Dead woman found in suitcase near Juhu beach

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Mumbai:  The Mumbai Police is trying to  identify a young woman whose dead body was found packed into a suitcase on Juhu Beach.

The police believes that she was killed in the last 24 hours, and that she is in her early 30s.

Her hands and feet were tied together. A piece of rope was found in the suitcase, and her neck shows injuries that suggest she was strangled. She also has cuts and bruises on her face.

She was dressed in  a shirt and a skirt, and was not wearing any jewelry.  

The body has been sent for post-mortem to a hospital close by. The police is also checking on reports of people who have gone missing lately to see if they can find a match.

The suitcase was discovered this morning on an isolated part of Juhu Beach that borders the Juhu fishing colony, far from the strip that's popular with tourists and often features in Bollywood films. A man who works at a scrap-yard in the area found the suitcase and pried it open.

Pawan Kalyan’s The Shadow to Begin from April 15

Power Star Pawan Kalyan is a busy hero in Tollywood now. His upcoming film ‘Teenmaar’ is in the final leg of completion. It is likely to hit screens on 7th of April. Audio release is expected next week.

His next film ‘The Shadow’ to be directed by Tamil director Vishnuvardhan is expected to go on sets from April 15. First schedule is planned in Kolkata. It will star two heroines - Sarah Jane Dias is one of them and the other is yet to be finalized. Bollywood actress Jiah Khan is in consideration for the second heroine. Jackie Shroff will appear in a key role.

‘The Shadow,’ according to the director, is a gangster film with mafia backdrop and Pawan Kalyan will play a Mafia don in it. 

Music will be composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Abburi Ravi pens dialogues.

FORBES LIST:top 10 billionares

Rank 1: Carlos Slim

Net worth: $74 billion 

Mexico's Carlos Slim has topped the Forbes list for the second year in a row. His fortune has climbed to $74 billion on strength in the Mexican stock market, a stronger peso and successful business spinoffs, Forbes said. The majority of his net worth comes from his holdings in America Movil, Latin America's largest phone service provider.

Slim has widened his lead over other billionaires on Forbes magazine's list of the world's richest people. Slim's fortune was estimated to have risen to $74 billion well ahead of Bill Gates' $56 billion who ranks second on the richest list.

Slim gained the most in the past year. His wealth increased $20.5 billion from last year's estimate of $53.5 billion by Forbes, which attributed the increase to a rise in Mexican stock prices as well as successful mining and real estate projects carried out through his Grupo Carso conglomerate.

Rank 2: Bill Gates

Net worth: $56 billion
Software visionary Bill Gates is the second richest man in the world and the richest man in the United States. In the global rich list, Gates has consistently figured on the top from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution who retired from his role as Chief Software Architect on June 27, 2008. Gates stepped down from his position to dedicate the majority of his time to running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's largest and richest philanthropic organisations. Gates lost the richest man title last year to Slim

Rank 3: Warren Buffett

Networth: $50 billion 

Legendary investor Warren Buffet is another American to feature in the Forbes top 10 richest people in the world. Buffett, 79, is chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people. His major investment programs include $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric amid 2008 market collapse.

Rank 4: Bernard Arnault

Net worth: $41 billion

France's Bernard Arnault is the founder, chairman, and CEO of LVMH, a large luxury goods conglomerate consisting of over fifty luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Fendi. He owns French tour operator Go Voyages and yacht builder Royal Van Lent and has a stake in French retailer Carrefour (CRERY).

Rank 5: Lawrence Ellison

Net worth: $39.5 billion

Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison is an American business magnate, co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation. Oracle founder's fortune continues to soar because of surge in stock prices. In 2009, Oracle completed $7.4 billion buyout of Sun Microsystems. Ellison has a reputation as one of the most flamboyant and outspoken executives in corporate America. Ellison, whose hobbies include yachting and piloting jet-fighter planes, won the America's Cup with his BMW Oracle's team.

Rank 6: Lakshmi Mittal

Net worth: $31.1 billion

India-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaking company. Mittal, who is also the richest man in Europe, holds considerable property portfolio. Lakshmi Mittal serves as a non-executive director of Goldman Sachs, EADS and ICICI Bank and is presently the vice chairman of the World Steel Association.

Rank 7: Amancio Ortega

Net worth: $31 billion

Amancio Ortega Gaona is a Spanish fashion entrepreneur. He is the founder, along with his then-wife Rosalía Mera, and chairman of the Inditex Group. His group comprises several brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, has 4,500 stores in 73 countries including new spots in Mexico and Syria.

 

Rank 8: Eike Batista

Net worth: $30 billion

Eike Batista, the Brazilian 52-year-old born in Governador Valadares (MG), owns oil and mining companies. A renowned, self made businessman Batista was ranked eighth in the 2010 Forbes list of Billionaires with net worth at US$ 27 billion. Eike Batista is also known for donations of a large amount to various charities.

Rank 9: Mukesh Ambani

Net worth: $27 billion

Forbes has ranked Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani ninth in the Forbes' latest billionaires list. Reliance Industries is India's largest private sector conglomerate (by market value), having interests ranging from petroleum products, petrochemicals to garments. Recently, British oil giant BP Plc agreed to invest $7.2 billion in RIL to take a stake in key oil and gas blocks. The tie-up could eventually amount to a $20 billion investment from BP.

RANK:10Christy Walton & Family

 

Net worth: $26.5 billion

Christy Walton is the richest woman in the world at present. A majority of her wealth comes from her holdings, which she inherited, in Wal-Mart, the retail chain founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James. She also inherited her husband's investment in First Solar, whose value soared 500 per cent since 2006.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/album/detail/forbes-list-top-10-billionaires-9326/8?cp

Space shuttle Discovery makes historic last landing

Cape Canaveral (Florida):  The oldest and most travelled space shuttle, Discovery, landed back on Earth on Wednesday after its final space flight. It will now be kept at a museum.

The shuttle cruised onto the runway at Kennedy Space Centre at 1657 GMT, wrapping up a rich, 27-year career in spaceflight that has spanned more distance and endured longer than any of the remaining three US shuttles.

"And Houston, Discovery. For the final time, wheelstop," Commander Steve Lindsey said when the orbiter came to a halt on the runway.

Discovery's arrival back on Earth marks the beginning of the end for the three-decade-old US shuttle programme, which will formally close down after Endeavour and Atlantis take their final spaceflights in the coming months.

"This legend has spent 365 days in space," NASA mission control in Houston said, noting that over the course of its 39 missions, Discovery has logged almost 241 million kilometres.

Discovery's last trip to the International Space Station (ISS) was initially scheduled to last 11 days but was extended to 13 so that astronauts could work on repairs and install a spare room.

The new permanent module they brought to the orbiting lab adds 21 by 15 feet of extra room for storage and experiments.

Astronauts also carried the first humanoid robot to the ISS, though it spent most of its time wrapped in packing materials and will not become fully operational for some time.

Karnataka colleges battle sexual harassment

Bangalore:  Stung by the sexual harassment allegations at the University of Mysore, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Bangalore University has decided that it is high time students were educated in guidelines against sexual harassment.

Circulars quoting the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be issued to the 654 colleges falling under jurisdiction of the university by next week in a bid to educate students on sexual harassment on campus.

VC N Prabhudev said, "The UGC has a clear circular on both ragging and sexual harassment. Students should be educated on the possible avenues of sexual harassment in layman's terms."

He added, "The guideline will be widely circulated among the student community in the next few days."

The circular instructs students to notify university authorities immediately if they are having issues related to sexual harassment or to confide in friends if that makes them more comfortable.

Prabhudev added, "It's their duty to inform us. I strongly urge them to study in groups if they have to work outside normal working hours to avoid a situation."

The VC also discouraged private moments with tutors that might catch both parties unaware. "Most of the time incidents occur if teachers are divorced, unmarried or have an inferiority complex," he added.

ACP (Law and Order) Sunil Kumar said, "We cannot force anyone to come forward with complaints of sexual harassment. But it is important to inform someone about the matter. Anyone with comfort issues can approach a known person if they feel comfortable to do so."

Fugitive mafia boss found hiding in box

Naples, Italy:  A fugitive mafia boss was arrested after he was found hiding in a box in an apartment here, police said.

Raffaele Forgione had hidden inside the box in a failed attempt to escape detection by police after they broke into the property.

Forgione, 37, was transferred to Poggioreale jail in Naples. A member of the Naples mafia or Camorra, he has already been sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison for extortion.

He is a member of the Camorra's La Montagna clan which operates in the northern area of the province of Naples.

Police said they believe Forgione had probably been hiding at the apartment in Caivano, on the outskirts of northern Naples "for some time".

The Camorra is fragmented into a series of crime families which have their strongholds in particular areas of Naples and the surrounding Campania region.

Gems stolen in Paris, found in drainpipe

Paris:  More than two years after men dressed in wigs and scarves struck the Harry Winston jewellery store in Paris's golden triangle of upscale shops, the police this week discovered a cache of sparkling diamonds from the theft in a far less glamorous place: a drainpipe in the northern suburbs of the city.

They found one diamond ring the size of a child's marble, along with 18 other rings and 3 earrings, in a plastic container inside a concrete mould at the home of the man suspected as the mastermind in Seine-Saint-Denis.

The police were saying little about Monday's discovery of jewellery valued at $20.6 million other than dryly describing the inventory. "We are saying nothing, nothing," a police spokeswoman said Tuesday. "The judge is not happy that the information came out."

The jewellery was part of a record haul during Christmastime 2008, when four men -- three dressed as women -- robbed the high-end jewellery store in the Eighth Arrondissement at closing time, grabbing their glittering goods within 15 minutes. The theft, which Harry Winston then valued at roughly $110 million, was called the robbery of the century by the French news media because the armed robbers had planned so precisely that they knew the names and addresses of some of the employees.

The men flaunted a hand grenade and, according to witnesses, barked orders in Eastern European accents, leading to widespread speculation that the robbery was a caper of the Pink Panther jewellery theft ring, which has roots in Serbia and is being hunted by Interpol.

In 2009, though, after an initial search of the house, the police detained 25 people, ranging in age from 22 to 67, with home-grown roots in the northern suburbs of Paris. Nine of them were later charged, including the man suspected as the mastermind, Daoudi Yahiaoui, 46, who owns the house where the jewels were discovered and who is already in jail, awaiting sentencing in the robbery.

During the first search of the house, the police recovered expensive watches and rings hidden behind a false wall that were later displayed at a news conference. More than $1.4 million in cash was also found in different hiding places, along with a shotgun and a rocket launcher. But investigators were convinced that more jewels were hidden away.

The thieves made one crucial error: leaving behind a purse with traceable DNA. Investigators also dissected the accents heard on security tapes and realized that the robbers did not have Slavic accents, but the French of the Parisian suburbs. Those clues led them to a chain of local fences, petty criminals and foreign jewellery appraisers, and finally to the jewels themselves.

Since the robbery, Harry Winston reduced the value of the stolen jewellery to the wholesale price of $32 million, receiving a $20 million insurance settlement, according to its annual reports.

But the risk adjusters and insurance syndicates with Lloyd's of London, Harry Winston's insurer, posted a $1 million reward immediately after the robbery for information leading to the recovery of the diamonds. The insurance investigators for Lloyd's, who had always harboured suspicions that the thieves were home-grown, placed a classified notice in the local daily, Le Parisien, which circulates in the outskirts of Paris.

Urgent mail delivered in Pakistan after 20 years

Islamabad:  An urgent mail sent from Pakistan's Toba Tek Singh town to Karachi in 1991 has finally been delivered.

The urgent mail reached Wednesday, Dawn reported Thursday.

Rafiq Chishti, who had waited endlessly to receive the mail, said his parents had sent his academic certificates to him in Karachi 20 years ago. He was studying in a seminary and the documents were required to apply for a job.

The documents were posted through the Urgent Mail Service. It's a postal department service for quick delivery.
The mail didn't reach him and he made several representations to the authorities, but to no avail.

Chishti said he was informed Wednesday by the present occupant of his Karachi residence that his mail had reached.

Dead woman found in sack on Juhu beach

Mumbai:  The dead body of  a woman has been found inside a sack at Mumbai's Juhu Beach.

The police believes the victim was about 28 years old.  Her hands and legs had been tied together.

The police says that it's unlikely that the sack was dumped on Juhu Beach, and that it was most likely brought in with the tide.

Who is Hu? World most powerful man

New York: Chinese President Hu Jintao, who rules over one-fifth of world`s population, has topped the list of world`s most powerful person while UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been ranked ninth by the US Forbes magazine.

Jintao has been described by the magazine as a person who "unlike Western counterparts, can divert rivers, build cities, jail dissidents and censor internet without meddling from pesky bureaucrats, courts."

US President Barack Obama, who last year topped the list, has been placed behind Hu at second while Saudi King Abdullah stands third most powerful man in the world.

Sonia Gandhi, at ninth place, has been described as a person who wields unequaled influence over 1.2 billion Indians and "after being elected as Congress president for the record fourth term she has cemented her status as true heiress to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been ranked 18th among the world`s top 20 powerful people. Forbes has described Singh as `soft-spoken Oxford-trained economist credited with transforming India`s quasi-socialist economy into world`s second-fastest growing`.

The other Indian who have made to the list include Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani and NRI industrialist Lakshmi Mittal who are ranked 34th and 44th respectively.

Pakistan`s army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has been placed at 29th in the list, while Osama bin Laden is at 57th and India`s most wanted Dawood Ibrahim is at 63th spot.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin holds the fourth place and Pope Benedict XVI has been placed fifth, while German Chancellor is at sixth place, British Prime Minister David Cameron at seventh and Chairman of US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke is at eight place in the list.  (PTI)

Ballboy in 1987, now highest run-getter in World cup

Pune: Wednesday was a memorable day for Sachin Tendulkar since he became the first player to score 2000-plus runs in World Cup cricket. So will October 17, 1987 be in a World Cup context. For, it was on this day that he watched his first World Cup match in a stadium. Tendulkar, then 14, was chosen as a ball boy for the India versus Zimbabwe game at the Wankhede Stadium.

According to Prakash Kelkar, a member of Mumbai's cricketing fraternity, only under-16 boys 'qualified' for ball boy duty, but he was keen on getting Tendulkar and his chum Vinod Kambli to man the boundary line.

"I was keen on getting Sachin and Vinod to come as ball boys for the match because of their exploits in inter-school cricket. I went to Ramakant Achrekar Sir for permission, and he willingly made them available," said Kelkar, who was then in charge of John Bright Cricket Club.

"Sachin was thrilled when he entered the stadium. I still remember his expression. It was as if he had been given everything in life," said Kelkar, who was in charge of the ball boys then.

"I asked Sachin which boundary he wanted to guard, and he opted for the North Stand. He was keen to see Manoj Prabhakar bowl," recalled Kelkar. Tendulkar must have gone home delighted because Prabhakar ended up being man of the match with figures of 4 for 19 as India beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets. Tendulkar went on to represent India in the very next World Cup - Australia and New Zealand in 1991-92.

"Vinod was not too keen to go to North Stand," continued Kelkar. "He felt they would not get food and water there at the far end. He also urged Sachin to be in a place where food and water was easily available, but Sachin was adamant on his position. Instead, he promised Vinod that he would get food and water. The two had a great time thereafter."

Tendulkar recalled his ball boy experience in the recently published book, SACH by Gautam Bhattacharya. "I was standing right there in front of the Indian dressing room. Then Mr Gavaskar invited me inside. I was introduced to all the players. I was too much in awe. But what a feeling it was," Tendulkar was quoted as saying in the book.

Injury leaves Om shaped Scar on Venkatesh’s chin

The friendly match (between Mumbai Heroes and South Superstars) of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) was held recently (on March 4, 2011) at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatanam. It was a fascinating event and was thoroughly enjoyed both by stars and fans.

But Venkatesh, who led South Superstars, got injured on the right side to his chin while on field. He had to be attended immediately and the doctor who treated him had to do some stitches to stop the bleeding. The wound, after the stitches were done, took shape of the 'Om' symbol.

The actor had a painful experience but everybody around him was surprised to see the mark. Few of his teammates have also taken his picture.

It is learnt that Venkatesh is now feeling better but will keep away from work for about a week to 10 days.

RGV’s Dongala Muta to Hit Screens on March 18

Ram Gopal Varma’s latest experimental, zero budget flick ‘Dongala Muta’ is all set to hit the screens on March 18.

As said by RGV, film shooting was completed in just five days. Film was launched on February 9 and the shooting was completed on February 13. Entire shooting was done in normal shifts i.e. from 9 am to 6 pm without a single extra hour.

Another interesting fact is that only 8 crew members were engaged in making the film. The entire film was shot in natural lights with 4 Canon 5D cameras. Puri Jagannadh and Harish Shankar worked as co-director and associate director (respectively).

Film star cast includes Ravi Teja, Charmy Kaur, Subbaraju, Lakshmi Prasanna Manchu, Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj, Brahmaji and Supreeth.

Bihar parents seek mercy killing for two sons

Muzaffarpur:  Asha Devi is aware of the cruel irony. "Mothers seek long lives for their children, but here I am seeking death for my two sons," she says, slumped beside Nitin, 15, and Anshu, 13, who suffer from muscular dystrophy.

The rare muscular disorder is characterised by the death of muscle cells and tissue, and reduces its victims to skeleton-like shapes, with curved spines, progressive loss of body muscle and respiratory difficulties.

Nitin and Anshu cannot talk or stand on their feet. They are also paralysed below their chests and are unable to eat or move without assistance.

Asha says her sons were born healthy, but gradually started developing the condition when they were about two years old.

There is no cure for muscular dystrophy. Some advances have been made, but treatment is available only in the US, and costs anywhere upwards of Rs. 30 lakh (Rs 3 million/about 60,000 USD).

The boys' father, Mukesh Kumar, speaks of this sum with an expression of helplessness.

A poor farmer in Ratwada village of Muzaffarpur district, some 70 km from Bihar capital Patna, he also runs a small shop to supplement his income, and manages to earn Rs.3,500-4,000 a month.

The sum is simply beyond his reach. That's why, he said, "I have asked the state government to grant permission for my boys' mercy killing".

The plea comes at a time when the Aruna Shanbaug case is in the spotlight, with the Supreme Court rejecting mercy killing but giving support to the possibility of passive euthanasia for the nurse who has been in coma for 37 years.

"We have been pleading for their mercy killing because we cannot continue costly medical treatment, which anyway will not cure them, only prolong their unhappy lives. The state government should either grant permission or provide us help for treatment," he said.

"We cannot see our sons' pain and helplessness any more. Both are in utter discomfort," he said.

For Asha Devi, her children's condition is too much to bear.

"I cannot tolerate such a painful life for them. It is for the government to decide whether to grant permission for mercy killing or help us with their treatment," she said, her voice choking.

Mukesh said he sold off his little piece of land and the meagre valuables he had for his sons' medicines.

"There is no temple or mosque here that I haven't visited to pray for my children. I've gone to Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata for their treatment, and tried everything from allopathy to ayurveda. I've done everything I could," he said.

"We are completely destitute now, struggling for survival. How can we manage money for their treatment?"

Meanwhile, Tirhut range Divisional Commissioner S.M. Raju has assured all help to the couple. "After I was informed about them, I invited them to meet me. I will ensure every possible help to them," he said.

Asha said last year they tried to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his popular 'janta darbar' in Patna but were not allowed inside by security officers.

"I see their distress every day. Either they should be provided proper medical treatment or they should die," the mother said.