Sandy Hurricane Damage Photos

Sandy Hurricane Damage Photos

Ambani Made Congress To Send Jaipal Out

Ambani Made Congress To Send Jaipal Out

Many politicians and analysts have expressed doubts earlier that there is hand of RELIANCE behind the sacking of Jaipal Reddy as Petroleum Ministry.

'Jaipal is shifted out of Petroleum Ministry only on account of pressure from Reliance Industries', said Prashan Bushan, member of IAC. Another activist Arvind Kejriwal accused that Ambani is controlling the whole India with his political links and he is also responsible for hike of petrol and gas prices. 'As Jaipal Reddy conducted an audit on the gas explorations and investments of Reliance in Krishna-Godavari Basin, Mukesh Ambani planned to shunt him out. Jaipal Reddy has insisted Reliance to show proper cause as to why Gas digging has come to a low in KG Basin', said Kejriwal.

Though our very own AP Minister Jaipal is feeling happy for the 'Science and Technology' ministry given to him, he should at least reveal the truths behind his transfer rather dancing to the tunes of Sonia Gandhi.

Chiranjeevi First Time Inspires MLAs

Chiranjeevi First Time Inspires MLAs

Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi's induction into the Union Cabinet despite being a first-timer has given a hope for junior MLAs in the State Congress.

With the reports of CM Kiran likely to go for a cabinet reshuffle in the next couple of weeks doing rounds, first-time MLAs in Congress were demanding the leadership to consider them for ministerial berths. They stress that this is the right time to the decision taken by late YSR to not to give the ministry to first-timers. "YSR informed us that Sonia Gandhi is averse to offering cabinet berths to first-time MLAs. Apart from Chiru, even leaders like Balaram Naik and Killi Kruparani who got elected for the first-time have found a place in Manmohan's cabinet. With Sonia herself giving chance to several first-timers in the recent Union cabinet reshuffle, there shouldn't be any problem for Junior MLAs induction," opines an minister aspirant.

MLAs Jayasudha (Secunderabad), Kannababu (Kakinada rural), Jogi Ramesh (Vijayawada), Baji Reddy (Uppal), Sridhar Krishna Reddy (Nellore), Kantha Rao (Pinapaka) and Ravi (Poothalapattu) are in the race for ministerial berths this time. Kiran Kumar Reddy may focus mainly on stopping the flow of Congress MLAs to YSRC by inducting few first-timers into his cabinet.

Kejriwal Bomb On Reliance 'Dadagiri' | Kejriwal Alleges that Mukesh Ambani is Controlling Govt.

Kejriwal Bomb On Reliance 'Dadagiri'

'Government is looking like a puppet, when Industrialists are shaking this country with their wicked business plans, especially Reliance Industries', says Aravind Kejriwal.

'India Against Corruption' society member and social activist Aravind Kejriwal has dropped his third bomb on Reliance Industries owner Mukesh Ambani. He accused with evidences that Mukesh is controlling the politics of this country for the sake of his businesses. IAC played the telephone conversation tapes of corporate lobbyist Nira Radia and former PM Vajpayee's son-in-law Niranjan Battacharya to prove that appointment of ministers is in the hands of industrialists.

'Manmohan is not ruling this country, it is Mukesh Ambani who is ruling this state', says Kejriwal. He pointed out that whoever coming into power is dancing to the tunes of Mukesh only. 'When NTPC is ready to supply gas at a lower cost, why this Congress government is buying at higher cost from Reliance?' he questioned. 'By blackmailing governments and creating losses to people, Reliance is looting 10000 crores profits' he asserted.

Reliance is said to be controlling the gas and petrol rates in this country and is giving commissions to politicians for giving price hike. He accused that Mukesh Ambani played many politics and used politicians to own gas reserves in Krishna-Godavari Basin in Andhra Pradesh. 'Reliance is intentionally digging les gas from the region such that deficit will be created and Gas price will be hiked', stressed Kejriwal.

We have to see how Congress government and Reliance industries will respond to these sharp allegations made by IAC's Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan.

TDP Suspends Rival Lady MLA Vanitha | TDP MLA Vanitha Suspended and Joins YSR Congress in Nov

TDP Suspends Rival Lady MLA Vanitha

The other day Telugudesam has axed Tamabalpalli MLA Praveen Reddy from the party for joining hands with Jagan. But their suspension spree is not stopping there and now the focus is shifted to this first time MLA.

Vanitha, MLA from West Godavari district's Gopalpuram, got suspended by the party today for opposing Telugudesam and Chandrababu views. A couple of days back, Vanitha stated that she is not happy with the way TDP is working and functioning. It is heard that she will taking Jagan's YSR-Congress teertham in the first week of November. TDP sources are saying that Vanitha is taking anti-party stand and that is reason for her suspension but not the fact that she joined hands with Jagan. Anyways, another 'Angry Bird' has jumped from the party.

On the other hand, commenting about these migrations, Naidu stated that a couple of jump jilanis cannot disrupt the mileage he is getting these days.

Kiran Giving Crores To Jagan's Followers | VH Allegations on CM Kiran Kumar

Kiran Giving Crores To Jagan's Followers

Congress veteran and Senior MP V Hanumantha Rao has blasted that Chief Minister Kiran is helping only Jagan's followers in the party and is said to be giving them crores of rupees.

V Hanumantha Rao accused that Kiran is directly helping Jagan's followers but not caring for party loyalists. He quoted the example of Chintalapudi MLA Rajesh who recently jumped into YSR-Congress. 'I've seen Rajesh many times in CM's office. He got sanctioned crores of rupees to develop his constituency and finally joined hands with Jagan', said VH. He adds that 'all these people are developing with Congress government and giving the fruits of it to Jagan, which our CM is not able to chalk out'. The senior MP asserted that the weak leadership in the state is not strengthening Congress.

Looks like, Sharmila's Paada Yaatra started working in favour of YSR-C and all these jump-jilanis and the continued headaches for Congress are its adverse effects.

Man Arrested for 'Offensive' Tweet on Minister Son

Man Arrested for 'Offensive' Tweet on Minister Son

S Ravi, an Industrialist who owns a packaging unit, was arrested on charges of trying to malign the image of Union Finance Minister Chidambaram's Son Karthi. All that he had done was to post a tweet on his social networking page calling the Minister's Son as corrupt. In his tweet, the industrialist alleged that Karthi has amassed huge wealth than Robert Vadra (AICC chief Sonia Gandhi's Son-in-law).

Ravi is an active member of India Against Corruption (IAC) movement. Following the complaint lodged by Chidambaram's Son, the cops have asked him to appear before them for questioning on Tuesday and he was taken into custody just few minutes after he met them. A case was booked against Ravi under Section 66(1) of Information Technology Act. 

If the charges against him were proven, he will have to face imprisonment of 3 years or Rs 2 lakh fine or both. Seems like the Union Minister's Son has over-reacted on this issue.

Who Said Jagan Will Become CM? | Congress Never Promised CM Seat to Jagan

Who Said Jagan Will Become CM?

'Had Jagan continued in Congress, he might have become Central Minister first and later Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh', said Sharmila, while giving speech during her 'Maro Praja Prasthanam' Yaatra. However, CM Kiran says that this claim is not true.

'Only during the rule of Kings, son will become a ruler if the King dies. But in democracy, person elected by people will become CM', said Kiran, indirectly taking a shot at Sharmila's comment. He stressed that Congress never promised any CM post to Jagan even after the death of YSR. 'Azad spoke to Jagan in front of me during that time. Even if Jagan had continued in Congress, there is no chance that he would have become CM', confirmed Kiran. 'Who said Jagan will be made CM?' he asked Sharmila. After giving clarifications that his own ruling is better than YSR's regime, Kiran made this comments.

YSR-Congress however accused that Kiran is inefficient in handling the schemes lodged by YSR like free power and fee-reimbursement.

Cong & BJP Media Playing Cheap Tricks | Congress and BJP Media Tagerts Kejriwal

Cong & BJP Media Playing Cheap Tricks

If you have a newspaper, or a TV Channel or a news website in hand, you can throw mud on anyone and you can write flattery about your favourites. We're seeing this AP from a long time with each political outfit having their own supportive media-house. Now, national politics are also playing the same cheap tricks.

Social activist and India Against Corruption organisation member, Arvind Kejriwal, has earlier alleged that leaders like Rahul Gandhi (Cong) and Nitin Gadkari (BJP) amassed crores through their corrupt deeds. Countering these allegations, BJP wrote in their 'Kamal Sandesh' magazine that lot of foreign companies are investing in 'India Against Corruption' and with those funds Kejriwal is making those false allegations. Congress wrote in 'Congress Sandesh' magazine that Kejriwal is joined by opposition to make those baseless allegations.

Even after looking at lakhs of scams that are happening in the country, how can one say Kejriwal is depending on baseless allegations?

Chiru is nothing before Jagan: Sarkar | Bal Thackery Comments on Chiranjeevi Ministry

Chiru is nothing before Jagan: Sarkar

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray expressed the view that Congress choose to induct more number of AP leaders into the Union Cabinet because of the Jagan factor.

In the party's official mouthpiece 'Samna', Thackeray said ruling Congress is worried about its prospects in the state as it has to face the next general elections in a span of less than two years, despite odds like Jagan's wave, Telangana issue and anti-incumbency.

On Chiranjeevi's induction, Sarkar opined that the actor-turned-politician was made Minister in return to the merger of his party with Congress, just like a give-and-take policy. However, Thackeray made it clear that neither Chiru factor nor allotting maximum number of cabinet berths to AP could stop the Jagan's wave.

All the National and Regional dailies have highlighted the fact that AP got lion's share in the cabinet reshuffle of UPA 2 on Sunday. The game plan of these 11 Union Ministers to save the sinking 'AP Congress' ship isn't known yet!

Chandrababu Will Be Closing NTR Bhavan Soon | YSR Congress Leader Prasanna Kumar Comments on Chandrababu Naidu

Chandrababu Naidu Will Be Closing NTR Bhavan Soon

With many MLAs and other root level cadres jumping into YSR-Congress party to join hands with Jagan, Naidu will be soon closing his NTR Bhavan office. YSR-C leader Prasanna Kumar Reddy is predicting this future for our opposition leader.

'Not only Chandrababu Naidu, people are not ready to believe whole Telugudesam party. With people not believing the party, his MLAs are slowly opening eyes and joining hands with us', said Nallapureddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy while commenting about the migrations that are taking place from TDP to YSR-C. 'Congress is not able to see our wave and hence kept Jagan behind bars. And, TDP is supporting it. For all these deeds, soon they will be paying price in 2014 elections', he added.

On the other hand, Naidu is saying that these headaches aka migrations cannot disturb him. But there looks no stopping for some young cadres in TDP to Jagan's way.

YSR Charged 25 Paise, We Give For Free | CM Kiran Kumar remarks on Jagan and Chandrababu Naidu

YSR Charged 25 Paise, We Give For Free

CM Kiran Kumar Reddy is back into the business of attacking his counterparts and proved once again that his silence is just strategic. As usual, he targeted Naidu and Jagan along with YSR, with his style of remarks.

'YSR Gave loans at 25 paise interest to farmers. But we are doing that for free without charging interest from them. In his regime he has given rice for 2 rupees per kilo. But we are giving rice at 1 rupee per kilo', said CM Kiran, highlighting the point that his rule is hundred times better than YSR's rule. With YSR-Congress accusing that Kiran is not implementing the welfare schemes launched by YSR, our CM got miffed. 'Jagan might be thinking that nothing is happening in the state as he is sitting in Jail. We have better policies and schemes than YSR's regime for people', he adds. Kiran accused that there is no use of TDP's Paada Yaatra, except for Naidu begging people to give him power.

Comments made by our Chief Minister are leaving his opponents red-faced, and we have to see how they will retort.

Minister's Wife slaps Party Worker in Public | Sunanda Pushkar Slaps Young Congress Worker

Minister's Wife slaps Party Worker in Public

Sunanda Pushkar, the girlfriend-turned-wife of union minister Shashi Tharoor, slapped a Congress worker at Thiruvananthapuram airport where huge number of party men turned up to welcome the newly-inducted minister.

Sunanda lost her cool when a man in the crowd touched her inappropriately taking advantage of the huge gathering and she slapped her repeatedly in public view before boarding her vehicle. Few Malayalam channels have succeeded in getting the footage and this video has become a rage on the internet now.

This incident took place just few hours after Gujarat CM Narendra Modi called Sunanda Pushkar, Shashi Tharoor's 'Rs 50 Crore Girlfriend'. Responding to Modi's indecent remarks, Shashi Tharoor shot back,"My wife is worth a lot more than your imaginary Rs 50 crores. She is priceless. But you need to be able to love someone to understand that". 

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbCvoaQTfSU

KCR Buying People From Telugudesam | KCR Buying TDP Leaders

KCR Buying People From Telugudesam

TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is in hiding mode from the last few months is back into action from today and his first step is getting support for the movement. At the same time KCR also announced his plans for November 1st, Andhra Pradesh Formation Day.

KCR has met Telugudesam MLA Harishwar Reddy today to invite him to join into TRS. This move of KCR can be seen as strength gaining effort, as the party became quite weak in the region with KCR not coming into public from a time. If Harishwar Reddy jumps into TRS, it will be a triple blow for Naidu, as a couple of party leaders from Telugudesam from Rayalaseema and Andhra already jumped into other parties. TDP is terming these exoduses as a conspiracy by rivals to slow down Naidu who is at large against these parties during his paada yaatra. They accused that KCR is buying people from their party to prove his existence.

However, the TRS Chief wants to make public entry on November 1st, and already he has called his cadres to boycott AP Formation Day by hoisting black flags all over Telangana on that day.

Chiru ruined his chances of becoming NO.1 | CPI Narayana Comments on Chiranjeevi Ministry

Chiru ruined his chances of becoming NO.1

CPI state secretary Narayana made some interesting comments responding to Rajya Sabha member Chiranjeevi's induction into Union Cabinet.

Narayana opined that the actor-turned-politician has played spoilsport by merging PRP with Congress. "Chiru floated PRP as an alternative to both ruling Congress and Opposition TDP. If not the merger with Congress, he would have been in a much better position by now and the ministry will be nothing before that! Chiru ruined his chances of becoming a power centre and No.1 in politics," he stressed.

Congress leaders, cadre and the fans were hopeful that Chiru's induction will give a new lease of life to the party. What would be the use of this Tourism Minister for AP and it's people is a million dollar question? Political analysts say, the next 18 months will be the last chance for Chiru to prove his mettle as a politician and to make people believe that he is committed for the betterment of AP. 

Book Criminal Case On Mohan Babu | Criminal Cases On Mohan Babu and Nageswara Reddy

Book Criminal Case On Mohan Babu

Mohan Babu who is on a spree with hurting the sentiments of Brahmin communities, is going to face a bolt it seems. A Court has ordered today to book Criminal Case on our dialogue king regarding 'Denikaina Ready'.

Malkajgiri Court has directed Police to book criminal cases against producer Mohan Babu and director G Nageswar Reddy for provoking and insulting the sentiments of Brahmin community in their recent flick 'Denikaina Ready'. Brahmin Samaakya members who lodged a protest infront of Mohan Babu's house the other day, have approached Court today to file a plea that their sentiments got hurt. Reacting on the issue, Court has directed to book cases on Mohan Babu, G Nageswar Reddy, Manchu Vishnu and Brahmanandam. And brahmins gone a step ahead reacting to his comments by conducting final rites of the actor in Guntur. 

Amidst these protests and hungama, Denikaina Ready is getting good collections as people rushing to theatres to find out how and why Brahmins got insulted through this movie.

At the same time, all sections of people are lashing out at Mohan Babu for his 'blackmailing' remarks against Brahmin protesters. Mohan Babu said that they are doing hulchul only for the sake of money, which is really a harsh comment. What if they give a counter saying Mohan Babu is doing these cheap tricks in this film only to amass crores, as he lost all his money through the flop flicks of Vishnu he made earlier?

YSR-Congress Gives Tips To Chiru To Become CM | Hari Ramajogaiah Tips to Chiru To Become CM

YSR-Congress Gives Tips To Chiru To Become CM

YSR-Congress, which is working way hard to make Y S Jagan as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, is also giving advises to Central Minister Chiranjeevi. YSR-C leader Hari Ramajogaiah has given tips to Chiru if he wants to become Chief Minister.

'Chiru's long term goal is to become Chief Minister of this state. He has to now start a 4000 kms Paada Yaatra if he wants to become CM in 2014', said Hari Ramajogaiah, an old ally and present enemy of Chiranjeevi. Earlier this senior politician of state is instrumental in Praja Rajyam party before the merger but joined hands with Jagan as he is not getting priority in that party. However, analysts are saying that Chiru is the only probable and efficient CM Candidate for Congress Party in 2014.

Already, various people started giving support to Chiranjeevi, but Paada Yaatra is the only better idea that can do wonders. Leaders like NTR and YSR became CMs after road-shows only!

TDP MLA Stabs 'Morals' To Change Party | TDP MLA Praveen Joins YSR Congress

TDP MLA Stabs 'Morals' To Change Party

Do you remember Chittor District's Tambalapalli MLA Praveen Kumar? The other time he has stated lot of morals to TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu regarding his stand on Telangana and also stressed that he is not quitting TDP or joining Jagan. But today the scene is different.

Telugudesam MLA Praveen has done lot of hulchul when Naidu wrote a letter to Centre regarding Telangana. He accused that Naidu is neglecting Rayalaseema, but confirmed that he is not quitting party or joining Jagan. But today, he has left all his morals aside and met Jagan in Chanchalguda inviting the wrath of Telugudesam party. TDP has suspended Praveen immediately from the party and stated that Jagan's party is buying MLAs to beat the morale of Chandrababu, who is amassing huge popularity and response through his Paada Yaatra.

Praveen Kumar has earlier accused that media is intentionally accusing him of joining Jagan's party. But what happened today?

Minister's Rs 50 Crore Girlfriend!

Minister's Rs 50 Crore Girlfriend!

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has a style of his own in taking potshots at opponents. The other day, he targetted MP Shashi Tharoor who was inducted back into the cabinet in the last and final cabinet reshuffle of UPA 2.

Modi called Shashi Tharoor's girlfriend and now his wife Sunanda Pushkar a Rs 50-crore Girlfriend. "Shashi Tharoor who was a union minister amassed illegal wealth from cricket. However, he denied that in Parliament and even said he is not connected to the Rs 50 crore in Sunanda Pushkar's name," he attacked at an election rally in Gujarat.

"Wah kya Girlfriend hai. Apne kabhi dekha hai Rs 50 crore ka Girlfriend? (What a Girlfriend! Have you ever seen a Rs 50-crore Girlfriend?)," he added.

Shashi Tharoor who was once sacked as union minister for his controversial comments is yet to respond on Modi's hard-hitting remarks. May be he doesn't want to lose the job for the same old reason.

On What Basis Ministry Becomes Great?

On What Basis Ministry Becomes Great?

Many MLAs at state level and MPs at Central level are seen trying for Railways, Panchayati Raj, Revenue and Commercial Tax Minister posts. If they fail, their followers say that their leader is not given much importance. So, on what basis a ministry is measured?

If there is a department and a minister for that department means, that post is quintessential for the development of country. There will not be any Ministry that is created just for fun. When MP Jaipal Reddy is shifted to Science & Technology from Petroleum, there is a buzz that he lost importance. Jaipal trashed those rumors explaining the importance of S&T to everyone. From this happening, one can say that our Minister are adding 'greatness' to a particular Ministry basing on the focus they get in that ministry and the amount they earn through various dealings with that post.

Obviously, a Home Minister gets more exposure in Indian than a Railway Minister and a Foreign Minister gets more focus than even Prime Minister in other countries. We cannot rule off any ministry as less important!

Chiru Effect: No Worry About Birds | Congress Leaders not worried about Migrations

Chiru Effect: No Worry About Birds

Even after a day after his swearing-in as a Minister of State, Congress folks are still busy celebrating the power given to MP, Megastar Chiranjeevi. Basking in that glory, they are not caring about the migration that is going on.

Yesterday, Chintalapudi MLA Rajesh jumped into YSR-Congress, but PCC Chief Botsa says he knows that happening in advance. 'Congress will become a super power under Chiru's leadership. We are not worried about these migrations, even though some more will take place in the future', said Botsa. Off the record, he adds that those who fear that they will not get ticket next time or they will not win next time are said to be joining YSR-Congress and other parties. As long as Chiru is there, Congress is not worried about 'angry birds' in Coastal Andhra segment, it seems.

Almost all the leaders from coastal Andhra and rayalaseema started singing Chiru tune now. Will our megastar live up to expectations?

Family Hero's meeting with Nimmagadda in Jail | Jagapathi Babu Meets Nimmagadda in Jail

Family Hero's mulaqat with Nimmagadda in Jail

Tollywood actor Jagapathi Babu on Monday met industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad who was in Chanchalguda Central Prison ever since his arrest by CBI in connection with Jagan illegal assets and the Vanpic scam. He was accompanied by badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and Hyderabad Cricket Association representative Chamundeswarinath. Sources say, the trio have been in the prison for more than an hour.

When enquired about the purpose of his visit, Jagapathi Babu said Nammagadda is his close friend and he came to meet him casually as both of them haven't seen each other for a very long time. The actor clarified that he didn't discuss anything with Prasad other than enquiring about his health condition.

Jagapathi Babu is the second noted personality from Film Industry who met this under trail prisoner. Earlier, Nagarjuna came to Chanchalguda twice to have a chat with his business partner.

KCR Coming Out On November 2nd

KCR Coming Out On November 2nd

The whole state, especially Telangana region people are awaiting for TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to come out from hiding. And, the date for it is November 2, 2012, though it has nothing to do with Political agenda.

KCR is maintaining a complete hideout ever since he returned back from Delhi. But TRS cadres maintained that Dasara is the deadline for Telangana achievement and warned that they will comeup with a stringent plan if Congress fails to sanction separate state by then. But Dasara is over and KCR is still in hidden mode only. However, political sources confirmed that KCR will come before media on November 2 that is to attend the wedding of PCC Chief Botsa Satyanarayana's daughter. He may not speak a word or so, but he will flash his trademark smile.

On the other hand, Telangana activists and parties are yet to comment on the Cabinet reshuffle made by Congress. It is heard that they are maintain a tight lip as two MPs from Telangana got Minister posts.

ArcelorMittal reports $709-m loss in Q3

ArcelorMittal reports $709-m loss in Q3

LUXEMBOURG/NEW DELHI, OCT 31: 

World’s largest steel maker ArcelorMittal today reported a net loss of $709 million for the third quarter, impacted by slowdown in China.

It had posted $659-million profit during the third quarter last year. The company had recorded $959-million profit in the second quarter of 2012.

Sales during the July-September quarter stood at $19.72 billion against $24.21 billion during the same period in 2011, according to a company statement.

The company said the global economy was impacted during the quarter due to slowdown in China.

“The already fragile global economy was further impacted in the third quarter of 2012 by the slowdown in China. This resulted in very challenging operating conditions for ArcelorMittal, which are expected to continue in the fourth quarter,” said Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal.

Against this backdrop, the company is focused on delivering its plan of asset optimisation, net debt reduction and productivity and efficiency improvements, he added.

“Net debt increased by $1.2 billion during Q3 2012 to $23.2 billion, driven by negative operating cash flows (including a $0.3-billion investment in working capital) and negative foreign exchange impacts partially offset by proceeds from asset disposal and an issuance of perpetual securities,” the statement said.

Keywords: ArcelorMittal third quarter earnings, slowdown in China, ArcelorMittal net loss, ArcelorMittal sales, Lakshmi N. Mittal, 

Has Subbarao lost the opportunity to be a statesman?

Has Subbarao lost the opportunity to be a statesman?

A symbolic cut in policy rate would have supported recent reforms and also boosted business sentiment

There’s been enough written about the Reserve Bank of India’s(RBI) action on Tuesday and the almost universal approbation with which it was met, even by people other than those who run the edit pages of newspapers such as Mint.

For those who missed it entirely, the central bank left interest rates untouched and tweaked the ratio governing the amount of money banks need to keep with the central bank, releasing around Rs.17,000 crore into the system.

By doing so, the bank also ignored the fiscal consolidation planpresented by finance minister P. Chidambaram on Monday.

To be sure, there are problems with that plan, but my quibble with RBI governor D. Subbarao isn’t about what he did, which is entirely logical and justifiable.

Monetary policy needs to balance macro and microeconomic interests (in plainspeak, it needs to ensure the economy doesn’t receive any shocks, and also create a monetary environment where companies can thrive). It needs to act as a counterweight to the impact the government’s policies will have on money, a sort of yang to the latter’s yin. At the highest level, I also believe that it needs to reflect a dash of pragmatism and positive intent.

Most analysts, edit writers, even central bankers are likely to disagree with the third requirement I have mentioned. This, after all, requires governors of central banks to behave more like a statesman than a central banker and even a casual perusal of central banking will throw up a singular but strong argument against doing this: Alan Greenspan.

Sure, sometimes central banks are all that stand between profligate and misguided governments and economic ruin, but is that really the case here? Since taking over as finance minister, Chidambaram has made all the right noises and done the right things. I believe a symbolic cut in the policy rate by RBI would have strengthened his arm and also boosted business sentiment (to be sure, again, it wouldn’t have changed the environment much). I am also convinced it wouldn’t have taken us any closer or any farther from economic ruin than we already are.

I am, therefore, inclined to consider the lack of any substantive action by RBI on Tuesday as a lost opportunity.

What's new in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

What's new in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

New Delhi: Google on Monday announced a new version of its Android operating system - Android 4.2, which is a minor update to Andorid 4.1 (Jelly Bean) - which now powers more than 500 million devices worldwide. Android 4.2 (also known as Jelly Bean) is a new flavour of Andoir 4.1 (Jelly Bean). A more comprehensive makeover, known as Key Lime Pie, is expected next year.

Let's see what all Google's latest Android operating system - Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) has to offer.

1. A new feature called Photo Sphere stitches together 360-degree pictures of rooms and landscapes. The high-resolution photos created with this tool are similar to the shots shown in Google's Street View feature in its online maps.

2. The Android update includes a feature called Gesture Typing, which tries to anticipate what words a user wants to enter as they are entering text. The guesses are based on an analysis of typical sentence structures and users' past entries.

3. Android 4.2 also adds support for wireless display so you can wirelessly watch movies, YouTube videos and play games right on your Miracast-compatible HDTV. Connecting a wireless display adapter to any HDMI-enabled TV or monitor allows what's on the small screen to be mirrored on the bigger one.

4. It will allow multiple users to create separate personal profiles on a device by using different account names and passwords. With support for multiple users, each person will have his own space. Everyone can have their own homescreen, background, widgets, apps and games.

5. Android 4.2 includes the latest version of Google Now, which brings you the information you need, when and where you need it, before you even ask. Google Now tells you today's weather before you start your day, or when the next train will arrive as you're standing on the platform. With the latest version, you can see popular photo spots nearby, track packages easily, get information about upcoming movies, and much more.

6. Daydream lets your Android device display useful information when idle or docked. It shows off your photo albums, get the latest news from Google Currents, and more.

7. Google brought in the expandable notifications feature with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but Android 4.2 brings support for more apps.

8. With Android Beam on Jelly Bean you can now easily share your photos and videos with just a simple tap, in addition to sharing contacts, web pages, YouTube videos, directions, and apps.

9. Android 4.2 allows you to show widgets on your lockscreen.

10. According to Google, Jelly Bean makes your Android device even more responsive by boosting your device's CPU instantly when you touch the screen, and turns it down when you don't need it to improve battery life.

'Stunning' start for Windows 8 with 4 mn updates: Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer

'Stunning' start for Windows 8 with 4 mn updates: Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday the company has sold 4 million upgrades to Windows 8, signaling a strong start for its new operating system which launched on Friday.

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Tuesday said the Windows 8 operating system was off to a "stunning" start with four million upgrades downloaded since its release on October 26. 

"In just the last three days, we have sold four million Windows 8 upgrades," Ballmer said while kicking off a BUILD Conference for developers at the software giant's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. 

"The level of embrace from enthusiasts is very, very high." 

Ballmer added that tens of millions of businesses have also switched to the latest version of Windows. 

Analysts have depicted Windows 8 as a bold bet for Microsoft since it dramatically changed the long-familiar user interface to adapt to touch-screen mobile devices increasingly popular in modern lifestyles. 

"The level of enthusiasm seen for the new products has relly been stunning," Ballmer told the thousands of developers at the sold-out event. 

Globally popular one-to-many text messaging service Twitter and online file sharing hit Dropbox are among applications being tailored to Windows 8, Ballmer told third-pary software developers at the gathering. 

Microsoft kicked off sales of its revamped Windows 8 system and Surface tablet Friday as it ramped up efforts to compete in a market shifting rapidly from PCs to mobile devices.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Premier with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Samsung unveils Galaxy Premier with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

New Delhi: Samsung has unveiled its new smartphone - Galaxy Premier - which has a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED (720x1280) display. The phone runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS.

The phone has an 8-megapixel, autofocus camera with LED flash. It sports a 1.9-megapixel HD camera. The Samsung Galaxy Premier is armed with 1.5GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. The phone supports 1080p videos. Its connectivity options include WiFi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0.

The phone comes in two storage options - 8GB and 16 GB. Its memory can be expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card. Weighing 130 g, the phone comes packed with a 2100mAh battery. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Premier has features including S Beam, Smart Stay, Direct Call, Pop-up Play and Best Photo.

Samsung will start selling the Galaxy Premier in November 2012 in Russia. Currently, the phone has only been made official in the Ukraine, where it's been scheduled to be released in November at 5,555 Ukrainian hryvnias (roughly translates to $680).

The device later will be available in South East Asia, China and Korea. Depending on the region and suppliers, the smartphone will go on sale in two versions - 3G and LTE.

Google’s awesome doodle: A haunted house for Halloween

Google’s awesome doodle: A haunted house for Halloween

Today is Halloween and Google’s doodle for the day is generating a lot of buzz online. The doodle represents a Haunted House, with a 4 doors and the number 13 written on top.

Like some other Doodles, this one is interactive as well and each time you open the door you get to meet the spook residents of this house.
Oh and there’s eerie background playing in the background as well, with a door creaking and a ghost going oooooooo. You can click on the doodle though if you want to turn off the sound.

So who do you get to meet in the Google Doodle? On the extreme right door is the blue one-eyed octopus which stands for ‘G’ in the Google logo. The next door has a pair of red and yellow eyes which represent the two ‘Os’.

The Google Doodle for today.

The next is veiled ghost, kind of like the dead haunted brides in ghost stories and this one is shaped like a ‘G’ is a veiled ghost. In the cage, next to it is the L, which looks like Frankenstein, if you click on it, the monster disappears. The last door has a super-evil smiley face that turns into a monster representing the ‘E’.

Also don’t miss the skeleton on the door, which does some pretty fancy tricks. There is also a black alley cat, and if you click on it, it jumps out runs across the doodle and takes you the search result page with Halloween. Oh and the crows caws when you click on it.