Evangelist DGS Dinakaran died at a hospital in Chennai at the age of 74, news reports said.
He died early Wednesday morning after a struggle with heart and kidney ailments, according to reports.
Dinakaran founded the popular Jesus Calls ministry which is said to have millions of members and followers.
He is survived by his wife and son Paul Dinakaran who is also a well known Christian preacher in Chennai.
Dhinakaran Biography
Dr.D.G.S.Dhinakaran is the founder of the Jesus Calls Ministry. Born on July 1, 1935, he had a very tough life being torn by the ailments of poverty and agony of unemployment.
Unable to bear the agony of these problems, on February 11, 1955, Dr.D.G.S.Dhinakaran decided to put an end to his life. He started towards the nearest railway track in his village to throw himself before the speeding train when he was stopped by his uncle who introduced Jesus Christ. He experienced a sudden wave of divine peace and hope, flood his heart. His mind was transformed and he returned home enlightened.
After this incident, things started happening in him supernaturally. There arose an unquenchable thirst in him to spend hours together poring over the life-transforming pages of eternal Truth - The Bible, discovering secrets that could revolutionize human life. He spent hours talking to God and sought Him with all his heart.
The High Calling
Seven years of diligently seeking the Lord Jesus Christ!
On October 9, 1962, he tarried at the feet of the Lord Jesus in prayer till midnight. He pleaded persistently. "Lord! Hear my prayer now and grant me Your power! Or else, slay me! I don't want to live as a powerless and phoney Christian!" Next day dawned. 10th October 1962! After an exacting day in the bank, he returned home at 9.30 in the night. Supper over, he joined the family prayers. He longed to have a glimpse of blessed vision of Jesus. The very next moment, a divine presence appeared in front of him! He was thrown into an ecstasy of joy. The Lord opened His eyes and with a radiant face, addressed him with a smile:
"My beloved son! I am Christ! Because you have been seeking Me diligently, I have come seeking you Myself, to bless you".
Yes! For three full hours he saw Lord Jesus face to face. The Lord gave His commission that has made his life a continual blessing to countless.
"My son! People might have heard of My love, but they haven't tasted it. So, I pour My love and compassion in your heart! This love will console their broken hearts and heal their diseased bodies. You will be witness to the power of My Holy Spirit."
The health of Cuban leader Fidel Castro has always been a state secret in the small island country, where he handed over power to his brother in August 2006 following an operation for intestinal bleeding.
On Wednesday morning, he made his departure from power officially, resigning as president of Cuba and its military commander, the Communist Party's official newspaper, Granma, reported.
Although Castro himself has referred to his illness on several occasions since then, he has not been seen in public since 2006, although video footage was occasionally released when his closest friends in Latin America such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would visit him.
Little was known of his reported ailments, and hypotheses were often amplified within the large community of exiled Cubans in Miami, Florida, just 160 km away from the Caribbean island that Castro ruled with an iron fist for nearly half a century.
In January, Castro made the unusual revelation that he thought he was going to die when he fell seriously ill on July 26, 2006.
"When I fell ill on the night of the 26th and the early hours of the 27th I thought it would be the end," Castro wrote in a piece published by the dailies Granma and Juventud Rebelde.
The revelation triggered some questions about whether he would go through with his candidacy for another term when Cubans hold National Assembly elections Sunday.
On July 31, 2006 Castro "temporarily" gave up power to his brother, Raul, and has not returned to government or been seen in public since, although he has met several distinguished guests.
Castro, 81, explained in January the details of the power transfer and recalled that, at the time he fell ill, he was revising the book "Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography", by Spanish-born journalist Ignacio Ramonet.
The Cuban leader said was barely sleeping at all at the time he became sick.
The hospital where he was treated in 2006 exercised strict security measures, barring employees from leaving at shift change in the early days.
The secrecy prompted speculation that reports of his illness could actually mean he was already dead.
DPA
In a statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper he said: "To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept ... the position of president of council of state and commander-in-chief."
Castro has not been seen in public for 19 months since he underwent emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006.
Born into a wealthy landowning family, he turned to Marxism because of the poverty he saw around him in Cuba.
He came to international prominence in 1959 when, along with Che Guevara, he led the uprising which overthrew the corrupt government of President Fulgencio Batista, who had turned Cuba into a decadent playground for America's rich.
Promising to give the land back to the people, he received the backing of the Soviet Union, driving a wedge between Cuba and the US that has never been removed.
In April 1961 the US tried to topple the Castro government by recruiting a private army of Cuban exiles to invade the island.
At the Bay of Pigs, Cuban troops repulsed the invaders, killing many and capturing 1,000.
As money flowed from the Kremlin the Caribbean island became a cold war battleground.
But it was not just cash that headed west to Cuba from the Soviet Union.
In 1962 US reconnaissance planes discovered Soviet missiles on their way to sites in Cuba and the world stood on the brink of an apocalyptic nuclear war.
It was Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev who blinked first, turning his weapon-laden ships around.
The Cuban missile crisis confirmed Castro, in American eyes, as the enemy in their own back yard.
The CIA tried to assassinate him on many occasions - one plan involved filling his much-loved cigars with explosives.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980s meant the financial plug was pulled on Castro.
Still blockaded by the US, conditions in Cuba deteriorated, with food and fuel shortages and an economy in ruins.
Soon thousands of Cubans were fleeing to Florida in makeshift rafts, hoping for a better life in the arms of Castro's arch-enemy.
He did however bring about real change in Cuba with free health care for all and one of the highest literacy rates in the world. And his ability to needle the Americans has never diminished.
Castro's brother Raul is his designated successor, but many observers believe Cuba's communist state will not outlive the man who has divided international opinion for almost half a century. Credits: Sky news
As per ABC News:
Fidel Castro has resigned as president and commander in chief of Cuba in a message published in the online version of the official daily Granma.
"I neither will aspire to nor will I accept - I repeat - I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," wrote the Cuban leader, who had been in power for almost 50 years.
The 81-year-old made the announcement almost 19 months after a severe illness caused him to hand power temporarily over to his brother Raul Castro.
People rejected religious parties and former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) that was backed by President Pervez Musharraf as the early results were announced for 115 National Assembly seats out of 272. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) made big gains in elections that were held amid fears of violence and rigging allegations by the opposition against Musharraf and his allies.
According to the results announced for the 140 National Assembly (NA) seats, PML-N was leading with 52 seats, followed by PPP with 44 seats, PML-Q 17 and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) with power base in urban Sindh got nine seats. Other seats were captured by smaller parties or independent candidates.
"Yes there was pre-poll rigging and it's because of that, the Q-League succeeded in getting a couple of seats," PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal told IANS. However, there has been no claim so far by PML-N to form the government.
In provincial assemblies, PML-N was leading in Punjab with 81 seats followed by PPP with 43 seats and PML-Q with just 36. In Sindh PPP was ahead with 31 seats followed by MQM with 24. The Punjab assembly has 380 seats.
In Balochistan PML-Q, however, was on the top with 11 seats in the house of 65, followed by Balochistan National Party (BNP) with seven seats. In the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the Awami National Party (ANP) was ahead with 27 seats followed by PML-N with 16 seats.
The election trend generally shows anti-Musharraf vote who said Monday that he will accept the results and is ready to work with any party. But Sharif, who returned to country seven years of exile, had repeatedly said that he would not work with Musharraf.
On the other hand Musharraf's another ally MQM chief Altaf Hussain was quick to announce support to PML-N and PPP in forming governments in centre and Sindh province.
Several top leaders of Musharraf-backed PML-Q lost in the polls mostly by PML-N in Punjab and by PPP in Sindh. PML-Q president and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was defeated on both the NA seats including on his home constituency in Gujarat by PPP candidate Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, the electoral battlefields they have dominated for decades.
Six-time winner Sheikh Rashid Ahmed from Rawalpindi was defeated miserably by PML-N's Hanif Abbasi and Javed Hashmi where he ruled for over two decades. Former speaker of the National Assembly Chaudhary Amir Hussain was defeated by a female candidate Firdous Ashiq of PPP who had recently joined it after developing differences with PML (Q) leadership
Former defence minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, a closed aide of Musharraf too lost his seat to PPP Sajjadul Hassan by a big margin. PML-Q's stalwart Hamid Nasir Chatta was defeated by Iftikhar Ahmed Cheema in Gujranwala.
Several former ministers including Liaquat Jotoi, former commerce minister Hamayun Akhtar Khan, former Minister for religious affairs Ijazul Haq have also lost their seats.
The polls were the final step in Pakistan's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule, and the results appeared to dispel international and national fears that the elections would be rigged.
"If the results are confirmed we will play the part of the opposition as effectively as we can," said PML-Q spokesman Tariq Azeem adding there is no reason for not accepting the results.
But another PML-Q official said that they were shocked by the results and accused Musharraf of betraying the party. "We never thought about such shocking results," he told IANS, requesting anonymity.
However, the results should be equally shocking for Musharraf, who left the army chief's position in December before taking oath as civilian president. Until a day before the polls, he was hopeful that PML-Q would win the polls. But now things could be really difficult for him with the parliament packed by his opponents that too by the party of man whom he sent into exile after overthrowing his government into 1999.
"His fate is in balance now...he may have to resign," the PML-Q leader said. Musharraf last month said that if the new parliament tried to impeach him he would prefer to resign rather to face humiliation.
In such a situation Musharraf's best option could be to woo PPP instead of working with PML-N, said the leader who was considered to be very close to Musharraf in the previous setup.
Indo-Asian News Service
A very busy Khan took out 15 minutes to speak to IANS over phone from Islamabad: Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Who do you think will be the next PM?
A: It's too soon to make such predictions, but I can predict a lot of street protest in the coming days. There has been unprecedented pre-poll rigging already and the battle lines are already drawn against the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (also known as the King's party).
Q: What are your predictions for the Pakistan Peoples Party? Will there be a split soon? Is something like that in the air?
A: After the elections if PPP wins and makes a deal with the government, I suspect the die-hard stalwarts of the PPP, who still believe in Bhutto's ideology, will find it difficult to stay together. If they do not ask for the reinstatement of the judges, they are playing Musharraf's game; the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will react strongly.
Q: But before her death, Benazir Bhutto was pandering to President Musharraf's wishes?
A: Yes, but she enjoyed that authority, her husband, Asif Ali Zardari does not wield the same acceptance.
Q: What are the chances of the PML-Q winning the polls?
A: If they do it will be the mother of all riggings because people are now voting for PPP or the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz) out of hatred for Musharraf and his policies. The country is going through its worst turmoil - in the form of an economic meltdown.
Q: Asif Ali Zardari has warned of civil war if elections are rigged? Should this be taken seriously?
A: I believe this could well be the situation for Sindh if PPP does not win there. And if PML-Q wins, there will be the worst backlash ever all over the country.
Q: The results are somewhat predictable - a hung parliament or a weak coalition government. Is that the best plan or would you like to share a better plan out of the crises we are in?
A: Given the challenges we face now, the only one way out of the crises we are in is an immediate re-instatement of the judiciary, stop muzzling the media and bring the Election Commission of Pakistan under the protection of the independent judiciary.
Q: By whom, as Musharraf will not let that happen, he has made it plain?
A: This can be done by the chief of army staff, General Ashfaque Kiyani and Musharraf can make his exit.
Q: So are you saying that Musharraf can leave without undoing all the wrongs he has done? Isn't that letting him go off easily?
A: Well the longer he stays, the more damage he is doing to the country by his immoral compromises.
Q: Any face-saving exit strategy for Pervez Musharraf?
A: There can be an agreement that if he leaves now, Article 6 of the constitution (death penalty) won't be invoked. He will be assured that no harm will come to him if he gets off the tiger he is riding.
Q: What do you make of General Ashfaque Kayani's move of calling away all army personnel from civilian offices?
A: That was a move in the right direction, I must say. But he must now stop the killing of our people. It is exacerbating the situation and he must realise that there has to be a solution other than a military one to stop rising militancy and extremism.
Q. What have parties such as yours gained by boycotting the elections? How can democracy be served?
A: We are standing by the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and boycotting the elections held under Musharraf's illegal Provisional Constitutional Order.
Q: Would you not have served the people of Pakistan better by having a seat in the parliament?
A: No, I would not have. I sat in the parliament for five years, which was a rubber stamp parliament and did more damage by staying there.
(Zofeen Ebrahim can be contacted at zofeen28@hotmail.com)
Indo-Asian News Service
There could be many more Amit Kumars cleverly exploiting the gap between rich and the poor, between those who can afford a kidney and those who can't refuse to sell it. As the Gurgaon kidney theft scandal unravels, experts say such scams would continue unless the laws are realistic.
Organ scarcity is a global feature but it's the "poor of the developing world" that have "become a vast reservoir" of organs for the developed world, said R.R.
Kishore, chairperson of the International Committee on Organ Transplantation.
"The problem lies in the human urge to survive at any cost and the unabated organ scarcity," Kishore told IANS.
And India - where medical facilities parallel those of advanced countries but at much cheaper rates and where organs are readily available with the poor getting trapped into selling their kidneys for a price that they can't say no to - is where many rich from the developed world come for a fresh lease of life.
According to the Voluntary Health Association of India, around 2,000 Indians sell a kidney every year - many of them to people like Amit Kumar, who is said to be behind 600 illegal transplants.
Though there is no reliable data on organ trafficking, it is widely believed to be on the increase, with brokers reportedly charging wealthy patients between $100,000 and $200,000 for a transplant. An estimated 150,000 Indians need a kidney transplant every year, but only 3,500 kidneys are legally available.
Kishore put it this way: "India is a favourite destination for organ transplantation for its lower costs and the easy availability of human organs."
The one way out of the morass could be effecting changes in the law.
With the latest racket having its network in Britain, the US, Greece, Lebanon, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the government is speeding up efforts to draft changes in the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, which allows donation of organs between relatives but prohibits any monetary benefits to the donor.
The act also has no mention of cadaver transplantations, which is now being considered.
A proposed change in the act is swapping of vital organs between willing but incompatible donors.
The changes might be a bit late in coming, as India is widely known as an organ-exporting country, where organs are regularly transplanted to foreigners.
If India is the organ exporting country, Australia, Canada, Japan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the US are major organ importing countries, says the California-based Organs Watch.
Making the law flexible might help. Citing Iran's example, Kishore said kidney sales there are legal and regulated and controlled by two NGOs that are endorsed by the government.
The two groups connect potential recipients and donors, and organise tests to ensure compatibility. "Recipients often offer donors employment or extra money after the transplant," he said.
Yosuke Shimazono of the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, said in an article: "Although the number of foreign recipients seems to have decreased after the enactment of a law banning organ trade, the underground organ market is still existent and resurging in India."
"There exists a gap between the demand and supply of organs almost all over the world, leading to malpractices and illegal trade in organs. No data is available about the magnitude of the illegal trade in organs," said Rajesh Bhatia, regional advisor for blood safety and clinical technology.
But with the huge number of people waiting for someone to donate a kidney - in the US the waiting list is 97,989 and in Europe 40,000 people are waiting for a kidney - it is safe to assume that the Amit Kumars of the world are prospering.
Indo-Asian News Service
"The jury was ready"
That's how the latest offering from John Grisham begins and engulfs you in another round of politics, greed, and money. The modern law never looked so much untrustworthy and politicised.
Although this is a pure work of fiction, Grisham remarks in the author's note, "I must say this story has a lot of truth in it." With American presidential elections running in background, this novel has been released at a very suitable time. Giving readers a glimpse of what looks to be the ground reality of modern politics and law.
'The Appeal' starts with a surprisingly big verdict by Hattiesburg jury against Krane Chemicals which was accused of polluting Cary county's small town Bowmore's water supply by dumping toxic chemical waste. Thus making it 'cancer county' with the rate of cancer fifteen times the national average.
Payton & Payton, a local husband and wife legal firm, which represents plaintiff to take on Krane reaches on the verge of virtual bankruptcy in course of trial.
In a crusade to save himself and his company, Carl Trudeau, owner of Krane chemicals decides to buy himself a seat in Mississippi supreme court for a few million dollars to support his appeal against the runaway jury verdict. He hires Troy & Hogan, a firm specialising in setting up judicial elections. He once remarks, 'I swear to you on my mother's grave that not one dime of Krane's money will ever be touched by those ignorant people.'
Will Carl be able to save his company, will Paytons survive bankruptcy?
All this, you will find in the novel.
The Appeal takes you through the surprisingly ugly corridors of politics and law. It leaves reader thinking on the consequences on this electoral process and judicial system.
Grisham once again emerges as a true king of modern legal thrillers, whether it was his last legal thriller The Firm or his non fiction The Innocent Man.
Verdict is out!.
_2 p.m.: Geology 104 begins in a large lecture classroom in Cole Hall. More than 160 students are registered for the class. _Shortly after 3 p.m.: A man dressed in black and carrying a shotgun and two handguns steps out from hiding and begins a "very brief rapid-fire assault" before killing himself, says NIU President John Peters. Campus police are on the scene in "less than two minutes," says NIU Police Chief Donald Grady. _3:20 p.m.: Officials post a message on NIU's Web site saying there is a report of a possible gunman on campus and warn students to "get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear." _3:40 p.m.: NIU officials say all classes are canceled and campus is closed. _3:50 p.m.: School officials confirm there has been a shooting on campus and several people have been taken away by ambulance. Officials urge people not to come to campus. _4:10 p.m.: Campus police report on the Web site that the scene is secure. _4:14 p.m.: Campus police say the immediate danger has passed and "the gunman is no longer a threat." _4:31 p.m.: NIU officials ask all students to call their parents as soon as possible. _5:12 p.m.: Police say at a news conference the shooter is dead by a self-inflicted gunshot. _5:43 p.m.: NIU officials say 18 victims have been transported to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb. They say four victims are in critical condition. _7:58 p.m.: Peters confirms at a news conference that the gunman killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others before fatally shooting himself. He says there is no known motive. Sources: NIU Web site, news conference.
A black-clad former student turned a university lecture hall into a Valentine's Day massacre Thursday, killing five people and injuring 16 others before turning a gun on himself, in the fifth US school shooting in a week, authorities said.
Armed with a shotgun and two handguns, he calmly stepped out from behind the curtain at the front of an auditorium just minutes before a geology class ended, officials and witnesses said.
Screams filled the hall as he sprayed a hail of bullets from the stage of the auditorium filled with dozens of students at Northern Illinois University, in a suburb of Chicago.
"It started and ended within a matter of seconds," university police chief Donald Grady said at a press conference.
Police were in the room within two minutes of getting the call but did not have time to fire a single shot as the gunman was already dead on the stage.
"We have no apparent motive at this time," Grady added.
Witnesses described the shooter as a white male dressed in black around six-foot (1.8 meters) tall.
"He was aiming towards the crowd but I don't think he was aiming at a specific person," a witness named Sheila told WBBM radio.
"He was quiet. He just stood on the stage in front of everybody and just started shooting.
"I saw him holding the gun and it was huge. I thought it was fake and then I realized he was really shooting at people and I got down," she said. "I saw a lot of blood. I have blood all over my clothes."
All of those shot were students, including the instructor who is a graduate student, university president John Peters said.
The shooter killed four women and one man, three of whom were dead by the time paramedics arrived, he added.
Six victims remain in critical condition while eight were discharged within a few hours, hospital officials said.
The shooter was enrolled as a graduate student in sociology last year and then transferred to another state institution, officials said.
"The information we have right now indicates he did not have any record of police contact or a prior arrest record," Peters told a press conference.
The massacre follows school shootings in Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee and California that left a total of five dead.
It comes 10 months after 32 students and faculty were shot down by a mentally disturbed student at Virginia Tech University in the deadliest massacre ever at a US school.
Northern Illinois University was placed on a security alert in December after police found threats on a bathroom wall laced with racial slurs, references to the Virginia Tech shooting and a warning that "things will change most hastily" in the final days of the semester.
But Peters said he did not think Thursday's shooting was related to the threats and said that while security has been heightened there was not much more officials could have done.
"I don't know of any plan that can prevent this tragedy," he told reporters. "Unless we lock every door I don't know how we can keep people out."
Students described now-familiar scenes of panic spreading across campus.
"I saw a lot of confusion," said Dominique Broxton, 22, describing the scene from her dorm room. "Students were running. People really didn't know what was going on."
Broxton said she could see two wounded students from her dorm room.
"The ambulance took away two students on the ground right outside my dorm," she said. "I don't know them. They looked bloody. Where I am right now, there are a lot of police, at least a dozen. There are police cars and trucks everywhere."
"There is an intercom system inside the dorm. Someone came on and stated that someone had been caught. They said they caught the shooter and that we should remain calm and stay in our rooms."
Chicago has long been noted for the Valentine's Day Massacre of February 14, 1929, when seven people were executed by machine-gun in a Mafia killing during the city's gangster heyday.
Northern Illinois University, chartered in 1895, is a teaching and research institution with a student enrollment of more than 25,000 and nearly 1,300 teachers. It has 862 international students from 88 nations. CREDITS: AFPA Timeline of the Shooting at NIU
A man opened fire Thursday in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen others before taking his own life. The following is a timeline of events: