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Cong appeals to Shekhawat to withdraw from contest
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Congress today sought to embarrass Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by appealing to him to withdraw from Presidential race in order to ensure a woman to occupy the highest office for the first time.
"A woman is contesting after so many years. It is our tradition that the elder bless the younger people," Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters here.
Dasmunsi, who is also election representative of UPA-Left Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil, said that Shekhawat should resign from Vice Presidentship taking a cue from her who quit as Rajasthan Governor before filing nomination papers. PTI
Expect more from Tendulkar, says Dravid
Belfast, June 27 (PTI) Captain Rahul Dravid believes Sachin Tendulkar's valiant 99 in the first ODI against South Africa is only the start of a successful tour of the UK for the veteran batsman.
"Sachin (Tendulkar) probably realises like everyone else that this is probably the last time he will be touring the UK. He is very keen to have a good tour of England," Dravid said after India's four-wicket loss on Tuesday.
Tendulkar was run out on 99 in India's 242 for eight, which the South Africans overhauled without much discomfort with the help of captain Jacques Kallis' unbeaten 91.
Apart from Tendulkar and Dravid, who made 74 during the duo's 158-run stand for the third wicket, Piyush Chawla was the other key performer for India.
The 18-year-old leg-spinner picked 3-47, his third three-wicket haul in as many matches after his 3-37 against Bangladesh last month and 3-29 against Ireland on Saturday.
"This time around, he (Chawla) bowled against some experienced players and gave a good account of himself," Dravid said while praising his rookie bowler.
"The conditions were not perfect for spin bowling. It was difficult to grip the ball because it was really cold." PTI
Rice to address US India Business Council
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, June 27 (PTI)Expected to dwell at the opportunities and challenges in the bilateral relationship, the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be making an address to the United States India Business Council to mark the organisation's 32nd Anniversary.
Dr. Rice is one of three top hitters of the Bush administration making their way into the US Chamber of Commerce Building near the White House today, the two others being the Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and the US Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
The senior administration officials are expected to talk about the progress in the bilateral relationship that has added significant width and depth in the last few years starting with the second term of the Clinton administration.
Dr. Rice's keynote address will be on "Uniting Two Great Democracies for 21st century".
The USIBC will also be hearing from India's Minister for Commerce Kamal Nath who is scheduled to have a media interaction tomorrow.
The Council that has as its members the top of the American industry and business will also be honouring the head of the Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani and the Boeing Chief James McNerney with Leadership Awards for "Global Vision".
The USIBC Summit got off to a grand start yesterday evening with a dinner at the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts that featured a Sarod recital by Maestro Amjad Ali Khan accompanied by his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan. PTI
Indian companies set to go global: study
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Foreign Direct Investment by Indian Companies is all set to increase by 15 per cent per annum over the next five years, says a new research.
India's share of global outward investment (FDI, mergers and acquisitions) has trebled over four years and outbound activity in 2006 alone increased by 26 per cent, 'Global Outbound FDI Potential of Indian Companies 2007' a new study from Oxford Intelligence points out.
The report forecasts continued growth averaging 15 per cent over the next five years adding that this year will see growth of 19 per cent on activity on 2006.
North America, in particular, is expected to emerge as a 'hot spot' for Indian outward investment, with levels of activity trebling over the next five years, it says.
"Although discussion about India today tends to focus on the growing tide of foreign companies looking to establish operations in the country through direct investment, joint ventures or through outsourcing, today's Indian companies have a truly global vision and are becoming an increasingly important source of outbound investment," Michel Lemagnen, Director, Oxford Intelligence research was quoted as saying in a Press Release issued through AsiaNet.
"The removal in 2005 of key restrictions on Indian companies' ability to expand internationally triggered a sharp increase in overseas expansion. The country's top companies are now in an extremely healthy position in terms of cash, profitability and financing capacity and their potential for international investment, through both M&As and FDI, for the next few years is extremely favourable," he added. PTI
Sensex falls 70 pts led by metal scrips
Mumbai, June 27 (PTI) The benchmark Sensex fell by over 70 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange today on heavy selling by funds mainly in the metal segment.
The Sensex, which remained volatile at an initial stage closed with a loss of 70.02 points at 14,431.06. It moved between 14,520.19 and 14,407.12 points during the intra-day trading.
Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty lost 21.75 points at 4,263.95, after touching the day's high of 4,294.20 points and a low of 4,255.25.
The downward movement of the markets was led by metal stocks, taking a cue from the London Stock Exchange where base metal prices witnessed a fall. PTI
Australian Cos to invest USD 4.5 billion dollars in India
Coimbatore,Jun27 (PTI) Investments to the tune of USD 4.5 billion are expected to come into India from Australia in the coming years, a senior Australian diplomat has said.
Already more than USD one billion investments have come into India from Australian companies, and the new investments would make the Nation the fourth largest investor in India,up from seventh, Aminur Rahman, Consul General and Trade Commissioner of Australia in India, said during an interactive session organised by CII last night, here.
The bilateral trade between two countries has crossed usd 10 billion and was expected to double in the next three years The Australian Consulate General Office was opened in Chennai five months ago, due to increased bilateral trade, especially from South India, and also to give a focussed attention to the region, Rahman said.
Agriculture sector in India can capitalize on the Australian Post Harvest Technology and highly sophisticated farm management system to bring down the losses, which were 30 to 40 per cent.
By reducing the post-harvest losses, India can become self-sufficient in the sector, Rahman said adding Australia was recognised as having one of the most sophisticated agri business in the World because of its strict quarantine and inspection measures. PTI
PTC India to raise Rs 1,200 cr to fund expansion
Mumbai, June 27 (PTI) Power trading firm PTC India today said it will raise Rs 1,200 crore through issue of securities to fund its expansion plans.
The board of directors of the company at its meeting today approved the resolution entailing raising of funds to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore, subject to shareholders' approval, PTC India said in a communique to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
"The requirement of funds for expansion of the company's existing business be agreed to and is recommended to the next AGM for necessary enhancement of equity base," the company said.
Shares of PTC India were trading at Rs 64.65, up 3.61 per cent on the BSE in afternoon trade. PTI
CII expects greater Indo-UK relations after Brown takeover
H S Rao
London, Jun 27 (PTI) The Confederation of Indian Industry expects an upswing in the Indo-UK bilateral relations under new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"It will be a stepped up relation, not stepped down relation," President of CII, Sunil Bharti Mittal said here last night.
Mittal and Phiroz Adi Vandrevala, Co-Chair of Indo-British Partnership told reporters Gordon Brown's visit to India as Chancellor in January this year was "extremely positive." "He will be an extremely good friend of India as Prime Minister," Vandrevala, Executive Vice President of Tata Consultancy Services said.
Mittal noted that the outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair was a "great friend of India" and a popular one too. "During his visit to India, he was all praise for India, its IT and Biotechnology achievements and India as a knowledge society." Under Brown, "it will be a stepped up relation, not stepped down relation," Mittal said.
Mittal, Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises, is leading a 12-member CII delegation to UK and held, during the last two days, a series of discussions with UK businesses inviting them to invest in India, particularly in infrastructure and food industry.
Asked about progress in implementing the tie up between Bharti Enterprises and American WalMart, Mittal said a formal agreement on their joint venture would be signed "fairly soon" and most probably next month. PTI
Dortmund Chess: Viswanathan Anand draws yet again
From Our Chess Correspondent Dortmund (Germany), Jun 27 (PTI) Viswanathan Anand drew with Boris Gelfand of Israel in the third round to maintain his joint second position at the Dortmund Super Grandmasters Chess Meet underway here.
Anand is tied second with four others at 1.5 points apiece, half point adrift of the tournament leaders Vladimir Kramnik and Evgeny Alekseev, both Russian, in the seven round prestigious event.
Draw was the order of the day after the competition resumed followoing a rest day at the Dortmund as none of the four games produced a decisive result and the tournament standings remained unchanged.
World Champion Vladimir Kramnik drew against third seeded GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan to stay in the lead. Alekseev drew with Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen while Peter Leko split point with Arkadij Naiditsch, who is lying joint third with Gelfand.
Anand, playing black pieces against Gelfand, once again relied on the Semi Slav defense as in his first round game against Kramnik, and had little difficulty in obtaining equality from the opening after some clever tactical play.
The players exchanged three minor pieces and reached a position with a symmetrical pawn structure. Anand held an advantage in space but did not fancy his winning chances due to reduced material on the Board. The players agreed to split the point on the 21st move.
Mamedyarov adopted a quiet system against the Kramnik's Queens Indian defence. Kramnik accepted hanging pawns to increase the scope of his pieces and a thrilling battle appeared to be on the cards.
Morgan to become next ICC President: report
London, Jun 27 (PTI) England and Wales Cricket Board Chairman David Morgan is set to take over as next President of the International Cricket Council in 2008, according to BBC.
A formal announcement to this effect is expected later in the week as ICC officials are holding a series of meetings here ahead of the ICC's Annual Conference at Lord's on Friday.
Morgan will succeed acting ICC President Ray Mali till 2010 after a compromise deal struck with BCCI President Sharad Pawar, his only rival for the top post of the world governing body, that the two would hold the hot seat when England and India host major cricketing events.
England will host Twenty20 World Championships in 2009 while India will co-host the 2011 World Cup along with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"Both of them will become vice-president, in effect president elect," BBC said.
The nominations of both Pawar and Morgan were not put forward by an ICC Committee as neither of the two had requisite two-third of the majority in February as a result of which Percy Sonn's tenure was extended till 2009.
But when Mali was appointed following Sonn's death in May, the search for a compromise was stepped up with a view to a permanent replacement taking over next year. PTI
ESPN-STAR to to telecast 157 days of cricket
New Delhi, June 27 (PTI) Fans can look forward to a cricketing extravaganza as ESPN STAR Sports prepares to telecast India's tour of England and Australia and the inaugral Twenty20 World Cup.
ESPN-STAR will telecast 157 days of cricket from June 2007 to September 2008 which also includes the Asia Cup 2008 and the ICC Champions' Trophy scheduled next year.
India will play four Test matches and seven one-day internationals against England starting next month.
This will be followed by the telecast of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September, India's tour of Australia involving four Tests and a tri-series with also involving Sri Lanka will also be telecast on the network.
ESPN STAR Sports will also be showcasing action from Pakistan in the Asia Cup, involving 13 One-day Internationals in the month of May 2008. PTI
India fined for slow over-rate against Ireland
Belfast (Ireland), Jun 27 (PTI) Indian cricket team has been fined for its slow over-rate during its nine-wicket victory against Ireland in its one-day international match on June 23 here.
Match Referee Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel imposed the fines after Rahul Dravid's side was ruled to be one over short of its target at the scheduled finish of the Ireland innings, an International Cricket Council press release said here today.
"In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct regulations governing over-rate penalties, players are fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.
As such, Dravid was been fined 10 per cent of his match fee while each of his players received five per cent fines.
For such offences, the decision of the ICC match referee is final and binding. PTI
Ghei gears up for Japan challenge
Tokyo, June 27 (PTI) Riding on a wave of success with a win and two top-10 finishes this season, Gaurav Ghei is all set for a new challenge as he makes his debut at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship starting tomorrow.
Ghei will start his Japan sojourn at the Shishido Hills Country Club, located about 90 minutes northeast of Tokyo and rated as one of the toughest on the Japan Tour.
"It is a fantastic course and it is in immaculate condition. It is going to be a great test of golf and I think the guy who wins this week will be absolutely be in control of all aspects of his game.
"It is really long and you really have to drive the ball well. If you miss the fairway you are going to have a tough time even making bogeys because the rough is so thick. Even if you hit the fairways you will have some testing second shots," Ghei said.
The Delhi-golfer admitted that it would not be easy to sink in birdies here and he would be aiming to keep things steady by focussing on his driving.
"I am looking forward to it though. I have been driving the ball well, so hopefully I can continue to drive the ball well this week and just keep it in play and keep making pars. It is going to be tough making birdies out here.
"Visually it is also a bit intimidating when you are standing on the tee and looking at these tight fairways and thick rough. It is going to be a good challenge mentally also, just focusing on going through with your shot and not focusing on all the trouble," he said.
Currently seventh on the UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit, Ghei received a sponsors' invite to the event in recognition of his performance this season. PTI
Four Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip
Jerusalem, Jun 27 (PTI) At least four Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip, hospital sources said.
Two of them were killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza City which also left several others injured.
Two Islamic Jihad militants were also killed, one east of Gaza City and one during military operations in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Hamas radio earlier claimed that the Islamic Jihad militant killed east of Gaza City had died during an air strike.
Israel confirmed that it had launched military operations on the ground in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, but denied having launched air raids.
"The army was active today morning in the Gaza Strip, and shots were exchanged in the south of the region," an Israeli military spokesman said.
The spokesman also reported an army operation during night in the northern West Bank town of Jenin during which a member of the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad was wounded and arrested. PTI
300 detained after discovery of bomb in Sri Lanka
Colombo, Jun 27 (PTI) Sri Lankan police today detained around 300 people following a pre-dawn swoop after the discovery of a powerful mine near an oil storage facility here.
Heavily armed constables carried out the mass arrests at Obesekarapura, near the Kolonnawa oil storage complex, police said adding that the operation was launched after yesterday's discovery of a 20-kilogram bomb.
It was the third Claymore mine found in Colombo this month, the defence ministry said.
Police said about 250 women were among those detained this morning. Only about 100 out of the total 300 detained were held for further questioning. PTI
Americans favour Obama over Clinton as President: poll
New York, Jun 27 (PTI) Young Americans are mainly familiar with only two presidential hopefuls-- Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barak Obama-- both seeking Democratic party nominations, and favour Obama over Clinton, a new poll shows.
The poll, conducted by the New York Times, CBS News and MTV, found that 43 per cent of the respondents between the ages of 17 and 29 have unfavourable view of Clinton compared with only 19 per cent for Obama.
That, the authors said, reflects the tide resistance she faces among voters nationwide.
The fact that a significant number of respondents said they were enthusiastic about just two of the candidates-- Obama and Clinton-- to a certain extent reflects the fact that both candidates have been the subject of a huge amount of national attention and have presented the country with historic candidacies, they conclude.
Obama is running to be the first black president and Clinton to become the first woman. However, other candidates could begin drawing attention from this group as the campaign takes a higher platform.
More than half of the respondents-- 54 per cent-- said they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008.
They share with the public at large a negative view of President Bush, who has a 28 per cent approval rating with this group, and of the Republican Party, the authors said.
They hold a markedly more positive view of Democrats than they do of Republicans. PTI
Rights group asks Iran to protect rights of women and girls
New York, Jun 27 (PTI) An international human rights organisation, working to protect the rights of girls and women, has asked Iran to reverse all current sentences of death by stoning and outlaw such "violent and inhuman" punishments.
"Until that is done, the women and men sentenced to death by stoning will continue to face a very real and constant threat of an imminent cruel and brutal death," executive director of the group Equality Now, Taina Bien-Aime, said yesterday.
The organisation's statement comes in the wake of suspension of stoning of an Iranian woman and man which was scheduled to take place on June 21.
On June 21, 2007, Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and the unnamed father of her 11-year old child were to be stoned to death in Takistan, Ghazvin for having a child out of wedlock.
Ebrahimi and her partner have already served 11 years in prison. Intense advocacy efforts and rapid responses by Iranian groups, international organisations and individuals played a critical role in averting the brutal punishment.
But Equality Now said the stoning sentence of Ebrahimi and her partner is still legally in effect and it is only the implementation of the sentence that has been suspended.
It continues to be very concerned about the safety of Ebrahimi, her partner and several others like them including Kobra Najjar, who are in prison, having been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, and are awaiting the dates when they might be "brutally" executed, the human rights watchdog said. PTI
Bangla may allow parties to convene councils despite ban
Dhaka, June 27 (PTI) The interim government in Bangladesh has hinted at allowing political parties to convene special councils to carry out internal reforms as dissident leaders floated plans to 'democratise' their respective parties.
"We will consider requests from the political parties to hold councils to bring about reforms in their respective parties relaxing bans under emergency rule," Communications Adviser Major General (retd) MA Matin said yesterday.
Matin said the political parties should be reformed to help the development of the country and denied of imposing any condition on the parties.
Incidentally, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is rolling out reform plans discarding Khaleda Zia while senior Awami League leaders are finalising proposals to amend the party constitution clipping party chief Sheikh Hasina's absolute authority.
Meanwhile, ex-military ruler HM Ershad faced a surprise rebellion within his Jatiya Party (JP) with his wife, declaring herself as the JP chief and announced his expulsion saying "a single person cannot run the party for long". PTI
SAD? Virtual Reality therapy can help
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) At the thought of addressing a classroom or alarger auditorium packed to its capacity some people break out into a sweat, their legs turn to jelly, and their hearts begin to pound wildly or go light-headed.
Glassophobia, or the fear of public speaking is one of the many phobias that are associated with a medical condition called Social Anxiety Disorder of SAD, the third largest mental health care problem in the world, that affects roughly around 200 million people in India according to estimates by the WHO.
Now a US-based company called Illumenta has introduced a Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) that will recreate situations, which are most feared and use a combination of desensitisation techniques that would if used over a prolonged period of time gradually help people tide over any type of phobia, fear or addiction.
In VRET those who are afraid of speaking up in front of a large audience, are made to stand on a makeshift podium and given the necessary paraphernalia of goggles, headset and earphones to wear and all lights are dimmed. "A typical classroom with noisy students and blaring music comes up before the client and he or she feels as if they are really standing inside a classroom," says Manish Bhan President and CEO of Illumenta.
Anxiety is developed due to the conditioning that a person receives, says Dr Tulika Mehta Aggarwal, clinical psychologist, who has worked with a select small group of clients on a trial basis for the VRET technique. PTI
The satellite revolution in film distribution
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, June 27 (PTI) From celluloid prints to digital format, the Indian cinema and its distribution channel has come a long way. But, now taking a step further, the Indian cinema industry is slowly turning a new leaf in the distribution network, 'satellite distribution of movies." "India is a country with diverse geographical conditions and difficult terrain. Hence, satellite delivery takes care of all logistical problems associated with film distribution and exhibition. It ensures that even the remotest corners of the country receive all films - first day, first show. Also it builds in a lot of flexibility with regard to theatre programming. It is equivalent to Video on Demand," says Raaja Kanwar, Vice-Chairman, UFO Moviez, specialising in distribution of movies through satellite. It recently won the 'Innovation award in Indian Cinema' at IIFA Awards in Yorkshire early this month.
Sensing, the future growth prospects of the technology and also the cost cutting factor, major cinema theatre groups are now planning to enter the satellite distribution market.
"We view it as a critical market. We are already using the latest digital format. Satellite distribution is something for which we are in talks with some companies. But, by next year, we might just have our own satellite distribution company for our own theatres," says Ashish Shukla, Chief Executive, PVR Cinemas, the largest multiplex chain in the country.
According to industry estimates, there are nearly 1500 screens in India which currently use satellite to relay movies directly to the screens. PTI
Political scene hots up in Punjab
Vijay Dabur
Chandigarh, Jun 26 (PTI) The political scene in Punjab is hotting up as the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine is entangled in a war of words against its main opponent Congress over alleged "political victimisation and witch hunting." High-profile media advisor to former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is cooling his heels in a jail in several cases registered against him.
While the Congress had charged the state Government with victmisation of its opponents, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was categorical in making statement on the floor of the assembly that there was "no vendetta." After over three months in power, the Badal Government which assumed charge of the state following a critical support by its ally BJP faced an "onslaught" by the Congress, which left no stone unturned, to rake the issue of political victimisation by the Government.
"Over 100 Congressmen, including former MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, have been booked by the Badal Government on fabricated, concocted and false charge in order to settle scores with its political opponents," leader of opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal claimed.
Taking the "onslaught" of the ruling combine,she, however, projected a bold face while claiming that the party would not allow "police excesses"on Congressmen at the "behest" of SAD-BJP alliance leadership and counter it on all fronts by making general people aware of political vendetta. PTI
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