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Breaking News
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STILL A LONG WAY TO GO TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY, PROBITY: PM
UNINOR, SISTEMA FOR REVIEW OF SUPREME COURT ORDER
GOOD NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA, INDIA WINS SECOND T20
PAWAR DEFENDS PM IN 2G CASE, SAYS UPA NOT TO LOSE ELECTORALLY
DISMISSED DSP WAS EARLIER CONVICTED BY COURT
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Punjab News
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Faridkot February 3:
Punjab Police DSP Bhupinder Singh, who was dismissed from service last week, was earlier convicted by the Faridkot Sessions court on alleged charge of tampering with police records and helping an NRI in escaping to the United States.
DSP Bhupinder Singh and then SHO were sentenced to two years of rigourous imprisonment by the sessions court in September 2009. In 2002 the Faridkot Police registered a case against both the police officers on the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court as both the officers allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from an NRI to help him to escape from India.
The US-based NRI was booked for second marriage and the police impounded his passport on the complaint of his first wife Pal Kaur. Pal Kaur had filed a complaint against her husband who had married with second wife. The police had registered a criminal case against the NRI and his second wife. The police had arrested him and his second wife and the court granted them bail with the directions of depositing their passport so that they could not escape.
Accepting the bribe from the NRI, the DSP tampered the police record and procured the passports of both- NRI and his second wife. When both of them reached the US, they send back their passports and were back in the police records. When these facts came to the notice of Pal Kaur, she filed a complaint before the High Court and after inquiry the DSP and SHO were booked. Four months after they were sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment. The state government appointed the DSP in vigilance department. After prodding by the high court last year, the government suspended him and started his dismissal process.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Lambi February 3:
Two days after polling, the scenario at Badal village has undergone apparent changes. There were no security personnel in the village and villagers were busy with their daily routine.
However, people could be seen discussing the election results. While some said that the high poll percentage may be an indication against a vote against SAD-BJP, others felt that it could be due to the anti-incumbency factor. At the Badals' residence, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was away at Chandigarh. Nor deputy chief minister Sukhbeer Singh Badal or his wife and MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal were in the village.
According to party workers and security personnel at Badals' residence, the three were away since Wednesday. On the day of polling, big OB vans of different media groups and groups of security personnel could be seen deputed there, but on Thursday, the village was silent. In the main market in Badal village, shopkeepers were busy with customers while some villagers were sited together in front of shops, apparently discussing poll results.
The "rehri" of a Chhole-Kulchewala could be spotted near the Badals' residence, surrounded by security personnel and others, while senior citizens could be heard discussing the post-poll scenario thus: "Aitki vada badal vi tension ich haiga te pata ni resulut ki aauga. Aitki akali dal nu vi jhatka lag sakda haiga. Result ki rahuga ae te 6 march nu hi pata laguga." (This time, the senior Badal is also in tension. The results will come only on March 6. There could be shocks for SAD in the elections this time.)
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Chandigarh February 3:
Around 100 candidates, who contested the state Assembly elections, have been issued notices by the district-level media monitoring committees of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab over paid news. Sources said among the 100 were candidates of all political parties and Independents. After seeking replies from the candidates, the committees will now take a final decision over whether certain news items in papers were paid for or not.
If the candidates are found guilty of having paid for news items, the amount determined by the expenditure observer, will then be added to the candidate’s total expenditure. All the cases will then be referred to the state level media monitoring committee which will again study them and take a decision. If need be, then the committee can send notices in this regard to the concerned newspapers.
If the state level committee finds substance in some cases then those cases will be sent to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for a final decision. If then the ECI finds in some case that the news which appeared was paid for, then it can disqualify the candidature of the candidate, if one is elected. Before taking the final decision, however, the commission will send the matter to the Press Council of India for a review. An officer said: “This process is very lengthy and takes a lot of time and till date only one candidate in some other state was disqualified by the ECI on the same grounds but it took the commission three and half years to do so.’’
“Not only this, notices have been issued by the state level media monitoring committee to five news channels as complaints came in the morning about Star News, Aaj Tak, Zee, NDTV, Times Now and PTC . Besides PTC which was showing interviews of most SAD-BJP candidates, the monitoring committee saw that decided that the allegation was right and send their finding to ECI. As regards to other channels they went off the air in the state as it was alleged that they were showing exit polls-cum-Opinion based programs so we asked the ECI to watch the channels in Delhi. Also notices to three vernacular newspapers for publishing an advertisement that people should vote on religion basis,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, the CEO on Thursday clarified that as per the latest instructions of the Election Commission of India, the static surveillance teams and flying squads of the Departments of Police, Income Tax and State Excise, especially deployed to monitor expenditure and flow of liquor during the recent Assembly elections have been directed to be disbanded. Kusumjit Sidhu, CEO has asked the District Administration especially the SSPs to ensure that no person should be harassed or exploited in this regard.
78 ‘tendered votes’ cast: Jalandhar: In the January 30 Punjab polls, 78 “tendered votes” were reported from across the state. While maximum tendered voters of 21 were reported from Dhuri in Sangrur district, 20 tendered voters were reported in Moga district’s Dharamkot. Moreover, while five each tenderd voters were reported from Barnala and Dakha constituencies of Barnala and Ludhiana districts respectively, three such voters reported from Sunam. The rest were from Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar Pathankot, Bathinda, Mansa, Patiala, Fazilka and SAS Nagar districts. Tendered voting is a method by which one can vote on behalf of another, provided he has been authorised to do so.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Chandigarh February 3:
The Election Commission has decided to disband surveillance teams and flying squads set up to monitor the Jan 30 assembly elections in Punjab, an official said here.
Punjab chief electoral officer Kusumjit Sidhu said that district authorities across the state have been asked to ensure that no person was harassed by these teams any more. The teams, made up of officers from various government agencies, were deployed to monitor election related expenditure and flow of liquor during balloting. The Election Commission recovered Rs.33.66 crore of unaccounted cash and over 697,000 bottles of country liquor in the run up to the poll.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Amritsar February 3:
As THE sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections began it will be campaign season again for some leaders of the Punjab Congress.
The Congress high command appears to have left no stone unturned to use its campaigners in a strategic way. To play the Dalit card and woo the SC voters, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Vice-Chairman Dr Raj Kumar Verka had reached Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Verka, the Congress nominee in Punjab from Amritsar West, is scheduled to hold rallies and nukkad meetings in constituencies where Congress has fielded SC candidates.
The high command is also learnt to have asked party’s star campaigner in Punjab, state president Captain Amarinder Singh, to campaign in UP. Sources told The Indian Express that Amarinder was likely to head to Uttar Pradesh soon. Congress, it is learnt, wants to use Amarinder’s “star appeal” to win over the Punjabi population in UP and the migrant population.
“I have been instructed by the party high command to campaign in UP. I will campaign till the polling day, while occasionally going to New Delhi to look after my job as the vice-Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes. I am going to organise rallies and nukkad meetings in the constituencies where the party has fielded SC candidates,” Verka told reporters. He added that majority of the 13 districts of Western UP, where polls will be held in the sixth phase, had “a sizable SC population”.
“Besides, there are scores of Punjabis who are settled in a number of these districts,” he added. While Amarinder could not be contacted for comment, Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Gulchain Singh Charak confirmed that Amarinder had been asked by the party high command to campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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India News
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New Delhi February 3:
Amid the continued attack on the government over corruption, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today acknowledged efforts to ensure transparency, accountability and probity in public life would take a long time.
Addressing a Conference of Chief Secretaries here, Singh cited a number of initiatives taken by the government to rid the country of corruption and said these had moved "substantially forward" over the last one year. "But, we still have a long way to go in our efforts for ensuring transparency, accountability and probity in public life," he said.
To achieve these goals, he said the Centre and states needed to work together. The statement assumes significance as it comes amid persistent attacks on the government over corruption. The government yesterday faced a huge embarrassment when the Supreme Court cancelled all the 122 licences for 2G spectrum allocated in 2008 as these were held illegal. Singh recalled that last year, while addressing the conference, he had emphasised the need for a systemic response that reduced opportunities for corruption in public life and had stated his government was committed to taking all legal and administrative measures to curb the menace.
"I had also said we should make full use of the advances in modern technology to improve the delivery of our public services system. We have moved substantially forward in these areas in the last one year," he said. Listing the initiatives to tackle corruption, the Prime Minister cited the Right to Information Act, the Judicial Accountability Bill and the Whistle Blowers Bill besides Citizen's Charter and the Electronic Delivery of Services bills introduced in Parliament last year as examples.
Referring to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, he regretted it could not be passed in the last session of Parliament and hoped the government "would soon be able to enact a strong Lokpal law". Singh noted "we live in uncertain times" and the country faces a whole range of challenges in diverse areas. He recalled that he had grouped these challenges into five broad categories -- one relates to livelihood security, the second relates to realization of economic security, third to energy security, fourth -- ecological security and finally, the concerns with national security. "It is important that all of us have a clear understanding of these challenges," he said, adding "to effectively overcome them, the Centre and states need to work together."
He said while difficulties should be recognised, there should be strategies to cope with them and one "must also have the faith that these difficulties are not insurmountable". Pointing out that "uncertain times" have been faced earlier too, Singh said, "We have faced crises. We have faced difficult odds. But each time our nation has emerged stronger. I have no doubt that whatever the challenge, we have the will and the ability to achieve success, provided of course, we all work together and with firm resolve."
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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New Delhi February 3:
The Congress on Friday rejected opposition demand for resignation of Prime Minister Manmohhan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram, contending that the Supreme Court has not held either of them responsible in the 2G case directly or indirectly.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party and some other opposition parties have tried for last 18 months to suggest that the legal proceedings must culminate in an indictment of the PM or at least a comment against him but they failed,” party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters in New Delhi. Quoting Thursday’s 2G case verdict, he said the Supreme Court has not held the Prime Minister at all responsible directly or indirectly for it.
He also said that the court has not made any comment against Mr. Chidambaram. He said that as far delays in giving nod to prosecution sanctions are concerned, this affected all governments including that of the National Democratic Alliance. Coming down heavily on the BJP for “politicising” and sensationalising” court orders by “dragging” institutions for narrow gains, Mr. Singhvi also sought to shift the blame on the BJP for the cancellation of licenses, saying it was the NDA which had enacted the ‘first cum first serve’ policy for granting licences.
“We accept the fact that today the first cum first serve policy has been condemned...This government must accept responsibility and we do accept responsibility for the errors of the FCFS. The FCFS was on February 2 held to be wrong. It was not held wrong then. “When I am accepting responsibility, the BJP should also accept responsibility. Is it possible that those who implement and continue with the policy accept the responsibility but those who invented and operated it did not accept responsibility? I deny that,” Mr. Singhvi said.
Asked why did the United Progressive Alliance not change the policy when it came to power, Mr. Singhvi said it was not done as “there was no SC judgement holding FCFS as bad in concept till yesterday. You cannot be penalised and punished for continuing a policy.” He said, “We deprecate in strongest possible terms the repeated attempts of the BJP and other opposition parties to politicise and sensationalise legal judgements... It is utterly irresponsbile and unconstitutional to link judgements with totally unconnected political issues.”
Mr. Singhvi also blamed the opposition for the opposing the Lokpal Bill which incorporated a proposal for doing away with all sanctions. “The Parliamentary panel headed by me had recommended complete abolition of sanctions, which the government had accepted and brought a bill in Lok Sabha. We could pass it there amid vociferous opposition of the BJP but in Rajya Sabha, where we did not have majority, they did not allow its passage,” Mr. Singhvi said. He also accused the BJP of being “double faced” for condemning the FCFS policy now, saying it had emanated from them.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Washington February 3:
Amidst pending comprehensive immigration reform, the United States has proposed several steps including changes in the F-1 and H-1B visas to attract foreign skilled workforce, a move likely to benefit professionals from countries like India.
Prominent among these reforms include providing work authorisation for spouses of certain H-1B visa holders, 17-month extension of optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 international students to include students with a prior degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and allow outstanding professors and researchers to present a broader scope of evidence of academic achievement. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that on February 22, it would launch its 'Entrepreneurs in Residence' initiative with an Information Summit in Silicon Valley.
This will bring together high-level representatives from the entrepreneurial community, academia and federal government agencies to discuss how to maximize current immigration laws' potential to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent. These moves are in support of President Barack Obama's, efforts to meet 21st century national security and economic needs, the Department of Homeland Security said, adding that he is deeply committed to fixing our broken immigration system so that it meets national security and economic needs.
As a part of comprehensive immigration reform, Obama supports legislative measures that would attract and retain immigrants who create jobs and boost competitiveness in the US, including creating a "Startup Visa," strengthening the H-1B programme, and "stapling" green cards to the diplomas of certain foreign-born graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Mumbai February 3:
Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar today came out in strong defence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that the SC verdict cancelling 2G licenses was not an indictment of the government.
He also ruled out that the 2G case will harm UPA's poll prospects in the assembly elections to five states. Addressing a press conference here, Pawar read out few paras of the judgement and said that the judiciary had taken note of the PM's letter to then Telecom Minister A Raja to ensure fairness and transparency in spectrum allocation. "The judgement also says that the concerned minister had not bothered to consider the Prime Minister's advice. I don't think SC has passed any strictures against the PM.
In fact, it has noted that the Prime Minister had done his job. So, PM and the UPA are not to be blamed," Pawar noted. He however admitted that the 2G scam brought disrepute to the system and the government. When asked about collective responsibility of the government, Pawar said the spectrum allocation decision was taken by an individual ministry and not cabinet. He said adverse repercussions on India as an investment destination cannot be ruled out. "Credibility and decision making process may be questioned."
Pawar said ministers will now tend to adopt cautious approach and decision making may be delayed. Replying to questions on whether UPA's electoral prospects, he said according to his assessment Congress is likely to win Punjab, and in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi party may form government with Congress and Ajit Singh's party. "In Goa and Manipur, there will be no effect on the UPA partners," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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New Delhi February 3:
Eleven bank lockers of liquor baron Ponty Chadha were sealed today by the Income Tax department, which claimed to have seized cash and jewellery worth Rs 15 crore during searches carried out at his premises in UP and Delhi.
"Cash worth about Rs five crore and jewellery valued at about Rs 10 crore have been seized after operations were conducted at various places in U P and Delhi," I-T sources said after raids at the premises of Chadha and his associates. Eleven bank lockers have been sealed. However, the premises, including a mall owned by Chadha in Noida near Delhi, covered during the searches are free for operation by the owners, they said.
The I-T sleuths have seized two laptops that have been sent for forensic examination at a department-owned laboratory in the national capital. When contacted, a spokesperson of Waves Infratech, owned by Chadha, declined to get into specifics of seizures claimed to have been made by I-T and insisted that there was no wrongdoing by the Chadha group. "There is no income which remains undisclosed to the government authorities," the spokesperson said reiterating what was put out in a statement by the real estate group.
The I-T department has acceded a request made by Chadha, who has returned after a visit to Dubai, that its operations be suspended in view of a family wedding on February 9, the sources said. Chadha has promised to extend full cooperation to tax authorities in their probe of alleged tax evasion in his various businesses including liquor sale and real estate. The tax department is scrutinising transaction bills claimed to be worth Rs 600 crore. They are examining over 5,000 pages of computer printed documents, papers of mining leases in U P and other investments made by Chadha, the sources said.
The tax department had begun the operations Chadha and his associates on February 1, covering 13 locations in Delhi including at the posh Sainik Farms, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony while in UP, I-T teams comprising 200 officials, undertook similar operations at six locations in Noida, Moradabad and state capital Lucknow.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Sports News
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Yangon February 3:
India's Gaganjeet Bhullar shot a four-under 68 that put him tied for 20th place after the first round in the Zaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Air Bagan here.
USA's Ben Fox shot eight-under 64 and his effort was matched by the Australian duo of Scott Hend and Wade Ormsby. Bhullar, who had three birdies in first five holes, had five in all and one bogey in his 68. But the next best Indian was Ajeetesh Sandhu and Feroze Ali at 71 each in tied 70th place. Sujjan Singh and Gaurav Ghei with 73 were 106th, Chiragh Kumar, Rahil Gangjee and Himmat Rai with 74 were tied 121st and Digvijay Singh (75) was 128th and Manav Jaini (76) was 135th.
Despite the shot by Indian, the scores at the Royal Mingalardon Golf and Country Club were rather low with Chinnarat Phadungsil of Thailand, a three-time Asian Tour winner, a further shot back on 65 with Asian Tour graduate Kim Gi-whan of Korea in the USD 300,000 event. The event is returning to the Asian Tour schedule after a one-year lapse. Fox, who is searching for his first Asian Tour victory, credited the hard work in the gym during the off-season for his fast start. He had eight birdies and no bogeys. Hend, who is among 15 Australians in the field this week, predicts a low scoring week as he aims to end a three-year title drought.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Patna February 3:
As many as 16 countries will take part in the Kabaddi World Cup to be held in Bihar from March 1-5, as part of the state's centenary celebrations, an official said.
All participating countries - Nepal, USA, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Thailand and host India - have consented to their participation in the event, Principal Secretary (HRD) Anjani Kumar Singh said. Chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate the premier kabaddi event at the Kankerbagh sports complex on March 1 next, he said. The preparations were underway to spruce up the stadium and surrounding area for the World Cup, Singh said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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New Delhi February 2:
The Sports Ministry has spent Rs 14.40 crore on providing training and foreign exposure to Indian shooters under ‘Operation Excellence for London Olympics 2012’ (OPEX 2012) scheme.
Out of this, a sum of Rs 2.90 crore was spent on National Coaching Camps organized for training of 91 shooters (59 men and 32 women) who are being guided by 19 coaches (including 3 foreign coaches) and 5 supporting personnel (including 1 foreign gunsmith), while the remaining amount of Rs 11.50 crore was utilized for foreign exposure of players. Till now eight coaching camps of a total duration of 124 days have been organised.
This was stated by Jagjit Singh, Secretary General, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in review meeting of the preparation for Olympics, 2012, called by Sports Minister Ajay Maken. The Sports Minister also asked Singh to submit all the requests for gadgets and equipment as well as for foreign training of players, if any, within 2-3 days so that the Steering Committee clears all such proposals received from various Sports Federations in its meeting scheduled for February 6. In London Olympics highest number of shooters, that is, eleven, will be participating since the start of “Quota Place” system in 1988.
They are: Gagan Narang, Hari Om Singh, Sanjeev Rajput, Shri Ranjan Sodhi, Annuraj Singh, Rahi Sarnobat, Vijay Kumar, Abhinav Bindra, Shagun Chowdhary, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Imran Hasan Khan. Under the “Double Starter” rule, Narang and Annuraj Singh will be participating in more than one event. In the run-up to the Olympics, Indian team participated in 13 International Competitions up until January, 2012.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 2
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Chennai February 2:
Hosts India defeated Germany 3-0 in the inaugural Chennai Open World Cup Under-21 Squash team championship in Chennai. Seedded fourth and led by top ranked Dipika Pallikal, India won all its three matches in straight games against the eighth seeded team in the best-of-five games in 98 minutes.
Ramit Tandon defeated German Rudi Rohrmuller 11-2 11-5 12-10 in 45 minutes, while Dipika took just 20 minutes to thrash Franziska Hennes 11-2 11-4 11-7. With India 2-0 up in the match, India's consultant coach and manager of the team, S Maniam decided to rest Ravi Dixit, who is ranked 193 in the world, and fielded Karan Malik in his place. But Karan too had no difficulty in disposing off Valentin Rapp 11-8 11-6 11-4.
After the encounter, Maniam said he never expected his team to win the tie so easily. "I never had any doubt about our win over Germany but I was surprised as it was easier than expected. "We are scheduled to play top seeds Egypt tomorrow and I am yet to decide on the second player to Ravi Dixit. It will be creditable if we win even one match against the Egyptians on Thursday," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 2
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New Delhi January 31:
The sports ministry has sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 7.95 crore from National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) for imparting customised training to elite athletes, who are medal prospects in the London Olympics and other major international sports events.
The financial assistance that will also include air fare has been granted to 45 sportspersons and 12 coaches and support staffs under Operation London Excellence 2012. Out of this, a sum of Rs 4.21 crore has already been released to the sportspersons. The aid sanctioned is towards extensive training abroad, engagement of personal coaches both foreign and Indian, competitions exposures abroad, scientific back-up in terms of sports psychologists, physiotherapists, masseurs etc.
So far, 18 sportspersons have been given financial assistance from NSDF under OPEX 2012 that include four shooters, eight athletes and six tennis players for training abroad. In addition, two teams of four male and five female gymnasts were sponsored by NSDF for training while the participation of Indian boxing team in three competitions was also financed from NSDF. The NSDF assistance in all these cases has been processed after the approval of the Steering Committee for OPEX 2012.
Most of these sportspersons are undergoing training and money will be released in installments after getting statements of accounts, mostly on quarterly basis, and periodical performance report from the institutes/coaches.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
January 31
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Cricket Special
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Melbourne February 3:
A victory must have seldom tasted sweeter. A sense of relief in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and opener Gautam Gambhir – the two men in the middle – and the rest of the team in the dugout was palpable.
When Gambhir whipped paceman Clint McKay through widish mid-on in the final over, India had won its first game overseas in 16 matches (including all formats) after suffering defeats in 13 of them. The Indians, lifting their game and successfully chasing 132, had finally broken a spell of setbacks. Vibrant fielding – the mercurial Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged Man-of-the-Match - and steady bowling set up India's convincing eight-wicket win in the second KFC Twenty20 international at the MCG here on Friday before a mammoth crowd. The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.
The left-handed Gambhir made the right moves with his unbeaten 60-ball 56. He worked the ball around, found the gaps, and displayed the footwork and finesse of an accomplished stroke-maker. He was also involved in partnerships. The opening pair of Gambhir and Sehwag put on 43 in 6.3 overs before the latter was picked up at cover off a full toss from left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg.
Then, Gambhir and the positive Virat Kohli added 54 when Kohli edged a Mitchell Marsh delivery that seamed away. 'Keeper Matthew Wade dived to his right to come up with the ball. Crucially, India continued to have a left-right combination in the middle with Gambhir rotating the strike effectively; the threat from Lee and Hogg was negated effectively. Then, Gambhir and Dhoni closed out the match with an unbeaten 38-run association.
The Indians had buzzed on the field earlier. There was plenty of energy on view as the men in blue chased hard, dived to stop powerful drives crossing them, cut down the angles smartly and threw with speed and accuracy. Symbolic of India's elevated levels of fielding was Jadeja at backward point. He was electric as he swooped and released the sphere in a flash. Indeed, Jadeja's precise throws led to the run-outs of Aaron Finch (36 of 26 balls) and Australia skipper George Bailey during a critical phase. India's fielding made a difference and the mercurial Jadeja was at the heart of it all.
And a direct hit from cover by Rohit Sharma sent back the dangerous Wade (32 0ff 29 balls). The Indian fielding complemented the bowling as the visitor created the pressure after the host had elected to bat. On a surface offering the pacemen a fair measure of carry, India's three-spinner ploy represent a risk but the team management stuck to its game-plan. Ravichandran Ashwin did not operate with the new ball this time around but the pace pair of Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar performed a fair job for India early on. Although the two strayed down leg-side on a couple of occasions, they hit the right areas more often than not and managed to move the ball.
Praveen, in particular, achieved telling deviation. The Australians decided to give Finch an opportunity at the top of the order, which meant it was he and not first game hero Matthew Wade who walked out with David Warner. The impressive Finch whipped Vinay over mid-wicket and square-cut Praveen for boundaries but the explosive Warner fell early; the southpaw was held well by Gambhir running back at deep square-leg off Praveen. Then, the hopelessly out-of-form Shaun Marsh dabbled at a delivery darting across him by Praveen. Sehwag struggled to hold the edge from the southpaw but managed to keep the ball in the air long enough for 'keeper Dhoni to pouch the catch.
The Indians had done a reasonable job in restricting the Aussies to 42 for two in the first six power-play overs. Then, the spin trio held centrestage. Ashwin – bowling wicket-to-wicket and varying his speed – did not provide the batsmen either room or width. Rahul Sharma, releasing the sphere from a lovely high-arm action, varied his trajectory intelligently. And Jadeja revealed the tightness of an orthodox left-arm spinner in control. The Aussies failed to build sizable partnerships. David Hussey (24) threatened briefly before he succumbed to Jadeja's change of pace.
The in-form Wade surfaced at No. 6 and struck a six of brute power off Rahul over squarish mid-wicket but Rohit's sizzling throw took him out. There was also a gripping piece of action when Rahul had Mitchell Marsh stretching out and Dhoni pulled off a lightning-quick stumping. The Indian bowling and fielding created the opportunity. For once, the batsmen did not miss out.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Dubai February 3:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are requesting proposals from companies interested in becoming the accreditation services provider for the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 scheduled to take place from 18 September to 7 October.
The successful company will be responsible for managing all event specific accreditation requirements, ICC said. The ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 will be the fourth edition of the tournament, the first to be staged in Asia following the successful hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. A proven track record in running accreditation programmes, particularly world-class sporting events in the subcontinent, is essential.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Sydney February 2:
The change of format and infusion of young blood failed to bring about a turnaround for India as Australia thrashed the lacklustre visitors by 31 runs in the first T20 International in Sydney today.
Australia rode on wicketkeeper-batsman Mathew Wade’s blistering 43-ball 72 to score an imposing 171 for four and then bowled well to restrict India to 140 for six in what turned out to be a lop-sided contest. After the 0-4 drubbing in the Test series, the induction of the limited overs specialists didn’t bring about any change in the script as neither the batsmen nor the bowlers could create any sort of impact. The game was as good as over when India lost their first four wickets for 53 runs inside the first eight overs.
Virender Sehwag (4), Gautam Gambhir (20), Virat Kohli (22) and Rohit Sharma (0) were cooling their heels in the pavilion within a blink, giving the hosts the advantage. It only got worse when Suresh Raina (14), after a hit or two, was clean bowled by the highly regarded Daniel Christian. Only skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni held his ground and struck 48 off 43 balls with a boundary and three sixes. His late flourish was eye-catching but it was too late by then. There was a brief sparkle when Gambhir and Kohli put on 41 runs off 30 balls but the disaster was round the corner.
Kohli holed out in the deep off Brad Hogg’s bowling. Gambhir lofted a catch inside the ring as he failed to read the off-break from David Hussey. Kohli, a redeeming feature of Test series, was claimed by 40-year-old chinaman bowler Hogg off the fourth ball of his first over. Hussey was the surprise packet for Australia, who claimed two wickets for only four runs in his first two overs. Hussey claimed Gambhir and Rohit Sharma with his part-time off-spin. For Sharma, who had waited all this summer for his first representative game, it was a dismal start as he was bowled off the first ball he faced.
Sehwag was the first one to begin it all in a rather characteristic dismissal this summer—looking to play on the onside, closing the face of his bat too early and edging a catch, off the side of his bat to lone slip Hussey. Besides his catch and wickets, Hussey played a smart innings of 42 off 30 balls when Australia batted first in the evening. Hussey shared a 56-run third wicket stand with Matthew Wade whose 72 off 43 balls with five fours and three sixes was the talking point of the evening. Wade, playing his third Twenty20 international, after two unsuccessful ones against South Africa last year, struck cleanly and powerfully to flatten up the largely spin-oriented Indian bowling.
Left-handed opener David Warner (25) led an early charge and then Wade took over as India were once again made to look inadequate in the middle. Indians opted to field first and sensing a slow wicket, relied almost exclusively on its spinners but still found the home batsmen come out strongly at them. Ravichandran Ashwin was brought in first up at the sight of Warner, knowing the off-spinner had scalped him twice in the final Test in Adelaide last month. Ashwin was allowed to get away in his first over but in the next, Warner slammed 6,4 and 6 off successive balls to break the spell over him. The first of this hit for the maximum took everyone’s breath away as it was a switch hit and still carried the ball beyond ropes at widish long on.
Warner didn’t last long but his 25 off 14 balls with two sixes and a four had given Australia the early momentum. Wade, his partner and replacement for Brad Haddin, showcased his talent with brilliant hits around the park. He didn’t begin well enough, his first boundary was a streaky edge past slip cordon off Praveen Kumar but then he opened up. Wade really shifted gear in the eight over when Ashwin was brought in from the other end. He smote him straight down the ground for a six and later really took a liking for Ravindra Jadeja, smacking his third delivery over covers for a four.
In the left-arm spinner’s next over, he smashed a four and followed it up with a six to bring up his half century off 34 balls. There was another four off the next to celebrate his maiden landmark in international cricket. Australia were now rattling along and Praveen, returning for his third spell, was hammered for 18 runs with Wade smashing his first and final delivery for a four and a six. Hussey was an excellent presence at the other end and had just hit leg-spinner Rahul Sharma for a six when rain intervened with Australia on 131 for 2 in the 15th over. Wade left the centre-stage as soon as the game resumed after a 20-minute rain hold up. He went back to cut the off-spin of Suresh Raina which went straight and hit his leg-stump.
The break appeared to have done good to the Indians who conceded only 40 runs from the remaining five-odd overs. The lanky leg-spinner got a scare in his first over itself when he tried to take a return catch off Travis Birt but the shot had been so fiercely struck that it split the webbing of his bowling hand. Indeed, Sharma bowled the final over of the innings, dropping another return catch, but cleaning up David Hussey for 42 runs, made off 30 balls with a four and three sixes. Besides Wade and Hussey, Warner (25) and Birt (17) were the other two wickets to fall, both falling to catches by Suresh Raina at the edge of the ring off Vinay Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 2
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Dubai February 2:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board passed a unanimous resolution that the presidency will become an "ambassadorial" role on a one-year rotational basis from 2014 while a chairman would lead the Board.
In a statement after the two-day meeting, the board said its recommendation regarding the presidency was "consistent with recommendations in the Woolf Report". The necessary amendments to the Articles of Association will be discussed at the next ICC Board meeting before being submitted for approval by the ICC Annual Conference in June. The Board will also consider the position and role, if any, of the ICC Vice President between 2012 and 2014. Accordingly, the nomination received of Mustafa Kamal, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, for the ICC Vice-Presidency from 2012-14 will be considered as part of this process.
India's Sharad Pawar is the ICC president and after the end of his tenure in June 2012, he would be succeeded by Alan Isaac, the ICC vice-president nominated by New Zealand and Australia. The recommendations, if approved, could strike out the role of president-elect (vice-president) and shatter Kamal's ambitions to head the ICC. The ICC Board also received from Lord Woolf of Barnes and PricewaterhouseCoopers a 60-page report containing 65 recommendations and a transitional plan. Woolf, a former chief justice of England and Wales, was appointed chairman of the ICC's Independent Governance Review Committee and submitted a report containing 65 recommendations and a transitional plan.
"This has to be the most important exercise that the ICC Board will take responsibility for in seeking to grow the game for future generations," ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. The document will be published Thursday, with the ICC board due to review the report and discuss it before fully considering the recommendations at the next Board meeting in April 2012. The board also approved a proposal to substantially increase incentives, in the form of prize money, to promote Test cricket in the period before the ICC Test Championship, scheduled for 2017.
From 2013 the top team in the ICC Test rankings will receive a minimum of USD 450,000, a substantial jump from the present USD 175,000. From 2015, the prize will be increased to USD 500,000 in 2015 and from 2016 there will be a further increase in Test prize money.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 2
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Sydney February 2:
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his decision to field in the first T20 International against Australia backfired, leading to a 31-run defeat at the ANZ Stadium here.
"There is always a tomorrow. We started well with the bat but could not capitalise. Matthew Wade batted really well for Australia," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. On choosing to field first, Dhoni said: "I feel so (that he erred in his decision), especially the way the wicket behaved in the second innings. It was worse to bat in the second innings."
Australia captain George Bailey, who played his first match for Australia in any format, hoped to continue the winning run in second T20 at Melbourne Friday. "It was an all-round performance. I am very excited to win the game. Our fielding and bowling was outstanding," Bailey said. "There is a great feeling around Australian cricket at the moment. We hope to continue the same performance in Melbourne." Australia's win was set up by wicketkeeper batsman Matthew Wade, who hit a sublime 72 off 43 balls. The man of the match said came up with his "best".
"That is probably the best I have played for quite a while. "(Coach) Mickey Arthur told me yesterday that I would be opening. And I thought there was no point competing with (David) Warner, he is the best hitter in the game. So I played to my strengths."
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 2
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New Delhi February 3:
Leading foreign telecom giants —Telenor of Norway and Sistema of Russia — on Friday asserted that they would take legal measures to protect their investments in Indian operations with one of them speaking of “alternative” plans to quit India.
Telenor is a majority stakeholder in Uninor joint venture with Unitech and Sistema in Sistema-Shyam telecom that offers telecom services under the MTS brand. “Telenor Group wants to be clear that the Uninor operations are continuing. Our intention is to fight to protect our lawful investments in the country. We are looking to the government to arrive at a fair solution. We expect that the intention remains of bringing new competition to India,” Telenor Group said in a statement. Sistema claims to have pumped in over $2.5 billion (about Rs. 12,500 crore) and Telenor has exposure of over Rs. 14,000 crore in Indian services. Both Uninor’s 22 and Sistema-Shyam’s 21 licences have been cancelled as per Thursday’s Supreme Court judgement. Echoing similar sentiments, Russian conglomerate Sistema said in a statement that “it will contest this order by pursuing all available legal remedies. In the meantime, Indian operations will remain business as usual.”
The company claims to have more than 15 million subscribers, employing over 3,500 employees. When asked about quitting India, Telenor president and CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas told Reuters, “That is one alternative on the table“. Telenor holds 67.25 per cent stake in Uninor while Sistema and the Russian government together have about 74 per cent ownership in the joint venture. “The Norwegian government has announced that they are monitoring the situation and will actively contribute to find solutions to secure Telenor’s investments and presence in India,” Telenor added. According to Trai, joint venture firm of the Norwegian company, Uninor had 36.30 million subscribers by end of December 2011.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Mumbai February 3:
Extending gains for the fourth day in a row, the BSE benchmark Sensex on Friday rose by 173 points on sustained buying driven by expectations of a cut in interest rates by the Reserve Bank.
The 30-share Sensex, which had gained 568 points in the last three sessions, advanced further by 173.11 points, or 0.99 per cent, to 17,604.96. Similarly, the National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 55.95 points, or 1.06 per cent, to 5,325.85 with blue-chips, led by Reliance Industries and Infosys, recording gains. Brokers said market sentiment remained buoyant on reports that the Reserve Bank of India might slash interest rates in view of slowing food inflation.
Sensex heaviest Reliance Industries rose by 1.10 per cent to Rs 837.75 and second heaviest Infosys gained 0.96 per cent to Rs 2,779.95. The realty sector index gained the most by rising 2.15 per cent to 1,784.17, followed by healthcare index which gained 1.69 per cent to 6,411.72 as Dr Reddys surged 2.16 per cent to Rs 1,670.50 on encouraging quarter earnings. Others on the plus side were Bharti Airtel, Sun Pharma, Tata Consultancy Services, ONGC, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, HDFC Bank, BHRL and Cipla.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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New Delhi February 3:
Internet search giant Google Inc has launched a programme to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses through an online presence.
The program, 'Women Entrepreneurs on the Web' (WEOW), aims to help women entrepreneurs across India grow their online presence. It would provide women entrepreneurs support on using various web-based technologies in their day-to-day business while increasing the outreach to their customer base. "We are very excited to announce the launch of the WEOW programme in India as a targeted business diversity programme for women entrepreneurs," Google said in a statement.
The programme involves a five-circle approach that starts with building an online presence and moves toward collaborating effectively, connecting with customers and promoting their organisations, besides tracking and optimising their online presence. "We soon realised that they were true entrepreneurs and clearly not afraid to try new things, yet many were unaware of various products that can be used to leverage the full potential of the internet... The large number of women entrepreneurs in India made it a natural decision for us to pilot this initiative here," Google added.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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New Delhi February 3:
Heavy Industries Minister and former civil aviation minister Praful Patel has been named in a Canadian newspaper report as an intended beneficiary of a bribe supposed to have been given by an Indo-Canadian businessman in an attempt to obtain an aborted contract for supplies to Air India.
Calling the allegations in the report “baseless and false”, Patel sent a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to get all the documents related to the aborted contract examined by any agency and then convey the factual position to the authorities in Canada to avoid any “embarrassment to the Government of India or to me personally”. Canada’s The Globe and Mail newspaper reported this morning that Canadian authorities were “planning to prosecute” one Nazir Karigar, an India-born Canadian citizen, for alleged violation of the Foreign Public Officials Act, a relatively new law that forbids Canadian citizens from paying bribes abroad. The law applies to bribes as well as “attempted payments”.
The paper claimed that the 64-year-old Karigar was the India representative of CryptoMetrics, a Canada-based high-tech security company aiming to secure a “$100-million contract” to supply facial-recognition security system to Air India — a contract that never fructified. According to the newspaper, Canadian authorities allege that Karigar, who was born in Solapur in Maharashtra, met Patel in “early 2007” along with NCP leader Laxman Dhoble who now happens to be a minister in the Maharashtra government. “Later, Mr Karigar described to others...how he gave $250,000 to Mr Dhoble to pass on to Mr Patel so the minister would use his influence to make the project happen,” the report says.
Patel said the newspaper report was bizarre. “I have no clue as to where such allegations have come from. The news report makes bizarre claims and itself points out at one place that there is no evidence against me having received any money. The only reason I feel compelled to counter such charges is that because such allegations must not go uncontested. I have already informed the Prime Minister about the case. I have not decided at this point whether I would need to take a legal recourse as well,” he said.
Karigar, the report says, also happens to be a childhood friend of Hassan Gafoor, the former commissioner of Mumbai Police who headed the force during the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai. At the time of this contract, Gafoor was serving in Air India as director of security. According to the news report, Karigar used his acquaintance with Gafoor to push his case. Gafoor today sent out an SMS saying “I have no such communication from any Court/Authority (in Canada). Hence, cannot comment. Anyway, I understand that the said project had never even materialised.” Gafoor has been quoted in the newsreport as denying charges of helping Karigar.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Mumbai February 3:
The BSE Sensex eased early on Friday as investors took profits after a more than 3 percent rally over the past three days and weighed by caution in Asian markets ahead of the key US jobs data.
At early trade, the main 30-share BSE index was down 0.07 percent at 17,419.11, with 13 of its components in the negative territory. The 50-share NSE index was down 0.19 percent at 5,260.05.
Brokers said continued buying by FIIs on the Indian bourses and encouraging quarterly earnings by some corporates mainly buoyed the trading sentiment but a weak trend on other Asian bourses, capped the gains here. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index shed 0.19 percent and Japan's Nikkei Index by 0.10 percent in early trade Friday.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Washington February 3:
Researchers led by one of Indian origin have uncovered many genes influenced by the male and female sex hormones testosterone and estrogen that, in turn, govern quite a few particular type of male and female behaviours in mice.
Hormones shape our bodies, make us fertile, excite our most basic urges, and as scientists have known for years, they govern the behaviours that separate men from women. A team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) selectively turned many of these genes off one by one and found they could manipulate individual behaviours in the mice, like their sex drive, desire to pick fights, or willingness to spend extra time caring for their young.
“It’s as if you can deconstruct a social behavior into genetic components,” said Nirao Shah, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy at UCSF who led the research. “Each gene regulates a few components of a behavior without affecting other aspects of male and female behavior. In addition to illuminating the role of genes in male and female behaviour, Shah said, the results also have greater implications: If male and female behaviours can be broken down into individual component parts, what other complex behaviours could similarly be deconstructed?
Identifying how genetic differences in our brains account for the differences in our behaviour may also be a starting point for understanding how to better address human mental illness and neurodegenerative conditions in which such gender differences exist. For example, autism is four times more common in males than in females. “Some of the genes we have identified in our study have indeed been implicated in various human disorders that are found in sex-skewed ratios,” said Shah.
“We won’t immediately find all the answers to these disorders based on this research alone, but in the future, it might indeed help to identify more informed ways of treating such conditions,” Shah added. The study has been recently published in the journal Cell.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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Washington February 3:
A brief 10-minute massage helps reduce inflammation in muscle, a new study has found. According to Justin Crane from McMaster University, as a non-drug therapy, massage holds the potential to help not just bone-weary athletes but those with inflammation-related chronic conditions like arthritis or muscular dystrophy.
While massage is well accepted as a therapy for relieving muscle tension and pain, the researchers delved deeper to find it also triggers biochemical sensors that can send inflammation-reducing signals to muscle cells. In addition, massage signals muscle to build more mitochondria, the power centres of cells that play an important role in healing. “The main thing, and what is novel about our study, is that no one has ever looked inside the muscle to see what is happening with massage, no one looked at the biochemical effects or what might be going on in the muscle itself,” Crane said.
“We have shown the muscle senses that it is being stretched and this appears to reduce the cells’ inflammatory response. “As a consequence, massage may be beneficial for recovery from injury,” he said. For their study, the researchers followed 11 men in their twenties. On their first visit, the men’s exercise capacity was assessed. Two weeks later, the men cycled on a bicycle for more than 70 minutes, to a point of exhaustion when they couldn````t cycle any more. They then rested for 10 minutes.
While resting, a massage therapist lightly applied massage oil to both legs, and then performed massage for 10 minutes on one leg using a variety of techniques commonly used in rehabilitation. Muscle biopsies were done on both legs and repeated 2.5 hours later, after which the researchers found reduced inflammation in the massaged leg. Crane admits being surprised that just 10 minutes of massage had such a profound effect. “I didn’t think that little bit of massage could produce that remarkable of a change, especially since the exercise was so robust. Seventy minutes of exercise compared to 10 of massage, it is clearly potent," Crane said.
The results hint that massage therapy blunts muscle pain by the same biological mechanisms as most pain medications and could be an effective alternative. “Given that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with muscle atrophy and other processes such as insulin resistance, any therapy that can improve mitochondrial function may be beneficial,”Mark Tarnopolsky, professor of medicine for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, who oversaw the study, said. The study has been published in Science Translational Medicine.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 3
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London February 1:
Olympic organisers have some travel advice for the millions of people who work and live in London: Be patient. Have a beer. Work from home.
Rejecting suggestions of possible transport chaos during the July 27-August 12 games, they unveiled a 8.8 million-pound campaign yesterday to persuade city residents to change their travel patterns to ease the strain on public transport.
Even as London Mayor Boris Johnson tried to focus attention on the positive, transport officials had to bat back demands by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union for more money. Union officials say subway staff are not being offered enough to compensate them for working more hours and erratic schedules during the Summer Olympics.
The fresh union demands came just moments before London transport officials unveiled posters, signs and banners to make travelers aware of how to handle transport issues during the games. Johnson directed his remarks at what he called 'Olympo-skeptics'. "They predict that tumbleweed will be going down Shaftesbury Avenue," Johnson said, referring to a main London thoroughfare. "They are completely wrong and mistaken and missing a huge opportunity to profit."
London transport officials have been at pains in recent weeks to downplay concerns about whether the city's aging transportation system can handle the extra traffic from tourists, spectators and others expected to use the network. Officials point to a 6.5 billion-pound investment in the transport system. They say train journeys are faster and note that many more trains will run and that some will even have air conditioning during the games.
If office workers do things as simple as stopping and having a beer on their way home, it will spread out the rush-hour demands, they assert. No recommendations -- alcoholic or otherwise -- were made for the morning commute. Businesses have been asked to consider whether London workers could telecommute or have more flexible working hours. The trouble is that even on regular days London struggles with constraints on the Tube, an aging system that handles 12 million trips a day.
The Olympics is estimated to add 3 million trips on busy days. Keeping the system running smoothly is predicated on the notion that locals will rearrange their schedules, change travel patterns and adjust their lives to accommodate. Even Johnson acknowledged that travelers on the Jubilee line -- one of the key arteries for the games -- would not be "short of company."
London wants all of its spectators to arrive by public transport or foot and bike. Ticket holders to Olympic events will receive day passes for the subway as part of their package. A special train known as the 'Javelin' will take spectators directly from central London's St Pancras train station to the Olympic Park in the East London neighborhood of Stratford. The 'Get Ahead of the Games' campaign that kicked off Monday marks the biggest effort yet to directly reach the public. Featuring cartoonlike posters and directional signs in hot pink and maroon, the campaign tries to let people know about upcoming disruptions and gives suggestions on how to address them.
The campaign, funded as part of the 9.3 billion pounds devoted to staging the Olympics, will run in national newspapers, rail stations and radio stations across the country as well as around Olympic venues. Souring the big launch was the rail union's announcement that subway train drivers considered a one-time payment of around 500 pounds inadequate. "All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing," Union chief Bob Crow said in a statement.
Crow said the union was ready for more talks. Peter Hendy, the Transport for London commissioner, called the union announcement 'a tactic' and maintained that everyone at the transit agency is proud of helping out at the games. Hendy refused to say how much he was prepared to pay to compensate the transport workers, but the pressure comes at a time when Olympic organizers are straining to stay within budget.
The National Audit Office, Britain's spending watchdog, has reported that only 500 million pounds remains unspent for dealing with future Olympics-related costs. Hendy insisted the money to cover compensation for transport workers would be available once a deal was struck.
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Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
February 1
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Washington January 31:
High levels of alcohol consumption can increase risk of colon cancer in people with a positive family history of such cancer, researchers have warned.
A study based on more than 87,000 women and 47,000 men in the Nurses`` Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, looks at whether there is a link between colon cancer and alcohol, and if so at what level of consumption, and the importance of a family history of the disease. A total of 1,801 cases of colon cancer were diagnosed during follow-up from 1980 onwards.
The results revealed that subjects with a family history, whose average alcohol intake was 30 or more grams per day (about 2 ½ typical drinks by US standards or 4 UK units), had an increase in their risk of colon cancer. Those at greatest risk also ate the most red meat, smoked the most, and had the lowest intake of folate (suggesting they ate fewer green vegetables and cereals.
Hence, these people have the unhealthiest lifestyles in general of the populations studied. There was not a significant association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer among subjects without a positive family history in this study. Forum reviewers were concerned that the pattern of drinking (regularly or binge drinking) was not assessed, and that there was not a consistent increase in risk of cancer with greater alcohol intake found.
Further, adequate folate intake was found to lower risk, with the highest risk for subjects with a positive family history of colon cancer, low levels of folate, and in the highest category of alcohol consumption, indicating the importance of other lifestyle facts such as a healthy diet. The present study provides some support for an association between higher levels of alcohol intake and the risk of colon cancer among subjects with a positive family history of such cancer.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
January 31
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Washington January 31:
If you think sperm production comes cheaply to males, think again. Contrary to traditional view, it`s quite pricey, says a new study.
An international team has shown that the production of sperm is more biologically taxing than previously thought, and expending energy on it has significant health implications, the `PLoS ONE` journal reported. In their study, the researchers investigated the trade-off between sperm quality and immunity in the Australian cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus, to prove that the production of quality sperm is expensive and males are strategic about investing energy in the biological process.
"It is typically thought that females must invest heavily into reproduction, whereas males can freely produce millions of high-quality, tiny sperm on demand, with few costs. "Here we show that the costs are in fact large, and these costs dictate how much effort a male will devote into any given sexual encounter," Damian Dowling of Monash University, who led the study, said.
In the study, the crickets were housed either with sexually immature females, sexually mature females incapable of reproduction, or sexually mature females capable of reproduction. Sperm quality was measured twice and immune function once during the experiment. Dr Dowling said the male crickets were more likely to produce high quality sperm when housed with sexually mature females with whom they could mate, indicating a strategic investment of energy.
The team also found production of quality sperm appeared to have a negative effect on the crickets` immune systems. "Males that invested heavily in their sperm paid the price of being more likely to succumb to a bacterial infection. We are talking about how increased investment into the quality of the ejaculate corresponds with general reductions in immune function," Dr Dowling said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
January 31
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