Innings win for South Africa

S.Africa beat India by an Innings and 90 runs.Declaring at the overnight score India started their second essay,but lost sewag early.Only resistance came from Sourav Ganguly (87) Dhoni (52 and Irfan Pathan (43) remained unbeaten for the second time in this test.For the Visitors all their Bowlers chipped in with wickets.Double century maker A.b de villiers was awarded Man of the Match.

Hogenakkal project on hold-Congres Bailed out

Tamil Nadu on Saturday put on hold the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project, ending a week- long standoff between neighboring state Karnataka over the issue which had sparked violence in both the states.
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said his government would wait till a popular government was installed in Karnataka after the May assembly polls and hoped that the new ministry would abide by the 1998 agreement to implement the water project.
"Let bygones be bygones. Let the future be bright. We will wait till President's rule in Karnakata comes to an end and an elected government assumes charge after the polls. Let us wait for a few days only. I hope that a popular government will understand our demand and abide by the 1998 agreement to implement the scheme," Karunanidhi said.
He has also warned the Newly elected Government fails to comply with 1998 agreement the tamilians would lay their lives to get the projected implemented.It is also understood that congress high command has exerted pressure on KK to hold the project till election.KK has succumbed to the pressures of Congress and has bailed them out from further embarrassment.

inflation touches 7% -Sensex shrinks

Fast growing inflation touched an all time high of 7 per cent — in the week ending March 22 — in the last three years, sending prices of food, vegetables, minerals and manufactured items soaring high.
The Wholesale prices Index released by Commerce Ministry showed that inflation rose to 7 per cent, faster than previous week on March 15 at 6.68 percent.
Leading the leap in inflation were minerals whose index rose by whopping 38 per cent. Other commodities that contributed significantly were vegetables (4.9), pulses (1.4) edible oils (1.6), food articles (0.1) and primary articles (1.8).
The index for fuel and power registered a 0.1 rise while manufactured products moved up by 0.2 per cent. However, cement remained unchanged. Inflation is at its highest since November 2004, when it rose to 7.07 per cent.
Significantly, inflation has been creeping up since January this year when it was at 3.83 per cent and rose to 4.33 per cent for the week ending February 23. Three weeks later, inflation touched 6.68 for the week ending March 15.

It was mostly quiet for the market, until inflation came out at a 3-year high of 7% at noon. The market started sliding after that. But positive opening for the European markets curbed the fall to an extent. Sensex closed at 15,343, down 489 points from the previous close. Nifty shut shop at 4647, down 124 points. The hit wasn't as bad for the midcaps and smallcaps; CNX Midcap index lost 2% and BSE Smallcap index, 1.6%. selling was witnessed across all sectors, but capital goods, power and banking stocks were dumped the most.

US employers cuts 80,000 jobs;US RECESSION TAKES TOLL

US employers buffeted by talk of recession slashed 80,000 jobs in March, the most in five years and the third straight month of losses.
At the same time, the national unemployment rate rose from 4.8 percent to 5..1 percent, the clearest signal yet that the U.S. economy might already be shrinking.
The new snapshot of the job market, released by the Labor Department on Friday, underscored the damage that a three-way crises - in the housing, credit and financial sectors - has inflicted companies, jobseekers and the economy as a whole.
"The labor market has indeed turned south," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. "That was the one last bastion of hope to stay out of a recession. Now the question is how deep and how long will it last?"
The unemployment rate was the highest from September 2005, when significant job losses followed the devastating blows of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

S.AFRICA Continues to frustuate India

Second day's play in the second cricket Test between India and South Africa was on Friday called off early due to rain with 12.4 overs still remaining to be bowled at the Motera ground.
The play will start half an hour earlier than the scheduled time of 9.30 am on Saturday to make up for the lost time.
Rain stopped the play in the third session when South Africa were 494 for seven in their first innings, in reply to India's 76. The visitors lead by 418 runs.
Brief scores: India 1st innings: 76 South Africa 1st innings: 494 for seven in 141.2 overs (A B de Villiers 217 batting, J Kallis 132; Harbhajan Singh 4-135).

Rajinikanth Attacks Kannada Activist & Politicians

Representatives of Tamil film industry Led by Rajinikanth,Kamalhassan,Saratkumar on Friday held a eight-hour-long fast at Chepauk in Chennai, condemning the attacks on cinemas screening Tamil films by pro-Kannada groups protesting Tamil Nadu's decision to go ahead with the Hogenakkal water project.Rajinikanth took a strong exception on Kannada Activists vehementaly.Rajnikant attacked former Chief Minister S M Krishna, who he said had jumped into the fray because he wants to head his party in the coming elections, for his statement that Chief Minister Karunanidhi had made a harsh statement on the issue.

"Speak the truth," he told him and also attacked BJP leader Yediyurappa of creating the problem by going to Hogenakkal, located in Tamil Nadu, and staging a demonstration recently.
"A leader of a big national party engaging in such an act is cheap," he said, appealing to other leaders like former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy not to politicise the issue because of the approaching elections.

Many were seen wearing badges to show their resentment to the stalling of project and pride in Tamil culture, scores of personalities including actors Vijay Kumar and Radha Ravi and leading technicians participated in the fast, called by Tamil Film Chamber of Commerce.
Speakers at the fast condemned the attack on cinemas screening Tamil films in Bangalore and said the film industry was the first victim during such issues.Satyaraj drifted totally from the topic and his speech was not far from Vulgarity.

Countering this Kannada actor were seen protesting against Karunanidhi for his comments on the Hogenakkal issue in Bangalore.

Federer bows out of Sony Ericsson Open

Andy Roddick upset world number one Roger Federer 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 at the Sony Ericsson Open quarter-final on Thursday.It was only Roddick's second win in 17 career meetings against the Swiss, his last success coming in Montreal five years ago."He hasn't missed a ball against me for about six years," Roddick told reporters. "I figured the law of statistics had to work for me eventually.""I think I did well to hang in there," said Federer.

"Maybe this is one of the matches I should have won against him because he's had some other ones where I think he was supposed to win. This time around it went his way."
Despite not forcing a break point until the eighth game of the third set, it was enough for Roddick, who broke to love when Federer dumped a forehand into the net.
The big-hitting American wrapped up victory on his third match point with a sizzling service winner.Roddick admitted: "I was saying to myself 'Please hit a big serve and let this be done. I have an opportunity for this to be done in two-and-a-half-seconds".Having been dictated to for a set and a half, Federer found some form, breaking in the ninth game of the second set to level the match."The second set and the third he was starting to play pretty well," said Roddick. "I just tried to stay there, stayed in there mentally...didn't want to get discouraged."
Twelve-times Grand Slam winner Federer has yet to reach a final this year.
Roddick will play world number four Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals after the Russian's emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.

CPI-M Leader Laments on Ambani's and Amitabh Riches

Addressing a massive rally in Coimbatore on the concluding day of the 19th Communist Party of India-Marxist Congress on Thursday, CPI-M leader R Umanath launched into the actor.Umanath said there were some very rich people who hoard wealth when there are people who have a couple of chilli pieces for a meal.
Umanath, who mentioned people like Mukesh Ambani and Kalanidhi Maran too, got stuck when he came to Amitabh.
"Amitabh Bachchan has amassed more than Rs 190 crore," he said, adding sarcastically, "Yes, the same Amitabh you see in that advertisement for chocolate."
"He has 11 cars. His wife Jaya Bachchan has 2 cars. Like in those days people had stables for their horses, these people have a stable for their expensive cars," said Umanath.
He said it is unfortunate that people like Amitabh are the role models for youngsters.
"Unfortunately, these days youngsters find only this kind of fame and glamour attractive," he said.