The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday made it clear that there was no scope for a third party in India-Pakistan bilateral ties.
Commenting on Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's remarks on Saudi Arabia's potential as an interlocutor in India's relations with Pakistan, a source close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi said: "India's position on 'no' to third-party mediation in India-Pakistan issues is unchanged. There is no change in the Congress position."
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar reiterated India's known stand that no third party can intervene in issues between India and Pakistan.
"Tharoor's remarks are objectionable. The prime minister must explain such irresponsible remarks," Javadekar told IANS.
"We will raise the issue in parliament. The prime minister must explain. The government stands exposed on flip-flops over foreign policy issues," he said.
Tharoor, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his three-day official visit to Riyadh, said: "We feel Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Pakistan and that makes Saudi Arabia a more valuable interlocutor to us."
He was asked if India would seek Saudi support to influence Pakistan to address Indian concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistani territory.
As a mini-storm erupted over Tharoor's remarks, he clarified that New Delhi's desire to seek Riyadh's support on terrorism related issues with Islamabad did not mean giving it the role of a mediator in India-Pakistan disputes.
He said he had never used the word 'mediation' or 'mediator' while talking about a possible Saudi role.
"No chance of my saying Saudi Arabia should be a mediator... Never said that or anything like it," Tharoor said a couple of hours after the media publicised his earlier remarks.
India is firmly opposed to any third party role in its relations with Pakistan.
MUMBAI: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's double-hundred against South Africa in Gwalior on Wednesday has not only silenced his critics, but also clean bowled the Shiv Sena, which took on the little master for his 'Mumbai for all' remark.
A day after Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan said his government would recommend Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar, Shiv Sena on Saturday batted for the country's highest civilian honour for the cricket icon.
"Sachin definitely deserves 'Bharat Ratna'. He is breaking record after record," Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score a double-century in one-day internationals on Wednesday. He made the double-ton against South Africa in Gwalior.
Not long ago, the champion batsman faced acerbic criticism from Uddhav's father and Sena chief Bal Thackeray for his "Mumbai for all" remark.
On November 16 last year, Thackeray senior had slammed Tendulkar, saying he had no need to take a "cheeky single" and hurt the Marathi psyche.
"By making these remarks, you have got run-out on the pitch of Marathi psyche. You were not even born when the 'Marathi Manoos' got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai," Thackeray had written in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
"Mumbai belongs to India. That is how I look at it. I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that but I am an Indian first," the cricket icon had said drawing Thackeray's anger.
Fuel prices in the country are set to increase with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday announcing restoration of basic duty on petrol, diesel and crude petroleum and a rise of Re 1 in central excise duty.
In his Budget speech 2010-11, Mukherjee said the government had exempted fuel from basic customs duty to give relief to the oil marketing companies. The global oil prices rose alarmingly to $112 per barrel last year.
But, with global prices comparatively low right now, the government has taken the step to improve the fiscal position by restoring basic duty and increasing excise duty.
"In view of the pressing need to move back to a fiscal consolidation path, I propose to restore the basic duty of 5 per cent on crude petroleum; 7.5 per cent on diesel and petrol and 10 per cent on other refined products. I also propose to enhance the central excise duty on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre each," said Mukherjee.
This provoked loud protests from the opposition parties who walked out from the Lok Sabha.
Mukherjee also made a special mention of the Kirit Parikh committee which submitted its report recently on a viable and sustainable system of pricing of petroleum products.
It had recommended price deregulation of petrol and diesel, as well as a sharp decrease in subsidy of cooking gas and kerosene. However, the government has so far dithered on implementing the recommendations, expecting a political fall-out due to rising inflation.
"Decision on these recommendations will be taken by my colleague, the minister of petroleum and natural gas, in due course," said Mukherjee.
The total under-recoveries of the oil marketing companies are expected to reach Rs 40,000 crore this year, with the government not willing to go by the earlier formula of providing oil bonds. Instead, the finance ministry has only given Rs 12,000 crore in cash so far.
"I have made a conscious effort to avoid issuing bonds to oil and fertiliser companies. I would like to continue with this practice of extending Government subsidy in cash, thereby bringing all subsidy related liabilities into our fiscal accounting," he said.
*10% of Software Professionals are predicted to be affected by major diseases like Carpal tunnel syndrome, heart diseases etc
*20% of Software Professionals marry their co-workers (Oh, no!!)
*30% of Software Professionals are interested in Live in relationship because they tend to hate the responsibility both in office and house
*40% of Software Professionals are confused about settling down (India or abroad) K K
*50% of Software Professionals has No savings in their Bank Account (oops)
*60% of Software Professionals are not satisfied with their current wages
*70% of Software Professionals work more than 8 hours across globe
* 80% of Software Professionals live away from their Parents L L L
*90% of Software Professionals are NOT HAPPY about their Life, meeting deadlines, client satisfaction, incentives, promotions, increment, onsite trips, wife, children, visa status, and commitments
*100% of Software professionals wish they had a choice other than computers in their life at least once in their lifetime . J
Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday jumped three places to third in the ICC ODI batsmen rankings after is record-breaking double-century against South Africa while India are almost assured of $75,000 for ending the calendar year at number two position in the championship table.
Tendulkar (766 points), who returned undefeated on 200 in his 442nd appearance at Gwalior yesterday, now trails second-placed Mike Hussey (809) of Australia by 43 points with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (827) strengthening his position at the top of the rankings after hitting a 35-ball 68 not out against South Africa in the second ODI.
It is Tendulkar's highest ranking in two years after he had reached second position following an unbeaten 117 against Australia in Sydney.
While Tendulkar has vaulted into third position, fellow opener Virender Sehwag has dropped one place to 10th position.
After missing a few matches, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir also slipped one and two places respectively to be at 13th and 21st. A player loses one per cent of his ratings points for every match missed.
In the bowlers list headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, Harbhajan Singh is the only Indian at top 20 and the off-spinner retained his place at fifth.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship, India has all but cemented second position after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against South Africa. It is now on 123 ratings points while South Africa has slipped to 115 ratings points.
Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on Wednesday, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.
The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history today as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.
One Day International cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194).
As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.
His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him. And as Tendulkar set on his way back to the pavilion after the completion of the Indian innings, a tumultuous celebration greeted him.
The crowd gave him a standing ovation as the entire stadium erupted in euphoria while his teammates were simply ecstatic as they clapped and hugged each other, basking in the glory of their senior teammates.
Tendulkar batted like a man with a mission today and the South African bowlers simply had no clue where to bowl. Once he crossed the 150-mark, the crowd anticipated something special and Tendulkar did not let them down.
A six off Roelof van der Merwe took him past Kapil Dev's 175 not out and in the next over, he hit Jacques Kallis for a four to equal his previous best of 186 not out that had come against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.
The crowd got restless as Tendulkar approached the 194-run mark and a couple off Wayne Parnell saw him eclipse it.
His teammates and spectators were on the edge of their seat with a double century round the corner but with Dhoni going berserk at the striker's end and facing most of the deliveries, it was an agonising wait for all.
Dhoni took singles off the final deliveries of the 47th-49th overs and Tendulkar finally took strike with four balls left in the innings.
The first ball he received from Langeveldt was steered past point and Tendulkar ran for a single to remain unbeaten after an unforgettable unbeaten 200 that came off just 147 balls with 25 fours and three sixes in it.
It was yet another milestone for the man, who has some 30,000 international runs under his belt, including 93 centuries (47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs).
BANGALORE: Nine persons were killed — three of them jumping to death in panic — after a major fire broke out in Carlton Towers, a multi-storeyed commercial complex, here today.Three persons died due to fatal injuries after jumping from the top floors of the eight-storeyed building while six lost their lives due to severe burns and asphyxiation, sources at nearby Manipal Hospital said. The fire was brought under control and the building evacuated nearly two hours after it broke out at around 4.30 pm.
At least 70 people were injured. Of them, 22 persons are critical in the Intensive Care Unit while some were being treated in the casualty ward, the sources said.Scores of persons fainted after inhaling the smoke and had to be rushed to nearby hospital for first aid, a senior fire official said."The fire began in a lift service cable in the second floor and spread through the duct with smoke engulfing the remaining floors," Erappa, fire chief officer said. "More than the fire it was the smoke that caused panic", he said. As a thick blanket of smoke engulfed the building, several persons scampered out of their offices, broke window panes in desperation and jumped out.Scores of panic stricken people screamed for help and 15 fire tenders which rushed to the spot, managed to rescue some of them."We have received around 50-60 patients. Some of the persons are seriously ill. We are evaluating the patients' health," Manipal hospital COO Nagendra Swamy said.One girl clad in a blue salwar kameez landed on the roof of the portico after jumping from the sixth floor and then slipped to the ground. Her condition was not immediately known. One woman even tried to use her saree as a rope to get out.Passersby also rushed to help those trapped. The fire that occurred at the start of the peak hour caused a huge traffic jam on a two kms stretch.Hundreds of people gathered on the busy street hindering the free movement of fire brigade vehicles and fire personnel. Police said a few people jumped out of the building and suffered minor injuries.A large number of people were stuck in the building. A user trapped in the building tweeted (username: Kiran Jonnalagadda) about the incident:"Carlton Towers is burning and six of us are trapped inside. The fire's above but there's smoke everywhere. Saw people jump to their death.""Don't call me folks, you can't help. Will keep posting."Our rescue ladder. It'll only reach the fourth floor. We're on the fifth." "Massive crowd outside. This must have choked traffic for kilometers around." Many users write in about the massive crowd near the place, which is causing traffic blockage. Tweetizens are also posting latest pictures of the happenings in the building.The Twitteratti doing their bit by telling people the actual on-goings to avoid false rumours.People are also warning the others to not to come on that road to avoid the chaos; one user enquires, "We are 20 minutes from Carlton Towers Bangalore. Which is on fire. Hope Things are not as bad as it seems to me"
Anoop Agarwal, the employee allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at Wipro, is believed to have committed suicide, according to Bloomberg UTV. Incidentally, Wipro's audit committee was reportedly scheduled to meet today to discuss the fraud fallout. Anoop Agarwal, the employee allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at Wipro, is believed to have committed suicide, according to Bloomberg UTV. ncidentally, Wipro's audit committee was reportedly scheduled to meet today to discuss the fraud fallout. Agarwal had been working with the company for the past three years in the ' controllership' division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company 's financial books and also has powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro 's account at a bank. Wipro has since disbanded the controllership unit. Six employees are said to have been sacked for negligence. Apart from setting up an internal investigation team, Wipro has also taken help from external auditors and investigation experts who will vet its processes and certify the soundness of its controls. The company is already engaged with an external agency for conducting assessment of the existing audit and other processes in order to verify any potential loopholes. [src: TOI]
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: bhumika singh <bhumika.singh97@gmail.com> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:54:07 +0530 Subject: Before the Wipro's audit committee meeting to discuss the fraud fallout. Anoop Agarwal allegedly responsible for the $4 million fraud, is believed to have committed suicide. To: parttimenaukri.co.nr@gmail.com
NEW DELHI:Anoop Agarwal, the employee allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at Wipro, is believed to have committed suicide, according to Bloomberg UTV. Incidentally, Wipro's audit committee was reportedly scheduled to meet today to discuss the fraud fallout.
Anoop Agarwal, the employee allegedly responsible for a $4 million fraud at Wipro, is believed to have committed suicide, according to Bloomberg UTV. ncidentally, Wipro's audit committee was reportedly scheduled to meet today to discuss the fraud fallout.
Agarwal had been working with the company for the past three years in the 'controllership' division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company's financial books and also has powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro's account at a bank.
Wipro has since disbanded the controllership unit. Six employees are said to have been sacked for negligence.
Apart from setting up an internal investigation team, Wipro has also taken help from external auditors and investigation experts who will vet its processes and certify the soundness of its controls. The company is already engaged with an external agency for conducting assessment of the existing audit and other processes in order to verify any potential loopholes.
BEIJING: China has told visiting Pakistani foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi that it wants to avoid action like investing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which might hamper the proposed India-Pakistan peace talks, according to an expert close to the Chinese foreign ministry."China does not want to invest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Chinese government knows Kashmir is a sensitive issue and a disputed area," Ma Jaili, senior researcher at the State-run Institute of Contemporary International Relations told TNN.China is conscious about India's sensitivities when it deals with Pakistan, he said. Most observers feel that any Chinese presence in PoK in the form of infrastructure building will come in the way of India-Pakistan peace talks. Indian foreign ministry officials said they have picked up similar signals suggesting that China was not interested in any deterioration in India-Pakistani relation at this time. Beijing is more concerned about the unstable political situation within Pakistan and in Afghanistan partly because the Taliban exerts some influence over rebels in Xingjian in western China.Qureshi had talks with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi on Monday and is scheduled to meet premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday. He is seeking China's advice on the London conference on Afghanistan and the proposed peace dialogue with India. This is his first visit to China as foreign minister in the Zardari regime."This visit is important because of the security situation in Pakistan. The situation has become more serious after US president Barack Obama decided to send more troops to Afghanistan," Ma said. China will consider supporting Pakistan by offering to train more military and para-military forces and extend financial aid. But it would do nothing to cause unease in New Delhi, he said. China might also be reluctant to extend help for establishing more nuclear plants in Pakistan at this time, he said.Qureshi told the Chinese media that the outcome of talks with India "depends on the response from Indian side". The peace process between the two countries was proceeding well, but India unfortunately suspended the talks after the Mumbai incident, he said. He earlier told the Pakistani media that he was "optimistic" about the talks.The London conference, organized by the British government, is important to China because it might result in greater role for India in Afghanistan as well as enhance the operations of western powers. China has reasons to worry for reasons of its domestic politics as well.The Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan are known to offer training and resources to Uighur separatists operating in the Xingjian region in western China. This is one of the reasons why China maintains a close relationship with both political and military leadership in Pakistan. Qureshi will make a presentation at a government run think-tank on Tuesday and also visit Shanghai during his 5-day visit to China.
IIT Roorkee brings you its Annual Technical Festival Cognizance 2010, one of the largest extravaganzas of its kind in India witnessing a large multidimensional congregation of over 7,000 budding technocrats from not only in and around the country, but internationally too.
Cognizance is an assimilation of over 150 events spread across 16 departments. A plethora of exciting events ranging from the likes of Hands-On workshops and Guest Lectures from eminent personalities to Chaos- The gaming fiesta, exciting quizzes like Quizzotica and Enquesta as well as an exhaustive range of Coding and Robotics events await you over the weekend of March 26-28, 2010. The glorious repertoire of the ultra-popular Centerstage events is going to be enhanced further in Cognizance 2010 with Guest lectures from Nobel Prize awardees and established filmstars. Take a look at the star attractions this year.
DEPARTMENTALS:
Ideaz - The international level paper presentation competition is one of the largest in India.Cognizance 2010 provides a podium for people to showcase their innovative ideas in the form of papers in various subjects o promote interest and channelize people's efforts into the various areas of research.
Spotlight-The Real-time industrial problem that aims not only at providing you an interface to the practical problems faced by the industry but also serves as a medium for innovative holistic solutions needed by the present day world.
Spectrum- The on-the spot prize competitions of various departments prove to be the hot attractions of Cognizance. Experiencing a huge participation, these events not only satisfy varied interests but also expose you to the latest ongoing developments in the field.
IIT Roorkee, the oldest Technical college in Asia, has always worked to keep the lamp of human ingenuity shining brightly. Cognizance has also played an important role in the mission to achieve excellence. It is with the same endeavor that Cognizance brings to you its flagship event,
Under the banner of TechnoVision, COGNIZANCE-2010 will host 3 main events
Model Copenhagen-At Cognizance 2010, we bring the climate change debate to you, the next generation of world leaders and thinkers through Model Copenhagen. This event, as the name suggests, involves students participating as representatives of various countries and discussing various issues. Here your views matter, your resolutions will be discussed and promoted, fresh viewpoints will be explored and old conclusions revised.
Corpostrat-The acid test of Enterpreneurship. The buzz words that pop first when one start to think about business are customers and profit. But apart from them, a BPlan which can reach the masses of India and address the problem of digital divide is what this competition aims to find.
Chaos- One of the largest gaming fiestas of India. The various battlegrounds will engage fighters in CounterStrike, Age Of Empires, Need For Speed Most Wanted, DoTA and FIFA. This event is definitely not for the faint-hearted. In the wise words of the Joker again, "And you know the thing about chaos? It's fair."
Circuitron- A driverless car is an autonomous vehicle that can drive itself from one point to another without any external assistance. It is believed that such electric autonomous vehicles have the potential to transform the transportation industry while virtually eliminating accidents and simultaneously cleaning up the environment.
Robosapiens-Man and Machine. Power Extreme!Second law of Robotics: a robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings.If the above makes any sense to you, or is even one of the governing laws of your life, then Robosapiens is your salvation.
Prodesk-The Product Design Competition.You are your own product. You are what you make.Product Design is the backbone of every industry. Product design and development is a combination of creativity and analysis.
Quizzotica- Quizzotica is the showpiece inter-collegiate quizzing event of Cognizance-2010; a titanic battle between the best colleges in India culminating in the crowning of the ultimate quizzing champion of the country.
Indian Army-Display of latest technologies in defense equipments such as Tanks etc. over the three days of Cognizance will boggle you.
NIF- The National Innovation Foundation brings you 15 Grass root Inventors from all the corners of the nation to better explain the spirit of "Technovating India".
Infrared Thermography-Get an infrared imagery of yourself from the latest FLIR infrared cameras, the global leader in IR technology.
Bionic Hand- The latest prosthetic device in the world gets displayed amidst the presence of budding minds of the nation.
Satcom- The latest advancements in distance education and rural medicine and the role of satellite communication in it brought to you first-handedly by one of the biggest players in the industry.
SCARA Robot Arm- For the first time in Asia, we bring you robots having 3 degrees of freedom such as SCARA, Hexapod etc.
GUEST LECTURES:
Dr. Archana Sharma- Physicist and a staff member of CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research.Presently working on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project in Geneva, Switzerland..
Barkha Dutt- Famed T.V reporter and journalist.
Dr. Vishy Poosala- The Head of Bell Labs India. He leads a world-class R&D team in delivering research breakthroughs and internal technology ventures.
Mr. Dilip Chhabria-The most famous Car designer of India. The "Tarzan" and "Nano" fame comes to enliven the R-land.
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!
Two students succumbed on Sunday morning to their injuries sustained in the February 13 Pune terror blast, taking the toll to 15, police said. A 24-year-old student Vikas Suresh Tulsiani breathed his last at 11.45 am at the Jehangir Hospital here, an official of the Pune police control room said. Tulsiani, from Delhi, was studying at one of the Symbiosis institutions. Further details of the victim were awaited from the hospital authorities, he said. Earlier this morning, a 23-year-old student from Kolkata, Rajeev Agarwal, succumbed to his injuries. Agarwal was a final year law student of the Symbiosis Law College and breathed his last at 5.45 am at the Jehangir Hospital.
Two students succumbed on Sunday morning to their injuries sustained in the Feb 13 Pune terror blast, taking the toll to 15, police said.A 24-year-old student Vikas Suresh Tulsiani breathed his last at 11.45 a.m. at the Jehangir Hospital here, an official of the Pune police control room told IANS. Tulsiani, from Delhi, was studying at one of the Symbiosis institutions. Further details of the victim were awaited from the hospital authorities, he said. Earlier this morning, a 23-year-old student from Kolkata, Rajeev Agarwal, succumbed to his injuries. Agarwal was a final year law student of the Symbiosis Law College and breathed his last at 5.45 a.m. at the Jehangir Hospital. Agarwal's father arrived here from Kolkata a few days ago and the body will be handed over after completing the relevant formalities, the official said. Another five patients continue to be in critical condition in the intensive care units of different city hospitals and 33 more are undergoing treatment. Among the 15 victims of the terror blast, which ripped through the German Bakery in Koregaon Park area Feb 13, four were foreigners. [src: HT]
Tutankhamun is probably the most famous of all pharaohs though he ruled only for nine years and died at an young age of 19. What caused his untimely death remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history. A team of Egyptologists and European geneticists have now gathered evidences showing that King Tut had two bouts of severe malarial attack caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasite that may have led to his death.
Egyptian archaeologists have claimed to have finally solved the mystery of the lineage of boy king Tutankhamun more than 30 centuries after the pharaoh was sealed in a gold coffin.A team, led by Zahi Hawass of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, will on Wednesday reveal the results of DNA testing carried out over the past 18 months on the pharaoh's mummy as well as two mummified foetuses found in his burial chamber, The Independent reported. According to Dr. Hawass, the findings were the most exciting since the discovery of the tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. They are also the latest in a stream of breakthroughs in knowledge about art and the ancient world that have been made possible by new technology.Among the outstanding riddles, for example, is whether Tutankhamun's mother was Queen Nefertiti — whose mummy has yet to be discovered — and whether the two foetuses found with him were his children."We don't know how King Tut died. We have begun DNA testing and we have made some wonderful discoveries. The results have been confirmed by the Journal of the American Medical Association and they will be publishing all the findings. It is very exciting. We will know who King Tut was," Dr. Hawass was quoted as saying.Tutankhamun was the pharaoh of 18th dynasty during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. He became the king at the age of nine and was one of the few pharaohs worshipped as a god and honoured with a cult-like following in his own lifetime.
Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, has no plans to upgrade its lowest- priced Maruti 800 model to meet Euro IV emissions standards, Chairman R.C. Bhargava said on Friday. Bhargava said sales of the model would be discontinued in 13 cities from April. Maruti is 54.2 percent owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. Maruti Suzuki India said it will bring the curtains down on its once bread- and-butter car Maruti 800 from April. India's largest carmaker, has no plans to upgrade its lowest- priced Maruti 800 model to meet Euro IV emissions standards, chairman R C Bhargava said on Friday. Maruti 800, made its debut back in 1982. Bhargava said sales of the model would be discontinued in 13 cities from April. The carmaker, whose hatchback bouquet includes M800, Alto, WagonR, Estilo, A-Star, Ritz and Swift, is now looking to reduce the number of its vehicle platforms. This will mean phasing out of some products that don't meet emission norms. The cities where BSIV norms will set in from April 2010 are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat and Agra. Other cities will come under BSIII norms, making it possible for the company to sell the cars. However, these would also come under BSIV norms by around 2015-16, that would finally mean phase-out of the two models. Companies ranging from Toyota to Volkswagen to Ford and Nissan are gearing up to launch small cars in India. Meanwhile, homegrown auto major Tata Motors has also usurped the tag of entry- level carmaker from Maruti Suzuki by launching the Nano, priced significantly below the M800. Maruti had earlier phased out one of its brands Zen. Even as it launches more and more new cars to keep customers within its fold by offering a wide basket of products, the company is also looking to sharpen its edge by making the Alto — its most successful model — even more price efficient. Maruti is 54.2 percent owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. [src: TOI]
Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name Is Khan (MNIK) had a smooth opening today across the country with Mumbai restricting the number of shows following Shiv Sena threat. 10 multiplex owners in Mumbai decided to go ahead with the screening while the single screen theatres decided against showing the movie for the time being, fearing violence. Amid unprecedented security for the film's release, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil drove to multiplex INOX to catch the first show of My Name Is Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name Is Khan' had a packed opening on Friday across the country with Mumbai restricting the number of shows following the Shiv Sena threat to disrupt screening. Most multiplex owners in Mumbai decided to go ahead with the screening while the single screen theatres decided against showing the movie for the time being, fearing violence. Amid unprecedented security for the film's release, Maharashtra home minister R R Patil drove to multiplex INOX to catch the first show of 'MNIK'. Khan, who is in Berlin, tweeted early on Friday morning, "good m'ing mumbai. wotever the fate of the film, never wished this upon the city that made my dreams come true & gave me all. i belong to u (sic)." In Gujarat, the first few shows were cancelled after VHP and Bajarang Dal activists staged protests and torched posters of the movie, but later the shows resumed. The film opened to full houses in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and several other cities. "Post noon shows were all sold out in our theatres in Delhi. We are booked till Sunday," Jayendra Banerjee, Vice President Satyam Cineplexes said. "Some 75 screens in Delhi and NCR are screening the movie. The film has also benefited from the Shivratri holiday today. On an average multiplexes are running 11 to 12 shows a day," a distributor said. The film's release ran into trouble after Sena lashed out at Khan for supporting inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL-3. In suburban Andheri, some Sena activists were cane-charged and arrested after they pelted stones outside Fun Republic cinema, showing the film. "We have arrested eight Shiv Sainiks who tried to disrupt the screening of the movie," Deputy Police Commissioner, K Prasanna said. Over 1800 Sena activists were arrested by the Mumbai police to ensure the smooth release of the film.
Outgoing. Lovable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny.. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, and family is very important to an aries. Aries are known for being generous and giving. Addictive. Loud. Always has the need to be 'Right'. Aries will argue to prove their point for hours and hours. Aries are some of the most wonderful people in the world.. 16 years of bad luck if you do not forward...
TAURUS - The Tramp
Aggressive. Loves being in long relationships. Likes to give a good fight. Fight for what they want. Can be annoying at times, but for the love of attention. Extremely outgoing. Loves to help people in times of need. Good kisser. Good personality. Stubborn. A caring person. They can be self centered and if they want something they will do anything to get it. They love to sleep and can be lazy. One of a kind. Not one to mess with. Are the most attractive people on earth! 15 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
GEMINI - The Twin
Nice. Love is one of a kind. Great listeners.. Very Good at confusing people... Lover not a fighter, but will still knock you out. Geminis will not take any crap from anyone. Geminis like to tell people what they should do and get offended easily. They are great at losing things and are forgetful. Geminis can be very sarcastic and childish at times and are very nosey. Trustworthy. Always happy.. VERY Loud. Talkative. Outgoing. VERY FORGIVING. Loves to make out. Has a beautiful smile. Generous. Strong. THE MOST IRRESISTIBLE. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
CANCER - The Beauty
MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high appeal. A Cancer's Love is one of a kind... Very romantic.. Most caring person you will ever meet in your life. Entirely creative Person, most are artists and insane, respectfully speaking. They perfected sex and do it often. Extremely random. An Ultimate Freak. Extremely funny and is usually the life of the party. Most Cancers will take you under their wing and into their hearts where you will remain forever. Cancers make love with a passion beyond compare. Spontaneous. Not a Fighter, But will kick your ass good if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to! 12 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
LEO - The Lion
Great talker. Attractive and passionate. Laid back. Usually happy but when unhappy tend to be grouchy and childish. A Leo's problem becomes everyone's problem. Most Leos are very predictable and tend to be monotonous. Knows how to have fun.. Is really good at almost anything. Great kisser. Very predictable. Outgoing. Down to earth. Addictive. Attractive. Loud. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Not one to mess with. Rare to find. Good when found. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
VIRGO - The One that Waits
Dominant in relationships. Someone loves them right now. Always wants the last word. Caring. Smart. Loud. Loyal. Easy to talk to. Everything you ever wanted. Easy to please. NOT A pushover. Loves to gamble and take chances. Needs to have the last say in everything... They think they know everything and usually do. Respectful to others but you will quickly lose their respect if you do something untrustworthy towards them and never regain respect. They do not forgive and never forget. The one and only. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
LIBRA - The Lame One
Nice to everyone they meet. Their love is one of a kind. Silly, funny and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! However, not the kind of person you want to mess with...you might end up crying. Libras can cause as much havoc as they can prevent. Faithful friends to the end. Can hold a grudge for years. Libras are someone you want on your side. Usually great at sports and are extreme sports fanatics. Very creative. A hopeless romantic. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
SCORPIO - The Addict
EXTREMELY adorable. Loves to joke. Very Good sense of humor. Will try almost anything once. Loves to be pampered. Energetic. Predictable. GREAT kisser. Always get what they want.. Attractive. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Loves to party but at times to the extreme. Loves the smell and feel of money and is good at making it but just as good at spending it! Very protective over loved ones. HARD workers. Can be a good friend but if is disrespected by a friend, the friendship will end. Romantic. Caring.. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
SAGITTARIUS - The Promiscuous One
Spontaneous. High appeal. Rare to find. Great when found.. Loves being in long relationships. So much love to give. A loner most of the time. Loses patience easily and will not take crap. If in a bad mood stay FAR away. Gets offended easily and remembers the offense forever. Loves deeply but at times will not show it, feels it is a sign of weakness. Has many fears but will not show it. VERY private person. Defends loved ones with all their abilities. Can be childish often. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing in bed..!!! Not the kind of person you want to mess with- you might end up crying. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
CAPRICORN - The Passionate Lover
Love to bust. Nice. Sassy. Intelligent. Sexy. Grouchy at times and annoying to some. Lazy and love to take it easy. But when they find a job or something they like to do they put their all into it. Proud, understanding and sweet.
Irresistible. Loves being in long relationships. Great talker. Always gets what he or she wants. Cool. Loves to win against other signs especially Gemini's in sports. Likes to cook but would rather go out to eat at good restaurants.
Extremely fun. Loves to joke. Smart. 24 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
AQUARIUS - Does It In The Water
Trustworthy. Attractive. Great kisser. One of a kind, loves being in long-term relationships. Can be clumsy at times but tries hard. Will take on any project. Proud of themselves in whatever they do. Messy and unorganized. Procrastinators. Great lovers, when they're not sleeping. Extreme thinkers. Loves their pets usually more than their family. Can be VERY irritating to others when they try to explain or tell a story. Unpredictable. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter but will Knock your lights out.. 2 years of bad luck if you do not forward
PISCES - The Partner for Life
Caring and kind. Smart. Likes to be the center of attention. Very organized. High appeal to opposite sex. Likes to have the last word. Good to find, but hard to keep. Passionate, wonderful lovers. Fun to be around. Too trusting at times and gets hurt easily. VERY caring. They always try to do the right thing and sometimes gets the short end of the stick. They sometimes get used by others and get hurt because of their trusting. Extremely weird but in a good way. Good sense of humor!!! Thoughtful. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet. Good friend to other but needs to be choosy on who they allow their friends to be.
India today described Pakistan-based terrorist groups as "dark forces" which are "implacably" opposed to the country and asserted that they would be defeated whenever confronted.Home minister P Chidambaram said militant groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, responsible for innumerable deadly terror strikes in India, held a meeting at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on Thursday and it was clear that these groups were "implacably" opposed to India.
"Their weapons are mayhem and violence; and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs. We will defeat them whenever and wherever we confront them," he said in his opening statement at the conference of chief ministers on Internal Security in New Delhi.Chidambaram said there has been no significant terrorist attack and no significant communal violence in the last 14 months which was a matter of satisfaction but that did not mean that the country was not vulnerable to terror strikes. "That, I hasten to add, does not mean that there has been no violence or that we are not vulnerable to terrorist attacks; or that there are no triggers for communal disturbances."We must remain vigilant. We must continue the work on enhancing capacity. And we must reform our institutions and systems of governance in order to pre-empt terrorist threats and prevent communal discord," he said.
Officially 2009 was recorded as the hottest year in India, infact almost a degree warmer than usual. Also according to the Indian Meteorological Department winter and monsoon of 2009 have been warmest.
The annual mean temperature for 2009 was 25.55 degrees Celsius, 0.913 degrees higher than the long-term annual average of 24.64 degrees Celsius.Interestingly, of the 12 hottest years in the 108 years since 1901, when the Met department started maintaining temperature records, 8 have been in the past decade. This is in keeping with the global trend of the last decade being the warmest on record.
Data available with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also indicates that it was in fact the winter and monsoon seasons in 2009 that have been the warmest ever. "Abnormally warm conditions prevailed over major parts of the country during the winter season. Temperature over (the) hilly regions of the western Himalayas was 3-5 degrees Celsius above normal in the second fortnight of January, while in February the mean temperature over almost the entire country was above normal. However, there were cold wave conditions on a few occasions in Uttar Pradesh in January," said an IMD report. IMD director-general Ajit Tyagi told TOI that the mean maximum and minimum temperatures of September were the highest in the past five years, while January and August recorded the highest mean temperatures since 1901. "If one analyses the trend, it is evident that global warming is taking place, the rise in temperatures becoming apparent since about 1990. In India, 2009 was specially warm due to several factors, the main among them being the fact that there was a deficiency in rainfall in both monsoon and winter," he said.
The data, if not just IMD's claim, is verified by senior government officials, who say that in the past 20 years, there has not been even a single year in which the average temperatures have been below normal.
"We are seeing a global trend being reflected in India's case. In the global arena, of the 12 hottest years in the century, 11 have been in the past two decades. In the past 100 years, there has been a rise of 0.74 degrees globally though India has seen a rise of 0.5 degrees in comparison," said a senior official.
SK Dash, professor at IIT-Delhi, who co-authored a paper in the journal Current Science in 2007, along with Lord Hunt, also agrees that warming is an evident phenomenon though there is a huge amount of uncertainty about whether this is a trend or only a periodic fluctuation and what the reasons for it are. "We analysed the temperature trend according to regions and found an increase of between 0.2 degrees and 1 degree in maximum temperatures across the country. The coastal regions probably recorded the most increase. However, it is difficult to differentiate between natural warming and human contribution," he said.
Sources also point out that the changes in weather have not been common across the country, a point brought out also by the IMD's report, which says that "a significant positive trend in temperatures was observed over most parts of the country except over some parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar, where significant decreasing trends were observed".
Officials also say that this decrease in mean temperatures over some regions is why India's increase in average temperatures has been less than the increase in global averages. "The fall in temperatures in areas like Rajasthan and Gujarat is because of a huge amount of dust in the atmosphere which reflects the sun's radiation. In Bihar, where only a small area has seen a fall in temperatures, it could be because of a lot of greenery. However, the variation in weather phenomena over the country is also reflected in the monsoon.
In 2009, while the overall monsoon for the country was 78% of average, several areas in central and northwest India experienced drought-like conditions. While rainfall has not decreased, the number of rainy days has gone down, indicating heavy rain on some days. This spells trouble for our agriculture," said a government official.
