St Stephens row: Dhoni tweets in support of Unmukt Chand

St Stephens row: Dhoni tweets in support of Unmukt Chand

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday came out in support of U-19 World Cup winning captain Unmukt Chand, who has been denied to appear for the first year BA examinations by his college, St Stephens. "Marks for sports takes back seat attendance for now takes centrestage. This shows how much importance sports has in India. Sad to hear," Dhoni wrote on his Twitter page.

Unmukt, who played a crucial knock of 111 not out in the final against Australia last Sunday to lead India Under-19 team to the World Cup glory, has been barred from taking the second semester exams because of low attendance.

The college demands a minimum of 33.33% of annual attendance under sports quota.

Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

SYDNEY: Australia on Thursday mourned the deaths of five of its soldiers in Afghanistan, three killed by an Afghan army colleague, in what have become the nation's deadliest hours of combat since the Vietnam War. 

The Australians were killed in two separate incidents just hours apart late Wednesday and early Thursday. 

The first incident took place at a base in Uruzgan province, when a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on Australian soldiers, killing three and wounding two, according to Air Marshal Mark Binskin, vice chief of the Australian Defense Force. Hours later, two Australian soldiers died and a crew member was wounded when their helicopter rolled over while landing in Helmand province. 

"In a war of so many losses, this is our single worst day in Afghanistan," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said. "Indeed, I believe this is the most losses in combat since the days of the Vietnam War and the Battle of Long Tan. This is news so truly shocking that it's going to feel for many Australians like a physical blow." 

Eighteen Australian soldiers were killed in the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. Tom Vasey, a spokesman for the Australian War Memorial, said five Australian soldiers were killed in a 14-hour period in 1971 during the Battle of Nui Le, making that the last time so many died so quickly in a combat zone. 

The Australians were relaxing at the base when the assailant began shooting at close range with an automatic weapon, Binskin said. Soldiers at the base returned fire, but the shooter scaled a fence and escaped. 

The Australians tried to revive their comrades, but the wounds proved fatal, he said. One of the wounded soldiers sustained a serious gunshot wound and was evacuated to another base for further treatment. He is in satisfactory condition. The other was treated at the scene. 

The Afghan soldier accused of the shooting is named Hekmatullah, and was working as a night guard at the Afghan army base where the international troops had stopped to spend the night, Afghan officials said. Hekmatullah fired at the Australians as they entered the base in Uruzgan province's Chora district, said Abdulhameed Hameed, an Afghan army commander in the south.

Australian and Afghan soldiers were hunting for the killer Thursday, Binskin said. He would not release further details of the attack, and said the shooter's motive was unknown. 

Insider attacks, in which Afghan security forces or insurgents posing as soldiers or police fire on their coalition allies, have been rising over the past year and have surged even higher in the last few weeks. Including the latest strike, there have been at least 34 such attacks so far this year, killing 45 coalition members, mostly Americans. Last year, four Australian soldiers were killed by Afghan troops. 

In response to the spike in killings, the U.S. has begun using "guardian angels" _ armed NATO service members who are assigned to watch over any gatherings of NATO troops and Afghan soldiers. Binskin said Australia also uses guardian angels, but he didn't know whether such a soldier was in place during Wednesday's shooting. 

Gillard, who in the wake of the deaths will be returning early from a meeting of Pacific nation leaders in the Cook Islands, said security for Australian soldiers had been heightened following the latest attack. She acknowledged the incident was a blow for relations between the two nations' soldiers. 

"These insider incidents are very difficult for trust between Australian soldiers and the Afghans that they train. They are corrosive of trust," she said. 

Thirty-eight Australian soldiers have been killed in the Afghanistan war, and the latest incidents were the country's worst loss of life in a 24-hour period since the campaign began more than a decade ago. 

Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan and makes the largest military contribution of any country outside NATO. The Australian soldiers' primary focus is training an Afghan battalion to take responsibility for security in restive Uruzgan. 

Australian plans to begin withdrawing troops once the Afghan battalion is fully trained, as early as next year. Gillard said the latest bloodshed would not speed up that timeline. 

"Our strategy is well defined, our strategy is constant. And we cannot allow even the most grievous of losses to change our strategy," Gillard said. "We are there for a purpose and we will see that purpose through."

Sacrificing growth to tame inflation: Subbarao to critics

Sacrificing growth to tame inflation: Subbarao to critics

RBI Governor D Subbarao has hit back at critics of his hawkish stance against rate cut saying a little sacrifice in growth is inevitable to tame inflation.

R

BI Governor D Subbarao has hit back at critics of his hawkish stance against rate cut saying a little sacrifice in growth is inevitable to tame inflation.

Speaking at the Asia Society here, he parried a question on whether there will be a change in interest rate when RBI reviews its policy on September 17.

Criticism, he said, is often directed towards the central bank that even though it has raised interest rates and runs a tight monetary policy, inflation is still "high and persistent" and growth has been hurt.

"The RBI's response to the criticism is that some sacrifice of growth in inevitable, a necessary price we have to pay to bring down inflation. But that sacrifice of growth is only in the short term," he said during a lecture on 'India in a Globalizing World - Some Policy Dilemmas' last night.

Noting that inflation was down from 11% in 2010 to below seven per cent in July this year, Subbarao said inflation could have been much higher if RBI had not run a tight policy.

"In the medium term, a low and stable inflation is a necessary precondition for securing India's growth prospects," he said. Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index stood at 6.87% in July, declining from 7.25% in June.

It is still however much above RBI's comfort level of 5-6%. The challenge for the RBI is to ensure inflation is reined in without hurting growth, he said.

"In order to support growth, we need to keep interest rates low but in order to rein in inflation we have to keep interest rates high. The challenge is how do we manage growth-inflation trade off," he said.

Dhoni wants home pitches to turn more

Dhoni wants home pitches to turn more

Over the past year, India may have had two of their most humiliating series defeats in England and Australia, but their recent home record remains respectable. A major factor in that has been the spin pair of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, who between them have taken 60 wickets in the previous four home Tests. Watching New Zealand's batsmen grope and prod at the spinning ball last week during theHyderabad Test, you'd think the BCCI has decided to play to India's strength by preparing turning tracks.MS Dhoni, though, wasn't convinced the home surfaces are helpful enough to India's spinners.

"Frankly, we were expecting turning tracks, the last two wickets I don't see them as turning tracks," he said a day ahead of the Bangalore Test. "This wicket also doesn't look like a turning track. We have put our request through and after that whatever wickets are provided we'll have to play on them."

Despite Ashwin and Ojha dominating the Hyderabad Test, Dhoni urged curators to prepare tracks with more bite for the spinners. "You know the subcontinental speciality should be spin and I think we should stick to it. In the last match the spinners got lots of wickets but still I thought it was a hard-working wicket for them. Ashwin bowled brilliantly and Ojha had to keep it tight so I felt like if we can get a bit more spin and bit more bounce for the spinners it will be really good."

Much of India's home success in the 1990s had come using a three-spinner strategy, the most prominent trio being Anil Kumble, Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan. When asked whether India were pondering using that tactic in Bangalore, Dhoni scoffed, "Have you seen the wicket?" suggesting that he expected it to assist the quick bowlers.

While India rely heavily on spin, New Zealand are dependent on their fast bowlers, frequently deploying a four-quicks strategy in recent times. "I think they have a good bowling side especially on this kind of wicket and in overcast conditions they will come up with a good bowling plan and execute their plans well," Dhoni said. "Hyderabad was a bit different as there was not much for the pacers, still their fast bowlers got wickets."

That's one reason India were not complacent despite the all-too-easy victory in Hyderabad. "You don't need to be overconfident, that has never been the case with us," Dhoni said. "We are a side that respects the opponents whoever we are playing, wherever we are playing. Whatever we did right in the first Test, we will have to repeat everything."

Coalgate: People with Congress, BJP links got mines

Coalgate: People with Congress, BJP links got mines

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing into the alleged coal blocks allocation scam, is ready with the first FIR in connection with the case which is likely to be filed soon. The agency is, in fact, likely to file five to six FIRs in the case quite soon.

Details of the FIR exclusively accessed by CNN-IBN from CBI sources show how mine owners with political connections were favoured in the coal mine allocations.

According to the FIR, some of the companies got mines only to sell stakes at a premium later. The CBI investigation has also shown how the screening committee meetings were a sham.

The investigation has also revealed that in one case, as many as 100 companies applied and only two were called. There is no explanation on why others were not called.

CBI sources have also said that they have all the documents from the Coal Ministry on recommendations made by leaders from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties, and that merit was not the criteria in many allocations.

However, though some politicians are under the scanner, they are unlikely to be named in the FIRs.

Among the companies who benefited from the coal blocks allocation is Nav Bharat Coal Fields Ltd of Chhattisgarh which was allotted the Madanpur North Block for a sponge iron plant. During the allocation, they did not disclose that they did not have a sponge iron plant in the state and sold 74 per cent stake to Nagpur-based Solar Explosives Ltd.

The promoter of the firm is VK Singh, whose wife Nina Singh contested elections on a BJP ticket.

Another company, SKS Ispat of Madhya Pradesh also benefited from the allocation. It was allotted the Rawanwara Power Plant in Chindwara. Despite not showing any progress in the project, it got two more projects. The company is linked to Union Minister and Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay.

Another company from Chhattisgarh, Pushp Steel and Mining, was owned by Delhi-based brothers Atul Jain and Sanjay Jain. The brother pooled Rs 1 lakh in June 2004 and applied for a coal block.

Even while they did not have any experience of finance, they were allowed by the Chhattisgarh government to mine from day one.

The role of bureaucrats and real people behind Jain brothers is under probe. The Jain brothers later also made attempt to sell the mine to make windfall gains.

From Jharkhand, a company called Vimmi Iron and Steel Udyog, which is linked to former chief minister Madhu Koda is also facing CBI allegations of getting two mines using Koda links.

The role of officials from Jharkhand is also under scanner over another Jharkhand firm, GVK Powers, the project of which was delayed by three years.

Meanwhile, NSL Powers and Infratech Ltd of Rajasthan is also under scanner in connection with the allocation. The CBI is probing the role of Rajasthan government and company executives. While the mine was allotted for power plant, they did not respond to the question by Coal Ministry on the delay.

Under the scanner of the investigating agency is JLD Yawatmal led consortium of Chhattisgarh which was allotted the Fatehpur east coal block.

'Zardari, Manmohan meeting could be significant'

'Zardari, Manmohan meeting could be significant'

A meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Tehran "could be an important continuation of the efforts to improve ties between the two nations", said a Pakistani daily on Thursday.

The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the 


Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit being hosted by Iran.
The News International in an editorial said, "What could also be significant is that on the sidelines of the conference, President Zardari is expected to meet India's prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in what could be an important continuation of the efforts to improve ties between the two nations."

The daily said that Iran has "made its biggest attempt in 33 years to draw itself back into the mainstream of global life by hosting NAM summit".

"Iran, for obvious reasons, is attempting to find ways to counter Western criticism of its nuclear programme which stem chiefly from Washington.

"It is of course also eager to build a coalition against arch-enemy Israel. The row over Iran’s nuclear weapons has of course dominated many world events over the past years," it said.

The daily went on to say that perhaps what is most significant of all is that the NAM summit will allow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad "to present himself before the world in an attempt to find allies; some of those invited argue that Iran has been badly wronged and thus must counter the hostility directed towards it from Western capitals".

"How far he succeeds in this aim could determine how future events in the region are played out and the role of Iran in the world," it added.

Not Manmohan, not Rahul, Sonia Gandhi should become PM

Not Manmohan, not Rahul, Sonia Gandhi should become PM

New Delhi, Aug 30: The politics in New Delhi is changing day by day. The Congress has started following the rule - offence is the best way of defence and led by its president Sonia Gandhi, the party leaders have already started attacking the opposition party - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It was Mrs Gandhi who broke the silence first and ordered her party members to come out from their shell to defend themselves against the criticism of the BJP members. Citing the present change and transform in the attitude of the Congress president, it seems that it would be no one else but Mrs Gandhi who will contest in the Lok Sabha election which is expected to be held in 2014.

All confusions and controversies began when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) submitted its report on coal blocks allocation between 2005 to 2009. The CAG in its report says that the coal blocks allocation under the then union coal minister Manmohan Singh led to a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore for the national exchequer.

Receiving the CAG report, BJP began protesting and ruckus in the Parliament saying that it will not allow the Houses to continue its functions until unless the prime minister resigns from his post.

Though Congress party has been showing support to the PM, a shocking statement from a Samajwadi Party leader told a complete different story.

Mohan Singh claimed that few of the Congress leaders have been trying to take advantage of the protest against the PM as they have hatched a conspiracy against Manmohan Singh. According to the Samajwadi Party leader, many Congress leaders want to replace Manmohan Singh with the Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi. However, Congress spokesperson rubbished Mohan Singh's statement.

Rahul Gandhi recently has expressed his desire to take a bigger responsibility in the government but his poor performance during the Uttar Pradesh assembly election in 2012 clearly disappointed the party members. The election results proved that the aam-aadmi (common man) are not yet ready to accept Rahul Gandhi as their leader.

While Manmohan Singh has been facing the criticism, Rahul Gandhi remains in his own kingdom. Many asked questions about his absence when Assam was burning. Rahul did not give any statement when the country experienced grave issues such as - North-East exodus, drought like situation, economic doldrums, riots in Assam.

While the inaction of the young 42-year-old leader disappointed the Indians, 66-year-old Sonia Gandhisuddenly caught all attention and her style of work somehow impressed many.

Mrs Gandhi visited Assam and assured the victims of the riots. She personally interacted with the refugees who took shelter in several relief camps in the state. The Congress President also issued statement to assure the people from North-East of India about their safety in their own country.

When it comes on her party, she shocked many after showing the furious side of her nature for the first time. Veteran BJP leader LK Advani became the first victim who was forced to withdraw his statement as the Congress president was upset.

Mrs Gandhi lost her cool following Advani's statement in the House where he called UPA government "illegitimate". While addressing the Assam violence, the BJP leader hurled the dashing statement against the UPA government.

Later when another BJP leader Sushma Swaraj accused Congress leaders of looting "mota-maal (huge amount of money)" over coal scam, Mrs Gandhi thundered again. This time Mrs Gandhi in an out and out defensive approach has lambasted the BJP's moves to create ruckus over the issue.

Asking party men to unite against the Opposition, the Congress President stated, "We have nothing to be defensive about. Let us fight united and stand up." She also said, "We need to fight the intemperate criticism and negative politics of BJP."

Amid this present scenario, it can be assumed that Mrs Gandhi can become the prime ministerial candidate for UPA in the upcoming 2014 election as neither Rahul Gandhi and nor any other leader has impressed the country with such efforts.

However, many people still think that Mrs Gandhi should not become the prime minister of the country as she is an Italian. Many people hurled many strong allegations against her. But criticism and opposition are the parts of all leaders' lives. It should not be shocking for the Indians if she indeed contest in the Lok Sabha poll in 2014 and becomes the PM.

Beauty conscious remark: Congress says Modi lacks wisdom

Beauty conscious remark: Congress says Modi lacks wisdom

Dubbing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's comment on women as "childish", information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni today said he is not "sensitive" towards women. "The Gujarat chief minister, who claims himself to be one of the best administrators in the world, is giving this kind of childish statement specially against women," Soni told reporters outside Parliament.

Explaining why malnutrition level in the state was persistently high, Modi had said in an interview to Wall Street Journal that "Gujarat is ...a middle class state. The middle class is more beauty conscious that health conscious - that is a challenge. If a mother tells her daughter to have milk they have a fight. She will tell her mother 'I wont drink milk, I will get fat."

Taking on Modi for the comment, Soni said, "There are serious charges against his ministers in his state. He is keeping himself busy in these kind of light matters."

"He is not even sensitive towards women who support their families by sacrificing their food for the sake of their families in Gujarat and now he is saying that women are not eating because they are health conscious. What can be more light statement than this?" she asked and added "I think he is not fit to contest again in Gujarat."

Slamming the statement, women and child development minister Krishna Tirath said Modi "lacks wisdom".

"This is very wrong to say so. Every girl has a right to be health conscious. If anyone thinks it otherwise he lacks wisdom," Tirath said.

Congress MP Girija Vyas was more upfront in her attack on Modi.

Demanding withdrawal of the statement by him, Vyas said "We have serious objection to the statement of Modi and he should withdraw it. It is his duty to eliminate malnutrition in his state."

"Modi is not only hiding the cases of malnutrition but also making mockery of girls. Girls are of course figure conscious what's wrong with it. Today girls are going ahead, it does not mean because of health consciousness they are malnourished," she said.

Reacting to Modi's statement, NCP leader Tariq Anwar said, "I think he (Modi) has given this kind of statement to hide his government's failures in the health sector. It does not behove of a CM to speak like this."

RJD leader Lalu Prasad said Modi should have resigned and apologised to people because his ministers were found guilty in 2002 riot case.

"The main culprit is Modi in Gujarat. These are fascist forces who always keep talking like this. In BJP-ruled Bihar also atrocities against women are rising," he alleged.

Coming to the defence of Modi, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "The whole medical fraternity is discussing the presence of anaemia in not so poor sections of society.

They are discussing various reasons but Congress has a phobia of Modi. That is why whenever it hears the name of Modi it criticises. I can only pity the Congress because wherever they go they are afraid of Modi that is why they criticise him even on non-political subject."

Russia Claims Killer Demands Punk Rockers Freed

Russia Claims Killer Demands Punk Rockers Freed

The bodies of two slain women were found in Russia beneath a scrawled message demanding freedom for the jailed members of the Pussy Riot band, officials said Thursday.

While a Russian investigator cautioned that the killer was possibly trying to mislead police by drawing attention to the punk provocateurs, the alleged link between a killer and anti-Putin protesters was immediately seized upon by Russian media and pro-Kremlin publicists.

Some publications ran headlines claiming that Pussy Riot supporters "committed" or "inspired" a double homicide. The coverage was full of the mostly negative terms used by Kremlin-friendly television networks and media in their coverage of the protesters' trial.

A Moscow court earlier this month sentenced three Pussy Riot members to two years in jail for performing a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow cathedral in February. The trial, widely seen as Kremlin-orchestrated, caused an international furor, with celebrities such as Paul McCartney urging Russian authorities to free the band.

The jailed band members' attorney said on Twitter that "what happened in Kazan is horrible," calling the case "either a horrendous provocation or a psychopathic" case.

"I am sorry that some freaks are using Pussy Riot's band name," Nikolai Polozov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Russia's Investigative Committee said the women, aged 76 and 38, were killed late last week in their apartment in the central city of Kazan with the words "Free Pussy Riot" written on the wall in English, "presumably" with blood.

The substance has not yet been confirmed, it said in the statement.

The agency did not provide the women's names or reveal details about their occupations or whether they had any connection to the band. The Russian tabloid Lifenews quoted an unnamed investigator as saying their faces and bodies were disfigured by multiple stab wounds.

An investigator in Kazan said the murderer was either psychotic or a drug addict who was trying to cover up the crime by attributing it to the band's supporters.

The killer "was trying to avoid suspicion" by misleading police, investigator Andrey Sheptitsky said in televised remarks.

That sense of caution was ignored by many Russian media outlets.

Kristina Potupchik, a pro-Putin blogger and former spokeswoman for a militant youth group known for its violent pranks against opposition and Kremlin critics, said in a post that the band's supporters "will not get away" after the killing. She also compared them to U.S. mass murderer Charles Manson, who also used the blood of his victims to write on the walls of their houses.

The leader of an Orthodox youth group that has accosted and assaulted Pussy Riot supporters claimed that they are capable of committing "any" crime.

"The infernal force that drives them hates God, believers and humankind in general," Dmitry Tsorionov told Interfax on Thursday. "These people are capable of committing any crime, and nothing but force and law can stop them."

The country's dominant Orthodox Church has called the band's stunt sacrilegious but hundreds of artists, musicians and other intellectuals have signed petitions urging authorities to free them.

Several wooden crosses that stood outside Orthodox churches in Russia and neighboring Ukraine have been toppled by people who have claimed to be the band's supporters.

The band's manager and the husband of one of the jailed rockers, however, said the band disapproved of the vandalism.

A poll released Thursday by the state-run VTsIOM polling agency showed that one-third of Russians considered the two-year jail sentence for the band members too harsh, while another 31 per cent found it appropriate. The survey questioned 1,600 people nationwide on Aug. 25-26 and gave a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Green on blue: the new face of war in Afghanistan

Green on blue: the new face of war in Afghanistan

IF THE Iraq war became known as the conflict that brought the horror of improvised explosive devices to global infamy, Afghanistan is quickly becoming the face of a new and even more insidious form of deadly violence – the insider attack.

Known in NATO parlance as green on blue (green represents friendly national forces and blue represents international forces), the attacks have increased dramatically this year. So far, 48 NATO troops – including the three Australians killed on Wednesday – have died in 31 separate attacks. This month, during Ramadan, 11 US soldiers were killed in nine days.

The high number represents 14 per cent of all combat fatalities this year and though it is still only August, the figure is already significantly higher than last year, when 31 troops died.

The numbers are so high that some analysts claim they may represent the highest incidence of intentional friendly fire attacks in recorded military history. In response, this month the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, US General John Allen, ordered that all coalition soldiers carry loaded weapons, even at the larger "secure" bases, inside buildings and at meetings.

But the Afghan and US governments – and branches of the US administration – continue to disagree over what has caused the recent surge in attacks.

Last week the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, blamed “foreign countries” – a reference to Pakistan and Iran – for infiltrating the Afghan national army and brainwashing vulnerable or disenchanted soldiers.

For his Eid message, the Pakistan-based spiritual leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, said his fighters had been instructed to infiltrate the Afghan national army and coerce Afghan soldiers to help attack coalition troops.

“Thanks to the infiltration of the mujahideen, they are able to safely enter bases, offices and intelligence centres of the enemy. Then, they easily carry out decisive and co-ordinated attacks, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy both in life and equipment.”

General Allen disagrees with that assessment, saying in a speech at the Pentagon last week that only a quarter of green-on-blue attacks were caused by Taliban infiltrators. Most stemmed from personal disputes, stress or cultural disagreements, he said.

The Pentagon has said the number of infiltrator attacks is 11 per cent. The President, Barack Obama, said his administration was deeply concerned about this.

Mitt Romney must open up to win

Mitt Romney must open up to win

AMONG the sea of negative "attack" advertisements that have dominated this year's US presidential election campaign, one of the smarter ads has come from Mitt Romney's side.

Rather than launching a typically fierce assault on Democrat President Barack Obama over his perceived failings, this ad from the Republican challenger's camp attempts a different approach.

London Metropolitan University and student visas: the Government is doing the right thing on immigration

London Metropolitan University and student visas: the Government is doing the right thing on immigration

The Government continues to do the right thing. Not words you read often these days, but their decision to ban London Metropolitan University from issuing visas to foreign students is the right one.

The universities themselves are unhappy, the general secretary of the UCU saying that: “The UK remains one of the most popular destinations for foreign students because of our proud international reputation for excellence and we need that to continue. No matter how this is dressed up, the damaging message that the UK deports foreign students studying at UK universities will reach all corners of the globe.”

Generally it’s going to be unpopular because few people really consider “students” a problem when it comes to immigration, since by definition the term implies intellect and hard work – the things one would reasonably desire in an immigrant.

But it’s more complicated than that. Student migration is now the largest route for non-European migrants to take, and has been so since 2008, when the last Government changed the rules.

Until April this year any student attending a university for 15 hours a week or more could automatically stay in the country for two years after his study ended. And since some of the lesser universities have incredibly low entry hurdles, all someone needed to do was fill in a form, pay the university a certain amount (probably less than a gang would charge), and they could enter Britain. Among this number are people who do not attend lectures (perhaps not unheard of among students) and who cannot speak English properly (less common).

Since we have net migration of 200,000 a year and students are the largest incoming group – at the moment the authorities do not ask people leaving for their initial reason in coming, although that will change it’s safe to say that a lot of students are staying after their studies.

Sure, foreign students account for one per cent of our exports, but is that worth the large economic and social costs of a large increase in population, a side-effect not caused by the other 99 per cent? And since only a third of foreign students attend a Russell Group university, this is not necessarily going to equip us with the brightest and the best – London Metropolitan University, incidentally, is the 118th best university in Britain, out of 120.

"Deporting students" sounds like the most stupid and inhumane thing in the world, but people criticising a government must be aware that the changes introduced in April, which allowed only those who had obtained graduate-level employment to remain after their studies, would not deter bright and hard-working newcomers. But then our views on immigration are often used as an intelligence test in themselves. Like with its restrictions on fetching marriages, this Government is doing the right thing, courting unpopularity to clean up a terrible mess.

No fast growth rebound for India amid downgrade fears

No fast growth rebound for India amid downgrade fears

(Reuters) - India's economy likely remained in its deepest slump for nine years in the quarter ending in June, but high inflation and polarized politics leave the country's leaders with limited scope to crank up growth.

Weak demand in the United States and Europe has hit exports of IT services and manufactured goods, but the heaviest toll on the economy is from overspending and the lack of reforms at home - a point made by ratings agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's, who have threatened to downgrade India's sovereign debt to junk.

Distracted by a scandal over the allocation of coalfields that has paralysed parliament, the government has further delayed planned big-ticket economic reforms. For now, it is focused on smaller measures it hopes will put the economy on track, including possible budget cuts later in the year.

Many G20 central banks have been moving to support growth through monetary stimulus.

But the Reserve Bank of India is lothe to reduce borrowing costs, among the highest of major economies, until the government reins in spending on subsidies and increases capacity to fight stubbornly high inflation.

"India in a way is in an abnormal cycle with the combination of below-trend growth and above-trend inflation. And monetary policy cannot be the panacea," said Rajeev Malik, a senior economist at brokerage CLSA in Singapore.

GRAPHIC-India GDP: link.reuters.com/qaw46s

A Reuters poll of 38 economists produced a median forecast of 5.3 percent year-on-year GDP growth for the April-June quarter, unchanged from January-March, which was the slowest growth rate since the same quarter in 2003.

Forecasts ranged from 4.8 percent to 6 percent in the poll, ahead of the data due for release at 0530 GMT on Friday.

"We'll be in that 5 to 6 percent range for next year also," said CLSA's Malik. "The question is going to be how effective is any kind of response from the government and that is anybody's guess at this point."

While strong by global standards, such rates are considered almost recessionary in India, which targets 9 percent to provide jobs for a bulging young population.

Worried about social unrest if aspirations are not met, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this month called high growth a matter of national security.

Singh's economic advisory panel this month cut its forecast to 6.7 percent for economic growth in the year to next March (2012/13), down from a previous forecast of 7.5-8 percent. The RBI predicts growth of 6.5 percent in the same period.

REVIVAL PLEDGE

Newly reappointed Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has vowed to revive an economy he steered through the 2008 credit crunch with tax cuts. The buzz on his return to the ministry helped a market rally, further fuelled by a flurry of minor policy moves.

India never fully unwound the consumer-oriented tax breaks that some economists say caused the economy to overheat. With inflation at close to 7 percent for 2-1/2 years and a yawning fiscal deficit in the cross-hairs of ratings agencies, India, like China, has little space for a new round of stimulus.

Chaotic scenes in parliament this week highlighted political gridlock scuppering plans to cut runaway fuel subsidies and invite foreign supermarkets to open shop. Industrial output contracted in June, and the country is running a wide current account deficit that has driven the rupee to record lows.

Singh, the pilot of India's initial reforms as finance minister in the 1990s, has seen his second term as prime minister dogged by graft scandals that have sapped his government's capacity to further remodel the economy.

He has a window to implement unpopular economic policies after the parliament session finishes next week and before elections in the state of Gujarat towards the end of the year, but a drought driving up farm aid casts doubt on that timetable.

"The current political environment puts a question mark on all the markets' reform expectations being met," J.P. Morgan said in a research report. Optimism that reforms are imminent drove a 12 percent rally in Indian equities in the last three months, but the "bulls are now getting edgy," the report said.

The Reserve Bank of India next reviews policy on September 17, and recent hawkish comments suggest it is in no mood to lower rates.

A drought in several farming states has delayed a plan to raise the price of heavily subsidised fuels such as diesel, a major contributor to a fiscal deficit that hit 5.8 percent of GDP in the last fiscal year.

SPENDING CUTS?

In private, officials admit a deficit target of 5.1 percent this year will be missed if fuel prices do not rise. One senior official involved with government finances said the ministry was considering an across-the-board cut to budgeted planned spending, with a task force due to report on the issue.

"If the oil subsidies are not controlled, the fiscal deficit could shoot up to 5.4 or 5.5 percent of GDP," he said. "There is a proposal to have 10 percent cut in the planned expenditure if needed."

An architect with Singh of the 1990s market liberalization, Chidambaram is doing his best to boost growth and balance the books through small-bore measures. Last week the ministry made it easier for companies to borrow overseas, where interest rates are almost zero compared with above 8 percent in India.

Chidambaram approved an $180 million FDI proposal from Walt Disney Corp (DIS.N), part of a backlog of proposals by foreign companies now being fast-tracked. He asked state-run banks to lend more money to consumers for durables like cars and washing machines, and credit to help stimulate farm growth.

Chidamabaram's immediate goal is to avert a downgrade that would make India the first country to trade at junk in the BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa.

Credit default swaps suggest India is already a bigger investment risk than emerging markets such as Vietnam and more than double the risk of fellow BRICS.

The capital market division of the economic affairs ministry regularly updates the agencies about steps taken to improve the fiscal situation.

"We assume they would wait before taking any action," said another senior finance ministry official. "If they downgrade us in a hurry and the economy starts picking up in the second half won't they lose face?"

Sensex closes 81 points higher as August derivatives end

Sensex closes 81 points higher as August derivatives end

MUMBAI: Erasing early day losses, a benchmark index of Indian equities markets closed 81 points higher Thursday as traders rolled over positions to the September series of futures and options following expiry of the August series. Realty, health care and banking stocks were the best performers. 

The 30-scrip sensitive index (sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,433.50 points, closed at 17,571.81 points (provisional), 0.46% or 81 points up from its previous day's close at 17,490.81 points. The sensex touched a high of 17,605.51 points and a low of 17,367.55 points in intra-day trade. 

The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was ruling 0.61% up at 5,320.20 points. 

SMS, MMS cap lifted !!

SMS, MMS cap lifted !!

The government on Thursday withdrew the ban on bulk SMS and MMS which was imposed to check spread of rumours related to the violence in Assam that led to exodus of people hailing from the northeastern states from Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

The decision was taken after the social unrest that gripped various parts of the country due to the rumours generated through SMS, MMS and web contents reduced in last few days, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The restriction on sending more than five SMS in one go and more than 20 KB of data through mobile phones came into force on August 17, 2012. On August 23, 2012 the government increased the number of SMS to 20 per day.

The restriction was put in place after reports of widespread circulation of SMS and MMS containing misleading information about the Assam violence, threats to people of northeastern-origin living in other parts of the country and doctored videos.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too had said that spread of rumours by miscreants had led to people hailing to the northeast flee from Bangalore, Pune and other parts of the country.

Apple, Samsung and why gadgets all look the same

Apple, Samsung and why gadgets all look the same

Apple’s recent victory over Samsung in its patent dispute has been fascinating for a number of reasons - not least for those who enjoy guessing just how much victory could be worth to a company that’s already more valuable than Google, Microsoft and Intel combined.

But one other idea it’s brought to the fore is a notion that seems delightfully fuzzy for such a high-stakes legal arena: “obviousness”. As attorney Leonid Kravets points out on TechCrunch, this is one of the most important ideas in enforcing technology patents: just how obvious was the idea embodied in a particular patent at the time that an invention was created?

Back in the prehistoric era of 2007, for example, Apple’s decision not to place a physical keyboard on a smartphone was seen by many as a radical - even a ridiculous - move. Today, the five-year-old designs of almost any device from that era seem clunky to the point of ludicrousness. Apart, of course, from the design that was poised to shift the paradigm for everybody else: Apple’s.

What this highlights is not so much the genius of one company as the staggeringly accelerated rate at which successful digital innovations become “obvious” - before slipping inexorably into the realms of quaint, retro and obsolescence.

Even fashion can’t hold a candle to the thoroughness with which digital technologies’ functions, appearances and assumptions outdate. And - as the focus of the Apple/Samsung trial on user interfaces suggests - perhaps the knottiest of these areas is not what’s actually going on within computer hardware, but what someone experiences when they start interacting with a device.

Costly gamble

Consider web design. Through most of the 1990s, when the web was less than a decade old, diversity ruled even among the biggest online destinations. The digital realm was smaller and stranger, with early adopters on both sides of many screens: a few lucky or talented individuals at corporations creating new kinds of models for business and a few million users, trawling the arbitrariness of such offerings.

One design classic from the late 1990s is Apple’s own website. Boasting the “World's Fastest Home Computer”, running at a blistering 300 MHz, it comes not so much from a different time as from an entirely different frame of reference and expectation, with an appearance and functionality to match.

The fact that technology changes rapidly is hardly surprising. What matters, though, is what comes packaged with the creeping “obviousness” of those successes that define every leap forward. For when it comes to design, it’s increasingly clear that the greatest pressure here is not necessarily towards innovation. Rather, the combination of blistering pace with brutally Darwinian levels of competition exerts a considerable pressure towards its inverse: homogenization.

To launch a serious digital service, today, means many hundreds of hours of user testing, the minute observation of everything from eye movements to depths of engagement, recorded within fractions of a second, and exhaustive analyses of navigation according to best current practice. The responsible recipe for success is also, above all, a recipe for making everything look and feel the same.

For some, of course, the sameness of others’ offerings still represents an opportunity for disruption (or, depending on your perspective, for a desperate attempt to divert current trends): witness the massive weight Microsoft is preparing to put behind the launch of its latest operating system, Windows 8, in October.

Yet almost all companies hoping for digital success may increasingly find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the tyranny of user experience. Originality is a costly gamble, while imitation means either joining the back of a long queue - or borrowing someone else’s successful formula a little too closely.

The exceptional has always tended to become the ordinary over time in business and technology alike: this is the very definition of a certain kind of success. Online, however, and in the instantaneously global arenas of user interfaces and digital experience, the combination of pace and precedent is especially brutal. This arguably makes distinctiveness a more precious commodity than ever. Yet, with both the stakes and user expectations higher than ever, it’s difficult to see how this can consistently be achieved in a context where most players have to sprint to remain even close to the cutting edge.

What, then, is to be done? Even if you’re one of the few corporations able realistically to think about shifting user expectations, the answer may feel like very little. Yet the history of the web has a warning to offer even to the mightiest giants. When the seemingly relentless innovations of a first decade coalesce into consensus, even the deepest moat of patents and licences won’t protect you when the next generation of obviousness emerges elsewhere.