Information about india

It's a baby boy "Yug" for Kajol and Ajay

2010-09-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Kajol has delivered a baby boy "Yug". "She is doing quite well," says her PR agent Parag Desai. "The child is fine too," says he. The child was born at 9.20 am on Monday morning at Mumbai's Leelavati Hospital in Bandra.

The baby is Ajay Devgan and Kajol's second child after their daughter Nysa. While sources close to the family inform that Kajol will not come back to the movies after this baby, they do insist that filmmakers are still trying to get her back in the movies following her last performance in the Karan Johar production, 'We Are Family'.

Kajol's not too keen to return herself and Ajay Devgan has been very supportive of whatever decision she wants to take.
Source: Yahoo News

Reality of Any Big City in India

2010-09-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Traffic jams. Delayed flights. Crowded trains. That is the reality of any big city in India. The future could be much worse. The country's cities are expected to grow by an additional 250 million, mostly young people, over the next two decades. Without massive investment and thoughtful planning, chaos will ensue.

Or not. McKinsey, in an unprecedented nearly two-year study of Indian cities, envisions a way for India over the next 20 years to turn that influx of young population into a quadrupling of per-capita income. This growth hinges on adequate investment in cities so they can handle the surge in people and the simultaneous increased demand on services. The urban migration, if properly handled, could generate 70% of net new jobs and produce 70% of India's GDP.

The Next Decade In Technology

Full List: The Best Cities For Online Dating

In Pictures: Ghost Cities Of 2100

The Next Decade In Energy

The Next Decade In Politics

To meet their needs, McKinsey suggests that India must build--every year for the next 20 years--between 7 billion and 9 billion square feet of real estate (the equivalent of one Chicago) a year; 220 to 250 miles of metros and subways (more than 20 times what it has built in the past decade); and between 12,000 and 15,000 miles of road lanes (nearly equal to all the road lanes constructed in the past decade).

That's a pretty ambitious task, given India's infamous bureaucracy, corruption and a sketchy track record on accomplishing large-scale projects. Ajit Mohan, the lead author on the McKinsey report, says for the first time there's some recognition in India that urban development has to become a priority. It could take one success in a single city to create the momentum for a national push, he says, comparing the current lack of infrastructure investment to the way the IT sector was developed in India. "When Bangalore became successful, other cities started to emulate it," he says.

The major changes will happen, adds Chetan Vaidya, head of the National Institute of Urban Affairs in New Delhi. "We can already see bits and pieces of that falling into place," he says. Source: Yahoo News

Pre Matrimonial Verification Prevent Marriage Frauds and Dating Scams

2010-08-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

You are marrying for love and care or simply to have a family. To cherish the bond, to make life a worth having affair – it is a must to trust your partner and the basic building block in building this trust can be a pre matrimonial Verification about the credentials wish we usually take for the face value. Some might shrug off the idea to prevent suspicion from creeping in. But, they forget that it’s better to have a clarity right in the beginning of a relationship than to regret later in life. Proper pre matrimonial verification can prevent marriage frauds and dating scams. It can also provide ample personal and professional information by checking out past behavioral patterns and keeping a tab on illegal or anti-social activities of a person.

Each matrimonial advertisement asks for a companion who emphasizes on togetherness and makes an extra effort to assure the credentials of the person for whom advertisement has been posted for. Each girl would yearn for a guy who is a paradigm of love, care, understanding and concern and checking this out is possible, if you do a proper pre matrimonial verification.

The purpose of a pre matrimonial verification is to ensure that the credentials of a groom or bride are true and clear so that they can trust each other. Background checks can also come in handy to know if the person is dating someone or is already a divorcee. A marriage background check can also highlight issues like undisclosed debt, abusive behavior, registered sex offender, criminal record past or present, lies or undisclosed personal information that is being hidden from you. And can also get you answer for at least some of those nagging questions before wedding and help you in getting into a trusted relationship.

Pre Matrimonial Verification unearth the attributes of a person allowing you to find a companion whose sanity calm your caprice, intellect satisfy inquisitiveness and most of all whose presence make you desired. There are various ways of carrying a Pre Matrimonial Verification. Some rely on professional service, some try following options like relying on the database used by the government and law enforcement which is available with certain organizations and come for easy money. It offers instant access to conduct a background check on practically anyone including arrest records, criminal files, court records, driving records, and much more. We have launched a new product for doing matrimonial verification online for those couples who want to enter into a trusted relationship by verifying the facts.

Commonwealth Games Scandal: Now Sonia Take Steps

2010-08-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

With revelations around the Commonwealth Games getting murkier by the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has now stepped in saying the guilty won't be spared.

Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Sonia Gandhi said the nation's pride was riding on the Games, which were "not any individual's or party's game," and efforts should be made to hold them successfully.

Those found guilty of corruption in works related to the Games would be punished after the event, she said.

Sonia also expressed concern at the situation in Kashmir, saying, "we have to reach out to the people."

She also brought up the Naxal menace and illegal mining. is also areas where deprivation takes place. (With PTI inputs). Read more: ndtv.com

Commonwealth Games Training Venues

2010-08-18T00:59:00.000-07:00

Yamuna Sports Complex for Archery
Major Dhyan Chand National stadium , Shivaji Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex for Aqutics.
Yamuna Sports Complex, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram for Lawn Bowls
Delhi University, Thyagaraj Sports Complex for Netball
Delhi University 7 colleges for Rugby 7s
Following 7 colleges are:
1.St. Stephan`s College
2.Hindu College
3.Khalsa College
4.Ramjas College
5.Kirorimal College
6.Sri Ram College of Commerce 7
7.Daulatram College Jamia Milia Islamia University

Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, CRPF Campus, Kadarpur for Shooting
Siri Fort Sports Complex for Squash
Yamuna Sports Complex, Jamia Milia Islamia for Table Tennis
Games Village for Weight Lifting
Sri Ram College of Commerce, Games Village, Ludlow Castle for Wrestling
R.K. Khanna Sports Complex, Siri Fort Sports Complex for Tennis.

Common Wealth Games tourists room bookings are lower than expected

2010-08-17T22:30:00.001-07:00

Less than two months from the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Delhi hoteliers are reporting far lower than expected room bookings, prompting some hotels to consider slashing rates for the season.

"We had hoped that August would see a jump in bookings but that hasn't happened yet," a senior Tourism Ministry official told the Times of India.

"If the trend continues, it could be worrying.''

A senior manager of a five star hotel in Delhi claimed to be chasing confirmations of bookings, telling the newspaper, "If you have to chase bookings so close to the Games, there is something wrong."

Investing huge sums into massive infrastructure has put India at the mercy of Commonwealth Games profit that may not eventuate, the newspaper reported.

Read More from: etravelblackboard.com

Singapore Blog Awards 2010 - Winners Interviews

2010-08-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

DMRC Agreement for Metro Rail Construction for Jaipur in Rajasthan

2010-08-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation give rights to Rajasthan Government for the Metro Rail construction for Jaipur in Rajasthan.

It may be possible to signed the Agreement on 5th August 2010. Estimated cost decided by DMRC for Jaipur metro project is to be 1,250 crore.

Initially DMRC constructed Metro corridor between Mansarovar and Chand Pole consisting of 9 Metro Stations. It approximately 9.25 KM long.

Rajneeti Movie trailer and story

2010-06-07T04:27:00.000-07:00

Rajneeti - Trailer With Dialogue

Rajneeti Movie Story:

It's a bloody battle for political power between the rival claimants of the Pratap family. When the venerable elder suffers a paralytic stroke, the seat of power automatically shifts to his younger brother, much to the discomfiture of his son, Manoj Bajpayee who considers himself to be the rightful heir to his bed-ridden father's throne. He can't see his rival cousins, Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor, rising to power while he is left simmering in the shadows. He seeks the assistance of dalit leader, Ajay Devgn to play his political cards and clear the path for his ascent to the top job (party president/chief ministership), even if it means traversing a blood-strewn and violent road that leads through assassination and fratricide. Of course, he underestimates the power and political shrewdness of the supposedly apolitical youngest cousin, Samar Pratap Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) who ostensibly came to India from New York on a short vacation but ended up playing the role of Arjuna in a veritable political Mahabharata, with Krishna-like Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar) guiding him through the intrigue. Read more from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India put the target of 195 runs for Zimbabwe in Try Series Cricket

2010-06-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

Today 3rd June 2010, Try Series Cricket match between India and Zimbabwe is ongoing process. Match is paying in Harare Sports Club in Hazare. India has choose the bating first and set the target of 195 runs for Zimbabwe.

Indian Players gain 194 runs for 9 in 50 overs. Now Zimbabwe team is betting and trying to make good score against India. You can see live score and commentary at:Cricketbuzz.com

Mumbai Indians Beats Kolkota Knight Riders by 9 runs

2009-05-01T10:15:00.001-07:00

Mumbai Indians Beats Kolkota Knight Riders by 9 runs and restricted to make runs. First three overs bowling by Zahir Khan and openers Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle.

Deccan Chargers unbeaten start ended by Delhi Daredevils

2009-04-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Delhi Daredevils ended the Deccan Chargers unbeaten start and the Chennai Super Kings stayed in semifinals contention for the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Tillakaratne Dilshan starred in the six-wicket win over the Deccan Chargers, scoring an unbeaten 52 as Delhi reached 150-4 in response to Deccan's 148-9.

In the second match at Centurion, Suresh Raina racked 98 while Lakshmipathy Balaji took 4-21 to lead the Chennai Super Kings to a 38-run win over Rajasthan Royals.

Deccan remained atop the standings but on run rate from Delhi, Kings XI Punjab was two points behind on 6, and Mumbai Indians edged Chennai and Rajasthan for fourth on run rate.

In the first match, Australian left-arm fast bowler Dirk Nannes used deceptive pace to take 2-16 and remove openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs inside the first three overs to leave Deccan reeling on 2-19. They never recovered from the setback, although Dwayne Smith's 48 off 28 balls pushed their total to respect.

In reply, Delhi started well, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir putting on 30 for the first wicket. Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik (41 off 30 balls) then tallied 72 off 66 balls for the fourth wicket in a match-winning partnership.

Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist said conditions in South Africa have made it possible for pace bowlers to enjoy Twenty20 success.

"The ball is playing a greater part here than last year in the subcontinent," he said. "The conditions here in South Africa give pace bowlers a chance. It encourages batsmen to bat smarter. It's a good challenge for us (batsmen) in these conditions."

In the second match, Delhi Daredevils amassed 164-5, guided by Raina, who was dismissed in the final over after hitting 10 boundaries and five sixes. He thought he'd notched the tournament's second century but it was an error on the scoreboard.

Read more from :etaiwannews.com

Al-Qaeda leader Yazid warns India of more Mumbai-style attacks

2009-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

London, Feb 10 (PTI) A top al-Qaeda commander, who was reported killed in a US drone strike last year, has appeared in a video warning India of more Mumbai-style terror attacks if it tried to attack Pakistan.
"India should know that it will have to pay a heavy price if it attacks Pakistan," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, believed to be al-Qaeda's military commander in Afghanistan and ranked behind No 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, said in a 20-minute video in Arabic received by BBC.

Yazid, who the Pakistani military said may have been killed in fighting last August in the Bajaur tribal region, said: "The Mujahideen will sunder your armies into the ground, like they did to the Russians in Afghanistan.

"They will target your economic centres and raze them to the ground." Yazid denounced the ban on militant groups in Pakistan following the Mumbai attacks and asked the people of Pakistan to rise up and overthrow the government and President Asif Ali Zardari, the BBC reported.

The al-Qaeda leader is said to have been involved in a number of terror attacks, including last year's Danish Embassy bombings, in Pakistan and had claimed the responsibility of assassinating former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Source: PTI

Today's more news about India

2009-02-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

India ready to share more information on Mumbai attacks
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
NEW DELHI: Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday his counry was ready to share more information with Pakistan on Mumbai attacks. ...
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Pakistan Completes Review of Indian Dossier, Promises Response
Bloomberg - USA
2 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government has investigated information provided by India on the Mumbai terrorist ...
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India to launch £7 laptop
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
The Indian government is to unveil a £7 laptop computer in an ambitious plan to bring the internet revolution to its remote villages. ...
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Great majority of governments fail to keep publics adequately informed
Daily Star - Lebanon - Beirut,Lebanon
Seventeen governments, including Angola, Ghana, India, and Uganda, currently produce them, although they vary considerably in how much information they ...
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Indian Erotic Stone Sculpture w/Dog 19th C.
Auction Central News - New York,NY,USA
ALL SALES ARE FINAL, therefore it is crucial that the bidder knows all the information about the lot before bidding. All statements contained in the online ...
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SEC officials to visit SEBI, Satyam headquarters
Hindu Business Line - Chennai,India
1 Officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the US are scheduled to visit India this week to gather information about the Satyam financial ...
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Author Recounts His 'Journey With Leprosy'
NPR - USA
Data provided by WHO for a thirteen-year period reflects a remarkable decrease in cases in India by 70 percent, although leprosy cases in India for 1993 ...
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IT dept may seek details on Swiss bank accounts
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
... the apex body for tax matters in India, is actively considering a proposal that will allow the income-tax department to ask for information on accounts ...
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Satyam Comp likely to take legal action against World Bank

2008-12-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Satyam Comp likely to take legal action against World Bank New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) Satyam Computer is likely to take legal action against the World Bank in the face of the lender's refusal to withdraw its (the Bank's) statement that made public the decision to ban the IT major for eight years from doing business with it.
Asked about the World Bank spokesperson's refusal to either apologise or withdraw the statement, a Satyam spokesperson told PTI from Hyderabad, "We are considering all options at our disposal." Crisis-ridden Satyam Computer Thursday asked the World Bank to apologise and withdraw its statement that made public the eight-year ban on the IT major for its alleged improper business practices, but the bank rejected the demand.

Satyam, which courted controversy for its decision to buy Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra and then giving up the idea, said the World Bank's statement on December 23 had caused it enough 'harm', and sought an apology for it.

However, the India spokesperson of the World Bank, Sudip Mozumder, told PTI that "the Bank stands by its statement issued on its Indian website on December 23".

The World Bank statement on December 23 said "Satyam was declared ineligible for contracts for providing improper benefits to (the) Bank staff and for failing to maintain documentation to support fees charges for its sub-contractors." Asked if the Bank would apologise, as demanded by Satyam, Mozumder said any comment, if at all, has to come from headquarters in Washington but the Bank stands by its statement.

However, Satyam Computer said in its statement that it would evaluate all options in view of both the Bank's "inappropriate" public statements and its response to the IT firm's requests.

The issue will now come up for discussion at the December 29 Board meeting of Satyam Computer. PTI
source: .ptinews.com

Pakistan lists airspace ‘violations’- Mumbai spurs India media revamp

2008-12-19T00:34:00.000-08:00

PotashCorp Revises 2008 Full-Year Guidance
MarketWatch - USA
While the company considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. ...
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Pakistan lists airspace ‘violations’
Hindu - Chennai,India
Pakistan’s complaint to India nearly a week after the incidents came after Opposition parties criticised the government for jumping to provide a ...
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750-kg RDX smuggled into India?
Times of India - India
Though, as of now, it is difficult to say what the route has been for the explosives to come to India or if the information is 100% correct. ...
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Lupin, Tata Power, Thomas Cook, Satyam: India Equity Preview
Bloomberg - USA
... the newspaper reported, without saying where it got the information. Satyam dropped 69.45 rupees, or 31 percent, to 157.10. Thomas Cook India Ltd. (TC ...
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Battelle, R&D Magazine 2009 Funding Forecast Reflects Global ...
MarketWatch - USA
China and India continue to grow as major actors in the world's R&D efforts. Accelerated programs in South Korea, Singapore, and other Asian countries have ...
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BBC News

Mumbai spurs India media revamp
BBC News - UK
Information on rescue operations will not be shared with the audience and the broadcasters say they will exercise caution when showing distressing images of ...
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BBC News

Militant leader 'not in Pakistan'
BBC News - UK
Pakistan's high commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, has now said Pakistan has no information about his whereabouts. Mr Azhar is one of the most wanted men ...
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India hands over 23 pirates to Yemeni authorities
The Statesman - Kolkata,India
18: India handed over to the Yemeni authorities the 23 pirates (12 Somali and 11 Yemeni) captured by the Navy in the Gulf of Aden on 13 December when they ...
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Pakistan Cracks Down on Charity Group Implicated in Mumbai Attacks - India Information Technology Report

2008-12-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Pakistan Cracks Down on Charity Group Implicated in Mumbai Attacks
Voice of America - USA
"Despite our requests, no evidence or information has been shared with the government by India so far." With offices in all major Pakistani cities and ...
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Sam Pitroda to launch India biodiversity portal
India Today - New Delhi,India
A week from now, you can check in to a one-stop warehouse of information on India's biodiversity - generally, short for biological diversity - at the click ...
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'Unless you sacrifice, you can't fight terror'
Rediff - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
We have to have management in our information systems. Technology is rudimentary in India. We are a lazy nation as far as the governing system is concerned. ...
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China Crescent Enterprises, Inc. Announces Plans to Increase ...
MarketWatch - USA
Forbes recently published an article addressing the need for US-based companies to look East, specifically to China and India for continued growth. ...
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India Information Technology Report Q4 2008 - companiesandmarkets ...
Live-PR.com (Pressemitteilung) - Wein,Austria
Despite an expected slowdown in Indian GDP growth, the potential of the IT market is plain: less than 2% of people in India own a computer, about one-fifth ...
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UPI NewsTrack TopNews
United Press International - USA
Obama Thursday said his aides were collecting and would release information on any contacts between transition staff and the office of Gov. ...
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Mumbai Attackers - Indian Police Disclose More Suicide Attackers

2008-12-10T23:41:00.000-08:00

Indian Police Disclose More Suicide Attackers
New York Times - United States
By JEREMY KAHN and ROBERT F. WORTH MUMBAI, India — The Mumbai police said Tuesday that the 10 men who carried out the terrorist attacks here belonged to a ...
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Mumbai Attackers Called Part of Larger Band of Recruits
New York Times - United States
... and raised tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan to the highest level in years. Mr. Bharti said the information about the ...
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India Hospitality Corp. Reports Preliminary Fiscal Second Quarter ...
MarketWatch - USA
The companies are headquartered in Mumbai and have over 1700 employees across their facilities in India. For Further Information Contact: Media Contact: ...
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Practical Traveler A Lesson of Mumbai: Have a Safety Plan
New York Times - United States
Security outside the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Tower after the hotel was attacked in Mumbai, India. By MICHELLE HIGGINS THE deadly attacks in Mumbai, ...
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India's lack of preparedness 'pathetic'
Rediff - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
... with the effect that if you have any information on terrorism, it is promptly passed on to the state police and all others, whereas in India, ...
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American Cancer Society Launches Quitline Program in India
MarketWatch - USA
For more information on the American Cancer Society's Quitline services for multi-national employers, please visit www.acsworkplacesolutions.com. ...
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After Mumbai: Time to Strengthen US–India Counterterrorism Cooperation
Heritage.org - Washington,DC,USA
[20] Through the CTJWG mechanism, India and the US have exchanged information, training material, and methods related to interrupting terrorist financial ...
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India gives info tying Mumbai gunmen to Pakistan
The Associated Press
The new information, if confirmed, would bolster India's claim that the attack was launched from Pakistan and was released as the Pakistani government ...
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India trade cooperation and other breaking news

2008-11-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

Forum to enhance Sino-India trade cooperation
China Daily - China
At the same time India enterprises will bring first-hand information of Indian industrial circumstances. Former director and chief representative of the ...
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Rediff

'Indians are yet to take advantage of Right to Information'
Rediff - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
The Right to Information is derived from our Fundamental Right of Expression under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. If we do not have information on ...
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United Tech to step up aerospace parts sourcing
Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Nov 05, 2008 (The Economic Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- UTX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- BANGALORE, India ...
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Mangalorean.com

Tier II cities will soon become IT destinations
Mangalorean.com - Mangalore,India
The new age economy belongs to the knowledge sector driven by Information technology. India is the most favoured destination for foreign direct investments, ...
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Sell-off sends oil sliding toward $60
Houston Chronicle - United States
... rising demand in developing countries, led by China and India, the Paris-based agency said in an executive summary of its annual World Energy Outlook. ...
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Nokia plants a seed in India
Sify - Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India
But Nokia thinks that this is exactly the sort of information that rural users in emerging markets will find useful. The world's leading mobile phone ...
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India Inc cuts jobs, frills to stay in shape
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
From banking and finance to aviation, from manufacturing to information technology, no sector appears immune, as companies look beyond hiring freezes to job ...
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Amaresh Samantaraya: Looking for logic
Business Standard - Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
In a series of articles in Business Standard, Surjit S Bhalla has raised several issues pertaining to inflation management of the Reserve Bank of India. ...
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IBM's cure for dearth of Indian researchers in India
Merinews - New Delhi,India
The number of in-home researchers is very minimum in India as most Information Technology (IT) graduates get engaged in jobs after their graduation rather ...
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No violation of law: Raja
Hindu - Chennai,India
... to new operators was based on the Cabinet-approved NTP-99 and supported by the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). ...
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A Public Announcement by Air Water International Corporation And other news about india

2008-11-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

A Public Announcement by Air Water International Corporation & Its ...
MarketWatch - USA
For the villagers of Jalimudi, a small out of nowhere village located in eastern India, in a province called Andre Pradesh, a truly historic event is about ...
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RTI Act yet to make impact in villages, say policymakers
Livemint - Delhi,Delhi,India
India’s chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said the commission is planning to work with the information and communications ministries to ...
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IBM Aims to Counter Researcher Shortage in India
PC World - USA
Finding researchers in India has become tough as most engineering graduates in information technology, instead of going for higher studies like doctorate ...
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George Deikun, USAID’s India director
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
It would be robust one-stop shop for fiscal information and dialogue. This tool can reinvent itself to attune to the changing circumstances. ...
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HP Labs Making Web Browsing Similar to Using an Appliance
PC World - USA
HP Labs India is researching how to remove complexity from Web browsing and Web transactions. Web browsing has to be as intuitive and as simple as using an ...
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Need To Know | Sandeep Dhar to head Tesco Hindustan
Livemint - Delhi,Delhi,India
... experience and expertise in providing information technology, business, finance and HR services to Tesco’s operations. Mumbai: State Bank of India (SBI) ...
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Vision statements instilling values will motivate India Inc
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
Their objective was to help inform managers about the tools available to them and provide them with the information they need in order to identify, select, ...
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Why we need FOI law
Daily Sun - Apapa,Lagos,Nigeria
In India, grassroots social activist groups use the right to know laws to obtain information on local public works projects and reveal the amounts said to ...
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Information about sensek, Tata Steel, Samsunga and issues

2008-11-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

Kids from Silicon Valley astride two cultures: India and California
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
... Indian Institute of Information Technology, has visited with young people at international schools in India and found some to be culturally unmoored. ...
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Nokia: From Technical Development to Human Development?
PC World - USA
For now, Nokia Life Tools will only be available in India, giving everyone (including Nokia) plenty of time to see how this thing plays out. ...
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A battle between battered teams
The Statesman - Kolkata,India
Nagpur, Nov 5: If the US Presedential elections be compared with the fourth and final Test match between India and Australia, then Mahendra Singh Dhoni ...
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Bharti in tie-up with Transcend
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
5 Nov, 2008, 2240 hrs IST, PTI BANGALORE: Bharti Teletech, one of India's leading manufacturers and distributors of telecom and allied products, ...
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India Inc sees a global crisis manager in new prez
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
NEW DELHI: India Inc sees the election of Barack Obama as an opportunity for the US to regain moral leadership and use that power to comprehensively address ...
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AmeriCares Launches India Operations
MarketWatch - USA
For more information, please visit www.americares.org and www.americaresindia.org. The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter ...
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Bhuvan, our answer to Google Earth soon
Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India
In an exciting new development, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is developing a web-based information system, specifically for India, ...
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BBC News

Grave fears for India burial site
BBC News - UK
The team leave for India on 8 November and photography and survey information from the visit will be made available to the public online at ...
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Samsung Electronics recruits 950 in India
Trading Markets (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Nov 03, 2008 (The Economic Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- SSNLF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Despite the economic ...
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Sensex plunges 511 pts; RIL, Tata Steel suffer big losses
Sify - Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India
Information technology, bank, pharma and select capital goods and power stocks did bounce back and pulled the market from lower levels in early afternoon ...
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Breaking News about India

2008-11-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

ISRO to launch remote sensing, information portal by 2009
Indian Express - New Delhi,India
Since the late 1960s, India has achieved enhanced agricultural produce through intensive irrigation, genetically improved crops, use of inorganic ...
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Inform, Involve, Empower - Nokia's Service Mantra for Emerging ...
MarketWatch - USA
Nokia plans to launch the service, beginning in the first half of 2009 with the Nokia 2323 classic and the Nokia 2330 classic as the lead devices in India ...
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D&B India moots launching credit rating agency
Merinews - New Delhi,India
D&B and SIDBI, along with Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd and other banks in the country, already operate the SME Rating Agency or SMERA. ...
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BusinessWeek

Nokia Brings the Web to Emerging Markets
BusinessWeek - USA
A separate service will offer English lessons and other educational information for 60¢ a month. Nokia plans to launch the service in the Indian state of ...
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Indian student killed in US
Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India
Jinaga’s father, BC Jinaga, is a professor with the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University here and heads the School of Information Technology. ...
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IBC's 3rd International Conference; ACCESS India & China
MarketWatch - USA
... and India and how this impacts multinational pharmaceutical and biotech companies. For up-to-date information and to register for this event, visit www. ...
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Oil prices surges above $70 in volatile week
The Associated Press
"The volatility and huge price swings we've seen this year are unmatched," said Ben Brockwell, director of data, pricing and information services for the ...
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Online okay for clinical trials by 2013
Economic Times - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
India would be the first country to implement such a concept. It will be done through a software. We believe information technology is our strength and why ...
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Singh proceeds to protect Indian industry
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
Hence, it is only expected that exports from sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, engineering and infrastructure, information technology ...
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Loggerhead release to provide vital information to scientific ...
Science Centric - Sofia,Sofia Town,Bulgaria
The turtles, which have reached this size, will be released in the Indian River Lagoon because loggerhead turtles of this size are typically found in this ...
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Today's India News

2008-11-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

Money for Something
Times of India - India
Could such a system work in India? Internet penetration may be low here, but a significant section of the electorate able to donate will have access to the ...
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Imagine Schools at South Vero Dedication Ceremony Celebrates the ...
MarketWatch - USA
Imagine Schools CEO and Founder Dennis Bakke will dedicate the school, and Indian River Charter High School Board Chairman Gene Waddell will welcome Imagine ...
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Detroit International Auto Salon Will Make Room for India's ...
CNNMoney.com - USA
The Detroit International Auto Salon (DIAS) released information today announcing intentions by one of India's leading automotive supplier regions to ...
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Supreme Court hearing tribal-land case
Providence Business News - Providence,RI,USA
... Charlestown and its Nuweetooun School and Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Exeter. Additional information is available at www.Narragansett-Tribe.org. ...
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Dow Jones Islamic Market World Index Expands to Include 12 New ...
MarketWatch - USA
For more information on the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes, please visit www.djindexes.com. Journalists may e-mail questions regarding this press release ...
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ICONS India starts shipping of Nuance Dragon Medical 10
India PRwire (press release) - Gurgaon,Haryana,India
As a result of Dragon Medical’s ability to enable direct dictation into EMRs and other clinical information systems, healthcare provider organizations can ...
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India to ink pact with Qatar
Indian Express - New Delhi,India
... and service-to-service information sharing. This was followed by a high level delegation from Qatar, which visited several defence locations in India ...
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Assam CM: India's Assam state blasts could be avoided
Xinhua - China
These bits of information were "not specific and not actionable", Gogoi said, adding that it was "impossible to pinpoint the date, time location and the ...
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MNCs hire pvt eyes to snoop on biz partners
Times of India - India
According to Kapur, nearly 65% of the companies approaching them for such information are MNCs though a fairly large number of Indian firms also use their ...
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How is school recognition money being spent in Indian River ...
Vero Beach Press-Journal (subscription) - Vero Beach,FL,USA
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers requested the information be available 1 pm on Nov. 3. We still don’t have the information and will be contacting ...
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All information about Andhra Pradesh (India)

2007-12-26T04:13:00.000-08:00

Andhra Paresh is placed in the south of India. It’s total is 275,000 sq. km and surrounded by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and the Bay of Bengal it also contain mountainous and third largest state of India.

Godavri and Krishna are the major river s of the state and always hot and humid climate is there. In Andhra Pradesh, so many famous temples like Tirupati in Chittoor.

The capital of Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) joint to Secunderabad by a lake called Hussain Sagar Lake and attracts large numbers of tourists.

85% people of Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu and Tamil also speak widely in south region. Tourist Destinations of Andhra Pradesh are Puttaparthi, Hydrabad, Thirupati.

Health Mueseum, Char Minar, State Mueseum, Birla Mandir, Art Gallery, Macca Masjid and Nehru Zoological Park also attract tourists.

Unique festivals of the state are Sankranti, Dasara, and Vinayaka Chavithi, Ugadi. Classical dance of Andhra Pradesh is Kuchipudi.

New Delhi AksharDham Temple in India - A best tour place

2007-12-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

**************************AksharDham Temple ***********************

Eleven of the top 15 Best information technology(IT) companies

2007-11-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Eleven of the top 15 Best Companies to Work for in India are information technology companies, according to a joint study conducted by Mercer and Business Today.

Global software giant Microsoft pipped domestic IT giant Infosys, which slipped the ranks, to emerge as the best company to work for in India. Two companies -- domestic IT major Satyam and global banking giant HSBC -- have moved out of the list this year.

Although high levels of remuneration and open communication were cited as key drivers of engagement by surveyed employees, interesting work, 'challenging' targets and growth and development opportunities emerged as the key differentiators between the best employers and other participating companies.

The best employers in India have invested in world-class HR processes and policies and seem to have a clear understanding of employee aspirations. Leadership development, internal transfers, global opportunities, mentoring, two-way communication and reward systems has emerged as a common thread in the top 15 companies.
Read more from: http://infotech.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/msid-2538158.cms

1st ODI, India vs Pakistan cricket match(2007) in Guwahati on Monday

2007-11-05T01:34:00.000-08:00

Salman Butt provided the early momentum, after being included ahead of Imran Nazir, to bolster Pakistan's shaky opening partnership.

He was on song as he stroked his way to 50 off 57 deliveries, including eight boundaries, before he was run-out by Yuvraj Singh.

More from: http://specials.rediff.com

This year Foreign investors have bought some $16.7 billion in Indian shares

2007-10-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, or SEBI, completed rules governing foreign participation in this fast-growing market, giving clarity to a closely watched situation that has disrupted the exchanges.

The board reiterated some hard-line proposals first floated last week, which caused the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex index to decline more than 9 percent the next day, and hinted at further oversight. “This is not the last set of decisions that you would see regarding foreign investment in India,” the SEBI chairman, M. Damodaran, said in a news conference in Mumbai.

Foreign investors have bought some $16.7 billion in Indian shares this year, according to Bloomberg, 43 percent of that since the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate on Sept. 18.

Foreign investors who have not registered with Indian regulators, a sometimes cumbersome process, can no longer use popular financial instruments known as participatory notes to invest in the market, Mr. Damodaran said on Thursday.

In essence, the move eliminates anonymous investors from the market, which could drive out short-term, speculative cash coming from hedge funds and banks. About half of all foreign investment in India’s stock markets is in the form of participatory notes. There was $89.8 billion in participatory notes outstanding in August, up from $8.1 billion in March 2004, SEBI reported on Oct. 16.

The board also said that entities that were not regulated in their home market could not use these notes, another potential blow to hedge funds, which often face little or no regulation. The regulator said investors using participatory notes based on derivatives would need to unwind their positions in 18 months. In addition, SEBI opened the markets slightly to possible long-term investors, saying that pension funds, endowments and university trusts could become registered foreign investors.

The rules go into effect Friday, Mr. Damodaran said.

Indian market regulators are facing what is becoming a common predicament in emerging markets: too much money. There is no perfect way to let the air out of a stock market bubble, say analysts and former regulators. Heavy-handed measures often drive too many investors away, while verbal warnings have little impact.

“There is no evidence I can think of where regulators have successfully intervened” to curb fast-growing stock markets, said Lynton Jones, a founder of Bourse Consult, a London-based adviser to stock exchanges.

“The trouble with markets that are emerging or have just emerged is that the government seems to feel that it can control everything,” Mr. Jones said. In the West, most participants think “markets are markets and they have to sort themselves out.”

Some economists think the impact from SEBI’s hard-line stance will be short term.

“Unless you make controls really draconian, they won’t have any lasting effect,” said Willem H. Buiter, a professor at the London School of Economics and an adviser to Goldman Sachs. “When people believe there is money to be made, they’ll find a way around them.”

When Thai regulators introduced new capital controls in December, the stock market plunged 15 percent the next day, its largest drop in about a decade. Regulators were hoping to cool appreciation of the baht and the stock market by forcing foreign investors to put 30 percent of all incoming investment cash into reserve accounts that earned no interest.

After the market drop, regulators quickly altered their rule, omitting stock market investments.

Chinese regulators have raised interest rates four times this year, hoping to slow appreciation in the country’s stock market, with little effect.

“Can you manage a market? Not really,” said Thomas Krantz, the secretary general of the World Federation of Exchanges, a trade group for financial markets based in Paris. “The market is a force in its own right. You can only do your best to make clear rules, say what you want and why you are doing it.”
Read more from: http://www.nytimes.com/

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA - Inspiring Personality of India

2007-10-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

**********SWAMI VIVEKANANDA***************
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S inspiring personality was well known both in India and in America during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who saw or heard Vivekananda even once still cherish his memory after a lapse of more than half a century.
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In America Vivekananda's mission was the interpretation of India's spiritual culture, especially in its Vedantic setting. He also tried to enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and humanistic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. In America he became India's spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West, of religion and science.

In his own motherland Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness, To the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

The Swami's mission was both national and international. A lover of mankind, be strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A mystic of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soulstirring language of poetry.

The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffering in East and West alike. It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.
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In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902), of which only ten were devoted to public activities-and those, too, in the midst of acute physical suffering-he left for posterity his four classics: Jnana-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga, all of which are outstanding treatises on Hindu philosophy. In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures, wrote inspired letters in his own hand to his many friends and disciples, composed numerous poems, and acted as spiritual guide to the many seekers, who came to him for instruction. He also organized the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which is the most outstanding religious organization of modern India. It is devoted to the propagation of the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami's native land, but also in America and in other parts of the world.
Article source:http://www.ramakrishna.org/sv.htm

23 Octuber,2007 News "Air Deccan woman engineer found dead"

2007-10-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

Air Deccan woman engineer found dead

A 25-year-old woman engineer, who worked with Air Deccan, is found dead under mysterious circumstances near the taxiway at the domestic airport in Delhi.

Dutt wants to be home for Diwali

Earlier the actor surrenders calmly after receiving the copy of the judgement, reports

Andaman and Nicobar Map and Information

2007-10-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

Total Area: 8249 Sq.km

Population: 356265 upto 2001

Religion: Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain

Location: Bay of Bengal

Andaman Island: Saddle Peak, (732 Metres)

Nicobar Island: Mount Thullier(642 Metres)

Today (September-6-2007) Breaking News from Times of India

2007-09-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

ISRO bleeds as scientists leave
Droves of scientists are leaving for greener pastures with the result that ISRO is hiring scientists in a great hurry to replace hundreds of trained hands.

GOC accused of sexual harassment
A woman Army officer has accused a major-general of "misconduct" in the strategically-located Leh area, sending shockwaves down the ranks.

New law to target sex workers' clients
Government is set to amend the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act to bring clients under its ambit, rendering them liable to imprisonment upto six months.

Show of strength at Malabar
Left Front hit the roads on Wednesday against the joint naval exercises.

Osteoarthritis is India's No. 1 ailment
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage that acts as a cushion between bones in joints begins to wear out, causing inflammation and pain in joints, thereby restricting movement. Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease.

Voter IDs for Bangla nationals!
There could be around one lakh Bangladesh nationals in Karnataka: this speculative figure could well describe the authorities' shoddy way of handling foreign visitors. The exact number is not available as almost all of them have voter identity cards!

India world's top BPO destination
NEW DELHI: When it comes to outsourcing, India continues to rule as the favourite global destination, even though factors like emergence of cheaper destinations, employee and salary crunch are adversely affecting the sector, a recent study shows.

Microsoft hints at iPhone rival
SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp said that it is "not unreasonable" for the company to introduce a mobile phone combined with features of its Zune digital music player to compete with Apple Inc's iPhone.

We are not in wrong, says TRAI
NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI has dismissed mobile operators' allegations of being non-transparent while recommending criteria to allocate spectrum to existing players and said it has not violated any law.

Sony unveils 'smart' camera
TOKYO: For those fed up with the family photos where one person is perpetually frowning, a new Japanese camera is said to automatically weed out pictures when a person isn't smiling.

Movie Reviews

RBI wants local banks to address the issue of rising cases of frauds in the mortgage market

2007-08-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wants local banks to address the issue of rising cases of frauds in the mortgage market. RBI, according to banking sources, has raised concerns relating to inappropriate valuations with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The regulator wants banks to look at this issue from a holistic perspective.

IBA is now looking at issuing a policy document to highlight the selection norms for banks appointing independent valuers. Considering that banks need to migrate to Basel II standards in the next few months, periodic valuations of assets are gaining greater significance. RBI has indicated to IBA that in the recent past, there had been several instances where banks had opted for valuers who were offering services at lower costs. But some of these valuers have misled banks, thus impacting the quality of assets.

Industry sources point out most banks typically look at the panel of valuers approved by the Income Tax department for evaluating individuals paying wealth tax. However, the institution of valuers is not a statutory body like ICAI, although a legislation aimed at creating a similar body for valuers is on the cards.

A senior official from IBA said, “Talks are at a preliminary stage, we will be putting down criteria based on which banks can appoint valuers. Also, we may appoint our own panel of valuers for properties whose value exceeds Rs 50 crore.” In its communication to IBA, the central bank also cited instances of many document-related frauds. Tamil Nadu has set up an online mortgage loan registry and Andhra Pradesh is also planning to follow suit.

IBA is now in talks with the Credit Information Bureau of India (CIBIL) to develop a common database on frauds detected by banks in the industry. Sources added with increasing availability of reprinting machines (colour xeroxes), it is possible to secure exact replicas of documents. Especially, in cases where the property is still under construction, it is difficult for valuers to verify the physical existence of the property. Read more from: indiatimes.com

Reliance Communications Ltd. of India buy data-communications-services provider Yipes Holdings Inc. of the U.S.

2007-07-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Telecommunications-service provider Reliance Communications Ltd. of India yesterday said it signed a pact to buy data-communications-services provider Yipes Holdings Inc. of the U.S. for $300 million.

"We have signed a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% stake in U.S.-based Yipes Holdings in an all-cash 12-billion-rupee, or $300 million, transaction," said Reliance Communications' Chairman Anil Ambani.

"This is the largest acquisition that Reliance Communications has ever made....We expect this acquisition to significantly enhance the growth rate, profitability and returns of our global data business," he said.

The news drove Reliance Communications' stock price up 3.5%, or 19.35 rupees, to 574.05 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange yesterday, after the stock rose to an record of 577.40 rupees intraday.

Reliance Communications, one of India's largest telecom operators, bought closely held Yipes, whose headquarters is in San Francisco, through Reliance Communications' wholly owned unit Flag Telecom.

"This is a big buy for Reliance in terms of strategic fit," said Harit Shah, a Mumbai-based analyst at Angel Broking.

"It will give R-Com a footprint in the U.S. enterprise market and advance its plans to become a major telecommunications player globally," he added.

Yipes counts NTT Data Corp. of Japan and Verizon Communications Inc. of the U.S. as its clients. Yipes expects its revenue to grow to about $100 million in the year ending March 31, Yipes Chief Executive John Scanlon said.

Yipes owns more than 22,000 route kilometers of fiber across 14 U.S. metropolitan areas.

Yipes has benefited from the growth of electronic trading, where financial exchanges such as INET at the Nasdaq Stock Market and Globex at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange employ split-second trading strategies. Yipes's network connects buy-side and sell-side traders with the different exchanges.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118460843906467786.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

India's Stock Market Preview : Banks, DLF, Hindustan Petroleum

2007-07-04T21:40:00.001-07:00

The Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensitive Index, or Sensex, added 0.5 percent to 14,880.24, a third straight record. The S&P/CNX Nifty Index on the National Stock Exchange was little changed at 4359.30. Nifty Futures for July delivery was little changed at 4355.25.

Overseas investors bought a net 4.1 billion rupees ($100.6 million) worth of Indian shares on July 3, according to the latest figures from the Securities & Exchange Board of India's Web site.

Banks: Indian lenders are cutting interest rates on deposits of more than 1.5 million rupees, the Hindu Business Line reported, citing local bank officials. Some banks have slashed interest rates on deposits by as much as 2 percentage points to less than 10 percent, the newspaper said, citing J. Moses Harding, head of wholesale banking at IndusInd Bank Ltd.

ICICI Bank Ltd. (ICICIBC IN), the nation's most valuable lender, added 19.15 rupees, or 2 percent, to 985.35. State Bank of India (SBIN IN), the country's largest lender, fell 19.05 rupees, or 1.2 percent, to 1563.4.

DLF Ltd. (DLFU IN): The real-estate developer controlled by billionaire Kushal Pal Singh, will list on the Indian stock exchanges today. The company raised 91.9 billion rupees in the nation's biggest initial share sale, selling 175 million shares at 525 rupees apiece.

Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL IN): The state-run oil marketer and refiner said its venture with billionaire Lakshmi Mittal will raise as much as $1 billion through overseas borrowings in next four years. Hindustan Petroleum rose 0.5 rupee, or 0.2 percent, to 265.95.

JM Financial Ltd. (JM IN): The company, Morgan Stanley's former Indian partner, said it agreed to buy a 60 percent stake in ASK Securities India Pvt. for 581.4 million rupees. The venture will focus on equity research, institutional sales and trading. JM Financial declined 7.15 rupees, 0.7 percent, to 1,058.8.

Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC IN): India's largest oil producer had its stock rating cut to ``neutral'' from ``buy'' at Goldman Sachs. The shares declined 13.65 rupees, or 1.5 percent, to 874.25.

India's Stock Market Preview : Banks, DLF, Hindustan Petroleum

2007-07-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Starbucks Corp will send application for its entry into India

2007-06-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Coffee shop chain Starbucks Corp. (SBUX.O) will send a revised application for its entry into India after its earlier proposal for a franchise operation was put on hold, the Business Standard newspaper said on Wednesday. India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is of the view that the U.S. firm should enter through a foreign direct investment route as its franchise plan did not conform to foreign investment norms, the paper said, citing a government official.

It has been reported that Starbucks had proposed to enter the fast-expanding Indian market through a franchise 51 percent owned by its Indonesian franchisee V.P. Sharma, with the rest held by India's Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani.

This arrangement was not acceptable as Sharma was a non-resident Indian, the official told the paper.

"We have not send the proposal to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, which will take the final decision on the matter. We don't know how the company will draft its new proposal and the route it will take," the official said.

Earlier, a local newspaper had reported that Starbucks had refiled its application, opting for a franchise rather than a planned joint venture because India had not cleared its proposal.

Foreign single-brand retailers can take 51 percent in a venture with a local Indian partner, while multiple-brand retailers are limited to cash-and-carry or franchise and license operations.Read more from: http://www.washingtonpost.com

Bharat Diamond Bourese Mumbai operations will starts before Diwali

2007-06-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

India is set to become a diamond trading hub in the next two years as the ambitious Bharat Diamond Bourse is expected to start operations at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai by this Diwali.

As an international destination the Bharat Diamond Bourse aims to further enhance India position in the world diamond market once it becomes fully operational by October November Bharat Diamond Bourse president Anoop said.

With world class facilities under one roof the bourse world contribute to 90 percent of country’s diamond trading activist he added.

Bharat Diamond Bourse is establishing a 18 lakh sq ft complex at Bandra Kurla Complex a business district in the suburbs at an estimated cost of Rs900-1000crore.

The main objective is to established a bourse for promotion and export of diamonds and to provide infrastructure and other facilities in India for domestic and overseas buyers and sellers of diamonds.

Instituted to cater all the needs of the diamond trade Bharat Diamond Bourse is anticipating to deal with over 30,000 people a day.

The facilities at BDB would include officers of diamond traders strong rooms, locked and customs clearance facilities with all modern facilities required to carry day to day business

Special organic digesters capable of dealing with a variety of garbage

2007-06-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Das, who has developed special organic digesters capable of dealing with a variety of garbage, has become a pioneer of sorts in this state which boasts of human development indices that compare with the developed world, but has some way to go when it comes to scientifically managing garbage.

So efficient and clean are the digesters that Biotech, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that he runs, has been named a finalist for the 2007 Ashden Awards in Britain, sometimes called the ‘Green Oscar' for the prestige it carries.

It all started in 1994 when Das, tired of seeing mountains of stinking food waste lying about unattended in public places and crawling with flies, rats and other disease-breeding vermin, decided to do something about it. His strategy was simple; find cheap, environment-friendly ways to convert what seemed like an endless supply of rich organic matter into valuable methane (cooking gas) and fertiliser.

Once Das had perfected a digester that worked well on food waste, all he had to do was nose around for the smelliest and biggest dumps in the state's urban areas. He struck gold in the town of Kadakkal in Kollam district where now an integrated recycling plant digests one tonne of waste daily to produce three Kw of electricity that lights up 120 street lamps.

‘'The fact that the public in Kadakkal was already agitated over garbage accumulation helped a great deal in seeing through the Biotech project,'' M. Nazeer, an elected panchayat (local body) leader, told IPS.

Segregation into wet waste, dry biodegradable waste and recyclable solids like glass, metal and plastic is still done manually. For his biogas plant what is most valuable is wet waste -- a rich slurry, which in Kadakkal includes blood and effluents from the local slaughter house, that is run through a pre-digester to optimise bacterial action.

Biotech's ‘integrated waste recycling plant' is equipped to deal with all types of waste generated by markets, slaughter houses, and restaurant kitchens. The success of the integrated plant is that it generates biogas for fuel, electricity for lighting and a valuable organic fertiliser called NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potash mix). The plant incorporates no less than five technologies -- biomethanisation, biocineration, leach beds, waste water treatment and vermicomposting -- to complete the process.

While the biomethanisation unit handles easily degradable materials such as fish and meat, and food leftovers, the biocinerator is used to burn slow degrading wastes such as dry leaves, plants and paper. The plant uses leach bed technology to treat vegetables and green leaves. Anaerobic waste treatment is carried out in a special reactor and the final part of the process employs earthworms in a vermicompost unit.

"All this can be set up at a cost of just Rs.1.6 million (40,000 US dollars) as we know from experience at Kadakkal which became the first panchayat in the state to produce electricity from solid waste". Das has now set up ten such plants across the state.

Explaining the secret of his technique Das said: "The usual treatment plants installed in fish markets and slaughter houses are not capable of dealing with dry leaves and plants. Treatment of fibre-rich vegetable matter creates scum in biogas plants, reducing their efficiency. Burning wastes using an incinerator creates pollution and is wasteful. The solution was to apply different technologies at appropriate stages.

At Kadakkal nothing is wasted. Water is extracted and recycled so that it can be sent back to the abattoirs to help flush them out. The electricity generated by the plant is used to run all the equipment, while the biogas produced by the methanisation unit provides all the fuel needed for the incinerator.

Biotech's pride is the bio-waste treatment plant located at Sreekaryam, outside the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram. This efficient plant is capable of processing 250 kg of waste daily and produces three Kw of electricity.

A.P.Murali, president of the Sreekaryam panchayat, said : "Fish, fruit and vegetable waste generated by the market is fed into the treatment plant and converted into methane gas. Water used for the processing is recycled and fed back into the unit. The methane gas is passed through special biofilters and used to power a generator that supplies electricity to street lamps through a control panel. And the whole unit only cost Rs 700,000 (17,000 dollars).''

Biotech units thrive on human waste. Kumbalangi, in costal Ernakulam district, which has been declared a ‘model tourism village' has 140 Biotech plants designed to run on waste from lavatories. Kumbalangi also has 800 plants that produce biogas from other wastes, set up with support from the central government and the tourism department.

Biotech plants have many advantages over the old centralised garbage disposal systems. There are no collection and transportation problems and all the maintenance can be done on site. Plants can be designed and scaled up or down according to the needs of the customer. The popular domestic version needs just one sq m of space to fit into and manages both solid and liquid waste simultaneously.

Vizhinjam panchayat, in which the international tourist destination of Kovalam is situated, now has 575 homes with garbage digesters installed and Biotech has a long list of orders.

J.Asuntha Mohan, president of Vizhinjam panchayat, said: "After installing the plants people here have been able to save substantial amounts of money against expenses on imported Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) that is used for cooking. We are now trying to install a large recycling plant at Kovalam that can tackle the one tonne of garbage generated daily by the tourism industry.''

Well-known environmentalist and literary figure Sugathakumari said bio-waste digesters are a boon to Kerala. "Our local bodies have no pre-planning. They do not know how to utilise the bio-waste effectively while spending millions of dollars in the name of garbage removal,‘' she said. "The integrated recycling plant solves the critical problem of garbage disposal while producing cooking gas, electricity and organic fertiliser. What more can you ask for?'' Read more from:http://www.ipsnews.net/

mysterious coin shortage gripping the eastern Indian city Calcutta

2007-06-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

CALCUTTA, India — A mysterious coin shortage gripping the eastern Indian city of Calcutta has shopkeepers begging for change from beggars and buying coins at prices above their face value.

No one knows exactly why there is no change in Calcutta or why the dearth has affected only this city of 14 million, but it has spurred the Reserve Bank of India to emergency measures, distributing millions of coins to try to satisfy the demand.

Since the coin shortage became acute at the beginning of June, the bank has distributed nearly 5 million rupees — $121,950 — worth of coins, including one million on Thursday alone, said Nilanjan Saha, the bank's treasurer in the city.

But the emergency supplies have failed to stem the demand.

Some 2,000 people stood in two lines on a recent day at the bank to exchange currency notes for coins, many planning to resell them for a profit.

One woman, who asked not to be named, set up shop outside the bank selling packets of 100 rupee coins for 120 rupees.

Others braved the long lines, saying they could not afford those prices.

"I have come at 7 a.m. and after four hours, I am yet to reach the counter," said Laxmi Narayan, whose brother runs a roadside shop selling bread and eggs.

"We can't afford to pay the extra 20 rupees for 100 rupees worth of coins, this eats up our profit margin," said Narayan.

Many have found creative alternatives.

"It may sound strange, but we have found that beggars are a good
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source of coins," said Mum Poddar, who runs a small shop selling stationary.

Frustrated customers said they were being forced to buy more produce so the amount would be a round number, or were getting their change in other goods.

"If I am supposed to get back one rupee or 50 paise, the shop owner gives me one or two toffees, saying he does not have any coins," said Sandeep Kundu, a local resident. There are 100 paise in a rupee.

Bank officials said they were mystified by the shortage. "There is no reason," said Saha. "But I have heard reports that some unscrupulous traders were melting coins because the face value of the coins are lower than the metal value."

The bank was also investigating claims the coins were being melted down to make razor blades.

There are "reports that as many as six blades can be made from one single one rupee coin," said bank security officer Subal Chandra Naskar. Read more new about india from:http://www.connpost.com/

Overvaluation of India's currency

2007-06-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Large capital inflows could result in overvaluation of India's currency and erode competitiveness of traditional and goods sectors in the long term, the deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India said on Thursday.

Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan, in a paper for a Bank of France seminar in Paris posted on the RBI's Web site www.rbi.org.in, said large remittances and a sustained spurt in software exports were complicating exchange rate management.

"(These) coupled with capital inflows have the potential for possible overvaluation of the currency and the resultant erosion of long-term competitiveness of other traditional and goods sectors," Mohan said.

India is part of the way through a three-phase, five-year plan towards greater capital account convertibility.

The economy, Asia's third-largest, has grown at an average 8.6 percent over the last four fiscal years, and has attracted massive amounts of foreign investments and capital.

This has been driving up the partially convertible rupee, which hit a nine-year high of 40.28 per dollar in late May, and the central bank has been intervening in the currency market since then to stop it from rising further.

Mohan said opening up the capital account meant market participants needed to be better able to absorb greater volatility and shocks.

"In the context of progress towards further capital account convertibility, the market participants are going to be faced with increased risks on multiple accounts: volatility in capital flows, volatility in asset prices, increased contagion and state of ability of legacy institutions in managing risks."

While India has inflation goals, Mohan said inflation targeting may not be appropriate, partly because financial markets were not developed enough.

Mohan said interest rate deregulation was essential to smooth monetary policy transmission, but policy makers were constrained by special considerations in a large and developing economy.

Particularly, monetary policy transmission was muted by administered interest rates on small savings schemes and provident funds, as they competed for funds with banks.

Mohan said the RBI may need to step up open market operations in the government bond market to improve the transmission of monetary policy.

Such operations could differ from its daily and weekly operations to manage cash in circulation and capital inflows.

As the government bond market was yet to develop depth, "there is a case for secondary market operation across the yield and maturity spectrum", he said.

There would also be a continuous need to adapt liquidity and exchange rate management strategy, and global developments were expected to have an increasing role in monetary and currency policy.

"In an environment of global convergence, retaining independence of monetary policy may become increasingly difficult, calling for hard choices in terms of goals and instruments," he said. Read more from: http://in.today.reuters.com/news

India still struggling with a huge shortage of blood and donors

2007-06-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

While Thursday is World Blood Donors day, the tragedy is that in India we are still struggling with a huge shortage of blood and donors, especially when most required.

For instance, four-year-old Krishnapriya suffers from Thalassemia, a medical condition that requires her to get regular transfusion of blood.

She needs one unit of O+ve blood every 25 days, and arranging that each time is a nightmare for her parents as there is a chronic shortage of blood.

When an NDTV team accompanied the parents to the government-run Niloufer Children's hospital, the attendant at the blood bank asked them to wait, after two hours, the duty doctor informed them that blood was not available.

The next stop was a private blood bank. The staff over there demanded Rs 800 for a unit of blood and even that would be given only if a donor was provided to replenish the blood stock.

''Unless you bring a donor of the same blood group, we can't give you blood,'' said Staff, Blood Bank.

Finally, the family visited a corporate hospital, where Jayashree, Krishnapriya's mother, managed to get one unit of blood for Rs 1150.

''Government hospitals are never of any help. Private hospitals ask up to Rs 2000. Middle class people like us can't afford that much money. And even if we buy from private blood banks, we fear the blood won't be safe,'' said Jayashree, Krishnapriya's Mother.

According to estimates, Andhra Pradesh requires at least nine lakh units of blood a year.

But blood banks get less than half the requirement, and the number of donors reduces further during the summer.

''We should include information about blood donation as a part of the curriculum in colleges and even at the level of schools. If the government does that, at least a section of people will be motivated,'' said Dr Raghava Reddy, Medical Officer, Red Cross.

Last summer in Hyderabad, apparently the price of a unit of B-ve blood touched up to Rs 4000.

Doctors say that if one regularly donates blood from the age of 18, then that could help out at least 120 people.

Clearly everyone needs to play their part to ensure that those in need of blood are taken care of. Read more news from: http://www.ndtv.com/

A series of exclusive computer animated feature films

2007-06-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to create a series of exclusive computer animated feature films, Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studios and Walt Disney have teamed up together to produce a series of exclusive computer animated feature films.

It is for the first time that Yash Chopra, Chairman, Yash Raj Films and Dick Cook, Chairman, Walt Disney Studios are coming together for a venture. On the eve of this occasion,

Yash Chopra, Chairman, YRF, said, “Yash Raj Films and Yash Raj Films Studios have been at the forefront in live-action feature films for almost four decades. Together with my son Aditya, we have created our own space with the efforts of a wonderful team -- both creative and business -- and have had the opportunity of producing films that we believe in; films that entertain a large population, as well as the Indian diaspora.”

Chopra believes that the tie-up is not just the coming together of two organisations, but it is also the teaming up of two individuals with similar culture and traditions.

Dick Cook, Chairman, Walt Disney Studios, said, “We are thrilled and honoured to be working with Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra and their talented teams at YRF Studios in the Indian language that are culturally relevant for the avid movie-going audiences in India and around the world.”

Cook added that animation is a new and rapidly expanding area in India, and this collaboration will bring the very best in story-telling and cutting edge technology together.

Both companies will be equal partners in the venture and will contribute creative, technical and financial support to the project. Aditya Chopra would be the creative head of the alliance. ‘Roadside Romeo’, a film set to release in 2008, will be the first film to be co-produced by this alliance. It will be produced by Aditya Chopra, and written and directed by Jugal Hansraj. Read more from: http://www.exchange4media.com

The long-standing dialogue between US and India on non-proliferation and security issues.

2007-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

US Assistant Secretary of State John C. Rood will lead a delegation to India June 13-14 to continue the long-standing dialogue between the two countries on non-proliferation and security issues.

He will meet with officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs to discuss global nonproliferation challenges and approaches to addressing them, including multilateral initiatives and strategic trade controls, the State Department announced Friday. He also will engage on regional security issues, including nuclear and missile issues and missile defence,it said.

Rood will earlier lead a US delegation to the third meeting of Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 11-12. Rood together with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak will chair the meeting.

In Astana, Rood will be joined by US National Nuclear Security Administration Deputy Administrator, William Tobey, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Global Security Affairs, Joseph Benkert, and Director of the Defence Threat Reduction Agency, Dr. James Tegnelia.

Global Initiative partner nations will review the progress of current Plan of Work activities designed to build partnership capacity, discuss means to address potential gaps in implementation, and welcome new partner nations.

Participants also will link up via video conference with the FBI sponsored International Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement Conference in Miami, Florida, a Global Initiative activity bringing together more than 500 law enforcement officers from 20 countries June 11-15. There are presently 50 partner nations in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.Read more news about india at: http://www.zeenews.com/

New Economic Architecture ommitments

2007-05-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

"Senior officials of Agricultural Product Export Development Authority (APEDA) will visit the Gulf region to meet food importers and health authorities to pave the way for exports of fruits, vegetables, poultry and meat," Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told reporters at India-GCC Industrial Forum here.

"If we are exporting agricultural products to the US and Europe why not to our neighbours in GCC," he added.

Indian farm and food processing sector has been identified as a priority area by the government. The investment demand for the sector is about USD 15 billion, Nath said. The government has made several legislative and policy changes to attract foreign investors to the farm sector.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, have proposed to jointly set up a company to promote SMEs.

"A company with an equity capital of USD 50 million would be formed to lead SMEs . It will study projects, contribute seed capital or look at joint venture opportunities," Oman Maqbool Commerce Minister Ali Sultan said.

Nath said that India was now reaching out into the neighbouring region as a new economic architecture sets on.

"The old doors and windows of US and Europe do not have the same relevance as before and the new relationships will be built in the regions," he said.

A total of four MOUs were signed between Indian companies and representatives of GCC in the areas of steel, oil and gas, logistics and waste management. Read more India news at: http://www.zeenews.com

India reject the proposals to limit greenhouse gas emissions at the upcoming G-8 summit meeting in Germany

2007-05-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

India yesterday said it will reject the proposals to limit greenhouse gas emissions at the upcoming G-8 summit meeting in Germany as it will slow the pace of the country's booming economy.

"Legally mandated measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are likely to have significant adverse impacts on GDP growth of developing countries, including India," Environment Ministry Secretary Pradipto Ghosh told reporters here.

He said this in turn would have "serious implications for our poverty alleviation programmes".

Germany, which will host the summit from June 6 to June 8, has called for a statement limiting worlwide temperature rise this century to 2 degree Celsius and cuts to global greenhouse emissions to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Maintaining that legal mandates on greehouse gas mitigation in any form would impact the country's growth, Ghosh said "this is not the path we wish to pursue."

"We are a responsible country and take a variety of sustainable projects to ensure energy efficiency at all levels," he said.

Chances of a consensus on the issue during the summit are remote with the US rejecting the idea of mandatory emission targets and the call for G-8 nations to raise energy efficiency. Read more top stories at: http://www.hindu.com/

India today ended a 60-day ban on Fashion TV satellite channel

2007-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

In January, the government had banned the satellite television channel AXN from the airwaves for two months for broadcasting supposedly lewd content.
India's Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi had objected to AXN, a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment, broadcasting the show 'The World's Sexiest Advertisements', which the minister said was "indecent content" that was "against good taste or decency and is likely to adversely affect public morality".
India today ended a 60-day ban on Fashion TV satellite channel following an assurance that it would not broadcast programs "which lack decency and are likely to adversely affect public morality", a government statement said.

The statement said FTV.com India Channel has regretted its error and assured that any programming considered inappropriate by India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry would be immediately removed.

The ban, imposed in March, followed broadcasts of programs such as Midnight Hot which showed scantily-clad models.

India is deeply conservative when it comes to any sexual content in television and film. Until recently, even kissing was unacceptable.

Reliance opens new supermarkets across the country

2007-05-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Reliance’s bid to retail farm products in West Bengal has been put on hold thanks to Forward Bloc's resistance and Jyoti Basu’s apprehensions but analysts say that Reliance Fresh will find the going tough also in other provinces of eastern India.

Earlier this month, vegetable sellers armed with brooms, rods and bamboo sticks smashed and vandalised three new supermarkets at Ranchi in Jharkhand giving vent to their frustration at being unable to compete with the chain’s low prices.

Analysts believe the attack is a sign of things to come as Reliance opens new supermarkets across the country. Between last November and May, it launched 155 outlets.

According to reports, customers like the chain because the produce is generally fresh, the shops are air-conditioned and the prices are much lower than those of open-air markets or mobile vendors.

These are sellers who trundle around neighbourhoods with carts laden with vegetables and fruit. Residents enjoy the convenience of buying vegetables right outside their door. But the vendors and small shopkeepers fear they will not survive the Reliance onslaught.

Because it buys in bulk directly from farmers, Reliance Fresh enjoys economies of scales, which it passes on to customers in the form of low prices and discounts. Vendors have to battle many odds. The supply chain is so inefficient that the produce they bring to the towns is not very fresh by the time it arrives.

In fact, according to experts, about half the country’s food and vegetables rot before they reach the shelves or market stalls. India lacks cold storage and refrigerated transport — all things Reliance has built for its new chain.

Reliance Fresh, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is investing $5.6 billion in hundreds of stores. The company, already India’s top private oil refiner and petrochemical maker, is at the lead of the large chain stores that are storming into Indian organised retail, which now makes up only about 5 percent of the retail market.

The retail revolution in India is touching almost everyone. Indians are switching from small shops and open-air markets to shopping malls and supermarkets.

Reliance is on the vanguard of this transformation. But Wal-Mart is coming soon, and two other supermarket chains — Britain’s Tesco, and Carrefour of France — are itching to enter the Indian market.

The losers are likely to be the estimated 12 million Indians whose livelihoods depend on their small shops. The number of mobile vegetable vendors is not known.

Experts are divided on the impact of every street in every town succumbing to the retail revolution. Some predict doom for small shopkeepers. Others believe that while many will indeed disappear, quite a lot will survive.

States and Union Territories in India

2007-05-03T01:26:00.001-07:00

Here is a list of india states and their capitals

State	Capital
Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad
Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar
Assam	Dispur
Bihar	Patna
Chattisgarh	Raipur
Goa	Panaji
Gujarat	Gandhinagar
Haryana	Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh	simla
Jharkhand	Ranchi
Karnataka	Bangalore
Kashmir	Srinagar
Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal
Maharashtra	Mumbai
Manipur	Imphal
Meghalaya	Shillong
Mizoram	Aizawl
Nagaland	Kohima
New Delhi	Delhi
Orissa	Bhubaneswar
Punjab	Chandigarh
Rajasthan	Jaipur
Sikkim	Gangtok
Tamil Nadu	Chennai
Tripura	Agartala
Uttar Padesh	Lucknow
Uttaranchal	Dehradun
West Bengal	Kolkata
New Delhi	Delhi
UNION TERRITORIES	Headquarters
Andaman Nicobar	Port Blair
Chandigarh	Chandigarh
Dadra Nagar Haveli	Silvassa
Daman & Diu	Daman
Lakshadweep	Kavaratti
Pondichery	Pondicherry

India is planning to set up regulator in radio sector.

2007-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

The Indian govt. is planning to set up regulator in the radio sector. The radio sector is managed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which extend over telecoms and broadcasting. It is not clear that the radio regulator will be set up by parliament act or be a department with in information and broadcasting ministry.

Rajiv Mishra, proxy of the Assn. of Radio Operators in India says, "An independent radio regulator on the lines of such bodies in the U.S. or other developed countries is the need of the industry". Radio could be an enormous story. India now has nearly 80 local FM stations. All India radio, the state radio broadcast monopoly has been broken recently. That's up from 22 in 12 cities six months ago and is expected to reach 245 in 87 cities by end of this year.

According to audit firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the value of the Indian radio market could rise from rupees 5 billion ($120 million) in 2006 to $411 million by 2011, or cumulative average growth of 28% per year for the next five years.

New FM stations are bombarding the airwaves with tunes, and their arrival is partly blamed for the fall in physical music sales in metropolises where they have taken to the air. Moreover, as car ownership rises, FM radio is changing people's auditory habits. Weekday tune-ins is 94%, according to Madison Media research, but only 10% on Sundays.

Rules governing the industry are tightly drawn in order to ensure plurality and protect AIR. FM license fees are high, no player can operate more than a single station in a local market, no player can operate more than 15% of the total operational stations and no news or current affairs programming is allowed. That remains a preserve of the state; although there are regular rumors current affairs will be allowed.

Predictably, many of the biggest existing entertainment and media groups ended up with the most licenses. Reliance Ad labs got 45 and Sun TV, 41. Less predictably, the recent round of license awards also allowed foreign operators in. They are limited to a 20% stake in any franchise, but that did not stop Blighty's Virgin Radio and BBC Worldwide and Malaysia's Astor buying in.

Critics say that sector is hemmed in by overregulation, and the market may not reach its potential. That's where the new regulator could make a difference. With a further 700 channels up for seizes in the next license round, the new regulator will have plenty to do.

Genaral information about India

2007-04-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

Map of India

India, officially Known as ‘Republic of India’ (in Hindi known as Bharat or Hindustan), is the seventh largest and second most populous country in the world. India is vast and has a huge population of 1 billion. You will become fascinated with India, its cultures, its people, and the continuous stream of activity going on around you.

India is bordered on the north by Pakistan, China, Nepal, and Bhutan; on the east by Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and the Bay of Bengal on the south by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar (which separates it from India) by the
Indian Ocean and on the west by the Arabian Sea and Pakistan. At one point, ‘Lands End’ at Kanyakumari, three seas meet - the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The sights, sounds, and scenery of India are unique and amazing with grandiose temples, lush paddy fields and stunning beaches. In the north, Shrub-land and desert create a sublime backdrop and a visit to the ‘Golden Triangle’ (Delhi/Agra/Jaipur/Delhi) will take your breathe away.

It is divided into 26 states and 6 union territories, and has 17 major languages with 844 dialects, making this country and its people culturally diverse.

Religion plays an important role in the life of the country, and is one of the few countries in the world which have such an ancient and diverse culture. Their arts and crafts are world renowned with sport being one of their favourite past times, and cricket still acting as one of the most popular activities.

Republic of India

National name: Bharat

National Flower: Lotus

National Bird: Peacock

National Animal: Tiger

National language: Hindi

Religions: Hindu, Islam, Christian, Sikh.
currency: Rupee

Land area: 1,147,949 sq mi (2,973,190 sq km);

total area: 1,269,346 sq mi (3,287,590 sq km)

Population : 1,095,351,995 (growth rate: 1.4%);

birth rate: 22.0/1000;

density per sq mi: 954

Capital : New Delhi, 15,334,000 (metro. area), 9,817,439 (city proper)

Largest cities:
Bombay (Mumbai), 18,336,000 (metro. area), 11,914,398 (city proper);
Calcutta (Kolkata), 14,299,000 (metro. area), 4,760,800 (city proper);
Bangalore, 4,461,100;
Madras (Chennai), 4,382,100;
Ahmedabad, 3,653,700;
Hyderabad, 3,585,600;
Kanpur, 2,631,800

Principal languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi.

National anthem: Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!