‘No public funds should be spent on services provided offshore,’ Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said in an executive order issued Aug 6 asking state officials to ‘remain passionately focused on initiatives that will create and retain jobs in the United States in general and in Ohio, in particular’.

‘Allowing public funds to pay for offshore services undermines economic development objectives and any such offshore services carry unacceptable quality and security risks,’ said the order that came into effect Aug 31.

‘Outsourcing jobs does not reflect Ohio values,’ Strickland said. ‘Ohioans have been among the hardest hit by more than a decade of unfair trade agreements and the trickle-down economic policies that promoted offshoring jobs at the expense of Ohioans who work for a living.

‘We must do everything within our power to prevent outsourcing jobs because it undermines our economic development objectives, slows our recovery and deprives Ohioans and other Americans of employment opportunities,’ he added.

The order does not specifically mention India, but Indian companies derive more than half their revenues from the US, and TCS, India’s largest IT company, runs a project in Ohio. It employs 300 people and gets $19 million in tax credit for creating local jobs.

Ohio’s move follows the passage of a Federal law to raise $600 million for enhancing security on the US-Mexico border with a steep hike for H-1B and L-1 visa fees for companies with less than half American employees.

The Indian government has threatened to take the US to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over what it considers a ‘discriminatory law’ as it would largely hit Indian companies unfairly. -Agencies

The 20-year-old maid told a fast-track court that she had slapped false charges on the actor. The woman told a fast-track court last week that she lodged the police complaint against Shiney after the woman who got her the job with the Ahujas instructed her to do so.

Ahuja was arrested on June 14, 2009. He spent more than three months in jail before he got out on bail on October 1.

The police had filed a 109-page chargesheet against Ahuja with statements of 12 witnesses, forensic reports and other documentary evidence.

The next hearing is scheduled for September 15. Ahuja can still be convicted if there is other evidence to support the case.

If the court finds that the maid lied, she can be prosecuted for perjury.

The hike will mean that all current Directors of the IITs will be eligible for another term at the top job once their current tenure ends.

Confirming the move, ministry sources argued that the raise was aimed at bringing the retirement age of Directors at par with that of Vice Chancellors of central universities, which is already 70.

But the HRD ministry approval has triggered a debate over whether the prospect of another term may make IIT Directors less “autonomous” in their relationship with the government. It has also reignited questions over whether there is a shortage of younger people qualified for the post.

But an IIT Director rejected the suggestion that the lure of another term could impede the autonomy of the Institute heads.

Governor M.O.H. Farook is likely to recommend revocation of president’s rule to pave way for formation of a new government, according to sources.

Governor Farook is to send a report to the union home ministry on Wednesday on the political situation in the state and the BJP’s claim. He has consulted legal experts and the signatures of legislators who extended support to the BJP were matched with the records in the assembly, these sources said.

Jharkhand is under president’s rule since 2nd June.

Earlier, BJP legislature party leader Arjun Munda, accompanied by state party president Raghubar Das, JMM legislature party leader Hemant Soren and All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) legislature party leader Sudesh Mahto met Farook around 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday and staked the claim to form the government.

Munda presented to Farook a list of 45 legislators supporting him in a house of 81.

‘We have handed over a list of 45 legislators’ support letter to the governor. Of the 45, 44 legislators were present in Raj Bhavan when we handed over the letter to the governor,’ said Arjun Munda, tipped to be the next chief minister.

The BJP elected Arjun Munda as its legislature party leader after Raghubar Das resigned from the post.

Das said: ‘I resigned as legislature party leader on the directive of national party president Nitin Gadkari. I am following the directive of the national president.’

After his election, Munda along with Raghubar Das went to meet JMM chief Shibu Soren at his residence in Morabadi of Ranchi. ‘I have given my blessings to Munda to form the government,’ Soren told reporters.

From Soren’s residence, the BJP, JMM, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and two independent legislators went to Raj Bhavan to meet the governor and stake their claim to form the next government.

This is the second time that the BJP and JMM have come together to form the government in Jharkhand in less than 10 months.

Polls to the state assembly were held in November and December last year and Shibu Soren became the chief minister on 30th Dec. However, Soren had to quit 30th May after the BJP withdrew support in protest against his voting in favour of the ruling Congress in April against the BJP-sponsored cut motions in parliament.

A threatening mail received on Chief Minister’s official ID has rattled the officials. The mail threatning to kill ministers popped up in CM Yeddiyurappa’s official e-mail id on August 29 from ‘companydo786@gmail.com’ which was registered in the name of one Naveed.

The owner of the cafe in Malleshwaram could not provide any immediate clue because he had failed to maintain a register of those who used the cyber cafe services. Police have taken the owner of the cafe into custody, Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said.

Naveen Jindal, of the Congress, has topped the list with a remuneration of Rs 39.70 crore (Rs 397 million).

However, the exact amount of his earnings for last year will be revealed only when the company publishes its annual report.

Within the rest of the list — which reads like who’s who of India Inc —those who received over 50% increase in pay include Apollo Tyres’ Onkar Kanwar, JSW Steel’s Sajjan Jindal, Amara Raja Battery’s Jaydev Gala, Cairn India’s Rahul Dhir, Cadila Healthcare’s Pankaj Patel, Hindalco’s Kumar Mangalam Birla besides four directors of two-wheeler maker Hero Honda, including Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his son Pawan.

Although the list stands to be updated over the next few weeks when all companies, including those led by Anil Ambani, submit their annual reports, there are notable names missing among the top paid execs. For instance, there are no Tata Group executives among the top 25. It also does not have anyone from the IT sector nor a single banker.

Last year, corporate affairs minister Salman Khurshid had said companies should avoid paying their top executives what he termed ‘vulgar salaries’. Earlier, prime minister Manmohan Singh had also urged India Inc to keep a tab on excessive management remuneration.

The insurance package, priced at Rs 129 and called Domestic TravInsure has been made available to travellers who book their tickets on the IndiGo website, starting August 24.

According to Tata AIG officials, the package will provide complete ‘emergency accidental medical reimbursement’ to passengers in case of any unforeseen incident and also includes other covers that help take care of routine worries associated with air travel.

Speaking on the tie up, Aditya Ghosh, IndiGo President, said, “Domestic TravInsure, besides covering the passengers’ medical expense during any unforeseen incident, is affordable and optional too.”

Company officials said, the unique selling point of the product was the fact that it includes travel by all modes of transport within a validity period of 30 days from the date of travel thus effectively insuring the customer during the entire trip and not just the flight.

Gaurav D Garg, chief executive officer Tata AIG General Insurance Company Ltd said said the venture will help the company strengthen its position in the domestic travel insurance market

The constant flicking between Facebook updates, photographs, groups and instant messaging distracted students from their revision, a study of US students found.

Professor Paul Kirschner, of the Netherlands’ Open University, said Facebook was hurting students results. “The problem is that most people who have Facebook or other social networking sites, their emails and maybe their instant messaging are constantly running in the background while they are doing other tasks.”

Kirschner’s team studied 219 students aged between 19 and 54 at an American university.

Facebook users had an average grade score out of four of 3.06, compared with non-users who scored 3.82 on average.

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And those who did not use the site spent an average of 88 per cent more time studying outside class.

The study will be published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

A media report here claimed that ‘a leading batsman had to be moved up the order to prevent him manipulating matches’.

‘Two IPL officials from India independently verified that a leading batsman had played so suspiciously that they could not explain his behaviour,’ The Australian reported Tuesday.

‘He has been under the scanner for a while now,’ an IPL official, who did not wish to be named, was quoted as saying by the report.

‘He consistently under-performed and often appeared uninterested or distracted.’

The suspected batsman performed dubiously by scoring slowly towards the end of the innings when it should have been the opposite, the report said.

The other IPL official revealed that IPL franchise owners often complained about matches being ‘rigged’ and claimed that the player in question had to be moved up the order for the good of the team.

Neither official could say if the player was being monitored by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption and security unit. The ACSU does not comment on its investigations. IANS

“I will slap any bookie who will come near me, big time,” said Harbhajan when asked what he will do in case a bookie approaches him to fix games.

“I have never been approached by a bookie and I have not also seen these things happen in my career. I never feel that any one can do such things,” he told NDTV at ‘Walk the Talk’ programme.

He said it would be a “shame” if the ‘spot-fixing’ allegations against Pakistani players turned out to be true after the investigations.

“I don’t know the details of what happened in England. I read in the newspapers but I don’t know how true are these allegations. Investigation is going on and let us see if these allegations are true or not,” Harbhajan said.

“When I play for my country I am very proud of representing my country. I don’t know how people can do like this. It is a shame if these things are happening,” he said.

Harbhajan said if the allegations are true, harsh punishment should be handed to the players.

“Well, as Imran Khan has said if these allegations are true there should be punishment to set an example so that it is not repeated. ICC and the (Pakistan) Cricket Board should take necessary steps,” said the feisty Indian off-spinner.

Reminded that his first captain Mohammad Azharuddin was banned by the Indian Cricket Board on match-fixing charges, Harbhajan simply said, “saja uske liye”.

“I don’t know what happened then. I was young, in and out of the team. I don’t know what they were doing at that time.

If they were guilty ‘saja uske liye’,” he said. – IE