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Lapang to be sworn in as CM of Meghalaya
Shillong, Mar 10 (PTI) Meghalaya CLP leader D D Lapang would be sworn in this evening as chief minister by Governor S S Sidhu after the Congress, which emerged as the single largest party, was invited to form the new government.
Lapang, after a meeting with the governor, said that he had been invited to form the government and asked to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly in ten days.
Only Lapang would be sworn in.
The Congress, which fought the March three assembly election alone, finished as the single largest party with 25 seats, six short of a majority in the 60-member house. PTI
Bird flu resurfaces in Bengal, culling begins in Murshidabad
Berhampur, Mar 10 (PTI) Bird flu virus has resurfaced in two blocks of West Bengal's Murshidabad district, prompting authorities to take up culling operations today.
Samples collected from Naya Mukundapur and Bodra villages of the district have primarily tested H5N1 positive at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, state Animal Resources Department minister Anisur Rehman said.
Murshidabad District Magistrate Subir Bhadra told PTI that 60 teams began culling operations at Raghunathganj 11 and Muridabad-Jiyaganj blocks from where fresh chicken deaths were reported.
"Fifty thousand chicken will be killed in the three-day culling exercise", he said.
The ARD minister said the sale and consumption of poultry has been banned in the notified area of the district till further orders.
Admitting that the culling operations were not cent per cent successful in the affected districts, Rehman had said it was not possible for the government to make the system totally foolproof.
"Due to lack of awareness, many people had hidden their poultry. Some birds may have escaped culling", he said.
The ARD, he said, in coordination with the panchayats, was keeping vigil on the overall situation.
Culling operations had been ordered from mid-January after 16 of the state's 19 districts were found to have been affected by deadly avian influenza and a ban had been imposed on the sale and consumption of chicken and poultry products for three months.
Nearly 40 lakh chicken were culled till February 5 and ban on sale of chicken and ducks was lifted a fortnight ago. PTI
Manik Sarkar sworn in as Tripura CM for fourth time
Agartala, Mar 10 (PTI) A CPI(M)-led Left Front government headed by Manik Sarkar assumed office for the fourth consecutive term in Tripura today.
Sarkar was sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth time along with 11 ministerial colleagues by Governor Dinesh Nandan Sahaya.
The Governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarkar and the 11 cabinet ministers, including one each from the Left Front partners RSP and CPI and a woman legislator, Bijita Nath at the lawns of Raj Bhavan here.
Anil Sarkar, Badal Choudhury, Aghore Debbarma, Tapan Chakraborty, Manik De, Jitendra Choudhury, Khagendra Jamatiya, Sahid Choudhury (all of CPI-M), Joygobinda Debroy (RSP) and Manindra Reang (CPI) were sworn in as ministers. PTI
Meghalaya Progressive Alliance parades 30 MLAs before Governor
Shillong, Mar 10 (PTI) In an extremely volatile situation in Meghalaya, the newly-formed Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) today paraded 30 MLAs before Governor S S Sidhu.
The non-Congress Alliance comprising UDP (11), NCP (14), HSPDP (2) KHNAM (1) and BJP (1) had claimed yesterday that it had support of four Independents raising its strength to 33.
Today, however, former Chief Minister E K Mawlong of UDP could not accompany his colleagues to the Raj Bhavan as he was sick, MPA sources said. And, of the four Independents, only two joined in the parade.
This is the second time MPA has paraded 30 legislators before the Governor after the March 3 elections.
Congress won 25 seats and Independents 5 in the election. Election was postponed in one seat following death of one candidate. PTI
Sania has done enough for country: Serena
New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) Sania Mirza's decision not to play in any forthcoming tournament in India notwithstanding, the tennis ace has done enough for the country, believes former world number one Serena Williams.
"She plays or not, she has done a lot for her country," Serena said here today.
"She takes in what she believes in," said the American, who won her first singles title of the season at the Bangalore Open yesterday.
Serena, who was here to launch a new range of HP designer Laptops, reiterated that Sania was definitely a top-10 material but she needed to be consistent in her game.
"There is a great pressure (when one plays for country). She has already done a lot and she can reach top-10, but she has to be consistent for that," Serena said.
The chirpy American, however, was stumped when one scribe asked her about star batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
"I am from the United States and there we do not play cricket. The word 'cricket' is the only thing I know about this game," she said, after pondering over the surprise question.
On being asked about her on-court rivalry with elder sister Venus, Serena said, "I think of winning. She is great champion and has great experience." PTI
Cricket, not money makes a player famous: Dhoni
Ranchi, Mar 10 (PTI) India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has dismissed notions that the auction of cricketers for the Indian Premier League would adversely affect the youngsters' performance.
"It will never affect the performance. I think the performance level will only go up. Because the cricketers are mature enough to realise that whatever they are earning or whatever their stature or fame is, it is because of cricket and I think every cricketer knows this," Dhoni told newsmen here yesterday.
Introduction of the IPL, he said, would help the cricketers perform better.
"You cannot be famous even if you have Rs 100 crore. But if you are a cricketer and play good cricket, you will get money, fame and everything," he said.
"It is very important to focus 100 per cent on cricket and I think the newcomers, whether from Under-19 or those playing the domestic circuit, are clever enough to realise that it is cricket and not money which makes one famous," Dhoni said.
Dhoni, a member of the Chennai outfit of the IPL, said he is looking forward to play in the league starting April 18.
"Our side is very good, but we have to see the availability of players", he said. PTI
Sensex ends lower by 52 points in volatile trade
Mumbai, Mar 10 (PTI) In highly volatile trade, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today closed lower by nearly 52 points on selling pressure in heavyweight stocks, led by Larsen and Toubro.
Marketmen said selling was triggered after Morgan Stanely cut its share price estimate on Larsen and Toubro, a heavyweight participant.
The 30-share Sensex settled the day 15,923.72 points, showing a fall of 51.80 points.
The key index had plunged to the day's low of 15,362.17 and saw a high of 15,998.33 points.
The second wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty ended higher by 38.80 points at 4,800.40, after dipping to 4,620.50 and rising to 4,814.95 points as some stocks like Reliance Industries, State Bank of India and HDFC Bank gained fresh ground.
On BSE, the plunge in Larsen and Toubro which losst over Rs 259.40 at Rs 2,728.80 mainly impact the key index. L&T fell the most since July 20, 2000, after Morgan Stanley cut its share price estimate on the company.
Capital goods sector plunged by 684.03 points at 13,341.09,followed by realty index by 76.62 points at 7705.66. Consumer durable index fell by 118.37 points at 4145.34 and bank index by 38.47 points at 8438.99. PTI
Govt postpones NELP VII bid date to April 25 : Official
New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) The government has postponed the bid date for 57 oil and gas blocks on offer, under the latest round of New Exploration Licencing Policy, to April 25 from April 11.
"We have revised the schedule for promotional roadshows in Singapore and Australia. The road show in Singapore will now be held on March 28, and the one in Perth on March 31. This leaves very little time for companies to evaluate data and take a bid so the bid closing date has been postponed," said Anil Jain Joint Secretary (Exploration) Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The government has offered 57 oil and gas blocks, including 19 in deep sea, 29 on land and 9 in shallow water areas in the seventh round of auction under the New Exploration Licencing Policy (NELP).
It will complete the bid evaluation, award and signing of production sharing contract by July-August. PTI
Domestic airfares in India up by 14 pc in Q4, 2007: AmEx
New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) The average domestic airfares in India went up by 14 per cent in the last quarter of calender year 2007 as compared to the third quarter, according to American Express Business Travel.
The average overall fares in the country, both domestic and international, went up by six per cent.
Fares to Asia Pacific destinations from the country rose by two per cent in the same period, the division of American Express Bank said.
Airfares to the Middle East, Americas and Europe remained unchanged in the period.
On a year-on-year basis, the airfares rose seven per cent overall. It rose five per cent in domestic, nine per cent in Intra-Asia-Pacific and 24 per cent to the Americas. The fares remained unchanged to Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Although fares have been rising across most routes, there has been some softening since the third quarter of 2007. However, American Express Business Travel does not attribute this to any adjustment based on the economy at this time.
For Asia-Pacific region, airfares continued their upward trend with a one per cent increase in the fourth quarter of 2007.
The American Express Business Travel identifies trends in airfares within and from Asia Pacific. It is designed for companies to compare the changes in their expenditure against the average published market fare. PTI
Tax holiday withdrawal to hurt profitability: IOC
New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) Indian Oil Corp today said the move to withdraw tax holiday to new refineries will result in lowering of profitability of its Rs 24,000-crore Paradip refinery in Orissa.
"The rate of return on capital invested in the 15 million tons a year refinery cum petrochemical plant will be lower by 1.5-2 per cent," IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria told reporters here.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had in his Budget for 2008-09 proposed to end seven-year income tax holiday for refineries commissioning after April 2009. The proposal would affect all proposed new refineries except that of Reliance Petroleum Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, which expects to commission a 580,000 barrels per day export-oriented unit at Jamnagar by third quarter of the new fiscal.
The end of tax-breaks may mean up to Rs 5,000 crore outgo, company Director (Finance) S V Narasimhan said.
Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), which had planned a new 300,000 b/d refinery at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and doubling of capacity of its expanded Mangalore refinery to 600,000 b/d, is already reviewing its plans. "We are working on revised financials," company Chairman R S Sharma said.
India had planned to add 2.14 million b/d to its existing 2.98 million b/d capacity by 2012 to become a global refining hub.
Behuria said investment proposal for the Paradip refinery is likely to be cleared by May/June.
"We are making a representation to the Finance Minister. When there is an intent to make India a refining hub, why are we robbing it of tax incentives that are crucial for the survival of the units," he said. PTI
Abdullah takes oath shrugging off pressure to quit
Jaishree Balasubramanian
Kuala Lumpur, March 10 (PTI) Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi took the oath of office for a second five-year term today, defying calls to quit in the wake of the ruling coalition's worst ever electoral performance in five decades.
Wearing a black traditional Malay attire, Abdullah, 68, was sworn in at a ceremony at the royal palace which was attended by King Mizan Zainal Abidin, the Queen and scores of dignitaries.
"I pledge to carry out my duties honestly and with all my abilities," said Abdullah, whose Barisan Nasional won only 140 seats in the 222-member Parliament, failing to get a two-thirds majority, and was defeated in five of the 13 states.
"I pledge to protect and uphold the Constitution," Abdullah, who arrived at the palace with his wife Jeanne, said, reading the oath.
The opposition alliance of three parties, including the Islamist PAS, won 82 seats, a massive jump from its 19 seats in the outgoing house. PAS scored shock victories in Kedah and Perak and easily retained power in Kelantan state.
The stunning result was the worst electoral peformance of the ruling coalition in its 51-year-rule following Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957 and has been attributed to the growing discontent among minority Indians and Chinese.
The prime minister's predecessor and mentor Mahathir Mohammed yesterday joined the chorus pressing for his ouster saying Abdullah had "destroyed" his party and that he regretted choosing him as his successor. PTI
Zardari says he will take over as PM after three months:report
Islamabad, Mar 10 (PTI) In a fresh twist to the squabbling in Pakistan People's Party over the post of prime Minister, party Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has apparently said that an interim premier will be named for a three-month period till he enters parliament and can take over the job.
Zardari shared his "little secret" with MPs from Hyderabad in Sindh province on the eve of the crucial meeting between him and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Murree yesterday, The News reported today.
Sharif and Zardari finalised plans to form a coalition government during their meeting.
Zardari said he had decided to become prime minister in three months and till then, an interim prime minister would be appointed from Punjab, the newspaper quoted PPP sources as saying.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the front-runner for the top job who was apparently facing resistance from Zaradari, admitted that he had heard from PPP members about the chairman's decision but refused to comment till he spoke to him directly about the issue.
"I am also not making any comment on this development as Asif Zardari is not a member of parliament," Fahim said.
Zardari had announced shortly after Bhutto's assassination in December last year that his wife had wanted Fahim to be the party's prime ministerial candidate.
However, he changed his mind soon after and talked about a prime minister from Punjab and senior PPP leaders Yousaf Raza Gillani, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar were tipped to be in the race. PTI
Musharraf meets aides after parties decide to reinstate judges
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Mar 10 (PTI) Faced with a fresh challenge, President Pervez Musharraf went into a huddle with close aides and constitutional experts today after the PPP and PML-N decided to reinstate the judges sacked by him during emergency.
Some of the judges, including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were hearing petitions challenging Musharraf's re-election in uniform before they were deposed during emergency last year.
Though the new Supreme Court comprising Musharraf's hand-picked judges validated his re-election, legal experts believe the deposed judges could reopen that case once they are restored.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who finalised arrangements to form a coalition government yesterday, have committed themselves to reinstating the deposed judges by passing a resolution in the National Assembly within 30 days of assuming power.
Musharraf chaired a meeting of his close aides, including National Security Council Secretary Tariq Aziz, Attorney General Malik Qayyum and constitutional expert Sharifuddin Pirzada, at his camp office in Rawalpindi to evolve a strategy to deal with any situation that could arise from the reinstatement of the deposed judges.
The meeting also discussed the prevailing political situation and the fixing of a date for convening the new National Assembly, Dawn News channel quoted official sources as saying. PTI
Ailing Hasina could go deaf unless treated abroad: doctors
Dhaka, March 10 (PTI) Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, detained for the last eight months on graft charges, needs immediate treatment abroad or she could go "completely deaf", her doctors said here.
The 60-year-old Awami League chief, who suffered ear injuries in a 2004 grenade attack on a party rally, was examined by doctors at a makeshift jail in the parliament complex.
"If she is not sent abroad for treatment she could become permanently deaf as her proper treatment is not possible here," leading ENT specialist Pran Gopal Dutta told reporters after her medical examination yesterday.
Dutta said Hasina had become "totally deaf" in her left ear and she hears "very little" in her right ear.
"At present she tries to understand others' voice by reading the lips," the doctor said.
The doctors visited her after she appeared in a special court in the same compound for her indictment in a second corruption charge.
Lawyers and witnesses said she looked "pale" as she entered the courtroom.
"If she is not feeling well she may leave the court, but the hearing will continue as we have to complete the trial in a limited timeframe," judge Firoz Alam said as Hasina's counsels pleaded for deferring the hearing because of her illness.
Hasina, who was arrested on July 16 last year under the military-backed interim government's massive anti-graft drive, has been suffering from multiple ailments including serious complications in her ears after surviving the attack on her rally which killed 24 others. PTI
One million new jobs in India in 2008
New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) It is good news for those freshout of college or for those who are keen for a job change, asa leading HR consultancy firm has predicted one million newjobs in India this year.
Ma Foi Employment Trends Survey (METS), conducted by MaFoi, one of India's largest HR consultancy firm has predicteda three per cent increase in employment in 2008.
The largest chunk of the new jobs according to the surveywould be generated by hospitality sector which is riding highwith the tourism boom in the country.
"The Hospitality sector will generate the maximum numberof employment in 2008. 426,668 jobs are going to be generatedby the Hospitality sector. This sector is closely followed byHealth at 295,829 and Education Training & Consultancy at166,005," says the survey.
It adds that an estimated USD 11.41 billion is expectedto be seen in the Hospitality sector in the next two years andthat India is likely to have around 40 international hotelbrands by 2011.
"The boom in the tourism industry has had a cascadingeffect on the hospitality sector, which was a result of theincrease in the occupancy ratios and average room rates. Withthe demand continuing to surge, many global hospitality majorshave evinced a keen interest in the Indian hospitalitysector," says K. Pandia Rajan, Managing Director, Ma FoiManagement Consultants Ltd.
While, IT and ITES sector continues with high growth inrecruitment at 7.3 and 7.2 per cent, the survey says that itis the Health sector which shows the highest growth inrecruitment at 8.9 per cent. PTI
Women artists a growing tribe
Sunandita Dasgupta
New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Women are shattering age-old myths as well as glass ceilings slowly but surely in all fields including that of art. Once considered a predominantly male domain, women have by now carved out a space for themselves in the world of contemporary art.
This was amply demonstrated at an exhibition in the national capital where an array of works by 25 leading woman artists of the country -- bringing out their world of colour, imagination and innovation -- was displayed to mark the International Women's Day.
Curated by noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon and organised by online art library Indianartcircle.Com, the show displays works by Arpana Caur, Jayashree Barman, Jaya Ganguly, Latika Katt, Mimi Radhakrishnan and Menon herself, among others.
"For years I balked at the idea of 'Women's Art' but today I am convinced that women artists in India have carved a niche for themselves," says Menon.
"There has been a significant change in the attitude of the new generation of women...Today's women are bold, innovative and dedicated professionals. Societal and familial considerations have ceased to be barriers to achievement," she says.
Dealing with the question of whether there is a thing as a distinct "woman's view" in art, she feels "this is not always discernible except in blatantly obvious feminist art." However, the qualities of compassion and intuition, a natural feeling for colour, form and embellishment and the ability to subsume pain "informs women's art and makes it both significant and special," Menon says. PTI
From scavengers to walking the ramp at UN
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) From being scavengers carrying night soil on their heads for years, 28 women from Alwar, a small village in Rajasthan, are now all set to walk the ramp at the United Nations' General Assembly Hall.
The liberated scavengers, 30 to 70 year olds who till recently followed the age old family practice in their localities have been shortlisted as part of the social reform initiative of Sulabh Sanitation movement, to walk the ramp.
"It is a symbolic gesture to showcase the path breaking contributions of liberated scavengers in the context of social reform," says Bindeshwar Pathak, founder Sulabh movement.
According to Chameli, one of the 28 women who have now become almost like a role model, the women are busy designing the clothes which they plan to showcase at the UN Assembly in July 2 this year.
"I started carrying the night soil since I was a child. I continued with the profession even after marriage and this had become our lone source of income and almost like a ritual for us," says Chameli, 35, a liberated scavenger.
"I now feel more confident and more a human since I have left the profession," she adds.
A book containing success stories of these women titled, 'Princess of Alwar' would also be released at the Assembly.
"The journey from being a scavenger carrying night soil in a small town to a chance to walk on the ramp and rub shoulders with celebrities was torturous but it happened like a classic case for each one of the 28 woman folks who hails from the lower strata of the society," says a social worker associated with the movement. PTI
Nicole Kidman to sport Indian label at Melbourne fashion show
Annie Samson
New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman is set to walk the ramp in Indian clothes at a fashion show to be held in Melbourne.
Kidman along with other celebrities will sport creations by desi designers Rahul Jain and Gunjan Arora, who are participating in a fashion show to support the cause of children affected by cancer at the Royal Children's Hospital of Melbourne.
'Sirali,' the label under which the duo retails their creations is characterised by a unique method where the cloth is prepared using a mix of coloured threads to create an effect of embroidery resembling a huge painting.
"Kidman will wear a long sherwani like blue jacket with lots of red and yellow. The design on the jacket will look like somebody has embroidered the design, but it is a patented method of ours. The different colours blend on the garment to create the effect of an art," says Rahul Jain.
"The thread is used as a brush to make the clothes look like a huge painting. We have done gowns, saris, jackets and dresses for the fashion show and all the 14 clothes are going to be auctioned off and the process will go to the hospital." Apart from Kidman , other celebrity clients of 'Sirali' include Caroline Douglas, Naomi Campbell, Sean Connery, Mallaika Arora and others.
Kidman and others will showcase the new collection called 'Wearable Art' where the expression comes alive with coloured threads diminishing the fine line of paint and canvas. "The range is meant to be a merger of art and fashion," says Rahul.
The designers are also participating in the forthcoming Wills India Fashion Week where they will showcase 36 garments under the creative category. PTI
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The sensex closed at 15923.72, down 51.80
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