Souring EMIs

SOARING EMI HAUNTS MIDDLE CLASS HOMES
The Latest Hike In Home Loan Rates Combined With Inflation Is A Double Whammy For Investors In Real Estate
Karthika Gopalakrishnan & M Ramya | TNN

Chennai: Janakiraman (29), currently employed at a PR agency, used to contribute Rs 15,000 towards the household expenses 18 months ago. However, this has dipped to Rs 5,000 now because the monthly EMI on his home loan of Rs 18.5 lakh has risen from Rs 16,500 to Rs 19,000. His repayment tenure has also risen to 25 years.
“Now, 65% of my salary goes towards the loan and I have been forced to cut back on my investments. I got good returns earlier by investing one-fifth of my salary in mutual funds. But now I invest only on the incentives that I get for my performance. In fact, even my allotment for recreation has gone from onethird of my salary to onesixth,” he said.
When the RBI announced the rise in repo and cash reserve rates in banks, the middle class held its breath. On Thursday, when home loan companies raised their housing finance rates by 75 basis points or 0.75%, there was a collective gasp.
With real estate remaining a popular mode of investment among the conservative middle class, home loans ought to follow suit. However, the rapidly rising interest rates and inflation are only serving as a deterrent in the process.
Poornima Ramanan, a quality assurance manager at Renault – Nissan, is worried about how the rising cost of living combined with the hike in EMIs will affect her daily life. Though the family income of her household would come up to Rs 1.5 lakh a month, she said the monthly budget would definitely be affected if interest rates continued to climb the way they did.
“Our pay will also not rise that much, maybe a maximum of 5 to 10%. I am planning to take a housing loan because I stay in a rented house on Santhome High Road right now. My rent is currently Rs 25,000 but once I take a home loan, my EMI will probably be double that amount. At this rate, we will definitely have to cut down on all our luxuries,” she said.
Poornima also cites the example of her friend, who had been paying Rs 18,100 on a loan of Rs 20 lakh for 20 years. “Now, it has gone up to Rs 20,120 and the tenure increased to 26 years. In fact, she expects it to rise by another Rs 1,000, as if the current situation is not bad enough,” she said.
Vijayan, a media professional, says that Standard Chartered Bank informed them about the first hike, which will come into effect from August 1, only on Thursday.
When they calculated the toll that the EMI rise would take on the family budget they found that they would have no savings at the end of the day. This was the situation before the Thursday hike. “If the bank decides to hike rates again we will find it difficult to make ends meet,” Shoba says.
The housing EMI is only a part of today’s problem for the middle class. “Take our case, what was Rs 100 a week for vegetables is now double that. Rice and provision prices have gone over the roof. Salaries don’t go up that way,” she chuckles.
During these trying times, not only do you have to shell out an exorbitant amount to ensure a roof over your head, you have to carry the burden over many years as well
Source : The Times of india dt 2 8 2008

Tech behind job losses: Obama

WASHINGTON: The Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has held revolution in technology and communication in last few decades responsible for outsourcing of jobs to India and China.

"Over the last few decades, revolutions in technology and communication have made it so that corporations can send good jobs wherever there's an Internet connection. Children here in Missouri aren't just growing up competing for good jobs with children in California or Indiana, but with children in China and India as well," Senator Obama said at a campaign rally in Springfield, Missouri.

In a veiled attack on previous government for its decision on economic reforms, he said "it was irresponsible decisions that were made on Wall Street and in Washington. In the past few years, we have relearned the essential truth that in the long run, we cannot have a thriving Wall Street and a struggling Main Street."

When wages are flat, prices are rising and more and more Americans are mired in debt, the economy as a whole suffers.

When a reckless few game the system, as we've seen in this housing crisis, millions suffer and we're all impacted, he said, adding when government fails to meet its obligation -- to provide sensible oversight and stand on the side of working people and invest in their future -- America pays a heavy price.

"So, we have a choice to make in this election. We can either choose a new direction for our economy, or we can keep doing what we've been doing," he said.

Emphasising on a need to develop job prospects at home instead of outsourcing it to other nations Obama said, "We can choose to do nothing about disappearing jobs and shuttered factories for another four years, or we can encourage job creation in the United States of America."
Source : infotech.indiatimes.com

How to boos your PC Speed

Frustrated with slow computer speed? Hate it when your computer slows down while you access the Internet.

And you simply bang your head when your computer takes ages to search your files. You desperately wish that your PC could gain some speed.

Don't worry. You can easily overcome this.

Here are some easy-to-do tips which can boost up your PC speed.
Clean up disk errors

Whenever a programme crashes or you experience some power outage, your PC may create some errors on hard disk. This slows down computer speed.

For this, check and clean any errors on the computer hard disk.

To run Disk Check go to My Computer. Now, right-click on the drive you want to check for errors and click Properties.

In Properties dialogue box, click on the Tools tab. In the Error-Checking section, press the Check Now button. Access Check Disk to check for errors on your computer.

Depending on the errors, it may take up to an hour to check and clean. This must be followed at least once a week.

Remove temporary files
Your PC stores temporary files whenever you browse through the Web. Also, your PC stores temporary files when you work on programmes like Microsoft Word or Excel.

This ends up slowing down your PC speed. To overcome it you can use the Windows Disk Cleanup screen to rid your PC of these dead files.

To run Disk Cleanup go to My Computer. Right click on the drive you wish to check for errors and click Properties. In the Properties dialogue box, click Disk Cleanup. You can also use Disk Cleanup to clear unused files from your PC.

After scanning, the Disk Cleanup dialogue box lists the files you can remove from your computer.

Your PC stores temporary files whenever you browse through the Web. Also, your PC stores temporary files when you work on programmes like Microsoft Word or Excel.

This ends up slowing down your PC speed. To overcome it you can use the Windows Disk Cleanup screen to rid your PC of these dead files.

To run Disk Cleanup go to My Computer. Right click on the drive you wish to check for errors and click Properties. In the Properties dialogue box, click Disk Cleanup. You can also use Disk Cleanup to clear unused files from your PC.

After scanning, the Disk Cleanup dialogue box lists the files you can remove from your computer.

Organise your data
Often when you search files your PC takes a lot of time to track them. This is because computer breaks files into pieces to increase the speed of access and retrieval.

However, once updated, computer saves these files on the space available on the hard drive, which results in fragmented files. This makes your PC go slow because it then searches for all of the file's parts.

You need a Disk Defragmenter programme to needle all your files back together.

For this, go to My Computer and right click on the drive you want to check for error and click Properties.

In the Properties dialogue box, click the Tools tab, and then in the Defragmentation section, click Defragment. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, select the disk and then click Analyse.

After analysing your PC, the Disk Defragmenter pops up a message asking whether you need to defragment your computer or not. Once you defragement your PC, it will reorganise files by programme and size.

Install anti-virus
Biggest culprits behind slow PC performance are viruses and spyware. Both end up reducing your PC speed. Not only this they can also destroy your data and tamper files.

Also, with the 24X7 online environment, it is important to have anti-virus and anti-spyware programmes installed for secure online experience.

These programmes need to be frequently updated to avoid any attack on your computer.

You can do a recee of the Net for popular anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions. There are also several paid options like McAfee, Norton Anti-virus and Trend Micro.

Reduce page history
Is your PC giving you trouble while accessing the Internet? Don't worry. For Internet Explorer users, Microsoft has some rescue options for faster Web browsing.

To improve your PC speed, first reduce the size of your Web page history. For this go to Internet Explorer, and on the Tools menu click on Internet Options. Then go to the History section and type in the number of days you want to keep pages in history.

Preferably reduce the number of days as this will reduce the size of your Web page history.

Automate Microsoft updates

For Windows users, Microsoft frequently release updates which may help boost up your PC speed. For this activate automate Microsoft Update so that your computer downloads and installs all the latest updates without giving you any trouble of finding any new releases.

Go to Start menu and click Control Panel. In the Automatic Updates dialog box, check the Automatic check box. If your PC finds any new updates, it will automatically download and install them. This will help you keep your computer up to date.

*Source : Indiatimes News Network

18 bombs defused in Surat

AHMEDABAD: In a day of “battle with bombs,” the Surat police on Tuesday unearthed 18 live bombs and its bomb squad succeeded in defusing all of them, averting a major tragedy in the second largest commercial centre of Gujarat.

It was the third consecutive day live bombs and explosives were found in Surat. As panic spread in the diamond and art silk city, all schools and colleges were closed and children sent back home. Shutters of cinema halls and shopping malls were also downed. These places will remain closed on Wednesday too.

Whether the terrorists were playing a hide-and-seek game with the police or all the bombs were planted simultaneously was not clear. But the bombs were found almost one after another from day-break till evening.

Of the18 bombs, as many as 10 were found in the labour-dominated Varacha Road and Katargam areas alone, striking a similarity with Saturday’s bomb blasts here, where the labour-dominated old city areas were targeted. The bombs and the explosive-laden cars recovered in the city in the last two days were also on the Varacha Road or nearby areas.

As if throwing a direct challenge to the police, two of the bombs were found right in front of the Labheswar police chowky and Sardarpura police stations. Two bombs were planted in the diamond market adjacent to the Varacha Road, one in the Radhakrishna textile market and two on a fly-over.
Not totally concealed

Surprisingly, unlike in Ahmedabad and most other places, the bombs were not totally concealed. Most of the bombs were in “boat-shape” and wrapped in coloured papers. They were kept at strategic points, including behind street hoardings or near garbage dumps.

The entire day the police and civic authorities repeatedly urged people to maintain peace and patience and cooperatewith them.

Minister of State for Home Amit Shah also appealed to people not to panic or spread rumours. He said the police were on maximum alert to protect the lives and property of people.

In Ahmedabad, life, by and large, was normal. However, in one incident, panic-stricken parents rushed to a school in Chandlodiya locality to get their wards following rumour of a bomb in a near-by area.
Source : the Hindu dt 29 7 2008

DA correction to add to pay panel’s goodies

NEW DELHI: The Sixth Pay Commission award for government officials is likely to be sweetened with an upward revision in the dearness allowance (DA) entitlement. The committee of secretaries (CoS) looking into the recommendations made by the Sixth Pay Commission has suggested a change in the DA calculations. This could result in additional benefit of Rs 300-3,000 a month to a government employee, depending on her level.

The CoS, headed by Cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar, is giving finishing touches to the report that is expected to be submitted soon. The report would then go to the Cabinet for approval. Government sources said the change has been suggested in the wake of an across-the-board protest by government employees against the way DA allowance was fixed.

The Fifth Pay Commission had recommended that the 50% DA payable in April 2004 be merged with basic pay. The dearness pay was to be counted as basic pay for all practical purposes, including for retirement benefit. Thus, logically, as on January 1, 2006, the recommended date of Sixth Pay Commission award, the 24% DA payable should have been on a salary that included the 50% DA that was merged with basic pay from April 2004.

In its calculation, however, instead of compounding the two DA components — 50% as on April 1, 2004 and 24% as on January 1, 2006 — the commission added them, yielding a figure of 74% composite DA. Consequently, while shifting to the concept of grade pay, the pay commission fixed the base salary as on January 1, 2006, at the basic pay drawn along with dearness allowance at the rate of 74%, and rounded it off to next multiple of 10. The anomaly resulted in a loss of roughly 7% to government employees.

To put it simply, if an employee had a basic salary of Rs 100 on April 1, 2004, according to the Fifth Pay Commission calculation, he would have a total salary of Rs 150 (including 50% DA). A 24% DA on that would increase his salary to Rs 186 — and not Rs 174 on January 1, 2006, used as the base for calculating Sixth Pay Commission award. The committee of secretaries is understood to have proposed that the anomaly be corrected and the DA be fixed at 86% and not 74%.

So, in case of a government employee in the Rs 2,550 pre-revised payscale, the revised pay in running pay band would become Rs 4,743 (increase of 86%) against Rs 4,440 (74% increase), a gain of over Rs 300. At the director level, in the payscale of Rs 18,300, the difference because of the change would be over Rs 2,000 a month
Source : The economic times dt. 27 7 2008

Soon, your TV may go green

WASHINGTON: Engineers in the US have developed TV displays based on a telescope design invented by Isaac Newton to reduce the display's electricity consumption.

The rear layer of a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD) used in televisions produces light (backlight), whose brightness is controlled by small liquid crystals that swing round like tiny shutters.

However, most of this backlight is wasted and never reaches the viewer.

Swapping the liquid crystals with microscopic mechanical mirrors arranged in a similar way to a telescope design invented by Isaac Newton can make much more efficient use of the backlight.
Source : infotech.indiatimes.com dt. 26 7 2008

Serial blasts rattle Bangalore; woman killed

BANGALORE: A series of low intensity blasts on Friday rocked the southern and central parts of Bangalore, a city that has of late been on the radar of terror groups. One person was killed and seven were injured in the eight explosions that created panic among residents and threw traffic out of gear on a rainy working day.

The explosions were reported within 45 minutes from 1.15 p.m. Though the police have not ruled out the involvement of terrorist groups, Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari told journalists that “miscreants” had triggered the blasts to “disrupt the peace” in the city. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, after an emergency Cabinet meeting, announced that no “hard core terrorist group” was involved in the blasts which, he claimed, were carried out to “malign” the government.

“I heard a deafening explosion as I was starting my bike,” Vinay, an employee of a car showroom on Mysore Road, told The Hindu. “I thought a bus tyre had burst until I saw smoke billowing from behind a bush. I ran back into the office,” he said.

According to police sources, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) fitted to timer devices were used in all the explosions. Preliminary investigations revealed that ammonium nitrate, bolts and nuts and cement chips were packed into the devices.

Sources in the National Bomb Data Centre told The Hindu that the IEDs were almost identical to the ones used in the explosions at the Mecca Masjid, Gokul Chats and the Lumbini Park in Hyderabad, and in the court blasts in Lucknow and Hubli.

The first explosion occurred at a bus stop near the Madivala checkpost, off the busy Hosur Road, around 1.15 p.m. Sudha Ravi, who was waiting for a bus with her husband, was killed on the spot, and two were injured. Two more explosives went off in the adjoining Audugodi area, injuring three persons.

Similar low-intensity explosions took place at three places on Mysore Road and at two spots in the heart of the city — near the Mallya Hospital and near the Rashtriya Military School on Langford Road.

At Audugodi, the explosives were planted behind a telephone junction box near a commercial complex under construction and another near a stormwater drain.

On Mysore Road, the explosives were placed under a power supply transformer near a mall; one near a stormwater drain; and the third near a car showroom next to the Regional Transport Office.

A high alert has been sounded across the State.
Source : The Hindu dt. 26 7 2008

`XP hurting Vista badly

NEW DELHI: Microsoft may have given farewell to Windows XP, but seems users are still in no mood to bid goodbye to one of the most popular operating systems.

According to a recent Forrester survey, less than 10 percent of the 2,300 companies surveyed use Vista. Forrester says 87.1 percent of companies surveyed continue to use Windows XP.

Mendel told a leading tech magazine that it would be wise by Microsoft to "consider following the lead of Microsoft's important partner Intel and re-evaluating the case of Vista."

The report negates Redmond giants claim that over 180 million copies of Vista have been sold. Also, what may be more disturbing for Microsoft is that many of the pre-loaded Vista machines are being downgraded to XP in compliance with corporate licensing plans.

The report also had a bit of good news for Microsoft. It found Vista usage among businesses going up by more than 40 percent since January and that the rate of adoption of Vista remains twice that of Mac OS X.

The Forrester report also shows the growing popularity of Firefox browser. It notes that almost 20 percent of the enterprise users are using Firefox browser and urges developers to make sure that their applications work with Firefox.
Source : infotech.indiatimes.com dt. 25 7 2008

IT jobs to grow ten fold

NEW DELHI: "Indian IT industry may be passing through a rough patch because of a slowdown in the US economy and high inflation rates, but this stage will pass,” says a study.

The study elaborates, “India will continue to drive the global IT market for the next few years. In fact, it will emerge as the second most important IT industry in the world after the US in terms of revenue and employment."

"India will create the second largest IT services labour pool after the US within the next seven to eight years. That's not all, domestic IT industry's contribution to our GDP is likely to rise from 0.8 per cent in 2006-07 to 2.65 per cent by 2015-16."

This has been forecasted by a yet to be released white paper ‘India's Role in the Globalization of the IT Industry' by Evalueserve, a KPO. It says, "by 2015-2016, the number of professionals working in the IT industry will grow ten fold (from 2001-2002) and the total revenue will grow 22 times."

This means, the IT industry is likely to employ 3,750,000 professionals and record $193.1 billion in revenue by 2015-16.

"Since India's GDP is growing at 8.5 per cent per annum in real terms and 14 per cent in nominal terms, by 2015-16 our GDP is likely to be $2,400 billion. Given this, the IT industry is likely to constitute 8.05 per cent of India's GDP."

While in the last decade, IT services exports (including engineering services, R&D, and those related to creating and maintaining software products) have been growing at 32 per cent annually.

Evalueserve estimates this growth rate will taper off and become around 20 per cent in the next seven to eight years. The reason: rising wages, lack of high quality talent, and IT jobs relocating to other low-cost destinations in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

The paper thus concludes: First, by 2016 India will have the second highest number of IT professionals in the world after the US. In fact, US will employ between 1.25 to 1.33 times more professionals than India.

Second, even in 2016, the US IT industry will generate approximately $810 billion in annual revenue, which would be almost five times the revenue of the Indian IT industry.
And third, since the IT industries in both the US and India have become inextricably linked with one another, both countries will import and export more IT services and products for the next seven to eight years.
Source : The indiatimes.com dt. 25 7 2008

UPA claims it has support of 291 MPs

New Delhi (PTI): With just two days to go for the trust vote in Lok Sabha, top UPA leaders on Saturday claimed that the combine had the support of 291 MPs and that JMM was "part and parcel" of the Congress-led coalition.

Union Ministers Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan claimed that the Congress-led coalition has the support of 291 MPs and "we will win the trust vote".

On JMM, Prasad said that the Shibu Soren-led party was "part and parcel of the UPA" and their MPs will vote for the country.

"This deal is in the interest of the nation and UPA has the support of 291 MPs," Lalu claimed and added "Mayawati is not so fortunate to become Prime Minister and Advaniji doesn't have it in his fortunes to become PM."

The Railways Minister said when Mulayam, Lalu and Paswan stand together "nothing can stop them from getting the majority."

Paswan said that the Left parties who had earlier "abused" the BJP have joined hands with the party and termed the opposition alliance as "opportunistic" one.

"There is no danger to UPA government and opposition has become an opportunistic alliance," Paswan said.

"The magic figure is 271 and Laluji said that we have the support of 291 MPs. We have identified 281 of the members who will support us. Remaining 10 will support us during trust vote," he said.

Criticising CPI leader A B Bardhan for termed all MPs as corrupt, Lalu said: "I want an answer from Prakash Karat that Somnath and Jyoti Basu had drawn a line over the issue, when senior leaders have such stand, then he should answer us on what basis they have termed MPs as corrupt," Lalu said.
Source : The Hindu dt 20 7 2008

Frenzy over Sai idol with one eye open

BANGALORE: Hundreds of people descended on a merchant's house in Bangalore on Friday to witness what they believe is a miracle - the Shirdi Sai Baba idol is purported to have opened its left eye.

The frenzy was such that police had to be called in to control the surging crowds.

After reports of Ganapati idols drinking milk and the recent story of a bleeding Christ, the Sai Baba 'miracle' too saw both the devout and the curious rushing to the house.

Door No. 7, Chitra Block, Gavipuram Guttahalli, which, till the other day, was a non-descript residence of phenol merchant Babu, suddenly turned into a pilgrimage centre.

With devotees queuing up to have a glimpse of the statue, the area wore a festive look with small-time traders trying to make a fast buck by selling prasadam and Baba's idols!

The devotee couple Babu (45) and his wife Lakshmi took the marble idol to clean on Wednesday evening to prepare for the Thursday puja.

The idol had some black mark on its left chin and the couple's son Dhrupad, who was cleaning the eye, suddenly felt some change in the idol - the eyelash seemed moving. The devotees were astounded and stopped the cleaning work.

On Thursday morning, they found the left eye of Baba had opened. Thursday being a day to worship Baba, the couple, along with their neighbours, performed puja.

The news flashed on Friday morning and by afternoon, the crowds multiplied.

"We had gone to Shirdi a year ago from where we bought this marble idol. It is a miracle that Baba opened his eye on Guru Poornima Day to give us darshan. It has been very difficult to control the crowd as people are queuing up to see the miracle. So we had to inform the police and arrange for bandobast," said Drupad, a II PU student.

There was also a huge flow of cash as the devotees put "dakshine" (cash offering to God) after the darshan. "I am a staunch Sai Baba devotee and never had witnessed such a miracle. The idol looked like as if Baba was looking at me...I cannot forget this day," said Swamy Narayan, a resident of Hanumanthanagar, with tears in his eyes.

Policemen from two stations - Kempe Gowdanagar and Hanumanthanagar - were deployed near the house along with Hoysala patrolling teams from Bangalore South. "More than 1,500 people had gathered and the crowd was maddening. Our concern was maintaining peace", he said.
Source: The times of india dt 19 7 2008

Now, a 50 megapixel digicam

NEW YORK: A Swedish company Hasselblad's announcement of the launch of Hasselblad H3DII-50, featuring a new Kodak 50-megapixel sensor, has pushed the available resolution in digital cameras to a new high.

Such high resolution goes beyond the needs of most consumers but professional photographers would appreciate the unprecedented level of detail provided by it.

"The H3DII-50 has been designed to meet the challenging demands of high-end photographers who require the best in image quality, performance and creative freedom," said Hasselblad CEO Christian Poulsen in a press release.

The camera, which would be available from October 2008, would also prove useful for applications such as aerial photography as the availability of higher resolution allows the plane to fly higher and the number of pictures necessary for covering a given area is also reduced.

The new Kodak image sensor, which produces an array of 8,176-by-6,132 pixels, would be implemented in the same size housing as Hasselblad's existing 39 megapixel H3DII-39 camera.

Kodak has also added a set of new features on the sensor, such as new dyes, that would result in richer colours. It also includes quick flush technology that enables faster image capture and lower power consumption, resulting in longer battery life.
Source : India times dt. 17 7 2008

N-Deal possible even if govt loses trust vote

NEW DELHI: The PM may be committed to withdrawing the safeguards draft from the IAEA if the government loses the trust vote on July 22, but officials in the government say there’s no need to pull it out irrespective of what happens in the Lok Sabha.

If it goes into cold storage after the trust vote, it’ll be because the government chose to do so. For, the government has to only see the agreement through the IAEA board. The next few stages will be spearheaded by the US, not India.

According to sources in the government, if the UPA coalition fails the trust vote and becomes a caretaker government, they would be constrained from taking any fresh policy decisions. "But there is no law that prevents a government from carrying on with its existing policies," said a source.

However, the PM has said India would halt the process if he lost the trust vote. If he is held to his word, then in the event of a loss on Tuesday, he would have to signal to the IAEA that India cannot attend the meeting on August 1.

Legally, there is nothing that stops the government. In many ways, the deal then goes out of India’s hands as it will be the responsibility of the US to pilot it through the NSG.

Meanwhile, the US’ top diplomat, William Burns, will be in Vienna on Friday, when foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon briefs the IAEA board and NSG members. Burns replaces Nick Burns who negotiated the deal. William is also expected to visit India days after the trust vote for talks.

Sources also said German chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that, as president of the NSG, she would call an NSG meeting within days of the IAEA clearing the deal. In the US, senator Joe Biden has also gone on record to say that he would fight "like the devil" to clear the deal if India does its bit. Moreover, Barack Obama’s support for the deal has almost put it on auto pilot.

Significantly, on Thursday the Chinese government indicated its own emerging flexibility on support to the deal.
Source : The times of India dt. 18 7 2008

What iPhone doesn't have

iPhone sequel is red hot. Even as it rolls out across the world in phases, the demand seems to be increasing with each passing day.

And as every buyer would proudly wink and declare his iPhonic status, the have nots will recoil and steel their resolve to acquire one.

By now you would surely remember by heart what the iPhone has. But wait, do you also know what it does not have?

We bring you a list of features that tells you what even the iconic iPhone doesn’t have...

Miss 1: Little on the looks front

Apple products are known for their design and looks. So, expectations about a new look were high. In fact, rumour mills worked over time on the looks of iPhone 2, it was speculated that the new back of the phone will no be longer metal -- but the whole thing will be glossy black, from top to bottom.

However, the new iPhone offers nothing new in terms of looks. The 3G iPhone looks pretty much like its predecessors.

The new iPhone is only about 0.1 ounce lighter than the previous model. The 3G iPhone shows a few cosmetic changes from the front, with similar display size and resolution, and the single Home button placed below the screen.

The phone's black plastic skin back has been replaced by silver-aluminum back. While the 8GB model comes in black only, the 16GB version is available in both black and white.

Miss 2: Video camera

There were speculations for a higher-resolution camera and a possible support for digital video recording. However, 3G iPhone disappoints with the same 2 megapixel camera and no video recording option and flash and optical zoom too missing.

This is specially a dampener since video recording feature is today found in most cell phones, even those at the lower end. Also, most of Apple’s rivals in the cell phone space like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung are offering higher version cameras.

Sony Ericsson recently introduced an 8 megapixel camera. Samsung already has one in the range. Others Nokia and Motorola too offer 5 megapixel camera phones.

Miss 3: Multimedia deficit

Another sorely missed out features are multimedia messaging and voice dialing. Users can send text messages or snapshots via email, but there's still no MMS (multimedia messaging) feature on the iPhone!

Also, the phone disappoints fans who were hoping for a bundle of new multimedia features in 3G iPhone

Miss 4: User replaceable battery

User replaceable battery and tactile feedback for the touchscreen, both have been given a miss in the new iPhone. User-replaceable battery is a serious drawback.

Though Apple reportedly claims that it left out the user-replaceable battery because it adds bulk and weight, users can’t help comparing it with other smartphones.

Miss 5: Incompatible Bluetooth

Users were expecting a landscape keyboard, capability to cut and paste, expanded memory and additional Bluetooth profiles - which all too is missing.

For example, while iPhone supports Bluetooth headsets, the lack of keyboard or headphone would be a hindrance for those who want to optimise their experience with wireless peripherals.

Also, 3G iPhone does not have A2DP Bluetooth. Users may also sorely miss the support for Bluetooth stereo or in-car Bluetooth handsfree.

Miss 6: No support for Adobe Flash

Adobe says it is working on iPhone Flash, but sadly for now there is no support for Adobe Flash in 3G iPhone.

Presently, when users will browse through Web pages with Adobe Flash it will display empty spaces with missing icons. Apple claims Flash would run too slowly on the iPhone.

Thus, the lack of Flash support for the Safari Web browser limits the access of several websites on the iPhone.

Miss 7: No cut-and-paste

This may be hard to digest. BlackBerry has it, Nokia has it, however, 3G iPhone lacks it.

Most of the smartphones available in the market support the cut and paste feature, but somehow Apple has preferred to stay away from it.

* Indiatimes News Network dt 14 7 2008

The speed spur

Here are some freeware add-ons that speed up application loading and improve system performance.

Adobe Reader Speed-up: (Size 245 KB) This software disables the majority of plug-ins that are completely useless for most users. Adobe Reader Speed-up supports any version of the Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader software, both Normal and Full/ Professional, from version 3.0 to 8.0 and upwards.

To configure this, just double-click the Reader Speedup.exe and select speed up radio button and click Start button. On the next screen, Select Speed-up Mode as "SpeedUp - Fast (recommended)" and click Start button and Click Finish. It also supports advanced tweaks such as disable automatic updates, splash screen on Reader's startup, browser integration, etc. To access Advanced tweaks screen, just click the link "Tweaks" on the main screen. It has the option on main screen to restore to original settings at any time. For more information, please refer the readme.txt file. You can download this from http:// www.download.com/Adobe-Reader- SpeedUp/3000-2378_4-10720728.html

FireTune for Firefox (Size 621 KB)

This is aimed at bettering your browsing experience with Firefox. According to your specific computer speed and Internet connection speed, FireTune will optimise several internal settings of Firefox for better performance.

To configure this, just double-click FireTune.exe. It is advisable to take a back-up of original configuration before making any changes. To do this, please click "Create backup of configuration" button on the main screen. Just click "Tune it" button to optimise your settings. It supports other useful settings such as "Turn on autocomplete for URLs, Optimize Firefox memory usage, etc. It has, on the main screen, the "Restore original configuration" option to restore to original settings at any time. It can be downloaded from http://www.totalidea.com/content/ downloads.php

Photoshop SpeedUp (Size 311 KB)

As its name suggests, this software significantly decreases the time it takes to load Adobe Photoshop by disabling the plugins that you may not need. There are several options such as whether to load the Adobe fonts, load the presets, and set the memory usage. You can restore the original settings at any time. Adobe Photoshop SpeedUp is freeware, works with Adobe Photoshop versions 3 through 8. Restore to original settings with a click of the Restore button at any time. You can download this from http:// www.acropdf.com/products.html

Tunexp 1.5 (Size 1 MB)

Tunexp maximises the performance of Windows XP. The tweaks are presented in five categories such as Memory and file system, Hardware, Internet, Services and Miscellaneous. The documentation is neatly presented. Please read the documentation for "Recommended action" for each setting before making any changes.

During the first run, you will initially have to choose your Windows location (for instance, drive C).

It supports the following tweaks: Disable Paging Executive, Faster Shutdown, File Allocation Size Tweak, Optimise Prefetch, Increase NTFS Performance, IO Page Lock Limit, Clear Prefetch Folder, Defrag Boot Files, Ultra-Fast Booting, Enable UDMA-66, Speed-up Windows IRQ Handling, Increase DNS Cache, Messenger Etc. This software is useful for advanced users and can be downloaded from http:// www.download.com/TuneXP/3000- 2086_4-10290929.html

M. SAMPATH

The Businessline dt. 14 7 2008

The ugly race for numbers

Notwithstanding the Left leaders’ shrill statements denying any kind of a floor co-ordination with the BJP while voting against the confidence motion in the House, it remains that the nuke deal will manage to achieve what no recent election has. There will be a distinct division of all kinds of political groups with diverse and dramatically opposite ideologies, for and against the nuke deal, says RASHEEDA BHAGAT.

Short of fist-fights, a lot of action is happening on the national political theatre. And the frenzy with which our neta log have started hitting out at each other, the days in the run-up to the trust vote in the Lok Sabha, are bound to turn murkier.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on its part has pulled out all the plugs and unleashed an army of spokespersons to “inform” the people of this country that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal is going to be really good for them. Never mind the price of onions or tomatoes; they need nuclear power and badly too!

The Left, on the other hand, particularly the CPI (M) General Secretary and the conductor of the entire anti-nuke deal orchestra, Mr Prakash Karat, has further hardened its resolve to ensure the defeat of the UPA Government in the trust vote scheduled for July 22. And so we had Mr Karat driving down to the BSP chief, Ms Mayawati’s house in Delhi on Sunday for a tete-a-tete on the crucial need for her to manage floor co-ordination with the Left parties to ensure the defeat of the UPA Government.

Ms Mayawati, on her part, was most cordial to her visitor and promised all support. She is, of course, livid at the CBI raking up once again the issue of her disproportionate assets. Clearly, it has been done at the behest of the Samajwadi Party duo, Mr Mulayam Singh, and Mr Amar Singh, and the timing leaves much to be desired. But even though it is clearly a case of vendetta, what would get the goat of ordinary Indians struggling hard to make the two ends meet during these very tough times is the mind-boggling number of properties — land, houses, villas, etc, that Ms Mayawati and her relatives own, not to mention the various bank accounts, fixed deposits and other investments.

Big business and politics

Anyway, returning to the political climax towards which the country is headed in a week’s time, and the manner in which the CBI suddenly woke up to the fact that Ms Mayawati’s assets are disproportionate to her known sources of income, tells us once again that in the murky world of politics, nothing really changes when it comes to arm-twisting tactics, even though the principal players keep changing.

The only difference is that our politicians seem to get more and more brazen; and, of course, this time around, the people at the helm have had to deal with astute politicians such as Mr Mulayam Singh who can drive a really hard bargain. He and Mr Amar Singh would have certainly bargained very hard, and put in the caveat that unless they see results before the trust vote day of July 22, their votes could not be taken for granted.

Along with targeting Ms Mayawati, Mr Amar Singh has openly stated that the SP has asked the UPA Government to levy windfall profit tax on private oil refining companies; the target is obviously Reliance Industries headed by Mr Mukesh Ambani, the elder brother of Mr Anil Ambani who is extremely close to Mr Amar Singh. There have also been reports that the SP leader has asked the Prime Minister to bring about rapprochement between the two estranged brothers.

All this only goes to reiterate the thin dividing line between big business and politics.

Returning to the trust vote of July 22, while all the principal protagonists — the Congress(I), the BJP and the Left — are presenting a confident picture of how the vote will go their way, with each passing day, the smaller parties are changing their stance with a new statement. The Telengana Rashtra Samithi, for instance, has obviously taken a cue from the SP leaders’ book and announced a series of bandhs and protests in the coming week to force the UPA Government’s hand in coming out with a clear commitment on the party’s one-point agenda — a separate Telengana state.

The TRS President, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has unequivocally said that the UPA could get his party’s three votes only if the Union Cabinet came out with a resolution announcing the formation of a separate Telengana. And, this should be before July 22. When the stakes are so high, as they obviously are for the UPA Government to survive and not be forced to seek a fresh mandate from the people in tough times such as these, the voices making demands are strident too. The clear message from Mr Rao is: My need is today!

But the one politician who might be even more difficult to get on the UPA’s side is former Prime Minister and Chief of the Janata Dal (S), Mr Deve Gowda. The Congress leadership knows only too well that he can effortlessly run circles around anybody and, hence, while bringing him on board would increase the comfort level of the Congress-led UPA, the strategy to win the vote of confidence does not really bank on Mr Gowda’s support. If it comes — in the form of three valuable votes — it will be a bonus, seems to be the thinking.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has finally ended speculation that it will vote in favour of the UPA Government just because the Prime Minsiter, Mr Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh. “Don’t drag me into non-issues like the prime minister being a Sikh,” the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal chided reporters in Jalandhar and said that since SAD is a constituent of the NDA, it will go along with it on the trust vote.

Both Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Karat have met the National Conference chief, Mr Omar Abdullah, to seek his party’s two votes on the deal. But the NC is yet to disclose its stand on the issue, though there are indications that it might go along with the UPA. Allying with the BJP in the past cost the party its government in Jammu and Kashmir and with the PDP and Congress parting ways in the State, who knows if a different political alignment might crop up there. Anyway, the NC had emerged the single-largest party in the last assembly election and had opted to sit in the Opposition then. With the State already in election mode, a deal with the NC might cost the Congress dear in J&K politics, just as it threatens to do in Uttar Pradesh. Well, the Congress leadership will have to weigh the pros and cons of saving the UPA Government of today by sacrificing the party’s prospects in the future in important states such as UP and J&K.

Interesting polarisation

On the other side of the divide, Mr Karat is busy getting as many allies in his stable as he possibly can to ensure that the UPA Government loses the trust vote — after all he has said from various platforms that he will not allow the nuclear deal to go through. And he is not to be taken lightly. Mr Pranab Mukherjee who met the veteran Marxist leader, Mr Jyoti Basu, on Sunday to brief him about the parting of ways between the UPA Government and the Left, made no bones about proclaiming: “We consider Jyoti Basu, along with Harkishen Singh Surjeet, the architects of the Left’s coalition with the UPA.” This was an obvious effort to snub Mr Karat, who appears even more determined to defeat the UPA on the floor of the Lok Sabha than the BJP!

Unwittingly, and notwithstanding the Left leaders’ shrill statements, denying that they will have any kind of a floor co-ordination with the BJP while voting against the confidence motion in the House, the fact remains that the nuke deal will manage to achieve what no recent Indian election has. There will be a distinct division of all kinds of political groups with diverse and dramatically opposite ideologies, for and against the nuke deal. So essentially we will see two big blocks in Parliament on July 22 on the nuke issue.

If our politicians can manage to pull off such an impossible coup in the next election — immediately, in November or next year — we can be spared the painful prospect of seeing fractured verdicts and the hectic horse-trading that has followed in the last few elections.

But for the time being, horse-trading is very much the favourite sport. The figure, did you ask? Just choose any digit, put any number of zeroes that your imagination can muster, and seek the price. Provided you (or your friend, relative or whoever) have a vote that counts!

Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

The Businessline dt. 15 7 2008

Infy to hire 25,000, attrition up

BANGALORE: IT software major Infosys Technologies said that it planned to recruit 10,000 fresh hands in the second quarter of this fiscal and and a gross of 25,000 for the year.

"Hiring has been planned and attrition is under control," T V Mohandas Pai, member of the Board and Head-HRD and Education and Research of Infosys, told reporters.

Infosys plans to recruit 10,000 in the second quarter of the fiscal. Out of these, 8,000 would be campus recruitments.

He said that nearly 3,000 of the recruits were BSC, BCom graduates. "Most of these BSC graduates recruited are the cream and can be trained", he said. The software major was looking at deploying these graduates in positions like infrastructure management and independent validation.

Stating that attrition was under control, he said that the attrition figure this quarter was 13.6 per cent as against 13.4 per cent in the last quarter. Nearly 16 per cent left the company to pursue higher studies and 47 per cent for other firms.

The total projected employee strength for the first quarter of the current fiscal was 94,379 against 91,187 in the last quarter of 2007-08. The strength of software professionals was 87,816 as of this quarter as against 85,013 the last quarter of 2007-08.

Gross addition this quarter was 7,182 and net addition was 3,912 for this quarter with laterals being 2013.

Capital Expenditure of Rs 337 crore was incurred this quarter. As on June 30, 2008, the firm had 1, 78, 56,088 sqft of space capable of accomodating 80,880 emploees and 70,19, 986 sqft is under completition, capable of accomodating 23,945 employees.

indiatimes.com dt. 13 7 2008

Left readies action plan to topple govt

NEW DELHI: Admitting that ruling establishment is pulling all stops to get smaller parties and individual MPs to vote in favour of UPA during the trust vote, Left is also attempting to rally political parties so that the government can be toppled on July 22.

On Saturday CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had a meeting with party's parliamentary leadership to decide on the strategy inside and outside Parliament.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is likely to resign early next week. "Its all a part of well-thought out plan. We will not lose a vote," a source said. Senior leaders are also reaching out to various parts of the country to tell people how Manmohan Singh-led government has betrayed the country on the issue of nuclear deal and how it falls short of PM's promise in Parliament.

As for Left's efforts to garner support, so far apart from TDP no party has committed. JD (S) MP Veerendra Kumar has also promised support to Left even if party goes with the government. Left is also not relying on Deve Gowda.

But National Conference is undecided. On the other hand Left feels Jharkhand Mukti Morcha cannot be relied upon. Parties like AGP have gone over to NDA and will vote against the government.

Explaining NC's dilemma, a left source said, "National Conference does not want to antagonize Congress before assembly election. NC sees itself as filling the slot left by the PDP in J&K and team with Congress after the election results."

CPM also denied that senior leaders like Jyoti Basu do not agree with party's stand to vote against the UPA. Calling it "fabricated", CPM said "such motivated reports are being floated to hamper the rallying of all the forces who are committed to oppose the nuclear deal and bring to book UPA's failure to tackle price rise and other problems of the people."

The Times of India dt. 13 7 2008

When Sensex falls, leave the Toyota at home

Investors are not the only ones to be hit by the free-falling Sensex. Brokers at the Bombay Stock Exchange have been at the receiving end of the downslide as well. Though they go through the motions and check out every penny stock that moves up or down, there is no excitement.

Sapan Patil, whose JNP Shares and Stock Brokers Private Limited was started by his grandfather 60 years ago, said many brokers have cut down on staff and are delaying capital expenses.

“I am trying to get employees for lesser salaries and am thinking about not renewing certain software contracts,” said Patil. “At a personal level, too, we are thinking of cutting costs. I have sold two of my four cars that run on petrol and opted for diesel ones.”

Biswanath Muralidhar Jhunjhunwala, one of the senior-most brokers the city, now takes the train from his Malad home to his office instead of commuting in his Toyota Innova. The austerity measures extend to his office as well: tea and snacks are served twice a day instead of three times, as was done earlier.

Business is so dull that several brokers have been forced out of business. “Brokers now have few orders to execute as clients are staying away,” said Madhukar Sheth, a broker who now concentrates on consultancy to listed companies and his personal investments.

“People are worried and nervous. Sub-brokerships and dealerships are being cancelled,” added Rahul Nangalia (26) who joined his father’s brokerage firm about four years ago.

Naresh Bhalerao, a sub-broker, said business was down by 70 per cent while Nangalia put the slump in revenue at 40 per cent.

The Hindustan Times dt. 13.7 2008

Inspired decor, personal style

Decorating your room? Priyanka Joshi speaks to a few interior designers who offer tips on how to adapt hot styles and trends for your home.

Raise your hand if you know what an inspiration room is. No, no...it isn't a place to meditate or think quietly. An inspiration room could be any room, any attractively decorated room that is, that you've seen in a magazine, a showroom, or even in a friend's home and admire, but don't have the pocket to afford.

Good and affordable home decor may sound impossible, but it does exist. As the clich goes, you just need to hunt around a little to find it. Here are three dominant looks that you are Go green
Chances are parts of your home and lifestyle are already green  you're just unaware of it. A big part of going green is not just about reducing consumption but also reusing and recycling stuff.

If you've decided to remodel your home or room instead of building or buying a new one, you've already taken a step in the green direction.

"Natural fibre rugs, beeswax or soy wax candles can add eco flair to your decor. Another unique, elegant and green decorating tip  adorn your home with mosaic bamboo tiles to add warm tones to a wall or make a floor interesting," suggests Jessica Karani, owner of Mystique, an upmarket home decor store in Mumbai.

Prices vary from product to product, starting at a low Rs 150 for the soy wax candles, and rising to Rs 1,500 and more for the mosaic bamboo tiles.

How eco-friendly your furniture is depends on the material it is made from, how it is processed and what finishes have been used, so choose carefully, recommend design experts.

Buy second-hand (or vintage, if you like), and you're greener than if you buy the most eco-friendly of furniture. Plus, consider how much lighter it'll be on the pocket. "Natural tree bark and old wood artefacts and furniture are part of the green trend too," finishes Karani. Prices here start at Rs 500.

Throw in a grass-cloth wall covering, bamboo flooring and you get a simple, uncluttered room that fosters earthiness. If you're in the market for new furnishings, look for products that are chemical-free or made from renewable or reclaimed materials like paper and discarded wood.

Expressive invention
Of all the trends that are bursting on the scene this year, one is predominant: the ongoing integration of new technologies into everyday lifestyles. Mobile phones, MP3 players, home theatres, speakers and similar digital assistants are part of most households these days.

Inspired by their energy and pace, this trend advocates a decor emphasising graphic lines, in which 1960s- and 1970s-style furniture is arranged beside the high-tech equipment. The effect is "walls down"  functional, bright and clean.

Sounds too austere? Not at all, opines Radhika Gupta, owner of MoonRiver. Gupta's lifestyle concept stores are present in Delhi and Mumbai, and are expected to open soon in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

She and her team of interior artists have styled villas and super luxury apartments for leading real-estate developers and individuals.

"Our patrons are boldly asking for oversized prints, stripes and psychedelic patterns boasting of strong colours," says Gupta, and adds, "Stainless steel, very light or dark wood and glass are also being used for surfaces while people want to accessorise with coloured plastic or dull metal for a touch of the fanciful."

Here too, luxury is the key. Designer labels do hold strong with furniture and accessories by well-known labels more sought-after than ever.

Although walls and other key surfaces are usually seen as providing a neutral background  often in grey, beige, white or black  the use of bold accessories and prints brings colour into play and conveys a refreshing naturalness. Result  decor that expresses a bit of whimsy but is still chic and neat, and all yours for anywhere between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000 a room.

Dramatic differences
"Warm-coloured metals like copper, bronze and gold, coordinated with precious woods, crystal, shantung silk, velvet and embroidery create an effect that's as dramatic as it can get," says Karani.

The ensuing look is both refined and welcoming and Gupta wagers that, at Rs 50,000-Rs 75,000 for a sitting area, it won't eat into your budget too. "Bright-hued furniture pieces, mostly in reds, greens and purples underline a dramatic effect," says Gupta.

Inspiration also means infusing your individual style into the design rather than replicating an exact duplicate. Most experts recommend trying to get as close to the "inspired" look and style as possible and then moving on.

Gupta suggests "warm, elaborate, rich, shimmering, embossed and embellished" as the catchwords of the season. So put in an ebony piece from Africa in one corner and a Moroccan brocade pillow and a mirror brought back from a trip to Europe in another.

This season, also go vibrant with spicy tones of red, fuchsia, turquoise and bright yellow for accessories. A symbol of luxury and wealth, aubergine, which emphasises both the sumptuous and the beguiling is the season's hottest colour.

The Business Standard dt. 12.7 2008

Scratch may make web 100 times faster

MELBOURNE: Australian experts have developed a new technology that they claim can make web surfing 100 times faster in the near future.

Professor Ben Eggleton, a scientist at the University of Sydney, says that the novel technology is unlikely to cost users an extra cent.

Describing the university's photonic integrated circuit as "a small scratch on a piece of glass'', he insists that it can boost the performance of traditional optic fibres.

"This circuit uses the 'scratch' as a guide or a switching a path for information - kind of like when trains are switched from one track to another - except this switch takes one picosecond to change tracks,'' News.com.au quoted him as saying of the technology developed over the past four years.

"This means that in one second the switch is turning on and off about one million times,'' he said.

"Currently we use electronics for our switching and that has been OK, but as we move toward a more tech-savvy future there is a demand for instant web gratification,'' he added.

So far, initial tests of the technology have suggested that achieving internet speeds 60 times faster than the current Telstra network is possible, the researcher says.

Professor Eggleton strongly believes that, if developed further, the circuit may reach speeds 100 times faster.

"This is a critical building block and a fundamental advance on what is already out there,'' he said.

"We are talking about networks that are potentially up to 100 times faster without costing the consumer any more,'' he added.

India times.com dt. 12 7 2008

Citigroup may sell its India HQ

MUMBAI: The subprime mortgage market collapse of last year may have an impact on one of the landmark buildings in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). According to real estate market sources, the New York-headquartered Citibank, which has been hit hard due to the crisis, is believed to be actively considering to put its eight-storey tower Citigroup Centre on the block.

When contacted, a spokesperson refused to comment and said the organisation does not discuss these issues with the media. However, reliable sources told TOI that since the past few months word is out in the property market about the imminent sale of Citigroup Centre. With close to 2 lakh sq ft of built up area, the building could fetch anywhere between Rs 500 crore to Rs 800 crore, according to a market estimate.

Those in the know said that after hiving of this prime BKC property, the bank will lease back the same premises. In February, Citigroup had completed a deal in this fashion with its building in Tokyo, Japan. The transaction was, what is called, a sale-and-lease back deal of the Citigroup Center in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo. Citigroup sold this building to its rival Morgan Stanley in a deal reportedly worth $445 million (approx Rs 1,800 crore).

It was almost a decade ago that Citibank moved its main offices from Nariman Point to the BKC. This decision to relocate led to heads rolling — two senior officials in Mumbai were sacked after top bank officials from New York found the BKC location completely desolate and inappropriate. This was in the late 1990s when BKC was yet relatively undeveloped and the top bankers from the US found it sacrilegious that their counterparts in Mumbai had thought of shifting away from Nariman Point, the numero uno commercial district.

The Citibank has been shedding its real estate (mainly apartments) all over the country. In the past one year, it has sold more than half a dozen flats in Mumbai alone.

These include a flat each in Meher Apartments (Altamount Road), Kanti on Mt Mary Road in Bandra, Hormuzd off Carter Road, NCPA Apartment at Nariman Point and as many as five apartments at Harbour Heights building, Colaba.

The Times of India dt. 12 7 2008

Rise in Maya's wealth is a mystery: CBI

NEW DELHI: From Rs 1.35 crore to Rs 52 crore in just four years. The dramatic jump in Mayawati's assets - with little to show how it was acquired - is the mainstay of the affidavit CBI filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday to justify its decision to chargesheet her in a disproportionate assets case. ( Watch )

The charge listed in detail has been backed by documents running into over 100 pages, which can help CBI counter the allegation of frame-up the UP chief minister has levelled against the agency for insisting on prosecuting her. ( See Ninan’s cartoon )

The affidavit, which CBI sees as strong enough to help it secure a go-ahead from the SC, also includes her own accounts of the wealth.

It says that in April 2004, Mayawati in her affidavit before the returning officer for Akbarpur LS constituency put her assets at Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, Rs 9.78 lakh in bank deposits and properties worth Rs 1.25 crore in Delhi.

The CBI affidavit on Mayawati's assets also takes note of UP CM's submission before the returning officer for Akbarpur LS constituency.

In her affidavit in April 2004, Maya had put her assets at Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, Rs 9.78 lakh in bank deposits and properties worth Rs 1.25 crore in Delhi.

Just three years later, however, in the nomination papers filed during last year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, she put the value of her total assets at an enviable Rs 52 crore. No explanation was provided for the sudden jump, said the CBI affidavit.

When questioned by CBI, Mayawati came up with the ingenious explanation - first reported in TOI - that she owed the remarkable rise in her fortunes to the contributions ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10 she had received from her lakhs of supporters who appreciated her commitment to the uplift of Dalits and backward class people.

CBI, however, said the explanation was not backed up by evidence.

The agency also took extra care to draw a bold line between the Taj Heritage Corridor scam and the DA case and said both the cases were being investigated separately.

Closure of the Taj corridor case because of refusal of sanction for her prosecution did not create any legal bar against CBI to take the probe into the DA case to the logical conclusion, CBI said in its affidavit. CBI said it did a professional job and thoroughly investigated each and every aspect of the DA case, painstakingly gathered evidence and came to a conclusion that it was a fit case for the agency to file final report (chargesheet) against her as mandated under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The affidavit was in response to Mayawati's petition accusing CBI of harassing her by keeping alive the DA case, which she said was only an offshoot of the Taj corridor scam. With the closure of the Taj corridor case, the DA case should also have been closed, she had said.

Citing her differences with the Congress-led UPA government, Mayawati had told the apex court that the investigation into the DA case was being used by the Centre to harass her politically.

The times of India dt. 12 7 2008

Talwar gets bail in Aarushi case

NEW DELHI: Rajesh Talwar, arrested in connection with the murder of his young daughter Aarushi and the family’s domestic help Hemraj in May, was on Friday granted bail by a special Ghaziabad court. He is expected to be released from the Dasna jail on Saturday.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted that it had not come across any evidence so far proving the complicity of Dr. Talwar, who was arrested by the Noida police on May 23. The court asked him to execute a personal bond for Rs. 5 lakh and two sureties for a like amount.

In another development, the CBI arrested Vijay Mandal, domestic help of a neighbour of the Talwars. Raj Kumar, domestic help of the Durranis, and Dr. Talwar’s compounder Krishna were arrested earlier.

Vijay was arrested on the basis of disclosures made by Raj Kumar and Krishna and the findings of psychological assessment and polygraph, brain fingerprinting and narco-analysis tests conducted on him in Mumbai and Bangalore.

At a press conference here, CBI Joint Director (Special Crime) Arun Kumar said after the agency took over the case, Dr. Talwar was subjected to a lie-detector test, but it remained inconclusive. “However, in the second test no deception was found.”

Dr. Talwar’s wife Nupur was subjected to polygraph tests twice and no deception was found in the second one.

Mr. Kumar said the Talwars were also subjected to psycho-analysis tests and nothing adverse was found against them. Then, with the help of experts, the agency conducted a simulation exercise during which the air-conditioners in the rooms of the Talwars and Aarushi were switched on. No sound of any activity in Aarushi’s room was audible in the adjacent bedroom when the door was shut.

Krishna’s confession

Krishna then emerged the main accused. The CBI found that a couple of days before the incident, Dr. Talwar had scolded him for a mistake and he publicly expressed his anger over the “insult.” Krishna was first subjected to psychological assessment and polygraph tests, which revealed deception on his part. He was, therefore, subjected to brain fingerprinting and narco-analysis tests. “After the tests, Krishna confessed to having committed the crime along with Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal,” said Mr. Kumar.

Raj Kumar was put through all scientific tests in Gandhinagar and the findings suggested his involvement. He was then arrested and again subjected to a narco-analysis test in Bangalore. During the second test, he allegedly confessed to his involvement.

“As per the disclosures by the accused, Krishna, Raj Kumar and Vijay gathered in Hemraj’s room and consumed alcohol on the night of May 15-16. They talked about Aarushi and under the influence of liquor went to her room. She woke up and tried to scream, but was gagged and hit in the head with a hard blunt object. The accused then tried to sexually abuse her,” said Mr. Kumar. This led to an altercation between them. Aarushi had lost her consciousness by then. Fearing that the Talwars might wake up, they went to the terrace, where Raj Kumar and Krishna had a scuffle with Hemraj and allegedly murdered him.

They then returned to Aarushi’s room and slit her throat, said Mr. Kumar.

However, the agency is yet to recover the murder weapon and the mobile phones of the victims. Also, individual roles of the three accused have not been clearly established so far.

The Hindu dt. 12 7 2008

Obama reluctant to seek changes in nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: Democratic Party candidate for the United States Presidential election Barack Obama has said he was reluctant to seek changes in the civilian nuclear deal with India, and hoped to see the process concluded before the year-end.

The existing nuclear agreement balanced both issues – America’s strategic relationship with India and its non-proliferation concerns. “I am therefore reluctant to seek changes,” he told Outlook magazine in an interview.

He admitted to some reservations over the “original agreement” but subsequently concluded that it would “enhance our [Indo-U.S.] partnership and deepen our cooperation” to combat global warning.

Asked whether an Obama administration in 2009 would reopen or scrap the deal if it was not concluded this year, he said, “A final judgement on the deal…must await the IAEA’s approval of a safeguards agreement and changes to be agreed [upon] by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. At that point the U.S. Congress will decide whether to approve the agreement. I continue to hope this process can be concluded before the end of the year.”

Indian connections

Disclosing several Indian connections, Mr. Obama said he would continue with the tradition established by George W Bush and Bill Clinton of visiting India during their tenure as Presidents. He was fortunate to have close Indian-American friends. He pointed out that his mother did rural development work in India.

“Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things. That is why his portrait hangs in my Senate office: to remind me that real results will come not just from Washington – they will come from the people.”

Asked in what areas he would like to see U.S.-India relations grow, his reply was, “across the board would the short answer.” Specifically, he would like to focus on counter-terrorism, greater military ties, promotion of democracy in the region and beyond and combating climate change and global poverty. “I would also like to see agriculture given a higher priority in our relations, as India pursues its goal of a second green revolution.”

Mr. Obama spoke against the Bush administration’s Pakistan policy of “putting all our eggs in the Musharraf basket” and wanted the U.S. to align with “Pakistan and its people and not just one individual.”

The Hindu dt. 12 7 2008

Guided tour to Google Lively

Google gets Second Life. The no. 1 search engine company has launched a 3D virtual space, called Google Lively, that aims to give competition to the popular virtual world hangout Second Life.

The free service which requires no registration and can be accessed through a user's Google account enables people to congregate in fantasy rooms and other computer-manufactured versions of real life.

Lively's users will be able to create an avatar for themselves that can be male, female or even a different species. This avatar can assume a new identity, change clothes or convey emotions with a few clicks of the mouse. Lively also enables users to create different digital environments to roam, from a child's room to an exotic island.

Here's how users can find there way into the Lively world.

How to get going

Start with choosing your avatar. Users can choose from a variety of avatars available and can further personalise them to their liking. Every avatar has different animations and can be dolled up in various outfits and accessories.

Users can also go shopping for their favourite characters, say Logan, Hamlet, Matty bear, Heather, Jane Doe, Hajime, John Doe, Kitty, Ty and Vanessa among the choices available. Many of them are also available for free.

Lively users can then invite their friends and family into their virtual realities, where they can chat, hug, cry, laugh and interact as if they were characters in a video game.

Deck up your avatar!

Users can deck up their avatar to match their style. There are lots of colours and accessories to choose from. Lively users can choose from the clothing like tops, bottoms, shoes, suits, coats, outerwear, hats and gloves. They can also have their choice in skin and hair colours.

To change the outfit, users need to check out the styles available in the wardrobe picker. Browse or search the options in your wardrobe inventory and select items to wear.

In case a user feels that the chosen clothing or accessory doesn't suit his avatar, they can go back to their wardrobe, left-click on the item, and choose Remove Item.

Create your room

Another step is selecting your room. With Google Lively users can create their own space and share it with their friends. The way to go here is to choose a room shell first. This comes in variety of styles and shapes. Some popular rooms are girl's room, fight club, Fashion room and of course Google room.

Users can get the code they want to use to embed their room in a blog or webpage.

Users can also add music to play in their rooms. For this, users need to upload a music file from their computer or select from inventory. Also, you can grant permission if you want your visitors to enjoy.

Personalise your space

This one lets users decorate their rooms and add unique collections. Several choices are available, ranging from girl's room chair, segmented cabinet, superhero chair, tub couch, to Goth paintings and round coffee tables.

To choose furniture and other room decor items, users need to open the furniture picker and browse through the choices available. If they like something, click on the item and click on Add to room. They can also move around the furniture around and decide the placing.

Users can also design their rooms as per the theme of their choice, say nature lover or gizmo freak. The rooms can be decorated large-screen TVs that can be set up to play different clips from YouTube.com, Google's video-sharing service.

Explore further

To explore further, users can click on an object to leave a comment, or to find that item in the catalog.

More interesting, they can also double-click on an object to see if it comes to life!

* Indiatimes News Network dt. 11 7 2008

IT cos upbeat on Q1

MUMBAI: India's top business service firms are likely to see higher revenues in the first quarter, boosted by a falling rupee and sustained offshore business from US clients, analysts say.

They forecast revenues for Indian software firms to grow by between three and 10 per cent in the three months ending June, helped by a weaker rupee.

Infosys, the Bangalore-based pioneer of India's showpiece business process outsourcing sector, kicks-off the earnings season on Friday.

"Infosys and Satyam will meet revenue projections as they had based their quarterly and full-year earnings guidance at 40 (rupees to the dollar), much lower than that prevailing in the quarter," brokerage Religare Securities said in a report.

The average rate for the rupee was 42.8 for the April-June quarter. A stronger dollar benefits India's software companies as they bill most US-based clients in the currency.

The US remains the biggest market for Indian software and service exports, which are forecast by the industry lobby group National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) to hit $60 billion by 2010.

"The business environment for IT stocks has become slightly favourable than at the beginning of the year," said Bhavin Shah of J P Morgan.

Last year software firms such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro were roiled by the rupee's steepest appreciation against the dollar in three decades, surging wages and proper

"Mathematically speaking, Infosys could increase their full-year earnings guidance by 6-7 per cent," Bhavin said.

"The growth in revenues is being primarily driven by a volume growth, boosted by a seven per cent depreciation in the rupee (against the dollar)," brokerage Sharekhan.com said in a note to clients.

For the January-March quarter Infosys posted a lower-than-expected net profit growth of 9.2 per cent at Rs 12.49 billion (315.04 million dollars), as a US economic slowdown hit clients' budgets.

Software stocks have been volatile this year, but have outperformed the interest rate-sensitive property, automobile and banking sectors, which were hit by several rounds of monetary tightening by India's central bank as it battles 13-year-high inflation.

There is renewed optimism after better-than-expected third-quarter earnings from US-based Accenture.

The global consulting and outsourcing firm said it has not seen any cancellation or big delays in its business due to a weaker US economy and the financial sector.

New bookings for Accenture, a key indicator of future revenues, rose by five per cent at $6.77 billion in the third quarter.

"We expect IT players to witness an increase in offshore volumes going ahead. An early indication of this is seen in Accenture's third-quarter earnings," said Anurag Purohit of Religare Securities.

Indian software exports grew 29 per cent to cross the $40-billion mark in the fiscal year just ended, despite global economic turmoil, Nasscom said.

A recent global survey of top chief investment officers indicates that IT spending could be stronger than expected in 2008.

The survey says that IT spending is set to grow at 8 per cent in the second half of the year, against three per cent same period last year.

Indiatimes.com dt. 11 7 2008