Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
BlackBerry to launch Playbook in India soon
New Delhi, June 12: After mobile phones, the competition is hotting up for "tablets" in India with BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) all set to launch its PlayBook in the country later this month to face the likes of Apple''s iPad and Samsung''s Galaxy Tab.
The Canadian firm will launch PlayBook in Indian markets and some other countries this month, sources said. According to the company''s website, the PlayBook is scheduled to be launched in 16 countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, UAE and India.
"The price is going to be competitive with the other products and in line with the global pricing as well," they said.
The price in India could range between Rs 22,000 and Rs 32,000, depending upon its storage capacity, from 16 GB to 64 GB.
Globally, PlayBook is available at USD 499, USD 599 and USD 699 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, respectively.
Since the launch of Apple''s iPad, the tablet market is witnessing huge competition, with new contenders launching their devices. A tablet PC, though smaller in size, has PC-like functionalities.
Apple''s rival in the computing space, Dell had launched the ''Streak'' last year in India, while homegrown telecom handset makers like Spice and Olive have also launched similar devices at much lower price points.
The BlackBerry tablet has received a mixed response from the markets where it has been launched. According to reports, unlike rival iPad, which sold like hot cakes on its launch in April last year, the PlayBook just sold 50,000 copies in the first week of its launch on April 19 in the US and Canada.
BlackBerry has over one million users in India and RIM would target them.
The PlayBook is a seven-inch tablet that runs on a new operating system built by QNX Software Systems -- a RIM unit that makes software used to run everything from cars to nuclear reactors.
On a PlayBook, users can go online only using a Wi-Fi network or by synchronising the device to their BlackBerry smartphones.
According to analysts, sales in the tablet PC segment in India are expected to touch one million units over the next 12 months.
With 3G (high-speed internet services) being rolled out aggressively, the opportunity has only expanded
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Sunday, June 12, 2011
Ramdev ends nine-day-old fast
Dehradun, June 12:Yoga guru Ramdev today broke his nine-day-old fast even as doctors said he will be discharged from hospital in two-three days though his condition is "stable".
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar, who met the 46-year-old yoga exponent for the third day at a Dehradun hospital, said, "Ramdev has broken his fast by taking juice. He ended the fast in the presence of various religious and spiritual leaders".
Ramdev, who went on his hunger strike to protest against corruption and black money issues, was admitted to the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences here on Friday after his condition deteriorated at his Patanjali Yogapeeth ashram in Haridwar.
Vijay Dhasmana, the hospital director, said, "I am thankful to everyone who came here and helped Ramdev to break his fast. His health is not such that he can be discharged today.
"It will take two-three days for him to be out of this hospital. By evening he will be shifted to a deluxe general ward. His condition is stable and he has broken his fast," he said.
The yoga exponent''s close associate Balakrishna, who also ended his fast at the hospital, said, "Ramdev has considered the request of hundreds of his followers and people from the saints'' fraternity".
He said, "He (Ramdev) will take this satyagraha forward till his last breath.
"The protest will continue till our last breath. Ramdev wants black money to be declared as national wealth constitutionally. We appeal to all our followers and other people to break their fast as well," Balakrishna said, adding "I also thank the media for helping us in spreading the message against corruption to the masses". .
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Mid Day reporter shot from close range
Mumbai, June 12: The postmortem report of senior crime reporter Jyotirmay Dey,
who was murdered in broad day light yesterday, indicates that he was shot from close range.
The report also shows that five bullets hit him, of which, four hit him in the left chest and one was lodged under the right shoulder.
Dey was shot dead by motorcycle-borne killers in broad daylight in Mumbai's central suburb of Powai on Saturday afternoon.
He was considered to be arguably India's best-connected writer on the Mumbai underworld. He spent most of his reporting career bringing out accounts of the goings-on in the Mumbai underworld for several newspapers.
He also wrote a book titled 'Zero Dial: The Dangerous World of Informers' and 'Khallas' - considered a dictionary on the Mumbai underworld.
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Saturday, June 11, 2011
Father's day Movies
In honour of Father's Day – on 19 June – Amazon is beginning a special promotion on certain films, including Invictus and Kelly's Heroes. These seem to me only vaguely connected with the theme of fatherhood. Here, on the other hand, is a list of 12 Father's Day films, a dad's dozen that you can experience on DVD or at the cinema with your dad, or perhaps your son, on Sunday week.
Finding Nemo (2003, dirs Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
Marlin, voiced by Albert Brooks in this classic DreamWorks animation, is a widower clownfish who becomes a neurotically over-protective dad. His smothering attitude so infuriates his little son, Nemo, that the little fish swims defiantly away and is captured by divers. The father must then go on an epic journey to rescue the son.
Hamlet (1948, dir Laurence Olivier)
Olivier's movie version of Shakespeare's great tragedy turns, like any production, on the hero's agonised memory of his father's greatness. Freudians find in his antipathy to Claudius a rage-filled acknowledgement that his step-father has done something that all males subconsciously wish to do: kill their fathers and marry their mothers. And speaking of Freudian angst …
Back to the Future (1985, dir Robert Zemeckis)
… Zemeckis's classic comedy is about as freaky as it gets. Marty McFly, played by Michael J Fox, travels back in time to the 1950s, where he comes face to face with his nerdy dad, played by Crispin Glover, and has to engineer this poor sap's successful wooing of his mum, who turns out to be super-hot and more than a little enamoured of him.
The Tree of Life (2011, dir Terrence Malick)
Malick's latest movie is not yet out in the UK in cinemas or DVD, but why not take your dad on a Eurostar trip to Paris, where it is now on release? Brad Pitt plays O'Brien, the 1950s Texas dad whose disciplinarian violence, and complex self-doubt, encourage his sons to think of fear and love as the same emotion. Maybe not a very feelgood Father's Day film.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980, dir Irwin Kershner)
In this episode, Darth Vader becomes obsessed with finding his young enemy Luke Skywalker, who, as he battles the forces of darkness, has at least gained some help and instruction from the quasi-paternal mentors in his life: Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But sadly, just as you can choose your friends but not your relatives, you can choose your father figures but not your actual father.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006, dir Gabriele Muccino)
This is a real tear-jerker, and not a very cool film to like, but it's still very heartfelt. Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman and single dad, on the very brink of homelessness and poverty, who battles to get a job and be a real dad to his little boy.
Bicycle Thieves (1948, dir Vittorio De Sica)
You must have a heart of stone not to be moved by this classic neorealist story of a poor man and his young son, as they search the streets of Rome to find his stolen bicycle, which he needs for his job – putting up movie posters. As their odyssey continues, the audience becomes aware of something that perhaps eludes the desperate man: his real treasure is not the bike, but his boy.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, dir Robert Mulligan)
Gregory Peck gives a performance of granite decency and integrity as Atticus Finch, the widower and Alabama lawyer who defends a black man against a wrongful charge of rape. This is one of the most highly charged depictions of fatherhood in Hollywood history.
Kramer vs Kramer (1979, dir Robert Benton)
Many consider this Dustin Hoffman's finest hour; others consider it an exercise in male self-pity. Hoffman plays the divorced dad who must care for his son on his own, and must then battle for custody in the divorce courts. One must have a heart of stone to remain dry-eyed for the scene in which he has to explain to his son the judge's verdict.
The Son's Room (2001, dir Nanni Moretti)
Commenters on this blog are sick of me going on about this film, so I will only say that it's a deeply moving study of a psychotherapist and easygoing paterfamilias, played by Moretti, and how he and his family respond to a terrible calamity.
Late Spring (1949, dir Yasujiro Ozu)
Father's Day discussions tend to centre on a father's relationship with his son – here is something about a father and daughter. Chishu Ryu plays an elderly widower who is cared for by his beautiful, shy daughter, played by Setsuku Hara. He is concerned that she should get married, but she is not particularly keen to leave him. He resorts to subterfuge to marry her off: is this a kind of betrayal?
Paper Moon (1973, dir Peter Bogdanovich)
This is another daddy-daughter movie and the one film that stars a real-life father and child team. Ryan and Tatum O'Neal play Moses and Addie, a con team who travel around the US during the Great Depression preying on the vulnerable and credulous.
Read more...
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sushma and the politics of dance
The BJP is generally seen as a stuck-up party when it comes to song and dance, but the Congress, it now appears, is going all out to appropriate that distinction.
Sushma Swaraj's dance at Rajghat has got the Congress upset and fuming. Its loquacious general secretary Digvijay Singh has described the BJP as "a party of dancers", as though dancing were somehow more shameful than hoarding black money. The Gujarat Congress chief denounced her dancing as a 'cheap exhibition'. A party that takes pride in its writers (Jawaharlal Nehru, P V Narasimha Rao, Veerappa Moily, Shashi Tharoor) is demanding the resignation of an opposition leader for dancing.
Many in cyberspace have also taken digs at Sushma's impromptu performance. Sushma has hit back, saying the Net is filled with videos of Congress leaders Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi dancing. For those who came in late: On Monday, Sushma danced at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial, where her party was protesting the brutal midnight swoop on Baba Ramdev and other anti-corruption campaigners.
Two years ago, a mob attacked a pub in Mangalore, reportedly under the benign gaze of the ruling BJP, and beat up girls and boys hanging out there. You may also remember that the flamboyant BJP leader Pramod Mahajan had been particularly nasty to artistes. In his eagerness to praise Dhirubhai Ambani, he had said the industrialist, and not some 'naachnewale and gaanewaale', ought to have been awarded the Bharat Ratna.
It's another matter that the BJP minister's son Rahul Mahajan got busted for drug use, wife-beating, and other crimes you wouldn't associate with a 'patriotic' party like the BJP. Rahul has also participated in reality shows that many consider scandalous, including one in which he has to showcase his dancing skills. But that's another story. Groups supported by the Sangh Parivar had forced the celebrated painter M F Husain to go into exile. (He died this morning in London). The BJP, as we can see, isn't really a party famous for its patronage of the arts.
Ironically, the two parties have switched their positions now. A self-righteous Congress is targeting Sushma for doing a jig with party workers, while she is defending her right to dance. After all, she argues, she was dancing to a patriotic song, and not to Munni badnaam hui, as some mischievous Congress sympathisers suggest. But, says the Congress, was it appropriate to dance at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi?
What is she guilty of? Dancing? Dancing at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi? Or dancing at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi in support of Baba Ramdev? Convinced that it has found a weak point, the Congress is battering the BJP, without for a moment pausing to think that there are many in its fold who love the good things in life, including dancing. In India, dancing isn't taboo (even saints like Purandaradasa and deities like Shiva are portrayed in dancing postures), and to go on and on about someone who danced spontaneously may actually boomerang on the Congress. Was it insensitive to dance at Gandhiji's memorial? Maybe. But perhaps Gandhiji would have approved of a protest where people danced rather than threw shoes.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget, sang the rock band Eagles in their hit number Hotel California. Sushma might offer a variation on it: Some dance to celebrate, some dance to protest.
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Kawasaki Ninja 650R launched at Rs 4.57L
This is could be the best news yet for the motorcycle enthusiasts this year craving for a suitable motorcycle which is not so powerful like litre-class motorcycles or the slightly underpowered quarter litre motorcycles. India’s second largest two-wheeler company Bajaj Auto and Kawasaki on Wednesday launched the highly anticipated Ninja 650R.
The famous motorcycle deftly combines ample power (72 PS), serious torque (66 Nm), perfect ergonomics, nimble handling and supersport styling. It will be sold and serviced exclusively through Bajaj Probiking, India’s largest dealership network for premium motorcycles. At a price of Rs. 4.57 lacs (ex-showroom Delhi) the Ninja 650R is expected to create a new market for riding enthusiasts seeking a premium sports motorcycle. Already the motorcycling forums are abuzz with the great pricing strategy from Bajaj.
The motorcycle is already expected to heat up the things for the mid-size sportsbike segment and apart from its inimitable road presence and performance the Ninja 650R comes with a host of features such as triple petal disc brakes, MotoGP display, daylight running lights with hazard indicators, under-slung exhaust and a twin cylinder engine tuned for 91 Octane fuel to make it best suited for India and its diverse riding conditions. The motorcycle has a proper 649cc liquid-cooled twin cylinder motorcycle that aims to balance sportiness with every-day ridability and long distance comfort. The motorcycle is a liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve fuel-injected twin cylinder engine with focus on ridability and is also equipped with a 180-degree crankshaft-driven balancer shaft.
According to reports, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto said "We conceived Bajaj Probiking 6 years ago with the objective of making it the default destination for motorbike enthusiasts looking for looking for premium and performance bikes. The Ninja 650R is the next step in realizing that objective." He added, "The Kawasaki Ninja 250R has been a success with 1500 of these speed machines sold to date. It is now joined by its larger sibling to rule the roads."
Yoshiro Segawa, Managing Director (designate), India Kawasaki Motors, stated "After setting up a wholly owned subsidiary in India, we have chalked bigger plans for the performance aficionados of the country. We are pleased to present the stylish Ninja 650R for the Indian performance bikers. With the launch of this bike, we together with Bajaj Probiking are set to redefine the premium sports bike market in India." Available exclusively through Bajaj Probiking showrooms in 30 cities, the Kawasaki Ninja 650R will be backed with Probiking service capabilities and spare parts availability.
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Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sexualisation of kids - who is to blame?
Are children too exposed to overtly sexualised images? Flesh and flirting are cheap but ever more common currencies with which to try to flog anything from push-up bras to magazines. It's an easy decision to make a quick buck, but far harder to question the ethics of feeding children's natural curiosity for things that make them feel grown up, a curiosity that is instinctively moderated by attentive parents.
Celebrity and entertainment arguably have more responsibility than retailers for desensitising parents to the sexualisation of music, magazines, television and merchandise, and perhaps our own benchmarks have shifted as a consequence.
There is an understandable tendency to reject any attempt to restrict or impede our access to content, or even our experience of access to that content. But it is not about prudishness, English sexual inhibition or censorship. It's about sensitivity, restoring some level of dignity, of rationality, and a space where the images of women that children see every day are not semi-naked or prone.
In Hamley's not so long ago I was horrified to see the role-playing toys section: the boys' shelf has a doctor's kit and a builder's kit while the girls' shelf had what I can best describe as a Paris Hilton kit, with a tiara, mobile phone and stilettos. If we set our children up with such shallow expectations, can we really be surprised when they follow them?
The July edition of GQ is the latest of the mainstream men's magazines to push the boundaries of acceptability with its choice of cover photo, showing a reclining Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a slit dress that just about covers her crotch, though not without revealing the inner curve of her buttock. For adult males, that kind of titillation is so commonplace it probably doesn't even feel like titillation anymore. But it's not just men's magazines; I still boycott T3 gadget magazine, which insists on putting a chick in a bikini on the cover with some token gadget. Or is that a token chick? Once when I described Page 3 as "soft porn", a Sun editor phoned to complain.
Are magazines the biggest culprit or is it the popstars? Have you found bizarrely inappropriate clothing in children's stores? And what about mainstream TV? Tell us all your horror stories...
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Coming soon to malls:Made-in-Tihar items
New Delhi, June 8 Food items, clothes and other products made by inmates of the country''s biggest jail, Tihar, are set for bigger retail play, with jail authorities gearing up to bring the brand ''TJ''S'' closer to consumers.
The jail authorities are talking to several organised retailers, including Mother Dairy and some leading private chains, to make the ''Made-in-Tihar'' range of products available to modern shoppers.
To capture the general trade, the authorities will soon finalise a set of distributors that will supply the products to small retailers across Delhi and the NCR.
"We are just awaiting a final go-ahead for our products to be retailed at Mother Dairy outlets," Tihar Jail Deputy Superintendent (Factory) Prateek Sharma told PTI.
Once the nod is granted, the TJ''S range of products will soon be available at Mother Dairy outlets across Delhi and the NCR, he added.
When asked if discussions were on with private retailers, he said: "We are in talks with a few big private organised retailers, but they are asking for more margins that we are not willing to give. The proceeds from the sale of these products are used for the welfare of the inmates, victims and their families." Besides tapping the organised retail sector, Tihar Jail has also invited applications from interested parties for wholesale distribution.
"Within the next ten days, meetings will be held with the applicants to finalise atleast 5-6 big distributors, who will supply these products to the retail market, making it easily accessible to the end consumer," Sharma said.
According to him, the TJ''S range of products -- which includes bakery products, namkeens and other food items, handloom and textiles, furniture and home decor items -- registered a total sales turnover of Rs 15 crore last year.
"The bakery items alone had a total sales of Rs 2.5 crore," he added.
With the increase in the retail network and distribution, the jail authorities have set bigger sales targets, he added, without giving details.
At present, TJ''S products are sold at about 35 retail points in Delhi and NCR, which includes kiosks at court complexes, government-operated Kendriya Bhandars and a few hospitals.
The brand is being promoted through advertisements on FM radio channels in the NCR region.
Asked about the plan to take brand TJ''S national, Sharma said: "We will be definitely be interested to sell these products nationally, but currently, the production capacity is limited."
Read more...
A Day out in Munnar
Munnar, which means confluence of three rivers, was the summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. In the late 19th century, A.H. Sharp planted the first tea bush and since then tea has been the main agricultural crop in the region. Today, the hills around Munnar are blanketed with best-in-class green tea bushes. With its sprawling tea plantations, pristine valleys and mountains and cool air, it’s no surprise that Munnar has been rated the second-best Asian travel destination for 2010.
If you are a true admirer of nature who has a passion for driving, Munnar is your dream destination and cruising along winding smooth roads across mist-sheeted lush green tea gardens is the finest experience you can ever have.
Anamudi is the highest peak in the Western Ghats situated at a height of 2,695 metres (8,842 feet) above mean sea level. It is located in the southern part of Eravikulam National Park, fifty kilometers from Munnar. It is also the ideal place for wildlife travelers and nature lovers. It literally means “Elephant forehead”.
View more picture on Flickr
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ramdev's Rs 1,100 cr empire under scanner
New Delhi, June 7 The mammoth business empire of Baba Ramdev, its worth estimated at Rs.1,100 crore, is now under official scanner, informed sources said Tuesday. An aide to the yoga guru called it hogwash.
Sources in the corporate affairs ministry said that companies and trusts linked to Ramdev deal in ayurveda medicine, food, cosmetics, construction, real estate, transport and packaging.
An official told IANS that while there was no specific charge against these businesses, their income tax computation would be done.
In the last five years, Ramdev is said to have built a huge business empire of over 30 companies. His key aide, Acharya Balakrishna, is said to hold the key to most of them.
Besides the income tax department, the Enforcement Directorate will also examine these companies, the sources said.
The companies are affiliated to Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth and Divya Yog Mandir trusts.
These trusts in Hardwar, according to the sources, had a combined turnover of some Rs.1,100 crore in 2009-10.
The broadcasting company that owns Aastha TV -- a religious channel -- is also affiliated to the trusts.
Jaideep Arya, national co-coordinator of the Patanjali Yogapeeth, said the government was simply attempting to divert attention from the issues related to corruption that Ramdev had highlighted.
'It is hogwash. The government is doing such things to divert people's attention. Now they can lay any blame (on him),' he said.
But official sources say they are serious.
Ramdev also reportedly owns an island off the coast of Scotland, which can become taxable if the proposed direct tax code comes into effect in India.
The latest development comes shortly after Ramdev's showdown with the government, leading to the police evicting him and his supporters from the heart of Delhi.
Ramdev has demanded death penalty for corrupt politicians and officials and the seizure of black money stashed away abroad by rich Indians.
Read more...
Tata Manza's mileage enters record books
The Tata Manza (Quadrajet Aura ABS) has clocked an incredible mileage of 46.33 km per litre. This feat has been achieved by Narayanan Menon, a resident of Coimbatore who has zoomed into the Limca Book of Records.
Narayanan R Menon, Managing Director of Aromen Engineering Company and a proud owner of the Tata Manza has been certified for the remarkable drive on the Coimbatore- Avinashi by-pass on 25th of May 2011. Menon’s Tata Manza covered a long stretch of 72.3 kilometer on road by consuming only 1.58 liters of diesel, which translates to an incredible mileage of 46.33 km per litre.
A mechanical engineer, Menon himself does not credit an amazing mileage to a ‘magic foot’ rather a combination of good driving and car maintenance. For a country where fuel efficiency is a significant factor for automobile ownership and with fuel prices increasing, the feat certainly bodes well for the mileage conscious customer.
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Shoe attack on Cong leader
New Delhi, Jun 6 High drama was witnessed at the AICC headquarters here today when a person posing as a journalist tried to attack party General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi with a shoe, apparently miffed over the treatment meted out to Ramdev.
The person, who was carrying an identification as Sunil Kumar of Nav-Sanchar Patrika from Rajasthan, came close to Dwivedi, removed his shoe and stopped short of hitting him with it.
The 41-year-old man was later arrested by the police under Section 107 (apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility) and Section 151 (disruption of public peace) of the CrPC.
Kumar, wearing a striped T-shirt, was heard telling Dwivedi that "you cannot stop us from asking questions."
He was immediately caught by a AICC staffer and some journalists and was removed from the briefing hall while being beaten up.
Dwivedi described the incident as "pre-planned" attack as he was to speak against Ramdev and his agitation which Congress leader said was conducted at the behest of Sangh Parivar.
"Whatever, I said has been proved by this one man. Had this (attack) not been orchestrated, the person would not have asked favourable questions so that there were no doubts," he said.
Read more...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Indian students ditch Australia
Melbourne, June 2 Australian universities and vocational training providers are in serious worry mode. More dismal international student enrollment figures are coming out, with the number of Indians in particular reporting a sharp fall.
Australian education institutes have reported a further fall of 8.7 percent in international enrollments in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year. Indian student numbers, according to an article in The Age newspaper, have decreased by over 30 percent.
Indian students continue to be a serious reason for the downturn in Australian international education export industry. The fall in Indian students willing to study in Australia is in continuation of the downward trend triggered by reports of violence against youth from the South Asian country.
India was the second largest source of international students for Australia. Even though India has maintained its second position, there has been a drastic decline in numbers.
China has maintained the top position as the country of origin of international students studying in Australia.
Two other South Asian countries, Nepal (down 19 percent) and Sri Lanka (17 percent), have also followed India in the downward spiral.
A number of Australian experts have blamed the decline in South Asian student numbers on the hardened immigration laws.
Even though the Australian Immigration Department has relaxed student visa rules for India from April 2 this year, the industry is yet to experience the kind of 'gold rush' as before the laws were tightened.
Another reason for the massive drop in Indian students opting for higher education in Australia was a scare created by the Indian electronic media which whipped itself into a frenzy over the so-called 'racial' attacks on Indian students.
An Australian National Audit Office report on the programme published Tuesday has also criticised the Australian Immigration Department's processes which were 'not sufficiently robust' to keep the industry growth in correct perspective while making laws to ensure integrity of the student visa programme.
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Saturday, June 4, 2011
'Cast Cards' instead of 'I Cards'
by Mail Today - 03 Jun, 2011
Authorities of a Keralabased school have caused outrage after they issued new identity cards to their pupils which, besides the usual details like name, class, parents’ phone number, etc., also carried details of the students’ castes.
The cards were issued to students of St Agnes High School at Muttachira in Kerala’s Kottayam district on Wednesday. Shocked parents on Thursday complained to the district education officer, demanding immediate action against the school management run by the local Catholic Church.
State education minister Abdul Rubb has sought a report on the incident. The school authorities refused to comment despite repeated requests.
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Teen Sells Kidney to buy iPad2
Beijing, June 3 A teenager in China's Anhui province has sold his right kidney to buy an iPad 2. His mother, who knew nothing of his plans, now hopes to hunt down the criminals who disabled him, a media report said.
Seventeen-year-old Xiao Zheng had been dreaming of a new iPad 2 for a while, but the price was beyond his means.
Zheng found an agent ready to buy his kidney and travelled to Hunan province in central China to undergo surgery in a local hospital. With the 22,000 yen ($3,900) he was paid, Zheng bought a new iPad 2 and iPhone and then returned home, according to a report on the Dongfang TV channel Thursday.
'Xiao Zheng returned home with a computer and a new Apple phone. We do not have the money for such expensive gadgets. At first, he did not want to tell me where he got that much money from. Later he confessed he had sold his right kidney to buy these things,' his mother told the channel.
After she learned the truth, Zheng's mother travelled with her son back to the hospital, only to discover that the operating theater had been rented out for commercial use to a businessman from Fujian province. Several attempts to reach the agents failed, as their phones were switched off.
Zheng's health is deteriorating day by day, and his mother said she hopes she will be able to find the criminals who disabled her son.
Read more...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
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