India crowned winner of the YOG World Mile Video Contest
The Culture & Education Programme of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games saw local school classes from across Tyrol given the challenge of presenting the countries participating in the Games in a creative and interactive way. A total of 56 nations were showcased using stands measuring just 12m² as part of the YOG World Mile in Congress Innsbruck, with young camera teams from Innsbruck Media College on hand to record the presentations and activities in ... Read More

Still a long way to go to ensure transparency, probity: PM
New Delhi 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 ... Read More

From despondency to optimism: 25 years of HIV in India
SHOBHA SHUKLA

(CNS): The YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, recently organized with partners the Chennai ART Symposium (CART 2012), and The International Science Symposium on HIV and Infectious Diseases, to deliberate upon a wide range of aspects related to HIV infection and provide latest clinical updates on the management of the disease, which has been plaguing the Indian populace for over 25 years.

The first case of HIV/AIDS in India was detected ... Read More

NCCI condemns the Burning of Dalit Huts in Odisha; Demands Immediate Action
Nagpur 1 Feb: The Commission on Dalits in the National Council of Churches in India vehemently condemns the heinous act of the ‘upper caste’ people in Odisha, who burnt down around thirty houses of Dalits. The inertia of the government in taking action against the culprit and protect the Dalits is strongly criticised by the Commission.

It is astonishing and unbelievable that these atrocities happen even after six decades of independence. As India prepared herself ... Read More

Council Demands ‘White Paper’on Kudankulam
Nagpur, 31st Jan 2012, The National Council of Churches in India, the apex body of 30 Protestant and Orthodox Churches representing 13 million people, is deeply anguished to learn that the women in Trinelveli, South India who had peacefully assembled this morning to submit a memorandum to the Chief Executive of the District Administration in his office premises, asking for stopping the process of commissioning the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in South India, ... Read More

Per capita income crosses Rs 50,000 for first time in 2010-11
NEW DELHI: Reflecting growing prosperity, India's per capita income grew by 15.6 per cent to Rs 53,331 per annum in 2010-11, crossing the half-a-lakh rupees mark for the first time, according to government data.

"The per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs 53,331 in 2010-11, as against Rs 46,117 for the previous year, depicting a growth of 15.6 per cent," said the Quick Estimates of National Income released by the Central Statistical ... Read More

Antony, V.K. Singh blame army for age row
New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) The Indian Army's administrative wing Tuesday came under attack sharp attack from both Defence Minister A.K. Antony as well as the army chief, Gen V.K. Singh, who blamed it for the age row that has pitted the officer against the government.

Both denied any civil-military confrontation on the issue and ironically backed each other in blaming the army.

'It happened unfortunately, maybe without any motive, but for 36 years the ... Read More

Asha Bhosle, Yesudas named among 10 People of The Year
New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) From classical stalwarts like Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, L. Subramaniam and Zakir Hussain, to celebrated singers like Asha Bhosle, Yesudas and Shubha Mudgal -- 10 eminent artists in the field of Indian music have been named People of The Year by the Limca Book of Records.

The list includes lyricist Gulzar, acclaimed composer Ilayaraja and popular folk singer Teejan Bai.

The artists were felicitated by renowned sitar player Pandit Ravi ... Read More

Scientists slam blacklisting of Nair and 3 others
Bangalore: Two top scientists on Thursday slammed the blacklisting of former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair and three others over the Antrix-Devas deal and demanded that reports of two expert committees on the issue be made public.

They also warned that such action being taken without giving the scientists a fair hearing would impact on the decision-making process at ISRO and the country's space programmes.

"Its ridiculous in a democracy. What kind of democracy are ... Read More

Young Indians indulging in risky, pre-marital sex?
In India, people who have sex before marriage rarely use condoms, a recent study found.

Only seven per cent of young Indian women who have pre-marital sex ever use a condom. For guys the figure's higher, but still just one in four ever used protection with a girlfriend. It's down to lack of knowledge, embarrassment and trouble getting hold of condoms, the authors say.

Women will opt for condoms when things get steamy with a steady romantic ... Read More

Religion being misused: Vikram Seth on Rushdie row
Kolkata: Criticising the government for the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie's visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival, novelist Vikram Seth on Thursday said the affair was whipped up because of "power", "politics" and "misuse of religion".

"The whole affair was whipped up because of power and politics and because of the misuse of religion. And the government did nothing. Frankly this is madness," he said at the Kolkata Literary Meet here.

"We are a constitutional nation ... Read More

India fails to check human rights violations: Human Rights Watch
Filed under Human Rights, Jammu and Kashmir, lead story, newsletter-lead

New Delhi, January 24, 2012: Custodial killings, police abuse including torture, and failure to implement policies aimed at protecting vulnerable communities marred India’s record in 2011, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report.

The global report released Monday pointed out that impunity for abuses committed by security forces also continued, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast, and areas facing Maoist insurgency.

However, the report found that ... Read More

Corruption and its Impact on Dalits: An Indian Panorama
“A Society without Justice generates Corruption” says Bishop Thomas K. Oommen

“The ocean of corruption that has engulfed human beings and especially the Indian society is the result of the absence of the value of justice in the society. Dalits are the ones who are affected severely by this phenomenon of blatant corruption in India. Only prophetic voices and effective programmes can change this scenario”, so said Rt. Rev. Thomas K. Oommen, the Bishop in CSI ... Read More

Earn a UK degree while staying in India
LONDON: In view of the growing trend of students choosing to live in their own countries but enrolling for UK qualifications, the David Cameron government today launched a major initiative to boost growth in this sector of higher education.

In the highly competitive international education sector, higher education officials told that during the academic year 2010-11, there were 8,340 students living and studying in India who were enrolled at UK institutions for higher education qualifications. ... Read More

New Vande Mataram to mark 63rd R-Day
The new version of the song, originally penned by Bankimchandra Chatterji in 1882, features vocals by Sonu Niigaam, Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shubha Mudgal, Roop Kumar Rathod, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Indian Ocean and Palash Sen jamming together in a video.

"My version of Vande Mataram is introspective. It is the national song woven into a new melody after 64 years of Independence. It's a sojourn of all these years. I have created a fusion of contemporary and ... Read More

5 years ago, Rushdie spent 3 days in Jaipur, yet few noticed him
Jaipur The last time he was at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Salman Rushdie was barely noticed. He spent three days in the city in 2007, and faced no protests.
Some of the protesters this time agree that few had known about that visit. The opposition began with the Darul Uloom Deoband in UP before being taken up in Rajasthan, where the protests were spearheaded by Amin Pathan, chairperson for the BJP’s minority morcha, and joined ... Read More

India must curb subsidies to achieve 9% growth: Montek
India must try to curtail growth of subsidies if it wishes to achieve its targeted nine per cent growth in the 12th five year plan, Deputy chairman of the Planning commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said here today.

"Attempts should be made to curtail growth of subsidies to achieve nine per cent growth. We are trying to achieve nine per cent growth. Though there are major challenges like global slowdown, we will achieve the target," he ... Read More

Madhavan Nair takes on government, ISRO; Space agency mum
In a Jan 13 order, the Department of Space barred Nair and three others from holding any government positions over the soured deal between Antrix Corp (commercial arm of ISRO) and Devas Multimedia Pvt Ltd which was annulled.

The other three are A. Bhaskarnarayana, former scientific secretary in ISRO, K.N. Shankara, former director of ISRO Satellite Centre, and K.R. Sridharamurthi, former executive director of Antrix.

A furious Nair said he was not interested in serving any organisation ... Read More

Minority institutions will be exempt from RTE act: Congress leader
KK John

Minority education institutions might soon be exempt from the Right to Education act, according to senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Singh said the issue was being discussed at the highest level and a formal decision to exempt minority institutions from the purview of the RTE act would be taken shortly.

The general secretary of the All India Congress Committee made the statement while commenting on the objections raised by the All ... Read More

Rushdie slams govt over cancellation of his video address
Jaipur, Jan 23 (IBNS) British Indian writer Salman Rushdie will address the...
New Delhi: Furious over the cancellation of his video address to Jaipur Literature Festival, Salman Rushdie on Tuesday slammed the central and Rajasthan governments, saying the buck stops with it for the "awful" situation and questioned the commitment of Congress over the issue.

The controversial India-born author also hit out at the Muslim groups opposed to him and wondered whether India was moving towards ... Read More

Global economy heading for another downturn: RBI
Mumbai, Jan 24: Just after three years, the global economy is heading for another downturn mainly because of eurozone debt crisis that would also pull down India's growth, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said Tuesday.

“The global economy seems to be headed for another downturn after just three years. The recovery is likely to lose traction due to the continuing euro area debt crisis,” RBI Governor D. Subbarao said in a statement, soon after presenting ... Read More

Chetan Bhagat's double standard condemned
The CSF welcomes popular Indian author Chetan Bhagat who reportedly said at the Jaipur Literature Festival that he would not make Salman Rushdie a hero for "attacking God" and religious sentiments in India have to be respected. "I'll not make somebody who attacks my god a hero. This is India, you cannot hurt feelings here," he said. The same should hold good in case of Hosanna by AR Rahman and Javed Akhtar. If Salman Rushie ... Read More

Krishna declines comment on court ruling against him
Bangalore, Jan 20 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Friday declined comment on the Karnataka High Court allowing probe into allegations that he had de-reserved large forest area for mining when he was the chief minister in 1999-2004.

Asked what his stand will be if the opposition seeks his resignation, Krishna shot back: "We will cross it when such a demand is made."

"My lawyers will look into details of the judgment, and take appropriate action," ... Read More

Italy shipwreck: 23 Indian survivors return to Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 19 (IANS) Twenty-three Indian survivors of the sunken Italian cruise ship 'Costa Concordia' arrived in Mumbai Thursday.

While two members arrived in the afternoon, 21 others arrived in the evening via Emirates from Rome through Dubai.

Family members of all those who arrived were waiting for them at the airport and gave them a tearful welcome. Mothers hugged their sons, as they cried out in sheer relief that they are back home safe.

Survivors, however, ... Read More

Rushdie goes silent on Twitter, no hints about his India visit
New York Even as uncertainty looms over Salman Rushdie's appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the India-born author himself is not giving any hints about his plans to visit India and has maintained a stoic silence on Twitter where he has been a regular commentator.
'The Satanic Verses' author has logged on to the microblogging site Twitter regularly and commented on various issues, occasionally tweeting several times a day.

However, there has been no activity ... Read More

After security concerns, Salman Rushdie cancels India visit
New Delhi Author Salman Rushdie has cancelled his India visit due to security reasons, organisers of the Jaipur Literature Festival have said.
Rushdie was slated to attend the fest that kicks off today.

The author's visit came under cloud after Muslim organisations objected to it, saying his views on Islam had hurt the community's sentiments.

While the Centre was silent on the controversy, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rushdie's visit has stoked security fears. ... Read More

SC rejects plea on Army Chief’s age
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday rejected a petition which sought restoration of army chief General V.K. Singh's date of birth as May 10, 1951. An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia said: "In our view, the writ petition of the (Rohtak Chapter) of Grenadiers Association (of ex-servicemen) is not maintainable" as the date of birth of an individual could not be agitated by an association taking recourse to a petition.

The court ... Read More

New domestic worker law proposed
Madhya Pradesh, January 10, 2012: A Catholic nun is urging the federal government to enact a new law which would protect domestic workers and guarantee them basic employment rights.

“Domestic workers are the most vulnerable to sexual harassment and there is no legal protection,” said Sister Rosily Panjikaren at a rally yesterday in Indore, in Madhya Pradesh.

More than 600 people had joined the rally to mark India’s International Domestic Workers Day.

Sr. Panjikaren, a member of the ... Read More

Pakistan panel on 26/11 to visit India in February
New Delhi, Jan 13 : A Pakistani judicial commission probing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks will visit India in February to record the statements of witnesses and investigators of the 2008 mayhem, a source said Friday.

The final dates of the visit are yet to be decided, but tentatively the Pakistani panel will be in India next month, the official source said.

The development comes after the Bombay High Court gave its nod to the Pakistani judicial ... Read More

Tharoor stresses liberal Pakistan-India visa policy
Indian Lok Sabha Member Shashi Tharoor says India and Pakistan should review the visa policy for the benefit of the people of both countries.

He said that focus should be given to trade, people-to-people contact and economics to boost relations between the two sides. Talking to state-run television, he said there were lot of areas, including cement, trade and other sectors, where the people of both the countries could benefit from each other.

Replying to a ... Read More

Shariat Court Indicts Dutch Fr. Jim Borst & Pastor CM Khanna
Srinagar, Jan 11: Supreme Court of Islami Shariat Wednesday indicted Christian Pastor C M Khanna and Dutch national, Jim Bhorst for their involvement in luring people to convert their religion. The court said it will announce its verdict against the accused soon. The court had summoned Khanna in connection with the case today. His statement was recorded and he was shown a CD – proof of his involvement in the sensitive issue. “During the hearing, ... Read More

Rise in reported anti-Christian cases in 2011
By George Anthony

The year 2011 has been the worst for Christians in India, with at least 1000 incidents recorded, according to a report released by the Catholic Secular Forum.

The report, Rising Anti-Christian Violence — 2011, highlights about 250 of the "most heinous crimes of targeted violence" against Christians in India, with data gathered from government records, media reports and help of activists and NGOs from different parts of the country.

Karnataka heads the list of top ... Read More

Krishna arrives in Ramallah; to meet Palestinian leadership
PTI

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna arrived here on Wednesday to meet top Palestinian Authority leadership during which he is expected to reaffirm India’s strong support to the Palestinian cause.

Mr. Krishna drove down to Ramallah from Jerusalem through the Beitunya check-point. At the check point, the minister and his team had to shift to the vehicles with Palestinian number plates leaving behind Israeli cars.

The minister is expected to meet top Palestinian leadership today including ... Read More

183 Indian prisoners return home from Pakistan
A little after sunset on Sunday, 183 Indian prisoners trooped across the Wagah-Attari border and into India, carrying their belongings over their shoulders after Pakistan released them.

A little after sunset on Sunday, 183 weary men trooped across the Wagah-Attari border and into India, carrying their belongings over their shoulders. They were all Indian prisoners in Pakistan, arrested for crossing the border. They were released by the Pakistan government on Saturday.

Of these, 179 are fisherfolk ... Read More

No bailout for Kingfisher, Air India needs to shape up: Minister
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh Wednesday ruled out any bailout package for Vijay Mallya promoted-Kingfisher which is under financial strain, and added that the state-owned Air India needed to get its act together.

"It's a private enterprise and the banks can only lend if they are satisfied with the business plan of the company," the minister told reporters here.

Singh's response came when asked if the government was willing to give any financial support to ... Read More

Indian bureaucracy rated worst in Asia
Tags: Indian Bureaucracy | Worst Bureaucracy Asia | Political & Economic Risk Consultancy | Jobs News

Singapore: Indian bureaucracy is the worst in Asia with a 9.21 rating out of 10, according to a report by a prestigious consulting firm based in Singapore.

India fared worst than Vietnam (rated at 8.54), Indonesia (8.37), Philippines (7.57) and China (7.11), said the report released today by Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd.

Singapore remained the ... Read More

Sexual harassment victim comes knocking on Antony's door
Gargi Parsai Principal of an Army Public School, Jaipur, alleged to be perpetrator; Antony to institute probe

Up against a formidable line-up of Army officials who were members of an inquiry panel that ended up taking away her job, a victim of alleged sexual harassment by the principal of an Army Public School in Jaipur came knocking on Defence Minister A.K. Antony's door here on Tuesday seeking justice. She was accompanied by Communist Party of ... Read More

Mali President Toure in Delhi, thanks India for help in development
Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure on Wednesday hailed India for its role in the development of his country.

Talking to reporters after receiving a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan here, Toure said: "Today we are here to thank India for, during the past five years, we have noticed that India is involved in several fields of development in Mali, and particularly also thank and salute the private sector of India because they have trusted Mali and ... Read More

India fake doctors arrested over botched operations
By Amarnath Tewary

Police in India's Bihar state have arrested three men posing as doctors, who performed botched sterilisation surgery on 53 women in two hours.

The tubectomy operations were carried out in a field and without the use of anaesthesia, in Araria district.

The three suspects were arrested on suspicion of "conducting unauthorised and illegal operations", police said.

Some of the women suffered complications as a result of the surgery and were taken to hospital.

The district police ... Read More

Indian Embassy gets a new hope in Beijing
India has moved its Embassy in Beijing to this new building away from its Ritan Park home after 42 years. The modern and expansive $6-million building reflects growing ties with China, say officials. Photo: Ananth Krishnan
The shift from the old cramped structure to an expansive, modern building was long overdue

The Indian Embassy in China on Tuesday moved to a sprawling, $10-million premises in the heart of the capital, getting, after 42 years, a modern ... Read More

India's biggest black money case exposed
New Delhi: In the biggest ever cases of funds stashed abroad, a Delhi-based businessman has not just disclosed and surrendered Rs 73 crore to the Income Tax department, he also gave holding details of lockers in Swiss banks and the US.

The disclosure by the businessman identified as Satish Sawhney came today after a team of Income Tax(I-T) sleuths from the newly created Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) carried out simultaneous searches at his posh ... Read More

India ahead of China in quality of scientific papers
India is well ahead of China in the quality of its scientific papers, though it lags in growth in the number of papers, a study has revealed.

The quality of papers is determined by the number of citations per article, and this has gone by 2 to 2.7 over the past five years for papers from Indian scientists, says the study done by Elsevier, a world-leader in medical and scientific publications. On the other hand, articles ... Read More

PM meets Antony in backdrop of Army chief's age row
New Delhi In the backdrop of Army chief V K Singh's age controversy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held a half hour, one-to-one meeting with Defence
Minister A K Antony here today.

The Prime Minister and Antony held discussions after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting got over, fuelling speculation that the row over the Army chief's age and his retirement came up for discussion. The meeting lasted for 30 minutes.

After the CCS ... Read More

China denies visa to IAF officer from Arunachal Pradesh
NDTV

New Delhi: China has denied a visa to a senior Indian Air Force officer from Arunachal Pradesh.

The officer, based at the Tezpur air base, is part of a military delegation that is due to leave for China on Sunday.

The Indian Government is trying to resolve the issue with the Chinese authorities.

More details are awaited.
... Read More

Army chief age row: Letter to Defence Minister by Capt Amarinder Singh
New Delhi: As the row over the age of Army chief General VK Singh threatens to snowball into a major controversy, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said that his letter to Defence Minister A K Antony over correction of the General's date of birth was "his personal opinion".

Captain Singh, who is also the state party president, had sent a letter to the minister about a month ago mentioning about General Singh's ... Read More

Tata to erase Nano link to poor man
New Delhi: Admitting that Nano has 'wasted an early opportunity' due to teething problems, Tata Group chief Ratan Tata today said Tata Motors will do everything to undo the tag of 'poor man's car'.

In an interaction with media here, Tata, who is also the Chairman of Tata Motors, said: "Many efforts were made to discredit the product. We never pushed it (Nano) as a poor man's car, but as an affordable family car. Whatever ... Read More

German peace campaigner reaches Dharamsala to meet Dalai Lama
Morry, a peace campaigner from Germany, traveled all the way from his homeland to Himachal Pradesh in a truck to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Speaking in Dharamsala city on Tuesday, Morry said that he had purchased the truck from the police and then reconstructed it according to his taste.

"I am coming from Germany. At the moment I am working on a story about a peace mission from Germany to his holiness the ... Read More

Attack on diplomat: India summons Chinese dy envoy
New Delhi An Indian diplomat based in Shanghai was ill-treated and had to be hospitalised, prompting India to lodge a protest with the Chinese authorities.
46-year-old S Balachandran, a diabetic, was attending a court hearing in Yiwu city near Shanghai on December 31 when he fainted after being disallowed from going out of the court room till the proceedings were over.

His condition deteriorated later and had to be admitted to a hospital where he ... Read More

Lokpal bill not well thought out: Amartya Sen
Kolkata, Jan 2 (IANS) Amid fiasco in Parliament over the Lokpal bill and strong criticism of some of its clauses on Lakayuka by different political parties, Nobel laureate, economist Amartya Sen Monday said that the anti-graft legislation is not well thought out.

'I do not think personally the Lokpal Bill, as it came, is well though out. I have not seen a well thought out Lokpal Bill in fact... and maybe I have not seen,' ... Read More

14 lakh Aakash tablets booked since launch
India's homemade $50 tablet has already reached a milestone just 2 weeks after going on sale online. Manufacturers Datawind tell us that over 14 lakh units of the device have been booked online since December 15th.

The Aakash made national and international headlines when it launched on October 5th 2011. It is entirely assembled in India and, though pricier than the $35 tag originally announced, still the world's cheapest tablet.

The tablet itself is sold out but ... Read More

Krishna's 'private visits' to UK: CIC wants details made public
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission has directed the External Affairs Ministry to make public details of "private visit" undertaken by its Minister S M Krishna to the United Kingdom this year.

Based on media reports that Krishna got his five-day visit in June this year extended to watch a Wimbeldon match, activist Subhash Agrawal had sought to know from the External Affairs Ministry complete information on purpose of the trip and file notings made ... Read More

Board approves AI debt restructuring
-TNN

NEW DELHI: Air India's board on Thursday approved rearranging of authorized share capital by issuing preference shares worth Rs 7,500 crore for allotment to lenders of working capital as part of the financial restructuring plan. Along with the restructuring, the airline said that the aviation ministry will soon be moving a cabinet note for equity infusion into the airline and for approving the restructuring plan.

"Following the meeting with the lenders on November 28, ... Read More

Bank of India raises interest rates on NRE term deposits
Mumbai, Dec 29 (IANS) Public Sector Bank of India Thursday said it would raise interest rates on non-resident external (NRE) accounts up to 9 percent from the new year.

On one-to-two-year term deposits, the bank will offer annual interest rate of 9 percent effective from Jan 1, 2012, as compared to the existing rates of 3.82 percent, the bank said in a regulatory filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

For the maturity period of 2 ... Read More

Japan announces $4.5 bn loan to India for infrastructure corridor
New Delhi: Ramping up strategic ties with India, Japan Wednesday announced $4.5 billion for the landmark Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project and agreed to accelerate negotiations for a civil nuclear deal, but made it clear that New Delhi has to square up with non-proliferation norms.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Japanese Premier Yoshihiko Noda held talks for over one-and-half hours that focused on accelerating ties across the spectrum, including political, economic and global.

In key ... Read More

A year of satisfactory space missions
Chennai : Nine satellite launches, a policy for managing remote sensing data and commissioning of the country's fastest supercomputer -- India's space agency can look back at 2011 with a fair sense of satisfaction, though the scrapping of a controversial spectrum deal with a private company remains a blemish on its yearly report card.

During 2011, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) launched eight satellites using its own rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and ... Read More

Antony analysed by numerologist MK Damodaran
AK Antony is 71 years on December 28.
He shares his birthday with his party!
Number 71 adds up to 8.
The influence of number 8 on Antony is amazing.
The name AK ANTONY consists of 8 characters.
He was born in the Sign of Capricorn .
Capricorn is ruled by 8.
His name number is 26(2+6=8).
He was the 8th Chief Minister of Kerala.
He married at the age of 44(4+4=8).
He first became central Minister at the age of 53(5+3=8).
In the year 2001 ... Read More

Japan to strengthen Naval ties with India
In an endeavour to further strengthen defence cooperation between the two nations, Japan has decided to conduct a joint exercise with the Indian Navy.

"We have now decided to conduct a joint exercise with the Indian Navy. It cannot be said now that to what level will the defence ties between the two sides reach in the next five years," said a Japanese official.

It may be recalled here that maritime security, anti-piracy measures, freedom of ... Read More

Record 10 million pilgrims visit Vaishno Devi shrine
Jammu, Dec 28 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday hailed all those who made it to the Vaishno Devi Shrine, with 10 million pilgrims offering prayers there in a single calendar year for the first time.

Rakesh Vishwakarama, a doctor from Jaipur, Rajasthan, became the 10 millionth pilgrim to visit the Hindu shrine in Jammu and Kashmir in 2011.

Abdullah first posted on Twitter: 'For the first time ever the number of ... Read More

BJP objects to Lokpal Bill
Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha raised two important objections on the Lokpal Bill that was introduced in Parliament on December 20, 2011. Both these objections relate to provisions of our country’s Constitution.

The first objection by Smt Swaraj relates to reservations proposed by the Lokpal Bill. Smt Swaraj said reservation as talked about in this Bill is not according to provisions of the Constitution. In her second objection she said ... Read More

US sanctions 10 Iran shipping firms, including India JV
-IANS

Washington, Dec 21 : The United States has imposed sanctions on ten Iranian shipping firms affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), including Irano Hind, a joint venture with Shipping Corporation of India.

Announcing the sanctions, seen as part of expanded efforts to isolate Tehran, the US Department of the Treasury said Tuesday the ten sanctioned shipping and front companies and one individual based in Malta were affiliated with the IRISL.

Accusing the firms ... Read More