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Friday, February 26, 2010

Samsung caliber - a must see review

Tech enthusiasts may go ga-ga over this new chic Samsung phone which is now available through MetroPCS. This new Samsung device entitled Caliber (SCH-r860) is equipped with superior attributes. The handset sports Samsung’s TouchWiz User Interface. The UI integrates exclusively-designed widgets that enable users to customize and personalize their mobile phone.

Social networking applications such as Facebook and MySpace can be accessed by means of the phone’s full HTML web browser and messaging features that embrace IM and personal e-mail. The handset adorns a 3.2-inch WQVGA, 262K TFT display. The Samsung Caliber provides MetroPCS applications and services in addition to downloads, along with a collection of other attributes to keep users connected. The device includes superior voice recognition, MetroNavigator GPS navigation system, Metro 411 Directory Assistance and MetroWEB.

Mi-Fone unveils 4 handsets in India

Africa’s growing mobile phone manufacturer, Mi-Fone has introduced four handsets to the Indian consumers. Just two years old Mi-Fone has become one of the most popular brands across the continent. Mi-Fone ranges of mobile handsets presently available in India are: Mi-Q family, Mi-5QS, Mi-2010, Mi-338, Mi-323 and Mi-350a.

The handsets are designed keeping in mind the young adults who are technosavvy globally.

Weekend Masti for Reliance Mobile customers

Reliance Mobile has launched a new offer for its GSM and CDMA subscribers all over India. Under this new "Weekend Masti" offer, users have to recharge their phones with Rs. 33 and they can make unlimited free local calls to any other Reliance Mobile (GSM or CDMA) throughout the weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

This pack is valid just for one weekend (00:01 hrs of Saturday to 23:59 hrs of Sunday).

This plan is offered to subscribers via e-recharge too. If you call to networks apart from Reliance, you will be charged as per your existing plan

Iranian rebel confess of his US links

An alleged member of a Sunni Muslim group fighting the Iranian government has said in a televised confession that his group received help from the United States.

Abdolmalek Rigi, the leader of Jundallah, said on state-run TV on Friday that Iranian authorities had detained him on his way to a meeting with a "high-ranking American person" in Kyrgyzstan.

Rigi was reportedly seizedafter Iranian warplanes forced a flight from Dubai to Kyrygzstan to land at an Iranian airport.

BSNL to introduce Country's Ultrafast BroadBand services

If your slow Internet connection has been a cause of great distress to you, BSNL now gives you a reason to stop complaining. The state-owned telecom operator has introduced a new plan that offers broadband speeds of up to 24Mbps.

To avail this service, subscribers will have to pay Rs. 4,999 a month for speeds up to 16 Mbps and Rs 9,999 a month for speeds of up to 24 Mbps. This new high-speed broadband is being made available with Digital Subscriber Loop (VDSL) Technology.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, sadly, there is always some drawback that tags along with such good news. While 24 Mbps broadband will be available only to customers located at a distance of up to 500 metres from the BSNL exchange, 16 Mbps broadband is available to only those residing up to about 1 km away.

Thai Supreme Court orders Former Thai PM to give $2.3 Billion

Thailand's Supreme Court has ruled that former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's family should be stripped of more than half a contested $2.3bn fortune.

The court said $1.4bn (£910m) of the assets were gained illegally through conflict of interest when Mr Thaksin was prime minister.

The funds were frozen after Mr Thaksin's elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 2006.

Mr Thaksin, who is living abroad, has denied any wrongdoing.

ICICI Bk hikes Interest rate for long term deposits following HDFC & IDBI

ICICI Bank has hiked interest rates on long-term deposits by 25-50 basis points. The move comes a day before Rs 12,000 crore gets
withdrawn from the banking system as the second phase of RBI’s increase in cash reserve ratio comes into effect.

ICICI is the second lender after HDFC Bank which has increased its interest rates in the past one week. ICICI Bank, however, has hiked rates only for two of its slabs unlike HDFC Bank which had hiked interest rates across different slabs for periods above one year. The cash reserve ratio is the portion of deposits that banks are required to park with RBI as a part of prudential measures.

Steel demand may raise after the Budget's stress on Urban & rural Infra development

The union budget proposals of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, will indirectly boost the overall demand for steel. In particular, the
decision to raise outlay on urban development and housing by 75% to Rs 5,400 crore and an additional 25% of plan outlay for rural infrastructure, has come as a shot in the arm for domestic steel companies.

Base metals analyst at Angel Broking, Reena Walia Nair said: "Though no specific mention has been made with regard to steel, growth in infrastructure will obviously translate into growth for the steel sector as well. We have already seen a surge in equity stocks following the FM’s budget speech. The market seems to have responded very positively to the budget. Going forward, steel stocks are likely to look up too." On Friday, Tata Steel shares gained up 1.11% to Rs 573.65, while the Steel Authority of India (Sail) stock jumped 3.26% to Rs 218.45 on the BSE.

SUU KYI's appeal for her release rejected by court

The Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed in her latest bid to end more than a decade of house arrest today after the country's highest court threw out an appeal against her sentence.

The supreme court's decision was widely expected but her lawyer said he would launch a final special appeal to the supreme court after establishing the reasons why the latest attempt had been rejected. "The court order did not mention any reasons," he said.

The British ambassador Andrew Heyn attended the court session along with diplomats from Australia, France and the US.

TN CM urges CPI(M) to end controversial talks in W R Varadarajan's death

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karuanidhi today urged that controversy surrounding the death of state CPI(M) leader W R Varadarajan should end, saying "maligning" him in his death would not be "politics of culture".

Referring to CPI state secretary D Pandian's remarks that Varadarajan's death should kindle a debate in CPI(M) over its functioning, Karunanidhi said this should "not be ignored".

Naveen Patnaik disappointed by Union Budget

Terming the union budget as disappointing, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said it would fuel inflationary trends even as poor and backward regions of the state were denied special development packages announced for some provinces.

"Against the backdrop of soaring food prices, there is no mention whatsoever about the much promised scheme of delivery of rice and wheat to the common people at Rs three per kg," Patnaik said in a statement.

Fearing that hike in the prices of diesel and petrol was expected to further fuel the inflationary trends in the country, Patnaik said, "This is likely to have a cascading effect on the prices of all other commodities as well.

ESMA in Manipur to end State govt Employees strike

 The Manipur government is likely to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to break the indefinite strike of state government employees since Jan 16 demanding higher salaries, officials said here Friday.

'In view of the strike, the functioning of government hospitals is paralysed and the out-patient departments (OPD) are even closed since Wednesday,' a government official told reporters.

'The ESMA could be applied against those agitating leaders who were on strike as it has inconvenienced thousands of people,' he added.

Auto parts Cos relieved - expects more reforms than announced in union budget

Auto parts makers heaved a sigh of relief after the finance minister announced a lower-than- expected rollback of an excise duty cut and
did not raise service tax, industry officials and analysts said on Friday.

"It's a good budget. It was a tightrope walk for the finance minister. He has tried to continue the growth stimulus with a lot of prudence," said Vishnu Mathur, Executive Director at the Auto Components Manufacturers Association.

"The increase in excise duty was expected. He has not increased service tax, which was one of our main worries," he said.

UID project gets Rs 1900 Crore - Govt to set up a Tech Advisory

One of India’s most ambitious projects, Unique Identification (UID)–where every Indian will be given a unique number–has received a huge boost with Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance, allocating Rs 1900 crore to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for 2010-11.

The Finance minister said that the UIDAI is on track to issue the first set of UID numbers this year. The allocation of funds will help the UIDAI speed up execution, as it gets into the operational phase.

6800 more rural hospitals necessary to cope with the rural population in India

This Thursday, the annual Economic Survey released a report stating that India is in need of over 6,800 additional hospitals especially in rural areas.

This will help to provide better basic health amenities as well as improve health infrastructure.

The survey further stated that “There is still a shortage of 4,477 primary healthcare centres and 2,337 community healthcare centres as per the 2001 population norms”.

CAT results by the end of Feb

The wait would soon be over for candidates who are aspiring to get into the country's top business schools. The eagerly awaited result is expected to be out anytime now. Last week IIM official's announced through their official website that the results are to be further delayed and would only be out by end of the month.

This year's CAT was the first time that the examination was conducted as a computer-based online test. It was conducted in the paper-and-pencil format for 33 years. The original schedule for the test was between November 28 and December 7, which was extended by a day to December 8 to accommodate thousands of students who could not appear during the ten-day window because of technical glitches at several centers across the country.

opposition stages walk out as FM presents Budget in Parliment

The opposition on Friday walked out of the Lok Sabha during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget presentation to protest some tax proposals - a development many veteran MPs believe may be a first in the history of India's parliament.

Members of the BJP, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Left parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP), AIADMK and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rose from their seats when Mukherjee spoke of the basic duty on crude oil being restored.

Excise hike on petro products catalyst for Price hike on Petro products from tonight

The government is set to announce a hike in the prices of auto fuels like petrol prices by Rs 2.71 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 2.55 per litre with effect from tonight, Oil Secretary S Sundareshan said today.

The development came hours after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced an increase in excise and customs duty on petroleum products. During the Budget, opposition leaders staged a walk-out protesting the move would lead to an increase in fuel prices.

Govt to boost Farm sector by 4% this fiscal yr

The government will boost farm spending and lift agriculture sector growth to 4% in the medium term, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday, but analysts said the Budget failed to introduce measures to curb rising food prices.

The government, in its annual Budget for the fiscal year 2010/11 beginning from April, introduced a clutch of measures aimed at spurring rural economy, including withdrawal of service tax on testing and certification of seeds and on transportation of cereals and lentils by road.

Mukherjee said farm credit target for 2010/11 would be raised to Rs 3.75 trillion from Rs 3.25 trillion in the previous year.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

General Motors to shed Hummer bcoz of its loss of popularity

General Motors Co will wind down its iconic but tarnished Hummer brand after Chinese regulators rejected a $150 million bid by an obscure Chinese machinery maker to buy the money-losing SUV line.

GM had been trying to complete the deal by the end of February after reaching a definitive agreement in October to sell Hummer to Tengzhong, a little-known heavy machinery company based in Sichuan province.

The collapse of the deal represents another setback for GM, which had been working to shed unprofitable brands and focus on its four core brands -- Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC -- after emerging from bankruptcy in July.

Sachin & dal price - a comic comparison by BJP

The government has "run out of ideas" on controlling the spiralling prices of essential commodities and is "only looking for alibis" to cover up for its failures, main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Thursday.

"Has this government run out of ideas on how to control prices?" Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley asked while initiating a short duration discussion on the subject in the Rajya Sabha. "Obviously it has. The government is only looking for alibis."

"Could the government not anticipate the supply-side shortfall," he wondered. "Today, we are facing a situation where the government's inability to control inflation has become an indirect tax on the consumer."

CPI - M suspends one of senior mem & Kollam mayor

A senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader in Kerala lost his job as Kollam Municipal Corporation mayor and was suspended from his party on Thursday for being present at a function of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

N Padmalochan inaugurated the organising committee office for state-level meetings of the RSS here early this month. Ever since he lit the lamp there, his rivals in the CPI-M were up in arms demanding that he be asked to quit the post of mayor.

Post Master Gen. of Maha & Goa arrested on bribery charges

The Chief Post-Master General of Maharashtra and Goa was today arrested for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore to transfer government land meant for post offices to private parties. The CBI has called it the biggest catch in the last 60 years.

Manjit Singh Bali was apprehended by the anti-corruption wing of the investigative agency, officials said.

Bali, a 1978 batch civil services officer, is among the top 10 senior officers of the country.

ISRO to launch JUGNU - built by students os IIT-K

A satellite developed by IIT Kanpur 'Jugnu' that will provide information on natural calamities will be handed over to scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on March six by President Pratibha Patil.

After testing it, ISRO will launch the satellite from Sriharikota, IIT-K Registrar Sanjeev Kasalkar told PTI.

The satellite will help in gathering prior information regarding flood, drought and disaster management.

CCTV footage broadcast banned - ATS still clueless on the blast

Broadcast of CCTV footage of the bombed German Bakery here has been banned by a court to protect witnesses and ensure unhindered investigations in the case.

The court issued its directive on an application filed by the Maharashtra ATS, Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said.

The order also applies to the CCTV footage from the five star hotel adjacent to the site of the blast on February 13, he said. Sixteen people have died in the blast.

M F Husain - a Quatar citizen - no more an Indian.

Indeed a sad day for India as Qatar has welcomed MF Husain, one of India's greatest artist.

Since 2006, when the Hindutva hate campaign against him escalated, the artist has been living in Dubai, spending his summers in London.

Husain has been conferred Qatar nationality - something that is very rarely given. The artist told this to The Hindu from Dubai, early on Wednesday morning.

MCD discards ghost employee issue

Less than three months after Municipal Commissioner K S Mehra acknowledged that there are 22,853 employees on the civic body’s payroll who are neither registered for biometric attendance nor attend work, the MCD’s counsel told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that no employee is being paid without work.

Ajay Arora, counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), told the court that the issue of “ghost employees” was blown out of proportion, and that the inquiry initiated by the MCD last November might find there were no such employees.

FBI shares more info on Headley's India visit

Major defence establishments in and around Pune, including National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, were on the radar of US-based jihadi David Coleman Headley who had not only videographed these places in detail but also shared it with his Lashkar handlers in Pakistan in March last year.

This was revealed by the FBI to India during its recent exchanges over the ongoing probe, making it clear that Headley -- who is currently in American jail -- had specifically been asked by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to scout for "defence installations", besides Jewish centres and places frequented by foreigners, after the 26/11 attacks.

India needs GM crops to provide food security to its Increasing POPULATION

Pushed to a corner by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s peremptory freeze on Bt brinjal, the UPA government took the first step of finding a way out. And it needed the authority of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to do that.

In a clear enunciation of the government’s policy on GM crops — a policy that got clouded by Ramesh’s rhetoric — the Prime Minister underlined the importance of biotechnology in productivity and food security, called for private investment in biotech, a time-frame for a decision on Bt brinjal and a national biotechnology regulatory authority.

Intel to boost its workforce strength

Giant US technology company Intel Corp is working with a range of venture capital firms to organize $3.5 billion in investment in promising technology, $200 million of which will come from Intel itself, Intel President Paul Otellini has said.

Intel also announced plans for it and other companies to double their hiring of college graduates, creating more than 10,500 jobs. Otellini estimated the annual paychecks would total more than $1 billion.

The chipmaker has organized a group of 24 venture capital firms to invest in technologies to create economic growth and jobs, he said.

Rail Budget fails to cheer the market mood

The populist rail budget for 2010-2011 presented by Rail Minister Mamata Banerjee failed to enthuse investors and marketmen and stocks across the board snapped the last two days gains and closed lower than their previous levels in a choppy trading session in which nearly 65 per cent of stocks declined as compared to advance of 33 per cent.

The benchmark BSE Sensex closed down by 30.35 points at 16,255.97 after touching an intra day low of 16187.44, while the NSE Nifty closed down by 11.45 at 4858.60 level from its earlier day closing of 4870.05.

Still address proof verification, a incomplete process.

It's the number on everyone's lips since Tuesday evening — 9734695789. The Vodafone number reportedly belongs to Maoist leader Kishanji. This is the number he publicised through media and asked Union home minister P Chidambaram to dial on February 25 for peace negotiations.

An investigation has revealed the number was never registered in the name of Koteswar Rao (Kishanji's actual name). Though vodafone india has not officially confirmed this, sources said the SIM card is registered in the name of Sisir Kanti Nag and was bought at Kharagpur town. The address reportedly registered with vodafone india against this SIM card is: Inda Ward 11, Kharagpur Town, Midnapore West 721301.

Chandigarh failed to bring back the wotks of its designer

Decades after master architect Le Corbusier designed Chandigarh, the only planned city in independent India, its administration is fighting to retrieve his artefacts which have been auctioned in France.

After failing to stall the Feb 16 auction of Corbusier's works in Paris, the administration is now looking for a glitch in the sale so that it can sue.

Ignoring a notice from the Chandigarh union territory's government, Paris-based auction house Artcurial had auctioned works of Corbusier and his team -- including wooden carvings of sketches, graphs and drawings prepared under the supervision of the architect.

Sachin's Double hundred - a rewritten history

Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar said he sensed he could be the first batsman to hit an ODI double century only after he had reached 175 in the second one-dayer against South Africa.

Tendulkar, whose unbeaten 200 earned him a slice of one day history, said he was merely striking the ball well early in his innings. It was only in the final eight overs that he realised he stood a chance to re-write history.

"In the first half an hour, I was striking the ball well and timing well. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat," Tendulkar said after the match.

"I was not thinking about it all along. It was only when I crossed 175 and realised that it was still the 42nd over, I felt I have an opportunity. So I decided to take singles and give strike to (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni who was hitting so well," said the batting great.

UN blames India for rising drug abuse in neighbouring countries

The United Nations narcotics control division, International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), has blamed India for the rising drug abuse in its neighbourhood, particularly in Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Worse, the UN agency says India is the primary source of injectible drugs such as pethidine and morphine widely abused in these countries. In fact, more and more addicts in these countries are shifting to injectible narcotics abuse.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Airwaves must be saved to offer quality mobile telephony in future- RIM CEO

Taking aim at rivals like Apple Inc, BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion Ltd said on Tuesday that smartphone manufacturers must start developing less bandwidth-guzzling products or risk choking already congested airwaves.

As users abandon traditional cellphones for netbooks, wireless modems and feature-rich smartphones, like Apple's iPhone, wireless data traffic has exploded and is threatening to saturate network capacity, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said.

Wireless carriers, especially in congested North American urban centers, are already showing signs of stress, with dropped calls and slower data transfer speeds.

Sony Ericsson & Samsung introduces new Smart Phones to compete with the giants in the market

Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson unveiled their new top smartphone models on Sunday, both hoping to improve their positions in the more lucrative part of the phone market.

Samsung, the world No 2 handset maker, unveiled its flagship smartphone model Wave -- using a new touch screen technology and the first phone to use its bada operating system.

"Samsung's commitment to Bada is underlined by the fact that it is using it to power its flagship product for the show but it's going to be an uphill struggle to get the developer community on board," said Ben Wood, research director at CCS Insight.

3 Cos in EU complains against Google in Antitrust regulators

European Union antitrust regulators said on Wednesday they were looking into complaints filed by three online companies against Google.

"The (European) Commission can confirm that it has received three complaints against Google which it is examining. The Commission has not opened a formal investigation for the time being," the EU executive said in a statement.

The Commission did not identify the companies.

Google said earlier on Wednesday that British price comparison site Foundem, French legal search engine ejustice.fr and Microsoft Corp- owned Ciao from Bing had complained to the Commission regarding its practices.

Pak army fired at us says BSF, Pak rangers denies the reports

Indian border guards said their troops came under fire from Pakistan on Wednesday, a day before the two nuclear-armed neighbours are set for the first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"The firing from across the border started early morning. A BSF (Border Security Force) personnel was injured," Vinod Sharma, a spokesman for the border guards, Reuters reports.

Pakistan denied any shooting by its troops.

Akio Toyoda- Prez Toyota - to face probe in US on safety concerns in the products

The president of Toyota will face tough questioning from US politicians later as their probe into safety problems at the firm continues.

Akio Toyoda is to be quizzed on events that led to 8.5 million vehicles being recalled worldwide and how his firm responded to the public's concerns.

Mr Toyoda has already released opening remarks which admitted that the firm's expansion "may have been too quick".

The Congress committee has already been scathing of Toyota's US boss.

UP revokes ban on sugar import to check the rise of sugar price

Shares in sugar firms opened down more than 1 percent on Wednesday after media reported that the Uttar Pradesh government revoked a ban on imports of raw sugar, making available an additional 1 million tonnes of the sweetener in the open market.

The move will pressure sugar prices in the local market, hurting companies' realisations, traders said.

Economic Times and Financial Express newspapers reported on Wednesday that the northern state lifted the ban late on Tuesday to tame rising prices.

Nemmeli desalination plant will be operational by Dec 2011-- Dy CM

The 100-MLD (million litres per day) capacity desalination plant at Nemmeli on East Coast Road will be commissioned by December 2011, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said here on Tuesday.

Laying the foundation stone for the plant, he said many suburban areas en route to the site would benefit once the plant is commissioned. The Centre had released Rs.300 crore as the first instalment of the total grant of Rs.871.24 crore announced for the scheme.

The 40.05-acre site chosen for the plant was taken on a lease of 30 years by Chennai Metrowater.

Nemmeli desalination plant will be operational by Dec 2011-- Dy CM

The 100-MLD (million litres per day) capacity desalination plant at Nemmeli on East Coast Road will be commissioned by December 2011, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said here on Tuesday.

Laying the foundation stone for the plant, he said many suburban areas en route to the site would benefit once the plant is commissioned. The Centre had released Rs.300 crore as the first instalment of the total grant of Rs.871.24 crore announced for the scheme.

The 40.05-acre site chosen for the plant was taken on a lease of 30 years by Chennai Metrowater.

American Towers confirms its deal to buy Essar Towers of India

 Telecoms tower firm American Tower Corp  is close to signing a deal to buy Essar Group's telecom towers in India for an enterprise value of $450 million, a person familiar with the deal said on Wednesday. "The deal is done. Total value is $450 million including some debt," the source said, adding an announcement could be made only after the companies sign formal documents.

The Economic Times on Wednesday reported the deal and said an announcement was likely later in the day. It said the valuation included $300 million in equity and assumption of $150 million of debt held by India-based Essar's tower business.

U.S.-based American Tower is spreading its wings in India and bought local tower firms Xcel Telecom and Transcend last year. The company currently owns about 2,000 tower sites in India, and more than 26,000 globally, according to its website.

Track record in Gwalior - a positive edge for Men in Blue

A narrow one-run win over the proteas in the first match of the series notwithstanding, the Indian team's morale would be high going into the second match today given their record at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium here.

The hosts have won seven out of the nine ODI's that they have played here including one against South Africa, when they trounced the visitors by 38 runs in a 45 over-match on November 12, 1991.

Despite the then skipper and now batting coach Kepler Wessels' valiant knock of 71, India tamed the proteas following half centuries by Kris Srikkanth (68), Navjot Singh Sidhu (61) and Sanjay Manjrekar (52). Batting maestro Sachin
Tendulkar could contribute only four runs in that match.

Bihar & WB are the states always highlighted in Railway Budget.

Mamata Banerjee will be presenting her second Railway Budget on Wednesday.

No other ministry is as political as the Railway Ministry, for if one cannot give a train to his/her state and can not understand the art of distributing political largesse then that person cannot be the person heading the Rail Bhawan.

"Every single railway minister has sought to nurse his or her constituency," says political analyst Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

For the past fifteen years it has been West Bengal and Bihar that have been showered by gifts in the form of new trains, stations and rail projects. The railway ministers are all strong regional players.

Maoists in return send a mobile number Home ministry to contact them

 Maoist leaders will respond to the Union Home Ministry by sending a fax about their 72-day ceasefire proposal on Wednesday.
The Ministry had on Tuesday released statement signed by Home Minister P Chidambaram which called for the Maoists to send a fax about their ceasefire offer.

"I would like a short, simple statement from Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoists). I would like no ifs, no buts. They should send the fax to 011-23093155. Once we receive the fax, I'll consult the Prime Minister and other colleagues and respond promptly," Home Ministry Spokesperson Onkar Kedia read from the statement.

Another Person abducted in Pak, demanding 10 million ransom

Even as Pakistan's Sikh community mourns the lost of 2 of its members, a Pakistani Hindu has now been abducted in Peshwar and a huge ransom demanded for his release.

Robin Singh, a computer engineer by profession was kidnapped by unknown persons from a market on Peshwar's University Road last Friday -- Singh was kidnapped while heading to the town of Nowshera for some work.

The kidnappers have demanded 10 million rupees from Singh's relatives. His brother, Rajan has registered a case at Peshawar's West Cantonment police station. In a statement issued yesterday, President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the kidnapping of Robin Singh.

Goa - party town to drug & rape town

Goa is emerging as a drug and sex destination, the state's apex commerce and industry lobbying group has said.

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has issued strict caution to the state government, asking it to shore up its act on tourism, in a pre budget note which was handed over to chief minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday.

"Tourism in Goa of late is getting a bad name with Goa slowly emerging as a drug and sex destination," GCCI president Cesar Menezes said in the pre budget note. Lamenting the fact that Goa's top grossing industry was lying in shambles, Menezes said that much needed to be done on the tourism front to save the sector from doom.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Aqua Logistics shares rose by 7% on the day of its listing in BSE

Shares of Aqua Logistics, a third party logistics provider, listed at 219.40 rupees on the BSE on Tuesday, a narrow discount to its issue price of 220 rupees a share, but rose as much as 6.5% in early trade.

The firm's shares listed at Rs 225 on the NSE.

The firm is raising about Rs 1.5 billion through the issue 6.87 million shares.

Saffron Capital Advisors and Centrum Capital were the managers to the issue.

At 9:02 am shares were trading at Rs 230.5 after hitting a high of 234.4 rupees on the BSE in a weak Mumbai market.

Wipro employee alleged for $4million fraud in the company commits suicide

Anoop Agarwal, the employee allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at Wipro, is believed to have committed suicide.

"The employee committed suicide within 10 days of the incident coming to light", a Wipro source told on condition of anonymity.

There was, however, no official word from either the police or the company on how he died.

Agarwal had been working with the company for the past three years in the ‘controllership’ division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company’s financial books and also has powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro’s account at a bank.

Maruti to recall 1 Lakh AStar following problem in its Fuel tank

It is the Indian version of a recall that global automobile manufacturers are in the midst of. Maruti Suzuki, the country’s biggest car maker by sales, is replacing fuel pump gaskets of one of its small car, the A Star, following reports of anomalies in the fuel tank.

Approximately 1 lakh cars, manufactured during a certain time frame, will get new fuel pump gaskets and O rings. An e-mailed reply from the company spokesperson said the company came across this issue last November as part of a regular quality monitoring process.

Credit Card related complaints increase by 26% in 08-09 -- RBI

The report said RBI has started taking ‘class action’ , by issuing general directions to all banks to protect their customers. Such general
directions are issued by the regulator in cases that could benefit not only the applicant, but all those customers similarly placed without having to approach their respective banks.

The report said RBI has initiated class action against a foreign bank regarding the mode of calculation of interest rates on deposit accounts. A PSU bank was advised to recalculate interest rate on all housing loans as per terms of agreement entered into with all the borrowers without their application for relief. Yet another PSU bank was asked to recredit insurance premium that was debited to savings bank account holders without their concurrence under the group insurance scheme.

Oil exploration in Falkland island begins amid Argentina's claims

A British rig has begun drilling for oil in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands, despite strong opposition from Argentina.

The platform has been towed to a point 100km (62 miles) north of the UK territory in the South Atlantic.

Argentina claims sovereignty over what it calls the Islas Malvinas and has imposed shipping restrictions.

UK Defence Minister Bill Rammell said the government had a "legitimate right" to build an oil industry in its waters.

Suicide attack in SWAT valley left 6 dead

A suicide attack on a military vehicle in the Swat Valley killed at least six people, including two soldiers, according to a Pakistani security official and local news outlets. The bomber, who the official said was on foot, attacked a vehicle in central Mingora, the Swat Valley’s main town. Dozens of people were reported to have been injured in the attack.

Turkish PM attacked with the new technique - footwear attack

On a visit to Spain, you might be expecting the Turkish Prime Minister, to meet with his counterpart, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Instead, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a near-miss with a zapato – the Spanish word for shoe. The 27 year old man who threw the footwear was promptly arrested in Sevilla. He is now accused of attempted assault on a head of state.

Earlier in the day, the two premiers did manage to meet in Madrid to discuss Spanish support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. While Spain holds the EU’s rotating presidency, Zapatero is promising efforts to speed up Turkey’s entry.

NATO commander apologize for the attack on civilians in Afghan

 The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan took his apology for a weekend airstrike that killed civilians directly to the Afghan people on Tuesday, with a video in which he pledged to work to regain their trust as NATO continues a mass offensive against the Taliban in the south.

U.S. Marines and Afghan ground troops pushing from the north and south of the insurgent stronghold of Marjah finally linked up after more than a week, creating a direct route across the town that allows convoys to supply ammunition and reinforcements.

In the video, translated into the Afghan languages of Dari and Pashto on a NATO Web site, a stern Gen. Stanley McChrystal, apologizes for the strike in central Uruzgan province that Afghan officials say killed at least 21 people.

Mad,Inhumane protest in J & K left 10 yr boy dead ...

In a fit of madness, the protesters killed an 10-day-old infant
as they pelted stone on the car in which the family was traveling on Monday, Feb 22, media report said.

The four-year-old brother of the baby Irfan Ahmed has also sustained injury during the attack.

Police said that protesters, who were calling for a shutdown in Baramulla, intercepted the vehicle in which the family was traveling to take Irfan for treatment.

Maoists attack police camp in WB after offering National ceasefire ..

Maoist rebels have attacked a police camp in  West Bengal state, hours after a Maoist leader offered a national ceasefire, police say.

Three rebels were killed during the clash in the troubled area of Lalgarh.

The government, which recently launched a major offensive against the rebels, has asked the rebels to put the ceasefire offer "in writing".

The rebels want communist rule in large parts of India. More than 6,000 people have died during their 20-year fight.

Advani confident of Gadkari's leadership to turn up BJP's fate

Nitin Gadkari's forthrightness has been able to melt away the despondency set in by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections and turned the BJP upbeat at the just concluded Indore conclave, senior leader LK Advani said today.

In his latest blog posting, Advani said that before the three-day Indore conclave, the question bothering BJP delegates was whether Gadkari will be able to inspire confidence in the party cadre, "seemingly disheartened and disappointed by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections of 2004 and 2009?"

Good Taliban Vs Bad taliban

 The Manmohan Singh government may have expressed its willingness to try out the US’ “good Taliban, bad Taliban” differentiation,
but the Congress is just not buying into this argument.

Reacting to the beheading of two Sikhs by the Taliban in FATA of Pakistan, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the incident is reprehensible. “This unfortunate incident is a message to those forces who make a distinction between ‘good Taliban and bad Taliban’. There is nothing called good Taliban. They need to be crushed with a resolute resolve of the civilised world,” Mr Tewari said.

Religare in acquisition mood - Northgate in the list next

Religare Enterprises is close to buying a majority stake in a venture capital and private equity investment firm co-founded by former
top-flight American sportsmen, company officials said, as part of its plan to grow into a global financial services provider through overseas acquisitions.

Religare, owned by the former promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, has signed a definitive pact to buy about a 65% stake in California-based Northgate Capital for some $200 million (about Rs 1,000 crore), persons familiar with the development said. The deal is expected to close by July. “The partnership will accelerate our process of seeking similar partnerships in other asset classes,” CEO & MD Sunil Godhwani wrote in a statement to ET. He declined to disclose the value of the deal.

Reliance needs Fame to be in the ADAG group of Company list

There is a curious M&A situation that’s developed over the weekend. Reliance’s interest in Fame has only strengthened and what was at one time just a proposal – verbal one at that too – has now become a concrete open offer at a substantial premium to the price that Inox paid for the very same transaction. Inox paid Rs 51 a share – the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG)  is willing to put Rs 83 a share on the table.

The only curious part of this transaction is that the ADAG is doing an open offer for 62% whereas 51% of this company is already owned by the Inox group.

Kalpataru power transmission to raise funds upto $125 million

The board of power equipment maker Kalpataru Power Transmission has approved raising up to USD125 million via a qualified institutional placement or other modes of follow-on offerings, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

It touched an intraday high of Rs 1,065 and an intraday low of Rs 1,045. At 10:40 hrs the share was quoting at Rs 1,060, up Rs 13.10, or 1.25%.

It was trading with volumes of 537 shares. Yesterday the share closed down 0.59% or Rs 6.25 at Rs 1,046.90.

Many sectors continue to be hurt very badly-- Anand Sharma

There is no doubt in Commerce Minister Anand Sharma's mind that the Indian economy will grow by 8% in FY11. In a speech opening the Budget session of Parliament, President Pratibha Patil said the economy was likely to grow about 7.5% in FY10 and that the government would aim for a annual growth rate of 8% in FY11 and 9% in FY12.

Sharma stated that inflation is of serious concern and said there is a shortage of pulses and edible oil in country. Exports, he added, are firmly in positive territory. Food prices are growing at the fastest pace in 11 years and the government fears a backlash from millions of rural poor who are its main voters.

3G Auction likely by April 1st week -- 4 Private operators in each circle

In a move that will give the long-pending auction process for 3G spectrum a big push, telecom minister A Raja on Monday said the government will issue a notice inviting application (NIA) for bids from operators by the end of this week. The auctioning of 3G spectrum would start after 45 days of issuing the notice, he added, indicating that the auction would take place only by the next fiscal starting April 2010.

“NIAs will be released this week. Then, auction can take another 40-45 days,” Mr Raja said. The government will auction four slots of 3G spectrum in each circle, in addition to the one already allotted to state-owned telcos BSNL & MTNL, he added. The ministry got moving after the Prime Minister’s Office asked the Telecom Commission, the apex policy-making wing of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), to wrap up the auction of 3G spectrum by March 31, 2010. It also asked DoT to ensure that each circle has four private players offering 3G services, besides the state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL.

The 3G spectrum auction has been delayed by close to two years due to glitches over freeing up of spectrum and fixing bid prices. The defence ministry, which is supposed to release the airwaves held by them in phases once the alternative fibre network for the armed forces is ready, earlier accused the telecom department of not fulfilling its commitment of building the fibre network.

The law ministry also objected to a clause in the draft NIA that successful bidders may ask for compensation in case they were not allotted spectrum within the stipulated time. However, the telecom minister on Monday said all these differences among the ministries have been resolved.

For consumers, the urgency shown for the upcoming auction of 3G airwaves means they will be able to access high-end data services including ultra-fast internet, video-conferencing, interactive gaming and mobile TV services by next year when the operators roll out their commercial 3G services.

Currently, all telecom services in the country are offered on the 2G platform, except state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL who already have commercial 3G services in place. While 2G widely caters to the voice market, 3G is believed to spur data traffic in the country.

Judicial corruption a reality

Hectic lobbying is on to seek a raise in the retirement age of Supreme Court judges by another two years. The apex court judges now
retire at 65. In the event of this proposal getting through, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan could continue for another two-and-a-half years.

But there is stiff resistance to the proposal from within the judiciary as many high court judges could find their elevation prospects blocked. Sources say that there are several competent high court judges who are waiting to be elevated to the Supreme Court.

Melbourne not safe for Indians - Oz opposition leader

Streets of Melbourne were not safe for Indians and the Government should spend money on policing and preventing racial attacks to improve relationship, Australia’s opposition leader Tony Abbott said on Tuesday.

The remarks came in the wake of the Government’s move to arrange accommodation for a team of Indian journalists touring Down Under.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is spending A$250,000 on flights and five-star accommodation for the journalists in a bid to clear up a diplomatic row over a series of attacks on Indians, the AAP reported quoting Herald Sun.

NIA may take over investigation Pune blast from ATS

As the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has been unable to provide a breakthrough, the Centre is seriously considering handing over investigations into the German Bakery blast to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sources told  that the issue had already been discussed at the highest levels in the Home Ministry and a decision to hand over investigations to NIA could be taken this week “if the ATS was not able to identify the vital clues” that could identify the group behind the blast.

IAF to unleash its full strength in exercise VayuShakti -2010 at Pokhran on Feb 28

Even as IAF gears up to unleash a massive high-voltage firepower exercise Vayu Shakti-2010 at Pokhran on February 28 to showcase its `shock and awe' capabilities, plans have also been set in motion to hold the first-ever air combat exercise with China.

"We hope to hold an exercise with China around 2012. The Army has already taken a lead in this. The planning has already commenced, but political clearances, suitable dates etc take some time to come,'' said IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday.

Independant Power transmission project to be implemented by Sterlite

Today Sterlite Technologies announced about the first independent power transmission project in India.

The company also announced about the LoI (Letter of Intent) which it had received from the PFC (Power Finance Corporation Limited) for the development of an interconnecting power transmission project for the NE.

This 800 crore project is awarded on BOOM (Build Own, Operate and Maintain). It will connect the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. The lines will be ready within three years.

Mamta kept her promises in the buget 09-10

Soon after railway minister Mamata Banerjee finished reading out her 2009-10 budget speech in Parliament, there were some who smirked and said: "It is a good budget if she has the next five years in mind to implement all the projects." Even as Mamata gets ready for the 2010-11 railway budget, those who made the snide remarks have egg on their faces. She has succeeded in keeping most of her promises. It is another matter altogether that new trains, remodelled stations and plans for industry, hospitals and colleges do not necessarily constitute a good railway budget.

"Mamata has been largely successful. She has gone beyond railways and considered the overall development of the state. The people of West Bengal have always felt that the Centre has not done enough for the state. Mamata has given a lot. What she has done is unprecedented," said Bhaskar Chowdhury, former chief commercial manager, Metro Railway.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Hockey teams flying in for Hockey World Cup in Delhi

 Amid heightened security cover, the Pakistan and Australian hockey teams arrived in India on Monday for the World Cup beginning in New Delhi on February 28.

The Australian hockey team was the first to reach New Delhi in the wee hours on Monday while the Pakistan team entered India through the Wagah Border.

"The Pakistan team crossed the Wagah Border at around 1 p.m," BSF spokesperson Jagir Singh said.

ASUS releases new NetBook EeePC 1008P in a fresh hardware platform

ASUS Eee PC 1008P is a stylish “designer” netbook on fresh hardware platform. Excellent product if you are not afraid of the nuances of ergonomics and not very long battery life. It is the newest member of the family EeePC, the 1008P, designed by renowned designer Karim Rashid. This has an unusual aesthetic and appealing to the more knowledgeable of the fashion world.

The notebook comes with the Dimensions and weight 262 × 180 × 26 mm, 1.14 kg, Processor Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz),Chipset Intel NM10,Graphics Intel GMA 3150, Memory 2 GB.
Display Screen 10,1”(1024 × 600 pixels), glossy, Brightness (min / max) 0 / 80 cd/m2 (15 gradations)
Drive 250 GB SATA-II (5400 rpm),External connectors 2 × USB, RJ45, mini-VGA, audio
Communications SD (HC) / MMC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery 2900 mA • h, 10,95 In
Endurance (maximum load / read mode) 2 h 37 min / 4 h 42 min, OS Preinstalled Windows 7 Starter
with 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Nearly Thousand Lufthansa flights cancelled due to walk-out by pilots

Air travellers braced for chaos Monday as pilots for Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline, began a four-day walkout that was expected to force the cancellation of thousands of flights.

The German flag carrier was operating a sharply reduced schedule that involved scrubbing roughly 800 out of 1,800 scheduled flights per day for the duration of the strike. A spokeswoman for the carrier said early Monday that the number of flights cancelled was likely to rise as the day wore on, as some pilots that had been scheduled to work through the strike were not showing up.

“We have already had a few additional cancellations this morning,” said the spokeswoman, Stefanie Stotz.

Lt.Gen Prakash to question witnesses in Sukna army land scam

The Armed Forces Tribunal on Monday gave interim relief to former Military Secretary Lieutenant General Avadhesh Prakash in the Sukna army land scam.

The court granted permission to Lt. General Prakash to cross-examine witnesses who earlier gave statement against him before the Court of Inquiry.

According to Lt. Gen Prakash's lawyer, both of them were not present during the cross examination of the eight officers, who provided evidence against Lt. Gen Prakash's involvement in the land scam.

Airstrike kills 33 civilians in souhtern Afghan

At least 33 civilians have been killed in a Nato airstrike in southern Afghanistan.

Initial reports indicated that Nato attacked a convoy of three vehicles on Sunday as they travelled towards Kandahar. The dead included four women and one child and 12 others were injured.

Amanullah Hotak, head of the Uruzgan provincial council, said that the people had been travelling in three mini-buses through a pass in the Char Cheno district.

Abuse of European passports - a concern for EU

The European Union is "extremely concerned" at the use of European passports in the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai, the Spanish EU presidency said Monday.

"We are extremely concerned that European passports... can be used in a different manner for a different purpose," Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.

Two Pak Sikhs beheaded by extremists

Two Pakistani Sikhs have been beheaded, weeks after being kidnapped in separate incidents in the country's tribal north-west, officials say.

Jaspal Singh was taken while travelling in the Khyber district one month ago. His body was found on Sunday.

Mastan Singh was kidnapped in the Orakzai region at about the same time.

The neighbouring regions are home to crime syndicates involved in carjacking and kidnappings, which are known to have links with extremist groups.

Food security law to be enacted - Prez in Parliment

With food inflation upsetting the common-man's household budget, a concerned government today said it was committed to enacting a law to provide cheaper rice and wheat to the poor.

"My government is committed to bringing forth a legislation to ensure food security," President Pratibha Patil said in her address to the joint sitting of both the houses of Parliament.

Aussie cricket board urges players not to play in IPL over security fears..

AUSTRALIAN cricketers, along with their counterparts in England and South Africa, will be warned not to compete in the Indian Premier League next month or that they do so at their own risk, according to reports in Britain.

An English newspaper claims the security report commissioned by the international players' union says player safety cannot be guaranteed and threats issued by a group associated with Al-Qa'ida last week are credible.

Depleted India defeats strong Proteas in the 1st ODI at Jaipur

 India overcame the absence of four top stars to beat South Africa by one run in a thrilling One-Day International on Sunday and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Wayne Parnell was run out off the final delivery, attempting a second run that would have tied the match, to leave the Proteas on 297 all out in reply to India's 298/9.

The tourists were tottering at 225/8 in the 43rd over when the ninth-wicket pair of Parnell and Dale Steyn swung the day-night match around by adding 65 off 38 balls.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Intex launches handset with Tri-SIM compatibility

Till now, Intex Technologies used to pioneer in Dual SIM handsets only. Recently it has broken the barriers and has gone a step ahead by launching its new triple SIM handsets. A handset which supports three SIMs, (GSM + GSM + CDMA). The handset is called IN 5030.

The handset features a Currency Checker. The handset measures 111×48x14.8mm and has a 2 inch TFT screen with 65K colours. The handset is is JAVA-enabled, has Mobile Tracker and auto call record facilities too.

Aircel to launch its services in Haryana, Punjab & Rajasthan by April

The year 2010 is proving lucky for Nokia Siemens. Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) bagged a big deal of $700 million from country’s largest operator Bharti Airtel a few days back and now it has won a $300-million deal from mobile operator Aircel.

The four year contract would see furnish GSM radio, core and microwave network and services in three states.

Aircel is expected to roll out services in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan in April.

Passenger Service System to implemented soon in AirIndia

Global air transport communication and IT solutions provider SITA is in advanced stages of discussion with NACIL to provide the
much-needed IT platform for integrating flight codes of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines into a common one, sources said.

Apart from its benefits in the sale of tickets, a common code is an essential requirement for the national carrier, which joining a global airlines' alliance-- Star Alliance.

Probe ordered on Minaret collapse in Meknes

The Lalla Khenata mosque's minaret collapsed in the old Bab el Bardiyine neighborhood of the imperial city of Meknes during Friday mass prayers, burying most of the 300 worshippers gathered there.

The state prosecutor visited the site after the collapse occurred and a special incident unit was set up by the prosecutor's office to simplify formal procedures for victims and their families, MAP said.

Inmtes of Bhopal jail makes Solar Water heater.

After successfully manufacturing a 200 litres solar water heater to promote use of green energy, the prisoners are now trying their hand at preparing a 2,000 litre capacity to meet the needs of Central Jail in Bhopal, officials said.
      
"The inmates in the Bhopal central jail have successfully manufactured a 200 litres solar water heater recently for promoting green energy. Now they are trying their hands at preparing a 2000 litres solar energy driven heater," Madhya Pradesh Jail Director General of Police P L Pandey.

Godrej requests Govt not to increase CenVAT

The government should not raise the central value-added tax (Cenvat), which was reduced to 8 per cent as part of the stimulus measures, Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej has said.

“At present, Cenvat is 8 per cent. It is very important that the finance minister does not raise the Cenvat rate, because very soon we will be shifting to the goods and service tax (GST) regime. The best way forward is to merge the present fiscal stimulus with the introduction of the GST," he said on the sidelines of theCII-organised brand summit in Bangalore.

MMS Scandal pushed a teen to commit suicide

An 18-year-old schoolgirl and her paramour allegedly committed suicide after video clippings of her kissing a classmate were posted on the Internet, police said on Saturday.

The girl, a student of Class XII at a school in Kannur, and a 27-year-old plumber, who is believed to be her boyfriend, were found hanging from a tree at the latter's residence, police said.

Missing communist leader W R Varadharajan found dead in the Porur Pond

The Chennai police have found a decomposed body which they suspect could be of the missing Communist leader W R Varadarajan.

According to his wife Saraswathy, a few identification marks match but police say they can confirm only after forensic test reports.

The veteran trade union leader has been missing for 10 days now after he was removed from the party's highest decision making body, the central committee following adverse reports from the state unit.

Iran urges IAEA to reconsider on the nuke reports

Head of Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi on Sunday urged the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA), Yukiya Amano, to reconsider his report on Iran's nuclear activities.

Boroujerdi told reporters that "since Mr. Amano is to present his report to the agency's Board of Governors next Monday, he'd better use the chance and change the report," the official IRNA news agency reported.

Flash floods left at least 40 people dead,Portuguese island of Madeira

Rescue workers are searching mud-filled streets and houses on the Portuguese island of Madeira after flash floods left at least 40 people dead.

More than 120 others were injured and an unknown number are missing, raising fears that the death toll could rise.

Heavy rains brought tonnes of mud and stones down the slopes of the island, flooding the streets of the regional capital, Funchal, and other towns.

Water, power and telecommunications were cut in some areas.

   

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Viru No.1 In ICC Test ranking

 Virender Sehwag, the Indian opener, has taken the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings after hitting successive centuries against South Africa. With a rapid 165 in the Kolkata Test, which India won to stay top of the ICC rankings for teams, and 109 in Nagpur before that, Sehwag has displaced good friend and fellow Test opener Gautam Gambhir.

Sehwag sits top of the pile with 863 points, while Gambhir has dropped to fifth position with 824. He had tremendous success in 2009 - an average of 108.98 in six Tests - and in the four Tests he has played this year, Sehwag already has two centuries. He was also the recipient of the prize for best Test innings, for the second year running, for the ESPNcricinfo Awards where his audacious 293 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai was chosen over four other nominations shortlisted for the award.

Narang bags another gold in CommonWealth Shooting tournament

 India's gold count in the Commonwealth Shooting Championship increased with Gagan Narang winning the men's 10 metre air rifle singles
event and Navy man Sanjeev Rajput bagging the silver at the Karni Singh Shooting Range here Saturday.

Narang shot a total of 699.5 (595 qualification, 104.5 finals) for the yellow metal and also came close to breaking his own championship record of 699.7 set in Australia in 2005.

Fonseka getting 5 Star facilties in jail - Rajapakse

 Sri Lanka's president says arrested ex-army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka is getting "five-star" treatment in custody, it was reported Saturday.

Fonseka, whose detention came two weeks after being beaten in presidential elections in late January by President Mahinda Rajapakse, is being held by the military pending court-martial proceedings on unspecified charges.

3G auction issue will be resolved soon-- A.Raja

Telecom Minister A. Raja has said that the issue of auctioning 3G-spectrum to telecom companies is likely to be resolved this week.

Earlier, Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla had said that the government was not sure if it could conduct a 3G wireless spectrum auction before the end of the current fiscal.
 
The current fiscal ends on March 31.

"I hope everything will be resolved this week. It is not the question of money alone. It is the question of utilising the technology. We should not be lagging behind the international community," Raja announced on the sidelines of the launch of BSNL 3G mobile services in Bangalore.

"Government of India is committed, whether it is finance, whether it is law. As a whole, Government of India is committed to have this technology at the earliest possible," Raja added.

Number Portability from May- launch in Chennai & B'lore

The government would launch the much-awaited mobile number portability (MNP) by the first week of May, starting from Chennai and Bangalore, said Communication and Information Technology Minister A Raja today.


“By May first week, the number portability will be introduced in Chennai and Bangalore,” Raja said, during the launch of 3G services here by state-owned BSNL.

The MNP, which would allow users to switch service providers without changing phone numbers, was earlier scheduled to be introduced in March this year. However, it got delayed as the government was unable to get security clearance for the devices which were imported from other countries.

Water diapute B/w India & Pak need to be solved -- Holbrooke

President Obama's Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said Washington is in consultations with India and Pakistan to help both countries resolve water disputes between them.

In an interview with a private television channel, Holbrooke termed Pakistan's water crisis as the second most worry for that country after its sagging economy.


"Pakistan's water crisis is the second most dangerous crisis after its economic turmoil," The Daily Times quoted Holbrooke, as saying.

Indian Hockey Players in controversy yet again

Indian hockey has been rocked by yet another controversy with organisers of a charity event on Saturday claiming that the players demanded Rs 5 crore to feature in the matches, an allegation the national team members denied.

Hardeep Sandhu, a member of the organiser committe of AMR foundation, on Saturday claimed that hockey players led by Prabhjot Singh, Rajpal Singh and Deepak Thaukar were demanding a Rs 5 crore to play in the four charity matches of 15 minutes each featuring Bollywood and TV stars.

DMK's stand on new panel for MullaiPeriyar issue...

The legal tangle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the Mullaperiyar Dam dispute took a new twist on Saturday with ruling DMK saying there was no need for the State to nominate its representative to the committee constituted by the Supreme Court to go into the dam’s safety aspects.

DMK’s General Council, which met here, in a resolution said it was not in a position to accept the Supreme Court’s ruling constituting the five-member committee to examine the safety aspects of the over century-old reservoir.
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