Mayawati govt bows to farmers’ demands

The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh late Monday agreed to raise compensation money for the farmers. The decision came in the wake of farmers protests in parts of the state over land acquisition for the Yamuna Expressway, a 165 km road link from Noida to Agra.

Farmers will now get a compensation of Rs 570 per square feet instead of Rs 436 per square feet announced earlier, according to Uttar Pradesh government officials.

Further, the government has also decided to double the compensation for the farmers who died in the protests to Rs10 lakh, which was earlier Rs5 lakh.

A compensation of Rs 2 lakh has also been announced for those injured in the police firing. Three people including a police constable were killed Saturday night, in clashes between the police and agitating farmers.

The government has also agreed to the farmers` demand that no farmer will be forced to part with his land if he doesn`t want to.

All detained farmers, including their leader Rambabu Kathalia, will be released today.

The issue rocked the Parliament on Monday leading to the adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Opposition demanded a discussion over the farmers` demands. BJP and BSP members clashed on the issue of police firing on farmers.

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Madani arrested in Bangalore blast case

The Bangalore Police on Tuesday arrested People`s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nasser Madani in connection with the 2008 Bangalore blast case.

The PDP leader was arrested amid high drama from his camp, ending the eight-day long suspense. A local court had issued warrant against Madani. He is the key accused in the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts.

Madani was taken to Thiruvananthapuram en route to Bangalore by air so that he could be produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate there this evening itself.

Earlier, at a press gathering, Madani denied his involvement in the Bangalore blasts. He said he was ready for arrest but will appeal to the Supreme Court.

"I have not got any warrant in connection with the Bangalore blast. When I read about warrant in papers, I spoke to my lawyers. This is a conspiracy against me. I approached the court for bail as it is the right of every citizen," said Madani.

Madani asked party workers to protest through democratic means and said he will surrender before the court after the afternoon prayers.

"I don`t believe I can return alive from Karnataka. I may be implicated in many other terror cases. I am suffering from a host of diseases but will surrender. If they arrest me in between, let them do," he said.

Madani was listed as the 31st accused in an additional chargesheet filed by the police last month after confessions by suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba operative T Nazir linking him to theBangalore blasts that left one person dead and 20 others injured.

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Learn how to woo your man

There are several ways of gearing your man up for some romantic moments and enchanting him to become a slave for your love.

Gone are the days when wifes used to attract their husbands by hosting a candlelit dinner or preparing his favourite dishes to tempt him. Time has changed now – think wild, wicked and naughty! From being a sexy pole dancer to luring him at the doorway clad in sexy lingerie. Following are the hottest moves by experts that you can plan for your man:

Pole dancing

Be a pole dancer and make sure you get every move right, from the jazzy costumes to the most sensuous dance steps. This alluring act will leave your lover begging for more.

Don`t go overboard with your dancing, as it may leave you tired and sleepy. "Beginners avoid trying any complex dance steps, as it may carry the risk of injuring yourself. Excess climbing on the pole without maintaining a proper balance or trying out a complicated posture can do more harm than good," warns Abha, a Delhi based choreographer.

Bikini clad welcome

Put on a revealing pink bikini or sexy red lingerie and just as you hear him knock; open the door in a seductive posture to grab his attention.Your man will love the temptation and this naughty welcome is sure to get him geared for more.

Be sure that it`s your hubby `only` standing outside the door and not someone else. A peep through the magic eye or confirming his identity by asking before you open the door outright is advisable. After all, you don`t want to be caught prancing in a bikini before your neighbourhood grocer!

Porn is `okay` sometimes

It`s commonly believed that `men` love watching porn, acting like porn stars and wanting their respective partners to play in similar mode. Women, on the other hand might not enjoy the act as much, but it`s no big deal coming out of the closet once in a while. Try flattering your hubby in the most seductive style which he`s always desired for. Add that `porn` flavour in every act of seduction.

Porn may induce a certain level of discomfort or hesitation, as you`ve never tried it earlier. "Do not take it for granted that watching visually stimulating experience together will act as quick fix to spice up your sex life. Unless you share a high level of comfort with your partner, such explicit acts can cause lot of misconceptions and induce negative connotations about sex," feels Dr Vikas Mohan Sharma, consultant psychiatrist.

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Wipro plans second pay rise in October

India's third largest information technology services company, is planning to give a pay rise to employees at its IT services division, with effect from October 2010. The rise, if it materialises, will be the second in this calendar year by the Bangalore-based company.

Sources said that the company had already started appraisals to give the hike from October. Owned by Azim Premji, the company usually gives salary hikes to its offshore employees in October and onsite employees in January. The IT giant also has interests in consumer care, lighting and engineering equipment.

In 2009, the company extended its annual compensation hike to February 2010 due to the slowdown. This year, the company is going ahead with its policy of giving wage hikes in October. The company's human resources head, Pratik Kumar, could not be reached, and an e-mail sent to him remained unanswered.

Wipro, which saw its attrition rate moving upward during the last two quarters, has already reshuffled its grade structure by creating one more band in the 'B' grade, which has the highest concentration ofemployees. About 20,000 people were taken in this new band (B3), with promotions and salary raises effective from last month. The company also revised wage for its overseas employees in specific countries.

Being a normal year, this year's hike is expected to be in double-digit. "The indications we are getting from the management is that the hike will be in the lower double-digit," the sources added. In October 2008, Wipro had raised wages by seven to eight per cent.

With an improvement in business environment, most Indian IT companies, including Infosys, Wipro, TCS and HCL, saw a surge in their attrition rates during the last two quarters. To contain this, IT companies are resorting to various initiatives, including salary hikes and generous variable pay, among others.

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MPs arm twist government for better pay

Bowing to the strong arm tactics of MPs to hike their salaries, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government was trying to bring a bill in this regard in this session. On Tuesday, Mukherjee said in the Lok Sabha that this has to be done through a legislation. A bill has to be brought to amend the Salaries And Allowances Of Member Of Parliament Act, 1954... We are trying bring the legislation in this session.

Finance minister gave this assurance came after MPS created a scene uproar over the Union Cabinet`s deferment of a decision on a proposal to increase the salaries of MPs three-fold from Rs 16,000 per month.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad asked Mukherjee to give concrete assurance.

MPs currently get Rs 16,000 per month as salary, but the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has suggested raising it to Rs 50,000 as against Rs 80,001 recommended by a Parliamentary Committee on the grounds that it would be one rupee more than that of a secretary at Rs 80,001.

Besides the base salary, an MP gets a daily allowance of Rs 1,000 for each day when Parliament is in session or a sitting of a House committee is scheduled. A member is also entitled to a constituency allowance of Rs 20,000 per month and office expense allowance of another Rs 20,000 each month.

"We are ready. Bring the Bill tomorrow, we will pass it in two minutes," he said, leaving Mukherjee smiling. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar preferred to remain neutral on the question of salary hike for MPs.

"At the moment, you saw a turmoil in the House and their (MPs`) different opinions. When different opinions are there in the House, for a Speaker, who is supposed to be neutral, to express her opinion will not be proper," she told reporters outside Parliament House.

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AR Rahman sets the tune for CWG 2010

Music Maestro AR Rahman on Monday launched the theme song for Commonwealth Games 2010. The Group of Ministers (GoM) on CWG announced on Sunday that AR Rahman would tune its theme song.

"I want to dedicate the song to Mahatma Gandhi," Rahman said as he launched the song in the Capital. CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi was also present with him.

"We discussed the theme song among ourselves and AR Rahman, (Film Director) Shyam Benegal and (Producer) Bharat Bala. The GoM has approved the theme song in principle. It will be before the public in another 10 days," Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, who heads the GoM, had said after the Sunday meeting.

Sources said the officials want to ensure that the theme song becomes a sensation like Rahman`s own Jai Ho composed for the film Slumdog Millionaire and Soccer World Cup theme song Waka Waka.

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101 ways to torture your husband…!

A new book advising women on the 101 ways they can torture their husbands has been released by an award-winning New York radio broadcaster.

According to the Sun , the book, ‘101 Ways to Torture Your Husband’, by author Maria Garcia-Kalb, talks of the clever tactics women can employ to make theirhusbands beg for mercy, reports the Daily Telegraph . Some of the top tips include ‘repeatedly asking him if you are fat’ while in underwear and showing off the most unflattering parts of your body, or ‘faking it and telling him you did’ just to keep his ego in check.

The other advices she gave were, ‘sign him up for dance class’, ‘treat him to a massage with a male masseuse’, ‘send him on a hellish supermarket trip’, ‘volunteer him for the school field trip’, and ‘refer to yourself only in third person.’ She further writes that the one way you can really get at your husband is to ‘finally open up to his family’ by telling his mother you don’t like her cooking or showing his grandmother the naughty tattoo on your bottom.

If that is not enough, a women can always ruin her husband’s day by saying ‘we need to talk’ just before he leaves for work in the morning so he’s left wondering all day what he’ll face when he gets home. The book also says that wives who want to push theirhusbands to the edge can also bribe them with sex then fail to pay up, or they can kick it up a notch by wearing racy underwear in bed but sleeping all night long.

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