Facebook to set up centre in Hyderabad

Social networking site Facebook announced on Monday that it will set up its office in Hyderabad to support the growing number of users, advertisers and developers in India and globally. Facebook has seen exponential growth in recent months and has more than eight million active users in India, it said in a statement. The rising popularity of Facebook has also come as a threat to various other social networking sites like Orkut, MySpace and Flickr. It has more than 400 million active users worldwide. The centre will house online advertising and developer support teams and provide round-the-clock, multi-lingual support to its users and advertisers globally, it further said. The new centre in Hyderabad will supplement operations out of California, Dublin, Ireland and a recently announced location in Austin, Texas. It has already started its hiring procedure for the Hyderabad centre. "We expect our new office in Hyderabad to tap into the region's strong pool of talented people who understand operations and technology, and help us more effectively serve the needs of our users, advertisers, and developers around the world," Facebook Director (Global Online Operations) Don Faul said.

Airbags save speeding Mumbai teens

The Worli seaface fails to shake off its accident-prone tag, despite the efforts by the Mumbai traffic police to put a stop the speed demons. In the wee hours on Friday, a 19-year-old son of a Worli-based steel baron had a narrow escape when he lost control of his car while speeding. Jai Goel, a student of Podar College, was racing with friends at 120 kmph in his father's Honda Accord when his car tumbled thrice before turning turtle. He rammed into benches on the sea face and his car stopped only a few metres from the plunging into the sea, while those racing with him fled within minutes. Eyewitnesses said the youth were lucky to have escaped with minor injuries. Interestingly, one eyewitness was no other than the Goel's driver Mukesh Jat. While Jai stepped on the accelerator, he ordered Jat to stand at the sea face and watch him race. "Jai saab asked me to sit while he went for a drive. I was sitting a few meters from the accident spot. I was stunned I ran to the car to help the three. They were not drunk, saab must have lost his balance," said the driver reluctantly fearing that he may lose his job. Added another eyewitness, who was strolling at the sea front. "There were three vehicles chasing each other at the speed of wind, more than 120 kmph when the driver lost control of the car. It ran over the benches on the sea face and then rammed into a parked vehicle after which it toppled thrice before it came to an halt." According to Jitendra S, a night guard manning the sea face, youngsters racing on the sea face is a everyday story.The police did not confirm whether the teenagers were sober. "We are investigating the case. The boy was speeding and he seems to have lost control. We still have to conduct a test to find out if he was intoxicated," said U K Mane, duty officer, Worli police station. Meanwhile, Jai's father said that it was not his son, but his friend Rounak who was driving the car. "Jai was not on the driver's seat, but his friend Rounak. He suddenly lost control of the car; it must some technical fault," said Jagdish.

Kings XI have only pride to play for

MOHALI: It’s a clash between two teams at the extreme ends of the table; Mumbai Indian are the pace setters while Kings XI Punjab bring up the rear. The former are just a win away from securing a berth in the semifinals, while the home team’s languishing at the bottom ever since the IPL 3 started on March 12. Things have gone so bad for KXIP, proudly presented and backed by Preity Zinta, that the bubbly Bollywood star has become invisible during the last two games. In fact, she went to Haridwar for a dip in the Ganga and even performed a ‘yagna’ for the team’s victory. Punjab have just two wins to show in their 10 matches in what has been a miserable display by a team that promised much under new skipper Kumar Sangakkara. On the other hand, the supremely confident Mumbai have lost just two games, the last being at Chennai when the team tumbled after Sachin Tendulkar suffered from cramps and dehydration in humid conditions. That was a hiccup MI would not be overly worried about. The weather conditions in Mohali will surely be not as sapping as down south - it is hot during the day but the temperatures dip at night and there is not much humidity either. Mumbai are up against a team which has become a punching bag in this tournament, but Tendulkar’s men need to be cautious as KXIP do have the ability to surprise a team that lowers its guard. They did that to KKR, chasing 200. In their remaining four matches KXIP will have two objectives: One, to spoil the chances of the teams that cross their path and two, to avoid the wooden spoon.

Delhi petrol pump owners withdraw strike

NEW DELHI: Petrol pump owners in the national capital have withdrawn their 24-hour strike, which was to begin midnight to demand a rollback of increase in VAT for diesel, after the government "assured" them that it would look into the issue. Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association president Atul Peshawaria said the strike, which was to begin at midnight, was withdrawn late Thursday night after a discussion with chief minister Sheila Dikshit. "Dikshit assured us that the government will look into our demand within 15-20 days. If there is no positive development during this period, we will be forced to think of an agitation," Peshawaria said on Friday. He also said that petroleum minister Murli Deora has also assured them that appropriate action will be taken to address their concerns. The dealers were demanding immediate rollback of the increase in VAT rate for diesel from 12.5% to 20% announced in the Delhi budget. They claimed that there was an "alarming" fall in diesel sales in the capital because of the hike in prices. "Diesel is expensive compared to adjoining Noida and Gurgaon. We are losing our business to them. It is not us alone who is losing money, the government is also losing money as the sales are going to the neighbours," Peshawaria said. The dealers claimed that the monthly diesel sales in the capital had dropped to 8.5 crore litres from 13.5 crore litres.

Jammu shuts down over bill to ban inter-district recruitment

JAMMU: All shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the roads as the daylong shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against a bill seeking to ban inter-district recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir began here Friday. The bill, which is scheduled to be debated in both the houses of the state legislature Friday, has generated anger in Jammu region as it denies Scheduled Caste candidates jobs reserved for them at the district level. While valley-based parties, the National Conference (NC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, favour the ban on inter-district recruitment, Jammu-based parties like the BJP and Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party are opposed to it. Congress, which is a constituent of the ruling alliance in the state, is divided as its Jammu-based legislators are opposed to the ban while those from the valley support it. Protesters set up road blockades by burning tyres and held noisy demonstrations at several places. The police, however, cleared one of the main bridges over river Tawi that connects Jammu city with the rest of the country. Both the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region have their own reasons for supporting and opposing the bill that bars applicants from seeking jobs in districts other than their native ones. While the valley feels that inter-district recruitment limits Kashmiri youths' employment opportunities as jobs are reserved for the Scheduled Caste community, the Jammu region feels that the bill seeking to ban such recruitment overturns the constitutional provision of reservation of jobs for the socially marginalized people. If enforced, it would deprive the Scheduled Caste community, which constitutes about 20 percent of the five million population in the region, of the district cadre posts in Kashmir Valley. The state has a population of over 10 million. The community has no presence in the valley where Muslims are in an overwhelming majority, with less than 3,500 Kashmiri Hindus as a microscopic minority. "The scales of natural justice demand that our people should get at least the jobs in their own districts," NC legislator Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan told IANS. But the BJP, which was the biggest beneficiary in the assembly elections in December 2008 when it won an all-time high 11 seats owing to the regional sentiments on the Amarnath land row, is opposing it. "It's subversion of constitution," said BJP legislature Chaman Lal Gupta. "We will not allow the fragmentation of the state on regional grounds," he told reporters here.

I accept full responsibility for Dantewada: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday accepted "full responsibility" for the Dantewada massacre of a CRPF contingent by Naxalites and said the "buck stops at my desk". "I have been asked directly or indirectly where the buck stops after the attack. The buck stops at my desk," he said at a CRPF function here. Chidambaram said after his return here from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, a day after the massacre of 75 CRPF men and a state policeman in the Naxal strike, he had given it in writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that "I accept full responsibility". He did not go any further, saying, "Let me not elaborate." Addressing the 'Shourya Diwas' (valour day) of CRPF, Chidambaram lauded the sacrifices of the paramilitary force and said the government was trying to ensure that personnel from it were well-paid, well-housed and well-equipped. He also said his Ministry will ensure that the families of slain jawans received compensation by the end of this month and one member from each of them got a job. Noting that the government will always stand by the security forces, the Home Minister said they performed duties so that people could live in freedom, liberty and democracy. "I am proud of the innumerable duties the CRPF is called upon to perform. I salute all those who laid down their lives and my heart goes out to their families," Chidambaram said.

Radiation leak sparks scare in Delhi, BARC experts probe

NEW DELHI: Experts on Friday identified the material which led to a "very powerful" radiation in a west Delhi industrial area as Cobalt-60, the exposure to which left five persons injured including one seriously. Scientists from the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Narora Atomic Power Station also scanned Mayapuri industrial area this morning to examine whether there was any other source of a similar emission in the vicinity. Panic was triggered in the locality last night after the news of a radiation leak broke out with five persons falling ill after coming in contact with a "mysterious shining object" in a scrap shop. "The experts have identified the material as Cobalt-60. They have identified six sources of Cobalt-60 from the scrap shop," B B Bhattacharya, member of National Disaster Management Authority and former Director of BARC, told PTI. Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope of cobalt, which is a hard, lustrous, grey metal. Cobalt-based colours and pigments have been used since ancient times for jewellery and paints, and miners have long used the name kobold ore for some minerals. Bhattacharjee said Cobalt-60 is used in fabrication work, specially for welding steel. It is also used in radiotherapy for treating cancer. The experts, who first collected and isolated the mysterious shining object from the scrap shop in Mayapuri Industrial area in a sophisticated lid, had sent it for further investigations. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Aggarwal, experts visited the Mayapuri scrap market this morning also and scanned the area to check whether there was any other source of radiation emission in the vicinity. "The team had identified the source of radiation. They have collected the material and isolated it. They are examining it," Aggarwal told PTI. Bhattacharjee said the radiation was from a "very powerful source" as Deepak Jain, the scrap dealer undergoing treatment in Apollo Hospital, is in a serious condition. After the news came to light last night, police cordoned off the area upto one km and did not allow people to enter the locality. There are around 200 scrap shops in the market. Scientists from the Crisis Management Group of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Atomic Energy Regulation Board had last night carried out the survey of the extent of radiation in the area. The incident came to light yesterday when Jain, the scrap dealer who suffered serious burn injuries, was yesterday rushed to Apollo Hospital which informed the government that he had suffered radiation, officials said.

Orkut beats Facebook in India

NEW DELHI: Facebook might have overtaken Orkut globally in terms of the number of users, but Google's social networking offering still remains the
favourite in India, according to the England-based online traffic tracking firm comScore. In its latest report on social networking activity in the Asia-Pacific region, comScore says the Google-owned Orkut is ranked as the top social networking site in India, with 46.8 per cent of the nation's web population using the website. Facebook, on the other hand, ranks numero uno in Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The study covered all Internet users aged above 15 in these countries, who accessed social networking sites from home and work locations. However, it excluded those visiting the sites through Internet cafes, mobile phones or PDAs. It also did not include China in the study. The study has found that 50.8 per cent of the total online population in the Asia-Pacific region visited a social networking site in February 2010, translating into a total of 240.3 million visitors during the month. "While social networking continues to be one of the most popular and fastest growing web activities in the world, its dynamics in the APAC region exhibit significantly more individual market differentiation than in other global regions," comScore executive vice-president (APAC) Will Hodgman said. "In some markets, such as the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia, social networking is one of the most popular web activities, reaching nearly 90 per cent of the entire online population, while other markets report less PC-based social networking penetration, which can often be attributed to the high propensity to engage in social networking via mobile devices in these markets," he added. About 68.5 per cent of India's web population accessed social networking sites in February, visiting these sites on an average of 13 times. An average user spent about 2 hours 10 minutes on these sites. In contrast, Internet users in the Asia-Pacific region spent an average of 2.5 hours on social networking sites during the month and visited the category on an average of 15 times.

5 Tips to power your Gmail

Google's Gmail is claimed to be the most powerful and configurable of the free email services out there. But most people tap just a small percentage of its features. That's in part because a lot of what you can do with Gmail is hidden beneath the surface. Here’s bringing some of that functionality to light.

How to manage multiple Gmail accounts?

Perhaps the quickest way is to take advantage of Gmail's POP3 functionality to set up your Gmail accounts in a traditional e-mail client, such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Eudora. That way, you can download all of your mail from multiple accounts at the same time and respond to them from one location. For instructions on setting up individual mail programs to receive Gmail, open your Gmail account, and click the Settings link. From the Settings screen, click Forwarding and POP/IMAP. In the POP Download section, make sure you select one of the 'enable' option buttons. And from the same section, click the 'Configuration instructions' link to learn how to set up Gmail with the e-mail program you use. Instructions for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, and more are provided. There's also instructions for iPhone users. If you use the Firefox web browser, another option is to download and install Gmail Manager (http://bit.ly/1i3TkM), a well-regarded add-on that gives you access to multiple Gmail accounts from your browser's status bar.

How to install Gmail Drive?

The free utility Gmail Drive (http://bit.ly/33AjJ) will create a virtual drive based upon your Gmail account. Once installed, the drive will show up in Windows Explorer just like any other drive. In Windows 7, the drive is categorised as 'Other.' When you first try to access or double-click the drive, Gmail Drive prompts you for your Gmail logon credentials. Once you're logged on, you can drag and drop files to your Gmail drive just as you can to any other.

How can I back up my Gmail?

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Mail to friend
The easiest way is to have Gmail forward a copy of all incoming messages to another email account. You can use another free email provider, such as Yahoo or Microsoft if you wish. To set up forwarding, open your Gmail account, and click Settings. From the Settings screen, click Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and from the Forwarding section, select 'Forward a copy of incoming mail.' Supply an email address to which mail should be forwarded. In addition to backing up your email, this feature will also give you a way to access your email when Gmail is down or inaccessible for any reason. In an age when, for many people, email is crucial to getting work done, backing up in this manner is a good idea.

Is there any add-on that can assign keyboard shortcuts to Gmail?

You don't need an add-on to make Gmail keyboard friendly. All you need to do is learn and take advantage of the many built-in keyboard shortcuts available already. For instance, log on to your Gmail account, and press the letter 'c' to compose a new message. While reading a message, press 'r' to reply or 'a' to reply to all recipients. Press 'f' to forward. Press 'n' to see the next message as you're reading the current one, and press 'p' to see the previous one. To see a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, just click the Help link and type 'keyboard' in the resulting search box. Of course, you can also set up your favourite email program, such as Outlook, to retrieve and send Gmail, bypassing the web interface altogether. Then you'll have the familiar keyboard shortcuts at your disposal.

How to get rid of Buzz in Gmail?

Buzz, the new Twitter-like Google service that allows you and others within a defined social group to post what's going on or what's interesting, is getting mixed reviews -- and not just from those who see no use for it, like you. Some of those who actually use it complain that the service is resource-hungry and intrusive. If you use it, its integration into Gmail means that you're notified of a 'buzz' via your Gmail inbox. It's easy to get rid of Buzz, though. From the Settings screen, locate and click the Buzz link among the available settings. From the 'Buzz choices' section, click 'Do not show Google Buzz in Gmail' and/or Disable Google Buzz. Selecting 'Do not show Google Buzz in Gmail' will simply remove the Buzz link from your Gmail. Disabling Buzz will remove any Buzz profile you've created as well as any posts (or buzzes) that you've made. -- DPA

Samsung launches S5620 Monte phone

NEW DELHI: Samsung India has expanded its touchscreen mobile phone line-up in India with the launch of S5620 Monte. Samsung S5620 has a 3" TFT touch screen and comes equipped with Smart unlock, accelerometer sensor, 3.15 mega pixel camera and geo-tagging.Other features include smile detection capability, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, Google Maps, Stereo FM Radio and image editing applications. The 3G-ready phone claims to offer 9 hours, 42 minutes of talk time. The phone's internal memory is 200 MB which can be expanded using a microSD card. Samsung S5620 is priced at Rs 8,850 approximately.

Suman, Symonds steer Deccan Chargers to victory

T Suman (78 not out) played the innings of life while Andrew Symonds gave him the perfect support with a 24-ball 53-run cameo as Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets to stay afloat for a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday.Chasing a competitive 184, Suman came up with runs when it mattered most for his team and shared an unbeaten 46-ball 91-run fourth-wicket stand with Symonds as the title holders overhauled the target comfortably with four balls to spare.Suman bejeweled his innings with six fours and three sixes while Symonds blitzkrieg included five boundaries and three huge hits over the fence.Earlier Jacques Kallis (68) and Virat Kohli (58) put on a 52-ball 95-run fifth wicket partnership to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to 184 for six.With this win, Deccan took their points tally to eight from ten contests while the defeat saw RCB stagnate at ten points from as many matches.Full Scorecard Points Table Statistics It was also RCB's second successive defeat, while Deccan returned back to winning after five consecutive loses.Deccan did not have the perfect start to their run chase as they lost their opener Mohnish Mishra in the third over with just 11 runs on the board.Skipper Adam Gilchrist (32 off 19) Suman, however, kept the Hyderabad side in the hunt, sharing 77 runs for the second wicket that came in just 8.3 overs.But the whole scenario changed within just seven runs as Deccan lost two crucial wickets - Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma - to find themselves in a spot of bother.Gilchrist's 19-ball essay was cut short by Kumble who foxed him with a googly and Robin Uthappa did the rest behind the stumps.As if that blow was not enough, five balls later Rohit Sharma (6) gave away a straight forward catch to Dale Steyn off R Vinay Kumar to compound their problems.But it was not to be Bangalore's day as Suman and Andrew Symonds milked the Deccan bowlers with caution and set the platform for the comfortable victory with some sensible hitting.Needing 49 off the last four overs, first Symonds opened up, hitting Praveen Kumar for a four and six and then Suman joined the party clobbering the medium pacer straight over his head to pile up 21 runs.Symonds clobbered R Vinay Kumar for a six and then followed it up with a boundary in the next ball to drew curtains to their run chase in style.For RCB Praveen and Kumble picked up a wicket each, giving away 37 and 38 runs respectively.Earlier sent into bat, Kallis continued his purple patch and scored 68 in 44 balls while Kohli produced the acceleration towards the end, making the fifty plus innings in just 35 deliveries to guide RCB to the big score, especially after they were struggling at 68 for four at one stage.Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2/24) and Ryan Harris (2/37) were the notable wicket-takers for Deccan.From the time he stepped in, Kohli knew nothing about pressure and took the fight into the Deccan camp.He virtually butchered the Deccan attack, taking 23 runs off an Andrew Symonds over to begin the late innings mayhem.Left-arm pacer RP Singh too bled as Kohli went berserk during his 35-ball blitzkrieg which overshadowed Kallis' belligerence.Kallis designed his innings with nine fours and a six before he feel to a superb running catch by Harris off Mitchell Marsh.Kohli struck four sixes and as many boundaries before holing out to Symonds at long on off Harris in search of quick runs.Kohli's seemed in a destructive mood and together with Kallis, he tore apart the Deccan attack to pile up 92 runs off the last six overs.Ojha bowled intelligently for Deccan and accounted for Rahul Dravid (26) and Ross Taylor (1) to emerge as the highest wicket-taker in IPL 3 with 15 scalps.Cameron White drew curtains to the Deccan innings in style, hitting back-to-back sixes off Hariis in last two balls of the final over.

3G price in India among least

NEW DELHI: The government is gearing up for a Rs 30,000-crore bonanza for the public purse from 3G auctions, which begin on April 9. But what appears to be an aggressive revenue target will actually yield one of the lowest prices per population, or price per pop as its usually called, for 3G in the world. The auction has nine players bidding for three pan-India slots of 5 MHz each in the 2.1 GHz band. Of the 22 circles, an additional or fourth slot is available in Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and J&K. The reserve price for 3G is Rs 3,500 crore and winning bids are expected to be in the range of Rs 6,000 to 8,000 crore ($1.4 to $1.6 billion). With a total population of 1.2 billion, this translates to a 3G price per pop of $1.16 to $1.41 or an average of roughly Rs 70 for each operator, much lower than the global average of $29 (Rs 1,363) per pop across 13 countries (see chart). In purely financial terms, these prices will be a windfall for operators, especially as these are long-term 20-year licences. There are several reasons why India, like some other developing countries, will yield some of the lowest earnings per pop for the government. Firstly, competition among bidders is restricted only to the existing operators. The bidding regulations have made it cost-prohibitive for new entrants — either Indian or global — to participate in 3G bidding. Secondly, the 3G uptake is expected to be slow and somewhat restricted to metros, large cities and A Category circles to begin with. The real beneficiaries of 3G are usually mobile broadband and data markets. India, on the other hand, is primarily a plain vanilla voice market which constitutes nearly 92% of the total revenues from mobile operators in India. Thirdly, 3G handsets will be more expensive than the average 2G handset used for voice/SMS, at least initially. This, in turn, will slow down 3G penetration across the country. Fourthly, the global experience of 3G penetration has been no different from the expectations in India. Till mid-2006, less than 7% of the total global mobile population had migrated to 3G. So far, 3G has been successful only in Japan, Korea, Germany and Italy. Even the US has only seen a recent surge in data traffic after the launch of the iPhone. Save these examples, the 3G uptake in the rest of the world, especially for data and mobile broadband, has been slower than expected. Finally, India's addressable market may be no more than 850 to 900 million as against the total population of 1.2 billion and it could take over a decade to reach the last 400 million

'Marriage, murder, judgment, it was all wrong'

KARORA (HARYANA): In the searing heat, at the end of the long gravelly road winding through wheat fields, the village stands still. There is no 'talk of the town'. No one, they say, is interested. It's 72 hours since Karnal's sessions court has sentenced five men to death. Three of them belong to this village, held to account for killing their sister-niece Babli and her husband Manoj three years ago on an equally hot day in June for marrying within the same gotra, considered sacrilege in these parts. Everyone in this village in Kaithal district, about 10,000, belong to the same caste of Berwal, a Jat community. One other, Gangaraj, is the village's khap head who has been given life imprisonment. He, it is said, instigated Babli's relatives to kill and uphold honour. For villagers, the murderers are not villains. The media is. Had the media not made a big issue, it would have remained just a matter of honour. Media pressure, at the time in June 2007, forced police to file Chandrapati's complaint. If anything, the village feels victimized, wronged. Interestingly, a local newspaper has carried photos of the convicts' families who will 'suffer' because of the judgment. "See what they've written," says Chandrapati. "Wasn't Manoj my family's breadwinner?" The punishment has stumped villagers. They want to distance themselves from it, yet need to tackle dilemmas the sentence has thrown up. "The murder was wrong, but so was the marriage. You can't marry like that. A man can lose control because it's his dignity at stake," says a young man waiting to take a bus to Pundri, the nearest town. The marriage was wrong, the murder was wrong, the judgment even more 'wrong', that's the view. Some are convinced this sentence will ensure just one thing. No honour killing? "No. No marriage. If they marry, they will be killed," says Vikram (24). "Siblings can't marry. The court won't understand." A shopkeeper tries to reason. "What's the point in hanging the girl's relatives? They did what they believed was right. The marriage was wrong, the court's judgment more so." That said, if hypothetically, the convicts were to return, "they'll be outcasts. They're criminals," says Vikram. The sense of indignation stems from the fact that society in Haryana's villages has its "thinking stuck in the 17th century," says Shamsher Singh Surjewala, 78-year-old Congress veteran, a rare Jat voice speaking against khap diktats. "The basic thing is they're anti-women. There are Agarwals, SCs, backwards, Gujjars, Ahirs in Haryana, but only Jats are regressive," he says, at Khaital now to discuss the sentencing. "They believe the death sentence is extreme." Village Jats have no exposure to life beyond their fields. "They watch no theatre, no films, listen to no music." Hailing the sentence, Surjewala adds that real change will have to be cultural, the law can only help the community's progressive fight. So closed is the society that no NGO works in Haryana, with no human rights organizations even at the government level. "Khaps trample over all rights. It's a handful who take decisions. The rest are silent spectators," says Surjewala. Political silence As they repeatedly endorse the murders, and see-saw between right and wrong, it is clear the gap created by Karnal's sessions court for change is rapidly disappearing. After the judgment, the villagers were somewhat shaken out of their stupor of blindly following khaps. But with no one to drive home any moral perspective, they're rapidly closing ranks again. In this, political silence screams. With Jat CMs in saddle for the last 15 years, says a journalist, the khap panchayats have awarded themselves a certain political immunity. "They believe they're supreme, a law unto themselves." As villagers wait for the sentence to be somehow diluted, Jagmati Sangwan of All India Democratic Women's Association hopes to make Chandrapati a mascot for 'unmatched courage'. "It's difficult for us to work against khap diktats because we intervene only if the victim feels he or she has been wronged. The sentence has opened the door for awareness drives."

'Honour' killing again: Teen lovers perish

SONEPAT: Honour killings in Haryana claimed two more lives as the brother of a 16-year-old girl strangled her to death for being involved with a boy of the same village, on Thursday. A day after the girl was killed, the boy committed suicide in school. Rakesh Kashyap, 18, was found hanging from a tree in his school in Bhainswal village of Sonepat district. On Thursday, police said they arrested Ravi Kashyap for killing his younger sister Usha and produced him before a judge who sent him to judicial custody. Ravi confessed to the crime, saying he flew into a rage on seeing his sister and Rakesh in a compromising position, a police officer said. The girl's father, Subhash Kashyap, told cops that on Wednesday, he found his daughter's room bolted from the inside when he came back from the fields. He broke open the door to find his son standing next to the girl's body. Whether it's the khaps or feudal patriarchy, Haryana's violent social order claims scores of lives every year. Earlier this month, a Karnal court gave the death sentence to five members of a khap panchayat for killing a couple --Manoj and Babli-- who were accused of transgressing norms by marrying within the gotra or lineage.

No water, food or medicines. Now, go fight 'biggest threat'

DORNAPAL (CHHATTISGARH): For six years, the government has cried hoarse about Maoists being the single biggest security threat to India. Yet, the Indian state is sending its footsoldiers into battle on an empty stomach, without adequate drinking water and medical facilities. CRPF men on the frontline of the war against Maoists in the dense jungles say the Red combatants are just one of the threats they face. Jawans of 62nd battalion of CRPF holed up in the Chintalnar camp -- near the site of Tuesday's ambush that left 76 men dead -- say they can defend themselves against another Maoist attack but are defenceless against malaria and poisonous reptiles. Conditions aren't any better at the other camps, jawans said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Several jawans claimed patrolling parties often go without enough food. "We are also fighting in the anti-insurgency mode. Army soldiers get dry fruits and other eatables in sufficient quantity during operations. We have to fight on empty stomach and dry throats. Our jawans need food that matches the task at hand," said a CRPF jawan. "Malaria is one of the biggest challenges of living here. People frequently fall sick. Some of us have to proceed on sick leave. What has made matters worse is the non-availability of medical facilities," said one CRPF jawan staying in the camp. "Forget qualified doctors, there are not even decent medicine shops. The local doctors would prescribe the same regular medicines for disease. The nearest hospitals are some distance away. This is not only our plight but of everyone posted or deployed in remote jungle camps," he said. Apart from lack of medical assistance, jawans also complained of poisonous insects and snakes. "At night, you are not sure of what may bite or sting you. Forget patrolling, one is not safe even in camps," said a CRPF constable. "If a snake or something as poisonous bites a victim, there may not be a chance to save him," he added. Scarcity of water is another issue plaguing the personnel at the camps and while there may be a few pumps, these are often rendered useless in the absence of electricity. "Water is a big problem here. We have no clue how to manage in this place where we have to work under constant threat and high daytime temperatures," said a jawan. He said jawans on active patrol have to go without potable water at times. "There is no surety we would get drinking water. Sometimes we have to drink water from the same pond that animals use to quench their thirst. The unhygienic living conditions are leading to diseases and many personnel are falling sick," he said. "There is no pat on the back for a good job done but always some kind of harassment in the name of discipline," said a jawan. While it is easy for politicians to issue war cries far from the battleground, those on the ground say they are ill-equipped to fight under the conditions they have to. "We are losing lives in a battle that can be sorted out. There are many ways in which our force can be better utilized," said the jawan.

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Quality cinema always pays rich dividends: Shankar

Director Shankar, who has finished the shooting of his Rajni-Aishwarya Rai starrer ‘Enthiran: The Robot’ and is involved in the post-production work of the film, has opined that the sincere and earnest efforts to make quality films always pay rich dividends to the producer and the director concerned. Shankar was speaking at the audio-launch of the film ‘Madarasapattinam’ which was held on the other day in the city. “From my experience, I can vouch for the fact that people are always ready to accept films which possess certain quality about them…no effort made with care and dedication would go in vain. “Cinema has been undergoing many physical and technological changes…the people are eagerly observing the goings-on in the film industry; nothing happens here without their being aware of it. I can see that many upcoming producers and directors in Kollywood are yearning and trying their best to create quality films and artistes who are ready to take up new challenges,” said Shankar. The ace director also noted with satisfaction that there has been a discernible quality tangible in the music of G.V. Prakash Kumar, a trait he appears to have picked up from his Uncle A.R. Rahman. The audio cassettes and CDs of the Aarya-Amy Jackson starrer ‘Madarasapattinam’ was released by Kamal Haasan.