Raghuram Rajan takes over as Chief Economic Advisor

Raghuram G Rajan, former IMF chief economist, took charge as chief economic adviser (CEA) in the finance ministry Wednesday.

"I am glad to be here," Rajan told media persons after taking charge.

"The world economy faces serious challenges and India is no exception. I hope that in the next days I can help contribute to whatever solutions we devise in tackling these challenges."

The Cabinet Appointments Committee had Aug 10 cleared Rajan's appointment as the new CEA.

Read more »

PM dubs CAG report on coal blocks as flawed, misleading

Dubbing CAG's computation of loss of Rs1.86 lakh crore in coal block allocation as "flawed" and "misleading", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today took the battle to the Opposition camp, blaming it for thwarting the Centre's effort to shift to competitive bidding.

Making a statement in both Houses of Parliament amid uproar created by BJP members, Singh refused to be on the back foot, declaring that he takes "full responsibility" for the decisions taken as he contended that CAG's "observations" are "clearly disputable".

With BJP creating disruptions, he read out a few portions of his four-page statement before laying it in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which were repeatedly adjourned because of uproar.

Conscious that the CAG reports are normally discussed in detail in the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament where the ministry concerned responds, Singh said he was departing from this established procedure "because of the nature of the allegations that are being made and because I was holding the charge of Coal Minister for a part of the time covered by the report."

Read more »

Sonia asks Cong to "stand up and fight aggressively"

New Delhi, Aug 28 - Accusing BJP of making "political bread and butter" by holding Parliament to ransom by "blackmail", a combative Congress President Sonia Gandhi today took the battle to the opposition camp and asked the party to "stand up and fight aggressively".

Rallying the party behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the coal block allocation issue, she accused BJP of acting with "wanton irresponsibility".

"We will not be deflected by the intemperate Congress bashing by the opposition.

Source:PTI

Read more »

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2012 Final | India defeat Australia by 6 wickets | India wins 2012 Under-19 World Cup

India Under-19 team on Sunday defeated Australia U-19 team by 6 wickets to win final of International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup.

Earlier, India won the toss and invited Australia to bat. Australia’s top order collapsed skipper middle order batsman William Bosisto played  87 runs not out inning to take the Aussies to a total 225 runs.

India’s Sandeep Sharma took 4 wickets for 54 runs.

In reply, India’s skipper and opening batsman Unmukt Chand played a great captain inning  111 runs not out to take his team to a victory stand and win the world title for third time.  Middle order wicketkeeper batsman Smit Patel who also remained not out made 62 runs. India accomplished the target in 48th over.

Australia’s Gurinder Sandhu took 1 wicket for 43 runs.

Man of the Match: Unmukt Chand, India captain

Man of the Tournament: William Bosisto, Australia captain

India: Prashant Chopra, Unmukt Chand (c), Baba Aparajith, Hanuma Vihari, Vijay Zol, Akshdeep Deependra Nath, Smit Kamleshbhai Patel (wk), Kamal Passi, Harmeet Singh, Ravikant Singh, Sandeep Sharma.

Australia: Cameron Timothy Bancroft, James John Peirson (wk), Meyrick John Buchanan, Kurtis Robert Patterson, William Giles Bosisto (c), Travis Michael Head, Ashton James Turner, Alexander James Gregory, Mark Thomas Steketee, Joel Samuel Paris, Gurinder Singh Sandhu

Read more »

AK Hangal dies at age of 95 | Veteran actor Avtar Kishen Hangal Died

Veteran actor Avtar Kishen Hangal has died in a Mumbai hospital today. He was 95. Mr Hangal was admitted to Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz in suburban Mumbai on August 16 after he slipped and fell in his bathroom, fracturing his right thigh bone, on August 13.

Avtar Kishan Hangal (1 February 1917 - 26 August, 2012), popularly known as A. K. Hangal, was an Indian character actor in Hindi language films. His most notable roles are as Ram Shastri in Aaina (1977) as the Inder Sen in Shaukeen, as Bipinlal Pandey in Namak Haraam, as Imaam Sa'ab in Sholay, as Anokhelal in Manzil and the negative character in Prem Bandhan and the 16 films he did with Rajesh Khanna. He has acted in around 225 Hindi films in a career spanning from 1966 to 2005.

Hangal, aged 95, had a fall on August 13. On August 16 he was admitted to the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz as he had suffered a back injury when he fell in his house and fractured his right femur. He had to undergo a surgery, but that could not take place as later it was found the actor has trouble breathing and a history of lung disease, kidney problems and tuberculosis.

A sudden deterioration in his health was reported on August 25, 2012. Mr Hangal's son, Vijay, said that he is in ICU but the life support system has been withdrawn. He said he had been told that "it was just a matter of time". AK Hangal was taken off life support on his orders.

AK Hangal breathed his last on 26th August 2012 at the age of 95

Read more »

Astronaut Neil Armstrong dies at age 82

Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who made the epic "one small step" on the moon back in 1969, has died.

But they will say he passed away due to "complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures."

In an extremely beautiful statement, they say:

"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to walk on the Moon. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was a United States Navy officer and had served in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he logged over 900 flights. He graduated from Purdue University and the University of Southern California.

Read more »

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg should resign

Corporate experts have accused Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg of being 'in over his hoodie' and called for him to step down as CEO of the firm as the social networking giant's share price continues to fall.

According to some experts, 28-year-old Zuckerberg should stick to his role of a technological innovator and hand the CEO reins over to a more experienced person.

Complete details in this news

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Facebook-CEO-Zuckerberg-should-resign/articleshow/15569215.cms

Read more »

V.V.S. Laxman retires from international cricket

Indian cricketer V.V.S. Laxman Saturday announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect ahead of the home Test series against New Zealand starting Aug 23.

Laxman 37 made his India debut in 1996. The stylish right-hander played 134 Test matches scoring 8781 runs at an average of 45.97 and scored 23886 runs in 86 One-day internationals.

In his first-class career he played 265 matches and scored 19520 runs at an average of 51.50.

Read more »

Bulk SMS, MMS Banned In India for 15 Days | Now You Can Send Only 5 SMS

India’s Home Ministry today banned all Bulk SMS and MMS services for 15 days across the country to curb spread of rumours which has led to exodus of North Eastern people from certain parts of country.

According to Union Home Secretary, Mr. R.K. Singh,  ”from today onwards, No one will be able to send more than 5 SMS  in one go and MMSes of more than 25 KB data through their mobile phones (CDMA/GSM) during the ban period.”

India’s Home Ministry has asked Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to implement the SMS/MMS Ban order through the Mobile Service providers (GSM/CDMA) in all circles across India. This restriction does not apply on the SMS, MMS in respect of transactional message related institutions such as Banking, Financial institutes & Railways.

The ban announced by Home Ministry just after Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh said that spread of rumors by miscreants had led to people belonging to the North East to flee from Hydrabad (Andhra Pradesh) Bangalore (Karnataka), Pune (Maharashtra) and some other parts of the country, amidst threats of retaliatory attacks over Assam violence.

 

Read more »

Vilasrao Deshmukh Passed Away

Union Science and Technology Minister and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh (67) passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday. Mr.Deshmukh was ailing for the past six months with cancer in the liver. He had been taken to a specialty hospital in Chennai on Monday for liver transplant but the transplant could not be done because of medical complications. Vilasrao had been kept on life support and periodic dialysis for the last seven days.

All his sons including his wife Vaishali ,son Amit, Ritesh and Dheeraj were by his side when the end came at about 1:40 pm. His funeral will happen at his native place Babhalgaon in Latur district on Wednesday in the afternoon.”

Vilasrao’s body will be flown to Mumbai and then to his native place in Latur district on Wednesday.

Read more »

Kerala govt to launch its own airline Air Kerala , Says MP

Kerala is to launch its own airline “Air Kerala” to cater to passengers travelling between the state and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Indian Parliamentarian, E T Mohammed Bashir, told Times of Oman in Muscat that this is likely to ease problems of NRIs travelling between Kerala and the GCC nations.

“During peak seasons, they have shell out huge amounts to purchase air tickets. So, the government of Kerala is moving ahead to start its own airline, Bashir told the newspaper.

The company, named Air Kerala, was registered in India around four years ago.

He said the new airline will follow the public-private partnership model, as was adopted in building the Cochin International Airport.

Cochin was the first airport in India that was constructed with private participation. “The airline project is ready and is awaiting approval of the central government”, he said adding the state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has held talks in this regard.

Bashir said funds for the project will not be a problem. According to the report, the formal announcement of the commencement of the new airline is likely to be made at the Emerging Kerala investment meeting, scheduled from September 12 in the state.

Bashir was in Muscat to attend an Iftar organised by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre in Ruwi.

The proposal of starting a budget airline, was first floated at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi five years ago. But it was not granted permission by the Central government as the proposal did not meet the criteria for operating international services.

Such an airline would need a minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft and must have had five years of continuous operations in the domestic sector, the report said.

Read more »

Yamuna Expressway opens, cutting Delhi-Agra run to 150 minutes

The drive to Taj Mahal from New Delhi should take no more than two-and-a-half hours now with the inauguration of the Yamuna Expressway Thursday -- a 165-km, six-lane freeway connecting Greater Noida with Agra.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the expressway, built by the infrastructure major Jaypee Group, by way of a video-conference from the state capital Luckow.

The expressway promoter will also develop five integrated townships on 500 hectares each at Noida, Jaganpur, Mirzapur, Tappal near Aligarh and Kuber near Agra, officials said.

Permission has been obtained for toll at Rs. 2.10 per km for cars which will be levied at three points -- at 38 km, 95 km and 150 km from Greater Noida.

The expressway will be formally opened to the public at 4 p.m.

Read more »

Free Mobile Phones to BPL People From Government

Are you looking for FREE Mobile phones which is ready for you to get Free of cost with out doing any efforts or spending money?

Get Free Mobile phones from government

Well, Government of India has announced that all the BPL (Below Poverty Line) people will get the Free mobiles phones from the government so that they will take the facility of communication along with free talk time.

The Prime Minister of India – Shri Manmohan singh has announced a new initiative by the government under which every poor family living below poverty line would get a free mobile phone along with free talktime. The new scheme will called Har Haath Mein Mobile (a mobile in every hand), is expected to be announced on August 15 and could cost the government Rs 7,000 crore, the Times of

Read more »

Basel-III Norms - Banks need over R1.5 L Crore to meet Basel-III norms: RBI

The government may look at reducing its stake in public sector banks as one of the options to meet capital requirements norms under Basel III to be implemented by March 31, 2018, Reserve Bank of India governor D Subbarao said on Saturday. He said Indian banks need to raise Rs.1.5 lakh crore to R1.75 lakh crore as capital to meet the Basel-III requirements.

Basel III international accounting standards were conceived after the 2008-09 financial crisis to strengthen banks’ capital base and improve their ability to withstand shocks.

Read more »

Olympics 2012: India's 'Iron Lady' Mary Kom to debut tomorrow

Five-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) would be India's lone flag-bearer and a gold medal hope when women's boxing makes its historic Olympic debut in three weight categories on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Manipuri is the lone Indian woman boxer in fray at the mega-event after making the cut in the only qualifying tournament - the World Championships in May earlier this year.

The mother-of-two, who is also a multiple-time Asian champion, will face Poland's Karolina Michalczuk - a former bantamweight (54kg) world champion - in her pre-quarterfinal bout Sunday at 1830 hrs (IST).

The Indian, who was made the face of International Boxing Association's campaign to get women's boxing included in Olympics, needs to win just two bouts to be assured of a medal and first up for her is Michalczuk.

Michalczuk, a 32-year-old, won a bronze medal at the World Championships this year.

"The critics and some of my well wishers still want me to prove myself after 12 years in this sport and after winning five World Championships," Mary Kom has stated.

"I have won my World Championships in 46 and 48kg. These weight categories are not in Asian or Olympic Games. Boxing was introduced in Asian Games only in 2010 and there I got a bronze in 51kg."

Read more »

Haryana Home Minister Gopal Kanda in Air hostess Suicide Case

23-year-old former woman employee of now defunct MDLR airline allegedly committed suicide at her residence in Delhi and police on Sunday registered a case against a Haryana minister, who was the owner of the airline, on charges of abetting the crime.

Geetika Sharma, who quit Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda's company recently, allegedly committed suicide at her Ashok Vihar residence in north-west Delhi residence on Saturday night, apparently depressed over continuing mental harassment allegedly by the minister, police said.

Gopal Kanda is the Minister of State for Home Affairs in the Haryana government.

More Info

Read more »

Click Bank Online Market Place

ClickBank is a privately held online marketplace for digital information products. It aims to serve as a connection between digital content creators (also known as vendors) and affiliate marketers, who then promote them to consumers. In 2011 Revenue Magazine named the company as the top affiliate network in the United States. The company has headquarters in Boise, Idaho, and offices in Broomfield, Colorado.

The company is a subsidiary of Keynetics, and is the sister company of Kount, an online security company. It was founded in 1998 by Tim and Eileen Barber.

Read more »

Stevie Wonder divorce

Stevie Wonder just hit his wife of eleven years, Kai Millard Morris, with divorce papers. More than likely, she wasn’t surprised. The documents list the couple’s separation date as almost three years ago, which means they either tried counseling for a really long time or delayed the inevitable for reasons of laziness or outside appearance.

Given Wonder’s fame and the assets involved, this case has all the traits needed to turn real ugly. Thankfully, if the singer’s early paperwork is any indication, it might be a breeze. His initial documents only ask for joint custody and willingly consent to paying child support and spousal support. He’s also apparently choosing to give his soon-to-be ex-wife some of his larger assets even though he made most of the money prior to marrying her.

Read more »

Social networking site Pinterest helps tackle eating disorders

A social networking site is now helping people suffering from eating disorders by allowing them to share photos of their favourite items, such as uneaten plate of food or very thin people.

Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing site that was founded by Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp, and Ben Silbermann in March 2010.

Read more »

United Airlines Unveils First 787 Dreamliner

United Airlines unveiled its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which will revolutionize the flying experience for United customers and crews while delivering unprecedented operating efficiency, comfort and lower emissions. The airline showcased its first 787, fresh out of the paint hangar at Boeing's Everett, Wash., facility. United is the North American launch customer for the Dreamliner, and expects to take delivery of its first 787 in September.  The airline has firm orders for 50 787s, for delivery by 2019.

Primarily built with composite materials, the 787 has 30 percent more range and uses approximately 20 percent less fuel than similarly-sized aircraft, while reducing emissions and noise during takeoffs and landings. With these advantages, the 787 will open up new non-stop destinations that customers would not be able to otherwise reach on United, such as the recently-announced Denver-to-Tokyo service that starts next spring.

Read more »