News for India

Bug disables 150000 Gmail accounts

2011-02-28T03:29:00.000-08:00

Google Gmail hit a bit of a snag over the weekend with around 150,000 users missing old emails, folders and contacts from their accounts.

The problems surfaced on Sunday, and while the reason behind them is not entirely clear, Google is working feverishly to fix the issues and restore all user data.

Google confirmed that there is a problem on the Google Apps dashboard . Engineers are busy working on the issue, with the affected accounts disabled. It still hasn't been fixed by the time of writing.

The company said it affected less than 0.08 per cent of the Gmail user base. This doesn't sound like a big number, but considering that the Gmail user base is in the millions that still amounts to thousands of people losing their emails.

Already a major glitch for Google's cloud technology, this will be a horrendous public relations disaster if there is no backup system in place. The company is trying to sort this out quickly.

Mamata Banerjee presents railway budget 2011-2012

2011-02-25T01:29:00.000-08:00

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee is presenting the railway budget 2011-2012 in Parliament. today

To meet the demand for coaches, rail based industries will be set up under Vision 2020, said Banerjee.

First coach from the new rail factory at Rae Bareli will be rolled out in next three months, said Banerjee presenting the 2011-12 railway budget.

Railways will set up a bridge factory in Jammu and Kashmir considering need for large number of bridges on railway projects in the state.

Proposal to set up metro coach factory near Singur in West Bengal.Track-machine industry to be set up in Uluberia in West Bengal. A 700mw gas based power plant will be set up at Thakurli in Maharashtra, said Banerjee.

Banerjee said that 1,500 trains were cancelled, 3,500 re-scheduled last year due to protests.

Anti-collision devices will be commissioned in three railway zones including South and South Central soon, said the railway minister.

Rail accident rate declined from 0.29% last year to 0.17% now.

States showing good performance in rail movement will be provided with two new trains and two new projects, said Banerjee.

'Go India' smart card ticket project to be launched this year.

Highlights of the railway budget for 2011-12 presented in the Lok Sabha on Friday by railway minister Mamata Banerjee:

* No increase in fares.

* Earnings for 2010-11 set to exceed Rs.1 lakh crore.

* Working expenditure during 2011-12 estimated at Rs.87,000 crore.

* Outlay of Rs.57,630 crore for 2011-12, the highest investment in one year.

* Rs.10,000 crore to be raised through railway bonds.

* Budget combines strong economic focus with inclusion.

* Will develop business-oriented policies to aid industry.

* Happy to announce 85 PPP proposals received; set up single-window system to take these forward.

* Decided to set-up rail-based industries.

* Passing through a difficult phase; 97 percent increase in expenditure in 2010-11 due to implementation of Sixth Pay Commission report.

* Loss of Rs.3,500 crore in 2010-11.

* Ten-year backlog of 1.75 lakh jobs being addressed; 16,000 ex-servicemen to be given jobs in railways.

* Safety first priority; accident rate has come down.

* Anti-collision device, successful in North West Frontier Railway, to be extended to three more zonal railways.

* Railways always been a soft target but law and order a state subject. If railways are blocked in one region, this has a snowballing effect in other parts of the country.

* Will add 180 km of rail lines in 2011-12.

* All-India security helpline set up.

* New Durantos to be run on Allahabad-Mumbai, Pune-Ahmedabad, Sealdah-Puri, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Madurai-Chennai routes, among others.

* Rail linkage to Gujarat from Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor.

* Integrated suburban network to be set up in Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad and other cities; suburban system of Hyderabad to be strengthened.

* Mumbai suburban system's EMU coaches to be increased from nine to 12.

* Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojna to be launched.

* Industrial park to be set up in Nandigram, West Bengal.

* Railways to set up factory in Jammu and Kashmir.

* To set up Metro coach factory at Singur, West Bengal.

* First coach from Rae Bareli factory to roll out in next three months.

* Work on wagon factory in Orissa to begin after land is acquired.

* Manipur capital Imphal to be soon connected to railway network.

* Centre for excellence in software to be set up at Darjeeling.

* Fund to be created for socially desirable projects.

* Central Organistaion for Project Implemtaiton created; will create accountability for non-performance.

* Work started on two dedicated freight corridors.

* Work on upgrading 442 stations to be completed by March 31.

* Decision to start pilot projects to give shelter to homeless people living along the tracks in Mumbai.

* Multi-purpose smart card to be introduced for all-India travel.

* Airport-like trolleys to be provided at more stations.

* Railways to set up a sports cadre.

* Upgraded class of air conditioned travel to be introduced shortly.

* To adopt modern technology through centres of academic excellence.

* Train to run to Bangladesh to showcase Indian culture.

* Age for senior citizen's concession reduced to 58 from 60.

* Concession for physically handicapped and gallantry award winners for travel in Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses.

* 50 percent concession for mediapersons with families to be increased from once to twice a year.

Shahid-Priyanka celebrate Valentine’s Day secretly

2011-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have neither denied nor made their relationship public but they have been spending time together at the slightest pretext. The latest we hear is that they secretly spent Valentine’s Day together.

It is reported that Shahid and Priyanka had planned to spend Valentine’s Day together in Mumbai though they are currently busy shooting for their respective films Mausam and Don 2. It is reported that Shahid flew to Mumbai from Bangalore, where he flew the F-16 aircraft for Mausam, to be with his ‘good friend’ (read girlfriend). Priyanka too flew in from Malaysia and joined him after attending an event in the evening.

Well, if this is not love, what is love?

Bihar Assembly Polls: Nitish back

2010-11-24T02:04:00.000-08:00

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, basking in the glory of the massive mandate secured by the Janata Dal(United)-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance in the state, thanked the people of the state for giving him another chance to serve them.

Crediting the massive victory to the development work carried out by his government during its first term, Kumar said that there was still a lot of work to be done.

"I thank the people of Bihar for voting in favour of NDA. I want to thank the people of Bihar, the voters of Bihar. It is their victory. The mandate is take Bihar ahead on the path of development and it is welcome news. I will not shy away from working hard and will try to live up to their expectations. Today development has won in Bihar," said Kumar while addressing a press conference in Patna.

Trends are now available for most of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly and show the JD(U)-BJP combine surging ahead. The JD(U) has added about 10 extra seats to its kitty, but the junior partner in the state, the BJP, has made the more major gains - about 21 seats.

Proving the exit polls right, the Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance has retained power in Bihar with the Janata Dal (United)- Bharatiya Janata Party alliance surging ahead in over 200 Assembly seats in the 243-member House. The six-phase Assembly polls concluded on Saturday.

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj greeted by supporters during an election rally in Patna. As the results came in, Mr. Kumar said the poll verdict would be a disappointment for those doing politics on the basis of caste in Bihar.

U.S. President Barack Obama India Visit

2010-11-09T03:42:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: Expressing ‘bahut dhanyavaad’ to the people of India for their warm reception, US President Barack Obama announced his country’s support to India for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council but added that it will come with conditions like speaking out against Myanmar and imposing sanctions on Iran.

“US welcomes India as it prepares to take its seat at the UN Security Council. I look forward to a reformed UN Security Council that includes India as a permanent member,” he declared to deafening applause, reminding that US had already lent its support to India at G20, Copenhagen Climate Summit etc.

The announcement is seen as a diplomatic gesture although it was clear that the reform of the Security Council is going to be a long and tedious process. With that in mind, Obama pointedly used the expression "in the years ahead".

However, he added, that with increased power came increased responsibility. “US recognises every nation`s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy but they also have international obligations. This applies to Iran also,” he said. On the issue of Pakistan, he urged an end of terror against India. “The safe havens to terrorists in Pakistan are unacceptable. The perpetrators of Mumbai attacks should be brought to justice,” he said.

"Please accept my deepest thanks...bahut dhanyawad," Obama said in his opening remarks.

“I bring the greetings of from the people of the world’s greatest democracy, the USA. I thank you for the honour of letting me address the Parliament of one billion Indians. Over last three days my wife Michelle and I have experienced the beauty and dynamism of the people of India,” he said, beginning his speech to repeated applause.

Taking forward his tone that India had already risen, Obama said it was not an accident that his India-stay was the longest ever in his career. "I am proud to visit India so early in my presidency," he said.

He said the world’s information age is rooted in Indian work what with the zero being invented here. He invoked Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, Dr BR Ambedkar, Panchtantra and various Indian poets and ancient religious texts etc. to convey how special the place of India is in the world since eternity.

“Gandhiji inspired me to be the change we seek in the world. After making his pilgrimage to India Dr Martin Luther King noted that Gandhi’s philosophy was the only way to make progress in this era,” he said, declaring he might not be standing there as President of the United States had it not been for Gandhi and his message

He acknowledged how after independence at midnight India had launched various schemes like Green Revolution etc to uplift its people from poverty.

“The very idea and strength of India is embrace of all colors, all castes, all creeds….Swami Vivekananda said in Chicago that holiness is not the preserve of any particular religion or church,” he said, lauding the democracy of India where “every voice is heard.”

He acknowledged that relations between India and the US had transformed since the era of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and went on to elucidate on what could be “next” on agenda.

“The interests of US and India are best advanced in a partnership, I believe. The relationship between our countries is unique. Our constitutions begin with the same words: ‘We, the people’. Both our countries are dedicated to the concepts of liberty, justice and equality,” he said.

Obama called for renewed partnership with India in a host of areas ranging from clean energy to farming and crop forecasting to food processing, and said both nations should work together to curb protectionism.

"As global partners, we can promote prosperity in both our countries... Together, we can create the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future.

Source : zeenews

Commonwealth Games closing ceremony

2010-10-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium at New Delhi.It was full house again. 70,000 spectators applauded the performances and danced to the tunes of popular Bollywood numbers.

At the heart of every Commonwealth Games lies the Olympic ideal. The spirit of athletes competing for their own sake. The spirit of the amateur athlete. And the spirit of athletes being ambassadors of their nations, bringing the varied cultures of the Commonwealth nations into closer contact.

So when the Commonwealth Games Federation flag shifted hands from Delhi to Glasgow, the host city of the next Games in 2014, during the ritual segment of the closing ceremony here this evening, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi wiped a stain of relief from his forehead.

At the end, sport was the winner. The crowds cheered the triumphs of athletes from all over. And they stood with pride each of the 38 times the national anthem — following each gold medal win — played out.

Commonwealth Games Medals Tally: India Finish Second

CWG: India get 17th gold medal

2010-10-08T04:06:00.000-07:00

The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event. Held every four years, it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. Attendance at the Commonwealth Games is typically around 5,000 athletes. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the organisation that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games.

Gold rush continued for India on the fifth day of the Commonwealth Games as India shooter Vijay Kumar has given India its 17th gold medal.

cwg Delhi Opening Ceremony

2010-10-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India. It was a vibrant, colourful and brilliant display of India's varied culture in a plethora of cultural showcases.

The ceremony set the stage for 11 days of intense competition, which will see over 7000 athletes from 71 countries vying for honours.A spectacular laser fireworks show lit up the evening sky and India took a giant leap, 28 years after it hosted the Asian Games.

The past few weeks of negative publicity that had dogged the nearly Rs 70,000 crore mega-event was quickly forgotten as the glittering opening ceremony, which encapsulated a fascinating mix of culture and modernity, kept the spectators enthralled for more than two hours.

HO HO Bus Service in Delhi

2010-09-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

Sheila Dikshit launches 14 'Ho Ho' air-conditioned tourist buses for Dilli Darshan.

New Delhi, Sep.27 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday launched 14 air conditioned buses under Hop on Hop Off Bus Service, arranged by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC).

The visitors will be able to visit Khooni Darwaza, Feroz Shah Kotla, Gandhi Museum, Ambedkar Stadium, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Salimgarh Fort, various Samadhis around Raj Ghat, National Stadium, Children's Park, India Gate, Pragati Maidan, Crafts Museum, National Zoological Park, Isa Khan Tomb, Nizamuddin Dargah, Gole Gumbaj, Sunderwala Burj, Defence Colony Market, Lajpat Nagar Central Market, Kalkaji District Park, ISKCON Temple, Hilton Garden Inn, Garden of Five Senses, Quila Rai Pithora, Ahimsa Sthal, Butterfly Park, Indian Handicraft Emporium, Deer Park, Hauz Rani monument, Hauz Khas Market, Dilli Haat, INA Market, Lodi Garden, Jaipur Polo Ground, Nehru Planetarium, Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, Janpath Market, Crafts Emporium, etc.

Hop On/Hop Off bus service

Air-conditioned environment friendly luxury buses
Frequency- every 30 minutes
Flexibility - tourists can hop on and hop off at any pick up/drop off point
Entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides
Route covers all major tourist destinations in Delhi
Audio guides
Online booking Facility
Onboard ticketing facility
Covers more than 19 tourist locations
Monument entry tickets are available to save time

The buses will start from Coffee Home, BKS Marg and will have stoppages at Delhi Gate, Red Fort, Raj Ghat, National Gallery of Modern Art India Gate, Purana Quila, Humayun Tomb, Defence Colony Metro Station, Lotus Temple, Metropolitan Mall Saket/Select City Walk, Qutab Minar, Hauz Khas Village, Dilli Haat (INA), Safdarjung Tomb, Santushti near Hotel Samrat, Teen Murti Marg-Nehru Museum, National Museum Janpath and Jantar Mantar.

Metro stations near Rajiv Chowk (Connaught Place), Lajpat Nagar, Dilli Haat and the Lotus Temple are near Ho Ho points. At Rs.300/- only per adult and Rs.150/- every child (below the height of three feet) the Ho Ho bus is surely the best way to see Delhi.

You can book a ticket online at

www.hohodelhi.com
or
www.delhitourism.gov.in

Bihar Assembly election 2010

2010-09-07T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Election Commission has announced the elections to the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly in six phases — on October 21, 24, 28, November 1, 9 and 20. Votes will be counted on November 24.

Phase I , 21st Oct (Thu)
31-Harlakhi	41-Nirmali	51-Sikti	61-Dhamdaha	71-Bihariganj
32-Benipatti	42-Pipra	52-Bahadurganj	62-Purnia	72-Singheshwar
33-Khajauli	43-Supaul	53-Thakurganj	63-Katihar	73-Madhepura
34-Babubarhi	44-Triveniganj	54-Kishanganj	64-Kadwa	74-Sonbarsha
35-Bisfi	45-Chhatapur	55-Kochadhaman	65-Balrampur	75-Saharsa
36-Madhubani	46-Narpatganj	56-Amour	66-Pranpur	76-Simri Bakhtiarpur
37-Rajnagar	47-Raniganj	57-Baisi	67-Manihari	77-Mahishi
38-Jhanjharpur	48-Forbesganj	58-Kasba	68-Barari
39-Phulparas	49-Araria	59-Banmankhi	69-Korha
40-Laukaha	50-Jokihat	60-Rupauli	70-Alamnagar

Phase II , 24th Oct (Sun)
22-Sheohar	78-Kusheshwar Asthan	87-Jale	96-Baruraj	137-Mohiuddinnagar
23-Riga	79-Gaura Bauram	88-Gaighat	97-Paroo	138-Bibhutipur
24-Bathnaha	80-Benipur	89-Aurai	98-Sahebganj	139-Rosera
25-Parihar	81-Alinagar	90-Minapur	131-Kalyanpur	140-Hasanpur
26-Sursand	82-Darbhanga Rural	91-Bochaha	132-Warisnagar	12-Narkatia
27-Bajpatti	83-Darbhanga	92-Sakra	133-Samastipur	17-Pipra
28-Sitamarhi	84-Hayaghat	93-Kurhani	134-Ujiarpur	18-Madhuban
29-Runnisaidpur	85-Bahadurpur	94-Muzaffarpur	135-Morwa	20-Chiraia
30-Belsand	86-Keoti	95-Kanti	136-Sarairanjan	21-Dhaka

Phase III , 28th Oct (Tues)
1-Valmikinagar	13-Harsidhi	104-Hathua	114-Manjhi	124-Lalganj
3-Narkatiaganj	14-Govindganj	105-Siwan	115-Baniapur	125-Vaishali
4-Bagaha	15-Kesaria	106-Ziradei	116-Taraiya	126-Mahua
5-Lauriya	16-Kalyanpur	107-Darauli	117-Marhaura	127-Raja Pakar
6-Nautan	19-Motihari	108-Raghunathpur	118-Chapra	129-Mahnar
7-Chanpatia	99-Baikunthpur	109-Daraundha	119-Garkha	2-Ramnagar
8-Bettiah	100-Barauli	110-Barharia	120-Amnour	128-Raghopur
9-Sikta	101-Gopalganj	94-Muzaffarpur	135-Morwa	20-Chiraia
30-Belsand	86-Keoti	95-Kanti	136-Sarairanjan	21-Dhaka

Phase II , 24th Oct (Sun)
22-Sheohar	78-Kusheshwar Asthan	87-Jale	96-Baruraj	137-Mohiuddinnagar
23-Riga	79-Gaura Bauram	88-Gaighat	97-Paroo	138-Bibhutipur
24-Bathnaha	80-Benipur	89-Aurai	98-Sahebganj	139-Rosera
25-Parihar	81-Alinagar	90-Minapur	131-Kalyanpur	140-Hasanpur
26-Sursand	82-Darbhanga Rural	91-Bochaha	132-Warisnagar	12-Narkatia
27-Bajpatti	83-Darbhanga	92-Sakra	133-Samastipur	17-Pipra
28-Sitamarhi	84-Hayaghat	93-Kurhani	134-Ujiarpur	18-Madhuban
29-Runnisaidpur	85-Bahadurpur	94-Muzaffarpur	135-Morwa	20-Chiraia
30-Belsand	86-Keoti	95-Kanti	136-Sarairanjan	21-Dhaka

Maoists kill 1 cop, 3 others face same fate

2010-09-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Maoists claimed to have killed one of four kidnapped Bihar policemen, Sub-Inspector Abhay Yadav, after their deadline for the release of eight rebels currently in jail expired at 10 a.m. Thursday. With Yadav, Maoists had kidnapped Sub-Inspector Rupesh Kumar Sinha and two Bihar Military Police men

after a gunbattle on Sunday in Kajra hills of Lakshisarai district, about 100 km from here. Seven policemen were killed in the battle.A self-proclaimed Maoist spokesman, Avinash, told the media Yadav was dead although state police chief Neelmani said there was no evidence of this.

Maoist spokesman Avinash, in telephone calls to local TV channel Sadhna and some journalists, said Sub-Inspector Abhay Prasad Yadav had been killed. He warned that they would kill the remaining three policemen — SI Rupesh Kumar Sinha, BMP Jamadar Lucas Tete and BMP Havildar Ehsan Ahmed — if the Bihar government did not release eight Maoists by Friday.

In a gunbattle in Lakhisarai that lasted nearly 12 hours on Sunday, Maoists killed eight policemen and abducted four. Thirty of 38 districts in state are Maoist-affected.Bihar police spokesperson P K Thakur told The Indian Express: “So far, we have no confirmation of SI Abhay Yadav’s murder. We still have no knowledge of a deadline. Our job is to rescue our men. There is no change in our stand.

Chinese Army on Indian territory

2010-08-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

A Pakistani angle has now surfaced to the Chinese incursions into India. A 'New York Times' report has claimed that the Pakistan government has allowed 11,000 Chinese Army soldiers into Indian territory in Gilgit and Baltistan.

The 'New York Times' has reported that the Chinese are eyeing this strategic region because they want to access Pakistan's Gwadar port to allow for gulf oil to reach China's eastern province.

According to the 'New York Times', China wants a grip on the strategic area to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan.

Many of the PLA soldiers entering Gilgit-Baltistan are expected to work on the railroad and extending the Karakoram Highway.

Why is China eyeing Gilgit-Baltistan

1) Gilgit-Baltistan strategic area for China
2) China using Gilgit to access Gulf through Pak
3) Gilgit will connect Eastern China to Gawadar port
4) Gilgit to be used to store anti-India missiles

'Project is illegal'

India has always said Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India. Any project within what India considers its own territory and not cleared by the Indian government is illegal. It is being ascertained what the actual position is vis-a-vis the 11,000 Chinese in Gilgit and Baltistan.

Source: timesnow.tv

New Delhi, Mumbai ranked 45th & 46th in list of global cities

2010-08-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: New Delhi and Mumbai occupies 45th and 46th position while Kolkata is placed at 63rd spot in list of rankings of 65 global cities; which is topped by New York, London and Tokyo, a survey has said.

Karachi, the only Pakistani metropolis was ranked 60, Dhaka was placed at 64 while Beijing - which suddenly caught the imagination of the world by successfully hosting the Olympics - has been ranked 15th.

"The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city," said the report released by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine in collaboration with A T Kearney and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Paris and Hong Kong have been ranked fourth and fifth respectively, while Chicago has been placed at sixth spot, followed by Los Angeles (7), Singapore (8), Sydney (9), Seoul (10), Brussels (11), San Francisco (12), Washington (13) and Toronto (14).

"So what makes a Global City? Not size alone, that's for sure; many of the world's largest megalopolises, such as Karachi (60), Lagos (59), and Kolkata (63), barely make the list. Instead, the index aims to measure how much sway a city has over what happens beyond its own borders -- its influence on and integration with global markets, culture, and innovation," the report said.

Source : ndtv

26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab gets death sentence

2010-05-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone survivor from amongst the ten gunmen who carried out the horrific November 26, 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, was sentenced to death on four counts and to life imprisonment on five other counts by a special sessions court in the city today.

Designated Judge M L Tahaliyani awarded the death penalty to Kasab, 22, for conspiring with others in Pakistan to commit acts of terrorism against India, murder and abetment to murder of 166 people, waging war against the state and under section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

While pronouncing the sentence, the Judge said there was an overwhelming preponderance of aggravating circumstances against Kasab and hardly any mitigating factors in his favour. He said he had no option but to sentence him to death by hanging in the circumstances.

During arguments on the sentence on Tuesday the Judge, the prosecution had sought the death penalty for Kasab. The defence, on the other hand, pleaded for leniency, given his young age.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Kasab deserved the maximum penalty given the fact that he had been found guilty of waging war against the country and his role in the conspiracy to carry out the attacks had been proved.

Court-appointed defence counsel K P Pawar, on the other hand, had argued that Kasab should not be given the death penalty in view of his young age and did not fully understand the implications of his actions. He also argued that Kasab was under mental pressure from a terrorist group. He said that, given his young age, there was also some scope for reformation and rehabilitation.

Kasab was convicted of all 86 charges against him by the special court on Monday for his role in the attacks which killed 166 people, including 23 foreigners.

The other nine gunmen, all Pakistanis, were killed in the action by security forces during the 66-hour seige.

Two Indians, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, who were charged with drawing maps of the places targeted by the terrorists and passing them on to the Lashkar-e-Taiba to enable them to execute the attacks, were acquitted by the court, saying the evidence against them was not convincing.

Kasab and the other gunmen opened fire indiscriminately and hurled hand grandes at places such as the Central Railway's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) (formerly Victoria Terminus), Hotel Taj Mahal, Hotel Oberoi-Trident, Nariman House and Cama Hospital.

Kasab was held guilty of waging war against the Indian state and of killing seven people at CST and Cama Hospital as well as abetting the murder of 159 others killed in the attacks.

The death sentence will now automatically be referred to the Bombay High Court before it can be carried out. If the High Court confirms the sentence, Kasab will have the option to go in appeal to the Supreme Court. Finally, he would have the option to file a mercy petition to the President.

Kasab, who hails from Faridkot in Pakistan, was nabbed alive by the police from the Girgaum-Chowpatty police barricade after an encounter. Earlier, Kasab and Abu Ismail, one of the nine other terroritsts, had killed several people at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Cama Hospital and Metro Junction.

Source :netindian.in

Union Budget 2010: Indian Budget Highlights

2010-02-26T01:23:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: A further relief for individual Tax payers, increased allocation for welfare schemes, Re 1 per litre excise duty hike on petrol and diesel were among the key features of the Union Budget 2010-11, presented in Parliament on Friday by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The minister said fiscal deficit would be brought down to 5.5 percent next fiscal from 6.9 percent in 2009-10.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday allocated Rs 22,300 crore (Rs 223 billion/$4.82 billion) for the health sector in his 2010-11 budget, an increase of over Rs 2,700 crore over the previous. The minister said the country was set to conduct a national health survey next fiscal and this would benefit in more than one way. Mukherjee said he was proposing to allocate Rs.22,300 crore as health expenditure as against Rs 19,534 crore in 2009-10.

Budget Highlights:

Personal Income Tax

Personal Income Tax slabs widened

Income up to Rs 1.6 lakh -- NIL

Above Rs 1.6 lakh to 5 lakh -- 10%

Above Rs 5 lakh to 8 lakh -- 20%

Above Rs 8 lakh -- 30%

Deduction of Rs 20,000 in long term infrastructure bonds

Contribution under central scheme to be included for Health Insurance exemption

Income Tax department ready with Saral-2 form for salaried tax-payers

2000 Income Tax Returns daily

Two more centres for tax filing

Income tax centres in Pune and Cochin -- Single window system to address grievances

Four more cities to get this system

Revamp needed of internal working system

System to tackle tax evasion and get black money abroad

Other Taxes

Minimum Alternative Tax hiked from 15% to 18%

Corporate Surcharge down from 10% to 7.5%

Service taxes unchanged

Revenue loss from direct taxes to be Rs 26,000 crore

Research and Development deduction hiked

Exemptions for two-star and above hotels anywhere in the country

5% tax on crude petrol and 7.5% on diesel

Excise duty hiked on tobacco

Partial excise on cement, cars

Indian Railway Budget 2010

2010-02-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

Feb 24: Mamata Banerjee concluded her two-hour long presentation of Railway Budget 2010 by delivering a good news to the country that the Railways doesn't find it necessary to hike the passenger fares. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented Railway Budget for the next fiscal with the promise of a new business model to encourage private investment along with social commitment but without privatisation.

Speech highlights:

First rail line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to connect Port Blair to Diglipur, farthest town of North Andamans.
Railways to have master plan for North Eastern region.
Railways to run a special train to Bangladesh on the 150th birth centenary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Net profit of Rs.1,328 crore in 2009-10
10 automobile ancillary hubs to be created
Twenty-two million energy saving CFLs for lighting distributed already
Policy decision to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for railway projects
North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created
Construction of high-speed passenger rail corridors envisaged
More multi-functional hospitals to be set up
Educational facilities to be set up for children of 80,000 women families
Special facilities to be established for gangmen
Insurance facilities for licensed porters as part of railway's corporate social responsibility
Centre for railway research to be established with Indian Institutes of Technology and Defence Research and Development Organisation
Will involve unions in policy making
Integral Coach Factory Chennai to be further modernised
New wagon repair shop in Mumbai
Design, development and testing centre for railway wheels at Bangalore
Rs 1,302 crore provided for passenger amenities in the 2010-11 Budget against Rs 923 crore last year.
Allocation for construction of new lines increased from Rs 2848 crore to Rs 4411 crore.
Gross traffic receipt for 2010-11 pegged at Rs 94,765 crore.
Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year's revised target.
Connectivity is key to India's growth.
Time has come for the business firms to join hands with railways.
Railways to come out with 10-year plan 'Vision 2020'
Railways open for public private partnership model in projects.
Need to make policies investment friendly; investments proposals should be cleared within 100 days
Special task force will be set up clear business projects within 100 days.
New anti-collision devices, better traffic signaling systems along 880 kms of track.
Out of 17,000 unmanned crossings 13,000 will be manned within five years to avoid accidents.
Railway plans to have e-ticketing mobile vans at hospitals, universities.
Railways to come up with multilayer parking space through PPP (public private partnership).
Cheap drinking water will be provided at all the stations, plans to open six bottling plants.
Railways to come with a special drive to have better amenities.
117 trains will be flagged off within seven months.
1000 kms of rail lines to be completed in one year.
We want to strengthen Railway Protection Force (RPF) but law and order is a state subject. We have very few RPF personnel. RPF is not sufficient of taking care of the security.
Railways proposes to set up five sports academies at Delhi, Secunderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.

H1N1 Flu or Swine Flu

2009-08-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

The H!N1 flu has become an official global epidemic and claimed many lives, many people are likely to become anxious that they might catch the H1N1 flu otherwise known as the Swine Flu. There are several very simple things one can do to prevent or minimize your chances of getting the swine flu and the regular flu.

These include finding out more about the illness from reliable sources, learning how serious swine flu is, learn what can be done prevent it, discovering what symptoms to watch for and when to seek additional treatment.

Also included is some interesting information about the history of Swine Influenza and Swine Flu as a Zoonosis or an infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Four Key Steps to Prevent Getting the H1N1 Flu

The four key things to do that will help in preventing you from getting the H1N1 Flu or Swine Flu:

1. Wash Your Hands
2. Cover Your Cough
3. Don't Touch Your Face
4. Stay Away from People Who are Sick

Michael Jackson Dies at Age 50

2009-06-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

UPDATED 3:23 PM: Legendary musician Michael Jackson has died, law enforcement sources have Confirmed.

TMZ reports that someone at Jackson's Holmby Hills home called 911 at 12:21 pm. When paramedics arrived at his home, he was not breathing. The Los angeles Times reports by the time he reached the UCLA Medical center, Jackson was in a coma. He was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon.

Several months ago, celebrity biographer Ian Halperin claimed jackson was deathly ill and required a lung transplant. Jackson's rep quickly disputed Halperin's claims.

Jackson was readying for a 50-show run of performances at London's O2 Arena. He had voiced concern about being physically able to complete that many performances.

Jackson is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, and Prince Michael Jackson.

As a child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50.

Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2:26 p.m. PDT (2126 GMT) after arriving at a Los Angeles hospital in full cardiac arrest, said Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. The cause of death was not known and an autopsy would likely take place on Friday, he said.

Jackson's sudden death had been reported earlier by U.S. media, which said he was taken ill at his home and rushed to the hospital by paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived.

STD 25 Paise, Local 10 Paise per minute!

2009-05-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: New IT and Telecom minister A. Raja has announced that his department would be slashing the STD and Local telephone call rates soon.

Now you would be able to do STD and Local telephone call at a rate of 25 Paise and 10 paise per minute respectively.

With this announcement Raja has showed his strong will power. Raja, who is MP from the Nilgiri constituency, is close to Karunanidhi’s wife Rajati Ammal.

It’s being believed that Raja would be taking some more people friendly decisions. A Raja took oath yesterday as Cabinet Minister in the new government set-up, retaining the IT & Communications Ministry which he held for two years in the previous tenure of UPA government as well.

Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States

2009-01-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

In just a little while, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the first black President of America. Over two million people are expected to attend the inauguration ceremony in Washington.

The presidential motorcade approaches Capitol Hill during the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, in Washington January 20, 2009.

Miss World 2008 : Pageant Is Going to Miss Russia

2008-12-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

Miss World 2008 contest live from Johannesburg, South Africa on December 13th.

Miss World : Miss Russia

1st Runup : Miss India

2nd Runuo : Miss Trinidad_and_Tobago

Mumbai on high alert after terror attack

2008-11-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Mumbai, Nov 26: Indiscriminate firing and coordinated blasts in eight places of South Mumbai left 16 dead and around 50 injured in the nation’s financial capital on Wednesday night. All the blasts have taken place in the vicinity of posh hotels in the area, including the Taj and the Trident.

The firing has taken places at the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railways station, outside Café Leopold in Colaba, Nariman point and outside the Taj and the Tridient, formely Oberoi hotel. Indiscriminate firing was reported from the Taj hotel, with sources saying that 4 terrorists could be holed up inside.

The terror strike which began at 1033 PM at Chhatrapathi Shivaji Terminus(CST),formerly known as the Victoria Terminus(VT), claimed 10 lives in the premises of the station alone, police said.

source : www.zeenews.com

India won the series against England with 4-0 lead

2008-11-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

India sealed the ODI series against England with a thrilling 19 run win at Bangalore. The match proved to be a thriller despite the loss of numerous overs. India scored 166-4 in the rain-hit fourth one-day international against England here on Sunday.England must reach a target of 198 to win the match according to the Duckworth-Lewis method. The day-night match was reduced to 22 overs a side due to rain.India sealed the ODI series against England with a thrilling 19 run win at Bangalore. The match proved to be a thriller despite the loss of numerous overs. India scored 166-4 in the rain-hit fourth one-day international against England here on Sunday.England must reach a target of 198 to win the match according to the Duckworth-Lewis method. The day-night match was reduced to 22 overs a side due to rain.

INDIA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR (IITF 2008)

2008-11-10T02:14:00.001-08:00

Event Profile: The INDIA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR (IITF 2008) being a multi-product exhibition has on display a wide range of products and services. However, beneath the well dispersed spread of products, the Fair has focus on a few identified areas in the form special displays. This annual event provides a common platform for the manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers.

Start Date : 14-NOV-08
End Date : 27-NOV-08

Highlights: Over 5,500 enterprises are participating in this fair.This includes over a hundred from Overseas.Among the foreign participants are Germany, Japan, UK, Korea, Bangladesh, Myammar, Bhutan and Pakistan. The Indian State pavilions are also there.

Organizer : India Trade Promotion Organization
Pragati Bhawan, Pragati Maidan,
New Delhi, India.
Tel: +(91)-(11)-23371390/23371822/23371540
Fax: +(91)-(11)-23371874/23318142

India beat Australia to win series 2-0

2008-11-10T02:11:00.000-08:00

Nagpur, Nov 10: India secured a historic Test series victory against Australia on Monday as they crushed the tourists by 172 runs in the fourth and final Test match played at Nagpur. The win meant the Indians won the series 2-0 to reclaim the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 8 long years, having beaten the visitors earlier in the second Test at Mohali. Jason Krejza was declared Man of the Match for his 12 wickets on debut while Ishant Sharma was declared Man of the Series for his 15 wickets.

A glorious career comes to an end on Monday… Sourav Ganguly, a man with a never-say-die spirit, will be seen on the field wearing the Indian cap for the last time today. Known as the best ever captain to have represented India, the Royal Bengal Tiger will bid his adieu to cricket today and will be remembered as a man who had a career as dramatic as it can be.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Sachin Tendulkar hits 40th Test century

2008-11-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 40th Test century on the first day of the fourth Test against Australia at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha in Nagpur on Thursday.

Tendulkar reached the milestone when he cut a delivery by Australian Test debutant Jason Krejza delivery to the point boundary for his 12th four and notch his 10th Test century against Australia. The standout shot in Tendulkar's innings was a superb straight drive off Brett Lee that was only a gentle push but didn't give the fielders any chance.

Source : indiatimes.com

Barack Obama speaks at a rally in Chicago, Illinois, after winning the presidency Tuesday night.

2008-11-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, after winning the race for the White House Tuesday night. The following is an exact transcript of his speech.

Obama:

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Source : www.cnn.com

Olympic bronze meda For India

2008-08-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

Vijender Singh's Olympic bronze medal : Vijender Singh's Olympic bronze medal .The stars had ordained Olympics glory for him even before Vijender Singh landed his first punch against Cuba’s Emilio Correa Bayeaux. He lost the bout 5-8 but still marked the re-birth of the golden era in Indian boxing. “I tried my best”, he told the media right after the match and lamented that his strategy didn’t work out.

Sushil Kumar's Olympic bronze medal: Sushil Kumar's Olympic bronze medal may have come as a pleasant surprise to his countrymen but the Delhi wrestler says he did not emerge out of the blue and walked away with the glory.

"I want to dedicate this medal to my coach Satpal," said Sushil who is the current world number seven. Sushil's pursuit for the glory paid off after he had competed as the world number four in Athens Games but was forgotten since then.

Musharraf resigns as Pakistan's president

2008-08-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday announced that he was stepping down from the post, amid tremendous pressure from the ruling coalition government to do so. “For the sake of the nation and people, I’m resigning. I don’t want anything from anybody. I’m not vindictive. Let the people be the judges. Let them do justice. I’m going with the belief that I have done everything for the nation with honesty,” Musharraf said in a live televised address to the nation

I-Day bonanza: Sixth Pay Commission recommendations approved

2008-08-14T03:20:00.001-07:00

In what surely comes as an Independence Day bonanza for the civil servants, armed forces and paramilitary personnel, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.

Highlights

The new pay commission’s recommendations will be effective from January, 2006 as the term of the Fifth Pay Commission ended on December 31, 2005. However, the arrears will not be disbursed in one go but will be divided into two components to be given by the end of next year. 40% of the arrears will be disbursed in 2008, while the remaining 60% will be doled out in 2009.

The revised pay scale will be effective from next month.
As per the cleared proposal, the minimum basic pay for government employees has been revised to Rs 7000, while the minimum salary per month at the lowest level will now be Rs 10000.
There will be a uniform 3% raise in basic pay every year against the current 2.5% norm.
At least three assured promotions for all defence forces personnel and civilian employees under the modified Assured Career Progression scheme. While civilians would get this after 10, 20 and 30 years of service, defence forces jawans would be promoted under ACP after 8, 16 and 24 years.
Mid-level defence personal will be now placed in the higher pay scale. Also, the defence and paramilitary personal to get more allowances.
Military service pay for persons below the officer rank (POBR) would be Rs 2,000 per month, while for officers it would be Rs 6000 per month.
Substantial hike in salaries of Brigadiers as they will now be in Pay Band 4 (Rs 39,200-67,000) from the suggested Pay Band 3 (Rs 15,600-39,100)
Government doctors with 20 or more years of service can be promoted to joint secretary level. Non-practicing doctors also to get special allowance.
No Cabinet Secretary rank for Intelligence Bureau chief, the three Service chiefs and others in that league.
DIG-scale abolished in IPS and Indian Forest Service.
Group D personnel to stay (peons in ministries and porters in Railways)
Central and defence pensioners will also get benefit from the new recommendations.
The financial implications, with the implementation of the new structure, for the central government for the year 2008-09 will be Rs 15,700, while for the railways it will be to the tune of Rs 6400.

Source: www.zeenews.com

Abhinav Bindra for winning India's first gold In olympics 2008

2008-08-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

Shooter Abhinav Bindra on Tuesday(11 august 2008) after he earned the world's second most populous nation its first gold medal in 28 years.

Bindra, who Monday became the first Indian to claim an individual gold medal at an Olympic Games when he won the 10-meter air rifle event at Beijing, was described as "India's Goldfinger'' on the front page headline of The Times of India national newspaper.

Bindra emerged triumphant in the 10-shot final with a finish of 104.5, taking his tally of points to 700.5 as against Zhu's silver winning performance of 699.7 (597+102.7) and 699.4 (598+101.4) by Hakkinen, which gave the Finn Army marksman the bronze.

India's previous eight gold medals came in men's field hockey, the last of which came in 1980.

Beijing Olympics : 2008

2008-08-08T04:04:00.000-07:00

China celebrates its ancient past and modern power when the Olympics open on Friday, looking to put criticism behind it as world leaders arrived in Beijing. The opening ceremony is the culmination of seven years of hard work that reshaped the capital, and sets the seal on a sustained economic boom that has seen China emerge as a new superpower.

Source: www.zeenews.com

Some of the World’s Tallest Buildings

2008-07-21T05:34:00.001-07:00

1.
Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan. C.Y. Lee & Partner, Architects. Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Architect: C.Y. Lee & Partner
Year: 2004
Height: 509 meters / 1,670 feet
Stories: 101

About the Taipei 101 Tower

The design of Taipei 101 borrows heavily from Chinese culture. Both the building's interior and exterior incorporate the Chinese pagoda form and the shape of bamboo flowers. The lucky number eight, which means blooming or success, is represented by the eight clearly delineated exterior sections of the building.

2.

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Cesar Pelli, Architect. Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Year: 1998
Petronas Tower 1 Height: 452 meters / 1,483 feet
Petronas Tower 1 Stories: 88
Petronas Tower 2 Height: 452 meters / 1,483 feet
Petronas Tower 2 Stories: 88

About the Petronas Towers

Traditional Islamic design inspired the floor plans for two Petronas towers in Kuala Lumur, Malaysia. Each floor of the 88-story towers is shaped like an 8-pointed star. The two towers have been called cosmic pillars that spiral heavenward. At the 42nd floor, a flexible bridge connects the two Petronas Towers.

Sears Tower in Chicago, USA. Bruce Graham (SOM), Architect. Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Architect: Bruce Graham, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM)
Year: 1973
Height: 442 meters / 1,450 feet
Stories: 110

About the Sears Tower

To provide stability against high winds, architect Bruce Graham used a new form of tubular construction for Sears Tower. Two hundred sets of bundled tubes were laid into the bedrock. Then, 76,000 tons of prefabricated steel in 15-foot by 25-foot sections were put into place. Four derrick cranes moved higher with each floor to lift these steel "Christmas Trees" into position.
Facts about the Sears Tower:

The Sears Tower covers two city blocks and has 101 acres (4.4 million square feet) of office and commercial space.
The roof rises a quarter of a mile -- 1, 454 feet (442 meters).
Its highest occupied floor is 1,431 feet above the ground.
The foundation and the floor slabs have some 2 million cubic feet of concrete -- enough to build an eight-lane highway five miles long.
The Tower has more than 16,000 bronze-tinted windows and 28 acres of black duranodic aluminum skin.
The 222,500-ton building is supported by 114 rock caissons. Each is securely socketed into the bedrock.
A 106-cab elevator system (including 16 double decker elevators) divides the Tower into three separate zones, with skylobbies in between.

4.
Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), Architects. Location: Shanghai, China
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Year: 1999
Height: 421 meters / 1,381 feet
Stories: 88

About the Jin Mao Building

The architects at Skidmore Owings & Merrill designed the Jin Mao Building around the number eight. Shaped like a Chinese pagoda, the Jin Mao Building is divided into segments. The lowest segment has 16 stories, and each succeeding segment is 1/8 smaller than the one below. Totalling 88 stories, the Jin Mao Building combines shopping and commercial space with office space and, on the upper 38 stories, the towering Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Two International Finance Centre (IFC) in Hong Kong. Cesar Pelli, Architect. Location: Hong Kong
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Year: 2003
Height: 414 meters / 1,362 feet
Stories: 88

About Two IFC

Two IFC is the taller of two International Finance Centre buildings and part of a US$2.8 billion complex that includes a luxury shopping mall, the Four Seasons Hotel, and Hong Kong Station. Architect Cesar Pelli was selected to design Two IFC after winning an international design competition.

6.
CITIC Plaza in Guangzhou, China, DLN Architects. Location: Guanzhou, China
Architect: DLN Architects
Year: 1997
Height: 391 meters / 1,283 feet
Stories: 80

About CITIC Plaza:

The CITIC office tower in Guanzhou, China is flanked by two 38-story apartment buildings. The CITIC Plaza complex also has a train station, a metro station, and the Tianhe Sports Center.

Tribe Of Amazon

2008-06-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

IN ISOLATION Members of an unknown Amazon Basin tribe and their dwellings are seen during a flight over the Brazilian state of Acre along the border with Peru in this May 2008 photo distributed by Survival nternational.

Survival International estimates that there are over 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, and says that uncontacted tribes in the region are under increasing threat from illegal logging over the border in Peru .
Taken from a small airplane, the photos show men outside thatched communal huts, necks craned upward, pointing bows toward the air in a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest.

AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION
More than 100 uncontacted tribes remain worldwide, and about half live in the remote reaches of the Amazonian rainforest in Peru or Brazil .Illegal logging in Peru is threatening several uncontacted groups, pushing them over the border with Brazil and toward potential conflicts with about 500 uncontacted Indians living on the Brazilian side, Survival International said.

(Photo courtesy: AP)

Inflation at 11.05%: FM admits times are tough

2008-06-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

Powered by the fuel price rise, annual inflation shot-through-the-roof on Friday jumping to 13-year high levels
and stood at 11.05% for the week ending June 07. A visibly concerned FM said, “These are difficult times. Government is aware of people’s difficulties, but fuel price hike was unavoidable.

Source : www.zeenews.com

price of petrol is highest and lowest in the world

2008-06-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

The price of petrol in India is set to go through the roof. Reason? Global oil prices are at all-time high levels (about $130 per barrel) and the nation's public sector oil companies can no longer sustain the heavy subsidy on petroleum products.

which are the nations where the price of petrol is highest and lowest in the world?

Turkey: Rs 113.30 per litre : In Turkey, the prices of petrol are the highest in the world. Petrol costs a whopping $2.68 or about Rs 113.30 per litre here. Guess, it's not a place one would want to drive in.

Norway (Oslo): Rs 112 per litre : In Norway (Oslo), petrol prices are amongst the highest in the world and a shade lower than those in Turkey. In Olso petrol costs $2.65 or about Rs 112 per litre.

United Kingdom: Rs 95.50 per litre : In United Kingdom, too, the cost of petrol is shockingly high. Petrol costs $2.26 or about Rs 95.50 per litre here.

Hong Kong: Rs 84.10 per litre : In Hong Kong, petrol prices are a bit lower than in European nations, but it still boasts of the most expensive oil in Asia. Petrol costs $1.99 or about Rs 84.10 per litre in Hong Kong.

Brazil (Sao Paolo): Rs 66 per litre : In Brazil (Sao Paolo), the price of petrol is much higher than in India and costs $1.56 or approximately Rs 66 per litre.

Canada: Rs 57 per litre : In Canada, petrol costs $1.35 or about Rs 57 per litre, slightly more than the price in India or the United States.

India: Rs 51 per litre : In dollar terms, the cost of petrol in India (in Mumbai, specifically) is around $1.20 (Rs 50.76) per litre. And it is set to rise by about 10-15 per cent.

Pakistan: Rs 44.80 per litre : In Pakistan, petrol costs less than it does in India. At $1.06 or about Rs 44.80 per litre, petrol is still affordable here.

The United States: Rs 44.25 per litre : In United States, petrol costs $1.047 or about Rs 44.25 per litre. And this is the price after a recent increase.. Even this led to a huge uproar in the nation and reports said that many Americans are now looking to drive fuel-efficient small cars.

Russia (Moscow): Rs 42.275 per litre : In Russia (Moscow), petrol costs $1 or about Rs 42.275 per litre. Russia, of course, also has huge oil reserves.

China: Rs 31.30 per litre : In China, petrol costs $0.74 or about Rs 31.30 per litre. That is almost half of what it costs in India.

Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): Rs 25.40 per litre : In Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), petrol costs $0.60 or about Rs 25.40 per litre.

United Arab Emirates: Rs 15.65 per litre :In the United Arab Emirates, petrol costs $0.37 or about Rs 15.65 per litre

Pakistan win tri-series; beat India by 25 runs in final

2008-06-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

A spirited comeback by the Pakistan cricket team helped them beat India by 25 runs in the final of the tri-series. It was a clinical display of brilliant batting and disciplined bowling by the Pakistan team that helped them put behind the huge defeat suffered at the hands of India in the league stage and eventually beat the favourites in the all important final.

Source : www.zeeenews.com

Govt gives Rs 29.81 cr package for Bhagalpur riot victims

2008-06-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

New delhi, June 12: After nearly two decades of the communal violence in Bhagalpur in Bihar, the Centre Thursday announced a Rs 29.81 crore relief and rehabilitation package for the next of kin of those killed and injured in the riots. .The package was approved by the Union Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Under the relief package for Bhagalpur riot victims, an ex-gratia of Rs 3.5 lakh will be paid to the next of kin of each of the 844 persons killed in the 1989 communal violence, an official spokesman told reporters after the meeting. He said the relief amount would be in addition to what has been paid by the state government and added that this would entail an expenditure of Rs 29.54 crore to the exchequer.

A sum of up to Rs 1.25 lakh would be given to 22 injured persons, but the amount would be adjusted against what has been paid by the state government. This would entail an expenditure of Rs 26.99 lakh. The payment of ex-gratia to the victims of communal riots in Bhagalpur would be at par with the package announced for victims of anti-Sikh riots of 1984. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier written to the Prime Minister asking for a relief package for the Bhagalpur riot victims at par with the relief given to the anti-Sikh riots.

Source: www.zeenews.com

Petrol price hiked by Rs 5, diesel by Rs 3; LPG to cost Rs 50 more

2008-06-04T01:16:00.001-07:00

New Delhi, June 04: The Central government on Wednesday announced a steep hike in domestic fuel prices, effective midnight tonight. The price of petrol has been hiked by Rs 5 per litre, while the price of diesel has gone up by Rs 3. The domestic LPG will now cost Rs 50 more per cylinder. The price of kerosene oil, meanwhile, has been left untouched. The announcement with regard to the revision of fuel prices was made by Petroleum Minister Murli Deora at a press conference.

Earlier in the day, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met to discuss the surging global oil prices and approved the hike in domestic fuel prices.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the nation at 8:30 pm tonight to explain why his government has raised the fuel prices. The Left parties, meanwhile, have announced week-long nationwide protests against the hike beginning tomorrow.

Speaking at the press conference, the Revenue Secretary said that there will be no rationing of LPG cylinders as reported in a section of the media. Instead, the government will look to streamline LPG production and distribution, he said.

The official further informed that customs duty on crude oil imports has been cut from 5% to nil. The government has also reduced customs duty on petrol and diesel from the existing 7.5% to 2.5%, while the same has been cut from 10% to 5% for all other petroleum products. Further, excise duty on petrol and diesel has been slashed by Rs 1 per litre.

source : www.zeenews.com

Top ten School in India

2008-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is the list of top ten school in India according to EDUCATIONWORLD- IMRB INTERNATIONAL Survey. Name Score

1.Delhi Public Schoolm, R.K Puram, Delhi 8.02
2.The Doon Sohool, Dehradun 7.99
3.Delhi Public School, Mathura Road,Delhi 7.93
4.South Point High School, Kolkata 7.80
5.St. Kabir School, Ahmedbad 7.77
6.City Montessori School, Lucknow 7.72
7.Apeejay School,Saket, Delhi 7.57
8.La Martiniere Boys' School, Kolkata 7.54
9.Seth M.R Jaipuria School, Lucknow 7.51
10. LaMartiniere Girls' school, Kolkata 7.50

Source:Education World,August 2007

A `Royal` end to IPL 2008; Warne wrecks Chennai

2008-06-01T23:10:00.001-07:00

Mumbai, June 01: Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals outclassed and outplayed MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings to beat them by three wickets in the IPL’s final on Sunday. Yusuf Pathan was awarded the DLF maximum sixes as well as the man of the match for his outstanding performance – three wickets and 56 runs – to carve a fabulous victory for Rajasthan. Chennai Super Kings, however, won the Kingfisher Fair Play award and also a cash prize of 2.4 cr rupees. Rajasthan were given a cheque of 4.8 crores.

Rajasthan Royals proved their worth in the series and held their nerve to win the first edition of the DLF Indian Premier League. The match went down to the wire, to the very last ball, which Tanvir hit to mid on to seal the victory after which the Royal dugout was all out for celebration. Mumbai were on the edge of the seat till the last ball and then on its feet for some exquisite celebration. The Royals were absolutely ecstatic.

Yusuf Pathan seemed to be the only name at the DY Patil Stadium. He struck for the third time for the Rajasthan Royals to send the dangerous looking Albie Morkel on a long walk back to the dugout after the batsman hit the Royal bowlers for a few huge ones to up the tempo for the Chennai Super Kings. The captain of the Super Kings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to join Suresh Raina at the crease.

Pathan struck again to dismiss the in-form Parthiv Patel after the left hander played a classy innings of 38. Patel was dismissed at the right time for the Royals as he along with Suresh Raina looked set to build on a huge partnership for the second wicket. Chennai Super Kings lost their second wicket at the score of 64.

Just when Chennai were going steady, Pathan pitched one short and Jadeja took a neat catch at mid wicket to give a chance to the Rajasthan Royals the early breakthrough and a chance to penetrate the Chennai batting line-up so as to restrict them to a low score. Vidyut departed in an attempt to send Pathan out of the park.

Shane Warne won the toss and decided to bowl first and restrict Chennai to a modest total and let his batsmen do the rest. He said that they have been doing well in restricting the opposition bowling first and they would like to do the same in the final for one last time.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Katara murder: Quantum of punishment against Vishal and Vikas

2008-05-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

A Delhi court is set to announce on Friday the quantum of punishment for Vikas and Vishal Yadav who were declared guilty this Wednesday in the Nitish Katara murder case. Supporting the prosecution, the court had found Vikas guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence and charged them under sections 302, 364, 201 and 34 of the IPC. The maximum punishment under these sections is death while minimum a life sentence.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Ratan Tata among most powerful in UK construction industry

2008-05-27T03:31:00.000-07:00

London, May 27: Indian business titan Ratan Tata, already named among the world's most influential business people from India, has now made to a list of 30 most powerful in the British construction space with a ranking higher than even the UK's minister for housing.

The list compiled by UK-based digital magazine contract journal, which features people with a direct influence on the construction industry, has placed Indian conglomerate Tata group's chairman Ratan Tata at the 16th position, ahead of Housing Minister Caroline Flint, who is at the 18th place.

Topped by Ian Tyler of engineering and construction services provider Balfour Beatty, Simon Williams, who is the director of cartels at Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Ray O'rourke, the chairman of private construction firm Laing O'rourke, are at the second and third places, respectively.

On Ratan Tata, the report said, "already providing products that feature in many British homes after its takeover of Tetley in 2000, Ratan Tata's Tata group now supplies the mainstay material in most of its offices: steel."

Indian conglomerate Tata group's acquisition of steel maker Corus for about 6.2 billion pounds made it the fifth largest steel maker in terms of output. The joint entity known as Tata Corus has a 50 per cent share of the UK market.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Phoenix Mars Lander

2008-05-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

This artist's concept depicts NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander a moment before its planned touchdown on the arctic plains of Mars.Artist's illustration obtained from NASA shows the Phoenix Mars Lander. A NASA probe has sent back never-seen pictures of Mars' north pole after a near perfect landing in the most ambitious mission to date to find life-sustaining minerals
on the Red Planet.(AFP/NASA)

Source : www.yahoo.com

Fuel price hike decision within 3-4 days

2008-05-23T03:08:00.000-07:00

Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan after meeting with the heads of the oil PSUs on Friday said that the decision on fuel price hike will be taken within the next 3-4 days. Meanwhile, the Petroleum Ministry is seeking a Rs 10 per litre increase in petrol and Rs 5 a litre rise in diesel prices along with a cut in customs and excise duties to offset the impact of surge in crude oil prices that have touched USD 135 per barrel. The Cabinet Committee on Prices will be meeting today on the issue.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Class XII CBSE results declared

2008-05-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, May 21: The Central Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday announced the results for Class XII examinations for three of the six regions.

While the results for Chennai, Ajmer and Panchkula were declared this morning, the result for the Delhi, Guwahati and Allahabad regions will be out on Friday. A total of 5,48,815 students had appeared for the exams that were held from March 1. The results of the CBSE exam have been put up on the website www.cbseresults.nic.in.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Rajiv Gandhi remembered on 17th death anniversary

2008-05-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, May 21: President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi besides a host of Congress leaders on Wednesday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 17th death anniversary.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Defence Minister A K Antony and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among those who paid floral tributes to the former Prime Minister.

Amid a continuous drizzle, the departed leader`s widow and Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with her son and MP Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Vadra reached his memorial `Vir Bhumi` to pay their tributes.

A prayer meeting was organised in the premises of the memorial.

A speech given by the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 was also played at the end of prayer meet which brought back memories of the former leader.

Minster for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, MoS for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior Congress leader Motilal Vora were among others who paid tributes to their beloved leader.

Youth Congress workers present on the occasion raised slogans in memory of the former Prime Minister, who was assassinated on May 21, 1991 during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Source : www.zeenews.com

ICSE results of class X & XII declared

2008-05-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, May 20: The class X and XII examinations conducted by the Indian Council for Secondary Education threw up impressive results, with a pass percentage of 98.04 and 97.04 for the two classes respectively.

Girls, meanwhile, outdid boys yet again in the examinations, the results for which were declared today.

This year`s pass percentage for both the classes has gone up by 0.08 percent over last year.

The girl students were ahead of boys in both the classes, registering a pass percentage of 98.63 and 98.23 in class X and class XII respectively.

The boys recorded a pass percentage of 97.57 and 96.10 respectively.

Janaki Kirit Sheth of Smt Sulochana Devi Singhania School in Thane and Shruti Singh of St Joseph Convent in Varanasi, who scored an aggregate of 98.6 percent, were the toppers in class X.

Gaurav Sood of Dehradun`s Doon School emerged the topper in class XII with 99 percent marks.

A total of 1,01,998 students, including 44,732 girls, appeared for the class X examinations, while the number of those who appeared for class XII exams was 47,977, which included 21,106 girls.

In class X, out of the 57,876 boys who appeared for the examinations, 55,874 were successful. Among 44,732 girls, 44,125 cleared the exam.

Out of the 26,871 class XII boys, 25,824 cleared the examinations, while the figures for girls were 21,106 and 20,732 respectively.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad most expensive teams of IPL

2008-05-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: With a tag of over $100 million Mumbai, Bangalare and Hyderabad on Thursday become the most expensive teams of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sponsored Indian Premier League. The cricket body has announced the list of franchisee of owners of all eight cities.

"After all, it helps cricket come up and good our players will get a lot of exposure and domestic cricket will be strengthened so I think it's a good process," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.

Vijay Mallya's UB group got franchise of Bangalore at 111.6 million dollars, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited got Mumbai at 111.9 million dollars and Deccan Chronicle got franchise of Hyderabad team at $107 million. "I got the Bangalore team for 111.6 million I was the under bidder for Mumbai, Reliance industries got it for 111.9 and my bid was 111.6 for Mumbai so that went to the Reliance, so yeah I took Bangalore for 111.6," said Vijay Mallya.

India Cements bagged Chennai at $91 million, GMR group Delhi at 84 million dollars, Emerging Media got franchisee of Jaipur at $67 million, Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment got Kolkata at $75.09 million and Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia bagged Mohali at $76 million. Sony Entertainment Television has bagged the broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 10 years at $1.026 billion.

College Dropouts!! ........ become billionaires

2008-05-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates (billu)

Are college dropouts more successful than people with good education? It would seem so if you consider that many billionaires are people who dumped college. However, what this hides is the fact that although millions quit studies before completing them, very
few of them go on to become rich.

What the list of the super-rich dropouts signifies is that in business, a top degree is not as important as having the right aptitude, attitude, determination and vision.
Here are some dropouts who went on to become billionaires:

William Henry Gates III

(1955-), along with Paul Allen, co-founded Microsoft Corporation, the world's largest software maker. Bill Gates, the wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $480 crores (Rs 211,200 crore!),is probably the best-known college dropout
Gates attended an exclusive prep school in Seattle, went on to study at Harvard University, then dropped out to pursue software development. As students in the mid-70s, he and Paul Allen wrote the original Altair BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800, the first commercially successful PC. In 1975, Micro-Soft - later Microsoft Corporation - was born. Three decades on, Gates has been Number One on the Forbes 400 for over a dozen years. And here's something you probably didn't know: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation currently provides 90 per cent of the world budget for the attempted eradication of polio.

Larry Ellison

Lawrence Joseph Ellison (1944-)

co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, founded his company in 1977 with a sum of $2,000. Once a school dropout, he is now, according to Forbes, one of the richest people in America with a net worth of around $184 crores. The figure also makes him the ninth richest in the world.

As a young man, Ellison worked for the Ampex Corporation, where one of his projects was a database for the CIA. He called it Oracle, a name he was to reuse years later for the company that made him famous. Interestingly, the organisation' s initial release was Oracle 2. The number supposedly implied that all bugs had been eliminated from an earlier version.

Ellison is quite a colourful man, and has long dabbled in all kinds of things. Want to learn more? Try his biography, The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison.

Dhirubhai Ambani
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (1932-2002)

was born into the family of a schoolteacher. It was a family of modest means. When he turned 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, working first as a gas-station attendant, then as a clerk in an oil company.He returned to India at 26, starting a business with a meagre capital of $375. By the time of his demise, his company - Reliance Industries Ltd - had grown to become an empire, with an estimated annual turnover of $120 crores!
Dhirubhai was, in his lifetime, conferred the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century Award by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. A Times of India poll in the year 2000 also voted him one of the biggest creators of wealth in this century. rags-to-riches Dhirubhai's is not just the usualstory. He will be remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group. He is also credited with having single-handedly breathed life into the Indian stock markets and bringing in thousands of investors to the bourses.

Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (1955-) and Apple Computer are names that have long gone together.

Born in the United States to an unknown Egyptian-Arab father, Jobs was adopted soon after birth. After graduating high school, he enrolled in Reed College, dropping out after one semester.

In 1976, 21-year-old Jobs and 26-year old Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer Co. in the family garage. Jobs revolutionised the industry by popularising the concept of home computers.

By 1984, the Macintosh was introduced. He had an influential role in the building of the World-Wide Web, and also happens to be Chairman and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. Today, with the iPod, Apple is bigger than ever. Incidentally, Jobs worked for several years at an annual salary of $1. It got him a listing in the Guinness Book as `Lowest Paid Chief Executive Officer.' He was once gifted a $9 crores jet by the company though. And his net worth? Moer than $3 billion.

Michael Dell
Michael Saul Dell (1965- )

joined the University of Texas at Austin with the intention of becoming a physician. While studying there, he started a computer company in his dormitory, calling it PC's Limited. By the time he turned 19, it had notched up enough success to prompt Dell to dropout.

In 1987, PC's Limited changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation. By 2003, Dell, Inc. was the world's most profitable PC manufacturer.
Dell has won more than his fair share of accolades, including Man of the Year from PC Magazineand EM>CEO of the Year from Financial World. Forbes, in 2005, lists him as the 18th richest in the world with a net worth of around $1600 Crores. Not bad for just another dropout.

Subhash Chandra Goel

Here's something not many people know about

Subhash Chandra Goel : The Zee chairman dropped out after standard 12.

Subhash Chandra started his own vegetable oils unit at 19. It was, in a manner of speaking, his first job. Years later, a casual visit to a friend at Doordarshan gave him the idea of starting his own broadcasting company. We all know how that story ran.Chandra knew nothing about programming, distribution or film rights. What he did understand quite well was the Indian sensibility though. Funded by UK businessmen, Zee came into being as India's first satellite TV network.
Today, it reaches 320 lakhs homes, connecting with 20 crores people in South Asia alone. The network also covers Asians in America, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and Africa, making this dropout a very rich one.

Ash dazzles at Cannes

2008-05-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

American actress Eva Longoria, left, arrives with actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai to the opening night ceremony and the premiere of the film "Blindness," at the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.

Source : http://in.news.yahoo.com

80 killed, 150 wounded in Jaipur blasts

2008-05-13T21:48:00.001-07:00

JAIPUR: Terror struck yet again — this time in Jaipur, at the busiest market, at the busiest hour, aimed with chilling precision to kill, maim, terrify and cleave the country. At last count, the toll was 80 killed, and with over 150 injured, it could go up.

The first blast took place at 7.20pm on Tuesday in the crowded Johari Bazaar and within 15 minutes seven more blasts occurred in adjoining areas in the walled city — near the Hanuman Mandir, which was milling with devotees, near Hawa Mahal, at Badi Chaupad, Tripolia Bazar and Chandpole.

Within minutes, the entire market was a picture of total chaos. People ran screaming, jumping over dead bodies and severed limbs, skirting mangled rickshaws and damaged cars. The piercing wail of ambulance sirens replaced the firecrackers that would go off every other day in Jaipur to celebrate its victorious Rajasthan Royals T20 team.

Terrorists displaying the telltale tactics of Lashkar-e-Taiba and SIMI struck with bombs planted on cycles and cycle-rickshaws. In the past three years, this is the 21st terror attack outside Jammu & Kashmir. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje said, "We will not tolerate this."

Police later arrested a man from Mumbai. Rajasthan's director general of police, A S Gill, said the attacks were designed to cause maximum damage and the sites had been picked with care. He confirmed that bombs had been planted on brand- new Avon cycles. Similar cycle blasts on September 8, 2006, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, had killed 38 people during a Muslim festival day. Bombs on cycles were also used for the attack on the Faizabad court.

The Malegaon attacks were blamed on LeT and the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India.

The Jaipur attack might have been worse had three unexploded bombs not been defused in the walled city area. Another bomb was defused in the upmarket Raja Park area, triggering fresh fears. Mercifully, the city was keeping calm.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Tendulkar all set for IPL debut

2008-05-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Indians' hopes got a big shot in the arm when their icon player and captain Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday declared himself fully fit to play his first Indian Premier League match against Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede stadium here on May 14.

"Yes I will be playing the match on May 14. I feel very comfortable. It has been tough and disappointing to have missed the two tests against South Africa and the first seven IPL ties," Tendulkar told reporters after a strenuous practice sessions under lights.

"It has been hard work and with help from the physio and masseuse," Tendulkar, who has not played a competitive match since March-end due to a groin injury, said. Tendulkar said though ace South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock had done a commendable job as captain, resurrecting the team's fortunes after a string of defeats in the first four matches, he would take over the reins now that he is fit. "Shaun Pollock was the makeshift captain and has done a terrific job but I will be captaining the side," Tendulkar said.

Source : http://www.ndtv.com/

Death toll rises in China quake

2008-05-12T23:57:00.001-07:00

CHENGDU, China (CNN) -- The first of 1,300 medical and rescue workers have reached the remote epicenter of Monday's strong earthquake, China's state media said.The death toll after a 7.8-magnitude quake in south-western China rises to at least 10,000, state media says, with rescuers yet to reach victims at the epicentre.

Source : http://www.cnn.com

Top Youngest Billionaires of the World……………

2008-05-11T23:19:00.001-07:00

Mark Zuckerberg, U.S.

Age 23

$1.5 billion, self-made

Tech's newest golden boy founded addictive social-networking site Facebook in February 2004 from his Harvard dorm room. He left school for Silicon Valley that year. Microsoft paid $240 million last October for a 1.6% stake, giving the company an implied valuation of $15 billion. Some analysts and a few Facebook investors think that's high. We think Zuckerberg's stake is worth $1.5 billion. Regardless, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire on earth and possibly the youngest self-made billionaire ever.

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Albert von Thurn und Taxis, Germany

Age: 24

$2.3 billion, inherited

The German prince appeared briefly on our billionaires list at age 8, but he officially inherited his fortune on his 18th birthday. Lives in a family castle with his mother and older sister. Race car driver, tours with a German auto-racing league.

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Hind Hariri, Lebanon

Age 24

$1.1 billion, inherited

Sister of Aymin and Fahd, Hariri inherited a stake in family's construction, media and banking holdings. First debuted on our billionaires list two years ago at age 22. Fell off and now returns, making her the world's youngest female billionaire. Hariri is a fashionista who recently attended Paris fashion shows and reportedly favors the designer Chanel.

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Yang Huiyan, China

Age 26

$7.4 billion, inherited

China's richest person is also one of the world's youngest billionaires and a daddy's girl. Yang earned her degree from Ohio State University in 2005, the same year her father, Yeung Kwok Keung, the media-shy chief of real estate outfit Country Garden, transferred his stake in the company to her (not a bad graduation gift). Gold-diggers, beware: She's already married; her wedding video is posted on YouTube.

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Fahd Hariri, Lebanon

Age 27

$2.3 billion, inherited

Aymin's younger brother, Fahd, serves on board of Beirut's Future Television Network, a terrestrial and satellite TV network. He also runs a fledgling design studio for furniture and other wares in Paris, where sister Hind, also a billionaire, and mother live.

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Aymin Hariri, Saudi Arabia

Age 29

$2.3 billion, inherited

The son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Aymin is now based in Riyadh and helps watch over family construction and investment company Saudi Oger for older brother Saad, the Lebanese parliamentary majority leader. Plus, he has hands in U.S. government contracting: co-founded and chairs identity management software company Epok, based outside Washington, D.C., which sells to federal and state customers.

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Begumhan Dogan Faralyali, Turkey

Age: 31

$1 billion, inherited

A daughter of billionaires, Dogan Faralyali began her career as an Arthur Andersen consultant in New York and later advised Europe's leading media and technology companies. She joined the family media business in Turkey by establishing the corporate communications department of Dogan Holding and became its president.

**************************************************************

Shivinder Singh, India

Age: 32

$2.5 billion, inherited

Singh and his older brother Malvinder, 35, both Duke University grads, inherited control of generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories. We list the duo as sharing a $2.5 billion fortune because they won't break out the ownership details for us. What we know: Malvinder heads Ranbaxy, while Shivinder runs hospital chain Fortis Healthcare, which went public in 2007.
**************************************************************

Xiaofeng Peng, China

Age 33

$2.5 billion, self-made

It's easy being green for Peng. The relative youngster got into solar energy only in 2005. Two years later, he took his company, LDK Solar, which makes silicon wafers used in solar panels, public on NYSE Euronext.

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John Arnold, U.S.

Age 34

$1.5 billion, self-made

Raised by a lawyer dad and accountant mom, Arnold whizzed through Vanderbilt University in three years. He became an oil trader for Enron, supposedly earning $750 million for the company in 2001, when he was just 27. He went into business for himself after Enron collapsed a year later. Today he runs hedge fund Centaurus Energy.

Google goes Hindi, launches translation tool

2008-05-07T02:15:00.001-07:00

The Internet giant has added a new language in its translation application list by launching a Hindi translation service. ‘Google Translate’ translates any text or any web page from English to Hindi and vice versa. Now, it translates 14 dialects language from English including Hindi, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic language from Asian continent.

Google.com official has announced on Monday to launch a distinctive services of translation that allows the user to translate the desired web pages into Hindi from English and vice versa. Users can also translate their own text by writing the text as per its pronunciation; for this, users have to first log on http://www.google.com/translate_t and then type the word to be translated, choose the language as per requirement and press enter.

After few seconds, Google translates the text and shows in the right side of the typing pad. For example: translating the word ‘Apne’, user has to type the exact letter in English from the regular keyboard in small or capital cap and select the language ‘Hindi’ to get the translation in Hindi font. After pressing ‘Enter’, the translated form displays on the right side of the typing pad.

Source : http://www.newstrackindia.com/

India sends relief package to cyclone hit Myanmar

2008-05-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

Observing the great damage incurred upon Myanmar by the cyclone Nargis, India on Monday dispatched two naval ships loaded with relief supplies to the cyclone hit country.

Rana and Kirpan stationed at Port Blair were ordered sailing to Myanmar on Monday with relief measures comprising tents, medicine, food and blankets to the cyclone hit areas in Myanmar. As per the latest report flashing in news channels and some unofficial sources the death toll in Myanmar has crossed the 22,000 mark including people in thousand still missing. While the Myanmar government officials said up to 15,000 people had died.

The cyclone Nargis blowing with wind speed up to 190 kmph severely hit Rangoon and Irrawadi delta Friday night at 08:30 on May 02 causing massive damage to life and property and throwing the entire region out of gear.

A day before the devastation caused by cyclone, ships stationed at both Vishakhapatnam and Port Blair had been placed on a high alert since May 01 viewing cyclone approaching Myanmar coast to render assistance in any form.

Source : http://www.newstrackindia.com/

BCCI likely to ban Harbhajan for 10 matches

2008-05-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

The trouble for Harbhajan Singh does not seem to end. The IPL banned him for 11 matches for slapping pacer S Sreesanth. Now, the Indian cricket board wants to set an example

The BCCI sources have told NDTV that Harbhajan is likely to face a 10-match ban for slapping Sreesanth. He might also be fined 10-20% of his yearly contract of 40 lakh as a Grade B player. Harbhajan's past record will also play a part in deciding his penalty as he has been involved in past seven instances.

The BCCI's decision came after another review of the footage of the incident, which apparently indicated that Sreesanth hadn't provoked Harbhajan at all. Apparently he not even said "hard luck" to the controversial off-spinner.

Harbhajan Singh, the stand-in captain of Mumbai Indians, had slapped Sreesanth in his match against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali. The TV footages showed Sreesanth in tears and later it was revealed that Bhajji had hit him during the post match ceremony. Many said Sreesanth was provocative and abusive. However, umpires' report said nothing about Sreesanth provoking Harbhajan.

Source : www.ndtv.com

3,500-km range Agni-III missile test-fired

2008-05-07T01:57:00.001-07:00

Bhubaneswar, May 07: In a move that is likely to bridge the strategic military imbalance with China, India on Wednesday successfully test-fired indigenously developed Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) Agni III. The potent surface-to-surface nuke capable missile has a strike range of over 35000 km with the capability to hit high value targets. With today’s launch Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai have also come within striking distance.

Agni III was launched from a mobile launcher from the launch complex (LC-4) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) located on Wheeler Island off Orissa coast at about 0956 hours.

The 16 metre-long and 1.8-metre wide missile roared into the sky in a vertically slanted position leaving behind a thick column of orange and white smoke and, within seconds, became invisible to the naked eye, an eyewitness said.

Agni-III missile is fitted with on-board computer for its guidance system. A battery of sophisticated radars, electro-optic tracking systems, telemetric data centres in the mainland apart from two naval war ships anchored near the impact point, were engaged to monitor the entire trajectory in today`s test launch.

Source : www.zeenews.com

Padma Vibhushan award

2008-05-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Monday conferred External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, cricket star Sachin Tendulkar and playback singer Asha Bhosle with the Padma Vibhushan award for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields.

Infosys chief mentor N R Narayan Murthy and renowned hotelier P R S Oberoi were also conferred with the award.Sir Edmund Hillary was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.Noted author Dominique Lapierre, teacher Shyama Chona and classical musician Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar received the Padma Bhushan while FICCI Secretary General Amit Mitra, sports person Bula Chowdhury and journalists Vinod Dua and Rajdeep Sardesai were presented with the Padma Shri.

Mukherjee is the first ever serving Cabinet Minister to get a Padma award.Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other cabinet Ministers were present on the occasion.Molecular biologist Asis Dutta, Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, former Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, social activist Devendra Raj Mehta and renowned neurophysician Jagjit Singh Chopra were some of the other recipients of the Padma Bhushan.

Among the other awardees were Arjunan Rajasekaran, B Shivanthi Adityan, Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain, Bina Agrawal, Deepak Sehgal, John Martin Nelson, Prof M Leelavathy, Mangala Prasad Mohanty and Raman Kapur. Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Surendra Singh Yadav, Srinivas Adgata, Randhir Sud, Yusuf Ali MA, Simon Tony Fernandes and Pandit Pratap Pawar were among the other recipients. (ANI). For More Info

India among countries worst hit by terror : US

2008-04-30T23:27:00.001-07:00

Washington, May 01: India was among the countries worst affected by terror with militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast, strikes by Naxalites and attacks elsewhere in the country taking a toll of more than 2,300 lives in 2007, the US State department said. The State department, in its annual report on terrorism, said terrorist activities along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir are on the decline but Pakistan-based militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and other terrorist groups continue to plan attacks in the Valley.

"Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and other Kashmir-focused groups continued regional attack planning. In 2007, Kashmir-focused groups continued to support attacks in Afghanistan, and operatives trained by the groups continued to feature in Al-Qaeda trans-national attack planning," it said. The report said Indian government`s counterterrorism efforts remained hampered by outdated and overburdened law enforcement and legal systems. "The Indian court system was slow, laborious, and prone to corruption. Terrorism trials can take years to complete. Many of India`s local police forces were poorly staffed, lacked training, and were ill-equipped to combat terrorism effectively," the report said.

Noting about the attack on Samjhauta express in February last year, the report said, it was carried out by extremists who tried to incite anger among the Hindus and Muslims. "These attacks, which killed and injured both Muslims and Hindus, were probably conducted by extremists hoping to incite anger between the Hindu and Muslim communities. "Indian officials claim that the perpetrators of these attacks have links to groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, among others," the report said. "These groups also have links to terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir. The number of civilians killed were approximately half of that in the previous year. for More Info

KPS Gill ousted; IOA suspends Indian Hockey Federation

2008-04-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, April 28: The Indian Olympic Association on Monday suspended the KPS Gill-led Indian Hockey Federation and appointed a five member ad-hoc panel for future team selection. IOA`s decision comes after a sting operation by a news channel exposed corruption in the Indian Hockey Federation. The ad-hoc panel will be headed by Aslam Sher Khan. Dhanraj Pillay, Ashok Kumar and Ajit Pal will be its other members.

Ric Charlesworth will be the advisor of the selection committee. "It is a painful decision that we made today. But it had to be taken since there were corruption allegations. We have taken the decision after discussions with former Olympians, captains and all those who have played for india," IOA president Suresh Kalmadi told a packed press conference here. "Gill was there (meeting) throughout. It was a unanimous decision and no one spoke against it. We have great respect for KPS Gill and it is not personal. "Jothikumaran did not come unfortunately, we wanted to hear him. It was an opportunity for him to present his case," he said.

The IOA chief acknowledged that the national apex body had to take heed to the stern warning of the FIH which had threatened to scrap the `Promoting Indian Hockey Project` and the 2010 World Cup proposed to be held here if immediate corrective action was not taken in the aftermath of the sting operation. For More Info

india launches 10 satellites : ISRO scores Perfect 10

2008-04-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Demonstrating the country's capability to launch multiple payloads into precise slots, an Indian polar rocket today successfully put into orbit a record 10 satellites - two Indian and eight foreign - in one go.

Following a perfect launch at 0923 hours from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, the PSLV-C9 surged into space, injecting all ten satellites into the intended orbit within minutes of each other. The payloads, which together weighed 824 kg, were the heaviest carried so far by the 230-tonne rocket.
A 690-kg Indian Remote Sensing Satellite Cartosat-2A was the first satellite to be successfully put into into orbit by ISRO's "reliable and versatile" workhorse.A 83-kg Indian mini-satellite and a cluster of eight nano-satellites, each weighing between 3 kg and 16 kg, built by research institutions from Europe, Canada and Japan, were the other payloads that were offloaded.

"It is really a memorable moment. The mission was perfect and for the first time, ten satellites were launched within one mission. We have set a record. Only Russia had so far tried to launch 13 satellites in a single launch and I am not sure whether that was successful," ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair told a news conference.The launch comes ahead of India's plans to launch its first moon mission "Chandrayaan-I" expected later this year.The PSLV-C9, in its total flight duration of 19 minutes and 11 seconds, performed extremely well, said Nair. "It's much better than a textbook performance. Every system functioned as per the parameters."The CARTOSAT-2A and the IMS-1, followed by the nano satellites, were released in quick succession. Nair said there was some anxious moments due to some unusual weather conditions over the Bay of Bengal off the Andaman coast.

"Only at 11 pm yesterday, we decided to go ahead with the launch," Nair said, adding he was happy that all the mission objectives were achieved with precision and all systems functioned very well. "The ISRO team has done it again. It is the PSLV's 12th successful mission in a row. There was not even a slightest deviation from the project trajectory path," he said."We have received information from international customers that they have received signals from the satellites at their ground stations. The mission stations at Thiruvananthapuram and Mauritius have also received information that the satellites are in good health. We hope that if everything goes right within the next two days, we would be able to switch on the imaging system," Nair said.On the Chandrayaan Mission, he said a modest satellite, weighing about 500 kg, would be launched into the lunar orbit to collect topographical data of the moon. "We hope by the third quarter of this year, we should be able to take out a satellite to the moon." For More Info

Harbhajan banned from IPL tournament in slapping row

2008-04-28T05:52:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India spinner Harbhajan Singh has been banned for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament after he was found guilty on Monday of slapping compatriot Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.IPL commissioner Lalit Modi told a news conference that the cricketer would be fined all of his match fees from the domestic Twenty20 tournament.The incident happened on Friday, minutes after the Mumbai team captained by Harbhajan lost to Mohali. Television cameras showed opposition paceman Sreesanth sobbing."As a penalty for the level 4.2 offence committed by Mr Harbhajan Singh, we hereby order that Mr Harbhajan Singh be banned for the rest of the remaining matches of the first IPL event," Modi announced after the committee viewed footage of the incident and interviewed the parties."We also order that Mr Harbhajan Singh be fined 100 per cent of any player fee that may have been paid or may hereafter be paid to him in respect of the remaining matches only. That does not take into account any of the two earlier matches (prior to Friday) that he may have played," Modi added.

Match referee and former India player Farokh Engineer added: "Harbhajan accepted his guilt and acknowledged he was out of order."Engineer said that Sreesanth, 25, has also been warned to be on good behaviour.Under the ICC code of conduct rules, a 4.2 offence refers to a physical assault and carries a minimum ban of 10 games and a maximum life ban from play.Mumbai team manager Lalchand Rajput was found guilty of conduct contravening the spirit of the game and fined 50 per cent of his match fee.The Indian board also ordered an independent investigation into the slapping incident. For More Info

Dawood 4th on Forbes` top-ten international fugitives list

2008-04-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

New York, April 28: India`s most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim has figured in the Forbes` first-ever list of the world`s ten most wanted fugitives which is topped by terror mastermind al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, who heads D-company, an organised crime group based in Mumbai, ranks fourth on the list. The magazine says that though the Pakistan government denies it, the 52-year-old Ibrahim is probably in that country. He is believed to have close links to Pakistan`s inter-services intelligence agency and travels on passports from India, Yemen, Pakistan.
The son of a policeman, Dawood reputedly oversees a criminal empire involved in all sorts of international activity, including drug trafficking, counterfeiting, weapons smuggling and murder, the magazine says. Dawood is also suspected to be behind the 1993 Mumbai blasts that killed 257 people and wounded 713, the magazine noted.

The United States has declared Dawood, who is believed to have associated with al-Qaeda, a global terrorist and the United Nations has attempted to freeze his assets. The magazine also points out at rumours that he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance. Forbes says it consulted with law enforcement agencies in the US and around the world to identify these 10.

Everyone on the list has been criminally indicted or charged, some in national jurisdictions and some by international tribunals. They all are accused of a history of committing serious crimes and are considered a dangerous menace to the world. Each of the members on the list also represent a type of criminal problem that legal institutions are grappling with in diverse jurisdictions, it says. "What they all have in common is that whether their crimes have occurred principally at the national or international level, their crimes have been so significant that they should be pursued globally," said Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble after taking a look at the Forbes.com list. "With regard to the world`s most wanted criminals, it is always easy to see the tremendous local impact that their crimes have had," he said.

Most of the Forbes.com top 10 most wanted fugitives in the world have been criminally indicted in US courts and are wanted by the US government, which has expended serious resources investigating and chasing them. On laden, the magazine says that the most wanted man in the world is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, perhaps in the Waziristan region. It notes that for six years, bin laden has been able to evade the largest manhunt in international history by sticking to the unruly tribal areas along the Pakistan- Afghanistan border. Others on the list include Joaquin Guzman, Mexico`s most powerful drug trafficker. Guzman has taken over the narcotics racket once dominated by Colombians like Pablo Escobar. Guzman, known as el Chapo, or Shorty, heads the Sinaloa cartel, specialising in importing cocaine from Colombia, and smuggling it into the US, often through elaborate tunnels.

The list also includes Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the face of the modern Russian mob; Flicien Kabuga, arguably the driving force behind the Rwanda genocides; and Matteo Messina Denaro, the Italian mafia`s playboy, with a taste for Porches and Rolex watches. For More Info

SIMI's Alleged Involvement in Terrorist Activities

2008-04-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar,He turns 35 years old today

2008-04-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) The difference between Sachin Tendulkar's 34th birthday and his 35th, which he celebrates today, could not be starker.

One year ago the master batsman, considered to be among the all-time greats of the game and perhaps next only to Don Bradman in stature as a pure batsman, was distraught following India's early and shameful exit from the World Cup and celebrated his birthday quietly at his home with his family.

It was a dismal time for Indian cricket as a whole in the aftermath of the disastrous World Cup where the much-hype team led by Rahul Dravid was eliminated in the first round.

Tendulkar, true to his fashion, lifted himself as well as the country's cricket from that low by making his bat talk loud in England and Australia to play a leading role in the campaigns in both countries, the oldest rivals in international cricket.

The stalwart contributed mightily to the team's Test and ODI victory in Old Blighty as well as a first-ever triumph in the tri-series Down Under after helping India match the world champions step for step in the acrimonous Test series that they lost narrowly to the hosts after a rip-roaring battle.

The ace batsman, who in the process also increased his century count to 39 in Tests and 42 in ODIs, besides overtaking Sri Lankan ace Sanath Jayasuriya as the leading run-getter in the 50-over game, has truly bounced back in style after some critics wrote his epitaph in the aftermath of India's dismal display in the World Cup in the Caribbean. For More Info

Gill is main culprit, says Mumbai hockey official

2008-04-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Long-serving Indian Hockey Federation president KPS Gill is the "main culprit" in the cash-for-selection scandal which has plunged the game to a new low, alleged a Mumbai Hockey Association official.

"Gill is the main culprit who initiated (K) Jothikumaran into doing fraudulent things and then sharing the spoils. Now that Jothikumaran has been caught red-handed Gill is trying to steer clear of the controversy by dropping him like a hot potato," said Mumbai Hockey Association`s secretary Commander (Retd.) Kehar Singh.

He was referring to the sting operation carried out by a TV channel which showed the IHF secretary asking for a bribe to include a player of its choice in the national team for next month`s Azlan Shah Tounament in Malaysia.

"I know for a fact that every player in every Indian team in the past had been selected with the full approval of Gill. He would go through each and every name and then only send the team list to the ministry for approval," Kehar Singh said.

"Gill`s whole plan has fallen through now that Jothikumaran has been caught red-handed. He (Gill) himself should quit," said Singh whose association is fighting a court battle against the Maharashtra government order to vacate the premises in South Mumbai which they have occupied for several decades.

Bureau Report

Clinton wins Pennsylvania, survives for yet another day

2008-04-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hillary Rodham Clinton ground out a gritty victory in the Pennsylvania Primary Tuesday night, defeating Barack Obama and staving off elimination in their historic race for the Democratic Presidential nomination. "Some counted me out and said to drop out," the former first lady told supporters cheering her triumph in a state where she was outspent by more than two-to-one. "But the American people don`t quit. And they deserve a President who doesn`t quit, either."

For More Info

The punjabi flavour

2008-04-16T02:02:00.000-07:00

CHANDIGARH, IANS: Bollywood diva Preity Zinta and her industrialist beau Ness Wadia-owned Kings XI Punjab is one of the strongest teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the team management is confident of living up to the expectation in the inaugural Twenty20 tournament, starting on Friday.

Zinta and Wadia, along with renowned industrialists Karan Paul and Mohit Burman, pumped in a whopping $76 million to buy the Mohali team's franchise for a period of 10 years.

They have also made a strategical investment of about $5 million in the players' auction to get the best buy. Though the team management claims that they have got the players they wanted, their bench strength will be severely tested once the Australian and West Indies players leave for the series between in two countries in the Caribbean midway through the 44-day event. For More Info

Priyanka met Nalini to gain `peace`

2008-04-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, April 15: Priyanka Gandhi has confirmed she met with her father Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin Nalini in Vellore on March 19, to ‘make peace with violence’ in her life. Priyanka, said that it was a personal visit based on her own decision. She said she wanted to know why her father was made the target of the fatal suicide bombing that killed him at Sriperambudur on May 21 1991. Rahul Gandhi has seconded his sister`s stand, while also maintaining that he would not meet Nalini himself.
“I refuse to let anger and violence overpower me,” she said.

Nalini Sriharan, the only surviving member of the LTTE assassination squad that killed Rajiv Gandhi, was awarded the death penalty by a special court after being convicted of involvement in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after Sonia Gandhi interceded in her behalf, pleading for clemency.

Priyanka grew very emotional during the meeting and made Nalini sit next to her. Why was her father killed? Priyanka wanted to know. He was a good person, grievances could have been resolved through talks. Nalini said that she knew nothing till the last moment, even though she was present at the assassination spot.

Nalini was awarded the death penalty by a special court after being convicted of involvement in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after Sonia Gandhi interceded in her behalf, pleading for clemency. For more Info

Satyam wins 2 global shared services excellence awards

2008-04-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hyderabad, April 11: Satyam BPO, the business process outsourcing arm of Satyam's global business & IT services company, has won two prestigious shared services excellence awards from the international quality and productivity council.

The company was honoured in Orlando, Fla, during shared services week, a conference organized by IQPC. Satyam BPO was a winner in the 'Best Business Process Outsource Provider' and the first runner-up in the 'Best Customer Service Delivery Framework' categories, said a Satyam release here on Thursday.

"We are delighted and honoured to receive the 2008 best business process outsource provider and best customer service delivery framework awards," said Satyam BPO Chief Executive Officer Venkatesh Roddam.

Nooyi earns 81 times more than world's richest man

2008-04-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

New York: Indra Nooyi, the India-origin CEO of beverages major PepsiCo, earns over 81 times more than the world's richest man Warren Buffett in terms of her annual pay packet, according to data compiled by executive search firm Equilar for the New York Times.

Nooyi received an annual compensation to the tune of $14.74 million in 2007 as compared to just $ 0.18 million drawn by Buffett who heads Berkshire Hathway, which is into life insurance and annuity sales, among others. Another India-origin CEO Vikram Pandit, who is heading global banking giant Citigroup, takes home a compensation of about 17 times that of Buffet. In 2007, Pandit had an annual compensation of $ 3.16 million. Further, Rajiv L Gupta, an India-origin CEO heading the speciality chemicals maker Rohm & Haas earns a compensation of $ 7.26 million, nearly 40 per cent higher than that of Buffett.

Equilar analysed the compensation data in the corporate filings of 200 large public firms in the US with revenues of over $ 6.5 billion. Further, data on only those companies that had filed their proxies by March 28 were considered.

Meanwhile, Steve Jobs, the CEO of i-Pod maker Apple, is at the bottom of the list and has a base salary of one dollar.The total compensation figures represent the sum of base salary, discretionary and performance-based cash bonuses, option awards and stock awards, among others."The annual salaries cited for chief executives who served only part of the year was derived either from information disclosed by the company about the new chiefs contract, or by prorating their salaries based on the time they actually served in the position. Other elements of their compensation, though, were not prorated," an accompanying report in the newspaper said.
For More Info

2008-04-06T23:28:00.001-07:00

Mumbai, April 06: As the world looked on with abated breath, Parvathy Omanakuttam, a 20-year-old from Kerala, was crowned as the Pantaloon Femina Miss World 2008 at a glittering ceremony here Saturday evening. Simran Kaur Mundi, a 22-year-old from Mumbai who has won the Miss India Universe 2008 title, was named the first runner-up. Harshita Saxena, 20, from Goa, was the second runner-up.

Simran Kaur Mundi, a biotech graduate from Mumbai stated that she was contemplating participation in the event this year. The long legged lass was employed with a cinema chain in Mumbai when her life took a surprising twist and she was confirmed as one of the contestants after she took part in the audition.

The second runner up, Harshita Saxena, had yet another interesting story to tell. The newly crowned, Miss India Earth had left a BBA Degree in Canada to pursue her Miss India dreams.
For More Info

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar a five-year ban

2008-04-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

Islamabad, April 01: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Tuesday made it clear that he would take legal course to get the five-year ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board overturned. Shoaib said he would hire the best lawyers to go and fight his case in court as he had the right to appeal against the ban.
The 32-year-old fast bowler had also escaped from a doping ban in December 2006 after he appealed against the two-year ban imposed on him by a drugs inquiry tribunal after he tested positive for a banned substance before the 2006 Champions Trophy in India.
Member of Parliament Hanif Abbasi said he would take up the ban issue in the newly elected parliament and the new government would not allow the ban to stay for long. for more info

IIM-K hikes fee to Rs 3 lakh for PG programmes

2008-03-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Kozhikode, Mar 31 (PTI) The IIM-Kozhikode has decided to revise the annual fee structure for its two-year post-graduate programmes by over a lakh rupees from next academic year following hike in fee structure announced by IIMs in Ahmedabad and Bangalore. "In principle, it has been decided to hike the fee to Rs three lakh for both first and second year for the batch joining in June 2008," IIM-K Director, Prof Krishna Kumar told PTI.

While the institute, was at present charging Rs 1.90 lakh and Rs 1.

95 lakh for the first and second year respectively, fee structure would now be uniform for both, he said. "The Board of Directors have taken a decision to hike the fee to be in line with the other IIMs in the country," he said.

Asked about the over 100 per cent hike effected by leading business school IIM-Ahmedabad, with different fee for first and second year, he said IIMs had arrived at a decision after reviewing their cost structure. IIM-A has hiked its fee from Rs 2.

5 lakh for both the years to Rs 5.5 lakh for the first year and to Rs 6 lakh to the second year from the coming academic year. For More Info

Greenpeace predicts the risk of destructive climate change

2008-03-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

A recent study by an NGO, Greenpeace ‘Blue Alert – Climate Migrants in South Asia: Estimates and Solutions’ estimates that 125 million people could be displaced in South East Asia by 2100 if global temperatures will rise by 4-5 °C.

The study headed by Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, a professor of Humanities at IIT Madras cautioned mass migration will take place if temperature increases due to climate change which in turn will be responsible for rising sea levels, and droughts associated with shrinking water supplies and changes to the Monsoon season. For More Info

The top five states by investment outstanding (per capita)

2008-03-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

In 2007, the top state, Haryana, had Rs 78,709 of per capita investment under implementation while the bottom state, Bihar, was at Rs 3,080. The top state was 25 times bigger than the bottom state. This suggests that inequalities will widen. At the same time, traditionally successful states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are scoring weak ranks. Perhaps, history is not destiny: states with a strong economy are not getting a free ride in attracting investment.

The unfortunate story is Bihar. Despite high hopes of an improved Bihar under Nitish Kumar, the state did not see much improvement in 2007 compared to 2002. Per capita investment rose to Rs 3,145 from Rs 3,080. The surprise is that it had done much better in the previous five years under an RJD government that seemed to be floundering on all fronts. Per capita investment had risen from Rs 959 in 1997 to Rs 3,145 in 2002. The Nitish government clearly needs to do a lot more in terms of actual improvement in the state to attract the investment necessary to propel growth.for More Info

A young man walks on fire during a unique ritual Jhamu Jatra in Puri

2008-03-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

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Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…

2008-03-25T02:33:00.000-07:00

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…,” said Coleridge in his poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. Though the lines were not written in the context of lack of drinking water in general, but the sense conveyed would become a reality if the depletion of fresh water supplies continues at the current pace.

Today, over 1.1 billion of the world’s total population use potentially harmful sources of water every year to meet some of their very basic needs, including quenching thirst. In clearer statistical terms, almost two in every 10 persons on this earth have no source of safe drinking water. This indirectly leads to a humanitarian crisis which causes death of nearly 3,900 children everyday across the world, according to the United Nations. In 2000, over 2.2 million human lives were lost due to waterborne diseases (related to the consumption of contaminated water) or drought.

These are just some of the startling figures which highlight the existing ‘water crisis’. However, this is the crisis which ‘exists’, in the present. What’s going to come in the future is much more scary and grave. For More Info

One-fifth of world`s TB cases in India

2008-03-25T02:31:00.001-07:00

New Delhi, March 24: In a grim statistics for the country, India has reported nearly 1.4 million TB cases in the year 2006 contributing to one-fifth of the total global cases. In 2005, more than 3.2 lakh deaths were reported due to tuberculosis in the country, a report said.

The country continued to report high morbidity and mortality due to tuberculosis and as many as 1.39 million cases were reported in 2006, according to a report on tuberculosis in the Southeast Asia region by the WHO.

The pace to control the disease slowed slightly in 2006 majorly due to India and China which accounted for 63 per cent of the new cases in the past year, the report released on the occasion of World TB Day said today. According to Nani Nair, India is not really lagging behind as far as reporting TB cases was concerned. "In India a large number of patients are getting treated from private practioners whose number goes unrecorded".

There is an increase from 9.1 million cases in 2005, due to population growth. India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria rank first to fifth respectively in terms of absolute number of cases. The African region has the highest incidence rate per capita, the report said adding there were an estimated 14.4 million prevalent cases of TB in 2006. For More Info

Train service to Dhaka may be deferred

2008-03-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Kolkata, March 25: Notwithstanding efforts by Indian and Bangladesh authorities to launch the Kolkata-Dhaka train service from April 14, its inaugural run may be deferred if a request by the West Bengal government is considered.

With the Panchayat Elections in the state scheduled in May, the West Bengal government wants the train service not to be launched between April 7 and May 21, fearing that going ahead with the programme may violate the election code of conduct.

The matter was discussed during a meeting at the State Secretariat yesterday among Eastern Railway General Manager N K Goel, state Chief Secretary A K Deb and home Secretary A M Chakraborty, Railway sources said today.

"It appears that the government does not want the inauguration to be held between April 7 to May 21. This figured in the meeting, but no decision has yet been taken," the sources said.

Panchayat Elections in West Bengal are conducted under the aegis of the state Election Commission.For More Info

6th Pay Panel recommends 40% salary hike

2008-03-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

Justice B N Srikrishna on Monday submitted the Sixth Pay Commission’s report to Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The Commission has recommended a hike of about 40% in salaries of Central government staff and officers, along with their counterparts in defence and paramilitary forces. Among other recommendations, the Commission has asked the government to retain the current HRA in A1 cities. For HRA in non-A1 cities, the panel has recommended a hike of 10-20%. For More Info

Women must fight to find their dreams

2008-03-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Actress Preity Zinta lauds Indian women for their strength and fighting spirit – urging them to follow their hearts and find their dreams.

Unlike other Bollywood stars, actress Preity Zinta has always been a woman with a mission whose courage has been saluted across the country and whose frank discourse on women’s issues has won accolades from all.

During her recent visit to the Capital, Preity has been more than happy to speak about women’s courage, empowerment and emancipation – as she sees it. For More Info

India ranks 72nd among 180 in corruption

2008-03-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, March 19: Noting that India is presently ranked at 72nd place among 180 countries by Transparency International in its latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI), the Centre on Wednesday said it has taken several measures and is "moving progressively" to eradicate the menace.

"Government is fully committed to implement its policy of zero tolerance against corruption. It is moving progressively to eradicate corruption by improving transparency and accountability," the Minister of State for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri said in Lok Sabha.

"Measures for strengthening the Anti-Corruption Bureau in various states are taken by the concerned governments while the Centre has decided to strengthen the CBI and departmental vigilance organisations," he told the lower House. For more info

"This includes modernisation and upgradation of infrastructure of the CBI, appointment of CVOs on the recommendations of the CVC, formulation and implementation of annual action plans for vigilance activities through pro-active involvement of various ministries and departments, issuance of comprehensive instructions on transparency in tendering and contacting processes by the CVC," Pachuri added.

India slowing down global fight against TB

2008-03-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tuberculosis cases missing detection in India and China are jeopardising global efforts to slash new infections by 2015, says the World Health Organization in its 12th annual report on global tuberculosis control released in Geneva. In 2006, the detection rate fell to 3 per cent from 6 per cent in the preceding five years.

India has 2.5 million people living with HIV, and tuberculosis remains the largest single cause of death in India, with 1.7 million new cases annually.

Globally, there were 9.2 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths from tuberculosis in 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available. Of these, 700,000 cases and 200,000 deaths were among people infected with HIV, virus that causes AIDS.

The African, Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions accounted for 83 per cent of total cases reported. India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria rank as the top five countries in terms of absolute numbers of tuberculosis cases. Africa has the highest incidence rate per capita, 363 per 100,000.

For every five TB cases diagnosed globally in 2006, four went undetected. The WHO estimates only 61 percent of all TB cases worldwide are registered. In 2006, some 9.2 million new cases of TB were detected against 9.1 million in 2005. Including non-detected cases, there were 14.4 million cases of the disease worldwide in 2006, estimates the WHO. For More Information

ICC approval for IPL, no backing for ICL

2008-03-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday gave a stamp of approval to the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) while refusing to recognise the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Announcing a host of decisions at the end of two-day meeting of the ICC Executive Board, President-elect David Morgan said IPL was official cricket just like the County Championship in England whereas ICL was unofficial as it was not approved by the BCCI. For More Information

New Malaysian Cabinet minus an Indian face

2008-03-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Ten days after regaining power with a dented majority, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday unveiled his new streamlined Cabinet line-up, sans a member of the ethnic Indian community.

Badawi who faced protests by the ethnic Indian community in Malaysia last year, could not induct a single face from the community in his cabinet this time as the lone ethnic Indian minister in his previous cabinet, Samy Vellu of Malaysian Indian Congress, a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional, received a drubbing in the polls along with top party bigwigs.

Vellu had held his Parliamentary seat since 1974. Badawi, however, has retained one ministerial position for the Malaysian Indian Congress and four for its coalition partner, the Malaysian Chinese Association. For More Information

Insecurity grips Indian students in US

2008-03-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Four Indian students have been killed at US universities in a span of less than a year.

The violent deaths, a small part of the growing number of campus casualties, have shocked students across the country and raised questions about their safety.The string of deaths started with the 16 April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

NASA fails to probe Saturn’s moon’s geysers

2008-03-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

London, March 15: NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which made an unprecedented flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on March 12, has failed in an experiment that scientists had hoped would help reveal the origin of the plumes on the moon.

Enceladus has huge geysers erupting from giant fractures on its south pole, who throw them out to a distance of three times the radius of the moon.

The source of the geysers is of great interest to scientists who think liquid water, perhaps even an ocean, may exist in the area.

The Cassini spacecraft has survived its passage though the ice plume of Enceladus and sent back close-up images and other data from this mysterious moon of Saturn, but not everything went according to plan.

According to a report in New Scientist, as Cassini flew over the small moon on 12 March, passing only 200 kilometres from the base of the plume, an "unexplained software hiccup" prevented the spacecraft's Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) from transmitting data to the onboard computer.

New software, designed to improve the ability of CDA to count particle hits, may be to blame. "We don't know why it did not work," said the instrument's principal investigator, Ralf Srama of the Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany.

Among other things, CDA would have been looking for mineral grains, which might act as nucleation points for the ice crystals and could reveal whether the rocky core of Enceladus is connected with whatever drives the geysers.

Britney Spears Is Worth $120 Million To The U.S.

2008-03-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

Britney is worth $120 million to the U.S. economy, according to big business magazine Portfolio. After an exhaustive study, the magazine has published statistics that make the troubled star a pop culture icon and a boost to American finances.

Portfolio reports that between January 2006 and July 2007, Spears appeared on the front covers of the leading U.S. tabloids 175 times in 78 weeks, and she has been the number one search subject on website Yahoo! in six of the past seven years.

The magazine also discovered that a Las Vegas nightclub reportedly sold seats next to Spears' table for $50,000 and the pop star can still earn as much as $400,000 in appearance fees.

The publication also estimates Spears makes a personal fortune of $9 million-a-year, and, despite her reported financial woes, has a personal fortune of about $125 million.

India high on the popularity chart in US

2008-03-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

India is the sixth most popular country in the US, with 69 per cent of the Americans having a positive image about it, while Pakistan finds itself among the 10 most unpopular nations, according to a new poll.

Of 22 countries rated in Gallup's 2008 World Affairs survey, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Japan win favour with at least 80 per cent of Americans. The top four is followed by Israel at 71 per cent.

While India ties with France at the sixth spot for the positive image, the opposite is true of Pakistan which is viewed favourably only by 22 per cent of those polled and negatively by 72 per cent.

The February 11-14 survey shows that 73 per cent of those polled perceive Afghanistan negatively, while the number is 77 per cent for Iraq and 88 per cent for Iran.

About 6 in 10 Americans have a favourable view of Egypt, South Korea and Mexico, Gallup USA has said.

Ten countries are viewed unfavorably by at least half of Americans. Of these, Iran, North Korea, the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Cuba are viewed more negatively than positively by a greater than 2-to-1 margin. Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and China have somewhat more moderately negative images.

Drowning is a leading cause of death in Asian children

2008-03-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Drowning is a top killer of children in Asia, but the problem is often overlooked in poor countries plagued by deaths caused by speeding cars, suffocation and other accidents, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Nearly 2.5 mn people were surveyed in Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam by UNICEF and the alliance for safe children, a US-based aid group. The survey found injuries were the leading cause of death in children older than one year.

Drowning was the top cause of injury-related deaths in all countries, accounting for about half of all cases.

But the report said drowning was largely missing from child mortality statistics because many children who drown are often never taken to hospitals.

"You have this child floating face-down in a pond, and you don't take it to a hospital," said Michael Linnan, a co-author and Technical Director of the alliance for Safe Children. "So that death never shows up."

Top social Network - Feb 2008

2008-03-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

Olympic hockey: India out

2008-03-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

India suffered a never before inflicted pain in its glorious past of hockey participation on Monday as it was ousted from even partaking in the Beijing Olympics 2008 hockey competition. Following this, the coach and the entire support staff of the hockey team also resigned from their posts.

Downfall in Sensex

2008-03-07T01:56:00.000-08:00

SENSEX	15855.61	-686.47
NIFTY	4734.25	-187.15
DJIA	12040.39	-214.60
NASDAQ	2220.50	-52.31
RS/$	40.29	0.00

Panic struck traders are pushing share prices lower amid talk of the market entering a bear phase with the Nifty and Sensex breaking psychological levels of 4800 and 16000. Even those who were sitting on the sidelines till yesterday waiting for the situation to settle, have started selling stocks as confidence has been completely broken,” said a dealer at a local brokerage. At 1:20 pm, The Nifty was down 247 points or 5.03 per cent a 4674. The Sensex was down 818 points or 4.94 per cent at 15,724.44, near the low of 15,696.45.

23 years down the line, India create history Down Under

2008-03-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

Brisbane, March 04: : India claimed the Commonwealth Bank Series in immaculate style with the young guns beating the World Champions by 9 runs infront of a full house Gabba crowd. The series win came after a long hiatus of 23 years, a victory that became the symbol of defiance to a hard series that made headlines on the ground…and off it as well.

Irfan Pathan came of age in the final nail biting over and got the final two wickets that spelled doom for Australia’s chances of stretching the series.

Sreesanth made his presence felt in the electrifying Brisbane atmosphere as he got the right wicket at the right time with Australia falling short of apt reply to the stinging deliveries of the Indian pacers.

Praveen Kumar yet again proved his weight in gold as he castled Brett Lee with a beautiful swinger that bamboozled the batsman. With the match headed for a nail biter, the wicket gave India a window of hope against a valiant Aussie tail. James Hopes hit a valiant fifty in the face of trying times.

India Hang On To Gain Under-19 World Cup Crown

2008-03-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

India was tonight crowned champion of the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia after a thrilling conclusion against South Africa in Kuala Lumpur.

Set a revised target of 116 to win from 25 overs after the second innings was reduced because of rain, South Africa needed 26 runs from the remaining two overs but despite the best efforts of captain Wayne Parnell and wicketkeeper Bradley Barnes, the junior Proteas fell just 12 runs short.

In truth, India bowled and fielded very well in the closing stages and really starved the South Africa batsmen to the point where they had to take undue risks with shots and running. It was a mature performance by coach Dav Whatmore’s boys.

This is India’s second U/19 CWC title and the large crowd that packed into Kinrara Oval was overwhelmingly shouting for the winning side, getting more and more vociferous as the evening progressed. Dozens of India flags fluttered around the ground in support of the team with the 6,000 or so fans enjoying the festive atmosphere.

HIGHLIGHTS - India's 2008/09 annual budget

2008-02-29T03:56:00.000-08:00

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram presented the union budget for 2008/09 on Friday, the fifth and final full one of the administration before elections due by May 2009.

Here are the major highlights:

Personal income tax exemption hiked to Rs 1.5 lakh

Senior citizens threshold tax limit increased from Rs 1,95,000 to Rs 2,25,000

Tax exemption for women increased to Rs 1.8 lakh

New tax slabs: 10 per cent for 1,50,000 to 3,00,000, 20 per cent for 3,00,000 to 5,00,000 and 30 per cent above 5,00,000

Excise on packaged softwares to be lower from 8% to 12%

- No excise duty on refrigerating equipments
- Anti-Aids drug exempted from excise duty
- Small cars to become cheaper
- Reduced excise duty on two, three wheelers
- Excise duty on hybrid cars cut from 24 pct to 14 pct
- Excise on small cars cut to 12 pct from 16 pct
- Rs 50 cr for tiger conservation
- Sixth Pay Commission report by March 2008
- Defence allocation up by 10% from Rs 96,000 cr to Rs 1,56,000 cr
- 22 Sainik schools get Rs 44 crore
- Rs 624 cr for Commonwealth Games
- PAN sole identification in securities market
- Debt waiver scheme and relief to small and marginal farmers
- Duty reduced on life saving drugs
- Rs 750 crore for upgradation of 300 ITIs in 25 districts.
- No change in peak customs duty
- Central sales tax cut from 3% to 2%
- Govt withdraws banking transaction tax
- Revenue implication of Indirect taxation to be 5900 cr
- Direct taxation changes to be revenue neutral
- Levy on STT only on option premiums
- Commodities transaction tax introduced like STT
- Short term capital gains to be taxed at 15%
- No change in surcharge of corporate tax
- Money changers and people running gains of chance and tour operators to be brought under service tax net
- Revenue Deficit is Rs 55,184 cr at 1% of GDP and fiscal deficit is Rs 1,33,287 cr at 3.1% of GDP
- Estimated planned expenditure at Rs 2,43,086 cr and non-panned expenditure Rs 57,409 cr
- Central Plans Scheme monitoring system under Plan Panel to be unveiled
- Non-agri peak rates for customs raises to 10% from 2% in 2004
- Tax to GDP ratio at 9.2% in 2004 up by 12.5% in 2007-08
- Custom duty on steel scrapped
- Set-top boxes to become cheaper
- Custom duty on vitamin pre-mixes to lower from 30% to 20%
- Agri loans disbursed by rural banks, RRBs and Cooperative banks before March 2007 and overdue on Dec 2007 waived
- Overdue agri loans amount to Rs 50,000 cr under the waiver and Rs 10,000 cr under the one time settlement
- Implementation of waiver to be completed by June 2008
- Farmers eligible for fresh agri loans post the waiver or one time settlement
- Haryana and Chandigarh to introduce smart card based delivery system under PDS
- National Agri Insurance scheme get Rs 640 cr
- National Highway development program gets Rs 12966 cr
- Rs 8000 cr plan for faster power reforms
- National housing bank gets Rs 1,200 cr for refinancing
- Govt asks commercial banks to add 250 rural household accounts every year in rural and semi-urban banks
- States urged to open bidding for 5 more ultra mega power projects
- All 30 integrated textile parks approved
- Rs 340 cr insurance scheme to cover 17 lakh farmers and weavers
- SITP gets Rs 450 crore
- Rs 275 cr earmarked for state data centres
- NHDP allocation up from Rs 10,866 cr to Rs 12,966 cr
- Move towards nutrient-based fertiliser subsidy stressed
- National fund for transmission and distribution reforms for power sector
- FDI in Apr-Dec at $12.7 billion, FII inflow over $18 billion
- PNB says banks to be reimbursed accordingly
- Tea Research association gets Rs 20 cr
- 500 soil testing labs to be set up in the 11th plan, govt to give 1 time budgetary assistance of Rs 75 cr to agri ministry for setting up mobile soil testing facilities
- National Horticulure Mission to get Rs 1,100 cr
- Govt sets up irrigation and water resource finance corp with an initial corpus of Rs 100 cr
- Schedule Commercial Banks farm credit 75%
- Micro irrigation scheme gets Rs 500 cr to cover 4,00,000 additional hectares
- Rs 12050 cr for strengthening rural health services
- 24 pct allocation hike for women, child development
- Inflation will be kept under check
- Jawaharlal Navoday Vidyalaya to be set in 20 new districts for SC/STs
- Healthcare allocation to be raised by 15%
- Bhopal and Tripura to get one IIScR each and 2 colleges of art
- 3 IITs to be set up in Bihar, AP, Rajasthan
- 288 public sector bank branches to be opened in areas with concentration of minorities
- Irrigation outlay increased
- National Minority Development and Finance Corp to get Rs 75 cr
- Special attention, more funds for North East
- 54 gender budgeting cells set up
- Agriculture share in total investment up from 10.2% in 2003-04 to 16% during the 11th Plan
- Agri credit target to be Rs 2,80,000 cr for 2008-09
- LIC to cover all woman SHGs linked to the bank
- Mobilisation of additional resources of Rs 10,000 cr as planned capital expenditure under Plan-B
- Allocation for ministry of minorities doubled to Rs 1,000 cr
- Schemes for woman to get Rs 1,460 cr this fiscal
- Child related schemes to get Rs 33,434 cr
- 54 departments to be set up gender budgeting divisions
- Rajiv Gandhi drinking water mission to get Rs 7,300 cr
- Rs 3,966 cr for SC/STs schemes
- Allocation of Rs 75 cr for 2008-09 for the Rajiv Gandhi felicitation programme
- Sanitation to get Rs1,200 cr
- Rs 200 cr for providing portable water system in each school in areas of water scarce regions
- IT industry gets Rs 100 cr for connecting knowledge institutions
- NREGS to be extended to 596 rural distt with an outlay of Rs 16,000cr
- The remuneration Angan Bari workers has been increased from Rs 1000 cr-1500 cr per month
- Women entitled to equal share and equal say
- Science scholarships for young learners
- 16 Central universities to be set up
- 6000 model high schools to be started
- Science scholarships for young learners
- Inflation will be kept under check
- More allocation for polio and AIDS
- Health covers of Rs 30000 for workers in unorganised sectors
- Education sector gets a boost
- Agri credit doubled in first two years
- Bharat Nirman allocation to go up to Rs 31,280 cr from Rs 24,603 cr
- Gross Budgetary support to be Rs 24,3386 cr about Rs 38,286 cr more than 2007-08
- Agriculture credit to touch 2,40,000 cr in 2008
- Focus on achievement of self-sufficiency in food grain
- Soyabean output to be 9.45 mn tonnes
- Maize production to be 16.78 mn tonnes
- Rice production to be 94.08 mn tonnes
- Total agri production to be 219.32 mn tonnes at all time high
- Agriculture disappointing at average annual growth of 2.6%
- Keeping inflation under check to be on focus
- Focus on management of supply side of food, market, capital inflows next year
- India has registered a growth of over 8%$ for 12 successive quarters till Dec 2007

2008-02-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Lalu launches 53 new trains

New Trains

Train	Frequency	Note
Amravati-Mumbai Express	Bi-weekly
Chennai-Tiruchendur Express	Weekly
Hyderabad-Usmanabad Express	Tri-weekly
Bhubaneshwar-Mumbai Express	Bi-weekly	Via Sambalpur
Amritsar-Saharsa Jan Sadharan Express	Weekly	Via Hasanpur
Ranchi-Chopan Express	Tri-weekly
Asansol-Mumbai Express	Weekly	Via Jasidih
Howrah-Mumbai Mail	Daily
Delhi-Jaynagar	Bi-weekly	Via Patna
Pune-Nagpur	Tri-weekly	Restored (Via Gaya)
Kamakhya-Gandhidham Express	Weekly
Kochuveli-Dehradun Express	Weekly
Jaynagar-Saharsa Janaki Express	Tri-weekly	Via Hasanpur
New Dibrugarh Town-Kamakhya Express	Tri-weekly	Via Moranhat
Machallipatnam-Bangalore Express	Tri-weekly
Surat-Muzaffarpur Express	Weekly	Via Azamgarh-Chhapra
Amritsar-Kochuveli Express	Weekly
Delhi-Pathankot Express	Tri-weekly	Via Amritsar
Malda Town-Patna Express	Tri-weekly	Via Bhagalpur
Indore-Udaipur Express	Tri-weekly	Via Ratlam
Varanasi-Rameshwaram Express	Weekly
Delhi-Jogbani Link Express	Weekly
Khajuraho-Delhi Link Express	Tri-weekly
Kamakhya-Gaya Express	Weekly
Ramnagar-Delhi Link Express	Daily
Kolkata-Murshidabad Hazar Duari Express	Weekly
Mathura-Chhapra Express	Tri-weekly
Gwalior-Indore Express	Tri-weekly
Udaipur-Delhi Chetak Express	Tri-weekly	Via Ajmer-Neem-ka-Thana
Puri-Darbhanga Express	Weekly
Yeswantpur-Jodhpur Express	Weekly
Radhikapur-Delhi Express	Weekly
Vasco-da-gama-Patna Express	Weekly	Via Konkan railway
Paradeep-Bhubaneshwar Express	Daily	In lieu of one pair passenger service between Paradeep and Cuttack.
Bilaspur-Pune Express	Weekly
Kendurjharagarh-Puri Express	Daily
Gaya-Chennai Express	Weekly
Balharshah-Mumbai Link Express	Daily
New Dibrugarh Town-Yesvantpur Express	Weekly	Via Moranhat
Ranchi-Bhagalpur Express	Tri-weekly	Via Kiul in lieu of 3405/3406
Ranchi-Bhagalpur Varanchal Express	Bi-weekly via Kiul
Lucknow-Delhi Air Conditioned Express	Tri-weekly
Dehradun-Delhi Air Conditioned Express	Six days
Ahmedabad-Mumbai Air Conditioned Express	Weekly
Chennai-Rameshwaram Express	Daily	Via Mayiladuthurai-Karaikudi (after Gauge conversion)
Chennai-Tiruchchirappalli Express	Daily	Via Mayiladuthurai (after Gauge conversion)
Chennai-Salem Express	Daily	Via Vriddhachalam (after Gauge conversion)
Madurai-Tenkasi Passenger	Daily	After Gauge conversion
Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai Passenger	Daily	After Gauge conversion
Mysore-Nanjanagud Town Passenger	Daily	After Gauge conversion
Ahmedabad-Patan Passenger	Daily	After Gauge conversion
Dabhoi-Pratapnagar Passenger	Daily	After Gauge conversion
Hajipur-Phulwaria passenger	Daily	Upon commissioning of new line
Itarsi-Katni Passenger	Daily
Shoranur-Nilambur Road Passenger	Daily
Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur Passenger	Daily
Vasai Road-Panvel MEMU	Daily