Media, politicians to face action for surrogate advertisements

September 5th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The Election Commission (EC) Saturday said that it had received several complaints about 'surrogate news' in the media to favour one politician or the other, but admitted that it was very difficult to prove the charge. "This is a real problem.

September 2nd, 2009 GORAKHPUR - Sheela, six months pregnant, is like any other expecting mother, except that the child in her womb does not belong to her. When she gives birth three months later, the baby will be handed over to the biological parents.

July 20th, 2009 Iran's top leader reportedly warns politiciansTEHRAN, Iran — State radio says Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has told politicians to be careful in their stances on the country's postelection unrest, saying that disturbing security is "the biggest vice." Khamenei's comments appear aimed at warning opposition politicians against making any moves that would encourage further protests like the ones that shook the country following the disputed presidential election on June 12. Khamenei also says foreign enemies supported the unrest by broadcasting "procedures for rioting" through their media, according to Monday's state media report.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that the stimulus package given to the print media in February 2009 has been further extended for another six months from June 30 to December 31. Presenting the Union Budget for the year 2009-10 in Lok Sabha on Monday, Mukherjee said: "In February 2009, the print media was given a stimulus package comprising waiver of 15 per cent agency commission on DAVP advertisements and a 10 per cent increase in the DAVP rates to be paid as a 'Special Relief' subject to documentary proof of loss of revenue in non-governmental advertisements." (ANI)

June 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - To prevent surrogate advertising of alcohol and tobacco products on television, the Government has tabled a paper in Parliament to implement various provisions ensuring this. It's intended to implement the provisions incorporated in the Cable Television Network Rules 1994 to prevent surrogate advertisements of alcohol and tobacco products on TV.

May 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The recently concluded general election, in addition to being the world's largest democratic exercise involving 714 million voters and costing over $2 billion, was also a marketing war, with political parties trying to woo voters with the latest media techniques and business strategies. Putting to practice techniques taught at B-schools to upstage competition, campaign managers used everything from the rudimentary 4 Ps of marketing - product, price, place and promotion - to latest marketing ideas for a digital generation, says Arun Kumar, a senior official in the Himachal Pradesh government, in his new book.

May 21st, 2009 LONDON - A growing number of childless British couples are having surrogate babies delivered by Indian mothers, a newspaper reported. One leading obstetrician at a Mumbai hospital told the Evening Standard she delivers one baby to a British couple every 48 hours, in what the paper described as a 'surrogacy boom.' The paper said Wednesday couples were heading to India because of strict British laws, which outlaw commercial surrogacy, and the low cost of surrogate deliveries in India.

April 29th, 2009 LONDON - 'Sex And The City' star Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick are set to become parents again to surrogate twins. Contactmusic.com reports that the couple, who wed in 1997 and have a six-year-old son James Wilke, are expecting twin daughters.

March 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Tuesday asked the central government sports secretary to submit a detailed report regarding the advertisements about the Commonwealth Games 2010. 'The Election Commission, which summoned the sports secretary Tuesday, held discussions with him and asked him to define the linkage between the ministry and the Commonwealth Games organising committee,' Deputy Election Commission R.

March 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - God helps those who help themselves. And that's what cricketer-turned-MP Navjot Singh Sidhu seems to be doing after suddenly finding that few in his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its ally Akali Dal are batting for him.

March 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission (EC) has said it was taking all possible steps to ensure free and fair general elections. Chief Election Commissioner N.

March 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Saturday asked the government to recover the cost of full-page newspaper advertisements about the Commonwealth Games 2010 from the officers who approved the media blitz, saying it violated the model of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls. The poll panel gave the instructions to the central and Delhi governments over the advertisements that appeared in several newspapers Friday.

March 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Saturday asked the government to recover the cost of full-page newspaper advertisements about the Commonwealth Games from officers who approved the media blitz, saying it violated the model of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections. The poll panel gave the instructions to the central and Delhi governments in response to the advertisements that appeared in several newspapers Friday.

February 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Friday came to the rescue of the media industry reeling under the impact of economic recession by announcing a 10 percent hike in the advertisement rates issued by the directorate of audio visual publicity (DAVP). 'The downturn has impacted the Indian media industry also.

December 23rd, 2008 NEW DELHI - Newspapers and periodicals cannot be held responsible if there is a defect in a consumer product whose advertisements are printed in their pages, the Delhi High court has held. Justice Pradeep Nandrajog set aside a trial court order that had directed newspapers to issue a disclaimer saying that 'qualities of products advertised in their dailies are not guaranteed by the newspaper'.