DuPage prosecutors have agreed to reconsider their decision to seek the death penalty for Kaushik Patel, the Glendale Heights [Illinois] father charged with murdering his two young sons in 2007 by setting them on fire. Assistant State's Atty. Alex McGimpsey told Judge Kathryn Creswell today that defense attorneys have provided additional information to prosecutors and asked them to review a request to allow Patel, 35, to plead guilty and accept a sentence of life in prison.

:: via chicagobreakingnews.com

When Madhu Koda, a miner from a downtrodden tribal community, was elected to one of the highest political offices in India his victory seemed to be an inspirational tale of democracy. Tax officials, who have made dozens of raids on offices linked to Mr Koda, say they have found a paper trail showing that he spent the cash on assets ranging from an iron ore mine in Liberia to hotels, shopping centres and properties in Thailand, Dubai, South Korea and Bhutan.

:: via timesonline.co.uk

As described in her interview with Newsweek earlier this year, Padma Lakshmi is committed to raising awareness about endometriosis among college students and other young women. She is visiting MIT to share her experiences with endometriosis with students and other members of the MIT community as part of the official launch of MIT's new Center for Gynepathology Research. Her public speech is at 4 pm in room 32-123.

:: via mit.edu

David Coleman Headley, 49, who was born in the United States but had lived in Pakistan was arrested last month along with Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, a Pakistani-born businessman and Canadian citizen. They were charged with plotting to attack a Danish newspaper that had printed cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, according to criminal complaints unsealed recently in a federal court in Chicago. Indian police suspect that Headley conducted scouting missions of the Mumbai targets, including the city's main train station, the popular Leopold Cafe, and the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and the Oberoi Trident hotels.

:: via washingtonpost.com

This overseas network was instrumental in collecting funds, managing investments, buying sophisticated arms and clandestinely transporting them to Tamil Tiger-held areas in north-eastern Sri Lanka. Tamil Tiger investments overseas are said to range from grocery shops to real estate, from petrol stations to Hindu temples, from commercial shipping to financing movies in India. Tamil Tigers are also believed to own commercial centres in many cities including Toronto, London and Paris. In addition, they were collecting money every month from their supporters and sympathisers abroad, many of whom paid through direct debit from their bank accounts. But most of these activities were carried out under false names, as the rebels were banned in many countries around the world. The estimates about the LTTE's assets and investments range from $500m to $1bn. Now there are reports of intra-factional rivalry within the LTTE to wrest control of the organisation as well its assets. This has led to disenchantment and confusion among LTTE supporters.

:: via bbc.co.uk

Read and Write Chevrolet Beat reviews and Chevrolet Beat ratings at CarDekho.com.

:: via cardekho.com

They dance to "kajra re" and a few others.... pretty good actually ;-)

:: via youtube.com

NRI women who lose custody battles abroad may no longer be able to dodge the law just by fleeing to India with their child. The Supreme Court today ordered a woman to return to the US two years after she had left America with her seven-year-old son to avoid handing him over to her former husband.

:: via telegraphindia.com

India produces 15 billion coconuts a year, a tropical bonanza that feeds a billion-dollar industry. Just about every coconut is plucked by hand. Plucking coconuts is a job that has been in Mr. Mohan’s family for generations. All his uncles and brothers were pluckers. This was the ancient and seemingly immutable destiny of all sons of a handful of communities here of the Dalit, or untouchable, caste. But Mr. Mohan, who like many southern Indians uses only his surname and a first initial, would never allow his son, Shabu, who finished high school, to take up the work.

:: via nytimes.com

The immigration debate has long been preoccupied with illegal aliens. But what about foreign-born professionals seeking green cards who stand in line and play by the rules? A new report by Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for American Policy says the U.S. is mishandling this important human resource. A former official at the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Mr. Anderson focuses on foreign nationals from India, who fill nearly half of the annual quota for H1-B temporary work visas. Indian professionals who want to become permanent U.S. residents face a wait time of at least 12 years and as long as 20. "To put this in perspective," says the report, "children today in kindergarten may graduate from college by the time Indians who file new applications for an employment-based immigrant visa would receive a green card."

:: via wsj.com