Monday, May 31, 2010

Hi TECH CHEATING IN EAMCET

Thursday, May 27, 2010

65 dead in Bengal train accident

65 dead in Bengal train accident, Maoist sabotage suspected

source: yahoo

Jhargram (West Bengal), May 28 (IANS) At least 65 people were killed and over 200 injured early Friday when a Mumbai-bound passenger train derailed and was hit by a speeding goods train in West Bengal, officials said, suspecting sabotage by Maoist guerrillas.

'Sixty-five bodies have been recovered. There may be many more,' West Bengal Home Secretary Samar Ghosh told NDTV news channel from Kolkata.

The figure is likely to go up as hundreds of passengers are still trapped in the engine and 13 bogies that derailed after the accident took place at around 1.30 a.m near the Maoist stronghold of Jhargram, in West Midnapore district, about 155 km from the West Bengal capital.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said unambiguously from the accident site that 'it is a bomb blast case'. Banerjee said that police and district administration told her that they have found evidences that the track was blasted.

'I have got the message from them,' the minister told reporters.

Ghosh added that over 200 passengers of the Mumbai-bound Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express train were injured after some of its compartments were derailed and hit by a goods train coming in the opposite direction.

The official said that 1.5 ft of the railway track was reported to be missing which caused the derailment.

In Delhi, a railway official didn't rule out the sabotage by the rebels, but said deaths were mainly caused by the collision after the derailment of the passenger train.

'We suspect it is a case of sabotage. The driver (of the passenger train) has reported to have heard a huge sound. There was definite tinkering with the tracks,' member Railway Board Vivek Sahai told reporters.

Sahai said a light engine and three trains had passed on the track earlier. 'It is unfortunate that Gyaneshwar Express got hit.'

He said the railways had sounded a red alert in five states -- Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal -- in the wake of the black week being observed by Maoist guerrillas since Thursday midnight to protest a massive security operation against them.

In Kolkata, Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh told IANS that the train ran off the track as a portion of the tracks as well as fish plates were found to removed near Jhargram.

'There could have been a blast. But the train derailed primarily because of the missing fishplates and rail tracks,' Singh said.

As soon as the engine and coaches fell on the adjoining track, shrieks of injured passengers tore through the night as they feverishly tried to escape from the mangled coaches.

Shocked train passengers stumbled out of the bogies and frantically looked for their near ones.

Villagers and railway officials frantically tried to rescue passengers still trapped in the fallen bogies.

'We heard a loud, screeching noise of the train braking and the coaches derailing,' said a survivor.

A man who rushed to help the injured said: 'Initially, no security staff in the train helped. Only public came to the help of the passengers. We rushed to try and save people.'

No one has claimed responsibility for the sabotage but officials say they have recovered posters of Maoists and the Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), a group of tribal agitators having close links with Leftist rebels in West Midnapore.

The Indian Air Force and other security agencies have launched a massive rescue operation and helicopters and medical team pressed into service at the accident site, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Mahesh Upasni told IANS.

The injured passengers were taken to the nearest major town Kharagpur and elsewhere in West Midnapore district. Many of those wounded are believed to be in a serious condition.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Rs.200,000 as compensation for those killed and Rs.50,000 for the seriously injured. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee also declared compensation of Rs.500,000 to each of the families of those killed and a job for one member of the family.

Maoists derail passenger train in West Bengal

Maoists derail passenger train in West Bengal

taken from : yahoo.com


Two trains collided after a blast hit a passenger train and flung it into the path of a speeding goods train in Jhargram area of West Bengal on Friday, killing at least 25 people, government officials said.

One local government official said the toll could go up to "anywhere around 50-60" because many passengers were trapped inside mangled coaches.

The area is known to be a stronghold of Maoist rebels. A railway spokesman said sabotage was suspected, but the involvement of the Maoists has yet to be confirmed.

"At this stage I can confirm 25 deaths," Manoj Kumar, a railway official, told Reuters. "The toll will be much higher.

"We can give a final figure only after rescue operations are complete. We have to cut open the compartments and bring out bodies."

A reporter of the Telegraph newspaper described a scene of chaos and panic at the site.
"People are crying. Rescuers are struggling to save the survivors and get the bodies out," Naresh Jana told Reuters.

"I can see body parts hanging out of the compartments and under the wheels. I can hear people, women, crying for help from inside the affected coaches."

The incident comes days after a passenger airliner crashed in Mangalore, killing 158 people.
The passenger train was going to Mumbai from Kolkata.

"The blast derailed 13 coaches of the Gyaneshwari Express. These coaches then fell on the other track where a goods train rammed into some of them," Soumitra Majumdar, a railway spokesman told Reuters.

Majumdar said sabotage was suspected because the passenger train had been hit by a blast.
The Maoist rebels, who often attack police, government buildings and infrastructure such as railway stations, have in recent months stepped up attacks in response to a government security offensive to clear them out of their jungle bases.

The rebels blew up a bus in Chhattisgarh this month, killing 35 people, about a month after 76 police were killed in another attack.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the insurgency as India's biggest internal security challenge.

The decades-old movement is now present in a third of the country and while they have made few
inroads into cities, they have spread into rural pockets of up to 28 states and hurt potential business worth billions of dollars.


(Writing by Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Plane crashes while trying to land at Libyan airport

(CNN) -- A plane carrying 104 people crashed while trying to land at Libya's Tripoli International Airport on Wednesday.


The Afriqiyah Airways plane was flying in from Johannesburg, South Africa, when it crashed while attempting to land at the airport in the Libyan capital, an airline spokeswoman said.


She could not say whether there were any fatalities.

"At the moment we have no details of survivors and Afriqiyah Airways will issue further statements when more details can be released in due course," she said.

The plane, an Airbus 330-200, was carrying 93 passengers and 11 crew members. It was at the tail end of its nearly 9-hour-long flight when it crashed.

The British Foreign Office said it was looking into whether British nationals were on board the flight.


At the crash site, workers with surgical masks combed through the smoldering wreckage that spilled over a large area. A wheel lay atop a pile of bags. Two green airline seats sat upright and intact amid burned parts of the aircraft.


Officials recovered the plane's flight data recorder, which investigators use to piece together a flight's last minutes.


The Tripoli-based Afriqiyah (Arabic for "African") operates flights to four continents. The planes in the fleet carry the logo 9.9.99 -- the date when the African Union was formed.


The Airbus that crashed is one of three Airbus 330-200s that the airline owns.

Autos, cops’ mode of transport

Criminals being hauled off by grim policemen in a swarthy jeep marks the climax of so many of our films but in the real life battle between good and evil, the reel-life jeep is in actuality, often, an auto. With the police department under incredible pressure from increasing crime and the need to step up night-patrols in an expanding city, cops now cart the accused to the police station or courts in autos.

Actor Ravi Teja’s brother Bharath Raja, recently accused of drunken driving and a hit-and-run case in Banjara Hills was transported to the Nampally sessions court by auto. Ditto with actor Navdeep, the hero arrested for rash driving. True to his star status though, Navdeep actually tried to coerce the autowallah to take him to a star hotel instead of the police station.


The accused travelling by auto and even bikes is quite commonplace say city dwellers. J. Kalyan, a student leader in Osmania University says, “I was arrested at several agitations and in most cases was taken to the police station by auto. Many of my friends who were arrested were sent to court and the police station in autos as well, as the patrol vehicle was busy elsewhere.”


G. Krishna, another student organisation leader nods, “Whenever I’ve been taken to the police station by auto, the cops say their vehicles are sent somewhere else.” Srikanth N., an engineering student and resident of New Bowenpally was asked to lend the police his car, “A few months ago, there was a theft in our house. The police came on a bike. After they arrested the lady they asked to borrow our car to take her to the station. When we refused, they took her on the bike.”


With only approximately 320 jeeps and patrol four wheelers, every police station is given one patrol vehicle, about five bikes and a police station mobile vehicle. Cops admit that there is a shortage of vehicles to transport the accused. “We had to send Navdeep in an auto as patrol vehicles were busy elsewhere. It is risky but we can’t help it. We have to send them to the police station in whatever vehicle is available that time,” says C.V. Anand, city traffic additional commissioner.


“We use rakshak vehicles for patrolling and we can’t stop patrolling in the night. So, if there is an arrest then, it is a problem. In case of injury, we use the services of EMRI 108 and if it is arrest, we call for an auto,” admits Banjara Hills inspector Iqbal Siddiqui. The cops also maintain that there’s no harm in transporting the accused by auto or bikes. “Why not? We can arrest them and move them to police station in whatever vehicle is available at that time,” says Stephen Ravindra, DCP West Zone.

Young IIT-ian’s Adam PC could beat iPad

Looks like the iPad killer is here at last. Rohan Shravan, 24, an engineering graduate from IIT Kharagpur has designed a tablet PC named Adam which may soon offer tough competition to Steve Jobs’ much-hyped machine.

It has already caught the attention of the world after being unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show and the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Hyderabad-based start-up Notion Ink, Rohan’s company, plans to launch Adam in the market later this year. It will have better features, a longer battery life and will come at a cheaper price than other PCs of its ilk.
Rohan, a whizkid with out-of-the-box ideas, always wanted to do something different. As a child, he loved to fiddle with toys and make his own models. As a techie, he still does the same, but on a higher plane. What motivated him in this instance was the craving for a device that would help him browse the Internet everywhere, anytime.

“So I thought why not a device on which people can use their imagination and develop applications. It took us three years to design Adam,” says Rohan.

He worked on this dream along with five IIT-ians and a management graduate — Rohit Rathi, (co-founder) Sachin Ralhan (co-founder), Mohit Gupta, Anirudh Gupta, Rajat Sahni, and Devanshu Agrawal. The result of the teamwork was Adam.

As the name signifies, it is the first of its kind. The operating system will be open to all. The user interface, the backside track pad, the special Tegra processor, the special never seen before e-mail application, and the swivel camera are all rather unique and will have tech lovers drooling.


“It is not comparable to already existing products in the markets,” says Rohan modestly. “You can probably compare it to the next generation of devices which will hit markets in 2012.”

“Initially, in India people took us lightly, but when they saw the western reception, they suddenly warmed up,” laughs Rohan.


There was also carping and criticism. The team was called a bunch of kids with wild ideas. When Adam made a stir, there were other complaints. “Many criticised us for naming the product Adam and not choosing an Indian name,” he points out. “But tell me which is the Indian name among these? Reliance, Infosys...?”


Notion Ink was part of Rohan’s dream to do his own thing. “I can work for others, but I will not be satisfied,” he says. “Here, I can work for my dreams and employ people. My mother was also an entrepreneur.”


Interestingly, Rohan says his IIT days were not inspiring. “The best college in India is not what it looks like in papers,” he says. “It lacks infrastructure and professors leave for better colleges. I had to cut off myself from daily activities at IIT to follow my ambition.”


He is enthusiastically looking forward to the launch of Adam, but prefers to laugh away the epithet of iPad killer. “Apple has such a big marketing arm that you can never call Adam an iPad killer,” he says.

But then you never know.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Gold particles to drive cheap TVs, PCs

Mon, May 10 02:21 PM


Now, a new way to disperse gold particles through plastic!

Scientists have discovered a new way to disperse gold nanoparticles through plastic, which they claim could make possible a lot of unusual materials such as durable paint, faster computers and cheaper TV sets.
Adrian Fuchs of Queensland University of Technology, who led an team which found the new method, said the technique he developed was a model for dispersing metals in nanoparticle form throughout polymers or plastic materials.

"The properties of metals change when they are in nano form and so combining unique property of nanoparticles with plastic leads to a whole new range of composite materials that could be used for novel catalysts, drug delivery and coatings.

"Paint is essentially a plastic so when gold nanoparticles are added it makes colours more intense across the whole visible spectrum. The paint would also be more durable when exposed to a harsh environment," Dr Fuchs said.

According to the scientists, gold has good conductivity and becomes a useful catalyst when mixed with different metals.

"If you put gold nanoparticles with titanium dioxide using a plastic mould, you can make a very efficient catalyst to purify water; the titania absorbs the light and converts it into electricity which is then passed into the conductive gold," he said.

Dr Fuchs said his method for dispersing nanoparticles through plastic could also be applied to encapsulating drugs into plastic casings so that they could be ingested and used for cancer detection and destruction.

Smart phones exposing kids to suicide, sex

Mon, May 10 04:25 PM


Melbourne, May 10 (ANI): Smart phones such as Apple's iPhone are allowing children to download violent and sexually explicit games that have escaped government classification.

The classification loophole means schoolchildren given smart phones and similar devices by their parents are being exposed to material which would be restricted in other forms of media, such as video game consoles, magazines and movies.

The material can be downloaded on to iPhones from Apple's App Store in as little as 60 seconds, and only a credit card or debit card is needed to create an iTunes account to download the apps.

An example of such games is the '5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself)' game, which has an image of a man with a knife through his head as a logo, and where players have the option of a number of weapons to "get the job done".

Another is the 'Girls And Drinks' game where players are encouraged to drink excessively to attract "sexy" barmaids, with a spiel saying, "Choose a sexy bartender. The more you drink, the sexier she gets".
The suicide game triggered a furious response from Beyond Blue chairman and anti-depression advocate Jeff Kennett.

"Put this in the hands of a kid who is depressed or has been bullied, it's like throwing fuel on the fire to the problem," News.com.au quoted him as saying.

Apple has about 150,000 apps available on its site in Australia, and the ratings it gives are in small print on the games' listings.

The games do not contain ratings from the Government's Classification Board, as they are required to under Federal law.

The board's website notes "games must be classified by the board before they can be sold or hired in Australia".

A spokeswoman for the Federal Attorney-General's Department said it was "considering the issue of mobile phone applications".

An Apple spokeswoman said the company "self-rated" a number of the game apps on its site.
"Our approval process is about protection of consumer privacy, protecting children where we can," she added. (ANI)

Five hidden dangers of Facebooking

Five hidden dangers of Facebooking

Mon, May 10 03:15 PM

Washington, May 10 (ANI): An expert in online privacy has drawn attention to the five dangers of sharing information on social networking site Facebook.

Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online, claims marketing efforts by the company often results in a compromise on account holders' privacy, reports CBS News.

Goodchild noted five risks of using Facebook on 'The Early Show on Saturday Morning.' They are:

1.Your information is being shared with third parties

2. Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign

3. Facebook ads may contain malware

4. Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable

5. Scammers are creating fake profiles
 Earlier this week, 15 privacy and consumer protection organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that the site manipulates privacy settings to make users' personal information available for commercial use. (ANI)

If your answer "NO", then you are safe................






Facebooking  Danger ?
 

Inside the mind of a Killer

“In the last six months after being appointed by the court to defend the country’s most hated terrorist, I have never seen Ajmal Aamir Kasab show any emotions. Initially, when I was assisting Abbas Kazmi, I hardly interacted with Kasab. But after Mr Kazmi left, I took charge of defending Kasab. Kasab never showed any remorse or said that whatever he had done was wrong and should not have been done.

He never even told me about his family or whether there was any way for him to get in touch with them. Although he is only around 20 years of age, he is very shrewd and very calculative. The manner in which he had been behaving during the trial, showed how strong his mental balance truly is. The impact of training particularly the lectures on jihad is such that he still believes that he would go to jannat after what he has done, as he has pleased God by his deeds. He is incredibly smart, stubborn and rigid. He may have become physically weak but not mentally, I was shocked when during his deposition, he said that he had come to Mumbai to become an actor. 

He knows how to misguide the court. I didn’t brief him at any point in time, neither did he tell me anything beyond what he said in court and to the police. The fact of the matter is that he never trusted me and always looked at me with suspicion. 

“Aap ko jaisa theek lage (As you deem fit)” was his usual line to me, whenever I discussed his case with him. It’s not about the rigorous physical training that Kasab was given, but about the way he was brainwashed and the impact of that, which is really scary. 

During the time when witnesses were deposing against him and were narrating their plight on that fateful day, Kasab never lost his composure. Had it been any other criminal, he would have showed some sympathy towards the witness at least once. But Kasab remained emotionless. On the contrary, he only laughed or smiled which is very unusual.Beyond what he said to the court about his childhood and his days in his village, he has not revealed anymore about himself. Kasab never said he missed his family and I don’t think he had any friends. He is not religious at all as I have never heard him reciting any prayers.”
(K.P. Pawar, defence counsel, spoke to Jigna Vora)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

HP rallies for 'justice' from Centre

Mon, May 10 05:42 AM

'Nyaya rally' : Dhumal, Shanta ask Gadkari to meet PM and demand grant of extension to industrial package for Himachal, share in BBMB projects

The Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Nyaya rally' against Centre's "injustice" with Himachal Pradesh turned out to be a big draw on Sunday. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, backed by veteran leader Shanta Kumar, urged party chief Nitin Gadkari to take up the state's issues with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ensure "justice" to the "peaceful state".

The rally was mainly triggered by the withdrawal of central excise duty —one of the key components of the industrial package — on March 31, 2010, three years before the proposed deadline. It also aimed to lend more voice to the state's demand for 7.19 per cent share in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects under the States' Re-organisation Act-1966.

The state had earlier filed a case in the Supreme Court on this, which on April 26, 2010, directed the Centre to hold a meeting of all stakeholders within three weeks.
Overwhelmed by the response to the rally, Gadkari said the BJP's national leadership was with Himachal. "BJP is not a small party. It has 165 MPs, rules in nine states and has more MLAs than those of the Congress. The party will do whatever needed to see that the Centre listens to Himachal and grants it justice.

There is no reason to ignore the state's interests. The Centre's move to withdraw central excise duty is illegal and unjustified," he said.

Earlier, addressing the rally at the crowded Chaura Maidan, Dhumal questioned the justification behind premature withdrawal of the industrial package. He made a fervent plea to Gadakri — who was on his first tour of the state — to lead a party's delegation to the prime minister, in support of Himachal's demand for its legitimate share in the BBMB projects.

Dhumal recalled his meeting with the PM in New Delhi on Saturday and said the latter had admitted that a few benefits under the package had been withdrawn due to opposition of certain states. "He has agreed to review the issue with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and give justice to Himachal," Dhumal said, ridiculing Union Minister Anand Sharma for claiming that the package had not been withdrawn. He, however, thanked Sharma as his ministry had earlier recommended extension of the package. "Anand Sharma may have some political compulsion to take a different stand now," the CM said.

Former CM and BJP's national vice-president Shanta Kumar, who raised the BBMB share issue in the Rajya Sabha last week, said Himachal was paying a price for being a "peaceful" state and unless BJP's top leadership extended its support to the state, the Centre might not hear its voice. "I urge Gadkari ji to seek date with Prime Minister and invite top leaders such as L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitely, Chief Minister Dhumal, myself and all Himachal MPs to seek an early justice from the Centre."

Others who spoke were BJP's national general secretary J P Nadda, party's Himachal affairs in-charge Satya Pal Jain, state BJP chief Khimi Ram and co-in-charge of the party in Himachal O P Dankar.
With the crowd swelling, because of which most BJP workers could not even reach the venue, the party had to pull down its posters put up in the backdrop of the dais to clear the view for the audience.
ElsewhereUttarakhand, too , seeks extension of central industrial package

Dehra dun: Amid confusions that tax exemptions to industries in Himachal Pradesh have been extended for three years, the Uttarakhand government on Sunday sought extension of the total central industrial package. Chairman of the State Media Advisory Committee Devendra Bhasin said the government demanded the extension of total industrial package, including the exemption in excise duty. "This (exemption in excise duty) is the most important part of the package that attracts industries to set up their units," Bhasin said in a statement here. Uttarakhand witnessed a robust growth in industrial sector following the sanction of the package in 2003 by the then government with top notch companies like Tata Motors, Britannia, Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto setting up their units in the state.

Kasab to hang on a Bihar rope

Sat, May 8 06:35 PM

India, May 8 -- When the hangman's summon arrives for Ajmal Amir Kasab, ordered hanged by a Mumbai court, his end would come with a specially woven Buxar Manila rope around his neck.

The hangman's rope, 15-feet in length and weighing 3.75 kilograms, is a speciality of the prisoners ward of Buxar Central jail-handwoven with a special cotton thread known as the J-34 variety. The Buxar Central jail has been the sole supplier of the hangman's rope for the last one decade to each and every jail in the country.

The last order, it received was in 2005, when the Supreintendent of Tihar jail in New Delhi had asked for one in preparation for the hanging of Afzal Guru. Jail Superintendent, Jaishankar Prasad said, while no request has been placed with the rope manufacturing cell here, the rope making process does consume much time.

He said, the the J-34 thread is soaked in wax to make it soft, so that it does not get knotted. Two weaves of six thick strands on one side and 16 on the other side are interwoven to prepare the Manila rope, so preferred by executioners. The jail already has requests for 28 ropes.

If Kasab's is ordered for, it would be the 29th.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Death Sentence for Ajmal Kasab

Thu, May 6 02:18 PM



A Mumbai Special Court, which conducted the trial of 26/11 terror strikes, announced the death penalty for Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist. The sentencing by Judge M L Tahiliyani makes Kasab the 52nd person on death row in India. Kasab was handed capital punishment for killing 72 people and waging war against the state.

Kasab got the death sentence on four counts, while he got life-term in five other cases.


Kasab, a Pakistan citizen, has turned into one of India's costliest prisoners. Till now, the Government has spent over 35 crore rupees for his safety.

Public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, described him as "worse than a wild beast... Kasab is a killing machine... and the orders for this machine came from Pakistan."

On Monday, Kasab was found guilty on more than 80 of the 86 charges brought against him for planning and executing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

The death penalty will not be implemented immediately. Kasab has the option of appealing to higher courts, and can also file a mercy petition for the consideration of the President.


Special Public Prosecutor in the Mumbai attack case Ujjwal Nikam today expressed happiness over awarding of death sentence to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab for the carnage, saying the verdict has delivered justice to the families of the victims. "I am happy about the verdict.

Nikam, who fought India's biggest terror attack case, said the "fair and open trial in the case" has given the message to the entire world that in India everybody, even a dreaded terrorist, gets full opportunity to defend himself. Speaking on the trial procedure in the special court, he said Kasab tried every trick to mislead the court on several occasions. "Sometimes he would ask for chicken biriyani, sometimes he would tell us that he wanted to tie a rakhi. He used all the theatrics so as to save himself," Nikam said

The 22-year-old Kasab, from Pakistan's Punjab province was seen crying as he was led back to the court room after stepping out briefly with the judge's consent to drink water.


At one point, special judge M.L. Tahaliyani asked the defence lawyer if Kasab wanted to say something. When the question was posed to him, Kasab just shook his head. He looked irritated and again sat down. The judge then spoke directly to the prisoner in Hindi: 'Do you want to say something?' Kasab looked at the judge blankly, shook his head and sat down.



Speaking later, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "Those were crocodile tears." Nikam went on to recite a Sanskrit verse to mean that no matter how much milk is given to a snake, it will always spew venom.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Capital goods push ECBs 18%

With risk appetite for Indian paper improving, Indian companies managed to mop up significant amounts of money through external commercial borrowings (ECBs) last fiscal (2009-10). Companies received approvals to raise $21.67 billion compared with $18.36 billion in 2008-09, an increase of 18%. In March 2010, companies raised $4.32 billion, up 300% over $1.11 billion mobilised in March 2009.

Most companies are raising these funds to import capital goods and modernise plants. Along with large companies, mid-sized and small companies are choosing the ECB route to raise money.

"More companies are looking to borrow through ECBs, but they will also keep a close watch on interest rates," said Prakash Subramanian, MD & regional head, capital markets, South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.

Post the Lehman crises, when the ECB window had dried up, overseas funding was available at (London Interbank Offered Rate) LIBOR (base rate) +500 basis points (bps). However, with an improvement in liquidity scenario globally, a AAA Indian corporate can now borrow at close to LIBOR+200 bps.

Manmohan Singh, managing director (head-primary debt markets), India at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) observes that with an increase expected in local interest rates and recent tightening of spreads for Indian paper in international markets, overseas borrowing seems to be a competitive option.

"There is a lot of interest from the corporate and institutional space for overseas funds. In fact, ECBs and ECA loans continue to do well. There are pipelines of projects which need to be funded," says Hemant Mishr, managing director and head of global markets, South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank. He adds that the credit spreads have compressed and that there is higher appetite for funds.

RBI data for March 2010, shows that as many as 73 companies have opted for ECBs. Reliance Industries (RELIANCE.NS : 1018.9 -1.75), Reliance Infratel, Nacil, Aircel and PFCL account for more than half the borrowings.

HP evaded Rs 1,450-cr customs duty: DRI

By fe Bureau



The Indian arm of global IT giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) has been slapped a show-cause notice by the Bangalore unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for alleged customs duty evasion of Rs 1,450 crore. If found true, this would be the single-largest case of evasion the DRI has ever unravelled. The California-based computer maker is already facing a bribery probe in Europe over a 2003 contract.

According to DRI, HP evaded duty by undervaluing products like computers, laptops, notebooks and desktops by Hewlett-Packard India Sales Pvt Ltd from its overseas offices in the past five years.
An HP Asia-Pacific & Japan spokesperson told FE: "HP India has been transparent and has cooperated fully with the DRI in its investigation. HP India refutes the DRI's position and will challenge its claims through the judicial process."

Even as the case is under investigation, HP voluntarily pre-deposited Rs 79.25 crore with the government, a DRI official told FE. Of this sum, Rs 35 crore was paid only last week. HP's Indian sales enjoy the Accredited Client Programme (ACP), under which it has an extended green channel facility for faster imports clearance without routine Customs checks. The company imports products from its parent's offices in the US and Singapore.

DRI says HP did not make proper and full disclosure about the pricing mechanism of imports to the Customs department. HP was allegedly raising two invoices one for the clients and one for its offices that gave it 44-83% discounts. While importing computers, it did not declare these details to the Customs and undervalued imports, a DRI official said. HP would need to reply to the showcause notice within a stipulated time, usually 90 days, after which the tax department can take action as per law.

Nokia, Microsoft launch new mobile software




HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia and Microsoft unveiled on Wednesday the first result of their new software collaboration aimed at breaking the dominance of Research in Motion's BlackBerry in wireless services for corporations.

Nokia and Microsoft, at one time fierce rivals in the mobile telecommunications business, announced the alliance in August 2009. They expect to offer Nokia phones running Microsoft's Office programmes later this year.

On Wednesday the companies unveiled Communicator Mobile software, which enables people to see their colleagues' availability, and click to communicate with them using instant messenger, e-mail, text or phone call.

The names and status of colleagues are embedded directly in the devices' contacts application. Owners of Nokia E52 and E72 models can download it as of today from Nokia's Ovi Store.
(Reporting by Tarmo Virki)

Bajaj car to be world's cheapest

By fe Bureau


Bajaj's ultra-low cost car being manufactured jointly with Renault and Nissan promises to give hot chase to the Tata Nano. On Monday, Rajiv Bajaj (BAJAJAUTO.NS : 2101.05 0), MD, Bajaj Auto confirmed the $2,500 (Rs 1.1 lakh) price tag for the car, announced first by Renault chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company's shareholders' meet late last week. The Renault announcement comes a few days after it pulled out of its loss-making Logan venture with Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Bajaj car will be cheaper than the Nano, which comes at Rs 1.23 lakh-1.72 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi ). After the launch of Tata Nano, the race for the No.2 position in the ultra-low cost car segment is under way in India , which as emerged as the Mecca of this segment. However, other automakers' plans to enter this segment are still on the drawing board.

At Renault meeting, Ghosn said: "In India , Renault and Nissan are developing an ultra-low-cost vehicle with the Bajaj group, benefiting from its expertise in light vehicles and knowledge of the Indian market." He reiterated the affordability of the vehicle for the Indian market by citing the targeted low price tag.
"We are combining our strengths with Nissan, notably in India , Russia , Brazil and Mexico ," Ghosn said. "The alliance product strategy has been finalised in India and Russia , and Renault and Nissan will pool their production capacities and platforms there to fully deliver on these developments," he added.
The car was initially scheduled to hit the market this year, but has been postponed to 2012. Bajaj Auto displayed the prototype of the small car at the 2008 Auto Expo. However, the three partners were stuck at various levels of branding and engineering the car till last year. According to industry observers, the project also got delayed as partners were stuck on pricing issues as well. While Renault wanted a low-cost car, Bajaj was keen on a car that would sport high mileage and low maintenance.

It was during his India visit that Ghosn finally announced the finalisation of the project. "As per the agreement, the design, engineering, sourcing and manufacturing will be handled by Bajaj Auto, while marketing and selling will be (done) by Renault-Nissan Alliance," he said. But he had declined to comment on the pricing of the car.
Officials from the alliance have said the car will be smaller than Maruti Suzuki's Alto, which is the biggest selling model in India .

In March, Collin Dodge, executive vice-president, Nissan Motor had said: "It is over two years that Bajaj is trying to produce the car. The physics of it is very difficult. We have not yet found a solution as there are a lot of engineering solutions required." Nissan is also in talks with Hinduja group company Ashok Leyland (ASHOKLEY.NS : 62.45 0) to develop a small car for the global market that could be priced around $4,500-5,000.

"We have a formal agreement with Ashok Leyland for making light commercial vehicles in India . In addition, we also use Ashok Leyland's engineering services for various purposes. At the moment, we are talking to them and many other partners in China , Indonesia ...for a price centric vehicle," Nissan Motor Co executive vice-president Collin Dodge had said at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

People who sleep for less than six hours 'die early'

People who sleep fewer than six hours a night are more likely to die early, researchers have found in a study they claim provides 'unequivocal evidence' of a link between sleep deprivation and premature death.

"We spend a third of our lives asleep, and yet two-thirds of us struggle to get enough"


They discovered that people who slept for less than six hours each night were 12 per cent more likely to die prematurely - before the age of 65 - than those who slept the recommended six to eight hours a night.

The team from the University of Warwick and Federico II University Medical School in Naples analysed 16 studies involving a total of 1.3 million people before reaching their conclusions.

They pointed ouy that previous studies had shown that sleep deprivation was associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.

However, the researchers also found that sleeping too much was linked to an early death.
Those who slept for more than nine hours a night were 30 per cent more likely to die early, the research published in the journal Sleep found.

That directly contradicts research published in the same journal last week which suggested that people who slept for ten hours or longer a night were more likely to live to 100.

This was thought to be because people who lived into extreme old age were healthier and therefore slept better.

However, the authors of the latest research contradicted this and suggested that long sleep was a sign of underlying illnesses such as depression and low levels of physical activity. Some cancer is also associated with sleeping for longer.

Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick and Consultant Physician at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: “Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill-health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health.

“Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common among full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work. On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time.

“Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health. The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioural risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counselling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments."

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A good work environment means better health

London, May 4 (IANS) Bad workplace systems can cause a range of ailments, from cardiovascular disease to mental health, and a good work environment can translate into better health for workers, research says.

A new study shows that the best way of working allows employees a greater level of participation as well as providing greater possibilities for adapting working conditions to their needs, greater recognition of their work and fair treatment.

'We have studied the relationship between exposure to psychosocial risks and the kind of labour management practices used to hire, use, develop, hold onto or dismiss workers,' Clara Llorens Serrano, study leader, told Spain's Scientific Information and News Service (SINC).

Serrano is a researcher at the Trade Union Institute of Labour, Environment and Health (ISTAS-CCOO).
The study shows that a good working environment enables employees to learn new skills, work under permanent contracts, get paid salaries according to the number of hours worked and tasks carried out, as well as a working week of between 31 to 40 hours.

A survey was carried out October 2004-July 2005 on 7,612 people employed by others in Spain, an ISTAS-CCOO release said.

It showed that 'the better the labour management practices used in organising work, the better the psychosocial environment of the workplace will be, with fewer cases of health-related problems'.

The most significant results show how a democratically functioning workplace and the use of methods to enable direct participation by workers in carrying out their daily tasks leads to a better working atmosphere. The findings were published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.

It won't be sudden death for Kasab

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab may not have any sympathiser in the country but the legal system will ensure that he gets a fair chance.

Hardly anybody had any doubt about his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attack, yet Kasab managed to preserve his deemed-to-be-innocent status until he was held guilty on Monday.
And this is not the end of the road for him.

The country's criminal justice system envisages that a convict be given a hearing before the quantum of sentence is decided. Kasab - whose punishment could either be life imprisonment or death sentence - will be given an opportunity to cite mitigating circumstances in his favour to escape the noose.

Despite the gravity of the offence, he would be entitled to cite circumstances such as his young age, etc, to escape the death sentence. The judge, on the other hand, will be under a duty to give reasons for awarding capital punishment and not life imprisonment.
Besides, even if he is sentenced to death, he cannot be hanged until the sentence is confirmed by the high court.
The state, thus, will have to approach the high court for confirmation of the sentence.
This, however, will not bar Kasab from approaching the high court to challenge the conviction itself.
The judgment by the trial court will be subjected to scrutiny by the high court in appeal and Kasab can take advantage of the flaws in the prosecution story. The prosecution, on the other hand, will not be allowed to cite any fresh evidence against him.

If the high court also holds him guilty, he can approach the Supreme Court to challenge his conviction and sentence.

The apex court is the final court of appeal and here a convict, in deserving cases, gets ample opportunity to put forth his case. If his appeal is dismissed, Kasab can still seek a review of the judgment by citing lapses in it.

Apart from this, in extraordinary cases of miscarriage of justice, the Supreme Court entertains a curative petition after the review petition is dismissed.

Kasab's legal right does not end here. His nationality would not come in the way of his right to file a petition before the President for clemency. It could, therefore, be years before the law would finally catch up with him. After all, he was deemed innocent for over 550 days despite being overpowered and caught in the action.

Exercise early for stronger bones in old age

London, May 4 (IANS) Exercises early on increase bone density and size, which may spell a reduced risk of osteoporosis later, says a study.

Around 3,200 men had their bones examined and their exercise habits mapped. Of these, just over 2,300 18-year-olds were selected at random to have their heel bone studied by the researchers.
The heel bone is particularly useful to study as it is directly impacted by exercise, being loaded with the full weight of the body.

'In this group, we found that those who actively did sports, and also those who used to do sports, had greater bone density than those who had never done sports,' said Martin Nilsson, physiotherapist and a student at the Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden.

The researchers also looked at bone density and structure in the lower leg in around 360 19-year-old men who had previously done sports but had now stopped training.

They found that men who had stopped training more than six years ago still had larger and thicker bones in the lower leg than those who had never done sports.

'This result is particularly important, because we know that a bone with a large circumference is more durable and resistant to fractures than a narrower bone,' says Nilsson.

The researchers also studied bone density throughout the body in around 500 randomly selected 75-year-old men, says a Sahlgrenska Academy release.

Those who had done competitive sports three or more times a week at some point between the ages of 10 and 30 had higher bone density in several parts of the body than those who had not.

The researchers have therefore established that there is a positive link between exercise while young and bone density and size. The connection is even stronger if account is taken of the type of sports done.

Australian PM 'following' porn on Twitter

Mon, May 3 10:03 AM
 
Melbourne, May 3 (IANS)  

Now Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd faces the hazards of online social networking as he becomes the follower of pornographic communities through his official Twitter account.
A bare-breasted woman in handcuffs, an online adult super store and a pornographic blog were among dozens of dodgy accounts followed by the prime minister among his list of supporters, community groups and wife Therese Rein.

An embarrassed spokesman for Rudd admitted an automated program selected Twitter accounts for him to follow.

'While the Kevin PM Team try to monitor the follow backs, with more than 900,000 followers this is a very large task,' the spokesman said.

To 'follow' someone on Twitter usually requires a user to view and approve a profile.
Other profiles followed by the PM include a gay resort in Phuket, blogs offering sex shows via webcams and an online store selling adult goods, reported heraldsun.co.au.

Rudd is known as an eager Tweeter, using the medium to announce policies and recently the engagement of his son.

About 900,000 accounts follow the PM on Twitter, while he follows about 200,000.

Young Media Australia vice-president Elizabeth Handsley said Rudd's questionable online companions highlighted the dangers of social media.

'There seems to be an attitude with new media like Twitter that anyone can just get on and have a go without a problem,' she said.

'We need to understand the platform and know how it works before using it safely - this is an example of that.'

BlackBerry unveils new Bold and Pearl smartphones

Toronto, April 27 (IANS) BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) Monday launched another smartphone - called BlackBerry Bold 9650 - to add another device to its premier Bold brand.
The company also unveiled the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G, its smallest smartphone yet.
'The new BlackBerry Bold 9650 is an extraordinary smartphone that we think customers will love,'' said RIM president and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. 'Whether at work or at play, the new BlackBerry Bold 9650 offers a truly impressive communications, multimedia and connectivity experience,'' he said at the launch of the latest smartphones.
About the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G, he said, 'The BlackBerry Pearl 3G is unlike any other smartphone in the world and we expect a broad range of new and existing customers will be drawn to its powerful features and compact design.''
Beside a keyboard, optical trackpad and built-in Wi-Fi, the new smartphone also allows users to talk on the phone while browsing the web or sending and receiving email.
Loaded with 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB microSDHC cards, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone supports 3G networks.
Built in stylish design with glossy black finish and chrome highlights, the new device features large high-resolution display which allows pictures, videos and web pages with great contrast and detail, the RIM statement said.
Apart from a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording, the new BlackBerry Bold also features advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for Bluetooth.
The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G measures less than two inches wide and weighs only 93g. It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content.
Both the new devices will support mobile applications built by third parties for RIM and carry built-in GPS with support for geo-tagging, BlackBerry Maps and other mapping applications.
'The BlackBerry Bold 9650 fuses form and function in a striking design and, in addition to providing premium phone and multimedia features, it of course delivers the industry's leading mobile solution for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking,'' the company said in its statement.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Kasab verdict a message to Pak: Chidambaram

Mon, May 3 05:30 PM


Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the conviction of Ajmal Kasab and acquittal of two local accomplices in Mumbai attack case shows India is governed by rule of law but sends a message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.
"The court has convicted certain accused. It also acquitted two accused. That shows the independence, fearlessness and integrity of the court," he told reporters reacting to the judgement of a Mumbai special court.
He said that it was an open trial in accordance with law and full opportunities were given to the accused to defend themselves.

"I am satisfied that within a year we have been able to bring a verdict of conviction of a large number of accused in perhaps a very complex trial.

"The trial undermines the fact that India is a country governed by rule of law. A criminal trial can only proceed step by step and within a year, the prosecution has been able to get conviction," he said.

Asked what was the message for Pakistan, the Home Minister said the judgement "is a message to Pakistan that they should not export terror to India. If they do and if the terrorists are apprehended, we will be able to bring them to justice and give them exemplary punishment".

Happy over the trial ending in conviction, Chidambaram complimented the investigating agencies and prosecution for marshalling evidence that proved beyond doubt the horrific crimes Kasab and his associates were charged with.

Despite demands swayed by anger and emotions, he said, government decided that Kasab and associates should be tried in accordance with law, given all the rights available to any accused.

Asked if Kasab's case would meet the same fate as Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, whose mercy petition against death sentence is pending, Chidambaram expressed surprise why the media was obsessed with the issue like the Opposition.

"The Opposition may be obsessed with Afzal Guru. I have explained so many times and I am surprised that you in the media repeating the question.

"We will take up each case according to the order in which the case is pending before the Ministry of Home Affairs and before the President of India. So, the cases will be taken up one by one," he said.
The Home Minister said his Ministry already has sent four cases after reconsideration.

"Please remember that all these cases have been sent to President once. After reconsideration, we have sent four cases to President. We will continue to send one case to the President. No one can speak what the President will do. I think we should respect the office of the President.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

McDonald’s may bring McCafe coffee shop to India by 2012

The move is aimed at tapping the estimated over Rs 1,000 crore organised retail coffee chain market.
"The plans for introducing McCafe are in the drawing board right now ... It will take one -- and -- a -- half to two years to implement the idea," a company spokesperson told PTI.

Under McCafe, the company will create a space within its existing outlets and sell coffee.
The McCafe concept was started in Australia in 1993, and gradually expanded across markets. Today it is estimated that there are over 1,300 such outlets in the world.

"In India, the coffee chain market is over Rs. 1,000 crore and it is a good market for us," the official said.
The company plans to introduce McCafe across the country in a phased manner, starting from the metros.
McDonald's, which currently has 177 outlets across India, said it is also planning to introduce its breakfast menu to another 15 -- 20 stores by August this year.

It had recently started its breakfast concept in six outlets in Delhi and National Capital Region.
"We have recently introduced breakfast system in our outlets. We have got a huge response and we plan to expand and take it to the rest of the outlets as well," he said.

The company had earlier announced that it will invest around Rs. 100 crore this year on setting up another 40 -- 45 outlets across the country.


Source: PTI