With Maya's exit, UPA needs SP

At a time when the Congress was cozying up to the Samajwadi Party, with the nuclear deal in mind, Mayawati declared on Saturday that her party Bahujan Samaj party has decided to withdraw support to the UPA Government.

The government doesn't need the BSP to remain in power but it now clearly needs to get the Samajwadi Party on board if it wants to push through the nuclear deal.

''The BSP has decided to withdraw support from the Congress-led UPA Government,'' said Mayawati, president, BSP.

It was coming for a long time but it is the timing that's caught everyone by surprise.

BSP's withdrawal means fresh problems for the Congress when it was engaging in some nuclear hard talk.

Mayawati's decision is a formality, it does not affect the UPA Government in the Lok Sabha one way or another but it will narrow down the options for the Prime Minister on the nuke deal.

The UPA will not only be short of 17 BSP MPs but will also have to heavily depend on Samajwadi Party support in case the Left withdraws support.

''Mayawati's move will have no impact on the UPA Government,'' said Digvijay Singh, general secretary, AICC.

The Left is keeping up the pressure. A CPM statement on Saturday said the Indo-US nuclear deal is not about energy but about strategic ties with the US.

Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is still keen on going ahead with the deal, record inflation has changed everything. All the day, the Prime Minister kept busy from meeting Reserve Bank Governor Y V Reddy to Commerce Minister Kamal Nath. Taming inflation is now a priority for this government.

Now, the government is talking about a go-slow until September. The idea is to first bring rising prices under control. Then in September go for the next steps in the nuke deal and get the 123 Agreement passed without the 90-day waiting period.

And finally, prepare for elections by December or January next year.

''We are confident of a solution,'' said Sharad Pawar, Union Agriculture Minister and NCP Chief.

The focus is now on Manmohan Singh. Will he be persuaded to wait for a couple of months before pushing the deal?

Jharkhand CM blames Tata Motors for gas leakage

JAMSHEDPUR: Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda on Wednesday alleged that negligence by Tata Motors had led to the leakage of chlorine gas from its water filter plant in Jamshedpur following which 180 persons were admitted in hospital.

"I was told that an unused chlorine cylinder had been lying in the plant for the last 10 years, and the gas leaked from that cylinder," Koda, who visited the hospital in Jamshedpur on Wednesday morning to enquire about those admitted there, said.

"The incident could have been averted had the cylinder been removed from the place. It is a clear case of negligence," Koda, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto, said.

After the leakage on Tuesday afternoon, altogether 180 persons with breathing problems were admitted in hospital.

Now only 26 persons, including a fresh admission of a woman with similar complications, are the Tata Motors Hospital. The rest were discharged, hospital sources said

top news stories of 2007

The top news stories in any given year are the ones that grab the most attention -- of both readers and editors. They may not be the deepest or, in the end, most important in terms of the state of humankind, but they demonstrate which events really make us stand up and take notice (for better or worse). These are the movers and shakers that made the headlines sing in 2007.

1. Campaign 2008

Eric Thayer/Getty Images OK, so we are talking about 2007. But that's the story: Campaign 2008 began really early. Earlier than many readers, viewers, and, for that matter, journalists could stomach, actually. And every time a pundit oracle thought either race was in the bag, the polls and the tables turned. Every time a candidate got a zinger in during a debate, foot-in-mouth syndrome would follow days later. This year was essentially Part 1 of what will be one of the most exciting, topsy-turvy presidential campaigns in a long time.

2. O.J. Back in Trouble

Ethan Miller/Getty Images If the O.J. Simpson murder case was the "Trial of the Century," then his September arrest for allegedly being the ringleader of a sports memorabilia heist in Las Vegas is the story resurrection of 2007. Couple this with the August awarding of the rights to Simpson's sort-of confessional, "If I Did It," to the family of 1994 murder victim Ron Goldman for a match made in headline heaven. Add the usual cocky O.J. quotes and legal experts reunited from his murder trial, and you had Geraldo Rivera's dream come true.

3. Bad Man on Campus

Stephen Chernin-Pool/Getty Images Unlike some of the sensational stories that dominated the headlines in 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's September visit to Columbia University generated serious debate about free speech: If a world leader is expressing hateful views, should he still be given a forum at an American university? His visit also generated heated protests in New York City. Ahmadinejad's speech included some sound-bite gifts to journalists, including his claim that there are no gays in Iran.

4. Celubutantes Gone Bad

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Hey, I warned you that not all of these stories were important in the grand scheme of life! But when cable news stations are breaking away to give live coverage to Paris Hilton emerging from a stint in the Lynwood lockup, it shows where the year's news priorities were. From Nicole Richie to Lindsay Lohan, the media were on top of every diva train wreck from arrests to missing underwear. And if you got the feeling these myriad incidents began to run together, well, they did.

5. Chinese Import Drama

China Photos/Getty Images These were the stories that kept consumers checking their cabinets and toyboxes. If it wasn't Fluffy and Fido suffering the ill effects -- or, worse, dying -- of tainted pet food, it was lead in popular toys or Aqua Dots that evolved into a date-rape agent when swallowed by children. This was the year that the label "Made in China" made more consumers cringe at questionable safety controls -- and realize just how many household products come from China.

6. Mass Murderers

Scott Olson/Getty Images Armed to the hilt, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people, then himself, and wounded 25 others on April 16, 2007, the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. On Dec. 5, 2007, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins opened fire on shoppers in an Omaha, Neb., mall, killing eight before shooting himself. On Dec. 9, 2007, Matthew Murray, who had been expelled from a training center for Christian missionaries, killed two at the Arvada, Colo., center before driving to Colorado Springs and opening fire at a megachurch, killing two sisters and then himself after being wounded by a church security guard. Each tragedy ignited debate about security issues, gun control, and efforts to address potentially homicidal young people.

7. The Surge

Chris Hondros/Getty Images The year began with a power shift to Democrats and a reassessment of strategy in Iraq. Operation Law and Order, a coalition effort under Iraqi control, began on Valentine's Day and concluded on Nov. 24, 2007, along with the troop surge. The debate over the war in Iraq grew loudest in July 2007 when Gen. David Petraeus presented his interim status report. The future course of the war will likely again be a top story in 2008.

8. Power Grabs

Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images This was the year that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution and declared a state of emergency, the year that soon-to-be-termed-out Russian President Vladimir Putin picked a presidential candidate who would appoint him prime minister. But it was also the year that Hugo Chavez lost a referendum for greater powers and no term limit in Venezuela, and the year that Myanmar monks led residents in peaceful marches against the government with, sadly, violent results. With increased globalization, the power tussles around the world are getting greater notice here at home.

9. Terrorism in the U.K.

Mark Runnacles - Pool/Getty Images It could have been a whole lot worse: On June 30, 2007, Bilal Abdullah, a British-born, Muslim doctor of Iraqi descent, and Kafeel Ahmed drove a green Jeep packed with propane canisters and a suicide note into the terminal doors at Glasgow International Airport. The previous day, two car bombs packed with nails were disarmed in London, one set to go off outside a nightclub. The linked attacks not only revived terrorism fears, but raised concerns about the threat of homegrown terrorists.

10. The Astronaut Love Triangle

Redd Huber-Pool/Getty Images

What a story to stay in the headlines: astronauts, affairs, jealousy, revenge, pepper spray, a trenchcoat, and adult diapers! Actually, astronaut Lisa Nowak, who drove 900 miles from Houston to Florida ending Feb. 5, 2007 to confront Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman -- who had been dating the object of Nowak's affection, astronaut William Oefelein -- now disputes law enforcement's diaper report. But the story of space-age lust gone bad was one of the year's top headline-grabbers. Facing attempted kidnapping and battery charges, Nowak reportedly intends to mount an insanity defense, which inspires a lot of faith in the American space program.

Happy Ponggal and a memorable Tamilar Thirunal celebration

Syed Ibrahim Azwar (Kilakarai) wishes everyone a Happy Ponggal and a memorable Tamilar Thirunal celebration. May this day bring forth a new beginning and hope to everyone.