WORLD INFO 24x7

Pomegranate juice has not been proven to be an effective treatment for cancer, heart disease or erectile dysfunction, US regulators said Monday, calling a company's ad claims deceptive.

The US Federal Trade Commission's chief administrative law judge D. Michael Chappell ruled that the company, POM Wonderful LLC, violated federal law by making deceptive claims.

The judge ordered the company to stop making claims of health effects in the absence of "competent and reliable scientific evidence."

The judge said in a 345-page decision that there was "inadequate" evidence to back up the company's superfood claims.

But the judge said the company would not have to submit to pre-approved marketing, which the FTC lawsuit had requested.

The company, a unit of the Roll International group that includes Teleflora and Fiji Water which has claimed the the FTC was interfering with speech, said this was a victory.

The company said the judge upheld the firm's "right to share valuable, scientifically validated information about the health benefits of its safe food with consumers."

The company said the FTC lawsuit "tried to create a new, stricter industry standard, similar to that required for pharmaceuticals, for marketing the health benefits inherent in safe food and natural food-based products."

"While we are still analyzing the ruling, it is clear that we will be able to continue to promote the health benefits of our safe, food products without having our advertisements, marketing or public relations efforts preapproved," said Craig Cooper, the company's chief legal officer.

POM has been in a long battle with authorities over the so-called superfood which has also been purported to help fight Alzheimer's disease and arthritis and improve sperm quality.

No.

Not even if you see an airborne swine. Not even if they’re driving a Zamboni in Hades.

When you read a rumination--or recommendation, or prediction--that President Barack Obama will replace Vice President Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton on the Democratic ticket--the odds are overwhelming that its creator was inspired by two thoughts:

1. My deadline is an hour away.

2. I got nothing.

Yes, the Weekly Standard’s William Kristol correctly notes that Clinton’s favorability ratings are very high--higher than those of Obama, Joe Biden, and Mitt Romney. And we should not lightly dismiss the predictive powers of Mr. Kristol, who asserted on Dec. 17, 2006: “Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single Democratic primary. I’ll predict that right now.”

Yes, the White House is all but publicly grousing about the way the vice president forced the president’s hand on gay marriage.

And yes, Biden has proven to be a much juicier target for the late-night comedians than the more phlegmatic President. (Jason Sudeikis’ flannel-mouthed glad-handing veep trumps Fred Armisen’s Obama).

But grab yourself a cup of decaf and ask yourself two simple questions:

First, when have presidents who are up for re-election dumped their vice-presidents, and why have they done it? The difference between the reality and the Hillary-for-Joe fantasy can be measured in light years.

Second, if Obama were to attempt this, how would he explain it? Trying to answer this question with a straight face is the best way to understand why (assuming accident or illness does not intervene) it’s not going to happen.

In more-or-less modern times, presidents have dumped their veeps three times.

Franklin Roosevelt did it in 1940. His two-term vice-president, the former House Speaker John Nance Garner, was far more conservative than his president, and had broken with him on issues like the packing of the Supreme Court. The Democratic Party’s liberal wing despised Garner. At a Congressional hearing, labor leader John L. Lewis called him "a labor-baiting, poker-playing, whiskey-drinking, evil old man." When Garner showed signs that he might challenge FDR’s nomination for a third term in office with his own presidential candidacy, the Democrats replaced him on the ticket with Henry Wallace, the secretary of agriculture. (Garner retired to Texas, his place in history assured by his famous aphorism--often censored--that the job he held was “not worth a bucket of warm piss.”

Four years later, it was Wallace’s turn to walk the plank. His liberal views on race and social justice, along with a very sympathetic attitude toward the Soviet Union, unsettled Democrats who were well aware that FDR might not survive his fourth term. Out went Wallace, in came Harry Truman. Wallace got the consolation prize of secretary of commerce, until his increasingly open hostility to Truman’s Cold War policies got him booted. In 1948, he ran for president as a member the very-left Progressive Party; he got 2.4 percent of the vote, but the 8 percent he captured in New York likely cost Truman that state, and he surely made the results in California and Ohio far closer than they otherwise would have been.

The only other example came in 1976, when Gerald Ford was facing a strong challenge to his re-nomination from Ronald Reagan. Ford had to have the support of prominent conservatives such as Strom Thurmond--and the price of their support was the dumping of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. To help Ford, Rockefeller fell on his own sword by taking himself out of the running early--in November, 1975--saying, "I didn't come down (to Washington) to get caught up in party squabbles which only make it more difficult for the president in a very difficult time, when the problems of the country require his fullest possible attention.” He left the political stage dramatically, caught on camera giving the middle-finger salute at a campaign rally; and left life even more dramatically, having given up the ghost while engaged in intercourse--perhaps social, perhaps otherwise--with a woman 45 years his junior.

(Unelected running mates have been tossed as well: George McGovern jettisoned Tom Eagleton as his running mate in 1972 after news of Eagleton’s history of depression--including electroshock therapy--emerged. And “The Passage to Power,” the new volume of Robert Caro’s Lyndon B. Johnson biography, suggests JFK might have turned elsewhere in 1964 because LBJ was no longer able to deliver a Southern state, and because journalists and Senate investigators were in hot pursuit of Johnson’s shady finances).

All of these examples, unlike Biden’s situation, involved a vice president who became anathema to a significant segment of his party. Other veeps have been retained even though they were polarizing figures: Spiro Agnew in ’72, Dan Quayle in ’92, Dick Cheney in ’04.

Which brings us to the second question.

Imagine the press conference where President Obama has to explain his decision to replace Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton. It is, to put it mildly, not likely that the press will accept at face value a Biden announcement that he has decided to step down to run Amtrak, or to retire to his beloved Scranton, Pa.

So what would the president say? That he made a mistake the first time? That he is tired of clicking on yet another website to read, “Biden later explained...”?

The one thing he could not say is what everyone what everyone with a pulse will believe: ‘I’ve concluded that my re-election will be much more likely if I run with Hillary Clinton.”


A Biden-for-Clinton switch would stamp Obama as a president who is acting just like any other politician. This perception is already eating away at the most potent appeal of his first run for the White House: that he was different from the standard political mold.  Of all the poll numbers that smother the landscape, the most troubling for Obama was the CBS/New York Times finding that--by a huge margin of 67 percent to 24 percent--voters believe he changed his position on gay marriage for political reasons. (Never mind what that tells us about how remarkably the ground has shifted on that issue).

Without question, most folks believe that anything and everything a candidate says is shaped by tactical considerations. But the public manifestly does not want to hear a candidate admit that. Remember what happened to Arlen Specter, who switched parties in 2009, explaining that becoming a Democrat would make it easier for him to be re-elected as senator from Pennsylvania? That video clip was one big reason why Specter lost the 2010 Democratic primary to Rep. Joe Sestak. For Obama to take such a momentous step to strengthen his chances for survival would, paradoxically, do him significant damage.

There’s one way to know if I’m wrong about this. If sometime in the next month or two Biden comes out for an antiabortion amendment to the Consitution, the end to collective bargaining for public employee unions, and the cutoff of all aid to Israel, it means he’s decided to give his boss the running room he would need to make the switch.

A pilot was released early Tuesday from a hospital after suffering minor injuries when his single-engine plane crashed into a neighborhood, downing power lines but avoiding homes, authorities said. No one on the ground was hurt.

The Cessna 210 struck three power poles and a tree about 8:30 p.m. Monday before slamming into the ground. The aircraft was upside down in front of a home in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale. No homes were damaged.

The pilot, whose name wasn't immediately released, managed to free himself from the twisted wreckage and suffered some arm and shoulder bruising, police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

The plane was coming from Phoenix and heading to Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, authorities said. The pilot, flying alone, reported engine trouble near El Monte Airport, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.

The pilot told air traffic controllers he would try to make it to Van Nuys Airport, Gregor said, but controllers lost contact with the plane.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, but investigators have yet to speak to the pilot, Lorenz said.

According to the FAA Registry, the plane is owned by Allen K. Heng and James Roth. Heng told KCAL-TV he learned about the crash through news reports Monday night. He said that he and Roth use the plane for pleasure and work.

About 2,100 customers near the crash site were initially without electricity because of the downed power lines, but all but 300 homes had power restored by Tuesday morning.

Lorenz said he couldn't recall a plane crashing in Glendale, a city about 10 miles north of Los Angeles, which neighbors Burbank, home to a regional airport.

"It's a low occurrence event, but it does attract a lot of attention and gets people on edge," Lorenz said.

At the Camp David G8 meeting last weekend, lip service was paid to keeping Greece in the euro zone. But economists who watch the continuing financial crisis in Europe are increasingly coming to two conclusions: Greece is likely to abandon the common euro currency now used by 17 European countries. And when it does, perhaps within a matter of months, there will be a damaging domino effect throughout much of Europe. Not all domino effects are created equal, however. And there are two possible consequences if Greece leaves the euro zone that few observers seem to have considered.

 The scenario everyone recognizes is based on Greece reviving its traditional drachma currency. What this means is that salaries and prices within Greece would be converted from euros to drachmas, and then the drachma currency would be allowed to depreciate to make the Greek economy more competitive. The problem comes with debts that are denominated in euros, especially if the lenders are outside of Greece. These lenders would naturally resist being repaid with less valuable drachmas. However, if Greek borrowers have to repay the loans with euros, the debt would become more expensive for them to pay off after the drachma is devalued.

 (PHOTOS: Protests in Athens)

 The most likely domino effect, therefore -- and the one most widely expected -- is that debts to non-Greek creditors are compromised after Greece switches to the drachma. Either there would be lawsuits over which currency to use, or borrowers would default on the loans, or the lenders would be forced to accept reductions in the amount of the loan that has to be repaid, in order to avoid outright defaults. Whichever outcome occurs, the lenders lose money. Just as in the U.S. mortgage-lending crisis, once some banks lose enough money to become troubled, the contamination spreads to other banks, because they all lend to each other.

 That's not a pleasant prospect, but at least it's fairly clear how to manage it. Greece leaves the euro zone, and its economy suffers for a couple of years but then stabilizes. With Greece gone, the rest of the euro zone could be propped up more easily. Many major banks take big losses on Greek debt. Some fail, some are taken over by stronger banks. Governments have to bail out the biggest losers. And the banking system is made sound again, although at considerable expense to taxpayers in many countries.

 (MORE: Why Portugal May Be the Next Greece)

 But what if Greece's exit from the euro zone causes other kinds of domino effects that don't have obvious precedents? The fallout could be a lot harder to control. As I see it, there are two possible scenarios that aren't getting the attention they should.

Derivatives could set off a global chain reaction. Most people have heard of the complex, "synthetic" financial securities known as derivatives, which Warren Buffett famously referred to as "financial weapons of mass destruction." In the case of bonds, these are known as credit derivatives. They include all sorts of loans secured by bonds, as well as incredibly complicated vehicles that amount to insurance policies if the bonds default. No one really knows how much of this stuff is sloshing around the international financial system, but the total value for all types of bonds was estimated at more than $50 trillion in 2008 and has continued to grow rapidly since then. Trouble is, if the bonds underlying these derivatives become questionable, all the derivatives become uncertain, too, even if they add up to far more than the value of the bonds themselves. Moreover, some of the synthetic investments based on Greek bonds could be governed by Greek law, some by British law (if anything originated in London), and some by U.S. law (if Wall Street was involved).

 (MORE: Is a Greek Exit from the Euro Inevitable?)

 What if one legal system accepts the conversion of euro loans into drachmas and another one doesn't? Everything could be thrown into the courts for months. Even worse, if synthetic investments secured by Greek bonds become untrustworthy, why would anyone trust similarly complex investments involving Spanish bonds or Italian bonds?

 The result of a meltdown in the world of derivative investments could cause far more chaos than simple bond defaults, not least because it would be almost impossible to figure out who owed how much to whom.

Greece recovers quickly and all the other troubled countries want out of the euro zone too. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the possibility that Greece abandons the euro and bounces back surprisingly fast. Paradoxically, that could cause another sort of disaster. Both Argentina and Iceland suffered currency collapses, and after a horrible year or two, both rebounded and were better off than if they had fought to save a failing currency. Analysts point out that both countries were big exporters of grain, meat or fish, and that sales boomed after currencies were devalued. But Greece, in its own way, could profit from a similar recovery -- a rebound in tourism. A 30% drop in the exchange rate might make a vacation in Greece the best deal in years.

 (MORE: The Future of Oil: The Environmental and Economic Costs of New Exploration)

 So why would that be bad? Think of what it would mean for the other countries in the euro zone. How could the Italian government persuade its people of the need for higher taxes or the Spanish government explain soaring unemployment if Greece were obviously better off outside of the euro zone. Result: The entire European Union might unravel, with financial consequences many times greater than those resulting from Greece alone.

 I'm certainly not predicting an extreme, doomsday scenario as the most likely outcome of a Greek exit. But it is important to realize just how unpredictable this situation is. In my own stock portfolio, I eliminated all the banks a long time ago and have largely stuck with financially strong companies that deal in essential goods -- such as oil & gas, consumer staples and pharmaceuticals. The euro created a financial entity comparable in scale to the U.S., and if it gets into serious trouble the financial effects could be world-shaking.

A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over the quality of food and drinking water in trains and at stations and has suggested several steps to address the issue.

 The parliamentary standing committee on railways, in its report submitted Monday, asked the railways to carry out surprise inspections to check sale of unlabelled water bottles, and also suggested putting in place a scientific quality control mechanism to regulate quality of food sold at stations and inside trains.

 The panel recalled several instances during study visits when it found use of normal tap water stored in tanks, supply of water bottles without labels of their manufacturing and expiry dates and even unsealed water bottles.

 The panel has said that use of RO system to purify drinking water be made mandatory at all the railway stations so passengers can get clean drinking water.

 It has also asked the national transporter to address each complaint in a time-bound manner and has said defaulting contractors should be made to pay heavy penalties and there should be a provision to blacklist them.

 It further asked the railways to expedite the design modules of mega and medium base kitchens at stations to supply packaged food to passengers.

The finance ministry will provide Rs 38,500 crore as cash subsidy to oil retailers for selling diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG cylinder below cost in the fourth quarter of 2011-12.

The oil ministry had asked for Rs 49,870 crore as compensation for the revenue losses suffered by IOC, BPCL and HPCL in the fourth quarter.

"The finance ministry has agreed to give Rs 38,500-crore compensation for the January-March quarter," a senior oil ministry official said.

The payout is in addition to the Rs 45,000 crore the three PSU retailers got for the first nine months of the last fiscal.

Between April and December last year, ONGC, Oil India and GAIL had contributed Rs 36,894 crore to fuel subsidy and will provide another Rs 18,106 crore in the fourth quarter.

"The share of upstream firms in total under-recoveries works out to be 39.7 per cent. In 2010-11, they had borne 36.75 per cent of the under-recoveries," the official said.

"This will impact the profitability of the upstream firms and their investment plans," a senior official of an upstream firm said.

State-owned oil firms lost Rs 81,192 crore on the sale of diesel in 2011-12, Rs 27,352 crore on kerosene and Rs 29,997 crore on domestic LPG.

The PSU retailers also suffered losses amounting to Rs 4,890 crore on the sale of petrol, the price of which has not been raised since December in spite of it being decontrolled in June 2010.

The oil marketing firms had to pay interests amounting to Rs 4,800 crore because of a delay in the payment of subsidy by the government.

"So in effect, the share of oil marketing firms would be the loss they suffered on the sale of petrol and the interest outgo," he said, adding that the oil ministry had asked for Rs 49,870 crore to compensate the three firms.

Upstream firms have been asked to shell out an additional Rs 1,640 crore ' over the Rs 53,360-crore indicated earlier ' as their share of the subsidy burden.

The cash subsidy and assistance from upstream oil companies will make up for almost all of the Rs 138,541-crore revenue loss, the official said.

"Without this, the three companies would have for sure posted huge losses."

While the global crude prices are on a downward curve, the depreciation of the rupee and increasing demand for petroleum products could result in state-owned oil firms suffering a revenue loss of Rs 208,000 crore in the current financial year.

The government today proposed a clutch of measures to unearth black money such as having fast-track courts, mandatory reporting of high-value overseas deals and encouraging the use of credit and debit cards but virtually ruled out tax immunity schemes.

The white paper on black money tabled by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha favoured a strategic mix of four pillars that comprises incentives for voluntary compliance, reforms in vulnerable sectors of the economy, creating effective credible deterrence and supportive measures.

The report does not give out any names of black money holders or estimates of such funds either in the country or outside but refers to estimates made earlier by various domestic and foreign entities.

Improving the reporting and monitoring systems to track bullion and jewellery transactions and simple reporting systems in real estate deals to facilitate the development of a nationwide database were also urgently proposed.

Citing the Vodafone case as an instance of the misuse of the corporate structure to avoid the payment of taxes, the white paper justified the recent amendment to the income tax act to check the avoidance of tax by routing investments through tax havens.

Referring to the demands for the introduction of a voluntary disclosure scheme to bring black money stashed abroad, the document said such a measure could be a one-time option. However, the government may not implement the scheme as this will be a disincentive to honest tax payers.

The paper also favoured the setting up of Lokpals and Lokayuktas to tackle the menace of illicit money.

However, the Lokpal bill is stuck in Parliament and has been referred to the standing committee on finance.

The government has also deferred the implementation of the General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR), which seeks to plug loopholes for fund flows into India. GAAR was deferred as markets tanked after it was announced and several industry chambers sought its postponement.

The Opposition, led by the BJP, has been accusing the government of going slow on the black money probe.

The white paper said that illicit cash was being re-invested by Indians through participatory notes in the local stock market and through global depository receipts issued by some Indian companies.

Indian residents are also carrying out substantial money transactions through foreign entities, with established businesses in India, which include banks, financial institutions and fund transfer entities.

In the absence of any system to monitor such international money transfer through global financial entities in India, the paper has suggested that "all overseas transactions above a threshold should be reported to the authorities".

This is in tune with the Patriot Act of the US under which global financial transactions above a threshold by or with Americans get reported to the law enforcement agencies such as the IRS and the FBI, said industry experts.

The document has also supported coaxing tax havens such as Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Bahamas into helping the Indian government to track undeclared money abroad.

"Reforming financial and real estate sectors would help in reducing generation of black money in the long term as freeing of gold imports had helped in checking smuggling," said Rajkumar Dhoot, president of Assocham.

According to the white paper, black money has been defined as assets or resources that have neither been reported to the public authorities at the time of their generation nor disclosed at any point of time during their possession.

Investment in property is a common means of parking unaccounted money. To curb this, the paper has suggested that the government should bring in a provision of deducting tax at source on real estate transactions and a 5 per cent uniform property tax across the country. Officials said a consensus had to be built with the states.

The document has also proposed measures to prevent the misuse of "off-market" and "dabba-trading", or trading outside the recognised stock exchanges. It suggested losses in off-market share transactions be set off only against profits derived from such transactions.

The south-west monsoon, crucial for agricultural operations, will reach Karnataka in June's first week and become active from second week, a senior academician said Monday.

 "Monsoon will set in Karnataka during June first week and remain active from second week. It is expected to be normal this year as per data available with the local meteorology department," M.B. Raje Gowda, professor of agro-climate at Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK), told reporters here.

 Picking up momentum in July, the monsoon season will extend till September resulting in widespread rainfall across the state over the next three-four months.

 "The state is expected to receive an average rainfall of 85 cm or 34 inches during the monsoon, which is good for sowing operations. Farmers dependent on monsoon rains, should opt for long duration crops such as sunflower, groundnut, ragi, maize and red gram," Gowda said.

 As part of the state-run University of Agricultural Sciences, the GKVK provides timely information to farmers and other stakeholders on farming and allied activities to boost food production and prevent crop losses in the event of drought or floods.

 "Sugarcane growers should take up sowing in July and those farmers wanting to grow short-duration crops can take up sowing in August when moisture content in the soil will be higher due to increase in water table as a result of good rainfall," Gowda noted.

 Ahead of the monsoon season, the state agriculture department has set a target of 7.5 million hectares of farm land for cultivation this fiscal (2012-13), including 300,000 hectares of land where sowing has been completed in coastal and south interior regions.

 "The department has distributed 623,000 kg of seeds to 42,000 farmers at 50 percent subsidy and 188,000 tonnes of fertiliser across the state till May 15. Remaining quantity of seeds (207,000 kg) will be distributed over the next two-three months," Gowda noted.

 The department has a buffer stock of about 700,000 tonnes of fertiliser for distribution during the monsoon season and has applied to the central government for an additional supply of 1.6 million tonnes of fertiliser for the entire season.

As part of National Small Business Week, Cleveland, Ohio-based KeyBank and Los Angeles-based Open Bank will each receive a 2012 7(a) Lender of the Year Award by the Small Business Administration on Monday in Washington. (The SBA's flagship lending program is known as 7(a).)

KeyBank is being honored as the large bank that supported the most jobs with its SBA lending, making the most loans and loaning the most dollars to underserved markets and utilizing the most SBA programs. Meanwhile, Open Bank is receiving the accolade as the small bank that approved the most loans and dollars. It also was recognized for approving the second highest number of loans to underserved markets.

Of course, getting a loan from a bank is no cakewalk these days, particularly for small businesses. So, we asked those banks, which make it their business to lend to small business, how entrepreneurs can increase their chances of securing loan dollars.

Here, they share the top four mistakes business owners make when applying for a loan -- and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Underestimating the value of personal credit. Bankers look at your personal credit history (credit cards, mortgage payments and personal bills) to get a sense of your track record with financial responsibilities, says Michael Toth, Senior Vice President of Business Banking at KeyBank. “If a business owner hasn’t shown the diligence in managing their personal credit, there is potentially a stronger likelihood that they will take the same approach to their business credit,” he says.

Related: Happy Small Business Week: Time to Shine in D.C.

Mistake #2: Applying for the wrong type of loan. One of the most notable pitfalls Toth sees is small business owners using credit intended for a short period of time for a long-term purchase, or vice versa. “They will use the wrong type of credit product for the wrong type of purpose,” says Toth. For example, if you buy a piece of machinery with a loan that was intended to fill a short-term need like employee payroll, then you risk being saddled with a loan that you can’t get out from under.

Mistake #3: Expecting a loan without collateral or a plan to pay it back. A banker won’t approve a loan that he doesn’t think has a chance of getting paid back. So be sure to detail in your business plan how you are going to make the revenue to pay the loan back or any collateral you have to back it up. Also, be sure to explain why the loan is critical for your business. “Make sure there is a solid business plan as to what they are planning to do with their business and how the financing will support the mission for the company,” says Toth.

Related: SBA Chief Karen G. Mills on the Small-Business Lending Comeback (Video)

Mistake #4: Waiting too long to approach a banker. Small business banking is about relationships. Toth says there's a much better chance bankers will lend you money when you need it, if they already know who you are and what your business is. Not only will you develop that face-to-face relationship, but you will also have the opportunity go get your business financials organized and in shape with a banker’s eye in mind.

Readers, what helped you get a loan from a bank? Leave a comment below.

Foreign investors showed increased interest in India's unutilised corporate bonds auction given the rising yields and easing forward dollar rates, but they showed more muted interest at a similar auction for federal debt, four market sources said.

"The 10-year corporate bond yield has been rising and is at an attractive level, while the government bond yield has not been rising much. So the corporate bond auction saw better response," said a foreign bank dealer.

The 10-year corporate bond yield was at 9.38 percent, up one basis point from Friday, while the 10-year federal bond yield also rose 1 basis point, ending at 8.54 percent.

The 10-year government bond yield has steadily fallen this month to as low as 8.47 percent on May 16 from a high of 8.70 percent at start of May, while the corporate bond yield has been hovering steady around 9.40 percent this month.

The stock market regulator auctioned 39.29 billion rupees in corporate bonds without any tenure restrictions. This limit was over-subscribed at 58.41 billion rupees from 28 bids.

The cut-off on this old category of corporate bonds came in at 0.135 percent compared with 0.055 percent in last month's auction.

The amount auctioned in government bonds under the old category, which had no restriction on its tenure of investment, was 30.28 billion rupees, attracting 15 bids worth 33.99 billion rupees.

The cut-off on government bonds under the old category was 0.0155 percent, lower than the 0.0321 percent in its previous auction.

The market regulator also sold 28.02 billion rupees of long-term government bonds, where foreign investors could only buy papers with tenures of more than five-years. This limit was under-subscribed at 18.75 billion rupees from 10 bids.

The cut-off on the long-term government bonds was almost nil at 0.000036 percent versus 0.0001 percent in its April auction.

The rupee fell to a new record low of 55.09 to the dollar, its fifth consecutive all-time low, as arbitrage measures taken by the RBI late on Monday provided only a brief sentiment boost.

At 10:05 a.m., the partially convertible rupee traded at 54.95/00 per dollar, rebounding from the record low and strengthening from its close of 55.03/04 on Monday.

Traders said some exporters were selling dollars in the market, limiting a steeper fall, but the overall bias is still towards a weaker rupee.

In a classic reversal of a situation a few years ago, Australian universities now stand to benefit from the recent tightening of student visa rules and a drastic fall in enrolments in Britain from India.

British universities have experienced a fall of more than 30 percent in Indian enrolments while the percentage of the number of enrolments and visa grants for Australia is reported to be in three figures.

The number of Indian student visa applications for Australia has gone up by a whopping 120 percent in the last nine months while the number of visa grants has also improved by nearly 80 percent in the same period.

Eric Thomas, president of Universities UK - the representative organisation for Britain's universities - has reportedly written to British Prime Minister David Cameron, warning that the immigration changes could cost the country as much as five billion pounds ($8 billion) in tuition fees alone.

The recent immigration crackdown is reported to have led to Indian students shunning British universities.

Besides Australia, the Canadian and European universities and vocational training institutes are also benefitting from international students looking for overseas options other than Britain.

In a similar scenario a few years back, Indian students had shunned Australian education providers after the country tightened immigration rules.

The massive decline in Australia's number two source for international students, India, led to the Australian government ordering a review of the enrolment and student visa process.

Among other recommendations, a former New South Wales minister, Michael Knight, had pressed for a post-study work visa for international students in his "Strategic Review of the Student Visa Programme 2011" report.

British authorities, on the other hand, have abolished Post Study Work Scheme for international students. Many critics of the immigration curbs consider this as the single-most damaging of a "multitude of recent policy changes".

Indian students seem to be have reacted negatively to the denial of work rights in Britain as the number of applications for British student visas from India and other South Asian countries is on a sharp decline.

To make it worse for international students interested in working while studying in Britain, the Cameron government has also removed work rights for most private college students. Work rights for other students were also reduced to just 10 hours a week.

Australia and other countries under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) wooing international students are much more liberal as far as work rights for international students are concerned.

The ongoing economic gloom affecting Britain and other European countries is also forcing some Indian students to study in safer havens like Australia and New Zealand where unemployment rates are much lower.

Isolated North Korea stepped up its war of words against the United States on Tuesday, vowing to boost its nuclear deterrent after Washington warned Pyongyang of further sanctions if it did not abandon its atomic programme.

 The North's foreign ministry spokesman said via the official KCNA news agency that it would "bolster its nuclear deterrent as long as the United States was continuing with its hostile policies" and that it planned "countermeasures" following pressure from Washington.

 Last week, world leaders meeting in the United States said the isolated North needed to adhere to international norms on nuclear issues and said it would face more isolation if it "continues down the path of provocation".

 Under new leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea launched a long range rocket in April, breaking an agreement with the United States that would have traded food aid for access to its nuclear facilities, among other things.

 Many experts now believe the reclusive North is preparing for a third nuclear test, and could even use highly enriched uranium for the first time. Experts say the North already has enough fissile material from plutonium for at least six nuclear bombs.

 U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies told reporters in Seoul on Monday that North Korea could expect "a swift and sure" reaction by the international community if it undertook further hostile actions.

 Davies was holding talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday.

 China is North Korea's sole major economic and diplomatic backer and even it has put pressure on Pyongyang to back down on plans for a nuclear test.

 Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, was sceptical that the latest rhetoric from Pyongyang signalled a nuclear test was imminent. "North Korea is simply saying: Don't agitate or provoke us," he said.

 Recent satellite imagery published by IHS Jane's Defence Weekly, a specialist defence publication, showed there had been more work at the site of previous nuclear tests that could indicate the North was preparing for its third nuclear test.

 The Janes analysis showed mining carts and excavation equipment as well more debris from inside a tunnel that could be used for a third nuclear test.

 "A third nuclear test by North Korea would be the latest move in restarting its nuclear weapons programme, which it agreed to mothball in a 29 February deal with the U.S.," said Janes analyst James Hardy.

 Since the death of Kim Jong-il in December, Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, has shown he will continue with his father's hardline "military first" policy.

Global automotive giant Ford Motor Company will spend $250,000 on the education, safety, environment and health and welfare of the seven village communities around its plant near here, a top company official said Tuesday.

"We have got a grant of $250,000 from Ford Motor Company Fund managing the initiative Operation Goodwill in partnership with its international grant maker, the Global Giving Foundation. In the first phase, we will be spending $125,000 on the four ares of our focus through three non-governmental organisations (NGO)," Michael Boneham, the company's president and managing director, told reporters here.

Ford has a plant at Maraimalainagar, around 50 km from here. The move is part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

According to Boneham, the company will run the programme with the assistance of Global Giving, local NGOs, volunteers and employees of Ford India and Ford Global Business Services.

He said Ford's subsidiaries in India - Ford India and Ford Global Business Services - have been carrying out CSR activities through their employees all these years and as the grant is received for the first time it was decided to rope in NGOs who are focussed on these areas.

He said the three NGOs will have to complete their projects within a year and there are strict monitoring mechanisms.

"We will make a separate announcement as to the remaining amount of the grant," he said.

According to him, the grant under the Operation Goodwill programme of Ford Motor Company Fund is one time as of now.

The three NGOs that will be executing the projects on behalf of Ford are Aid India, Society for Technology and Advancement for Rural Action (TARA) and Society for Poor Peoples Development (SPPD).

One of the projects under the grant includes setting up 20 after-school tutoring centres near Ford's factory to coach government school students. The project will be executed by Aid India.

"The objective is to ensure that every child achieves basic outcomes in language, maths, English and science and gets prepared to face the world with confidence. We will train teachers who will train the students," Balaji Sampath, secretary of Aid India, said.

"We are going to reach out to 14 schools in seven villages where we will be providing access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities through installation of 14 water filters and 14 toilets for the girl students. The average student population per school is around 700 and we hope to benefit around 3,000 girl students through our toilets," Meghna Das, manager, environmental programme, TARA, said.

She said a need assessment will have to be done during the first six months and the project execution - building of toilets and others - would take another six months.

On its part, SPPD would train women in the age group 18-45 in the seven villages in tailoring so that they can get good jobs in garment units or they can become entrepreneurs, said its secretary J.Raju.

NATO leaders have endorsed President Barack Obama's plan for the withdrawal of the US-led international military force from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 in the midst of a decade long war.

NATO leaders were leaving Chicago with "a clear road map" to bring the war in Afghanistan to a "responsible end," Obama said during a news conference Monday at the end of the two-day summit focused on the future of Afghanistan.

"We're now unified behind a plan to responsibly wind down the war in Afghanistan," he said calling the decision a "major step" toward the end of the war.

But Obama acknowledged that "real challenges" remained in dealing with the problems across the border in Pakistan, and that the conference had not resolved the impasse over reopening supply lines or the other tensions about the fight against insurgents operating from safe havens there.

"We think that Pakistan has to be part of the solution in Afghanistan," he said. "Neither country is going to have the kind of security, stability and prosperity that it needs unless they can resolve some of these outstanding issues.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he expected an agreement soon for Pakistan to reopen its border with Afghanistan to military shipments of departing NATO forces, which would resolve a sticky issue in planning the withdrawal of foreign forces.

"So far, the closure of the transit routes has not had a major impact on our operations," Rasmussen said, but added the transit routes were very important and that he expected their reopening "in the very near future."

Pakistan closed the ground routes after a NATO airstrike in November killed two dozen of its soldiers. NATO insists the incident was an accident. Obama offered his condolences but refused to apologize.

The United States and Pakistan have not come to an agreement on the price of reopening the supply lines, CNN said citing senior administration officials.

The exit strategy which is backed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, calls for handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces in 2013, then withdrawing foreign forces the following year.

After that, a new and different NATO mission will advise, train and assist the expected 350,000-strong Afghanistan force, Rasmussen said.

The crisis in Air India raged on for the 15th day Tuesday and the national carrier's losses mounted to Rs.250 crore as the impasse between agitating pilots and the management continued.

'The loss due to ticket cancellations, unused labour and with the bulk of our Boeing-777 fleet grounded now stands at Rs.250 crore. Our losses per day have come down from Rs.13-15 crore to Rs.10-11 crore due to the contingency plan,' a senior official of Air India's operations arm told IANS in New Delhi.

'Under the contingency plan for international operations, we are operating a bare minimum number of international operations by clubbing flights to destinations in Europe and the US,' he said

According to the official, the agitating pilots, who are on a mass sick leave, are mandated to get a medical check-up done by a board of doctors from the Indian Air Force on immediate notice.

'They (pilots) will be checked by Indian Air Force doctors. We are awaiting the issuance of notices to them. If they clear it and are actually sick, then it is valid, but if they fail the test and come out to be absolutely fine, then they can either join back or resign,' the official said.

The government may also further curtail Air India's international operations if the strike continues.

'There is a proposal to further curtail international operations if they (pilots) do not come back or if they are joined by the executive class of pilots. If we don't have pilots, how can we flyIJ' said the official.

The development comes a day after the management sacked 30 more pilots. The total number of sacked pilots now stand at 101.

To mitigate losses and to win back passenger trust, the airline on its part has started a special scheme whereby passengers can advance, postpone or cancel their tickets without any extra charges till May 22.

The airline has deployed the Airbus family of aircraft such as A320, A321 and A330 for international routes.

It is operating only eight of its 17 Boeing-777 aircraft which are normally manned by the pilots belonging to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), who are now on strike.

Trouble started for the airline May 8 when pilot-members of the IPG took mass sick leave, protesting the management move to provide Boeing-787 Dreamliner training to pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines.

The pilots have made four demands which include exclusive flying rights on Boeing 787 aircraft, payment of arrears from 2007 onwards, travel on first class when not working, and the right to be promoted as commanders within six years.

The beautiful Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha, who swayed hearts with her ethnic appearance in her first film DABANGG, would be once again seen in a desi avatar in the upcoming film ROWDY RATHORE. In fact her other ventures like SON OF SARDAR, LOOTERA and DABANGG sequel will also see her in a typical Indian role.


Ask Sonakshi if playing quintessential Indian girl comes easy to her and she says, "I don't have any specifications while choosing a role. I chose roles a) I believe that I would fit the character b) If the audience would like to see me playing that particular character c) If I want to be part of the film or not. So far I may have only played such characters but it's only my second year in the industry and I have a long way to go and explore many things."

Although Sonakshi is playing similar kind of roles, she is unfazed of being typecast. She says, "I like such characters. They are very different in spite of being in the same Indian space... Moreover, I get enough opportunities in my Ads, in my shows, in my events to wear western outfits."

Having said that, Sonakshi would consider playing western roles if the particular character and film interests her. "Basically for me if the entire package is very good - like the film, the script, the director and producer and if I like the role and can carry off it well I would definitely consider it," says Sonakshi.

Where many an actresses have no inhibitions shedding clothes and exposing on-screen, Sonakshi has her reservations donning a bikini or doing intimate scenes. "I am not open to don a Bikini or doing intimate scenes," declares Sonakshi.

On asking about her apprehensions, Sonakshi immediately replies, "I have been brought up in a certain way. I have certain restrictions that I follow. I don't really feel to change it because if the audience has accepted me fully clothed why would I resort to."

When cited an example of Vidya Balan's bold portrayal in THE DIRTY PICTURE, Sonakshi candidly admits she has no audacity to pull off such kind of role.

"It was a great film to watch. The performance which Vidya Balan gave was fantastic. I respect her so much as an actress after that film. But it really takes guts to do something like that and I don't believe I'll be able to pull it off with that ease with the restrictions I have in my life."

Telugu super star Balakrishna is all set to do a direct Tamil film now. The star will soon start working on Varuvan Thalaivan, a bilingual being made in both Tamil and Telugu. The first look of the film was recently released in Chennai. The film is directed by debutant Sekarraja and also has Manoj Manchu in prominent role. The film is produced by Lakshmi Manchi, daughter of veteran actor-filmmaker Mohanbabu. Varuvan Thalaivan's audio launch is likely to take place in Chennai in June and the film will hit screens in July.

The 21st May evening at the Cannes India Pavilion was dedicated to Anurag Kashyap and his film GANGS OF WASSEYPUR. The director talked about the origin of the idea and the significance of a mainstream Indian film making it to the Directors' Fortnight selection. Viacom 18 has been emphasising this fact in its press releases probably to avoid the 'art house film' tag that be quite damaging to a film's business prospects in India.


The throng of visitors at the India Pavilion were offered the gift of GANGS OF WASSEYPUR 'Gamchas'. While speaking on the occasion Kahsyap said that his film was not ready but on the insistence of Directors' Fortnight officials he tried to finish the editing yet it would require further finishing touches before its commercial release. The much-awaited screening of the 320 minutes two-part crime saga will happen today at Theatre Croisette J.W Marriott. The film's cast and crew are expected to be present in full strength at the screening including Manoj Bajpai, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film will be distributed in India by Viacom 18 and its international sales is handled by Elle Driver.

Bollywood shahanshah Amitabh Bachchan will be soon seen making his Hollywood debut in THE GREAT GATSBY alongside stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire.


The trailer of Warner Bros. Pictures' and Village Roadshow Pictures' THE GREAT GATSBY, the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel from the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann launches early morning tomorrow. The filmmaker will create his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before.

Big B plays a character of Meyer Wolfsheim, a Jewish money lender in the film. It is Bachchan's maiden Hollywood outing and while he makes a friendly appearance in the film, he is prominently visible in the trailer.

Big posted on his blog, "So finally we hear from Warner Bros., about the publicity for 'The Great Gatsby'. They say it should start with some still photographs in the Indian media and from LA in a couple of days. Does that mean that the film release is being looked at for the end of year? I wonder! Starting early!"

Adds Big B further, "And before you all start punching me for my minuscule participation in the film, may I just say that it was more out of a friendly gesture, than a desire towards furthering my career. And it is a bit co incidental that just yesterday we spoke of Leonardo di and Tobey ji and here we are coming to learn through their mail to me that its all beginning !!!"

It is a well-known fact that smoking is banned in all public places in India. However, Shah Rukh Khan, being a chain-smoker has been spotted at various events puffing away. Well, someone has decided to take action against the RA.One actor.

 The Rajasthan Police today sent a notice to Khan asking him to appear in a Jaipur court. A complaint was made against the actor after he was seen smoking during an IPL match at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh stadium in April this year, by a Jaipur resident, Anand Singh Rathore.

 Rathore was quoted saying, "Shah Rukh Khan is idolized by his fans, some even patterning themselves after him and so when he was lighting up in public; this sets the wrong signal."

 Shah Rukh was embroiled in the Wankhede scuffle only a week back, with the actor being banned from the stadium for 5 years by the MCA. Looks like this year’s IPL is turning out to be a good one for his team, but a controversial one for him!

Shahid Kapoor seems to have hit jackpot! The actor who has impressed one and all with amazing performances in films such as Jab We Met, Ishq Vishk, Kaminey and the likes has apparently bagged a role in the much awaited Wanted 2.

 Prabhu Deva, the director of the Salman Khan starrer Wanted, was so impressed by Shahid's talent and personality at a recent press conference for IIFA awards, that he signed him up for the much talked-about sequel. Also, Kapoor also has the upcoming Kunal Kohli film Teri Meri Kahaani opposite Priyanka Chopra up for release. Looks like the actor whose last film Mausam failed miserably at the box-office, is anticipating good times!

Stockholm is an international city - the array of bars and restaurants in Sweden's capital are testament to that, referencing Cuban daiquiris, Japanese sake cocktails and everything in between.

 Yet only a handful feature the fine local liqueur known as Swedish Punsch, a sweetened and spiced rum-like spirit made with Batavia Arrack.

 "It's an acquired taste," comments Magnus Sundström, a Stockholm-based creative professional and cocktail enthusiast.

 "I think that many Swedish people find it too sweet." The traditional way to consume Swedish Punsch is alongside yellow pea soup, on Thursdays.

 If Swedes are drinking less of their namesake punch, at least it's getting a boost elsewhere thanks to the revival of pre-Prohibition cocktail recipes that call for the ingredient. In the last year, American tipplers regained access to Swedish Punsch under the Kronan label, thanks to quirky importer Haus Alpenz. (Ironically, the brand is made but not sold in Sweden.)

 Within Stockholm, Swedish Punsch can be spotted here and there, such as in the tiki-style Caribbean Tango cocktail at Story Hotel (http://www.storyhotels.com/) (recipe below).

 But there's also a whole tirade of tippling to be had in Stockholm beyond Punsch.

 "Over the last couple of years, the number of cocktail bars and the quality of the cocktails has increased a lot, and people have begun to understand and appreciate it," Sundström notes.

 With hotels as their home base, travellers are in luck: "Some hotel bars are really good, so business travellers don't have to go outside if they don't want to," Sundström says.

 In particular, he points to Lydmar Hotel (http://www.lydmar.com/),

 First Hotel Reisen (http://bit.ly/Kff17A), Nobis Hotel (http://www.nobishotel.se/) and Scandic Grand Central (http://www.scandichotels.com/grandcentral) as shining examples.

 Around stylish Stureplan, "where the rich and famous hang out," many of the restaurants densely clustered around the square offer choice tippling options, says Sundström. For example, Gondolen (http://www.eriks.se/), noted for its expansive views and classic cuisine, is "very popular among both tourists and natives."

 Other suggestions include French-Swedish restaurant Sturehof (http://www.sturehof.com/sv-se/start/) and its sister Riche (http://riche.se/sv-se/start/), sake- or shochu-spiked cocktails at pan-Asian East (http://east.se/), or steakhouse Vassa eggen (http://www.vassaeggen.com/). In addition, the private Noppe Bar (Ingmar Bergmans gata 1, 114 34) counts the Swedish royal family among its elite membership.

 Elsewhere, after-work spots include New Orleans-inspired Marie Laveau (http://www.marielaveau.se/) and its companion bar Little Quarter (http://marielaveau.se/little-quarter), as well as the South American inspired Cantineros (http://cantineros.se/), where rums and South American distillates (cachaca, mezcal) round out the drink menu.

 In an evening's round of drinks, it's possible to tipple around the world without ever leaving Stockholm.

 RECIPE: CARIBBEAN TANGO

 Courtesy of Story Hotel

 Story Hotel describes this drink as "a tribute to the tiki style of drinks, but with a different touch from Jamaica to France to Sweden." It was created by bartender Jimmi Hulth. 30ml Myers rum, plus additional Tablespoon for float 15ml Sailor Jerry Spiced rum 10ml Swedish Punsch 5ml Benedictine D.O.M 5ml Cointreau 15ml Sugar Syrup 30ml Freshly squeezed lime juice 1 Scoop homemade mango sorbet Shake all ingredients except mango sorbet with lots of solid ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a double-old fashioned glass or a small tiki cup glass with new solid ice cubes. Add the mango sorbet on top of the drink and garnish with mint sprigs and a float of Myers rum.

A new production of Verdi's "Falstaff" at the Royal Opera features a big man on a big horse, and it could only flop if the Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri could not sing the title role, which is manifestly not the case.

 Maestri, who has sung Shakespeare's rotund knight as portrayed in Verdi's last opera to high praise in opera houses around the world, reprises his speciality in a new production by Canadian director Robert Carsen that is a bit like "Falstaff" meets the 1950s sitcoms "I Love Lucy" and "The Honeymooners", but with Italian conductor Daniel Gatti in the pit and a mostly strong supporting cast, delivers the goods.

 Updated to the 1950s from the Elizabethan England of the Shakespeare plays it is based on, the production which opened last week and will play on big outdoor screens around Britain on May 30, features an almost blindingly yellow 1950s-period kitchen in one scene extending the entire width of the stage.

 The kitchen belongs to Alice Ford, one of the wealthy women the proud but impecunious Falstaff is trying to seduce for love and profit, and it may be the most in-your-face set at Covent Garden since a production of Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" a few years ago outfitted the witch's kitchen with gleaming chrome designer ovens and a freezer locker where the children she intended to bake were suspended on racks.

 Carsen has transferred a gossipy garden scene to a swanky restaurant and brings a real horse, eating real hay, on stage in the last act because, Carsen told Reuters, Falstaff is meant to be dressed up as a hunter, and so must have a mount, and the horse does its bit to keep up the eating theme that runs from the opening curtain to the finale.

 With its cast of scheming and upwardly mobile women, a bit like the character Lucille Ball played in her 1950s sitcom, and with an indelibly memorable fat man, like Jackie Gleason as the overweight bus driver Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymooners", Carsen hardly seems far from the mark when he describes his "Falstaff" as "a situation comedy, and in many ways it's like the first musical, too".

 Carsen even has a response for anyone who has seen the last act before, in which the fat knight is tormented by the rest of the cast dressed up as fairies and elves who he thinks will destroy him because he has intruded on their midnight revels around a tree in Windsor Forest called Herne's Oak.

 In this production, there's no tree, and the stage instead is covered with tables pushed together to serve for a banquet.

 "It is true that the last act is supposed to take place beside something called Herne's Oak but we decided to make the entire production out of Herne's Oak - the entire show is made out of oak panelling from beginning to end. The panelling, the floor, the wall and all the furniture. Herne's Oak is there the entire way through."

 All this, Carsen told Reuters, is in the interest of finding "one thing which lets you into the work".

 "And I think with the audience it was really a wonderful reception," he added.

 MIXED VERDICT

 The critics delivered a mixed verdict, with some complaining that the production is so busy and madcap that it sometimes gives the music short shrift, while others said Carsen and cast had done a creditable job.

 "The audience may have loved the Fords' Good Housekeeping dream kitchen and a real horse that Falstaff rides into Windsor Forest, but these were only amusing gimmicks. Otherwise it was all routine stuff, with a particularly disappointing hash made of the great last scene," Rupert Christiansen wrote in The Daily Telegraph.

 "Carsen has a musical grasp of the piece...and he understands that Falstaff is more than a romp," wrote Martin Kettle in The Guardian.

 At the centre of it all is Falstaff and no one would deny that Maestri fits the bill. He is so large that he barely needs padding for the role, and in publicity materials he expressed concern not so much about having to share the stage with a live horse as for the damage he might inflict on the poor steed when he mounted it. Fortunately, the horse is a sturdy one and showed no ill effects.

 Since its premiere at La Scala in Milan in 1893, "Falstaff" has attracted some of the world's greatest baritones to the lead role, among them the late Italian Giuseppe Taddei and the German Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who died last week.

 Maestri brings a somewhat laid back approach to the part, but from the opening scene when he is trying to figure out a way to pay for his last banquet which includes "a brace of pheasants and an anchovy", to the finale when he has been made to seem foolish but human, he truly embraces the role.

 "Maestri may lack the vocal allure of some of his predecessors," Kettle wrote in the Guardian, "but he is confident and sympathetic, subtle of tone when needed, and certainly looks the part when he goes wooing in his full hunting regalia.".

 Maestri is looking forward to singing in Carsen's production in Milan in January when it opens La Scala's 200th birthday tribute season to Verdi in an opera house that is notorious for rough and swift verdicts on productions or singers the audience does not find to its taste.

 "I like the production very much because I think it fits for the audiences of today, it probably gets across what Verdi and the librettist wanted to say more than if it were a more traditional production," Maestri said.

 "But I think at La Scala the young people will like it much more than the older generation."

 ("Falstaff" in rotation at Covent Garden through May 30 www.roh.org.uk)

Brad Pitt's latest movie paints a bleak picture of the broken American dream, blending a violent but comic gangster story with overt criticism of politicians' failure to address the economic crisis.

 "Killing Them Softly" takes place in an unspecified U.S. city which has borne the brunt of the financial collapse -- houses are abandoned, shops are shuttered and petty criminals and mobsters alike are struggling to get by.

 The movie, co-produced by Pitt, is in the main competition at the Cannes film festival this year, and has its red carpet world premiere on Tuesday.

 Pitt plays ruthless hitman Jackie Cogan, brought in by a syndicate of mafia bosses to eliminate a group of thieves who raid a high-stakes poker game.

 The title derives from his insistence on avoiding unnecessary pain and suffering when he carries out his killings.

 It features gangster movie mainstays Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini, and reunites Pitt with New Zealand-born director Andrew Dominik after the two collaborated on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford".

 The political message of the film is unavoidable. News channels play in the background in bars and on the radio in cars, and the topic of debate is invariably the financial crisis, political failure, greed and shattered dreams.

Barack Obama, John McCain and George W. Bush appear on the 2008 campaign trail making promises to address the economy and preserve the ideals on which the country was built.

 In a scene at the end, Cogan launches a scathing attack on Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, whom he accuses of being a liar and hypocrite.

 "I live in America and in America you're on your own," Pitt's character declares. "America's not a country, it's just a business."

 NOT ANTI-OBAMA

 At a news conference following a press screening of the film, Pitt said he did not want Killing Them Softly to be seen as an attack on President Obama.

 "I lean more towards the left and I want to understand my own bias and so I am not opposed to characters that have different views from yourself," he said.

 "I think very highly of him (Jefferson) actually.

 "We are playing people with very specific opinions. We are clearly living in our country at a time of great divide and so I'm interested in those other arguments that are ... certainly not mine."

 He spoke of a "toxic" political divide in the United States where "it's more about the party winning the argument than about the issues themselves. It's a serious, serious problem."

 Pitt did not seem surprised when questions turned from the film and its political message to his personal life.

 He told journalists that his fiancee Angelina Jolie was not in Cannes, quelling rumours that the Hollywood power couple would appear together on the red carpet.

 Asked when they planned to get married, he replied: "We have no date. We actually really, truly have no date. Certainly date-wise it's absolutely rumour.

 "And I'm still hoping we can figure out our marriage equality in the States before that date," he added, referring to his support for same-sex marriage countrywide.

 Liotta, best known as a nasty mobster, said it made a welcome change to be on the receiving end of a cinematic beating. In Killing Them softly he plays the likeable Markie, who is framed and subsequently punished for the poker heist.

 "What I really liked about it was I'm usually the one beating people up so it was nice to go the other way and have them beat me up, it was really a nice change.

 "The hardest part was letting those two guys beat me up because I know I can take them. That's the roughest part, these little shrimps beating me up."

The job market is more active than most people think, and you can stick your toe into the water without rocking the boat at your current company, mostly by being discreet, says Harvard Business Review.

 The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (http://www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

 "Looking for a job while you already have one can be stressful, especially in the age of social media when privacy is scarce. Here are three ways to keep your search to yourself:

 1. Don't tell anyone. You may be close with certain coworkers, but your secret will only stay secret if you're religious about keeping it to yourself.

 2. Network carefully. When reaching out to others, you don't need to spill the beans. Instead of 'Hi, I'm Amy Gallo and I'm looking for a job,' say something like, 'I'm doing well at my current position and I'm always entertaining options for what's next.'

 3. Wait for the offer. If you know your manager will react negatively, it's best to wait until after you have an offer in hand to inform her."

 - Today's management tip was adapted from "How to Keep a Job Search Discreet" by Amy Gallo.

 (For the full post and to join the discussion see: http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2012/03/how-to-keep-a-job-search-discr.html)

Scientists are turning to genetic testing to see if they can prove the existence of the elusive hairy humanoid known across the world as bigfoot, yeti and sasquatch.

 A joint project between Oxford University and Switzerland's Lausanne Museum of Zoology will examine organic remains that some say belong to the creature that has been spotted in remote areas for decades.

 "It's an area that any serious academic ventures into with a deal of trepidation ... It's full of eccentric and downright misleading reports," said Bryan Sykes at Oxford's Wolfson College.

 But the team would take a systematic approach and use the latest advances in genetic testing, he added.

 "There have been DNA tests done on alleged yetis and other such things but since then the testing techniques, particularly on hair, have improved a lot due to advances in forensic science," he told Reuters.

 Modern testing could get valid results from a fragment of a shaft of hair said Sykes, who is leading the project with Michel Sartori, director of the Lausanne museum.

 Ever since a 1951 expedition to Mount Everest returned with photographs of giant footprints in the snow, there has been speculation about giant Himalayan creatures, unknown to science.

 There have been eyewitness reports of the 'yeti' or 'migoi' in the Himalayas, 'bigfoot' or 'sasquatch' in America, 'almasty' in the Caucasus mountains and 'orang pendek' in Sumatra.

 Tests up to now have usually concluded that alleged yeti remains were actually human, he said. But that could have been the result of contamination. "There has been no systematic review of this material."

 The project will focus on Lausanne's archive of remains assembled by Bernard Heuvelmans, who investigated reported yeti sightings from 1950 up to his death in 2001.

 Other institutions and individuals will also be asked to send in details of any possible yeti material. Samples will be subjected to "rigorous genetic analysis", and the results published in peer-reviewed science journals.

 Aside from the yeti question, Sykes said he hoped the project would add to the growing body of knowledge on the interaction between humanity's ancestors.

 "In the last two years it has become clear that there was considerable inter-breeding between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals ... about 2 to 4 percent of the DNA of each individual European is Neanderthal," he said.

 One hypothesis is that yetis are surviving Neanderthals. The joint project will take DNA samples from areas where there have been alleged sightings to see whether the Neanderthal DNA traces are stronger in the local population.

 As for the project's chances of success? "The answer is, of course, I don't know," said Sykes. "It's unlikely but on the other hand if we don't examine it we won't know."

Cast: Prateik Babbar, Amy Jackson, Sachin Khedekar

Directed by Gautham Menon

Rating: Minus Ek

Pain and pleasure have the same facial expression. This is why you will share the same face with the lead cast of ‘Ekk Deewana Tha’ through the entire runtime. Love stories that curdle, portray societal and familial tribulations. But here, there is a far graver issue beyond the usual jaat-paat, rich-poor etc: The lead duo can’t act to save Tibet. And as dismissive as it may sound in the first paragraph of this review, it is in fact the iceberg that makes this painful love story crash as we endure the burn.

The film is about an aspiring filmmaker and unemployed dreamer Sachin (Prateik Babbar) who gets knocked out of his world when he bumps into a celestial Mallu-Catholic girl Jessie (Amy Jackson). Following a bit of cutesy stalking, he proposes. She rejects on account of avoiding inter-caste hassles and for their age difference (she’s a year older). He refuses to give up and takes stalking to epic heights by landing up in Kerala, her native place. A lot of dancing, a few digs at Kerala-ites and some storming punches later, we’re left with lot of broken noses and few tattered nerves. By now, you get restless for Amy to give in or at least take a firm stand on anything so that we can get on with our lives. But Amy won’t give up before playing runaway bride, leading him on yet not consenting and making it suffocating for Sachin, the audience and everybody involved. But this is just half the agony for we have the second part to go. After you have braved 70% of the movie, Amy finally accepts and admits to Sachin’s lure only to call it off minutes later over something as trivial as Sachin ignoring a couple of her phone calls. And while love can be a painful feeling, this amateurish attempt at heartbreak can be only worse.

Prateik and Amy are equally challenged in their speech and overall ability to portray joy, suffering, betrayal and most other suitable feelings. So often, an intense dialogue muttered with certain amount of lisp and an air of lazy indifference only reduces cinema to a reality show featuring extras. And while low expectations usually ensure one isn’t disappointed, this one puts you down even when you’re betting on nothing.

Mr Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, A R Rahman is yet another party pooper who seems to have stopped reinventing and his work here sounds like a remixed version of his earlier tunes with heavier bass notes. ‘Hosanna’ may be an instant hit but the bizarre hip-hopping that the video features as the song breaks in abruptly in the movie makes it difficult to enjoy the composition.

After remaking Gautham Menon’s Tamil blockbuster ‘Kakha Kakha’ in Hindi as ‘Force’ last year, Fox Star Studios decided to let him re-jig his own ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa’ as this insufferable cinematic blot. Reinstating my stand on remakes, they cannot avoid being compared to the original. And it’s a fail-fail case, since changing the plot means that you’ve lost the fans of the original and if you don’t, then you’re a mere photo-copier.
In a world where any shooting location is a prospective tourism plug, this one does very little for Kerala. For this, all fingers can be confidently pointed at the DOP and the cinematographer who make the lord’s native country seem a little less inviting than the last music video/ love song picturised there.

Through his struggle and strive to win his lady love, Sachin keeps ranting one line, “Duniya mein itni ladkiyan hain par mujhe Jessie se hi pyaar kyun hua?” Perhaps, because Jessie Jaisi Koi Nahin? But the question you will find yourself pondering over through the film will be, “Multiplex mein itni movies hain, phir maine iss movie ka ticket hi kyun liya?”

Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar

Directed by Milan Luthria

Rating: ***

Many will argue that this film is filthy, lewd, sleazy and every other word that conveys the same. But since it's based on a character who embodies all these adjectives, it only ends up being a deliciously dirty tribute.

Based on the south Indian dancing diva and actress, Silk Smita's lustful life, 'The Dirty Picture' paints a concupiscent portrait, complete with bouncing love handles, blouses that resemble the barricade at the Metallica concert in Delhi (visible but unable to contain) and dialogues that are as clever as they are cocky. But a film about an A-grade dancer of B-grade repute can't really boast of cultivated conversation, right?

The film takes us into the life of a small-town girl, Reshma (Vidya Balan) who speedily escapes to uptown Madras to live her celluloid dreams. After being turned down time and again, she manages to tease the camera lens and accidently lands a dancing role opposite Superstar Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah) with her new name, Silk. But Suryakant is only comfortable working with those who make him comfortable in the dressing room and that Silk knows just how to.

Following several happy endings in the dressing room, Silk's career graph slides up like a python on amphetamine. As she grows in popularity, her fans grow, well, while watching her 'thumkas' on the big screen. All is well until Silk realizes the need for a real relationship. She voices her concern to Suryakant, "Raat ko barah ki sui ke tarah chipke rehte ho, aur din mein che ki tarah?" But the middle-aged superstar has his own philosophy, "Jawaani taste karne ke liye hoti hain, waste karne ke liye nahin." This doesn't add up but then do you really care?

The playful Silk is later seen playing mischievous kitty with Surya's refined brother, writer Ramakant (Tusshar) who is charmed by her mere presence. But Silk is boisterous about her sexuality and her misguided fame leads to roaring arrogance, followed by her decline. Somewhere between her descent and the end, Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) a director who has recently swung from arty to farty films, gives in to Silk's smooth arms and his bitter feelings for her become like delectable dark chocolate.

Clearly, Rajat Arora's winning dialogues will make you sit up and say, "She didn't just say that?!" I mean how often does a sex symbol get playful enough to say, "Holi khelne ka shauk hain, par teri pichkari mein dum nahin!" The only letdown here were the forced love angles especially that of Abraham whose hatred and love for Silk, both seemed misplaced.

Vidya is scrumptious as the imperfect and unrestrained Silk, while Naseer is convincing as a superstar out to play shepherd to every newcomer. Tusshar may have dropped his surname for the credits but that hardly undermines the fact that he's been cast in his home production, again. Emraan's character gives itself more importance than you or anyone else does. Luckily, his presence is limited and tolerable.

Reflecting on any period of Indian cinema will mean treading on unintentionally caricature. This is because the fundamentals of cinema and society evolve and the success mantra of the past will seem like a flop recipe today. A dialogue in the film provides one such stereotype, "Iss film mein kuch alag karo. Behen ko izzat do, aur phir usse utaaro." A pure piss-take on Indian cinema, circa 1980s.

Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Chitrangda Singh, Omi Vaidya, Sanjay Dutt

Directed by Rohit Dhawan

Rating: *
 Movies on recession focus on two things: the trying state of affairs on being sacked or career options that are recession-proof. 'Desi Boyz' combines the two. Ironically, our lead duo lose their shirts to the global meltdown and then end up becoming male escorts, a profession that thrives on shedding of clothing. And since this could make our censor board a bit queasy, the filmmaker provides enough moral policing to almost seem like a statutory warning on how disgraceful this career choice can be.

Welcome to dreary, unhappy London. The financial collapse has led to many frowning jobless people like Batman and Superman who've taken to the streets. This crisis has also hit our lead jodi, odd-job-expert, Jerry Patel (Akshay Kumar) and his investment banker roommate, Nick Mathur (John Abraham). While Nick is 'let-go' due to the crisis, Jerry keeps getting fired for his deliberate negligence, specially to help the lesser privileged (as a security guard, he lets a guy make away with stolen goods as they were only medicines he couldn't afford).

For Nick, being fired means failing to keep up with his hysterical fiancé, Radhika (Deepika Padukone), while Jerry could lose custody of his sister's orphaned son, Veer. The two are mulling over these heart-breaking aftermaths, when a glittering business card slides across the bar table to them. It reads, 'Desi Boyz'. The enterprise greets them with the background score of 'Khal Nayak' and the owner (Sanjay Dutt) offers them a job that innocently requires them to only 'make women happy'. With little reluctance, they don their happiness-spreading avatars by shedding their sleeves, shirts and inhibitions to become dancing, singing party rentals. With their new business names, Rocco (Jerry) and Hunter (Nick) groove to songs like 'Make Some Noise' and 'Subha Hone Na De' to become must-hires for every bachelorette, bored housewife and lonely hag.

But this alternative way of making a quick buck has to be rubbished (not Indian culture, no?). So a certain online video of the Rocco and Hunter's desi performance reaches Radhika and the social security in-charge who will decide on Veer's custody. What happens from this point on is obvious. Jerry goes on to become Larry Crowne and resumes Oxford's Trinity College to hook up with his economics Prof who also happens to be his college friend, Tanya (Chitrangda Singh). Meanwhile, Nick sings many songs shacking up outside Radhika's house while sharing a quirky chemistry with her dad (Anupam Kher). The movie chugs along aimless to end with a court scene that is best left outside this review.

Akshay Kumar may manage to slash 10 years away by going shirtless (he's 44). But in the acting department, he seems to be cutting down even more. Also, John without a shirt is enough for a section of the audience to be satisfied with his performance. Deepika and Chitrangda complete their scenes with smiles, giggles and occasional frowns, while the latter could be confused as one of the props in the movie. Sanjay Dutt's cameo becomes the undisputed winner here, for his comic timing and overall act. Debutant director Rohit Dhawan has a long way to go for sizing up to his dad, David Dhawan, who created a brand of escapist cinema based purely of idiocy.

Most dance numbers sung by Mika will surely swing by radio waves for some time. But the dark recession number, 'Jeb Bhi Khali Rehti Thi' seems like a slower version of the 80s Bajaj bulbs jingle, 'Jab Main Chota Ladka Tha'.

If your idea of 'boys gone desi' is tearing out of one's clothes and jumping into a mix of disco bhangra that is supposed to charm women mindlessly, you know which movie to watch this weekend.

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shammi Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kumud Mishra, Piyush Mishra, Shernaz Patel, Moufid Aziz

Directed by Imtiaz Ali

Rating: *


This film says that depression, apart from making one horny, ignites the artist in one. But our lead, Janardhan Jakhar/JJ (Ranbir Kapoor) was neither adopted, nor abused as a child to feel down enough to become like his idol, Jim Morrison. So, to pursue pain, JJ flirts with college hottie and serial heart-breaker, Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri). He hopes to be dumped, shattered and consequently become a musical genius. But following several awkward proposals, JJ and Heer actually bond over doing wild things, which they trigger off by saying, ‘gandh machaate hain!’

While Heer is scheduled for a Kashmir marriage that would jet her off to Prague, JJ crashes her wedding but avoids clichéd Bollywood tactics of charming her parents or making a swift getaway as they’re not in love. The wedding leads to Heer’s departure, closely followed by logic departing from this feeble rock-u-drama like a ball smashed from Sachin Tendulkar’s bat.

JJ is clobbered and thrown out of his house for attending Heer’s wedding (a crime because?) and a reason even sillier than that. Broken and hungry, JJ takes refuge at a ‘darga’ which also doubles as ‘school of Sufi music for the lesser privileged’. After two months, he also spends some time, making a living babbling bhajans (to be fair that all religions offer a chance to hone one’s musical bone?).

One montage leads to another and JJ becomes Jordan, a revolutionary solo artist, headed to Prague for a recording. Song and dance numbers to amuse the country’s tourism board follow as Jordan and Heer finally get intimate (just when we thought they’d hook up in the sequel). If Heer’s married state wasn’t rarifying enough, she also suffers from psychiatric issues and is finally diagnosed with a form of terminal bone marrow. Oh, yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Finally, an orgasm of sadness results in compositions like ‘Nadaan Parindey Ghar Aaja’, possibly dedicated to the script writers of ‘Rockstar’ who never returned to the sets.

Ranbir is committed in his disturbed desi rocker avatar and his abstention from any intoxicants makes him an idol who wouldn’t corrupt his worshipers. Nargis blends divine beauty with lips that jive like she’s in the movie, ‘Finding Nemo’.

Although the ‘Rockstar’ soundtrack is being crowned universally, Rahman’s work has become formatted. It’s like, be it a horror or an animated children’s film, Rahman will insert a minimalistic yet soulful Sufi number (*Kun Faaya Kun), one Masakali equivalent- (*Sheher Mein), one high-pitched Dil Se-esque number (*Nadaan Parindey) and a soft soothing love song (Tum Ho). Shamelessly ignoring the rock theme, only ‘Saadda Haq’ comes close to the head banging genre. Also note that Mohit Chauhan is a trained professional and do not try singing ‘Oh, yeah! Yeah! Yeah!’ at home or outdoors, unless you want to risk being certified as an imbecile.

The film’s crisp post-production and beautiful cinematography makes the screen light up to dreamy sights and the enumerable chopper shots allow a great vantage point to take in the stunning landscapes of this eastern European country.

Watching ‘Rockstar’ once is like watching it many times over, thanks to the repeated montages that sporadically recap the film. If you thought being stabbed once was bad, here’s what a knife set can do.

The film drives home an unscientific hypothesis that people who’ve endured sufferings/ heart break/ loose motions etc will reach their creative best. By this logic, each person in the audience will be blessed with superhuman creativity as they step out after watching ‘Rockstar’. Oh, yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh

Rating: **1/2


“Computers are like a cycle for the mind,” is something the late Steve Jobs once said. His analogy works just as well for suspense thrillers. Some love them for the uneasiness of being unsure of what will happen next, others enjoy putting the pieces together before the climax. And if they can’t, they love it even more. ‘Kahaani’, with a few loose ends, manages to score with an ‘unpredictable end’ but the tension on the screen doesn’t translate into an anxious audience. Not throughout the film at least.

A pregnant woman seeks her absconding husband. She has flown down from London for the very first time to our colonial junkyard- Kolkata, precisely to do that. Now just this as a starting point could be used to terrorize the audience. A strange city full of people speaking an incomprehensible language can be portrayed cinematically through sweeping shots of crowds, flashbacks and noises of the city to create an unwelcome vibe. Or perhaps do the entire scene with no sound but all the drama? The director picks neither. Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan)- the woman in question seems oddly indifferent and only offers a distant look to convey her discomfort as she casually plops into a cab like any other tourist and orders to go straight to the police station. Neat and realistic, if not as dramatic.

Finding a partner in police sub-inspector Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), Vidya lugs her heavily pregnant belly into the underbelly of Kolkata to pursue even a hint of a clue. Often disappointed, her investigation takes a turn for the worst, when she discovers certain inglorious facts about her missing husband. Naturally, this allows for a few emotionally-charged breakdowns but Vidya comes around surprisingly well in the very next scene (the only hint you’ll get in this review).

When her name is localized as Bidya by one and all (In Bengal, V=B in pronunciation and otherwise), it may not be bhery funny but it manages to cut the tension – something thrillers use to amplify the next shocker. And the wait isn’t much, as one revelation follows another as you try to stitch it to a conclusive end in your head. But to no avail.

While references to ‘The Departed’ or other mole thrillers may be easy to point out, it doesn’t have the same appeal. Alphabets pierce through the screen like a semi-automatic that has suddenly gone automatic to mention names, designations and places. But this Hollywood format of offering precise but inconsequential information intermittently on the screen has never been a game-changer in Hindi films and won’t now.


Vidya Balan’s performance will be applauded as she manages the highly intense breakdown scenes as well as the chirpy playful ones with the same ease and excellence. Her companion, assistant and committed to being obedient cop played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay is a strong contender for Best Supporting trophies and might attract curious character roles in Bollywood. Regrettably, Nawazuddin Siddique’s arrogant agent role doesn’t lend him an intimidating or even an abominable image to break into being a regular baddie in Hindi films. That said, it was refreshing that his character was consistently harsh and brash and didn’t have a hidden golden heart unlike most similar characters in other films. A special callout needs to be made for the deliciously devilish contract killer Bob Biswas played by Saswata Chatterjee (the one wearing spectacles in the top picture) who is easily the most terrifying of all in this film.

The cinematography is strictly average and it doesn’t really contribute or take away from any scene. The background score however blends well and that is why you can hardly distinguish it in many crucial scenes. But the ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ by Amitabh Bachchan isn’t any more than a publicity stunt and doesn’t fill up your senses or anything. Hope he doesn’t use it to lull his granddaughter to sleep.

While a thriller’s credibility isn’t equally proportionate to the number of action scenes, the only chase sequence and a couple of point-blank shots fired casually at unsuspecting victims generate enough excitement to keep your eyebrows raised.

The suspense in Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘Kahaani’ may not be nail-chewing-worthy but he succeeds in getting Kolkata to perform at its peak and look like it’s on a wire between vintage and decrepit. The overall attitude of the city and the city’s voice is consistent in the story and the characters too. But forcing the goddess Durga metaphor in the end seems less like a tribute and more like ticking every Bengali stereotype imaginable to suggest the shooting location. Long shot of Haaauraah Breej. Close shot of travelling inside a traaam. Bhhictory!

If you want to know how ethical your broker is, give them a moral dilemma and see how much they sweat before deciding what to do.

 It's quite a jump from the laboratory to real-world decisions about asset management but British researchers have found that gut feeling can override rational thought when people are faced with financial offers that look unfair.

 Even when we could benefit, a physical response like sweating can make people reject a financial proposition they consider to be unjust. The key is how tuned in they are to their own bodies.

 Researchers from the University of Exeter, the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and the University of Cambridge, gave 51 people a series of offers based on dividing 10 pounds be t ween two people. They found that although an offer to split the money 50:50 was mostly accepted, an offer of less than a 'fair share' was often rejected, even though rejecting it left them with nothing.

 The game, a version of a well-known psychological test called the Ultimatum Game, showed gut reactions, especially made under time pressure with incomplete information, can lead to decisions that are irrational from a purely economic perspective.

 The researchers measured how much participants sweated through their fingertips and how much their heart rate changed.

 Clinical psychologist Barney Dunn, who led the study, told Reuters that participants were also tested on how accurately they could monitor their physical responses by counting their own heartbeats. Those who were most accurate were more prone to having their bodies dictate their decisions in the game.

 "It's a bizarre finding but it's very robust," said Dunn.

 It's uncontroversial to say that thoughts trigger responses in your body but the research, published o n Tuesday i n the journal Cognitive Affective and Behavioural Neuroscience, adds to growing evidence that our bodies can sometimes govern how we think and feel, rather than the other way round.

 "Humans are highly attuned to unfairness and we are sometimes required to weigh up the demands of maintaining justice with preserving our own economic self-interest," said Dunn. "At a time when ideas of fairness in the financial sector - from bankers' bonuses to changes to pension schemes - are being widely debated, it is important to recognise why some individuals rebel against perceived unfairness, whereas other people are prepared to accept the status quo."

 Once you know how ethical your broker is, the next decision is whether they will make you the most money, of course.