involvement in Australian Education International’s (AEI) Australia India Principals/Teachers Professional Learning Program and in developing a successful teacher and student exchange program through her own school.

Alumni Award for Sports

Mr Sanket Shetty, Operations Manager, Sports Education Development India Limited

An alumni of Edith Cowan University with an MBA, Sanket was a national level badminton player. Sanket has 9 years of professional work experience and he has worked as the Project Officer in the Operations Department during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Sanket is currently involved in the Operations Managementof Sports Education Development India Limited which owns exclusive rights all across India to run Cricket Education Program a cricket program in affiliation with Cricket Australia.

Alumni Award for Community Service

Mr Karthikeyan Vaitheeswaran, National Consultant – Livelihoods, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

An alumni of Victoria University with an MBA, Karthikeyan has been actively involved in Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Programmes in some of the worst affected remote villages in Tamil Nadu. He was instrumental in designing and delivering market based skills development programmes for the Tsunami affected youth and women.Karthikeyan is actively involved in several non-profit organizations and corporate in their community development programmes.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award

Mr Ravi Lochan Singh, Managing Director, Global Reach

An alumni of Bond University with an MBA in International Marketing, Ravi Lochan Singh runs a successful education service company in India to promote Overseas Education Destinations in India.Ravi Lochan Singh has been actively involved in promoting Australian education in India through his involvement with the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India [AEERI] in his role as the President of AEERI.

The Alumni Awards were sponsored byUniversity of Technology, Sydney, Monash University, Perth Education City, Macquarie University, Deakin University, University of Western Sydney, University of New South Wales, Curtin University and Australian Education International.

Australian Education

With some of the world’s leading universities, colleges and schools, Australia attracts more than 540,000 international students from 190 countries to its shores. High academic standards and world-class facilities combined with freedom, challenge, competitive costs and a stimulating, multicultural environment are among the drawcards of an Australian education.

Australia makes enormous global contributions through science, technology, business, sport and creative pursuits. In recent times Australians have invented Google maps, a vaccine for cervical cancer, the Black Box Flight Recorder, Penicillin, Internet WiFi and the bionic ear, known throughout the world as the Cochlear implant. The considerable international contribution made by Australian graduates, including Nobel Prize winners confirms Australian education’s reputation as the passport to a global career.

According to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities, 8% of Australian universities are ranked among the top 100 in the world and 43% of Australian universities are in the top 500. Australia offers world class education with excellence and innovation in R&D. Australia is a major international education destination for Indian students seeking an international education with enrolments of more than 100,000 Indian students in Australia in 2010-2011.

For more information on Studying in Australia, please contact the Education Manager, Australian Trade Commission, Australian High Commission, New Delhi at 011 – 45756233 or at newdelhi@studyinaustralia.gov.au

Listen to the PART 1 of the interview below

Listen to the PART 2 of the interview below

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-exposes-ISI-subversion-of-Kashmir-issue-FBI-arrests-US-based-lobbyist/articleshow/9289454.cms

IAKF was established in 1991 to inform the world community of the oppression against Kashmiri Pandits that led to their forced exile from Kashmir due to the influx of fundamentalist Islamic terrorism. IAKF wishes to raise awareness of the human rights violations suffered by the Pandit community, many of whom are still living in makeshift ‘refugee’ camps in Jammu, India. The organization seeks the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley with guaranteed security and freedom to exercise their religious faith and cultural way of life without fear or intrusion. IAKF provides reports to the U.S. Administration, U.S. Congress, and several of Washington D.C.’s policy think tanks. For more information, please visit www.iakf.org.

Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF, www.iakf.org) takes a strong note of FBI’s arrest of lobbyist Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, the Executive Director of the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) and the Kashmir Center, in Virginia and commends the FBI and other federal agencies for exposing Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency ISI’s role in covertly lobbying US lawmakers.

FBI’s charge that Dr. Fai and a Pakistan based American colleague were allegedly “participating in a long-term conspiracy to act as agents of the Pakistani government in the United States” exposes ISI’s dangerous designs of misleading US lawmakers and continuing support to terrorists and secessionists in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

IAKF always believed that the KAC and the Kashmir Center, Washington, was funded beyond their means because it had full time staff and prime office space with media advisors bent on misleading the U.S. Administration, U.S. Congress and various Think Tanks. It was always clear that this group was following the official Pakistani version of the Kashmir story. In all instances, the truth was obfuscated by misinformation provided by our opponents masquerading as Kashmiri freedom fighters.

It should be pointed out that our organization, in contrast, is run by volunteers, working on personal time and meager donations, to inform and educate the U.S. policy makers about the plight of our community that has been the worst sufferers of Pakistan’s State-sponsored terrorism. Since 1991, IAKF has been fighting for the restoration of fundamental rights of Kashmiri Pandits and other religious minorities who were ethnically cleansed out of Kashmir by terrorists supported and funded by Pakistan. Towards that goal, IAKF has never hesitated to condemn one and all that have victimized minorities in Kashmir, be they governments, terrorists, or members of the majority community in Kashmir.

IAKF has always been steadfast in countering the disinformation campaign unleashed by organizations like Dr. Fai’s Kashmiri American Council (KAC), achieving limited success in getting across the story of “refugees in their own country.” Today’s developments and FBI’s affidavit filed in the court along with the complaint against Dr. Fai clearly demonstrate the strong and well-funded network behind the disinformation campaign of our opponents, which we nevertheless were able to surmount to the extent possible.

With today’s exposure, IAKF is hopeful that these covert operations funded and supported by Pakistan will be finally dismantled and US lawmakers will get an opportunity to listen to the true stories of real victims of terrorism. IAKF completely believes in the US Justice system and is hopeful that the whole truth will finally come out in the open and justice will be served.

Press Release Issued by IAKF Board of Directors.
Contact Information:Lalit Koul, President, Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF), lalit@iakf.org

There has been speculation that the relationship between this region’s largest democracies, India and Australia has lost its political traction and that the Labour government has had a different perception of the relationship, thanks to Kevin Rudd. Post Howard era has seen a steady decline in interest of the top leadership towards each other. The banal and text book policy approach adopted by the mercurial Rudd has caused enormous damage to this bilateral relationship and caused Australia to forgo billions of dollars in lost Uranium sales and also eroded huge amount of goodwill. His one dimensional foreign policy fixation towards China has caused more harm than good.

At this moment there is also huge inertia in the Indian foreign ministry to establish a strategic partnership with Australia as it does not want to concentrate its limited foreign policy resources to a relationship which is refusing to peak. India is instead focussing more on US, Europe and Japan instead. The flurry of visits of Indian ministers into Australia has largely been symbolic and has not yielded any big announcements. The nature and size of partnerships announced during these visits is miniscule as compared to the deals signed by Indian ministers when they visit even smaller European countries.

Australian approach to improving relations with India is confused, fragmented and ad-hoc. Ever since the attacks on Indian students in Australia, the bureaucrats have scrambled to look for piece meal solutions. The approach has been to keep on engaging with small time activities ranging from organising barbeque for students to getting Indian journalists to visit Australia. The problem has been that many of the Indian students are vegetarian and not amenable for barbeque functions. In fact some of the Indians don’t even use the free barbeques in picnic areas as they don’t want to heat their meat on the same plate on which someone would have cooked beef and most of the Muslims insist on Halal meat and prefer to be vegetarians rather than eat something they are not sure about. Also the free tour organised by Australian government for Indian journalists failed to generate any goodwill for Australia as senior journalists never visited Australia and stuck to their stand of needling Australian government and instead gifted the trips to rookies to be treated as a job retention exercise.

The approach to addressing crime against Indian students was again ‘killing the goose that lay the eggs‘ and instead of addressing policing issues and resolving student concerns, the government took a different line and all of a sudden decided to take the school book approach and focussed on closing colleges and suddenly increasing regulation in the sector without analysing the impact this would have on the education sector. Indian students have thereafter left for better options and Australia is now losing out on the lucrative international student dollars to the UK, America, Canada and New Zealand.

The din and cry raised over immigration has again muddied the waters and has left people in Asian countries wondering why Australia is so angry over the presence of a few thousand illegal refugees when they are burdened by humanitarian refugees many thousand times more than this number. Some of the myopic Australian politicians have desperately been trying to increase the barriers to entry into Australia by adopting a shrill attitude and inflaming passions by raising xenophobic fears against immigration.

Canada has put no limits on immigration numbers and yet has a flawless functioning immigration system. Educated people in today’s world and people who qualify for Skilled Permanent Residency have multiple options available for immigration and competition to adopting Australia as a destination comes from other developed countries like Canada, UK and even USA. In 2008-09, Indians formed the largest group of new permanent or temporary residents, with more than 80,000 arriving to study, work or settle here. But in 2009-10, the number of Indians arriving shrank by a third to just 55,000.

Since the past two years, despite the best efforts of Australian foreign affairs department, the hatred for Australia in India has not subsided. Anti Australian sentiment has failed to recede in India. Come September, 2011 when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard shake hands during CHOGM summit, the meeting would be just symbolic as both the leaders continue to lose command, respect and popularity in their respective nations due to domestic issues. Given the political situation in which Julia Gillard finds herself and the continuous decline in opinion polls, don’t expect any changes in the Uranium policy of the Australian government towards India. With the burden of so many corruption cases and an administration beset by scandals, internal bickering and declining popularity, Manmohan Singh will not command the same respect which he did during his initial term. To boost his image back home and to appeal to voters in Northern India, it is quite likely that he will rake in the issue of safety for Indian students in Australia, which will continue to irk Australia.

The existing trade relationship between Australia and India is much skewed towards coal and gold and needs to expand. India also has key concerns over giving access to its farm markets as part of the proposed Free Trade Agreement, which Australia desperately needs access to.

However there is hope for better cooperation. With Western Australia firmly positioned as the driver for Australia’s growth and the exponential increase in exports of minerals through the ports in this state, Australia has woken up to the need of protecting the sea corridor around this state and its proximity to Indian coastal waters means Australian and Indian interests will need to merge to ward off any external threats.

The push for Uranium sales to India has grown ever since Kevin Rudd left office. With Energy Minister Martin Fergusson in favour of selling Uranium to India, Julia Gillard needs to summon the political courage to turn around the sale of Uranium to India.

Varanasi, December 7, 2010: Two-year-old girl killed and 25 others injured in a blast which takes place between the Dashashwamedh and Shitla ghats on the river Ganga.

Pune, February 13, 2010: Seventeen people killed and over 60 injured when a bomb rips out the famous German bakery in the city.
Mumbai, November 26, 2008: 166 people killed in coordinated serial explosions and indiscriminate firing across Mumbai including the crowded CST railway station and two five-star hotels – Oberoi and Taj.

Assam, October 30, 2008: At least 77 killed and over 100 injured in 18 bombings across Assam.
Imphal, October 21, 2008: 17 killed in a powerful blast near Manipur Police Commando complex.
Malegaon, Maharashtra, September 29, 2008: Five people killed after a bomb kept in a motorbike goes off in a crowded market.
Modasa, Gujarat, September 29, 2008: One killed and several injured after a low-intensity bomb kept on a motorcycle goes off near a mosque.
New Delhi, September 27, 2008: Three people killed after a crude bomb is thrown in a busy market in Mehrauli.
New Delhi, September 13, 2008: 26 people killed in six blasts across the city.
Ahmedabad, July 26, 2008: 57 people killed after 20 synchronised blasts in less than two hours.
Bangalore, July 25, 2008: One person killed in a low-intensity bomb explosion.
Jaipur, May 13, 2008: 68 people killed in serial bombings.
January, 2008: Terrorist attack on CRPF camp in Rampur kills eight.
October, 2007: Two killed in blast inside Ajmer Sharif shrine in Rajasthan during Ramzan.
August, 2007: 30 dead, 60 hurt in Hyderabad terror strike.
May, 2007: A blast at Mecca mosque in Hyderabad kills 11 people.
February 19, 2007: Two bombs explode on board a train bound from India to Pakistan, burning to death at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis.
September, 2006: 30 dead and 100 hurt in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon.
July, 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai’s trains kill over 200 and injure 700 others.
March, 2006: Twin bombings at a train station and a temple in Varanasi kill 20 people.
October, 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets a day before Diwali kill 62 people and injured hundreds.

Almost every 2 years there has been a terror strike in India’s financial capital Mumbai and after every attack we see politicians praising the spirit of Mumbai and terming the attacks as cowardly. That the underbelly of a nation which produces 1.53 trillion USD as its output, could be stuck so easily by random terrorists and is so exposed, makes it a laughing stock around the world. The security administration of the country has failed to prevent these attacks which kill innocent people in the financial heart of the country.

The fear of these attacks always engulfs the city residents but this has fallen on deaf ears of the State and Union ministers, who seem to give a damn to the security environment and have focussed on wealth creation for themselves and their family members. What is shameful is that we have terrorists lodged inside our jails waiting to be hanged and even though there were clear indications that terrorists could attack the city again, the administration is unable to stop them.

Now ponder over what the top leadership of the country was doing a week before the terror attacks. So obsessed were the leaders with the infighting and grabbing ministerial positions and looting the nations coffers that it hardly left them any time to focus on security of the common man on the road. Driving in chauffer driven cars, getting free utilities and with scores of personnel guarding them, they would hardly care about the pains of the common man and their only ambition is to fill their coffers while the sun shines and retain the ministries at any cost.

Constitutionally, in every democracy, the prime minister chooses his ministers, but for the current Prime Minister, the political reality stares himself in his face. Barring a very small set of individuals, Manmohan Singh has never been permitted to choose his own Cabinet. So a lot of time is spent in getting the list authorised by the real power centre in India, Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Amidst the galore and din of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, the embattled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to meet Sonia Gandhi for the third time in a single week. Added to this, handling the pressure from his allies would have left the government no time to focus on nation’s security. Come to think of it, even Laloo Prasad Yadav was scouting for a cabinet berth.

The Finance Minister was sent to Chennai to offer cabinet positions to sulking DMK chief Karunanidhi, who since the last 5 years has been sending his relatives to Delhi as ministers to loot the coffers of Government of India and has caused a loss of 40 billion dollars to the national coffers. Never mind that this guy has married 3 times and lives openly with them and not even a single soul in India has been able to raise a finger at him and ask to how he could legally marry 3 wives and that under the constitution of India this is not allowed. This is a former serving CM who is clearly violating the law. When the noose was tightening over his another protégé Dayanidhi Maran, Karunanidhi started to sulk in a big way. According to news reports, the PM was very scared of conveying the news to Dayanidhi Maran.  He asked Pranab Mukherjee to do the dirty work, and he didn’t oblige this time. The PM then drafted Sharad Pawar in to persuade Maran to quit before last Thursday’s Cabinet reshuffle.  Maran sought at least a month to decide, but Pawar cautioned him against the negative political impact on the UPA. A stickler for rules, the Maratha leader had spoken to Karunanidhi before phoning Maran and assured him Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would come down to Chennai to meet him and discuss his choice of ministries. Here is a PM who wanted decided to get rid of Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran, but couldn’t find the means to convey it to the minister and was deeply engrossed in managing the political fallout.

6 of the ministers dropped from the cabinet are sulking openly and one of the minister of State for Home, Gurudas Kamat resigned after he was moved to another ministry. Why did he resign from the Union Cabinet? Because he wanted to sit over a ministry which has a budget of over 13 billion USD and enjoy the benefits! He would have plunged the whole Home ministry into paralysis over the past few weeks and sat over important decisions and files. The possibility of an attack in Mumbai would have been the last thing on his mind and his senior minister.

After two major accidents over the weekend in which more than 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in train accidents, the Railway Minister, so drunk with the trappings of power refused to even visit the accident site and openly defied the Prime Minister. Despite this, his party was rewarded and a member of TMC was elevated to a Cabinet rank as Minister for Railways.

Two Ministers from Mumbai were vocal in their demotion. One of the former Chief Ministers of Maharashtra said, the cabinet reshuffle was like a game of  kho kho, a traditional Indian game in which you try to tag your opponents and one of the ministers Verrappa Moily said there were vested interests inside the cabinet which led to his ouster. Two ministers who were in the needle of suspicion in the Adarsh Society scam in which politicians grabbed flats meant for families of war victims, continue to be in the Cabinet.

In the midst of all this the Congress yuvraj Rahul Gandhi was trying to get back UP back for the Congress party and the whole central administration (read Home Ministry) was focussed on ensuring security for the yuvraj as he blazed through the mofussil towns of UP.

One of the senior leaders of the Congress party and a close confident of the Congress President, Digvijay Singh who addressed the world’s most dangerous terrorist Osama as Osamaji, was giving statements as to why Rahul Gandhi would be the best candidate for the Prime Ministership of India. He even gave good character certificates to Suresh Kalmadi and A Raja, both of whom have swindled billions of rupees illegally.

The Telecom and Education Minister, Kapil Sibal was defending allegations that he reduced the penalty on Reliance Communications from 15 million USD penalty on Reliance Communications to a mere 115,000 USD and took the media focus back to the government already battling multiple corruption allegations.

In the midst of this chaos, even if there would have been a credible intelligence about any attack, it would have simply been ignored in the din of thick skinned politicians fighting for their survival. Ordinary Indians are sick of intelligence failures. Politicians in India will only wake up if terror strikes them.

“The new Victoria India Doctoral Scholarships are another excellent initiative from the Victorian Coalition Government, designed to strengthen relationships between Victoria and India,” Ms Asher said.

The scholarships are being offered in partnership with Victoria’s universities and offer a new attractive incentive for India’s high-achieving students to come to Victoria for doctoral studies.

In addition to the Coalition Government’s $90,000 scholarships, Victoria’s universities will waive tuition fees for the successful scholarship recipients.

“These scholarships will support research that contributes to global knowledge while also helping to build closer partnerships between India and Victoria.

“More than 150,000 international students are already studying in Victoria’s education institutions. International students come here because Victoria’s premium education and training system offers qualifications recognised around the world, establishing a strong foundation for a future career,” Ms Asher said.

“Victoria also has a multicultural community which values the presence of international students. Our education institutions have close research links with Indian institutions and industry, and the new scholarships program will further reinforce those networks.

“We already have strong trade and investment, cultural, historical and personal links with India and many Indian people who have made their life here make a valuable contribution in ICT, life sciences, as well as professional, technical and financial services,” Ms Asher said.

The Governor of Victoria, Alex Chernov is also patron of the Australia India Institute that is delivering the scholarships on behalf of the Government.

“I am delighted the Victoria India Doctoral Scholarships will give research students from India access to some of the finest institutions in the world, and the opportunity to experience one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural communities,” Governor Chernov said.

At the New Delhi launch of the scholarships last night, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, said this generous scholarship was a great opportunity for some of Indias smartest researchers to pursue their doctoral studies at Victoria’s universities.

“The academic communities of India and Australia are working more closely together than ever before and I congratulate the Coalition Government and the Australia India Institute on this important new initiative,” Mr Varghese said.

To apply please visit www.studymelbourne.vic.gov.au/scholarships, www.studymelbourne.vic.gov.au/hindi/scholarships

Details of the Victorian Government’s Trade Engagement Program www.trade.vic.gov.au

The donation was facilitated by The Wizard of Oz Funland, Leumeah as part of its multicultural initiative to share in the cultures of the different communities who make up the rich social fabric of Macarthur.

“The idea is to encourage people from various communities living locally to come forward and share their culture with the rest of us. Not only will this give us a greater understanding and appreciation of our immediate neighbours but a great opportunity to try out some absolutely fascinating food and culture as a family!” said Brian Laul, the Funland’s director.

On Fri 5th & Sat 6th August 2011, the Funland once more hosts Bollywood Masala, its annual festival celebrating Indian culture, films & food. At last year’s Festival, Amit Dasgupta was a guest of honour and offered to contribute to the Funland’s multicultural initiative by donating a collection of books to the Campbelltown Library. Anyone who wishes to take part in this year’s festival is more than welcome to contact the Funland.

Amit Dasgupta, Consul General of India, Sydney with Campbelltown Mayor Paul Lake and Brian Laul, Director of The Wizard of Oz Funland at the Campbelltown Library

Receiving the books, the Mayor Cr Lake said that they are sure to be enjoyed by the local Indian families who are keen to share the history and culture of their country of origin with their children. He was sure they would also provide just as much enjoyment to anyone interested in opening their children’s eyes to other cultures and the wonderful stories and mythology India has to offer.

AIBC President, Dipen Rughani spoke highly of the efforts of these individuals and said, “It is hard not to recognise Arun Jagatramka. His energy is amazing. He spends half a month in India and half a month in Australia. His company has spent 400 million in Australia and is planning to invest 450 million in Australia in next 5 years. Nirmal Singh Bhangoo of Pearl Group has invested lot of money in Australia, among them Sheraton Mirage in Gold Coast and has got exclusive rights to VB and Wolf Blass in India. My observations are that Brett Lee is a true gentleman on the field and off the field. He has sang with Asha Bonsale and set up music academy ‘Mewsic’ in one of the underprivileged communities in India and today it is a momentous night for AIBC and for everyone here. Nirmal Singh Bhangoo of Pearl Group was unwell and could not travel to Sydney but sent six of his family members to Sydney to receive the award on his behalf.”

Harry Harinath, Chariman of Cricket NSW speaking on the occasion said,” What a night tonight and I thank the AIBC to inaugurate the first kind of function to recognise those people who have fostered and promoted relations between NSW and India and India and Australia. Today we are celebrating the achievements of 3 men who have given so much of their service and so much for the love of Australia and India. Brett Lee heroics on the cricket field are well known and it is the manner in which he has embraced Indian culture and Indian people, which is amazing. I had the occasion of being with him in the Champions League in India and I saw first hand how he managed in India and has managed to develop a special relationship. He has also learnt the language of Hindi. I have seen you come as young 17 years old from Wollongong to become a legend in cricket.”

Recalling his initial days of friendship with Arun Jagatramka, Harry said Arun was present throughout the tournament when NSW was playing in Champions League in India and Arun was our biggest supporter, “Cricket NSW is very thankful for the support shown by Arun. Kohinoor, may be with the queen of England but the black diamond (referring to the excellent quality of Coking Coal in his mines) is there in Wollongong with Arun. Your investments in Australia are large and I would like you to put your investments in NSW.” added Harry. Harry also invited Pearl Group of industries to set up more investments in NSW.

Indian Consul General, Amit Dasgupta commented, “I have great pleasure as the Consul General of India to have an occasion where 3 Indians are being celebrated today. It is a joyous occasion and I hope AIBC takes this forward. There are areas and opportunities that AIBC and my consulate will be happy to facilitate for investors to discover. Bret Lee is a prime example of how we create friendships that go beyond borders and boundaries.”

Premier Barry O Farrell welcomed the great initiative by NSW AIBC and said, “If we make NSW No 1 the rest of the country does well as this is the largest state. We believe to deliver best outcomes for this state we need to grow trade and investments in this state which then help provide transport and infrastructure to people across NSW. I am a very happy to be presenting awards for corporations in India. We are determined particularly in the construction sector to make our planning approval systems clearer and simpler and promote confidence to get more business people to invest in NSW.” Taking a veiled shot at the National cricket team selectors over the axing of NSW batsman Simon Katich he said, “My view is 34 is not still too old for cricket. Even though Brett Lee is an outstanding cricketer, he is the figure of envy of every Australian bloke. Took him the age of 21 to represent his state, it took me 51 years to get to become the Premier and as per cricket Board policies I am too old anyway.”

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Sheba Nandkeolyar, co-Vice President of AIBC while introducing the awardees said, “Under Arun’s guidance his company has become the largest independent producer of Met Coke in India and it is the only Indian company to own and operate a cocking coal mine in Australia and in the space of just a few years the company has acquired resources of hard cocking resource over 650 million tonnes and employs over 500 people. He has been the flag bearer of Indian business in Australia and has been in forefront of promoting Australia as a business destination for India.”  She also added, “Since its dramatic entry with the purchase of prestigious Sheraton resort in Gold Coast, Nirmal Singh has demonstrated genuine commitment to Australia with a series of prominent deals and projects which underpin its serious intent to become a major national player working from Queensland. By investing 75 million at Varcity Lakes Edge Water to develop water front residences he has shrugged off challenging conditions in Gold Coast. Its Indian portfolio includes health, food spice, liquor, infrastructure and has 260 offices and 1.6 million employees.”

Nirmal Singh Bhangoo’s daughter spoke on the occasion and read out his father’s message. “I would like to thank all of you and I am very pleased and honoured to receive this award, I am really sorry for not being there to receive the award but I have done the next best thing and sent my family across. I have fallen in love with Australia and it has become my favourite destination and am proud of this.

“Aap Kaise Hain” said Brett Lee as he rose to speak after being honoured by AIBC. “It is a true honour for me and a special privilege to get this recognition, I went to India for the first time in 1994 I came back sick and I told my friends about the place and since them I have gone their 50 odd times. It is a place I feel cherished about and I feel honoured to be loved there.” He also spoke about his ‘Mewsic’ Foundation and said the instruments and teachers have all been funded through the Foundation, which has teamed up with some Indian non-government organisations and charities to set up the program.

To find out more about Pearl Global visit www.pearlsglobal.com or nirmalsinghbhangoo.com