Mumbai Bomb Blast 100 people killed
The realization of the power and value of citizen journalism seemed to become evident today, following the brutal terrorist bomb attack in Mumbai, India.
According to Bloomberg, "as many as 100 people were killed and 240 injured in the Indian city of Mumbai in grenade and gun attacks late yesterday, with five-star hotels among the sites targeted."
This report was the top report on Google News. It was posted 30 minutes from the time I read it.
On Twitter, the news coverage – either from people in Mumbai, or from people posting updates or suggesting resources to check out – was running like a ticker tape, providing non-stop and up-to-the-minute reporting, or opining.
Twitter, which was designed to capture ambient noise, was capturing sentiment in spades for this particular event.
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Oil prices rise above USD 50 on Obama economy team
Oil prices rose above USD 50 a barrel on Monday in Asia as investors gained some confidence from reports that US President-elect Barack Obama has chosen an economic team to tackle what could be the worst slowdown in decades.
Light, sweet crude for January delivery was up 37 cents to USD 50.30 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Singapore.
The January contract Friday rose 51 cents to settle at USD 49.93.
News that Obama plans to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as commerce secretary helped boost US stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.5 percent Friday but Asian markets on on Monday were mostly lower with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index down 1.5 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi down 2.4 per cent.
Oil futures have followed stock markets recently, using equities as a proxy for economic outlook and investor sentiment.
"The lack of clarity as to who exactly is in charge of steering the US economy is really hurting the equity markets," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. Oil prices rose above USD 50 a barrel on Monday in Asia as investors gained some confidence from reports that US President-elect Barack Obama has chosen an economic team to tackle what could be the worst slowdown in decades.
Light, sweet crude for January delivery was up 37 cents to USD 50.30 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Singapore.
The January contract Friday rose 51 cents to settle at USD 49.93.
News that Obama plans to name New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as commerce secretary helped boost US stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.5 percent Friday but Asian markets on on Monday were mostly lower with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index down 1.5 per cent and South Korea’s Kospi down 2.4 per cent.
Oil futures have followed stock markets recently, using equities as a proxy for economic outlook and investor sentiment.
"The lack of clarity as to who exactly is in charge of steering the US economy is really hurting the equity markets," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.
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India wins fourth one-dayer; clinch Hero Honda Cup
India grabbed crucial wickets in the final overs to win the fourth one-dayer against England by 19 runs in Bangalore under the Duckworth-Lewis method on Sunday to take an unbeatable 4-0 lead in the seven-match series.
Zaheer Khan dismissed Owais Shah for 72 and fast bowler Ishant Sharma sent back Andrew Flintoff for 41 in successive overs in the final powerplay to derail England’s spectacular chase of a revised target of 198.
The pair had put on 82 off just 48 balls for the fourth wicket after a slow start by the tourists in the rain-affected day-night match.
"At the end we were done in by an Indian side that is playing fantastic cricket," said England captain Kevin Pietersen. "We are still going to make sure that the rest of the competition is very, very competitive."
Put in to bat in overcast conditions, India made 166 for four in the allotted 22 overs after the innings was twice interrupted by rain.
Aggressive opener Virender Sehwag lashed his second successive half century (69) and shared in a 79-run second-wicket stand with Gautam Gambhir (40) to give India a solid start.
England, looking to turn around a poor run of form, lost openers Ravi Bopara (1) and Ian Bell (12) plus Pietersen (5) by the ninth over with the total on 52.
But Shah, who hit his second fifty of the series, and Flintoff staged a remarkable fightback with a calculated assault, especially on the spinners.
The pair turned on the heat when England needed 110 off the last 10 overs and 63 from the last five overs, with two overs of the final powerplay still remaining.
FLINTOFF OUTFOXED :
The experienced Zaheer dismissed Shah, caught by Sachin Tendulkar at point, and in the next over Sharma’s slower delivery outfoxed Flintoff who was caught by Zaheer at extra cover to apply the brakes on the tourists.
"I think our boys gave a real good run for their money, added Pietersen. "Owais Shah batted fantastically today., Freddie (Andrew Flintoff) helped him out with some good contributions."
"It is not nice to lose 4-0 but at the end of the day we lost to India who beat Australia convincingly (with a 2-0 test series victory) and are playing real good cricket."
England beat South Africa 4-0 in a one-day series at home in September but have struggled with their batting since the Stanford competition in the Caribbean last month.
India’s Zaheer, who put in a fine performance, dismissed Samit Patel (11) to trigger England’s lower order collapse.
"Overall, it was good team effort," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "Zaheer bowled really well with Ishant (Sharma)."
India put on 60 in the last five overs after the second stoppage thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s 11-ball 25 not out with three sixes.
Tendulkar fell early to Stuart Broad for 11 but man of the match Sehwag then took control, playing breathtaking drives and pulls as he lashed nine fours and three sixes in his 57-ball knock.
Sehwag and Gambhir were eventually dismissed by off-spinner Graeme Swann caught by James Anderson in the deep looking for quick runs.
The fifth one-dayer will be played at Cuttack on Wednesday.
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Under attack Jet retracts and reinstates sacked 1900 workers
Under severe attack for sacking its 1,900 employees a day after it alliance with Kingfisher, leading private airline Jet Airways on Thursday apologised to the terminated staffers and ask them to join duty from Friday. :
“I apologise for what they have gone through…my decision is without external or internal pressure,” Jet chief Naresh Goyal told reporters in an emotionally choked voice.
He dismissed questions relating to political pressure, including a threat by Raj Thackeray that Jet would not be allowed to fly from Mumbai, Goyal said that the decision was taken by the management due to economic conditions.
Dubbing the entire workforce as part of a family, he said, “How we continue to fly and not be grounded due to economic conditions we will work it out and see how to strengthen.
“The decision is not any under pressure. My wife (Anita) is standing by it.”
Repeatedly apologising for the decision, he appealed to the sacked employees saying “sab log wapas aayenge” (everybody will come back).
The top two private airlines, Jet and Kingfisher, which account for about 60 percent of domestic aviation traffic, had announced on Monday an alliance to share their resources and flying routes to beat the economic downturn.
Asked if the decision was taken to sack the employees because of alliance, Goyal said, “It has nothing to do with alliance. Alliance is a separate thing. A steering group has already being constituted and it is working for rationalisation of routes and other things.”
Goyal, however, evaded all the questions on whether the sacked employees were from JetLite, a company that was created after the acquisition of Air Sahara, or the political pressure including that from the government.
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Parl session likely to witness ‘fireworks’
Skipping the monsoon session because of a confidence vote and meeting now with “erstwhile friends” in opposition benches, Parliament begins a new session on Friday that is likely to be stormy on a number of issues like communal violence, terror attacks and price rise :
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to make a statement on the nitty-gritty of Indo-US nuclear agreement as it is going to be the first session after conclusion of the pact.
In between the special two-day sitting in July when the government secured a vote of confidence with the shifting of sides by Samajwadi Party and the session beginning on Friday, the government successfully went through the process of clinching the nuclear deal through IAEA, NSG and the US Congress.
With the deal in its bag, an upbeat Congress is gearing up to take on the combined opposition which is likely to corner the government on issues like spiralling prices and incidents of terror attack in some parts of the country.
Main opposition BJP has been accusing the government of going soft on terror besides being critical of its handling of the internal security and failing to check inflation.
To counter the opposition onslaught, Congress is likely to raise the issue of attacks on Christians in BJP-ruled Karnataka and Orissa governed by BJD-BJP charging Sangh Parivar outfits like Bajrang Dal and VHP with indulging in attacks against minority communities in the two states.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said the government was willing to have a thorough discussion on these issues.
An indication of the shape of things to come during the session was evident at the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) which saw both government and opposition trading charges on issues of terrorism and communalism.
RJD, LJP and some Congress ministers are likely to raise the issue of banning Bajrang Dal, allegedly behind the attacks on Christians and Christian prayer halls in Orissa and Karnataka.
The opposition, on the other hand, has decided to renew its demand for bringing a tough POTA-like anti-terror law, a suggestion already shot down by the government which feels efforts should be made to strengthen the federal system rather than bringing a new law.
While External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to make a statement on the nitty-gritty of Indo-US nuclear agreement as it is going to be the first parliament session after conclusion of the pact, the government is likely to come under attack by Left parties which withdrew support to the government on the deal.
Since it could be the last session before the general elections early next year and with assembly polls to nearly half a dozen states next month, both UPA and NDA would try their best to outscore each other on various issues.
Spiralling prices along with the jolt to the economy because of the meltdown of global financial markets are also likely to figure prominently in the session.
The Mayawati government’s cancellation of allotment of land for a rail project in Rae Bareli, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, and virtual scuttling of Gandhi’s rally there are expected to generate enough heat among members belonging to BSP and Congress in the two Houses.
Other issues that are likely to come up include flood devastation in several states. The cash-for-vote scam which had rocked the Lok Sabha on 22nd July might resurface with a bang.
The five-week session, which will end on 21st November, is the second phase of the two-day session which saw Manmohan Singh government winning the trust vote.
The session which would have 24 sittings will take up supplementary demands for grants of railways and general budgets.
Some of the important bills listed for the session include those to check corruption, money laundering and communal violence besides one seeking to provide social security to unorganised sector workers.
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