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Birdflu spreads to two more districts of West Bengal
Kolkata, Jan 27 (PTI) Birdflu was detected today in South 24 Parganas and West Midnapore taking the number of affected districts to 13 out of a total 19 in West Bengal.
Authorities of the two districts confirmed the spread of avian flu and told PTI that culling operation would begin tomorrow.
West Midnapore District Magistrate N S Nigam said samples of chicken sent from Chakbelcha village in Debra block of Kharagpur subdivision had tested positive.
In South 24 Parganas the disease tested positive in Budge Budge, District Magistrate Sanghamitra Ghosh said.
Nigam said 40 teams would start culling operations in five km radius of Chakbelcha tomorrow.
Meanwhile, birdflu spread to Baro Khalasamari at Mathabhanga block in affected Coochbehar district, where the disease had hit four villages in Dinhata bocks I and II.
In the affected district of Howrah, avian flu spread to Panchla in addition to Sankrail. Reports from the district said a fox and other birds like falcon were found dead there.
About 15.75 lakh hens and cocks have already been culled so far out of the target of 22 lakh in 11 districts and 1.25 lakh had died, West Bengal Animal Resources Development Minister Anisur Rehman said during the day.
"The rest of the birds would be culled tomorrow," he said. PTI
No role for civil courts in labour disputes, says apex court
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court has quashed the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order for reinstatement of nine workers, holding that it erred in entertaining an industrial dispute.
The apex court said that High Court and the lower courts erred in entertaining the suit filed by the aggrieved employees.
A bench of Justices S B Sinha and V S Sirpurkar however clarified that it was not going into the merits of the termination orders passed by the Punjab government's Anandpur Sahib Hydel Project authority.
The ruling was passed on an appeal filed by the authorities challenging the orders passed by the subordinate courts for reinstatement of nine "work charged" (contract) employees who were terminated.
The government said the issue of termination could be entertained only by the tribunal constituted under the Industrial Dispute Act and hence the civil courts had no jurisdiction to entertain or pass orders on the subject. PTI
IGI to witness major overhaul by July this year
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) here is ready for a major overhaul by July this year providing air travellers with international quality services including a reduced time span for check-in and reclaiming luggage.
"Long queues and baggage reclamation will be a thing of past, as the number of check-in counters will be increased to 72 from present 32 and will come up in new domestic terminal building," an airport official said.
The new terminal is likely to become functional by June end, and later, most of the Low-Cost Carriers (LCC) will be operating from there.
The number of security channels will also be increased to 16 from present four, the official said.
Besides, the IGI airport will be the first airport in the country to have in-line baggage screening system for checking of baggage, which at present is done manually.
"These measures will not only make the movement of passengers easy but will also reduce their waiting time considerably," the official said.
In the recent years, the IGI has witnessed a rapid rise in passenger traffic.
The number of air travellers have doubled from 2003-04 leading to long queues at the baggage reclamation area at the arrival terminal.
To tackle this, the Delhi Airport International (P) Ltd responsible for modernisation of IGI, will not only expand it but also increase the number of reclamation belts -- where passengers collect their luggage -- from five to eight. PTI
Sania, Bhupathi falter at final hurdle
Melbourne, Jan 27 (PTI) Unforced errors and poor serve cost Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi dearly as the Indian duo squandered numerous chances before surrendering the Australian Open mixed doubles title to fifth seeds Tiantian Sun and Nenad Zimonjic here today.
The unseeded Indian pair went down 6-7 (4) 4-6 to the Chinese-Serbian pair in the close to one and half hours contest.
Sania and Bhupathi only had themselves to blame for the loss as they were a break up at 4-3 in the first set before they allowed the fifth seeds to claw their way back into the match.
The unseeded pair broke Sun and Zimonjic once more in the engrossing opening set but their failure to hold their own serve stretched it to a tie breaker, where the fifth seeds came out trumps.
The Indians were especially weak in their second serve and a couple of double faults only compounded their woes in the 42-minute opener.
Having lost the first set closely, Sania and Bhupathi failed to bounce back in the second set, committing more double faults and unforced errors.
In contrast, Sun and Zimonjic were pumped up after going a set up and broke the Indians once besides holding their own serve without conceding a single break point.
To their credit, Sania and Bhupathi saved seven break points, including three match points. But it was all but over by that time as Sun and Zimonjic, serving for the match, romped home with ease. PTI
Anand held, Negi clear second in Corus tournament
Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) Jan 27 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand tried hard but eventually split the point with Dutchman Loek van Wely in the 12th and penultimate round in group A of the Corus international chess tournament here today.
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi outplayed Efstratios Grivas of Greece to emerge as clear second in the group C. The Indian meets tournament leader Fabiano Caruana of Italy in the final round and a victory will propel him to a joint first finish.
Starting out with two losses, this has been an excellent recovery by Negi, who is the second youngest ever Grandmaster in the history of the game.
Meanwhile in the group A, Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen staked claim for the title again with a remarkable victory over former world champion and reigning world number one, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia.
Playing the black side of an English opening Carlsen capitalised on a calculation mistake by Kramnik and pulled the plug in the ensuing endgame.
Carlsen took his tally to 7.5 points and joined overnight leader Levon Aronian at the top of the tables after the latter played a quiet draw with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine.
Anand is now a half point behind the two leaders along with Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and a photo-finish seems well on cards in the first big tournament of the year. PTI
Australia all out for 563
Adelaide, Jan 27 (PTI) Australia were all out for 563 in their first innings on day four of the fourth and final cricket Test against India here today.
Brief scores: India 526 all out Australia 563 all out in 181 overs (R Ponting 140, M Clarke 118, M Hayden 103; I Pathan 3/112, I Sharma 3/115, V Sehwag 2/51). PTI
Musharraf says no to increased US military role in Pakistan
New York, Jan 27 (PTI) President Pervez Musharraf has rebuffed US proposals to let its forces engage in combat operations in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, but both sides are discussing ways to enhance US intelligence gathering missions including surveillance by armed Predator aircraft.
America's top two intelligence officials -- national intelligence director Mike McConnell and CIA director Gen Michael V Hayden -- secretly travelled to Pakistan on January 9 to meet Musharraf, the New York Times reported.
But the President rebuffed their proposals to expand any American combat presence, either through covert CIA missions or by joint operations with Pakistani security forces, it said.
"Instead, Pakistan and the United States are discussing a series of other joint efforts, including increasing the number and scope of missions by armed Predator surveillance aircraft over the tribal areas, and identifying ways that the United States can speed information about people suspected of being militants to Pakistani security forces," the Times said, quoting unnamed officials.
The secret January 9 meeting was also attended by Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
The visit was arranged as the US government felt the Taliban and Al Qaeda were intensifying their efforts to destabilise the Pakistani government, the report said.
"The purpose of the mission was to convince Musharraf that time is ticking away," and that the increased attacks on Pakistan would ultimately undermine his effort to stay in office, a senior official said. PTI
Obama wins South Carolina in racially charged primary
Washington, Jan 27 (PTI) The African-American democratic candidate Barack Obama, aspiring to be the party's nominee for the Presidential showdown, stood his ground by decisively defeating Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially- charged South Carolina primary.
According to some analysts Obama "routed" Senator Clinton in South Carolina where more than fifty per cent of the voters were black and four out of five supported him.
Among white voters, Obama took only about a quarter of the vote, with Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards roughly splitting the remainder, those polls indicated.
Edwards came in third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago.
Black voters turned out in large numbers for the Illinois senator and propelled him to victory, giving Obama a major boost as the Democratic nominating contest now heads to Super Tuesday. Some have seen Senator Clinton's loss as particularly "painful".
Obama was widely anticipated to emerge victorious in the race, which saw a new level of vitriol dominate the Democratic contest in recent days as the former president Bill Clinton campaigned vigorously on behalf of his wife. But the nomination race remains wide open as South Carolina only set the stage for Super Duper Tuesday when nearly two dozen states including some of the big ones like New York, Illinois, California and Ohio get to pick the candidates.
In the last hours of the campaigning Senator Clinton and her team tried to dampen or lower expectations in South Carolina. PTI
India dismisses accusations of fuelling Terai crisis
Kathmandu, Jan 27 (PTI) India has dismissed as "baseless" allegations that it is fuelling "crisis" in Nepal's violence-hit southern Terai region.
"Those allegations are utterly motivated and baseless," Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, said.
"Everybody in Nepal knows the constructive and helpful role played by India because it is in our own interest," he said.
The political leadership of Nepal was capable of resolving the "Terai crisis," he told reporters during a function organised in the Indian embassy premises at Lainchaur yesterday to mark the 59th Republic Day.
Mukherjee said that during his series of meetings with various political leaders here, he found them to be affirmative about resolving, among other issues, the crisis in Terai - where the Madhesi community is demanding more rights amidst agitations by various armed groups.
He also expressed India's readiness to help Nepal in resolving whatever problem it is facing. India wished for the welfare of Nepal as the two sides shared a close relationship from economic, social and cultural perspectives, he added.
The Indian Ambassador also said New Delhi would provide all necessary assistances to Nepal to conduct the Constituent Assembly elections, scheduled in April, successfully.
About the border issue, Mukherjee said that 99 per cent of agreement has been reached on it and the rest one percent would be resolved through negotiations between the two sides.
On the occasion of the Republic Day, India gave 30 ambulances, 12 portable diesel generators and books to various organisations in Nepal. A day earlier, Mukherjee had handed over 1,200 four-wheel drive vehicles and 14,000 sets of communication equipment to Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitoula at a special function. PTI
Pak, India Petroleum Ministers discuss gas pipeline project
London, Jan 27 (PTI) Petroleum Ministers of India and Pakistan held discussions here on a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline project involving the two countries and Iran, with both sides expressing their keenness to put it on stream.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora was invited by his Pakistani counterpart Ahsan Ullah Khan to visit Islamabad to sort out various issues outstanding because of which the pipeline is pending, during their meeting held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here yesterday.
Deora assured the Pakistani minister that "India is keen" on the 2,775-km pipeline and issues like the transit fees and strategic investment should be sorted out.
Khan, who is accompanying President Pervez Musharraf during his current visit to Britain, insisted that "Pakistan is equally keen that the project is put on stream," official sources told PTI.
Though New Delhi and Islamabad have reached an understanding on the transportation tariff payable to Pakistan, the two nations have not yet arrived at any agreement on payment of a separate transit fee to Pakistan for using its territory.
Three-fourth of the pipeline will be passing through Pakistan which will also use the pipeline for providing gas to its consumers.
The pipeline is to be laid in the three nations separately. Iran would lay a 1,100-km pipeline from the Persian Gulf to the Iran-Pakistan border, while Pakistan would lay a 1,035 km from its border with Iran to the Indian border. India would then pipe the gas to consumption centres.
The total cost of the project was estimated to be over seven billion dollars in 2006. PTI
Japan sets up 10 billion dollar climate fund
Manoj Kumar
Davos, Jan 27 (PTI) Japan has set up a five-year-10 billion dollar fund to support developing countries in their efforts to combat global warming - a move that is likely to gain priority at this year's G8 Summit.
Calling it the 'Cool Earth Partnership', the Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who will chair the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit later in the year, said: "Japan will cooperate actively with developing countries' efforts to reduce emissions, such as those to enhance energy efficiency." Japan will start disbursing the requisite amount to the developing countries from the fund this year. It will set aside up to 8 billion dollars for assistance in climate change mitigation, and up to 2 billion dollars for grants, aid and technical assistance for countries switching to clean energy.
"There is no time to lose in addressing climate change," Fukuda told business leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008. "We have readily available means for taking action without waiting for the agreement on a post-Kyoto framework," he said.
The Kyoto Protocol governing greenhouse gas emissions runs out in 2012. PTI
Americans prefer Indian products over Chinese: Fortune
New York, Jan 27 (PTI) A majority of Americans are not averse to purchasing made-in-India products, but opposite is the case for those made in China, according to a new survey conducted by renowned US-based business magazine Fortune.
In the wake of some of the American companies, including toymaker Mattel recalling products they sourced from China due to high lead content, nearly three in five (57 per cent) of the US citizens surveyed by Fortune said they were "less likely to buy a product if it is made in China".
However, as much as 52 per cent of the survey respondents said such an incident would not affect their purchasing decision if the product is made in India.
In the survey, only 35 per cent of Americans said they were "less likely" to purchase a product manufactured in India, while 11 per cent said they were "more likely" to buy such goods.
For China-made products, 11 per cent people said they were "more likely" to buy these products, while 30 per cent said it did not matter to them whether goods were exported from the dragon country.
Fortune magazine, which surveyed 1,000 adults throughout America between January 14-16, said "where a product is manufactured does not impact Americans' purchasing decisions except when that product is made in China." "Nearly three-in-five (57 per cent) Americans are less likely to buy a product if it is made in China. When products are manufactured in other areas, such as Eastern Europe (57 per cent), Western Europe (55 per cent), Canada (53 per cent), India (52 per cent), Africa (51 per cent), Mexico (48 per cent), Japan (47 per cent), and South Korea (46 per cent), nearly a majority say it does not matter." PTI
Dalal Street eyes RBI, Fed and IPO refunds to gain lost ground
Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) Stock market will pin its hopes next week on two central banks -- India's RBI and Federal Reserve of the US -- in its bid to recoup close to Rs 10,00,000 crore lost in the recent turmoil on the bourses.
In addition, the market would also look forward to refunds from two major initial public offers, one by Kishore Biyani-led Future Capital and another from Anil Ambani group's Reliance Power.
The two public issues had seen demand worth over Rs 8,00,000 crore collectively, a large portion of which was diverted from the secondary market.
While post-allotment Future Capital shares, close to Rs 16,000 crore is estimated to find its way to the secondary market, the allotment of shares in Reliance Power IPO would release more than Rs 1,00,000 crore.
The refunds for unalloted shares of Future Capital, to list on February 1, would start on January 29, while that for Reliance Power would follow soon after.
The refunds to qualified institutional investors alone are estimated at about Rs 40,000 crore in Reliance Power IPO.
But, all the eyes in the market would be on the monetary policy review by Reserve Bank of India on January 29 for future direction to the Indian bourses. The possibility of a 25 basis points repo rate cut by the central bank has increased, especially after a sharp cut in the US rates.
After cutting the rate by 75 basis points in an emergency meeting last week, Fed's rate-setting committee is holding its scheduled meeting on January 30, where it could provide further insights on the future outlook. PTI
Film Review: Comedy saves Sunday
Film: Sunday
Director: Rohit Shetty
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Ayesh Takia, Irfan Khan and others
Shambhu Sahu
'Sunday' is a suspense-cum-comedy film. But, some how, its USP is comedy and not the thriller plot, which is a tad too-over-stretched and not really new.
The film is about mysterious Sehar (Ayesha Takia), a dubbing artiste who has a habit of forgetting things. One fine day, a contract killer attacks her after which she approaches ACP Rajveer Randhawa (Ajay Devgan) for help. Incidentally, this chilled-out but corrupt-cop is the guy Sehar's mother has chosen for her.
The problem begins when she can't recall anything related to the incident. So police has no clue how to go about this case until the cops find some voices recorded in her cassette recorder. From there on, the cops reach to one suspect to another to another... But as one nears the climax he knows the film is one of the typical 'who-done-it' type.
The film (and the search for the culprits) slows down and is further hampered by two songs. It makes you lose interest in the suspense part of the film but thank God, Ballu (Arshad Warsi) and Kumar (Irfan Khan) are around. The duo who play a crook cab driver and a wannabe star respectively - don't let one lose interest in the film.
They offer plenty of fun while taking rides through 'Dilli di galiyan'. Arshad's fun acts - like fooling a traffic cop or reacting after getting shot at in his bum, etc. - coupled with Irfan's hilarious dialogues - while wanting to play Ravana or the Don in 'DonIII' or to turn a singer-composer to bag a lead role in some film ala Himesh Reshammiya are a complete 'paisa vassol'.
Ajay Devagn is good as a typical Dilli Policewala. He sings love songs, eats lots of Sundaes and makes you laugh. Ayesha has acted well in a character that seems to have many layer, not actually as you know in the end. Vrajesh Hirjee as Chakki, a South Indian karate trainer, is also good but has a comparatively shorter role.
Director Rohit Shetty has a knack for humour and he had a big success with his earlier film 'Golmaal: Fun Unlimited', a surprise hit in 2006. In 'Sunday' he offers comedy, action and suspense but it's the funny side of it that you enjoy the most than anything else. However, a few scenes like the chase in Chandini Chowk and Arshad's fight sequence are good and show his capability and talent which he inherited from his father, famous Bollywood fight master Late Shetty.
The film, which is shot mostly in Delhi, has a nice cinematography by Aseem Bajaj whose presentation of city locals and action scenes is a treat. A good one-time watch. PTI
Tunics and naughty bell bottoms to be hot this year
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) With fashion changing faster than the time taken to make a cup of hot coffee in this winter, fashion-conscious, suave urban Indians are facing the ever increasing dilemma of what to wear and what not.
Forecasting trends for Year 2008, Delhi based fashion designer Chiarg Joshi says, "Tunics which sold like hot cakes last year will continue to hold grip among all age-groups. This year the terrific tunics will reign, when worn with churidars, with back zips. Chic Arabian pattern of Harem pants would be trashed out, making way for naughty bell bottoms. Also time to bid farewell to dear wedges, as platforms are set to strike the market with great velocity." Joshi who worked with top-notch designers like Ritu Kumar and Ritu Beri before setting up his own designer label adds, "An exorbitant use of vegetable dyes would add finesse to the apparels. Shades of pastels and earthy colors like blue, orange, golden, and browns shall rule the fashion kingdom.
He adds, "The influence of nature would be visible in the form of floral prints. Prints of leaves and flowers mixed together will stand out strongly." Betting on cotton fabrics for the hot Indian summer, Joshi says, "Seeing the long summer season prevalent in our country, it would be safe to bet upon the cottons. The fabric suits, all body types and will be a must in everybody's wardrobe. Flowy, flamboyant silhouettes in cotton can never go out of vogue." PTI
Book: ICT, yet to conquer the last mile!
New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) It may have touched the lives of billions in every nook and corner of the world over but information and communication technology- ICT- in short is yet to conquer the 'last mile' when it comes to reaching crucial information to the needy at the times of natural disasters, say experts.
Over 3600 inhabitants in a remote village in Pudducherry were lucky in 2004 to have escaped certain death when the Tsunami struck, thanks to the timely warning that was disseminated and the villages evacuated.
Lives of over 40,000 who perished in Sri Lanka, however, could not be saved as the warning, though available with the Lankan Authorities, could not be disseminated quickly, says a research paper in 'Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2007-2008', a compilation of reports on 31 economies.
Sri Lanka's celebrated resident Arthur C Clarke remarked:the Asian Tsunami's death toll could have been drastically reduced if the warning was disseminated quickly and effectively to millions of coastal dwellers on the Indian Ocean rim.
"It is appalling that our sophisticated global Communication system simply failed us on that day", the paper quotes him saying.
Importance of risk communication in averting many public crises and natural disasters cannot be overstated. Yet risk communication has received attention only in recent years.
Moreover, ICTs (information and communication technology)has not been harnessed to their full potential to mitigate risks from natural disaster's and public health emergencies, says the paper on 'Role of ICTs in risk communication in Asia Pacific' by Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Chanuka Wattegama and Fredrick John Abo.
(About the book: 'Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2007-2008, Sage, pages 373, price Rs.950/-) PTI
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