అందరూ శాఖహారులే అయితే.. ఫిరాయింపు 'కోడి' సంగతేంటి?

ఫిరాయింపు రాజకీయాలకు మేం వ్యతిరేకం.. - భారతీయ జనతా పార్టీ మేమే ఫిరాయింపు బాధితులం.. ఎట్టి పరిస్థితుల్లోనూ ఫిరాయింపుల్ని నిరోధించేందుకు బలమైన చట్టం రావాల్సిందే.. - తెలుగుదేశం పార్టీ గతంలో ఫిరాయింపుల కారణంగా నష్టపోయాం.. ఫిరాయింపుల నిరోధానికి చట్టం తీసుకొస్తామంటే, ముందుగా మేమే మద్దతిస్తాం.. - తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర సమితి ఫిరాయింపు అన్యాయం, అక్రమం, దుర్మార్గం.. స్పీకర్‌ వ్యవస్థ తనకున్న విశేషాధికారాల్ని దుర్వినియోగం చేస్తోంది.. ఫిరాయింపుల నిరోధం కోసం కఠినమైన చట్టాల్ని తీసుకురావాల్సిందే.. - వైఎస్సార్‌ కాంగ్రెస్‌ పార్టీ పార్టీ ఫిరాయించగానే అనర్హత వేటు పడాల్సిందే.. - కాంగ్రెస్‌ పార్టీ దేశంలో రాజకీయాలు ఎలా తగలడ్డాయో చెప్పడానికి ఇంతకన్నా నిదర్శనం ఇంకేం కావాలి.? పీవీ నరసింహారావు హయాంలోనూ పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపులు చూశాం.. మన్మోహన్‌సింగ్‌ హయాంలో చూశాం.. బీజేపీ హయాంలో చూస్తున్నాం. జాతీయ రాజకీయాల్లో పరిస్థితి ఇది. తెలుగు రాష్ట్రాల్లో ఫిరాయింపులు మరీ దారుణం. పార్టీ ఫిరాయించిన ఎమ్మెల్యేలకు మంత్రి పదవులు దక్కుతున్నాయిక్కడ. ఎందుకలా.? అంటే, అందరూ 'శాఖాహారం' మాటలే చెబుతున్నారు. అందరూ శాఖాహారులేగానీ.. పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపులకు సంబంధించి అందరిదీ ఒకే మాట.. ఫిరాయింపుల చట్టం మరింత బలంగా వుండాలని. కానీ, పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపుల్ని నిరోదించే దిశగా అధికారంలో వున్నవారెవరూ కనీసపాటి చిత్తశుద్ధి చూపించరు. 'అప్పుడు నువ్వు గడ్డి తిన్నావ్‌.. ఇప్పుడు నేను అదే గడ్డి తింటున్నా..' అంటూ, నిస్సిగ్గుగా గడ్డి తింటున్న నైజాన్ని ప్రదర్శిస్తున్నాయి అధికారంలో వున్న పార్టీలు. తెలంగాణలో టీఆర్‌ఎస్‌, ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లో టీడీపీ చేస్తున్నది అదే. 'రాజకీయ వ్యభిచారం..' అని చంద్రబాబు విమర్శించొచ్చు.. కానీ, అలా చంద్రబాబు ప్రశ్నించడాన్ని ప్రస్తావిస్తే మాత్రం, 'ఆ నైతిక హక్కు' ఇంకెవరికీ వుండకూడదట. ఇదెక్కడి రాజకీయం.? ఇది చంద్రబాబు మార్క్‌ రాజకీయం. కొత్త రాష్ట్రంలో కొత్త రాజకీయాలంటూ బంగారు తెలంగాణ దిశగా అడుగులేస్తున్నామని చెప్పుకుంటున్న తెలంగాణ సర్కార్‌, ఫిరాయింపు తెలంగాణని ప్రపంచానికి చూపిస్తోంది నిస్సిగ్గుగా. ఇంతకీ, బీజేపీ భయమేంటట.? ఎట్టి పరిస్థితుల్లోనూ పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపుల్ని సమర్థించబోమని భారతీయ జనతా పార్టీ చెబుతోంది. అలాంటప్పుడు, ఆలస్యమెందుకు.. వెంటనే ఫిరాయింపుల చట్టానికి సవరణలు చేసి, ఫిరాయింపులకు అడ్డుకట్ట వేసెయ్యొచ్చు కదా.! పోనీ, అప్పటిదాకా ఆలస్యమవుతుందనుకుంటే, మిత్రపక్షం టీడీపీపై ఒత్తిడి తీసుకొచ్చి.. పార్టీ ఫిరాయించిన ఎమ్మెల్యేలతో రాజీనామా చేయించెయ్యాలి. కానీ, బీజేపీ ఆ పని చెయ్యదు. దొంగతనం కంటే, ఆ దొంగతనాన్ని సమర్థిస్తున్నవారిదే పెద్ద నేరం.. అంటారు. మరి, ఇక్కడ టీడీపీ చేస్తున్న నేరాన్ని ఉపేక్షిస్తున్న బీజేపీని ఏమనాలి.? ఉత్తరాఖండ్‌ తదితర రాష్ట్రాల్లో తమ 'నికృష్ట' రాజకీయాల వ్యవహారం బయటపడ్తుంది గనుక, పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపులపై 'గోడ మీద పిల్లి వాటం' ప్రదర్శిస్తోందన్నమాట భారతీయ జనతా పార్టీ. ముందే చెప్పుకున్నాం కదా, అన్ని రాజకీయ పార్టీలదీ ఫిరాయింపుల విషయంలో ఒకటే వైఖరి. అదే, ద్వంద వైఖరి. అందరూ 'ఉత్తమ' ప్రవచనాలే చెబుతారు.. ఆచరించేటప్పుడు మాత్రం అన్నీ అకృత్యాలే. అందరూ శాఖహారులే.. కానీ, ఫిరాయింపు అనే 'కోడి' మాత్రం మాయమైపోయింది. రాజకీయ వ్యభిచారం అనే మాట కన్నా కఠినమైనది ఇంకేముంటుంది.? అయినా, నిస్సిగ్గుగా పార్టీ ఫిరాయింపుల్ని ప్రోత్సహించడమంటే రాజకీయ పార్టీలు రాజకీయం చేస్త్నుట్టా.? ఇంకేదన్నా చేస్తున్నట్టా.? బీజేపీ, కాంగ్రెస్‌ లాంటి జాతీయ పార్టీలే కాదు, టీడీపీ, టీఆర్‌ఎస్‌ లాంటి ప్రాంతీయ పార్టీలూ తమను తాము ప్రశ్నించుకోవాల్సిన సందర్భమిది.!

Indians love 'desi' porn, Delhi tops with 39% traffic

Indians like porn, and they like it 'desi.' TOI's queries to a leading porn website have revealed. Trends for five cities —New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad — show New Delhi takes the pole in terms of viewership with 39.2 per cent of porn traffic. The top search terms for smut across India are "Indian college girls", "Indian bhabhi," "Bengali" and "Indian aunty". In common with Kolkatans, Delhiites average 9 minutes and 29 seconds per viewing session — 31 seconds longer than the national average. Delhi also seems to have a posterior fetish. Data with the firm, PornHub, shows the "top relative category" in Delhi is "ass", which the city is 46 per cent more likely to watch than the rest of the country. The "school" category is also very popular, taking third place. Last August, department of telecommunications had banned 857 websites containing pornographic content, but later reversed the decision, limiting the ban to child pornography. Chennai is a distant second in terms of an appetite for porn. It accounts for just a little under 6 per cent of traffic, and displays parochial tastes with the top search category being "Tamil". But Chennaites have the shortest viewing sessions, averaging 7 minutes and 52 seconds, as against the national average of 8 minutes and 58 seconds. Mumbaikars, fourth-placed in terms of traffic, are the most Oedipal of porn viewers, 46 per cent more likely to watch videos of older women listed under "MILF". Interestingly, Kolkata, ranked fifth, is the only city with a taste for hentai, a form of Japanese animated pornography. In common with Delhi, "school" is also the third most popular porn category in Kolkata. Topping the celebrity searches across India was Sunny Leone, followed by Mia Khalifa, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and now-retired Lisa Ann.

Bhopal man buried alive in pothole by careless workers

A 45-year-old man accidentally slipped into a pothole at an under-construction road in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh and was buried alive after careless workers stuffed the crater with molten bituminous material and ran a dumper over it to level the stretch. It happened on Friday night and would have gone unnoticed had residents not discovered the man's arm sticking out from the tarred road. Angry villagers blocked traffic after the battered body was exhumed and sent for autopsy. The blockade was lifted after senior police officials intervened and assured action against the construction company. The man was identified as Latori Barman, resident of Khadra village. Speaking to TOI, district collector Vivek Narwal said Barman's kin will be given Rs 50,000 as compensation. The driver of the dumper and a labourer who had filled the pothole were arrested and booked for negligence leading to death. Police said Barman had gone to Rishi Panchmi fair with his wife on Friday night. While his wife stayed back at her parent's house, he returned to his village after a brief halt at a liquor shop. "It was dark and there were no warning signs. He would have been walking in an inebriated condition when he fell into the pit between Udlana and Hata village and lost consciousness. Traffic had been restricted on the stretch as the pit occupied more than half of the road," said an investigating officer. Heavy machines were being used for the road construction work. "Workers must not have noticed him while filling the pothole with bitumen," said the officer.

VJ Sophia Haque passes away in London

VJ Sophia Haque passes away in London The modeling industry and some of her colleagues tweeted on the shocking news of her death in London.

I am blessed with a good memory: KBC 5 crore winner

Sunmeet Kaur Sawhney is the first woman to have won `5 crore on Kaun Banega Crorepati, but she is not exactly new to showbiz. She is actor Manmeet Singh's wife (remember the sardarji who played the caterer in Band Baaja Baaraat?). "I am on top of the world. I had never imagined that I would go on to win this big an amount on the show," she told us. The 12th class pass says that she went with a target of winning `25-50 lakh, but gradually her confidence grew. Sunmeet suffered from a life-threatening tumour and depression which followed the disease before she thought of appearing on the show. All through this period, she was supported by her husband, who took a sabbatical to look after her. Excerpts: On winning the 5 crore jackpot I am on top of the world. There are no words to describe my happiness. Initially, my target was winning `25 to 50 lakh, but when I started playing, my confidence grew. On being the only woman contestant to win jackpot I hope to be an inspiration for many other women in the country. At this time, when the country is talking about women empowerment, my advice to all women is to be mentally and physically strong. On what she plans to with prize money I still haven't had the opportunity to sit down and discuss with my family about what we need to do. However, I have decided to dedicate one portion of the money to some good cause and another portion will be for a religious activity. On preparing for KBC Many people feel that those who haven't got the required education cannot do well on such a show. But if you have the desire to do well, nothing can stop you. I educated myself by reading on the internet. Also, my daughters helped me a lot while I was preparing for the show. I am blessed with a good memory, so if I read something, it stays in my mind for a long time. On surviving a tumour It was around four-and-a-half years back that I was diagnosed with a tumour in my uterus for which I had to undergo a major surgery. Six months after the surgery, I was on complete bed rest and it took me close to a year to recover fully. During this time, we faced a lot of hardships. My husband didn't take up any acting assignments so that he could look after me. Prior to the surgery, I was running a tiffin service, which I had to shut down due to my illness. I went into depression during this time and it was my husband who advised me to start reading books and widen my knowledge. In order to help me, one of my friends started sending her son for tuitions to me and then, gradually, other children started coming in. It was during this period that I started trying for KBC.

Why 2013 could be a bad year for IT graduates

The slowdown in India's IT sector will continue to impact campus hiring of fresh engineering graduates in 2013, according to a report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The $100 billion IT industry is expected to meet the lower end of 11-14 per cent growth projection in 2012-13, according to software companies association Nasscom. Campus hiring in 2013 is likely to be lower than in 2012 just as 2012 trailed 2011 recruitments. The news should not come as a surprise because big companies such as Infosys have been deferring joining dates of new hires in the past confirming that all is not well in India's much admired IT sector. TCS, India's biggest IT software services exporter, plans to hire 25,000 freshers in 2013-14 against 60,000 freshers in 2012-13. That's a drop of nearly 60 per cent in a year's time. Unfortunately, the trend is likely to be similar across big IT firms. Cognizant’s headcount planning for 2012 was too high, according to Sriram Rajagopal, head of HR for Asia Pacific. This year, Cognizant doesn’t want all offers to hit at the same time. It is shifting towards more off-campus and lateral hiring. Wipro's, India's third largest IT services exporter, witnessed a sharp 6.5 per cent fall in attrition in the September quarter. Lower attrition and uncertainty in the market environment have further depressed the job market for new hires, BofA-ML's report says. "Unlike lateral hiring which can be done on an as-needed basis, campus hiring is typically carried out 12 to 18 months before the hire becomes billable. Hence, vendors are looking to increase off campus (i.e. recruitment of freshers outside of the placement process, closer to demand) and lateral hiring," BofA-ML said in its report on the outlook for India computer services in 2013. The investment bank says IT companies had over hired in the last few years since they had not anticipated the slowdown in discretionary spend in early 2012. According to Surabhi Gandhi, the Senior Vice President (IT Sourcing) at TeamLease, one of India’s largest recruitment firms, companies are being cautious in lateral hiring too, perhaps because they are trying to optimize their labour forces. A Naukri jobspeak survey confirms the slowdown in IT recruitments. Hiring in IT software was 3 per cent less in November 2012 as compared to October 2012, the survey found. "There is some caution in the environment as the IT-software sector, which is the biggest job creator of the country, has seen consecutive five months of dips in hiring activity," the report says. Source: NDTV

Japan opens first masturbation bar for women

According to the Tokyo Reporter, the wall behind the counter is adorned with dozens of colorful sex toys.


Megumi Nakagawa, the bar’s proprietor, explains that typically a bar will have bottles of alcohol lining the wall. The appearance of vibrators, however, provides women with more confidence in speaking about spanking.

“Once they take a seat, customers are able to experience a pleasant place in which they can openly discuss masturbation,” Nakagawa said.

“Since most people view female masturbation as something of a mystery or taboo, it is not a usual topic at typical bars,” she added.

Nakagawa describes the atmosphere at Bar Joule as “fashionable and sexy in a different kind of space — perfect for girls-only discussions or a date.”

Customers include women from the commercial sex (fuzoku) industry and adult video (AV) actresses.

source :http://www.mid-day.com/

Australian girl gains fame as 'Facebook song' goes viral on YouTube

An Australian teenager has gained fame after a video she posted on YouTube of herself singing with a guitar while describing her annoyances with Facebook, went viral.

Madelaine Zammit, 16, of Adelaide, South Australia and her 'Facebook song' were brought into the spotlight over the weekend after international blogs Mashable, The Daily What, Geekologie and Failblog posted about it.

According to Zammit's manager, Sam Helyard, also 16 and a close friend, she was "hysterical with excitement" when told of how her song began to go viral.

"She couldn't believe it," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying.

The song, which describes common Facebook experiences many adolescents go through, was written by Zammit about 3 months ago, Helyard said, and was only posted to YouTube at the beginning of this month.

"I told her to record a song and put it on YouTube it's just gone from there," he stated.

He said Zammit "always had a passion for singing" and that one day when they were "bludging" at school she picked up her guitar and began playing the 'Facebook song' to him.

Helyard, a member of the Vows of a Massacre band, said the song was "all related to what [Madelaine] thinks of Facebook".

"She just writes what she feels. When she's bored she just writes music," he added.

Thieves use Facebook to rob empty homes

Thieves in Britain are inviting Facebook users to become "friends" in order to find out when they will go on holiday so that they can rob their homes, police said.

Burglars in West Sussex are robbing homes after they find out about the holiday plans, the Daily Telegraph reported. At least 12 houses have been robbed in the past four months.

Authorities have urged people not to reveal their holiday plans on the website.

All of the robberies have taken place when residents have been away for at least two weeks, police said. This gave the thieves ample time to plan out the robbery.

Govt move to placate Ramdev on black money

On a day when the government's simmering differences with the Anna Hazare civil society group burst into the open, the Centre unveiled yet another measure to placate yoga guru Baba Ramdev over his demand for action on black money.

With Ramdev threatening to go on fast from Wednesday to demand expeditious action to bring back black money, the government said it will set up a Directorate of Criminal Investigation dealing with direct tax law under the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

This is the third such measure put forward by the government, which on Friday announced a high level panel to tackle generation of black money and on Sunday commissioned a study by top economists to estimate the extent of illegal wealth stashed abroad.

The sense of urgency in framing a political response to corruption was reflected in the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting on Monday evening to take stock amid heightening tensions with the Anna Hazare group, Baba Ramdev's threatened fast and continuing Opposition attacks.

The series of actions also point to the government's uneasiness on black money that has lingered as an issue since the 2009 election with Supreme Court taking an interest and Baba Ramdev jumping into the fray as well.

Sources said the government felt it would be better to adopt a proactive approach to Baba Ramdev rather than lay itself open to an ambush as was the case with the Anna Hazare fast at Jantar Mantar. Ramdev was also briefed by CBDT chairperson Sudhir Chandra about two weeks ago about what the government has done and the hurdles to recovering black money.

The new Directorate of Criminal Investigation will be headed by a director general or a chief commissioner rank officer. It will function out of eight cities considered to be high wealth generators -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Lucknow -- and will deal with criminal matters punishable under any direct tax law.

The new department will collect information about persons and transactions suspected to be involved in criminal activities having cross-border, inter-state or international ramifications posing a threat to national security. The new directorate will investigate the source and use of funds involved in such criminal activities and can file prosecution under any direct tax law relating to a criminal activity.

It has also been empowered to protect and rehabilitate witnesses who support the state in prosecution of such offences so as to insulate them from any harm. It is also empowered to enter into agreements for sharing of information and other cooperation with any central or state agency in India or agencies of foreign countries.

How to woo on Valentine's Day

Come Valentine's Day and romance is in the air. The office environment too is not immune to the magic of romance. So if you've been wanting to show your interest in a colleague, this could be the perfect day to woo her.



All you need to do is practise the art of wooing, but at a low key and inconspicuous level, since you're going to do it at work. Here are a few pointers on how to get your romantic message across without raising a few
eyebrows:
>> Come in a little early and place a rose in her drawer. Even a note or card can serve the
purpose. The office is not the place to be ordering bouquets, unless you want the
brickbats to follow!
>> Bring a box of chocolates, share it with everyone, but keep a special heart-shaped chocolate reserved for your love interest.
>> Bring her coffee at her desk with a cute message written on the coaster or tissue.
>> Post a romantic message on her personal Facebook or Twitter account, but don't go overboard.
>> Make a rendezvous to do lunch outside the office.
>> Slip a poem into her coat pocket or purse.
>> Call for a special meeting in the conference room -- just the two of you.
>> Buy tickets for a movie or play and have the mailroom deliver one to your love interest (in sealed envelope, of course).
>> If she collects small curios or stuffed animals and have a few on display on their office desk, add another one to the collection -- she will notice it, others won't. Photographs are optional, but it will make your office romance very obvious.
>> If you really want to spend the whole day together just having fun, speak with your superiors if they would permit a Valentine's Day party at the office. Organise everything -- decor, food, games et al!
>> Most offices have strict policies regarding office romances, so be careful of how you go about with your wooing. You wouldn't want this to probably become your last Valentine's Day at this workplace!


source MIDDAY

Kim Kardashian gets sexy

Newsofbollywood.com

World's first 3D porn film!

Actress Saori Hara and actor Hiro Hayana of Japan perform during filming on the set of '3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstacy' in Hong Kong on August 13, 2010. The AV actors are being filmed for Hong Kong director Christopher Sun's film, billed as being the world's first 3D porn film. (AFP/Ed Jones)

Wedding bells for Soundarya Rajinikanth

Soundarya Rajinikanth, the younger daughter of Superstar Rajinikanth, is getting engaged in February 14, 2010. According to the sources, it is an 'arranged love marriage'! She is getting engaged to Ashwin Kumar, son of Ram Kumar, a real estate tycoon on the Valentines Day.


The marriage will take place only after a few months after the completion of her dream project Sultan with her father Rajini. Now Soundarya is busy with the releasing works of her Ocher Picture Productions Goa which is scheduled for January 29. According to sources close to Poes Garden, she had met Ashwin recently and both the families who knew each other took it up.

Maoists linking up with Tamil Tigers?

Union home minister P Chidambaram’s assertion that Naxalites are acquiring arms from abroad is only the tip of the iceberg, as central intelligence agencies have found fresh evidence of joint training camps and meetings conducted by the Red guerrillas with Tamil Tigers in the forests of south and central India.

Does it indicate that Maoists are getting logistic support and training from LTTE? Are the Maoists and the Tamil Tigers brothers in arms? If intelligence documents are to be believed, the answer is yes. Sources said the country’s top intelligence wing has acquired some key information about the dangerous alliance between the Maoists and the Tigers.

In fact, the central intelligence top brass has warned the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Orissa on the alleged intrusion of the Tamil Tigers into Indian territorial waters. According to sources, a well-trained 12-member group of Tamil Tigers has recently sneaked into India to join hands with the Maoists. ‘‘They entered north coastal Andhra via Kerala after splitting into three groups, one of which is suspected to have found a safe haven in Vizianagaram area,’’ sources said. This comes close on the heels of an intelligence alert to the coastal states on the East Coast about a possible LTTE cadre intrusion.

But what is bothering the security agencies is the prowess of Tamil Tigers in triggering explosives and suicide bombing. ‘‘Imagine the expertise of Tigers coupled with the Maoists’ jungle warfare. It will be a deadly combination for the security agencies to tackle with,’’ analysts said.

Will the Maoists stand to gain? ‘‘Of course, the Tigers have made sizable gains in guerrilla warfare fighting Lankan forces and they would pass on the expertise to the Maoists,’’ a security analyst said. Security wings suspect that the Maoists could take the help of Tamil Tigers to prepare them to defend the all-out central forces’ attack codenamed ‘Operation Green Hunt’ on Abujmad, their strategic base and stronghold in the Dandakaranya in Chhattisgarh. With Chidambaram insisting that the operation is aimed at defeating the top Maoist leadership, sources said the focus is on to nab or kill Andhra Maoist leaders, who constitute 80% of Maoist top brass.

‘‘It will be again Andhra commandoes versus top Maoist leaders in Abujmad as and when the central forces corner the area. So, the chances of Maoists relying on Tigers cannot be ruled out,’’ a source said.

Sources also said the Maoists could take the help of LTTE rebels for training their military wing, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).

Analysts said LTTE game plan is double-edged. On one hand, it would help the Maoists to take on Indian forces, while on the other it would try to regain the lost ground in Sri Lanka by making South India their new base to fight the Lankan forces in the northern parts of the island nation.

When the Mahatma figured in hair oil ad

Imagine Mahatma Gandhi's photograph on a hair oil brand advertisement or his picture on a marriage invitation card instead of Lord Ganesha! All this and much more will be on display at a small pen shop-cum-residence at Vadodara's Kothi area from Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

Atul Shah (56), who runs his ancestral shop, is proud of the collection he has inherited from his father. Shah has named his house's third floor as 'Gandhi Darshan' with the collection of books, paintings, portraits, stamps, sketches, sculptures, newspaper cuttings among others that his father Natwarlal has left behind.

"When our family was in Mumbai, my grandfather used to take my father along to attend Gandhi's public meetings and since then he was fascinated with his personality. When famous painter Ramakant Achrekar saw my father's interest in Gandhi, he gifted him a pencil sketch and since then my father increased his collection on Mahatma," says Shah, who now has a collection of around 200 books on Gandhiji's life apart from gramophone records, including the one titled 'Mahatma Gandhi Centenary Commemoration Record' released in 1969 by Great Britain with voices of Mahatma Gandhi, His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

The collection that will be open for a week for public also includes issues of 'Buddhiprakash', 'Pyara Bapu' and 'The Navyug' magazines. The Diwali special issue of 'The Navyug' published on October 31, 1948, has Gandhi's picture in a Bombay-based firm Bombay Agarbatti Company's Rat brand incense sticks and jasmine hair oil.

Tharoor tweets apology for 'cattle class' remarks

Reacting on the controversy over his "cattle class" remarks, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Thursday night said he was "sorry" for hurting any sentiments and that his words had been misunderstood. Tharoor ran into trouble for a message he posted on the social networking site Twitter in which he said sarcastically in response to a query that he would travel "cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!".

Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan had termed the phrase as "unacceptable" and said Tharoor was perhaps not conscious of local sensitivities since he was new to Indian politics.

The minister who is in Liberia on an official visit tweeted late night Thursday that he had, "learned belatedly of fuss over my tweet replying to journo's query whether I would travel to Kerala in 'cattle class'."

He pointed out that the phrase "cattle class" was used in the query, which he just repeated.

"It's a silly expression but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood," he tweeted.

He admitted that if the phrase when translated into Malayalam sounded worse, especially if taken out of context. "To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: sorry," said Tharoor.

He also explained that the word "holy cows" was not referring to any individuals. "Holy cows are NOT individuals but sacrosanct issues or principles that no one dares challenge. Wish critics would look it up."

The minister said that he had learnt a lesson from the episode. "I now realise I should not assume people will appreciate humour. You should not give those who would wilfully distort your words an opportunity to do so."

Besides, Tharoor also mentioned that he had excellent meetings with the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other dignitaries. He is the first minister in 38 years to visit the West African nation.

Jet, pilots agree to end impasse

The three-day impasse at Jet Airways finally neared a resolution late on Thursday night with the management reportedly agreeing to reinstate the four sacked pilots and the agitating pilots agreeing to resume duty.

Though a formal announcement had not been made till midnight, it is learnt that a series of political manoeuvres and the tough stance of the labour and aviation ministries during the day led to a mellowing of stand by Jet owner Naresh Goyal.

The formal agreement could come by Friday noon when all the players meet in Delhi and flights could resume normal operations some time later.

Jet ED Saroj Datta spent several hours at the chief labour commissioner's office in Delhi where he was reportedly told that forming a union could not be a justifiable ground to sack pilots. As if on cue, the newly formed union's head, Girish Kaushik, said later in Mumbai: "We will have conciliation talks with the management at the labour commissioner's office in Delhi on Friday. The problem would be solved once all the four boys (pilots) are taken on board. I had a telephonic call with the chief labour commissioner on the issue this morning and he has assured me that justice would be done. If that is done, I will ask my pilots to get onto their jobs within 30 seconds."

Siding with pilots in their right to form a union, Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam addressed the media in Delhi where he called for the nationalisation of Jet. Goyal is then learnt to have driven to Nirupam's South Avenue house from his nearby central Delhi hotel. However, on seeing the media contingent, Goyal drove away.

By this time, both sides were looking for a face-saving formula. So late in the night, Goyal apparently had a meeting with some pilot representative in the presence of his long time trusted legal brain, Harish Salve, Sanjay Nirupam and a union leader of Air India who is related to one of the sacked Jet pilots. A rough draft was agreed to in the meeting that addressed the concerns of both the management and pilots.

It is learnt that the informal agreement suggests that the newly formed union would slowly take a back seat and the old Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) will get more active. Goyal was told that legally he could not oppose the formation of a union and so this compromise was worked out, said sources.

Apart from Nirupam, late on Thursday evening aviation minister Praful Patel is also learnt to have told Goyal to end the crisis as soon as possible due to reports of other airlines charging sky high fares from passengers due to the sudden reduction in seats. Under fire for some time now on fronts like Air India, and high airport user charges, the timing of the latest crisis in Jet in the run-up to Maharashtra polls was causing Patel acute discomfort.

"Last year, Patel was not comfortable with breakaway Sena leader Raj Thackeray getting credit for reinstating of 1,900-odd cabin crew members. This time he did not speak out at all due to the public perception of his being close to airline owners like Goyal and Kingfisher's Vijay Mallya. So he remained purely in the background," said a key player in the entire drama.

Jet Airways flights cancelled as pilots go on mass casual leave

At least 10 flights of Jet Airways and its subsidiary out of Delhi were cancelled on Tuesday as a large number of pilots did not report to work in protest against sacking of two of their colleagues, a move described as "sabotage of operation" by the airlines.

While National Aviators Guild (NAG) has decided not to go on the proposed strike, its members decided alternate course of protest action like going on mass casual leave which hampered the operations of the private carrier.

Airport sources said at least 10 early morning flights of Jet Airways and JetLite were cancelled as the pilots did not report for duties.

A large number of passengers who had to take the flights operated by the private carrier were accommodated in the flights of Air India and other carriers, they said.

In a press statement Jet Airways said a section of pilots have resorted to a simulated strike by reporting sick.

"This organised activity is a planned sabotage of operations that will damage the airline's operations and inconvenience the travelling public," the statement said.

National Aviators Guild (NAG), the pilots union of Jet Airways, on Monday, had called off its proposed strike against the management's sacking of two senior pilots.

Jet Airways,Jet Airways on strike

LTTE funded Rajnikanth's movies !

A Sri Lankan minister has alleged that Tamil Superstar Rajnikanth, politicians Vaiko and S. Ramadoss benefited from the money laundering operations of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Abdul Rishad Bathiudeen said that the LTTE had funded the production of some Tamil films.

Buzz up!
“The money was not sent directly. Millions of US dollars were given to a London-based Tamilian. He was asked to produce Tamil films in Chennai with top stars like Rajnikanth," Bathiudeen claimed in an interview to Asian Tribune. He said that "the aging superstar received the blood money", adding that he was paid 'lavishly’ without elaborating how much money was paid.


On politicians, he said V. Gopalaswamy’s (Vaiko’s) MDMK, S. Ramadoss’s PMK and P. Nedumaran’s Tamil Nationalist Movement and the Tamil Eelam Supporters Coordination Committee received money from the LTTE. “They (Tamil TV and radio stations) were launched with the blood money of the diaspora... Many websites have been set up with the blood money of our diaspora,’’ the minister said.

Rajnikanth was not available for comment. "Rajnikanth is busy shooting for his film Endhiran (Robot) and cannot be reached till late tonight," claimed sources at the actor side. Vaiko rubbished the allegation, saying, "This is sheer nonsense and political mischief.”


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