Govt expects Rs 15,000 crore through the broadband wireless spectrum auctions (BWA)-A.Raja

Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday said the government expects Rs 15,000 crore through the broadband wireless spectrum auctions (BWA).

The BWA auction has started today and it comes just days after the auctioning of airwave for third-generation mobile-phone operations that fetched the government over Rs 67,000 crore.

Eleven telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, RCom, the Tatas and Qualcom are in the fray for two slots of spectrum. Telcos are expected to participate in the auction aggressively.

The reserve price is Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India BWA spectrum licence. After experiencing success in 3G spectrum auction the government is now hopeful that the BWA auction would also bring higher revenue windfall. The government expected just Rs 35,000 crore from the sale of both 3G and BWA spectrum.

3G subscriber base would touch 100million by 5 yrs

Research firm Crisil today said that the 3G services industry subscriber base is likely to touch the 100-million mark by the end of its fifth year in operation.
   
The firm also said that it expects an investment of around Rs 2.6-lakh crore into the segment over the next five years.

"We expect the 3G services industry subscriber base to touch the 100 million mark by the end of the fifth year of operations. Besides this, we are also expecting an investment of Rs 2.6 lakh crore over the next five years, of which 50 per cent would take place by 2010-12," Crisil Research director Nagarajan Narasimhan told reporters here.
   

"I have been given a work and it is incomplete yet; and till I complete it, there is no question of my retirement"

Ruling out retirement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday forecast an economic growth rate of 10 per cent in mid-term and underlined his resolve to improve relations with Pakistan, saying better ties with neighbours were necessary to realise India's development potential.

Six years into the top job, the 77-year-old economist-prime minister said he was ready to make way for younger people like Rahul Gandhi, the Congress general secretary who is widely considered to be a prime minister-in-waiting, but added that the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition remained a work in progress and could do much better in the coming years.

Japan to consider sanctions to DPRK

The Japanese government said Monday it was ready to take punitive action against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, Kyodo News reported.

The move would be taken in consultation with South Korea and the United States, the report said.

Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama instructed cabinet ministers to consider additional sanctions on the DPRK over the South Korean warship issue at a high-level national security meeting.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told reporters Japan would offer support if the South Korean government referred the incident to the UN Security Council for punitive measures against the DPRK.

WestBengal Govt ordered CID probe in Tamang Murder

West Bengal Government on Monday ordered a CID inquiry into the brutal murder of Gorkha leader Madan Tamang, as ten top members of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, resigned from the party in protest against the killing.

Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh said a CID probe had been ordered into the All India Gorkha League (AIGL) president's killing on Friday. He said Special IGP Pankaj Dutta has been sent to Darjeeling and IGP (CID) NN Pande will leave on Tuesday in connection with the probe.

In a setback to the GJM, ten central committee members, including Morcha press secretary Harka Bahadur Chhetri resigned over the killing.

3G in India soon; global trend to be watched

In about six months' time, at least four telecom companies in your area are going to come to you asking you to sign up for their third generation (3G) mobile services. The operators who will approach you are not new — but what they are about to offer you will be new.

These operators, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and Tata Teleservices, have emerged winners in the recently concluded auction that lasted for 34 days. Together, they have agreed to pay as much as Rs 67,718 crore to the Government for buying the spectrum that's required to offer 3G services. For example Vodafone will cough up nearly Rs 11,500 crore for air waves in nine circles while Reliance Communication has won spectrum in 13 circles for Rs 8,585 crore. (see table) But the worry now is whether these operators, in their desperation to get more spectrum, have overbid and as a result will consumers have to pay out a higher fee for availing all the goodies that 3G technology brings? The concerns are not unfounded because similar auctions conducted earlier in Europe ended with operators quoting astronomical amounts resulting in high tariffs.

Don Wales broke the world land speed record for a lawnmower

To most people a lawnmower conjures up the monotonous back-and-forth across a suburban garden. But for one man, a souped-up, custom-built gardening machine has landed him a place in the Guinness record book after racing it to speeds in excess of 87mph.

Don Wales broke the world land speed record for a lawnmower twice this weekend at Pendine Sands in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, hitting 86.069mph on Saturday then 87.833mph yesterday. The record had been 80.792mph, set in 2006 at Bonneville flats in America.

"We are very excited and very pleased to have beaten our own record today," said Clare Hansley-Boyd, a spokeswoman for the British team. "We have finished the weekend as world record holders and have improved on yesterday's speed – so we are happy with that."

For the record attempt to qualify, challengers have to use a machine that is certified to be built primarily from lawn mower parts. Proof that it is a mower also has to be produced before the speed attempt, with a public grass cutting demonstration.

The team had hoped to break 100mph, but in the end settled for 87mph. "They're very tired after the efforts they put in over the weekend," Hansley-Boyd said. "It's a bit early to say where we'll be going from here, but I think the 100mph target is something everyone will be aiming at for the future."

Wales is the grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell, who broke the world land speed record driving a car at the same spot in 1924.

Google finally sets regultors permisson to acquire AdMob

The US antitrust regulator has given Internet search engine Google the nod to acquire mobile display ad technology provider AdMob, saying the buyout is unlikely to “harm competition” in the market.

The two companies have a significant presence in India.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it had closed its investigation of Google’s proposed $750-million acquisition of AdMob after reviewing the deal and concluding that it is unlikely to harm competition in the emerging market for mobile advertising n etworks, it said in a statement.

The regulator said it was concerned that the two leading mobile advertising networks were combining, but technology titan Apple Inc’s entry into the business would lessen the effects of the Google-AdMob deal.

Hotmail Revamped

Is your email inbox a virtual mall — a one-stop shop for all your web needs and operations? Going by the latest upgrades rolled out by Microsoft for its free email client Hotmail, and Google's attempts to steal its thunder by providing API that allows third-party applications to integrate with Gmail, the focus has shifted from storage and in-built messengers to making your inbox the centre of your web universe.

So earlier this week, Hotmail — that old email client that introduced many of us to the world of instant communication — got a makeover. Years after the email client with a proud Indian connection (courtesy, founder Sabeer Bhatia) gave way to younger, roomier and feature-rich email client Gmail, Microsoft appears to have pulled out of its hat an upgrade that is in keeping with the times.

Bangkok Stock trade opens Cautiously

The stock market dropped sharply despite the state planning agency's forecast as Bangkok cautiously reopened for business after the mayhem. Analysts blamed increased political risk and the delayed effect of the euro zone crisis.

"Investors may be temporarily relieved that a semblance of normalcy has returned but the political risk remains high and investors will likely be cautious," said Warut Siwasariyanon, head of research at Finansia Syrus Securities in Bangkok.

"The big underlying conflict is still there and the wound is deeper than ever even as the roads have been wiped clean."

Insurance firms to shell out Rs.400 crores for Air India towards Mangalore Crash

Insurance firms are already feeling the heat with the national carrier, Air India, and relatives of the passengers who died in the ill-fated Mangalore air disaster set to claim compensation worth hundreds of crores of rupees in the coming days.

It is estimated that insurers may have to collectively shell out compensation claims to the tune of Rs 350-400 crore for loss of 158 human lives and the total destruction of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft that crashed.

The Air India (AI) Express aircraft was provided a comprehensive insurance coverage by four private sector general insurance companies led by Reliance General Insurance Co Ltd and co-insured by HDFC Ergo, Bajaj Allianz and Iffco Tokio. The entire AI fleet of 136 aircraft was insured for a total of $8.59 billion at an annual premium of around $24.3 million.

BJP withdraws its support in Jharkhand Govt.

Frustrated over JMM backtracking on its power-sharing deal in Jharkhand, the BJP has decided to withdraw support to the Shibu Soren Government tomorrow that it will plunge the state into another spell of political crisis.

"The BJP will withdraw support to JMM Government on Monday," state BJP spokesman Sanjay Seth said, a day after a defiant Soren asserted that he will continue as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand and was in touch with the Congress.

A BJP delegation led by Jharkhand deputy chief minister Raghuvar Das will meet Governor M O H Farrooq at 11.30 AM on Monday and hand over the letter of withdrawal of support to the JMM Government, Seth said.

Ambani Bros settled dispute in Gas pricing

In a major development, the two Ambani brothers--Mukesh and Anil—on Sunday decided to bury their differences and create an environment of harmony, co-operation and collaboration between their groups.

"All existing non-compete agreements between the two groups executed in January 2006 are cancelled," Anil Ambani group said in a statement.

The harmony comes within a few days of the Supreme Court declining to give any relief to younger brother in the gas dispute.

"A new, simpler non-compete agreement executed and limited to only gas-based power generation. RIL (Mukesh) and RNRL (Anil) will expeditiously negotiate gas supply arrangement as per the Supreme Court order and hope to conclude negotiations very soon," it added.

"I hate goodbyes..but I guess it's time" Message on day before Mangalore Aircrash

All the six crew members aboard the Air India flight which crashed in Mangalore on Saturday morning died. Among them were airhostesses, who had just started living their dreams.

"I hate goodbyes..but I guess it's time," was the haunting message left by Sujata Survase on Orkut a day before she left on the ill-fated flight. Sujata had returned to work after a long vacation and her networking profile reveals how much she enjoyed being home in Mumbai.

Sujata who had worked with Air India for three years had also written about how she hated flying on the KWI sector faced with bad weather and delays which she described as quick death.

How safe is it to fly in India?

Mangalore crash raises the obvious question: How safe is it to fly in India? "After a crash, if the pilot is alive, nail him. If he is dead, blame him," goes a saying in our circles. The blame game has already begun even as vital safety deficiencies get swept aside.

* After the crash, the chairman of AAI went on record to say that the Mangalore runway and the airport met International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. But the aiming point (the point where the undercarriage of the aircraft is supposed to touch down on the runway while landing) on the runway does not conform to ICAO standards. Also, if the overrun area had 90 metres of sand laid out as per ICAO specifications for the runway-end safety area, then isn't it strange that the aircraft did not slow down? Are all the other airports in India in a similar state of (un)preparedness for a possible accident?

Some Call centres in India sell Banned Drugs

Online pharmacies, mushrooming across the country and cashing in on the increasing demand for controlled psychotropic drugs in countries like the US and Canada, have found competition. The Narcotics Control Bureau has stumbled upon a major call centre in Hyderabad doing illegal business in selling psychotropic substances. The NCB cracked down on this call centre, Limra IT Solutions, and arrested its MD Imran Khan.

NCB sources in Chennai said many such call centres are active in Hyderabad and Bangalore and a few in Chennai are under its scanner. They said spurious drug manufacturers, along with agents and call centres, have turned the sale of controlled psychotropic drugs into a hugely profitable business model. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the US agency for regulation of sales and licencing of pharmacies in that country, has been providing information regarding this in India.

Godrej acquires Issue Group to emerge as the hair colour, leader in 19 countries across the world

Godrej group company Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) on Sunday announced its sixth global acquisition, this time in Latin America, to emerge as the hair colour leader in 19 countries across the world.

GCPL said it has entered into an agreement to acquire the entire stake of the promoters in Laboratoria Cuenca, Consell SA, Issue Uruguay and Issue Brazil, which is collectively referred to as the Issue Group. TOI reported in its edition dated April 19, 2010, GCPL's move to buy out the Issue Group from its founders, Roberto Hlace and Oscar Villalba.

Did the pilot of Air India plane IX 812 attempt a last-minute take off?

Crucial evidence that could finally unravel the mystery behind Saturday's crash in Mangalore that left 158 people dead has been found and investigators are now trying to find answers to questions like these as they look into what could have possibly gone wrong.

According to sources, the throttle in the cockpit, extricated from the debris, was found in a forward position suggesting that the pilot may have attempted a final thrust to take-off seconds before the crash.

CB-CID Chennai arrests two on Net-Banking fraudulent transactions

The CB-CID's cyber crime wing on Saturday arrested two Mumbai men for withdrawing Rs 26.55 lakh and Rs 75,510 respectively through fraudulent means from two separate accounts of two Tamil Nadu-based persons using net banking. The arrested, S Vinayak Shivaji Khandare (20) and I Ibrahim Ansari (25), have been brought to Chennai and remanded in judicial custody at the Puzhal prison.

On November 5 2009, Tiruchi-based businessman S Salahudeen from Tiruchi noticed an illegal transaction from his account through net banking and alerted the police and bank officials, the police said. The transaction was found to be done by couriers. Cyber cell officials found involvement of eight couriers in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Sangli in Maharashtra.

Change in working style for Traffic policemen in North Indian cities

The summer has forced the men in white to change shifts and style of working. Personnel of city police's traffic branch will soon get parasols (large umbrella) at junctions and protective gear to beat the heat.

According to senior traffic branch officials, the summer is taking a toll on personnel deployed on the road due to prolonged exposure to heat. After several reported incidents of fainting and dehydration, the officials have relaxed working hours.

"We have asked all personnel to consume as much liquid as possible on duty. They have also been asked to stay in shade during lean hours or take rounds in nearby areas to reduce chances of a heat stroke," said Mohan Jha, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Black Box of the crashed flight in Mangalore found

According to Airline sources, Black Box of the crashed Air India Express aircraft has been recovered.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the illfated Air India Express plane were recovered earlier from the crash site and are expected to provide vital clues about the cause of the accident that left 158 passengers and crew dead.

The CVR, which provides conversation details between the pilot and air traffic control and within the cockpit, and the FDR or the 'Black Box', containing technical data, were removed from the wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline sources said.

Teams, probing the worst air tragedy in the country in a decade, had begun their operations early in the morning to locate the CVR and the FDR.

Certain other instruments and aircraft portions, which would be of help in the investigation, have also been extricated from the plane's debris.

Mangalore airport is in the list of Classified Airports in India

India has many airports that come with a `special tag' due to peculiarities and complexities involved in the landing and take-off procedures for aircraft at these airports.

Typically, airports located in hilly and mountainous regions, and those adjacent to water bodies like rivers and seas are classified as `special'.

The Mangalore airport is one among the list of such airports. Others include the ones in Srinagar, Leh, Port Blair, Calicut, and Agatti in Lakshadweep. The Vizag airport used to be on this list up until a new airport was built.

29 deaths in last four days b'coz of heat in Ahmedabad

As the mercury continued to hover around 45 degrees celsius in city, many more fell prey to the heat. The rising mercury killed two more persons on Sunday, taking the total death toll due to heat in the city in last four days to 29.

The flow of patients suffering from heat-related ailments kept pouring in at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run VS Hospital, LG Hospital and Shardaben Hospital and at Civil Hospital. A senior AMC official said, "There has been a decrease in number of heat-related patients in comparison to last three days, we have received 19 cases in which two persons died."

The soaring temperatures coupled with prolonged dry spells for last few weeks with no humidity in air has made life difficult for people across the state and the coming days may not be any better.

Though it was a Sunday, people chose to stay indoors and most of the roads wore a deserted look while city malls recorded a decrease in footfalls.

Tired Cabin crew may be a cause for Mangalore Aircrash

Up to 78% of fatal air crashes are caused by human error, of which a majority are because of pilot fatigue, according to the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association. Could this also have caused the Mangalore crash?

The jury is still out on that one, but internal communications of Air India Express accessed clearly show that a shortage of staff was forcing cabin crew to exceed the limit on flying hours imposed by the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA). Besides, most airlines are going in for quick turn-around (QTA) flights at night, further raising pilots' stress and fatigue levels.

The crew of Flight IX 812 had left Mangalore at 8pm and flew more than four hours to reach Dubai. Soon, they were busy with walk-around inspections, fuel checks, and weather confirmation. By the time the routine checks were over, passengers were ready to board the flight for the return journey.

Bangalorians can file their complaints online soon

Get prepared for an e-revolution in civic life. You will not have to run around or make repeated calls for the fused streetlights, potholed roads, fallen trees or damaged electric poles in your area. Just come online, write about it and get it fixed by the concerned agency.

Finally, India's IT capital can boast of a holistic public complaint management system, one that integrates complaining civilians, acting civic agencies and the ruling government online.

The Times of India's Bangalore Patrol, conceived and managed by Janaagraha, is working on an online complaint management system where people can log in, locate their area, file their complaint and submit it online. These complaints will then be directed to the concerned authority. The agencies will also have an option to log in and update the complaint status online.

The idea is based on common man's experiences and careful studies of the various success models that have been adopted and implemented in many developed countries, including the UK and the US.

UK's http://www.fixmystreet.com is already doing it for many years now. So is the http://www.seeclickfix.com in US that equips the common man and the governing agencies on reporting and receiving issues across the various neighbourhood communities.

This facility will be made available online on the WISA portal, a month after the first report card for all the 198 wards is out.

Indian girl in the team that created Artificial living cell

A girl who passed out of a Bangalore college is now in global limelight for being part of the team that created the first synthetic cell. Radha Krishnakumar, now in her mid-thirties, did her BSc in microbiology, chemistry and zoology from Mount Carmel College, reads the J Craig Venter Institute website, where her work has created ripples in the institute where she works now.

When contacted some of the teachers at the college who worked during the late 90s, and flashed a photo of her, one of them recollected this "quiet, sweet girl".

"She was a very quiet, unassuming girl. I remember her as a clever and focussed child," said a thrilled Vimala C M, the present head of the department of Zoology, who has been teaching in MCC for the past 25 years.

RSS oppose caste-based census

RSS flag

Even as its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is rooting for counting of the other backward castes (OBC), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday came out strongly against caste-based census.

Its general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said here on Sunday that any move to classify people on caste lines would deal a blow to social harmony and fabric.

"Since its inception, the RSS is striving for establishing a casteless society. But the recent demand for identifying people on caste basis, especially with a view to ascertaining OBCs strength, will cause social friction and nullify all efforts of RSS and other social organisations to bring about social harmony in the country," said Joshi.

India joins Elite group of Countries with indegenously developed LCH

LCH model on display

The maiden flight of the indigenously manufactured Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) on Sunday heralded India's entry into the select group of countries capable of developing their own combat helicopters.

The LCH, manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, took to the skies on Sunday in the presence of the defence secretary R K Singh, vice-chief of air staff, air marshal P K Barbora, chairman HAL, Ashok Nayak and senior officials of defence ministry and the forces. Chief test pilots Unni Pillai and Hari Nair put up a spectacular flying display of the LCH at the HAL airport in the city.

Student Cheated in Anna University campus by a Person pretending to be a employee

student was allegedly relieved of Rs.2.5 lakh cash by a stranger who promised to get him an engineering seat in Anna University.

According to police sources, D. Deekshit (19) of Tiruchi came here on May 3 to purchase an application form for admissions to engineering courses in Anna University. The suspect, introducing himself as Rishi Kanth, picked a conversation with the student near the campus and offered to help in getting a seat.

When Deekshit said he preferred Aeronautical Engineering, he said it would cost him Rs.5 lakh. Pretending to be an employee of the varsity, the suspect said Deekshit had to give a token advance and then pay the full cash.

After consulting his parents, the student agreed to the offer.

SMS service to be launched in Chennai to check names in Electoral rolls

The Chennai Corporation will soon launch a short messaging service (SMS) using which the residents could check if their names have been included in the electoral rolls.

Senior officials of the civic body said that voters could text message their EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity Card) number and they would get a reply SMS if their names are on the list or not. The mobile number and prescribed format for sending the text message are being worked out.

Kannel, an open source WAP and SMS gateway, which is used to send many text messages, is being currently tested. The civic body also upgraded its server recently.

The city has a total of 27,62,920 voters of which 13,85,789 are males and 13,77,122 females. The Corporation is currently conducting a 100 per cent verification of voters and 4,36,317 new voters have been listed. There have been a total of 3,01,214 deletions too. By July, the draft electoral rolls are expected to be published.

MGR medical university is like a Post office - TN Health Minister MRKP

In what was perhaps the biggest indictment of the MGR Medical University, Health Minister MRK Panneerselvam on Friday likened it to a post office where people go just to collect certificates.

He urged Vice Chancellor Dr Mayil Vahanan Natrajan to turn it into a vibrant university, taking inspiration from the Anna University and Madras University.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new entrance arch, new lift and remolded Senate Hall in the University, he said, " This university is now like a post office. People come here to collect certificates and other paperrelated work. I hope it soon becomes a fully functional university with classrooms full of students like the Anna University and the Madras University."

Donating PaceMakers of Dead could save Thousands of lives in Developing countries

Thousands of lives could be saved every year if the US were to donate used pacemakers to developing countries instead of throwing them in the trash, doctors say.

The US Food and Drug Administration currently prohibits reuse of pacemakers from dead people, in part because of the risk of infection. According to experts, this policy is supported by manufacturers and many physicians.

But at a meeting on Thursday, doctors from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor presented pooled data from hundreds of patients showing there was no increase in infections, malfunctioning or overall complications when reusing pacemakers. "This is a potentially life-saving technology that we are just throwing away right now," said Dr Kim Eagle, a cardiologist who worked on the study.

Breath could tell about Diabetes

A nanotechnology-based sensor could soon tell whether someone has Type 1 diabetes — just by analysing their breath.

The sensor, which has been successfully tested by Swiss researchers, could also be used by emergency room doctors to determine whether a patient has developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially serious complication that happens when diabetics do not take enough insulin.

Even diabetics could use the technology in their homes, to determine whether they need more insulin. Sotiris Pratsinis and colleagues at ETH Zurich in Switzerland explain that everyone has a little bit of acetone in their breath.

But people with Type 1 diabetes release unusually high levels of the chemical when they exhale. If they have diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous buildup of acetone in the blood, they exhale even-larger amounts of acetone.

They built a sensitive acetone detector by directly depositing from a flame plume a thin film of semiconducting, mixed ceramic nanoparticles between a set of gold electrodes.

Abbott Labs acquired Piramal Healthcare for 3.7 Billion Dollars

US drug major Abbott Laboratories has acquired the domestic business of India-based Piramal Healthcare for about 3.7 billion dollars.

Fending off fight from other drug biggies such as Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis and Pfizer, Abbott bagged the auction bid for Piramal Healthcare.

The deal reflects the heightened interest Western firms have displayed in the speedily growing Indian drug market.

Miles White, CEO of Abbott, stated, "It's a race. These markets are so significant in the future growth sources for our industry that it's important for us to be there early and in a meaningful, strong way."

Piramal will keep hold of its manufacturing business thatsupplies other drug makers all over the world, as well as other operations including consumer products and bulk drugs manufacturing. (With Inputs from Agencies)

Tata motors launched Indigo e-CS with Fuel efficiency of 23 Kmpl

Tata Motors has launched its Indigo e-CS, claimed to be the most fuel efficient sedan in India. The sedan comes with a fuel efficiency of 23.03 kmpl, which has been certified with ARAI. It has a new 1.4 liter diesel engine.

It will also be provided with 1.2-litre petrol engine. Both the engine categories are BSIV and suitable enough to run the car freely in all the bigger cities with new environment regulations.

The luxury sedan comes equipped with a new grille, body colored bumpers, chrome inserts on rub rails and indicators on the rear view mirrors. The interiors comprise all the components of Indigo XL along with centre console and the steering wheel.

Drastic change in IPL for season 4

The Indian Premier League (IPL) looks set for a drastic change in format next season, with teams likely to be divided into two groups to prevent cramming too many matches in too few days.

With 10 teams instead of the current eight, continuing with the current format would have meant playing 94 matches instead of the current 60, a prospect that was giving organisers the jitters, given the fact that the tournament would still have to be restricted to about seven weeks.

To get over this problem, BCCI bigwigs have informally discussed two alternative two-group formats for the league stage in their last meeting on May 17 and sources said the board would discuss the issue with the IPL's governing council in June.

Ravi Shankaran may have sold Indian War Room secrets for past 20 Yrs

Ravi Shankaran, 46, a key accused in the sensational war room leak case, may have sold Indian Navy’s secret equipment purchase plans for the next 20 years, a probe has revealed.

The ex-navy commander and nephew of former naval chief Arun Prakash’s wife was arrested by UK Police on April 21 and could
be extradited to India soon.

Shankaran was granted conditional bail, but was soon taken back into custody as he failed to fulfill the conditions, it is learnt.

Roadblock in Dainik Bhaskar's expansion spree

Dainik Bhaskar's expansion plans in Bihar and Jharkhand appear to have hit a roadblock with the co-owner of the Bhaskar title, Sanjay Agarwal, raising objections raised to the use of the Bhaskar brand name.

Taking cognisance of Agarwal's protest letters, the district magistrates in Patna and Ranchi — the authority for title verification in the state — have issued showcause notices to D B Corp — owned by the other wing of the family, now headed by Ramesh Chandra Agarwal, seeking an explanation within seven days.

2 sites & 800 URLs banned by Pakistan

Pakistani authorities have blocked 800 URLs that feature 'blasphemous' and 'sacrilegious' content in the wake of the ban on Facebook and YouTube, a representative of the country’s association of internet service providers said today.

Acting on an order of the Lahore high court, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority initially banned popular social networking website Facebook over a page featuring a contest for "blasphemous" cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

The ban was later extended YouTube and other links.

The move also affected access to Wikipedia and Twitter, internet users said.

BWA auction scheduled on May 24

The government on Friday approved the provisional results for the 3G spectrum sale that fetched it a staggering Rs 67,719-crore bonanza, paving the way for starting the auction of the broadband wireless access (BWA) airwaves from May 24.

According to official sources, a committee headed by cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, approved the 34-day long auction process, which concluded on May 19. Other members of the committee are finance secretary Ashok Chawla, telecom secretary PJ Thomas and Planning Commission member secretary Sudha Pillai.

With this, the 3G auction process comes to end and all the winners, including two telecom PSUs, have been asked to pay within 10 days from now. DoT officials said the last date for payment is May 31.

I missed the flight & survived -- Vasant shetty

Heavy workload prevented Dubai-based worker Vasant Shetty from taking the ill-fated flight to Mangalore and he thanks God for it.

"It's all God's grace.I missed the flight and survived", Shetty, booked to travel on the Air India Express, said.

"My friend had booked the ticket for me.But due to heavy workload I could not take the flight. Upon learning about the crash, I was shocked. I thank God for saving me" Shetty said.

"I don't know what to say about the ill-fated passengers who were killed. I pray for them", he said.

Cabin crew went through monsoon training

It's that time of the year when air travel becomes a bit frightening, even for frequent fliers. The monsoon means bad weather conditions across most of the country, and that often causes intense turbulence. Pilots, airports, and Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel are periodically put through training sessions to handle bad weather conditions.

This year, airlines have already started pre-monsoon pilot training programmes. Even cabin crew personnel go through monsoon training as well as classes on how to deal with irate and scared passengers.

78 identified of 158 bodies recovered in the crash site

Bodies of all the 158 victims of the Air India Express plane crash near Bajpe airport here have been recovered from the wreckage site, a top police official said.

With all bodies extricated, authorities also ended search operations in and around the deep ravine, into which the aircraft had plunged after overshooting the runway soon after landing.

"Of the 158 bodies, 72 bodies have been identified," Commissioner of Police Seemanth Kumar Singh said.

Survivors of crashed Air India plane

159 people have been killed after an Air India Express aircraft from Dubai, carrying 173 passengers, overshot the runway and ploughed into the forest while landing at the Mangalore airport.

Seven people have survived the crash. Among the survivors are four children.

Putturismail Abdulla
Joel Pratap DSouza
G.K. Pradeep
Krishnan Koolikkunnu
Mayankutty K.P
Ummer Farook Mohammed
Sabrina Nasrinhuq.

List of Passengers On-Board Crashed Air India Flight

Following is the list of passengers who travelled on the Air India Express plane that crashed Saturday in Mangalore city.

1. Harshini Poonja	2. Aaron Joel Fernandes	3. Niha Imthiaz	4. Bhaskaran T.V.	5. Komalavally Alinkeel	6. Narayana Kanthav Rao	7. Vani Narayana Rao	8. Vaishnavi Narayana Rao	9. Mohammad Ishaque Rafique Ahmed	10 Hasanabba Abubakkar
11. Hiba Azeena (child)	12. Mushina (child)	13. Haifa Hasha (infant)	14. Joyanrichard Saldanha	15. Ummer Farook Mohammed	16. Shahida Nushrathar	17 Zeshan Abdul Rehman (child)	18. Kannur Zulekha Banu	19. Nazeema Muhammad Ashraf	20.Satyanarayana Ballakuraya
21. Sujatha Rao	22. Fathimamehzan Shafqat	23.Rashaad Shafqatmahmood (infant)	24. Khader Ammangod Mohammed Shafy	25. Suhaib Mohammed Naseer (child)	26. Bibi Sara (child)	27. Nabeeha Mohammed Nasir (child)	28. Mohammad Asraf	29. Maimoona Asraf	30. Ashaz Abdulla (child)
31. Ayesha Afsheen (child)	32.Plaviashakunthala Lobo	33. Venishanikola Lobo	34. Vishalfloid Lobo (child)	35. Abdullah K.M.	36. Rosly Shibu	37. Godwina Thomas (child)	38. Gloria Thomas (child)	39. Bhagali Prabhakar	40. Kammadam Kunhabdulla
41. Shashikanth Punja	42. Manirekha Punja	43. Abdulbarr Damudi (child)	44. Mahesh Shetty	45. Mohamed Naser	46. Anwar Sadiq	47. Hassan Kutty	48. JoelPratap DSouza	49. Arunkumar Shetty	50. Abdul Samad
51. Prasadand Manjrekar	52. Krishnan Koolikunnu	53. Mullachery Balakrishnan	54. Shanthi Olivera	55. Chethana Mukeshkumar	56. Ahmednaushad Abbu	57. Rajan Pulikodan	58. Jayaprakasha Devadiga	59. Jayaram Kotian	60. Chitra Jayaram
61. Rahul Jayaram (child)	62. Prabhavati Karkera	63. Ashitha Bolar	64. Akshay Bolar	65. Suresh Kunder	66. Soman Narayani	67. Pradeep G.K.	68. Kallingalabullah	69. Thalangara Ebrahimkhaleel	70. Naziya Afarin
71. Mohammed Abaanruknuddin (child)	72. MohammedRafi Beliyapura	73. Abdullah Mohammed	74. Ibrahim Saheb	75. Sameena Saheb	76. Issam Ibrahim	77. Rida Ibrahim (child)	78. Perumbalamohammed	79. Shivakumar Nagaraj	80. Meenu Gupta
81. Shetty K.K.	82. Gangadharan Nair	83. Prabathkumar Attavar	84.Sathisha Shetty	85. Irshad Ahmed	86. Neha Parveen	87. Affan Ahmed (infant)	88. Sameerbeerran Moideen	89. Abdunnazir Avinja	90. Riju John
91. Sabrina Nasrinhuq	92. Mahammooda Abdulla Kanyana	93. Althafahmed Moolana	94. Lokeshasadananda Belchada	95. Hameed Pookayam	96. Mayankutty K.P.	97. Vipin Kattoor	98. Kishorekumar Kudpapoojary	99. Chandukutty Nair K.	100. NM Bharatham
101. Abdulazeez Anchikatta	102. Umashan Vijayan	103. Cavin Sequuiera	104. Reshmasanthosh Rai	105. Nalandshaunsantosh Rai (child)	106. Vihasantosh Rai (infant)	107. Vamana Prabhu	108. Ganesh Prabhu	109. Qazi Abdulsalam	110. Qazizulekah Khuddus
111. Jackson Periera	112. Mahammed Ismail	113. Naveen Kumar	114. Sanjaykumar Mahabal	115. Mahendra Kodkany	116. Indumathi Nayak	117. Vijesh Kovval	118. Ramakrishna Nayak	119. Ajesh Mottathil	120. Navid Ibrahim
121. Ignatius DSouza	122. Sukumara Kuzhiyamkottuchal	123. Abdul Basheer KM	124. Mohiddin Farasusman	125. Mahim Mohammedpalli	126. Mohammedashraf KA	127. Mohamed Usman	128. Naveenwalter Fernandes	129. Saritaphilomena Dsouza	130. Ullas Dsilva
131. Mannapadupuashraf Abdul	132. Safdharali Sheik	133. Mahesh Shetty	134. Abdulharish Koppalamhouse	135. Abdul Jebran	136. Parambathkunhi Krishnan	137. Prabhakaran Pachikaran	138. Nekkareibrahim Ismail	139. Melwynkiran Menezes	140. Siddeeque Choorisulaiman
141. Putturismail Abdulla	142. Somashekhar Potyalsrinivasa	143. Lokesh Narayanan	144. Lolitta Dias	145. Lilly Dias	146. Praveena Sundar	147. Hilda Douza	148. Pradeep Deepanivas	149. Denis Saldanha	150. Ashton Saldanha (child)
151. Manthur Hassainar	152. Rama Satish	153. Mohammed Basheer	154. Aboobacker Siddeeq	155. Mohammed Usman	156. Shaileshrao Brahmavara	157. Mohammed Ziad	158. Sameena Abdul Karim	159. Zainab Mohammedziad (child)	160. Mohammed Subairzaid (child)

Enviroment Groups believe Faulty Runway Construction caused Mangalore Plane Crash

Did the faulty construction of the second runway result in the air crash at  Mangalore  airport? Some environmental and social groups strongly believe so.

"This was no accident, but apparently the failure of officials in ensuring proper construction of the second runway at the airport resulted in the tragedy," alleged Leo F Saldanha, coordinator of Environment Support Group (ESG).

He said the Director General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Karnataka government had failed to ensure that the second runway design conform to national and international standards.

Income Dept still needs 30,000 Employees - Finance Ministry

The Income Tax Department needs to immediately add 30,000 more employees to carry out its existing operations, a senior Finance Ministry official said.

"To avoid affecting the overall revenue collection and delivery of tax payer services, the department immediately requires 22,000 additional employees apart from filling up the 8,000-odd vacant positions," the official said.

The department has 58,000 sanctioned positions and about 8,000 posts are lying vacant.

He said the department needs 4,000 officers (including 2,000 assessing officers), 4,000 inspectors, 12,000 tax assistants, data entry operators and other support staff, and about 2,000 as reserves.

CapGemini to hire 4,000 more in India

Europe's largest computer consultancy company Capgemini is all set to expand its India workforce. The France-based company reportedly plans to hire 4,000 in India by June end.

In a report in Business Standard, company's executive chairman Salil Parekh said that India continues to develop in local and international business and is core to Capgemini's Rightshore approach. The company plans to see accelerating momentum in its headcount growth throughout the year.

Adobe bends to Apple's threat, Says it would endorse HTML5 video format

Adobe Systems put aside its tiff with Apple and told thousands of software developers it is embracing the online video format preferred by the maker of iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Adobe chief technology officer Kevin Lynch endorsed the HTML5 video format that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs favors over Adobe's Flash software.

"HTML5 is great," Lynch said while Google executives touted the format as a key to rich online experiences to come.

HP & Sify partners to offer Cloud services

HP and Sify Technologies Limited, a leading Data Center player jointly announced an agreement to power SIFY’s On-Demand cloud services using HP’s Converged Infrastructure. This will allow Sify to provide demand based computing services on a pay per use or flexible contract model. Customers using the new service will be able to accelerate time to market and reduce cost by leveraging IT services on the fly, without making substantial capital investments in technology.

Using HP’s Converged Infrastructure, Sify is now launching new cloud services including Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for select applications under its On-Demand Hosting Platform. To enable this, the Blade System Matrix a product of HP’s converged infrastructure, pools together Sify’s IT resource into a highly automated and virtualized resource pool. Specific application templates have been developed to automatically provision resources for every new business requirement. Businesses users will be able to request IT services on the fly by using a self service portal powered by the HP Insight Orchestration tool, within the Blade System Matrix.

Flash 10.1 for Android to be released soon

Google used the announcement of the availability of Flash Player 10.1 for Android 2.2 to get in plenty of side swipes at Apple, but it didn't go into any detail about what you get in Flash 10.1 – or how you get it.

What Google showed at Google IO was a "pre-beta build, not the final product release," Adobe director of technology strategy for partner development Anup Muraka . "However it's a really solid technology base and it's going to play a lot of content."

"The goal for this release is that most existing Flash content should just work," says Muraka. "We acknowledge that not all content is going to behave the same; some content will work better than others. You can't expect high bit-rate HD video to work perfectly on a small screen smartphone over a 3Gnetwork- but we're still seeing good performance for video playback."

H-1B visa holders 8.9% more than Americans IT workers

H-1B visa has often received flak for fall in American salaries. In fact, anti-H-1B visa activists have often complained that say the programme depresses American IT workers' salaries and robs them of jobs.

However, a recent research from the University of Maryland claims that foreign IT professionals on H-1B visas earn more than their American counterparts.

The research which examined the IT salaries using data from online salary surveys conducted from 2000 to 2005, found that foreign IT professionals earned 8.9% more than American citizens.

Cattle manure to power Datacenters soon

Hey diddle diddle. Guess what the cow has done this time? America's dairy farmers could soon find themselves in the computer business, with the manure from their cows possibly powering the vast data centers of companies like Google and Microsoft.

While not immediately intuitive, the idea plays on two trends: the building of computing centers in more rural locales, and dairy farmers' efforts to deal with cattle waste by turning it into fuel. With the right skills, a dairy farmer could rent out land and power to technology companies and recoup an investment in the waste-to-fuel systems within two years, Hewlett-Packard engineers say in a new research paper.

IP address's will last only for 500 days

It has emerged that the IP addresses used in helping to distinguish one computer from another are expected to run out in approximately 500 days.

The unique numbers, which are known as Internet Protocol addresses, help identify the world's networked devices. An IP address uses four numbers from 0 to 255 to mark a computer from another. As an example, computers around the world can recognise the IP address 203.26.51.71 as a server for fairfax.com.au, which publishes the Sydney Morning Herald, which carried the report, online.

Hindhuja group to Buy Europe's KBL Bk for Rs.8,770 crores

Hinduja Group, a diversified global business conglomerate, today announced that it would acquire European private bank KBL epb for EUR 1.35 billion (about Rs 8,770 crore).

KBL epb, a subsidiary of Belgium-based KBC Group, is one of the largest onshore private banking groups with affiliated local banks in 55 locations across ten European countries.

Private banking refers to customised service, including wealth management, provided to high networth individuals.

Relaince Mediaworks rises its share holding in Fame India Ltd

Anil Ambani group firm Reliance MediaWorks Ltd, with two others, has raised their stake in multiplex chain Fame India Ltd to 14.51 percent, as it battles rival Inox in a takeover battle, according to a stock exchange filing.

Reliance MediaWorks, along with group firms Reliance Capital and Reliance Capital Partners, acquired an additional 2.37 percent equity in Fame through open market purchases between Feb 22 and May 20, according to a filing made to the NSE.

Political-Ethnic killng in Karachi Rises to 37, Tense up in the city

Karachi remained tense on Friday as the toll in three days of political—ethnic killings rose to 37 and at least eight vehicles were set ablaze overnight in various parts of the metropolis.

Shops in major markets as well as petrol pumps were closed and traffic suspended in the Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Qasba, Pirabad, Orangi Town, Korangi, Landhi, Liaquatabad, Gulshan—e—Iqbal, Gulistan—e—Jauhar and Jackson neighbourhoods, Geo TV reported.

Symantec to Buy Verisign's Web Security arm

Symantec Corp.'s decision to pay $ 1.28 billion to buy a division of VeriSign Inc. that sells security technology to websites highlights how quickly the companies are moving in opposite directions.

Symantec, best known for its antivirus software for personal computers, wants to secure more things.

With the VeriSign deal, announced Wednesday, Symantec will have spent nearly $ 3 billion in two years acquiring technologies that make it a bigger player in other parts of the security market, such as protecting data on mobile phones and delivering software over the Internet.

Google belief of uniting TV & web

Google Inc. believes it has come up with the technology to unite Web surfing with channel surfing on televisions.

To reach the long-elusive goal, Google has joined forces with Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International. The companies unveiled their much-anticipated plan for a "smart" TV on Thursday during a Google conference for about 5,000 software programmers.

The TVs are expected to go on sale in the fall. Pricing wasn't immediately announced.

Tagore's Paintings auction will be held

The auction of 12 paintings by Rabindra Nath Tagore on June 15 in London by Sotheby's will go ahead as planned.

"The sale of the paintings at public auction will be an unprecedented opportunity for broad competition and the initial response from collectors to the announcement of the sale has been positive. Both Sotheby's and Dartington would be delighted if the works were acquired by an Indian institution - and returned to India - as they are certainly of museum quality," Sotheby's said.

The 12 paintings were gifted to the Dartington Hall Trust 71 years ago and are now estimated to be worth £250,000.

4 Poachers killed in Gun battle with forest guards

Four poachers were killed in a gunfight with wildlife rangers at the famed Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Friday, three days after seven poachers were arrested on the fringe of the sanctuary, officials said.

A wildlife warden said a group of six poachers entered the park early on Friday and fired at an adult rhino near the Mihimukh range, although they failed to hit the target.

"A six-member team of forest guards upon hearing the gunshots gave the poachers a chase and soon there was a gunfight between the two sides." Park warden D. Gogoi said.

ECB warns County members to keep away from suspended BCCI officials

With the controversy surrounding a meeting that Lalit Modi had with three English cricket counties and IMG, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has warned its counties to not enter into any dialogue with 'suspended' Indian Cricket Board officials.

In a statement, the ECB said that the BCCI has asked it to avoid contact with suspended officials. "The BCCI has further reminded ECB that it does not authourise any discussions with suspended officials of its Board and should any person involved in English cricket receive any contact from a suspended official then ECB has been asked to immediately report this matter to BCCI."

Expired medicines distributed in Govt hospitals in TN & Kerala

The CBI has seized time-barred medicines from Central government hospitals in Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

During a surprise check between May 15 and 18 in seven hospitals/dispensaries, it found expired drugs being supplied to patients. Disclosing this at a press conference here on Thursday, CBI Joint Director Ashok Kumar said: “Some were found expired and being issued to patients posing health hazards to them.” On a tip-off, special teams conducted checks at four pharmaceutical companies in Puducherry and a distributing firm in Chennai and took samples for investigation. It was found that the companies were manufacturing/distributing sub-standard drugs not permitted by the Drug Controller General of India. Some of these drugs were antibiotics and anaesthetics, Mr. Kumar said.

Oil racket unearthed

Mr. Kumar said on information that petroleum products were being pilfered, adulterated and sold to public, a CBI team went to Konerikuppam in Villuppuram and seized 45 keys of oil tankers from suspects. Four persons have been arrested.

Referring to cases against a Regional Passport Officer and the Protector of Emigrants in Chennai, Mr. Kumar said the investigation was nearing completion.

Pak netizens on protest against ban on Social Networking sites

Pakistan’s cybercitizens have strongly protested against their government’s ban on Facebook, YouTube and about 450 individual web pages across various websites.

Under the umbrella of ‘Defenders of Internet Freedom’, a meeting of concerned professionals, activists and internet users in Karachi noted on Thursday: "This action will have a very negative impact on Pakistan, especially considering that countless small businesses, nonprofit organizations, restaurants, art galleries, magazines, and media outlets use Facebook to conduct day-to-day business and share information with their stakeholders."

Pak Bans sites with Islamic offensive contents

Pakistan acknowledged the "suffering" caused by its bans on Facebook and YouTube, but said it would only consider restoring the websites if they take down pages considered offensive to Islam, the information technology ministry said Friday.

The government has asked both sites to block the offending pages and was expecting a reply soon, Najibullah Malik, the secretary at the ministry said. Facebook has said that may be a solution, but did not specify if it — or the Pakistani government — should restrict the content.

Other sites have also been affected in the country as officials scramble to block content related to a Facebook page called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" which encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, purportedly in support of freedom of speech.

Next cyclone in Indian Ocean will be called 'BANDU'

It might not be known when the next cyclone will hit the northern Indian Ocean, but what is already known is its name - Bandu, an official said Thursday.

Cyclones derive their names through a systematic procedure laid down by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Cyclone Laila, which developed in the Indian Ocean off the Andhra Pradesh coast creating much havoc in the state, was named by Pakistan. The next to hit countries in the north Indian Ocean region will be called Bandu - a name given by Sri Lanka, and the one after that will be Phet, named by Thailand.

Hyundai to launch diesel variant in i10 to counter Figo

After a lull, action is back in the compact car market. The auto turf may soon see rivalry intensifying between the Korean and American car makers, as Hyundai Motor is set to launch a diesel variant of its next-generation car, i10, to counter Ford’s Figo.

For the first time, Korean carmaker and India’s largest exporter, Hyundai, has conceded that Figo and not Nissan’s Micra will keep the company on its toes, a candid Hyundai Motor India (HMI) MD H W Park admitted to visiting journalists from India to the company headquarters here last week.

He was categorical that Hyundai was not duly concerned about Micra. However, it is directing efforts to counter competition challenges from Figo and domestic leader Maruti’s re-launched WagonR. He strongly hinted that Hyundai may launch the diesel variant of i10, though he did not specify the time-line.

Soumya murder case accused brings knife to court

Ravi Kapoor, key accused in the murder of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, caused a stir in a court on Thursday by taking out a knife from his pocket and alleging that policemen gave it to him to attack undertrials in Tihar jail. The court asked the jail superintendent for an explanation on Kapoor's charge.

"Tihar jail superintendent (high risk cell) is hereby directed to file an explanation on the allegations of the accused by June 4 before the court," Metropolitan Magistrate Veena Rani said. The accused took the judge, lawyers and others in the court by surprise by taking out a knife from his pocket, saying it was provided to him by policemen to attack other undertrials in the lock-up at Patiala House courts complex.

Electric Taxis introduced in China

China has launched a fleet of electric taxis in booming Shenzhen and is aiming to add more battery-operated vehicles in order to check the impact of global warming.

With the launch of 40 electric taxis Monday, Shenzhen city of southern Guangdong province has become the country's first city to have environment-friendly transport in operation, said Hu Jianping, president of Shenzhen Bus Group (SBG).

'The E6 cars' ET (environment technology) batteries give off zero emissions and cause no harm to the environment,' said Wang Chuanfu, chief executive of BYD, manufacturer of the electric taxis.

Aircel partners IBIBO to offer social gaming

Telecom service provider, Aircel has partnered ibibo. com to offer social gaming on mobile phones for the first time in the country.

The popular game "Great Indian Parking wars" from Ibibo will now be offered on the Aircel Pocket Internet. India's fifth largest GSM mobile service provider plans to add many more games to the offering soon.

The users will either require an ibibo. com ID or can access the games through facebook connect. The users can only access the game through WAP-enabled handsets. The offering also brings the micro-transactions to the mobile phones where users can purchase virtual items in the games and pay through the service provider.

Winners of 3G Bid

After 34 days of hectic bidding, the auction for the 3G spectrum allocation is over. The all-India licence was last bid for Rs 16,751 crore.

Bharti has paid the maximum amount of Rs 12,295.46 crore for 13 circles. Vodafone has got nine circles for Rs 11,618 crore. Reliance Communication has paid Rs 8,600 crore for 13 circles, Idea Cellular pocketed 13 circles for Rs 5769 crore and Tata Teleservices has got nine circles for 5864.29 crore.

In Mumbai and Delhi, R-Comm, Vodafone and Bharti are the winners. Aircel, Vodafone and R-comm are the winners in Kolkata.

It is learnt, the government is estimated to garner Rs 67,719 crore surpassing its earlier expectations.

Sources added that bids for broadband and WiMax are expected to start within two days.

The 3G auction started on 9 April and there were nine bidders in the fray for the slots of 3G spectrum on the block. The government auctioned three slots in 17 telecom service areas and four slots in the remaining five states of Punjab, Bihar, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Nine leading mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, RCOM, Tatas, are up against each other to grab spectrum. The government selling 3 blocks of spectrum in most of states with four slots in five states of Punjab, Bihar, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Circle	Winners
Maharashtra	Tata, Idea, Vodafone
Gujarat	Tata, Idea, Vodafone
Andhra Pradesh	Bharti, Idea, Aircel
Karnataka	Bharti, Tata, Aircel
Tamil Nadu	Bharti, Aircel, Vodafone
Mumbai, Delhi	Rel Comm, Vodafone, Bharti
Kolkata	Aircel, Vodafone, Re comm
Kerala	Idea, Tata, Aircel
Punjab	Idea, Rel comm, Tata, Aircel
Haryana	Idea, Tata, Vodafone
UP (east)	Idea, Vodafone, Aircel
UP (west)	Idea, Tata, Bharti
Rajasthan	Rel Comm, Bharti, Tata
Madhya Pradesh	Idea, Rel comm, Tata
Himachal Pradesh	S-tel, Idea, Rel Comm
West Bengal	Bharti, Rel comm, Vodafone, Aircel
Bihar	S-tel, Bharti, Rel comm, Aircel
Orissa	S-tel, Aircel, Rel comm
Assam	Bharti, Rel comm, Aircel
Northeast	Bharti, Aircel, Rel comm
Jammu & Kashmir	Bharti, Idea, Aircel, Rel Comm

A K Antony prioritise Coastal security

Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday asked the top brass of Navy and the Ministry to take immediate steps to ensure that proposals and assets approved by the government for Coastal Security are put in place at the earliest.

Addressing the Naval Commanders' Conference here today, Antony disclosed that the Government was equipping both Navy and Coast Guard for coastal surveillance and patrol both in terms of assets and manpower," said Antony addressing the Naval Commanders' Conference here today.