Barrack Obama wins Nobel Prize for peace

US President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize less than a year after taking office.

Many observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline and has yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking.The Nobel Committee said he won it for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

There were a record 205 nominations for this year's peace prize. Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Chinese dissident Hu Jia had been among the favourites. Obama's name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.

Among earlier US leaders, Theodore Roosevelt won the prize in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson won it in 1919.
The Nobel prize was invented by the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel, and was first awarded in 1901. The prize-giving ceremony for the peace award is due to take place on 10 December in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

The myth of Obamaphobia in India

The moment the name "Barrack Obama" is uttered and people around the world visualize the African-American who infused huge confidence into the sagging spirits of many Americans. His campaign trail had a lot of fresh air both during the primaries and also in the Presidential campaign. He made it a point to touch the issues pertaining to people and lent in his plans and ideas for the future of America. The pure way in which he connected with his own fellow Americans coupled with growing anger against the Presidency of George Bush transformed into crushing win for the democrats. He was the right man, at the right time and someone many Americans looked up to for a change. His slogan of "Yes, we can!!!" worked wonders and was the right tonic for the people who were hit by the worst recession in six decades.

President Bush's era was painted with lots of hatred and a growing sense of "American Bullyism" was felt by countries across the world. The events like 9/11 and the wars that followed in Afghanisthan and the unnecessary war in Iraq alienated America from the rest of the world. America under Bush regime was spending billions of dollars in the so called "War on terror". This only made America and its people more insecure and is still is. Many terrorist attacks in American-friendly nations followed like the one in London and Madrid.

Back home in America, economy was weaking every quarter and more people lost jobs every month. The bad management practices which crept into the American MNC's laid seeds for a painful economic chaos. Bush's ratings was spiralling down very quickly and was regarded as the worst President in many decades. It all culminated towards the "Lehmann Brothers bankruptcy" last September and American economy had a free fall from then on. This was when a man with broad smile and detailed plans for his country entered the scene- Barack Husssain Obama. The rest is history with him becoming the first ever African-American to chair American Presidency.

All said and done, George Bush could be regarded as a villain in the rest of the world, but somehow he was very close to India. For the first time in decades, America laid out red carpet state salute welcome to an Indian Prime Minister when Dr. Manmohan Singh visited America in July 2005. Bush and Manmohan Singh had a great working relationship and signed an historic Indo-US Nuke deal. India was always quiet close to Bush and he went out of his way to convince American congress on the Nuke deal proposal. Bush's love for India was also seen as a tactical move to counter the growing Chinese economy. Bush was one of the few American Presidents who gave a strong support to India which led Dr.Manmohan Singh to say that Bush was ver much loved by Indian people during his last meeting with the American President. Dr.Singh received lot of flak for that particular remark back home.

Many in India are quiet apprehensive even from the Presidential campaign about Barrack Obama and his policies. His policies of greater check on non-prolifreation and curbing of offshoring jobs to other countries particularly IT jobs to India created lot of panic in India. He was one among the few who raised amnedments to Indo-US nuclear deal in the congress which he later didnot press upon. He was opposed to tranferring sensitive nuclear technology to India. With his election to Presidency in January, India was quiet nervous about the approach he would take towards India. His famous quote of "Say no to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo" was like hearing death knell to many entrepreneurs in India. A myth was being created that Obama would stop India's ascendancy in global stage.

The IT sector was quiet dissatisfied by the protectionist policies charted out by Obama administration which could hit this sector in particular very badly. This was just an illusion. Obama proposed the abolition of tax breaks to those AMERICAN MNC's who shipped jobs to other countries like India. Earlier, American business houses which made profits from their overseas subsidiaries(easily put as "branches") were liable to pay only 2% of their profits as taxes to American government. At a time of huge economic crisis and raising fiscal deficit in America, this kind of low taxes was seen to be quiet biased. So, they have proposed to increase the taxes to those MNC'c to upto 35%. This in no way is applicable or will affect Indian IT companies or any other sector companies for that matter. The proposal itself had a lot of opposition from companies like Micrsoft, IBM and HP who will be affected by this proposal and to top it all these proposal if accepted in American congress will come into effect only from 2011.

The main worry is the cut in H1B1 visas which are necessary for foreign nationals to work in America. With more offshoring mix than onsite in many Indian IT companies now, this could also be weathered.

Other issue which makes Indian diplomats fret is the American U-turn in a sense towards opposition to sharing sensitive nuclear technology to India. This proposal was made by America to other G8 countries but with a lukewarm response. Russia and France have already shot down the proposal and has given full support to India in tranferrring all latest Nuke technology to Indian nuke reactors. Many American nuclear companies have raised voices against this because they could loose lots of nuclear business to their French and Russian counterparts due to this proposal. These are the main fears(mainly myths) that Indians are suffering from the so called Obamaphobia.

One thing that Indians should be clear is "Obama is elected President of America". It would be very short- sighted to discuss whether he would be any good or bad to India. His role as President of America is to work for American people and their improvement. It would be better if we have an eye on what our elected politcians and what they will do for our country's improvement rather than worry about policies and work of Presidents and PM's of other countries towards our country.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Rajashekar Reddy dies in helicopter crash

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others were killed when their helicopter crashed on a hill. The helicopter crashed about 49 nautical miles east of Kurnool, more than an hour it took off from Hyderabad's Begumpet airport yesterday.The charred bodies of 60-year-old Reddy and others and the wreckage of the twin-engined Bell 430 helicopter were located at 8.20 AM. The other bodies are identified as the ones of Pilot, co-pilot, CM's security officer Wesley and his secretary Subramanyam IAS.

Reddy, 60, a powerful politician who had never lost an election during his 30-year political career, led the Congress party to victories in both state and Parliament elections in May, and was just months into his second term as chief minister.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his condolence messsage described YSR's death as a personal loss and said he was a "role model" and an outstanding leader with a tireless commitment to serve the people. He said he was stellar leader and loved my masses.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that she was "deeply saddened" by the news, and described as a "leader of reason and dynamism". She remembered him who had full determination and commitment to bring the Congress back to power both at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh in elections earlier this year. Both the PM and Congress president will attend his funeral tomorrow.

Meanwhile, AP Finance Minister Rosaiah will be the caretaker Chief Minister of the state. He appealed to the people to stay calm in this hour of crisis. The government said all schools and other instituitions will remain closed tomorrow as a mark of respect to the late CM.

Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal goes to polls on October 13

Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will go to polls on October 13 on a single phase election time table. This was announced by Chief Election Commisioner Mr.Naveen Chawla. The counting will take place on October 22. There is an unusual 9-day gap between the polling day and counting day.

This, Election Commision says is due to Diwali that comes right between on October 18. This is also the first elections after the General elections which took place last April-May where Congress party romped home with victory.Despite the ongoing controversy over Electronic Voting Machines, the same will be used for casting vote in all three states. Video cameras will be placed in sensitive polling booths. With this announcement the Model Code of Conduct has been activated.

There are 60 seats in Arunachal Pradesh, 90 seats in Haryana and 288 seats in Maharashtra assemblies respectively. There are 7.56 crore voters in Maharashtra and 1.20 crore voters in Haryana. EVMs will be used in all the three states.

Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana are expected to go Congress way mainly due to a strong party base and also a very weak opposition in BJP. Maharashtra will be the one to watch. The Congress-NCP combine are likely to go together against the 3o years of coalition combine of Shiv Sena and BJP. BJP is certainly on a sticky wicket due to internal party uproar and fights within the party high command. Also, the Raj Thackeray's MNS could play a spoiler and eat into the votes of BJP and Shiv Sena.

Congress, fresh from its victory at the centre is itching to take hold of the Maharashtra government for the third consecutive time. The main qusetion being whether they would contest alone in Maharashtra or contuinue with their combination with NCP which is headed by BCCI-president and Union Agricultural minister Sharad Pawar. Pawar had a very poor General elections winning only 9 seats in 48-seat Lok Sabha contest.

Hatoyama becomes Prime Minister of Japan

Its was a historic moment in Japan's history. Yukio Hatayoma ended five decades of Liberal Democratic Party rule in Japan. The Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) headed by its leader Yukio Hatayoma cruised through in the national elections to hand otgoing PM Taro Aso and leader of LDP its worst ever defeat in fifty years. Democratic Party of Japan seized 308 seats in Lower House election, bouncing the Liberal Democratic Party from power. The DPJ's tally far exceeded the 241 seats needed for a single majority and surpassed the 296 seats the LDP won in its landslide victory in the previous Lower House election in 2005.

The Liberal Democrats have governed Japan for virtually all of the past 54 years.Japan's electorate wanted a significant change in old school policies of the LDP, which includes a more equivocal diplomatic relations with the USA rather than a more submissive approach all these decades. At the same time, the Democrats want to improve relations with other Asian countries, like China, Taiwan, S.Korea and India.

Hatoyamo has pledged to foster a family-friendly state by abolishing high education fees, increasing child support to £170 a month and introducing a minimum income for farmers. Tax breaks for small and medium-sized businesses, minimum pensions and the abolition of road tolls are among other promises. The child support plan is one which is aimed at increasing the fertility rates in Japan which is shockingly in the nagative. This would lead to an population degrowth by 2030. So, the increase in child support plan is one way of encouraging couples to have more child.

Japan managed to climb out of a yearlong recession in the second quarter, but its economy remains weak. Unemployment and anxiety over falling wages threatens to undermine any recovery. The jobless rate has risen to a record 5.7 percent.But with Japan's public debt heading toward 200 percent of gross domestic product the largets for any wealthy nation, it will be very difficult for export-driven-country like Japan to pull out of this recession and lead a path to high-end recovery.As China threatens to overtake Japan as the world’s second largest economy as early as next year, the pressure is on for Mr Hatoyama to reinvent the nation’s trade and industry Japan's people are hoping the new government with new ideas will lead the country towards the glory days of 80's and 90's.

Jinnah jinx haunts Jaswant Singh

For long, Bharatiya Janatha Party(BJP) has found itself toeing the line of its big brother and parent party in politcs, the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak(RSS). Party men, be it their tallest leader LK Advani or even someone who is a basic member of BJP have not dared to cross the Lakshman Rekha drawn by RSS,when it comes to their age-old ideaology, the Hindutva. L.K.Advani's comments on Mohammad Ali Jinnah being a secular leader created a huge uproar in the BJP and the RSS in 2005. He was literally given marching orders by the RSS from the post of party leadership. He found out the wrong way that it was RSS and not BJP who call the shots in ideological matters relating to BJP.
Now its the turn of Jaswant Singh, the senior most party leader and a close confidant of two pillars of BJP namely Vajpayee and Advani. His comments in his book regarding "Jinnah, Independence and Partition" have caused yet another furore. He has indicated that both Nehru and Patel were equally responsible for the partition and its the ignorance of Indian public to make a villian out of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first PM of newly formed Islamic reublic of Pakistan. He has also praised Jinnah of being a nationalist and only one who has the distinction of being the President of All India Congress Party and also Muslim league.A controversial new book suggests that Jinnah, a secular man who drank and smoked and rarely visited the mosque, has too long been demonised by Indian society.
It is a fact that Nehru and Jinnah had strained relations. Nehru along with Vallabhai Patel, it is believed, refused the idea of Jinnah being made the Prime Minister of united India, so that there wont be any partition. This idea was allegedly proposed by Gandhi himself which was flatly refused by Congress members except a few muslim leaders like Abul Kalam Azad. These are facts which are hotly debated even today and refused in some quarters as mere myths by Indian historians.
The decision to expel Singh came after the release of his book “Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence” which the Bharatiya Janata Party said did not represent the views of the party. The decision was taken in the "Chintan Baitak" or "brain-stroming session" called by the BJP leaders in Simla from August 19-21. Ironically, Advani has given the go-ahead for the expulsion process of Jaswanth Singh to take place, whille Jaswant Singh was one of the few who supported LK Advani during his "Jinnah Controversy" in 2005. Many believe this is sheer double standards and refusal in the part of BJP to come out of its intolerant ideology.

The main agenda of this session being to discusss the recent poll debacle of BJP and the future steps to be taken in order to strengthen the party ahead of the assembly polls in four states including Maharashtra. The expulsion has become some kind of a distraction for the BJP taking the spotlight away from the "Chintan Baitak". It has become a "Chinta Baitak" with BJP leaders scrambling for top post in the BJP and many having their won goals in BJP's succesion plan.
Meanwhile, in a trademark Narendra Modi style the book of Jaswant Singh has been banned in Gujrat territory. The ban on Jaswant's book comes soon after his expulsion from BJP.

PM Manmohan Singh: Trust, but verify

The Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh clarified the government's stand on the latest Indo-Pak joint statement in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt earlier in the month during the NAM(Non-aligned Movement) summit.There was a huge uproar back in India as a strong reaction to loosely packed joint-statement. Many diplomats in India believed that it was a huge mistake to include the problem of Baluchistan in the joint-statement.The PM clarified that there was no dossier exchanged in reference to Baluchistan.But, experts believe there was no need to point to Baluchistan which after all is an internal matter of Pakistan and India has absolutely nothing to do with it.The PM has said that the composite dialogue with Pakistan will not begin until and unless Pakistan brings the terrorists who headed the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to book. Quoting Ronald Regan's words, PM said that we must trust Pakistan but verify and scrutinise its actions. We can choose our friends,our enemies, but we cannot choose our neighbours. So, we have to find a way to deal with Pakistan.PM also wanted Pakistan show in letter and spirit that they are serious about terror.He also took a dig at the BJP, that UPA does not need any lessons from BJP about dealing with Pakistan.

On the Nuclear Enrichment status(ENR) raised by the G8 countries in L'Aquila,Italy that these processes can be transferred only to those countries which are a signatory of NPT(Non-Proliferation Treaty), the PM said there was no need to worry and that India will not sign NPT in its present form. The PM said that India has got a clean and specific deal from the NSG and that this position was even endorsed by French President Nicholas Sarkozy.He also said India has signed bilateral nuclear deal for construction of nuclear reactors with France,US and Russia.As regards to the end-user agreement with the USA, he said its just a composite bilateral agreement for procuring defence equipments and that it will expedite the closure of defence deals with United States of America.

Free insurance schemes for 1 crore families in Tamil Nadu

Nearly one crore families in Tamil Nadu, with an annual income of Rs 72,000 or less will benefit from the Tamil Nadu Government's new insurance scheme.Each family can avail treatment for critical ailments — around 51 identified procedures — up to Rs.100,000 at private and pay wards of government hospitals.The state government would pay the premimum of Rs 500 per annum for all the families from its pocket.The insurance is offered by the city-based health insurer Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Ltd. It has tied up with more than 150 public and private hospitals across the state.A biometric smart card will be issued to the beneficiary. The card would carry the photo of head of the family. Details of dependents would be available in the database.Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi requested Union Health Minister,Ghulam Nabi Azad to waive the Rs.48 crore service tax paid by the state government on the Rs.517 crore payout towards the insurance premium under the Kalaignar Insurance Scheme.At a time, when even US is fighting for a comprehensive health care system, the implementation of this Insurance scheme is quite laudable. While other states are struggling and working hard to give their citizens basic amenities like food and shelter, insurance schemes from TN is the right example in growth and development. But the trick lies in execution and if executed properly, the poor and needy will be the biggest beneficiary out of this visionary scheme.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi also announced that, after his death his house at Gopalapuram will be converted into a charitable hospital for the poor and downtrodden.

Prabhakaran is my friend:Karunanidhi

DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu CM, M.Karunanidhi has said that leader of the terrorist organisation Prabhakaran is his friend. LTTE is a banned terrorist organisation across the world. LTTE cadres are demanding separate tamil nation called "Eelam" from the SriLankan government. It is also the organisation which assasinated former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when he was attending a political meeting in Sriperumbedur near Chennai,Tamil Nadu.

After nearly a three decade long war with the SriLankan government, the LTTE is now cornered in a 20 sq KM "no fire zone" in SriLanka. Karunanidhi, a tamil CM, whose was always kept silent about LTTE fearing backlash among tamils in TamilNadu recently has said that Prabhakaran is his friend.

Also, he has said that he will deeply regret if Prabhakaran is killed in the war.Karunanidhi also said that the LTTE’s goals were “legitimate,” but faulted it when he said they had adopted “wrong methods.”Karunanidhi said he differed with Prabhakaran on his policy of delivering a dictator-type rule if he came to power, as stated by the LTTE chief.

Post-Economic crisis more challenging

World is now at an undefinable stage of the economic crisis. The more we analyse the current economic crisis, the more frightening it becomes. World economies including United States, European nations and developing nations like Brazil,Russia,India and China (famously known as BRIC) have no clue when this economic crisis will end. The other day, G20 nations met and agreed for a stronger regulatory actions on so called "Bad debt or Badly behaving banks". They yelled out for financial reforms across the board and a lot more stimulus packages.
Personally, i dont think this in any way addresses the main aim of bailing out countries from the present financial crisis mainly because regulating banks and financial reforms are steps that should be taken by countries to prevent another such crisis from taking place. So its more of a prevention of the disease occuring again rather than a cure of the current disease. I would suggest to first cure the present crisis and then we can think about its reoccurance. Secondly, the stimulus packages that the countries have promised. With the present scenario, countries have very little or no liquidity(read as "money") left with them for yet another stimulus packages which is essentially giving money to people through banks as loans or by any other means and encouraging them to spend more money. The interest rates in US and many European nations have virtually come to zero and thus they have no more room for any kind of monetary policy.
This leaves the US with no other way than to just wait for the economic crisis to end by itself and then hope for some economic growth. Also, the growing unemployment rate(now at 8.5% in US) is a cause of big worry. Less jobs means less spending and that forces less industrial production and which in turn leads to more layoffs. Developing nations like China and India are better placed to face the crisis but with time running out, they will also be affected badly.
One of the reasons for this crisis not ending quickly is the relatively low consumer spending in US as many of them are saving for an uncertain future.In January, the savings rate climbed to 4.4%. In February, it dipped slightly to 4.2%. Both were well above the negative 1% rate for 2006 and the negative 0.5% rate for 2005.In a $14.2 trillion U.S. economy, a 5-percentage-point increase in the savings rate -- and therefore a 5-point decline in consumption -- amounts to $500 billion.So, one way for the crisis to end is by other developing nations like India compensate for this $500 billion gap in US spending. That is people in India,China need to spend more so that the whole world can get out of this mess, else everyone will suffer. But countries like India and China are traditionally inclined to saving more.
That is why, even if economic crisis ends this year, the Americans and Europeans will want to save more to prevent themselves from such a scenario again. This in turn would lead to low economic growth around the world. This may increase dramatically only when some other country takes over from US as the leading economy in the world. That is why, many say the future of the world depends on how well India and China grow. With their population, even if a small fraction(about 30% of total American population) leads life like a average American, the world will grow much faster than what it was did in the past 2 decaded prior to the economic crisis.
So, the post economic crisis seems very challenging and would slow going till hopefully China and India take over. Future of the world lies in the hands of the Indian and Chinese citizen!!!

Journalist attacks Chidambaram with a shoe

A Sikh reporter threw a shoe at the Indian home minister during a news conference after he was angered over the minister's reply to a question. P Chidambaram ducked as the trainer flew past him, and smiled broadly as the man was escorted out of the event in New Delhi. The Sikh journalist appeared to have acted after the minister refused to answer a question he had raised at the press conference.

Jarnail Singh of a Hindi daily hurled a shoe at Chidambaram protesting against CBI's clean chit to senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler accused in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Soon afterwards, Mr Singh told TV news reporters that he regretted throwing the shoe but he felt that Mr Chidambaram was dodging the question.
"I just wanted to ask him how justice will be done, but he was not interested in answering the questions," he told . BJP on Tuesday condemned hurling of a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram."We condemn the incident," BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj said in Delhi.

The Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at Mr Bush won worldwide fame but was jailed for three years earlier this month.

IPL vs Elections

The raging topic today in every meeting, be it a casual discussion among friends or a high-level meeting among officials in the Home ministry is, "Which is more important? IPL or General Elections in April-May. If you get down to plain interest among the public, especially among those sceptics who think that the "General elections and voting" are just a more official way for the politicians to loot public money, IPL wins hands down.

Many in the political circles fear that the IPL matches during april-may could bring down interest in politics and subsequently the voter turnout which is already abysmal could further deteriorate. A recent survey by an independent agency shows, people prefer IPL to politics.

But the latest attacks on the SriLankan Cricket team in Lahore have cast a shadow on IPL. The Home ministry officials are more vary about having IPL and Elections parallely. The government cant afford another terrorist attacks which may seriously dent their chances in the upcoming elections. Any minor mishap during the matches and the opposition will pounce on it.

That is why, the government is treading a cautious path.

Nevertheless, a more serious approach towards elections and voting from the public and a elaborate security to both election campaign and IPL matches will be the need of the hour. These are testing times for both the public as well as the government.

Tata Motors to move out of Singur

Ratan Tata, the chairman of the TATA group, has said that they would move out of singur if forced to move out. Tata Motors Ltd , India's top vehicle maker, will move a plant to make the ultra low-cost Nano car out of the state of West Bengal itself.

This decision come about due to the protests in Singur district and the politically motivated move has made it impoossible for Tata Motors to continue their plans in the communist governed state of West Bengal.

Tata Motors, which is scheduled to launch the Nano car later this year, has faced violent protests and political opposition against farmlands of about 400 acres acquired for the Nano project in West Bengal state, which threaten to delay the launch.

Launch of Tata Nano itself seems to be on track and would be unveiled around october this year, said Ratan Tata.

Chiranjeevi enters politics

Telugu actor K. Chiranjeevi on Sunday announced his resolve to enter politics and dedicate himself to the service of the poor, who “had been deprived of the fruits of development."

Stating that he was joining politics to do more public service, the 53-year-old actor said he wanted to bring in a change.The actor, whose party is likely to emerge as the third major political force after the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said his outfit would be pro-poor and work for social justice.He did not agree that there was no political vacuum in the state.

The actor said he would announce his party’s name, the design and colour of its flag and the political agenda at a public meeting at Tirupati on August 26, coinciding with Mother Teresa’s birth anniversary.

"My mission is to transform the state into a “santosh (happy) Andhra Pradesh and chirunavvula (smiling) Andhra Pradesh.” Chiranjeevi said.

Musharraf resigns as President of Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced Monday that he will resign, just days ahead of impeachment in parliament over attempts by the U.S.-backed leader to impose authoritarian rule on his turbulent nation.

The big question is-- what happens to Musharraf now? It's still not clear yet but there are some options the former General has.

On Sunday, a committee of the ruling coalition finalized a list of impeachment charges against Musharraf, including violation of the Constitution, suppression of democracy, and gross misconduct.
Musharraf said the country would lose if the impeachment proceedings were launched. Coalition officials had said Musharraf sought immunity from prosecution but he said in his speech he was asking for nothing.

Musharraf to be impeached soon

President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf will be impeached very soon from his President's post. Coalition partners of the ruling parties,PPP's Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif has now agrred to impeach the president.

Rumours doing the rounds, Musharraf has cancelled his China tour to witness the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing.The announcement came as the leaders of Pakistan's main ruling parties met for a second day in the capital, Islamabad, to discuss how to restore dozens of judges fired by Musharraf as well as to consider the unpopular president's fate.

Musharraf has a rough ride in the months to come as he is believed to have been mulling the option of fleeing the country the days to come fearing arrests on legal grounds.

N-Deal in US congress on Sep 8th

The US has fast-tracked the Indo-US nuke deal with the state department on Tuesday announcing that the deal will be tabled for congressional approval on September 08.The Bush administration is "positive" of getting the nod from the NSG later this month.

Meanwhile, the NSG is meeting on August 21 to consider the waiver.
"Well, we've stated often our support for this deal and we believe that it's important not only for the bilateral relationship, but also for nuclear security to the rest of the world," officials say.
Asked whether the administration would have the 123 agreement before the Congress adjourned for the elections, Mr.Gallegos, an US official said, "Well, we're going to be working with our contacts on the Hill to explain why we believe this is important. And hopefully, we'll be able to have a positive outcome of this."

Bangalore rocked by serial blasts

Terror struck the IT capital today with at least six low intensity serial blasts rocking the southern city leaving one dead and several injured.The blasts took place at the Madivala bus stop, Hossur road, Adugudi, Koramangla, Mysore Road and Nayadahalli. The blasts happened within a span of 12 minutes.

Some of them were in crowded areas. At least person was killed and 15 to 20 were injured. Soon after the serial explosions, the police ordered closure of all schools, colleges, cinema halls and commercial complexes.

The SIMI and LeT operatives have been arrested and they are being interrogated. The police sources said that these terror attacks bear the hallmarks of Bangladesh outfit HuJI.

Markets give loud cheers for the UPA victory

The government emerging victorious in the confidence motion gave bulls the much needed trigger to trample bears on Wednesday.The confidence vote win in parliament meant that the government could revive stalled economic reforms. It also meant that the country could now go ahead and sign the civilian nuclear deal with the US which has the potential to significantly boost India's nuclear energy production.

The Sensex closed with a gain of 838 points at 14,942 while the Nifty closed at 4,476, higher by 236.70 points, marking their fifth consecutive day of gain.Not to be outdone, the rupee jumped 64 paise against the dollar to end at a two- month high of Rs 42.10.

The top gainers were Reliance Communications (12.20 per cent), ICICI Bank (11.64 per cent), BHEL (10.92 per cent), HDFC (10.92 per cent), SBI (10.45 per cent), Reliance Infrastructure (10.36 per cent), HDFC Bank (9.57 per cent) and DLF (9.12 per cent).

Is political morality the last thing that MP's are worried of ?

The last week and half has shown Indian politics in bad light. It has been highly immoral behaviour of the political parties from BJP, Congress and the Left which has ordinary Indian citizen wonder "What's going on ? Is this how far the politicians will go to clutch on to their political careers ?"
The UPA government in the centre called for trust vote on July 22nd over the Nuclear Deal after their 4 year long political friendship with the Left parties broke away citing the miscrepancies in the N-deal. The UPA became a minority and in came Samajwadi Party to their rescue with their 39 MP's. Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, the leaders of SP had other political
compulsions like the growing clout of their bitter rival in their home state UP, BSP chief and CM of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawathi. Reports said the congress and SP struck a deal behind the doors in return for SP's support to the Deal.
Meanwhile, the opposition party in the centre BJP, has gone all out to defeat the government in the trust vote. Even with all the support of the UPA MP's, the government still falls short of majority mark of 272 by about a dozen votes. This forced Congress to talk to small parties like JMM with 5 MPs, JD(S) with 3 MPs and RLD with 3 MPs and some independents.
Each regional party had their own conditions. JMM chief Shibu Soren wanted his Coal Ministry back and an undertaking that he will be made Chief Minister of his home state Jharkhand.
JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister, Deve Gowda, wants a berth in the central ministry for his son and former CM of Karnataka, Mr.Kumaraswamy and greater say in the government. RLD supremo, Ajit Singh, wants the Lucknow Airport named after his father and a ministry for him. So, even though, the trust vote is about the N-Deal, none of our distinguised leaders of all parties bother about India's future. Both BJP and Congress are trying to woo these small parties.
Apart from this, many MPs claim they have been offered 25-50 crores for their single vote. Is this how our MPs behave regarding the most important deal of our country, the N-deal with USA. Many Corporates are suspected to have thrown in thousands of crores of money to the parties they support to poach MPs.
Is it politically moral for all the MPs to act in this deragatory manner when they have been elected to putforth people's problems ? We, as people of India should be ashamed to have elected these money and power hungry people as our constituent's MPs.
Next time you people elect to vote, please vote for the one who would look into our problems and we should try to bring an end to this coalition governments in which parties, small or big, have their own agenda and dont care about people's agenda. These coalition governments bring only confusion and chaos rather than country's growth.