HNB Garhwal University ~ H.N.B. Garhwal University PG/Diploma Admissions 2009 ~ Garhwal University

HNB Garhwal University ~ H.N.B. Garhwal University PG/Diploma Admissions 2009 ~ Garhwal University

H.N.B. Garhwal University invites applications from the candidates for admission into following Post Graduate and Diploma Courses for the academic year 2009-10.

A. THROUGH ENTRANCE TESTS CONDUCTED BY THE UNIVERSITY:

Integrated 5 Year M.Sc. Biotechnology, 2 year courses in M.Sc. Microbiology, M.Sc. Environmental Science, M.Sc. Remote Sensing and GIS Application, M.A. Mass Communication, M.A. Yoga and Alternative Therapies, Master of Social Work (MSW), L.L.M., B.P.Ed. (1year), LLB (6 Semesters) and BHM & CT (8 Semesters).

B. THROUGH COUNSELING BASED ON MERIT IN ALL INDIA ADMISSION TESTS:

MBA and MBA Tourism based on MAT Score, B. Pharm and MCA based on UKSEE Score, B. Tech based on AIEEE Score and M. Sc Biotechnology based on JNU-DBT Score.

General Information :

(i) For information regarding syllabii of entrance examination, eligibility, age , nature of courses (general or self finance) candidates may visit the University Website www.uttara.in/hnbgu
(ii) The University reserves the right not to run a Course. Mere appearance at the entrance exam does not entitle a candidate for admission into a course unless the stipulated conditions are satisfied .
(iii) Reservation & Relaxation will be applicable as per Government of India and UGC rules.
(iv) Entrance Examinations will be held at Srinagar (Garhwal), Dehradun and Delhi. The University reserves the right to cancel any of the centers and allot nearer centre for applicants of the centre cancelled.
(v) Cost of Application Forms:
· Rs 500/- for General Candidates & Rs 300/- for SC/ST.

Application Forms with Information Brochure can be obtained in person from University Cash Counter, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal and University Sub-Office, Bindal Bridge, Dehradun, Uttarakhand against cash payment or by sending a crossed demand draft drawn on any Nationalised Bank in favor of Finance Officer, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) -246 174 (Branch Code 10583) Request for all the application forms by post should be made along with a (30x 25 cm) self addressed stamped envelope bearing postage stamp of Rs 30/- for Registered/Speed Post.

The application forms can also be downloaded from the University website www. uttara.in/hnbgu. Duly filled in such applications can be sent enclosing a DD of Rs 500 & Rs 300. Cheques / Money Orders/ Postal Orders shall not be accepted for the purpose. Incomplete applications and forms received after the last date will be rejected. Duly completed applications should be sent to: Dean Student Welfare (DSW), H.N.B. Garhwal Universit y, Srinagar (Garhwal)-246 174, Uttarakhand

Important Dates:

Commencement of counter sale of Application Forms 15 June, 2009
Last Date of Submission of Application Forms 11 July, 2009
Date of Entrance Exam for Category A 26 July, 2009
Counseling Date for B Category To be intimated by the respective departments
For more info Contact No. 01346-252210, 252175, 252328 /0135-2625694

CAT 2009 ~ CAT 2009 Registration ~ CAT 2009 Online Education Registration ~ CAT 2009 Computer Based Test ~ CAT 2009: Frequently Asked Questions (1 July 2009) ~ Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad CAT 2009 Advertisement at iimahd.ernet.in

CAT 2009 ~ CAT 2009 Registration ~ CAT 2009 Online Education Registration ~ CAT 2009 Computer Based Test ~ CAT 2009: Frequently Asked Questions (1 July 2009) ~ Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad CAT 2009 Advertisement at iimahd.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad have given some information about CAT 2009 which will be a Computer-based test (CBT) from this year onwards, on their website – http://www.iimahd.ernet.in

Direct Link to CAT 2009: Frequently Asked Questions (1 July 2009) -

http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/download/FAQ_1_July_2009.pdf

According to this faq the test will be a computer based test where the candidate will read the questions on a computer terminal and choose an answer by clicking on the correct option. The format of the test will remain the same except that a candidate reads question on a computer terminal and clicks on the correct answer.

The test can only be taken at designated test venues in about 25 cities across India and not online (internet). The CAT advertisement will be available in the leading newspapers in August 2009. The test will be conducted in ten days from November 2009 onwards and the results will be declared by the end of January 2010.

MBBS Rank List 2009 ~ TN Medical Rank List 2009 ~ Tamil Nadu MBBS Rank List 2009 ~ MBBS Merit List 2009 ~ Tamilnadu MBBS Merit List 2009 ~ 2009 MBBS RESULT

MBBS Rank List 2009 ~ TN Medical Rank List 2009 ~ Tamil Nadu MBBS Rank List 2009 ~ MBBS Merit List 2009 ~ Tamilnadu MBBS Merit List 2009 ~ 2009 MBBS RESULT

The first phase of counselling will begin on July 4 and go on till July 9. The candidates will be called as per merit, and allotted seats of their choice, based on availability of seats and colleges, following the rule of reservation. Individual call letters will also be sent to the students.

There are 1,483 seats in government medical colleges and 348 seats are part of government quota in private medical colleges. Another 560 seats are available with private, self-financing medical colleges in the State.

Tamilnadu Medical MBBS Rank List 2009 is available on – http://www.tnhealth.org/

Poly Admission ~ Polytechnic Admission 2009 ~ Kerala Polytechnic Results ~ Polytechnic Allotment ~ polyadmission ~ Polytechnic Admission Kerala 2009 ~ polyadmission 2009 ~ polyadmission.org ~ 2009 Poly Admission

Poly Admission ~ Polytechnic Admission 2009 ~ Kerala Polytechnic Results ~ Polytechnic Allotment ~ polyadmission ~ Polytechnic Admission Kerala 2009 ~ polyadmission 2009 ~ polyadmission.org ~ 2009 Poly Admission

Admission into polytechnic’s in Kerala for the year 2009 – 2010 has started. For details about admission procedure, you can visit a dedicated website created by Kerela Goverment – http://polyadmission.org/

This website also proviced Results, Examination Dates, Examination procedure, Entrance Exam Result, Rank List, Provisional Rank list, Councelling and Allotment for Polytechnic Admission.

Provisional Rank list & Trial Allotment will be published online on the website today (27th June 2009).

Polytechnic Admission 2009-10 – Schedule

Publication of Provisional Rank list & Trial Allotment : 27th June 2009
Last date for Appeal & Submitting Revised Options : 1st July 2009
Publication of Final Rank List & First Select List : 4th July 2009
Date of Admission based on First Select List : Up to 9th July 2009
Publication of Second Select List : 14th July 2009
Date of Admission based on Second Select List : Up to 18th July 2009

“Slumdog” child actors to get new homes

The two main child actors from “Slumdog Millionaire” are to receive new homes from the authorities after the small-budget movie swept the Oscars, winning eight Academy Awards.

The Mumbai homes will go to Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played the young roles of the movie’s central characters, Latika and Salim, in the rags-to-riches romance about a poor Indian boy competing for love and money on a TV game show.

“These two children have brought laurels to the country, and we have been told that they live in slums, which cannot even be classified as housing,” said Gautam Chatterjee, head of the state-run Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority.

The movie, based in Mumbai, took home eight awards from the Oscars including best picture and best director for Britain’s Danny Boyle.

But in the leadup to Sunday’s Oscars, the movie’s success around the globe was overshadowed by objections in India to its name which some Indians find offensive, its depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians, and the treatment of the cast.

There was an outcry after pictures emerged of the child stars living in squalor despite the $15 million movie earning about $100 million since its North American release last November.

But Boyle and producer Christian Colson have flatly rejected claims of exploiting children for the movie.

They said the children were paid above local Indian wages and enrolled in school for the first time with a fund set up to pay for their education, medical emergencies and “basic living costs.”

Fox Searchlight Pictures, the 20th Century Film Fox studio behind the film, paid for visas, travel and accommodation for nine children to fly to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ set to take Oscars despite ‘sliming’: expert

London, Feb 22 (IANS) Allegations that ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is selling ‘poverty porn’ may be part of a Hollywood ‘sliming’ campaign that may yet prove unsuccessful at Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, a leading Hollywood consultant said in a report published Sunday.

Claims by Hollywood newspapers that the film is ‘poverty porn’ and glamourises slum life appear to have been deliberately placed to play on the ‘liberal guilt of Oscar voters’, the Sunday Times quoted an unnamed Hollywood veteran as saying.

‘Someone has been spinning a barbed idea to a journalist over lunch,’ said one.

The paper said the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has activated ‘the murky world of sliming’, which was responsible for ‘Crash’ beating favourite ‘Brokeback Mountain’ for the Best Picture Oscar in 2006.

A long-time Hollywood consultant told the paper that ‘Crash’ promoters had posted 100,000 DVDs of the film to people who they thought might influence Oscar judges.

But the consultant said of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’: ‘If it does not win best picture, it will be the biggest upset since ‘Crash’ knocked out ‘Brokeback Mountain’ three years ago.’

Another act of ‘sliming’ ruined the chances of the 2001 Russell Crowe-starrer ‘A Beautiful Mind’, based on a dense book about a schizophrenic mathematician.

‘One consultant ploughed through the book and discovered that on one page – and one page only – the central figure rants against Jews. That page was duly faxed to journalists looking for an angle, and the apparent antisemitism played badly in the heavily Jewish academy,’ the paper said.

However, Tony Angellotti, a respected Oscar consultant whose clients this year include ‘Frost/Nixon’ and ‘WALL-E’, expects ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to do well Sunday night.

‘This is a film which has come out of nowhere, no one expected this, there are no precedents for this, and yet I expect it to win big on Sunday,’ Angellotti said.
Indo Asian News Service

Court issues fines for kiss-and-tell book on Finnish premier

Court issues fines for kiss-and-tell book on Finnish premier Helsinki – A Finnish appeals court Tuesday convicted the author and publisher of a kiss-and-tell book on Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, saying it violated his privacy.

Vanhanen had appealed a lower court ruling that in March 2008 cleared the book based on material provided by a woman, Susan Ruusunen, whom he had once dated.

Author Susan Ruusunen was sentenced to pay a fine of 300 euros (389 dollars) while publisher Kari Ojala was ordered to pay 840 euros (1,089 dollars), Finnish news agency STT reported.

The Helsinki court of appeals also ordered them to pay 8,500 euros to the state for their earnings from the book and Ojala was to pay Vanhanen’s legal fees as well as
1,000 euros in damages.

Vanhanen said he welcomed the ruling saying it addressed a key issue – the right of politicians to have a private life, STT said.

Ojala was reported to be mulling a possible appeal to the Supreme Court.

Ruusunen’s book Paaministerin morsian (The Prime Minister’s Bride) was published in 2007 after the relationship had ended. The two – both divorced – met via an internet dating site in 2006. (dpa)

Indian punters bet big on Oscar win for Slumdog

Indian punters bet big on Oscar win for Slumdog New Delhi – Indian gamblers are betting big money on Slumdog Millionaire, the rags-to-riches film set in Mumbai, to win the best picture, best director and best music awards at the upcoming Oscars, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

An estimated 1 billion rupees (20.5 million dollars) was riding on the film in Indian betting circles, The Economic Times said.

The film, which was directed by Briton Danny Boyle and has an Indian cast, has bagged 10 Oscar nominations ahead of the awards presentation February 22 in Los Angeles.

“We are accepting bets for three things – AR Rahman (in the best music category), the movie (in the best picture category) and Danny Boyle (in the best director category),” a Mumbai-based bookmaker told the daily.

Another punter in the western city of Ahmedabad said betting on Slumdog has been gaining momentum after the end Sunday of the one-day cricket series between India and Sri Lanka.

“Bets worth 200 [million] to 300 million rupees [4.12 million to 6.18 million dollars] on Slumdog have been accepted in my circle in the past few days,” he said.

Odds for Slumdog winning best film are being offered at 1.53-1, about the same as on international betting websites. Indian bookies have put Boyle at 1.55-1 odds to win and Rahman at 1.25-1, the Times said.

Organized betting is illegal in India, but several betting rackets are run by criminal syndicates. Other than casino and lottery games in some states, legal gambling is limited to betting on horse racing.

Slumdog Millionaire, which has received rave reviews as well as criticism for glamorizing poverty, is based on Q and A, a book by Indian diplomat and writer Vikas Swarup.

The film tells the story of an orphan from Mumbai’s slums who makes it to the final of an Indian game show.

The film is considered the frontrunner at the Oscars after it already dominated the Golden Globes while also picking up prizes from the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America. (dpa)

Israeli election facts and figures

Israeli election facts and figuresTel Aviv – Some 4.8 million Israelis (of a total population of 7.5 million) are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election.

Of them, 81 per cent are Jews, 14 per cent are Muslims, Arab- Christians or Druze, and 5 per cent are immigrants or their families who are not registered as Jews.

Voting will take place at 9,263 polling stations, including 56 in prisons, and 194 in hospitals.

Israel’s election system is one of proportional representation. The whole country is considered one electoral district, with mandates allocated according to the percentages of votes, rather than the “first past the post” method. As a result, the number of parties contesting the election is large despite the small size of the country.

As many as 33 lists are taking part in this year’s election., competing for 120 Knesset seats.

They range from the large mainstream parties, to smaller lists which are in effect pressure groups, such as The Green Leaf Party, a perennial – and perennially unsuccessful – feature of recent Israeli elections, whose main campaign issue is the legalization of soft drugs.

The threshold for entering the Knesset is 2 per cent of the vote and in the last election, in 2006, 12 of the 31 lists competing made it.

Once the results are known, Israel’s president, whose duties are largely ceremonial, meets with the heads of all parties elected to parliament to consult about their choice for premier.

Based on these discussions, he then entrusts the formation of a government to the party leader with the best chance of putting together a coalition – because no party has ever won more than 61 Knesset seats, all Israeli governments have been coalitions.

Traditionally, the nod has usually gone to the leader of the largest party, but this is not axiomatic.

Elections are normally scheduled to take place every four years, but in Israel’s turbulent politics, Tuesday’s elections are the third in just six years.

Voter turnout has traditionally been high in Israel – where many citizens are politically engaged – at around 80 per cent. It was highest in the first elections in 1949 (87 per cent) and lowest in the prime ministerial elections of 2001 (62 per cent). Only 63.5 per cent voted in the 2006 elections. (dpa)

Chennai emerging as transit hub for illegal immigrants: UN

CHENNAI: Chennai is fast emerging as the transit hub for illegal immigrants, especially Sri Lankan Tamils from LTTE dominated areas, going to
Europe, posing a major security concern, a UN report claimed here.

A study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on ‘Smuggling of migrants from Tamil Nadu to Europe and in particular to UK’ said Chennai has become the hub of “irregular migration” and these illegal immigrants, especially Sri Lankans of Tamil origin, were increasingly using the international airport
here as a transit point.

The study, released by Chief Secretary K S Sripathi, revealed that some of the illegal migrants were residents of LTTE-dominated areas of Sri Lanka. “Under such circumstances, security issues acquire a different dimension for India as the transit country and the destination countries in Europe as well,” UNODC said.

The report strongly favoured a separate study on irregular migration of Sri Lankans of Tamil origin.

Considering the close ethnic relationship between Sri Lankans of Tamil origin and mainland Tamils, it would be appropriate to study irregular migration from Tamil Nadu alongside that from Sri Lanka, the report said.

For the UNODC report, 169 cases of immigration-offence related records for the July 2006 to June 2007 period were examined.

All these cases were registered with the police station at the International airport in Chennai, which handles arrival and departure of about 2.8 million passengers a year, the study added.

About 23 per cent of the cases related to irregular migration of Sri Lankan nationals. Due to strict emigration checks for Sri Lankans of Tamil origin in the island nation, many of them prefer to come to Chennai and try to migrate illegally to destination countries in Europe, it said.

The study, based on law enforcement authority records, discussions with officials and public representatives, also revealed that out of the total of 169 cases, about 40 per cent cases of irregular migration were from Tamil Nadu.

Apart from migrants from the state, those from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and some north Indian states also use Chennai for travelling to other countries.

In addition, during field visits, cases of irregular migration to the UK were noted from almost every village in Namakkal district and from certain pockets in Thanjavur district (both Tamil Nadu). Among all destinations in Europe, UK was the most preferred destination for the migrants.

Some seized forged documents had revealed that they were of exceptionally high quality and that detection would only be possible by specially trained professionals.

Aid workers warn of precarious situation in northern Sri Lanka

Aid workers warn of precarious situation in northern Sri Lanka Geneva – The United Nations’ World Food Programme said Friday it had very limited access to the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka and had not been able to deliver aid for weeks.

A four-hour humanitarian “window” was supposed to be opened each Thursday, but the agency has not been able to send in food aid since January 16, said WFP spokeswoman in Geneva, Emilia Casella.

“Four hours, anyway, is not enough time to get the teams in and bring them back out,” she noted, adding that more time was needed. The last team that went in was stuck there for about two weeks.

“The entire population of Vanni is facing a food crisis. Their livelihoods have been almost completely destroyed and they are dependent on aid agencies for survival,” Casella said.

Aid agencies said about 250,000 people were trapped inside the zone.

Sophie Romananes with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sri Lanka told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that people were in desperate need of aid which was not arriving.

“They are now trapped in small area under intense fighting. There is no safe place to go, to find shelter. They are unable to flee,” Romananes said in a telephone interview.

Residents have said high water levels have prevented the people from being able to dig bunkers while they were stuck without proper hygiene conditions and limited food.

Romananes called on the warring parties “to grant safe access for patients but also to allow aid agencies to bring in assistance to the people still there.”

The ICRC was one of the only agencies operating inside the conflict zone. Its main office in Colombo was stoned by protesters Friday, claiming the agency was supporting the rebel Tamil Tigers, an allegation the ICRC rejected.

Lisebeth List, the medical coordinator for Medicine Sans Frontier based just outside of Vanni, said the need for food aid and medical supplies was highlighted by the weakened state of patients fleeing the conflict she was receiving at a hospital.

She said the hospital had experienced an influx of patients in recent days.

“It is a big challenge for us and the hospital staff to cope with such a large number of people who need surgeries, antibiotics and care,” List said by telephone. “Sometimes the wounds are weeks old and at risk of infections.”

Some 5,000 people were said to have fled the conflict area so far this year.

The New York based Human Rights Watch has condemned both the government forces and the rebels for their behaviour.

It said the government has showed an “appalling disregard for the well-being of the civilian population,” by saying it would not be responsible for the safety of residents in areas controlled by the rebels, who allegedly were not letting people escape.

The military launched operations to recapture rebel-held areas in August 2006. (dpa)

Sri Lanka civilians flee further into rebel-held areas

Sri Lanka civilians flee further into rebel-held areasColombo – Civilians caught in fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka were fleeing further into rebel-held areas on Friday, as President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured the UN on the safety of civilians.

Dr T Sathyamoorthy, based in a makeshift hospital in the conflict zone, who was speaking by telephone, said that civilians, running out of places to flee to, were now moving towards the coastal areas.

“We can hear the exchange of fire between the security forces and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam),” said the doctor, who is based in Udayarakattukulam, 360 kilometres north-east of the capital Colombo.

In Colombo, the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was stoned by a group of protestors who were chanting slogans against the organization, for their recent comments made about the plight of civilians in the conflict zone.

The protestors claimed that the ICRC was backing the Tamil rebels and was making statements in favour of the LTTE.

The incident came hours after a pro-government lawmaker called on the expulsion of the head of the ICRC in Colombo, Paul Castella.

Wimal Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) told a news conference that his party was demanding the removal of the ICRC head on the grounds that the organization was “acting as the LTTE’s medical team and not as neutral party in the humanitarian crisis”.

An ICRC spokesperson reacting to the comments said the ICRC remains in the conflict areas to carry out humanitarian assistance with the agreement of the government.

On Thursday, Rajapaksa in a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the current military operations “would be carried out without harassment to the civilian population in the north,” a statement from the president’s office said.

The assurance was given when Ban visited in New Delhi. “The UN Secretary General was also told that the Sri Lankan security forces were compelled to carry out a humanitarian operation against a brutal terrorist organization, as the government considered the freeing of the Tamil people from the suffering they were undergoing under the forces of terror as its responsibility”, the statement said.

Some 250,000 civilians are trapped in the conflict zone according to aid agencies, but government estimates say the figure is only around 150,000.

The rebel-held areas are now limited to less than 250 square kilometres, as more LTTE-controlled areas were captured by government forces.

On Friday 320 civilians entered government-controlled areas while 1,637 people did so on Thursday, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, bringing the total number of civilians leaving rebel territory since January 1 to 6,500 .

He said the last Tiger sea base located on the north eastern coast had been completely overrun by the military on Friday the Chalai area.

“The LTTE has no more bases of their sea Tiger (naval) unit”. We have destroyed all of them,” he said.

He said the rebels were now restricted to some 170 square kilometres adding that “all army units are now using a single map to carry out their operations as they have
(been) encircled now”.

Local and international aid organizations called for a temporary halt in operations to enable civilians to escape, but the government has ruled out a truce and wants the LTTE to respond to a call to allow civilians to leave.

The military launched operations to recapture rebel-held areas in August 2006. (dpa)

United Breweries Holdings Q3 net up 67%

United Breweries Holdings Q3 net up 67%A 67% increase in net profit for the third quarter ended December 2008 at Rs 6.93 crore as against Rs 4.15 crore posted in the corresponding quarter last year was today posted by United Breweries Holdings.

It should be noted however, that total income of the company in the quarter saw a decline by 11% to Rs 91.75 crore when compared to Rs 102.91 crore in the same quarter last year.

There has been a decrease by 8% at Rs 51 crore in the company’s total expenditure in the quarter as compared to Rs 55.25 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The company, based in Bangalore, presently holds close to 40 per cent share in the Indian beer market.

Ibrahimovic and Del Piero win 2008 football awards

Rome – The Association of Italian footballers (AIC) has named Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic best Serie A player of 2008 at a ceremony held in Milan, the AIC web site reported.

Italian media Tuesday showed pictures of the Inter Milan striker smiling as he held the Oscar of football, a golden statue of a footballer.

Ibra, 27, was also voted best foreign player in the league, an award he already secured in 2005, and won a further prize for scoring the best goal of 2008, a spectacular heel flick against Bologna.

Juventus veteran captain Alessandro Del Piero, 34, also won three prizes as best Italian player, top scorer in 2008, with 28 goals, and for being the most loved by fans.

Other awards went to Fiorentina’s Cesare Prandelli as best coach, and to Juve’s Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini as best goalkeeper and defender, respectively.

The prizes are based on the votes of all the Serie A footballers, who chose Slovak Marek Hamsik, 21, of Napoli as best young player and Roberto Rosetti as their favourite referee. (dpa)

Tehran hopes Obama will “choose right path” towards Iran

Tehran – Iran hoped that new US-President Barack Obama will “choose the right path” towards Iran, ISNA news agency reported Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that the US had no correct approach towards Iran and always been the “troublemaker.”

“But if Obama chose the right path, compensated the past, lifted hostility and [US] hegemony, and revised the previous political mistakes, we would have no hostility,” Mottaki said.

“We hope that angles of optimism would be created [with Obama] but the facts tell us we should not be optimistic,” he added.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week that “if the changes [as proclaimed by Obama] were real and the new approach was based on respect and friendship, then we would welcome it.”

Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic ties for almost three decades but Tehran hopes that at least direct talks could be resumed with the Obama administration. (dpa)

OPEC oil price sheds 1.64 dollars

Vienna – The price for oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) slid by 1.64 dollars Monday, continuing to meander above 40 dollars, according to data provided by the cartel on Tuesday.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC-produced crude stood at 40.53 dollars Monday, compared with 42.17 dollars on the previous day.

The Vienna-based organization calculates a basket price based on 12 brands produced by its members. (dpa)

Any Positive Event Will Boost Stock Mkt Outlook, Says Vishwas Agarwal

Indian equities opened the day sluggishly following negative global signals.

Among the prominent losers this morning, realty, banking, metal and oil & gas stocks topped the list with sharp losses.

Auto, power, PSU, information technology, telecom, pharma and FMCG stocks were also down.

Mirroring heavy selling action, all the sectoral indices were trading in the red zone with heavy losses.

Asian stocks also declined, led by commodity producers and banks, after Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s prediction of the biggest loss in UK business history increased fear that the worldwide recession is intensifying.

BSE Midcap and Smallcap index lost 1.31% and 0.56% respectively.

The 30-share index, BSE Sensex, today (Tuesday, January 20), opened at 9,159 after making a loss of 169.81 points, as against its last closure in which it closed with a gain of 5.98 points.

At 10:15 a.m., Sensex lost 219.46 points at 9,110.11 after hitting a high of 9,159.76 and a low of 9,075.68. In the meantime, the broad based Nifty stood at 2,775.05, down 71.15 points.

Overall market breadth was sharply negative. On BSE, 617 stocks posted sharp losses, 161 advanced while 13 stocks remained unchanged.

There were no gainers at the BSE Sensex.

The major losers in the Sensex were Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, HDFC, DLF, Reliance Communications, ICICI Bank, Maruti Suzuki, ONGC, Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, State Bank of India, Sterlite Industries, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Infrastructure, Tata Power, Hindalco, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Jaiprakash Associates, Grasim Industries, Ambuja Cements, Zee Entertainment, SAIL, Cairn India, Power Grid Corporation, Idea Cellular, Nalco, ABB, GAIL India, Reliance Capital, Tata Communications, HCL Technologies, Reliance, BPCL, Hero Honda, Ranbaxy, Infosys Technologies, Reliance Power and Grasim Industries.

Stock market analyst, Vishwas Agarwal stated that BSE 9,350 and Nifty 2,826 levels are very important to carry on comfy trading market.

He said that in intraday, these levels may breach in today’s trading session, but the stock market above these levels will provide chance in index based frontline stocks with nominal stop loss.

Mr. Agarwal said, “As there is restricted downside, upside chances are higher due to price erosion in same settlement sharply.”

As per Agarwal, any positive event will boost market sentiments.

Barrack Obama will take oath in as the new President of the United States of America today and may perhaps bring some positive sentiment to global equities. Obama takes charge when the world is in a huge economic crisis and addressing this financial crisis will be his top priority.

German investor confidence tipped to edge up

German investor confidence tipped to edge up Berlin – German investor confidence could edge up again this month, a key indicator to be released Tuesday is forecast to say, amid efforts from governments and central banks around the world to halt the downturn underway in the global economy.

Drawn up by the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research, the ZEW index is forecast by analysts to post a marginal increase to minus 44.5 points in January after posting a bigger- than-expected rise to 45.2 in December.

An increase in January would represent the third consecutive rise in the index.

This is despite fresh evidence of the continuing turmoil in the global banking sector and the rapid contraction in world economic growth.

However, the build-up to the release of the ZEW index has been accompanied by a new wave of government economic stimulus packages announced around the world, including Germany, as well an on-going drive by central banks to cut rates.

European Central Bank (ECB) chief Jean-Claude Trichet warned in a speech in Paris on Monday that the bank’s governing council members believe that “world and European growth in 2009 will be substantially lower than the forecasts made at the beginning of December.”

This comes after the ECB last week again joined other central banks and delivered another hefty cut in borrowing costs with economists expecting the ECB to press on with its rate-cutting cycle in the coming months.

Nevertheless, many economists believe that the first signs of an economic recovery in Germany and Europe could start to emerge during the second half of 2009 paving the way for a pickup on 2010.

Based on a survey of about 290 analysts, the ZEW indicator often sets the scene for other major European economic sentiment surveys released later in the month, including Germany’s closely watched Ifo business confidence survey. (dpa)

Pakistan: initial Mumbai attacks probe expected in 10 days

Pakistan: initial Mumbai attacks probe expected in 10 days New Delhi – Pakistan’s top security official said on Friday that his country’s investigators have been given 10 days to submit a preliminary probe report on Mumbai attacks.

“I am quite confirmed and sure that the officers who have been assigned with the task are very capable and professional. They may even submit the results before 10 days,” said Rehman Malik, security advisor to Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The statement came hours after Indian Foreign Minister Parnab Mukherjee said Islamabad had informed New Delhi that its agencies had begun investigations into the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Mukherjee said India would wait for an outcome.

“We have received information from our high commissioner in Islamabad that they (Pakistan) have started the process. Let us see how much time they take,” Mukherjee was quoted as saying by PTI news agency at the sidelines of a function in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

Mukherjee said the Pakistani government had officially communicated to its Indian counterpart that the inquiry process began on Thursday.

India claims the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group masterminded the November attacks in Mumbai, which killed more than 170 people.

New Delhi has handed Pakistan evidence collected during investigations into the Mumbai attacks, which it claims show links to elements based in the neighbouring country. It has asked the Pakistani government to take action against these elements and extradite the suspects to India.

Malik assured India that Pakistan would do its best to prosecute those responsible for the carnage.

“I assure the international community, I assure the Indian friends and authorities that Pakistan is very serious – we are doing our best to bring these suspects, these militants, these terrorists to justice.”

However, he called upon India to exercise patience as Pakistan conducts its inquiry. dpa