Crazy World: Politician sent jet to collect sandals

Indian politician sent jet to collect sandals

INDIA: A powerful Indian politician dubbed the Untouchables Queen once sent a jet to pick up her favourite brand of sandals, according to leaked US diplomatic cables released by the WikiLeaks website.

Mayawati, head of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, was described in the cables as "a first-rate egomaniac" who "is obsessed with becoming prime minister".

The 55-year-old Mayawati, who goes only by one name, has built a career on championing the cause of the untouchables, known as Dalits, who are among India's poorest and most deprived people.

But she has been criticised for corruption, throwing lavish celebrations and building parks with massive statues of Dalit leaders, including herself.

"When she needed new sandals, a jet flew empty to Mumbai to retrieve her preferred brand," according to a cable dated October 23, 2008. "She constructed a private road from her residence to her office, which is cleaned immediately after her multiple vehicle convoy reaches its destination."

Mayawati also employed food tasters to guard against poisoning, it said.

According to the same cable, one minister was forced to do sit-ups in front of Mayawati as a punishment for a minor offence, while those wanting to become election candidates for her party had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege.

A spokesperson for Mayawati said in a statement that "such exposes" do not carry any authenticity, but she did not mention WikiLeaks by name.

Supporters of Mayawati, a former teacher, say her acts fill them with a sense of pride and are a source of inspiration to the millions of Dalits who have traditionally been forbidden from displays of well-being.

At her birthday parties, top public figures, including police chiefs and politicians, are often seen feeding her cake. Mayawati kicked up a storm last year for receiving a garland of cash at a political party celebration.

The Congress party has been campaigning aggressively to try and wrest Uttar Pradesh from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), deploying its star campaigners such as party chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, to garner support.

Dislodging strong regional parties is seen as key to Congress' ability to push through painful structural economic and political reforms to modernise Asia's third largest economy in the years ahead.

India is awash with stories of corruption that have piled pressure especially on the federal coalition and sparked a wave of street protests demanding tougher laws.

Stem cell could fix broken hearts

LONDON: An Australian company developing a stem cell treatment to prevent heart failure has been given the go-ahead for a mid-stage clinical trial in Europe, moving potential “off-the-shelf” stem cell treatments a step closer.

Mesoblast said on Monday it had won clearance from the European Medicines Agency to begin a 225-patient Phase II for its product Revascor to prevent heart failure after heart attacks. Patients will be recruited initially in Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The experimental treatment is injected at the same time as patients receive a coronary stent to open blocked arteries.

Mesoblast works with adult stem cells known as mesenchymal precursor cells. Because they do not trigger an immune response, cells from one donor can be greatly expanded to treat many patients, giving Mesoblast potential therapies that could be sold like off-the-shelf medicines.

“The clearance for the Phase II is further evidence of the broader acceptance of stem cells within the various regulatory environments globally and of their support for larger clinical studies,” said Navid Malik, an industry analyst at Matrix.

Stem cells remain a risky and uncertain proposition in medicine, but the field is attracting increasing interest from larger pharmaceutical companies. Last December, Cephalon acquired a 20 per cent stake in Mesoblast, and that holding will transfer to Teva, following the Israeli company’s deal to buy Cephalon for $6.8 billion in May. Osiris Therapeutics, meanwhile, has a long-standing partnership with Sanofi’s Genzyme unit, and Athersys got a big vote of confidence when it signed a deal with Pfizer in December 2009.

Other companies working on stem cells include Britain’s ReNeuron, which is testing foetal cells in stroke patients, and Geron, which is pioneering the world’s first trial using embyronic stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries. 

Prison named best employer

AUSTRALIA: A correction centre in Australian state of Victoria has been voted the best employer.

Fulham Correctional Centre, near Sale, has been selected as the Victorian Employer of the Year by Skills Victoria, reports Herald Sun.

The centre delivers training and development to 312 employees. Skills Victoria told the daily that the initiative has reduced prisoner incidents compared to other centres in the state.

Dad lets daughter, 4, drive his car

CHINA: A father gave the control of the family car to his daughter on a busy city street.

Video footage of the tiny driver shows her skilfully negotiating traffic along the freeway in Jinal, Shandong Province, China. The video has subsequently been taken off the YouTube site for violating terms and conditions of the website.

Daily Mail described the content of the video: "The two-minute video shows the girl, who appears to be called Jia Zheng, speeding calmly along the road and even overtaking other vehicles.

At one point in the footage, she mistakenly queues in the left turn lane.

After several minutes a man is heard saying: 'Jia Zheng, stop the car. Let daddy drive.'

The man then jumps out of the car and slides into the driving seat.

He is even seen removing an implement from under the seat that the youngster has used to control the accelerator and brake."

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