Ayodhya Verdict: Sunni Waqf Board appeal dismissed. Majority of Allahabad HC Declares Lord Ram was born at Babri site
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ayodhya Verdict out: 2-1 VERDICT AGAINST WAQF BOARD
BREAKING NEWS:-Ayodhya Verdict: 2-1 VERDICT AGAINST WAQF BOARD
In the News: Ayodhya Verdict
Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court is all set to pronounce the verdict on Ayodhya land dispute after 3.30 pm today.
more at sify
India braced for violence over Muslim v Hindu temple decision
more at telegraph
Ayodhya says it's calm, curious about verdict
more at NDTV
Ayodhya: questions before the High Court more at ibnlive Heavy security for India Ayodhya site ruling more at bbc
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wikimedia moves into India, critical conference, Vandalism detection contest
India: Media speculation on country's future "Wiki-capital"; community newsletter released Barry Newstead, the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Global Development Officer, visited India last week to prepare the opening of the organization's first office outside the US, combined with the hiring of a "National Program Director" for India (see Signpost coverage: September 6 and August 30). Newstead visited New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It was the first time a Wikipedia Meetup was ever organized in New Delhi and Mumbai. It brought together a mix of bloggers, Wikipedians and people generally interested in contributing to Wikipedia. Some 40 people attended the Mumbai and Bangalore Meetups and about 20 attended the Delhi meet, despite heavy monsoon rains disrupting the city. Along with WMF Trustee Bishakha Datta and advisory board member Achal Prabhala, Newstead addressed a press conference in Bangalore city. The office is set to open in early 2011, and its location has not been announced yet. Yet various Indian media speculated which of the three cities might have the best chances. Bangalore, which is already the seat of the Indian Wikimedia chapter appears to be the front-runner according to The Hindu ("Wikipedia eyes Bangalore"), Times of India ("Wiki logs into India for its second office"), and The Economic Times ("Wikipedia aims to interact in top 10 Indian languages"). However, The Press Trust of India ("Wikipedia to open India office soon") said "Wikipedia" would launch the office "probably in Mumbai", while Daily News and Analysis ("Bangalore is in fray to become Wikipedia's India capital") mentioned Pune as a fourth possibility. Wikimedia India Community Newsletter Time Out Mumbai quoted Prabhala on possible reasons that might still be "keeping Indians from becoming active contributors". The Economic Times described some of Newstead's personal background. Before becoming the Foundation's CGDO in June (see Signpost coverage), he had been a consultant at the non-profit Bridgespan Group, having quit a lucrative career at the Boston Consulting Group. Newstead explained: "I’ve always had a passion for education and knowledge. I enjoyed the training I got in consulting, but it was a personal decision to spend my career working on important social issues". In related news, the first Indian Wikimedia Community Newsletter has been released last week. The publication contains a foreword by Bishdatta and Jimbo Wales (who already praised the Indian-language Wikipedias last month). The newsletter is 36 pages long in PDF format. The newsletter reports the size of the Indian community: because of the large number of languages in India, there are about 20 different Wikipedias, as well as a similar number in the incubator. There is also significant Indian editing activity on the English Wikipedia (English is one of the official languages of India). There is a story on the activities of the Indian Wikipedia Chapter, and information on the activities of the various Indian-language WMF projects and the interactions between them. Some interesting tidbits: The first Indian-language wikis were in Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, and Malayalam, all created in 2002. The Hindi Wikipedia is the largest of the Indian projects, with 56,000 articles. The Malayalam Wikipedia is one of the few languages (and the only one with a non-roman alphabet) to have its contents published as a CD. more at wikipedia
Manmohan, Sonia distribute UID number to 10 adivasis
Ten adivasis from the tribal hamlet of Tembhli on Wednesday became the first to receive the Unique Identity Numbers from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who said this would help the poor get the benefits of welfare projects.
Dr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi distributed the first ten ‘Adhaar’ cards of Unique Identification Authority of India to ten residents of the tribal hamlet at a function attended by Maharashtra Governor K. Shankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Alhuwalia and UIDAI chief Nandan Nilekani.
Addressing the function, the Prime Minister said the issuing of unique identity cards is a beginning of a big effort for the welfare of the common man.
more at thehindu
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Arjun Sengupta: The humane economist
When Arjun Sengupta passed away unexpectedly, I lost a real and old friend. I knew him from a time when he was not the diplomatic, soft-spoken, somewhat saintly figure he had come to be, but a Delhi University firebrand. He was to join the government, and his first hour of glory was to help P.N. Dhar and Sukhomoy Chakravarti build bridges with the nascent state of Bangladesh.
In the mid-'70s, I went on deputation to the Planning Commission, heading its Perspective Planning Division. My office was the adda for university economists working with the government. Arjun was, by then, well on his way to being the strategist. He was working for the then commerce minister, Pranab Babu. N.K. Singh, then a deputy secretary, would also come. Arjun knew the tricks that modellers play. He was all for the basket of currencies to float the rupee and regularise excess capacity, and was building up the case for later reform including the matter of minimum scale. He was our industrial conscience in those days. He was also the first one among us to wear safari suits. When a member of the lunch adda nonchalantly asked why he was wearing a blouse, he got some choice abuse in return.
more at msn
Of 193 nations, Indians have visa-free access to only 50
Bollywood and curry might have no constraints when it comes to crossing international borders, but Indians themselves figure way down in the list of people with freedom to travel free of visa restrictions. In latest visa restriction index rankings, United Kingdom topped the list with Britons having visa-free access for up to three days to the largest number of countries — 166.
The UK displaced Denmark, which topped the list in 2008 with access to 157 countries out of a total of 192 countries which were part of the survey. The US has been slipping since the first index was published in 2006, when it ranked at the top along with Finland and Denmark. It slipped to number 3 by 2008 and further down to seventh place in 2010. Out of 193 countries surveyed in 2010, Indians have visa-free access to just 50 countries. In 2008 and 2010, Iraq and Afghanistan figured at the bottom of the list.
more at economictimes
How India can be a superpower? Experts' views
India is fast emerging as the next superpower. That is the thought that transpired at the two-day 37th National Management Convention held at the Oberoi Grand in Kolkata last week.
On the first day of the convention, eminent panelists spoke at length on India, the opportunities that it throws up and challenges that it poses.While Minister of Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath spoke about the infrastructural deficit that plagues India, Unique Identification Database Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani shared his dream of a fully IT-savvy India.Here are some important quotes by personalities, that adorned the event, on how India could become an economic powerhouse.more at rediff
Monday, September 27, 2010
In the News: quiz
Q. What is the world's largest city (by population) that lacks a metro?
A. Jakarta
Q. Which Persian Gulf country has the largest number of Shia Muslims?
A. Saudi Arabia
Q. Susana Villaran, a human-rights activist, looks likely to be elected mayor of which Latin
American capital, marking the first left-wing victory there since 1983?
A. Lima
Q. At the Redneck Fishing Tournament, what implement do contestants use on carp?
A. Baseball Bats
Q. Aspirin is derived from the bark of what sort of tree?
A. Willow
Q. What species of fish did European settlers likely eat at the first Thanksgiving?
A. Eel
Q. When China announced that a few foreign banks would be permitted to invest the yuan they held
offshore in local Chinese banks, which country's central bank was the first to take the offer?
A. Malaysia
Q. What is the world's biggest English-language newspaper, measured by circulation?
A. The Times Of India
Q. How many tweets are posted to Twitter every second?
A. 750
Q. What country did a Romanian far-right politician recently claim was the home country of the
Romanies (Gypsies) expelled by France?
A. India
World Tourism Day 2010 to Celebrate 'Tourism and Biodiversity'
As the world comes together to celebrate 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, UNWTO is happy to announce that the World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations, hosted officially this year by China, will take place under the theme Tourism and Biodiversity (27 September, Guangdong Province). The theme provides a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in the conservation of life on Earth.
Biodiversity is a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth. Intact and healthy ecosystems form the cornerstone of thousands of tourist enterprises and products worldwide, attracting hundreds of millions of tourists each year. As a leading economic activity, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological natural resources. As a key source of income and employment, tourism often provides strong incentives to protect biodiversity. Sustainable tourism can furthermore generate significant revenues for conservation and community development and help to raise awareness of biodiversity issues.
The theme Tourism and Biodiversity is particularly pertinent in 2010. Concerned by the continued loss of biological diversity, the United Nations Assembly declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. The year coincides with the target adopted by governments in 2002, to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss.
more at unwto
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Andhra judge settles 260 cases in a day
It was Judgement day in a very literal sense. And Judge Yesuratnam had every reason to have his cake and eat it too. This junior judge in Venkatagiri in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district settled 260 cases in a single day on Friday, creating a record.
"Even cases of 2008, 2009 and some cases of 2010 were disposed off," said a court official.Judge Yesuratnam has a reputation for not keeping cases pending for long. In fact, since he joined this court four months back, he has settled nearly 600 cases. 157 of the cases on Friday were criminal cases, while 103 were civil disputes. This superfast judge handed out convictions to the accused in 13 cases and dismissed as many of 205 cases for want of evidence.
more at: NDTV
Saturday, September 25, 2010
7 days to go for Games, 7 lessons for India
CORRUPTION WILL CONSUME YOU, DON'T TAKE IT IN YOUR STRIDE
THE FACTS
In 2005, Transparency International said more one out of every two Indians had firsthand experience of paying a bribe or peddling influence to get the job done in a government office. That includes getting a ration card or a marriage certificate or registering an FIR.
In 2009, a survey of Asia's leading economies revealed that Indian bureaucracy was the least efficient and working with Indian babus was a "slow and painful"process.
Last year, India was ranked 84 out 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index. The biggest victim of corruption is the poor. Every year, people who live below the poverty line have to pay more than Rs 9 billion rupees in bribes just to avail of the basic services they are supposed to get for free.
Corruption is creating an underground economy and it's engulfing us all. According to Global Financial Integrity, rampant corruption resulted in an estimated illicit outflow of $125 billion from India between 2000 and 2008.
THE RESULT
We set up commissions to look into allegations of corruption. Nothing happens. Reports by the hundreds of commissions set up in the last 60 years gather dust. Not a single major politician or babu has ever been convicted and the abuse of public money continues unchecked.
The Commonwealth Games were our best chance to prove to ourselves – and the world — that we can handle public money honestly. We blew it. Even before bridges began collapsing, there were rumours CWG money was being squandered. "Ab to baraat aa gayi hai, hamara farz hai hum sab uska swagat karein (The bridegroom's procession has arrived and we must all welcome it)," Union sports minister M S Gill told Parliament during a debate on CWG corruption. Congress president and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi has promised that "those found guilty will be punished after the event". That will be too late. We ignored corruption and it has consumed India's biggest showcase event in decades.
more at : The Times of India
Broadband and education
One of the new technologies ide n tified by policymakers and the general public to be important in the coming decade is broadband (high-speed) internet access. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recently issued a consultation paper on the “National Broadband Plan” (NBP) to initiate a discussion on all the pertinent issues regarding the growth of this segment and has invited comments on it from all stakeholders. Broadband penetration is just 0.74 per cent when compared with teledensity of 52.74 per cent. A need is being felt to identify impediments and create an environment to encourage broadband growth. The net broadband addition per month is just 0.1 to 0.2 million in contrast to approximately 18 million mobile connections per month.
Even though 70 per cent of Indian population lives in rural areas, broadband facility is limited to metro and major cities. This is not very healthy situation for a growing economy like India and there is need for an urgent focus on creation of robust national infrastructure scalable to cater to future requirements not only in urban areas but also in villages. Availability of broadband is critical for development of rural areas. Out of the 9 million broadband subscribers at the end of April 2010, just 5 per cent are in rural areas. The low broadband penetration in rural areas is attributed to non-availability of transmission media connectivity up to the village level. For making all villages broadband-enabled, an option being explored is taking optic fibre to 375,552 villages having population of 500 or more. Such a network would require laying of about 12 billion kilometres of optic fibre at a cost of about Rs 23,900 crore. The consultation paper suggests that funding of such project could be considered from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for non-skilled work and from Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) for material and equipment cost.
more at mydigitalfc
World’s shortest teenager to promote tourism in Nepal
The government has appointed Khagendra Thapamagar, quite possibly the tiniest human on the planet, as goodwill ambassador to promote tourism in Nepal to boost the sector still reeling under the impact of a decade- long Maoists-led insurgency which came to an end in 2006.17-year old Thapamagar, who is the tiniest teenager in the world, measuring 22 inch, will head to London on October 11 to be officially conferred the title of the shortest man in the world by Guinness World Records."We expect Khagendra to promote tourism by taking part in various promotional activities to be launched by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) abroad," said Prachanda Man Shrestha, the CEO of NTB.Khagendra, who will turn 18 on October 14, will be formally conferred the title of the shortest man in the world.
more at geo
Calling off the Games was never on CGF agenda
CGF President Mike Fennell on Saturday said that everyone in the Commonwealth Games management has to share the blame for the lack of preparations ahead of the Delhi edition but hoped that they would overcome the problems in the next eight days for the successful conduct of the event. Addressing a press conference a day after visiting the Games Village, Fennell said "considerable work has been done but still some more remains to be done." But despite the controversy-marred build-up, Fennell asserted that calling off the Games "was never" on Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) agenda. However, Fennell conceded that a lot of damage has been done to India's image. Flanked by embattled Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Fennell said both India and the Commonwealth can learn a lesson from the shortcomings in organising the 19th edition of the Games scheduled October 3 to 14. "The massive work that is being done now ought to have been done earlier," said Fennell. "We all have to share the blame and responsibility. In any Games, there are a number of stakeholders, overall we have to ensure that we do everything to conduct the Games. "Other Games have had problems and I believe that here also the problems would be sorted. A number of issues should have been and could have been avoided and that necessary corrective steps should be taken in good time," he added.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Over 75% SIMs in Mumbai bought using fake IDs
With the Games barely a week away, security has been spruced up not just in Delhi but all metros. In the midst of this, a survey by the Mumbai Police has found astonishing figures showing a clear rise in the number of prepaid SIM cards given using fake ID proof. In fact, the state government has stepped in to clean up the mess.
Recently, a terror e-mail was sent by the Indian Mujahideen using a mobile connection procured fraudulently. And it may take a while before the police zero in on the sender of the mail.But what’s worrying the Mumbai Police even more is the astonishing rise in the usage of prepaid SIM cards using fake id proofs.more at ibnlive
India's first Super Hercules plane readies for maiden flight
The first of India's six C-130J Super Hercules airlifters, considered the world's most advanced transport aircraft, is being prepared for its maiden flight early next month.
The first C-130J that donned Indian Air Force (IAF) colours in June ran its engines for the first time Tuesday, its manufacturer Lockheed Martin said, releasing an image of the plane at its Marietta plant in Georgia.
Purchased from the US in a $1 billion deal, India's six stretched-fuselage C-130J-30s would provide the Indian Army and Indian Air Force "new special operations capabilities using the world's most advanced airlifter", according to Lockheed.
Equipped with India-unique operational equipment, including an infrared detection set (IDS), the aircraft for the first time will provide the IAF an ability to conduct precision low-level flying operations, airdrops and landings in blackout conditions.
more at:ndtv
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Delhi given 48 hours to improve Games
THE organisers of the Delhi Commonwealth Games have been given 48 hours to bring venues and facilities up to scratch and allay athletes' safety fears.
Threats of mass walkouts grew louder after the roofing of the wrestling arena collapsed and serious questions were raised about the structural integrity of the stadiums.
The chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Mike Fennell, is flying into New Delhi for an emergency meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to try to resolve the safety issues now threatening to derail the $3.17 billion Games, which are just 10 days away.
more at: news
From a dark mine to a glaring spotlight
The 33 men who have been trapped in a Chilean mine for the past six weeks are preparing for a new odyssey: confronting sudden celebrity.
With three holes being carved into the mountainside, rescuers are increasingly optimistic that the miners will be freed in a month in what is expected to be a highly publicized event. After weeks of isolation, officials say, the men will soon be mobbed by the media, courted by Hollywood and stalked by paparazzi.
more at washingtonpost
History of Ayodhya Dispute
The decades long Ayodhya dispute revolves around the claim over the land in Ayodhya, which is considered scared by Hindus as it is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram while Muslims seek to defend the Babri Masji at the site.
Hindus believe that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. The is considered scared and befitting the profile of a holy pilgrimage spot.
more at oneindia
Mercury- Environmental Implications And Toxicity
Mercury is the only liquid state metal, which finds very wide commercial application in industries, electrical appliances, mercurial catalysts, healthcare sector for extensive , seed treatment, laboratory reagents etc. Because of extensive use in thermometers, sphygmomanometers, dental amalgams, agriculture for seed treatment, as laboratory reagents etc. Because of extensive commercial use, the mercury consumption in the country is quite high. The Mercury Cell process based Chlor-alkali industries are one of the major users and thus prime source of mercury release to the environment along with the coal-fired thermal power plants, plastic industries, pulp and paper industries, discarded medical instruments, used electrical appliance, electronic waste, certain pharmaceuticals and agricultural products.
more at indiacurrentaffairs
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Bulk SMS, MMS banned ahead of Ayodhya verdict
The Centre on Wednesday banned all bulk SMS and MMS across India for next 72 hours with immediate effect in view of the impending verdict on Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suits by the Special Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, scheduled for Friday.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, has directed all mobile telecom services providers to ban all bulk SMS and MMS service across India till Saturday, which could be extended further if the need arises.more at hinduAmeerpet houses hundreds of IT institutes and over one lakh students
If the profusion of billboards in this small pocket of Hyderabad had been neon-lit, Ameerpet would have looked like a mini Las Vegas. For Sudha Rani, this three-square-km neighbourhood that packs in hundreds of IT institutes and over one lakh students, signifies a last-ditch attempt to start a software career. The 24-year-old has an MCA degree from Andhra Pradesh’s Kakatiya University, but that wasn’t good enough to win her a job. Back home in Warangal, her mother and two sisters are desperately hoping she will get a break. That’s why Sudha has landed in Ameerpet.
Students come here to learn a host of software programmes at a fraction of the cost they would pay to study at a reputed institute. “My whole class is learning Java, so I am doing it too,” says Sudha, adding, in halting, broken English: “What to do? College did not teach anything. I just want a job, any job. But should be IT.”Ameerpet picked up on the desperation of thousands of students like Sudha when, almost a decade ago, it morphed from a quiet, residential neighbourhood into a renegade IT hub. Every crumbling building here seems to be crammed with institutes offering courses in SAP, Java, Oracle, C, C++ and a host of others. The training institutes range from a hole-in-the-wall place to large sheds converted into classrooms that pack in a few hundred students. There is at least one new institute springing up every day, but most are low on credibility and use unauthorised software.more at economictimes
Nano to be 2nd top selling car in 2011: JD Power
Nano, the small car from the Tatas, is projected to become India's second best selling car next year, according to market research firm JD Power.
According to a report by JD Power, Nano will replace Hyundai's i10, which is slated to take the second position in 2010 after Maruti Suzuki's Alto . Tata Motor's Indica will be the third best seller this year. "...the Nano is projected to hold the number two spot in 2011 after Tata ramps up production," JD Power Asia Pacific Forecasting Senior Market Analysts Marvin Zhu and Ammar Master said in a joint article."By 2017, we think the top three models will be the Alto, Nano and Maruti Suzuki Wagon R," it said.Currently Alto is the highest selling car brand in the country, selling on an average of 25,000 units every month.
more on rediff
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Volkswagen spends Rs 6cr on 'talking newspaper': Sources
A talking newspaper woke up 25 lakh readers of The Times of India and The Hindu across metros on Tuesday. We're talking about Volkswagen's latest media innovation for its luxury sedan, the Vento. Sources told CNBC-TV18’s Animesh Das and Sweta Sriram that the company has spent close to Rs 6 crore on the exercise.
Volkswagen has done it again. The German automaker, which has been making a lot of media noise since October 2009, has managed to get everyone talking with this new campaign. 25 lakh readers across five cities were either fascinated or taken aback this morning, when their newspaper spoke to them, telling them about the Vento.
more at moneycontrol
India 's urbanisation ranks 34th in Asia: Report
South Korea is the sixth most heavily urbanized country in Asia mainly due to concentration of jobs and social infrastructure in cities, a recent report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said.
The report which was released here yesterday checked 48 Asian-Pacific countries in 2009 showed six countries with more than 80 per cent of their population living in urban areas, with the figure for South Korea hitting 81.5 per cent.more at zeenews
FSL reports for sale!
In a shocking revelation, a scientist at the Forensic Science Laboratory in the city, caught red-handed while accepting bribe from a suspect in a sensational rape case, said the police usually tamper with DNA reports to help mighty culprits to go scot free
It is nothing new that the city police often frame charges against innocents while allowing the actual culprits, usually the rich and mighty, go Scot free, apparently for some benefit. It has been proved time and again what with the Central Zone cops booking an innocent in a rape and double murder case recently.Following the footsteps of their colleagues in Central Zone, the West Zone cops might have booked yet another innocent in the sensational case of sexual assault on an American woman a couple of months ago at Banjara Hills. Unfortunately, their plan was shattered following a sting operation conducted by Hyderabad Journal.more at hydjournalMonday, September 20, 2010
Ayodhya: The Redefining of India
How this dispute over a place of worship has redefined much of India
The Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute has been one
of the biggest influences in the shaping of independent
India. It appears almost unreal to remember that this is, in
legal terms, a mere dispute over the title to a small plot of land in
a nondescript historical town of north India. The land in question,
on which stood a medieval mosque, belongs to the Sunni Wakf
Board, while the Ramananda sect of Ayodhya claims that it is the
site of the birth of the Hindu god Rama, and so it should be given
to them to build a temple. This is not exceptional in India where
many sites are claimed by different religious traditions as their
own, sometimes competing but often coexisting.
In 1949, during the troubled period after Partition when the
Muslim minority of Uttar Pradesh was particularly vulnerable,
idols of Ram and his consort Sita were installed inside the Babri
Masjid. The district collector, who later contested the parliamentary
elections on a Bharatiya Jan Sangh ticket, pointedly refused orders
from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and UP Chief Minister,
G B Pant, to remove the idols from the mosque. He also attached
the Wakf property where the Babri Masjid stood and barred
Muslims from coming within 300 yards of the monument, while
allowing Hindus to enter the mosque and continue their prayers.
This set the stage for the legal battle between the Sunni Wakf
Board which claims it was illegally deprived of the land and
building it owned and those who wanted to make a temple on this
land. It is this legal dispute on which the Lucknow bench of the
Allahabad High Court will deliver a judgment on 24 September
2010, almost 61 years after the idols were smuggled inside the
mosque. Although it is difficult to predict what the verdict will be,
it is fairly obvious that one, or both, parties to the dispute will go
on to the Supreme Court against the high court’s order.
more at EPW
Restricted reach: The Whistle-blower Bill
The Whistle-blower Bill, introduced hastily in the Lok Sabha, has provisions that discourage persons who seek to expose corruption.
ON August 26, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Prithviraj Chavan introduced the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010, or the Whistle-blower Bill, in the Lok Sabha. Soon after, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry uploaded the Bill on its website and invited comments from the public, to be sent latest by September 30, indicating that the Bill is not final and Parliament is open to the idea of amending it in the light of public opinion.more at frontline
India's 10 most valuable companies
The country's top private sector lender, ICICI Bank, made its entry into the list of the top 10 most valuable companies by market capitalisation this week, helped by a sharp rise in banking stocks.
With a market capitalisation (m-cap) of Rs 128,016 crore (Rs 1,280.16 billion), ICICI Bank now features at tenth rank in the list, knocking state-run BHEL out of the prestigious club. It is the eighth most valuable firm in India.During the past week, ICICI Bank added Rs 10,809.4 crore (Rs 108.094 billion) to its m-cap.Analysts said a sharp rise in financial stocks during the past week pushed up the m-cap of most banks."Banks led from the front on optimism that lending will pick up in a fast-growing Indian economy and that they are well capitalised," a broker said.Though the rush for banking stocks helped ICICI Bank make an entry into the top-10 club, its rival, HDFC Bank, is still lagging behind and is ranked at thirteenth, whereas mortgage lender HDFC is seventeenth in terms of market capitalisation.more at rediff
New global lineup lists India as 3rd most powerful nation
Recognising India's growing clout in the world, an official US report on global governance here declared the country the fourth most powerful nation/bloc behind the US, China and the European Union.
The new global power lineup for 2010 compiling the world's most powerful countries/regions recognised India as the third most powerful country behind the US and China, and predicted that its clout as well as that of China and Brazil would further rise by 2025.more at economictimes
Key lessons from the Satyam crisis
Talent executive Ed Cohen was chief learning officer and Priscilla Nelson, global director of people leadership at Satyam Computer Services when its founder, B Ramalinga Raju, confessed to long-standing accounting fraud and was subsequently jailed.
The media focused on the scandal, but how did the company deal with the crisis internally?
Cohen and Nelson have distilled their experience from those tumultuous days into lessons for corporations in a co-authored book Riding the Tiger: Leading Through Learning in Turbulent Times. They discuss some of their key learnings with Business Standard.
more at rediff
Sunday, September 19, 2010
What is the Census? How is it done?
The biggest census ever to be attempted in human history to cover India's 1.2 billion population began on Thursday with President Pratibha Patil being the first to be enumerated in the decennial exercise. The 15th national census exercise, which will see over 25 lakh officials capturing the socio-economic-cultural profile of its citizens, will also seek information for the creation of the National Population Register. Here is all that you need to know about the census...
more at rediff
1000 pregnant women die every day in India
Analysts and several reports have suggested that despite high economic growth, India is falling behind on achieving the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, especially as it tries to provide basic amenities for a large population.
more at rediff
Merry Indian pensioners best prepared - Study
"Young-at-heart" pensioners around the world are living life to the full without considering how they might be cared for when they become ill or infirm in the future, according to a new study.
Across the globe, 72 percent of those aged 65 and above do not consider themselves to be "old" and only 22 percent have put money aside for old age, according to new research that has been released by private health insurance company Bupa.more at sify
Starve. This is Incredible India
What’s it with these economist wizards – that they can see figures and percentages so clearly and yet are blind to human beings. Food rotting in godowns when people go hungry attracts little or no attention. But the slightest suggestion that foodgrains likely to rot are better given away to the poor makes them throw textbooks at you.
@import url("http://stcjp.msn.com/br/csl/css/38742CDE2D315FB67F7A0AF2CBE04B3B/fbutility.css");
Montek Singh Ahluwalia was the very picture of wizardry when he said that free distribution of grains would not be good for food security. The implication is that letting them rot in godowns would ensure food security. We the people cannot comprehend such obfuscating profoundness. That's why we are not wizards and they are.
But who is talking about "free distribution of grains" anyway? The proposition is that free distribution is better than free rotting. To ignore the rotting situation and dwell on the economic philosophy of free distribution as such is not exactly wizardry. It is dodging. It is insensitivity which appears to have become an essential ingredient of governance Indian style.
more at msn
We are engaged: Lara - Hesh
It is official. Tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi and the former Miss Universe 2000 have formally announced their engagement. Mahesh it seems popped the question to Lara in New York during the recent US open.
A very happy Bhupati has tweeted 'So @DuttaLara and me got engaged in NY last week. Its official now...'
more at yahoo
News quiz
Kim Clijsters
1. Turkey has just voted to Introduce a new constitution
2. Tony Blair boasts about his new autobiography that he Wrote every word in longhand
3. Kenyans will be talking a lot more because The price of mobile telephone calls has dropped dramatically
4. Members of the European parliament have condemned France for Its policy of deporting Roma people
5. An Australian schoolteacher decided a kookaburra sitting in an old gum tree can no longer be Gay
6. Kim Clijsters won the US Open tennis championship after Returning to the game after having a child
7. In the past 20 years Bolivia has cut its child mortailty rate by 50%
8. The prime minister of Swaziland has threatened to respond to
protesters by Using sipakatane, repeatedly beating their bare feet
9. UK business secretary Vince Cable has said he will fully privatize Royal Mail
10.The German trade union IG Metall wants a pay rise for its members of 6%
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Mary Kom five-time World Boxing Champion
Before the bout, Kom had said about her opponent - "I never take my opponents easy. On her day anybody can be dangerous. I have beaten her twice before and that gives me a good feeling but I can't really say whether it would be easy or tough."
India’s M. C. Mary Kom today claimed a historic fifth successive World Championship title, beating Steluta Duta of Romania 16-6 in the final here.
more at hindu
Tulsa media erroneously reports San Diego Comic Con Pedobear was 'registered sex offender'
A miscommunication between the Tulsa Police Department in Oklahoma, US and a Tulsa TV reporter has led to a man dressed as "Pedobear" at the San Diego Comic Con being erroneously labeled as a "registered sex offender."
A recent story about police departments warning parents to beware of an Internet joke called "Pedobear" took a dark turn on Tuesday, when a Tulsa television station alerted the public that a "registered sex offender" was dressing up as the mascot, and handing out candy to children at family-friendly events. "A registered sex offender was spotted dressed as a Japanese cartoon character called 'Pedobear'," reported the FOX 23 news broadcast that evening. "That happened in San Diego at a comics conference, at an event that attracts plenty of families."
more at wikinews
HIV virus putting humans at risk for more than 32,000 years
A new study found, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a virus similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been in monkeys for millennia, potentially putting humans at risk for the last 32,000 years and possibly much longer.
more at healthjackal
Italy's Northern League party pushes for full-face veil ban
Italy's populist Northern League party, the main ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has presented to parliament a bill to ban full-face veils, copying the one approved by French lawmakers this week.
The bill "is aimed at enforcing the principle of equality between man and woman that exists in our society," said Marco Reguzzoni, the leader of Northern League lawmakers in the lower house.
It is also aimed at "supporting the French initiative," Reguzzoni added.
The lower house's commission for constitutional affairs has already rejected eight bills on a veil ban because of opposition from centrists politicians.
The bill calls for up to one year of imprisonment and a 30,000 euro (39,000 dollars) fine for those forcing "one or more individuals to mask their face through threats, harassment or any method creating anxiety or fear," Reguzzoni said.
more at expatica
Italy's Northern League party pushes for full-face veil ban
Italy's populist Northern League party, the main ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has presented to parliament a bill to ban full-face veils, copying the one approved by French lawmakers this week.
The bill "is aimed at enforcing the principle of equality between man and woman that exists in our society," said Marco Reguzzoni, the leader of Northern League lawmakers in the lower house.
It is also aimed at "supporting the French initiative," Reguzzoni added.
The lower house's commission for constitutional affairs has already rejected eight bills on a veil ban because of opposition from centrists politicians.
The bill calls for up to one year of imprisonment and a 30,000 euro (39,000 dollars) fine for those forcing "one or more individuals to mask their face through threats, harassment or any method creating anxiety or fear," Reguzzoni said.
more at expatica
Italy's Northern League party pushes for full-face veil ban
Italy's populist Northern League party, the main ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has presented to parliament a bill to ban full-face veils, copying the one approved by French lawmakers this week. The bill "is aimed at enforcing the principle of equality between man and woman that exists in our society," said Marco Reguzzoni, the leader of Northern League lawmakers in the lower house. It is also aimed at "supporting the French initiative," Reguzzoni added. The lower house's commission for constitutional affairs has already rejected eight bills on a veil ban because of opposition from centrists politicians. The bill calls for up to one year of imprisonment and a 30,000 euro (39,000 dollars) fine for those forcing "one or more individuals to mask their face through threats, harassment or any method creating anxiety or fear," Reguzzoni said. more at expatica
Super 30 rated among top innovative schools
According to the U.S. magazine, the effort of Mr. Kumar for the underprivileged students is “incredible” as his help of educational and moral support has facilitated the poor students study almost 16 hours every day and qualify the entrance test of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), known as the toughest test in India.
more at hindu
Friday, September 17, 2010
MANAGING THE MASS MEDIA -Jayati Ghosh
The Italian-born English poet Humbert Wolfe described the press of his day in the following terms:
”You cannot hope to bribe or twist,Thank God! The British journalist.
But seeing what the man will do
Unbribed, there’s no occasion to.”Things have only got worse in this matter in the eighty-odd years since these words were written, and they have probably got worse in many more places. And so the age-old dilemma between freedom of expression – including the essential requirement in democracy to have free and vibrant mass media – and any form of accountability to society and the public at large, has become at once more complex and more urgent.
more at indiacurrentaffairs
Number portability from November 1
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) — which allows mobile subscribers to retain their existing number while changing operators — is on schedule to be rolled out across the country on November 1, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman J.S. Sarma said on Friday.
more at hindu
Indian Army awards Sword of Honour to female cadet
The Indian Army is to name a woman as its best all-round cadet for the first time in its history.
Divya Ajith Kumar, 21, will receive the coveted Sword of Honour on Saturday at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in the southern city of Chennai.
Ms Kumar will command the passing out parade as she receives the accolade from Indian Army chief V K Singh.
She beat nearly 230 other cadets, including 70 female peers, to the prize after 49 weeks of gruelling training.
more at bbc
Most expensive Bollywood costumes
The most expensive - Shahrukh's superhero suit in 'Ra.1' due to release in June 2011 tops the list and has supposedly cost the unit a million dollars - that's Rs. 4.5 crore per costume. And there are 20 such costumes in the film!
While nothing can match that figure, let's take a look at some of the other super-expensive costumes in Bolly-dom!
more at msn
India No. 5 In Real Estate Investment List
India is ranked as the fifth most attractive destination for future real estate investments in a list topped by China, according to a latest report of FCCI and Ernst and Young.
In the list of top nine attractive destination for real estate investments, China is followed by the US, UK and Singapore.
"India ranks fifth on the overall index, as it scores better on the country economy development index and the real estate market index, but fairly low on the regulatory index," the report released here said.
As per the report, there is no single clearance system for approval of investment in real estate sector in India. "In addition, the approval system is not time-bound and take up to two years," it said.
more at businessworld
Woody Allen on Faith, Fortune Tellers and New York
Asked on Tuesday morning if it was appropriate to wish him a happy Jewish New Year, Woody Allen made it clear that such formalities were not necessary. “No, no, no,” he said with a chuckle, seated in an office suite at the Loews Regency hotel. “That’s for your people,” he told this reporter. “I don’t follow it. I wish I could get with it. It would be a big help on those dark nights.”
At 74, Mr. Allen, the prolific filmmaker and emblematic New Yorker, has hardly found religion. But the idea of faith informs his latest movie, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” which Sony Pictures Classics is to release next Wednesday. In the film, as the marriage of a London couple (Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones) unravels, the wife seeks comfort in the supernatural, which has unforeseen consequences on the marriage of her daughter (Naomi Watts) and her husband (Josh Brolin).
more at nytimes
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Nandan Nilekani wins Sir MV memorial award, leaders recall a unique legacy
To the background of classical Carnatic music, a red shawl was wrapped around Nandan Nilekani, chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). He was then garlanded, made to wear a Mysore peta, gifted with a memento, citation and a fruit bowl.
This is how Nilekani was awarded the 12th Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award on Founder’s Day, organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) to mark the birth anniversary of Sir M Visvesvaraya.
more at dnaindia
RIGHT TO EDUCATION A NON STARTER IN ANDHRA PRADESH -Prof. K Nageshwar
The Right to Education Act came into force in the entire country from April 1, this year. But, Andhra Pradesh government seems to be in a state of inertia as far as implementation of several key recommendations of this act. The state education department has to formulate rules in the state for the implementation of this act as per the model rules issued by central government in this regard. The government has to seek the opinion of all sections of society on the draft rules and promulgate the final rules. But, the final rules have not yet been promulgated in the state even weeks after the feedback was sought from the people. People will get a clarity on the implementation of The Right to Education act only after these final rules are notified.
more at indiacurrentaffairs
Judicial accountability
Judicial accountability is the latest passion for public good that drives the legendary father-son lawyer duo of Shashi and Prashant Bhushan, writes VIJAY SIMHA
ASLIM BALDING man with content eyes walks in a little after six one evening, into a basement in Jangpura, New Delhi’s reasonably upmarket colony. There are 40 people already there, mostly college students, squatting on the wooden floor. Watching them, from on the walls, are the greats: Che Guevara, Marlon Brando, Alfred Hitchcock and Federico Fellini. The man with the deliberate eyes, Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer, is whom everyone is waiting for.
more at tehelka
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Amitabh Bachchan wins National Award for Paa, his 3rd
Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan completed a hat-trick winning his third Best Actor award at the 57th National Film Awards. The awards were announced by head of the awards jury Ramesh Sippy this evening.
Bachchan won the award for his role of a child suffering with a rare disorder - progeria - in the film 'Paa'. The actor has won two awards 'Agneepath' and 'Hum'. for Paa also fetched veteran actress Arundhati Nag the award for Best Supporting Actress. Ananya Chaterjee won the Best Actress award for 'Aabo Hawa'. Rituparno Ghosh has been adjudged Best Director.
more at economictimes
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
From Rs 25,000 to Rs 100-crore! The Hidesign story
Sixty-one-year-old Dilip Kapur, founder-president of Hidesign, an international brand, started designing leather bags as a hobby. Soon he converted that hobby into tradecraft.
Today, his business is worth over Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) with 62 exclusive showrooms and a distribution network in 23 countries of over 2,000 stores.
Yet what drives him is creative satisfaction and responsibility to environment than selling more bags and expanding his brand reach.
Having grown up in Auroville from the age of 4, he has lived as one 'very close to nature'. So anything to disturb nature's balance is unpardonable to him. That is why he uses only vegetable dyes for all the products made by Hidesign.
Though he did his Masters and PhD in International Affairs from the prestigious Princeton University, it was designing leather bags and making a success of it that gave him creative satisfaction.
more at rediff
Posterous' Sachin Agarwal: In Search of 'the Easiest Way to Publish Online'
When Sachin Agarwal wanted to publish content online, he found that sites like YouTube and Flickr only took him part of the way. They did their jobs well, but there was no site offering a way to integrate photos, text and video into a single product. From this need came Posterous, which aims to become a destination site for individuals and businesses to publish and broadcast information on the Internet. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Agarwal discusses the inspiration behind his San Francisco-based company and how new technologies -- such as cloud computing -- have enabled its existence.
An edited version of the interview follows.
India Knowledge@Wharton: Let's kick off by talking generally about the idea of sharing content online, whether it is pictures, ideas, videos, audio files and so on. Today, people are sharing content at a rate we haven't seen before and it's only going to increase. What are some of the benefits the world is going to see from this level of sharing? What are some of the things we need to be concerned about?
Sachin Agarwal: Sharing on the web has picked up a lot. A few years ago, the only people that were sharing things online were professional bloggers and [other] people who wanted to actively go out and spend time publishing. Technology has improved to the point where it has become easier to share. Digital media has made it more exciting to share because people actually want to see photos and videos. Sharing becomes really exciting when you can share with your friends and family. I believe that's where people find a lot of value; we want to share photos with those close to us. This is fueling the huge explosion of sharing.
more at wharton
Life lessons from Dr Kalam
It was an unexpected choice, but one that filled the nation with pride and joy.
In the five years since Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam took residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he has been nothing short of inspirational. The man who is synonymous with India's space programme soon became synonymous with India's sense of pride, particularly for its youth.
I love the fact that he is one man you cannot conveniently categorise. After all, how do you slot someone whose favourite pastime includes reading the Bhagvad Gita even though he is a devout Muslim? A remarkable self-made scientist who pens poetry in Tamil and plays the veena in his leisure time? A president who retained his fashionably long locks?
This is what I have learnt from the person I think has been one of India's most interesting leaders in recent times:
more at rediff
How big will 'Robot' really be?
Endhiran or Robot is creating already so many ‘first times’ in the history of Indian cinema. Not only does this Shankar direction bring together Southern superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya, it is also the biggest budget (reportedly 150 crores) film to be made in India. It is also the first time that any Indian film has gone all the way to Machu Pichu in Peru to shoot a song and dance sequence. In fact, Rajini has already compared this sci-fi thriller to Sholay, one of the cult movies that Bollywood can boast of.
To make sure Endhiran clicks with the audience even before the film hits theatres, the filmmakers have ensured that the film comprises of all the winning combinations possible. They have Oscar winning AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty on board and the music of the film has been a hit in India as well as the South-East. Though the global recession affected the earlier producers of the film, Sun Pictures headed by Kalanithi Maran immediately took over the reigns. It now appears like it was a wisely calculated move. In fact, everything seems to have been working great for this movie, with Shah Rukh Khan even parting with the film’s titles Robot that he had first registered with the Red Chillies.
more at ibnlive
Raja terms plea on CBI probe politically motivated
A day after the Supreme Court sought his response to a plea for tracking the progress of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged spectrum scam, Telecom Minister A. Raja on Tuesday termed the move as “politically motivated.”
“No doubt it is politically motivated,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a FICCI event.
more at thehindu
Will these people win KBC?
Kaun Banega Crorepati will be back on your television screens next month, with Amitabh Bachchan as host, and the excitement is steadily increasing.
Over 50 lakh aspiring contestants from all over India have registered for the show. Out of these, 1,233 entries were randomly chosen. Auditions began early this month, after which the short-listed contestants had to appear for a quiz and personality test.
Rajul Hegde spoke to five aspiring candidates, as they waited their turn to audition for the show. Will you see them on the show? Let's wait and watch.
Sarfraz Multhani from Rajkot, Gujarat
Age: 31 years
I have two children -- an eight-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.
I live in a joint family of 15 people. They were all very excited to know that I was coming to Mumbai for the auditions.
I am a pharmacist, working for a government dispensary. Few people at my work were aware that I was coming for the auditions. They have asked me to add their name in the companion list if I get selected and go to the next level. I am still auditioning but the list of people who want to come along has gone up to 50! (chuckles)
I lost my right eye when I was two years old. The doctors told me that it was difficult to get my vision back. There is a chance that I might get it back with new technology so my doctors have advised me to do a check-up once in every 10 years. But I need at least Rs 10 lakh for the operation. So I hope I go to the next level and win some money.
more at rediff
I am not having an affair with Azhar: Jwala Gutta
As a couple, Chetan (Anand) and I shared both happy and sad moments.A good quality in Chetan is his patience and he is very calm even during a crisis. and to tell you the truth, that is what I began to dislike about him too.
Well, things were fine with us for quite some time but Chetan and I, in a few years, realised that we are not made for each other.
We did feel bad about it but as two mature people, we understood that there was no future for us together and after discussing it time and again, we decided to separate.
more at midday
Monday, September 13, 2010
The 55 Best Comedies Available to Watch Instantly on Netflix
The Netflix Watch Instantly feature is amazing. Whether on your computer, phone, iPad or TV, it allows you to watch thousands upon thousands of movies, TV shows and specials whenever you want for a very cheap monthly fee.
The problem? The selection is hit-and-miss, to put it mildly. For every classic Richard Pryor standup special, there are a half-dozen specials by Carlos Mencia. For every Throw Mama From the Train there are 10 National Lampoon movies from the 90s.So allow me to make things a little easier. Here are 55 movies, TV shows and standup specials available on Netflix Watch Instantly. Whether or not you’re new to Netflix and trying to fill out your queue or if you’ve had an account forever and just need some new stuff to watch, you should find plenty of stuff you’ve never seen or need to see again.more at splitsiderCorruption: India lost over $125 bn in outflows
Even as India continued to register one of the highest growth rates post-independence, rampant corruption resulted in an estimated illicit out flow of a whooping $125 billion between 2000 and 2008; a research and advocacy organisation has said.
The figures of $125 billion illicit outflow of money from India are part of a report to be released by the Washington-based Global Financial Integrity later this year."Much of the funds flowing out are generated at home within India and then sent illegally abroad. So the growth of corruption and India's underground economy contributes significantly to illicit financial flows from the country," said Karly Curcio, a junior economist at the Global Financial Integrity in a blog posted on its website."India's economic boom continues with an average growth rate of over eight per cent between 2004 and 2009 by GFI calculations," it said.more at rediffThe Future of Social Media in Journalism
The future of social media in journalism will see the death of “social media.” That is, all media as we know it today will become social, and feature a social component to one extent or another. After all, much of the web experience, particularly in the way we consume content, is becoming social and personalized.
But more importantly, these social tools are inspiring readers to become citizen journalists by enabling them to easily publish and share information on a greater scale. The future journalist will be more embedded with the community than ever, and news outlets will build their newsrooms to focus on utilizing the community and enabling its members to be enrolled as correspondents. Bloggers will no longer be just bloggers, but be relied upon as more credible sources. Here are some trends we are noticing, and we would love to hear your thoughts and observations in the comments below.more at mashableDabangg shatters all records with 47 crores
Dabangg is no classic but its box office performance shows that the audience is lapping it up and how. This Salman Khan starrer has created a record of sorts with the figure of 47 crores, which is whopping six crores more than its last contender Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots which collected 41 Crores in the opening weekend.
The movie, about a police inspector’s fight for justice in his own corrupt manner, rides heavily on Salman Khan’s shoulders. Salman Khan has played the lead role of corrupt but good-hearted Chulbul Pandey to such perfection, that he has only received rave reviews even from critics.Though the movie was compared to Salman Khan’s earlier hit, Wanted, Wanted falls really short of comparison, when it comes to box office collections. Dabangg collected 14 plus crores on the first day itself, which was thrice the amount Wanted collected on first day.This kind of a business spells great news for Salman Khan’s career. As trade analyst Amod Mehra likes to put it, “How equations change in our film industry. Till Thursday, it was Aamir, SRK and Akshay in that order. Post Friday the order has changed to Aamir, Salman and SRK.Dabangg, produced by Salman’s brother Arbaaz Khan, is directed by Abhinav Kashyap. Abhinav is film-maker Anurag Kashyap’s brother.more at ibnlive
Seven Important Social Media Trends For The Next Year
Social media changes from month to month. Trends come and go quicker than the seasons change. The latest trendy site could be next year’s Myspace and the hottest new site probably hasn’t even been conceived yet or is at the couple of guys in a garage stage. Having said that there are some trends that I think will continue over the coming year and with that in mind I wanted to share them here. Rather than focusing in on the finer detail I have compiled the list below in broader terms with all the main players represented. All in all it should be an exiting year ahead in social media and these should be seven of the main trends…
more at thenextwebHow mobile number portability will benefit users
Analysts feel that mobile number portability may trigger the next price war amongst telecom operators that would eventually benefit the end customer.
Earlier, the government had postponed the implementation of MNP to October 31 as the operators were not ready with the infrastructure to provide the service.MNP is a service that enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.This was for the third time that the implementation of MNP was postponed in India.more at rediff
Metro Rail moves on corruption
The curse called corruption has not even left the upcoming prestigious Hyderabad Metro Rail Project. An investigation by Hyderabad Journal proves that L&T was certain that it would bag the contract and started the ground works for the project three four before the agreement
In what clearly indicates yet another brazen act of colossal corruption, the proposed Metro Rail Project seems to be a sitting duck of gluttonous political leaders and officials in high offices. Investigation carried out by Hyderabad Journal makes it clear that everything is not well in the Metro rail project deal with Larson and Tubro (L&T).
more at hydjournal
Australian PM's shaven headed, tattooed stepdaughter poses for men's magazine
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's wild child 'stepdaughter' has appeared in a raunchy photoshoot wearing only a bikini and the Australian flag.
The tattooed New York-based stylist Staci Child, 31, who is the daughter of Gillard's partner Tim Mathieson, posed for Zoo Weekly magazine and says her 'first man' father loved the photos.
'I think Julia will think it's a very Australian thing to do,' she added.
moreat:dailymail
10 Start-Ups That Will Change Your Life
Despite co-founding Spotify, a music-streaming service, Swedish-born Daniel Ek loves vinyl records. But don't be fooled. Ek is intent on making music more accessible and mobile, and his iPhone and digital-music library are never far from his side. "People amass more music now than ever, but it's not about ownership. It's about accessibility," he says. "We're not selling tracks; we're selling access."
Spotify is a small downloadable application that allows access to a massive database (8 million tracks and 200 million user-generated playlists so far) of streamable music. Spotify aggregates content from rights holders, and that music is then made available through free, ad-funded or subscription-based downloads. Ek's goal is to give his 500,000 subscribers all the music they want at a nominal fee — $15 a month in the U.K. Some rights holders, like AC/DC, have balked, but services like Pandora have already proved the concept. "It took Facebook at least five years. Before that, everyone said it would never work," Ek says. "It takes time. Now look at Facebook."
more at time
The Rise of Robot
With a budget of Rs 175 crore, it’s the costliest Indian film ever, but the going has not been smooth. Set for release on September 24, will Robot, a sci-fi film, succeed at the box-office? Then again, a Rajinikanth film seldom fails
Endhiran’s music, set to tune by Oscar-winner A R Rahman, was released in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July. No surprises there — South Asia loves Rajinikanth, and if Endhiran (the Hindi version is titled Robot) has to succeed, a lot rests on the southern superstar and his director Shankar. In fact, Malaysia was the only overseas market where one of Shankar’s earlier movies, Jeans, had a 100-day run.
more at indianexpress
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Feeling homesick in Australia? Come to Mumbai Cook
If you are an Indian living in Australia and want to have a feel of being close to home, then all you need to do is to buy a house in one of Melbourne's newest immigrant suburbs - popularly called Mumbai Cook.
Gordon and Julia de Silva live with their young baby in a two-month-old house in Point Cook's Alamanda Estate.
If you are an Indian living in Australia and want to have a feel of being close to home, then all you need to do is to buy a house in one of Melbourne's newest immigrant suburbs - popularly called Mumbai Cook.
Gordon and Julia de Silva live with their young baby in a two-month-old house in Point Cook's Alamanda Estate.
more at: ndtv
Diamond star thrills astronomers
Twinkling in the sky is a diamond star of 10 billion trillion trillion carats, astronomers have discovered.
The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus.
more at bbc
A big challenge for IT employees
An increasing number of IT professionals have been finding it difficult to handle emotional stress, according to experts. An ‘occupational hazard,' the stress related to work needs to be addressed without delay, they emphasise.
“Coping with stress and striving for mental health welfare should be a matter of concern for all and not treated simply as a lifestyle problem of the ‘IT phenomenon',” says Nithya Chandrasekaran, a consultant physician for many IT companies in the city. Post-recession, employees feel pressured to perform well.
more at thehindu
Young will have to change names to escape 'cyber past' warns Google's Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt suggested that young people should be entitled to change their identity to escape their misspent youth, which is now recorded in excruciating detail on social networking sites such as Facebook.
"I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time," Mr Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal.more at telegraph
Kim Clijsters smashes poor Zvonareva for 3rd US Open title
Kim Clijsters today successfully defended her US Open title with a one-sided victory over Russia's Vera Zvonareva in a disappointing final at Flushing Meadows.
Wimbledon runner-up Zvonareva had not dropped a set in reaching her second consecutive Grand Slam final but produced an error-strewn display as Clijsters claimed her third US Open crown with a 6-2 6-1 win in exactly an hour.more at independent
29 cricketers suspected in alleged fixing in IPL2: The Sunday Times
Twenty nine cricketers, including two Australians are suspected to be involved in spot-fixing at last year's Indian Premier League in South Africa, a leading London newspaper claimed on Sunday. According to a secret dossier compiled by the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit, the list includes
related stories some high-profile names but nobody from England or Pakistan, whose players did not take part due to security issues, The Sunday Times claimed.
Mukesh Ambani to be richest man in world in 2014: Forbes
With a net worth of USD 62 billion, Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani would be the richest man on earth in 2014, according to a forecast issued by the prestigious Forbes magazine.
"One of the predictions is that Reliance Industries' chief Ambani, who currently has a net worth of 29 billion dollars, pips the world's richest man Mexican businessman Carlos Slim to top Forbes' rich list in 2014," it said.
Ambani's net worth swells to USD 62 billion while Slim is "hit hard by Mexican political, financial chaos," according to the prediction by Forbes.
53-year-old Ambani currently ranks fourth on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires.
more at zeenews
Saturday, September 11, 2010
OPEC at 50 and the next 50 years
OPEC on Sept. 14 marks 50 years of existence.
In its early years in the 1960s, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries had little price impact.
That changed with the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 and an Arab oil embargo, which oil producers said was in response to the U.S. decision to supply the Israeli military.
For graphic showing Brent oil price history back to 1957, please click r.reuters.com/puv42p
The group's fame was cemented under the charismatic leadership of Saudi Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who was in office from 1962 until his summary dismissal in 1986.
Since then, OPEC's power has ebbed and flowed. The following questions the scope of its future influence.
more at economictimes
Selling becomes sociable
THOSE who cherish privacy will recoil in horror, but for digital exhibitionists it is a dream. At Swipely, a web start-up, users can now publish their purchases. Whenever they swipe their credit or debit card (hence the service’s name), the transaction is listed on the site—to be discussed by other users. “Turn purchases into conversations” is the firm’s mantra.
Swipely is among the latest entrants in the growing field of social commerce. Firms in this market combine e-commerce with social networks and other online group activities. They aim to transform shopping both online and off. Angus Davis, Swipely’s boss, points out that the internet has already disrupted the content industry. Commerce will be next, he says.
more at economist
10 Best Regional Foods in America
The U.S. boasts an array of regional culinary creations that offer insight into the history, climate, and culture of the place. Though there are way too many to list, here are 10 different foods that are sure to whet your appetite, from po-boy sandwiches to key lime pie.
Lobster Roll
Maine
Its origins may be a bit unclear, but there's no denying that Maine and lobster rolls are a match made in seafood heaven—it is the official state sandwich, afterall. New Englanders take pride in the hefty chunks of chilled cooked lobster meat lightly tossed with mayonnaise and served on a toasted hot dog bun. Though there are many twists on the recipe, including warm butter in place of the mayo or the addition of celery and a plethora of spices, true purists prefer their lobster rolls to be pretty bare bones.
Visitors can find this extravagant, yet humble, sandwich served at almost every restaurant in Maine, but there are a few places that bring it to new heights, including Shaw's Fish & Lobster Wharf in New Harbor, Bagaduce Lunch in Brooksville, and Waterman's Beach Lobster in South Thomaston, among many others.
more at yahoo
Over five mn participate in 'KBC 4' auditions
The craze for 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' is still alive and wide - over five million people participated in the first phase of auditions of "KBC 4".
The registration process was opened on 1st September by megastar and host Amitabh Bachchan on Sony Entertainment Television.
Already, 1,233 registrations have been shortlisted from auditions held in six cities - Lucknow, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, said a Sony press statement.
more at ibnlive
WHITHER ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN ANDHRA PRADESH -Prof. K Nageshwar
Over 45,000 candidates did not turn up for verification of certificates so that they can be considered for engineering counseling . This accounts for nearly 31.60 percent of the total qualified candidates in the engineering stream of the EAMCET examination. This is despite the fees reimbursement facility extended by the state government . The number of reluctant candidates is very huge. The peculiar situation is that there are less number of candidates compared to the total number of seats available in the engineering colleges of Andhra Pradesh.
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