Bachelor's Area

Towers of Light - September 11 (9/11) Tribute Light Memorial at New York City. Our hearts go out to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident. Lets pledge to strike out terrorism before it wipes out our human race.

While on the one side the photo shows the gleaming new Mumbai monorail, the backdrop screams out loud the kind of poverty that the majority population still lives in. We need inclusive development. Pictured : Mumbai Monorail and the slums of Mumbai.

IBM's massive layoffs in India / Employees are breaking down inconsolably with the "inhuman" and "insensitive" treatment. IBM, International Business Machines, noted American computer manufacturer and software services firm, has started its massive layoffs in India by sacking its employees. The Big Blue (sobriquet of IBM) is apparently resorting to "Resource Action" (RA) and it is said to be deep  and numbers are vast. The U.S software company has already lay offed considerable number of its employees from Bangalore, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune branches. It is learnt that the sacked employees are breaking down inconsolably with the "inhuman" and "insensitive" treatment of their management. Laptops are being confiscated from the axed employees. So, several employees are being spotted with tears filled eyes and leaving the company building along with their personal belongings. We hear that the IBM STG (System and Techno...

Armed with their party's self-proclaimed badge of moral police keepers, a group of 30 Shiv Sainiks descended on the Bigg Boss bungalow in Lonavala today and beat up security guards stationed there. Party chief Bal Thackeray had made his intentions perfectly clear in a statement issued in Mumbai. "Come what may, we will not allow the show. Don't issue law and order (disruption) threats to us. Shiv Sena will disrupt the TV show." The party wants the two Pakistanis among the 14 participants on the show to be expelled immediately. The fourth season of the show, based on the international Big Brother, is hosted by Salman Khan. Guests from across the border are Begum Nawazish Ali, a transvestite talk show host from Karachi, and actor Veena Malik, who is Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif's ex-girlfriend. "To bring people from Pakistan just to titillate audiences is terrible. Till our relations with Pakistan improve, these people should not be broug...

The government of Switzerland would be ready to reveal the names and bank account details of Indians who have stashed away billions of dollars of black money in Swiss banks once the Indian Parliament ratifies the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement that was recently signed between the two countries. This was stated by Tarun Vijay, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson and Member of Parliament, in a statement on Wednesday. He said that in 'the first-ever move to contact the Swiss government directly' to disclose have the names of Indians who have salted away unaccounted for money in Swiss banks, he met Christa Markwalder, president, Foreign Affairs Committee (Presidentin Aussenpolitische Kommission des National Rats) of the Swiss Parliament on October 5 in Zurich. The BJP national spokesperson said that Markwalder was happy to learn about the BJP's interest in this matter, and added, "We have already signed a protocol about it with the ...

India's largest gas producer Reliance Industries may be sitting on yet another gold mine - its block D4. RIL's partner Niko Resources , which owns 15 per cent in the block located on the east coast of India, has raised initial estimates of gas reserves in D4. RIL is the operator of the block with 85 per cent. Canada-based Niko Resources' chairman and CEO Edward S Sampson has told investors in a conference recently "We feel it's the twice the size of D6 and has prospectivity of up to an exceeding potential for 100 Tcf gas. It would change India and with 15% it would markedly change Niko" When contacted, Reliance Industries said "The appraisal process is presently being undertaken and we cannot offer any comment." But company sources tell ET NOW that the drilling in the block is expected to begin only by the last quarter of this financial year or early next financial year. The gas reserve of 100 Tcf at D4 is an initial estimate and how ...

India, Russia to ink $25bn contract for 250 5th-gen stealth fighters New Delhi: India and Russia are set to sign a preliminary agreement for a co-development and manufacturing programme for a fifth generation fighter aircraft that is slated to become this country's biggest-ever defence project. The programme will eventually see outlays in excess of $25 billion for the induction of 250 advanced stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). Based on a Russian design, from the Sukhoi design bureau, the FGFA (Indian designation) will be a very potent super-manoeuvrable, supersonic cruise, long-range strike and high-endurance air defence capable aircraft that will cost upwards of $100 million (Rs450 crore) per unit. This would, however, be almost half the price of the comparable American fifth generation F-22 Raptor, which, at last count, was costing the US exchequer about $185 million per unit. The Russians are also confident that not only would the aircraft cos...

Australian wrestler Hassene Fkiri was disqualified Tuesday for making an obscene gesture to the judges in the Commonwealth Games 96kg Greco-Roman final, his coach said. Fkiri, who would have picked up a silver medal, refused to shake hands with Anil Kumar after losing to his Indian opponent, and moments earlier had shown his middle finger to the judges. Australian coach Kuldi Bassi said: "I didn't actually see anything myself but someone else told me he saw it. "He's a very nice person normally. He's very good, win or lose. He wasn't unhappy at all (before the fight) -- he was happy to be representing his country. "The Indian (Kumar) upset him a bit and was pulling his neck. I told him that was what was going to happen and I think he just lost control. It's very sad and it's bad for the country." Organisers of the competition were not immediately available for comment.

The remains of the ancient city were explored for the first time around 20 years ago Russian archaeologists have unearthed some ancient and virtually unknown settlements, which they believe were built by the original Aryan race about 4,000 years ago. According to the team which has discovered 20 spiral-shaped settlements in remote Russia steppe in southern Siberia bordering Kazakhstan, the buildings date back to the beginning of the Western civilisation in Europe. The Bronze Age settlements, experts said, could have been built shortly after the Great Pyramid, some 4,000 years ago, by the original Aryan race whose swastika symbol was later adopted by the Nazis in the 1930s. TV historian Bettany Hughes, who explored the desolate part of the steppe for BBC programme ‘Tracking The Aryans,' said, “Potentially, this could rival ancient Greece in the Age of the Heroes.” Unknown till now The remains of the ancient city were explored for the first time around 20 years a...

Superstar Rajinikanth who met Bal Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena chief is "like god" to him. The 60-year-old actor drove to Thackeray's residence at 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra and sought the Sena chief's blessings. After meeting Thackeray, Rajinikanth compared the Sena chief to god. "He is like god to me," the actor said. Rajini, who was born to Maharashtrian parents, also expressed his desire to act in Marathi films. "Rajinikanth said he was 60-years-old and told the Sena chief that he too looked fit and healthy. To which Thackeray said he was 85," sources said. The superstar, who was born Shivajirao Gaikwad into a humble Maharashtrian family, said he always wanted to meet Thackeray when in Mumbai. "Balasaheb told the actor that he was most welcome at Matoshree," sources added. According to sources, the conversation was mostly in English and little of Marathi.

The wait is finally over. The biggest Commonwealth Games so far was inaugurated by Prince Charles and President Pratibha Patil at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. An impregnable security blanket of 7,500 personnel, including commandos, has been thrown over the grand Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the venue of today's opening ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games. As one enters the stadium, the only thing visible are the gun-toting security personnel including many in battle fatigues standing besides banners with Games motto 'Come out and Play' written on them. Lots of talks already going on about these commonwealth games, hope this will end these talks about these games. I am damn sure the world will look forward for these games now. India will put a good show this time, after showing good performances in last commonwealth in Manchester. Hope the run continues

'Jai ho', 'cuddies' and 'slumdog' are among the 73 other finalists from across the globe to become the millionth English word. The Global Language Monitor, an Austin, Texas-based firm that analyses and catalogues the latest trends in word usage and word choices with a particular emphasis on English, will choose the millionth word June 10 at 10.22 a.m. GMT. At present, there are 999,927 words in their 'English language world clock'. According to the firm's site languagemonitor.com , 'cuddies' - the Hinglish word for ladies underwear or panties; jai ho - used as a term of praise in Hindi that became popular through the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire"; as well as slumdog - a disparaging description of slum dwellers - are all in the race to becoming the millionth word in the English language. "The million word milestone brings to notice the coming of age of English as the first truly global Language," said Paul J.J. Payac...