Sport ministry announces Rs. 10 lakh cash award for Anand

New Delhi: The union sports ministry has announced a Rs. 10 lakh cash award for Viswanathan Anand, crowned the World Chess Champion for the fifth time.

'We have a cash award for any sportsperson who wins in Asian Championships, Worlds, Olympics or any other major event. So, on the basis of that we have decided to give Rs. 10 lakh as a cash award to Anand. It is a standard policy followed by the ministry,' Sports Minister Ajay Maken said here Thursday.

Anand beat Israel's Boris Gelfand in Moscow on Wednesday.

Sport ministry announces Rs. 10 lakh cash award for Anand

New Delhi: The union sports ministry has announced a Rs. 10 lakh cash award for Viswanathan Anand, crowned the World Chess Champion for the fifth time.

'We have a cash award for any sportsperson who wins in Asian Championships, Worlds, Olympics or any other major event. So, on the basis of that we have decided to give Rs. 10 lakh as a cash award to Anand. It is a standard policy followed by the ministry,' Sports Minister Ajay Maken said here Thursday.

Anand beat Israel's Boris Gelfand in Moscow on Wednesday.

India's GDP growth dips to 9-year low of 5.3 percent

New Delhi: India's economic growth slumped to 5.3 percent in January-March quarter, the slowest in nine years, due to poor performance of manufacturing and farm sectors, official data showed Thursday.
For the whole of 2011-12 financial year, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth slumped to 6.5 percent. This is the slowest pace of expansion in the country's economy since 2002-03, when it had registered a growth of just 4 percent. 
'This is the lowest in the contemporary period. It has been substantially down because of the very poor performance of manufacturing sector,' Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters while reacting on the data. 
During January-March 2012 quarter, manufacturing sector contracted by 0.3 percent as against a growth of 7.3 percent registered during the corresponding period of previous year. 
'Because of the manufacturing sector, the overall growth of the GDP has come down substantially,' the finance minister said. 
The GDP growth data is down from the government's estimate of 6.9 percent announced earlier this year, and sharply down from the previous year's growth of 8.4 percent. 
The GDP at factor cost at constant (2004-05) prices in the year 2011-12 is now estimated at Rs.52,02,514 crore as against Rs.52,22,027 crore estimated earlier on Feb 7, 2012, showing a growth rate of 6.5 per cent, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said. 
In the quick estimate of GDP released in February, the CSO had projected 6.9 percent growth for 2011-12. 
'The downward revision in the GDP growth rate is mainly on account of lower performance in 'manufacturing' and 'trade, hotels, transport and communication' than anticipated,' the CSO said. 
Economic policy makers as well as industry bodies have termed the data disappointing and shocking.
'This is obviously disappointing. Decline in industrial production has not been offset by growth in agricultural production,' said C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. Rangarajan said farm sector was likely to do better this year on the back of good monsoon. 

'This is the fourth straight quarter of decline and quarterly growth dipped to the same level during Q3 of 2008-09 (5.6%). Nevertheless, this decline in growth is not surprising as FICCI had forewarned in April that the Q3 growth did not represent the bottoming out of the economy,' said Rajiv Kumar, secretary general, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
'The manufacturing sector growth has slumped to (-) 0.3 percent in fourth quarter and 2.5 percent for the year as a whole. This will severely pull down services sector growth in the coming quarters,' he noted. 
'The current global situation remains fragile and all steps need to be taken on the domestic front to guard against such uncertainties,' Kumar said. 

India's GDP growth dips to 9-year low of 5.3 percent

New Delhi: India's economic growth slumped to 5.3 percent in January-March quarter, the slowest in nine years, due to poor performance of manufacturing and farm sectors, official data showed Thursday.
For the whole of 2011-12 financial year, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth slumped to 6.5 percent. This is the slowest pace of expansion in the country's economy since 2002-03, when it had registered a growth of just 4 percent. 
'This is the lowest in the contemporary period. It has been substantially down because of the very poor performance of manufacturing sector,' Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters while reacting on the data. 
During January-March 2012 quarter, manufacturing sector contracted by 0.3 percent as against a growth of 7.3 percent registered during the corresponding period of previous year. 
'Because of the manufacturing sector, the overall growth of the GDP has come down substantially,' the finance minister said. 
The GDP growth data is down from the government's estimate of 6.9 percent announced earlier this year, and sharply down from the previous year's growth of 8.4 percent. 
The GDP at factor cost at constant (2004-05) prices in the year 2011-12 is now estimated at Rs.52,02,514 crore as against Rs.52,22,027 crore estimated earlier on Feb 7, 2012, showing a growth rate of 6.5 per cent, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said. 
In the quick estimate of GDP released in February, the CSO had projected 6.9 percent growth for 2011-12. 
'The downward revision in the GDP growth rate is mainly on account of lower performance in 'manufacturing' and 'trade, hotels, transport and communication' than anticipated,' the CSO said. 
Economic policy makers as well as industry bodies have termed the data disappointing and shocking.
'This is obviously disappointing. Decline in industrial production has not been offset by growth in agricultural production,' said C. Rangarajan, chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. Rangarajan said farm sector was likely to do better this year on the back of good monsoon. 

'This is the fourth straight quarter of decline and quarterly growth dipped to the same level during Q3 of 2008-09 (5.6%). Nevertheless, this decline in growth is not surprising as FICCI had forewarned in April that the Q3 growth did not represent the bottoming out of the economy,' said Rajiv Kumar, secretary general, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
'The manufacturing sector growth has slumped to (-) 0.3 percent in fourth quarter and 2.5 percent for the year as a whole. This will severely pull down services sector growth in the coming quarters,' he noted. 
'The current global situation remains fragile and all steps need to be taken on the domestic front to guard against such uncertainties,' Kumar said. 

India infringing Italian law: minister

Rome:There was no reason for 'triumphalism' as India was still violating Italian law, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said after an Indian court granted bail to two Italian marines charged with murdering two fishermen.
'There are no reasons for triumphalism because Indians are still infringing the Italian law,' Terzi was quoted as saying Wednesday by ANSA news agency.
'The Indian behaviour not only is against the principles of international law...', the minister said. India was also compromising 'the anti-piracy initiatives on the international level', the minister stated. 
'Thus we will evaluate along with Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola the concrete meaning and conditions of India's decision,' he added.
The marines, Latorre Massimillano and Salvatore Girone, were granted bail by court in India's Kerala state Wednesday on the condition that each of them would deposit Rs.1 crore as personal bond and provide two Indian sureties.
The court asked the two marines to surrender their passports and asked them not to leave the area falling under the jurisdiction of Kochi police commissioner. They were told to report to the police commissioner everyday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.Two Indian fishermen -- Ajesh Binki, 25, and Gelastine, 45 -- were allegedly mistaken as pirates and shot dead off Alappuzha in Kerala by the marines, who were serving as the security crew aboard Italian cargo vessel Enrica Lexie.The two accused have been in judicial custody since Feb 20.The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries, as Italy insisted that the marines should be tried in Rome because the incident occurred on international waters while India claimed it took place in its territorial waters, reported Xinhua. Relatives of the two marines have welcomed the Indian court's decision. 'This is great news. They are serene, and sounded positive for the first time since their 100-day imprisonment. We hope they can come home soon,' said one of Latorre's nephews, Christian D'Addario. One of the marines' lawyers, Rajendran Nair, reportedly said the pair could be released as early as on Thursday, after precautionary conditions set by the court are met. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti last week called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reportedly asked him to ensure the release of the marines. 
Under Indian Penal Code, the marines could be jailed for life or get capital punishment if convicted of murder charges by the court. 

India infringing Italian law: minister

Rome:There was no reason for 'triumphalism' as India was still violating Italian law, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said after an Indian court granted bail to two Italian marines charged with murdering two fishermen.
'There are no reasons for triumphalism because Indians are still infringing the Italian law,' Terzi was quoted as saying Wednesday by ANSA news agency.
'The Indian behaviour not only is against the principles of international law...', the minister said. India was also compromising 'the anti-piracy initiatives on the international level', the minister stated. 
'Thus we will evaluate along with Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola the concrete meaning and conditions of India's decision,' he added.
The marines, Latorre Massimillano and Salvatore Girone, were granted bail by court in India's Kerala state Wednesday on the condition that each of them would deposit Rs.1 crore as personal bond and provide two Indian sureties.
The court asked the two marines to surrender their passports and asked them not to leave the area falling under the jurisdiction of Kochi police commissioner. They were told to report to the police commissioner everyday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.Two Indian fishermen -- Ajesh Binki, 25, and Gelastine, 45 -- were allegedly mistaken as pirates and shot dead off Alappuzha in Kerala by the marines, who were serving as the security crew aboard Italian cargo vessel Enrica Lexie.The two accused have been in judicial custody since Feb 20.The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries, as Italy insisted that the marines should be tried in Rome because the incident occurred on international waters while India claimed it took place in its territorial waters, reported Xinhua. Relatives of the two marines have welcomed the Indian court's decision. 'This is great news. They are serene, and sounded positive for the first time since their 100-day imprisonment. We hope they can come home soon,' said one of Latorre's nephews, Christian D'Addario. One of the marines' lawyers, Rajendran Nair, reportedly said the pair could be released as early as on Thursday, after precautionary conditions set by the court are met. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti last week called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reportedly asked him to ensure the release of the marines. 
Under Indian Penal Code, the marines could be jailed for life or get capital punishment if convicted of murder charges by the court. 

1 killed, 3 hurt as car hits lorry in Kerala

Thrissur : A 54-year-old man was killed and three injured when their car collided with a lorry at Kecheri, near Kunnamkulam in the district in Kerala, today.The dead was identified as Mohammad, native of Koonammoochi, near here, police said.The car was proceeding to Koonammoochi after the victims see off their relatives at the Nedumbassery Airport, when the lorry coming from the opposite direction rammed into it.The injured were admitted to the nearby hospitals, police added. (UNI) 

1 killed, 3 hurt as car hits lorry in Kerala

Thrissur : A 54-year-old man was killed and three injured when their car collided with a lorry at Kecheri, near Kunnamkulam in the district in Kerala, today.The dead was identified as Mohammad, native of Koonammoochi, near here, police said.The car was proceeding to Koonammoochi after the victims see off their relatives at the Nedumbassery Airport, when the lorry coming from the opposite direction rammed into it.The injured were admitted to the nearby hospitals, police added. (UNI) 

CPI(M) should take against Mani: Shanavas

Kochi : Terming the reported utterance of CPI(M) Idukki District Secretary M M Mani that his party had prepared a list of people to be finished off and killed three of them as an 'extra judicial confession statement', KPCC General Secretary and Member of Parliament M I Shanavas today said the CPI(M) should show courage to take action against Mr Mani and suspend him from the party. 
Talking to reporters here, he said the recent statements by the Polit bureau, the highest party forum of the CPI(M) and the State Secretariat that they would take action against the Idukki District Secretary was nothing but creating a 'smoke screen' before the people in view of the ensuing Neyyattinkara bypoll.
Reiterating that the CPI(M) would never take action against the Mr Mani, who has been holding the District Secretary post for the past 25 years, he alleged that the CPI(M) leadership had no courage to take action against him, as Mr Mani would disclose more shocking information against the party leadership, in case action was initiated against him.
If the CPI(M) leadership had the courage and it was sincere on the statement, they should take action against Mr Mani before the Neyyattinkara by-election, scheduled to be held on June 2, as it was a serious allegation against the party that 'it had finished off their political rivals.' 
Mr Mani had said in a public meeting that the party had prepared a list of people to be finished off and killed three of them. One of them was shot dead,the second beaten to death,and the third was stabbed to death. Mr Shanavas also alleged that the CPI(M) leadership was trying to divert the ongoing investigation into the brutal killing of Revolutionary Marxist (RMP) party Leader T P Chandrasekharan, by threatening the investigating officials and changing their statements frequently on the crime.
Though the CPI(M) had come up with allegation against the UDF and Kerala Chief Whip P C Geroge that they were responsible for the killing of the RMP leader, now they were changing their stand for the sixth time putting the blame on a business man behind the crime, he said.
The CPI(M) was virtually isolated in society following the murder, as 21 of the arrested in connection with the murder belonged directly or indirectly to the party and that was why they were in a self protection process and misleading the public with allegation that the police was severely torturing the accused brutally, he claimed.

CPI(M) should take against Mani: Shanavas

Kochi : Terming the reported utterance of CPI(M) Idukki District Secretary M M Mani that his party had prepared a list of people to be finished off and killed three of them as an 'extra judicial confession statement', KPCC General Secretary and Member of Parliament M I Shanavas today said the CPI(M) should show courage to take action against Mr Mani and suspend him from the party. 
Talking to reporters here, he said the recent statements by the Polit bureau, the highest party forum of the CPI(M) and the State Secretariat that they would take action against the Idukki District Secretary was nothing but creating a 'smoke screen' before the people in view of the ensuing Neyyattinkara bypoll.
Reiterating that the CPI(M) would never take action against the Mr Mani, who has been holding the District Secretary post for the past 25 years, he alleged that the CPI(M) leadership had no courage to take action against him, as Mr Mani would disclose more shocking information against the party leadership, in case action was initiated against him.
If the CPI(M) leadership had the courage and it was sincere on the statement, they should take action against Mr Mani before the Neyyattinkara by-election, scheduled to be held on June 2, as it was a serious allegation against the party that 'it had finished off their political rivals.' 
Mr Mani had said in a public meeting that the party had prepared a list of people to be finished off and killed three of them. One of them was shot dead,the second beaten to death,and the third was stabbed to death. Mr Shanavas also alleged that the CPI(M) leadership was trying to divert the ongoing investigation into the brutal killing of Revolutionary Marxist (RMP) party Leader T P Chandrasekharan, by threatening the investigating officials and changing their statements frequently on the crime.
Though the CPI(M) had come up with allegation against the UDF and Kerala Chief Whip P C Geroge that they were responsible for the killing of the RMP leader, now they were changing their stand for the sixth time putting the blame on a business man behind the crime, he said.
The CPI(M) was virtually isolated in society following the murder, as 21 of the arrested in connection with the murder belonged directly or indirectly to the party and that was why they were in a self protection process and misleading the public with allegation that the police was severely torturing the accused brutally, he claimed.

UK rejects appeal on student visa curbs

The British government today rejected an appeal by nearly 70 top university heads to review changes to the student visa regime that is likely to put off students from India and other non-EU countries from coming to the UK. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, the university heads 

noted the economic and other contributions made by international students, and said Britain stood to lose out on the highly competitive international student market unless the recent changes were reviewed.

The university heads said: "In particular we request that international university students be removed from the net migration statistics for policy purposes, bringing us into line with our major competitors".

They added: "We believe that this would help government by creating a clear differentiation between temporary and permanent migration, help universities whose international character is essential to their future success, and help the UK by contributing to economic growth".

Students comprise a major component of overall annual immigration figures.

The recent curbs on student visas are intended to reduce the number of international students as well as prevent abuse, but critics of the curbs say students should not be counted as immigrants since their stay is temporary.

Immigration minister Damian Green, who last week said there had been a 62 per cent fall in student visas issued in the first quarter of 2012, rejected the contention in the letter to Cameron, and said: "Public confidence in statistics will not be enhanced by revising the way the net migration numbers are presented by removing students."

"Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors — numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure.

"The independent Office for National Statistics is responsible for producing net migration statistics according to the internationally agreed definition of a migrant which is someone entering the country for more than a year," he added.

UK rejects appeal on student visa curbs

The British government today rejected an appeal by nearly 70 top university heads to review changes to the student visa regime that is likely to put off students from India and other non-EU countries from coming to the UK. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, the university heads 

noted the economic and other contributions made by international students, and said Britain stood to lose out on the highly competitive international student market unless the recent changes were reviewed.

The university heads said: "In particular we request that international university students be removed from the net migration statistics for policy purposes, bringing us into line with our major competitors".

They added: "We believe that this would help government by creating a clear differentiation between temporary and permanent migration, help universities whose international character is essential to their future success, and help the UK by contributing to economic growth".

Students comprise a major component of overall annual immigration figures.

The recent curbs on student visas are intended to reduce the number of international students as well as prevent abuse, but critics of the curbs say students should not be counted as immigrants since their stay is temporary.

Immigration minister Damian Green, who last week said there had been a 62 per cent fall in student visas issued in the first quarter of 2012, rejected the contention in the letter to Cameron, and said: "Public confidence in statistics will not be enhanced by revising the way the net migration numbers are presented by removing students."

"Students coming to the UK for over a year are not visitors — numbers affect communities, public services and infrastructure.

"The independent Office for National Statistics is responsible for producing net migration statistics according to the internationally agreed definition of a migrant which is someone entering the country for more than a year," he added.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden

London: Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, closing his final legal avenue of appeal in Britain.
'The request for Mr Assange's extradition has been lawfully made and his appeal against extradition is accordingly is dismissed,' said Supreme Court president Nicholas Phillips.
Assange can conceivably appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights but lawyers say such a move is unlikely to stop his extradition for long.
Assange, 40, has spent the better part of two years fighting attempts to send him to the Scandinavian nation.
Assange is best known for revealing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents, including a hard-to-watch video that captured U.S. forces gunning down a crowd of Iraqi civilians and journalists that they'd mistaken for insurgents. His release of a quarter-million classified State Department cables outraged Washington and destabilized American diplomacy worldwide.

But his secret-spilling work came under a cloud after two Swedish women accused him of molestation and rape following a visit to the country in mid-2010. Assange has denied wrongdoing, saying the sex was consensual, but has refused to go to Sweden, saying he doesn't believe he'll get a fair trial there.

t is r6 � t d ��� @� Mani, after his controversial remarks on parties handling political rivals, was absconding. For the last two days he is not to be seen anywhere in the district. Party leadership has also denied revealing anything about his whereabouts.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden

London: Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, closing his final legal avenue of appeal in Britain.
'The request for Mr Assange's extradition has been lawfully made and his appeal against extradition is accordingly is dismissed,' said Supreme Court president Nicholas Phillips.
Assange can conceivably appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights but lawyers say such a move is unlikely to stop his extradition for long.
Assange, 40, has spent the better part of two years fighting attempts to send him to the Scandinavian nation.
Assange is best known for revealing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents, including a hard-to-watch video that captured U.S. forces gunning down a crowd of Iraqi civilians and journalists that they'd mistaken for insurgents. His release of a quarter-million classified State Department cables outraged Washington and destabilized American diplomacy worldwide.

But his secret-spilling work came under a cloud after two Swedish women accused him of molestation and rape following a visit to the country in mid-2010. Assange has denied wrongdoing, saying the sex was consensual, but has refused to go to Sweden, saying he doesn't believe he'll get a fair trial there.

t is r6 � t d ��� @� Mani, after his controversial remarks on parties handling political rivals, was absconding. For the last two days he is not to be seen anywhere in the district. Party leadership has also denied revealing anything about his whereabouts.

Mani's arrest to be delayed

Thodupuzha: Though police registered a case against MM Mani for his controversial remarks, he might not be arrested soon. Ernakulam range IG K Padmakumar said the arrest would be held after a initial probe. The first level of evidence collection might be completed with a week. 
Police on Tuesday quizzed the cameraman of a channel who had captured Mani's controversial statement addressing a public function. 
At the same time it is reported that MM Mani, after his controversial remarks on parties handling political rivals, was absconding. For the last two days he is not to be seen anywhere in the district. Party leadership has also denied revealing anything about his whereabouts.

Mani's arrest to be delayed

Thodupuzha: Though police registered a case against MM Mani for his controversial remarks, he might not be arrested soon. Ernakulam range IG K Padmakumar said the arrest would be held after a initial probe. The first level of evidence collection might be completed with a week. 
Police on Tuesday quizzed the cameraman of a channel who had captured Mani's controversial statement addressing a public function. 
At the same time it is reported that MM Mani, after his controversial remarks on parties handling political rivals, was absconding. For the last two days he is not to be seen anywhere in the district. Party leadership has also denied revealing anything about his whereabouts.

CPM files petition against media, police

Kochi: CPM filed a petition in the Kerala High Court demanding action against mediapersons and police for contempt of court in TP Chandrasekharan murder case. CPM district secretary TP Ramakrishnan submitted a petition through Adv TV Kunjikrishnan. 
In the petition it was alleged that police are propagating false information and the statements made by the accused and the media are not in the right direction. It is violation of HC order in 2010 that policemen are leaking information to the media. Media should refrain from doing this, the petition demanded

CPM files petition against media, police

Kochi: CPM filed a petition in the Kerala High Court demanding action against mediapersons and police for contempt of court in TP Chandrasekharan murder case. CPM district secretary TP Ramakrishnan submitted a petition through Adv TV Kunjikrishnan. 
In the petition it was alleged that police are propagating false information and the statements made by the accused and the media are not in the right direction. It is violation of HC order in 2010 that policemen are leaking information to the media. Media should refrain from doing this, the petition demanded

Malayalee teacher died under mysterious circumstance in UP

Adoor: A Malayalee teacher who was about to return to Kerala after securing money needed to complete her houses construction, found dead in mysterious circumstances. Usha, 24 daughter of Raghavan and Sankari from Neduman was died, as per the information received by the relatives. Her father field complaint with Adoor police and CM seeking a probe.
Usha was working with Christhujyothi School in Gorakhpur, UP. She was residing in the school premises itself. She said she will reach home by Wednesday as she will leave from UP on Monday,.
But on Monday morning Ajayan, form Karuvaloor, Anchal who helped Usha to gain job in UP called at her home anf said she met with an accident and is in serious condition.
By Monday noon he again called and said Usha died and asked whether relatives would be able to reach before 6 pm that day. Her relatives asked to keep the dead body in mortuary. But Ajayan agisn called and said as there is no mortuary facility; the dead body is already buried. He said Usha was found hanging in her room.On Saturday Usha called her sister Nisha and said she will come with money needed for house construction. They belong to a very poor family. 

Malayalee teacher died under mysterious circumstance in UP

Adoor: A Malayalee teacher who was about to return to Kerala after securing money needed to complete her houses construction, found dead in mysterious circumstances. Usha, 24 daughter of Raghavan and Sankari from Neduman was died, as per the information received by the relatives. Her father field complaint with Adoor police and CM seeking a probe.
Usha was working with Christhujyothi School in Gorakhpur, UP. She was residing in the school premises itself. She said she will reach home by Wednesday as she will leave from UP on Monday,.
But on Monday morning Ajayan, form Karuvaloor, Anchal who helped Usha to gain job in UP called at her home anf said she met with an accident and is in serious condition.
By Monday noon he again called and said Usha died and asked whether relatives would be able to reach before 6 pm that day. Her relatives asked to keep the dead body in mortuary. But Ajayan agisn called and said as there is no mortuary facility; the dead body is already buried. He said Usha was found hanging in her room.On Saturday Usha called her sister Nisha and said she will come with money needed for house construction. They belong to a very poor family. 

 Pinarayi says killing is not CPM style

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that CPM's job is not to kill political rivals. By killing someone does not wipe out their ideologies. The party is only trying to pinpoint wrong ideologies. Pinarayi alleged that the UDF is attempting to impose murder charges on the CPM.

The UDF is presently in a insane mode at Neyattinkara and is taking its last breath there. They are doing things which are forbidden during polls, Pinarayi said.

 Pinarayi says killing is not CPM style

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that CPM's job is not to kill political rivals. By killing someone does not wipe out their ideologies. The party is only trying to pinpoint wrong ideologies. Pinarayi alleged that the UDF is attempting to impose murder charges on the CPM.

The UDF is presently in a insane mode at Neyattinkara and is taking its last breath there. They are doing things which are forbidden during polls, Pinarayi said.

HC grants bail to two Italian marines
Kochi: In a respite for the two Italian marines charged with shooting down of two Indian fishermen,
the Kerala High Court today granted them bail with stringent conditions.

The court order comes a day after it turned down Italy's plea for quashing an FIR against the marines, Latore
Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone, holding that they were liable to penal jurisdiction of Indian courts.

Granting them bail, Justice N K Balakrishnan said the two accused should execute a bond for Rs one crore each besides two Indian sureties for the like amount.
After release from jail, they shall stay in a building within a distance of 10 km from the office of the Kochi city Police Commissioner, appear before the Commissioner on all days between 10am and 11am and as and when required.
The marines should also furnish their mobile numbers if any, the court said, adding, they should not leave the territorial limits of the Commissioner's office.
The two sureties should also not leave the state. The magistrate shall ensure the identity of the sureties by insisting on production of photo identity card, the Court said.
The marines were also asked to surrender their passport before the Kollam Magistrate Court.

Justice Balakrishnan made it clear that the accused should be released on bail on production of valid travel document,visa having been endorsed by a foreign registration officer.
The government has been directed to ensure abundant caution and inform the seaport or other authorities to preventthe accused from leaving the country.
The marines, who were arrested from the merchant vessel 'Enrica Lexie' on February 19 last from which they fired atthe fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15, are at present lodged at the Borstal prison here. PTI

HC grants bail to two Italian marines
Kochi: In a respite for the two Italian marines charged with shooting down of two Indian fishermen,
the Kerala High Court today granted them bail with stringent conditions.

The court order comes a day after it turned down Italy's plea for quashing an FIR against the marines, Latore
Massimilliano and Salvatore Girone, holding that they were liable to penal jurisdiction of Indian courts.

Granting them bail, Justice N K Balakrishnan said the two accused should execute a bond for Rs one crore each besides two Indian sureties for the like amount.
After release from jail, they shall stay in a building within a distance of 10 km from the office of the Kochi city Police Commissioner, appear before the Commissioner on all days between 10am and 11am and as and when required.
The marines should also furnish their mobile numbers if any, the court said, adding, they should not leave the territorial limits of the Commissioner's office.
The two sureties should also not leave the state. The magistrate shall ensure the identity of the sureties by insisting on production of photo identity card, the Court said.
The marines were also asked to surrender their passport before the Kollam Magistrate Court.

Justice Balakrishnan made it clear that the accused should be released on bail on production of valid travel document,visa having been endorsed by a foreign registration officer.
The government has been directed to ensure abundant caution and inform the seaport or other authorities to preventthe accused from leaving the country.
The marines, who were arrested from the merchant vessel 'Enrica Lexie' on February 19 last from which they fired atthe fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15, are at present lodged at the Borstal prison here. PTI

 Americans flocking to India for stem cell therapy

Washington: A growing number of Americans are travelling to India to seek treatment for rare diseases through India's experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, according to an investigative report.
Among them Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, who travelled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled, CNN reported.
'Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn't have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life,' it said.
His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells at New Delhi's NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash -- who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome -- in 2010. 'I am helping improve their quality of life,' she told CNN.
After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the US. That's when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

For four or five weeks of treatment, Shroff says she has charged her 87 American patients an average of $25,000.
But doctors cited by CNN said all that work and hope and money Cash's supporters have funnelled into his experimental therapy likely will have no medical benefits.

'There is zero evidence for what she (Shroff ) is doing being effective,' Rutgers University's Dr. Wise Young, a leading US neuroscientist, was quoted as saying.
'It's concerning no matter how you look at it,' said CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. 'Frankly it's the complete wrong way of going about this sort of science.'

A leading Indian neurosurgeon, Dr. P.N. Tandon, cited by CNN agreed there was zero medical evidence of the effectiveness of embryonic stem cell therapy like that provided at NuTech Mediworld
But inside her clinic, surrounded by patients, Shroff disagreed. 'Success,' she told CNN, 'is defined differently by various groups of people within that therapy mode. So as of right now, almost everyone -- greater than 90 percent -- have had success.'

 Americans flocking to India for stem cell therapy

Washington: A growing number of Americans are travelling to India to seek treatment for rare diseases through India's experimental embryonic stem cell therapy, according to an investigative report.
Among them Cash Burnaman, a 6-year-old South Carolina boy, who travelled with his parents to India seeking treatment for a rare genetic condition that has left him developmentally disabled, CNN reported.
'Cash is mute. He walks with the aid of braces. To battle his incurable condition, which is so rare it doesn't have a name, Cash has had to take an artificial growth hormone for most of his life,' it said.
His divorced parents, Josh Burnaman and Stephanie Krolick, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to have Cash undergo experimental injections of human embryonic stem cells at New Delhi's NuTech Mediworld run by Dr. Geeta Shroff, a retired obstetrician and self-taught embryonic stem cell practitioner.

Shroff first treated Cash -- who presents symptoms similar to Down Syndrome -- in 2010. 'I am helping improve their quality of life,' she told CNN.
After five weeks of treatment, Cash and his parents returned home to the US. That's when Cash began walking with the aid of braces for the first time.

For four or five weeks of treatment, Shroff says she has charged her 87 American patients an average of $25,000.
But doctors cited by CNN said all that work and hope and money Cash's supporters have funnelled into his experimental therapy likely will have no medical benefits.

'There is zero evidence for what she (Shroff ) is doing being effective,' Rutgers University's Dr. Wise Young, a leading US neuroscientist, was quoted as saying.
'It's concerning no matter how you look at it,' said CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. 'Frankly it's the complete wrong way of going about this sort of science.'

A leading Indian neurosurgeon, Dr. P.N. Tandon, cited by CNN agreed there was zero medical evidence of the effectiveness of embryonic stem cell therapy like that provided at NuTech Mediworld
But inside her clinic, surrounded by patients, Shroff disagreed. 'Success,' she told CNN, 'is defined differently by various groups of people within that therapy mode. So as of right now, almost everyone -- greater than 90 percent -- have had success.'

PSC exams to be made online: Trial exam in September

Thiruvananthapuram: PSC examinations will be conducted online and steps are on at a warfooting to fulfill this. In September, PSC will conduct exams on a trial basis. In the first phase, examinations for higher posts for fewer candidates will be held online. The decision was taken at the PSC board meeting on Monday.
In the first phase examination, 1000 to 2000 candidates will take the test online. PSC observed that apart from the initial cost of setting up computers in examination halls, in future the costs will come down. PSC chairman Dr KS Radhakrishnan said exams could be conducted in a timely manner if it is online and ranks lists prepared soon. It will minimize the burden on workers too.
Prior to conducting the exam in September, mock examinations will be conducted to avoid any errors. PSC has agreed to the recommendation submitted by PSC sub-committee. Rajasthan PSC tried the same and was a success and this encouraged the Kerala PSC too. 

PSC exams to be made online: Trial exam in September

Thiruvananthapuram: PSC examinations will be conducted online and steps are on at a warfooting to fulfill this. In September, PSC will conduct exams on a trial basis. In the first phase, examinations for higher posts for fewer candidates will be held online. The decision was taken at the PSC board meeting on Monday.
In the first phase examination, 1000 to 2000 candidates will take the test online. PSC observed that apart from the initial cost of setting up computers in examination halls, in future the costs will come down. PSC chairman Dr KS Radhakrishnan said exams could be conducted in a timely manner if it is online and ranks lists prepared soon. It will minimize the burden on workers too.
Prior to conducting the exam in September, mock examinations will be conducted to avoid any errors. PSC has agreed to the recommendation submitted by PSC sub-committee. Rajasthan PSC tried the same and was a success and this encouraged the Kerala PSC too. 

Kerala CPI-M leader charged with murder

Idukki : Two days after a CPI-M leader in Kerala claimed his party had killed its foes, police Monday slapped three murder and conspiracy cases against him. 
The cases were registered at Thodupuzha, 220 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, against M.M. Moni, the Idukki district secretary of the Communist Part of India-Marxist.
Moni sent shock waves Friday night when he told a public rally that the CPI-M had resorted to killing political foes and listed four such murders.
These murders reportedly took place in Idukki in the 1980s.
Police said three of the four murders were dismissed for want of evidence and those arrested were let off.
'Since the cases have been registered under non-bailable sections, Moni could be arrested anytime,' a legal expert told IANS.
Director General of Police T. Asif Ali had said the cases could be reopened in view of what Moni said.
The Oommen Chandy government said Moni's revelation was 'a very serious issue'.
Moni had Friday that his party activists had shot dead one a political adversary, stabbed another death and beaten to death a third, after which others fled the area.
He said the CPI-M always owned up the crimes it commits.
Several CPI-M cadres have been arrested for the May 4 murder of T.P. Chandrasekharan, a former CPI-M stalwart who quit to form his own party. (IANS) 

Kerala CPI-M leader charged with murder

Idukki : Two days after a CPI-M leader in Kerala claimed his party had killed its foes, police Monday slapped three murder and conspiracy cases against him. 
The cases were registered at Thodupuzha, 220 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, against M.M. Moni, the Idukki district secretary of the Communist Part of India-Marxist.
Moni sent shock waves Friday night when he told a public rally that the CPI-M had resorted to killing political foes and listed four such murders.
These murders reportedly took place in Idukki in the 1980s.
Police said three of the four murders were dismissed for want of evidence and those arrested were let off.
'Since the cases have been registered under non-bailable sections, Moni could be arrested anytime,' a legal expert told IANS.
Director General of Police T. Asif Ali had said the cases could be reopened in view of what Moni said.
The Oommen Chandy government said Moni's revelation was 'a very serious issue'.
Moni had Friday that his party activists had shot dead one a political adversary, stabbed another death and beaten to death a third, after which others fled the area.
He said the CPI-M always owned up the crimes it commits.
Several CPI-M cadres have been arrested for the May 4 murder of T.P. Chandrasekharan, a former CPI-M stalwart who quit to form his own party. (IANS) 

5 Great reasons to fall in love

Pooja Bedi, TNN | May 29, 2012, 12.00AM ISTIt's quite peculiar but everywhere I look, I see an absence of a very valuable emotion: Love. I see loveless marriages, bored couples just passing their years together because the security of being together outweighs the chances of their finding love again.

I also meet so many people scared to fall in love. Some of them are so scared at the possibility of being hurt that the thought of such an eventuality deters them from even trying, else, they have been bitten or become bitter by past experiences. Then there are those that are just too shy and some that think they are undeserving of being recipients of such an overwhelming emotion. And of course there are those that set their expectations as high as Angelina Jolie or George Clooney. Let me give you five great reasons to fall in love quick and to keep yourrelationship loving.

1. You feel great! Love struck individuals constantly churn out a brain chemical called dopamine, a feel-good stimulant that's responsible for those feelings of bliss, optimism and patience. It infuses you with energy, excites you to discover and do new things, eat new food, and the smallest of things cause so much joy.

2. You lose weight. When in love your body is constantly pumping out a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, which in turn produces adrenaline which suppresses your appetite. Besides, most of us tend to hit the gym more often in order to look and feel our best.

3. Whoever said "a fool in love" couldn't have been more wrong because you become smarter! Scientists at the University of Pavia in Italy found that falling in love raises levels of a hormone that improves memory by triggering the growth of new brain cells.

4. You look younger because oxytocin, triggers the release of DHEA, an anti-aging hormone that triggers cell restoration in the body.

5. People in a relationships have 1/3 the death rate of single people and having a romantic support system protects the body from developing high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which causes heart disease. What are you waiting for? Go out there and fall in love.....!

I am 16-year-old boy and I met a girl on the first day of my school. I am attracted to her and incidently she sat in front of me during exams. She asked me for answers and I told her. Then one day she messaged me on a social networking site and we shared our numbers. Since then we have been talking regularly. But lately she has stopped calling me. What do I do?

It seems evident contact was made, waters were tested and the ship sailed on. Or perhaps she was expecting more than just chatter? Try sending her a little present or a lovely bunch of flowers. It's a small investment but may reap rich rewards!

I am a 27-yea-old man and am not sure whether I am in a relationship or not. I know this girl for the past five years. We like each other and I went ahead and asked her mother for her hand. I was refused flatly on my face. I have been taking care of their family for a while now both emotionally and financially and don't understand what more they want. She has never liked anyone else and now I am confused what to do. Please help.

It's sad that while you are supportive of the family emotionally and also financially, they are clear they don't see you as anything more than a benefactor. Why don't you just put the ball in her court? Tell her that you're ready to settle down and would love to do so with her, but you leave the choice to her as to whether she chooses to reciprocate or shun the proposal and then decide if you'd like to continue the social service or make a future for yourself.

I am a 21-year-old boy who has always thought of having a girlfriend. All my friendshave their girls whom they keep talking to all the time but I feel they are all like stalkers. I always thought that first I should earn and then get into all this. Is this peer-pressure?

If your girlfriend will be happy with walks, holding hands and junk food, there's no problem. There are different stages for different ages. But you're not in your teens anymore. You're 21 and, I suggest you work hard and undistractedly towards a stable, financial future first. Use your spare time to read up and research what makes women tick and ways to cultivate the most satiating relationships. The need for romance is important, but money also plays a very crucial role in creating romance in relationships today. Coffee's, movies, lunches and dinners, presents, little getaways together, etc., are almost integral to relationship building. Why live a compromised life?

I am a 20-year-old girl and I have a cousin who is 14 years older to me and divorced. We have been on great terms but lately things went a little too far. We kissed and made out. He says he loves me and wants me. I know it is wrong but cannot stop. He now wants to make love to me. What do I do?

In India, there are different laws within religions and communities regarding intimate relationships with cousins. As you have not specified yours, I can only advise you to refrain, especially if you feel your family would be averse to it. I don't see the sense in starting something that cannot be sustained, or have long-term benefits and might in many aspects be something that may cause lots of grief, regret and complications.