Sunday, August 23, 2009

FIIs book profit; sell stocks worth Rs 4,000 cr in two weeks.Don't come fishing for account details: Swiss banks to India.Finance Commission Chairman advocates gas pricing freedom

 
FIIs book profit; sell stocks worth Rs 4,000 cr in two weeks.Don't come fishing for account details: Swiss banks to India.Finance Commission Chairman advocates gas pricing freedom
 
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 343
 
Palash Biswas

 

Dump or adapt: India's aid ache

New Delhi, Aug. 22: India is considering a proposal to jettison a World Bank development project if a decision to keep out Arunachal Pradesh, apparently under Chinese pressure, is not revoked.

The programme, called the Northeast Livelihood Project, is the latest to get caught in alleged Chinese misgivings about India pursuing welfare schemes in the northeastern state over which the two countries have a territorial dispute.

If the Indian government sticks to the view that Arunachal cannot be excluded, a similar programme will be taken up by the Planning Commission instead of the World Bank. The project, aimed at investing in self-help groups and generating employment opportunities in the Northeast, had originally envisaged an investment of $200 million (over Rs 960 crore).

So far, the World Bank has cleared the programme for only Sikkim, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram, citing constraints in "supervisory capabilities" in covering all eight states in the region.

But Indian sources said Chinese reservations were suspected to have played a role in truncating the project.

The minister for development of Northeastern Region, B.K. Handique, said: "The World Bank approved the project for only four states, while we wanted all the Northeast states, including Arunachal, to be covered. So the government is asking the Planning Commission to do it."

The minister declined comment on a specific question if a China hand was being suspected but said with a laugh: "Interesting that the Left-ruled Tripura was not left out."

Handique, however, added: "We should not make a big ruckus about it and let it affect bilateral relations or the negotiations on the borders. We should exercise restraint."

"We have told the Planning Commission to design an alternative scheme. But there is another view to retain the World Bank project and have a similar project for the other (four) states by the Planning Commission. We will consult Arunachal MPs before finalising anything," Handique said.

Arunachal Congress leaders are angered by repeated attempts by Beijing to prevent development funds from flowing into the state. "They had tried it during the ADB funding also, but they could not succeed," said Congress MP Takam Sanjoy.

He was referring to Chinese attempts to prevent a $60-million project of Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the frontier state.

Beijing's objections to the ADB project earlier this year fell through after all members, except China, voted to grant approval for the India plan. The Chinese foreign ministry was quoted as saying in June that the country was dissatisfied with the ADB adopting a document involving disputed territories.

Soon afterwards, the World Bank told Delhi that the livelihood programme could be approved only for two districts each in the four states.

Some officials in the Northeast ministry feel that India should exert pressure on the World Bank and persuade it to include Arunachal rather than pull out altogether.

The course of the negotiations and the outcome have assumed significance because China is now a key voice in global financial aid management, especially after promising $40 billion to the International Monetary Fund.

Mamata to talk to Pranab over price rise
Expressing concern over rise in the prices of essential commodities, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she would discuss the issue with the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi tomorrow.

"I will talk to Mukherjee on some issues in Delhi tomorrow during which I will also raise the price rise issue," Banerjee said here before leaving for the capital.

Besides the price rise, she would also take up with Mukherjee the problems faced by the Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTTI) and the problems of jute industry.

The PTTI students wanted an assurance from the Left Front government that they would be recruited for 57,000 vacant post of primary teachers in the state.
 
 Swiss banks may have turned over client details to the US, but they have said India is not welcome there on a name-fishing expedition.


"Swiss law and even OECD's Model Tax Convention do not permit fishing expeditions, in other words, the indiscriminate trawling through bank accounts in the hope of finding something interesting."

"This means that India cannot simply throw its telephone book at Switzerland and ask if any of these people have a bank account here," a top official at Swiss Bankers Association said from Basel.

The secrecy shield provided by Swiss banks have always been a big issue in India, including during the campaign for this year's general elections, and the government recently said that it has approached Switzerland seeking details about bank accounts held by Indians there.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee recently informed Parliament that the government was committed to unearthing black money within and outside the country.

"Swiss authorities, I am told, have agreed for negotiations (on the issue)... We have already taken it (the issue of black money) not only with Swiss authorities but other nations as well," Mukherjee said.

Last week, the US reached an agreement with Switzerland, under which top Swiss bank UBS AG turned over details of 4,450 secret accounts to the Internal Revenue Service.
 
 
Booking profits from the surge in the markets early this month, overseas investors pulled out a net of over Rs 4,000 crore from Indian
stocks over the past two weeks.

So far in August, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have been net sellers on eight trading sessions, of a total of 15, data available with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) shows. FIIs were net sellers of stocks worth Rs 1,112 crore in the last week alone, which followed a net sale worth about Rs 3,000 crore in the previous week.

Marketmen, however, feel that the outflow in the past few weeks is unlikely to deter the fund flow in the coming days as overseas investors are still flush with funds and are waiting for cheaper valuations to enter the market. "After pulling out money from the emerging markets, FIIs are now siting on huge profits. They are confident of the India growth story and will turn net investors going ahead," SMC Global Vice-President Rajesh Jain said.

With the foreign funds taking back their money to their home countries, the Bombay Stock Exchange's barometer Sensex lost 2.74 per cent so far in August and is currently trading around the 15,000 levels. Last week, the Sensex fell by 1.11 per cent to close at 15,240.83 points.

Last week, FIIs were the gross buyer of shares worth Rs 10,116.9 crore, while they sold equities valued at Rs 11,229 crore, resulting in a net sale of Rs 1,111.9 crore.

"FIIs are dominant force in market and their buying and selling would continue to impact the market movement. However, they are looking on emerging economies now and would invest in these countries as their returns are expected to be higher in the coming days," Unicon Financial CEO G Nagpal said.

Till now this year, FIIs have remained bullish on the Indian equities and the overseas investment in the stock market touched Rs 35,460 crore (USD 7.3 billion) in 2009.

Moreover, debt market emerged as a preferred investment destination for overseas investors last week as the segment saw a net inflow of Rs 542 crore. Interestingly, FIIs, so far this year, have sold debt instruments worth Rs 715.40 crore, as per the SEBI data.
 
Finance Commission Chairman advocates gas pricing freedom
Companies like state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Reliance Industries should be given freedom to fix natural gas price that
move in tandem with changes in international crude oil prices, Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Kelkar has said.

Delivering the inaugural lecture at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology at Rae Bareli yesterday, he said government "should give freedom to producers to market their gas provided the price determination is at arms-length and on a transparent basis, which avoids transfer pricing or deliberate under pricing."

"This would mean, inter alia, long-term prices to be linked to international crude oil prices providing transparency like in our LNG contracts," he said in his lecture titled 'Towards A New Natural Gas Policy'.

Advocating further liberalisation of gas markets in the country, the former finance secretary called for improving regulatory regime.

"In recent years, there have been instances of unilateral deviations from the stated policy and practices regarding the Production Sharing Contracts and this needs to be eschewed if we want to make any radical gains in finding new gas which is indeed there to tap," he said.

"Exploration and production of hydrocarbons is inherently hugely risky and such policy instability makes it even riskier thus discouraging the oil companies."

Kelkar said he was mindful of the currently "high octane dispute" over natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin field between Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and Anil Ambani Group's Reliance Natural Resources Ltd.

"This dispute has now gone to the Supreme Court. I have therefore made every effort (in preparing this lecture) to observe the 'Lakshman Rekha'."

He cited the Australian regulatory model, which has very detailed provisions for pricing, production pipelines, operations, including the tariffs and safety as also enforcement of competition policies to curb potential abuse arising out of possible monopolistic power.

"With such incentives and regulatory approach, we will find that a number of oil companies will be forthcoming to invest in our gas sector along with new technologies and improved oil field practices," he said.

"To achieve such an outcome, I should reemphasise the importance of having an upstream and gas regulatory agency which is fair, transparent and technically at par with the best oil companies of the world."

Kelkar said to create competitive national gas market a national gas pipeline grid - NATGAS grid -- must be built.

"One possible way of promoting gas markets could be that even where the cross-country or inter-state pipelines are under the private sector, 25-30 per cent of capacity of such pipelines can be 'crown' capacity which can be either on 'carried interest' or 'participating interest' basis and such capacity will be available to any buyer or supplier of gas with the toll charges which are determined by the regulator," Kelkar said.

This would enable the development of gas market in India where third party suppliers and buyers can use the common carrier, he said.

The new gas policy, he said, will increase energy security by enhancing sharply the supply of natural gas, reduce import of crude oil and would lead to investment in power and fertiliser sectors.

"It will also lead to better price discovery and greater choice for consumers. We will see that the long-term contractual gas prices will be aligned to international crude oil prices in a transparent manner," he said.

"One of the most important benefits of this policy approach is it will help us to eliminate the humongous levels of subsidies the country is incurring on the nitrogenous fertilisers and LPG. Such an elimination of subsidies will provide fiscal space to the Union government to increase investments in areas such as environmental protection and for the reduction of public debt," he added.
 
Third party ATMs: Rs 10K cap per withdrawal

The Reserve Bank, which made third party ATM transactions free from April, has said not more than Rs 10,000 can be withdrawn each time they are used and limited the number of such transactions to five a month

Other Top Stories

Top News
Anil Ambani

The Anil Ambani Group's Reliance Airport Developers Ltd (RADL) has bagged contracts worth a total Rs.63 crore (Rs.630 million) to develop airports at Yavatmal, Nanded, Osmanabad, Latur and Baramati in Maharashtra...

Other Top Stories
'Satyam' scared small investors off stock markets'

Hyderabad: India has a huge potential to involve retail investors in the stock markets but they are not coming out to invest because they have learnt a lesson from the Satyam Computer fraud, feels Madhav Mehra, president of the London-based World Council for Corporate Governance.

Now, ICICI's Kochhar among 4 'women to watch' globally

New York: Having found her to be the most powerful women in India after the country's ruling alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, business magazine Forbes has also named ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar among four women from across the world to watch out for in the next 12 months.

Govt's effort not to protect RIL's interest, says Deora

Mumbai: Irked by allegations of favouritism, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora Saturday said his ministry had better things to do than go around supporting Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). "How do you say that... Don't we have any other work," Deora shot back when asked about Anil Ambani group's ad-campaigns in newspapers alleging that the ministry was favouring RIL.

Govt's effort not to protect RIL's interest: Deorain US

New Delhi: Irked by allegations of favouritism, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora today said his ministry had better things to do than go around supporting Mukesh Ambani-led RIL.

States not to review sales tax on jet fuel

New Delhi: States will not review the current sales tax rates on jet fuel as of now, even as the troubled aviation industry demanded reduction in the levy.

India main driver of Abu Dhabi air traffic growth

Dubai: India remained the largest market and primary driver of air traffic growth of UAE's second largest airport in Abu Dhabi, with 18.9 per cent more Indians travelling through the facility this year.

Honda to introduce electric vehicle in US in 2010

Tokyo: Honda Motor Co. Will join two domestic rivals in introducing electric cars, seeking to market the environmentally friendly vehicles in the United States in the first half of the 2010s, sources said today.

A-I unions oppose 50% cut in productivity pay

New Delhi: A majority of the unions representing the 32,000 employees of state-owned Air India have rejected the management's decision to cut the productivity-linked incentive (PLI) scheme 50 per cent across the board till a new formula is fixed in three months.

Soon, your UID number could become your mobile number

New Delhi: Faced with the prospect of the 10-digit series of mobile numbers being exhausted soon, owing to the rapid growth in mobile telephony, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a telecom research and development organisation, is studying whether the Unique Identity Number could be converted into mobile numbers.

PM not mediating in Ambani brothers' gas dispute

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is not intervening or mediating in the Ambani brothers' gas dispute, though he believes that the two top industrialists should patch up in national interest, an official in Prime Minister's Office said.

US tech-heavy Nasdaq stocks soar to new 2009 highs

New York: US stocks soared to fresh year highs on a record jump in existing-home sales in July and Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke's comments that global recovery prospects "appear good."

Weekly review: Sensex subdued over monsoon worries

Mumbai: Monsoon worries and Asian markets led Sensex to a topsy-turvey session this week.

Oil climbs to new 2009 high

New York: Oil prices jumped to a new high for the year after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the US economy is nearing a recovery and other economic data backed him up.

74% Indians bullish on personal finances: Nielsen

Kolkata: Encouraged by improving consumer sentiment, consumer durables companies have lined up new product launches and are increasing their advertising and marketing spends by anywhere between 10 and 60 per cent this year. They believe sales will increase by 30-40 per cent in the festive months, even as analysts say the optimism is misplaced. According to Nielsen survey, 74% Indians are bullish on personal finances.

Investor optimism surges to six-year high: Merrill Lynch

New York: Investor optimism about the global economy has soared to its highest level in nearly six years, with fund managers across the world putting their cash back into equity markets, a Merrill Lynch survey has said.

More...

China's economic woes could hit global markets
22 Aug 2009, 1801 hrs IST, Saibal Dasgupta, TNN

BEIJING: China's listed companies have seen profits shrinking by 18% in the first half of 2009. The news is likely to further push down prices at
the Shanghai stock exchange , which is already having an adverse effect on Indian and other foreign markets.

Another piece of bad news that might affect market prices is the official announcement that China's current-account surplus has fallen 32% in the first half of 2009 from a year earlier. This is the first decline in current account surplus in five years, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said.

SAFE said the surplus in the first half of 2009 came to $130 billion. The main reason for the decline is falling exports although outbound investments by Chinese companies looking for foreign pastures may have contributed some of it, analysts said.

The last two weeks saw Chinese stocks lose 20% of their value raising questions about the stability of the local market and its impact on world markets.

Although the Shanghai Composite Index closed up 1.7% on Friday due to heavy trading on shares of banks, there were serious questions on whether the market will finally get over the downward trend. The index finished 2,961 points on Friday marking a 2.8% decline for the week.



Also Read
 → With Shanghai shares down, is China set to stumble?
 → China's fall will be a big negative for the world
 → Global stocks stung by more China losses
 → Don't get too excited about markets, it's August


Nearly half of the 1,678 listed companies have so far met the statutory requirement of submitting their halfyearly results to the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges . The 879 companies that submitted their books have reported profits of $17 billion reflecting 18% decline in profits as compared to the first half of 2008.

The fate of the remaining companies will be known after the August 31 deadline for submitted the accounts. Market experts feel a good number of companies delaying the submission of reports may be having problems balancing their books.

The worst performers included steelmakers and non-ferrous companies' including Angang Steel Company , which reported a loss of 1.563 billion yuan ($229 milllion ). Jigang Group, Laigang Group and Yunan Copper posted losses of 100 million yuan ($15 million) each.

Companies engaged in finance , coal and white spirit sectors recorded better performances . The Bank of Communications topped the earnings list with its first-half profit up 22% year on year to 15.5 billion yuan ($2.2 billion).

Now, Rs 24,000 per year for MBBS study?
23 Aug 2009, 0957 hrs IST, Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN

NEW DELHI: An MBBS/MD degree at Rs 24,000 for every year of study? If it sounds really "economical" and leaves medical aspirants rubbing their eyes
in disbelief, it may soon be a real option with ESI Corporation proposing such a fee structure for no less than 10 medical colleges it is planning.

Sources said apart from the planned 10 colleges, the number could go up to 20 in future as ESIC looks to start its own medical colleges to meet a shortfall of doctors in ESI hospitals meant for treatment of insured persons. The ESI scheme is for welfare of workers and is fed by contributions from employers and employees.

The Corporation is proposing a bond of five years for graduates who will have to serve in its hospitals in lieu of inexpensive education fees. The entire cost will have to reimbursed in case of those who leave in the bond period. As this in itself may not act as much of a disincentive, there is a possibility the clause could be reviewed.

The ESI move will add new medical colleges offering affordable medical education even as an army of MBBS aspirants wades through entrance examinations each year to find a place in 130 affordable government colleges. Those who fail to make the cut turn to 136 private colleges, many of which charge high fees and even more for "capitation" seats.

An expert committee recommendation on the fee structure is being put before ESIC for approval. It says undergraduate medicine students be charged Rs 24,000 tuition per year for the first four years. The tuition fee would be half for the final year during which an MCIstipulated stipend will be paid for internship. The same fee is to be charged from MD students who would, on the other hand, receive Junior Residency Pay.

Besides tuition fee, university charges would be as per actuals while hostel and mess charges would be decided separately . The plan for affordable education to attract the best talent to ESI colleges competes favourably with other government and private colleges. The committee determining the fee structure found that Delhi University charges the least (Rs 240 per annum) while it goes upto Rs 1 lakh in other government colleges.

If the education costs are low, they have also raised a few eyebrows. Critics say it would ultimately have to be subsidised by ESIC to meet the shortfall in expenditure, thereby burning a hole in the pockets of employers and employees. They argue the government should foot the subsidy.

The Corporation, however, argues that "commercial" considerations cannot be applied. "ESI scheme works on an insurance model and hence each medical college cannot be considered as a separate entity (from ESI) for the purpose of determining economic viability ," it says, adding, "ESI scheme is providing a social security and it is not a commercial entity."

The Corporation, which has hospitals in all states, proposes to start super speciality treatment in these colleges and save money spent on referral of members to non-ESI hospitals. The expenditure is said to be Rs 100 crore this year.
 
 
Punjab scraps Reliance deal

Aug. 22: The Punjab government has terminated an agreement with Reliance Retail to set up a Rs 5,000-crore farm-to-fork project, possibly the first retail venture of Mukesh Ambani to be formally abandoned by a state.

The venture — once hailed as the harbinger of the "second green revolution" but jinxed from the start — had been firmed up in 2006 when a Congress government headed by Amarinder Singh was in power.

The Akali Dal and the BJP, now governing the state, had opposed the project then. When the new regime came to power in February 2007, Reliance had gone slow on the venture, fearing that the plug could be pulled any moment.

Reliance had faced opposition in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, too, but the agreements were not scrapped. In Bengal, the group has opened some outlets but the comprehensive project is yet to take off.

"It would have been untenable for the new government in Punjab to allow the project after opposing it earlier," a source said, terming the termination "political".

The Punjab government said the company had not complied with the terms of the memorandum of understanding. The objective was to build farm infrastructure and deliver the produce to dining tables. The government had, in return, agreed to allot over 1,000 acres to Reliance Industries at a concessional rate.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090823/jsp/frontpage/story_11398128.jsp
 
 
Puja message on film
- Ganesh saves tribals on screen

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 22: This Ganesh Puja, tribals at the Niyamgiri hills will find the elephant god saving them from the ordeal of industrialisation — at least the animation way.

Young animators in the state are busy bringing Lord Ganesh back to the screen showing him rescuing indigenous men and women who have been at the receiving end following the current mineral-based industrialisation in tribal areas.

Moved by the plight of the tribals, who are being forcefully evicted from their homes and land, a group of animators — People's Academy of Cinematics Animation and Design — have joined hands to develop an animation film on the subject.

The film, "Gajanana", will be the first-ever clay animation in Orissa. "The theme, background and cultural depiction will be that of the Saura tribes. The film will be all about innocent tribals who are exploited by the high and mighty. It's about how they evoke the divine blessings of Lord Ganesh, who comes to their aid as the vighna vinashak (destroyer of problems)," explained Ranjit Mohaty, the academy's director.

"It's a highly imaginative work and also fits into the current context. It connects with the ongoing disturbance at major future industrial sites occupied by the tribals," he said.

About 40 professionals are on the job that is expected to be over by Sunday. "We will release it on Ganesh Puja. Last year, we had attempted Ganesh in rangoli animation. The effort is not just to bring forth the talents of our young animators but to draw the attention of the audience towards certain social issues that need to be addressed before it is too late," said Mohanty.

 

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090823/jsp/nation/story_11395768.jsp

 
A COUNTRY RAMBLE
- Enclosure shapes what we know of nature in Britain today

At Hay-on-Wye to play at the Brecon Jazz Festival, I found myself at the Rhydspence, where my wife and I had stayed on one of our visits to Hay — probably 15 years ago. The Rhydspence dates back to the 14th century, with characteristically uneven white and black walls; and Brecon's only about 20 miles away. I'd arrived a day early; the Jazz Festival would begin the following day. The inn was, for the moment — except for proprietor and staff — empty; and the day, wet to begin with, had turned into one of those afternoons that give much pleasure downtown, but which, in semi-rural Britain (I was now in Wales), emphasize a hinterland of quiet, a watchful stillness.

Summer time, stretching the day from June to September with an unfulfillable leisureliness, brings back, without the melancholy of the original observation, Wordsworth's memorable phrase: "earth's diurnal course". So, when I decided to go out for a walk at half past six, to confront the stillness, it was unnaturally bright. It was about 30 hours since I'd been in Calcutta; both nothing and a great deal seemed to have happened in the meanwhile; I felt no fatigue. I called my wife on my mobile; given that large swathes of the beautiful landscape around Hay offer no signal, I knew it would probably be our last conversation for now. It was close to her bedtime; she was watching television, about to fall asleep. I went up a narrow road that rose up a hill almost bang opposite the Rhydspence; at some point, the five small gradations of the signal disappeared consecutively, and the mobile became a dead weight in my palm. But I'd already said 'Good night' before silence and the day reasserted themselves around me.

The silence actually had a low undertone. On my right and left, I'd passed two or three pert, nostalgically cocooned houses on the hillside, with a view, for the occupants on the right, of the hills, horizon, and panoramic fields. But the relationship between inner and outer worlds kept changing on that narrow road, so that at one point I was passing through a mournful avenue of trees, with light a photographic glare in the distance; and then I was out where there was a field on the left, and, on my right, no view, but dark undergrowth falling below, fenced in with frail wires, hinting, through the sound of a constant laundry-like drainage, at the movement of water.

The walk was making me feel despondent; it was starting to gather the lugubrious symbolism that country excursions have for me in England (and now, it seemed, in Wales). As usual, I felt shut out, and guided by an invisible but firm hand. Did it have to do with what Naipaul once called, in The Enigma of Arrival, his meditation on the Wiltshire countryside, the "colonial's raw nerves"? That, if I remembered correctly, was a consequence of the glances of people on buses, on streets; but here, it was the landscape — not because of its wildness; there are few wild places left in Britain outside the inner city — with its reprimanding gaze. The strong guiding hand that had designed this — not God's — was evident; it made me adhere to my path. Walter Benjamin said that getting lost in a city one knew was a skill — but, here, the countryside seemed not so much inhospitable to the wayfarer as to the idea of accidentally losing one's way.

I paused next to the open plot of tilled land on my left, undulating upward into the sky; I climbed towards its edge, where the hay had been twisted and rolled into a great confection, and from where expanses of green, carpet-brushed, rose up the incline. A few cows, like idols, stood in the distance; I checked the signal strength on my mobile. Nothing. It was now that I sensed a presence in the silence around me, something I was on the border of beholding, the sweating, buzzing stillness of summer like a declaration, and the heavy vacancy of the sky. Again — because everything was so composed — it's not a making contact with the 'natural' I'm speaking of; it was like entering an old mansion, and becoming aware of a ghostly interloper in the drawing room — an intuition that makes you forget, momentarily, that it's you who are the interloper. The intruder or guest will not go away, although they've outlived their meaning and original function; they're now simply waiting, again, to be discovered. The light on the field was unlike the light in India, where you hardly notice it; it was like a silvery pall on the earth.

This was not a moment I could have experienced in company; because my default mode, in the English countryside, is philistinism. In company in the midst of the English rural, you feel like a spectator in an art gallery, always being called upon to attend, by middle-class convention, to accredited wonders. For me, though, nature is not perfection, but disorder and the unexpected — and to find the natural in Britain in that sense one must go to the downtown areas of Newcastle and Edinburgh, and, in London, to districts like Camden Town, Angel, Hackney and Southall. There, the 'natural' flourishes uncontainably, inextricable from the manufactured. Nature itself, in Britain, is too orderly; it is, often, manufactured.

That manufactured quality is both echoed and captured by Thomas Gainsborough; his landscapes, even when he's recording a disappearing rural England, have an artful composure. In this, he's different from his successor, John Constable, whom we unfailingly invoke when confronting an actual English landscape. And yet, beyond the pastel-like similarities of reality and representation, there's a slight mismatch between our experience of the landscape and our memory of Constable. He's a connoisseur of the accidental detail, of the act of noticing itself; his paintings, spacious though they are, are all about secrecy — the eye providing the vantage-point is itself, you feel, hidden. Working in the heart of the imperialist age, Constable's response to the world — and to imperialism — is almost a forerunner of modernism; it involves a new sort of regionalism, which, in the midst of colonialism's epic journeys, makes the familiar foreign, and the local appear undiscovered and distant. This view of the regional is crucial to modernism's way of assigning meaning; it informs the works of writers and artists in the American South, in Ireland, in Bengal; it suffuses Eudora Welty, Joyce, and Jibanananda Das. Constable, strikingly, is exploring that particular regional sensibility early on, through nature and, extraordinarily, through England — the impulse is very different, say, in George Eliot or the late Turner or even Wordsworth.

But the walk in Brecon didn't reveal Constable's world to me. Instead, it's taken me again to Gainsborough (picture), who was working from roughly the middle to the second half of the 18th century. And, in both his well-known capacities — as landscape painter and a painter of portraits — his response to the gathering energies of imperialism is surely palpable. His landscapes, even when they show obscure villages, have a premeditated calm; it's as if England were already becoming iconic. But it's his great portrait, Mr and Mrs Andrews, which must count as a prescient study of colonial power. The couple pose beneath a tree, flanked by their dog, Mr Andrews, his eyes unappeasable, with his hunting rifle. To the right are obedient bales of hay, behind, sunlight, clouds, and the gorgeous landscape that comprises the Andrews' property. Gainsborough, here, has brought his refulgent gifts as a landscape painter to the bounded, mastered nature of the 'open'. Long before the project of colonialism, the enclosure laws, from the 13th century onwards, became instrumental in segregating 'landscape' into private property in England and Wales, becoming punitive around and after the time of this painting. Enclosure shapes what we know of nature in Britain today — what Tom Paulin calls "that artificially 'natural' world of thick hedges and rectangles which our ordinary experience tells us has been there, eternally."

That Gainsborough's exploration of landscape's relationship to its human owners has a colonial bearing is brought to light in a later painting, Johann Zoffany's Warren Hastings and his wife. Zoffany, a contemporary of Gainsborough's, was German, but spent decades in England as a portrait painter; and then found a market in India. Hastings and his wife (in possession of the Victoria Memorial) is a portrait of the couple under a tree, in their Belvedere estate, days before Mrs Hasting's departure, the spaces of Alipore in the background. It's an undeniable reworking of the Gainsborough; a continuity is established between England's enclosed landscape and the domain of India; only the dog (I know this sounds crass) is replaced by an Indian maid. I don't necessarily believe, following Edward Said, in, say, uncovering concealed West Indian plantations in the fiction of Jane Austen. But that there is a historical anteriority to what Paulin calls "the glumness and suffocation" we feel in much of the English countryside, there's no doubt. India, however, with its vague aleatoriness, its deceptive light, was, as the colonial watercolourists discovered, always going to be hard to enclose.

 
 
A state under siege

Ravideep Singh Sahi never keeps his gun away — not even when he is in his office surrounded by armed guards. "I don't want to take a chance," the deputy inspector general of the Central Reserve Police Force says, stroking the AK-47 lying on his desk.

Sahi has reasons to be on guard. Late last month six of his men were killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists not far from where his office is located in the district headquarters of Dantewada in Chhattisgarh.

The threat is all too real. On July 12, superintendent of police Vinod Kumar Chaubey and his 35 men were mowed down in Rajnandgaon. Between January and July this year, 107 security men were killed in Chhattisgarh in Maoist attacks.

It is not a question of law and order anymore; the state is on the brink of collapse. Government officials cannot go to villages without being escorted by security forces. Politicians avoid the interiors. "How can a state function effectively despite all the good intentions of the political leadership when you have guns looming over you and you are always looking over your shoulders," a senior bureaucrat exclaims. Contractors stay away from troubled areas. "The Naxalites either threaten to kill you if you do the construction work or ask for 30 to 50 per cent of the project cost. On the other hand, government rates remain the same everywhere. So why risk your life as there is no extra incentive to work in troubled areas," a local civil contractor says. Chhattisgarh is in a state of siege.

The state accounts for nearly half of the 3,900 deaths in Naxalite violence reported from 10 affected states since 2004, says a Union home ministry report. In the state itself, over 600 people were killed and almost as many maimed in Maoist attacks over the last two years, says director general of police Vishwa Ranjan.

An estimated 9,000 armed Maoist cadres — backed by some 50,000 militias or sangam members — rule much of the 18 districts that make up tree-covered, mineral-rich Chhattisgarh, a tribal-dominated state carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.

In the last two years, Maoists, led by its shadowy local military commander Ganpati, have ripped up roads, blown up vehicles, looted banks and markets and torched government properties, causing damage worth Rs 3,728 crore, officials say.

The Maoist writ runs unchallenged in most parts. The administration is shaky, and development work has come to a grinding halt in large swathes of the state, a fact acknowledged by chief minister Raman Singh. "We are trying our best but these Maoists are stopping government work wherever they can through force and intimidation," Singh says.

A Dantewada lawyer says that few dare go to the police these days. "People are either under pressure from the Maoists to stay away from the police or worry that they will be mistaken for Naxalites and shot if they try to enter a police station, especially after dark," he says. A senior police officer concedes that the number of complaints in police stations has plunged sharply in interior villages over the last few years.

Not surprisingly, policemen are edgy. "Stop and identify yourself," a sentry barks from the roof of a police station in Bacheli area in Dantewada, pointing his assault rifle at this correspondent. "It is hard to tell who is a Naxalite these days, so we have to stop everybody at the gate," explains a policeman.

Security analysts warn that the grim situation in Chhattisgarh is spiralling out of control. "Things are getting worse by the day with more and more security personnel being killed," New Delhi-based Institute of Conflict Management executive director Ajai Sahni says, calling for "immediate national attention and response" to the worsening situation.

Armed violence in the state had its roots in the jungles of Bastar, where Naxalites, on the run from the police, started holing up in the early seventies. Bastar — now split into five districts, including Dantewada — is the worst affected region of Chhattisgarh.

Dantewada, some 85 km from the nearest railhead of Jagdalpur, reflects the state of neglect. To this day, the district headquarters has no petrol pump. "You can well imagine the condition in the villages where few government officials go," says a trader.

The state, many admit, is caught in a bind. If underdevelopment has helped left-wing extremism blossom, the resultant violence now comes in the way of development.

But for all the violence, the government insists that it is doing its best to feed the poor — if for nothing else, then at least to rob the Maoists of their main weapon, a hungry stomach. The Raman Singh government, into its second term, is providing rice at Rs 2 a kg to three million families below the poverty line and at Rs 1 a kg to 700,000 poorer families. Each family gets 35 kg of rice a month."I want to create a hunger-free Chhattisgarh," Singh says.

Senior IAS officer N. Baijendra Kumar says the government intends to table a model law, tentatively called the Chhattisgarh Food Entitlement Act, in the next session of the assembly, giving people the right to food.The administration, however, admits that many schemes are in a shambles in Naxalite-dominated areas for want of monitoring. "How can you review government schemes properly under the circumstances? I visit remote areas but only after elaborate security arrangements are made," says Bastar divisional commissioner Manoj Kumar Pingua.

The administration's reach is shrinking by the day. Dantewada district collector Rina Kangale says they are able to "carry out work only in some pockets" in four of the seven blocks in the district. "Much of the district has become a no-go area for officials," she notes.

A stone's throw from the collector's office is Sitalanka, the first and the oldest camp of the salwa judum — a civilian militia group — in Dantewada. These tribesmen have been pushed into anti-Naxalite operations as special police officers (SPOs), and have virtually become cannon fodder in the government's battle against the Maoists.

Yet, when it comes to pay, they get much less than their counterparts in the police. "We are paid Rs 2,100 a month as a stipend, while a policeman gets at least Rs 8,000, besides other facilities," says disgruntled SPO Bodruram Bhaskar, who has just returned from an all-night operation. He says he and his fellow SPOs often trudge through dense forests in pelting rain in search of Maoists.

"The policemen mostly stay behind, asking us to go forward. We don't know when we will get ambushed," says Suduram Ichham, another tribal in the camp whose two brothers were killed by Maoists after he joined the salwa judum.

Little wonder that the controversial movement — which started in the mid 2000s — seems to be disintegrating. The number of camp dwellers has almost halved from 60,000 in the 23 salwa judum camps in Dantewada and Bijapur. The Dantewada district collector, however, links the reduced figure of 35,000 to the "natural tribal instincts to return to their villages."

The government is trying to hone its security forces. It has set up the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Kanker to train its police force. But CTJWC director Brigadier B.K. Ponwar feels winning "hearts and minds" is as important as superior fire power in this battle. "The first thing I teach my students, serving state police personnel, is how to build drains and walls to help villagers. That's how you can win their confidence and gain intelligence about the Naxalites," the retired army officer says.

The police force has its limitations. Chhattisgarh has a 42,000-strong force, but nearly 10,000 posts remain vacant. About 80 per cent of the vacant posts are in the five troubled districts in Bastar.

There is also a dearth of fire power. "We don't have enough weapons," DGP Vishwa Ranjan admits. His department has just recruited 7,000 policemen but needs to hire another 3,000.

CRPF sources say the force doesn't have enough mine-protected vehicles to ferry jawans. "We place our bullet-proof jackets under the seat to reduce, often in vain, the impact of a mine blast."

Meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to wean the local youths off violence, the government is trying to send them to Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad on vocational courses. "We would like them to get a taste of the outside world and stay away from this conflict zone," says Bastar district collector R. Shangeetha.

To halt the endless cycle of violence in Chhattisgarh, civil liberty activists have been calling for peace talks. "There must be political engagement and all political parties should come together and initiate a peace process even if you may not want to talk to the Naxalites," says Chhattisgarh People's Union for Civil Liberties vice-president Binayak Sen.

"There can be no military solution to the problem," says Sen, a physician detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in May 2007 and released on bail by the Supreme Court this May.

Not everybody agrees. "How can you talk to those who have faith only in guns, not in democracy," asks security expert Sahni. "In any case, there is no single person or particular leader to talk to," Ponwar adds.

To be sure, the government must establish its control of the state first. But good governance and infrastructure development have to follow the security measures. "Or else, people will lose hope," says CRPF's Sahi.

At Aastha, a residential school for orphans in Dantewada, Class V student Madkam Vijay has penned his thoughts on what he wants to be when he grows up. "They (the Maoists) have killed my parents but I want to be a doctor and save lives," he scrawls in a small notebook. In Madkam — and others like him — lies the hope for Chhattisgarh.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090823/jsp/7days/story_11397124.jsp 

 

Slumgirl millionaire

When the silver screen beckons, you have to yield. Little Neeru Sawant did just that — and some more. She sold her mother's utensils to collect money for cinema tickets. And she, her younger brother and sister all ended up in Geeta cinema, watching Sridevi gyrate in Chandni.

It was this passion for cinema that catapulted Neeru from Mumbai's slums to plush sitting rooms in the spiffiest of colonies. And a million-odd viewers with their remotes crowned Neeru, now better known as Rakhi, India's first reality television queen.

Raise a toast to 32-year-old Rakhi Sawant — she has succeeded in keeping the entire nation glued to TV sets this summer. Rakhi ka Swayamvar — where the actress chose her would-be husband on television from among a gaggle of aspirants this August — is still being talked about. "It's not a show for me — it's the beginning of a new phase in my life," says Rakhi.

By all accounts, the life has been rather remarkable — mapping a journey from the slums of Maya Nagar, perched on the slope of Worli Hill in Mumbai, to a housing complex called Serenity in Lokhandwala, a tony Mumbai suburb. It's been a story of struggle, tears, humiliation — and controversies.

Brother Rakesh recalls those difficult days in the slum, when mother Jaya, a nurse, would lock her three children in the house as she went out to earn a living. "We wanted to play, so every day we lifted the tiles on the roof and zoomed off. We would be back by the time she came home," he says.

The ending wasn't all that happy when they sold the utensils. "We were busy munching popcorn during the interval when we heard our names being announced. We were caught and properly thrashed by our parents all the way back home."

Their childhood was troubled, for Gujarati Jaya was Maharashtrian cop Anand Shankar Sawant's second wife. It was difficult to maintain two families on a policeman's salary, so Rakesh was packed off to a boarding school in Panchgani, while the two daughters flitted between schools in Mumbai.

But Jaya's hopes were on Rakhi — who was already growing up to be a bold beauty. Mother and daughter went around with Rakhi's portfolio and met producers at Lokhandwala, hoping for a break.

To begin with, she was signed up for road shows, but Rakhi soon became the highlight of the song-and-dance events where she outshone everybody in her skimpy dresses, swaying to Bollywood numbers. Then came the itsy-bitsy roles. For nine years, from the late Nineties, Rakhi acted in 26 films. In 2000, director Suneel Darshan cast her as a dancer opposite Govinda in what's called an item song in Joru Ka Ghulam, and she had a side role in Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne (2003). But the big break happened with Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na in 2004.

Khan was casting for the film — and there was a crowd of young girls who had come for the role of Mini. One of them was in a burkha. Khan wasn't very keen to try her out, for the role was that of a sexy young girl. At the end of the audition, the burkha-clad girl was summoned. She threw open her robes and emerged in a skirt that left little to the imagination. Rakhi had arrived. Though she never really made it big on the silver screen, she continued to sizzle as a dancer.

Controversies dogged her along the way. A television channel tried to do a sting operation on her, and she was in the news when Daler Mahendi's singer brother Mika tried to kiss her publicly in 2006. The same year she was booked for obscenity by the Kolhapur Police after a stage show in the city.

But Rakhi's in-your-face brashness had started gathering eyeballs. In 2007, she appeared on Karan Johar's popular TV chat show, Koffee With Karan, which had so far featured the biggies of Bollywood. That year, she figured in Nach Baliye 3 with her partner, Abhishek Awasthi, which followed the 2006 reality show, Big Boss.

"In her own way, she has managed to build the Rakhi Sawant brand," says Anil Wanvari, editor-in-chief, Indiantelevision.com. "She is hardworking, professional, and a go-getter. She speaks her mind . She appeals to our sense of voyeurism."

But clearly, Rakhi is still a troubled soul. Though sources in the industry say she earns something in the range of Rs 1.5-2 crore per television show, her personal life has not been happy. She has broken off ties with her mother and brother — a fact that Rakesh regrets.

"She didn't tie a rakhi on me this year," says the brother, who has directed films such as Hot Money (2006) and Wafaa (2008). "She will be upset if you write about it. She is like the Maharashtrian chilli — she can get very angry."

She moved away from her family purportedly because of her relationship with the much younger Awasthi, but the two have since split. "I would not like to say anything about Rakhi," says Awasthi who is now doing a TV show called Jugni Chali Jalandhar. "I would not like to delete any moment of my past. It was golden, precious and memorable."

Rakesh, however, believes that she left her family because she was "beginning to be ashamed" of Jaya. "You know Rakhi deals with a certain set of people and she is embarrassed being with my mother," he says. Mother and daughter — who have both embraced Christianity — bump into each other every Sunday at the Good Shepherd Church in Four Bungalows, Andheri — but they don't talk.

Rakhi has her own life — including her new relationship with Elesh Parujanwala, whom she chose as her would-be husband on TV. Rumours are rife about the two separating even before they can tie the knot, and Rakesh is not very enthusiastic about the matter. "I will be very happy if she marries, but you know in India marriages don't happen in television shows. And besides, this Elesh fellow looks like somebody who is in it only for publicity and to pursue his own acting career."

That may be uncharitable. But after Swayamvar, Rakhi is now going to appear on a show that is based on the popular UK show Baby Borrowers, where she and Elesh will be tested on their compatibility. Her relationship with Elesh may or may not work out, but the show promises to focus the arc lights on Rakhi once again. And what's a heart ache or two when the world is watching?

 

 

 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090823/jsp/7days/story_11396388.jsp

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India, Nepal firm up political, trade ties

Hindu - ‎19 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: After a five-day official visit, Madhav Kumar Nepal left India on Saturday, secure in the knowledge that the growing dissonance inside and outside his coalition government in Nepal will not affect the Indian commitment to underwrite his ...

BJP announced candidates for Guj and MP bye-elections

Press Trust of India - ‎36 minutes ago‎
New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) BJP today named candidates for two Gujarat Assembly constituencies and a Madhya Pradesh Assembly constituency which will witness bye-elections on September 10.

Interpol set to issue notice against Saeed

Times of India - ‎22 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: A Red Corner Notice (RCN) will be issued next week, possibly by Tuesday, by Interpol against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been chargesheeted for masterminding the Mumbai carnage in a move which will make it difficult for ...

INLD demands President's rule in Haryana

Press Trust of India - ‎2 hours ago‎
Chandigarh, Aug 23 (PTI) Opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) today demanded imposition of President's rule in Haryana, alleging that the official machinery was grossly misused by the Hooda government.

14-yr-old injured in school bus blaze dies in hospital

Times of India - Rohini Nair - ‎17 hours ago‎
MUMBAI: One of the 20 children, who were caught in the school bus on the Sion- Panvel highway that burst into flames of Thursday, died of his injuries on Saturday evening.

Judges free to make their assets public: CJI

Times of India - Dhananjay Mahapatra - ‎19 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: Faced with all round criticism of the higher judiciary over its reluctance to make judges assets public, Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan says if individual judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court want to make public their ...

Supermodel in messy divorce, hubby cries foul

Times of India - Dhananjay Mahapatra - ‎Aug 20, 2009‎
NEW DELHI: Locked in a bitter public spat over his crumbling marriage with top model Ujjwala Raut, British national Craig Maxwell Sterry on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Centre's decision to cancel his PIO card.

Kerala police questioning suspects in Muthoot scion's murder

Economic Times - ‎2 hours ago‎
ALAPPUZHA/KERALA: Kerala police on Sunday said that several people were being questioned in connection with the murder of 32-year-old Paul M George, the son of MG George Muthoot, a prominent businessman who heads one of the four groups of the Muthoot ...

BJP still dithers in Mysore-Karnataka

Times of India - Anil Kumar - ‎18 hours ago‎
BANGALORE: The ruling BJP is yet to establish its foothold in the Mysore-Karnataka region. Though the party boasts of having beaten the Congress in the Kollegal assembly segment and improving its vote-share in three other segments in this region, ...

Cops arrest pawnbroker, TTD priest

Express Buzz - ‎12 hours ago‎
TIRUPATI: AP Venkataramana Deekshitulu, chief priest of Sri Kodandaramaswamy Temple and main accused in the misappropriation of its jewellery, was produced in court this evening.

Slight improvement in drought situation

Hindu - ‎19 hours ago‎
HYDERABAD: Following week-long rains, the drought situation in the State registered a slight improvement as evident from the revival of agricultural activity, increase in the sown area and a better supply of drinking water.

Roof flies off at IGI's new terminal in Delhi

Times of India - ‎Aug 21, 2009‎
NEW DELHI: It took half-an-hour of heavy rain for things at Delhi airport to unravel. On Friday evening, 31.8 mm of rain and a wind speed of 91.2 kmph saw part of terminal 1D's roof fly off.

Manipur, once more

Hindu - Kalpana Sharma - ‎22 hours ago‎
It is imperative that we are at least educated about what is happening in a State like Manipur…The first step towards engagement is information.
Protesters defy Sec. 144 Calcutta Telegraph

UP Police bust blood selling racket, arrest six

IBNLive.com - ‎8 hours ago‎
New Delhi: A week after Delhi Police busted a blood donation racket in the Capital, the Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested a group of people for allegedly providing spurious blood to more than one lakh people.

Centre to review restricted area permit for foreigners

Press Trust of India - ‎3 hours ago‎
Imphal, Aug 23 (PTI) The Centre would review restricted area permit for foreign tourists in Manipur, Union Home Secretary GK Pillai today said and underlined the need for maintaining peace for effective implementation of development works in the state.

Blood donation racket: Protests rock Rajasthan town

IBNLive.com - ‎20 hours ago‎
RIGHT TO FIGHT: Protests took place on the streets of Chomu against the local MLA Bhagwan Sahay. ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos be a Citizen Journalist.

Kuber ready to set sail again

Indian Express - ‎17 hours ago‎
Nine months after the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, the ill-fated fishing boat Kuber is ready to set sail into the Arabian Sea from Porbandar.

Cong-NCP seat tussle continues

Times of India - ‎20 hours ago‎
MUMBAI: MPCC president Manikrao Thakare who completed one year as party president said the Congress would fight more seats in the coming assembly elections as a result of delimitation of assembly seats.

Vajpayee may have dealt differently with Jaswant Singh: Sharif

Hindustan Times - ‎1 hour ago‎
Does your party and you personally look at this whole controversy about Jaswant Singh's book on Jinnah sahib? I think I am not very qualified to comment on this issue but I think it is something which of course is a matter which India has to deal with.

New Google Skype phone makes ISD cheaper

Stock Watch - Deepti Parekh - ‎3 hours ago‎
Interconnectivity solutions provider Belkin's newly introduced Google Skype phone is capable to curtail rising bill of international calls.
Skype phones for ISD calling released by Belkin MediaMughals | Technology First

America finds SRK's detention funny

Spicezee - ‎24 minutes ago‎
Los Angeles: Where billions of fans from all over the world are still furious over what happened with Shah Rukh Khan in the US, an American comedian finds humour in his detention.

England bowl out Australia to regain the Ashes

Times Online - Patrick Kidd, Ben Smith - ‎32 minutes ago‎
England have regained the Ashes with victory by 197 runs on a thrill-packed evening at the Brit Oval. Despite the defiance of Mike Hussey, who was the last out for 121, Australia were unable to compete with England's aggressive bowling as expectation ...

Orissa CM voted for Prince Dance Group

Times of India - ‎5 hours ago‎
Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik has said that he has sent an SMS to vote in favour of Prince Dance Group from his state, which has reached the final round of TV reality show India's Got Talent.

Religious fervour marks Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations in TN

Chennai Online - ‎28 minutes ago‎
Chennai, Aug 23: "Vinayaka Chathurthi" festival was today celebrated with religious fervour across Tamil Nadu with people thronging the Lord Ganesh temples.

Kerala police questioning suspects in Muthoot scion's murder

Economic Times - ‎2 hours ago‎
ALAPPUZHA/KERALA: Kerala police on Sunday said that several people were being questioned in connection with the murder of 32-year-old Paul M George, the son of MG George Muthoot, a prominent businessman who heads one of the four groups of the Muthoot ...

Six more swine flu deaths take toll to 60

Sify - ‎28 minutes ago‎
New Delhi: Six more swine flu deaths were reported in India, taking the number of deaths from influenza A (H1N1) to 60, the health ministry said here on Sunday.

Enquiry into IGI terminal damage

Economic Times - ‎19 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry on Saturday ordered an inquiry into the damage to the newly-built departure terminal (1D) at the capital's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport due to rainstorm.

Federer Stops Murray in Matchup of Top Two Players

New York Times - ‎16 hours ago‎
Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray in straight sets in Mason, Ohio. Murray had won six of their last eight meetings. By KAREN CROUSE New York Times bloggers are following every serve, volley and replay challenge of the 2009 Grand Slam tournaments.

Cops arrest pawnbroker, TTD priest

Express Buzz - ‎12 hours ago‎
TIRUPATI: AP Venkataramana Deekshitulu, chief priest of Sri Kodandaramaswamy Temple and main accused in the misappropriation of its jewellery, was produced in court this evening.

TV actor in the dock for cruelty to child maid

Times of India - Vijay V Singh, Bharati Dubey - ‎21 hours ago‎
MUMBAI: Even as a 10-year-old domestic help recounted how she was exploited, beaten and scalded by her employer, a small-time TV actor, an angry mob gathered outside the woman's house on Saturday to heckle the 32-year-old who was arrested for child ...
Didi banged my face on the wall Daily News & Analysis

Megrahi release 'right decision'

BBC News - ‎5 hours ago‎
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has said releasing the Lockerbie bomber was the "right decision", as criticism mounts from both sides of the Atlantic.
Salmond defends Lockerbie decision The Press Association

Ramadan in the heat: Thirsty today, tomorrow in Paradise

Ynetnews - Sharon Roffe-Ofir - ‎5 hours ago‎
'God protects he who fasts,' explains Arab-Israeli journalist who has decided to allow his small children to fast in the summer heat.

Scoring in 100th match is a dream come true: Bhutia

Press Trust of India - ‎59 minutes ago‎
New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia today dedicated his feat of playing in 100 international matches to his team-mates and said scoring in his milestone game was a dream come true.

India, Nepal firm up political, trade ties

Hindu - ‎19 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: After a five-day official visit, Madhav Kumar Nepal left India on Saturday, secure in the knowledge that the growing dissonance inside and outside his coalition government in Nepal will not affect the Indian commitment to underwrite his ...

27 more test positive for H1N1 virus in Karnataka

Press Trust of India - ‎8 hours ago‎
Bangalore, Aug 23 (PTI) As many as 27 persons today tested positive for the H1N1 virus in Karnataka, taking the cumulative number of confirmed swine flu cases to 317 in the state.

India's lunarcraft hunts for ice on moon with NASA orbiter

Hindustan Times - ‎Aug 21, 2009‎
India's first lunarcraft Chandrayaan-1 Friday conducted a joint experiment with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of the US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to trace presence of ice in a dark crater near the North Pole of the ...

States refuse to budge on jet fuel sales tax

Economic Times - ‎15 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: Domestic airline companies, facing a financial crunch, may not see a reduction in sales tax rates charged by states on jet fuel soon, Asim Dasgupta, finance minister of West Bengal and chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ...
Many states want two GST rates Press Trust of India

Afghan Vote Results May Be Delayed

Voice of America - Steve Herman - ‎26 minutes ago‎
By Steve Herman Complaints about fraud in Thursday's presidential and provisional council elections in Afghanistan may further delay the announcement of official results.

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