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Indian corporates, banks hit by shrinking global credit: PM
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Indian corporates and banks have been hit by shrinking global credit dampening investor sentiment, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today asserting the government will take steps to sustain growth momentum.
In a meeting with captains of industry and business to assess the impact of global meltdown, he asked the industry not to show "knee-jerk reaction" such as large scale layoffs that may lead to a 'negative spiral'.
"The financial crisis has exacerbated a global downturn that was expected earlier but is now likely to be more severe and prolonged. A crisis of this magnitude was bound to affect our economy and it has.
"International credit has shrunk with adverse effects on our corporates and banks. Global uncertainty is also tending to dampen investor sentiment," he said.
India's first priority was to protect the financial system from possible loss of confidence or contagion effect.
"The situation is abnormal and we need to be constantly on the alert. The situation is being watched on a day to day basis and more steps will be taken if required," he said while assuring that "... Our banking system both in the public and private sector is safe and government stands behind it and no one should fear for the safety of bank deposits." The meeting was attended, among others, by Mukesh Ambani, K V Kamath, Shashi Ruia, Deepak Parekh, K P Singh, while Finance Minister P Chidambaram, RBI Governor D Subbarao and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia were also present.
During the meeting India Inc asked the Prime Minister to inject enough liqudity and ensure slashing of interest rates to drive the economy on a high growth trajectory. PTI
Maha police claims threat to Sachin;Central agencies surprised
Nagpur/New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Security around cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar was stepped up today following Maharashtra Police receiving reports from Central agencies of a threat to him from Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
However, intelligence sources in Delhi said they had not received any fresh input about any threat to Tendulkar other than in 2002.
The sources in security agencies said the Nagpur Police was referring to a warning issued by the Central security agencies in year 2002 when intelligence inputs suggested that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed may target him along with other VIPs.
The central security agencies officials were surprised when Nagpur Police Chief Praveen Dixit was seen on television making these claims prompting officials from the Home Ministry making frantic telephone calls to him asking about the source of the input. PTI
Focus on growth to beat slowdown blues, India Inc tells govt
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) India Inc today asked the government to pull out all stops to ensure availability of enough money to drive the economy on a high growth trajectory despite the global meltdown.
"Our stand has been consistent. We have been saying that the focus should come back within reasonable degree, no ambiguity, on the issue of growth," FICCI President Rajeev Chandrasekhar told reporters after a meeting of industry leaders with Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
"I stress again if we have to really address this issue (impact of global crisis on India) and move forward the focus of the government without any ambiguity (should be) on driving growth and all the fiscal and monetary policies must be inclined to deliver growth," he added.
Expressing similar views, CII President K V Kamath said: "If this country has to progress, we need to set what is the growth we want and the growth clearly the government has articulated is around 8 per cent. If that is so, we need to work back (and see) what is the interest rate that will drive this growth." Kamath said there is a need for a steep cut in interest rate and the government's steps to inject liquidity by cutting cash reserve ratio, repo rate and statutory liquidity ratio were signs that the government was willing to act.
"You inject liquidity you signal repo cut... Signs are very clear that the interest rate should follow. When it would follow I cannot say," he said.
Assocham President Sajjan Jindal said said government should increase spending in infrastructure projects and other key utility sectors that would ensure an 8 per cent GDP growth. PTI
EC directs Observers to ensure free and fair polls
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) With the nomination stage in some poll-bound states nearing completion, the Election Commission today gave directions to the Observers to fine-tune arrangements in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram.
Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami and the other two Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Quarishi briefed 530 Observers on the dos and don'ts to be followed by them in order to ensure free and fair polls in these states.
Besides overseeing the deployment of central police forces, the Observers have been told to examine the process of identification of critical polling stations and monitor the process of vulnerability mapping to check the threat and intimidation.
The Observers have also been specifically asked to tour their respective assembly constituency extensively and build confidence among weaker and disadvantaged sections, the EC said in a press release.
They would also constantly review execution of non-bailable warrants, recovery of illicit arms and collection of licensed arms from undesirable elections, it said.
The Observers would be assisted by the static Micro-Observers who would remain at the polling stations to observe and ensure the purity of the polling process, the release said.
While the two-phased polls in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 14 and 20, elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 27, Delhi on November 29, Mizoram on December two and Rajasthan on December 4.
Counting of votes in all the states will be taken up on December 8. PTI
80 kgs RDX used in Guwahati blasts
Guwahati, Nov 3 (PTI) Nearly 80 kg of deadly Research Development Explosive (RDX) was used in the October 30 serial blasts in Guwahati alone, officials said today as investigators worked on sketches of the suspects.
Forensic officials claimed that nearly 80 kg of RDX was used in the three Maruti cars planted at the three blast sites in Guwahati. The blasts that took place in several parts of the state claimed over 80 lives.
"Such large quantity of RDX were never used to carry out explosions in Assam before as Ammonium Nitrate, with plasticers as propellants and Programmable Time Devices (PTD) were usually used to carry out a blast," said Padmapani, the Joint Director in the Forensic Science Laboratory here.
Each of the cars were laden with 25 to 30 kgs of RDX to carry out the blasts and a total of 75 to 80 kgs was used to cause maximum damage, he said.
The officials said a maximum amount of explosives used for a single blast in the state was 10 kg at Dhemaji during the 2004 Independence Day which killed 13 people, including 10 school children.
Police have asked a Kolkata-based artist to prepare sketches of suspects involved in the blasts based on the eye-witnesses accounts.
The sketches are being prepared "in an organised manner under police supervision" and it would take some time to complete them, police said. PTI
On-field exchanges look worse from sidelines: Ponting
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Ricky Ponting has warned his teammates to be extra careful about their behaviour on the cricket field as it might look worse than it actually is from the sidelines.
"Some of those things don't look very good from the sidelines and us as players need to understand they can look worse from the sidelines than they might be on the field," Ponting said referring to some exchanges during the drawn third cricket Test against India at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
The match, which started with a heated exchanges between Gautam Gambhir, Shane Watson and Simon Katich, also saw Mitchell Johnson irking VVS Laxman on the fifth and final day.
Ponting defended Johnson, saying "There was no real malice from anything Mitchell had to say.
"It was about some of the comments that VVS had made in the newspapers, to tell the truth. That was all he was talking about. The umpires spoke to me and said it happened three times in the over, I think, and it wasn't acceptable. So I spoke to Mitchell at the break and that was it." Despite the regular incidents, Ponting said they were not a result of Australia's frustration at the inability to break through India.
"I'd like to think those things aren't getting to us on the field," he said. "We've got a pretty clear job to do." PTI
Kumble ends career in 19th spot
Dubai, Nov 3 (PTI) Legendary spinner Anil Kumble, who brought the curtains down on his illustrious 132-Test career yesterday after the third Test against Australia, signed off in 19th spot in the latest ICC Test rankings released here today.
Kumble is the only player to have retained his place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Ranking for Test bowlers, even though it is his lowest ranking since January 1993 when he had dropped out of the top 20 after the Test against South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town.
Despite being the third leading wicket-taker (619) in the history of Test cricket behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (756) and Australia's Shane Warne (708), Kumble never quite managed top spot though he has been a regular in the top 10.
His highest ranking was second which he achieved in November 1995 after the Chennai Test against New Zealand.
The 37-year-old stalwart also gained four places in the batting order and one place in the all-rounders' table to finish his career in 86th and 12th position, respectively.
India's pace duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma dropped two and five places to 15th and 36th place, respectively.
Pakistan's disgraced pacer Mohammad Asif shares the 15th spot.
Meanwhile, riding on his fine form with the bat in the ongoing Test series against Australia, Gautam Gambhir has zoomed 11 places to 18th spot while VVS Laxman moved five places to 11th, even as out-of-form Rahul Dravid crashed out of top 20 for the first time in 11 years. PTI
Only a player can judge when he should stop playing: Hick
Chandigarh, Nov 2 (PTI) Opposed to external pressure on senior players to quit, former England batsman Graeme Hick feels only a player could judge when he should stop playing.
"There is no better person than a player himself to take a decision on his retirement. I think there should be no pressure from any side and a player should judge it for himself," Hick, who has recently joined an ICL team, said during an interaction with the media here.
The 42-year-old Hick, who played 65 Tests and 120 ODIs and called time on his first-class career last month, said he had enough cricket before calling it a day.
Hicks, who is playing for the Chandigarh Lions, said increasing popularity of T20 cricket, especially among the youngsters, cannot erode the status enjoyed by Test cricket.
"I don't think anything can take the place of Test cricket. It is the pinnacle and important to world cricket and I don't think it will die. T20 provides a huge marketing tool and brings in money and the need is to find a way so that both can go hand in hand," he opined.
"The cricket administrators should use T20 as a tool to draw benefits but at the same time they should be careful in striking the balance with other formats." PTI
Brain programming behind wrong decisions in tennis: Research
New York, Nov 3(PTI) Researchers have confirmed what many tennis players have long complained that professional referees misjudge the balls which bounce off the line or close to it.
But they say it is not mere incompetence as some would allege but the result of programming of brain.
Researchers at UC Davis University in California found it is the result of brain's perception of the world lags a few milliseconds behind reality.
To compensate, brain estimates where the object should go next, based on its speed and direction of travel. Mostly those guesses work very well, but if the object is moving very fast and making sudden changes of direction -- like a bouncing tennis ball -- they can give the wrong answer.
While the brain is processing the image of a moving object received from the eyes, the object has already moved on, researchers led by David Whitney, associate professor at Center for Mind and Body and the Department of Psychology, found.
The common flaw in the visual system -- also known as a "perceptual bias"-- has rarely been documented in sports, the researchers say.
Whitney and his team reviewed a random set of 4,457 points from the 2007 Wimbledon tournament. All instances when the tennis ball landed close to or on the line were recorded, and three trained observers individually watched each play. They also examined instant replays. PTI
No retirement scheme for seniors, insists Kumble
Bangalore, Nov 3 (PTI) A day after announcing his retirement, Anil Kumble today refuted suggestions that he had been under pressure from the cricket establishment to quit and made it clear that there was no "retirement scheme" under which senior Indian stars were calling it a day.
"There was no talk of BCCI telling any player to retire. I don't think any player needs to be told about when to retire. It (the reported retirement plan) is all false," Kumble told a press conference here.
"Nobody told me when to retire. Sourav (Ganguly) took his decision, I took my own decision, there was no pressure. Let's leave it to the individuals. Criticism is fine but don't do it without reason. Don't start questioning the ability of the players. There is no retirement scheme, that's rubbish," he retorted when pressed on the issue.
Kumble's comments came in the wake of speculation that he was under pressure to announce his retirement and Ganguly, who is to retire at the end of the Nagpur Test this week, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had all been given a deadline by the Cricket Board to hang up their boots by the end of India-England series this year.
Kumble said his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni would prove to be a successful captain and Indian cricket was safe under his leadership.
"This is the right decision and now I hand over this role to Dhoni. We have a very able leader in him. Team is also looking very nice I am sure it will continue to move forward. Indian cricket is in safe hands," he said. PTI
Sarah Palin may be costing McCain, says new poll
Washington, Nov 3 (PTI) Her entry into the race for White House was seen as a breath of fresh air, but as the D-Day nears, Sarah Palin is growing less popular among voters and may be hurting Republican presidential nominee John McCain more than she is helping him, suggests a new survey.
Fifty-seven per cent of likely voters questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll said the Alaska Governor does not have the personal qualities a President should have, which is up eight points since September.
Fifty-three per cent said she does not agree with them on important issues. That is also higher than September.
"Just after the GOP convention in early September, 53 per cent said they would vote for Palin over Joe Biden if there were a separate vote for vice president. Now, Biden would beat Palin by 12 points if the running mates were chosen in a separate vote," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
If voters were allowed to vote for president separately, "it would be a 4-point edge for Barack Obama, 52 per cent to 48 per cent," he was quoted by the news network as saying.
"Since the McCain-Palin ticket is currently getting 46 per cent in a match-up against the Obama-Biden ticket, it looks like Palin's presence on the GOP ballot is taking 2 percentage points away from McCain. In a close race, that might represent the margin of victory," Holland said.
The unfavourable numbers for Palin have also been growing. They are eight points higher in the current poll than in early October and twice as high as they were when McCain announced his running mate in late August, the poll said. PTI
Several LTTE rebels killed as troops move into key area: Army
T V Sriram
Colombo, Nov 3 (PTI) Sri Lankan security forces have moved further into the strategic Akkarayankulam area in the LTTE stronghold of Kilinochchi as troops killed several LTTE cadres in operations in western part of the district, the officials said today.
"The clash in Kilinochchi left many LTTE cadres dead and many others injured," the defence ministry said, adding ground troops had confirmed the casualities.
Meanwhile, 57 Division troops continuing counter terrorist operations North of Akkarayankulama area in Kilinochchi, launched several offensives at LTTE positions reportedly inflicting serious damages to the LTTE, the defence ministry said.
Fighting at the battlefront has now shifted further into the Akkarayankulama built-up, approximately 3 km North of the Akkarayankulama Tank bund, it said.
Army snipers have also taken enemy targets in general area Theramurikandy, east of Akkarayankulama, the military said.
Army 59 division troops operating in the Mullaittivu battlefront further pushed their forward boundaries towards the Kumalamunai-Thannimurippukulam road during yesterday's operations, the defence ministry said.
Troops attacked two LTTE bunkers located in the Andankulam area in Mullaittivu and captured them last morning, it said.
Elsewhere, troops captured 81 mm mortar pit and 4 bunkers late on Sunday, it said adding troops confirmed heavy damages to the LTTE in both confrontations. PTI
Musharaf imposed emergency fearing adverse judgements:Chaudhry
Islamabad, Nov 3 (PTI) Former President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency last year as he feared the Supreme Court would rule against him contesting polls in uniform after the judiciary spurned his efforts to influence it, the deposed Chief Justice of the apex court said today.
Addressing a large gathering of lawyers in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on the first anniversary of the imposition of emergency, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said the measure was not endorsed by any assembly. The current assemblies, including ruling or opposition members, will also not endorse the measure, he said.
As the lawyers shouted slogans like "Go Zardari Go", Chaudhry said the people of Pakistan had declared "enough is enough" and wanted the supremacy of the constitution, rule of law and an independent judiciary.
Last year's emergency was actually "martial law" and was different from similar measures adopted by dictators in the past as it targeted only the media and judiciary, the former Chief Justice stressed.
Chaudhry said the foundation for the emergency was laid much earlier. The regime led by Musharraf and former premier Shaukat Aziz became upset when the apex court ruled against the privatisation of steel mills and took up the cases of political exile of political leaders Nawaz Sharif and late Benazir Bhutto, he said.
A petition seeking a bar on Musharraf holding the two offices of army chief and President and another seeking his disqualification in presidential polls for contesting while still in uniform also caused unease in the regime, Chaudhry underlined.
He said messages were conveyed to him by interlocutors acting on behalf of Musharraf that matters were in his hands and he could decide in Musharraf's favour if he wanted as such a move was "important for the country". He added: "I thought this was a very surprising demand." PTI
Obama marches ahead of McCain as campaign climaxes
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Nov 3 (PTI) Barack Obama, who stands on the threshold of history, is taking no chance in the critical State of Ohio where some polls have shown him in a narrow lead over his rival Republican John McCain as the campaign 2008 formally reaches its climax today.
Some political analysts are making the point that while the Illinois Democrat may be sitting pretty at an endorsement of more than 50 per cent of likely voters, the campaign cannot but be concerned at the tightening of the polls at the very last minute.
According to Chuck Todd, analyst with NBC News, Obama has a narrow 47 per cent to 44 per cent lead in Virginia; in Florida the lead has been consistent but small-- 47 to 45; Obama has posted a five point lead in Colorado; but in Ohio the tracking polls are showing McCain in a point advantage, 47 per cent to 45 per cent, over Obama.
Ohio is critical for McCain as no Republican has won the Presidency without winning Ohio.
Obama took to the stage in Cleveland in Ohio last evening and addressed his supporters.
Todd, on NBC's Meet The Press Programme yesterday, did not fail to mention of Obama's lead in the State of Nevada;a dead-heat in Missouri; and a small edge for Senator McCain in North Carolina.
"All of these polls, of course could change depending on what is the percentage of turnout among young voters, among African-Americans, among older voters, et cetera" Todd said.
But pollsters and pundits are not swaying Obama as he lashed out at the McCain track record especially on the Arizona Senator's links with the Bush White House. PTI
ICICI Bank to review interest rates in next few days: Kamath
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Enthused by government's commitment to act proactively and ensure more liquidity to promote economic growth, ICICI Bank Managing Director K V Kamath today promised to review interest rate in the next few days.
"We will review interest rates after watching the impact of RBI decision on liquidity. Finance Minister P Chidambaram has also said he will talk to PSU banks tomorrow," Kamath, who is also the President of CII, told PTI after meeting Chidambaram along with heads of FICCI and Assocham.
Confident that the economy would still grow by eight per cent this year, he said this would require liquidity, high morale and containment of inflation and "the government is willing to act 24X7 earnestly".
He said, "as a banker I say this... The government cannot actually on its part lower rates. The banks have to lower interest rates." Kamath, Ficci President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Assocham chief Sajjan Jindal met Chidambaram, shortwhile after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with the industrialists to take forward the growth agenda.
Emerging from the meeting, Jindal said, "Finance Minster has assured that there would be enough liquidity while containing inflation...There will be enough liquidity to see that demand flow starts." Pointing out that there is a need for a steep cut in interest rates if the country has to achieve a growth of 8 per cent, Kamath said "it is the interest rate that will drive this growth". PTI
PM asks industry to refrain from job cuts
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Amid fears of job cuts in the face of global economic crisis spilling over to India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the industry leaders to refrain from large scale layoffs.
"While every effort needs to be made to cut cost and raise productivity, I hope there will be no knee-jerk reaction such as large scale layoffs, which may lead to a negative spiral," the Prime Minister said in his interaction with corporate honchos here.
Advising the Indian corporates not to let the global crisis shake their confidence, the Prime Minister said the industry "should bear in mind their societal obligations in coping with the effects of the crisis".
Singh's remarks on avoiding layoffs come within days of an Assocham report that created a scare of large-scale job cuts. While the industry body has since withdrawn the report, the government is concerned over the impact of slowdown on employment.
It was only after the government expressed its concern over Jet Airways firing 1,900 employees, the country's largest private sector airlines reinstated the staff.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray had also threatened not to let the airlines operate in Mumbai if it had not withdrawn the sack order for employees.
Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta asked the industry to avoid firing staff. "They (industry) have seen good period for the last four years. This is a different kind of situation. They should try to retain the people as much as possible and for as long as they can," Gupta said on Friday. PTI
Export growth plunges to 10.4 pc on global slowdown
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Global financial turmoil and recessionary tendencies in major economies have impacted India's export growth, which slowed to 10.4 per cent in September even as the country increased its imports by 43.3 per cent over September 2007.
Outward shipments, which rose by 27 per cent in August, saw growth plunging to 10.4 per cent in September as the world bought less of Indian goods. Exports for September totalled USD 13.74 billion.
According to the official data released today, exports in rupee terms were up 24.7 per cent to Rs 62,541 crore.
Imports jumped 43.3 per cent in September to USD 24.38 billion, more than one-third of which was accounted for by oil imports. With global oil prices soaring, the country paid 57.1 per cent more for oil imports at USD 9.09 billion.
Non-oil imports saw 36.2 per cent growth to USD 15.28 billion.
Trade deficit - surplus of imports over exports - more than doubled to USD 10.63 billion in September as opposed to USD 4.55 billion deficit in the same month the previous year.
Export expansion in the first six months of the current fiscal was 30.9 per cent to USD 94.97 billion while imports climbed 38.5 per cent to USD 154.74 billion.
A 60 per cent higher payout for buying oil at USD 55.06 billion was single-largest reason for the soaring import bill for April-September. Non-oil imports during the period increased 29.3 per cent to USD 99.68 billion.
Trade deficit in April-September was estimated at USD 59.77 billion as against USD 39.1 billion in the same period the last fiscal. PTI
Sensex regains 10k mark, rises by 544 points in early trade
Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) The benchmark Sensex today regained 10,000-points mark and surged by 544 points in early trade on heavy buying by funds as well as retailers, sparked by RBI's announcement of fresh set of measures to infuse more liquidity into the financial system.
The 30-share index, which gained almost 1,200 points in the past three sessions, shot up by another 544.00 points or 5.56 per cent at 10,332.06 on renewed buying in the stocks of banking, capital goods, metals and oil and gas sectors.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange's Nifty also rose by 158.80 points, or 5.43 per cent, at 3,044.40 points.
Marketmen said appreciating Indian rupee, which strengthened by almost one per cent to 48.99 a dollar today, also impacted the trading sentiments.
The sentiments turned bullish after the Reserve Bank slashed CRR, the amount which banks have to park with it, by one per cent to 5.5 per cent, while the repo rate, at which the central bank lends to banks, was cut by 0.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent.
Stock analysts said rate cut will improve much needed liquidity in the financial sector, triggering all-round buying by funds.
They said banking sector stocks were leading the rally, contributing major support to the Sensex. Banking sector stocks shot up by 375.33 points, or 7.49 per cent.
Among banking stocks, ICICI Bank surged by 9.23 per cent at Rs 436.20, State Bank of India rose by 7.80 per cent at Rs 1,196.05.
Besides, ACC, Bharti Airtel, BHEL, DLF Ltd, HDFC Bank, HDFC Ltd, Infosys Technologies, Satyam Computers, Reliance Industries, Reliance Infra, RCom and Ranbaxy also moved up.
Meanwhile, among other Asian equity markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up by 4.8 per cent in early trade today. PTI
Bank stocks surge 8 pc on additional liquidity infusion by RBI
Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) Bank stocks today advanced as much as eight per cent in the morning trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange, buoyed by the Reserve Bank of India's move to infuse additional liquidity into the economy by reducing key rates.
The index of banking stocks Bankex today opened at 5,312.07 points and rallied further to an intra-day high of 5,414.45, up 8.04 per cent from the previous close. It was later quoting at 5,349.65 points, a high of 6.75 per cent.
Led by the largest private sector lender,ICICI Bank, which surged 10.43 per cent, the shares of all major lenders soared in the range 7-10 per cent.
ICICI Bank touched an intra-day high of Rs 441. It was later trading at Rs 432, up 8.18 per cent, while HDFC Bank soared 7.26 per cent at Rs 1,098.
Axis Bank gained 8 per cent, and Yes Bank 16 per cent, on the BSE.
The country's largest lender, State Bank of India, surged 9.51 per cent to touch the day's high of Rs 1,215. It was later trading at Rs 1,195, up 7.71 per cent. Over 1.27 lakh shares changed hands on the BSE.
Punjab National Bank's stock jumped nearly 8 per cent to Rs 452 in the early trade and was later quoting at Rs 445.30. Other major PSU gainers were Bank of India (8.41 per cent) and Federal Bank (12 per cent) Meanwhile, Finance Minister P Chidambaram supported the RBI's latest policy package to infuse additional liquidity as a signal for a cut in interest rates. He is scheduled to meet PSU bankers tomorrow, where he would ask them to consider lowering lending rates. PTI
I am open to Bollywood offers: Daniel Craig
Bedika
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Picture this, 007 agent Daniel Craig shaking a leg to a Bollywood song and belting out trademark Hindi dialogues.
This might no longer sound unreal as the new Bond has shown eagerness to make a debut in Bollywood.
"I am open to offers from India but unfortunately till now nothing has been put across me by the film fraternity of India," Craig told PTI in an email interview.
The actor, however, admits that he has not seen any Indian film so far but he is overwhelmed by the love of Indian fans.
"Till now I haven't been fortunate enough to get hold of an Indian movie. But yes, I will be very honoured and excited to work with an Indian actor or actress on any given chance. I also feel very obliged for the immense popularity which I enjoy in this part of the world," he says.
After making his presence felt with "Casino Royale", Craig would be seen in an entirely new avatar in "Quantum of Solace", which is releasing in India on November 7.
"Quantum of Solace" will be releasing in India a week before its release in US.
"People would witness the biggest roll-out for any Hollywood film in India since we will give our audiences the thrill of experiencing 'Quantum of Solace' even before the US and due to some distribution strategies," the actor says.
He also hopes that the film will find favours with the audiences in India.
"Bond films have always been liked by audiences world wide and we expect that it would rule the box office and hearts of Bond fans too." PTI
MNS fear: Bhojpuri film industry may shift out of Mumbai
Kamal Narayan
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Raj Thackeray's tirade against north Indians could end up hurting Maharashtrians working in the over Rs 200-crore Bhojpuri film industry as it considers moving out of Mumbai owing to increasing insecurity.
With an average output of 75 movies per annum and an over 250 million target audience, the Bhojpuri film industry employs hundreds of unskilled and semi-skilled people from the state in various stage of production and distribution.
The industry, which has around 50 registered production houses in Mumbai, has initiated talks with some state governments like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for its set up.
"We have given a proposal to the Uttar Pradesh government through its Culture Minister Subhash Pandey for setting up the industry in Lucknow. Besides, we are also counting on some other options like Delhi, Noida and Patna," Bhojpuri superstar and producer Manoj Tiwari told PTI.
The actor was of the opinion that shifting the industry to Uttar Pradesh or Bihar would also lead to employment for speakers of the language.
Tiwari said that despite employing a large number of Maharashtrians, the Bhojpuri film industry was still being targeted for "our connection with north India, even though Bhojpuri films have their audiences across the country." "We are living under the shadow of fear in Mumbai. MNS goons even target us during outdoor shootings. We are not secure here," he said.
The actor said he had to stop shooting for one of his movies featuring Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff at Satara when some suspected MNS activists attacked the unit. The shooting was later completed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. PTI
Animated Chandamama story on big screen soon
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) An adventure fable sourced from the vast collection of stories from popular children's magazine Chandamama would be out on big screen soon.
The monthly has tied up with Thiruvanthapuram-based Toonz Animation Ltd to produce a full length animated feature film based on a story from the vast library of Chandamama on an estimated budget of Rs 200 million.
"We have entered into a deal with Chandamama where we will go through their entire library of over 15000 stories and select a suitable one to be made into an a 90-minute animated flick," says Divas Sadasivan of Toonz Animation.
The move is part of the expansion plans of the children's monthly which has already ventured online with its website and runs a 4 hour radio programme broadcasting legendary stories from the magazine every Sunday on a private FM station in Chennai. Soon the stories would be also made available on mobile phones too.
"Creative teams from both companies would work jointly and select one story most probably bearing towards adventure which would be then scripted for the movie," J Subramanyam, CEO of Chandamama told PTI.
"The emphasis worldwide is on content that has local appeal. In animation most of the work has been on characters that are mythological. We wanted to do something different and since Chandamama is loved by children and adults alike we think this film would appeal to a wider audience and more people would be tempted to watch," says Sadasivan.
Toonz, which has previously worked on fully animated films such as 'Hanuman Returns' and a 2D animated television series 'The adventure of Tenali Raman' says it now wants to move away from mythology. PTI
Safety of working women, never a priority
Archana Jyoti
New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) Not only have they stormed many a male bastion but also do not hesitate to undertake duties that require them work at late hours - an adventure indeed in the metros.
As periodic attacks on women employees hit the headlines, women activists and employees feel safety of women working late hours has never been priority of any government.
Be it Delhi where recently a television journalist was found murdered or Mumbai or Chennai or Bangalore - the story is the same - the safety index is going down.
The truth is that safety of women working for late hours has never been a priority for the concerned stakeholders including employers, feel working women.
Many feel that television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan could have been saved had a proper system in place to ensure that she and many like her those working till late hours reach safe and sound after on the job.
A recent study conducted by the ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation (ASDF) in all the major metros says that about 53 per cent of working women feel insecure, especially during night shifts.
"Vishwanathan's murder by some unidentified assailants on a deserted roads has once again triggered a debate on the need for safety of the women," says a female journalist with a news channel.
Requesting not to be named she says many times she had driven on the desolate stretches and Soumya's murder comes haunting back as she drives out at late hours. At least what could have been assured was effective police petrolling, she feels. PTI
Digest of domestic news for the week Oct 25-Oct 31
Saturday
Bhubaneswar: Facing criticism from the nun allegedly raped during the Kandhamal violence about lack of faith in a Orissa police probe, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik says the victim can choose a venue to carry out the vital test identification parade anywhere in the country.
On Board PM's Special Aircraft: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says General elections will be held on schedule discounting talk of the polls being held a few months before it is due in May next year.
Sunday Chennai/New Delhi: The cloud of threat to UPA government from DMK over Sri Lankan Tamils issue lifts as Chief Minister M Karunanidhi assured External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee that he would not create any problem for the ruling alliance even as Sri Lanka assured India that safety of Tamilians in that country was being taken care of.
Bangalore: Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft enters deep space after crossing the 1,50,000 km distance mark from the Earth.
Monday New Delhi: Gujarat police secures the custody of five Delhi serial blasts accused from a court here, claiming "clinching" evidence against them in the synchronised terror attacks in Ahmedabad.
Mumbai: A young pistol-wielding man from Bihar who claimed he had come to Mumbai to kill MNS leader Raj Thackeray is shot dead by police in a double-decker BEST bus after he opens fire and threatened passengers in an incident that quickly triggered a political row.
Tuesday Mumbai: A retired army officer is among two persons arrested in connection with Malegaon September 29 bomb blast, ive days after sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and two others were held in the case.
New Delhi: Fireworks illuminated the evening sky and earthen lamps dotted the houses as Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated across the country with traditional fervour and gaiety.
Wednesday Mumbai: In a suspected attack as part of the campaign against north Indians in Maharashtra, a 25-year- old Uttar Pradesh migrant dies after being beaten up in a local train by fellow commuters, who allegedly picked up a fight with him and his three friends, police say.
Ludhiana: A six-seater aircraft of Punjab government crashes here killing its pilot and co-pilot, who prevented damage on ground by steering the plane away from a crowded industrial area after it developed a technical fault.
Thursday Guwahati: 61 people are killed and about 470 injured in serial blasts in Guwahati and three other districts of Assam as suspected HuJI militants struck terror in the hub of North-East, considered by far the worst attack.
New Delhi: The anti-North Indian campaign by MNS chief Raj Thackeray comes under severe attack at the union cabinet meeting with strong demands made for his arrest under National Security Act as also a judicial inquiry into the killing of two youth from Bihar and UP youth in the state.
Friday Bhubaneswar: A week after a nun claimed that police remained mute spectators while she was being allegedly raped during the Kandhamal violence, the Orissa government suspends five policemen including an assistant sub-inspector for dereliction of duty.
Guwahati: Investigating agencies question over 20 people as they probed a possible HuJI-ULFA link behind the deadly serial blasts in Assam which claim 77 lives, while curfew is clamped in worst-hit Ganeshguri here after protesters go on a rampage. PTI
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