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Uproar in LS over crackdown on protestors in Tibet
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) The Lok Sabha witnessed an uproar over the Chinese crackdown on protestors in Tibet with Government expressing distress over the "unsettled situation and violence" there.
Several parties barring the Left expressed concern over the "cultural genocide" in Lhasa.
Members of the BJP, BJD, Samajwadi Party and RJD wanted India to condemn the violence and seek immediate intervention by the United Nations and the main Opposition even walked out.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, responding to the concern of members, expressed distress over the "unsettled situation and violence" in Tibet.
He wanted the causes of trouble in the autonomous region of China to be resolved through dialogue and non-violent means.
He informed the House that the government had already issued a statement in this regard.
Raising the issue in Zero Hour, V K Malhotra (BJP) alleged that Tibetans were being "massacred" in Lhasa and China was trying to "culturally finish Tibet", even when spiritual leader Dalai Lama is saying he wanted autonomy and not separation from China. PTI
BPL population declines, says Centre; 8 states refute claim
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Eight states, including Bihar, Orissa and Punjab, have sought additional foodgrain from the Centre to feed their increasing BPL population, which is in contrast to the Centre's claim that the number of people under this category has declined by 8.5 per cent.
"A number of state governments have requested to enhance allocation of foodgrain to their states on the basis of the higher number of BPL cards issued by them," Food Minister Sharad Pawar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
According to the list, Bihar, Kerala, Orissa, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and the union territory of Daman and Diu have requested the Centre to increase allocation of foodgrain for BPL families.
While Bihar has requested allocation of foodgrain for 1.21 crore BPL families, the Centre says only 65.23 lakh families are covered under BPL in the state. Similarly, Karnataka wants foodgrains for 63 lakh BPL families, but the Centre pegs the number at 31.29 lakh.
According to Planning Commission, the percentage of BPL population has come down to 27.5 per cent in 2004-05 from 36 per cent in 1993-94. However, the Centre continues to allocate foodgrain on 1993-94 estimate and there has been no reduction in the PDS subsidised kerosene oil after 2004-05, he said.
Pawar also said 18 states have issued ration cards within limits accepted by the Centre while 17 states exceeded it.
In a separate reply, the Food Minister said high global prices and tight supply position would make foodgrain import difficult and costly. International prices of cereals have increased substantially in the past year, he added.
However, to moderate prices and contain inflation, Pawar said the government has initiated various steps like importing wheat, restricting export of wheat and rice, and duty reduction on imported edible oils. PTI
Left attacks govt over purchase of US warship
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Indian Navy's purchase of a 36-year-old US warship came under attack in the Lok Sabha today with the Left parties demanding a probe into why the country procured the "vintage" vessel.
Left members drew the attention of the House to the severe censure of the Navy by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) last week for purchasing USS Trenton.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) said defence requirements of the country have been undermined by the purchase.
Supporting him, CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia demanded a probe into the purchase. He wanted a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
Dasgupta said it was strange that the warship which was to be abandoned by the US Navy in 2006 was bought for over 50 million US dollars without any physical assessment.
Noting that an amount of 36.94 million US dollars was spent on the ship's repairs, he said the entire deal raised very serious questions and the CAG had severely indicted the purchase.
Dasgupta said six Indian sailors on the ship had died of a gas leak and such an incident had also occurred earlier when it was part of the U S Navy.
They wondered whether the Government was coming under pressure from the Bush Administration to make such purchases in view of the strategic defence partnership between the two countries. PTI
Gambhir ignored, Ishant ruled out
Bangalore, Mar 17 (PTI) Dashing Gautam Gambhir's heroics with the bat on the recent tour of Australia failed to impress the national selectors who today ignored him from India's 14-member squad for the first two cricket Tests against South Africa alongwith injured paceman Ishant Sharma.
Barring Gambhir's non-inclusion, there were no major surprises in the squad announced by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah after a meeting of the selection committee here.
The left-handed Gambhir, who emerged as the highest run-getter in the tri-series in Australia with an aggregate of 440 runs from 10 matches, was not picked as the selectors preferred to retain Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer despite his indifferent form in recent times.
The lanky Ishant, who put up a sterling show in Australia, was not considered for selection owing to his toe and finger injuries.
"Ishant has been advised rest for some more time and he was therefore not considered for the first Test," Shah told reporters.
The team, to be captained by Anil Kumble, has two other specialist spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik while R P Singh, S Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan will shoulder the pace bowling responsibilities.
As expected, the four senior pros -- Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly an VVS Laxman -- have been included in the squad with the selectors reposing faith on the experienced campaigners rather than blood youngsters for the home series beginning March 26. PTI
Title only a matter of time, feels Jeev
Jeju (South Korea), Mar 17 (PTI) Two runners-up finishes in five weeks have convinced Indian ace Jeev Milkha Singh that his game is going in the right direction and a title is just round the corner.
The Indian golfer came agonisingly close to a sixth Asian Tour title when he was pipped on the third play-off hole by Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell at the inaugural Ballantine's Championships here yesterday.
"Obviously, you play to win but somebody has to win. The last hole, he hit a great shot in there after I hit a good shot and I think the best man won," said the 36-year-old Singh.
"This week is over, I've got to look forward to something better. I gave it 100 per cent, I tried my best." The heartbreak came just weeks after he missed out on the title at the Indonesian Open to Chile's Felipe Aguilar with a bogey on his 72nd hole.
But rather than dwell on the past, Singh has turned his attention to this week's WGC-CA Championship in Doral and the US Masters next month. PTI
Lawson unhappy for not consulting him in squad selection
Karachi, Mar 17 (PTI) Pakistan's Australian coach Geoff Lawson has expressed his unhappiness on the national selection committee not consulting him in picking the squad for the recent home series against Zimbabwe.
Lawson has said, in a report to the Pakistan Cricket Board, that despite assurances from the board he was not consulted in the finalisation of the 15-member squad named for the series.
The former Australian pacer has made such complaints earlier but this was the first time he has put it in writing.
PCB rules stipulate the national selectors would consult the captain and coach while finalising the squad during a home series. The selectors though have the prerogative to pick the final playing eleven, a changed practice from the past when the team management had the authority to do this.
Lawson's grouse was that the selectors had not even consulted him while picking the full squad.
In his report on the series against Zimbabwe, Lawson, who took the coaching job in August last year, has also talked about the 2011 World Cup and his doubts over whether flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has a role to play in the tournament.
"The performance of Shahid Afridi will have to be closely monitored before finalising the likely team for the World Cup 2011," he has written.
In the report, Lawson has also made it known his view that 31-year-old left-arm pacer Kamran Hussain, who made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe, is a quality all-rounder who could replace Abdul Razzaq in future.
Lawson had earlier recommended to the board to appoint a sports psychologist and assistant coach on his support staff but PCB is yet to respond to his suggestion. PTI
Sania in singles pre-quarters, Paes in doubles quarters
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Sania Mirza put up a spirited fight back to get past Israel's Shahar Peer to move into the pre-quarterfinal of the USD 2,100,000 Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, California.
After losing the first set in the tie-break, the Indian ace brilliantly rallied to beat her former doubles partner 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-3 in the third round match, last night.
Sania's job becomes tougher from here as she faces world number eight Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Chinese Jie Zhang 6-4, 6-2 in a third round match.
Sania is seeded 21st in singles in the Tier I event while Hantuchova is the fifth seed.
In the USD 3,589,000 men's Masters Series event being held at the same venue, Leander Paes and his Australian partner Paul Hanley warded off the challenge of David Nalbandian and Gullermo Canas to storm into the doubles quarterfinals.
The eighth seed Indo-Australian pair beat the Argentine duo 7-5 2-6 10-5 in the second round.
Meanwhile, sixth seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas won their opening encounter against the combine of German Christopher Kas and Dutch Rogier Wassen 6-3, 7-6 (3) to move into the second round. PTI
India should rely on Charlesworth, says Tahir Zaman
Y Sarangi
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Surprised by India's failure to make the cut for the Beijing Olympics, former Pakistan captain Tahir Zaman said the Indian Hockey Federation should now fall back on the experience and expertise of Technical Advisor Ric Charlesworth to revive the fortunes of the team.
Zaman, who led Pakistan in the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht, said India not qualifying for the Beijing Games was not only a setback for the country but also for Asian hockey at large.
"I think it is a great loss to Indian hockey as well as for Asian hockey. It was not really expected keeping in view the recent performances of the Indian team in the last one year," Tahir told PTI in an interview.
"I think blaming anyone is not fair enough, everyone is responsible for this loss to hockey." Tahir said Aussie great Charlesworth should be used to put Indian hockey back on track.
"Talking about Ric Charlesworth's utilisation in Indian or Asian system, I can say that he is quite an experinced person in world hockey and he knows better how to deal with the situation," he said.
The Olympian said a professional like Charlesworth should have been there with the Indian team during the Chile qualifiers.
"Yes, I believe so. That is the professional requirement in my opinion," he said. PTI
Gold surges to Rs 13,560 on strong global cues
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Gold prices today reached its new peak of Rs 13,560 in the bullion market here on brisk buying by stockists, sparked by strong global cues.
A turmoil in all financial markets after all dollar-denominated commodities turned volatile by setting high and low record levels, diverted investors to park their funds in gold, considering it to be a safe investment during such crisis, traders said.
The precious metal set record high peaks in all local as well as world bullion markets.
A remarkable rise in crude oil prices, weakening dollar, restricted inflow of foreign investors in emerging Asian stock markets left with no other option but to invest in gold, which surged to an all-time high of 1033 dollar an ounce in overseas markets.
Traders said buying activity in gold gathered momentum after reports of gold climbing by 19.98 dollar to 1,022.92 dollar an ounce in London after touching 1,032.70 a dollar, a level never seen before. Silver also rose 54 cents to 21.205 dollar an ounce, the highest since March 1980.
Standard gold and ornaments registered hefty gains of Rs 360 each to Rs 13,560 and Rs 13,410 per ten grams respectively. Sovereign joined the rally and set an all-time high level of Rs 10,350 per piece of eight gram by adding Rs 200.
In a similar fashion, silver ready attracted heavy stockists and industrial units buying after reports that it touched a 28-year high level in overseas markets. Silver ready rallied by Rs 1,050 to Rs 25,800 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 620 to Rs 27,360 per kg.
Silver coins too remained in keen demand and advanced by Rs 400 to Rs 27,300 for buying and Rs 27,400 for selling of 100 coins. PTI
Monday blues again for markets, Sensex below 15k level
Mumbai, Mar 17 (PTI) The domestic stock markets crashed in tandem with the global bourses and the benchmark Sensex on the Bombay Stock Exchange plunged to record this year's second biggest fall of over 950 points on an onslaught of selling by funds.
The 30-share BSE barometer settled the day below 15k level at 14,809.49 points, a loss of 951.03 points. It touched the day's low of 14,838.27 and a high of 15,326.93 points. The key index is closing below the 15k level for the first time since June 29, 2007.
The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty dropped 242.70 points at 4,503.10, after touching a low of 4,482.10 and a high of 4,745.45 points. Nifty's last dip below 4,500 points was on September 17 last year.
Capital goods index bore the maximum brunt of 873.63 points at 12,706.31, followed by banking index by 753.93 points at 7569.16. Bank shares remained the centre of brisk activity after the US Fed decided to cut borrowing rates.
The Fed is stepping up efforts to prevent strains on financial markets from worsening. The rate-cut decision, taken ahead of the Asian trading day, coincided with JP Morgan buying Bear Stearns for about 1/40th its share price of a month ago.
A steep fall in other Asian markets led by Hong Kong also had an adversed impact on the market. PTI
Sensex down 704 pts on weak global cues
Mumbai, Mar 17 (PTI) The stock markets fell sharply by 704.07 points in late morning trade following extremely weak global cues.
Investors were cautious and preferred to lighten their commitments anticipating continued negative trend in global markets because of troubled growth in the US economy which almost is heading for recession.
Asian markets were sharply lower by about 2.0 to 4.0 per cent.
The BSE benchmark Sensex was down by nearly 4.47 per cent or 704.07 points to 15,056.45 at 1030 hours from Friday's close of 15,760.52.
Similarly, the National Stock Exchange's broad-based S&P CNX Nifty dipped by 199.65 points or 4.21 per cent to 4,546.15 at 1030 hrs from previous close of 4,745.80. PTI
Govt formulates programme to solve unemployment problem
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) The government has formulated a programme to resolve the problem of unemployment by promoting labour based industries in the 11th five year plan, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes said "In order to make growth more inclusive, it is vital that more people gain access to more productive assets with which they can themselves generate decent incomes and also that GDP growth generates sufficient demand for wage labour so that those who cannot be self employed are employed at decent wages".
"Targeting faster growth in GDP and doubling of agriculture growth will help in this process. Besides, additional employment opportunities would be generated in the services and manufacturing sectors. Measures would need to be taken to boost labour intensive service sectors such as food processing, leather products, footwear and textiles and service sectors such as tourism and construction," he said.
To a separate question, Fernandes said "West Bengal government has launched the State Assisted Scheme of Provident Fund for unorganised workers for both employed and self employed workers in the unorganised sector".
"The state Assisted Scheme of provident fund for unorganised workers is specific to the state of West Bengal. Therefore, each state has to take a view whether they would want to adopt the scheme or not," he said. PTI
New immigration system curbs software export to UK: Nath
London, Mar 17 (PTI) Britain's new points-based immigration system may become a 'retrograde step' as it prevents India and other developing countries from exporting information technology systems and personnels to the country, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has said.
"The new regime can make it harder for software and other IT executives to travel back and forth between India and the UK, imperiling their ability to fulfill service contracts," Nath told the Financial Times.
"We are not asking for more permanent immigration. We are talking about people coming in for a month or so to integrate software systems," he said.
He pointed out that Indian software companies that could send executives or technical experts into the UK for short periods would be unable to service warranties or sell new systems that would require on-the-spot maintenance in the future.
Noting that New Delhi was still studying the new system, Nath said the new system risked becoming a 'retrograde step'.
Under the old immigration regime, there was special provision for the temporary movement of workers to fulfill commitments under international trade deals.
Such liberalisation is one of India's key demands in international trade talks, such as the bilateral deal it is negotiating with the European Union.
The UK Home Office would create a special immigration category for temporary workers, details of which it would release shortly, the report added. PTI
Pak Par opens minus Mush; Zardari, Sharif attend as guests
Islamabad, Mar 17 (PTI) President Pervez Musharraf was conspicuous by his absence today at the first session of Pakistan's new Parliament which was dominated by his opponents in the PPP and PML-N, the parties set to form the government.
Officials said the President was legally not required to attend the session at which outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain administered the oath to parliamentarians, who were elected to the National Assembly, lower house of Parliament, in the February 18 polls.
While Musharraf was not present, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif were in the gallery for the guests. Both of them are not members of Parliament According to Pakistan's Constitution, the President is required to address a joint session of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of each parliamentary year. However, Musharraf addressed the last parliament only once on January 17, 2004 during its five-year term.
Observers said the President had mainly kept away from the last National Assembly due to the hostile and combative attitude of the opposition comprising the PPP and PML-N, which had sought a debate on his controversial constitutional amendments.
Some legal experts have said Musharraf's failurx<ðø € øøøøøxþ €x x ø €ø €ø€€øx<ðøø€øø€ø €x ø €€xüøøøøxÀøø€øø øø session of Parliament in the past few years amounted to a violation of Constitution.
National Assembly Secretary Karamat Hussain Niazi said an address by the President at the beginning of the first session Islamabad, Mar 17 (PTI) President Pervez Musharraf was conspicuous by his absence today at the first session of Pakistan's new Parliament which was dominated by his opponents in the PPP and PML-N, the parties set to form the government.
Officials said the President was legally not required to attend the session at which outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain administered the oath to parliamentarians, who were elected to the National Assembly, lower house of Parliament, in the February 18 polls.
While Musharraf was not present, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif were in the gallery for the guests. Both of them are not members of Parliament According to Pakistan's Constitution, the President is required to address a joint session of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of each parliamentary year. However, Musharraf addressed the last parliament only once on January 17, 2004 during its five-year term.
Observers said the President had mainly kept away from the last National Assembly due to the hostile and combative attitude of the opposition comprising the PPP and PML-N, which had sought a debate on his controversial constitutional amendments.
Some legal experts have said Musharraf's failure to address a joint session of Parliament in the past few years amounted to a violation of Constitution.
National Assembly Secretary Karamat Hussain Niazi said an address by the President at the beginning of the first session of the House after a general election "is a requirement under article 56 of the Constitution".
He said "after the formation of the government, the President can address both houses together." PTI
Indian-American couple found shot dead in Michigan
Washington/Houston, March 17 (PTI) An Indian-American couple was found shot in the head at their house in an alleged case of contract killing ordered by their long-time friend and compatriot whom they had accused of siphoning off their money.
Brij Chhabra, 65, and his wife, Aasha, 56, were found dead on Tuesday inside their home in Troy in Michigan and police have arrested four people from Houston including a friend of Chhabras, Narayan Thadani.
Thadani was hired by the couple to manage their assets in India and they had filed a lawsuit against him in 2006 that made several claims, including that he had transferred some of their assets to himself.
Police arrested the alleged hired killers Miguel Angel Servando, 40, and Nelson Mendoza, 34, who were arraigned Friday in a Troy court on first-degree murder charges.
The two have pleaded no guilty. Prosecutors claim the two were promised USD 100,000 to kill the couple.
Thadani and Douglas Tabor were taken into custody by the FBI late Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the US Attorney's Office in Detroit.
The duo is awaiting an appearance before a federal magistrate in Houston and are expected to be extradited to Detroit to face the charges, Free Press reported.
Troy police said it could be up to 15 days before Thadani and Tabor are brought to Detroit.
In a lawsuit pending in Tarrant County District Court in Texas, Aasha had charged Thadani with siphoning off valuable property and possibly millions of dollars from her.
Family members said Aasha had entrusted Thadani with the sale of property and transferring funds from India to the US after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. PTI
China says 13 killed in Friday riots;Tibet remains calm, tense
Raghavendra Beijing, Mar 17 (PTI) Under intense global scrutiny over Lhasa riots, China today said it showed "maximum restraint" but vowed to punish those who committed "serious crimes" as the violence-battered Tibetan capital remained calm but tense three days after the killing of 13 people in the unrest.
"We showed maximum restraint. We did not use lethal weapons. No guns were used. We used only tear gas and water canons," Tibet Autonomous Regional Government Chairman Qiangba Puncog told a hurriedly called press conference, as he dismissed charge of "repression" of peaceful protests by Tibetans.
Qiangba said the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was also not involved to quell the protests until yesterday, since when they had been cleaning up the roads and helping in maintaining public order.
"The central government had made it clear to the security personnel to perform their duties in a civilised manner and in accordance with the law," he said, fending off the allegation of repression from some western countries and human rights groups.
He said 13 innocent civilians were either hacked or burnt to death, which pushes up the toll from 10 in Friday's bloodletting when the pro-Tibet independence protests led by Buddhist monks took a violent turn in the fiercest protest in two decades.
Qiangba dismissed as "baseless" reports that there were about "35 to 70 to 80 deaths" in the unrest.
He said it was "baffling" that some western countries and the 'Dalai clique', groups associated with the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, were saying that peaceful protests were being suppressed. "Will any democratic country tolerate such violent behaviour?" PTI
Second shaadi: a hope for second timers
Ashwini Shrivastava
New Delhi, March 17 (PTI) While finding a spouse a second time might never have been easy to accomplish, people looking out for partners after having failed to find conjugal bliss in their first now have a reason to smile.
With matrimonial websites finetuning their services to provide personalised assistance to men and women looking to tie the knot yet again, finding partners a second time has just got easier.
Matrimonial websites are now offering their services exclusively to help widows/widowers, single, seperated and divorced individuals wanting to start a second innings anad are getting good response.
"We help people to overcome social, cultural and intra-personal apprehensions and start a new life. Our efforts are to eliminate the taboo associated with second marriage in India," says Ankur Warikoo,managing director secondshaadi.Com, a matrimonial website exclusively developed to help people in getting married for second time.
Revealing that as many as 35,000 people were already registered, Ankur says the website was drawing tremendous response across the country.
Considering the demand and need of the members, the website provides advanced search options that allows its members to search for suitable match using 19 different search criteria, so that the search can be specific, say the promoters.
"We also have counsellors to give personalised service round the clock to our members," Ankur says. PTI
Better infrastructure woos filmmakers to the Capital
Anurag Sharma
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) It may have chaotic traffic andkiller blueline buses, the Capital, however, is fast becominga favourite place for movie producers thanks to the Metro,flyovers and its greenery.
Industry experts say that with recent infrastructuraldevelopments and growing demand for fresh story ideas, thecapital city is fast becoming a popular destination.
"Delhi has seen a sea change in the last five years as faras infrastructure development and production facilities areconcerned. Where would you shoot in Mumbai if you want newplaces? Delhi gives you some amazing sceneries. And with thegrowing demand of new ideas, filmmakers are looking at Delhias a new place to shoot," says Anand Kumar, Director of filmslike 'Jugaaad' and 'Delhi Heights'.
But Kumar adds that Delhi still has a long way to gobefore being compared with Mumbai. "The cost of shooting inMalaysia or Singapore is much less than that in Delhi and itsalso not easy to get permission to shoot and takes longertime. It still doesn't have the enough hardware to support thegrowing demand of ever-growing film industry," he says.
Scenes from films such as Sunday, Black and White,Jugaad, Dil Dosti Etc, Fanaa, Rang de Basanti (RDB), Khosla kaghosla, Ahista-Ahista and Delhi Heights, among others wereshot in the capital city.
Film critic Taran Adarsh says, "I think Delhi is one themost beautiful city in the world. And because it has not beenexplored to its potential like Mumbai, suddenly for newfilmmakers this modern city has become a place for givingshape to their new ideas. And nowadays, nobody cares about thecost, if the script demands outdoor shoot."
Old and New Delhi, both, give a visual treat to audienceswith its different tourist places like Red Fort, Qutub Minar,Jama Masjid, India Gate etc." PTI
Big bags, chunky jewellery for this coming Autumn season
Annie Samson
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) It is not just clothes that are under the usual scrutiny for their cuts, silhouettes, prints and fabrics used, accessories including jewellery that go towards complementing the entire look of an outfit are increasingly being viewed as trendsetters by fashionistas.
Even though a greater number of stylists have started including accessories to their collections, it is still a long road before they become an integral part of any fashion show with most designers still prefering the spotlight to fall on clothes.
Jewellery and bags are the first choice for designers wanting to jazz up a simple outfit as also these two are in the forefront among accessories when it comes to setting trends for any fashion season.
A total of 11 accessory designers are showcasing their wares at various stalls at the ongoing Wills India Fashion Week at the national capital's Pragati Maidan.
Jaipur-based Amrapali is showcasing its five new collections for the coming Autumn-Winter season that it predicts will see a greater emphasis on the neck and arms.
The jewellery house, which claims to have celebrity patrons like Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry, forecasts a brighter winter palette moving on from a chequered background and accents of colour that dominated Spring Summer.
Kaleidoscope, Femme Fatale, Juxtapose, Deja Vu and Aureole are its new collections. Gold and silver combinations embellishing matte and glossy backgrounds are the highlights of season with the silhoutte on the wearer and body movements.
Amber Paridi Shah, who is working with designers Shalini, Nitin Bal Chauhan and Charu Parishar for the WIFW says "The trend is for long necklaces, chunky earrigs and bangles and character earrings." PTI
Keypads may be passe soon, touch is the future
Wasfia Jalali
New Delhi, March 16 (PTI) Mere touch is enough for them to respond and in some cases even a tilt will do! Out to grab the growing market, especially the youth segment, mobile handset manufacturers are flooding market space with snazzy devices.
With manufacturers of handsets planning to introduce devices that are 'touch', 'motion', 'shake' and even 'rotation' sensitive, keypads and buttons might soon be a thing of the past, say industry experts.
If the recently concluded 'Mobileasia' 2008, where manufacturers displayed their latest and yet to be launched products was any indication, the next couple of years will see touchscreen devices taking centrestage, they say.
The idea behind introducing touch screens on a larger scale is to provide consumers an interactive and intuitive interface that attracts youth who form the major chunk of mobile users, say the industry people.
"A majority of people buying and using mobile phones in the next 15 to 20 years will young people who not only look for style, colour and design but also for latest and user friendly technology", says Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM of LG India.
"We are offering touch-screen devices for the segment of buyers looking for interactive handsets that do away with push-button types", he adds.
Significantly, in LG's lineup of premium range of products for the coming year the concept of touchscreens is a priority, Arora says. PTI
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Sensex: 14809.49, -951.03
The sensex closed at 14809.49, down 951.03
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1 U.S. $ = 40.755 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.4217 INR
1 British Pound = 81.663 INR
1 Canadian $ = 41.109 INR
1 Singapore $ = 29.528 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 11.099 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.883 INR
1 Euro = 64.338 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 11.200 INR
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