Hindustan Times | SilverScorpio.Com

Indian shares seesaw; Reliance gains, techs down

June 18, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

MUMBAI, June 17 (Reuters) – Indian shares flip-flopped on
Thursday as weak Asian markets prompted investors to pause
after the main index had rallied more than 5 percent over six
sessions.

Traders said the market was facing resistance after its
longest winning streak in nine months. Although foreign fund
investments have picked up on the back of robust factory output
data, double-digit inflation was a concern.

“The pain due to Europe’s troubles seems to be priced in. A
steep downside from here doesn’t look likely right now. That
said, we are not going to rise very fast either,” said R.
Ganesh, director of Systematix Shares.

By 11:28 a.m. (0558 GMT), the 30-share BSE index .BSESN
was trading down 0.05 percent at 17,454.78 points, with 19 of
its components declining.

Reliance Industries (RELI.BO), which has the highest weight
on the Sensex, rose 1.1 percent.

The energy major may foray into the healthcare sector by
buying a 26 percent stake in hospital chain Fortis Healthcare
(FOHE.BO), the Financial Express reported. [ID:nSGE65G03T]

Fortis, which last week unveiled plans to raise as much as
$1.2 billion, is positioning itself for a possible battle with
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah for Singapore’s
Parkway Holdings (PARM.SI). [ID:nSGE6580F0]

Shares in Fortis were up 2.4 percent at 155.95 rupees.

Top outsourcer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.BO) dropped
0.6 percent, while rivals Infosys (INFY.BO) and Wipro (WIPR.BO)
shed 0.9 percent each.

State-run explorer Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC.BO) was up
1.1 percent after the Hindustan Times reported a panel of
ministers to look into freeing of fuel prices could meet next
week. [ID:nSGE65G03N]

Foreign funds have been net buyers of Indian equities four
sessions to Tuesday, taking their investment so far in June to
nearly $588 million. In May, the funds had dumped $2 billion of
stocks in the wake of the euro zone fiscal troubles.

In the broader market, gainers led losers in a ratio of
1.3:1 on volume of 140 million shares.

The 50-share NSE index was down 0.2 percent at
5,225.35.

STOCKS ON THE MOVE

* Non-ferrous metals maker Sterlite Industries (STRL.BO)
dropped 0.7 percent to 684.60 rupees as London copper futures
MCU3=LX fell 1.8 percent.

* Cairn India (CAIL.BO) shed 0.6 percent to 306.60 rupees,
as crude oil prices declined towards $77 per barrel.

MAIN TOP 3 BY VOLUME

* Reliance Natural Resources (RENR.BO) on 4.7 million
shares

* MTNL (MTNL.BO) on nearly 3 million shares

* Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) (TTML.BO) on 1.9 million
shares

FACTORS TO WATCH
* For technical analysis double click on www.reutersindia.net
* Indian rupee report
[INR/]
* Indian bond report
[IN/]
* Euro slips after chart failure, caution over Spain
[FRX/]
* Oil falls towards $77 on mixed econ, stockpile data
[O/R]
* Euro eases as stock rally runs out of steam
[MKTS/GLOB]
* Wall St ends flat on mixed economic data, FedEx drags
[.N]
* For closing rates of Indian ADRs
INADR
(Reporting by Ami Shah; Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Asian markets, Bsesn, Euro Zone, Financial Express, Fohe, Fund Investments, healthcare sector, hindustan times, Indian shares, Infy, Khazanah, Longest Winning Streak, ongc, Parkway Holdings, PARM, Reliance Industries, tata consultancy services, Tata Consultancy Services Tcs, Wipr, Wipro.

Cheap green fuel stove for home fires

June 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Varanasi, June 6 — An ex-lecturer from Delhi University, Ramesh Singh, (now based in Varanasi) has developed a bio-stove fuelled by dry rice husk, which can cook a full meal at a cost of just 25 paise. Over 10,000 pieces of the husk-powered stove have till date been sold in various parts of East UP, particularly the naxal-infested Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonebhadra. The stove was develped last year. Singh told Hindustan Times on Friday that the stove was designed in a way that merely 250 gms of rice husk could generate proper flame for cooking a square meal. The husk would cost a mere 25 paise. Being popularised through an NGO Jaivik Urja Vikas Sansthan, the stove could go a long way in curbing carbon emissions and help check deforestation as poor villagers would not need to fell trees for fuel. They could get rice husk cheaply from rice mills, Singh added. The switchover from wood fuel to rice husk would also ensure that children need not miss school to collect wood. Easy to use : All that one has to do is to fill the iron tray in the stove with the dry husk, which then gets trapped in the burner. It is ignited with a small piece of paper and soon gives out flame, enabling users to cook a veg or non-veg meal for five to six persons within 30 to 45 minutes. The stove can be used for two years, without any replacement. It is a potent mechanism for energy conservation and forest conservation at a time when the Central govt has launched the Green India Mission (2011-2021) to popularise technology that will reduce consumption of wood and other conventional fuel, said Singh.

Feedback suggests that it ensures best quality food to its users. In states with scarcity of rice husk, other dry bio-waste, including dry sugarcane waste, wheat husk, mustard husk, gram husk and even small chopped dry leaves can be used as fuel.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: carbon emissions, central govt, Chandauli, conventional fuel, delhi university, Dry Husk, Dry Leaves, Dry Rice, Fuel Stove, Green Fuel, hindustan times, Home Fires, india mission, Mirzapur, paise, poor villagers, rice husk, rice mills, urja, Wheat Husk

CR clears coach from accident site

May 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Mumbai, May 29 — A day after Hindustan Times reported that the Central Railway had not cleared the site of a railway accident that had occurred more than six months ago, one of the coaches that was lying precariously close to the railway line was moved. On Monday, May 24, Hindustan Times had reported that 11 coaches of the Bangalore-bound 6505 Down Gandhidham-Bengaluru Express that had derailed between Bhiwandi Road and Kopar stations in November 2009 were still lying at the same site.

One of the derailed air-conditioned coaches had been placed on wooden blocks very close to the tracks on a curve on the Diva-Vasai section of Central Railway’s Mumbai division. The coach was removed on Tuesday.

“It is not correct to say that the Central Railway has not bothered to correct the accident site. In fact, of the 11 coaches, ten coaches have been removed so far,” a Central Railway spokesperson said requesting anonymity.

“The other coach will be soon removed. The coach that is now lying at the accident site is at a sufficiently safe distance from the running track.

” When HT visited the site on Thursday, one coach was still there. A few wheels, batteries and technical equipment were strewn around.

“There is no confusion regarding the authority on who will clear these coaches,” the spokesperson said referring to some railway officials’ statements that since the coaches belong to the South Western Railway, the decision on what needs to be done with the coaches lies with them.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: anonymity, bengaluru, Central Railway, confusion, cr, curve, diva, gandhidham, hindustan times, Kopar, may 24, Mumbai, Railway Accident, railway line, railway officials, Running Track, safe distance, South Western Railway, spokesperson, Wooden Blocks

Get smart on career options

May 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Mumbai, May 29 — Students and parents looking to gain insight into mainstream and offbeat career options, gathered at St Andrews Auditorium, on Friday, to attend a counselling session organised by Hindustan Times in association with Young Buzz, a career guidance company. More than 600 people attended the Campus Calling Counselling Sessions, 2010. The lecture was divided into four parts – science, commerce, arts and unconventional careers, with specific information given on career options available in each area. The question and answer session at the end of the lecture addressed specific enquiries and personal concerns. While most students were from college or had just finished their HSC, 14-year-old Aditya Hemnani, a student of Laidlaw Memorial School and Junior College, Ooty, was hoping to get a head start in his plans to pursue robotics or mechanical engineering after junior college. “There is a lot of information available on the internet which is not easy to understand,” he said. “This session helped me find out about my options after class 10 and about the best colleges to pursue my studies.” For Borivli resident Eusebia D’Souza and her mother Loraine, this session came at an opportune moment.

Participation for the Campus Calling Counselling Sessions – 2010 is free and registrations open 30 minutes before the event starts. Eight more sessions are scheduled for Mumbai, Vashi and Thane over the next three weeks.

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Mud for meals: UP cracks whip on district officials

May 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Allahabad, May 28 — Following a damning report by a Supreme Court fact-finding team over the widespread malnutrition and total collapse of food security-related schemes in Uttar Pradesh’s Ganne village, the district administration finally cracked the whip on the erring officials. The apex court had sent the team after Hindustan Times highlighted the villagers’ plight in a report on April 5.

District Magistrate Sanjay Prasad ordered that the power of the Ganne’s gram pradhan be immediately seized and also terminated the services of anganwadi workers on charges of dereliction of duty. The district administration also decided to probe the allegations of intimidation of villagers by the kotedar (owner of the fair price shop), following their admission to the Supreme Court’s team.

On Friday, Prasad met the reporter of HT and asked for information about the situation in Ganne. “A criminal case will be registered against the kotedar, and sent to jail, if found guilty,” said Prasad.

“We have also decided to form a three-member committee comprising villagers for monitoring the implementation of welfare schemes in the village in absence of the Gram Pradhan.”.

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Brownian motion in UK polls

April 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, April 24 — Whether or not Gordon Brown manages to hang on as prime minister, the new British parliament that is to be inaugurated next month will look more brown than ever before. An analysis of the Black and Asian candidates’ list of the three main political parties – made available to the Hindustan Times – shows that the House of Commons could welcome at least 11 South Asian MPs, including at least six of Indian origin after May 6. The final figure is likely to be higher. Some of them will be sitting MPs defending safe seats – such as Britain’s senior Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz of the ruling Labour party and his Conservative counterpart Shailesh Vara – but there will also be a smattering of new faces. Together Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have put up 131 Black and Asian candidates. In an election that may well lead to Britain’s first hung parliament since 1974, every ethnic minority vote is being wooed – it could mean the difference between forming that government and staying out. Some estimates say there are up to 113 ‘marginal seats’ where the population of Black and Asian voters is larger than candidates’ winning majorities in the last 2005 election. At least 50 of these seats are thought to be ‘very marginal’ – key battlegrounds amid nervous predictions of a slender majority for the largest party in the new parliament. Of the 131 candidates, 86 are ethnic South Asians and of them, 34 are of Indian origin. However, many have been selected – by all three parties – for constituencies where their chances of winning are remote. Among Indian-origin candidates who are likely to make it to parliament are Vaz, his sister Valerie Vaz (they will be the first Asian brother and sister lawmakers) and Virendra Sharma from Labour; Shailesh Vara and Priti Patel from the Conservative party; and Parmjit Gill of the Liberal Democrats. Two more Indian-origin Conservative candidates – Alok Sharma and Paul Uppal – are said to be in with a chance. In the wider South Asian context, Labour is likely to have more MPs of Pakistani origin than the Conservatives, who have selected a larger number of Indian-origin candidates in relatively safe seats. Britain currently has nine South Asians, including five who are of Indian origin, among a total of 15 Black and Asian MPs. However, both Labour and Conservatives have stoutly resisted a proposal for all-ethnic shortlists in selected urban seats – along the lines of informal all-women shortlists introduced by Tony Blair after he became prime minister in 1997. Of the three main political parties, Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats was the only leader who supported the proposal when it was tabled in parliament last year. Ironically, with the ratings heaving seismically toward the Liberal Democrats after Clegg won the first two of three televised election debates, this all-important party is likely to turn up in parliament with just one Asian MP – Parmjit Singh Gill. He is undaunted: “As a Liberal I follow in the footsteps of Dadabhai Naoroji,” said Gill, referring to the Indian National Congress founder who became the first British Asian MP in 1892. The lopsided composition of the House of Commons can sometimes find a reflection in debates about immigration that are guided by perception rather than hard data. Last week, in the middle of a poll campaign that has been largely free of race and migration rhetoric from the mainstream parties, the mayor of a town in southwest England posted a joke on Facebook: “Illegal immigrants are like sperm – millions of them come in but only one works.”

“Party leaders are useless at this,” admitted one well-regarded candidate, fighting in a constituency with a large Asian population. “It’s only the voters that can make the difference. At the end of the day, if our people don’t vote for us, then we are not going to make it.”

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Oman army all set to use India’s INSAS rifles

April 23, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Kolkata, April 22 — Assault rifle INSAS (Indian Small Arms System), built by the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), will soon be used by the Royal Oman Army. The indigenously built rifle was sent to Muscat in March and is currently undergoing trial for the Oman army. “Oman has informed us that the rifles have successfully passed the trial run. INSAS will, in all likelihood, be the standard assault rifle of the Royal Oman Army,” said an OFB deputy director-rank official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media. The rifles were subjected to endurance tests for extreme desert temperatures and sandstorms and performed well in both conditions, sources in OFB and Ministry of Defence told Hindustan Times. Developed in OFB’S Ishapore factory, 45 km north of Kolkata, in 1998, it has three variants – an assault rifle, a light machine gun and a carbine. India will be supplying the 5.56 mm assault rifle to Oman. The weapon has been sent as part of the India-Oman comprehensive defence agreement of 2003. “If a deal is struck with Oman, the quantity and size of the deal will not be made public,” said Major General V.K. Narula, additional director general (public relations) of the Indian Army. Equipped with 20 or 30-round transparent magazines, the rifle has an effective range of 450 metres. The loaded weapon weighs around four kilograms.

In 1999, it served the army against Pakistan in the Kargil confrontation.

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Pressmart delivers newspapers on Kindle and Sony eReader

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 25 (ANI/Business Wire India): Pressmart, a leading provider of multi-channel news publishing services, today announced the availability of eEditions compatible for reading on eReader devices like Kindle and Sony.

This unique technology enables news publishers to attract new subscribers who wish to read news and access their favorite newspaper content on the eReader screen in its original format.

With this latest addition to Pressmart on-demand digital delivery platform, publishers can go digital on web, mobile, eReader, podcast and RSS in a matter of minutes even if they do not have any technical knowledge.

Additionally, Pressmart offers access to state-of-art marketing, subscription and advertising tools using which publishers can start monetizing from digital delivery from almost day one.

Publishers can also benefit from Pressmart’s content delivery partnerships with news aggregators, telecom carriers, leading distributors and handset majors such as Motorola, Airtel, Curtis, BSNL, Spice and Samachar.com.

Some of the leading publishing titles such as Philadelphia Inquirer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Birmingham Post, Bangkok Post, theSun, Hindustan Times, Deccan Chronicle and Indian Express have partnered with Pressmart for repurposing content on new media delivery channels.

“Today’s product launch is an important milestone for Pressmart, reinforcing our position as a leading innovator in the digital publishing market and setting a new technology benchmark.” said Sanjiv Gupta, Chairman and CEO of Pressmart.

“It is our goal to continue to lead the evolution of the industry whilst delivering a first-class reading experience through our ‘Digital Editions’ in a format that today’s generation can use,” Gupta added. (ANI)

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News Websites in India – List of News Websites in India – Best News Websites in India

July 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

News Websites in India – List of News Websites in India – Best News Websites in India – Times of India – Economic Times – Samachar – Indian Express – Deccan Herald – The Hindu – Financial Express – The Hindustan Times – NDTV – Business Standard – Asian Age

Times of India

The Times of India is a highly reputed frontline Indian newspaper. Powered by Indiatimes.com, the site of Times of India brings you all the latest happenings and incidents around the world on your desktop. Read the national and international headlines and be the first to know the breaking news of the hour.

Website – http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Economic Times

The Economic Times is the most popular and trusted newspaper brand when it comes to delivering all the news and happenings of the financial world. The site of The Economic Times provides you the top stories of the national and global economies around the world.

Website – http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/unionbudget.cms

The Hindustan Times

The site of The Hindustan Times, one of the prestigious newspapers in the country, welcomes you with the top stories, news and events of the day. Browse the city editions and go through the exclusive stories, special supplements and other interesting sections.

Website – http://www.hindustantimes.com/budget/

NDTV

NDTV.com is then website of New Delhi Television Ltd. This premier private news production house of India gives you extensive coverage of news, events and current affairs across the country and the world. See the top stories, breaking news and NDTV exclusives, brought to you by a team of hardcore and quality professionals. Browse the site and be at the brink of the latest happenings.

Website -http://www.ndtv.com/

Samachar

Samachar is an online news portal that brings you the top stories of the day from the leading newspapers, news related sites and news portals in India and around the world. You don’t have to browse through the host sites to know about the latest happenings and incidents. At Samachar, read the picks from The Times of India, The Hindu, the Asian Age, Deccan Chronicle, Deccan Herald, NDTV.com, CNN and others.

Website – http://www.samachar.com/

Indian Express

Expressindia.com is a part of the Indian Express group. Visit the site to grab the national and international headlines, see the city newslines and roll your eyes over the top breaking news of the day. Browse the other sections for news and articles related to sports, business, entertainment, technology and so on. Read the e-papers of Indian Express and Financial Express and visit the photo gallery.

Website – http://www.expressindia.com/

Deccan Herald

Deccan Herald is one of the most prestigious and highly reputed among the newspapers in India. See the headlines at a glance and read the top news stories. Get to know the main incidents happening across India and around the world. See detailed coverage of news on business, sports, entertainment and others. Read articles and editorials written by frontline journalists and stay informed with Deccan Herald.

Website – http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jul12005/index.asp

The Hindu

The Hindu is a celebrated and prestigious name in the history of Indian journalism. Browse through The Hindu site to know the front page stories, top stories in politics, sports and business, both at the national and international arena. Read the news of the states of India, special features, supplements, and smile with the thought-provoking cartoons.

Website – http://www.hinduonnet.com/

Financial Express

The Financial Express is a pat of the Indian Express group. The Financial Express is one of the leading financial news dailies in India. Visit the site and check out the sections on corporate news and market trends. Read the analysis of the different facets of our economy and its impact on the stock market and share indexes or other important factors.

Website - http://www.financialexpress.com/

Business Standard

In its site, Business Standard offers you the best of corporate and financial news. The site is continuously updated with the latest news and information, so that you can always stand to gain an extra advantage. See the various sections like markets and investing, companies and industry, banking and finance, economy or fiscal policies.

Website – http://www.business-standard.com/

Asian Age

The Asian Age is one of the frontline dailies of India. Visit the site of The Asian Age and navigate through the various sections like top stories, spotlight, special, bottomline, windows, sports plus or features. You can read the e-paper version, if you feel like. The humorous cartoons of Sudhir Tailang make the whole experience a more enjoyable one.

Website – http://www.asianage.com/

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Harish Khare takes over as Media Adviser to Manmohan Singh

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 24(ANI): Senior journalist Harish Khare, on Wednesday took over as the media adviser to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Khare replaces Deepak Sandhu and will hold the position of a Secretary, Government of India.

Prior to his new assignment, Khare, a well-known political columnist, functioned as senior Associate Editor and Chief of Bureau of The Hindu, and made his mark in journalism by his incisive comments on a whole range of issues, including politics and administration.

Khare has a Ph.D in Political Science from Yale University, has also worked as Editor of the Ahmedabad edition of The Times of India and as a senior Editor for Hindustan Times, and has enjoyed an illustrious career in journalism spanning over 35 years. (ANI)

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Harish Khare to be new media adviser to Prime Minister

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 20 (ANI): Distinguished journalist and political commentator Harish Khare will be the Media Adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He replaces Deepak Sandhu, who was appointed to the post last year after the then Media Adviser, Sanjaya Baru, took up a teaching assignment in Singapore.

Deepak Sandhu has been shifted to the Central Information Commission as its member.

Khare (62) is presently Senior Associate Editor of The Hindu, and is expected to take over next week. He also worked as Resident Editor of the Times of India, Ahmedabad. He also worked for the Hindustan Times from 1981 to 1985.

In his capacity as the media adviser to the prime minister, Khare will hold the rank of a secretary to the Government of India.

Khare is a seasoned journalist, who has made his mark in Indian journalism because of his incisive comments on politics and administration.

He has a PhD in Political Science from Yale University and has enjoyed an illustrious career in journalism for over 35 years. (ANI)

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Indian student attacks: Australia’s lucrative education industry could take a hit

May 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 30 (ANI): The recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne could severely hit Australia’s lucrative education industry, agents in India who help arrange student placements have warned.

The assaults attracted a blaze of publicity in India for the third consecutive day yesterday, prompting some students and parents to re-evaluate plans to study in Australia.

Bubbly Johar, who runs Johar’s Education Centre, an education consultancy in New Delhi, said many parents of students considering education in Australia had contacted him because they are worried about safety.

“These attacks will definitely have an impact on the market because parents are calling me up and they are very concerned,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Johar, who is vice-president of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, as saying.

“The media coverage here is encouraging parents to rethink whether they should send their children to Australia for studies. We can’t assure them that they will be safe – it’s a very precarious situation for us,” Johar added.

Taxpayer-funded advertising in India that promotes Australian education services has been undermined by days of negative publicity about the violence.

Three English-language newspapers – Hindustan Times, The Times Of India and The Hindu – ran stories about recent student attacks on their front pages yesterday.

Education is Australia’s third-largest export earner behind coal and iron ore. The number of Indians studying in Australia has more than doubled since 2006 to 93,000. It is estimated this group contributed about two billion dollars to the economy last financial year.

But Arun Bhutani from AB Educational Avenues agency, which arranges for more than 1000 students a year to study in Australia, is bracing for a slump in demand.

Rupesh Duggal from Cambridge Immigration and Education Services in Punjab said: “There is a growing perception that people in Australia don’t like students from India and this is affecting our business.”

A team of Victorian police and fire brigade officers will arrive in India tomorrow to brief students bound for Australia on staying safe. (ANI)

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‘Peace will return if the Taliban go’

May 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province is in grave danger of becoming a large tented village as the country grapples with the largest displacement of people since the creation of Bangladesh (1971) and Partition (1947). The number of displaced, some estimates suggest, could go as high as 1.5 million. A UN official told the Los Angles Times that the situation in Pakistan was “approaching” that of Darfur and Congo. “First came the Taliban, then came the army. After that, trouble started. If the Taliban go, peace will return,” said Sardar Ali, 42, a fruit merchant from Mingora, Swat’s capital.

Many agree with Ali’s nuts-and-bolts formula at the dusty and chaotic camp set up by the provincial government for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the outskirts of Mardan, the first major town on the road out of the Swat Valley; 129 km northwest of Islamabad. Tens of thousands have made it out of the valley but there are still many more who have been caught up in the fighting between the Taliban and Pakistani security forces. Ali told Hindustan Times that a bomb hit his neighbourhood, killing about 35 persons. That is when he and his wife decided to leave with their five children. “Now all we have are our lives,” he said, relieved to be alive. Most of the refugees said they have nowhere else to go. A large number of those who left Swat have put up with friends and family members, many as far as Karachi. The tragic stories slowly come out in conversations with the men. Men at the Shah Shezad Town camp recount instances of cars and buses being bombed and of corpses of men and women rotting on the roads. More are worried about those left behind. Aurangzeb Khan of Pir Baba village in Buner said while he and his brothers escaped with their families, their eldest brother stayed back to look after the house and the livestock. There has been no news since. The chaos at the camps reflects the lack of planning on the part of the government. One refugee said it took him two days to secure a card that entitled him to a tent and a blanket as well as food. “It’s a free for all,” he said. Politicians, government officials and aid agency workers regularly come in to monitor work and boost morale. On Sunday, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif arrived at one of the camps to offer his support. But PM Yusuf Raza Gilani is yet to visit the camps and there is some difference of opinion between leaders over who is to blame for this mass exodus. President Asif Ali Zardari is on tour abroad.Religious organisations, many legitimate, but others not quite, were the first to arrive with help, like in the case of the October 2005 earthquake. Shah Husain, a pleasant 20- year-old, works for the Al-Khidmat Foundation, associated with the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami Party. His religious duty was to help the displaced. But lack of funds and shortage of essential items makes the work difficult. “What we fear are the multiplying numbers,” he remarked. That is when things will go from bad to worse.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Aurangzeb Khan, Buner, Corpses, darfur, displacement, Eldest Brother, frontier province, grave danger, hindustan times, Los Angles Times, north west frontier, nuts and bolts, outskirts, Pir Baba, provincial government, Sardar Ali, security forces, situation in pakistan, swat valley, Tented Village

NHRC takes suo motu notice of Dalit discrimination in Madhya Pradesh

May 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 6 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a news report published in two parts in The Hindustan Times on May 5 and 6 under the title “Apartheid” alleging how dalit kids are being discriminated against in four districts – Jhabua, Sheopur, Katni and Ujjain of Madhya Pradesh.

The report has also alleged that health workers in these districts avoid Dalit hamlets and examine women without touching them.

The Commission in its proceeding said, the report, if true, raises serious issue of violation of human rights of Dalits and has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh seeking his comments on the report within four weeks.

The Commission is also deputing its investigation team to visit the places mentioned in the reports to conduct an on the spot inquiry. The team will submit its report to the Commission within four weeks. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: apartheid, chief secretary, cognizance, dalits, discrimination, health workers, hindustan times, human rights commission, investigation team, Madhya Pradesh, national human rights, national human rights commission, New Delhi, news report, NHRC, proceeding, ujjain, violation of human rights

China using Lanka crisis to promote influence in Indian Ocean Region: Chidambaram

April 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 25 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that India’s response to the Sri Lankan crisis has been impacted by China which is using this issue to expand its sphere of influence in the island nation.

Chidambaram’s comments are important as Lanka’s importance for Beijing is in the sea-lanes of communication in the north Indian Ocean through which Chinese trade and energy supplies flow.

The world, including India, has called for a cessation of hostilities to enable civilians to escape from the war zone, but China is still encouraging the Lankan offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

“China is fishing in troubled waters. That is a lone, discordant voice among all of the global community,” The Hindustan Times quoted Chidambaram, as saying.

“China is acting with a clear agenda. Our policies take account of the Chinese calculations,” he said.

Chidambaram said India is trying to put pressure on Colombo and the LTTE to cease hostilities.

“It’s a humanitarian crisis. We want the killings to stop. But neither the Lankan Government nor the Tamil Tigers are willing to listen to the international community,” he said.

The Home Minister said Pakistan also might have wanted to seek a foothold on the southern (maritime) border of India, but internal issues were holding it back.

Chidambaram said the advances made by the Taliban in Pakistan were “extremely worrisome” for India. “Large sections of Pakistan are under the control of the Taliban,” he said. (ANI)

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NDTV Convergence CEO Sanjay Trehan resigns

April 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ending his two-year stint as the founding CEO of NDTV Convergence, Sanjay Trehan resigned from the post on April 13, 2009; to reportedly join a consumer-focused Internet company.

Overseeing NDTV operations since he took over as CEO on 10 March 2007, Trehan was responsible for running the dotcom and mobile assets of the group, including its flagship NDTV. com. During the course of his tenure, Trehan contributed towards building NDTV Convergence, and launching NDTV Active; Tubaah. com; NoGyan. com and NDTVkhabar. com.

Trehan has been associated with the online business for almost a decade – before joining NDTV, he was Indiatimes. com’s VP, Broadband and Web2.0; and prior to that, he headed Hindustan Times’ Internet division. At Indiatimes, Trehan launched a number of verticals and built communities around vBlogs, moblogs, audioblogs, podcasting, and video chats.

Trehan, a post-graduate in History from the St. Stephen’s college, Delhi University, is a founding member of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). He had rolled out Jaldi. com as its COO; and was the Vice President of marketing communications, content development and strategic alliances with Razorfinish. com.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: content development, delhi university, founding member, hindustan times, iamai, indiatimes com, internet company, internet division, marketing communications, mobile assets, moblogs, ndtv, s college, sanjay, strategic alliances, times internet, trehan, verticals, video chats, web2 0

Airline flouts rules, no action taken

April 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

ON MARCH 22, Captain Bavesh Mishra, the deputy chief of air safety and a senior pilot with SpiceJet, was grounded for reporting drunk at work. Three days later he operated a Delhi-Goa-Delhi flight (number 257/258).

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a pilot failing the breath-analyser test should be grounded for three months. Hindustan Times has a copy of the airline roster dated March 25, which shows that Mishra operated the flight with another pilot S. Dwivedi.

His is not a one-off case. This newspaper has evidence about two more senior pilots of the same airlines who flouted safety rules but continue to fly.

Take Captain B. Russels, an expat pilot, for instance. Expat pilots cannot enter the cockpit unless the DGCA issues them a foreign aircrew temporary authorisation licence.

However, the airline has rostered him as an observer on three sectors, though he has not been issued the required licence. An observer’s job is to supervise the flying crew.

There are several mandatory safety procedures that the crew is supposed to follow. Another senior pilot, Captain John Curtis EKL, has not renewed his flying licence for the last two years.

The process, which is also called proficiency checks, is mandatory every six months. Also, the 62-year-old pilot’s training history shows that on August 5, 2007, he visited three places for training – Aces in Columbia, US; Delhi and some other centre.

A SpiceJet spokesperson told Hindustan Times, “The airline has a completely different point of view on this and has documentary evidence which counters your inference.” The spokesperson, however, did not wish to share the evidence.

The airline insisted that Hindustan Times could only access documents by visiting their Gurgaon office. Nasim Zaidi, directorate general, DGCA, did not respond to calls and test messages asking why the aviation regulatory body is yet to take action against the airline.

A senior DGCA official, requesting anonymity, however, told HT, “These loopholes could be exposed only if the regulator conducts regular safety audits but that’s not possible due to staff shortage.”.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: air safety, breath analyser, captain john, Civil Aviation, different point of view, directorate general, documentary evidence, ekl, flight number, flying crew, hindustan times, john curtis, mandatory safety, proficiency checks, Regulatory Body, safety procedures, safety rules, senior pilot, test messages, Zaidi

Rahul for Prime Minister, say youth

April 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

These elections are going to be determined by the youth of the country, they say. And here is what they are saying: want to see Rahul Gandhi as prime minister, and not Manmohan Singh, L.K. Advani or Sonia Gandhi.

This was the finding of an opinion poll done for Hindustan Times by Cfore in six cities. Over 1,200 people in the 18 to 35 age group were surveyed for the poll and Rahul was their overwhelming choice, at 28 per cent.

The next favourite was the option “anyone else”. To another question man said they wanted the next prime minister to be under 55.

They are in a mood for change. Fifty per cent said no when asked if the largely ceremonial office of the president of India served any purpose.

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Poachers’ tortoise run halted; three held

April 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Three poachers were arrested while smuggling 14 tortoises at Chandi Ghat in Haridwar division on Tuesday. The poachers belonging to the ‘sapera’ community admitted that they brought the tortoises from east canal of Gaindikhatta in Haridwar for selling its meat.

Early on April 7, forest officials caught Kishorinath, a resident of Sapera Basti Bhaniyawala, Raju and Rangi Nath, both residents of Sapera Basti of Kalika Dhal in Rishikesh. Speaking to Hindustan Times, K.P. Varma, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Haridwar, said, “We couldn’t identify the species but the size of each tortoise is around 1 foot.

We presented all the three poachers at Roshanabad court and are waiting for permission to identify the species. The poachers have admitted that they were taking the species to sell in the market for its meat.

” Though sale of meat is prohibited in religious places like Haridwar and Rishikesh, poachers find there is a good market for sale of such items. A source said, “Meat of tortoise, deer and other species are sold in places like Haridwar and Rishikesh and there is a ready market.

The meat of tortoise costs around Rs 300 per kilogram.” Rajendra Agarwal, state president of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), said forest authorities should take stern steps towards rehabilitation of poachers so that killing of animals could be controlled.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: basti, deer, dhal, east canal, Forest Authorities, forest officer, forest officials, Ghat, hindustan times, Poachers, rajendra, raju, rangi, Religious Places, Rishikesh, state president, tortoise, Tortoises, wildlife protection, wpsi

Red tape behind industrial migration

April 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

IN ONE voice, industrialists of the city criticised unnecessary bureaucratic interference and blamed red tape for migration of industrialists to other states. At the ‘My India, My Vote’ programme of the Hindustan Times on Sunday, local entrepreneurs said only simplification of laws could save industry.

Demanding a single-window system from MPs to set up industries, the entrepreneurs said they were being humiliated through unnecessary taxation. The distinguished panel included Irshad Mirza, Malik Vijay Kapoor, Balram Nirula, Tarun Khetrapal, Sunil Vaisya, Micky Manchanda and Manoj Banka.

The participants urged people to vote for a literate candidate and said the candidate should be a social worker and not a political leader. The entrepreneurs said they should have the privilege to interact directly with the chief minister and commerce minister.

They said industries were migrating to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as there is no infrastructure in the state.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Chief Minister, commerce minister, hindustan times, industrialists, Infrastructure, interference, local entrepreneurs, malik, Manchanda, manoj, migration, mps, participants, political leader, privilege, red tape, simplification, social worker, unnecessary taxation, vote

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