Captain Tushar Tembe 49, commanding officer of the USS Harry S Truman nuclear powered aircraft carrier has suddenly died.

A US Navy statement said the ship's medical response team provided immediate medical assistance till Tembe could be transported to the Bon Secours Maryview Medical, where he was later pronounced dead.

Captain Tembe, a naval aviator, had assumed command of the Truman just three months ago. He was born in Mumbai and moved to the US as a child. He graduated from Texas Tech University.

The cause of death has not yet been determined.

The US navy condoled with Captain Tembe's wife and children, his family, and the Truman crew and said Captain Tembe served the navy and the nation honorably and with great distinction.

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Prashant Cherkupalli went to Australia to study for a masters in engineering was found to be working in a bakery without having the right visa to do so in 2004. He was picked up by immigration officials and sent to immigration detention and kept there for almost 18 months.

Cherkupalli who was released in 2006 took his complaint to the national Human Rights Commission. He continues to remain in Australia where he has since finished his masters degree. He is suing the government in the New South Wales Supreme Court for damages.

His lawyer says the commission found Cherkupalli should not have been detained and that is was an arbitrary detention. A report has been made recommending an apology and compensation. He was too ashamed to tell his parents that he was detained and kept his awful experience from his family.

The Immigration Department is unable to confirm the details and is expected to respond to the Commission shortly.

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Apart from umbilical cord blood banking for stem cells, experts say dental stem cell banking is a more viable option, as children of between six and twelve years lose their milk teeth naturally and these can be collected to harvest dental stem cells, making it the most non-invasive procedure to obtain stem cells.

Dental stem cells are a potent source of tissue-related stem cells unlike umbilical cord blood that provides blood related stem cells, that treat only blood-related disorders such as leukemia. Tissue related stem cells, on the other hand, have potential applications in all other tissues of one's body, such as the brain, eye, liver, pancreas, bones, etc.

Dental stem cell banking is gaining popularity and has been well received by the medical community. In India, Stemade Biotech have processed over 500 samples across the country.

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Back in the late 1960s after a series of exchanges between India and Buenos Aires, India said no to a proposal to settle thousands of farmers in Latin America to ease population pressure on India, for fear of racial prejudice, the effect on locals, and the dollar expenses involved.

The ministry of external affair's now declassified files show that the proposal was to allow upto 3000 families to settle in Paraguay and Argentina annually over 10 to 15 years. The Indian government was to equip the migrants with housing, sanitary and education facilities and other equipment.

The rejected proposal said the migrants were to be given virgin land in a tropical climate suitable for Indians. At the time political and economic power was mostly wielded by nationals of European stock.

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A book authored by Anil and Ranjit Malhotra called Indians, NRIs & The Law, was released recently, that highlights the issues that NRIs have to deal with and problems pertaining to people of Indian origin, and in a nutshell, the writers project that times and people have changed but laws in India have not.

The Delhi based British High Commissioner Sir Richard Stagg who launched the book said it turns complex issues into simple and easy reading prose that will be a great guide for Indians living abroad.

The authors have covered unchartered territory with clarity and the book will be an advantage for people who need a basic knowledge of immigration.

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