UK's first Sikh and Asian judge gets Pride of India Award

London: Sir Mota Singh, UK's first Sikh and Asian judge, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year, received the 'Pride of India Award' 2009 instituted by an organization that promotes science and culture of India. India's High Commissioner to the UK, Nalin Surie, presented the trophy at the 6th Annual Awards of the India International Foundation at the Marriott Hotel here in the presence of a distinguished gathering including NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, Lord Iltaf Sheikh and Gurdip S Gujral, CBE. Lord Paul, recipient of the Pride of India Award from the Foundation last year, lauded the outstanding achievements of India and said "sometimes India is more democratic than most of the western countries."

He said India's High Commissioner Nalin Surie had done a marvelous job in bringing about an upgradation in the Indo-British relations.

Mota Singh held various responsible positions in Kenya and the UK in the legal fields such as Secretary, Law Society, Disciplinary Committee, Member, Kenya Council of Legal Education in Kenya.

The Queen knighted him this year. 79-year-old Mota Singh was raised and educated in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1954, he shifted to England to complete the remaining part of his studies of law.

He joined the English Bar in 1967 and within months developed a successful practice in civil law.

Canada's first Indian-origin woman minister dead

Vancouver: New Delhiborn Sindi Hawkins (earlier Satinder KaurAhluwalia ) , who became the first Indian-origin provincial minister in Canada, died in Calgary after a prolonged battle with leukemia.

The 52-year-old Sikh woman represented the constituency of Kelowna-Mission in the British Columbia provincial assembly from 1996 till last year when she pulled out of the fray because of her illness.

Sindi went on to become the deputy speaker, then the minister of state for intergovernmental relations and finally the minister of health planning in British Columbia province.

Before entering politics, she was a nurse for 12 years.

Reacting to the news of her death, British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell said, "Today is a somber day for British Columbia; we have lost an inspirational person, an advocate, a role model and a great community leader. Anyone who ever met Sindi was struck by her remarkable spirit for everything she put her efforts toward.'' The premier, under whom she served as a minister, added, "She was an incredibly kind and considerate human being who dedicated her life to helping others. She was able to connect with people from all walks of life, something she showcased in her careers as a nurse, lawyer, elected official and cancer advocate.''

After she was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia in 2004, she recovered twice on bone marrow - donated by her sister - transplantations.

Salman Rushdie to publish memoir in 2012

London: Salman Rushdie will publish his memoirs in 2012, what will surely be one of the most-anticipated memoirs by a literary figure in recent memory.

According to a press release, “his memoir will be an evocation of his public and personal life: his outsider’s experience at British public school and Cambridge; his evolution as a writer; his relationships as a husband and a father; and his years in hiding following the fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini after the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988.”“I have waited a long time to write this memoir, until I felt I was ready to do it,” said Rushdie in a statement. “I’m ready now.”

According to his publisher, the deal for the memoir is “one of the most far-reaching multi-national and multi-language book-publishing deals by one publisher for a single title.” Random House will publish the book, simultaneously, in 17 territories in print, e-book, and audio book forms. In Canada, the book will be published by Knopf Canada. Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, arranged the deal.

Rushdie’s next book, Luka and the Fire of Life, comes out November 16. He is also currently working with Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta on a film adaptation of his novel Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize in 1981. Author Salman Rushdie

25 years later, Canada offers $25,000 to each Kanishka victim family

Toronto: The Canadian government has reportedly offered $20,000 to $25,000 to families of each Air India Kanishka victim - 25 years after all 329 people on board Flight 182 from Montreal to New Delhi perished when it was blown off mid-air near the Irish coast June 23, 1985. A public inquiry by former Canadian chief justice John Major in June blamed various Canadian agencies for failing to stop the bombing plot by Khalistani militants and asked the government to compensate the families. Member of some victim families met Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and public safety minister Vic Toews here for discussions on the package. The ministers are said to have made no offers at the meeting, but reports say the Canadian government has told the families that compensation offered in similar cases ranged from $20,000 to $25,000 for each victim.

Though the families have already been paid about $75,000 each in an out-of-court settlement a few years ago, the John Major inquiry report asked the government to compensate them further.

But some families are not happy with the reported offer, citing the huge payout of $10 million by Libya to relatives of each victim in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

The proposed compensation is part of the current Canadian government to put closure on the tragedy.