India News: May 2007

Mallya to pick up 26 percent Air Deccan stake
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Bangalore, May 31 (ANI): The Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines is to pick up a 26 per cent stake in Air Deccan.

The deal between the two airlines is said to be through.The alliance would have the largest market share in the industry and will pose a stiff challenge to Jet Airways, which recently bought out Air Sahara to cement its position in the domestic market.

Captain G.R Gopinath, Managing Director Air Deccan said, “UB was preferred over other interested investors, due to the inherent synergies existing in Air Deccan and UB owned Kingfisher Airlines. Air Deccan would continue to operate as an independent airline with increased focus on the low cost business model. With commonality of fleet, we foresee sharing of infrastructure, resources and best practices between both the airlines. This would definitely lead to decreased costs, maximizing shareholder value, increased efficiencies and improved profitability.”

Capt G.R Gopinath would be taking over as the Executive Chairman and Dr Vijay Mallya would be the Vice Chairman. Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan will henceforth work very closely together to exploit the significant synergies that exist in the areas of operations and maintenance, ground handling, vastly increased connectivity, feeder services, distribution penetration etc.

Warwick Brady – COO, Air Deccan after having completed two years with the airline has decided to move on. The new COO will be appointed shortly.

India’s fastest growing low cost carrier Air Deccan has the largest network in India today covering 65 airports, plying over 350 flights a day. The airline currently operates a band new fleet of 19 Airbus A – 320 aircraft, with an average age of 1.5 years and 24 ATR Turboprop aircraft. Since its inception in August 2003, Air Deccan has carried over 11 million passengers and the numbers are growing everyday.

Since April onwards, talks of Kingfisher’s interest in Air Deccan have been doing the rounds. But Deccan has been faithfully denying moves towards a sellout. There were also reports of a Kingfisher team visiting Bangalore, possibly to study the Deccan’s balance sheets.

Incidentally during the last quarter, Air Deccan lost market share and slipped from its No 2 spot. For the same period, it also posted losses of about Rs 212 crore. The airline industry has seen a growth of nearly 20 per cent in the last five years, primarily led by low-cost carriers.

Kingfisher Airlines also announced the launch of daily services connecting Kolkata to Raipur and Indore.

Mallya said: "Kingfisher Airlines has redefined the experience of flying and has come to be regarded as an airline that sets new benchmarks in service excellence for the industry. Through the launch of this new route Kingfisher Airlines reaffirms its commitment towards addressing the needs of its guests by providing connectivity between metros and mini-metros in India."

Manoj Chacko, General Manager Global Sales, Distribution and Network Planning, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said: "All our efforts are focused on offering our guests enhanced convenience in terms of connectivity and service. The introduction of these new routes is a step towards that. The business track of Kingfisher Airlines will grow by leaps and bounds through the launch of this route and we continue to strive in providing better services and connectivity to our travelers." (ANI)

No need to procure weapons from China, Pakistan
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Chennai, May 31 (ANI): Advising Sri Lanka not to procure weapons from Pakistan and China to fight Tamil rebels, India on Thursday assured the island nation that New Delhi would look after their weapon requirements.



National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan told reporters in Chennai that New Delhi would favourably consider any request for military hardware from Colombo.



"We are the big power in this region, let us make that very clear. We strongly believe that whatever requirements the Sri Lankan government have, they should come to us and we will give them what we think is necessary. We do not favour them going to China or Pakistan or any other country," Narayanan said after meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.



On Sri Lankan navy firing at Indian fishermen, Narayanan said they were free to cast their nets in the Palk Strait without any fear.



"I think we have got an understanding and I myself have talked to all authorities in Sri Lanka that they should be no firing. They have promised us that, so the question of preventing our fishermen from going across is asking too much from our fishermen," Narayanan added.



Several Indian fishermen have died in firing from Sri Lankan coast guards, who suspect them of LTTE rebels smuggling weapons to the island nation.



Narayanan, however, denied any joint patrolling with Sri Lankan navy to prevent such instances or monitor rebel movements.



"We have problems with joint patrolling. I said we are always ready for coordinated patrolling. Some of it is already taking place," he said.



The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, have been at war for more than two decades with the government, which has rested for years almost entirely in the hands of the Sinhalese majority, who account for around 75 percent of the population.



Local dailies reported that Sri Lanka was seeking military help from Pakistan and China to upgrade its air defence in the wake of Tamil Tigers acquiring air capabilities.



Sri Lankan has been seeking Indian support to fight LTTE growing capabilities. But India insists that it would only provide defensive weapons, like radars to Sri Lanka but no offensive weapons. (ANI)

Sonia alleges Modi Govt of treating farmers as “criminals”
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Mehsana (Gujarat), May 31 (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi today accused the Gujarat Government of treating the farmers in the state as “criminals”, saying it is not bothered about farmers’ welfare.



Addressing a rally ‘Kisan Mahasammelan’ to mark the conclusion of the Kisan Yatra, Sonia said the Narendra Modi-led government in the state had promised farmers during the last elections to provide with 16-hours of electricity, but the supply is nowhere near it.



“The water level has gone so down that the pumps in most of the places have failed, they are unable to get water; there is a need of new and better pumps. But they don't even give a thought to it,” she said.



"The state government is not bothered about your welfare, they have admitted in the state assembly that more than 40-farmers have committed suicide, some farmer unions claim this figure to be quite higher. Farmers can't be neglected and the Congress party is well aware of this fact,” she added.



The UPA chairperson said the Central Government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, is highly concerned about their welfare, adding that it was taking steps for farmers’ good, but the State Government was not cooperating.



“Centre decided to make the interest rate seven percent for the farmers, but the State Government is not implementing it. The Central Government has recently announced a national fund of 25,000 crore for the farmers. Our government at the Centre is working without any bias; our aim is the welfare of all the people—be they from any section of the society.



“We don't neglect anybody, if there is betterment in the life of our villages, we all will benefit from it, and it will be echoed through the cross section of the country. The Bharat Nirman Yojana will benefit one and all. Today, what we need the most is education and employment and not hatred. They talked about a vibrant Gujarat during their election campaigns, but they are in reality playing in the hands of a group of people," Sonia added.



She further came down strongly on the State Government over the law and order of the state, saying it was in a “pathetic” condition and that the ruling party was only interested in power.



“What happened in Saurashtra with some of our sisters recently is an example. Even then they don't have any solid thing to say. Fake encounters have taken place in the state, and once it is done they try to give it a communal colour. Even if one is a criminal, there is a rule of law for him. No one is above the law. They are very insensitive, they don't even have human values, the only thing they look at is the chair, power and nothing else,” she claimed.



Later, the Congress president distributed tractors to farmers.



The Kisan Sandesh Yatra, which started from Ambaji in Banaskantha on May 20, 2007 under the aegis of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, came to an end today.



The Yatra, also called Parivartan Yatra, covered 1,400-kilometres through 32-assembly constituencies and five districts. It had started from Banaskantha and traveled through Sabarkantha, Patan, Gandhinagar and culminated in Mehsana.



The focus of the yatra was predominantly on farmers and tribals, and issues like power crisis, non-availability of loans and government's "bias" towards industrialists.



The yatra had started from Ambaji, which is a pilgrim town and is a Shaktipeeth of the country. It may be noted that before launching her political movement during the Janata Party regime in 1980, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had prayed here and the Congress returned to power with overwhelming majority. (ANI)

Scheme for top quality higher education
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 31 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the introduction of a new Central Sector Scholarship Scheme of Top Quality Higher Education to students belonging to Scheduled Tribes, to be implemented from 2007-08.



The Scheme will cover students beyond 12th class, whose total family income from all sources does not exceed two lakh rupees per annum. The ST students will be awarded a scholarship to meet the requirements for the following:



(i) full tuition fee and other non-refundable dues in respect of Government/Government funded institutions. However, there will be a ceiling of Rs.two lakh per annum per student for private sector institutions and Rs.3.72 lakh per student for the private sector flying clubs for Commercial Pilot Training;



(ii) Living expenses will be provided as per actual subject to maximum ceiling of Rs.3000 per month;



(iii) Books and stationery for Rs.3000 per annum;



(iv) Full cost of a latest computer along with its accessories limited to Rs.45,000 as one time assistance during the course.



The Scheme will be funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on 100 percent basis. In the first year of implementation of the scheme, a sum of Rs.20.46 crore will be required, which will go up to Rs.60.42 crore in the fifth year.



The scheme is likely to benefit 635 students in first year and 7910 students during the five-year period of its operation. (ANI)

Cabinet approves airport at Navi Mumbai
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 31 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its ‘In principle’ approval for the construction of a new international airport through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) at Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra.



The proposed airport will meet requirement of increasing air traffic in the Mumbai metropolis.



The Cabinet, at its weekly meeting here today, also gave the green signal for constitution of a “Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau” (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau) with headquarters at New Delhi.



It will have four existing Regional Offices and three Sub Regional Offices, one new Regional Office and strengthening five existing sensitive border customs posts for overseeing works relating to trafficking of wildlife, their body parts and derivatives, with additional posts.



It also approved creation of a new post of Additional Director in the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP).



And, in principle endorsement of the additional staff needed for the proper functioning of the Bureau.



The constitution of a multidisciplinary Bureau will conserve the natural heritage of the country by establishing a credible data base on wildlife items and trade, and helping to convict criminals and their accomplices at national and international levels.



It will facilitate training to the field staff in intelligence gathering, crime detection and prosecution. It will also strengthen the ongoing efforts for control of poaching and illegal trade. The Bureau will address the growing concern among public and media on wildlife crime and launch a meaningful initiative to combat illegal wildlife trade. (ANI)

Centre to withdraw Private Universities Bill
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 31 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today decided to withdraw the Private Universities (Establishment and Regulations) Bill, 1995 from the Rajya Sabha.



The Bill, which is pending since 1995, will be removed from the list of pending bills, since the UGC Regulations, 2003 which were upheld by the Supreme Court adequately address the concern regarding mushrooming of private universities.



It will also take care of the Centre’s obligation in regard to the coordination and maintenance of standards of higher education.



The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for making both men and women eligible for Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Flying branch of Indian Air Force (IAF), revision of the SSC ceiling in flying branch to 20 percent and of the term of engagement of officers to 14 years, with no extension.



It is expected to help in overcoming the shortages in flying branch and to enhance the SSC strength. (ANI)

BCCI-Zee 219,000 dollar broadcast deal cancelled
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, May 30 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly cancelled its five-year broadcast deal with Zee Television, putting a question mark over next month's three-match ODI series against South Africa.

India is scheduled to play South Africa in three one-dayers in Belfast from June 26 to July 1, besides another against hosts Ireland.

The matches fell under series of 25 games to be played by the Indian team at neutral venues covered by the BCCI-Zee deal worth 219,000 dollars.

According to the Cricinfo website, the deal ran into difficulties after a meeting on Tuesday.

The BCCI are now in discussions with another broadcaster," the website reported.

No board official was available for comment on the development.

Rumours are doing the rounds that the cancellation has taken place also because of Zee Telefilms announcing the formation of breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) which would offer annual prize money of one million dollars.

The league will be parallel to the functioning of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra saidlast month that the league would initially be played in the Twenty20 format.

The Indian Cricket League, set up with a corpus of rupees one billion, will be launched later this year.The league will have six teams in the inaugural edition and each team will comprise of four foreign, two Indian and eight budding players.

Chandra said each of the six teams would be coached by a former India player.

The Indian Cricket League will be a joint effort of Essel Group and IL and FS.

Chandra said the Essel group also had the plan of setting up cricket academies and the BCCI was free to draw from the pool of talented players.

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev will head the Executive Board of the ICL. The other members of the Executive Board include former stumper and ex-chief selector Kiran More, former England captain Tony Greig and Australian cricketer-turned-commentator Dean Jones. (ANI)

Campaigning for Goa polls to end today
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Panaji, May 31 (ANI): The election campaign for 40-member Assembly polls in Goa will end at 5 p.m. today.

The polling will be held on Saturday.

Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Wilfred de Souza and the leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar are among the 202 candidates who are in the fray for the election.

The BJP has fielded 33 candidates, the Indian National Congress 32, Nationalist Congress Party 6, Communist Party of India 3, Communist Party of India (Marxist) 1, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak 26 , Janata Dal (Secular) 12, United Goans Democratic Party 11, Shiv Sena 7, Save Goa Front 17, Republican Party of India (A) 4, Goa Su-Raj Party 1 and 49 Independent candidates are also in the fray.

Counting of votes will take place on June 5.

The Election Commission has fixed June 8 as the date before which the election process will be completed. (ANI)

Left criticises Raje govt
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Udaipur (Rajasthan)/ Meerut (UP), May 30 (ANI): The Left parties on Wednesday condemned the killing in police firing of 14 Gujjars, who were among thousands demonstrating in Dausa demanding Scheduled Tribe status for their community on Tuesday.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) today demanded a judicial probe into the violence.

The Left parties also demanded that the BJP led Rajasthan government must pay adequate compensation to the families of those killed in the police firing.

Condemning the incident, another Left front constituent, the Communist Part of India (CPI) asked the State Government to hold talks with the community that has been hurt by the police action.

The protests began on Tuesday in support of the Gujjar community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status as promised by the BJP. The community currently comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The agitation has also got politicised with Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje saying she did not make any such promise and that decision could only be taken by the Centre.

The CPI in a statement said, “The false promise of the BJP has caused a serious discontent among the people”.

“The CPI feels that the good sense will prevail in the Government of Rajasthan by stopping these atrocities and will fulfil their promise made to the people and will stop playing the vote politics,” it added.

Meanwhile, talks between the Rajasthan Government and Gujjar community over the granting of Scheduled Tribe status broke down on Wednesday with the former demanding at least a fortnight to deliver a decision on the matter.

The Gujjar leadership, however, said that withdrawing their agitation was not a possibility till their demand was met.

Rajasthan continued to be on the edge for the second day as protesters blocked Jaipur-Agra highway and torched two police posts.

Rajasthan, particularly the Gujjar-dominant Dausa District continues to remain tense, a day after the violent clashes.

Nearly 600 Rajasthan Armed Constabulary personnel have been deployed on the Jaipur-Agra Highway, and the army could take out a flag march later today.

The Gujjars refused to cremate the bodies of the 14 killed in Tuesday's police firing till the State Government compensates their families with Rs five lakh each.

The protesters also blocked Udaipur-Ahmedabad highway stranding hundreds of vehicles much to the chagrin of commuters.

Kailash, a stranded passenger, said “My luggage got strewn on the road. My children are hungry. We are not able to move because the highway is blocked".

In Udaipur, Congress activists took to the streets against the killings and burnt an effigy of State Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

Stick-wielding protesters held demonstrations in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur town and ransacked a police post.

“Until and unless our demands are met, we'll continue to protest and demonstrate in the same way. This is our decision," said Balbir Singh, a protester.

Protests spilled over to Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town, which is home to a sizeable Gujjar population.

Protesters held demonstrations and blocked roads demanding dismissal of the Vasundhara Raje Government.

Ashok Singh, a protester, said: “The community will continue its protest. All the accused should be punished and the Rajasthan government should be dismissed. This is the demand of the whole community”.

Raje termed the clashes as 'unfortunate', but did not announce compensation for the victims. Raje visited the injured, who are admitted in Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur.

The BJP and the opposition Congress have traded charges and counter-charges over the incident.

Following the disturbances in the State, trains from Jaipur-Jodhpur to Delhi via Dausa-Alwar-Rewari-Bandikui route have been diverted via Sawai Madhopur and Mathura to Delhi in the wake of violence at Dausa.

Besides these, four trains - Asharam Express from and to Ahmedabad, Motihari-Porbandar Express and Haridwar - Ahmedabad Express, have been delayed by four hours to 14 hours.

The turmoil in the State has also hit traffic, with one of the main highways - the Delhi-Jaipur highway jammed.

Hundreds of passengers, especially from Delhi, have been affected. Most buses to Rajasthan from Delhi have been cancelled for the moment.

In New Delhi, dozens of passengers waited for hours at the Bikaner House bus stands for the highway to open up for traffic. They appeared harassed and fatigued.

"There is no proper information as to when the route will open and there are no other arrangements either. No, forget about air conditioners, there is no provision of drinking water either. We only want that the route should be opened quickly so that passengers can go back," said Ashok Kumar Sharma, a passenger.

"No facility is available here. I came here at 10'clock yesterday. Even after 24 hours, we don't know when, will we leave for Jaipur. The authorities are not co-operating with us. I had to sleep on the floor" said Agre Shristava, another passenger

O.P. Babbar, station in-charge, Bikaner House, said, "We are in regular contact with the officials in Jaipur and waiting for their orders to move the buses. If any passenger wants his money back we are refunding the whole amount. Around 300 passengers' money has already been refunded". (ANI)

Left steps up opposition against Wal-Mart
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 30 (ANI): The Communist Party of India (Marxists) (CPI-M), which supports the ruling coalition, has urged the Centre to establish a licensing system for organised retail business and prevent the entry of foreign players like Wal-Mart.

"We have argued for a licensing system for the entry of organised sector into the retail trade. We have set out broadly what we think should be the method and nature of this licensing. And besides this licensing we would also like prevention of monopolies developing in retail," CPI-M, general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here.

He also reiterated that the Government should abandon moves to permit foreign investment in the retail sector through a ‘backdoor’ entry.

"Earlier also our party had decided that such sort of tie-ups should not be done. It would be a back door entry into the retail trade by Wal-Mart," Karat added.

Bharti group and Wal-Mart aim to set up an equal joint venture for cash-and-carry business in the country’s fragmented 300 billion dollars retail industry.

The sector is dominated by small family-run stores and is predicted to more than double in size by 2015. (ANI)

EC cracks whip on Goa politicians for violating model code of conduct
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Panaji, May 30 (ANI): The Election Commission (EC) is leaving no stone unturned to ensure free and fair June 2 assembly polls in Goa by coming down heavily on politicians, who are appeasing voters by distributing T-shirts, liquor, computers, money in violation of the model code of conduct.

While the politicians are furious about EC’s tough stand, people of the State have welcomed it.

The Commission has served show cause notice to former Chief Minister ManoharParrikar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for distributing letters of a scheme which he had launched offering free computers to college students.

While one politician is now facing action for distributing saris and towels to voters and deploying machinery to dig bore wells for voters, another Janata Dal-Secular candidatenow faces action for failing to produce official documents.

Karapur Agro Factory owned by Vishwajeet Rane, son of Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane, have been inspected on complaint that he was wooing voters by distributing goodies and cash.

Vishwajeet is contesting as an independent candidate from Valpoi.

Strict action has been taken against politicians displaying banners without permission.

Alcohol boxes have been seized from different places in Goa. Several vehicles of theMaharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), BJP, Congress and the Save Goa Front have also been seized.

Last week, the Panaji police was directed to register complaints against Congress candidate Dinar Tarcar and UGDP's 'Babush' Monserrate and Jennifer Monserrate for allegedly distributing T-shirts and caps with their names.

The tough measures have been condemned by Janata Dal –Secular leader and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, who accused the EC of misusing its power.

The counting of votes for the 40-seat Goa Assembly will take place on June 5, and the results are expected the same day.

The Election Commission has fixed June 8 as the date before which the election process should be completed. (ANI)

CBI court convicts 39 in fodder scam
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Ranchi, May 30 (ANI): Thirty-nine people were convicted and three others acquitted on Wednesday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in a fodder scam case, for fraudulent withdrawal of 7.21 crore rupees from Ranchi treasury in the 1990s.

Judge JKN Tiwari sentenced 13 convicts to three years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine ranging between 45,000 to 65 000 rupees.

The rest of them would be awarded sentences on Thursday.

One of those acquitted was a former treasury officer K N Jha who is already serving a jail term after being convicted in five other cases in the multi-crore fodder scam.

The convicted mostly comprised of treasury officials and suppliers.

This is the eighteenth case in the multi-crore fodder scam, in which a conviction has been carried out.

The CBI had filed a total of 60 cases after the 950 crore rupees fodder scam was unearthed in the mid 1990s when the state of Jharkhand was not carved out of Bihar.

A total of 53 cases remained in Ranchi after the division of Bihar while seven cases were shifted to Patna. A couple of cases were closed on different grounds. (ANI)

1993 Mumbai blasts conspirator gets life imprisonment
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, May 30 (ANI): A TADA court here on Wednesday awarded life sentence to Dawood Phanse, a key conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

A fine of Rs. 2 lakh has also been imposed on Phanse.

Awarding life imprisonment, special TADA Judge P D Kode spared the death penalty to Phanse (83), considering his age.

Phanse was found guilty of attending a meeting with the prime accused, Dawood Ibrahim, in Dubai and making a conspiracy to carry out the serial blasts in Mumbai.

The court also sentenced Muzzamil Umar Kadri to life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh. He was found guilty of participating in landing explosives and arms at Shekhadi in Raigad, and illegal possession of 13 AK-56 rifles.

Khalil Nasir, also convicted in the Shekhadi arms landing, was awarded ten years rigorous imprisonment and was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh.

Another convict, Liyakat Khan, convicted for his role in the Shekhadi landing and keeping explosives in a family godown was sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 35,000.

Mohammed Dawood Khan, found guilty of keeping three AK-56 rifles, was given six years rigorous imprisonment and directed to pay a fine of Rs 50,000.

Another convict, Mohammed Yusuf Botomiya, found guilty for illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle, was sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs 50,000 has also been imposed on Botomiya.

Aziz Shaikh, found guilty of illegal arms possession, was given five years' rigorous imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 25,000.

The scion of the formerly princely state of Tonk, Salim Durrani, was sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 25,000. Durrani was convicted for illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle. (ANI)

Indian rupee to be traded in Dubai
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Dubai, May 30 (ANI): For the first time, the Indian rupee is going to be traded in the global futures market.

The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) will list the futures contract on the Indian rupee on June 7.

DGCX, the first exchange in the world to trade a rupee derivative, already trades in three currency contracts such as euro/US dollar, pound sterling/US dollar and Japanese yen/US dollar.

In addition, the Dubai-based exchange, promoted by India’s leading commodity bourse 'the Multi-Commodity Exchange' in collaboration with the Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC) trades in three commodities futures contracts such as gold, silver and fuel oil.

"The DGCX Indian Rupee contract will for the first time in history enable individuals and companies to have the opportunity to hedge and trade their Indian Rupee risk on transparent and equal basis that an exchange provides," Colin Griffith, Chairman of DGCX, said.

To date, the only market available to hedge Rupee risk is the non-deliverable forward (NDF) inter-bank market but that is not accessible to everyone.

However the recent strengthening of the Rupee (see chart below) has necessitated the need for an efficient and easily accessible to all, risk management tool which is exactly what this DGCX contract will provide.

Each DGCX Indian rupee contract represents two million Rupees. Prices will be quoted in US Cents per 100 Indian Rupees, with a minimum price fluctuation of 0.000001 US Dollars per Rupee (two dollar per contract). (ANI)

Students campaign for Taj's inclusion in 7 Wonders list
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Agra, May 30 (ANI): As the Taj Mahal faces a tough competition from other architectural designs in the world to be included in the list of the seven wonders, school students in the city here have launched a campaign, urging people to vote for it.



A group of students, carrying placards and singing motivated song ‘Hum honge kam yaab' promoted the beauty and architectural design of Taj Mahal.



They urged people to vote for the monument so that it becomes one of the Seven Wonders of the World.



"The whole India should vote for Taj Mahal and make it number one,” said Prayashi, a student.



Scores of tourists from across the globe come here every year to have a rare glimpse of the beautiful monument.



"I feel that it should be included among the seven wonders because the architecture is good, it has been well measured and constructed. So, it should be in the seven wonders," said Swati, a tourist from Jaipur.



As voting continues for the seven wonders, the Taj Mahal has been included in the list of 21 finalists by the New 7Wonders Foundation, a privately funded organisation.



The 21 finalists in this list also include Rome’s Colosseum, Jordan’s ancient city of Petra, Britain's Stonehenge, and the Great Wall of China. These were shortlisted on January 1 by a panel of experts chaired by the former head of UNESCO, Federico Mayor.



The new seven wonders will be selected on the basis of number of votes from across the globe. The names of the winning landmarks will be announced in a live broadcast on July 7, 2007 in Portugal.



In the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal as a symbol of his enduring love for his wife Mumtaz.



It stands on a marble platform in the city of Agra, 200 km south of Delhi, and is surrounded by ornamental gardens. (ANI)

Pak girls used as drug pushers
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Lahore, May 30 (ANI): Modern girls from nice backgrounds are being used as drug pushers', claimed the commander of the Anti-Narcotics Force, Punjab, Brigadier Baber Idrees.

Addressing a seminar titled “Role of Students in the Fight against Drugs”, Brigadier Idrees was quoted by The News as saying that drug pushers in Pakistan were usually well-reputed people.

"Usually, they themselves are not addicts because they have an idea about the after-effects. They also enjoy respected positions in the society,” he revealed.

"Women play a very significant role in grooming the young generation as mothers. The main target is to create awareness about this issue in women so they can play their part to eradicate this nuisance,” he added. (ANI)

Snowfall in Dharamshala brings joy to tourists
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Unseasonal snowfall in Dharamshala brings joy to tourists, businessmen

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), May 30 (ANI): An unseasonal snowfall in the Himalayan region is drawing scores of tourists from the plains of north India to Dharamshala, the hilly resort in Himachal Pradesh.

These tourists, who are flocking here with families and friends are keen to avoid the scorching heat gripping most of North India.

Dhauladhar ranges in the Himachal Pradesh recently witnessed snowfall, which is unusual for May. This has also brought the chill back in the air, captivating tourists from across the country.

Local traders and hoteliers have also welcomed the change in the weather, and expect their cash registers to ring with greater frequency.

"The month of May is the hottest period in entire India, particularly, in the north part of India till June. This fresh snow in the mountains is going to create wonderful weather in Himachal Pradesh for next three weeks. That makes the coolest, best atmosphere for any traveller who is planning to visit North India, especially Himachal Pradesh,” said Prem Sagar, a travel agent.

Also known as Mini Lhasa, Dharamsala, attracts over 600,000 foreign tourists annually.

For many people, it's once-in-a-lifetime experience to revel in the scenic beauty of Dhauladhar Range.

"They (Dhauladhar Mountains) are incredibly enchanting. I wish I could stay longer here," said Ellen, a Scottish tourist.

For many others, the mere idea of snowfall holds an amazing charm.

"It's very interesting because it's very rare that you will find snow in the month of May. Even in the month of December, the snow is less, and in month of May, if you find snow, that's amazing," said Vikas, a tourist from Delhi.

Dharamshala is also home to exiled Tibetans. Their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India from Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, has set up his headquarters in the town.

Tourism is the mainstay of the State's economy, generating about 100 million dollars annually. (ANI)

Jalandhar’s pride Lovely Sweet Shop
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Jalandhar, May 30 (ANI): Jalandhar city, which has long been known for its sports, leather, rubber and surgical instruments, is also remembered for a particular sweetmeat shop.

Be it tourists or devotees visiting temples in Jalandhar, skipping a visit to famous Lovely Sweet Shop is unacceptable.

The well-laid out variety sweetmeats leaves everyone puzzled as to which items to chose. The relatively cheap priced sweets often motivate visitors to buy the maximum for kin and kith.

Be it Eid, Holi, Diwali, Guru Nanak Jayanti or Baisakhi, Lovely Sweet Shop can always be found crowded with people of different faiths. The temptation to taste is irresistible.

Located in the Jalandhar Cantonment area on Nakodar Road, the five-decades-old shop is a place that attracts.

Just ask any local person or rickshaw puller about the Lovely Sweet Shop, and he or she will promptly point the way.

This shop with a difference has a Tasters’Club, consisting of members of all age groups and professions. They decide the range to be offered for sale.

Over 200 cooks prepare some 160 varieties of sweets a year.

From Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata to New Delhi, cooks from all regions remain busy preparing their own special sweetmeats.

“Passing through rigorous tests, the Taster's Club finalizes our products. It is said: "Nindak niyare raakhiye, aangan kuti chawaye, Bin Pani Sabun Bina Nirmal Kare Suhaye (keep your critics close to you even if it takes to build a house for them so that they always help you improve). Believing in that we welcome everyone’s word of advice to improve quality,” said Naresh Mittal, the owner the shop.

Known for its panjiri and Moti Choor ladoos, there are sweets ranging from rupees 50 to about Rs. 700 per kilogram (one to 14 dollars a killo).

For diabetics, the shop has many sugar-free sweets. There is also a separate section for kids and elders too.

“People have always believed in the adage variety is the spice of life. No one is willing to eat the same food everyday. We offer a variety of sumptuous sweetmeats. People always want something different and we are always ready to serve it,” said Naresh. (ANI)

Violence-hit Rajasthan still on edge
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Jaipur/Dausa/New Delhi, May 30 (ANI): Tension continued to prevail in Rajasthan for the second day on Wednesday, following a police-mob clash that claimed 14 lives and injured scores of others yesterday.



Meanwhile, Chief Minster Vasundhara Raje visited the injured, who are admitted in Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur, and expressed sorry for the incident.



Raje described the incident as "very unfortunate" and tried to relax the feeling of the Gujjar community and offered her government's support to their demand.



"The loss of life and public property is really unfortunate. Violence is against the tradition of Rajasthan. Whenever our people want to say something they say it in proper manner. I have always said that I will never let the people, who are trying to create this type of environment, succeed in their attempt," Raje said.



On her arrival at the hospital, Raje faced a hostile group of Gujjars outside the building, who shouted slogans against her, giving the security a difficult time.



In New Delhi, dozens of passengers waited for hours at the Bikaner House bus stands for the highway to open up for traffic. They appeared harassed and fatigued.



"There is no proper information as to when the route will open and there are no other arrangements either. No, forget about air conditioners, there is no provision of drinking water either. We only want that the route should be opened quickly so that passengers can go back," said Ashok Kumar Sharma, a passenger.



“No facility is available here. I came here at 10'clock yesterday. Even after 24 hours, we don't know when will we leave for Jaipur. The authorities are not co-operating with us. I had to sleep on the floor" said Agre Shristava, another passenger



O.P. Babbar, station in-charge, Bikaner House, said, "We are in regular contact with the officials in Jaipur and waiting for their orders to move the buses. If any passenger wants his money back we are refunding the whole amount. Around 300 passengers’ money has already been refunded”.



Thousands of Gujjars blocked the Jaipur-Agra National Highway at Dausa early on Tuesday, forcing police to resort to mild baton charge.



Fourteen people were killed and dozens injured after police opened fire yesterday on protesting Gujjars, demanding listing as Scheduled Tribes.



The community currently comes under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. (ANI)

Work-related stress a damper on sex lives
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

London, May 30 (ANI): A recent survey has found that the stress factor in the nurses’ job harms their sex life.



Roughly half of the nurses believe that their sex lives are harmed by the emotional stress of their job, according to the Nursing Times magazine poll.



The magazine surveyed almost 2,000 nurses, and found that 70 percent said they experienced from physical or mental health problems linked to work-related stress.



Some 44 percent said that their sex life was in distress, and a quarter said they had started drinking more.



The poll also found that one in 10 nurses was smoking more, and almost a third reported taking off more days sick than usual.



Nursing Times held the pressure of financial deficits and the threat of job cuts in the NHS responsible for the nurses’ woes.



"Nurses are under pressure, under valued and under paid. Stress is a serious issue for nurses who run the daily gamut of violence and abuse from patients and relatives, as well as coping with the day-to-day pressures of having to do ever more with fewer resources because of deficit-led cost cutting,” the BBC quoted Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, as saying.



"When you add to that worries about job security and a pay cut, it comes as no surprise that stress levels are affecting nurses' personal lives and relationships,” he added.



Apart from mental and emotional stress, the nurses also faced physical assault at workplace.



A RCN poll last year found that more than a quarter of nurses surveyed had been physically attacked at work, while nearly half had been intimidated or harassed by a manager.



"We need to tackle these issues if we are to keep nurses in the profession, while at the same time attracting new recruits so they can continue to deliver high quality patient care,” Dr. Carter said.



Steve Barnett, director of NHS Employers, said that the brunt of stress on NHS employees was "vastly under-estimated".



He said that work-related stress was to blame for 30 percent of sickness absence in the NHS - and cost the service 300-400million pounds a year.



However, Barnett added that NHS Employers had launched a drive to battle stress, which seemed to be having an effect. (ANI)

Gavaskar-headed ICC committee
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

Dubai, May 30 (ANI): The much-debated issue of the volume of cricket is likely to dominate the two-day meeting of the newly constituted ICC Cricket Committee, which begins here today.



Besides this, ball tampering, ODI playing conditions, the use of glue on pitches, and referrals to the TV umpire will also figure in the meeting, which will be chaired by former India captain and Cricket Committee head Sunil Gavaskar.



The committee includes former Australia captain Mark Taylor, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, ex-West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel, chief ICC match referee and former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle, former Scotland captain Craig Wright, ex-Australia all-rounder Tom Moody, and former Australia off-spinner and the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), Tim May.



The committee will consider the amount of international cricket being played and the effect on the standard and quality of cricket.



Any recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee then go forward to the Chief Executives' Committee for approval. If it approves the recommendations, then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board meeting with both meetings set for London in June.



A range of issues are to be discussed by the committee on the ODI playing conditions, including power-plays; over-rates; ball changes; a free-hit for batsmen following a front-foot no-ball; and the size of boundaries.



Use of glue pitches will also discussed following its use in the UK, New Zealand and India. The committee has been asked to discuss the principle of using adhesives in the preparation of pitches. It has also been asked to determine a policy concerning its use for international matches.



On referrals to TV umpire, the committee will discuss whether to amend the current regulations, which allow on-field umpires to consult with the TV officials on the subject of clean catches only if they are unsighted.



Any such amendment would allow the on-field umpires to consult with the TV umpire on decisions relating to any such catches they were unsure about and also allow the TV umpire to initiate contact.



The committee will also be asked to consider whether it should recommend trialing the use of player appeals to the TV umpire at this year's ICC Twenty20 World Championships if such a system, currently being trialed in UK domestic one-day cricket, proves successful. (ANI)

Shoe shopping really is good for women’s health!
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | AA

London, May 30 (ANI): Going shoe shopping really is good for the fairer sex, for a new study has found that buying a pair of high heels makes a woman’s heart beat as fast as if she has just had a gruelling workout.



Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a TV psychologist, carried out her study on a group of 35 women and found that trying on a pair of heels makes a woman’s pulse rate nearly double – to 120 beats per minute.



And, this is not just a one off thing, for the phenomena occurs every time a girl straps on a pair of shoes she’s just dying to buy.



Dr Papadopoulos says that shoes increase a woman’s heartbeat because they bring out a ‘socialising and nurturing instinct’.



"Shoes have a particular draw to women as they are emotionally evocative items to them and they bring out women's socialising and nurturing instincts," the Mirror quoted her, as saying.



Dr Papadopoulos conducted the study on behalf of shoe chain Brantano. (ANI)

Pink grapefruit juice provides the most nutrients
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

London, May 30 (ANI): Of all the juices in the market, the pink grapefruit juice is the one that provides the most nutrients per calorie, a new study has found.



Author Gail Rampersaud, a researcher at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, who conducted the study found that pink grapefruit juice not only has a high vitamin C content, but it is in fact better than orange, white grapefruit, pineapple, prune, grape and apple juices.



And, to top it all, pink grapefruit juice also provides potassium, folate, thiamin and magnesium.



"(It) is an excellent source of vitamin C. It also provides potassium, folate, thiamin and magnesium, as well as certain carotenoids that can be converted into vitamin A in the body. Pigmented grapefruit juices, such as pink or ruby, also contain lycopene, a carotenoid that gives pigmented grapefruit its rich color," Discovery News quoted Rampersaud, as saying.



As a part of her research, Rampersaud focused only on common 100 percent fruit juices, and used six different methods to calculate each juice’s nutrient density.



Nutrient density was defined as either nutrients provided per calorie, or the ratio of the amount of a nutrient in foods to the energy provided by these same foods.



Nutrients included proteins, fats, sugars, numerous vitamins and minerals and other components.



According to Rampersaud, citrus juices rank high "because they generally have higher amounts of a wider variety of nutrients compared to the other juices included in the analysis, coupled with the fact that the citrus juices are lower in calories."



She found that pink grapefruit juice provided an entire day’s recommended vitamin C amount in a single 8-ounce glass.



The findings are published in the current issue of the Journal of Food Science. (ANI)

India’s share in world trade touches 1.5 percent
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 22 (ANI): India’s share in world trade has gone up by 0.4 percent since 2004, according to the latest information published in the World Trade Statistics by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).



India’s share in total world trade, which includes trade in both merchandise and services sector, has gone up from 1.1 percent in 2004– the initial year of the Foreign Trade Policy (2004-09)– to 1.5 percent in 2006.



Expressing happiness on the growth, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said if the current rates of growth continued then India’s share may cross the two percent mark in 2009.



“Based on the current rates of growth of merchandise and services trade, it is expected that India’s share in world trade covering merchandise plus service sector trade may well double from the level of 2004 to cross two percent mark in 2009,” he said.



As far as merchandise trade alone is concerned, India’s share in global merchandise trade may increase from 1.2 percent in 2006 to 1.5 percent in 2009.



It may be recalled that India’s share in merchandise trade has increased from 0.9 percent in 2004 to 1.2 percent in 2006, thereby crossing one per cent share of world trade. At the same time, India’s services trade has recorded an even higher growth performance resulting in an increase in the share in world services trade from two percent in 2004 to 2.7 percent in 2006.



In the Foreign Trade Policy announced by Kamal Nath in August 2004, a medium term horizon for India’s export growth was envisaged and as part of this, the share of India’s merchandise trade in world trade was targeted to double in 2009.



According to the World Trade Statistics of the WTO in 2006, India’s total merchandise trade (export + import) was valued at 294 billion dollars in 2006 and India’s services trade inclusive of export and import was 143 billion dollars. Thus, India’s global economic engagement in 2006 covering both merchandise and services trade was of the order of 437 billion dollars, up by a record 72 percent from a level of 253 billion dollars in 2004. (ANI)

Sunil Mittal takes over as President of CII
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 24 (ANI): Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and CEO of Bharti Enterprises, was elected as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Thursday.

He succeeds Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, R Seshasayee and will assume charge of the new office on May 25.

ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO, K V Kamath will succeed Mittal as the new CII Vice President.

Mittal was the CII Vice-President during 2006-07.

Mittal is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry and serves on several boards including the International Advisory Board of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), University of Pennsylvania, Global GSM Association, Indo-British Partnership (IBP), Singapore-India Partnership Foundation and the Boards of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Mittal was the Co-Chairman of the World Economic Forum in 2007.

Kamath, who has been elected as Vice President for a year, is a member of the CII National Council, the Board of Directors of Visa International (Asia-Pacific) and the governing boards of several leading educational institutions. (ANI)

Adidas objects to Nike using Tendulkar's images
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): Sports Apparel brands Adidas and Nike are involved in a tussle over batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Adidas has petitioned the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) on Friday seeking to restrain the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stop Nike from using Tendulkar's images for promotions when he is not playing for India.

Adidas has also asked the MRTPC to direct Tendulkar to furnish an undertaking that he personally endorsed Adidas, although Nike sponsored Indian cricket team's on-field uniform.

During the proceedings, Adidas argued that BCCI granted Nike only sponsorship and licensing rights and to carry trademarks of the batsman only while playing for the country.

The company's counsel, Shailendra K Kapoor, argued that personal endorsement rights were never a subject to this contract (between BCCI and Nike).

Nike has no right to use Sachin Tendulkar's name for endorsements, he argued.

In its petition, Adidas had made BCCI, Nike, Tendulkar and his manager Iconix respondents.

The counsel contended that Tendulkar and Iconix were only performa respondents and were made party to the case to state before the commission that he has exclusive personal endorsement rights only with Adidas.

However, declining any immediate relief to Adidas, MRTPC Chairman OP Dwivedi and member MMK Sardana said: "When you have waited for six months, then wait for one more month".

The commission has listed the matter for hearing in July.

BCCI has a five-year contract with its rival Nike for the team uniform. Nike had won the sponsorship rights for the Indian cricket team in 2005 with a bid of Rs 199.66 crore, beating Reebok whose bid stood at Rs 119.48 crore and Adidas Rs 127.50 crore. (ANI with inputs)

India, Bangladesh continue joint survey
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Changraband/Burimary Zero Point, May 30 (ANI): India and Bangladesh are continuing a joint survey of enclaves lying in each other's territory, which was launched on Monday.

A ten-member Indian team led by Pinak Ranjan Chakrobartty, Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, surveyed Indian enclaves trapped in Bangladeshi soil yesterday.

"To take a fresh look at all this, we had proposed a joint visit to the enclaves or to some of the enclaves, which is what we did," said Chakrobartty.

India has 111 enclaves landlocked inside Bangladesh territory, while Bangladesh has 51 in Indian territory. Indian enclaves, smaller in size, are fragmented where as Bangladesh enclaves are larger in size.

"The India-Bangladesh boundary working groups visited Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and assessed their positions and the problems. We will visit again," said Mujibur Rehman, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh.

The decision for a joint survey was taken at meeting between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Bangladeshi counterpart Iftekhar Choudhury in Delhi on March 31. The last official census in the Indian enclaves was done in 1951.

Indian officials say that with no governing body, the enclaves have become safe havens for members of rebel groups.

People living in the often congested enclaves hope that the survey will bring development in their small pockets. (ANI)

Samjhauta Express schedule revised
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Lahore, May 29 (ANI): The schedule of Samjhauta Express will be changed from May 31 as the train will be coming from Atari on Mondays and Thursdays and leaving Lahore on Tuesdays and Fridays.

A Pakistan Railways official was quoted by the Dawn as saying on Monday the train schedule had to be changed because it would now be running between Atari and Lahore instead of vice versa and would comprise Indian coaches and locomotive.

The 401-Up Samjhauta Express will be leaving Atari on Mondays and Thursdays while the 402-Down will start its journey from Lahore on Tuesdays and Fridays.

According to the new schedule, the 401-up would reach Wagah at 11:30 a.m. and arrive at Lahore at 2:10 p.m. The 402-Down would leave Lahore at 8:35 a.m., reach Wagah after 35 minutes and start its journey to Atari at 11:30 a.m. The schedule is as per Pakistan Standard Time, which is half-an-hour behind India.

The Pakistan Rangers will be responsible for the security of the Samjhauta Express from Lahore to the Wagah railway station. (ANI)

‘India negotiating FTA with Gulf countries’
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, May 29 (ANI): Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath today said India is in the process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf countries and the talks in this regard are likely to be concluded very soon.



He said this in his keynote address at the inaugural session of the third meeting of the India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Industrial Forum here.



Stating that India was privileged to host this year’s Forum, Nath expressed the hope that the deliberations would further enhance the expanding economic relations between India and the GCC countries.



“In the last five years, India’s total trade with the GCC countries has risen more than four-fold– from 5.55 billion dollars in 2000-01 to 23.42 billion dollars in 2005-06. The period witnessed buoyancy in both exports and imports. Signing of the Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation between India and GCC countries in 2004, was another milestone in the Indo-GCC economic relations,” he said.



Underlining the importance of the Gulf countries to India, Nath observed that the Gulf region was on par in terms of demand creation when compare to even the US. “It is already a target market for more than three-quarters of India’s main export products, including fresh fruits and vegetables”, he said.



The Minister outlined a whole range of opportunities in India for investors from the Gulf, specially the huge opportunities in infrastructure. “There are obvious synergies between India and the Gulf. The GCC countries continue to be a major supplier of oil to India, meeting almost two-thirds of our oil requirements. India is looking at providing refining services to the Gulf. I invite oil companies from the Gulf to set up their facilities in India as it will not only add a new dimension to our India-GCC trade but also help in enhancing capacities,” he said.



He added: “At the same time, we should also look at partnering in areas that go beyond just oil. Infrastructure is one area where India offers immense opportunities for investment. We have estimated the requirement of infrastructure sector to be about 320 billion dollars in the next five years. India plans to add 100,000 MWs of power in the next ten years. There is potential for investment in LNG terminals as India is a gas deficient country. Air passenger traffic has grown in excess of 30 per cent in the last three years. I expect investors from this region to actively participate in the ongoing airport modernization programs across the country”.



He went on to say that exciting opportunities also exist in India on farm and food processing sector, as value addition in this area is only 16 percent despite the fact that India is among the world’s largest producer of milk, vegetables and fruits.



Gems and jewellery, healthcare and biotechnology were the other areas flagged by Kamal Nath for the Gulf investors. “I invite investors from the GCC countries to make the most of the opportunities that India provides by entering into joint ventures, collaborations and partnerships in different sectors. There is political will on both sides to take the India-GCC trade to the next higher level of engagement and now the onus is on the trade and investment community to translate this will into a reality that augurs well for both sides”, he stressed.



Dr Al Yamani, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia, and Maqbool bin Ali bin Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Oman, were present on the occasion along with members of the GCC delegations, including the GCC Chambers and leading representatives of Indian Industry headed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). (ANI)

Center concerned about stagnation in agri-production
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Expressing his concerns about the stagnation in agricultural production, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the country couldn’t meet its food security through imports.

Addressing the 53rd meeting of National Development Council on issues relating to Agriculture, here, Chidambaram said: "No country as large as India can hope to meet the requirements of its people for cereals, pulses, oil seeds, sugar, milk, etc. through imports on a large scale."

Commenting on burgeoning supply-demand gap in essential food items, he said: "While imports are a short-term answer to the supply-demand gap, practical experience shows that India does not have too much room to manoeuvre."

On stagnation in agri-production, he said: "The area under food grains has stagnated between 120 million and 125 million hectares. Of this, the area under wheat has stagnated between 25 million and 27.5 million hectares and the area under paddy has stagnated between 41 million and 45 million hectares."

Chidambaram also said that there is a need to launch a mission to increase the production of wheat, rice and pulses.

Speaking about soaring of prices of food items, he said: " The recent spell of inflation was largely due to the spurt in prices of primary articles – and that includes, apart from metals, food articles."

From the point of view of sound macro-economic management, it is necessary that we maintain adequate supplies of food articles and the resulting price stability, the Finance Minister added. (ANI)

Pranab Mukherjee meets Solana in Hamburg
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Hamburg (Germany), May 29 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has started a round of bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the Eighth ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting (Asia-Europe Meeting) here.

On Tuesday, he had two bilateral meetings. The first meeting was with the Foreign Minister and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam. The two Ministers reviewed bilateral relations and looked at concrete steps which needed to be taken to expand these relations. In particular, they hoped that India and Vietnam could reach the bilateral trade target of two billion dollars by 2010.

Mukherjee reiterated India’s desire to cooperate with Vietnam in the hydrocarbon sector and the power sector. This cooperation could be facilitated by offering soft loans to Vietnam as well as credit loan.

The Foreign Minister of Vietnam discussed the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister of Vietnam to India. He also took the opportunity to reiterate Vietnam’s support for India’s candidature to the permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

The second meeting was with Javier Solana, Secretary General of the European Council and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Mukherjee and Solana reviewed India-EU relations and expressed their keenness to intensify political contacts. More frequent and informal contacts were agreed upon.

They had an exchange of views on the Iran nuclear issue. Solana was briefed on the 14th SAARC Summit and positive developments like the setting up of the SAARC Development Fund, South Asian University and SAARC Food Bank. Solana was also given an update on the India-Pakistan composite dialogue and the CBMs that have already been put in place between the two countries.

On Monday, Mukherjee had a 40-minute meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. This was the first meeting between the two and they reviewed the bilateral relationship in the light of the ten-pronged strategy to strengthen bilateral relations that was spelt out during President Hu Jintao’s visit in November 2006.

They said that high-level contacts should continue (meeting on G-8 sidelines, Foreign Minister level discussions, Foreign Office Consultations etc.)

They reviewed the trade and economic relationship and noted that bilateral trade has crossed 25 billion dollars, and at this rate we should be able to meet the target of 40 billion dollars by 2010. Jiechi said that in first four months of 2007, bilateral trade has reached 11.4 billion dollars, which was a 56 percent rise on trade returns in the same period last year.

The two Ministers also reviewed progress under MOU for defence cooperation (2006) and said that dates would be fixed for the annual meeting of the Defence Dialogue Mechanism.

The discussion also touched upon the boundary question and it was agreed that Special Representatives will continue with their work with the encouragement and guidance of the political leadership.

Other issues discussed included cooperation for the success of the India-China Tourism Year and Youth exchanges. Multilateral issues, particularly UN reforms, including Security Council reforms were also discussed.

Mukherjee also had a 30-minute meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga. Discussions covered bilateral relations particularly trade and investment, cooperation in multilateral fora and the situation in Afghanistan.

The biennial Foreign Ministers Meetings held alternately in Europe and Asia are intended to be a forum for informal dialogue and offer European and Asian foreign ministers the chance to meet and discuss all issues of global concern.

In addition to questions on the current international agenda, there is a strong focus on economic, cultural and social issues.

By intensifying its cooperation also on ``new issues'' such as energy and climate change, jobs and employment, education and research, ASEM has given impressive proof of its potential.

The 45 members participating in ASEM's cooperation activities are: Japan, China, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, South Korea, the ten ASEAN countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, the Secretary-General of ASEAN as well as the 27 member states of the European Union and the European Commission. The four ASEM Coordinators are the German EU Presidency, the European Commission, China and Brunei Darussalam.

The conference is part and parcel of the dynamic Asia policy of the German EU Presidency. (ANI)

SEZ are here to stay, says Kamal Nath
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, May 29 (ANI): Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath today said the Centre was reviewing land buy policy for low-tax Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in view of widespread opposition.

Nath, however, said the policy per se will remain, but there would be no compulsory acquisition of lands for SEZs.

"The Central Government has one clear thing on SEZs, that they are here to stay. There would be no compulsory land acquisition," Nath told reporters on the sidelines of an India-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting.

The government has faced protests from farmers and landowners over its plans to acquire land to develop hundreds of SEZs - large, tax-free industrial enclaves - around the country to boost exports and economic growth.

In West Bengal, 14 people were killed and more than 100 injured in March in protests against a proposed chemical hub in Nandigram.

On rupee's appreciation, Nath said it was a matter of concern, as it could spell doom for exporters and manufacturers as well.

"This is rational phenomenon that is happening and the government is aware of it and government is seized with the problem, that is all I can say," said Nath.

The partially convertible rupee has risen more than 9 percent this year on robust capital flows into Asia's third-largest economy. (ANI)

Dausa violence: Death toll rises to 14
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Bundi/Dausa/Jaipur/New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Fourteen people were killed and 80 others were injured after police opened fire on protesters of the Gujjars community, who were demanding Scheduled Tribe status for them in Dausa this morning.

The situation was so tensed that army personnel were pressed into service on the Jaipur-Agra highway to check the protestors from blocking traffic on the highway.

The dead include at least two policemen, while the injured list includes the Collector of Bundi, S S Bissa.

The police opened fire to disperse the 2,000-strong protesting Gujjars, when they turned violent. The protestors blocked the Jaipur-Agra Highway.

The Gujjar community is included in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) list.

Meanwhile, Union Mines Minister Sis Ram Ola said the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in that state was continuously oppressing Dalits, farmers and villagers.

Ola who represents Jhunjhunu in the Lok Sabha, said the wounds of the shoot out on farmers at Rawala, Ghadsana, Soyla, and Tonk were still fresh, and the State Police fired bullets on villagers while they were protesting peacefully.

He also demanded a magisterial inquiry into the police firing.

Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said he issue could only be solved through a dialogue.

"We have told them that the issue can only be resolved through a dialogue and not through violence. We have told them that attacking policemen won't resolve the issue. And reservation or no reservation depends upon the constitutional amendment," Kataria told reporters in Jaipur. (ANI)

BMW case: Witness could not recognise Nanda
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Sanjeev Nanda, prime accused in the 1999 BMW hit and run case, today got a relief, as Sunil Kulkarni, a key witness in the case, could not recognise him in the court.

During a cross-examination, Kulkarni said that Nanda was not the person behind the wheels. Though he was in the same car.

On May 17, Kulkarni, while testifying before the Delhi High Court identified Nanda.

Sanjeev Nanda, grandson of former Navy Chief S M Nanda, and son of owner of the international arms trading firm Crown Corporation, in an inebriated condition allegedly ran over his BMW into a police checkpoint in the wee hours of January 10, 1999.

Three policemen and three others were killed in the incident that left a trail of body parts over a long stretch of Lodi road.

Nanda was accompanied by Siddharth Gupta, son of head of General Motor Finance, Rajiv Gupta, and Manik Kapoor, a leading exporter. Gupta and his father have been charged for destroying evidence as they along with their two servants had cleaned up the blood and flesh parts on the car after the BMW was decked in their house.

Kulkarni was witness to the accident as he was on his way to New Delhi Railway Station to catch a train to Bhopal. So far he is the only witness who has not turned hostile in the case.

Earlier Kulkarni had deposed before Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar on May14. (ANI)

Jaitley replaces Kalyan Singh as UP BJP in-charge
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Arun Jaitley has been made the party in charge for Uttar Pradesh, replacing former Chief Minster Kalyan Singh.

This comes following the party's dismal performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Jaitley was the Punjab unit chief and had achieved success for the party in the recent electoral fray.

Jaitley had led the party to power in Punjab, securing 19 out of 21 seats it fought in the February elections.

BJP president Rajanth Singh also replaced senior party leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra as "prabhari" of Delhi, where the party won the municipal elections, with Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Kalraj Mishra, who had the charge of Rajasthan, has been made the Bihar unit chief, while Maharashtra leader Gopinath Munde will now look after Rajasthan. (ANI)

Sonia to address election rally in Goa
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Panaji, May 29 (ANI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address an election rally at Margao in South Goa today.

The election campaign enters its last leg as Goa goes for Assembly polls on Saturday.

Sonia has already held a public meeting in Panaji to garner support for party candidates in North Goa.

Union Civil Aviation Minister and NCP leader Praful Patel will also participate in the election rally.

Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar will address three public meetings.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami has directed the State Government to deploy forces as a confidence-building measure to ensure free and fair polls.

Gopalaswami, along with Election Commissioner Navin B Chawla and Chief Electoral Officer (Goa) Ramesh Negi has already reviewed the poll preparations in presence of Chief Secretary J P Singh and Director General of Police (DGP) S R Brar.

The Commission has decided to allow voters, who have not received Electronic Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), if they carried any of the valid documents -- passport, driving licence, PAN card, Bank/Kisan/ Post office pass books, ration cards and the student identity card -- to the polling stations.

Counting of votes for the 40-seat Goa Assembly will take place on June 5, and the results are expected the same day.

The Election Commission has fixed June 8 as the date before which the election process should be completed. (ANI)

Raipur doctors separate conjoined twins
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

Raipur, May 29 (ANI): Doctors of a Raipur hospital on Tuesday successfully separated 10-month-old conjoined twins after a four-hour long surgery.

The twins were joined to each other from chest to stomach. The liver of one was joined to the other's pericardium.

Ram and Laxman, the conjoined twins, had been under the supervision of doctors at the Ambedkar Hospital for the past ten months.

"It took us a total of four hours to perform the surgery. We had been studying this case for the past one-month and the operation went according to our plans. It was perfectly investigated by our doctors. We were aware what we were going to do," said Doctor A.K. Sharma, Head of Surgery at the hospital.

"The doctor is like god and he took care of food and lodging and everything. They should also be given help in education," said Premvati Kole, mother of the conjoined twins.

In July 2003, a Singapore hospital conducted an unprecedented operation to separate 29-year-old Iranian conjoined twins, Ladan and Laleh Bijani, who were joined at the head. The sisters, both law graduates, were separated but died 90 minutes apart from massive blood loss. (ANI)

Centre-State partnership essential : Raje
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said that to meet the challenges of the country's overall development, a joint venture of Centre-State partnership is essential.

She said the process of development is not a one-dimensional phenomenon, adding that the Centre should come forward to protect the interests of States and make the modes of Central assistance more flexible and viable. Raje urged Centre to manage some special assistance for Rajasthan considering its adverse geographical circumstances.

Addressing a special session on Food and Agriculture during 53rd meeting of National Development Council here, she stressed that this assistance should be sufficient and adequate enough to meet the needs of the State.

Referring to many examples, Raje said that frequent change in pattern of central assistance not only creates pressure on States, but also distorts the pace of development. She suggested to inter link programme related to water resources and power sector for fulfilling the targets of development goals of agriculture.

Calling animal husbandry as the lifeline of desert, she said that besides agriculture, it is essential to concentrate on other allied agriculture activities.

Calling water as dire requisite for agriculture development, Raje claimed that Rajasthan is not receiving its due share of water from various inter-state agreements. Attracting the Prime Minister's attention towards Ravi-Beas and Yamuna waters, she called for resolving these pending inter-state disputes soon for creating additional irrigation potential of about 10 lac hectares in Rajasthan. (ANI)

Tendulkar back into top-20 Test batsmen
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Dubai, May 29 (ANI): Following his twin centuries in the Test series against Bangladesh, Sachin Tendulkar is back into the top 20 in the ICC Test batsmen rankings. In the latest ICC rankings released today, the 34-year-old Mumbai batsman has moved up by six places to 15th position. Now, with a total of 672 ratings points, Tendulkar has Stephen Fleming of New Zealand and England’s Paul Collingwood in his sights, although he is a long way off his own career-best rating of 898 set in 2002. Tendulkar scored a century in each match at Chittagong and Mirpur, compiling a total of 254 runs at an average of 127, marking a significant return to form. Besides Tendulkar, it was a good series for Indian bowlers too with Anil Kumble moving up to third in the Test bowlers rankings. He is now level with South Africa’s Shaun Pollock and is just ahead of Shane Bond of New Zealand and Australia’s Stuart Clark. Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan also did well for India taking a total of eight wickets at an average of 21.88. As a result, he has moved up five places to 24th in the rankings. England’s Kevin Pietersen, who is at third rank in Test batsmen table, has crossed 900-point mark following his double century during the second Test against the West Indies at Headingley. He became the 21st batsman in history to achieve a rating in excess of 900 points. In teams’ rankings, India is on fourth in Test Championship and is now just one ratings point behind Pakistan in third position. Australia still tops the list, well clear of England in second position. (ANI)

Rich are slim while poor are fat, claims survey!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

London, (ANI): As if class and colour distinctions were not enough, now weight is the new divide in society, with the vast majority thinking the rich tend to be slim and clever, while the poor are overweight and less intelligent, claims a survey.

Such is the pressure to be slender that only 6 per cent of 2,000 women polled average age 31 had never dieted.

The poll found that a woman of 31 had been on an average of 38 diets and had first dieted at 18. Nearly one in three women had dieted before their 14th birthday.

Today's survey, commissioned by a dieting and healthy eating website, said "fatism" was rife and that statistics bore this out.

Full-time working women earning less than £15,000 a year were four times more likely to be overweight than those earning £35,000 or more, and part-time workers earning less than £6,000 were twice as likely to be overweight than those on £12,000.

Clerical workers were nine times more likely to be overweight (75 per cent) than those at what the survey called director level (8 per cent).

As for female solidarity, forget it, the survey found. Women were far more likely than men to criticise a woman's weight or shape - and 97 per cent of women, fat or thin, admitted they looked at other women in the street and thought "goodness, she's fat".

In fact, the first thing women said they noticed about another woman was her size or shape - only 20 per cent notice her face first. Yet the first thing a woman notices about a man is his face.

Ally Oliver, of Closerdiets.com, which commissioned the survey, said: "In today's society, slim people are viewed as wealthy and bright and fat people are viewed as poor and dim. It's as simple as that.

"Just look at Victoria Beckham, the richer she becomes the thinner she gets, whereas at the other end of the spectrum Matt Lucas's Vicky Pollard is seen as fat, poor and thick. Statistics support the perception that richer people tend to be slimmer than poorer people. It seems you can never be too rich or too thin.

"Weight prejudice is rife and a whole section of society is discriminated against. But this modern weight fascism doesn't seem to affect men. Men can get away with being overweight or body imperfect, women can't - because other women won't let them."

Almost two thirds of women in the survey thought they had lost the ability to eat normally because of a constant battle to stay slim. Only 1 per cent were happy with their body and 54 per cent said they had felt "body hatred" - two thirds of these being women under 25.

Oliver said: "Women today have a toxic relationship with food - a skinny muffin mid-morning is followed by a latte for lunch and a low-fat ready meal topped up with half a bottle of wine and dairy milk for dinner."

The survey was conducted on websites owned by publishing group Emap. The respondents' average weight was just over 11 stone but most wanted to be just over eight stone. (ANI)

Dieting can make you a shopaholic!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington, (ANI): Dieting can dent a hole in your wallet, for a new research has revealed that people who exercise self control in some way, such as dieting or trying not to look at or think about something, will tend to make more impulse purchases if given the opportunity.

Instead of gauging desire for things, they are the first to measure actual spending patterns after the exertion of self-control, expanding the literature to include the impulse`to buy.

For example, the researchers explore the effects of mental self-control in an experiment that asked a group of participants to write down all their thoughts for six minutes. Another group was told that they should also write down all their thoughts – with one exception.


The participants were told that if they thought of "a white bear" they were NOT to write it down, but instead to place a check mark at the side of their paper.


The participants were then told that they were taking place in an unrelated study and given $10 to spend on items from the college bookstore. They were told that whatever unspent money was theirs to keep.

"Overall, the research shows that people need self-regulatory resources to resist impulse buying temptations, and that these resources can be depleted by prior self-control efforts," write the researchers. "As a result, people should avoid shopping on days when they have earlier exercised great self-control or when starting a new self-improvement program, such as a new diet." (ANI)

Smelling a lemon can make your drive less stressful
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

London, (ANI): The panacea for your driving despair may lie in something as ordinary as a lemon, for a study has revealed that the pleasant smell of lemons in a car can help improve driving performance in difficult situations.

A study found the aroma improved braking performance in both men and women, but men also showed an improved ability to direct their driving, position the car effectively on the road and act on verbal driving instructions while exposed to the lemon odour.

But drivers quickly become used to smells, so an intermittent aroma of lemon would be more effective at improving performance than a continual one, researchers said.

Dr Neil Martin, of Middlesex University, told the British Psychological Society: "The results show that drivers dangling air fresheners may do more than scent a car. They might, unwittingly, improve aspects of driving."

The research was carried out with 30 men and 30 women using a rally game on a PlayStation console. (ANI)

Spice up your food for a healthier diet
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington,(ANI): You may have decided to lay off the sugar and salt in your food this year in a bid to follow that healthier diet, but it that doesn’t mean that your food has to end up tasting bland.

Suzanna Zick, N.D., M.P.H., a naturopathic physician and researcher at the University of Michigan Health System said that using more herbs and spices and fewer traditional seasonings like sugar, salt and fat, can not only help to improve the overall health benefits but also the flavour of the food we eat on a daily basis.

And if you follow the 10 tips that Zick gives, then rest assured that you will be serving up delicious yet healthy food this year.

These tips are:

1. Instead of salt, use herbs. Common herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley and garlic can really bring out the natural flavors in a meal. Salt can be replaced with a tasty combination of basil and oregano on food.

2. Use fresh garlic for maximum benefit. Garlic appears to help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

“For maximum benefit, you need to have about three medium cloves of garlic per day. Dry garlic or garlic left out too long, lose their healthy benefits,” said Zick.


3. Fight aging: Eat rosemary. Rosemary is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. It’s also thought to help with memory, and research is currently underway to determine rosemary’s potential cancer-prevention properties.

4. Basil, oregano and rosemary can help fight colds. Since these three herbs contain strong essential oils, they potentially can fight against colds and flu. In addition, all three are powerful antioxidants as well.

5. Treat chronic coughs with thyme.

“The health benefits of thyme are unique. It has been traditionally used to treat coughs, even whooping cough. Thyme is often drunk as a tea,” ZIck said.

6. As for that niggling back pain, well all you need to do is eat curry. Research has shown that the substance commonly found in turmeric – a common, bright red spice added to curry mixes – has known anti-inflammatory properties. The substance, curcumin, works in a very similar way to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

7. Fight cancer: Eat more curry. In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, research on curcumin has also shown it to shrink pre-cancerous lesions known as colon polyps. The amount needed for its health benefits is unclear, she suggests including a generous helping of curry or turmeric in a meal.

8. Lower your blood pressure with “warming spices.” These include ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cayenne pepper and others. These can make a person feel warm because they bring blood from the centre of the body to the skin. This disperses blood throughout the body more evenly, which may decrease blood pressure.

9. Soothe your aching tummy with ginger. Ginger contains gingerols, which decrease oxidative products in the digestive tract that cause nausea. The key is to eat real ginger and not things flavoured artificially like many ginger-ales, in order to reap the benefits.


10. Reduce the sugar, add the spice. If you need to cut back on sugar, Zick suggests adding spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to your sweet snacks instead of sugar. For instance, if you buy unsweetened applesauce, add cinnamon to give it an extra kick. (ANI)

Healthier foods top grocery lists in the UK
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

London, (ANI): Even as obesity is fast becoming a major health problem, it seems that people are beginning to get conscious about what they put into their mouth, with a new survey showing that an increasing number of Brits are opting for healthier goods.


The annual product survey from industry magazine The Grocer found that the sales of lower-fat crisps, low-alcohol beer and low-calorie soft drinks are on the rise.

However, the survey also found that people are not willing to give up eating fast foods - particularly pizza – for figures show that this particular product’s sale has increased by 4,000 percent.

Scottish nutrition expert, Carina Norris, said that the reason why a shift had started in what foods people buy is because they are now more health conscious than before.

"I think people do want to be healthier and they are learning more, so there is this increased demand for healthier foods," the Scotsman quoted her, as saying.

Norris added that the sales figures showed that manufactures now need to make sure that their products are “healthy” if they want to survive.

"It's an incentive for manufacturers to smarten up their act and reduce salt, fat and sugar because the consumer is becoming more aware," she said.

Branding expert Neale Gilhooley, from Edinburgh-based Evolution, also said that manufacturers were slowly but surely making their products healthier, but said that what was yet to be seen was how far they would be willing to go down this road.

"The manufacturers have been quite slow in coming round. They realise that consumers have been complaining so they are now giving us things that we think we want. The big question is how much healthier will they try and make products; what's the new twist?" he said.

Here’s a list for the top snacks, foods and drinks, as per The Grocer:


1. Top Hot Drink: Nescafe Original - £150.9m, down 3.8 percent

2. Fastest-Growing Food: Goodfella's Solos pizzas - £19m, up 3,936 percent

3. Top Cereal: Weetabix - £98.1 m, up 13 percent

4. Top Beer: Stella Artois - £547.3m, down 5.7 percent

5. Top Snack: Walkers Crisps - £395.3m, up 3.7 percent (ANI)

Soon, you could eat whatever you want
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington, (ANI): A new study on mice has raised the hope that it might one day be possible for humans to eat what they want without having to worry about the risk of developing heart disease.

Boffins at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have successfully deleted a gene in the mice that causes production of ACAT2, an enzyme that alters the molecular structure of cholesterol so that it can be transported to the body’s cells.

Lawrence Rudel, Ph.D., a professor of comparative medicine, said that the study raised hope for humans.

"We deleted an enzyme in mice and they could eat any type of fat and not get heart disease. If you’re a mouse, it’s great. Of course, we don’t know yet if it will be the same in humans," he said.

"Regardless of the type of fatty acid in the diet, even trans fat, no atherosclerosis occurs if the ACAT2 enzyme isn’t present. Our research in animals tells us that ACAT2 is a potential treatment target to protect people against heart disease," he added.

As a part of the study groups of female mice with and without the ACAT2 gene were fed six different diets enriched with one of these types of fat: fish oil, flax seed oil, polyunsaturated fat from vegetable oil, saturated fat, trans-monounsaturated fat and cis-monounsaturated fat, such as in olive oil.

Fish oil, flax seed oil and polyunsaturated fats are considered "healthy" fats. Saturated fat – found in meats, milk and cheeses, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil – is considered a main cause of high cholesterol.

There are two types of monounsaturated fatty acids, "cis" and "trans," which are named according to their shapes. Trans-fatty acids are formed when vegetable oil is treated to make it less likely to go rancid and are found in many fried foods, baked goods and potato chips.

Cis monounsaturated fat is naturally occurring and is particularly high in canola and olive oil.

After 20 weeks on the diets, the mice that had the active ACAT2 enzyme and were fed saturated fat and both types of monounsaturated fat had higher levels of cholesterol and more atherosclerosis than the mice that were fed polyunsaturated fats.

All of the mice without the ACAT2 enzyme were protected against atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

"Regardless of the diet fed, the mice without ACAT2 were protected from atherosclerosis," said Rudel.

Eliminating ACAT2 did not interfere with the normal processing of cholesterol. ACAT2 is one of three enzymes that can change cholesterol into a form that can be more easily carried in blood. Studies in both mice and monkeys show that when cholesterol is altered by ACAT2, it is more likely to build up in blood vessel walls and cause atherosclerosis.

Rudel hopes to get funding to repeat the study in monkeys.

"If it works in monkeys, it would be proof of concept that it could work in humans," he said.

He also hopes the research will lead to a drug that can inhibit the enzyme’s actions in humans. Currently, there is a compound that can block ACAT2, but it must be injected so isn’t quite as practical as a drug. He is collaborating with a pharmaceutical company that is working to find a compound that could be taken orally.

Scientists already know that humans produce ACAT2 in the liver and that women have lower levels than men. Research has shown that estrogen can lower ACAT2 production, which may partly explain why women are less likely than men to get heart disease during their estrogen-producing years.

"All of these findings tell us that a potential treatment for protecting against heart disease is a compound that decreases ACAT2 activity," said Rudel.

The findings are reported online by Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology and will appear in a future print issue. (ANI)

Spitzer telescope captures images of 1000 galaxies
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington, (ANI): NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has captured images of more than a thousand previously unknown dwarf galaxies in a giant cluster of galaxies.

A team led by Leigh Jenkins and Ann Hornschemeier, both at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., used Spitzer to study the Coma cluster, an enormous congregation of galaxies 320 million light-years away in the constellation Coma.

The cluster contains hundreds of previously known galaxies that span a whopping 20 million light-years across.

Jenkins, Hornschemeier, and their collaborators used data from Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) to study galaxies at the cluster's centre. They also targeted an outlying region to compare the galaxy populations in the different locations and see how environmental variations influence the evolution of galaxies.

As part of the study, the team stitched together 288 individual Spitzer exposures, each lasting 70 to 90 seconds, into a large mosaic covering 1.3 square degrees of sky, and found almost 30,000 objects, whose catalog they plan to make available to the astronomical community soon.

However, a large fraction of these galaxies visible in the Coma cluster were found to be background galaxies.

“A surprising number turned out to be Coma galaxies. They appear to be comparable or even smaller in mass to the Small Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way's second largest satellite galaxy. About 1,200 of the 30,000 faint objects are dwarf galaxies in Coma, many more than have been identified in the past. Given that the observations only cover a portion of the cluster, the results imply a total dwarf galaxy population of at least 4,000,” said Jenkins.

Researchers said Spitzer made these discoveries possible because it can survey large areas of sky very effectively.

“Even better, infrared observations in space can probe more deeply than ground-based near-infrared surveys because the sky background is up to 10,000 times darker,” said Jenkins.

“With Spitzer's superb capabilities, we have suddenly been able to detect thousands of faint galaxies that weren't seen before," she added.

"We're blowing away previous infrared surveys of nearby clusters. Thanks to Spitzer, we can observe nearby clusters such as Coma very deeply in a short amount of time. The total observing time is comparable to just a few nights at a ground-based observatory,” said Hornschemeier.

The findings were presented Monday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. The discovery paper will appear in the Astrophysical Journal. (ANI)

Soy nuts may help reduce high blood pressure, cholesterol levels in women
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington, (ANI): Boffins have found that substituting soy nuts for other protein sources in a healthy diet might lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women, and reduce cholesterol levels in women with high blood pressure.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Francine K. Welty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston.

As part of the study, researchers assigned 60 healthy post-menopausal women to eat two diets for eight weeks each in random order.

The first diet, the ‘Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes’ (TLC) diet, consisted of 30 percent of calories from fat (with 7 percent or less from saturated fat), 15 percent from protein and 55 percent from carbohydrates, 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day, two meals of fatty fish (such as salmon or tuna) per week, and less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day.

The second diet had the same calorie, fat and protein content, but the women were instructed to replace 25 grams of protein with one-half cup of unsalted soy nuts.

Blood pressure and blood samples for cholesterol testing were taken at the beginning and end of each eight-week period.

Researchers found that high blood pressure was reduced in women taking the second diet plan.

"Soy nut supplementation significantly reduced systolic [top number] and diastolic [bottom number] blood pressure in all 12 hypertensive women and in 40 of the 48 normotensive women," the authors wrote.

"Compared with the TLC diet alone, the TLC diet plus soy nuts lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure 9.9 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, in hypertensive women and 5.2 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, in normotensive women,” the authors added.

Researchers also found that the soy diet also decreased levels of low-density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol by an average of 11 percent and levels of apoliprotein B (a particle that carries bad cholesterol) by an average of 8 percent in women with high blood pressure.

Cholesterol levels remained the same in women with normal blood pressure.

"A 12-millimeter of mercury decrease in systolic blood pressure for 10 years has been estimated to prevent one death for every 11 patients with stage one hypertension treated; therefore, the average reduction of 15 milligrams of mercury in systolic blood pressure in hypertensive women in the present study could have significant implications for reducing cardiovascular risk and death on a population basis," the authors wrote.

"This study was performed in the free-living state; therefore, dietary soy may be a practical, safe and inexpensive modality to reduce blood pressure. If the findings are repeated in a larger group they may have important implications for reducing cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women on a population basis," the writers concluded.

The findings of the study were published in the May issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)

Regular exercise may increase ‘good cholesterol’
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Washington, (ANI): A new study has found that regular exercise might modestly increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or ‘good cholesterol’.

HDL can remove cholesterol from atheroma within arteries and transport it back to the liver for excretion or re-utilization, which is the main reason why HDL-bound cholesterol is sometimes called good cholesterol.

A low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Satoru Kodama at Ochanomizu University, Tokyo.

As part of the study, researchers performed a meta-analysis of 25 articles reporting the results of randomised controlled trials that were published between 1966 and 2005 which included a total of 1,404 participants with an average age range of 23 to 75 years and an average study period of 27.4 weeks to assess the effects of exercise on HDL-C.

The exercise groups were told to exercise for an average of 3.7 sessions per week at an average of 40.5 minutes each, burning an average of 1,019 calories per week.

To be included in the analysis, the studies had to evaluate aerobic exercise in adults with an average age of 20 or older, specify HDL-C measurements at the beginning and end of the study, have a length of at least eight weeks, and randomly assign some participants to a group of exercisers and others to a control group of non-exercisers.

Researchers found that in all the studies combined, HDL-C increased by an average of 2.53 milligrams per decilitre in the exercise groups. The minimum amount of weekly exercise that appeared necessary to change HDL-C levels was 120 minutes or 900 calories burned. The effect of exercise was greater in those who had a higher total cholesterol level and in those with a body mass index of less than 28.

Only exercise duration, and not frequency or intensity, was associated with a change in HDL-C levels in the analysis. When the participants exercised for 23 to 74 minutes per session, each 10-minute increase in exercise duration corresponded to a 1.4-milligram per decilitre increase in HDL-C level.

"This suggests that in improving blood HDL-C values, increasing time per session is better than performing multiple brief exercise sessions when total time for exercise is limited, as is the case for many people," the authors wrote.

The findings of the study were published in the May issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)

Apple juice may help ward off asthma in kids
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

London, (ANI): Boffins have found out that children who gulp down a lot of apple juice might be protected from developing asthma.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr Peter Burney at the National Heart and Lung Institute.

As part of the study, researchers analysed schoolchildren who were five to 10-years-old in the Greenwich area of London.

Researchers asked their parents about their kid’s fruit consumption and whether they had any asthma symptoms.

The study found that although there was no connection between apple juice intake and a reduced possibility of an actual asthma diagnosis, there was a strong link wheezing and drinking the juice.

Researchers found that kids who took apple juice at least once daily were half as likely to experience wheezing as compared to those drinking it less than once a month.

Though wheezing does not necessarily lead to asthma, it is still a key sign which shows that a child is at an increased risk of the disorder.

The apple juice involved did not have to be fresh apple juice - long-life juices made from concentrate were also effective.

According to Burney, it was possible that 'phytochemicals' in apples, such as flavanoids and phenolic acids, were helping to soothe the inflammation in the airways which is an important feature of both wheezing and asthma.

"Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effects of apple juice from concentrate and bananas," the BBC quoted Burney, as saying.

According to Dr Mike Thomas, an Asthma UK researcher at the University of Aberdeen, the study emphasizes on the protective effect of apples.

Earlier a research at University of Aberdeen found that women who ate lot of apples while they are expecting mums might protect their unborn babies against asthma later on in life.

"There is some evidence that a healthy diet rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins is good for asthma. It is yet another reason why we should be encouraging a healthy diet,” Thomas said.

The findings of the study were published in the European Respiratory Journal. (ANI)

India-Nepal border sealed to stop Bhutanese refugees
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Panitanki (West Bengal), May 29 (ANI): Around 10,000 Bhutanese refugees gathered at the India-Nepal border in bid to return home using Indian soil, to participate in the mock election in Bhutan.

They sat in protest on a bridge that links the two countries, shouting slogans seeking passage.

The gate at the Indian end of the bridge was closed as Sashastra Seema Bal personnel sealed the border and stepped up security.

With the borders sealed, citizens of both sides have been left stranded.

"I wanted to go to Nepal. The policemen are not allowing us to go. They have put barricades, blocked the border," said Krishna Maya, a Nepali citizen.

The refugees, many of whom live in crowded camps in Nepal, want the right to return to their birthplace and take part in the democratic process, 17 years after being expelled for protesting against discrimination and in favour of democracy.

A handful of protestors belonging to the Samajwadi Party expressed sympathy with the Bhutanese refugees.

"Our aim is to support the movement for Bhutanese refugees to return to their country peacefully," said Surilam, a lawmaker.

Bhutan held a second "mock election" on Monday as a final dress rehearsal for the isolated Himalayan kingdom's transition to democracy next year after a century of royal rule.

The mock election, which began a month ago with four dummy parties running on imaginary manifestos, boiled down to a straight fight between the Druk (Thunder Dragon) Yellow Party and the Druk Red Party.

Former King Jigme Singye Wangchuk decided to hand over power to an elected government, against the will of many subjects, before passing his crown to his Oxford-educated son last December.

The mock poll is meant to teach voters and officials about the election process in a country slowly entering the modern world. (ANI)

Six killed in Jaipur police firing on protesting Gujjars
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Dausa (Rajasthan), May 29 (ANI): Two policemen were among six killed in police firing on thousands of Gujjars demanding Scheduled Tribe status for their community in Dausa here this morning.

The Gujjar community is included in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) list.

The police opened fire to disperse the 2,000-strong protesting Gujjars, when they turned violent.

The protestors blocked the Jaipur-Agra Highway.

The authorities have deployed 20,000 personnel from the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary along four state highways.

Several policemen were injured in the violence. The condition of a few of them was stated to be critical.

Additional forces have been called in to deal with the situation.

Rajasthan Home Minister G C Kataria has convened an emergency meeting to review the situation. (ANI)

CBSE announces Class Ten results for Delhi
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 29 (ANI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) today declared the Class Ten results for Allahabad, Delhi, Guwahati and Panchkula.

Schools can get their results by registering themselves with the websites www. results.nic.in, www.cbse.nic.in and www.cbseresults.nic.in .

The results are also available on various websites like http:// mtnldelhi.in, http:// bol.net.in and http://delhi.mtnl.net.in.

Besides, students can also access their results through Interactive voice Response System on telephone.

On Monday, the CBSE declared Class Ten results for Ajmer and Chennai.

Over seven lakh students, from India and abroad, appeared for the examinations this year.

The CBSE has already declared the Class Twelve results. For the first time, the CBSE has 80 percent of successful candidates in its list.

The average pass percentage was 80.64 percent, in which the girls again outshone the boys with their passing percentage being a little over 85 percent. The passing percentage among the boys remained 77 percent. (ANI)

UAE, India discuss security-related cooperation
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 28 (ANI): A seven-member delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), led by their Under Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Lt. General Saif Abdulla Al-Shaafar, held discussions with an Indian delegation, led by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta here today.

Issues of security-related co-operation between India and UAE were discussed during the meeting which lasted over an hour.

Both sides agreed to move forward meaningfully in this direction.

The delegation will now be having further detailed discussions with the concerned officers and agencies in the Government of India to work out details of agreements and institutional arrangements to carry forward this co-operation.

The UAE delegation also called on Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. (ANI)

Mahindra net profit down by 26.5 percent
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, May 28 (ANI): India's biggest tractor and utility vehicle producer, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd revealed today that its quarterly net profits fell by 26.5 percent.

Company officials said the drop was in line with market forecast created by rising interest rates and high raw-material costs. The fact that it also planned to launch two new models into the market was another factor for the drop in profits, a company release said.

Mahindra, which is the world's fourth-largest tractor maker, said net profit fell to 2.36 billion rupees in its fiscal fourth-quarter to end-March from 3.21 billion reported a year earlier.

A spokesperson of the company, however, said the company's turnover had touched new heights.

"The Auto volume was up by 15 per cent during the year and tractor volume was by 21 percent. In auto there is a significant increase in the export as well," the spokesman told reporters.

The company has announced its plans to launch two new models, a top official said.

"We have started working on SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) that will take us slightly up market to where we are with the product offerings. We are also looking for a mass-market platform for both cargo as well as passenger. And this vehicle will be launched form our Pune plant which was announced two months ago," Pawan Goenka, the president of the company's automotive sector, told reporters.

However, he did not give a time frame for the launch of the new models.

The company has registered 17.9 per cent increase in consolidated net profit for the year ended March 31, 2007.

According to a release issued by the company to the BSE today, the company's total income was up 41.6 per cent. (ANI)

India's economic growth not fully reflected in the quality of life: Kalam
Monday, May 28, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 28 (ANI): President A.P.J.Abdul kalam on Monday said that while he was happy to know that Indian economy is in the ascent phase and the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is growing at nearly nine percent per annum, economic growth was not fully reflected in the quality of life of large number of people, particularly in the rural areas and even in urban areas.

Addressing members and guests at a function to inaugurate the India Development Market Place 2007at the World Bank's New Delhi office, Kalam said efforts should be made for the "progressive reduction" of people living below the poverty line within the next 13 years, removing social inequities and encouraging a spirit of working together for the greater good.

"The World Bank, in partnership with Governments, is developing strategies to meet the development agenda of the nations. We (India) have evolved what is called "National Prosperity Index (NPI)" which is a summation of (a) Annual growth rate of GDP; - plus (b) improvement in quality of life of the people, particularly those living below poverty line plus (c) the adoption of value system derived from our civilizational heritage in every walk of life which is unique to India. That is NPI=a+b+c," he said.

"Progressive reduction from 220 million people who are present living below poverty line to near zero by 2020 by increasing their quality of life in terms of food, shelter, water, energy, infrastructure, education and health will be the indicators of the growth of 'b' in percentage.'C' is a function of promoting joint family system, creation of a spirit of working together, leading a righteous way of life, removing social inequities, and above all promoting a conflict free, harmonious society. The social status and civilizational heritage of societies being served is considered as an important component for integrated development," he added.

He said his interest in participating in this meeting arose from the focus of the programme towards sustainable rural development in India.

He said that he was happy to note that out of the 20 innovations selected in India Development Marketplace-2004 (IDM-2004), in which he had participated, two of them had found a place in Monday's exhibition -- one pertaining to dew harvesting for drinking water in coastal Gujarat and second being the Assam’s River Network Harnessing System for providing a medical delivery system to isolated regions.

Urging the World Bank to actively study the inovative practices conceived and reported by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Kalam said the bank could then "select a few that has potential to make a change in the life of the rural people."

"This approach will facilitate finding of solutions for rural problems in a natural way by keeping the local conditions in mind," he added.

He also spoke about his pet social tranformation project -- "Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) and its effect in areas like Vallam in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur District, in all the 65 villages in the Periyar PURA rural cluster and in Gumoria village in Assam, besides other places across the country.

"I have shared these experiences only to emphasize the need for World Bank to have a data base on development needs of a particular region through State machinery and also private agencies. This data base may assist World Bank to decide the choice of area of work for meeting the development agenda of a particular rural area," Kalam said in conclusion. (ANI)

CBSE announces Class Ten results for Ajmer and Chennai
Monday, May 28, 2007 | AA

New Delhi, May 28 (ANI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) today declared the Class Ten results for two zones - Ajmer and Chennai.

Students can see their results on their e-mail addresses after it is registered on www.cbse.nic.in, www.results.nic.in and www.cbseresults.nic.in.

Individual resul