Some Americans think opposition to Obama’s policies is based on racism

Washington, Sep. 18 (ANI): Some Americans, including former President Jimmy Carter, believe that those who are opposing US President Barrack Obama’s policies have a racial element against him instead of simple disagreement.

According to a recent Fox News poll, 65 percent Americans think that opposition to Obama’s policies is based on honest disagreements, while 20 percent say it is mostly motivated by racism.

However, Black voters are twice as likely to say the opposition is motivated by race, with 63 percent citing racism as the reason for opposition and 27 percent say it is based on honest disagreements.

Most white voters (71 percent) say the opposition comes from honest disagreements.

Most Republicans (87 percent) and independents (69 percent) believe that opposition to Obama’s policies is based on honest disagreements, while 48 percent Democrats say honest disagreements and 34 percent say it is motivated by racism, the poll found.

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters with a 3-point margin of error.

The poll also found that 54 percent of Americans think Obama is a “new kind” of politician, while a large 39 percent minority says he is a “typical” politician.

As for Obama’s handling of health care, 44 percent approved and 48 percent disapproved.

Obama received better ratings on his handling of the economy (55 percent approve) and on the war in Afghanistan (51 percent).

By a wide 60 percent to 27 percent margin, Americans think the country has become more divided rather than more united since Obama took office in January, the poll found. (ANI)

BSF deploys women guards on Pakistan border in Punjab

Ferozepur (Punjab), Sep 11 (ANI): The Border Security Force (BSF) deployed the first batch of women guards on Pakistan border in Punjab.

The move would make foolproof body frisking at border check posts and farms lying across the border fence, said an official.

“The wives of our farmers cross the fencing at the border to carry out farming activities. We need to frisk them while going and coming back, which our male constables cannot do. So we have appointed women constables so that the security angle can be covered,” said H.S. Garcha, Commandant, 43 Battalion, BSF, Ferozepur.

These personnel have been given training in weapon handling, intelligence gathering, border management, unarmed combat, frisking and guard duties.

“I was always interested in joining the armed forces, I also had NCC in my college. Since then I had this in mind that if given an opportunity, I would definitely do something like this. I always wanted to wear this uniform,” said Randeep Ranju, a BSF constable.

BSF formed its first women’s battalion when 178 recruits passed out of the BSF’s Subsidiary Training Centre at Kharga near Hoshiarpur on July 25.

BSF plans to induct 35,000 women guards in the paramilitary force in the next four years. (ANI)

Obama’s popularity in Europe still sky high

London, Sep 10(ANI): A survey has found US President Barack Obama’s popularity is gaining massive support in European Union countries.

The German Marshall Fund, which conducted a study, said that 77 per cent of European citizens support Obama’s handling of international affairs, while only 19 per cent found former President George W Bush doing the same.

It also revealed that 75 per cent of Europeans have confidence in Obama’s ability to combat terrorism and two thirds now have a favourable view of America.

“We see a remarkable shift in trans-Atlantic opinion from the previous administration,” The Telegraph quoted Craig Kennedy, the president of the German Marshall Fund, as saying.

“With American leadership enjoying unprecedented modern popularity, partners on both sides of the Atlantic have an immense opportunity to co-operate on a range of economic and security issues,” he added.

The poll also found a drastic change in the attitude of European citizens to American leaders, as Obama enjoys an approval rating of 92 per cent, compared with only 12 per cent for Bush.

The survey also covered Turkey, where anti-American sentiment has grown markedly in recent years. Obama is far less popular among Turks than among Europeans, but he still enjoys a 50 per cent approval rating compared with only eight per cent for Bush. (ANI)

Oil, trade was big part of Lockerbie bombers release deal, admits Straw

London, Sep 5 (ANI): Britain’s Justice secretary Jack Straw has admitted for the first time that trade and oil deals with Libya played a very big part in the handling of the Lockerbie bomber’s case.

He said trade was a major influence on his decision to include Abdelbaset Al Megrahi in a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya signed two years ago, just as BP was seeking a multi-billion pound deal there.

In January 2008, Libya ratified a $900 million (£551 million) oil deal with BP.

When asked in the interview if trade and BP were factors, Straw admits: “Yes, (it was) a very big part of that. I’m unapologetic about that… Libya was a rogue state.

“We wanted to bring it back into the fold. And yes, that included trade because trade is an essential part of it and subsequently there was the BP deal.”

The admission directly contradicts Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s insistence only days ago that oil deals were not a factor in Megrahi’s release, The Telegraph reports.

Straw also suggested that Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister, released the terminally ill bomber on compassionate grounds earlier than the British Government would have done.

Brown has been accused of putting Britain’s trade interests before justice for the Lockerbie victims.

Megrahi, who is suffering from prostate cancer, was freed last month by Scotland on compassionate grounds after it was said he was only months from death. Last night it emerged he has been moved out of intensive care.

Straw also claims that Brown had nothing to do with his change of heart over the prisoner transfer agreement, adding: “I certainly didn’t talk to the PM. There is no paper trail to suggest he was involved at all.”

A spokesman for BP said the company had raised concerns with the Government about the slow progress in concluding the PTA, but denied mentioning Megrahi. (ANI)

Obama’s job approval rating goes down: CBS Poll

Washington, July 14 (ANI): Amid rising questions about US President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy, his job approval rating has gone six points down in the past month, a new CBS News poll has found.

Obama’s current approval rating is 57 percent, down by 11 points from its peak of 68 percent in April, and six points from last month’s 63 percent.

Meanwhile, his disapproval rating has risen from 23 percent in April to 32 percent today.

Surprisingly, the decline in support is not coming from Republicans – whose support for the president has actually risen – but from Democrats and independents.

A total of 82 percent Democrats still approve of the job Obama is doing, this number is down ten points from last month.

His support among independents has fallen eight points to 50 percent, while 30 percent of Republicans back Obama, that’s up from 23 percent in June.

The prime issue behind the Obama’s decline in approval appears to be the economy. His approval rating on handling the economy is now 48 percent, while 44 percent disapprove.

Last month, Americans approved of his handling of this issue by a margin of 22 points.

Half of all Americans expect the recession to go on at least two more years. Fifty-seven percent say the country is on the “wrong track,” up from 50 percent last month. And 44 percent describe the economy as “very bad,” up from 36 percent in June.

On the implementation of the stimulus package, just 21 percent say it has had a positive impact on the economy, while a whopping 60 percent said it has had no impact. Fifteen percent say the stimulus has made the economy worse.

Perceptions of the Obama’s handling of health care reform have improved five points since last month, and his approval rating on the issue now stands at 49 percent.

That same percentage says that America must fix health care because of the bad economy. But nearly 46 percent – say the country cannot now afford to reform health care. (ANI)

Canadians prefer Obama to domestic politicians

Toronto, July 5 (ANI): US President Barack Obama is more popular with Canadians than any domestic politician, a new poll has found.

According to the Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey, nearly three-quarters of Canadians think that the U.S. President is doing an “excellent” or “good” job, while 16 percent said Obama was doing a fair job. Only four percent believe that he is doing a poor job.

Obama’s Canadian counterparts have never generated such an extraordinary support.

The number may explain why Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has hitched important sections of the country’s foreign and domestic policies to those of the new President without any of the public blowback that was in evidence when George W. Bush occupied the White House, the Globe and Mail reports.

Obama’s popularity stretches across the country he proclaimed his love for during his trip to Ottawa in February.

Canadians think positively of Obama’s handling of the economy and foreign affairs. Two-thirds of Canadians gave him a “good” or “excellent” rating on his approach to the economy, while 69 per cent of respondents said the same about how he has dealt with foreign affairs.

The survey suggests Canadians overwhelmingly think Obama has been good for Canada. Seventy-six per cent of Canadians say his brief tenure has been a good thing, while only 12 per cent think Mr. Obama has been bad for their country.

Harris-Decima vice-president Jeff Walker said the U.S. leader’s popularity hasn’t waned with Canadians since he took office.

“Even though President Obama has clearly had some difficult challenges over the first few months, at least from the Canadian perspective, he’s still got the public with him,” he said. (ANI)

Paradip Port to have iron ore terminal

New Delhi, July 1 (ANI): An agreement has been signed between Paradip Port Trust and Blue Water Iron Ore Terminal Pvt. Ltd for construction of a deep draught iron ore terminal.

K. Raghuramaiah, Chairman, Paradip Port Trust signed the concession agreement on behalf of the Port and Harindar Pal Singh Banga, Vice-Chairman, Nobel Group signed on behalf of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) here today.

Union Cabinet Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan and other senior officers including Secretary (Shipping) A.P.V.N. Sarma, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor and Joint Secretary (Ports) were present on the occasion.

Under the agreement, the iron ore terminal will be developed by the concessionaire at an estimated cost of Rs. 506.30 crores.

Paradip Port will provide supporting facilities like dredging of channel and berth, railway lines and back-up area at an estimated cost of Rs. 85.05 crores.

Besides this, the Port will also incur an expenditure of Rs. 20 crores towards shifting of the CISF complex and Rs. 15 crores towards upgradation of electrical reception facilities in order to facilitate implementation of the project.

On completion of the iron ore terminal, capacity addition to the Port will be ten MTPA. Since the dredging of the channel is in progress and the depths at the proposed channel and berth will be 17.1meters, it will facilitate handling of cape size vessels upto 1, 25, 000 DWT.

The concessionaire, Blue Water Iron Ore Terminal Pvt. Ltd. have offered a revenue share of 36.802 per cent to the port during the concession period of 30 years.

The concessionaire will complete the construction of the project facilities within 36 months from the date of award of concession.

This is the first project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to be implemented in the port sector as per the new Model Concession Agreement approved by the Cabinet and the tariff has been fixed up front by the TAMP.

As part of the PPP scheme of Government of India, Paradip Port Trust floated global tenders for construction of deep draught Iron ore berth on BOT basis.

Five bidders were short listed including the successful bidder, the consortium of Noble Group Ltd., Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd. and MMTC for this port sector BOT project.

The consortium has formed a SPV, Blue Water Iron Ore Terminal Pvt. Ltd. under the companies act to implement the project. (ANI)

Velcro-like cells on petals help bees stick to flowers

Washington, May 15 (ANI): Scientists at Cambridge University have found that bees make use of small cone-shaped cells on flower petals, which act like ‘velcro’ on their feet, to stick to flowers and collect nectar.

In a new study, the scientists have shown that bumblebees can recognise the texture of petal surfaces by touch alone, and they prefer landing on petals with conical cells that make it easier to grip, rather than on flat, smooth surfaces.

Having extra grip enables them to extract nectar from the flower more efficiently.

In the natural world, bees can take visual or olfactory cues without needing to land on the flower itself, and thus their ability to identify conical-celled surfaces by touch could be of limited use in terms of flower recognition.

Led by Beverley Glover, the researchers wondered whether the conical cells could play a different role by providing better grip on an otherwise slippery plant surface, and thus make nectar collection easier for the bees.

The researchers tested the above trait by using artificial flowers cast from epoxy resin, half with conical cells and half with flat surfaces.

It was found that when the casts were horizontal, the bees showed no preference and visited each type roughly half the time. But once the angle of the cast increased, it also boosted the bees’ preference for the conical cells.

When the casts were vertical, the bees visited the conical-celled ones over 60 percent of the time.

The researchers could visualise why the bees preferred conical cells by using high-speed video photography.

They saw that when bees attempted to land on the flat-celled epoxy petals they would struggle for grip, but on the conical-celled casts the bees could always find grip, stop beating their wings and feed on the flower.

Experimenting in the real world, the researchers used snapdragon plants, which have conical petal cells, and mutant snapdragons, which lack such cells.
They found that when the flowers were vertical and required complex handling the bees learnt to recognise the conical-celled flowers and landed on them 74 percent of the time.

“For bees to maintain their balance and hold onto a flower is no easy task, especially in windy or wet conditions. It’s great to see that evolution has come up with the simple solution of equipping flowers with a Velcro-like surface that bees can get a grip on,” said Glover.

The study has been published online in Current Biology. (ANI)

Haneef’s lawyers welcome resignation of AFP chief Keelty

Brisbane (Australia), May 6 (ANI): Lawyers for Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef have welcomed the resignation of Australia Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty, saying under him the AFP had been an “organisational disaster”.

Keelty will step down on September 2, his 35th anniversary as a police officer and two years before his second term as police chief expires, The Age reports.

The announcement of his early exit follows increasing pressure on him to resign, particularly over the AFP’s bungled handling of the arrest of Dr Haneef in relation to British terrorism attacks.

A report late last year vindicated Dr Haneef, who was arrested, detained and had his Australian work visa cancelled despite no evidence that he was associated with the British attacks.

“Mick Keelty has provided enormous service to Australia and to the AFP,” Prime Minister Rudd told reporters in Sydney this morning after the news broke.

“I would like to publicly acknowledge the work that he did in response to the Bali bombing where we lost nearly 100 of our own Australians who were murdered in that horrific event,” Rudd said, adding Keelty was leaving of his own accord.

“It is time for him to do something else,” the Prime Minister said.

Keelty, 54, became commissioner in 2001. A career police officer with 35 years experience, he is the first commissioner to have been appointed from within the ranks of the AFP and only the second to have served as commissioner for two terms.

Meanwhile, the Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland has rejected suggestions the investigation into Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef was to blame for the Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty’s resignation today.

Speaking in Sydney, McClelland congratulated Mick Keelty for a “truly outstanding tour of duty” in his 35 years of service at the AFP, and 9 years as the Commissioner.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, McClelland rejected suggestions the Haneef debacle had been to blame for Keelty’s resignation. The matter had involved mistakes from the highest levels of government, but Keelty had not been slow to learn the lessons from the affair, he said. (ANI)

Haneef’s lawyers welcome resignation of AFP chief Keelty

Brisbane (Australia), May 6 (ANI): Lawyers for Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef have welcomed the resignation of Australia Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty, saying under him the AFP had been an “organisational disaster”.

Keelty will step down on September 2, his 35th anniversary as a police officer and two years before his second term as police chief expires, The Age reports.

The announcement of his early exit follows increasing pressure on him to resign, particularly over the AFP’s bungled handling of the arrest of Dr Haneef in relation to British terrorism attacks.

A report late last year vindicated Dr Haneef, who was arrested, detained and had his Australian work visa cancelled despite no evidence that he was associated with the British attacks.

“Mick Keelty has provided enormous service to Australia and to the AFP,” Prime Minister Rudd told reporters in Sydney this morning after the news broke.

“I would like to publicly acknowledge the work that he did in response to the Bali bombing where we lost nearly 100 of our own Australians who were murdered in that horrific event,” Rudd said, adding Keelty was leaving of his own accord.

“It is time for him to do something else,” the Prime Minister said.

Keelty, 54, became commissioner in 2001. A career police officer with 35 years experience, he is the first commissioner to have been appointed from within the ranks of the AFP and only the second to have served as commissioner for two terms.

Meanwhile, the Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland has rejected suggestions the investigation into Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef was to blame for the Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty’s resignation today.

Speaking in Sydney, McClelland congratulated Mick Keelty for a “truly outstanding tour of duty” in his 35 years of service at the AFP, and 9 years as the Commissioner.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, McClelland rejected suggestions the Haneef debacle had been to blame for Keelty’s resignation. The matter had involved mistakes from the highest levels of government, but Keelty had not been slow to learn the lessons from the affair, he said. (ANI)

Poll finds New Yorkers prefer hooker-happy ex-Gov. Spitzer to Paterson

New York, May 5 (ANI): New York’s hooker-happy former governor Eliot Spitzer has been preferred by a majority of state voters to be back in office than his beleaguered successor Governor Paterson, according to a new poll.

The latest poll from the Marist Institute for Public Opinion showed 51 percent of registered voters would rather have Spitzer in the governor’s mansion right now. Spitzer resigned in March 2008 following revelations he patronized high-priced prostitutes.

Strikingly, even though Paterson is the state’s first Black Governor, 53 percent of non-Whites said they would prefer Spitzer as the state’s chief executive, the Daily News reports.

The number of voters rating Paterson’s job performance as good or excellent plummeted to 19 percent, marking a seven-point drop since Marist last asked the question in March.

The poll showed 37 percent believe Paterson is doing a fair job and 40 percent believe he is doing a poor job.

Paterson, who publicly declared he would ask voters in 2010 to elect him to his own four-year term as governor, gets points for his work ethic. The poll showed 66 percent of voters say he’s working hard, but even that’s a drop from 77 percent in March.

Exposing serious weakness in his leadership credentials, 66 percent of voters said Paterson does not have what it takes to lead the state and 48 percent said he doesn’t get the critical issues facing New York.

A whopping 68 percent of voters said they disagreed with Paterson’s handling of the economic crisis and 71 percent don’t believe he’s changing the way Albany operates for the better.

Nearly seven in 10 state voters believe the state is moving in the wrong direction, making Paterson’s ambition of winning his own term very unlikely.

If former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, challenges Paterson next year, the poll shows Paterson would lose by more than 20 points. In the hypothetical match-up, Giuliani leads Paterson, 56 percent to 32 percent. (ANI)

Now, nanoneedle to help examine biological processes of living cells

Washington, Apr 29 (ANI): Researchers from University of Illinois have developed a nanoneedle that will help in examining biological processes occurring within living cells.

“Nanoneedle-based delivery is a powerful new tool for studying biological processes and biophysical properties at the molecular level inside living cells,” said Min-Feng Yu, a professor of mechanical science and engineering and corresponding author.

During the study, he described how they deliver, detect and track individual fluorescent quantum dots in a cell’s cytoplasm and nucleus.

These quantum dots can be used for studying molecular mechanics and physical properties inside cells.

To create a nanoneedle, the researchers begin with a rigid but resilient boron-nitride nanotube. The nanotube is then attached to one end of a glass pipette for easy handling, and coated with a thin layer of gold.

The molecular cargo is then attached to the gold surface via “linker” molecules.

When placed in a cell’s cytoplasm or nucleus, the bonds with the linker molecules break, freeing the cargo.

“The nanoneedle provides a mechanism by which we can quantitatively examine biological processes occurring within a cell’s nucleus or cytoplasm,” said Yang Xiang, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology and a co-author of the paper.

“By studying how individual proteins and molecules of DNA or RNA mobilize, we can better understand how the system functions as a whole,” Xiang added.

The ability to deliver a small number of molecules or nanoparticles into living cells with spatial and temporal precision may make feasible numerous new strategies for biological studies at the single-molecule level, which would otherwise be technically challenging or even impossible.

“Combined with molecular targeting strategies using quantum dots and magnetic nanoparticles as molecular probes, the nanoneedle delivery method can potentially enable the simultaneous observation and manipulation of individual molecules,” said Ning Wang, a professor of mechanical science and engineering and a co-author of the paper.

“Nanoneedles can be used as electrochemical probes and as optical biosensors to study cellular environments, stimulate certain types of biological sequences, and examine the effect of nanoparticles on cellular physiology,” said Yu.

The study appears in Nano Letters (ANI)

Pak media criticises PCB for unprofessional handling of ODI series

Lahore, Apr 28 (ANI): Pakistani media has blasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), organising the ongoing five-match one-day international (ODI) series in the United Arab Emirates, for failing to handle the ‘home series’ in a professional way despite the presence of ‘too many officials’ here.

Organising committee chairman Mohammad Naeem, who is also PCB’s financial advisor, has gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah after the first two ODIs and now PCB director international cricket Zakir Khan has taken over his place.

Pakistani media faced a lot of difficulties in getting their accreditation cards before the start of the third one-day international played at the Zayed Stadium on Monday.

No one from the PCB media department is in the UAE to look after the media arrangements and help media personnel from Pakistan.

Pakistani journalists had to wait for many hours when Dilawar Mani, the chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Cricket Council, came to their rescue to help get their accreditation cards.

No PCB official bothered to come to media box to have an interaction with reporters. (ANI)

Obama more popular than his predecessors after first 100 days in office

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Washington, Apr.27 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has emerged more popular than any of his recent predecessors in his first 100 days in office, according to opinion polls./pp
Barack Obama currently has a 63 per cent job approval rating, reports The Telegraph./pp
Two major opinion polls showed on Sunday that Obama remains as popular as the day he came to office, with about two-thirds of Americans approving of the job the young Democratic leader is doing in the White House, despite war weariness, an enduring recession and a row over torture./pp
Obama’s 63 per cent job approval rating at this stage in his first term beats his predecessors George W Bush, at 56 per cent in 2001, Bill Clinton on 55 per cent in 1993 and George Bush Senior on 58 per cent in 1989, according to the US pollsters Pew./pp
But he comes in lower than Ronald Reagan’s 67 per cent in 1981 and equals Jimmy Carter’s figure from 1977, according to the survey, which had an error margin of plus or minus three percentage points./pp
A Washington Post poll found that 69 per cent approved – strongly or somewhat – of his performance so far, with 58 per cent approving of his handling of the economy and rising numbers feeling confident about the nation’s economic future./pp
The president’s first three months have been dominated by efforts to put the economy back on track. He has passed a 787 billion dollar stimulus bill and proposed a 3.6 trillion dollar budget, prompting Republicans to accuse him of socialism or bankrupting future generations by high government spending. /pp
So far those criticisms have not registered with the public, according to both polls./pp
Public opinion is however much more divided on the issue of torture and prosecution of US officials who may have approved it or engaged in it, the first issue that has unravelled beyond Mr Obama’s control./pp
Just over half of respondents supported the president’s decision to release Justice Department memos that provided legal justification for enhanced interrogation techniques that critics claim are torture./pp
There was a similar split on the question of whether or not Bush officials should be investigated for breaking laws regarding torture, with 51 per cent in favour and 47 against in the Washington Post poll./pp
Obama appears to have met the public’s expectations, with 61 per cent saying he was done as well as they expected and 25 per cent saying he has done better, and nine percent saying he has done worse, said Pew. (ANI)/p

RPT-UPDATE 3-Gates sees movement soon on arms buyer nomination

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

FORT RUCKER, Alabama, April 14 (Reuters) – Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said he expects U.S. Senate movement
soon on the nomination of Ashton Carter as the Pentagon’s chief
arms buyer.

“I have every hope and expectation that Dr. Carter’s
nomination will be moved in the near future,” Gates told
reporters at Fort Rucker, home of the Army’s main site for
training pilots and unmanned aerial system operators.

The Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month
approved Carter’s nomination. But several senators have put a
hold on it, citing concerns about the delayed $35 billion
competition between Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) and Boeing Co
(BA.N) to build 179 new aerial refueling tankers.

Gates said he hoped to move forward on the tanker
competition soon, and would let lawmakers review the proposed
competition criteria and get their input before releasing the
terms of a revamped competition.

Gates questioned congressional moves to block Carter’s
nomination, especially since many lawmakers were pressing the
Pentagon to undertake acquisition reforms — a job that Carter
would largely oversee.

“At a time when most of the Congress believes there is a
need for acquisition reform in the Department of Defense, to
delay the confirmation of the person who is most needed in that
effort clearly is counter-productive,” Gates told reporters.

This will be the Air Force’s third attempt to replace its
aging fleet of KC-135 refueling planes, which are more than 50
years old on average.

Congress in 2004 killed the first bid after an Air Force
plan to lease and buy 100 Boeing 767s failed amid a major
procurement scandal.

The Air Force then held a new competition and awarded a $35
billion contract to Northrop and its European subcontractor,
Airbus parent EADS (EAD.PA), in February.

But Gates canceled the deal last fall after congressional
auditors found problems in the Air Force’s handling of the
competition, and the process became very politicized.

On Tuesday, Gates said he hoped that a new tanker contract
could be awarded by early next year or next summer. “They’re
desperately needed by the Air Force,” he said.

Gates, the only member of former President George W. Bush’s
cabinet who stayed on under President Barack Obama, reiterated
his opposition to buying more tankers each year and splitting
the procurement between the two companies.

He said that would increase logistics, training and
maintenance costs over the long run. Development costs alone
would likely double from $7 billion to $14 billion, he said.

Carter, a Harvard University professor and former assistant
secretary of defense for international security policy, was
nominated for the job of overseeing more than $100 billion in
annual U.S. arms purchases and a $70 billion research
enterprise. If confirmed by the Senate, Carter would replace
John Young as undersecretary of defense for acquisition,
technology and logistics.

Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby, both Republicans
of Alabama, where Northrop had planned to build its A330-based
tankers, have put a hold on the Carter’s nomination.

The senators say they have unanswered questions about how
open and transparent the next competition will be.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gary Hill)

Heated exchange between political parties ahead of polls

Jammu/Kolkata / Siliguri, Apr 15 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah lauded Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for his deft handling of the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks and his diplomatic skills in preventing the situation in the aftermath of the attacks from worsening.

“I know how some people were trying to build pressure on Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi after the Mumbai terror attacks. People were saying that there should be a war like situation and threat must be given to Pakistan. Pressure was being built to restart shelling in the Kashmir valley. But, Manmohan Singh didn’t come under pressure as he knew that these bullets would only harm his own people that is the people of Kashmir,” said Abdullah.

Political parties have been involved in heated exchange ahead of the general elections.

In Kolkata, Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist refuted reports that they could have a post-poll alliance with the Congress party.

“There is no question of having an understanding with the Congress party. We are working for the non-Congress and non-BJP government. All nine parties which worked together have declared that we are working to form a non- Congress and non-BJP government,” said Karat.

Meanwhile in Darjeeling hills, which has witnessed agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland, BJP candidate Jaswant Singh slammed the Left Front Government for opposing theemand.

“The West Bengal Government’s stand on Gorkhaland issue is wrong. The apprehension that a separate state of Gorkhaland will divide the state is wrong. The people sitting in the government and the Communists are taking this issue with a different perspective. I am here only to provide support to your demand…” he said.

Many regional groups have been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal.

An agreement was signed in 1988 for setting up the Autonomous Darjeelingorkha Hill Council (ADGHC) in 1988 but since early 2008, a breakaway factionf the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) has revived the agitation. (ANI)

Handling “bossnappings” poses dilemma for Sarkozy

A spate of “bossnappings” by French workers has put President Nicolas Sarkozy in a tight spot, caught between the need to enforce the law and the risk of exacerbating unrest during the economic downturn.

Managers have been held hostage at factories for up to 24 hours by staff angry about layoff plans in four separate incidents since March 12. In a variant, a billionaire boss was blocked in his taxi by employees for an hour on March 31.

“What’s this about holding people captive? We have the rule of law in this country. I will not let such things happen,” Sarkozy told a group of entrepreneurs on Tuesday.

The same day, workers at a British-owned plant detained four managers, including three Britons, and held them overnight. As in the three previous bossnappings, police did not intervene. Staff let the managers go on Wednesday after promises of talks.

Apart from the humiliation of seeing his warning ignored, Sarkozy now faces a dilemma in how to handle similar incidents.

Employers’ groups and politicians from his own centre-right camp say such acts are unacceptable.

“However difficult the situations faced by employees, it is not acceptable to break the law,” three bosses’ groups said in a joint statement this week.

But labour unions and the left-wing opposition say workers facing layoffs in a context of recession and booming unemployment are desperate, so these acts are understandable.

“I’m against violence but if these things keep happening it’s because there is an underlying despair,” said Socialist legislator Jean-Marc Ayrault on Canal+ television on Thursday.

PUBLIC OPINION SPLIT

Public opinion is split. A poll released on Tuesday found that 50 percent of people surveyed objected to bossnappings while 45 percent said they were acceptable.

Sarkozy’s own ratings have tumbled during the downturn and he is particularly unpopular among blue-collar workers.

His Tuesday comments against bossnappings angered workers at a plant run by U.S. company Caterpillar who detained their managers on March 31. Sarkozy had promised to “save” them and invited them to meet him, but they rejected the invitation.

“I don’t see why we should go and see him just so he can politely insult us, since he seems to think we are delinquents for having detained management for a few hours,” said Alain Debain, one of the Caterpillar workers, on i-Tele on Thursday.

The risk of sending in the riot police when the next hostage-taking occurs is that, far from discouraging such acts, it could cause them to proliferate.

Turning a blind eye carries risks as well. All four plants where bossnappings have occurred are foreign-owned, and the head of the CGPME employers’ group, which represents small and medium businesses, said foreign investors could be put off France.

“Maybe companies that have their headquarters abroad will decide to stop investing in our country and that would not be to the advantage of France or of our workers,” CGPME head Jean-Francois Roubaud told i-Tele.

Around 22,000 foreign companies employ more than 2 million people in France, according to the Invest in France agency.

Hindustan Dorr bags two new orders worth Rs 66 crore from Vedanta Group

Hindustan Dorr Oliver Ltd, a leading total engineering solution provider company, has bagged two prestigious Orders in Mineral Sector worth Rs 66 crore from Vedanta Group.

The company secured first order worth Rs 48.5 crore from Vedanta Group for their 12.5 LTPA Aluminium Smelter Expansion Project at Jharsuguda.

The scope of project involves Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply, Civil Works, Material Handling, Erection, Commissioning, Integration of Air-Water Piping System. The project is schedule to be completed within 12 months timeframe.

The company bagged second order worth Rs 17.5 crore from Vedanta Group for their Milk of Lime Plant (MOL) for their 3 MMTPA Alumina Refinery Expansion Project at Lanjigarh Dist, Kalahandi, Orissa.

The scope of work involves Design, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacture, Supply, Civil Works, Erection / Construction, Commissioning of Plant. The project is scheduled to be completed within 11 months.

After the announcement, the stock of company reacted positively to the news and was trading at Rs 50, up 5% compared to previous close of Rs 47.

Obama’s popularity rising, says NYT-CBS poll

New York, Apr.7 (ANI): President Barack Obama’s popularity with the American masses continues to be in ascendant mode, with the latest New York Times/CBS Poll pegging ratings at 66 percent.

Most Americans are confident that he is the right man for the job of rebuilding the nation’s confidence.

Fully two-thirds said they approved of his overall job performance, especially with regard to his handling of the economy, foreign policy, Iraq and Afghanistan.
By contrast, just 31 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of the Republican Party, the lowest in the 25 years the question has been asked in New York Times/CBS News polls.

It is not unusual for new presidents to enjoy a period of public support. Still, the durability of Obama’s support contrasts with that of some of his predecessors at the same point in their terms.

The poll found that 70 percent of respondents were very or somewhat concerned that someone in their household would be out of work and looking for a job in the next 12 months.

Forty percent said they had cut spending on luxuries, and 10 percent said they had cut back on necessities; 31 percent said they had cut both.

By more than three to one, voters said they trusted Obama more than they trusted Congressional Republicans to make the right decisions about the economy.

More than two to one said they trusted Obama to keep the nation safe. Nearly one-quarter of Republicans said they trusted Obama more than Congressional Republicans to make the right decisions about the economy.

The survey was conducted Wednesday through Sunday, while Mr. Obama was in Europe for the Group of 20 summit of the world’s largest economies.

The national telephone poll was conducted with 998 adults. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. (ANI)

Afghanistan a ‘litmus test’ for NATO, say leaders

Strasbourg (France), April 4 (DPA) Describing Afghanistan as a ‘litmus test’ for NATO, leaders of the 60-year-old alliance Saturday began talks on defeating the Taliban insurgency and preventing the warn-torn country from becoming a haven for Al Qaeda terrorists.

‘Afghanistan is a litmus test for us all,’ said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the NATO summit’s co-host along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Merkel praised US President Barack Obama for his new strategy on Afghanistan and said her country was ready to contribute more soldiers, trainers and money towards ‘the Afghanistanisation’ of the country.

Sarkozy also lauded Obama’s new approach to the conflict, which involves speeding up Afghan reconstruction and involving other regional players such as India, Pakistan and Iran.

Obama and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer then formally welcomed Albania and Croatia into the alliance, with the US president offering leaders of the two countries a copy of NATO’s 1949 founding treaty.

However, the second day of the two-day summit was marred by the leaders’ failure to agree on a new NATO chief.

Despite strong pressure by Obama, Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Turkey refused to lift its objections to naming Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as de Hoop Scheffer’s successor.

The Turks strongly object to Rasmussen because of his handling of the 2005 and 2006 row over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that appeared in the Danish media and angered large sections of the Muslim world.

The controversy also caused a stir early Saturday during the ceremonial crossing of the Rhine River from Germany to France, when Berlusconi chose to call Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rather than join other leaders on the Passerelles des Deux Rives bridge.

During the Afghan talks, Obama was expected to ask European governments to contribute more troops, at least to secure the elections, as well as additional funds, police trainers and other material.

On Friday, government officials in London said Britain would send extra troops to Afghanistan ‘subject to appropriate burden sharing’ by other NATO allies.

The ‘temporary troop increase’ would be aimed at providing security during the presidential elections.

The French daily Le Figaro reported that Europe could propose sending a 500-strong force of gendarmes to aid the Afghan police. France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey have reportedly pledged to contribute to this force.

In addition, the daily El Pais reported Thursday that Spain will beef up its troops in Afghanistan, from the current 780 to more than 1,000 soldiers.

As the NATO leaders met, groups of anti-NATO protesters skirmished with police in central Strasbourg.

Ironically singing ‘Happy Birthday, NATO’ and waving rainbow-coloured banners, the young demonstrators were met by teargas canisters fired by groups of police officers in riot gear.

Some 10,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed in and around the city, whose downtown districts were otherwise as deserted as a ghost town.