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He was only in pursuit of little green men. He wanted to get to the bottom of the existential crisis that flying saucers have been facing ever since they popped up in public imagination in the 1950s — to be or not be real. British computer tinkerer Gary McKinnon was a man with a mission: to prove the existence of UFOs. This was in February 2001, before America witnessed the shock and horror of 9/11 and made security related paranoia a national pastime.

KOLKATA: At a time when China is deeply embroiled over maritime rights disputes with Japan, Viet Nam and the Philippines, Myanmar and Bangladesh are all set to launch oil exploration programmes in the Bay of Bengal region, by mutual consent.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: V. S. Achuthanandan won’t be denied his ‘right to dissent’. That is the unmistakable message his open ‘self-criticism’ at a press conference beams.

The name of Arvind Kejriwal’s political party will soon be announced and it may be akin to his pronounced objective: Indian Against Corruption. But the fact remains that his anti-corruption crusade will not get him votes. In today’s India, it is not just roti, kapda, makaan or even bijli, pani, sadak but also security, jobs and access to better life that matter most. The expectations of voters have been increasing; hurling accusations at the people may get screaming headlines, but will this translate into votes? One seriously doubts it.

BHOPAL: Shivraj Singh Chauhan, 52, is the longest-serving non-Congress Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He completes seven years in office next month. Known for his soft manners and non-confrontationist demeanour, Chauhan has won appreciation for his novel schemes for protection of girl child and his direct interaction with various sections of the populace through 'Panchayats' held at his residence.

The government may disagree, but it has got its reform priorities all wrong. It has opened up the country’s services sector – banking, insurance, stock market, mutual funds, private equity funds, pension funds, wholesale and retail trade, shipping and domestic civil aviation – to multinational investors (FDI and FII) and foreign operators before building a strong vibrant industrial sector, hallmark of any healthy economy. The industrial growth rate is sinking and so is economic growth. Imports are rising at unsustainable levels. The liberalised FDI regime in domestic services sector is bound to make the situation worse for the economy with the industrial production index languishing.