Monday, September 19, 2011

Anand Mahindra and Vijay Mallya strike back through twitter on ET's reports


From Virgin's Richard Branson to Gujarat CEO Narendra Modi, leaders have been, for some time now, using social media as way to reach out to their core constituency. In the past week, two high-profile business leaders saw an opportunity to counter perceptions created by two reports in The Economic Times by tweeting to their legion of wide-eyed followers.

In response to a feature examining Mahindra & Mahindra's attempt to be an end-to-end mobility solutions provider - from two wheelers to aircraft - vice chairman & managing director Anand Mahindra had this quip on Twitter: "ET story asks whether M&M should stick to SUVs. Forgot to tell them when I joined M&M management consultants advised we stick to tractors!"

A few days later, it was the turn of UB group chairman to voice his discontent about an ET story that reported auditors had raised doubts about Kingfisher Airlines' ability to do business over the longer term. "Kingfisher being slammed by media based on an unknown investment analyst's report. He covers telecom and is an ex-employee of The Economic Times," thundered Mallya, referring to the analyst with the Canada-headquartered Veritas Investment Research who came out with scathing report on Kingfisher Airlines.

Cleary, social media is proving to be a fitting platform for business CEOs to put forth their point of view on news and views carried in the more traditional medium of publishing-and to question that view if it is potentially damaging to the company and the CEO's image. Followers of these leaders have an opportunity to respond, which in term allows the head honchos to gauge how successful they have been at countering perception created through such newspaper reports. That's social media with its interactive vigour working at its best. More power to the CEO-and to ET!

Telangana News : Transport Employees' Strike Paralyse

Transport services in Andhra Pradesh's Telangana region came to a standstill Monday as all employees of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) joined the indefinite general strike and groups demanding a separate Telangana state blocked highways.

About 10,000 buses went off the roads in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana as over 54,000 RTC employees joined the strike, paralysing road transport and causing severe inconvenience to commuters, officials said.

Raising slogans of "Jai Telangana", RTC employees staged demonstrations outside the bus depots and stayed away from work.

The strike by government employees, teachers and workers of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd entered the seventh day Monday, crippling the administration, closing down schools and bringing coal production to a halt.

Lawyers are also boycotting the courts while doctors in government-run hospitals are staging protests for a separate state. Electricity departments employees are also set to join the strike Monday by not collecting the bills.

In Hyderabad, the RTC strike paralysed the city bus services. Students and office-goers going to schools and work places had a tough time reaching their destinations.

The usually busy Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) wore a deserted look as all the 3,000 bus services to various parts of the state were cancelled.

While buses to cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Tirupati and other places in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions were cancelled Sunday night, the services to all the towns in Telangana were withdrawn early Monday.

RTC managing director Prasada Rao said they were making alternate arrangements to operate buses. Hundreds of policemen and those from paramilitary forces were deployed at bus stations as RTC management was using the services of retired drivers and ex-servicemen.

In an attempt to minimise inconvenience to people, the transport department has given freedom to private vehicle operators to run their services across the region. Seven-seater auto-rickshaws, which are not allowed in Hyderabad city on normal days, are being permitted to operate.

The railways are operating additional local trains in Hyderabad and also to various destinations in the state.

Transport services between Telangana, other parts of the state, and neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra also came to a standstill Monday as Telangana activists began the daylong road blockade.

"The movement has intensified and it will continue till we achieve our goal," said Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Harish Rao while leading the road blockade at Kodada in Nalgonda district, blocking all vehicles coming from coastal Andhra region.

The protestors also blocked highways connecting Telangana to Rayalaseema, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Narendra Modi scared, wants to look strong: Congress

Congress leaders once again hit out at the BJP and chief minister Narendra Modi's "luxurious" on Tuesday. While Congress members of Parliament from Saurashtra region could not attend the party's fast, minister of state for railways Bharatsinh Solanki, party's national general-secretary Madhusudan Mistry and Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Rashtrapal were present at the Congress fast venue outside Sabarmati Ashram.

Many religious leaders, including saints of Swaminarayan Gurukul from Kalol, religious heads of Maldhari community, also visited Shankersinh Vaghela and Arjun Modiwadia at the venue.

Vaghela again spewed venom at BJP and Modi. "There is a saying in Sanskrit that 'Excess of anything should be avoided', now Modi and his government have done so many excessive things, which will not last for long. In next six months or in a year, they will see the results. We have gone on fast because of their fast, but I am not able to understand why they have gone on fast? He is misusing Gujarat people's tax money for his own personal gain," he said.

He further said, "His government is talking about US Congress report, but I want to ask why we need to live on a certificate from the US?"

Leader of the opposition in assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil, said: "He is planning to conclude his fast on Monday evening, though as per his announcement of 72-hour fast it should be completing on Tuesday. Many Muslim leaders complained to me over phone that they had been forced to visit Modi's fast venue and meet him."
Union minister Solanki referred to Sigmund Freud in his speech. "Sigmund Freud has said that if any person is feeling very scared from within, he behaves as if he is the most powerful. He (Modi) has fear for the forthcoming elections."

GPCC president Modhwadia said, "The government machinery and the BJP are trying hard to bring in more and more Muslim people to the venue. If Muslim men and women are not turning up, the BJP is arranging for BJP women cell members and covering their faces with veils.

RA.One Movie mp3 Songs Free Download


Film: “RA.One”
Music Directors: Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyricists: Vishal Dadlani, Niranjan Iyengar, Kumaar, Panchhi Jalonvi, Anvita Dutt and Anubhav Sinha
Singers: Akon, Hamsika Iyer, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Clinton Cerejo’s Choir, Shruti Pathak, Nandini Srikar, The Prague Philharmonic Choir, Sidd Coutto and Sukhwinder Singh
Rating: 35star

Shah Rukh Khan’s “RA.One” has been generating curiosity since beginning and expectations have been high from its music as well. The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie.

The film offers 14 tracks, including remix versions and theme tracks.

It starts on a rocking note with the already popular number “Chammak Challo”. A clear winner all the way, the song, which has Hindi, English and Tamil words in the lyrics, makes you groove.

An interesting thing about the track is that it’s crooned by international artist Akoon, who has voiced not just the English lyrics but Hindi ones too. Hamika Iyer supports him by singing Tamil words. A fun dance number, “Chammak Challo” is here to stay and it will surely become DJs’ favourite.

The song also has a few other versions, including a remix by Abhijit Vaghani, another remix by DJ Khushi and an international version.

Then comes “Dildaara”, a mush melody at its best. Sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, it has John Lennon’s song “Stand by me” mixed into it and the combination is interesting. The song boasts of various genres.

Then comes another Akon number called “Criminal”, a peppy and upbeat track that also has Vishal Dadlani and Shruti Pathak behind the mike. An amalgamation of Hindi and English lyrics, “Criminal” is a perfect party number.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bad weather affects rescue operation in quake-hit Sikkim, 28 dead

Large scale rescue and relief operations were on as the actual impact of Sunday's earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, emerged on Monday. Most of the quake-hit areas lie in the remote and largely inaccessible parts of the small Himalayan state Sikkim.

Till the last information, at least 16 people had died in different Indian states, while neighbouring Nepal reported five deaths. Another seven people were killed in China's autonomous Tibet province.

Bad weather was affecting rescue and relief operations as was raining heavily in most of the affected areas.

According to the ministry of home affairs (MHA), apart from Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram were also affected by the earthquake. Maximum nine people died in Sikkim, while 64 others were injured. West Bengal reported five deaths and injuries to 29. Two people died in Bihar, while one person was reported injured in Assam.

Bad weather affects rescue
Sikkim Governor B.P. Singh said inclement weather was hampering rescue operations. He said north Sikkim was the worst hit by the quake.

The Centre has mobilised 72 columns of army apart from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Road Organisation (BRO) personnel. For the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed five aircraft, including two of its newly acquired C 130J Super Hercules.

The planes would be used to transport relief supplies to the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The state-of-the-art aircraft are equipped to land in inhospitable terrains in darkness.

Youth made Lokpal movement a success, says Kiran Bedi

Attributing the success of the anti-corruption movement to people's participation, Team Anna member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Saturday implored the young delegates at the Mind Rocks India Today Youth Summit 2011 that their support should continue so that the government is forced to legislate a strong Lokpal Bill during the winter session later this year.

"The movement was a success because of you and all credit goes to Anna Hazare," Bedi told the summit, which was held on Saturday in Delhi. She attributed her association with the movement to RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal, calling it an 'opportunity.'

She called for people to end their indifference towards how government is run, else it would give the people in power a free run to do corrupt dealings. They should be held accountable, she said, calling the government draft of the Lokpall bill ineffective.

Bedi said the government proposes to create two CBIs - saying the first CBI will be under the government control, while the other, the new one, would only investigate new cases of corruption. She asserted that a senior minister told her that the government is worried that an independent CBI under Lokpal may reopen old corruption cases like that of Bofors gun deal.

The fear of going to jail and usurping of property created by corrupt means will act as an effective deterrent for people like Suresh Kalmadi and A. Raja, she added.

On being asked what makes her sure the Jan Lokpal will not become corrupt, Bedi said, "It's very transparent. It has a search committee and it is very accountable. All its functioning will become website-oriented. It will be a harbinger of change."

Bedi summed up saying that she is still youthful at heart. Her passion, determination and drive to be just and fearless against pressure and adversaries remain intact. That is so because she trained hard as a sportswoman earlier in her life. She told the youth that what they do now in their formative years will have a lasting bearing on the rest of their life. She shared her experiences with the youth on how to deal with life.

The former IPS officer, who calls herself a rebel by nature, told the gathering, her passion to stand against the unjust has remained undiminished since her childhood. She attributed this to her devotion to sports. Bedi was an ace tennis player and women tennis's Asian champion at the age of twenty.

Sports gave right focus to immense store of energy in her that helped her lifelong, she said. Bedi feels spiritual, mental and physical are all essential components of education and sports provide best training in the formative years.

Saying she never lost her focus in life, Bedi said she joined the Indian Police Service at the age of 22 in 1972, a profession considered taboo for women. She added soon she became a role model for men during training years. She called it 'destiny' that she was transferred to Delhi. In 1975, she had a frank talk with the then IG Police (now called Commissioner) Delhi, P.R. Rajgopal, to persuade him to lead the January 26 parade in 1976. "This is one event that announced the arrival of women in the police force," she says raising fist in the air.

She never looked back. In 1982, Bedi issued a ticket to the driver of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi when her car was wrongly parked. "She was in power, so was I," Bedi said, asserting the point that policing has to be just and equitable. There cannot be two different standards for the rich and the poor.

She explained that she was perhaps not made the commissioner of Delhi Police, because she would have not bowed down to the will of politicians. Earlier, she was not given the charge of anti-terror wing of Delhi Police simply because she would have released people held illegally in the name of anti-terror investigations, she said.

Motivating the youth, she said, "Had I not been somebody, I would have been nobody. So, I never lost track of my priority. At 16, I knew when to say yes, when to say no... What you did in teenage returns to you at 20-23."

CCTV footage of Nepal mall as Quake Struck


Kathmandu, Nepal: Five people were killed as the Sikkim earthquake, with a 6.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale, shook nearby Nepal yesterday.

Three of the five Nepalese quake victims were killed when a high brick wall of the British Embassy at Lainchaur in Kathmandu collapsed, the police said.

Among them were Bir Bahadur Majhi and his eight-year-old daughter Anisha, who were walking past the Embassy when the wall collapsed. The other victim at this spot was identified as Sajan Shrestha, 36.

Two persons were killed in a wall collapse in Dharan which is close to the epicenter of the quake along the eastern Nepal-India border.

Several people were injured as they panicked and ran out of their homes, offices and marketplaces and on to the streets and open spaces.

Some people, panic-stricken, reportedly jumped off their houses, hotels and buildings that house shops.

This Close Circuit TV footage shows the inside of a shopping mall in Kathmandu as the earthquake shook Nepal.

Big earthquake in Sikkim, tremors across India: 28 dead, over 100 injured



New Delhi: At least 28 people have been killed, 16 in India, five in Nepal and seven in Tibet, and over 100 are injured after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale shook Sikkim on Sunday evening. Strong tremors were also felt in parts of North and East India and parts of Bangladesh and Nepal, causing widespread panic. The epicentre of the quake is said to be just 64 kilometre North-West of Gangtok.

Seven people, including two Armymen, were killed in Sikkim and 33 others received injuries there. In Bihar, a seven-year-old girl was among two dead. Latehar was one of the worst hit in India; two people died there and wide cracks were visible on houses. Roads also cracked in several places and residents ran out on the streets. Four more died in West Bengal. Of the five people killed in Nepal, three casualties were reported from Kathmandu, where the British embassy collapsed and smashed a car.

Tremors were felt in Lucknow, Patna, Kolkata, New Delhi and the National Capital Region, which sent thousands of people running out of their homes. (Forum: Did you feel the tremors?)

Three aftershocks, of magnitude 5.7, 5.1 and 4.6 were also felt in Sikkim, says the India Meteorological Department.

Many buildings in Sikkim developed cracks, including the Sikkim Manipal University building. Key roads to the Hills have been badly damaged, leaving Sikkim virtually cut off from the rest of the country.

A total number of 4000 people are involved in the rescue operations including the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). They have launched search and rescue operations in the Pegong area of north Sikkim which has been "badly affected." The ITBP rescued 15 foreign tourists and 150 villagers in their operations. They were moved to battalion headquarters. Rescue operations are, however, being hampered by heavy rainfall and landslides.

HBSE Extend the Date of HTET Examination September to November

As per the notice of dated 17-09-2011, Haryana Board of School Education department extend the date of Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test date from 24-25 September to 05 November and 06 November 2011. The Secretary said that all the student will contact the official website for all the details. The Admit will be send to all candidate before the date of examination/test.

The schedule of the HTET is as the details below:

Category - 3(lecturer) : 05-Nov.-2011 Time : 11 AM to 12:30 PM (Saturday)

Category - 1(for Class 1 to 5 Teachers) : 06-Nov.-2011 Time : 11 AM to 12:30 PM
(Sunday)

Category - 1(for Class 6 to 8 Teachers) : 06-Nov.-2011 Time : 02:30 PM to 04:00 PM
(Sunday)


For more details you can download the notice of the Board here :

Click here

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Abhishek Bachchan injured during film shoot in Jaipur


Actor Abhishek Bachchan was on Wednesday injured during a film shoot in Jaipur. According to sources, Abhishek fell from a rickshaw while shooting for Rohit Shetty's upcoming film Bol Bachchan.

The shooting was cancelled after the incident. The movie stars Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Asin, Prachi Desai and Archana Puran Singh.

The movie is written and directed by Rohit Shetty.

Delhi High Court blast: 2 J&K Teenagers Arrested


The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday arrested two teenagers for their alleged role in the blast outside the Delhi High Court, in which 13 people were killed.

The two youth -- Shariq Bhatt and Abid Hussain Wani -- had earlier been detained from Kishtwar for questioning as an e-mail claiming responsibility for the Delhi blast led the investigators to a cyber cafe in the J&K town.

According to ministry of home affairs (MHA) sources, one of them was allegedly related to a former militant and the investigators were trying to ascertain who of the two had sent the email.

An FIR has been registered under the Information Technology Act for sending email after the blast claiming responsibility for it. Several people were being questioned in Kishtwar in connection with the case.

The arrests come exactly a week after the blast.

In Delhi, Union home secretary R.K. Singh said the NIA had got some clues and there was progress. He, however, refused to divulge details.

"Some people have been arrested and they are being interrogated," Singh said, adding, "We have clues. There is progress also. But we do not want to disclose whatever progress we have made as it will hamper the investigation."

The NIA had on Tuesday raised the reward money from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh for anybody giving information about the perpetrators of the blast.

Govt Announces Reward for upset Hockey Players


After the outrage over Hockey India's meagre incentives to the victorious hockey players, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday hiked the reward money.

Sports Minister Ajay Makan, who maintained "a small thing is unnecessarily snowballed into major controversy", has said the government will give an award of Rs. 1.5 lakh each to 17 members of hockey team that won in China.

Maken said he requested the government of India to consider granting reward money to players under a special scheme.

"After discussion it was decided that Sports Ministry will give an award of Rs. 1.5 lakh each to members of the team," the minister said.

Hockey India had offered the players a paltry sum of Rs. 25,000 for the recently won Asian Champions Trophy, which was refused by the team.

The players were offered the money by HI during their felicitation on Tuesday. But the players refused, saying the amount was too less and would not even fetch them a decent playing kit.

Maken said players did the right thing in refusing Rs. 25000 given to them earlier. "I think no action should be taken against these players," he said.

The Indian team beat archrivals Pakistan 4-2 in a tie-breaker in the finals of the inaugural championship in China.

Hockey management in India too is under perennial crisis. Recently, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) withdrew the hosting rights for the 2011 men's Champions Trophy from India.

Maken also said, "I have tried and will continue trying to make sure things are fine between FIH and HI. The fighting between the two is the cause for the current state of hockey in India."

The minister said the players get the reward automatically.

"The government had been giving awards medal winners in international sports even. That's why we don't announce, because it is in public domain. We don't take credit. The players automatically get money. In the past six months, we had given Rs. 7.81 crore on preparation of hockey team," he said.

State govts show the way

Earlier, even as the Union Sports Ministry had washed its hands off the entire episode, the Punjab and Maharashtra state governments had announced bigger cash rewards for the players.

While Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced Rs. 25 lakh for the entire team, the Maharashtra government was giving 10 lakh to Yuvraj Walmiki, a player from the state.

The move came even as Maken failed to announce any rewards suggesting they had spent enough on Indian hockey.

In fact, after announcing the reward, the Punjab deputy CM said the Centre should apologise for the shabby treatment of the players after their big win.

Maken absolves govt

Maken was quick to absolve the Sports Ministry of any blame in the matter. He tweeted that the government had nothing to do with the measly reward for the new Asian champions.

The Sports Minister tweeted, "Rs. 25000 cash award was not announced by Govt but by the Hockey India. Govt spends all the money on training, coaching & foreign exposure."

He went on to tweet that the government has spent almost Rs. eight crore on the hockey team in the last six months, Rs. 5.97 crore on national coaching camps, Rs. 1.75cr on foreign visits and Rs. 8.75 lakh on foreign experts.

Ryan Harris Blow for Aussies


Colombo - Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris looks unlikely to start in the upcoming third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka after scans revealed a hamstring strain.

Harris had complained of a stiff right hamstring on the last day of the drawn second Test in Pallekele on Monday and underwent scans when the team drove to Colombo on Tuesday afternoon.

Australia, leading 1-0 in the three-match series, are unlikely to risk Harris in the final Test starting at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Friday, although the bowler himself is keen to play.

"I want to play as much as I can but I know I am a risk," Harris, nicknamed 'Rhino' for his burly physique, told reporters after the team's training session on Wednesday, which he missed.

He said he will leave the decision to captain Michael Clarke and the team management, adding: "If Michael is happy to take me in with a slight risk, I will give it 100 percent in what is a pretty big game. If not, I will sit out and do as I am told."

The hamstring strain is the latest setback for injury-prone Harris, who has been battling a chronic knee problem since his debut last year.

"It's disappointing because I have done a fair bit of work to be strong again and something minor like this has upset it," he said.

The 31-year-old has been Australia's most successful bowler in the series with 11 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the first Test in Galle that fashioned Australia's 125-run victory.

Harris took six wickets in the second Test, but heavy rain in Pallekele frustrated Australia's bid to record a series-clinching victory.

If Harris is declared unfit to play, Australia have two other seamers, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson, to choose from. Neither has played in the series so far.
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