Be careful what you tweet

Disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner is not alone. One in three Americans say they have tweeted or posted something online that they later regretted.

The number rises to 54 per cent for people under 25 years old, and owners of smartphones are more than twice as likely to post something they wish they had not, according to a new poll.

"The information people post to sites like Twitter and Facebook can easily go on to have a life of its own," said Jennifer Jacobson, a social media analyst at Retrevo.com, a consumer electronics review and shopping site, which commissioned the poll.

"You don't always know who's following you and just about anyone can take a screenshot of your post, save it, and share it with the world."

Weiner resigned on Thursday after admitting he had sent lewd photos of himself to women online. He is the third member of the Congress this year to step down over a sex scandal.

The survey of 1,000 people showed that regret postings are up slightly from a year ago. Three per cent of respondents said a tweet or post had ruined their marriage or relationship, while six per cent said it had caused problems at home or work.

Jacobson said the survey underscores the dangers of social media among people who feel they want to be connected all the time. While some problematic postings can be removed or repaired, some people find damage control challenging, if not impossible.

As smartphones and other mobile gadgets become more available, the desire to share may also increase.

"Maybe the filter that you shouldn't share something becomes numb," said Jacobson.

Fifteen per cent of people with so-called poster's remorse said problems arose from their postings, but they were able to remove them, while 11 per cent had no problems.

Smartphone users, with iPhones especially, tend to be more trigger-happy than others, and are 26 per cent more likely to post something they regret, the study showed.

About 51 per cent of iPhone owners have posted something they regretted, followed by 43 per cent of Android owners, and 45 per cent of BlackBerry users.

'Sexting' US lawmaker Weiner resigns

'Sexting' US lawmaker Weiner resigns




US congressman Anthony Weiner announced his resignation at a New York press conference on Thursday, after being embroiled for weeks in a sex scandal linked to his lewd online exchanges with women.

"I hoped to be able to continue the work that the citizens of my district elected me to do, to fight for the middle class and those struggling to make it," the lawmaker told throngs of reporters at a senior citizen center in Brooklyn.

"Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible, so today I'm announcing my resignation from Congress," he said.

DC Debate: Government answerable to people

DC Debate: Government answerable to people




The Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), of which Mohan Dharia is chairman, has said in a note to the government that ‘the time has come for the political wing of society to state categorically and unambiguously that they are answerable to the people through Parliament and state legislatures.’ Else, the day may not be far when a ‘non-political oligarchy will come to assume dictatorship.’

Dharia is a well-known Pune-based social and environment activist of socialist pedigree with a life-long reputation for probity in public life. He has been Union minister and Planning Commission deputy chairman. Along with Chandra Shekhar (later Prime Minister), Dharia spearheaded the Young Turk movement from within the Congress when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.

In CNRI’s view, ‘certain sections of civil society are spreading a wrong message, (that) they are superior to the political wing of society.’

The CNRI appears especially conscious that what it calls the political wing derives its strength from the people’s mandate ‘election after election’ and these polls are conducted by an Election Commission that is thought to be among the most impartial in the world.

The note of June 3, 2011 is a clear intervention in the discussions initiated by the Anna Hazare group on the issue of corruption and the proposed Lokpal Bill. It was addressed to Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee who chairs the drafting committee for the legislation comprising government ministers and Hazare’s representatives.

Coincidentally, the note was sent at a time when the so-called ‘Baba’ Ramdev movement against black money was building up to a crescendo. It was signed by L.V. Saptharishi, the honorary co-chairman of CNRI.

On account of ‘serious corruption charges pending against some members of the political wing in power,’ some civil society members have initiated a movement that ‘questions the raison d’etre of the political authority in force within the framework of our Constitution.’

The purpose of the note, says the CNRI communication, ‘is to warn and caution all sections of society to beware the machinations of some sections of civil society which have come forward to play the role of the Messiah, pretending that they have the full representative authority to speak on behalf of the entire people of the country while they have their own skeletons in the cupboard to hide, and none of them in the biblical sense is so innocent that no stone should be hurled at them.’

It also warns that ‘it is afraid that the dimensions of the anti-corruption movement launched by some sections carry the seeds of destroying the very structure of the Constitution of India.’

They arrogate to themselves the role of ‘the victim, prosecutor and judge.’

In sharp tones, the CNRI notes that a section of civil society ‘is determined to usurp the powers of the government and dictate terms as to how the political discourse of the nation should be conducted beyond the framework of political democracy.’

Inflation breaches 9 % mark in May

Inflation breaches 9 % mark in May




NEW DELHI: In line with the Reserve Bank's projection on price rise for the current fiscal, headline inflation resumed its northward march to breach the 9-per cent mark in May even as the government expressed concern and indicated that appropriate steps would be taken in the coming months to contain the inflationary spiral.

The official data on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) released here on Tuesday showed that headline inflation surged to 9.06 per cent in May from 8.66 per cent in April and the main drivers of the price spiral were food and non-food items such as fruits, milk, petrol and manufactured goods which turned costlier.

In its monetary policy announcement for 2011-12 on May 3, the RBI had forecast overall inflation hovering at an average of 9 per cent during the first half of the fiscal year before moderating to about 6 per cent (with an upward bias) by March, 2012. With the apex bank's projection coming true in May itself, another round of hikes in key policy rates as part of its mid-quarterly review on June 16 is being seen as almost certain.

Commenting on the WPI inflation numbers for May, a concerned Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said: “We would keep a close watch on [the] developments, both domestic as well as international, in the coming months and make appropriate adjustments as we go along.”

Even as one segment of the ‘appropriate adjustments' is feared to be the rate increase in repo (short-term lending) and the automatic hike in reverse repo (short-term borrowing) by the same margin, Mr. Mukherjee sought to draw some comfort from the fact that, except core inflation, food and primary inflation has declined and the latest numbers are lower than the 10.48 per cent recorded in May, 2010.

“... the picture [inflation data] for the latest month is however mixed ... Other than fruits, inflation is moderating in all food items… core inflation [other than food, fuel and power] continues to harden... this poses some concerns which will have to be addressed,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

However, any action by the RBI — even by way of a 25 basis point hike in the repo rate — is likely to ruffle the industry associations as its hawkish monetary stance to tame inflation seems to have already impacted industrial growth which slumped to 6.3 per cent (under the new series with 2004-05 as base) in April this year from 13.1 per cent during the same month of 2010.

Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C. Rangarajan feels that the apex bank's priority should be to rein in inflation. “I think the inflation numbers are in a sense upsetting ... We need to address the issue of inflation even more strongly. We need to use more monetary and fiscal policy to contain inflation…I think the RBI will probably look at the inflation issue more seriously and will take some action... [it] will probably decide to do in the context of the high level of inflation,” he said.

Though disturbing, the inflationary surge in May was not a surprise. For one, the increase of over Rs.5 a litre in petrol prices during the middle of May has had a discernible impact and is reflected in the data with its prices going up by 27.31 per cent on a yearly basis.

Apart from this, other manufactured goods such as cotton textiles and certain food items like fruits, milk, eggs, meat and fish turned costlier during the month.

Meanwhile, headline inflation for March has been revised up to 9.68 per cent from the provisional estimate of 9.04 per cent.

Eyjafjallajökull ashes to affect lunar eclipse

Eyjafjallajökull ashes to affect lunar eclipse




On Wednesday, at around midnight, places across India will witness one of the darkest lunar eclipses in nearly 100 years.

The darkness is due to the ashes thrown into the Earth’s atmosphere by the recent eruption of the volcano Grimsvotn in Iceland, along with dust and ashes from last year’s volcanic eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, also in Iceland, according to astronomy experts.

H.R. Madhusudan, scientific officer, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru, explains, “The dust and ash particles from the volcano in the earth’s atmosphere will absorb the light from the sun and prevent it from reaching the moon. The intensity of the darkness will depend on the size of the particles. Since it is a total lunar eclipse this time, the Sun, Earth and Moon will be in one line, with the Earth in the centre.”

A total lunar eclipse that occurred on December 9, 1992 was also exceptionally dark because on June 15 that year, Mt. Pinatubo check date — google search shows eruption in 1991 in the Philippines erupted for about nine hours during which it discharged something like 15 million tons of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, said Aravind Paranjpye of the of the Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune.

He said the darkness of the eclipse can help scientists understand and quantify the amount of dust thrown into the atmosphere by the volcanoes.

Disappearance and Reappearance of the moon

Bengaluru - 11:42 pm(June 15) 1:06 am(June 16)

Mumbai - 11:26 pm 12:58 am

Kolkata - 12:08 am 1:36 am

Delhi - 11:42 pm 1:08 am

Hyderabad - 11:41 pm 1:12 am

Eclipses in the year

Jan 4: Partial solar eclipse

June 1: Partial solar eclipse

June 15: Total lunar eclipse

July 1: Partial solar eclipse

November 25: Partial solar eclipse

December 10: Total lunar eclipse

‘Better safe than sorry’

Several beliefs exist on the inauspicious characteristic of the total lunar eclipse or the full moon. Studies have indicated that it affects the mind during this time, stated astrologer S.K. Jain.

“Despite several studies suggesting caution at the time of such an eclipse, the effects of it are still to be fully understood”, he said.

“Police have also said that they scale up vigilance during such nights as people are prone to accidents. Natural calamities such as earthquake, volcanoes, and tsunamis are proven to occur during this time,” added Mr Jain.

Sensex shed 35 pts in opening trade on fears of rate hike

Sensex shed 35 pts in opening trade on fears of rate hike




The BSE benchmark Sensex fell by over 35 points in opening trade today as foreign funds and retail investors offloaded positions ahead of tomorrow's RBI credit policy review amid high inflation.

The 30-share barometer, which gained 42.63 points in yesterday's volatile session, fell by 35.96 points to 18,272.70 in the first few minutes of trade today.

Stocks of banking, realty and IT companies were under pressure, dragging the Sensex down.

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index slid by 12.10 points to 5,488.40.

Market experts said the trading sentiment turned somewhat bearish on fears that the Reserve Bank of India may announce a hike in interest rates to curb rising inflation, which climbed to 9.06 per cent in May from 8.66 per cent in April.

In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was trading 0.12 per cent lower, but Japan's Nikkei moved up by 0.44 per cent this morning. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.03 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.

Bhupathi and Paes lose doubles' final at Queen's

Bhupathi and Paes lose doubles' final at Queen's




Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes were denied a first doubles title at Queen's as the Indian duo were beaten 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 10-6 by top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday.

Bhupathi and Paes were defeated by the Bryan brothers in the Australian Open final in January and once again they came up short against the world's number one ranked pair.

Third seeds Bhupathi and Paes had beaten French Open champions Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the semi-finals of this Wimbledon warm-up event and they had a good chance to win the final as well.

After taking the first set in a tense tie-break, Bhupathi and Paes were on course for victory when they broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set.

But the Bryans, three-time champions at Queen's, broke back to force another tie-break and this time they took it to level the match before coming out on top in the super tie-break.

Dalai Lama formally relinquishes political powers

Dalai Lama formally relinquishes political powers




Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has devolved his 'formal authority' to the elected leadership of the Tibetan exiles, an official said here on Monday.

But he clarified that the Dalai Lama would stay committed to the cause of Tibet and will continue to be the spiritual head of the Tibetans.

"Whatever amendments we (Tibetan parliament) have made in the charter, have been approved by His Holiness. He gave his approval yesterday (Sunday). Now, Dalai Lama's administrative and political powers are vested with the democratically elected leaders," Tenzin Norbu, a spokesperson for the parliamentary secretariat said.

The parliament-in-exile Sunday presented the amendments to the Dalai Lama for his ratification. After giving his approval, the Dalai Lama vested the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and its elected leadership with the powers and responsibilities formerly held jointly by him and the CTA.

During the additional three-day session of parliament that ended on May 28 (Saturday), it approved a new preamble and inherent rights and responsibilities to be assigned to the Dalai Lama under Article 1 of the charter.

As per the amended charter, the powers earlier vested with the Nobel laureate as head of the executive under Article 19 have been delegated to the Kalon Tripa or the prime minister.

Accordingly, the Kalon Tripa is empowered to approve and promulgate bills and regulations passed by parliament.

Other responsibilities have been devolved to parliament and the judiciary.

Another landmark amendment made to the charter is the annulment of Council of Regency enshrined in Articles 31 to 35, whose provisions earlier empowered the council to assume the Dalai Lama's role in circumstances when the latter is not acting as head of the state.

Parliament has also approved that the title of "Tibetan government-in-exile" be changed to "Tibetan administration".

Under the new charter, the Dalai Lama's duties will include providing advice and encouragement with respect to the protection and promotion of the physical, spiritual, ethical and cultural wellbeing of the Tibetan people and remaining engaged in the efforts to reach a satisfactory solution to the Tibetan issue.

He will provide suggestions to the assembly of Tibetan people's deputies and Kashag (cabinet), including the community and its institutions in exile, at his own initiative or at the request of those bodies.

The spiritual leader will continue to meet world leaders and other important individuals and organisations to speak on behalf of the Tibetan people as well as designate representatives and special envoys appointed by the cabinet to serve the interests of the Tibetan people in any part of the world.

"The new duties are not binding on the Dalai Lama," says an official statement of the CTA.

"The parliament successfully carried out the democratic reforms... On the one hand we feel sad with the change, but our sadness is far outweighed by the happy feeling that the Dalai Lama's visions to fully democratise the Tibetan polity have been realised," Speaker Penpa Tsering said in his closing remarks at the additional session of the parliament-in-exile.

The 75-year-old Dalai Lama, the global face of the Tibetan exile movement, shocked many Tibetans March 10 by announcing that he would hand over power to the elected leadership.

It was half a century ago that the Dalai Lama, whom China brands a separatist, fled Tibet after an anti-Communist revolt in 1959. He has since headed the Tibetan administration here, which is not recognised by any country.

Around 100,000 Tibetans live in exile in India.

Justice for Dey: Mumbai scribes begin fast

Justice for Dey: Mumbai scribes begin fast



Journalists Associations here today began their relay hunger strike to press for a CBI probe into the murder of senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey.

On Monday, mediapersons had taken out a protest march to demand the immediate arrest of the killers.

The Maharashtra government had assured to accept their demand to bring in a law to protect journalists although it refused to hand over the probe to CBI, and said the Mumbai police should be given a fair chance to investigate the case.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had also refused to consider demand for resignation of Home Minister R R Patil and suspension of Mumbai police chief Arup Patnaik.

In order to press for the pending demands, the scribes have decided to continue their agitation by resorting to a relay hunger strike today.

Journalists sat on a chain hunger strike in the compound of Marathi Patrakar Bhavan at Azad Maidan here.

The Patrakar Hall Virodhi Kruti Samiti along with other Associations are also participating in it.

Dey, who headed the crime bureau in Mid-day tabloid, was shot dead by four unidentified gunmen at Hiranandani complex in suburban Powai on June 11.

Cong hits back at Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, BJP; launches campaign

Cong hits back at Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, BJP; launches campaign




Congress on Sunday hit back at Anna Hazare and Ramdev accusing the civil society of working to undermine democracy backed by BJP, which was using ‘unconstitutional’ methods in the anti-corruption movement.

Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also took on RSS saying it was raising the corruption issue because it had become ‘jittery’ after the Congress accused it of having links with the Malegaon blasts.

Mukherjee while announcing Congress' plans to launch a nationwide anti-corruption campaign took on BJP, saying it was backing Hazare and Ramdev to gain support of people after it was ‘rejected’ in the recent Assembly polls and accused the party of providing ‘logistic support’ to their agitations and resorting to ‘unconstitutional practice’.

"The Constitution has given the power to legislate only to Parliament and the state Assemblies. If 5,000 or 6,000 people dictate from outside what the Parliament ought to do, this will weaken democracy," he told a press conference.

The campaign is seen as a bid by Congress to counter the movement by Hazare and Ramdev.

In hard-hitting remarks targeting BJP, Mukherjee said, "When the parties are rejected by the people and if they want to resort to unconstitutional practice it is totally unacceptable. They are providing logistic support to all those agitations." He however did not name the party.

Mukherjee said the audio-recording of every meeting of the drafting committee was available on the website of the Department of Personnel and "if people are interested, those can be heard from the websites".

"Every word is audio-taped. When required, those may be published together," he said.

"The Congress and its allies have formed governments in three states after the Assembly polls. So, the BJP supported the fast of Anna Hazare. The CPI(M) Politburo took a resolution supporting him. Some political parties also extended support," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee, who released a document in English containing his party's views on the issue, said the Congress was launching an awareness campaign all over the country.

"The documents will be made available in other languages. Debates, discussions and seminars would be organised right from the district to the block levels to put forth our views," he said.

Asked why the government had earlier held talks with Hazare and Ramdev, he said, "We gave them a chance, because if you do not talk to them, you will be accused of arrogance. Now that you have talked, it is said that you are weak."

To a question whether the situation now was similar to the situation that prompted the Centre to impose Emergency in the Seventies, he said, "It is not exactly the same, but there are some similarities ... But I can assure that there will be no repetition of Emergency."

Mukherjee said that the RSS was raising the corruption issue because it had become "jittery" after the Congress accused it of having links with the Malegaon blasts.

Pointing out that corruption had not been an issue during the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, he said, "When political parties are rejected by the people and they want to resort to unconstitutional practices, it is unacceptable."

He said after the Congress performed better in the last Lok Sabha elections compared to the previous one, the BJP decided to stall Parliamentary proceedings over the 2G spectrum scam.

"We wanted the PAC to inquire because it is a permanent JPC headed by the Leader of the Opposition. But (the BJP) kept the Parliamentary proceedings stalled for various durations over the 2G issue. We accepted the JPC stand because we had to have the Budget Session to get Rs 12 lakh crore expenditure approved by the House," he said.

Mukherjee said after the JPC was formed, PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi demanded that he be allowed to investigate the scam. "The legal and constitutional position is that these two committees are now in confrontation."

Pointing out that a demand was now being raised for bringing MPs under the Lokpal for their misconduct in the House, he said Article 105 provided the members immunity from speech and voting.

Stating that the Constitution was supreme in the Indian system, Mukherjee said the Congress was bound to protect it. "The Congress will do just that. We will fight whoever tries to subvert the Constitution."

On the question of black money, the Finance Minister said the UPA-I had enacted the Prevention of Money Laundering Act with provisions for confiscating the property of the offender.

Under UPA-II, Rs 18,750 crore was unearthed in Income Tax searches, Rs 12,000 crore in Income Tax surveys and Rs 33,784 crore in mispricing goods and services. Besides, Rs 22,697 crore was collected due to special attention on cross-border transactions and business deals, he said.

On the demand for declaration of black money stashed abroad as national asset, Mukherjee said even if that was done, the government could do nothing "if the government of a foreign country refuses to part with the money."

Tamil Nadu schools reopen today, but with no textbooks

Tamil Nadu schools reopen today, but with no textbooks





Schools across Tamilnadu would be reopening on Wednesday but without textbooks for students except those in Class I and VI.

The peculiar situation has arisen because of the Supreme Court appointing an expert committee to go into the textbooks prepared under the uniform school system.

The school education minister, Mr C.Ve.Shanmugam, said schools would be reopened as scheduled and classes would be conducted using the 'child centered bridge courses’ introduced by the government.

M. Shanmugam assured that free textbooks would be distributed on the completion of the new module. he asked the school managements not to create confusion and urged them to teach students using bridge courses.

Mr Shanmugam also appealed to the students and parents not to be worried about the situation since the government of Ms Jayalalithaa was committed to provide quality education to students.

He said the new courses would help the students to think on their own instead of merely memorising things. Sources said the uniform education system would come into force this year itself in all classes.

Matriculation school managements also have to wait for the textbooks to be approved by the expert panel and the court.

“Fundamentals in science, mathematics and language could be taught till the HC passes a final order,” said Mr N. Vijayan, correspondent of Zion matriculation higher secondary school, Selaiyur and member of the uniform schooling board.

Another matriculation school administrator said that they had already procured old syllabi textbooks and students.

But this kind of extended holiday will affect studies. It would be difficult to teach all lessons within this academic year.

Sitaram Yechury’s words inspire CPI

Sitaram Yechury’s words inspire CPI




The CPI (M) politburo member, Mr Sitaram Yechury’s candid words on reunification of the Communist parties have struck a chord with the CPI.

The central secretariat member, Mr Atul Kumar Anjaan, told Deccan Chronicle over phone from New Delhi that he believed Mr Yechury’s comments reflected the inner party deliberations at the just concluded central committee meeting of the CPI (M) in Hyderabad.

Mr Yechury told the media the other day that cooperation was already on at the grassroots level between class and mass organisations of the two parties, which he hoped would eventually lead to the merger, though a time-frame could not be set now.

The CPI leader, however, drew a distinction between merger and reunification. Mergers led to demergers and disintegration, as it happened with the post-Emergency Janata Party, which merged to form a ministry and splintered soon after.

What’s needed was the reunification of the Communist movement, encompassing the broad spectrum of the Left in India, he said.

It is the humiliating defeat of the Left in West Bengal and the face-saver in Kerala that has forced the Left ideologues to think in terms of reunification.

The Left being out of power in the two major States and no more linked up with Congress presents an opportunity for an all-out political offensive.

CPI-CPM merger on the cards

CPI-CPM merger on the cards




June 13: The CPM politburo member, Mr Sitaram Yechury, on Monday dropped indications of a possible merger of his party and the CPI. The senior CPM leader, however, said that the process would take some time.

Both the parties want to take up the unification programme from the grassroots level, rather than from the top. He was participating in a “meet the press” programme organised by the AP Union of Working Journalists here. Mr Yechury said that though the merger of the two major Left parties was desirable, they had to follow certain procedures before the unification. “One way of doing it is through the unification of various mass organisations and joint activities at the lower level, which will percolate to the top,” he said.

Talks fail, strike at Maruti's Manesar plant continues

Talks fail, strike at Maruti's Manesar plant continues



The strike at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant continued for the 10th day on Monday as talks between the workers and management brokered by Haryana government failed to reach a solution.

“The core issue was broadly MSI's unwillingness to compromise on having a non-affiliated internal union," Managing Executive Officer (Administration) SY Siddiqui said.

He also said while the company is flexible for other demands, "dismissal of 11 people stands as it is and the way forward, we are open for further talks".

"The government was appreciative of MSI's offer to the striking workers and the considerate way in which the company had approached the issue," he added.

Haryana Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shiv Charan Lal Sharma along with state Labour Commissioner Satwanti Ahlawat led the negotiations.

A worker, who asked not to be identified, said: "We will continue the strike till all our demands are met".

Already the state government has banned the strike, which has so far resulted in production loss of 9,000 units at an estimated value of around Rs 450 crore.

Around 2,000 workers at the plant have been on strike since June 4, resulting in a loss of about Rs 390 crore for the company on account of a 7,800-unit hit in output till Saturday.

The factory had its weekly off on Sunday.

The striking workers are demanding the recognition of a new union – Maruti Suzuki Employees Union – formed by those working at the Manesar plant, among other things.

Cracking the whip, the company fired 11 workers last week for allegedly inciting others to go on strike.

On Sunday, however, the company said it is willing to recognise the new union – the main demand of the workers.

The workers also said they are willing to end the stir provided all 11 of their sacked colleagues are reinstated.

The All-India Trade Union Congress, which is leading the agitation along with other unions such as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said workers in the region will hold a two-hour tool-down strike on Tuesday in support of the strike.

The Manesar plant rolls out about 1,200 units every day in two shifts.

The factory produces hatchbacks Swift and A-Star and sedans DZiRE and SX4.

MSI scrips closed the day on the BSE at Rs 1,227.60 per share, down 0.17 per cent from the previus close.

Bhupathi and Paes lose doubles' final at Queen's

Bhupathi and Paes lose doubles' final at Queen's



Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes were denied a first doubles title at Queen's as the Indian duo were beaten 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 10-6 by top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday.

Bhupathi and Paes were defeated by the Bryan brothers in the Australian Open final in January and once again they came up short against the world's number one ranked pair.

Third seeds Bhupathi and Paes had beaten French Open champions Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the semi-finals of this Wimbledon warm-up event and they had a good chance to win the final as well.

After taking the first set in a tense tie-break, Bhupathi and Paes were on course for victory when they broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set.

But the Bryans, three-time champions at Queen's, broke back to force another tie-break and this time they took it to level the match before coming out on top in the super tie-break.

Travel misery as ash grounds Australia flights

Travel misery as ash grounds Australia flights




Tens of thousands of travellers were stranded on Monday after ash from Chile's volcanic eruptions prompted Australian airlines to ground some domestic and international services.

Strong winds have carried the ash more than half way around the world, over the southern Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans to Australia and as far as New Zealand since Chile's Puyehue volcano erupted more than a week ago.

Qantas said all flights in and out of the southern island of Tasmania and to New Zealand remained grounded on Monday, but it lifted a ban on flights to and from the southern Australian city of Melbourne.

The ash has already forced the cancellation of several international flights from airports in Argentina and Uruguay, and Qantas said three international services to Buenos Aires and Los Angeles were also halted.

A total of 110 Qantas flights were cancelled on Sunday and Monday, delaying at least 20,000 travellers while as many as 25,000 more passengers have been disrupted by Qantas's offshoot Jetstar suspending some flights.

The airlines said it would take several days to work through the backlog, but it was too soon to say how long the ash would linger over Australia.

"It's down to our safety standards. Our Qantas group policy is that if there is any sign of ash cloud around we won't operate," airline spokeswoman Olivia Wirth told state broadcaster ABC.

Aviation authorities and airlines are closely monitoring the plume, with Virgin Australia saying Monday it believed it was safe to fly to Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand, adding its planes would fly around or under the ash.

When Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano erupted last year, its vast ash cloud grounded more than 100,000 planes as authorities in Europe fretted over potential damage from the razor-sharp ash particles to jet engines.

But there are no official or industry-wide standards regarding volcanic ash and many European airlines, suffering hefty losses and grappling with millions of stranded passengers, were angered at their governments' caution.

In New Zealand, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the cloud now covered most of the country and was likely to remain for the next 24 hours.

Spokesman Bill Sommer said the authority believed it was safe to fly under the cloud, but the decision on whether to fly rested with individual airlines.

Air New Zealand said it had operated 473 flights on Sunday, carrying more than 26,500 passengers around the country and across the Tasman, after making changes to flight paths and cruising altitudes ‘to completely avoid the ash’.

"It would have been far easier to simply cancel flights," chief pilot Captain David Morgan said.

The airline said to avoid the ash, trips to Australia had been given new flight paths heading further north than normal before crossing the Tasman, while domestic services were operating at a maximum 5,500 metres (18,000 feet).

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said airlines were free to operate, provided they avoided areas forecast to hold volcanic ash.

"Airlines may chose to take a more conservative approach based on their own risk assessment," it said. "That is acceptable to CASA and is consistent with the approach taken by regulatory authorities in Europe."

The flight disruptions have affected holidaymakers, sports players and politicians alike, with the air force called in to fly Tasmanian lawmakers back to Canberra for the resumption of parliament on Tuesday.

Rugby league player Robbie Farah scrambled onto an Emirates flight out of Auckland after his surprise call-up to the New South Wales State of Origin squad, while his Wests Tigers teammates stayed in New Zealand.

Jairam Ramesh hits Edakochi cricket stadium for six, nods for Vizhinjam in Kochi

Jairam Ramesh hits Edakochi cricket stadium for six, nods for Vizhinjam in Kochi



The minister for environment and forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, has spiked the Kerala Cricket Association's plan for a cricket stadium at Edakochi, citing serious environment violations.

The association could look for an alternative site to take forward its IPL plans, Mr Ramesh told media persons here on Monday after discussions with ministers on projects awaiting the Central clearance.

According to Mr Ramesh, the association had committed serious violations of the Coastal Zone Regulations.

“They were not playing cricket with a straight bat,” he said.” “They wanted to present a fait accompli by first cutting down all mangroves and making it look as if the site conformed to CRZ II norms. Nor did the association approach the department for prior clearance.”

Mr Shashi Tharoor, MP, a prime mover behind the Kochi IPL team, and the excise and ports minister, Mr K Babu, who hails from Kochi, listened to Mr Ramesh as he clarified his stance. Mr Ramesh said the Kochi Corporation should pass a resolution, admitting the lapse and warning the stadium proponents against similar misadventures.

Jairam approves Vizhinjam terminal in Kochi

Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, interacted with the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, and other ministers here on Monday, giving on-the-spot approvals for several proposals and rejecting outright two others.

While Mr Ramesh dumped Edakochi cricket stadium and Athirapally hydel project, he gave the nod for the prestigious deepwater container terminal at Vizhinjam.

Mr Ramesh, who visited Vizhinjam earlier in the day, said clearance for the port involved the environment impact assessment of two monsoons and post-season, which would take one year.

But all works, including issuing tenders for the deepwater container terminal project at the rocky site could go on in tandem.

The minister sanctioned Rs 10 crore to start work on the restoration and rejuvenation of the Vembanad ecosystem, on which hinges the future of Kumarakom as a tourist destination.

“It's a dirty ecosystem,” he commented, and added that de-siltation, sewage removal and pollution control would start soon. A masterplan would be carried out with Rs 90 crore aid from World Bank and UNDP.

Rejecting Athirapally, Mr Ramesh said he did not mind whether it was the UDF or the LDF which pushed the project since it was “not in Kerala’s or the nation’s interest.”

Martin inspires West Indies to first win over India

Martin inspires West Indies to first win over India




West Indies inspired by a career-best spell from leg-spinner Anthony Martin, completed a 103-run victory to secure a consolation victory in the fourth One-day International against World champions India on Monday.

Rohit Sharma led the way with 39, and was one of a handful of Indian batsmen that got starts without carrying on, as Martin captured four for 36 from 10 overs, and West Indies successfully defended a target of 250.

Martin, later named Man-of-the-Match, rounded off the victory, when he had Ishant Sharma stumped for a duck with his final delivery of the match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The victory was a consolation for West Indies, after India took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with a victory two days ago at the same venue.

The final match of the series will be played on Thursday at Sabina Park in the Jamaica capital of Kingston.

"We didn't bat very well, but all credit must go to the West Indies because they played really well in this game," said India captain Suresh Raina.

"We are always disappointed when we are on the losing side, but West Indies batted really well, and they bowled really well - and we did not do things well in this game.

"Our shot selection was really wrong. We lost our shape, and we did not have any partnerships.

"Rohit was there playing well again, but Yusuf (Pathan) and I got out at a crucial time, but credit must go to the West Indies for the way they played."

India's bowlers had done their best to maintain the status quo, but Kieron Pollard top scored with 70 and Lendl Simmons supported with 67, helping West Indies reach 249 for eight.

Praveen Kumar was the most successful Indian bowler with three for 37 from 10 overs, and leg-spinner Amit Mishra captured two for 56 from 10 overs.

The World champions however, were left to chase their highest target of the series, and started brightly.

But they kept losing wickets at inopportune times, allowing the West Indies bowlers to dictate terms.

Manoj Tiwary was caught behind for two in the second over off West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who held a stupendous return catch in the 10th over to dismiss Parthi Patel for 26, leaving India 41 for two.

The Indians continued to make steady progress, but Subramanian Badrinath was caught behind down the leg-side for 12 in the 17th over to precipitate an unstable period for the visitors.

Four more wickets fell for 62 between the 21st and the 31st over, including Sharma, India's batting hero in the series, caught at deep mid-wicket off Martin, leaving the batsmen to fend for themselves.

Andre Russell ended with three for 16 from seven overs, and Sammy took two for 43, breathing a huge sigh of relief following the game.

"We did a lot more things better in this game," he said. "Throughout this series we have been improving, and in this game, we put a decent target of 250 on the board.

"The bowlers throughout the series have been collecting wickets early, and this time we were in a similar situation, and handled it differently.

"We had a different mindset, and the guys put the ball in the right areas, and we got the wickets we needed to complete a victory."

Scoreboard

West Indies

L. Simmons run out (Tiwary) 67

D. Hyatt c Tiwary b I. Sharma 1

R. Sarwan c Tiwary b Kumar 1

D. Bravo c Tiwary b Mishra 15

M. Samuels lbw b Mishra 8

K. Pollard c I. Sharma b Ashwin 70

C. Baugh c Kohli b Kumar 39

A. Russell c Kohli b Kumar 25

D. Sammy not out 1

K. Roach not out 4

Extras: (lb7, w8, nb3) 18

Total: (8 wkts) 249

Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Hyatt, 1.5 overs); 2-12 (Sarwan, 4.5); 3-65 (Bravo, 15.6); 4-89 (Samuels, 23.1); 5-103 (Simmons, 26.4); 6-199 (Pollard, 44.2); 7-240 (Baugh, 48.2); 8-240 (Russell, 48.3)

Bowling: Kumar 10-3-37-3 (w1); I. Sharma 10-0-60-1 (nb3, w5); Ashwin 10-1-39-1; Mishra 10-3-56-2 (w1); Pathan 6-0-24-0 (w1); Tiwary 4-0-26-0

Overs: 50

Did not bat: A. Martin

India

P. Patel c and b Sammy 26

M. Tiwary c Baugh b Sammy 2

V. Kohli st Baugh b Martin 22

S. Badrinath c Baugh b Russell 12

R. Sharma c Bravo b Martin 39

S. Raina c Pollard b Martin 10

Y. Pathan c Roach b Simmons 1

R. Ashwin c Samuels b Russell 15

P. Kumar c Sammy b Russell 6

A. Mishra not out 5

I. Sharma st Baugh b Martin 0

Extras (b4, lb2, w2) 8

Total: (all out) 146

Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Tiwary, 5.4 overs); 2-41 (Patel, 9.2); 3-62 (Badrinath, 16.3); 4-82 (Kohli, 20.6); 5-111 (Raina, 26.6); 6-114 (Pathan, 27.4); 7-124 (R. Sharma, 30.6); 8-138 (Kumar, 35.1); 9-145 (Ashwin, 37.5)

Bowling: Roach 8-1-22-0; Sammy 9-0-43-2; Russell 7-0-16-3 (w1); Pollard 4-0-20-0 (w1); Martin 10-0-36-4; Simmons 1-0-3-1

Overs: 39

Result: West Indies won by 103 runs

Series: India lead five-match series 3-1

Toss: India

Man-of-the-Match: A. Martin (WIS)

Why an honest PM scared of being probed by Lokpal: Hazare team

Why an honest PM scared of being probed by Lokpal: Hazare team

Civil society led by Anna Hazare on Monday hit back at the government over the charge that it was undermining Parliament and Constitution and asked why an ‘honest’ man like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ‘scared’ of being investigated by the Lokpal.

Two days ahead of the next meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, civil society members shot off a letter to Singh alleging that the government appeared to be shrinking the scope of the anti-corruption regime and non-inclusion of the Prime Minister under the ambit of the Lokpal would be a ‘retrograde’ step.

Raising their pitch on the issue, the activists also took on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for accusing the civil society of trying to undermine democracy and said his statement betrayed a ‘distorted understanding of democracy and arrogance of power’.

"You are one of the most honest Prime Ministers the country has had. It is ironical that your own government should seek to take the Prime Minister out of the purview of Lokpal's investigations. "We are wondering what happened post March 2011, which prompted the government to suddenly take a U-turn on this issue. Till now the Prime Minister could be investigated by the CBI. Why an honest Prime Minister like you should be scared of being investigated by an independent Lokpal," the activists said in the three-page letter to Singh.

Activist Arvind Kejriwal termed the government insistence on non-inclusion of the Prime Minister under the purview of Lokpal as ‘completely mysterious’ when governments for the past ten years were of the view that this post should come under the ombudsman.

In the letter, the activists said, in order to take the Prime Minister out of the purview of the ombudsman, the government will need to amend the Constitution and grant him immunity similar to that enjoyed by the President. They asked if the government is planning to do that and why. "Taking the Prime Minister out of the ambit of the Lokpal would be a retrograde step," the letter said.

"We remember in the past you had yourself offered to be brought under the purview of Lokpal Bill. Then why are your own ministers opposing your inclusion in Lokpal's ambit? Is there a disconnect or communication gap within the government?" the letter said.

Interestingly, it said, three out of five ministers in the joint committee, have themselves advocated inclusion of the Prime Minister in Lokpal Bill on earlier occasions.

The letter also mentioned that Mukherjee, as chairman of the Standing Committee in 2001, had himself recommended that Prime Minister should be covered under Lokpal and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to that. It also said that Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, also a member of the Lokpal Bill, suggested inclusion of the Prime Minister in the legislation and Home Minister P. Chidambaram had concurred with him.

"Now all the three ministers have suddenly taken a U-turn and they appear to be adamant on keeping the PMO out of Lokpal's ambit. We want to know what happened so that the PMO does not want any disclosure of its conduct," Kejriwal said.

Arguing for the inclusion of the Prime Minister under the Lokpal, the letter said the post is covered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and any allegation of corruption against a Prime Minister can be investigated. No exception has been made for the Prime Minister, they said.

Baba Ramdev discharged from hospital

Baba Ramdev discharged from hospital



After spending four days in a hospital in Dehradun, yoga guru Baba Ramdev has finally been discharged today.

He was admitted to Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Jolly Grant, in Dehradun on Friday after his condition deteriorated following his fast against corruption.

Doctors attending on Baba Ramdev on Monday said the health condition of the yoga guru was ‘stable’ and ‘under control’.

Dr Deepak Goel, part of the medical team that was monitoring Ramdev’s health, said: “Health of swami Ramdev is stable now and is far better than before. Today (Monday), he has shown some movements and took bath also. Now he has starting consuming fruits and juices orally. Improvement has been seen in his health parameters, but doctors have advised him to take complete rest.”

Ramdev ended his nine-day-long fast on Sunday after being persuaded to do so by a host of spiritual leaders, including Art of Living Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Morari Bapu.

However, the Baba and the spiritual leaders said that their campaign against corruption and return of black money from abroad would continue.

The yoga guru had been on a hunger strike against corruption along with 65,000 followers when the Delhi Police on the Central government's orders cracked down on their camp late on the night of June 4 in New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.