India News: November 2006

Sourav Ganguly back in Test team
Thursday, November 30, 2006 | MP

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has finally found a place in the Indian test team. Sourav was named in the 16 member test squad against the South African Test series that is to begin from December 15th. VVS Laxman was named the vice-captain of the team. The poor performance of the Indian team at the SA ODI series coupled with the injury of few players in the team is likely to have favoured Ganguly's comeback to the team almost after 10 months.

Petrol, diesel prices cut by Rs 2, Re 1
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 | MP

Petrol and diesel prices have been reduced by Rs two and Re one per litre respectively from midnight tonight. The cut in the prices was announced by the Petroleum Minister in Rajya Sabha today and is seen as an effect of falling global crude prices. The global crude oil prices have reached below 60 dollar per barrel from the close to dollar 80 per barrel mark in June 2006. Reacting to the govt decision on the slash in fuel prices, Finance Minister expressed hope that the cut in fuel prices would help ease inflation to some extent.

Shibu Soren asked to resign
Tuesday, November 28, 2006 | MP

Following a Delhi court convicting Union Minister Shibu Soren guilty of conspiracy in a kidnap and murder case, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked Soren to resign from his post. Soren is convicted for involved with the conspiracy and murder case of his former private secretary twelve years ago. The court has also convicted two others involved with the case. Soren who earlier resigned following issues concerned with the case was reinducted into the Cabinet early this year.

Walmart forays into Indian retail markets
Tuesday, November 28, 2006 | MP

World's largest retail major, Wal-Mart is foraying into Indain retail business by tieing up with Sunil Bharati Mittal led Bharati Enterprises Ltd. Bharati and Walmart has agreed on an MoU to jointly explore the business oppurtunities in India to manage procurement, inventories and logistics. The retail stores will be set up under a franchise agreement and is expected to roll out from August 2007. The partnership with equal stakes will operate in areas where the government allows foreign investment in retail like cash and carry and logistics, said Sunil Bharti.

3rd ODI: SA beat India
Sunday, November 26, 2006 | MP

India suffered defeat again at the third ODI played between South Africa and India. Chasing a target of 275 to win, the Indians were bowled all out for 168 runs in the 41st over. India lost their early wickets of top batsmen Sewag and Sachin and managed to show some defence with captain Rahul Dravid (63) and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni (55) in the middle. After the first match being abandoned due to rains, SA is now leading the series with 2-0 win in the 5 match series.

BSNL plans for international roaming
Sunday, November 26, 2006 | MP

State-run telecom services provider, BSNL has plans to launch global roaming facility with around 400 foreign operators. BSNL is already said to have signed agreements with 136 foreign operators in 90 countries on this purpose and commercial roaming is already underway with 68 foreign operators in 50 countries. If this facility works out BSNL mobile users will be able to roam with the specified operator of the foreign country.

India to hold talks with Lanka
Saturday, November 25, 2006 | MP

India will hold talks with Sri Lanka as the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will reach India on a five-day visit on Saturday. He will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and will discuss on peace process and seek greater Indian cooperation in patrolling the Lankan maritime boundaries. India would also hold talks on sending humanitarian assistance to help situation in LTTE-controlled Jaffna and would also consider whether the aid is necessary and if so what measures need to be taken out.

Women's bill to be tabled during winter session
Thursday, November 23, 2006 | MP

The Women's Reservation Bill is likely to be introduced in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament. The bill seeks for one-third reservation for women in Parliament and the State legislatures. Though there are differences in opinion on the controversial bill, Congress and the BJP have been supporting the Bill while some of the powerful OBC leaders in the two parties are still against reservation for women.

Kingfisher Airlines adds 58 new flights
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 | MP

Private carrier Kingfisher Airlines, has added 58 new flights to its services that would operate on 15 new routes connecting 9 major cities in the country. The new services launched would connect to cities Varanasi, Pune, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jammu and Hyderabad. With this of the airlines daily number of flights have gone up to to 130 flights connecting 23 destinations.

India, China sign several pacts
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 | MP

India and China has entered into 13 agreements in an effort to boost the economic ties between the two sides. The document were signed between the two countries in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. This includes deal for Promotion and Protection of Investments for bilateral investment flows, Agreement on Cooperation in Inspection of Iron Ore and also a 10-point strategy to intensify bilateral cooperation. The Chinese leader also assured expanding its coorperation in economics, trade, finance, information, energy, science, technology, agriculture, human resource development, education and other areas.

Dell for PC manufacturing in India by 2007
Monday, November 20, 2006 | MP

Global PC maker Dell has plans to start PC manufacturing in India by the first half of next year. Dell has already signed an MoU with TamilNadu for its manufacturing plant in Chennai and will start assembling products including laptops,desktops and computer peripherals in India. The company's operations in India in its last quarter ended in August marked a volume growth of 82% while its revenue grew 63%. Dell currently employs around 13,000 people in India and this is likely to go up to 20,000 in the next few years.

More students appear for CAT exams this year
Sunday, November 19, 2006 | MP

There has been a significant rise in the number of students appearing for common admission test (CAT) seeking admissions to the various top management institutes this year. Over 1.9 lakh students across the country had appeared for the CAT exams held across 23 cities in India on Sunday. Delhi itself had a rise of 50,000 students this year. The results of the objective test, will usually be declared by mid of December.

Prithvi missile test fired
Sunday, November 19, 2006 | MP

India on Sunday has test fired its most sophisticated medium range surface-to-surface 'Prithvi' missile. The launch of the missile took place from the Integrated Test Range at Chanipur-on-sea, about 15 kilometers away from Balasore in Orrisa. The trial was conducted as a routine work of the country's defence system. The missile has a range of 150 to 250 km and can use both solid and liquid propellant.

Nuke Bill: India welcomes Senate's vote
Saturday, November 18, 2006 | MP

What is being considered a major diplomatic milestone, India welcomed the Senate's decision to endorse the nuke bill. "I welcome the decision of the US Senate to approve the bill. Before that, the House of Representatives has done a similar thing," said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also added that there was still a long way to go before nuclear coorperation between India and US comes a living reality. Once the two houses of the US legislature agree on a final version, President Bush is expected to sign tthe bill into law before Christmas.

Jet Airways to begin flights to US
Thursday, November 16, 2006 | MP

India's private airliner Jet Airways has got the approval of US State Department which has granted security clearance to the airliner for operating flights to the US. Jet Airways plans to launch services to US earlier last year was denied and now the airline's clearance issues has been sorted out after a repeated inquiry been made. Jet plans to start its flight opearations to New York and San Francisco from the summer of 2007.

Microsoft's Windows Vista in Jan 2007
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 | MP

Software major Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista will be launched in January 2007. The new operating system would offer improved graphics, security and search features and a new Internet browser. One of the new feature in Vista would be Windows Speech Recognition facility that will help users to interact with computer using their voice. The company had also launched a wide range of hardware devices like mice, keyboard, lifecams and headsets which are available through the MS network of resellers across various cites in India.

Respect and uphold child health: PM
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 | MP

Inaugurating the Global Youth Meet on Health in Newdelhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on to focus on children's health and warned that under-nourishment, environmental damage, conflicts and terrorism posed serious challenge to children's health. The meeting was attended by over 1000 school children from various countries. "We also have a moral obligation not to destroy or damage the world our parents gave us," he said and stressed on the importance of awarness and education in battling with epidemics like HIV/AIDS diseases.

Zee to buy 50pc stake in Ten Sports
Monday, November 13, 2006 | MP

Zee Telefilms is eyeing 50 pc stake in acquiring the leading sports channel and Dubai-based Taj TV’s Ten Sports. "The investment is based on an enterprise value of 114 million dollars (about Rs 513 crore). This is a great strategic move for the company that reinstates the company's seriousness and belief in the genre of sports broadcasting," said Zee. Ten Sports, has telecast rights to the Middle East, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong and with the acquisition Zee plans to make a strong foothold across Asia and also strengthen is operations in the Middle East.

Google's Toolbar 4 for IE in Hindi
Sunday, November 12, 2006 | MP

Google search engine has announced its new version of Toolbar 4 for Internet Explorer in Hindi. The toolbar comes with advanced search features and browsing experience and also allows efficient management of bookmarks for sites. Users can save their favourite bookmarks to their respective Google Account and therby access it from any computer. Enhanced sharing capabilites are also possible. The new version of toolbar is also made available in Arabic and is freely downlodable.

Govt supports New Delhi's bid for Asian Games
Saturday, November 11, 2006 | MP

The Union Government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given full assurance for its support for New Delhi's bid for the 17th Asian Games that is to be held in 2014. This was stated by Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi after a meeting with the Olympic Council of Asia's Bid Evaluation Committee which was also attended by Delhi Chief Minister and Sports Minister. A team of OCA delegation has assessed on the infrastructure facilites of the stadiums. The only other bidder for the 17th Asian Games is Incheon, South Korea.

Yoga effective to reduce drug abuse
Friday, November 10, 2006 | MP

Those struggling with drug addiction and want to prevent drug relapse has some good news. A recent study by the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy has revealed that yoga and naturopathic treatment can reduce drug cravings and relapse rate among drug addicts. The yogic treatment was found much more effective in detoxification as compared to allopathic and other alternative medical treatments. The treatment included series of breathing and posture exercies along with naturopathic treatments like enema, wet pack and mud pack, hib bath, cold bath, spinal bath, spinal massage, chromotherapy etc.

Airports put on high alert
Thursday, November 9, 2006 | MP

Following terror threats, the various airports across the southern part of the country are put on high alert. The airports that are placed on high alert include Chennai, Kochi, Trichy, Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore. Security were tightened after an anonymous letter indicating a possible terror attack was recieved at the Trichy Airport. The Civil Aviation Ministry is reviewing the situation and necessary steps are being taken at all airports to face any attack.

Aus team behaviour was uncivilised: Pawar
Thursday, November 9, 2006 | MP

Referring to the Tuesday's incident by the Australian team for allegedly misbehaving with Sharad Pawar, Indian Cricket board President has reacted saying Aussie team's behaviour as 'totally uncivilised'. "This is not good at all but I have decided to play it down because we have an extremely good relationship with the Australian board and we would like to keep that going," said Pawar. Meanwhile the Australian Captain said he was wiling to apologise to Pawar.

India for manned space mission in 2014
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 | MP

India is all set for launch of manned mission to space by 2014. The decision on such a mission proposal was lauded by top Indian scientists at a function held at ISRO. The new proposal for a manned mission will be put before the Center government for its approval and the space mission is expected to cost Rs 10,000 crore over a period of 8 years. If so, India will become the fourth country to launch a manned space mission after the US, Russia and China. ISRO has also plans to send a manned mission to the moon by 2020.

Govt consider on cutting fuel prices
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 | MP

The Union government is examining on the impact of falling international oil prices and is considering on the possibility of bringing down fuel prices. "We are studying the impact of international crude prices. I am in touc. We have to see what extent the fall has helped us," said Petroleum Minister. Though the global prices has come down, the oil companies still claim to make losses on sale of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.These firms insist that there should be no price cuts as yet.

Resume sealing drive :SC
Monday, November 6, 2006 | MP

The authorities of the sealing drive in New Delhi has been ordered by the Supreme Court to resume the sealing of unauthorised commercial establishments operating from residential areas in the capital city. The court refused to consider the applications which was filed by the Center and State govt seeking relief to the traders who were affected by the sealing drive. "We find no ground whatsoever to modify our order dated September 29, 2006," said the court bench referring to the sealing drive process.

Stop sale of cigarattes near campuses: UGC
Sunday, November 5, 2006 | MP

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in a circular has asked the various universities in the country to take action against cigarette shops operating near university campuses. This is in view with the ongoing anti tobaccoo campaign supported by the government. "The shops, if any, selling cigarettes and other tobacco products around the university, are to be got removed immediately," advised UGC. It also recommended that the universities should display boards saying that the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products is strictly prohibited in an area within a radius of 100 yards of the university premises and those violating the rules should be fined.

Dravid named Captain of World Test Team
Saturday, November 4, 2006 | MP

Indian cricket Captain, Rahul Dravid has been named the ICC's World Test Team captain at the ICC Awards 2006 functions in Mumbai. While India had no other representation in the World Test team, but 3 of the Indians, M S Dhoni, Irfaan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh were named in the 12 member world ODI team of the year. Srilankan captain Mahela Jayawardene won the Captain of the Year award while Aussie captain Ricky Ponting won the Best Test Player of the Year award.

Govt for Vande Mataram centenary celebrations
Friday, November 3, 2006 | MP

Center Government has earmarked Rs 150 crore towards the centenary celebrations of the national song Vande Mataram and along with few other events of national importance. This includes 150th anniversary of 1857-First War of Indian Independence and birth centenary of freedom fighter, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and also the 60th anniversary of India's Independence. The Govt's Ministry of Culture will be focussing on the programmes and a special cell also has been created to take care of this.

Solar Fridge for vaccine storage developed
Thursday, November 2, 2006 | MP

SolarChill, a machine for vaccine storage powered by solar energy has been developed by an Indian scientist. The vaccine cooler is aimed for use in rural parts where electricity is in short supply. The vaccine cooler is environment friendly and relies on ozone and hydrocarbon refrigent instead of ozone depleting chloro-fluro-carbons as used in conventional refrigerators. The machine was developed under the United Nations Environment Programme and the two units being developed will be installed at President Abdul Kalam's residential complex at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.