Youth Power Of India

Portugal support India in the NSG

2008-07-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Portugal has said that it will support proposal to allow nuclear trade with India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

''We (will) support India in the NSG. I had the opportunity to say to the Indian (External Affairs) minister that this is the Portuguese position,'' Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs Luis Amado told reporters in Delhi on Monday.

''We understand India's concerns to meet its strong demand of energy,'' he said.

The minister pointed out that Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates had made a similar announcement of his country's position during his visit to India in December 2007 to attend the India-EU summit.

The Indian government is currently trying to push through the civilian nuclear deal with US through its domestic political barriers, and to get the deal approved before the Bush administration leaves office by the end of this year.

The next step for India would be to sign a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its civilian nuclear plants - the draft has reportedly been finalised, but not signed yet.

The government is likely now to sign the agreement, after getting a new political ally, even as the Left parties have threatened to withdraw support if India goes to the IAEA.

Thereafter, the US, supported by Britain and France, would shepherd a proposal in the NSG for modifying its guidelines to allow trade in nuclear fuel and technology with India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But NSG members have been first eager to get a look at the safeguards agreement before agreeing to the proposal by consensus.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is currently on a visit to Japan to attend the G-8 summit, where he is scheduled to meet President Bush on Wednesday and also expected to lobby for NSG support among the attending heads of government and state.

Once the NSG allows trade with India, the bilateral agreement for civilian nuclear cooperation will go to the US Congress for an up-and-down vote.

The Portuguese minister began his three-day visit to India on Monday, accompanied by a delegation of top business leaders with diverse interests ranging from banking to infrastructure.

After his meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, he addressed Indian business leaders at the Indo-Portuguese Business Council.

On Tuesday, he leaves for Goa to renew ties with Portugal's former colony. He will meet Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and business people. Amado will return to Portugal via Mumbai on Wednesday.

Courtesy:ndtv.com

USE TOILET : We PAY You.....!?!?!?

2008-07-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

It pays to use a toilet in southern India, as residents are earning close to a dollar a month by using public urinals, a scheme launched by authorities to promote hygiene and research in rural areas.

Dozens of people are queuing up to use toilets in Musiri, a remote town in Tamil Nadu, where authorities have succeeded in keeping street corners clean with the new scheme, a newspaper said on Sunday.

"In fact, many of us started using toilets for urination only after the ecosan (ecological sanitation) toilets were constructed in the area," said S Rajasekaran, a truck cleaner.

The urine was also being collected and tested for its efficacy as a crop fertiliser, an official of the state's agricultural university added.

People relieving themselves in the open are a common sight in India's rural towns and villages, as basic sanitation still eludes millions.

Courtesy : IBNlive.com

Iran Modifies its Top Security Agency (SNSC)

2008-06-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Iran has made new changes at its Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), which looks after negotiations with the West in the nuclear crisis, the Mehr news agency reported on Monday.

Javad Vaeedi has been replaced as the council's deputy head in charge of international affairs by Ali Bagheri, who was previously the foreign ministry's director general for North and Central European affairs.

Vaeedi will become an advisor to the council's head Saeed Jalili, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the agency said. No explanation was given for the changes.

The move comes after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday named Jalili as his personal representative on the council.

As head of the council, Jalili is the top nuclear negotiator in talks with the West aimed at ending the five-year-old crisis over the Iranian atomic programme.

Tehran is currently considering a package from world powers offering Iran technological incentives if it halts the sensitive process of uranium enrichment which the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Obama against Outsourcing

2008-06-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Taking a tough stand against outsourcing, the presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama said that the choice is between giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas or give benefit to those corporations that keep jobs domestically.

''We can keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, or we can give tax benefits to companies that invest right here in New Hampshire,'' Senator Obama said at a joint appearance with Senator Hillary Clinton in Unity, New Hampshire.

''We can have a tax code that rewards wealth and hands out billions of dollars more to big corporations and multimillionaires. Or we can provide a $ 1,000 tax cut to 95 per cent of families in America, start rewarding work and not just wealth, and eliminate income taxes for seniors making $ 50,000 a year or less,'' Obama said, adding that's an agenda for change that the people can believe in.

''We can allow millions of Americans to work full-time but still not make enough to support their families, or we can raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation, and ensure that hard work pays off in America,'' the Illinois Senator said.

History of Brave Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw....!!!

2008-06-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji "Sam Bahadur" Jamshedji Manekshaw MC (April 3, 1914 – June 27, 2008) was an Indian Army officer. In a long career spanning nearly four decades, Manekshaw rose to be the 8th Chief of Staff of the Indian Army in 1969 and under his command, Indian forces concluded a victorious campaign during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Sam Manekshaw was the first of only two Indian military officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal of the Indian Army (The other being Field Marshal K M Cariappa). His distinguished military career spanned four decades and through five wars, including World War II.

Early life and education

Manekshaw was born in Amritsar, Punjab to Parsi parents who immigrated to the Punjab from the small town of Valsad on the Gujarat coast. After completing his schooling in Amritsar and Sherwood College (Nainital), he joined the first batch of 40 cadets at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 1 October 1932. He passed out of the IMA in December 1934 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army. He held several regimental assignments and was first attached to the Royal Scots and later to the 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment.

Military career

Manekshaw's military career spanned four decades, from the British era and World War II, to the three wars against China and Pakistan after India's independence in 1947.

World War II

During World War II, Manekshaw saw action in the Burma campaign on Sittang River as a Captain with the 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment ^[1] and has the rare distinction of being honoured for his bravery on the battle front itself. During World War II, he was leading a counter-offensive against the invading Japanese Army in Burma. During the course of the offensive he was hit by a burst of LMG bullets and was severely wounded in the stomach. Major General D.T. Cowan spotted Manekshaw holding on to life and was aware of his valour in face of stiff resistance from the Japanese. Fearing the worst, Major General Cowan quickly pinned his own Military Cross ribbon on to Manekshaw saying, "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross."

Higher Commands and Offices

Having recovered from those near-fatal wounds in Burma, Manekshaw went for a course at Staff College, Quetta and later also served there as an instructor before being sent to join 12 Frontier Force Rifles in Burma under General (later Field Marshal) Slim's 14th Army. He was once again involved in a fierce battle with the Japanese, and was wounded for a second time. Towards the close of World War II, Manekshaw was sent as Staff Officer to General Daisy in Indo-China where, after the Japanese surrender, he helped rehabilitate over 10,000 POWs. He, then, went on a six-month lecture tour to Australia in 1946, and after his return served as a First Grade Staff Officer in the Military Operations Directorate.

Manekshaw showed acumen for planning and administration while handling the issues related to Partition in 1947, and later put to use his battle skills during the 1947-48 Jammu & Kashmir Operations. After command of an Infantry Brigade, he was posted as the Commandant of the Infantry School and also became the Colonel of 8 Gorkha Rifles (which became his new regimental home, since his original parent regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment went on to join the new Pakistan Army at partition ) and 61 Cavalry. He commanded a Division in Jammu & Kashmir and a Corps in the North East, with a tenure as Commandant of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in between. As GOC-in-C Eastern Command, he handled the tricky problem of insurgency in Nagaland and the grateful nation honoured him with a Padma Bhushan in 1968.

Army Chief: The War of 1971

Manekshaw became the 8th Chief of Army Staff when he succeeded General Kumaramangalam on 7 June 1969. His years of military experience were soon put to the test as thousands of refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan started crossing over to India as a result of oppression from West Pakistan. The volatile situation erupted into a full-scale war in December 1971.

During this Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Manekshaw showed uncommon ability to motivate the forces, coupling it with a mature war strategy. The war ended with Pakistan's unconditional surrender, and the formation of Bangladesh. More than 45,000 Pakistani soldiers and 45,000 civilian personnel were taken as POWs. He masterminded the rout of the Pakistan Army in one of the quickest victories in the recent military history. This led to the Shimla Agreement which opened the door to the creation of the nation of Bangladesh as separate from Pakistan.

Honour and Retirement

For his distinguished service to the country, the President of India awarded him a Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and conferred upon him the rank of Field Marshal on 1 January 1973. Manekshaw became the first of the only two Indian Army Generals to be awarded this prestigious honorary rank; the other being the late Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa. Manekshaw retired a fortnight later (although technically Field Marshals of the Indian Army never retire because the rank is conferred for life), on 15 January 1973, after completing nearly four decades of military service.

Following his retirement from the Indian Army, Manekshaw successfully served as a director of numerous companies.

He died of complication from pneumonia at the Military Hospital in Wellington, Tamil Nadu on 0030 hours, June 27th, 2008 at the age of 94.

JAI HIND !!!!!!

India's Rank in "Corruption Countries List"

2008-06-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

India has been ranked a lowly 74, two steps down since 2007, among 180 countries of the world on the worldwide Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), prepared by independent international agency Transparency International.

However, corruption is much higher in Pakistan, which occupies 140th place, a little below Iran, Libya and Nepal, which are ranked 133, 134 and 135 respectively.

Meanwhile, China, which was ranked a joint 72 with India in 2007, slid a step down to occupy a place above its neighbour this year.

Among other Asian countries, Russia is placed still lower on 145 while Sri Lanka occupies 96th position and Maldives is ranked 90.

The least corrupt country in the region is the nascent democracy Bhutan, which has been placed at the 41st spot by the non-government organisation tracking prevalence of corruption worldwide.

Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden corner the top five spots retaining positions as the least corrupt nations of the world, while bottom of table is occupied by Myanmar and Somalia.

The United States also retains its position and is ranked 20th, just below Germany, Ireland, Japan and France. Besides, Britain occupies the 13th spot and is just ahead of Hong Kong.

Yahoo's stock price bounced

2008-06-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

Pic :Yahoo CEO Jerry yang :: :: Microsoft's Bill Gates

Yahoo's stock price bounced as investors flirted with rumours that Microsoft is once-again courting the floundering Internet pioneer. Neither company would comment on what, if any, talks are under way, but both firms dismissed the notion Microsoft has a renewed interest in taking over Yahoo.

Microsoft said its position has not changed since it released a June 12 statement saying it is "not interested in rebidding for all of Yahoo" but that an "alternative transaction remains available for discussion." The US software giant made the statement in response to Yahoo and Google announcing a deal to put the Internet search king's expertise to work pumping money from advertising posted next to Yahoo online search results.

Microsoft offered to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion in stock and cash on January 31, but withdrew the offer on May 3, saying Yahoo refused to budge despite the software giant upping its bid to nearly $50 billion. While searching for a "white knight" to save it from Microsoft's clutches, Yahoo tested using Google's AdSense for Search service for two weeks in April.

The test showed that Google's methods generated more money than Yahoo's advertising platform. Microsoft was enraged by the experiment and warned that a Yahoo-Google partnership raises anti-trust concerns because it would cover some 90 per cent of online advertising.

Analysts believe an alternative deal of interest to Microsoft could involve buying Yahoo's Internet search business and merging it with its own in order to better battle Google in that arena. (AFP)

No Oil Increase till Sep : OPEC

2008-06-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

The meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members and oil consumers in Saudi Arabia has failed to produce any solution to check rising oil prices.

Speaking at the meeting, India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram called for a fixed price band. Saudi Arabia has promised to increase production from 12 million barrels to 12.7 million barrels by the month of September.

However, OPEC remained skeptical and was divided on the issue of raising production.

The rising oil prices have fuelled protests across the world. And now rising oil prices are causing heartburn within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The meeting of OPEC members called by Saudia Arabia wound down without arriving at any clear formula.

Chidambaram reiterated in the meeting that the consuming countries must guarantee that oil prices will not fall below an agreed level and producing countries must guarantee that oil prices will not rise above a guaranteed level.

Countries such as China and Britain stressed on the need to find new sources of energy. However, they were all unanimous on one issue that oil prices have to come down.

“In order to continue our constructive role in the market, and to further reassure those who are concerned about supply availability, the Kingdom is prepared to make additional quantities of crude oil available to the market,’ says Saudi Arabia Minister Of Petroleum, Ali Naimi.

OPEC president Chakib Khelil however chose to differ and claimed there was enough oil in the market to meet the demand. He said OPEC would consider the issue of raising production only in September, when they meet.

Meanwhile, with OPEC refusing to increase production, the world it seems will have to bear with the rising fuel prices.

Expect Tax Cuts : FM Hints

2008-06-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said that the government is willing to take more fiscal steps including the possibility of deeper tax cuts to bring down inflation.

He also said that India should not give room for panic and the government will provide enough wheat and rice to bring down prices.

After inflation hit a 13-year high of 11.05 per cent on Friday, there is more bad news for consumers, as the government admits it will not come down significantly before next year.

The RBI may soon announce monetary measures to check price rise, Finance Secretary D. Subbarao said in New Delhi. At the same time, he predicted that inflation would remain high for the next three months.

"The first line of defence for inflation is monetary measures," Subbarao said. “As we cannot control the supply side, we require quick measures to control the demand side, which will be done by the RBI by taking monetary policy action.”

Asked about measures the RBI may possibly take, Subbarao said: “I can't speak for the RBI, but we all know what measures the central bank is likely to take,” referring to a possible hike in interest rates.

“The double-digit inflation is certainly quite disturbing and inflation management is the top priority of the government,” the finance secretary said.

He also said inflationary pressure would continue for the next three months. This was on account of the global crude oil crisis that has contributed 94 per cent to the high rate of inflation, he added.

Subbarao said: “India will continue to maintain GDP growth of 8.5 per cent and see inflation at 5 to 6 per cent in a year from now.”

Asked about administered price increase, the finance secretary said: “That is a political decision and the government will take a decision on it.”

The price of non-oil products is falling on month on month basis, the finance secretary pointed out.

(With IANS inputs)

Obama Leads......!!

2008-06-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama, has a double-digit lead over Republican John McCain. According to the latest Newsweek poll Obama now leads McCain by a margin of 51-36 per cent, a big jump from the figures in May when he and McCain were tied at 46 per cent.

The Newsweek survey showed that only 14 per cent of Americans were satisfied with the direction of the country. More than 51 per cent were dissatisfied and indicated their faith in Obama with his message of change.

Barrack Obama made history as he became the first African American Presidential nominee for the US.

Meanwhile, his democrat rival, Senator Hillary Clinton ended her historic campaign for the presidency on June 7, telling supporters to unite behind Obama and closing a race that was as grueling as it was groundbreaking.

The former first lady, who had earlier declared herself the strongest candidate, gave Obama an unqualified endorsement and pivoted from her role as determined foe to absolute ally.

Depositors Cheers !! Bcos of their Fixed deposits...!!

2008-06-17T10:10:00.001-07:00

There is some good news for retired persons and those dependent on the interest income as banks have started increasing their fixed deposit rates following the decision of the RBI to hike the short term lending rate by 0.25 per cent.

Oriental Bank of Commerce yesterday revised their fixed deposit rates for various maturities and raised the rates for its special deposit scheme Asha Kiran (FDs for 400 days) to 9.75 for senior citizens.

This is probably the highest interest rate being offered by the city based public sector lender on 13-month deposit.

Though the senior citizens would get a rate of 9.75 per cent, others will receive 9.25 per cent for 400-day fixed deposit from OBC.

Even the new generation private sector lender Yes Bank increased the deposit rates by 0.5 per cent across all maturities.

After the recent revision of interest rates by Yes Bank, senior citizens would get a maximum of 10 per cent on fixed deposits with a maturity of one year to 18 months. The others would receive a return of 9.5 per cent.

Country's largest public sector lender, State Bank of India, also revised fixed deposit rates upward by up to 0.5 per cent for selected tenures effective June 1.

SBI increased fixed deposits rate for 5-10 years by 0.5 per cent to 9 per cent while 3-5 years tenure was hiked by 0.35 per cent. Senior citizens will get 0.5 per cent more.

Another Mumbai-based lender Bank of India also increased deposit rates up to 0.5 per cent for various maturities.

For deposits having a maturity of one year to less than two years, the revised rates stands at 9.15 per cent, against the earlier rate of 8.50 per cent, while for deposits ranging from two to three years, the new rate is 9.25 per cent as against earlier rate of 8.75 per cent.

Similarly, fixed deposits of Bank of India having a maturity of three to five years will earn 9.50 per cent interest, against the earlier 8.75 per cent.

"The rates have been revised with a view to mobilize funds from deposits in the beginning of the financial year. We will review our rates by June 30, after which they might be revised again," the BOI official had said.

There would be a case for further upward revision of fixed deposit rates in case the inflation, as projected by many analysts, goes up to 10 per cent.

Moreover, the banks would have to raise fixed deposit rates to retain the deposit base, says brokerage firm Edelweiss Capital in its recent analysis on impact of repo rate hike on the banking sector.

The study further pointed out that following recent hike in repo rate, bottomline of those banks which are dependent on wholesale money market for funds would come under pressure.

No Ban On MAIZE EXPORT : GOVT

2008-06-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Union Government has ruled out any plan to impose ban on maize export despite consistent demand to this effect from the poultry industry.
The Commerce Secretary G K pillai told newsmen on the sidelines of a function at Vigyan Bhawan here that the government will also not revoke exiting export ban on rice and wheat.

Pillai said, the government is however likely to review the ban on foodgrains by October-November this year. "This will be done once the picture is clearer," he said. About 50% of the total Indian produce is consumed as poultry feed and about 8% is consumed by the starch industry. Indian maize exports fluctuates around 5 lakh tons annually.

The poultry industry has been repeatedly demanding an export ban on maize besides withdrawing the foodgrains from future trading platform.The global prices of the corn have shot up in recent months due to corn divertion into bio-fuels production amid high crude oil prices.The price of crude oil touched an all time high of 140 US dollar per barrel in the US future trade.

India’s produces around 10-14 million tons of maize annually. This contributes to about 2% of the total world production. Maize in India is generally produced as ‘kharif’ crop, which means that it is usually produced in the summers. Most of the corn produced in India mainly comes from the southern Corn Belt states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Earlier in 50’s and 60’s, the maize production was improved through crop management techniques and increasing the area under cultivation

There is " Higher Power " May be GOD : Indian Scientists

2008-06-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

One in four Indian scientists believe in God and many more accept existence of a "higher power", says a survey conducted across the country.

A survey of 1,100 scientists across 130 universities and research institutes across the country threw up interesting results as 29 per cent believed in the philosophy of 'karma', 26 per cent accepted the principle of life after death and seven per cent researchers gave credence to existence of ghosts.

A survey, by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut and Hyderabad-based Centre for Inquiry, found that religion and faith had deep roots in the minds of Indian scientists.

As many as 64 per cent scientists said they would refuse to design biological weapons because of their moral and religious beliefs, while 54 per cent said they will not work on nuclear weapons for the same reasons.

As many as 93 per cent researchers defined secularism as tolerance for various religions and philosophies, while only a minority of scientists said it meant atheism.

As many as 33 per cent scientists strongly disapproved of space scientists seeking the blessings of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati before launching a rocket in 2005. Only 14 per cent strongly approved of the action.

Most scientists (44 per cent) were willing to criticise and confront religions where they think they contradict accepted scientific theories but a sizeable minority (23 per cent) is opposed to it.

The scientists are most likely to regard their personal outlook as "secular" (59 per cent) or "somewhat secular" (16 per cent). Secularism, according to a majority of them, is tolerance for various religions and philosophies.

One fourth of the total scientists surveyed were firm believers while another fourth took an atheist or agnostic position about belief in the divine.

Twenty-six per cent scientists said they believed God exists and they had no doubts about it. As many as 30 per cent scientists did not believe in a personal God but in a higher power.

Twelve per cent scientists said they did not believe in God while another 13 per cent said they neither knew about the existence of God nor did they believed there was any way to find it out.

A majority of scientists thought of themselves as being spiritual, which according to two thirds of them is either "commitment to higher human ideals, such as peace, harmony or well being" (34 per cent), or "a higher level of human consciousness or awareness" (31 per cent).

A majority of the Indian scientists were Hindus (66 per cent) and 10 per cent identified themselves as atheists or having no religion.

Muslims and Christians formed three per cent each of the scientists surveyed; four per cent were Sikhs, Buddhists and other religions while 14 per cent did not report their religion.

Apple ready to launch 3G iPhone

2008-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Even as gizmo lovers await the official launch of Apple's new iPhone towards the end of the year, the market in India is abuzz – as in the US – that the company would debut the iPhone ver.2 or the 3G model as early as Monday.

Apple Inc is hosting the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) starting Monday in San Francisco and it was during the same conference last year that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs announced the launch date for the original iPhone.

"I have the first iPhone and I am mighty pleased with its out-of-the-world functionality. I'll sell it as soon as I can lay my hands on the new one," said Geet Tandon, an avid techie, unable to hide his excitement.

"I can't wait to get my hands on the new iPhone, which supposedly will have additional features and better looks," he added.

The buzz over the new version being showcased in San Francisco was further fuelled by a memo to employees in May sent by AT&T, iPhones's sole provider in the US.

Smart phones

"No additional vacation will be approved between June 15 - August 12," said the company, which had issued a similar notice last year before the phone's launch.

When the original iPhone from the apple stable – a crossover between an iPod and a smart-phone – hit the market last year, lack of 3G capabilities and a built-in global positioning system (GPS) receiver were seen as few of the disadvantages.

Nevertheless, the flaws did not seem to deter the buyers, according to a recent study by the technology think-tank Gartner. Apple rose to number three position in the worldwide smart-phone category in terms of market share, selling more than 1.7 million handsets in just about nine months.

Waiting for the 3G iPhone

The serpentine lines outside Apple and AT&T stores made headlines in India, despite the fact that apple at that time had not disclosed any plans of marketing their new product in the country.

The phone was named the Time magazine's invention of the year. And despite not being officially available in the country, the phone was voted as the gadget of the year by most tech shows in India.

Gaffar market in Karol Bagh, the go-to place in the city if you want the shiny chrome plated phone, does not seem to know about by the new development. Santosh Singh, who deals specifically with the iPhone, said he had no idea if a new version of the iPhone was being launched.

"If that happens, it will be good for the business as the new phone will take sometime to seep in the Indian market and when the supply is less the profits are always high," he said.

Marketing strategies

It is not all rumours that make the whole hype surrounding the 3G iPhone believable given the secretive and surprising marketing strategies of Apple.

During a meeting in California in November 2007, AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson (in what has been regarded as a slip-up) said that his company was working with Apple for the 3G version of iPhone.

Apple fan websites and iPhone forums all across the web are on fire. Not only can one find the "leaked pictures" but also copies of apple's patent application for the phone to the US Patent Office on these websites.

And what can one expect of the new phone? The list is endless but 3G and a GPS are more or less confirmed. Apple might also include flash player in its Safari browser and the phone would have window's media format.

Avid blogger Zibri (real name not disclosed), who has founded the popular blog ziphone.org and also creator of ziphone - an unlocking utility software for the phone - says the launch of the next iPhone version will be sooner than expected.

"We're near the event everyone is expecting. It seems Apple at last has included an embedded GPS. It features a category 8 HSDPA connection (3G) for a top speed of 7.2 MB/s. The main iPhone CPU will remain unchanged.”

Pollution : India's Biggest Worry

2008-06-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Environment Poll asked citizens of six cities across India how they felt for the environment and environment-related issues. Do modern, urban Indians care and are they willing to be more environmentally responsible?

As per the conducted the survey, we assumed civic issues like water and garbage would be uppermost on people's minds.

But this is the big finding – 34 per cent think air pollution is the biggest environment problem that most people face, followed by green cover, water pollution, noise pollution and finally garbage disposal.

India's exploding traffic - leading to bigger traffic jams, parking woes, road rage and a bevy of health problems - is understandably the biggest setback today.

In fact all those polled in Delhi also voted air pollution was their number one woe.

“Pollution is getting to us and we need to find a solution,” says Center for Science and Environment, Sunita Narain.

If people were given a choice what is the one environmental issue they would want government to address, a whopping 86 per cent of the people want the government to plant trees, followed by reducing air pollution, providing clean drinking water, cleaning up rivers, collecting and segregating garbage and finally improving public transport.

“Why cant bureaucrats and politicians car-pool,” asks environment activist Leo Saldhana

But are things set to improve? The survey shows, people aren't very hopeful. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents said air pollution would increase in the next five years.

Seventy per cent said noise pollution would rise and 65 per cent feared water would get more polluted.

The silver lining is that some states are getting their act together in order to improve the state of their environment be it garbage collection in Bangalore or rain water harvesting in Chennai.

NoBody even CJ cant be excluded from People Rights : SOMNATH

2008-04-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday (April 22) disagreed with Chief Justice of India -- K G Balakrishnan's views that the Right the Information Act was not applicable to his office.

"I am not questioning the Chief Justice. He is a high constitutional functionary. But since you ask me, I feel we should not keep anything back from people," he told reporters when asked about the CJI's views.

Chatterjee said in a democracy people occupy the central position and insisted that once such information is denied then "there is scope for speculation which may affect the credibility of the institution".

Disputing Balakrishnan's views that Constitutional functionaries are not covered under the RTI, he said "everything is under the Constitution or should be under the Constitution. The question is whether people are entitled to know."

"The Constitutional position of people's right to know has been recognised under the RTI Act," he said noting that it has been brought for the purpose of enforcement. The refrain of the Speaker, who has been forthright in airing his views on judicial activism, was that "we should not keep anything back from people" as they have the right to know in a democracy

Security Scare on PM's Flight

2008-04-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

A plane carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got a security scare on Tuesday evening when an unidentified object was spotted flying close to it.

Singh was returning from Jamshedpur when Delhi’s air traffic control (ATC) picked up an unidentified blip on its radar. The blip could have been an unidentified aircraft.

The Prime Minister’s aircraft was aligned to the instrument landing system—a system which aids planes to land—of the runway at the Delhi International aircraft when ATC picked up the blip.

Fearing for security, the plane was disengaged from the instrument landing system to take evasive action from the unidentified object. Sources at the Delhi ATC though say that the blip could have been a radar malfunction.

The plane was delayed by 16 minutes.

This was the second security scare for the PM’s aircraft since December 2007. The pilot and co-pilot of a private airline's helicopter were arrested on December 17 when they landed at a helipad in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, minutes before Singh was about to take off.

Beggars Gets New LIFE.......!!

2008-03-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

A unique initiative at a shelter for beggars in Surat has changed their lives. Today, not only do they earn enough to feed themselves and their families, they have also earned a lot of respect and admiration.

Today Modh, a beggar, is really a son of the soil at peace with himself and his work. But Modh's life wasn't always this peaceful. Until a few months ago, his only income was from begging at the Surat railway station.

Then the police picked him up and brought him to the temporary shelter. But now he's got a permanent job at the shelter and he does well enough to support his family. There are others like him here, all once beggars, all now gainfully employed.

And thanks to the home's unique scheme, they can all now dream of a future.

''Once I am out of this place, I will earn enough money to start farming on my own. I don't wish to beg any further; it hardly brings you money and you loose prestige. I want to earn money by farming for my family,'' said Durgadas Modh, beggar turned farmer.

''I never thought of earning money by producing vegetables and selling them. I used to believe in easy money coming as alms from pedestrians and passengers. Now I have a new lease of life,'' said Birju Lohar, beggar turned farmer.

The vegetables they grow are organic and there's a good market for them.

''We have initiated talks with corporates in retail of vegetables to buy from us and sell through our outlets. In fact, that will also ensure a steadier income for the inmates,'' said Dina Patel, Superintendent, Surat Bhikshuk Gruh.

This is a success story the government wants to replicate at other homes for beggars in Gujarat.

FM takes on Left

2008-03-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

A day after Finance Minister P Chidambaram took an indirect swipe at the left accusing them of slowing down economic growth, irate Left leaders have hit back to the FM's comments. CPI(M)Politburo member -- Sitram Yechury took strong exception to the Finance Minister's comments and said that he is attempting to mislead the general public in terms of what the left stands for. He said that the left is not against growth, but it is against growth that benefits a small minority and that the left wanted growth to be more inclusive.

Sitaram Yechury said that the Finance Minister should be more concerned about inclusive growth and should not be concerned about the growth of a small group. Also reacting to the FM was Brinda Karat -- CPI(M)Politburo member said that they have started their position on reforms in Parliament. She also added that Finance Minister has not been able to answer some questions raised by the Left. She added that price rise has been one of the biggest failures of this government. She said, "India should be protected from global trends which is also a creation of this new liberal framework. Though the corporate sector and markets are showing a growth, large section of poor people have not seen the growth."

'Don't find fault in everything we do'

Finance Minister P Chidambaram took a swipe indirectly at his left allies. In comments that did not go down well with the left parties, the FM has indirectly hit out at the left parties and said that those who claim that growth only helped the rich are the worst enemies of the poor.

Chidambaram said that some 60 members of parliament criticised everything being done by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and him to improve the economy. Though the Finance Minister did not directly mention the Left, but made a clear reference to them as they hold 62 seats in the Lok Sabha.

P Chidambaram said, "What do they want us to do? Do they only want us to distribute poverty in this country? Those who say the market growth is irrelevant and those who say the growth only helps the rich are the worst enemies of the poor. “The FM went on to explain that with the Indian economy growing at close to 9% , poverty can be wiped out in the next generation if the current pace of growth is sustained.

He also added, "They say that the economic growth is irrelevant and only a small group of people had benefited from it", but "if we continue to grow close to nine percent, by 2020 India's per capita income will be US $2,000 and by 2050 it will be $16,000. If this growth rate continues, I will provide Rs.15,100 crore (Rs.151 billion) for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (universal education programme) and Rs.8,000 crore (Rs.80 billion) for the midday meal scheme next year."

Chidambaram said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was able to implement many development programmes for people only because of the high growth rate. "If we continue to grow at this rate, India will be among the most prosperous countries in the world," he said

(With inputs from PTI)

TIBET UNREST SPREADS

2008-03-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Brushing aside calls for dialogue with the Dalai Lama, China on Saturday vowed to ''crush'' the ''Tibet independence forces'' as it raised to 19 the death toll in riots that rocked Lhasa last week during the most virulent anti-China protests in two decades.
'China must resolutely crush the Tibet independence forces' conspiracy and sabotaging activities,'' The People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), said in its commentary today, effectively rejecting growing calls from the West for China to hold dialogue with the Dalai Lama to end the crackdown on agitators.

''We must see through the secessionist forces' evil intentions'' and maintain stability and protect people's ''fundamental interests'', the commentary said.

As it intensified its manhunt for the ''most wanted'' suspects and rushed more troops to the restive areas in Tibet, Sichuan and Gansu provinces, the government today said 18 civilians and a police officer were killed in the recent mob violence.

China had earlier said 13 civilians were either burned or hacked to death while the Tibetan government in exile based at Dharamsala has disputed the official casualties figure and put the toll at 99.

The People's Daily said the violent incidents were created by the ''Tibet independence forces'' and masterminded by the ''Dalai Lama clique'', with the ''vicious intention'' of undermining the Olympics and splitting Tibet from China.

''They exposed the Dalai clique's hypocrisy in proclaiming non-violence, peaceful dialogue, not seeking independence and caring for the Tibetan people,'' the paper said.

Talking tough:

With the Tibet issue coming under global spotlight and pressure piling up ahead of the Olympics, which it wants to use to showcase itself to the world, China asserted that nearly 100 countries had demonstrated their support to its action to quell the unrest.

''It is a clear proof that the international community is on the side of China,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang was quoted as saying by a Chinese news agency.

China's response came a day after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and demanded an ''independent, outside'' investigation into Beijing's allegation that the Tibetan spiritual leader was the instigator of the unrest.

She also asked all ''freedom loving'' people to speak out against China's ''oppression'' in Tibet.

Dismissing the Dalai Lama as a ''chief representative of the surf system'' and a political refugee engaged in activities of splitting China, Qin said China opposed any ''encouragement or support'' for the secessionist attempts of the ''Dalai clique'' which violated the basic principles of international relations.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, has repeatedly denied charges of inciting the Lhasa riots and said he was ready to meet the Chinese leadership for a dialogue.

China has insisted that the Dalai Lama must recognise Tibet and Taiwan as parts of China and undergo a ''thorough review of himself'' to create conditions for talks.

The Tibet government said on Friday that 241 police officers were injured, 23 critically, in the Lhasa riots and updated the number of civilians injured from 325 to 382, including 58 seriously. The economic losses were estimated at USD 34.59 million.

Police said 183 ''perpetrators'' of the riots had surrendered so far. Stepping up its clampdown, authorities on Friday released the pictures of 21 ''most wanted'' suspects.

Troops have moved into the restive Tibetan areas to bolster the government crackdown on the simmering unrest.

For the first time since the volcanic eruption of violence during monks-led protests Friday last that jolted the Communist leadership, China on Friday admitted that the police opened fire and wounded four protesters at Aba county in southwestern Sichuan province on Sunday.

Pressure on China

Germany has now asked Beijing not to block channels to Tibet. The German foreign minister said, ''We want to know exactly what has happened in Tibet.

He also said that China's policy of expelling journalists was harming China. In any case, the Olympics in August would bring thousands of journalists to China and then nothing could be swept under the carpet.

Relations between Beijing and Berlin have been strained after Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Dalai Lama in her office last September.

Protests in Tokyo

Tibetan protesters also demonstrated in Tokyo. About 80 of them marched to the Chinese embassy and wanted to hand over a letter to the authorities. After the police prevented them, they stood outside and shouted slogans.

The letter said that China should not hold the Olympics.

(With PTI inputs)

Suicide rallies on Vidharbha Farmers

2008-03-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Even as the nation revels in Holi festivities, there is no colour for debt-ridden farmers in Vidharbha in Maharashtra.

Three farmers — Gorakh Nikam, Atmaram Patil and Gokul Pawar — took their lives for not being able to pay back moneylenders.

Nikam is from Nashik while the others are from Dhule. All three had reportedly borrowed from moneylenders. According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, 216 farmers committed suicide in 2008 alone.

One suicide is reported every eight hours from the suicide belt of Vidharbha, and this despite the government’s Rs 60,0000-crore farm loan waiver.

According to experts the loan waiver is of little help as less than half of the marginal and small farmers, owning up to two hectares, are expected to benefit. Reports say more than 22 farmers who have taken their lives in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region had over five acres of land.

In Vidarbha, of the 63 families, only 13 qualify for the government's loan waiver.

The rest have more than five acres of land and debt ranging from Rs 15,000 to 20,000.

Rahul Gandhi impresses Tony Blair

2008-03-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair showered praise on the Nehru-Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi, saying he stood out as the ''most talented'' and ''insightful'' of the younger generation of politicians worldwide.

''He (Rahul) has got a first class mind and great commitment to India... And you know he is one of those politicians that can take a step back and look at, what I call the big picture, and he's definitely someone who does that,'' Blair said.

He was responding when asked if Rahul Gandhi impresses him as a possible Prime Minister of India.

Blair, who himself was a young generation Prime Minister, described Gandhi as ''the most talented, able and insightful of the younger generation of politicians worldwide.''

ABROAD Is SAFE : TASLIMA

2008-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Controversial Bangladesh author Taslima Nasreen today (March 19) left India for an unknown destination and has reached London, as she voiced her bitterness against the Indian government accusing it of being no better than "religious fundamentalists."

Talking to a news agency at the London's Heathrow Airport before taking a connecting flight after she left New Delhi this morning on a British Airways flight, the 46-year-old author refused to disclose where she was heading saying she did not want to "compromise" on her security.

Taslima is understood to heading towards Toronto in Canada. "If I disclose my destination my security will be compromised. My face has now become recognisable and I could be target of religious fundamentalists," she said.

Taslima, whose India visa was extended for further six months last month, alleged her human rights was infringed in the last four months when she was brought to Delhi after being hounded out from Kolkata.

Taslima said she will not hesitate to discuss what she said the traumatic experience she allegedly went through during various international seminars lined up in Europe in the next few months.

"I was put under tremendous stress but I could not speak out as I was under their(government) surveillance and could be harassed by them," she said in a choked voice from the British Capital. "The government(Indian) is no better than religious fundamentalists," she said.

Nasreen said she used to call the Government safe-house in Delhi where she was put up as the "torture chamber".

"I gradually came to realise that it was the chamber of death instead," Taslima said, adding she was forced to leave India because of "extreme stress" that she went through the last four months.

MK.Narayanan : Monitoring LTTE LINKS

2008-03-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

National Security Advisior MK Narayanan has once again reiterated his belief, that Kerala and Tamil Nadu have pockets of people, who are lending help to the LTTE.

The statement comes just days after the 'Q' branch of the Tamil Nadu police siezed two boats that were being manufactured in Kerala for the LTTE. The police had siezed the boats being built at Munambam in Ernakulam district following leads, that they got from two LTTE cadre arrested in Thirichirapally in Tamil Nadu.

As National Security Advisor MK Narayanan quotes, "We have come to know that in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in some pockets there are people, who are supporting the LTTE. The Central Intelligence Agencies are closely monitoring this situation."

The Director General of Police stated, "Sixty checkposts have been set up along the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu as part of enhanced security measures to prevent infiltration of extremist forces and LTTE activists."

In an informal chat with the media, the DGP claimed that specially trained police personnel, were maintaining a strict vigil all over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The DGP also added that there were no Naxalite activities in the state, as the department has succeeded in preventing their activities in the initial stage itself. The DGP commented on the issue after inaugurating the housing quarters for the Tamil Nadu Special Police 4th Battalion at Kovaipudur.

TIBET UNREST

2008-03-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Unconfirmed sources claim that at least 100 people have been killed in Tibet where the situation continues to spiral out of control after the Chinese crackdown on Tibetan protestors on the 49th anniversary of their uprising against Chinese rule.

What Beijing does next is being watched closely by the international community particularly since the Olympics are around the corner.

Lhasa's still burning despite the curfew imposed by the Chinese government after Friday's crackdown by the Chinese police on Tibetans demanding that the Beijing Olympic Games be cancelled.

The protests were also timed to mark the 49th anniversary of their uprising against Chinese rule.

The Tibetan government in exile claims at least 100 people could have died so far but the figure is impossible to verify.

China's violent reaction to what began as peaceful protests has evoked global condemnation.

''We have urged also that the Chinese government respect Tibetan culture, as well as the multiethnic nature of China. It is very important in our view, and President Bush has expressed this view, that Chinese government open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, and we continue to urge that. Nobody benefits from violence. Nobody wants to see it. But it is very important that, in responding to these protests, that the Chinese government turn away from the use of force or violence in responding to the protests,'' said Sean McCormack, State Department Secretary.

The Chinese government does not want to appear weak by not reacting to the protests. Beijing has now given the Tibetan protesters till Monday to surrender.

''Fighting, looting, burning - these actions destroy the stability of society. These events can be described as an organised and planned plot. We are very determined to denounce this separatist activity, and the plot will not be successful,'' said Champa Phuntsok, Chairman, Tibetan Government.

Now China is worried that its plan to carry the Olympic torch over Mt Everest and into Tibet may be affected by the protests. This may draw the world's attention to Tibet and away from the Olympic games.

But after the crackdown, the worst in the last two decades, avoiding bad press may be difficult.

RAHUL FAVOURS DALITS........!!

2008-03-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is on a visit to Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.

He has met the Dalit family, whose five members were shot dead by criminals over a land dispute in Ameenabad on Wednesday night.

Rahul Gandhi's visit is being seen as an attempt to strengthen the Congress party's base among Dalits ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections.

The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party had reacted sharply to Rahul spending a night with a Dalit family in Purejaisingh village under Bahadurgarh block in his Parliamentary constituency of Amethi on January 26.

Chief Minister Mayawati had charged the Congress with trying to woo the Dalits only for political gains but doing nothing for them.

Samson D'Souza RAPED and left Scarlette to DIE.....

2008-03-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Goa police on Thursday claimed that the prime suspect in the murder of Scarlette Keeling has confessed to the crime and he has already been charged with the rape and murder of the 15-year-old British tourist.

Claiming a breakthrough in the tourist murder probe, the police said the 29-year-old bartender, Samson D'Souza, has confessed to drugging the British teenager and dumping her in shallow water after sexually abusing her.

The second accused in the case, Placido Carvalho, alias Shanuboy, — allegedly a drug dealer — gave drugs to Scarlette on that fateful night.

Goa IGP Kishen Kumar claimed Shanuboy intoxicated Scarlette with a cocktail of narcotics and alcohol. "Samson D'Souza then raped her and left her unconscious beyond the high tide line where she later drowned," he said.

The girl died due to a drug overdose and drowning in shallow water, the IGP said. 15-year-old Scarlette's semi-nude body was found on Anjuna beach on February 18.

Resume Work : Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel

2008-03-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today asked the employees of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to resume work saying the existing airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore would continue to remain operational for general aviation (corporate and business jets), defence purposes and national emergencies.

However, the airports would not be open for commercial operations, he said, adding the “interests of the AAI employees at these airports will be fully protected.”

The employees are on strike against the proposed closure of the two airports once the private greenfield facilities start functioning.

All reserved activities such as security, immigration, Customs and air-traffic control would continue to be under government control, Patel told Parliament.

Patel’s statement is a change from the government’s earlier stand that the two airports would be closed for aviation operations.

However, Patel’s offer has been rejected by the employees’ union. “The agitation will continue. The government’s earlier assurances did not materialise. We would like to sit across the table and sort out the matter,” said union leader Dilip Gurjar.

The Centre has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to thwart any full-fledged strike that the current non-cooperation may lead to.

“Flight operations have remained normal and there is by and large no impact on air traffic services at the airports,” said an AAI spokesperson.

There were reports from Hyderabad (220 air traffic movements daily), Kolkata and Bangalore (300 movements and 28,000 passengers daily) that housekeeping services and baggage-handling services had been mismanaged.

“The impact of the strike was visible on the housekeeping services at the airport, though we managed the baggage handling services well,” said an official of Hyderabad airport.

Bangalore airport reported a minor disruption but 90 per cent functioning was normal, said Director N Kaushal. The two other Metro airports at Delhi and Mumbai, which are run by private airport operators, handled the situation with ease.

“Flight movement was smooth here,” said a senior official at Delhi airport as the indefinite agitation by Airports Authority of India Employees Joint Forum began at midnight.

The forum claimed about 14,000 employees were on “indefinite non-cooperation movement” since the midnight of March 12, affecting operations at 127 airports.

About 2,000 workers at Mumbai airport did not report for work since the strike began but it had not affected operations, officials said.

Man Escapes from RAIL accident : IBN Video

2008-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

INTEL Award for Indian-American High School girl

2008-03-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

An Indian-American High School girl has bagged a whopping $ 100,000 Intel scholarship for developing a model to identify early stage colon cancer patients with a high risk for recurrence, beating competition from 1,600 others.

Shivani Sud, 17, of North Carolina won the Intel Foundation's top award aimed at honouring the next generation of scientists and innovators in the US.

For her research project, Sud developed a model that analysed the specific ''molecular signatures'' of tumors from patients with stage II colon cancer.

She then used this information to identify those at higher risk for tumor recurrence and propose potentially effective drugs for treatment, Intel said in a media release.

''That proud feeling comes from doing what I do and not just the acknowledgment of it,'' Sud, who attends Jordan High School, was quoted as saying by The News and Observer of Durham.

Sud said her interest in cancer research started very early on as a result of a relative developing cancer.

''I saw how hard that was for my family, I saw how that kind of changed my outlook on life, because when you're six years old, you don't think about topics such as death or dying from this type of cancer -- having your life change drastically,'' she said.

This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists came from 19 states and represented 35 high schools throughout the United States.

Hockey Federation chief KPS Gill Refuses to RESIGN :

2008-03-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Despite India's disgraceful exit from the Olympics qualifier, hockey federation chief KPS Gill has said he had no intention of resigning from the post.

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president denied giving any 'instant coffee' remark. "I never made this statement."

Gill said that the focus of the IHF was on juniors and not seniors. He emphasised that the federation has done well in that regard.

Defending himself over the Olympics qualifier issue, Gill pointed to the fact that India had won 10 major hockey tournaments during his 14-year tenure.

"When I took over we were nowhere in hockey. From 1998 till now, we have won approximately 10 major titles," he said.

"You have to see the effort, it is not only the federation. When you call it a National Game it has to be a national effort. It becomes a national sport through symbiosis through the government, IHF and Sports Authority of India. Now for four years, the training centres for hockey were non-existent," said Gill.

Another justification that Gill gave on the recent hockey debacle was that India's performance at world cup has always been bad.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS ROCKZ With SRK

2008-03-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Even as the second auction was on, one team unveiled its name - Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata team will be called the Kolkata Knight Riders and the star was in his element at the launch.

"Iss team mein do gundey hain - ek lamba gundey hai aur ek 'Dada' hai - hum Delhi mein gundey ko dada bolte hai (We have two bad guys in our team)," said Shah Rukh Khan.

Shahrukh Khan's tongue-in-cheek humour had the media rolling over as he touched down in the City of Joy to launch the Kolkata Knight-Riders, the city's IPL team and with the famed Aussie coach John Buchanan and team skipper Sourav Ganguly in town, Khan said it was a matter of time before things would fall in place for the Knight-Riders.

We have mashalla really really good players in our team already. Now how they gel together is a thing. Once that works, we are really happy with what we have at this point of time," said King Khan.

"We have a series against South Africa - three Test matches which finishes two days before the first IPL game. So, we need to sit with John (Buchanan) and work it out because other than the Indian players, others would be available. We will work something out - to train them and get used to the conditions," said Ganguly.

Shahrukh also released the team's official song and playing shirts. The colours of the team are black and gold. And the team's mascot will be a tiger called "Hoog Lee".

"I have already requested Sourav and John to dance at the beginning of every game. So, they have relented and we all are learning the Bollywood steps. John is doing very well," said Shah Rukh.

Now that's a clever one if you are want to draw the average Bengali to the stadium.

"Whenever the Kolkatans scream very loud for me to dance, I will dance for you guys. I will be there for every match," assured the Bollywood's superstar.

By the body-language of Shah Rukh Khan, it seems that his Tigers are just waiting to roll.

SBI Marches On............!!

2008-03-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday inaugurated the 10,000th branch of State Bank of India (SBI) in Puduvayal – making it the second bank in the world to have as many branches.

The launch of the branch in Puduvayal in Sivaganga district was accompanied by the playing of traditional musical instruments like Tharai and Thappattai.

A Chinese bank is the only other in the world to have so many branches.

SBI chairman O P Bhatt was also present at the inauguration ceremony.

A small panchayat (village council) town in the Chettinad region, Puduvayal is well known for its rice mills and the Friends Volleyball Club. Puduvayal means 'new farm' in Tamil.

This is the second rural bank branch Chidambaram launched in Sivaganga, his constituency, after presenting the 2008-09 union budget.

On Saturday, he opened the 2,956th branch of Bank of India at Kundrakudi in the same district.

Why People Elected Govinda......??

2008-03-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

Actor-politician Govinda is known for being late on film sets but it appears that his bad habit has crept into his political career as well.

In 2004, when he defeated the BJP heavyweight Ram Naik from Mumbai North many saw at it as a second innings for Govinda.

However, the actor’s political stint has been totally uneventful. Here’s a look at how he fares as a parliamentarian.

Parliament records show that he has attended only 10 per cent of all Parliament sessions in the last four years.
He had had a relatively good year in 2005, attending 15 sessions out of 85.
In 2006, his attendance fell to seven out of 77.
2007 saw the worst with the actor attending only two sessions out of 66.
This year, when the Congress leadership was glowing in its apparent dream budget, Govinda decided to give that the miss too. His account is yet to open this year in Parliament.
Parliament records also show that the actor has spoken only twice in the House – on May 10 and 11, 2005, for a minute each during Zero Hour.

NANO Set to Rock EUROPE

2008-03-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

The small car story is getting bigger as Nano generated immense excitement at the Geneva motor show and it seems the small wonder is going to be much in demand in Europe.

Ratan Tata has already outlined his global vision for the Nano saying that he would consider giving licenses to foreign car manufacturers to make it abroad.

A maddening crowd and much anticipation that greeted the small wonder in Geneva was not much different from the frenzy that Nano had generated when it first debuted at Delhi in January.

For Ratan Tata, it was the culmination of a dream which saw him deliver not just a people's car but also silence his critics, this time on the world stage.

Europe is already clamouring for the Nano and they are waiting that when would Europe get the car.

It is interesting to see that even though Tata had accounted for a huge demand when it started planning the Nano, the overwhelming response worldwide has meant that it might need to revise its deadlines and even consider other options like licensed manufacturing and franchise assembling as options.

Sachin NO.1

2008-03-05T00:46:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar bagged his throne back as he has replaced Aussies skipper Ricky Ponting to become the world's number one One Day International batsman. After all the controversy that surrounded India's tour down under, the Men in Blue finished the Commonwealth Bank series on a high note by creating history.

This great victory and performance by Team India silenced all critics. The man who was the hero of both the finals was none other than the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar. Over the years Sachin's form and class was doubted and critics added pressure by telling that he has passed his best. However, it is well known that form is temporary and class is permanent. Sachin Tendulkar silenced all his critics with a special innings that got India to lift the trohpy and also made him the Numero Uno batsman in the world yet again.

Sachin's willow did all the talking and he did what he is known for -- scripting yet another memorable chapter in the history of Indian cricket. He scored an unbeaten century at the first final in Sydney and he delivered yet another special innings at the Gabba which assisted India to bag the CB Series down under.

Excited about his current form Sachin said, "It came at the right time and when it was needed the most. I was not worried about the criticism because people will talk. My job is to go out there and play. I am happy that we won in Australia. This will be a special moment for me throughout my life and I hope this continues."

The batting genuis did the trick for his skipper and kept India going against all the odds. Sachin's batting rattled the Australian players. As Sachin scored his maiden ton in One-Dayers down under, the little master piled a massive 399 runs in the series with a staggering strike rate of 85. The Master Blaster gave millions of Indians one of the most unforgettable moments in Indian cricket on Tuesday, 4th March, 2008.

INDIAN YOUTH CRICKETERZ WON TNE MAXIMUM (WORLD CUP)

2008-03-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

India won the Under-19 cricket World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday defeating South Africa by 12 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-reduced final.

Ajitesh Argal was the Man of the Match for his two wickets for just seven runs that turned the match in India's favour after they were bowled out for just 159 runs.

The win is the second time that India have won the Under-19 cricket World Cup. The first time India won the World Cup was in 2000 in Sri Lanka when they defeated the hosts by six wickets.

Even though India were bowled for only 159 in 45.4 overs but the rains came to their rescue and the target for South Africa was revised to 116 runs in 25 overs.

However, the South Africa colts just like their senior team failed to rise on the big occasion and could score only 103/8 in 25 overs to end as the runners up for the second time. South Africa had lost to Australia in the final of the World Cup in 2002 also.

Learn From 10ulkar........!! : Ponting

2008-03-02T07:46:00.001-08:00

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Sunday asked his batsmen to take a leaf out of Sachin Tendulkar's masterclass at the SCG if they want to beat India in the second cricket tri-series finals in Brisbane on Tuesday.

"I would like our batsmen to take a look at how he (Tendulkar) built an innings. He had a few close shaves to start with but once he got through the new ball, he upped the tempo of his innings and controlled the game beautifully," said a subdued Ponting after his side's six-wicket defeat.

"Tendulkar sums up a game situation very well, that's something we would require our batsmen to do and go for big knocks when set."

Ponting said Tendulkar appeared to plan ahead of what his team was trying to do against him.

"He has some sort of plan what we are trying to do. We have to think one step ahead of him," he said.

Ponting also didn't lose sight of young Rohit Sharma, the other Indian batting star of the night.

"He played very well. He rotated the strike nicely and kept the scoreboard ticking over. He looks pretty calm and controlled.

His stand with Tendulkar was one of the big moments of the game," he said.

Ponting conceded that the visitors had their nose in front of them and his team would have to lift themselves in all departments of the game in the next match at the Gabba.

"In that Melbourne game (on February 29) I thought we were switched off. We were too excited to plan for finals. But today, we didn't do a good job with bat, ball or in the field.

"We pride ourselves for doing well in big games, in finals, but it didn't happen today."

More Money In your Pocket

2008-03-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

For most people who depend on a monthly pay cheque for a living, the most significant thing in Budget 2008 is the tax relief announced by finance minister P. Chidambaram. While farmers will cheer the Budget because of the Rs60,000 crore loan waiver it provides them, those drawing salaries will likely be pleased at the prospect of paying less tax than they used to.

Generous grants, compassion, righteous rule and succour to the downtrodden are the hallmarks of good governance, Chidambaram said, quoting poet Tiruvalluvar while explaining the farm loan package.

Chidambarams move to provide some tax relief to individuals is backed by an 8% growth rate in the economy for 12 successive quarters till December, and higher tax collections. A more stringent tax monitoring mechanism and simpler filing policies have increased the number of taxpayers as well as tax receipts.

Tax (or tax relief) isnt the only way the Budget touches the common man. Lowering of excise duties will reduce the prices of several products, including entry-level cars.

An increase in outlay for education and health by 20%, a national programme for the elderly, a national AIDS programme, increased allocation for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and programmes for women and children are some of the highlights of Budget 2008. The government has also announced three new social security programmes for the unorganized sector the Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. The subsidy for housing for the poor has also been increased.

However, it is on the tax front that the common man has the most to celebrate. The income-tax exemption limits for individuals have been increased from the current Rs1.1 lakh to Rs1.5 lakh. For women, the basic tax exemption limit has been enhanced from Rs1.45 lakh to Rs1.8 lakh and senior citizens can now avail of the basic exemption limit at Rs2.25lakh instead of the current Rs1.65 lakh. Tax slabs have been increased such that for income up to Rs1.5 lakh, the tax liability will be zero, from Rs3 lakh to Rs5 lakh, the tax rate applicable is 10% and from Rs5 lakh onwards, the applicable tax rate is 30%.

Patching Up on the WAY ....!!

2008-03-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

DMK leader M K Stalin's birthday was the occasion when the estranged Maran brothers made up with the Karunanidhi family, after a year of feud.

The first public sign of the patch up was Kalanidhi Maran leaving Stalin`s residence after an hour-long meeting.

Maran said, ''Don`t make me a hero. The real hero is on stage.''

The reconciliation comes ten months after a family feud over a controversial opinion poll on the DMK patriarch's possible successors.

A survey that had led to violence in Stalin's elder brother Azhagiri`s stronghold in Madurai and Dayanidhi Maran's exit from the Union Cabinet.

Sources said that the peace deal was actually initiated last week by Stalin's sister Selvi, when he visited her in Bangalore.

This was followed by a secret meeting between Kalanidhi and his grand Uncle Karunanidhi on Saturday afternoon.

Relations between the Marans and Karunanidhi`s immediate family had recently worsened over a cable distribution tug of war.

The Chief Minister had warned Dayanidhi through the DMK journal Murasoli to go into hiding.

But does reconciliation means a political comeback for Dayanidhi? Sources close to the Marans say that for now the family comes above politics and business.

TONY SINGH FREED.................!!

2008-02-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

fter massive public support, the United Kingdom Crown Prosecution Service announced on Thursday (February 28) that Tony Singh, an Indian shopkeeper arrested on suspicion of murder, will not be charged with any offence.

The prosecutors said that Tony Singh who owns a shop in Skelmersdale in Lancashire, acted in self-defence when Liam Kilroe, a convicted arms robber, tried to rob him outside his store, hence will not face murder charge for killing his assailant on February 17.

The local police were investigating whether murder charge could be brought against 34-year-old Singh. But the police subsequently recommended to the CPS that Singh acted in self defence and used reasonable force against armed assailant Liam Kilroe.

Kilroe, 25, brandished a knife when he attacked Singh, dragging him from his car and trying to grab the day's takings shortly after Singh locked up his shop. A violent struggle lasting several minutes ended when
Kilroe suffered a single stab wound to his chest. He died soon afterwards in hospital.

"It is a big burden that has been lifted but on the other hand the memory of what happened will live with me forever. It will always be there, I will be watching it replay in my mind and it is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life," a relieved Singh said.

Massive public support poured in for Tony Singh from the Indian community in UK. Several people have called Singh a "local hero" and expressed support for him. They believe he should be given a bravery award for grappling with his assailant who had a history of criminal acts.

PAK should hand over DAWOOD : CBI to INTERPOL

2008-02-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

The Central Bureau of Investigations has asked Interpol to put pressure on Pakistan to hand over international gangster Dawood Ibrahim, who is believed to be hiding in that country.

CBI Director Vijay Shanker raised the issue with visiting Interpol Secretary General Ronald K Noble during a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday, sources said.

Shanker told Noble that there were certain fugitives who have been charged with terrorism-related crime in India and who are at large for a long time, they said.

The CBI Director is understood to have drawn Noble's attention to certain fugitives, including Ibrahim, against whom Interpol notices exist, but were apparently left free to continue their activities from neighbouring countries.

Replying to this, Noble told Shanker that no country should allow criminals against whom Interpol Red Corner notices and UN-Interpol special notices had been issued to roam free. Noble said allowing such persons to roam and travel freely places all citizens at risk.

During the meeting, both Shanker and Noble also agreed that Interpol Red Corner Notice should be accorded greater legal validity and importance by INTERPOL's 186 member-countries in order to prevent free movement of criminals and to enable the law enforcement authorities bring these people to justice.

Noble underlined the importance of enhanced cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights, cyber crime and human trafficking, a CBI press release said.

The Interpol officer also highlighted the importance of India's putting in place the Mobile Interpol Network Database and Fixed Interpol Network Database, which permit instantaneous comparison of travelers passports against Interpol's 14 million strong Stolen and Lost Travel Document database.

RAUL CASTRO -- THE President of CUBA

2008-02-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro President on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken.

In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba's No 2 spot - apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon.

The retirement of the ailing 81-year-old president caps a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 US presidents to oust him.

Raul Castro, 76, stressed that his brother remains ''commander in chief'' even if he is not president and proposed to consult with Fidel on all major decisions of state - a motion approved by acclamation.

Though the succession was not likely to bring a major shift in the communist government policies that have put Cuba at odds with the United States, many Cubans were hoping it would open the door to modest economic reforms that might improve their daily lives.

Raul Castro indicated at least one change is being contemplated: the revaluation of the Cuban peso, the national currency most people use to pay for government services such as utilities, public transportation and the small amount charged for their monthly food ration.

Cubans complain that government salaries averaging a little more than $19 a month do not cover basic necessities - something Raul Castro acknowledged in a major speech last year. But he said any change would have to be gradual to ''prevent traumatic and incongruent effects.''

In his first speech as president, Raul Castro suggested that the Communist Party as a whole would take over the role long held by Fidel, who formally remains its leader. The new president said the nation's sole legal party ''is the directing and superior force of society and the state.''

''This conviction has particular importance when the founding and forging generation of the revolution is disappearing,'' he added.

The US has said the change from one Castro to another would not be significant, calling it a ''transfer of authority and power from dictator to dictator light.''

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday Cubans have a right ''to choose their leaders in democratic elections'' and urged the government ''to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections.''

Cuba's parliament chose a new 31-member ruling body known as the Council of State to lead the country. The council's president serves as the head of state and government.

The vote ended Castro's 49 years as head of the communist state in America's backyard. He retains his post as a lawmaker and as head of the Communist Party. But his power in government has eroded since July 31, 2006, when he announced he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was provisionally ceding his powers to Raul.

Mumbai sessions court - gag order - Raj Thackeray

2008-02-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

A Mumbai sessions court has upheld a gag order against Raj Thackeray that prevents him from making provocative statements to the media or addressing public rallies.

The court has said that it's up to the state government to decide whether to extend the order.

Raj Thackeray had challenged the order saying he had not been given a chance to explain himself.

ZARDARI : MUSH can't be Removed.....?!?!

2008-02-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, Zardari said he wants a working relationship with President Musharraf.

"We want to unify the country, which is facing some very serious challenges. We have to establish democracy and for that, we need unity and not confrontation. The ground reality is, we don't have the two-thirds majority," he said.

In a Parliament of 342 seats, the votes of 228 members are needed to get Musharraf out.

But right now, there are 66 votes of the PML-N, 88 of Zardari's PPP, 10 of the Awami National Party and 19 of the MQM, which take it to 193 — still 35 votes short of the a two-thirds majority.

The Senate, Parliament's Upper House, remains in the control of Musharraf's supporters.

Zardari's comments, the Journal noted, are among the most conciliatory to date from a senior official of the coalition regarding its intended approach to Musharraf.

Sharif, on the other hand, has been vocal in his determination to get Musharraf out. And it remains to be seen how he feels about a "working relationship with Musharraf" that Zardari is advocating.

"Musharraf is an unconstitutional and unlawful President," Sharif has gone on record as saying.

Zardari's word, if that is indeed the last word on the issue, could well influence the ANP and the MQM. It could also give a lifeline to the King's party, the PML-Q, which is widely anticipating mass defection of its members to the Nawaz Sharif camp.

Zardari wants Parliament to decide on Musharraf's fate and the contentious issue of restoration of the sacked judges. But many in Pakistan feel he is doing what America wants, which is extending a lifeline to beleaguered Musharraf.

The PPP leader, in fact, hinted at this in as many words. He said his government would increase cooperation with the US. "We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror," he said.

Zardari said Pakistan faces its own threat from the extremists and vowed that his government wouldn't talk to the militants. It would, however, reach out to the people living in the tribal areas, he said.

25 INDIANS MISSING

2008-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

A cargo ship from Panama has been missing since Monday in the Black Sea. The crew included 25 Indians, four of whom hail from Mumbai.

Five days of intensive searching by the International Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) found no traces of the vessel or its crew. However, a life raft from the MV Rezzak was spotted drifting about five nautical miles off the coast of Turkey.

The vessel, managed by CMR Denizcilik ve Ticaret of Turkey, was manned by Pelican Marine, a company based in Mumbai. It was carrying a cargo of steel billets from Russia to Turkey.

At about 0110 GMT (0640 IST) on February 18, the ship lost contact with tracking centers. It was then confirmed missing.

A report by a national daily quoted Pelican Marine’s director, Biswas Santosh, as saying that the weather conditions that day had been gale-like..

“We received information that the vessel is missing on Monday evening,” Santosh informed DNA. “Rezzak left Novorossiysk (Russia) on February 17 and was to reach Bartin (in Turkey) the next morning.”

The crew’s families were informed on Tuesday.

Overseas Indian Affairs minister, Vayalar Ravi said, “We are in touch with the Turkish government.”

Ravi affirmed that Turkey had not been able to trace the vessel.

“They have not found any debris yet,” he said.

Here is a list of the Indian crew-members:

1	Bharat Bhusahan Goswami
2	Rajesh Kumar Sarangi
3	Pankaj Tyagi
4	Afroz Ahmed
5	Lucas Sesumebler
6	Anthony Alangaram Pieo
7	Akeel Ul Rahman Shafeeque Baumubinge
8	Kishore Kumar Roy
9	Mahendra Gopalkrishna Menon
10	Hemant Anant Shinde
11	Christopher Meyers
12	Alok Kumar
13	Pritam Singh
14	Harish Chandra Bhatt
15	Ashokkumar Dhukhi Prajapati
16	Hriday Narayan Ramjee Chauhan
17	Shanavas Dadahildgothi
18	Farooque Lombomouge
19	Sajid Hajikagothi
20	Asif Donkage Kudage
21	Sameerudheen Donhavvagothi
22	Hussain Mavadigothi
23	Kudage Mohammed Kundiganduge
24	Mohammed Koruhajige Athirige
25	Muthegebidharuge Hussain

Will Build a Close Partnership With INDIA : OBAMA

2008-02-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Senator Barack Obama, the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's nomination for presidential elections in November, has pledged to ''build a close strategic partnership'' between US and India if elected.

In an article he has written for India Abroad, the Illinois Senator has also committed that he will encourage the active engagement and partnership of the Indian American community in ''making the change we seek'' in US.

''The world's oldest democracy (US) and the world's largest democracy (India) are natural partners, sharing important interests and fundamental democratic values,'' Obama said in the article for the next edition of the weekly newspaper headquartered in New York.

Obama, who has edged past rival Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, said it is his commitment to the critical relationship between the two countries that he voted for the US-India nuclear energy deal on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

''And that is why I will move forward to build a close strategic partnership between the US and India when I am president of the United States,'' he added.

Obama said Washington and New Delhi must work together to combat the common threats of the 21st century because ''both countries have been victims of catastrophic terrorist attacks and we have a shared interest in succeeding in the fight against al-Qaeda and its operational and ideological affiliates''.

The presidential hopeful said he voted against the Iraq war because ''we needed to finish the fight with bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan''.

He also referred to his proposal long before the declaration of martial law in Pakistan that the US needed to ''condition our assistance to the Pakistani government so that we encourage stronger action against al-Qaeda and a restoration of democracy''.

Learn From AAMIR : Ramadoss to SRK

2008-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has reignited the smoking controversy, once again taking a dig at Shahrukh Khan saying icons who passed off smoking on screens as "artistic liberty" should take a leaf out of Aamir Khan's book on how to use the artistic tool.

Ramadoss has rubbed many the wrong way and made many a controversial comment but this time he was all praises for none other than veteran actor Aamir Khan for his role in 'Taaren Zameen Par' where he plays an art teacher who brings a dyslexic boy out of his shell with the insight from his own experiences as a child.

The Health Minister said, "Look at 'Taare Zammen Par' - tha is what creative liberty should do... Creative liberty should be used to improve society and not kill mankind." It was clearly a compliment to Aamir but an apparent attack on another actor super star, Shahrukh, whom the minister had not so long ago slammed for depicting smoking in his films.

King Khan then took on the Health Minister, defending the light up on screen saying it was their creative liberty of artistes.

"I think there should be a huge amount of creative freedom that should be allowed in cinema and arts and one should not go around and picking on small little things - because that's just cinema and make believe and that should be allowed, we should not have huge censorship on that," Khan had said.

If one may recall, recently Ramadoss had even pulled up the actor for smoking in the stands while watching a 20:20 cricket match in Mumbai.

The war of words between the minister - a strong supporter of the anti-tobaco lobby - and an actor who supports creative liberty shows no signs of stubbing out.

"JODHA-AKBAR" row hits Madhya Pradesh......

2008-02-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Screening of Hritik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starer 'Jodhaa-Akbar' was banned in Madhya Pradesh on Friday after demonstrations against it by the Rajput community at cinema theatres.

''The government has suspended the screening of the movie in the state with immediate effect as protests at cinema halls have posed a threat to maintenance of peace,'' Commercial Tax Department Addition Secretary DPS Parihar said.

In his order banning the screening of the film produced by UTV Software Communications Ltd, Parihar said the decision was taken in accordance to provisions under the Madhya Pradesh Cinema (Regulation) Act, 1952.

A Rajput organisation has threatened to set fire to cinema halls in the state if the screening of the controversial film was not stopped immediately.

Describing the depiction of the Jodhaa Bai as Akbar's wife in the Bollywood movie as an ''insult'' to the community, Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha has threatened to burn the movie reels and cinema halls screening the film, which has been directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar.

''Till now our protests have been peaceful. We will resort to violence if our forefathers are continued to be insulted,'' the Mahasabha General Secretary Surendra Singh Tomar told reporters earlier this week.

Tomar had also led a delegation to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan seeking an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial film throughout the state.

Meanwhile, the film's director expressed concern over the recent developments.

''I am very sad that people are appreciating the movie in cities but the film is not being screened in some places. We are getting a good response from overseas. I want people to watch the film first and then express their views,'' said Ashutosh Gowarikar, Director, 'Jodhaa Akbar

RELIEVE ME : VETERAN MARXIST LEADER

2008-02-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

In an appeal to his party members, 94-year-old Left patriarch Jyoti Basu has expressed his desire to be relieved from the Politburo meetings.

Basu's request comes ahead of the Politburo meet scheduled for the end of March in Coimbatore. Basu has sighted health reasons repeatedly in the past, asking his party to relieve him from the helm of affairs.

But the CPI(M) for whom Basu's presence has more of symbolic meaning, has maintained that founding members like Basu will not be relieved from the core Politburo even if they don't attend the party meet.

Basu has said: "I have written to them that I can't attend the party congress. I have also told them verbally that I wanted to be relieved from politburo."

PAKISTANS' NEW ERA BEGINS.....!!

2008-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have joined hands to form new government in Pakistan.

Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, whose parties had a good showing in the February 18 general elections in Pakistan, met on Thursday amid reports of differences over the issue of deposed judges and future status of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Addressing a press conference they said that efforts are on for a national consensus government in Pakistan.

Zardari said among the priorities will be restoration of sacked judges. Sharif also said that there was no disagreement with PPP on the issue.

Nawaz Sharif has said that PPP and PML-N have agreed to form government in centre and provinces.

''We are trying to form a national consensus government,'' added Asif Ali Zardari.

Reacting on joining hands with Sharif, the PPP boss said that they have agreed in principal to come together.

When questions were put on President Pervez Musharraf, Sharif said that the sooner President Musharraf respects the will of the people, the better.

Sharif further said that he does not want any help from Musharraf, as according to him, he was not capable of helping.

The PPP leader emphasized that they intend to implement the 1973 Constitution and promised to give full freedom to media, and also asked media to keep a check on the new government.

TOP CEO ON THE DOCK....

2008-02-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Two and a half years after Pratibha Murthy - an employee of a BPO company - was killed in Bangalore by the driver of the car taking her home after work, the Supreme Court has given the go ahead for criminal proceedings against Som Mittal, the then Managing Director of the company Hewlett Packard where Pratibha was working.

Pratibha Murthy was raped and murdered by the company driver in 2005 in Bangalore and Mittal was accused of negligence, leading to the rape and death of the BPO employee. Police had accused HP of violating the 2002 order of Karnataka Government that directed companies, employing women in night shifts, to provide security for them during their travel home.

Som Mittal is the former MD of BPO Branch of HP and is the currently the President of NASSCOM.

The Supreme Court's ruling has stated that, the managers and administration are also liable to ensure the safety of women employees especially during night shifts. The three judges from the SC bench have also stated that the latest ruling is not a direction but an obersavation.

Pratibha's parents, who spent the past two years in and out of courts seeking justice, are taking some comfort from the Supreme Court order on Wednesday (Feb 20), which found that Mittal should be held responsible for negligence. Pratibha's uncle S Srinivasa said, "A man who heads any institution is always responsible, whether he's in the institution or outside the institution, negligence is negligence. It's associated with them, it's caused by them." Pawan Shetty, Pratibha's husband voiced his take and said that it is the best thing that has ever happened and hopes that the companies do not lapse in their employees' welfare, security and safety.

The General Secretary of IT Union - Karthik Shekhar - has meanwhile made it clear that the company violated the amended act of Karnataka's Shops and Establishment Act for which it deserved to be pulled up by the Supreme Court.

He added that employees are the knowledge capital of the company and their protection should be of high priority. He also believes that over the past two years nothing has changed with regard to the attitude of corporate companies. Shekhar also felt that even if Som Mittal is fined, the amount would likely not be phenomenal. He has been trying to get in touch with Mr Mittal ever since the tragic incident, but says there has been no response at all from his end.

However, HP has issued a statement on SC's observation on the case and have said that since the matter is sub judice the company would not like to comment on the same. Meanwhile, neither Som Mittal nor HP has been pronounced guilty on any court.

WAR OF SURVIVAL........Its IPL Or ICL..........????

2008-02-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

(Vs)

Now that the IPL has kicked into high gear, what happens to the rebel Indian Cricket League?

The ICL plans to organise its next big tournament in March but can they survive the assault from the brutal monetary advantage that the IPL enjoys? The signs aren't too good.

The Chennai Superstars celebrated victory in the inaugural edition of the Indian Cricket League. The Essel Group's rebel league has even bigger plans this season. But can they succeed?

While the ICL attracted a reasonable amount of interest from advertisers, with the launch of the IPL that scenario may just change. After all, advertising budgets aren't likely to go through the roof and there is only so much money to spend.

Even the players who have signed up for the ICL face an uncertain future. Banned from playing in their own domestic tournaments, some like the Pakistan players who played in the league have decided to take their case to court. But PCB Chief Nasim Ashraf has warned the things will only get tougher for the ICL from now on.

"They must find a solution with the ICC if they want their league to work and survive. Even the Indian Premier League was only launched properly after the BCCI first discussed and worked out things with the ICC and member boards. Anyone who wants to do something for the betterment of cricket must do it through the ICC," Ashraf has said.

But the ICC seems to be in no mood to soften its stand on the ICL.

"Yes, the member countries have affirmed their opposition to the Indian Cricket League, an unofficial cricket league. They have resolved that they will not release any of their players to play in the Indian Cricket League," ICC's Chief Executive Malcolm Speed says.

ANY WAY GAME OF CRICKET SHOULD WIN AT LAST................!!!

TATA MOTORS' AIR CAR.........!!

2008-02-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Tata Motors Ltd has confirmed that it is collaborating to develop an air-powered car with French inventors.Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant told that his group last year signed an agreement with MDI, a private French company developing cars driven by compressed air.
"It's a very exciting concept, this way of running a car. We hope something will come out of it," Kant said.
He confirmed Tata Motors had the technology rights for India and was "studying whether it can be used".
Tata was looking at applying the technology for both mobile and stationary uses, he added.
Reports last week said Tata was looking at the feasibility of applying the technology to power generation. According to MDI, which is based near Nice, compressed air technology can be applied to emergency generators.
Guy Negre, the French engineer who is working on the invention, was quoted saying last week his five-seater OneCat, with zero emissions in cities, will be marketed within a year.
"The first buyers of the air car will be people who care about the environment," Negre said, adding: "It also has to be economical."
However, Kant stated that the group had "not yet announced when we will have a car".
A representative of the French company said Tata had bought rights to its engine, but not its car concept.
The paper said the car would be run by compressed air tanks at speeds below 50 km per hour, and by petrol, diesel or another fuel at high speeds.

INDIAN NAVYS' NEW MILE STONE.......!!

2008-02-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

India is now capable of firing a nuclear capable ballistic missile from under the sea.

Top defence scientists reported in Delhi on Monday that the missile, K-15, will be test-fired for the sixth and final time from an underwater platform this week.

The 700-km range K-15 will put India in the club of five nations (US, Russia, France and China) which have the technology to fire missiles from the sea. If the K-15 is successful, India will get the capability to launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air.

The missile would be armed on the country’s submarines. The Recent reports says that it is very difficult to target a weapon that is on a submarine, underwater and moving. Submarine-launched weapons are considered the best option for attacking the enemy because they provide stealth

A senior defence official told reporters on Monday preparation for the test-launch is over. "We have completed all preparations for the first ever test launch of the missile and awaiting Government’s nod," said S Prahlada, Chief Controller of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the Defence Expo exhibition in Delhi.

ANIL AMBANI provides Compensation

2008-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

In an unprecedented move, Anil Ambani Group company -- Reliance Power -- will offer free bonus shares to all its shareholders to compensate the losses they suffered when the company was listed a week ago.

"Reliance Power board will consider issuing free bonus shares to all shareholders excluding the promoters," a group spokesperson said.

On the day of its listing at Rs 547.8 a share, Reliance Power performed miserably at the stock exchanges and closed the day nearly 32 per cent lower. The IPO had attracted a total demand of about Rs 7,50,000 crore and the company had issued the shares at Rs 450 while giving a discount Rs 20 a share to retail investors.

Taking the investing community by surprise, the Anil Ambani group on Sunday (February 17) announced to consider free bonus shares to all non-promoter shareholders in Reliance Power, while alleging that corporate rivals were pulling down share prices of all group companies.

Meanwhile, in a reltated development, Reliance Power also demanded a probe by market regulator SEBI into "a vicious and orchestrated campaign of market manipulation and market abuse unleashed by unscrupulous rival corporate interests to hammer down all Reliance ADA stocks". The company said its board would consider the free bonus shares at a meeting next Sunday (February 24) to benefit over four million of its investors and the cost would be accepted by promoter group by way of diluting its shareholders.

ORRISA UNREST.......!!

2008-02-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

An encounter is on between Naxals and security personnel in near Tikapali police station on the Kandhamal-Ganjam border in Orissa. Police sources claim heavy casualties on the Naxal side.

Orissa Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra said that three security personnel have been killed in the encounter and added that the Naxals, too, have suffered heavy losses.

"At least 20 Naxalites have been killed so far. This counter-attack will continue till we wipe out all of them," Mishra said.

Mishra also said that the state is now fully prepared to contain the Naxal threat.

“This is the first offensive by the Naxals in the state. The problem has been that of spillover of violence from the neighboring states. Of late, there have been instances of explicit Naxal activities. We are now fully prepared and will be dealing with them firmly. Intensive combing operations are on,” he added.

The encounter comes a day after hundreds of Naxals overran three police stations and two outposts in Nayagarh, killing 14 policemen and a village guard. The Naxals had also looted two armouries in the attack that lasted over four hours.

Naxals had launched major offensives at Nayagarh and Daspalla in Orissa on Friday and looted sophisticated arms and ammunition from three trucks.

The first attack was on the Nayagarh Police Training School and the district armoury.

Police say the attack was carried out by a group of around 400 Naxals, including women cadres, equipped with bombs and firearms. Within a few minutes, another attack was launched at a police station in Daspalla town.

The Naxal attack is believed to be in retaliation for the death of seven of their cadres earlier on Thursday in Jharkhand.

SRK back to TELEVISION....!!

2008-02-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

After his Kaun Banega Crorepati stint Shahrukh Khan is back on the small screen and this time around he will be asking questions that are a whole lot easier. Here is the latest on SRK's new reality show "Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Hain".

SRK is back and this time hopefully one will not have to phone a friend. The Badshah of Bollywood is goint to make his presence felt on small screen with a new reality show 'Kya aap Panchvi pass hain?" , formatted on the popular American show -- Are you smarter than a fifth grader. It is a show where the adults world would be questioned by kids. If they fail to answer then they would have to claim that they are not smarter than fifth graders.

Khan said that every serial has a season and KBC's season got over and did not come to any sort of abrupt end. He also added that he is not jobless anymore. The man himself has not only KBC 4 in offing but Aditya Chopra's next and 2 home production projects.

Whether in India or anywhere else in the globe, all that can be said about King Khan is just his name. Fanatics of SRK across the international circuit will be hoping that his great sense of humour is retained which is an add-on for the superstar.

IPL OR 3 YEARS BAN.....???

2008-02-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has offered Australian players a chance to play in the Twenty20 tournament without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their governing body else they would face a three-year ban from the league.

Chairman of the IPL Lalit Modi said all the players will have to return their signed contracts by Sunday so that the they could be auctioned to the eight franchises next Wednesday.

"They are running out of time," Modi told the Sydney Morning Herald..

"We will gladly take the Australian players without NOCs, we don't want to go down that path but if we have to, we will. I am not the type that won't follow through with what I say; if the contracts are not signed and returned by Sunday the Australian players will not be allowed to take part in the IPL for three years. We are taking a list to owners on Monday," he said.

IPL is a temptation that is hard to resist and a three-year ban would mean that veterans like Matthew Hayden, who are likely to retire by then, will be denied a chance to earn huge money at the end of their careers.

RAJ THACKERAY ARRESTED AND GRANTED BAIL

2008-02-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Following the case filed against Raj Thackeray by the Mumbai Police on Monday (February 11), the MNS Chief was arrested at 4:30 pm. However, the MNS chief was later granted bail by the Vikhroli Magistrate Court at 7 pm. The Mumbai police arrested Raj Thackeray under Sec 153(A) and 153(B) of the IPC.

The Mumbai police visited his Shivaji Park residence on Wednesday (February 13) morning, where his statement was recorded. Post his arrest, Raj Thackeray was taken to the Vikhroli court. The Maharashtra government had given the go ahead to arrest Raj.

Shirish Parkar, MNS spokesperson had earlier claimed that they were prepared for the MNS Chief's arrest and would not apply for his bail.

Meanwhile, SP leader, Abu Azmi too was arrested from his Colaba residence under Section 153 (A) of IPC. Abu Azmi was taken to Bhoiwada Magistrate court.

The security has been beefed up following the arrest. Additional companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed across the state of Maharashtra in a bid to prevent any kind of untoward incidents. The police have put up barricades across the city with a number of personnel patrolling across the city in various areas.

Shops outside the Vikhroli court have been shut and civilians have been asked to evacuate. It's also learnt that shops have been closed in Central and Western suburbs. While stone pelting incidents were reported in Sion area of Mumbai.

Sharmas Lifted INDIA on TOP ........!!

2008-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Sharmas came good to help India to their first win over Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1986.

First, it was the pace of Ishant Sharma that undid Australia. Ishant (4-37) registered his career-best figures and with Sreesanth's support act (3-31) bundled out the hosts for 159 in under 44 overs in this fifth game of the CB Series.

Later, Rohit Sharma kept the faith posed in him. His unbeaten 39 was hard-fought and scored when the chips were down, and with the Australian pace foursome giving no quarters. Along with captain MS Dhoni, he added 58 runs to take India home on a pitch that was assisting seam movement.

India were in trouble around the 25th over, thanks to a mixture of injudicious stroke-play and incisive Australian bowling. Tendulkar had just departed after a soothing 44, Gambhir's technique was inadequate against a nasty Brett Lee lifter and Yuvraj perished to the demons in his head.

Rohit and Dhoni survived some rough overs from Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken and company. They then feasted on the part-time fare of Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke to finish off the game.

Ishant, Sreesanth run through Australia

Ishant hadn't had many wickets to show for his hard work on this tour. Sunday was different. After an expensive start, he got Matt Hayden to edge one to slip. From there on, India prevailed.

That was after Australia had elected to bat and Adam Gilchrist had been done in in the game's first over - LBW to Sreesanth when he had got a huge edge on the ball. Umpire Rudi Koertzen, staying true to the umpiring standards this Australian summer, gave it out.

Gilchrist walked back. Exemplarily, there was no shake of the head, or a glare back at the umpire.

Ponting's horror run continued - he edged Ishant to slip, much like in Perth, after scoring 9.

Andrew Symonds (14) didn't last long either. He edged one to Dhoni off Ishant. This time there would be no gifts from the umpire.

Dhoni would be mighty pleased with his contribution: 17 tough runs, four catches and a stumping. Not to forget he has now led India to the top of the points table with this win. India are on 8 points, one ahead of Australia, while Sri Lanka are on 2.

Michael Hussey was Australia's top-scorer, delivering right when they needed him to. His unbeaten 65 (88 balls, 4x4s) - the match's highest score - gave his team a fig leaf of a score.

Only if Australia had played out their 50 overs with a lower-order batsman sticking it out with Hussey, the outcome of this match could have been different.

India's batting woes continue

In the end, it was as comprehensive a win as any against the world champions. But for India, pertinent questions about their batsmen's form remain.

Virender Sehwag came out, hoping to score those 160 in two overs. In the process, he played and missed three times in the innings' first over by Lee, while edging one past slip for four.

He didn't last long, his six-or-out innings terminated by a sharp Bracken in-cutter, much like in their previous encounter.

Tendulkar, on the other hand, was easy on the eyes. Replays suggested Tendulkar had benefitted from a Koertzen error - a caught-behind appeal turned down.

But apart from that one blemish, his strokes were smooth, none smoother than the three drives in a Brett Lee over that would have had even his hardest critics sighing. One went through cover, and two down the ground on either side of the wicket.

Irfan Pathan's promotion ahead of the in-form Gambhir remained a mystery. Pathan didn't waste anybody's time. He got in, scored 18 quickly and got out.

Gambhir batted purposefully, twice running all four with Tendulkar. But he was done in by pace and bounce by Lee, whose summer just keeps getting better each passing day.

Yuvraj's lack of form is a concern, not because he's not getting runs - he soon should - but because he looks like he is not even trying to get runs. And that is unlike him.

On Sunday, Yuvraj looked totally out of place against the pace bowlers. A loose shot to cover put him out of his misery. He now has 2 & 3 in the CB Series to go with the 0, 5, 12 and 0 in the Tests.

SRK stands HIGH @ Berlin Film Festival

2008-02-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

As German fans drooled over Shah Rukh Khan, the national media shed its perceptions of "bullock cart India" and trained its attention on the Bollywood superstar when he landed here, with one journalist even saying "he is as popular as the Pope".

Shah Rukh was here for the screening of Om Shanti Om at the Berlin Film Festival. Some German television channels suddenly turned their cameras from the Hollywood glitterati to Khan as excited fans let out loud shrieks to greet him at the Berlinale Friday night.

Some channels narrated details of Khan's personal life, his wife Gauri and their two children.

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was highly critical about India and Indians until the mid-1990s, when the world began to notice the South Asian country's economic and technological prowess, said that many people from all over Europe had descended on Berlin to see their favourite star.

"He is as popular as the Pope, but he (Khan) has more sex appeal," wrote Ekkehard Knoerer in the Berlin tabloid Die Tageszeitung, while trying to capture the mood at the Berlinale.

Many Germany-based Indians and their German friends agree that two factors have gradually changed perceptions about "bullock cart India", as it was contemptuously referred to in the past by the German media which often resorted to clichés of beggars with maimed bodies on the streets, the sacred cows, the corrupt politicians and the catastrophes.

"The IT revolution and Bollywood have together contributed to a vastly improved image of India's prowess," said Rudolf Schweizer, a German businessman who frequently visits Bangalore and Hyderabad to oversee work contracted to Indian companies.

"India, along with China, is seen as an economic powerhouse and one of the two fastest growing economies of the world," he added.

Shah Rukh Friday also announced that he had plans to direct a film in Berlin, but admitted that he had no concrete dates for the shooting.

A spokesman of Eros Entertainment, a film distribution company which has handled many Bollywood blockbusters in Germany, said that 50 prints of Om Shanti Om or OSO, as it is popularly known, would be distributed all over Germany.

"We hope this film will also open the entire European market for us," he added.

Aside from the film's star-studded cast, particularly Shah Rukh, the theme of reincarnation as depicted in OSO fascinates Germans, many of whom are drawn to Hindu philosophy and the teachings of Indian gurus.

"It's a different and very interesting perspective for many Germans. We may not entirely understand the nuances of Indian culture, but rebirth and reincarnation appeal to many of us," Ursula Roth, who works as a teacher near Berlin, told IANS.

Perhaps it is the "illogical and supernatural aspect of the subject which appeals to an otherwise logical-minded people", Roth tried to explain the phenomenal German interest in OSO.

Bollywood has also created a greater interest in Indian cuisine and it is not uncommon to find many Germans frequently shopping for spices in Indian grocery stores that are sprouting in many German cities.

In capital Berlin alone, the number of Indian restaurants has risen sharply from 150 in 2001 to 250 now, according to the Berlin Economic Development Agency.

"This increase augurs well for our business," says an employee of Choudry Food Traders, which supplies all kinds of products to Indian restaurants and also sells them in its own store.

Kidney MASTER Arrested

2008-02-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

In a major breakthrough, the Nepal police apprehended the alleged kingpin of the Gurgaon kidney racket, Amit Kumar, somewhere near the Indo-Nepal border on Thursday evening.

Nepal’s Minister of Home Affairs Ram Kumar Choudhary confirmed that 'a person named Amit Kumar Raut' was arrested from a resort in Sauraha at around 1700 hours on Thursday.

The minister said he has received reports from the DIG that the police team also recovered Rs 1.5 crore of Indian currency, $1,45,000 and euro 9,36,000 from the person.

The arrested person "has links with a big kidney racket in India and there are cases against him in Nepal as well," the minister said.

The Nepal police arrested the man from a jungle resort camp in the southern town of Sauraha, about 60 km from the Indo-Nepal border town of Raxaul.

The Sauraha resort in Chitwan district, about 60 km from Raxaul in Bihar. The journalist, however, said the identity of the arrested person is yet to be confirmed.

Sources said Dr Kumar and his Nepali associate Manish Singh checked into Room Number 6 of the Hotel Wildlife Camp around 10 am on Thursday morning under Singh's name. Other reports said the doctor had checked into the hotel with two other people.

Sources say the doctor was trying to use a cyber cafe in the area when some local people identified him and tipped the police.

A short while later a police team reached the hotel and began enquiring about the guests. The policemen showed the receptionist a picture of Dr Kumar and sought to know whether he was staying in the hotel. Even as the receptionist made a positive identification, the Nepali associate of Dr Kumar, Manish Singh, fled the place.

The police team then rushed to the room and arrested Dr Kumar. Amit is being brought by road to Kathmandu where the Indian High Commission will be intimated formally on Friday.

Talking to CNN-IBN, the SSP of Nepal Crime Branch, Upendra Kanta Aryal, said that the Nepal police have made some 'positive progress' in the case.

US woman kidnapped in Afghanistan

2008-01-27T10:12:00.000-08:00

Unknown gunmen took the pair outside of the southern city of Kandahar, said provincial governor Asadullah Khalid.

He blamed the kidnapping on the "enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan", Associated Press news agency said.

It quoted Mr Khalid as saying the unidentified 49-year-old US woman was wearing a burka when she was taken.

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He said the gunmen had not contacted the government or the aid agency Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, where she worked.

Mr Khalid added that police and intelligence officials were working to find the woman, who he said had lived in the country for years.

Followers of the hardline Taleban - ousted in 2001 - have been mounting a violent comeback over the past two years, centring on the south of the country.

There is also criminal violence in the region, associated with the opium poppy trade.

GOOGLE Ranked NO.1 in employee satisfaction....!!

2008-01-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, Internet search engine giant Google has been named as the best company to work for in America by Fortune magazine.

Google has topped the latest list of '100 Best American Companies to Work for' followed by online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and store chain Wegmans Food Markets in the second and third positions, respectively.

"Back in our No.1 spot, Google continued to mint millionaires as the stock cracked $700 . It gives stock options to 99 per cent of employees," the magazine said.

Interestingly, in last year's list of best companies to work for in America, Quicken Loans was ranked at the 17th position whereas Wegmans Food Markets was at the third place itself.

Other leading names in the list include Cisco Systems, Starbucks Coffee, Adobe Systems, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Procter & Gamble, AstraZeneca and Nike.

Microsoft slipped to the 86th place in the latest list from 50th position last year.

According to the report, the job growth at Google is down to 60 per cent as compared to 67 per cent in 2007. Moreover, Quicken Loans had witnessed a steep jump in job growth to 68 per cent this year whereas it was just 19 per cent previous year.

"Ethically driven is what one employee calls the online mortgage lender. It avoided the subprime crisis by sticking with plain-vanilla loans," noted the magazine report.

The list was jointly prepared by Fortune and consulting firm Great Place to Work Institute after surveying 406 companies. About 1 lakh employees at these firms responded to queries related to their attitudes about the management's credibility and job satisfaction, among others.

Aussies' GILLY Retires.....

2008-01-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

Australia vice-captain Adam Gilchrist has announced his retirement from all international cricket after the end of the third day's play at the Adelaide Oval against India on Saturday.

Gilchrist, 36, who broke the world record for most number of Test dismissals on the second day, clarified that this would be his last Test.

"It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Test and One-Day cricket. I've come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me," Gilchrist said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia on Saturday.

"My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling," Gilchrist said.

"I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life," he added, meaning the forthcoming Commonwealth Bank tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka will be his final appearance.

Player profile

Full name Adam Craig Gilchrist
Born November 14, 1971, Bellingen, New South Wales
Current age 36 years
Major teams Australia, ICC World XI, New South Wales, Western Australia
Nickname Gilly
Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Height 1.85 m

INFOSYS MENTOR's NEW HEIGHTS

2008-01-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

After having been declared as one of the recipients of state honour Padma Vibhushan, Murthy was also conferred with the Officer of the Legion of Honour, the highest civilian distinction of the Government of France.

The award was given to the veteran entrepreneur by the French Minister of Higher Education and Research Valerie Pecresse at a glittering function on Saturday evening.

Murthy was described as the "most admired business leader" of India.

Acknowledging the humble beginnings of Infosys - co-founded by Murthy in 1981 along with six friends - Pecresse said to have brought a company from $215 to a multi-million-dollar firm was a feat.

"Infosys, which employs over 82,000 staff, is a shining example of development in India," Pecresse was quoted as saying by news agencies.

First INDIAN Woman President to take Salute on Repulic Day March...!!

2008-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

It was a historic moment on Saturday, as Pratibha Patil, who drove to the Rajpath in her motorcade along with her French counterpart Nicholas Sarkozy, became the first woman to take the salute in her capacity as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces at Delhi's Rajpath on the 59th Republic Day.

Her husband Devisingh Shekhawat, who was mistakenly identified as Devisingh 'Patil' once by the commentator, was beside her when she took salute.

The crowds were out in full flow for the parade and amidst heavy security cover, the procession moved from Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the Red Fort.

As always, India's weaponry was on display and for the first time this year, the new Agni-3 missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead more than 3000 kilometers.

And while the parade was held in Delhi, the school contingents from across the country truly made it a slice of India.

French President Nicholas Sarkozy, the Chief Guest at this year's parade, is on a two-day visit to India, during which several agreements between India and France have been signed. They include pacts on defence and civil nuclear cooperation, transfer of technology trade and education.

The different regiments of the Army, Navy and the Air Force in all their finery and official decorations made it a grand occasion.

A march past by the armed forces was followed by a fly past by India air force jets. Four army men were awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest gallantry award.

And the tableaux this year by various states and departments were as colourful as ever.

In the wake of intelligence warning about possible terror strikes all intelligence agencies were on high alert.

Delhi was made a no-fly zone during the Republic Day parade, and public transport services including the Delhi metro train service were suspended till 1.30 pm. Around 20,000 security personnel were deployed across the capital while commandoes of the ITBP and Delhi Police took positions at strategic locations. (With PTI inputs)

TATA'S NANO--- THE PEOPLE'S CAR(RS 1 LAC)

2008-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

And simple the Nano is. The two-cylinder engine is rear-mounted and has a capacity of just 634 cc -- enough to produce a meager 30 horsepower. It's a similar displacement and power rating to the popular Fiat 600 city car of the 1950s and 60s. The four-door Nano seats four people "comfortably" and is just over ten feet long (more than two feet shorter than the Honda Fit) and less than five feet wide -- perfect for negotiating those narrow New Delhi streets.

Two trim levels are available -- "Standard" and "Luxury" -- though the latter moniker is likely highly relative. The primary difference we see between the two models is the alloy wheels installed on the Luxury model (as opposed to steel items on the Standard version).

The Nano utilizes a CVT transmission and is expected to get up to 50 mpg. The vehicle has already passed all relevant Indian crash tests and emissions regulations, and is reported to be able to pass selected international crash tests. Tata says that the Nano also features exceptionally low emissions that rival even two-wheeled transportation in India.

Tata is currently the largest automaker in India and is currently in negotiations with Ford for the purchase of luxury British automakers Jaguar and Land Rover.

India captain Anil Kumble joined the 600-wicket club

2008-01-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

India captain Anil Kumble joined the 600-wicket club on Thursday at Perth.

Kumble got rid of the dangerous looking Andrew Symonds to reach the summit that no Indian bowler has ever reached before him.

Captaining India can be a huge burden, especially when up against the best team in the world. Anil Kumble, though, as the cricket world has discovered over the last few decades is a cricketer who rises to the challenge in the face of adversity.

Kumble is the highest wicket taker currently in the series, the only Indian bowler who has consistently threatened the Aussies. Kumble announced his intent of leading from the front on day one of the series on Boxing Day - 5-84.

Over the years Kumble has been India's colossus; the man every Indian skipper turned to when a breakthrough was needed. He has been India's greatest match winner. In 41 Test wins he has been part of, Kumble has 279 wickets at an average of just 18.

Pakistan bore witness to Kumble's amazing skill. He ran though them on a memorable winter afternoon in Delhi - all 10 for 74 - only the second man to take ten wickets in an innings in Tests.

And who can forget the joy on the face of the man when he scored his first ever Test hundred against England at the Oval; the only hundred by an Indian batsman in the series.

The happenings of the last week have elevated Kumble's status from just a mere statesman of the game. The legend of Anil Kumble is growing with every passing day.

Sultan The Warrior - EXCLUSIVE TRAILER VIDEO.....!!!

2008-01-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

This is Our INDIAN SUPER STAR RAJNIKANTH's 3D Animation
Movie Tailer "SULTAN THE WARRIOR"

Keep Tracking Our Blog For Exclusive Updates....!!

Sultan The Warrior - EXCLUSIVE POSTERS

2008-01-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

NOTE :CLICK ON THE POSTER TO
GET FULL ZOOM AND TO COPY IT.......!!!

FANS fired BUCKNOR , BENSON's POSTERS

2008-01-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

India on Sunday erupted in rage and disgust at the horrendous umpiring and unsporting conduct of the Australian team in the second cricket Test in Sydney.

Fans were particularly scathing on Steve Bucknor and felt the West Indian should immediately call it a day as an umpire.

Effigies of Bucknor and his colleague Mark Benson were burnt in several parts of the country, including Kolkata and Kanpur.

"Bucknor has lost his vision and hearing. He should retire immediately as such umpiring blunders are not acceptable," a fan Rajesh Tiwari said.

Cricket lovers were also unimpressed by Benson's decision to ask Australian captain Ricky Ponting whether Michael Clarke had taken the catch of Sourav Ganguly cleanly.

"What's the point of asking the fielding captain about a catch? Obviously, he will say it was clean," another puzzled fan asked.

The conduct of the Australian players during the Test match also came in for scathing criticism.

"The Aussies don't play the game in the right spirit. They claim catches when they know the ball has bounced," one of them said.

They were also referring to the catch Ponting claimed against Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The television replays clearly showed the ball had hit the turf.

SACK RICKY : Says Peter Roebuck

2008-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

The growing clamour to put a stop to Australian bullying comes not only from Indians. Well-known cricket writer Peter Roebuck has written a hard-hitting column in the Sydney Morning Herald suggesting that Australia captain Ricky Ponting be sacked.

Roebuck writes: "Ricky Ponting must be sacked as captain of the Australian cricket team. If Cricket Australia cares a fig for the tattered reputation of our national team in our national sport, it will not for a moment longer tolerate the sort of arrogant and abrasive conduct seen from the captain and his senior players over the past few days. Beyond comparison it was the ugliest performance put up by an Australian side for 20 years. The only surprising part of it is that the Indians have not packed their bags and gone home. There is no justice for them in this country, nor any manners."

Roebuck warns that the behaviour of the Australian team has damaged cricket in that country. "That the senior players in the Australian team are oblivious to the fury they raised among many followers of the game in this country and beyond merely confirms their own narrow and self-obsessed viewpoint. Doubtless they were not exposed to the messages that poured in from distressed enthusiasts aghast to see the scenes of bad sportsmanship and triumphalism presented at the SCG during and after the Test. Pained past players rang to express their disgust. It was a wretched and ill-mannered display and not to be endured from any side, let alone an international outfit representing a proud sporting nation."

And, he says, it is not merely the reputation of these cricketers that has suffered. "Australia itself has been embarrassed. The notion that Ponting can hereafter take the Australian team to India is preposterous. He has shown not the slightest interest in the well-being of the game, not the slightest sign of diplomatic skills, not a single mark of respect for his accomplished and widely admired opponents."

On Bhajji and his demeanor, Roebuck says: "Harbhajan Singh can be an irritating young man but he is head of a family and responsible for raising nine people. And all the Australian elders want to do is to hunt him from the game. Australian fieldsmen fire insults from the corners of their mouths, an intemperate Sikh warrior overreacts and his rudeness is seized upon. It might impress barrack room lawyers."

Ponting comes in for more bashing. Roebuck, one of the more respected names in cricket writing, says that in the past few days "Ponting has presided over a performance that dragged the game into the pits. He turned a group of professional cricketers into a pack of wild dogs. As much can be told from the conduct of his closest allies in the team. As usual, Matthew Hayden crossed himself upon reaching three figures in his commanding second innings, a gesture he does not perform while wearing the colours of his state. Exactly how he combines his faith with throwing his weight around on the field has long bemused opposing sides, whose fondness for him ran out a long time ago. Hayden has much better in him."

He adds: "Michael Clarke also had a dreadful match but he is a young man and has time to rethink his outlook. That his mind was in disarray could be told from his batting. In the first innings he offered no shot to a straight ball and in the second he remained at the crease after giving an easy catch to slip. On this evidence Clarke cannot be promoted to the vice-captaincy of his country. It is a captain's primary task to rear his younger players and to prepare his successor for the ordeals of office. Nothing need be said about the catch Clarke took in the second innings except that in the prevailing circumstances the umpires were ill-advised to take anyone's word for anything.

"The Indians were convinced Ponting grounded a catch he claimed on the final afternoon at the SCG. Throughout those heated hours, the Australian remained hostile, kicking the ground, demanding decisions, pressuring the umpires. So much for the corporate smile that has been produced these last few years."

Roebuck writes that, "probably the worst aspect of the Australians' performance was their conduct at the end. When the last catch was taken they formed into a huddle and started jumping up and down like teenagers at a rave. It was not euphoria. It was ecstasy. They had swallowed a dangerous pill called vengeance. Not one player so much as thought about shaking hands with the defeated and departing.

"So much for Andrew Flintoff consoling a stricken opponent in his hour of defeat. Nor could Ponting and Gilchrist stop themselves publicly chiding Tony Greig for daring to criticise the timing of the declaration. They should have been thanking their lucky stars that three wickets had fallen in five balls, one of them in dubious circumstances. Australia had 150 runs and five minutes to spare. It was unfitting conduct from an Australian captain or vice-captain. By all accounts Ponting was later rude towards Indian reporters at his news conference."

The writer concludes: "Ponting has not provided the leadership expected from an Australian cricket captain and so must be sacked. On this evidence the time has also come to thank Hayden and Gilchrist for their services. None of them are bad fellows. All will look back on this match not as their finest hour but their worst. Obviously a new captain and side is required. But that is a task for another day. It is possible to love a country and not its cricket team."

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto--Brave Women

2008-01-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and
Chairperson - Pakistan Peoples Party

PERSONAL

* Born June 21, 1953, in Karachi, Pakistan
* Daughter of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a political leader and
former Prime Minister) and Nusrat Bhutto (former Member of Parliament and
Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan)
* Married, December 18, 1987 to Asif Ali Zardari (in business, twice
elected Member of National Assembly and Senate)
* Children: Bilawal, Bakhtwar and Aseefa (03-02-1993).

EDUCATION

Radcliffe College, Harvard University, B.A., 1973;
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, B.A., 1976;
Graduate study at Oxford in Foreign Service, 1976-77.

CAREER
Political activist with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan, 1977-84; repeatedly imprisoned and kept under house arrest by the Pakistani government; political exile in London, England, 1984-86; returned to Pakistan in April, 1986; Pakistan Peoples Party, Karachi, Pakistan co-chair, beginning in 1986; After elections held November 1988, invited to form the government, became Prime Minister in 1988 but her government was illegally dismissed in August 1990. She again came to power after her party won a majority in elections held in October 1993. Her government was once again dismissed illegally in November 1996.

NARRATIVE

Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the first woman ever to lead a modern Islamic nation, did not plan to be a politician. She became active in politics after her father, the late Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was ousted from office in a 1977 military coup and later executed. Having sworn to carry her father's political flame, Benazir Bhutto overcame government persecution and a lack of political experience, leading her Pakistan Peoples Party to victory in the November 1988 and October 1993 parliamentary elections. As Prime Minister, Bhutto has been praised for moving swiftly to restore civil liberties and political freedom, suspended under military rule. During her terms of office, she has faced enormous challenges in governing a poor, politically fractious, and ethnically diverse nation.

Bhutto discusses her personal life and political career in her autobiography "Daughter of Destiny", which was published in 1989 to favorable reviews. Born into a wealthy landholding family with a tradition of political activism in southeastern Sindh province, Bhutto enjoyed a privileged childhood and went on to study political science and philosophy at Radcliffe College and Oxford University. She excelled academically and planned to work with her father's government as a professional diplomat upon her return to Pakistan in June 1977.

Only two weeks later, however, military officers led by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq - capitalizing on public protests of disputed parliamentary elections - overthrew Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a bloodless coup. Benazir Bhutto spent the next eighteen months in and out of house arrest as she struggled to rally political support to force Zia to drop fallacious murder charges against her father. The military dictator ignored worldwide appeals for clemency and had Zulfikar Bhutto hanged in April of 1979.

Bhutto writes in her autobiography of her last meeting with her father just before his execution. She also vigorously defends her father's government. Zulfikar Bhutto's government had mass support and was a democratic regime that worked for down trodden and have-nots.

Bhutto's persecution began in earnest after the dismissal of her father's government in 1977 and his execution in 1979 as she intensified her denunciations of Zia and sought to organize a political movement against him. Repeatedly put under house arrest, she was finally imprisoned under solitary confinement in a desert cell in Sindh province during the summer of 1981. Bhutto described the hellish conditions in her wall less cage in "Daughter of Destiny":

"The summer heat turned my cell into an oven. My skin split and peeled, coming off my hands in sheets. Boils erupted on my face. My hair, which had always been thick, began to come out by the handful. Insects crept into the cell like invading armies. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, stinging flies, bees and bugs came up through the cracks in the floor and through the open bars from the courtyard. Big black ants, cockroaches, seething clumps of little red ants and spiders. I tried pulling the sheet over my head at night to hide from their bites, pushing it back when it got too hot to breathe."

Weakened but still defiant, Bhutto was finally allowed to travel to England in 1984 to receive treatment for a serious ear infection, and she remained in exile there until after Zia lifted Martial Law in December of 1985. A huge crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands turned out on the streets to greet her - by then the leading symbol of the anti-Zia movement -- when she returned to Lahore in April of 1986. Formally elected chair in the following month, Bhutto lost no time in organizing mass protests and civil disobedience campaigns to pressure Zia to relinquish office and call national elections. Bhutto's stirring oratory, familiar name, and striking appearance helped give her a strong mass appeal, but she had to struggle to wrest real power from the PPP's old-guard leadership, members of which were wary of her gender, youth, and political wisdom.

"An arranged marriage was the price had to pay for the political path my life had taken," she writes in "Daughter of Destiny". "My high profile in Pakistan precluded the possibility of meeting a man in the normal course of events, getting to know him, and then getting married." But Bhutto had hopes that the relationship would deepen. "We were coming to marriage with no preconceptions," she observes. "Our love could only grow."

General Zia's death in a mysterious airplane crash in August of 1988 instantly thrust Bhutto to political center stage. In November, she led the PPP to victory in the first free Pakistani elections in eleven years. Sworn into office as Prime Minister the following month, Bhutto acted quickly to release Zia's political prisoners and guaranteed basic civil and political freedom. A strong and contentious rightist parliamentary opposition of former Zia allies and Islamic fundamentalists accused the new Prime Minister of packing the civil service with PPP supporters.
Relations with Pakistan's longtime enemy India showed early signs of improving when Bhutto met with former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, but Muslim unrest in the disputed territory of Kashmir threatened to renew tensions in early 1990. Despite these problems, political observers credited Bhutto with keeping the country's chronic ethnic and regionalist tensions in check and developing a working relationship with the coup-prone military during her first year in office.

Notwithstanding, she decided to face the system and accepted the challenge to guide people in the transition from military dictatorship to the management of democracy. Her government gave a high priority to social sectors like health, education, clean drinking water, sanitation and energy. The budgetary allocations in these sectors were increased so that fruits of democracy and freedom could reach the common man. Similarly, in the domain of foreign policy, her government pursued an aggressive and dynamic policy.

Addressing a historic US Joint Session of Congress during her state visit to the United States in 1989, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto called for the establishment of an Association of New Democratic Nations.

On August 6, 1990 after having been in office less than half of her tenure, President Ghulam Ishaque Khan dismissed her government unilaterally and called for fresh elections.

While ensuring that her Party was not returned to power, the President and the Caretaker Prime Minister filed a series of references against Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Her husband, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari was arrested and imprisoned for over two years on a number of trumped up charges.

In July 1993, the President of Pakistan dismissed the Government of Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges and called for fresh elections. The Pakistan Peoples Party went to the people in October, 1993 with a new "Agenda for Change". The programme envisaged government at the door-step of the people and priority to the social sectors. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was again elected Prime Minister with a broad mandate after achieving strong popular support in all the four provinces of Pakistan.

She has been mentioned as "The world's most popular politician" in the New Guinness Book of Record 1996.

The "Times" and the "Australian Magazine" (May 4, 1996) have drawn up a list of 100 most powerful women and have included Benazir Bhutto as one of them.

PUBLICATIONS

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is the author of two books "Foreign Policy in Perspective" (1978) and her autobiography, "Daughter of the East" (1989). Several collections of her speeches and works have been compiled which include "The Way Out", Pakistan Foreign Policy, Challenges and Responses in the Post-Cold War era in "After the Cold War" by Keith Philip Lepor and Male Domination of Women offends her Islamic religion in "Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History" by William Saffire. The most recent being "The Way Out" (1980). She has also contributed to many periodicals and to the books, "Predictions for the Next Millennium" by Kristof and Nickerson and "Book of Hopes and Dreams" published by Bookmaster Inc.

Info Gathered From :http://www.ppp.org.pk/mbb/biography.html

Sachin Breaks the 90's JINX

2008-01-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar provided further evidence of his genius with a superb century against Australia on Friday.

The 34-year-old scored an unbeaten 154 to help his team to take a 69-run first innings lead over Australia after tormenting Australia's fearsome bowling attack for almost seven hours.

It was the Indian maestro's 38th Test hundred, more than any other player in history, but he celebrated like it was his first, thrusting his arms into the air and embracing batting partner Harbhajan Singh.

For a player who has already scored so many hundreds, Tendulkar's animated celebration was slightly out of character but he said he was relieved after a relatively lean 2007.

"It was a little different this time because in 2007 I missed a lot of hundreds and I didn't want that to continue," he told a news conference.

"I wanted to move on and in the year 2008 the beginning of the year is extremely important. It came at the right time so I am happy about that."

Tendulkar left the Sydney Cricket Ground to a standing ovation in what is possibly his last Test match at a venue he has developed a long lasting love affair with.

He scored an unbeaten double-century on his last visit to Sydney four years ago and now averages an astonishing 326 in four Test appearances at the world's third oldest Test ground.

"It's one of my favourite grounds. I've really enjoyed batting here every moment. It's truly been memorable, all my outings," he said.

"Sometimes you walk onto a field and it gives you a good feeling. It's one of those grounds that I really enjoy batting."

Tendulkar has made a habit out of making big scores against the Australians and said the challenge of playing them brought out the best in him.

"They are the best side in the world. It's good when you perform well against the top side in the world," he said.

"It's a great challenge. I've always enjoyed the competition. It's a challenge to rise up to the occasion and beat them. That's what the whole world is trying to do."

Shame Mumbai.......?!?!?

2008-01-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Mumbai Police has detained seven persons in connection with the molestation of two women on New Year's night outside the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai.

Police stations across the city have been alerted and attempts are being made to identify the men who molested the NRI women—an incident that has outraged the nation.

One of the NRI women spoke to Media on Thursday and said she and her cousin were still trying to “get over” the incident and would be very difficult for them to identify the men who had “harassed” her.

Kenya Unrest

2008-01-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

At least 50 bodies have been found in a burnt church, The Associated Press has reported the Red Cross as saying, as tribal tensions simmered following the contested election of incumbent President Mwai Kibaki.

A local reporter told CNN he counted at least 15 charred bodies, including those of children, at the church and an adjacent field in Kiambaa, about 185 miles (300 km) northwest of Nairobi.

"There was a huge mob, they attacked the church," said a witness in comments reported by The Associated Press. The person, who asked to remain anonymous in case of reprisals, added: "We counted 15 to 20 bodies."

The deaths came as opposition supporters fought with police firing tear gas and live ammunition across the country.

The demonstrators are protesting the government's announcement Sunday that voters had re-elected Kibaki with 51.3 per cent of the vote, compared with 48.7 per cent for Raila Odinga, the opposition leader.

The victims found in Kiambaa were of the Kikuyu tribe, who comprise roughly 22 per cent of the country's population and of which Kibaki is a member.

It is believed they had been seeking refuge from members of the Luo tribe, which makes up about 13 per cent of population and of which Odinga is a member.

Kenya, long one of the most stable nations in east Africa, descended into chaos after the disputed election triggered violence that has left at least 124 people dead.

The number is expected to rise, with AP putting the number of dead as at least 228 since Saturday, based on reports from police, morgues and witnesses.

The deaths came as opposition supporters fought with police firing tear gas and live ammunition.

Speaking Tuesday, Odinga said more than 160 people died in Monday's violence and that "many people have been killed today."

The death toll, he said, "will be much, much higher than what the government is giving."

Local media report many of those killed in the post-election violence died of gunshot and machete wounds.

Meanwhile international observers have also called into question the result, which saw Kibaki re-elected to a second term.

"We find that these elections have fallen short of international standards of democratic elections," said Alexander Lambsdorff, the head of the EU Election Observation Mission in Kenya.

Lambsdorff cited discrepancies in vote counts, election observers being turned away from polling places and observers being refused entrance to the electoral commission vote counting room.

The violence is rare for Kenya, an island of stability that has enjoyed relative calm even as war and chronic political violence wracked neighboring countries, such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda.

The United States has withheld congratulations for Kibaki, citing concerns of voting problems, even though Kibaki has claimed victory.

The opposition Orange Democratic Movement scheduled rallies for Tuesday, raising fears of more violence.

"The Kenyan people are right now in a state of mourning," Odinga told CNN on Monday as he appealed for calm. "They are mourning the loss of democracy."

"With the general election now behind us, it is now time for healing and reconciliation among all Kenyans," he also said on Monday.

Witnesses told CNN Monday that they had seen widespread violence in the Nairobi slum of Kibera as angry Odinga supporters set fire to buildings. Police attempted to hold them back with tear gas and water cannons, the witnesses said.

Local media reported a number of deaths as a result of the rioting, as well as reports of police brutality, although CNN has been unable to confirm this independently.

In the western port city of Kisumu -- the capital of Odinga's home province -- at least 19 people were shot dead by police, according to the Kenyan daily newspaper the Nation.

Other media reports put the figure much higher, claiming up to 50 were killed there overnight.

In Nairobi, small bands of Odinga supporters were stopped from making their way to a rally in Uhuru Park -- a traditional site for political demonstrations in the center of the city. The rally was called by Odinga, who accused Kibaki of "doctoring" the vote.

Businesses in Nairobi were shut down and a government ban on live television broadcasts imposed Sunday was still in place as Kibaki struggled to cope with the fallout from the vote.

A Dr. Mawji at the Agha Khan hospital, Kisumu, said the medical staff had treated seven men for gunshot injuries, one of who is in a critical condition.

A member of staff in the Imperial hotel in Kisumu told CNN by telephone that a curfew was in force on the streets.

She said she and other hotel staff had been forced to sleep in the hotel overnight after police threatened to shoot on sight anyone who breached the curfew.

The official count had put Kibaki narrowly ahead of Odinga of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement - 4,584,721 votes to 4,352,993.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement Sunday that Britain had "real concerns at the irregularities reported by the EU observers and others".

One international observer, who did not wish to be identified, told CNN that the vote count was "clearly cooked."

Analysts said, however, that it was probable that both of the main parties had been involved in electoral fraud.

Thomas Cargill, a specialist on African politics at the British think tank Chatham House, said it was difficult to imagine Odinga giving up his claims for the presidency without a fight. "It is very worrying," Cargill told CNN.

Kibaki was sworn in Sunday in a ceremony at the presidential palace.

His slim margin of victory is a marked difference from his win five years ago in a landslide election. He had run on promises to fight corruption.

Since then, he has seen his authority erode amid a number of high-profile corruption scandals in his government.

He faced a serious challenge from Odinga, a flamboyant politician who had won support from the rural and urban after promising to share the wealth among all the people.

CRPF Camp Attacked...7 Died ....

2008-01-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

Five jawans and two civilians were killed in a suicide attack on a CRPF camp in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh in the early hours of Tuesday.

The attack took place at 0230 hrs (IST) when armed fidayeens reportedly tried to enter the camp from the gate. At least six troopers are reportedly injured.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Gupta told news agency PTI that the terrorists armed with AK-47s and grenades opened fire at the camp and killed the troopers after being intercepted by the jawans and civil police patrolling the site.

They are believed to have first gunned down the sentry before barging into the nearest tent and opening fire from their assault rifles.

The CRPF camp is located in Rampur on National Highway 24. Both attackers fled as the troopers fired back. Lal said that at least one of them had probably been shot in the leg because he was seen limping away.

The civilian who died was reported to be a rickshaw puller. IANS reports he was hit by bullets fired by the terrorists while they were escaping from the CRPF base.

New reports say the area was immediately cordoned off and police launched a combing operation. Senior officials also rushed to the spot.

Inspector General of Police Gurbachan Lal told IANS said the injured men were taken to Moradabad town for treatment. Their condition was reported to be stable.

Lal said a public road that ran through the CRPF base had been closed after terrorist attacks in various courts in Uttar Pradesh in November.

"However, the possibility of the terrorists using this route to escape cannot be ruled out," he said.

In the last week of November, intelligence agencies had issued an alert of possible terrorist attack at the CRPF camp in Rampur.

Last 7 Seconds in Benazir Assassination...(Slow Motion Video)

2008-01-01T05:15:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year ..........!!

2007-12-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

H ours of happy times with friends and family
A bundant time for relaxation
P rosperity
P lenty of love when you need it the most
Y outhful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber (you know - dont' worry be happy)
E verything you need
W ishing you love and light

Y ears and years of good health
E njoyment and mirth
A angels to watch over you
R embrances of a happy years!

Finally Declared........!!

2007-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

Three days after former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, her son Bilawal has been named the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party.

The decision comes after a high-level meeting of the PPP members in Larkana, where the post funeral services took place for the slain leader.

Bhutto's husband Asif Zardari and Abdul Makhdoom Fahim, deputy leader of PPP have been named co-chairmen of the party.

Speaking at an emotionally charged press conference, Zardari said that Benazir had named him as her political successor.

However, Zardari said he wanted his son Bilawal to take charge of the party.

Zardari said Fahim will be the prime ministerial candidate of the party. He also urged Nawaz Sharif not to boycott elections.

''From now on my son's name will be Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,'' he said.

Putting forward a composed look, 19-year-old Bilawal said, ''My mother used to say democracy is the best revenge.''

Amid loud sloganeering by Bhutto supporters, Zardari sought an international probe into the murder of the two time prime minister.

In a telling statement, Bilawal added his mother's surname to his own and is now to be addressed as Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Meanwhile, while all eyes are on Bilawal Bhutto, his estranged cousins Fatima and Zulfikar Bhutto junior are slowly building up their political profiles.

The children of Benazir's brother Murtaza have often been publicly critical of Benazir's politics.

Managing Editor Barkha Dutt in Larkana in Pakistan, Fatima Bhutto said she mourned her aunt as a family member but would express her political differences through her writing instead of party politics.

Successor Of Bhutto...??

2007-12-30T03:46:00.000-08:00

Just a few days after the former Prime Minister of Pakistan -- Benazir Bhutto -- was assassinated, speculation is rife about who will be the possible successor to take over the PPP's reins. Benazir Bhutto, the charasmatic leader and an international figure, who perhaps was the only one who could actually give Musharraf back a challenge at the elecions, has left the party rudderless as she was symbolic with the Pakistan's People Party.

However, the moot question of Benazir's successor might be answered on Sunday (Dec 30) when her son -- Bilawal -- will read Benazir's will, which might throw some light over the party's probable future leader.

Meanwhile, rumours are abuzz that a family member could take over the PPP's reins, however, the million dollar question is will the senior party leaders accept.

Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's husband had said:"Benazir Bhutto has left a message for the party and she has left a will and we will make it public on Sunday (Dec 30)." He had further added:"We have called for a meeting and her will and the instructions will be read out there."

The Will according to Zardari will be read out by Bhutto's son Bilawal, perhaps an indication that he could take over the reigns of the party, however, the age does not side Bhutto's 19-year old son, who is still a novice in politics.

The more likely candidate, Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, who was the former Interior Minster and is better known as Mr 10 percent has been embroiled in numerous corruption cases. And thus, the PPP might not want a face with a murky past to lead them at this juncture.

We give you a lowdown on the probable Benazir's successor

-- Asif Ali Zardari -- Benazir's husband : The sentiment factor might work in his favor as people might see him as having suffered personally, however, a huge factor that might work against him is the graft charges. The man is infamously referred to as Mr 10 per cent in Pakistani political circles.

-- Makhdoom Amin Fahim : He is the oldest party worker in the running and is seen to be a Bhutto confidante, however, he lacks public persona, and of course, the magical Bhutto family name.

-- Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan: He is a prominent lawyer and has been the face of the anti-Musharraf protests. He also enjoys a mass following. However, he was seen defying Benazir's authority during the anti-emergency agitation.

-- Bilawal -- Benazir's son : He is thought to display a political maturity beyond his 19 years but he may still be too young to lead a party of the size of PPP. Moreover, he has not spent much of his life in Pakistan, which might go against him.

-- Fatima Bhutto -- Benazir's niece: Another bearer of the Bhutto family legacy, she is seen to be a politically mature person. However, she had been a staunch critic of Benazir Bhutto in the recent months and is too young to lead the PPP.

-- Sanam Bhutto, Benazir's sister -- She has not evinced an interest in politics till date

What Went Really..............???

2007-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

Serious questions are being raised over Pakistan government's theory on Benazir Bhutto's assassination. While earlier reports indicated that Benazir Bhutto died of bullet wounds, the Pakistan government hours later denied those reports with Pakistani interior ministry spokesperson Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema said yesterday that "There should be no ambiguity about Benazir's death - there were bullet wounds...It was a jolt after her head hit the vehicle lever."

However a top aide to the slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has rejected the government's explanation of her death as a "pack of lies".

Farooq Naik, Ms Bhutto's top lawyer and a senior official in her Pakistan People's Party, says that the government's claims that Bhutto was not hit by any bullets is completely baseless.

He says:

"Two bullets hit her, one in the abdomen and one in the head. Bhutto's personal secretary Naheed Khan and party official Makhdoom Amin Fahim were in the car and they saw what happened.... they (government) are turning it into a joke with such claims.'"

I bathed her body, saw the bullet wound

A close aide to Benazir Bhutto said today she saw a bullet wound in the Pakistani opposition
leader's head when she bathed her body after her assassination.

Butto's spokeswoman Sherry Rehman, who said she was in the former premier's motorcade at the time of the gun and suicide attack, rejected government claims that the death was caused when Bhutto's head hit her sunroof.

"I was actually part of the party which bathed her body before the funeral," said Rehman, who added that her car was used to transport Bhutto to hospital.

"There was a bullet wound I saw that went in from the back of her head and came out the other side. We could not even wash her properly because the wound was still seeping. She lost a huge amount of blood," she told AFP.

Rehman accused the government of mounting a cover-up over Bhutto's death.

"The hospital was made to change its statement. They never gave a proper report," she said.

"I believe the interior ministry is saying that she died from some concussion that may have taken place against the sunroof.

"This is ridiculous, dangerous nonsense because it is a cover-up of what actually happened."

Benazir raised questions on government link

The question is who is Baitullah Mehsud, the al Qaeda commander the Pakistan government is blaming the assassination on.

Benazir Bhutto, before returning to Pakistan had mentioned that she was receiving threats from him, even indictaing that he had strong links with the Pakistani government.

She said:

"I am not worried about Baitullah Masood. I am worried about the threat within the government. People like Baitullah Masood are just pawns. It is those forces behind him that have presided over the rise of extremism and militancy in my country."

"I did not kill her"

Meanwhile Mehsud accused by the Pakistani government on Friday (December 28) of masterminding Bhutto's assasination has completely denied any involvement.

"I strongly deny it. Tribal people have their own customs. We don't strike women," Mehsud's spokesman Maulvi Omar said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Govt issues ultimatum to Taslima

2007-12-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

This time it is not the Marxists but the UPA government that has decided that controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen cannot return to her adopted city of Kolkata.

Moreover, Nasreen has been told that if she wants to live in Delhi, she will not be allowed to take part in any public functions.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV's Managing Editor Barkha Dutt, Taslima Nasreen said that the decision had been communicated officially to her by a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Nasreen also claimed that her security was cited as the reason for the Centre's decision.

The controversial author, who has already withdrawn parts of her writing considered offensive to certain Muslim groups, has been in hiding for the past month.

Breaking down on the telephone, she claimed that she was being made to live under house arrest.

''I appeal to the government to change its mind,'' she said.

Nasreen also asserted that she will leave India if she is refrained from returning to Kolkata.

The author has been in a government safe house since November and has courted trouble over her perceived anti-Islamic writings.

Meanwhile, the CPM, which had sent Taslima off to Jaipur last month, washed its hands off her, saying that this was between Taslima and the government.

''It is between Taslima and the Central government and we have nothing to do with this,'' said Shyamal Chakravarthy, Leader, CPM.

The Congress party too reiterated its earlier stand that no one who is allowed to stay in India can hurt the sentiments of the people

Health Minister In Controversy once again....

2007-12-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Union Health Minister -- Anbumani Ramadoss -- is once again shrouded in controversy after he unwittingly targetted the people of Bihar by saying that a doctor from Bihar was the sole cause for Britain de-recognising MBBS degrees.

His comment led to widespread protests in Bihar with even doctors joining in the protests and burning effigies of the Union Health Minister. On the flipside, the doctors under the banner of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) are demanding an unconditional apology from the Minister for hurting the sentiments of all people from Bihar living in India and abroad. The organisation has also approached the Indian Medical Coucil and the central IMA asking them to take action against Ramadoss.

On Friday last week, speaking at a meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin in New Delhi, the Union Health Minister had reportedly said that "a doctor from Bihar was the sole cause for Britain derecognising MBBS degrees".

TIMES NOW, meanwhile, spoke to IMA President, Dr Ajay Kumar, who said he has been in touch with Indian doctors in the UK. Kumar said that Biharis in his field were working well in the UK, substantially contributing to health services and management. He called Ramadoss' statements a reflection of his "narrow mindednes" and bias against Biharis.

In the past for one reason or another the Union Health Minister has managed to stoke the fires of controversy with some unqualified statements, angering people across various forums. However, an explanation from the man himself is awaited to shed light on this particular controversy.

Earlier this month, the Health Minister, embroiled in a controversy over the removal of AIIMS Director P Venugopal charged the Delhi media with bias against him as he was from the ranks of most backward classes. Dr Ramadoss has also attacked opponents of his proposal to make one year rural service compulsory for MBBS degree, saying they are "enemies of villagers, those who oppose the scheme."

BJP slams Ramadoss:

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has slammed Health Minister, Ambumani Ramadoss for his comments on Bihari Doctors. Rajiv Pratap Rudy the Party's Spokesperson said, "We take strong exception to the insane remark. Such remarks do not go well with the UPA government. The remark should be immediately withdrawn."

Another BJP leader, Shatrughan Sinha said that the Health Minister should undergo medical examination as he is making one ridiculous comment after another.

Ramadoss clarifies

Meanwhile, the man himself -- Ambumani Ramadoss -- has now come out and said that he has utmost respect for Bihar's doctors.

"I respect Indian doctors and especially doctors from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh or Tamil Nadu doesn’t make any difference to me. I respect everybody and I have been categorically saying that which ever international forum I go, I have always maintained that Indian doctors are the best in the world. I definitely respect Bihar doctors, who have contributed to a large extent not only to Bihar, but also India and globally,” he added.

Gujarat Exit Polls Results

2007-12-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Much awaited Second Phase of Gujarat Election Signed Off Today :

Few of Exit Poll results Driven by Some of News Agencies are :

Total Voters Turn out : 63 % - 65 %

Gujarat Polls- Phase 1: (86 seats)

BJP-40 (Year 2007),53 (Year 2002)
Congress-43 (Year 2007), 30 (Year 2002)
Others-3 (Year 2007), 3 (Year 2002)

Exit Poll Projection - Saurashtra (58 seats)

BJP-26 (Year 2007), 39 (Year 2002)
Congress-31 (Year 2007), 18 (Year 2002)
Others-1 (Year 2007), 1 (Year 2002)

Exit Poll Projection- South Gujarat (28 seats)

BJP-14 (Year 2007), 14 (Year 2002)
Congress-12 (Year 2007), 12 (Year 2002)
Others-2 (Year 2007), 2 (Year 2002)

Seats projection
Party	Seats projected to win
BJP	92-100
Cong +	77-85
Others	3-7
*Note:* Congress+ includes NCP, CPI (M) and LNJP

Ethnic Indians Struggles >>>>>>>

2007-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Malaysian authorities arrested five ethnic Indian activists on Thursday under a security law that allows indefinite detention without trial, a lawyer said.

The activists are key officials in the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), which held a street protest November 25 that drew about 20,000 ethnic Indians complaining about alleged racial discrimination.

''They were told that they're being detained under the ISA,'' lawyer N Surendran said, referring to the Internal Security Act, a law that has occasionally been used by the government to detain suspects regarded as threats to national security.

Two police officials, who declined to be identified, citing protocol, confirmed that several HINDRAF activists had been arrested. They declined to elaborate.

The arrests escalate a government crackdown on HINDRAF since it organised last month's rally - the biggest protest involving ethnic Indians in more than a decade and one that triggered fears of ethnic unrest in this multiracial country.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier this week said the government will not tolerate street demonstrations because they could lead to violence. He warned that if necessary, he would invoke the ISA.

HINDRAF has demanded equality and fair treatment for Indians, saying an affirmative action program that gives preferential treatment to the Muslim Malay majority in business, jobs and education is tantamount to racial discrimination.

The government denies it discriminates against Indians and has accused HINDRAF leaders of trying to create ethnic trouble.

Ethnic Indians make up about 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people and are at the bottom of the social and economic scale. Malays make up about 60 percent of the population and control the government. Ethnic Chinese are about a quarter of the population and dominate business.

Sonia Gandhi Gets the EC Notice :

2007-12-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

The Election Commission on Sunday issued a notice to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in connection with the “merchants of death” remark on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh has also been served a notice for violating the moral code of conduct during the Gujarat Assembly elections. Singh had made remarks about the "existence of Hindu terrorism in Gujarat".

Accepting the EC’s move as a vindication for BJP, party Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told CNN-IBN, “Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi had deliberately provoked Narendra Modi. There have been so many flip-flops in the past by the Congress that it was bordering on being ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, EC sources have told CNN-IBN that legal experts are examining Modi's preliminary reply regarding the "merchants of death" remark.

"Modi's reply requires careful examination. Therefore, no decision has been taken by the EC. His reply would be examined by the Commission," a EC source was quoted by PTI as saying.

On December 3, Sonia had referred to those ruling the state as “liars, dishonest and merchants of fear and death.”

The next day, Modi while speaking at an election rally called the Congress chief “a merchant of death” in return.

However, in his reply to the EC, Modi has denied calling Sonia by such a name. He wrote, “I deny the charge in its entirety. The (newspaper) comments (are) inspired by false imputation. The EC notice is issued on the basis of unverified and false media reports.”

Criticising the Commission, Modi said his speech was a “political response to Mrs Sonia Gandhi referring to me as those who rule the Gujarat as a maut ke saudagar (merchants of death). Surely, it cannot be policy of the Election Commission first to ignore the violation of the Code of Conduct in her statement and then censor my political response to that statement.”

The EC had earlier issued a notice to CM, Narendra Modi for justifying the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh during an election speech. But the BJP had gone on the offensive saying the Commission must act against Sonia too, if it has to be seen as impartial.

Narendra Modi had filed his reply to the EC notice on Saturday. But the Commission is unlikely to take a decision on it on Sunday.

After the meeting that lasted two hours the EC has now come up with serving notices to both Sonia Gandhi and Digvijay Singh saying that they have violated the model code of conduct under Rule 1 and 3. However, the EC has yet not replied in how many day the congress should reply, though usually it gives 14 days to reply.

Malay Indians' protest had RSS link: Malaysian PM

2007-12-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

A day after Malaysia charged the protesting ethnic Indians with links to terror groups, the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office has specifically said that the RSS and the LTTE had links with the organisers of the protests.

On Friday, Minister for Works Samy Vellu alleged that some Indian groups were behind the protests by ethnic Indians in the country, a protest that was led by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

Immediately after the Malaysian government said that the protesters had links with terror groups, New Delhi had distanced itself from the issue.

Daring the Malaysian government to produce evidence of Hindraf alleged links with LTTE or other terror groups, an ethnic Indian lawyer from the outfit on Saturday filed a police complaint against the country's premier and other senior officials who have threatened to put its members behind bars under a draconian law.

"I have never met anyone from LTTE in my life. They have gone overboard when they say we have links with terrorism. They are trying to divert the issue," said P Uttayakumar, the founder member of Hindraf, reported PTI.

PM rubbishes Modi's claim

2007-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi government of misguiding the people over the state's progress and said the BJP government has done "nothing" for Gujarat's progress.

"Gujarat can be one of the best states in the country. Gujaratis are famous for their hard working skills but the situation in the state is not good as shown", he said at a public meeting here.

The people of Gujarat are being misguided over the state's progress achieved in the last ten years under the BJP government but the state has started progressing since 1960, Singh said.

"I have come here to get mandate (Janadesh) for serving the people of the state and to make Gujarat one of the best states in the country," Singh said.

The Modi-led government has been thriving on "false claims" of achievements and giving "false hopes" to the people, he said adding progress could not be achieved by spending lakhs of rupees on advertisement. (Agencies)

GET PAID FOR JUST RECIEVING EMAIL (rupeemail)

2007-12-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

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Dharmapuri Burning Case

2007-12-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

The Madras High Court on Thursday upheld a Salem court’s sentences to 28 convicts, including the three awarded death penalty, in the Dharmapuri bus burning case.

The Salem court had held three AIADMK functionaries and 25 other people guilty in the bus burning incident of 2000 in which three students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University had been burnt alive in a mob violence following the conviction of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

There were a total of 31 accused in the case. While two were acquitted, one person died during the trial.

A near 30-minute video clipping of the bus burning incident shot by a Dharmapuri-based private photographer was one of prime piece of evidence that established the prosecution's case at the court of the Salem First Additional District Sessions Judge D Krishna Raja.

The clipping showed the burning bus and the girls crying for help and their friends' frantic efforts to save them. It also showed a white police jeep that did not stop while passing through the spot.

The verdict in the case came after a seven-year-long trial. In 2003, the Madras High Court had scrapped the on-going trial in a Krishnagiri court and ordered a retrial in a Salem court following a petition that said the sensational bus burning case was going the Best Bakery way at the Krishnagiri court.

Recently, one of the victim's father had filed a petition seeking to enhance the sentence of seven years awarded to the 25 accused.

After hearing elaborate arguments from both sides, a division bench of Justice D Murugesan and Justice V Periya Karuppiah had reserved orders without mentioning any dates on the appeals and the petition.

For More Details SEARCH in End of the Page :

Where Our India Goes........????

2007-12-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

Nandigram issue,
Top cop BB.mohanty On run,
DharmaPuri Burning case,
Shrobbuddin Fake encounter charge,
Rizwanur Suicide........these are the samples ...
see the actual figures Below:

Thousands of CORRUPTION Charges
Lakhs Of CRIMINAL cases
Over 58,000 Rape Cases
Madras High Court (406,958 pending cases)
Bombay High Court (362,949)
Sikkim is the lowest with just 51 pending cases
Uttar Pradesh again topped the number of pending cases (4.6 million),
Maharashtra (4.1 million),
Gujarat (3.9 million),
West Bengal (1.9 million),
Bihar (1.2 million),
Karnataka (1.06 million),
Rajasthan (1.05 million),
Orissa (1 million),
Andhra Pradesh (900,000).

Over three million cases are pending in India's 21 high courts, and an astounding 26.3 million cases are pending in subordinate courts across the country.

No One can Predict When these Cases Will be Solved out.....
But One Thing Is Sure

" DELAYED JUSTICE ALWAYS EQUALS THE DENIED JUSTICE "

Until the Law And Order Of OUR Beloved INDIA Become More powerful,
Even GOD Cant Help " INDIA "

The words What WE say proudly " RISING INDIA " --- > RISING Will Denote "CRIMINALS"

Let We Youth Of India Take An Pledge that
" WE Will Make OUR MOTHER country As A Holy Place TO Live Along "

" JAIHINDH "

Narendra Modi Plays Communal Card

2007-12-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

With the first phase of Gujarat polls just a week away, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has once again adopted the communal angle as an election issue and has chucked development plank. Addressing a massive rally in Mangrol in Southern Gujarat, it wasn't just his campaign slogan of 'Gujarat Jeetega' that the Chief Minister was seen mouthing. Modi, who is hopeful of a 3rd term in office, spoke on the controversial Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, justifying the encounter, and saying: "Sohrabuddin had got what he deserved".

16 kids die in four-day strike at Hyderabad hospital

2007-12-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hyderabad: Junior doctors of a leading children's hospital here continued their strike for the fourth day Wednesday, demanding action against a legislator who allegedly attacked medicos even as healthcare services remained paralysed and one more child died, taking the toll since Sunday to 16.

The stalemate continued with the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) sticking to its demands for booking a case of attempt to murder against Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Afsar Khan, his suspension from the assembly and a law to prevent attacks on doctors. The state government has rejected the demands.

http://ibnlive.com/news/16-kids-die-in-fourday-strike-at-hyderabad-hospital/53657-3.html

MAGICAL MURALI

2007-12-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Kandy: Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 709th wicket in the first Test against England on Monday to become Test cricket's most successful bowler.

The off-spinner, playing his 116th Test, bowled Paul Collingwood to grab his fifth wicket in the innings and surpass retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne's world record tally of 708 wickets in 145 matches.

Muralitharan, 35, achieved the landmark in his home town of Kandy watched by about 6,000 joyous fans at the Asgiriya stadium, including his parents and Indian wife Madhimalan.

The feat marks a new high in the 15-year career of one of the most celebrated bowlers of the modern game whose controversial bent-arm action was questioned in the past by umpires.

Muralitharan's 61st five-wicket haul made England 266-8 in reply to Sri Lanka's modest first innings total of 188.

INDIAN CRICKET LEAGUE

2007-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

WATCH OUT WHOLE ACTION IN INDIAN CRICKET LEAGUE

LINK :
http://www.cricketnext.com/series/indian-cricket-league.html

India vs Pak for top job at Citigroup?

2007-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Vikram Pandit in line for top job at Citigroup

While India is slogging out against Pakistan in a cricket Test match in Kolkata, another face-off is tipped to be developing here between two bankers with origins in the two countries -- that for the position of CEO at worlds largest bank Citigroup.

The list of contenders for this job include Vikram S Pandit, currently Citigroup's investment banking head and a former Morgan Stanley investment banker, and Shaukat Aziz, formerly the bank's global private banking business head and most recently the prime minister of Pakistan, according to various media reports.

Meanwhile, reports have been surfacing in the US and international media that Aziz, who resigned as Pakistan's Prime Minister last month, could also be a potential candidate and has already sent his feelers to Citigroup board. Queries sent on the candidature of Pandit and Aziz to Citigroup spokesperson Christina Pretto remained unanswered.

The CEO position fell vacant after Charles Prince resigned as Citigroup's Chairman and CEO at an emergency board meet on November 4 on the back of losses worth billions of dollars suffered by Citigroup in the subprime crisis.

After Prince's departure, Citigroup named its Europe Chairman Win Bischoff as an acting CEO and its Executive Committee Chairman and former US Treasury Secretary Robert E Rubin as Chairman on interim basis. Rubin is also part of a search committee for the new Chairman and CEO and this committee has been reviewing candidates from both inside and outside the bank.

Ajith: The New "Billa" - CNN-IBN Exclusive Video

2007-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:00