An employee looks on behind the counter at the newly-inaugurated Starbucks outlet in New Delhi yesterday.
Starbucks opens first outlet in central Delhi
Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee chain, launched its first outlet in central New Delhi yesterday and vowed an aggressive drive for business across India. “We are committed to the India market for the long term and will aggressively grow our business, expanding stores and providing locally relevant innovations,” John Culver, company president for China and South Pacific, said in a statement. Starbucks entered the vast Indian market in a joint venture with the country’s giant Tata conglomerate and launched its first store in the commercial hub Mumbai last October. Like other Western chains that have come to India, such as Pizza Hut, Starbucks is offering “Indianised” versions of its food and beverages to appeal to local palates.
Baby battered by father, dies in Rajasthan
A five-month-old girl whose nose and lips were allegedly bitten off by her father died at a hospital in Rajasthan yesterday. An allegedly drunk Bahadur Singh first assaulted his wife and later turned to attack his baby on January 26, officials said. The baby had undergone a major face reconstruction surgery at a hospital in state capital Jaipur and was due for another surgery. “The baby developed respiratory complications last night. She was put on ventilator, but could not recover,” Deepak Kalra, chairman of the Rajasthan Child Rights Commission said. The man who lived with his family in the Bikaner district has been arrested and will now be charged with murder.
Sunny Leone files complaint against KRK
Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone has filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell of the Mumbai police against actor-filmmaker Kamaal Rashid Khan for misquoting her. Khan had claimed that the actress had made the controversial statement that “rape is not a crime, it’s just a surprise sex.” The Jism 2 actress denied that the rape statement attributed to her by Khan on micro-blogging site Twitter was made by her. “In normal cases, I would have ignored this man’s tweet. But it became an issue and I am not insensitive. Being a woman, I am not one to make a loose comment on rape,” she said.
Trinamool demands, Buddhadeb apology
The Trinamool Congress yesterday demanded an apology from former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who questioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “honesty”. “Nobody in Indian politics can question Mamata Banerjee’s honesty. Workers of the Trinamool Congress believe her. The people of the state believe her. Buddhadeb should come to his senses. When that happens, he will admit his mistake and apologise to Banerjee,” state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said. “Bhattacharjee had left Jyoti Basu’s ministry in the 1990s. His daughter had said he would not continue in a ministry of thieves. But he rejoined the cabinet within a couple of years lured by its office,” said Hakim.
Battle over Delhi art show
New Delhi saw two groups - Durga Vahini, the women’s arm of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and a band of 20 intellectuals - engage in heated arguments over an exhibition titled The Naked and the Nude at a gallery in the capital. Over 50 activists of the Durga Vahini, carrying placards against nudity, assembled outside the Delhi Art Gallery, demanding that the gallery withdraw the exhibition. The group of intellectuals and artists, meanwhile, including photographer-activist Ram Rahman, critic Nilanjana S Roy, and painters Manu Parekh and Kanchan Chander, defended the exhibition saying the protest was an attempt to stifle creative expression. The gallery owner and staff refused to be intimidated by the protests, and the exhibition continued. “Nudity will not be tolerated in art in view of the recent incidents of gender atrocities and rape. It goes against Indian moral sensibility,” a senior member of the Durga Vahini said.
Seaplane service soon: Kerala official
By Ashraf Padanna/Alappuzha, Kerala
Kerala will soon have seaplanes providing air connectivity to its major tourist hotspots such as Bekel, according to a top tourism board official.
“We have cleared all hurdles before launching the seaplane services. The environmental clearance is on its way. We hope to launch the services in a month or two,” said Rani George, director of Kerala Tourism.
The state is planning to connect 22 waterfront destinations to its three international airports - Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode offering seamless travel for foreign tourists. The seaplane services are expected to help the northern destinations like Bekel in a big way.
“Air connectivity is initially being provided to Punnamada, Ashtamudi, Kumarakam and Bekel. The services will be extended to other destinations in course of time,” George said.
The tourism board is planning to add water sports as well to its unique tourism menu by March and officials feel this would attract more tourists from the Gulf region.
George said a promotional campaign in the Arabic media launched last year in the Gulf has started yielding results.
Kerala will be the only state in India to launch seaplane service.
The seaplanes will be capable of landing on land and water which will make any of the destinations along the state’s 580km-long coastline, lakes and backwaters accessible within 20 minutes from the airports.
Hospital to pay compensation for negligence
Twenty-three years after being operated on the wrong side for a hernia in a Chennai hospital, a 29-year-old man has been awarded Rs100,000 by a top consumer court that asked the private facility to compensate him for the “unnecessary suffering and agony.” Holding out some relief for Javeed, who was only six when the ‘wrong’ operation took place, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held C S I Rainy Hospital guilty of medical negligence. Commission president Ashok Bhan and Member Vineeta Rai gave the hospital time until March 31 to pay the compensation to Javeed, a resident of the Tiruvottiyur in Chennai. “The facts clearly indicate that the required reasonable degree of care and caution was not taken by the hospital’s doctors in the treatment of Javeed and, thus, the hospital was guilty of medical negligence, for which he should justifiably be compensated,” the president said.