Fractured PAC meets to finalise 2G report

Fractured PAC meets to finalise 2G report

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday met to finalise its report on the allocation of 2G spectrum with members of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the opposition daggers drawn over the panel's criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 22-member committee, hea

The draft 270-page report, which was circulated among members on Wednesday, has criticised Manmohan Singh for giving an "indirect green signal" to former telecom minister A Raja to execute his "unfair and dubious designs" in selling scarce radio waves at throwaway prices.

The yet-to-be adopted PAC report said DMK's Raja, who is now in jail, revealed "half truth to conceal his ulterior design".

The report does not hold Manmohan Singh directly responsible for the alleged losses the 2008 sale of telecom licences caused to the nation.

However, the prime minister does face criticism in the explosive report that was leaked to the media a day before it is likely to the adopted by the 22-member panel.

It also criticises home minister P Chidambaram, who was then finance minister, saying the committee was "shocked and dismayed" to note that in his note Feb 15, 2008, he acknowledged that spectrum price should be based on its scarcity value and efficiency of usage.

Congress members KSS Rao, Saifuddin Soz, Naveen Jindal and K Sudhakaran, as well as DMK's Tiruchi Siva, have come out in the open to slam the draft report of the PAC and asked for Joshi's resignation.

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Pilots' strike: Air fares shoot up

Pilots' strike: Air fares shoot up

New Delhi:  Within hours of a section of Air India pilots announcing the strike, private airlines jacked up their fares on all the major sectors within the country. A Delhi-Mumbai ticket which cost Rs. 8000-9000, is now costing Rs. 12,000. "There has been an increase of up to 50 percent in the air fare," said, a travel agent in Delhi who wished not to be identified. 

The Spice Jet Mumbai-Delhi ticket was selling at Rs. 6,255 on Wednesday above the normal range of Rs. 3,000-4,000. While low cost carrier Indigo is said to be charging Rs. 6,234 for its Delhi- Mumbai sector, Jetlite fares for the same route stood at Rs. 5,784. Kingfisher and Jet Airways also followed suit charging Rs. 8,798 while Jet Airways hiked the ticket price to Rs. 6,785 on Mumbai-Delhi sector. 

When contacted, the airlines however denied any such move. "The Spice Jet denies any fare hike. We are accommodating Air India passengers on our flights, "an official from Spice Jet said. Jet Airways also denied any hike. "There has not been any hike in the fares due to the Air India crisis," said the airline spokesperson. A section of pilots affiliated to Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) had gone on a sudden strike from Tuesday midnight affecting the operations of Air India. 

Meanwhile Air India, announced that it would not levy any cancellation or refund fee on passengers affected by the ongoing strike by a section of its pilots. "In the event of flight disruptions/cancellation/ combination/delay of over an hour, full refund will be given to passengers, irrespective of the fare rules," the state-run airline said in on Wednesday evening. Till 8 pm on Wednesday, 24 flights had been cancelled across the country, the Air 

Air India has sacked six members of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), who are on strike since Tuesday midnight demanding pay parity and better working conditions, officials said Wednesday.

"Six members of the ICPA have been terminated from Air India while two more have been suspended," an airline official said. According to the official, the sacked pilots include ICPA's general secretary Captain Rishab Kapoor and other prominent leaders of the group. 

Scores of passengers were left stranded on Wednesday at Delhi airport due to chaos following the strike call.  

Anuj Razdan, a professional, who had to go to Jammu on official trip said, "My flight has been cancelled. I was given no information about the cancellation or any alternate arrangement made by the airline. Obviously, I was taken aback when I reached the airport and was told that my flight was cancelled," Razdan added. 

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3 Thay Bhai review: Worn-out and humourless - Movie Review

3 Thay Bhai review: Worn-out and humourless

Movie : 3 Thay Bhai
Director : Mrigdeep Singh Lamba
Cast : Om Puri, Deepak Dobriyal, Shreyas Talpade

Going small-town is the current flavour of Hindi films - but not all get it right!

3 Thay Bhai is a classic case of the title building the film up to be a fun, innovative story. What you get, however, is a film that's woefully dull.

Chicksi (Om Puri), Happy (Deepak Dobriyal) and Fancy (Shreyas Talpade) are three brothers who hate each other. They all have their own personal battles that they're fighting alone.

Chicksi (a shamefully regressive track, this one) is worried about his three overweight daughters whose size causes potential grooms to flee (yes, it's that kind of movie).

Happy is a quack dentist and makes his patients supremely unhappy.

Fancy, the film informs us, likes everything fancy - working as an actor in Punjabi films, he dreams of, where else, but Hollywood.

The three brothers meet up to hear the will of their deceased grandfather. To inherit the land mentioned in the will, the three have to comply with some clauses that include spending a couple of days together once a year on the hilltop property.

The film banks on the exchanges between the brothers to bring in the laughs. So the eldest and grumpy Chicksi dominates over the mild-mannered Happy and the foolish Fancy. Through their journey completing the required conditions, they deal with dead dogs, a stranger, and each other.

The film rests on the able shoulders of Om Puri, Deepak Dobriyal and Shreyas Talpade. Sadly, their talent is diluted by the inept dialogue and screenplay.

Puri is made to either scream abuses or fart, Dobriyal stirs up some amusing moments with his cowardly act, and Talpade is all energy but let down by amateurish dialogue.

For comedy, here’s your pick: you have the dead dog jokes, the repeated fart gags, and Talpade constantly mispronouncing words like 'defective’ for detective and 'infection’ for affection.

Debut director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba has everything going for his first project - the experienced producer (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra), veteran actors and a solid technical team.

The cinematography by Ashok Mehta is immersing and Gulzar's lyrics shine through in the breezy songs.

However, the film runs into a vicious cycle of endlessly running scenes with such repetitive dialogue, and you wonder if the editor was packed off on a holiday.

3 Thay Bhai has a premise that could've been a bagful of fun, but what you get is a tale that's worn-out and humourless. Steer clear!

Rating: 1.5 stars

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IPL teams will take us seriously now: Jayawardene

Debutantes Kochi Tuskers Kerala on Friday roared back into the Indian Premier League with an upset victory over Mumbai Indians and skipper Mahela Jayawardene hoped the rivals team will take them more seriously now.

The Kochi tuskers chased down an imposing 182-2, set by Mumbai Indians, to open their account in the tournament and Jayawardene said it was a big win against the IPL 3 runners-up team.

"It was a good win. We were pretty close in the last two games. It is good to finish the game off and it is a big win against Mumbai Indians," the Sri Lankan told reporters after his team notched up their maiden eight-wicket victory.

"It (win) means a lot. All the guys are working really hard. We had an extra session at the nets after the loss against Pune, we showed a lot of characters even in the games we had lost.

"The character that the guys have shown is brilliant. We have to keep fighting till the last. I think the rival teams will take us a little more seriously now following this victory. It gives us confidence as well," he added.

Jayawardene said it was important to see off his Sri Lankan teammate Lasith Malinga who has been in rocking form in the Indian Premier League.

"We knew we had the talent, we had an extra batsman today. The wicket was wet, they had a few dangerous bowler, we had to negotiate them. The start against Malinga was crucial. They are really a very good team but we were better today," he said.

Asked about his dismissal by Malinga, Jayawardene said, "I knew what was coming. I knew how to play it but I missed it. It was a crucial moment of the match."

Asked if the negative reports about the Kochi outfit in the run-up to the IPL affect them, Jayawardene said, "I don`t try to control things which I can`t control, my only focus was to control the team."

On a lighter vein when asked about the bright colours of their jersey, Jayawardene said the team chose this colour as it stands out.

"I like the colour, it stands out. It brings out the best in you. We didn`t have many options as most of the teams had chosen their colour, we went for the brightest. It suits Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) and a lot of other guys in the team," he said.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, who finished off the game with a four and two sixes, said it was the confidence showed by his coach and captain that got reflected in his game.

"The captain and coach had shown confidence on me going by the performance in the previous matches. I wanted to hit straight shots and play according to the merit of the ball. I didn`t want to play silly shot," the all-rounder said.
"My only thought was to play according to my strength. They have a good bowling attack, Mahela and Brendon gave a good start, we batted well," he added.

Jadeja could not play in the Indian Premier League last year following a one-year ban by the IPL governing council and the all-rounder said it was a missed opportunity but hoped to prove his worth this year.

"Missed an opportunity what I can do last year, whatever has happened has happened, I hope to do well this time around," he said.

"I worked on my batting a lot and bowling as well when I was not playing. I tried to improve my skills."

PTI

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Kochi IPL team says it wants to win the cup for Sreesanth

Inspired by the winning mantra of the Indian national team, Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), the IPL team representing the city of Kochi, has announced that they wanted to win the fourth season of the Indian Premier League for Sreesanth, one of the core members of the team.

KTK is playing the professional Twenty20 league for the first time and is hopeful of starting on a victorious note post this announcement.

“We want to win it for Sreesanth,” Mahela Jayawardene, the captain of KTK announced in a press conference called earlier today to launch the team logo and promotional video, “In fact, right after the world cup final, I and Muttiah (Muralitharan) had decided that we owed a lot to Sree, and this is the right time to give it back.”


Jayawardene was referring to the ICC 2011 World Cup final played last week where Sri Lanka lost to India. Sreesanth gave away 52 runs without taking any wickets in the 8 overs he bowled, but won accolades for being the “lucky charm” of team India by veterans like Sunil Gavaskar.

Jayawardene vehemently rejected inferences that the KTK wanted to win it for Sreesanth as they thought it might be the last IPL Sreesanth was playing, as was the case with Sachin Tendulkar regarding the world cup.

“Not at all, in that case we’d have wanted to win it for Ravindra Jadeja,” Jayawardene clarified.

The fourth season of IPL starts in a couple of days amidst predictions by some experts that the interest level in the tournament could be lower than earlier seasons due to the just concluded world cup, for the fans already had enough of cricket.

“But such statements would help,” said a cricket expert, “In fact BCCI could learn more from the world cup and incorporate those elements into IPL. Imagine a Chennai Super Kings player alleging that Delhi people were not as large hearted as people down south. That would just set the mood of the nation for the tournament.”Inspired by the winning mantra of the Indian national team, Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), the IPL team representing the city of Kochi, has announced that they wanted to win the fourth season of the Indian Premier League for Sreesanth, one of the core members of the team.

KTK is playing the professional Twenty20 league for the first time and is hopeful of starting on a victorious note post this announcement.

“We want to win it for Sreesanth,” Mahela Jayawardene, the captain of KTK announced in a press conference called earlier today to launch the team logo and promotional video, “In fact, right after the world cup final, I and Muttiah (Muralitharan) had decided that we owed a lot to Sree, and this is the right time to give it back.”
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Sreesanth has cried on field earlier during the IPL, but has never been a part of the winning team.

Jayawardene was referring to the ICC 2011 World Cup final played last week where Sri Lanka lost to India. Sreesanth gave away 52 runs without taking any wickets in the 8 overs he bowled, but won accolades for being the “lucky charm” of team India by veterans like Sunil Gavaskar.

Jayawardene vehemently rejected inferences that the KTK wanted to win it for Sreesanth as they thought it might be the last IPL Sreesanth was playing, as was the case with Sachin Tendulkar regarding the world cup.

“Not at all, in that case we’d have wanted to win it for Ravindra Jadeja,” Jayawardene clarified.

The fourth season of IPL starts in a couple of days amidst predictions by some experts that the interest level in the tournament could be lower than earlier seasons due to the just concluded world cup, for the fans already had enough of cricket.

“But such statements would help,” said a cricket expert, “In fact BCCI could learn more from the world cup and incorporate those elements into IPL. Imagine a Chennai Super Kings player alleging that Delhi people were not as large hearted as people down south. That would just set the mood of the nation for the tournament.”Inspired by the winning mantra of the Indian national team, Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), the IPL team representing the city of Kochi, has announced that they wanted to win the fourth season of the Indian Premier League for Sreesanth, one of the core members of the team.

KTK is playing the professional Twenty20 league for the first time and is hopeful of starting on a victorious note post this announcement.

“We want to win it for Sreesanth,” Mahela Jayawardene, the captain of KTK announced in a press conference called earlier today to launch the team logo and promotional video, “In fact, right after the world cup final, I and Muttiah (Muralitharan) had decided that we owed a lot to Sree, and this is the right time to give it back.”
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Sreesanth has cried on field earlier during the IPL, but has never been a part of the winning team.

Jayawardene was referring to the ICC 2011 World Cup final played last week where Sri Lanka lost to India. Sreesanth gave away 52 runs without taking any wickets in the 8 overs he bowled, but won accolades for being the “lucky charm” of team India by veterans like Sunil Gavaskar.

Jayawardene vehemently rejected inferences that the KTK wanted to win it for Sreesanth as they thought it might be the last IPL Sreesanth was playing, as was the case with Sachin Tendulkar regarding the world cup.

“Not at all, in that case we’d have wanted to win it for Ravindra Jadeja,” Jayawardene clarified.

The fourth season of IPL starts in a couple of days amidst predictions by some experts that the interest level in the tournament could be lower than earlier seasons due to the just concluded world cup, for the fans already had enough of cricket.

“But such statements would help,” said a cricket expert, “In fact BCCI could learn more from the world cup and incorporate those elements into IPL. Imagine a Chennai Super Kings player alleging that Delhi people were not as large hearted as people down south. That would just set the mood of the nation for the tournament.”

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French Restaurant in Delhi to offer meals to BPL card holders to qualify for VAT waiver

French Restaurant in Delhi to offer meals to BPL card holders to qualify for VAT waiver

An upmarket restaurant is acting upon Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’s decision to remove VAT on meals for the poor by offering free meals for the hard-up. La Maison Goinfre has purchased 30kg of camembert, 50 cases of Bordeaux wine, 5kg of foie gras and 25 jars of preserved duck legs VAT-free.

To qualify for the VAT waiver, the restaurant must provide meals for 50 poor people per week, including wine, although a Delhi Government spokesman confirmed that “house wine” would be acceptable.

“This is excellent news for us,” said restaurant manager Suhail “Pierre” Kumar, putting on a French accent, “at the moment some of our dishes are inaccessible to the poor because the ingredients are so expensive; we are delighted to welcome the masses into our arms and educate them in fine dining – haute cuisine is for everyone, not just the cultured.”



“The man at the PDS shop sent me here,” said Rahul, 27, a rag-picker with a BPL card, “but they won’t let me in. They said I need a tie to get in. So, I borrowed Sunil’s tie – he’s a security guard down the road. When I came back they said if I could afford a tie I could afford to pay. I’m confused and hungry.”

Rahul argued with the doorman for a minute before being told that the main course was “cold duck liver” and ask if he “really wanted that”. He decided he didn’t. His friend Kabir, who works as a beggar near CP, wanted to try out the “cold duck liver” but he was turned away as he didn’t have a BPL card to prove his ‘poor status’.

After hiding behind some bushes for a while, our correspondent accosted a man identified on his number plates as “MRB1G” on his way from his Audi A8 Quattro to the front door of La Maison. Faking News asked if the businessman had a valid BPL card.

“This man is in debt by 500 crores,” interjected the manager, “he has less than no money so he is in a far worse position than most, and look, he has his bank manager with him as his income proof,” gesturing to a man in a suite with “MRB1G”.

Faking News tried to say something about assets, liquidity and investments, but security quickly intervened. Our correspondent did manage to have a glimpse of the man’s three BPL cards though before being ejected from the premises.

However, for the sake of balanced journalism, we must point out that the restaurant does have plans to host BPL diners. Next weekend, 50 BPL card holders will dine with 100 American philanthropists, NGO workers, and diplomats.

Tickets for Let Them Eat Cake: Meet the Poor night start at Rs.15000 for a “standard rag-picker” seat and rise to Rs.25000 for a view of “the deformed”. “We will be offering our BPL guests the full French menu and also a special menu, in case there are ‘cultural issues’,” said Kumar, “I suspect we will have to outsource some of the catering to our ‘BPL scheme’ partners, Punjab Dhaba.”

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India To Send 2 Member Team To Confirm Identity Of Abdul Rauf

India To Send 2 Member Team To Confirm Identity Of Abdul Rauf

India will soon be sending a two member team – one officer each from RAW and CBI to Chile to confirm the identity of an arrested man who is supposed to be Abdul Rauf, one of the financers behind hijacking of Indian Airlines IC-814. According to CBI, it has received information from Chilean authorities about the detention of Rauf who is supposed to be one of the financers of the whole operation behind hijacking of IC-814.

CBI has said that fingerprints of the man detained have been sent by the CBI, but since the same or any photographs is absent hence it is difficult to confirm whether the person is Rauf or not.

It is to be noted that Rauf is the brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the most wanted terrorists in India. Azhar was one among 3 terrorists who was exchanged for the safe release of the passengers of IC-814. Azhar is the founder of militant group Jaishe-e-Mohammad and it is believed that Rauf is now heading the organization after Azhar went underground.

Meanwhile CBI has said that Rauf was also giving instructions to the hijackers and also managed the entire operations. The Interpol has issued a red corner notice against Rauf who also called up one of the conspirators Abdul Latif to inform BBC officials, giving them details regarding the hijacking.

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