Terminally Stuck Comair expects to run full schedule today

USA, Dec. 28: Still digging out from a paralyzing Christmas Eve meltdown that displaced thousands of bags and travelers, US Airways pledged yesterday to return all lost luggage by Friday and scrambled to prepare for the busy New Year’s holiday

Was it a sickout or stingy staffing? That’s the question at the heart of a blame game being played by union leaders and management at US Airways, in the wake of an “operational meltdown” over the Christmas weekend.

Comair, the Delta Air Lines commuter carrier, expects to have all flights in operation Wednesday, the airline announced Tuesday.

For its part, US Airways said a combination of bad storms and an unusually high number of employees calling in sick led to the cancellation of more than 300 flights over the weekend and more than 10,000 pieces of misplaced baggage, many of which were still somewhere in stumbling transit as late as Monday. Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, said bad weather contributed to a computer malfunction that forced cancellation of all its flights on Saturday, with only 15 percent back in the air on Sunday, 60 percent operational by Monday and a return to full service not expected until today. (more…)

Kunhalikutty gives resignation under public pressure

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Dec 28: Facing sexual harassment allegations, Muslim League leader and Kerala Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, today submitted his resignation to his party head after battling a fierce public agitation for his ouster for over two months.

Kutty’s close aide told the Times of India over the phone that the minister on Tuesday gave the letter to Thangal. The party supremo has assured the minister that his request would be discussed in the party forum and decided accordingly.

The minister has been facing mass stir in a series of sex scandal cases. Rejina, a victim in the infamous Kozhikode ice cream parlor sex case, claimed that she had been sexually exploited by the Minister eight years ago.

A controversy was sparked off when a victim in the seven-year scandal alleged that the IUML leader had sexually exploited her three times in different places in the state. This triggered a series of protests, following which his resignation was sought. (more…)

Eastern states are poorly governed by UPA government

New Delhi, Dec 27: Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today said eastern parts of India are lagging behind rest of the country because of poor governance.

“When north, south and west of the country are moving ahead, why is east not doing well? Are we less human beings?” Sinha asked during his address to FICCI annual general meeting here.

Sinha, who came straight from Jharkhand to attend the FICCI meeting, said it is the quality of governance that matters.�? Regional dispartiy will grow if quality of governance does not improve,” he said.

“Vacillating and conflicting views have influenced the government in deciding how reforms would be executed,�? Mr. Sinha said

Sometimes, people are not the best judges in democracy, said Sinha, he had lost Hazaribagh seat in the last Lok Sabha elections. He said Centre should put more pressure on state governments to perform, particularly in centrally-aided projects. (more…)

Car bomb forces Iraq’s top party pull out of race

BAGHDAD, Dec. 28 — Iraq’s top Sunni Muslim party has withdrawn from the January 30 polls. The Iraqi Islamic Party says persistent violence will keep people from voting in the Sunni north and west.

Right before the announcement, a suicide car bomber killed 13 people in southern Baghdad, targeting the headquarters of Iraq’s main Shiite Muslim political party

Tareq Al-Hashimi, secretary general of Iraqi Islamic Party, said: “Today the party took a very difficult decision, which was to withdraw from the elections because it is convinced that the situation will not improve to allow conditions for credible elections within that time frame.”

“We have chosen nonviolence, and we will stick to it,” al-Hakim told Reuters after the suicide bomber struck, pledging to keep his Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq on the political path. (more…)