Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare held by police after announcing plans to go on indefinite hunger strike Indian police have detained the country’s most prominent anti-corruption campaigner, hours before he was due to begin an indefinite hunger strike to demand tough new laws against graft. The arrest of 74-year-old Anna Hazare prompted outrage, with opposition politicians accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s beleaguered administration, currently in the middle of its second term, of repeating draconian crackdowns of the 1970s. A series of impromptu demonstrations were organised across the country in support of Hazare. More than 250 campaigners associated with him, including other well-known anti-corruption activists, were also detained by police. There were reports of protests in western Punjab, in eastern Orissa, in the far south, in northern Himachel Pradesh and in Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare’s home village in central Maharashtra state. Singh’s government has been on the defensive in recent months after a series of corruption scams which, combined with rampant food inflation, have sparked public anger and sent poll ratings plummeting. The campaign of Hazare, a controversial but respected figure , has rattled officials and politicians. Negotiations had been continuing over his planned public “fast unto death” for several weeks. Thousands of demonstrators were expected to converge on the capital to join the former army soldier and activist. “When you have a crowd of 10,000 people, can anyone guarantee there will be no disruption? … The police is doing its duty. We should allow them to do it,” argued the information and broadcasting minister, Ambika Soni, in an interview with CNN-IBN television. Dressed in his trademark plain white shirt, white cap and spectacles in the style of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare was driven away in a white car by plainclothes police, waving to hundreds of supporters. A police spokesman said the veteran campaigner and four others had been placed under “preventive arrest”. No charges have yet been filed. Hazare recently called for a “second freedom struggle” in India, which threw off British imperial rule in 1947. “This is a fight for change. Unless there is change, there is no freedom, there is no actual democracy, there is no true republic, there is no true people’s rule. The protests should not stop. The time has come for no jail in the country to have a free space,” he said in a message broadcast on YouTube . Both houses of parliament were adjourned after the opposition protested at the arrests. Though politicians from all political parties have been implicated in corruption scams, many figures associated with the biggest and most high-profile cases of graft are from the ruling Congress party. Opposition figures likened the crackdown to the 1975 “Emergency”, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arrested thousands of opposition members in order to stay in power. Manish Tewari, a Congress party spokesman, said Hazare was surrounded by “armchair fascists, overground Maoists, closet anarchists”. A crackdown earlier this year on a fasting yoga guru who had rallied tens of thousands of people in the capital managed to break up his anti-corruption protests successfully. Hazare’s first hunger strike in April won concessions from the government that promised a parliamentary bill creating a special ombudsman with power to investigate and punish corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and judges. But the changes proposed by the legislation presented in early August were criticised by activists as insufficient. They accused the government of backtracking. India Jason Burke guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
After more than a week’s worth of rumors and speculation , Apple has finally released its OS X Lion USB thumb drive, available now at its online store. This little stick offers a physical media alternative to Cupertino’s otherwise App Store-centric distribution model, providing access to OS X Lion for $69. One caveat, however, is that users who download the software via thumb drive won’t be able to re-install it using the recently released Lion Recovery Disk Assistant , but will have to rely upon the USB stick, instead. The other caveat, of course, is price, as just $29 will get you the exact same OS, via the App Store. To grab one for yourself, hit up the source link, below. Apple’s OS X Lion USB sticks now available online, for $69 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Culture secretary says fund will ensure that 90% of hard-to-reach communities could have superfast broadband by 2015 Millions of Britons living in rural areas are set to benefit from faster internet speeds after the government allocated £362m to improve broadband connections in England, Scotland and Wales. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, said on Tuesday that the fund would ensure that 90% of hard-to-reach communities with “painfully slow” internet speeds could have access to superfast broadband by 2015. Remote villages in areas of regions such as Cumbria and the Scottish Highlands where it is currently hard to load a simple web page, should be able to download or stream high-quality movies within four years. English counties will get £294m and Scotland £68.8m to bring high-speed internet to areas not catered for by the private sector. The allocations come out of the £530m “digital Britain” fund commitment by the chancellor, George Osborne, earlier this year. “I am absolutely determined that the UK will have the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015 – one that we all benefit from,” Hunt said. “Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives. “But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hard-to-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all. We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age.” English councils and private enterprises will be put in charge of delivering the broadband rollout, with delivery plans and match-funding expected to be drawn up to set timetables. The Scottish government will determine how to allocate the money in Scotland. Hunt added: “The government is investing £530m of public money to help bring broadband to every home and business in the UK. We are doing our part – it is now up to local authorities and the Scottish government to do their bit, to get on board and work with us to secure the social and economic future of their communities.” “I urge all those suffering the frustration of slow internet connections to make it clear to your local elected representatives that you expect them to do what is needed to access this investment and to deliver broadband to your community.” Funding allocated by county in England Bedfordshire (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton): £1,060,000 Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham): £1,430,000 Buckinghamshire (Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes): £2,100,000 Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire, Peterborough): £6,750,000 Cheshire (Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Warrington): £3,240,000 Cumbria (Cumbria): £17,130,000 Derbyshire (Derbyshire, Derby): £7,390,000 Devon and Somerset (Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, Somerset, North Somerset): £31,320,000 Dorset (Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole): £9,440,000 Durham (County Durham, Gateshead): £7,790,000 East Sussex (East Sussex, Brighton and Hove): £10,640,000 Essex (Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock): £6,460,000 Gloucestershire (Gloucestershire): £8,070,000 Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan): £990,000 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton): £8,420,000 Herefordshire (County of Herefordshire): £6,350,000 Hertfordshire (Hertfordshire): £1,110,000 Humber (City Of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire): £8,540,000 (subject to revision) Kent (Kent, Medway): £9,870,000 Lancashire (Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool): £10,830,000 Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicestershire, Leicester, Rutland): £3,880,000 Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire): £14,310,000 Merseyside (Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral): £5,460,000 Norfolk (Norfolk): £15,440,000 Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire): £4,080,000 Northumberland (Northumberland): £7,030,000 North Yorkshire (North Yorkshire, York): £17,840,000 Nottinghamshire (Nottinghamshire, Nottingham): £4,250,000 Oxfordshire (Oxfordshire): £3,860,000 Shropshire (Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin): £8,210,000 Staffordshire (Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent): £7,440,000 Suffolk (Suffolk): £11,680,000 Surrey (Surrey): £1,310,000 Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees): £770,000 Tyne and Wear (Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland): £3,420,000 Warwickshire (Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull): £4,070,000 West of England (Bath and North East Somerset, City of Bristol, South Gloucestershire): £1,430,000 West Midlands (Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton): £630,000 West Sussex (West Sussex): £6,260,000 West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield): £6,340,000 Wiltshire (Wiltshire, Swindon): £4,900,000 Worcestershire (Worcestershire): £3,350,000 •
Continue reading …
• Rail passengers face 8% increase • Bank charges add to cost of living • High-street bargains harder to find • RPI stuck at 5% Rail passengers in Britain will face inflation-busting fare increases of 8% on average next year after the latest figures for the cost of living showed upward pressure on prices despite the weakness in the economy. Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the government’s preferred measure of inflation – the Consumer Prices Index – rose from 4.2% to 4.4% in July as banks increased charges on their customers and bargains in the summer sales were harder to find. Many shops were forced to slash prices in June in a response to the weakness in consumer demand, resulting in much smaller price falls for clothing and footwear and furniture in July than usual. Clothing and footwear prices were 3.1% higher in July than a year earlier – the highest rate since the current series of figures began in 1997. The Retail Prices Index – an alternative measure of the cost of living that acts as the benchmark for rail fare increases – was unchanged last month at 5%. Under the formula used by the government, train operating companies can increase fares by three percentage points above the July RPI inflation rate. The news on the cost of living came as a mild shock to the City, which had been expecting a more modest increase in CPI inflation to 4.3%. The failure of the Bank of England to meet the government’s 2% inflation target for more than 18 months means that Sir Mervyn King has to write an explanatory letter to the chancellor, George Osborne. James Knightley, economist at ING, said: “UK inflation numbers have come in a little higher than expected due to the fact summer discounting started earlier this year than normal – presumably down to the weakness in the economy. “This lead June’s inflation numbers to undershoot expectations, but we get a corresponding bounce back for July. Clothing and footwear inflation jumped from 1.5% to 3.1%YoY, which is the fastest rate since the series started back in January 1997. Furniture rose for similar reasons while there were also increases for financial services.” King said last week that the Bank expects inflation to climb further over the coming months as consumers are hit by rising domestic energy bills, but the Bank then expects price pressures to ease over the winter. City analysts see no possibility that Threadneedle Street will raise interest rates in response to the pick-up in inflation, and believe official borrowing costs are on hold until deep into 2012. Chris Williamson, economist at Markit, said: “The latest uptick in inflation is unlikely to add significantly to the case for higher interest rates among MPC members. Instead, policymakers are likely to continue to focus on the activity data, which are showing worrying signs of weakness.” Inflation Economics Bank of England Mervyn King Rail transport Interest rates Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
A 50-year-old man was arrested Monday while staying with his ex-wife in Kentucky. Paul “Doug” Peters is charged with breaking into an Australian family’s home and chaining a fake bomb to a teenage woman’s neck. (Aug. 16)
Continue reading …
Testimonials from Search Engine Watch Labs #SESsf 2010 How to Generate Buzz With Your Podcast Hitler wants a session on APIs at SES San Francisco VanVangie says: RT @ toprank : Hey #SESSF 3 Ways to Socialize & Optimize with Content Marketing http://t.co/uxDm3m7
Continue reading …
This Week @Minnesota: U2 Concert, bicycle app and an archaeological dig DOWNLOAD FREE Microsoft Streets And Trips 2011 FULL Peña Plastic Covers nirmalkotecha2 says: Beware of con artists bearing maps http://t.co/Tyqa4On
Continue reading …Xiaomi Phone with MIUI OS: a $310 phone with 1.5GHz dual-core SoC and other surprises
August 16, 2011 No Comment
If you’ve already seen the Xiaomi M1 announcement about a month ago, well, forget it, because Xiaomi has already made some significant changes since then. What we’ve just learned from today’s Beijing launch event is that the M1 — now officially “Xiaomi Phone” — no longer packs a 1.2GHz dual-core chip; instead, it’s been given a bump to a Qualcomm MSM8260 SoC, thus becoming the first Chinese phone to sport a 1.5GHz dual-core chip. As part of the Snapdragon package, the phone is also powered by a powerful Adreno 220 graphics processor, which will no doubt make good use of the phone’s 1GB RAM and a staggering 4GB ROM. Oh, and that
Continue reading …
jlctravel says: Cathay Pacific suspends ad campaign over sex scandal: Widely circulated photos of Cathay Pacific crew members ap… http://t.co/dJk9Qan
Continue reading …
How to find new sweepstakes and online contests Learn How To Win Giveaways & Win Contests @InstantWinSweepstakes.Org UK Residents! New blog launch covering free competitions for those in the UK! leegeorge1 says: Crazy Deals The ‘Contest Queen’s’ Five Tips for Sweepstakes Success http://t.co/QZzqohM No more
Continue reading …