For PM Modi's Independence Day Speech, No Notes, No Umbrellas For Rain

New Delhi:  Prime Minister Narendra Modiis preparing to speak extempore as he makes his Independence Day debut at Delhi's Red Fort on Friday, and even rain won't stop him.

He will probably be the first prime minister to address the nation on August 15 without a script. Sources say he will not carry any notes with him, just a set of bullet points.

"If it rains, the PM has asked that no umbrella should be put up and he will continue his speech in rain," sources said.

Mr Modi is expected to reach the Red Fort at around 7.20 am. After a Guard of Honour by the armed forces, he will unfurl the national flag. 

His speech, which is likely to last 45 minutes to one hour, is set to break new ground in more ways than one. (PM Modi to Announce Financial Inclusion Mission on Independence Day: Report)

For the first time, seating is being prepared for more than 10,000 people to attend. Millions more can see it from home as the event will be live streamed in India and abroad. (Also read: Tamil Nadu Governor, Leaders Extend Independence Day Greetings to People)

An ambitious plan of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry includes sending "40 crore SMSes" to highlight Mr Modi's speech. Films and vignettes on his life will also be shown by state broadcaster Doordarshan. (Read: PM Modi's Independence Day Speech Eyed for Big Reforms)

Mr Modi, 63, is used to making long speeches without prepared text and is seen by many as a speaker who can keep his audience engaged.

Sources close to him say a prepared speech or a teleprompter would take away his from his natural flair for connecting with the people.

The PM's idol is former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the BJP veteran known to be one of the country's best orators. BJP leaders believe Mr Vajpayee's Independence Day speeches missed his sparkling wit as he read from a text.

Mr Modi, who led his party to a stunning victory in the national election, reportedly wants his first Independence Day speech to set a benchmark. He is likely to outline his government's priorities in broad strokes but avoid specifics. (Also read: Students in Chennai School Have a 'Big Idea' to Celebrate The Tricolour)

Sources say he is likely to talk about governance and restructuring, but no big schemes will be mentioned.

Flipkart-Amazon Battle Pits Murthy Against Premji

IT czars Azim Premji and Narayana Murthy are now rivals in a different sector: e-retail. And soon they could face another rival in former Tata Group chief Ratan Tata.

Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata recently said that e-commerce is one of the areas where is he looking to personally invest because of its "good potential" as a large proportion of the country's consuming public do not have the required access to goods.

Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji through his investment company Premji Invest is an investor in domestic e-tailer Snapdeal. Mr Premji has also invested in fashion e-tailer Myntra, which was recently acquired by Flipkart.

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy already has a venture in e-commerce space. His private investment firm Catamaran Ventures has a joint venture with global retail giant Amazon to help get Indian companies online. Catamaran Ventures partnership with Amazon will help small- and medium-sized firm sell goods online. In June this year, Mr Murthy stepped down as executive chairman of Infosys.

Access to mobile devices and better-quality broadband has boosted India's online shopping scene. Online sales of retail goods totaled $2 billion, or nearly Rs. 12,000 crore, in 2013, according to research firm Forrester. Technopak forecasts sales are expected to reach $76 billion (Rs. 4.56 lakh crore) by 2021.

This has boosted excitement in the Indian e-commerce sector. Flipkart, India's largest e-tailer, recently raised $1 billion in a fresh round of funding as it tries to aggressively scale up after Amazon.com's rapid expansion in the country has heated up competition. After the funding, Flipkart has been valued at a $7 billion, according to estimates.

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal told NDTV that India can produce many billion dollar internet firms. India's internet ecosystem is going to be one of the most vibrant in the world with half a billion internet users, he added.

Immediately after Flipkart's funding announcement, Amazon said it would be putting in an additional investment of $2 billion into its Indian operations.

Investor interest in Indian e-commerce space could further grow if the government eases foreign direct investment norms. India currently bans global online retailers from selling goods directly to customers but allows them to own 100 per cent of a marketplace business, where third-party suppliers can use their platform. Both Amazon and eBay use such a platform to operate in the country.

Jet Airways Pilot was Asleep, Co-pilot was on iPad, Both Suspended

Mumbai:  While the plane they were flying plunged 5,000 feet, a Jet Airways pilot was asleep and the co-pilot was busy on an iPad checking out flight information. Both have been suspended by aviation regulator DGCA which is now investigating the incident.

280 passengers were on the flight from Mumbai to Newark via Brussels when it fell from 34,000 feet to 29,000 feet, according to the Press Trust of India.  

A spokesperson for Jet, however, told NDTV that the descent was of about 2,000 feet. While the plane was in Turkish airspace, Air Traffic Controllers noted the descent and sent an emergency message to the aircraft ordering it to climb back up. The co-pilot then woke up the commander.

Both pilots were summoned by the DGCA yesterday for questioning. While the commander said he was on "controlled rest", a short nap inside the cockpit which is allowed by flight operation procedures, the co-pilot testified that she was working on her iPad which had  aircraft documents loaded on to it, said unnamed sources to the Press Trust of India.

Confirming the incident, an airline spokesperson said Jet Airways has initiated an internal inquiry into the matter.

"The airline is also extending all co-operation in the matter to the DGCA by providing all necessary assistance for the inquiry," the spokesperson said.

The DGCA is now dissecting Jet Airways' training procedures for pilots.

The regulator also wants to know why the airline or the pilots failed to report the incident to it - an anonymous message to the DGCA disclosed the mid-air scare.

While both the pilots kept flying until they were grounded two days ago, they did not file a flight safety report, which is a mandatory exercise to document any unusual incident during the course of a flight

Petrol price to be cut by Rs. 1.89-2.35/litre from Aug. 15

Petrol price will be cut by Rs. 1.89-2.38 per litre from August 15, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday.

In perhaps for the first instance of a minister announcing the reduction in price of petrol which was deregulated or freed from government control in June 2010, Mr. Pradhan took to his Twitter account to say that the fuel price will be cut from midnight of August 14/15.

“Price of Petrol will be reduced from midnight of 14/15 August 2014 in the range of Rs 1.89-2.38 (Rs 2.18/litre at Delhi),” he tweeted.

Mr. Pradhan made the announcement more than 31 hours before the price cut is to be implemented.

Till now, state-owned oil firms announced the price revision only on the eve of the change being effected to avoid hoarding by petrol pump owners.

On Tuesday, B Ashok, Chairman of Indian Oil Corp, the nation’s largest fuel retailer, had indicated of a price cut on the Independence Day because of softening in international rates.

“Petrol is a decontrolled product and prices increase or decrease depending on input cost every fortnight. We had cut rates on August 1 and will be reviewing prices on August 15,” he had said.

State retailers revise petrol price on 1st and 16th of every month based on average international oil price and rupee-dollar exchange rate in the previous fortnight.

“There are some positive indications,” he said when asked if there is likelihood of a price cut going by the average of oil price and exchange rate so far.

Oil firms had last cut rates on August 1 by Rs. 1.09 per litre, the first reduction in price since mid-April. Petrol currently costs Rs. 72.51 per litre in Delhi.

The government had in June 2010 freed petrol prices and since then rates have moved in tandem with the cost on most occasions.

For diesel, the government had in January 2013 decided to eliminate the subsidy in stages through monthly increases in prices by up to 50 paise per litre.

With monthly increases continuing, subsidy or losses on diesel have been trimmed to Rs 1.33 per litre but this will go up as there is a marginal increase in international gasoil (diesel) prices.

Diesel price revision is due only on September 1 as per the policy of raising rates every month.

Following are the revised prices of petrol in four metros after oil firms cut rates with effect from midnight of August 14/15:

City	Current Price	Revised Price	Decrease
Delhi	72.51	70.33	2.18
Kolkata	80.30	78.03	2.27
Mumbai	80.60	78.32	2.28
Chennai	75.78	73.47	2.31

(All Rates in Rs/litre)

Dhoni, the only constant amidst changes

M.S. Dhoni has been the one constant shield while Indian cricket underwent seismic shifts over the last six years.

The retirement of legends ranging from Anil Kumble (2008) to Sachin Tendulkar (2013) and the inability of the bridge-generation, which featured players like Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, to step up meant that Dhoni had to single-handedly guide a fresh bunch of players.

The results in England have nosedived from the 1-0 lead to a 1-2 slump but largely the present squad’s core will ideally be the nucleus in the coming years. Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, R. Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar despite their varied individual performances, seem set for the long haul.

In Dhoni, they have a strong individual, willing to cope with criticism besides remaining grounded when victories are secured.

But India has no time to rest easy upon the notion that the Indian skipper will be around for many years.

Over the past few years, Dhoni has given enough hints about his cricketing mortality. Recently, he said that the Lord’s Test will be his last at cricket’s Mecca.

World Cups have this conflicting habit of hoisting individuals and teams for posterity while also finishing the last remaining pages in a player’s chapter. When the premier tournament unravels in Australia and New Zealand in early 2015, it could also whip up thoughts in Dhoni’s mind about his career-longevity but hopefully, he would nurture his combative instincts for some more time till the current group gains the needed maturity and resolve.

Enhanced credentials

On this tour, Dhoni the batsman has shown a resilience and patience that will only embellish his credentials. With 267 runs, he has the third highest aggregate after Vijay and Rahane. He countered swing in his own intuitive and rustic ways by moving across or forward, has taken blows on his body and whenever he opted for five bowlers, has walked in at six and tried to shepherd the tail.

As a skipper, he struck gold with the bouncer-theory at Lord’s, exasperated many with his granting of one-over spells to his bowlers at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl and slipped on a defensive garb here at Old Trafford.

May be it is the raw seam attack, especially after Ishant’s injury, that has convinced the captain to hedge his bets mostly on stopping runs.

But Dhoni the wicketkeeper has struggled. Placed fifth in the all-time list headed by South Africa’s Mark Boucher (532 catches and 22 stumpings), Dhoni currently has 240 catches and 37 stumpings to his credit.

For someone, who just like his batting, may not offer aesthetic joy behind the stumps, Dhoni has been remarkably effective.

However, over the last month, he has revealed a fatigue that hurts him more than his aching fingers.

He has not gone for those edges that hover between him and first slip, and men who manned that position, be it Shikhar Dhawan or Vijay, have been caught unawares. Maybe a new catching-chemistry has to be struck like the one he had with Rahul Dravid when the latter stood next to the captain.

Dhoni missed a run-out of Jos Buttler too during the fourth Test and by his supreme standards, it was a regulation chance.

Yet, he has a tally of 14 catches in this series and the above mentioned blemishes may just be minor aberrations, but if it is a sign of his 33-year-old body dulling reflexes, it could become a nagging worry.

Just like Dhoni the batsman has found a way to counter obstacles, India’s most successful captain and statistically its number one wicketkeeper, has to find a way to weave in victories and stay alert to chances.

Jet Airways flight aborted after fire alarm

A fire alarm in a Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Bhopal caused a scare as it was about to take off early on Thursday.

No one among over the 70 people on board were injured in the incident that took place around 05:45 a.m, airport sources said.

The ATR 72 turbo prop aircraft, operating flight 9W 2654, abandoned take off after the pilots saw the alarm on the cockpit flight panel.

The aircraft returned to the bay where the passengers were deplaned. They were later taken to their destination by another aircraft, the sources said.

England need win at the Oval to cement rebound

London: England are on the verge of putting to bed one of the most trying chapters in their Test cricket history.

India could still extend them, however, in the fifth and final Test at the Oval starting on Friday.

A summer for England that began with a first ever Test series defeat on home soil to Sri Lanka worsened when India won the second Test at Lord's to lead this series 1-0. With his captaincy and position on the line, and at risk of losing his main bowler, Alastair Cook led his side's fightback at the Rose Bowl and Old Trafford to be in front 2-1.

Humiliated by an innings and 54-run defeat at Old Trafford, India can still save face by winning the final Test and tying the series. Here are five things to know ahead of the match:

ALI HAS INDIA IN A SPIN: Moeen Ali, again, was the second-innings star for England in the Old Trafford Test, taking 4-39 as India were bowled out for 161. His performance followed match-winning, second-innings figures of 6-67 at the Rose Bowl. The lack of an obvious replacement for the retired Graeme Swann led England at the start of the series to go for an unbalanced all-pace attack and pick Ali as a batsman who could spin a bit. But his offspin has emerged as a major weapon, an unexpected bonus for England, and covered up for his batting weakness against pace bowling. His 19 wickets in the series are second only to Ray Illingworth's 20 in 1967 by an England spinner at home against India.

INDIA TOP ORDER YET TO FIRE: Despite half of day two being lost to rain, the fourth Test was won by England in three days, as they bowled India out for 152 and 161. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was furious with his side's effort, and hinted he had been unhappy with his vaunted batsmen throughout the series. "To some extent, the performance of No. 8, 9, 10 and 11 so far in the series has camouflaged the question of the top order not performing," Dhoni said. The biggest disappointment has been No. 4 Virat Kohli, who has a career average of 40 but a series average of 14. His shortcomings have been a big factor in India's inability to create scoreboard pressure.

ANDERSON TARGETS BOTHAM RECORD: James Anderson is eight wickets away from overtaking Ian Botham's record haul of 383 and becoming England's leading wicket-taker in Tests. Anderson managed five dismissals in the fourth Test to be on 376, and will back himself at the Oval. It has been a troubled series for Anderson, who at one point was facing a four-Test ban from a charge of pushing and abusing Ravindra Jadeja. He admitted it was a distraction during the second and third Tests, yet still has a series-leading 21 wickets.

WILL INDIA STICK OR TWIST? India made three changes ahead of the third Test, with opening batsman Gautam Gambhir in for Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin replacing Rohit Sharma to provide a spin option, and Varun Aaron coming in for Mohammed Shami in the bowling attack. Aaron was the most successful, taking 3-97. Ashwin bowled economically, conceding 29 runs from 14 overs but was ultimately wicketless. Gambhir made only 22 runs in his two innings opening the batting, and will undoubtedly be concerned that Dhawan, averaging 20, may regain his position. India will also be praying fast bowler Ishant Sharma is ready to return from a leg injury that saw him miss the two Tests after the victory at Lord's, where Sharma took Test-best figures of 7-74.

BROAD HAS BROKEN NOSE: Stuart Broad is expected to start for England, despite missing training on Tuesday after breaking his nose when a bouncer from Aaron crashed through his helmet and into his face during England's batting innings. Broad, who was unable to collect his man-of-the-match award for his first-innings bowling figures of 6-25, tweeted that he watched his teammates seal victory from hospital, and he would have to wear a mask at the Oval. He did not specify whether it would just be for batting.